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August 6, 2021Mark your Calendar
Thursday, August 19th
St. Michael Night out at the Legion
Wednesday, August 25th
Start of a Biblical Walk Through the Mass
A Biblical Walk Through the Mass will be our next course in the School for Disciples. It is a five-week course with video presentations. The video includes a Mass filmed at the Basilica of Ss. Peter and Paul Cathedral in Philadelphia where I was ordained and where I spent the first 15 months of my priestly ministry during which St. John Paul II came to visit. We will meet in the meeting room on five consecutive Wednesday and as space is tight the course will be limited to 15 people. You can sign up today and pick-up a text in the meeting room.
The Mass is nothing short of amazing. Through it, we encounter God in the most intimate way possible as we hear him speak to us in the Liturgy of the Word and as we receive him Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity in the Holy Eucharist.
The words, the gestures, and the rituals of the Mass are rich in meaning. Everything we say and do in the Liturgy is steeped in biblical language. A Biblical Walk Through the Mass explores the extraordinary biblical roots of the Liturgy and reveals what it all means and why it all matters. This fascinating tour of the Mass will renew your faith and deepen your love for and devotion to the Holy Eucharist.
1 Kgs 19:4-8 | Eph 4:30—5:2 | Jn 6:41-51
GROW: We have apps that monitor our sleep and calories, and remind us to get our steps in. Short on time? We order takeout or subscribe to a meal service. Yet, despite these modern conveniences, I would guess that most of us don’t sleep enough or consistently eat well. And we pay the price, whether in the short or long term. Enter Elijah, who had reached his limit physically and mentally. Yet after an angel provided him food and drink, Elijah found the strength to walk 40 days and 40 nights. Impressive! But that’s God for us! And in the provision of his Son, we have food and drink – bread from heaven – that not only sustains us for our journey on earth but offers the possibility of eternal life. This is our belief; this is what Jesus says to us. And that alone can give us strength, and hope, even when we’re having an “Elijah” moment. For at each and every holy Mass, Jesus invites us to the table, offering us food that not only sustains but also transforms us. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord, indeed!
GO: Just as a good night’s sleep and proper nutrition help us function our best, the Word of God and the Eucharist, and our communal life of faith, provide the spiritual nourishment we need as we strive to be imitators of God in our daily lives, as Saint Paul says. As we partake of Christ in the Eucharist, perhaps we can say a prayer of thanksgiving and ask Jesus to help us grow in the ways of love that Paul outlined: kindness, compassion, and forgiveness toward the people we encounter. It could mean letting go of a grudge, becoming more conscious of the needs of others, listening respectfully to someone with whom we disagree, or perhaps forgiving ourselves. The Holy Spirit will guide us.
REFLECT: Think about the ways the Mass transforms you. It may be something subtle – the spirit of consolation and the feeling that things are right in your world – or you may have been particularly moved by the readings, homily, music, or silent prayer. Tell someone about it!
