De Omnibus Dubitandum Est.

In an age of empty confessionals and casual Communion, many Catholics quietly wonder what difference the faith really makes. This article returns to St Paul’s sobering words in 1 Corinthians 11:27 to rediscover why the Eucharist is not a symbol, but Christ Himself, and why how we receive Him matters. By recovering reverence, confession, and a living faith in the Real Presence, we begin to see the extraordinary power of the Eucharist to heal, transform, and renew our lives and families. Read my latest article now: CLICK HERE!

There has been a new Pew Research study released . It pertains to Catholics in the US and contains some shocking truths which I would argue are as relevant to the UK & Europe as they are to the US: Only 31% of Catholics personally believe that the Eucharist is the body and blood of Jesus Christ. 69% - more than two thirds - of US Catholics believe it is a symbol. What makes this study different is that they also asked if people understand what the Church's actual teaching was. It is revealing that 22% of US Catholics know what the Church teaches and reject it, while an additional 43% of Catholics both believe that the Eucharist is symbolic and that that is what the Church actually teaches (i.e. they are confused). And there's a real stunner: only 63% of those who attend Mass once a week or more believe that the Eucharist is the body and blood of Jesus Christ! The Catechism of the Catholic Church , citing Lumen Gentium n.11 teaches "The Eucharist is ...

Well, obviously, he got it wrong lots in The DaVinci Code , but he did give us all something to talk about again! This week, on the CNA website , Bishop Arthur Serratelli, the bishop of Paterson, New Jersey, uses a fascinating archaeological discovery to show how Pope Francis articulates a fundamental Christian truth when he says: “A Christian is not a monad, off somewhere alone. No, he belongs to a people, to the Church…A Christian without the Church is … not a reality… A Christian without the Church is incomprehensible: It is a thing of the laboratory, an artificial thing, a thing that cannot give life…The Christian is always a woman, a man of the Eucharist”    —Pope Francis, May 15, 2014 homily at Mass at Domus Sanctae Marthae . The news that the remnants of a 3rd century A.D. church have been unearthed at Megiddo, the venue for the New Testament's final battle at the end of the world (Rev 16:16) has demonstrated that Brown's assertion in the DaVinci Code , tha...

Check out this brilliant Pastoral Letter from His Excellency Most Reverend Thomas John Paprocki, Bishop of Springfield in Illinois, Given at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Springfield, Illinois, on June 22, the Solemnity of Corpus Christi and the Feast Day of Saints Sir Thomas More and John Cardinal Fisher, this year (2014). In it, he investigates the work of Vatican II in continuity with the Tradition of the Church, and sets out a plan for moving forward in an inspiring and attractive way. This is a mandate for growth! In it, Bishop Paprocki makes the following interesting observations: We must seek to be found fully aware of our actions in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament lest we fail to pay him the homage that is due him. This desire to come and adore the Lord must flow also into everything that pertains to the liturgical celebration of the Eucharist. (no. 12). The primary way to foster the participation of the People of God in the sacred rite is the ...

In case you hadn't heard, Bishop Athanasius Schneider, Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Saint Mary in Astana, Kazakhstan has been visiting the UK. He is a hero to many British Catholics and especially popular for his work Dominus Est . Indeed,  Inside the Vatican Magazine online has named him as one of the “Top Ten” people of 2013 . Now, The Catholic Herald published an interview with Bishop Athanasius Schneider in its edition of 30 May 2014. The interview was conducted by freelance journalist Sarah Atkinson, who is also the editor of Mass of Ages . The interview published in the Catholic Herald was limited by space, but the full text of the interview, which has been approved by the bishop, has been published by the LMS here  and by Rorate Caeli here . It is so worthwhile, I am reproducing some of it here (with my own emphasis and comments). Please follow the link to the LMS site if you want to read the whole thing. One of the most important issues the Bi...

I think that the manner of reception of Holy Communion and the attitude to the Blessed Sacrament is very important. Since Vatican II, we have seen a marked emphasis on the meal aspect of the Eucharist at the expense of the Sacrificial aspect. Yet the Church teaches, and has always taught that the Eucharist is indeed a Sacrifice. Pope John Paul II referred to Jesus' institution of "the Eucharistic Sacrifice of His body and blood," which is, he said, not only a reminder but also "the sacramental re-presentation of the Lord's passion and death" ( Ecclesia de Eucharistia , 11). Perhaps the sacrificial dimension of the Eucharist is uncomfortable for many of us. Of course, we have no experiential concept of sacrifice apart from the Eucharist itself. This action would be immediately recognised for what it is by anyone who knew what a sacrifice is: all the elements are there, altar, bound victim, the priest who offers the sacrifice. The sacrificial model com...

"Thy word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." Ps 119:105 Welcome to this, the forty-fifth of my reflections on the theology of the Sunday readings at Mass. I have undertaken this project, regularly posting background information on the readings at Sunday Mass as part of my own prayer life. I have found it helps me to do a little study before I go to Mass about the readings, what the theme of the week is, how it follows on from the previous week's readings and what is being said. In sharing this, I hope to help you too get more from the Bible and Sunday Scripture readings. Perhaps it might give you confidence in the value and legitimacy of the Bible, or perhaps it might inspire you to pray the Divine Office or investigate the weekly readings for yourself. I see this as very clearly part of what the Church teaches about the Bible: This heaven-sent treasure Holy Church considers as the most precious source of doctrine on faith and morals. No wond...