Incense – A Long History Incense has been used in sacred worship for over five thousand years. Long before Christian worship began burning fragrant aromas in liturgy, the Egyptians began using incense in a religious way during the Fifth Dynasty, between 2494 and 2345...
“Parousia: The Bible and the Mass” We are proud to share with you a phenomenal Bible study series at the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology called “Parousia: The Bible and the Mass” hosted by Dr. Scott Hahn. Beautifully presented, impeccably edited, with masterful...
The eternal debate: receive the Eucharist on the tongue or in the hands? The great debates Catholics get into can be rather heated (and honestly quite entertaining at times), but let's start with this - Receiving the Eucharist on your tongue vs. in your hands isn't...
Meditation for the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ “These things, brothers and sisters, are called Sacraments, for in them on thing is seen while another is signified.” - Saint Augustine. The famous psychologist, Zygmunt Bauman, said that getting...
The first time I visited the Blessed Sacrament, I was eight years old. I did it in the context of the preparation for my First Communion. The sister who was preparing us told us with much reverence and passion that inside the tabernacle was the door to Heaven. At...
Maybe, you've seen our posts about the benefits of Adoration or heard some of your Catholic friends talk about "going to Adoration," but you still don't really understand what that means. That's ok! Though the practice of Adoration has been a part of the Catholic...
The Eucharist is described in the Catechism as the ‘source and summit’ of our faith. Finding the time to go to Adoration can be difficult. But if you can make it happen, committing to regular Adoration with an open heart can have some surprising results. While they...
The True Presence of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist is one of the greatest mysteries of our Catholic faith. It is something that can be very difficult for us to understand. How does what appears to be a piece of bread and a cup of wine become the Body and Blood of our...
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...
I can almost feel the disapproving glares of the parishioners behind me burning holes in the back of my head, but I don’t dare turn and look. I am sitting on the floor at the front of the adoration chapel with my three energetic children, making a desperate attempt at...
One of the most fruitful yet daunting experiences in my life has been Eucharistic Adoration. Just a few years ago, I would often marvel at how some people could sit before the Blessed Sacrament and get lost in the experience. Meanwhile, I was scratching my head trying...
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...
“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...
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...
Are you smarter than a 2nd grader? It is amazing the information that we forget over time. Take our quiz to see if you are still as sharp as the day you received First Holy Communion. We did add a few more challenging questions to keep you on your toes! Good...
My second grader is preparing to make his First Holy Communion next month. It is such an honor to be able to help your child get ready to receive Jesus for the first time. I know that Tobias is very excited about the Sacrament, but several times over these...
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...
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...
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 & 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...
Mother Angelica shares with us about the power of the Eucharist. Do you take the time to devote yourself to Jesus in the Eucharist every day? Let her words inspire you too! “If you want to be holy, if you seek meaning in your life, start looking into your own life and...