In today's Gospel reflection, Father Ian VanHeusen presents a spiritual exercise for the Feast of Corpus Christi based on John 6:51-58 St. Ignatius of Loyola explains, “By the term “Spiritual Exercises” is meant every method of examination of conscience, of...
Eucharist
6 Things To Do When You Don’t Agree With The Catholic Church
It's no secret that teachings of the Catholic Church can often cause controversy. It's been that way since the very beginning and it is the direct result of the desire of Church leaders to seek God's truth over popular opinion. In recent times, it seems that the...
4 Proposals for Divorced and Remarried Catholics and Receiving Communion
The synod of the family held a few years ago was a great opportunity for the Church to listen and better understand the situation of many Catholics. Often the Church is accused of being insensitive with these issues. From one point of view, this is understandable. The...
The Importance Of Making A Spiritual Communion And How You Can Do It Anytime, Anywhere
Spiritual communion is a great way to cultivate our love for Christ in the Eucharist for those times when we can’t make it to Daily Mass for a variety of reasons (no priest, something unexpected, weather, job, sickness, etc.). It is important to note that a spiritual...
What’s the Big Deal With Remarried Couples Receiving Communion?
You might have heard or read quite a bit about the issue of remarried couples and the Eucharist. Still, amongst the hype, there hasn’t always been a lot of clarity about what’s at the heart of it all. Why can’t remarried couples receive communion? Is it some kind of...
Why are Catholics So “Exclusive” About Holy Communion?! 13 Ways To Approach This Sensitive Subject
Recently I attended a Baccalaureate Mass, and I couldn't help but feel the generally awkward vibe that tends to arise whenever Communion comes around, especially when the priest must explain that those who aren't Catholic may come forward and receive a blessing, but...
What Does Jesus Teach Us About Healthy Eating? | Luke 9:11-17
One of the best ways to enrich your faith-life is to pray with scripture. A great way of doing this is using the "Lectio Divina"; this is a powerful method which we explain here. We hope that it serves you in your personal prayer and that it serves as a resource that...
The 5 Best Things About Being Catholic (IMHO)
Have you ever noticed that people tend to enjoy talking more about the negatives than the positives? We seem to find some kind of enjoyment in pointing out the errors and faults in things. We love making suggestions about what we would improve or do differently to...
Is It A Sin To Be Bored At Mass?
This short video from Mark Hart, “Bored at Mass?”, will most likely speak to each and every one of us since it hits upon a very real struggle that many face – not only in the past, but also presently, and potentially in the future. But why? Why is it that we can...
Jesus Is With Us In The Eucharist
“God was not content with giving us His only Son once for all, willing Him to take flesh in the womb of a Virgin - flesh like ours, so that He might suffer and die for us on the Cross - but He wished Him to remain with us forever, perpetuating His real presence and...
Communion Meditation: “You’re Worth Dying For Right Now”
Today’s video invites us to reflect on an important and often forgotten about moment during Mass - the after Communion Meditation. Too often we may return to our pew after receiving Communion and sit and think. We may make a short prayer, the choir launches into a...
10 Quotes On The Eucharist From Fathers Of The Church
It can be said that there is a yearning for something - an object, a certain food or a drink - that is capable of giving us eternal life or eternal youth. It is rooted in the deepest recesses of the human heart. This desire has always been present; in the oldest...
Every Mass Is A Wedding And We Are The Guests Of Honor
We have all experienced the joy of sharing what we have with others, especially when we do so for those in need. When we share, we do not lose, rather we gain. Not only do we have more, we are more and our heart is filled with joy. How much greater would that joy be...
Trouble Understanding The Mass? Here’s A Simple Explanation
The Mass is the sacrifice of Christ. He offered Himself once and forever on the cross. The Mass is the center of our Christian life and the thanks offering we present to God for His great love toward us. It is not another sacrifice. It is not a repetition. It is the...
Is It Possible To Go To Mass With Children? Tips For Taking Your Family To Church
This could quite possibly be one of the cutest videos on the internet, as well as the goal of every Catholic parent of young children. Don’t we all wish our children could perform the Mass as beautifully as Isaiah does? Right now, it’s just a struggle to get my...
Test Your Knowledge: Take The Eucharist Challenge Quiz!
Due to the overwhelming response from the first Eucharist quiz and the number of people who claimed that it was “too easy”, we have decided to publish a Eucharist Challenge. We underestimated the knowledge of the average Catholic Link reader. We promise this one...
7 Tips To Keep The “Holy” In First Holy Communion
My second grader is preparing to make his First Holy Communion next month. It is such an honor to help your child get ready to receive Jesus for the first time. I know that he is very excited about the Sacrament. Still, several times over these last few weeks, I...
Jesus Didn’t Literally Mean To Eat His Body…Did He?
Today's video is an extremely well made catechetical presentation of the sacrament of the Eucharist, produced by Sophia Institute for Teachers. The "source and summit of our faith", it is impossible to give it the credit it deserves. "Recognize in this bread what...
Rediscovering The Mass On The Road To Emmaus
Just as the disciples on the road to Emmaus encountered Christ in breaking of the bread, so too are we invited to encounter the Resurrected Lord in the Eucharistic and to share this treasure with the entire world. On the Road to Emmaus This short film was produced...
How Will Your Life Change When You Go To Eucharistic Adoration?
In the spirit of Pope Francis' call to come together as one community before the Holy Sacrament, we would like to offer this video, released by the USCCB, that is a collection of short testimonies on why people attend Eucharistic Adoration. The video speaks...
Eucharistic Adoration Is Key To Progressing In Your Spiritual Life
Progressing, getting ahead, moving forward, making strides, taking the lead... We live in a society that has an absolute fascination with the forward direction. It's a compliment: "He or she a is a forward-thinker." It's a dream: "To discover the next great leap...
The Eucharist And You: What’s At The Center Of Your Life?
"The Eucharist & You" is another ODB films production. The main character, Jimmy, is the typical "All American Kid", and, in fact, proposes the typical "ideal life". Most conceptions of the ideal "American" life don't tend to include the Eucharist, much...
Holy Week Explained In 2 Minutes!
Today's video offers a brief and condensed explanation of Holy Week, a time in the liturgical calendar very rich in meaning and symbols. It is important that we continue to deepen the meaning and the reality behind these symbols. This Holy Week, we are invited to...
How Will This Man Respond When His Dentist Tells Him God Doesn’t Exist?
This short video comes from Vision Fudge, an organization which makes films in order to help people explore life’s big questions. Whether or not God exists is definitely one of those questions. In the video they ask three questions about belief in God: Does...
If You Want To Do Something For God, Go To Mass
Father, you want me to be what? A Eucharistic minister? Oh no, Father, I am not worthy! There were my responses – thirteen years ago – when my parish priest approached me to consider serving the People of God as an extraordinary minister of the Eucharist (the more...