The liturgical year of the Church does not stop during the week. In fact, each day is different and corresponds to a particular saint. These days are commonly known as "feast days" and focus our attention on the beautiful example of holiness that different men and women have given over the centuries.
While most people are familiar with Saint Patrick's Day or Saint Valentine's Day, there are many more saint days than that and each are given a specific "rank" in the hierarchy of the liturgical year. To help you better understand how the Church celebrates the feast days of saints, here is a breakdown of the "hierarchy" (solemnities, feasts and memorials): A solemnity is celebrated if it falls on a Sunday of ordinary time or Christmastide. But it is usually transferred to the following Monday if it falls on a Sunday of Advent, Lent or Easter, or during Holy Week or the Easter octave. A feast honors a mystery or title of the Lord, of Our Lady, or of saints of particular importance (such as the apostles and Evangelists) and some of historical importance such as the deacon St. Lawrence. Feasts of the Lord, such as the Transfiguration and Exaltation of the Holy Cross, unlike other feasts, are celebrated when they fall on a Sunday. A memorial is usually of saints but may also celebrate some aspect of the Lord or of Mary. Examples include the optional memorial of the Holy Name of Jesus or the obligatory memorial of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. (EWTN, emphasis added) During week, there can be a "solemnity" on Monday, a "feast" on Wednesday, and a "memorial" on Friday. Each celebration has a specific focus and may commemorate a specific event (Christmas Day) or a specific saint (Saint Patrick). The USCCB has a handy calendar on their website that lets you know what is being celebrated on a specific day and denotes whether it is a "solemnity," "feast," or "memorial." Along with this "hierarchy," each saint or celebration is given a color. These colors correspond to the type of saint (priest, religious, martyr, etc.) or focus of each celebration (Holy Spirit, penance, etc.). Here is how the General Instruction of the Roman Missal explains the colors: [the various colors are] “meant to give effective, outward expression to the specific character of the mysteries of faith being celebrated and, in the course of the liturgical year, to a sense of progress in the Christian life.” a) White is used in the offices and masses during the seasons of Easter and Christmas; also on celebrations of the Lord, other than of his passion; on celebrations of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the angels, saints who were not martyrs; on the solemnity of All Saints (November 1); the feasts of the Birth of John the Baptist (June 24), John, apostle, evangelist (December 27), the Chair of Peter (February 22), and the Conversion of Paul (January 25). b) Red is used on Passion Sunday (Palm Sunday) and Good Friday, Pentecost Sunday, celebrations of the Lord’s passion, “birthday” feasts of the apostles and evangelists, and celebrations of martyrs. c) Green is used in the offices and Masses of Ordinary Time. d) Violet is used in Advent and Lent. It may also be worn in Offices and Masses for the dead. e) Black may be used, where it is the custom, in Masses for the dead. f) Rose may be used, where it is the custom, on Gaudete Sunday (Third Sunday of Advent) and Laetare Sunday (Fourth Sunday of Lent). However, regarding liturgical colors, the Conference of Bishops may define and propose to the Holy See adaptations which respond to the needs and genius of the peoples.” (GIRM, no. 345-6) So remember, the Church does not only celebrate Saint Patrick or Saint Valentine; each day is devoted to a saint or celebration in the Church. Check out the USCCB website to find out! The Church wants to highlight the lives of holy men and women so that we can see that anyone can become a saint! The next time we celebrate a "feast day," let us make sure to honor the life of the saint by imitating their virtues and not simply throwing a big party! Read the Entire Series
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After celebrating the great mystery of Christ's presence in the Holy Eucharist on Corpus Christi, the Church almost immediately turns her gaze towards the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
These feasts are celebrated on the Friday and Saturday following Corpus Christi (when it is moved to the Sunday). Ever since Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque had a vision of the Sacred Heart, the Church has been eager in highlighting this aspect of God's revelation. Leo XIII reiterated the value of this devotion in his encyclical Annum Sacrum: "When in the days near her origin, the Church was oppressed under the yoke of the Caesars the Cross shown on high to the youthful Emperor was at once an omen and a cause of the victory that speedily followed. And here today another most auspicious and most divine sign is offered to our sight, to wit the most Sacred Heart of Jesus, with a Cross set above it shining with most resplendent brightness in the midst of flames. Herein must all hopes be set, from hence must the salvation of men be sought and expected." Devotion to Jesus' Sacred Heart brings us to the "heart" of Christianity and helps us to see how much love God has for us. We see the image of the Sacred Heart pierced and bloody, outside of Jesus' body. This shows to us how Jesus' love is so great that he can not contain it within himself! Jesus wanted us to devote ourselves to his Sacred Heart so much that He gave us "promises" for those who spread the devotion in faith. (1) I will give them all the graces necessary in their state of life. (2) I will establish peace in their homes. (3) I will comfort them in all their afflictions. (4) I will be their secure refuge during life, and above all, in death. (5) I will bestow abundant blessings upon all their undertakings. (6) Sinners will find in my heart the source and infinite ocean of mercy. (7) Lukewarm souls shall become fervent. (8) Fervent souls shall quickly mount to high perfection. (9) I will bless every place in which an image of my heart is exposed and honored. 10) I will give to priests the gift of touching the most hardened hearts. (11) Those who shall promote this devotion shall have their names written in my Heart. (12) I promise you in the excessive mercy of my Heart that my all-powerful love will grant to all those who receive Holy Communion on the First Fridays in nine consecutive months the grace of final perseverance; they shall not die in my disgrace, nor without receiving their sacraments. My divine heart shall be their safe refuge in this last moment. The devotion is not meant to be a mundane checking-off of rules, but an invitation to a deeper relationship with Christ. When Jesus shares his heart with us, He wants us to share our own heart in return. The following day the Church celebrates the "Immaculate Heart of Mary" and Pope Benedict XVI explained the reason why these two feasts are celebrated together, saying,“The heart that resembles that of Christ more than any other is without a doubt the Heart of Mary, his Immaculate Mother, and for this very reason the liturgy holds them up together for our veneration.” So when we celebrate these two feasts let us remember that God is inviting us to deepen our relationship with Him and His mother and to have a "heart-to-heart" with both of them, giving to them all the wounds and warts that are there, asking Jesus to wash our heart in the bath of His mercy. Read the Entire Series
Last week we learned how the Eucharist is not a “what” but a “who;” Jesus Himself, truly present under the appearances of bread. But how is that possible?
First of all, let us remind ourselves of Jesus’ affirmation of His presence in the Eucharist in the Gospel of John, chapter 6: “‘I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that a man may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if any one eats of this bread, he will live for ever; and the bread which I shall give for the life of the world is my flesh.’ The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, ‘How can this man give us his flesh to eat?’ So Jesus said to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you; he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats me will live because of me’” (John 6:48-57).Jesus said clearly in this passage that He is the bread of life and that we must eat His flesh in order to have life. It is at the Last Supper that these words find their fulfillment when Jesus holds up the bread and wine and says “This is my body…this is my blood.” It is clear as well that Jesus’ followers did commit cannibalism while Jesus was on earth and did not feast on his dead body. Instead, they continued on what Jesus instructed them to do; to “do this in memory of me.” It is in the celebration of the Eucharist that the Apostles believed they could fulfill Jesus’ words to “eat my flesh and drink my blood.” This means that the Eucharist is the body and blood of Christ precisely because that is what He wanted. Jesus desired that all may have life in Him and so left us His abiding presence in the Eucharist to grant us life. Secondly, this transformation is possible because Jesus is God and He who created the world of out nothing can certainly create something out of something. Or as Saint Ambrose put it: “Be convinced that this is not what nature has formed, but what the blessing has consecrated. The power of the blessing prevails over that of nature, because by the blessing nature itself is changed… . Could not Christ’s word, which can make from nothing what did not exist, change existing things into what they were not before? It is no less a feat to give things their original nature than to change their nature.” Third, Jesus is present in the Eucharist by way of transubstantiation: Catechism of the Catholic Church 1376 The Council of Trent summarizes the Catholic faith by declaring: “Because Christ our Redeemer said that it was truly his body that he was offering under the species of bread, it has always been the conviction of the Church of God, and this holy Council now declares again, that by the consecration of the bread and wine there takes place a change of the whole substance of the bread into the substance of the body of Christ our Lord and of the whole substance of the wine into the substance of his blood. This change the holy Catholic Church has fittingly and properly called transubstantiation.” 1377 The Eucharistic presence of Christ begins at the moment of the consecration and endures as long as the Eucharistic species subsist. Christ is present whole and entire in each of the species and whole and entire in each of their parts, in such a way that the breaking of the bread does not divide Christ. To put it in similar terms, the appearances of bread remain, but what the bread is, becomes Jesus Himself. By way of analogy, water is known scientifically as h2O and remains that way whether it is ice, water or steam. In this example the outward appearances change, but the essence of what it is, remains. When it comes to the Eucharist, it is the reverse. The outward appearances do not change while the essence of what it is, changes. The Eucharist is a great mystery, one that we will not fully understand here on earth. However, we have the assurance of the Holy Spirit that this indeed happens and on occasion it is confirmed through Eucharistic miracles, when the outward appears actually change and the Host becomes the blood of Christ. In the end, we must pray the words of the father, whose boy was healed by Jesus, "I believe, help my unbelief!" (Mark 9:24) Read the Entire Series
After concluding the Easter season and ushering in Ordinary Time with the feast of Pentecost, the Church quickly turns her gaze to the greatest gift Jesus could ever give us on this earth, His abiding presence in the Eucharist.
The great feast of Corpus Christi, also known as the feast of the Body and Blood of the Lord, is currently celebrated the Sunday following Trinity Sunday after Pentecost. It is a day when we commemorate Jesus' presence in the most Blessed Sacrament. We are reminded on this day that the sacred host we see at Mass is not a "what," but a "who." What does that mean? I thought the Eucharist was just some piece of bread? Not at all. Let's look at Jesus' words in Scripture. Jesus said to His apostles: “I will not leave you orphans” (John 14:18). Jesus did not want to go through His death and Resurrection and leave us alone on earth, without His abiding presence. Because of that immense love for us, Jesus instituted the Eucharist at the Last Supper, as theCatechism of the Catholic Church explains: 1337 The Lord, having loved those who were his own, loved them to the end. Knowing that the hour had come to leave this world and return to the Father, in the course of a meal he washed their feet and gave them the commandment of love. In order to leave them a pledge of this love, in order never to depart from his own and to make them sharers in his Passover, he instituted the Eucharist as the memorial of his death and Resurrection, and commanded his apostles to celebrate it until his return; “thereby he constituted them priests of the New Testament.” 1339 Jesus chose the time of Passover to fulfill what he had announced at Capernaum: giving his disciples his Body and his Blood: … And he took bread, and when he had given thanks he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” And likewise the cup after supper, saying, “This cup which is poured out for you is the New Covenant in my blood.” Connected with the desire to not leave us as orphans, Jesus, in a mysterious way, wanted to make Himself truly present under the appearances of bread and wine. While the bread and wine at the Last Supper (and at every Mass) look like bread and wine, Christ makes Himself truly present under those appearances. This makes Jesus’ presence in the Eucharist very different from anything else. The Catechism explains: 1374 The mode of Christ’s presence under the Eucharistic species is unique. It raises the Eucharist above all the sacraments as “the perfection of the spiritual life and the end to which all the sacraments tend.” In the most blessed sacrament of the Eucharist "the body and blood, together with the soul and divinity, of our Lord Jesus Christ and, therefore, the whole Christ is truly, really, and substantially contained." "This presence is called ‘real’ - by which is not intended to exclude the other types of presence as if they could not be 'real’ too, but because it is presence in the fullest sense: that is to say, it is a substantial presence by which Christ, God and man, makes himself wholly and entirely present.” So the piece of bread that is present in our churches is not simply a piece of bread. If it were, going to Mass would be pointless. Instead, the Eucharist in churches and chapels around the world is Jesus Himself, truly and totally present. This means that the Eucharist is not a “what” but a “Who.” How is that possible? Next week we will take a brief look into how normal bread and wine are transformed into the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. Read the Entire Series
Nine days after the celebration of Jesus' Ascension into Heaven, the Church celebrates the coming of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost Sunday. It is a joyous day, one that concludes the Easter season and ushers in a time during the liturgical year that is focused on the Holy Spirit's actions in the Church.
The event is recorded in the book of Acts: "When the time for Pentecost was fulfilled, they were all in one place together. And suddenly there came from the sky a noise like a strong driving wind, and it filled the entire house in which they were. Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire, which parted and came to rest on each one of them. And they were all filled with the holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim." (Acts 2:1-4) As a note, the apostles were all gathered for the celebration of the Jewish feast of Pentecost. It was called the "Feast of Weeks" and commemorated the giving of the Law to Moses at Mount Sinai. God chose this day to impart the Holy Spirit upon His Church to show how the Old Law was passing away, making way for the New Law in Christ Jesus. Liturgically the color of vestments for Pentecost is red and symbolizes the fire of the Holy Spirit that rested on the apostles. It is a tradition in some churches to throw red rose pedals from the ceiling to commemorate the descent of the tongues of fire. Pentecost is also known as the birthday of the Catholic Church, for from that point onward the apostles went out to baptize and spread the Gospel. Before then, they had locked themselves in the upper room in fear of the Jews. This event gave Peter and the twelve the strength and courage to fulfill the mission they were given by Jesus. The descent of the Holy Spirit also fulfills the promise of Jesus of an Advocate who would abide with them until the end of time. We believe that the Holy Spirit is with us today and continues to animate the Church's life, especially through the teachings on faith and morals of the Pope. This allows us to believe with certainty that the Pope can teach without error in official Church documents that pertain to teachings on faith and morals. We believe the Holy Spirit is with us and that we can rest assured that the Advocate will not lead us astray. Pentecost also ushers in the continuation of Ordinary Time and is meant to be a time of growth, reflecting on the action of the Holy Spirit in the Church. Read the Entire Series
At the conclusion of the Easter season we celebrate in the Church the Ascension of our Lord, when Jesus returned to Heaven to be with His Heavenly Father.
The event is recorded in the book of Acts: When they had gathered together they asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” He answered them, “It is not for you to know the times or seasons that the Father has established by his own authority. But you will receive power when the holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” When he had said this, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him from their sight. While they were looking intently at the sky as he was going, suddenly two men dressed in white garments stood beside them. They said, “Men of Galilee, why are you standing there looking at the sky? This Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven will return in the same way as you have seen him going into heaven.” Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a sabbath day’s journey away. While the apostles would have wanted Jesus to remain with them in physical form for the rest of their lives, He did not leave them to fend for themselves. Jesus knew that His disciples needed extra help in their mission of preaching and teaching and so He promised the Holy Spirit, or in other places called the Advocate. These words of Jesus prepare the apostles for what would happen at Pentecost, when they would finally receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. In the liturgy the Ascension of Jesus is celebrated with great joy and solemnity. This seems strange as one would think that Jesus leaving the apostles would be a time of mourning and loss. However, the angels who appeared to the apostles reminded them that this is only temporary and that Jesus will come again. It is not like Good Friday, which commemorates a great tragedy, but instead focuses on the glory of Jesus' second coming and the promise of the Holy Spirit. The day also foreshadows our own promise of future glory, as the opening prayer at Mass prays: Gladden us with holy joys, almighty God, and make us rejoice with devout thanksgiving, for the ascension of Christ your son is our exaltation, and, where the head has gone before in glory, the Body is called to follow in hope. Through our lord Jesus Christ, your son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the holy spirit, one God, for ever and ever. The celebration reminds us that we too are not meant to remain on this earth, but are meant to be with Jesus in Heaven. We may be sad that Jesus did not remain on earth in physical form, but He only went to Heaven because He wants us to be with Him for all eternity. To help us on our long and arduous road of life, Jesus gave us a Helper to assist us on our journey to Heaven. In our next article, we will look at who the Holy Spirit is and how He continues to help us and the Church draw closer to eternity. Read the Entire Series
While we seem to always remember to fast during Lent, few realize that the fasting we do is in preparation for the great feasting of Easter.
As Catholics, we know that our short lives on earth are a preparation for eternity and fasting is one way to prepare for our eternal home. However, in the process we forget that our ultimate hope of Heaven is not at all linked with fasting. In fact, it is the exact opposite; Heaven is referred to as the "Wedding Feast of the Lamb." Now, feasting on earth does not mean gorging ourselves so much that we get sick. To feast as a Catholic means to enjoy the wonderful fruits of the earth with family and friends in a way that does not put the focus on food, but on the celebration. Easter is a time to celebrate; it is a time to rejoice in the beauty and glory of the Resurrection. It is a time where we eagerly anticipate the joys of Heaven that Christ won for us on the cross. That is why Lent is 40 days long and Easter is 50 days long! Our joys are meant to surpass our sufferings and sorrows! We are an "Eater People" and feasting is an important aspect of Catholic life. It is not sinful to enjoy food and the Church has never been against eating delicious feasts. So remember, fasting is always followed by a feast and reminds us of an important fact of life: the sufferings of this life are meant to be followed by the joys of Heaven. Read the Entire Series
The conclusion of Holy Week ends with the "Liturgy of Liturgies," the "Sacred Triduum." This liturgical event is so important, it spans three days!
It begins with the celebration of the Mass of the Lord's Supper on Holy Thursday, continues through the commemoration of Christ's death on Good Friday, and culminates with the great Easter Vigil. Pope Benedict XVI offered a perfect summary of each day in his Wednesday Audience in 2007: Holy Thursday "In the evening, entering the Easter Triduum, the Christian community relives what happened at the Last Supper in the Mass of the Lord's Supper. In the Upper Room, the Redeemer wanted to anticipate the sacrifice of his life in the Sacrament of the bread and wine changed into his Body and Blood: he anticipated his death, he freely gave his life, he offered the definitive gift of himself to humanity. With the washing of the feet, the gesture with which, having loved his own, he loved them to the end is repeated (cf. Jn 13:1), and he bequeathed this act of humility to his disciples as their "badge": love unto death. After the Mass of the Lord's Supper, the liturgy invites the faithful to pause in adoration before the Blessed Sacrament, reliving Jesus' agony in Gethsemane. And we see that the disciples fell asleep, leaving their Lord on his own." Good Friday "Good Friday, which commemorates the events between Christ's condemnation to death and his Crucifixion, is a day of penance, fasting and prayer, of participation in the Lord's Passion. At the prescribed hour, the Christian Assembly, with the help of the Word of God and liturgical actions, renews the history of human infidelity to the divine plan, which was nonetheless brought about exactly in this way; and it listens once again to the moving narrative of the Lord's sorrowful Passion. The Assembly then addresses to the Heavenly Father a long "prayer of the faithful" which embraces all the needs of the Church and of the world. Subsequently, the community adores the Cross and receives the Eucharist, consuming the sacred species reserved from the Mass of the Lord's Supper on the previous day. In commenting on Good Friday, St. John Chrysostom observes: "First, the Cross stood for contempt, but today it is something venerable; before it was the symbol of condemnation, today it is the hope of salvation. It has truly become a source of infinite good; it has freed us from error, it has dispelled our shadows, it has reconciled us with God, it has transformed us from being enemies of God to being members of his family, from being strangers to being his neighbours: this Cross is the destruction of enmity, the source of peace, the casket of our treasure" (cf. De Cruce et Latrone I, 1, 4). Easter Vigil Holy Saturday is the day when the liturgy is hushed, the day of great silence, and Christians are invited to preserve interior recollection, often difficult to encourage in our day, in order to be better prepared for the Easter Vigil. Finally, during the Easter Vigil the veil of sorrow which shrouds the Church because of the death of the Lord will be torn by the victorious cry: Christ is risen and has defeated death for ever! We will then truly be able to understand the mystery of the Cross, "since God also creates wonders even in the impossible", an ancient writer says, "so that we may know that he alone can do what he wills. From his death comes our life, from his wounds our healing, from his fall our resurrection, from his descent our uplifting" (Anonymous, Quartodecimano). At one point in history, parishioners would not leave the church building and would stay in prayer and fasting for these three sacred days. The Church reminds us of the continuity of the three liturgies by not offering a dismissal on Holy Thursday or Good Friday, with the priest leaving in silence, not instructing the people to depart. The Easter Vigil in particular is one of the high points in the Church's year, for it goes through all of Salvation History, reading scripture passages from Genesis onward to the New Testament. The liturgy reminds us of God's saving action that was foretold by the prophets and fulfilled in Jesus' death and resurrection. The juxtaposition of darkness and light further brings out the symbolism and shows us that Christ really is the "light of the world" and came to bring us out of the darkness of sin. The Easter Triduum is a great time of joy, even though we have to endure the sadness of Good Friday. It is meant to fuel us for the rest of the year, so that we do not forget how God can bring much good out of suffering. No matter the cross, God will always lead us to the joys of His kingdom, as long as we let Him. Read the Entire Series
Near the conclusion of Lent we enter into the holiest week of the year: Holy Week. Starting with Palm Sunday, the Church focuses our attention on the passion, death and resurrection of Christ.
Holy Week closely follows the Gospel narrative and we are immersed into the final week of Jesus' mortal life. Beginning with Palm Sunday, we walk closely behind Jesus and observe his every move. The Catechism explains the significance of this episode, "How will Jerusalem welcome her Messiah? Although Jesus had always refused popular attempts to make him king, he chooses the time and prepares the details for his messianic entry into the city of "his father David". Acclaimed as son of David, as the one who brings salvation (Hosanna means "Save!" or "Give salvation!"), the "King of glory" enters his City "riding on an ass". Jesus conquers the Daughter of Zion, a figure of his Church, neither by ruse nor by violence, but by the humility that bears witness to the truth. And so the subjects of his kingdom on that day are children and God's poor, who acclaim him as had the angels when they announced him to the shepherds.Their acclamation, "Blessed be he who comes in the name of the Lord", is taken up by the Church in the "Sanctus" of the Eucharistic liturgy that introduces the memorial of the Lord's Passover. Jesus' entry into Jerusalem manifested the coming of the kingdom that the King-Messiah was going to accomplish by the Passover of his Death and Resurrection. It is with the celebration of that entry on Palm Sunday that the Church's liturgy solemnly opens Holy Week. (559-560) During this special liturgy, we listen attentively to the Passion Narrative and even participate ourselves by taking the role of the crowd. In doing so, we recognize that Jesus died for us and the fruit of His action 2,000 years ago was not limited to the people of Jerusalem, but has been applied to all peoples and places for all human history. As we progress through Holy Week, we come upon Holy Thursday, where we commemorate the institution of the Holy Eucharist at the Last Supper. Traditionally it is on this day that priests renew their vows at the Chrism Mass at the local cathedral. This links the two days and shows how Jesus instituted the Holy Priesthood on that day. We then join Jesus after the evening Mass and spend at least an hour with Him before the Blessed Sacrament. This unites us with Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, where His own disciples fell asleep while He prayed. We seek to comfort Jesus in His sorrow and wait in prayer for the fateful day of His crucifixion. On Good Friday, Mass is not celebrated. The service held on Good Friday is a continuation of the Holy Thursday Mass and the solemn nature of service reflects the mournful tone of the day. We again hear the Passion Narrative and then venerate the wood of the cross. In some traditions, a tomb is erected in the church and the body of Jesus is laid to rest. All of these signs, symbols and activities allow us the opportunity to spiritually feel the hurt and pain of Jesus' passion. However, the sorrow of Good Friday does not have the last say. Next week we will see how the Easter Vigil overcomes the sadness we felt and brings us to the joys of the Resurrection. Read the Entire Series
A central part of the Christian faith is the practice of almsgiving. But what is "almsgiving?" Here is how the USCCB describes it:
The foundational call of Christians to charity is a frequent theme of the Gospels. During Lent, we are asked to focus more intently on "almsgiving," which means donating money or goods to the poor and performing other acts of charity. As one of the three pillars of Lenten practice, almsgiving is "a witness to fraternal charity" and "a work of justice pleasing to God." (Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 2462). The Catechism goes on to give three examples from the New Testament (CCC 2447): "He who has two coats, let him share with him who has none and he who has food must do likewise." (Luke 3:11) "But give for alms those things which are within; and behold, everything is clean for you." (Luke 11:41) "If a brother or sister is ill-clad and in lack of daily food, and one of you says to them, 'Go in peace, be warmed and filled,' without giving them the things needed for the body, what does it profit?" (James 2:15-16, cf. 1 Jn 3:17) To be Christian means that we have compassion towards others, especially the most vulnerable. This includes the poor, elderly, sick, and the unborn. Almsgiving is an act where we imitate the love God has for these people by providing for their most basic and fundamental needs. Often we express our concern for the poor by supporting an annual collection for the missions in Africa or South America. While that is good and noble, we should not neglect the poor and vulnerable that we see every day. It is a beautiful action to support these collections and we should do everything we can to use our wealth to their advantage. At the same time, too often we will give a generous donation from the excess of our wealth and have great compassion for the people in Africa who live without clean water, but fail to support the work of the local soup kitchen. While the annual missionary appeal is a great thing and should be supported, we hardly ever hear about the plight of our neighbors who are suffering or about all the men and women in our local community who are unemployed and do not have enough money to feed their family. There is a certain "reality" that is brought to the forefront when we help someone locally and actually see how our money or gift is being put to use. It also humbles us to see those who are less fortunate and pricks our conscience. We are reminded that God has given us many gifts, but that we should not keep them all for ourselves. So while almsgiving certainly involves giving money away to foreign mission, it also includes helping those we see and meet in our community. We can not be charitable to one group, while neglecting the other. Read the Entire Series
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Monday - Thursday: 8:30 AM – 5:00 PM Friday: 8:30 AM – 12:30 PM Stay Connected with Our ParishWelcome from Our PastorWelcome to Christ the King Catholic Church! Ever since 1938 this parish has been assisting souls in their quest for deeper union with God. Our mission statement is essentially found in the stained glass window above the main altar: “For Christ our King.” Insofar as God made us and we belong to Him, we have come to... Read More
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