Welcome to the new weekly Facebook live session where Fr. Ian Van Heusen and Alanna Burg discuss the readings for the upcoming Sunday. You can catch us during the weekly live sessions on Mondays at 3pm EST on Facebook from our Catholic-Link page. Reflection Questions ...
Welcome to the new weekly Facebook live session where Fr. Ian Van Heusen and Alanna Burg discuss the readings for the upcoming Sunday. You can catch us during the weekly live sessions on Mondays at 3pm EST on Facebook from our Catholic-Link page. We welcome questions...
First, let me tell you that I'm not Catholic. But having lived in Europe for several years, I've probably been in more Catholic Churches than most Catholics. Not that this makes me an expert, but more of a connoisseur. However, I have asked several of my Catholic...
"Shall we now begin the Mass." The words that I had loved hearing over the last several years now felt like an invitation to the tears that were always a struggle to keep locked in. As our priest listed the intentions of the Mass, I listened intently, keeping my...
Yup, that topic. Young children and the Mass. Little did I know seven years ago, before our first was born, what an expert I’d become on the topic. At first, it seemed so easy to go to Mass with a child. We’d go to Mass, infant Clare would nurse or sleep, and maybe...
In this video posted to the YouTube channel Breaking In The Habit, Br. Casey Cole debunks five commonly held myths most people believe about the shortage of priests. 5 Myths About The Priest Shortage...
https://catholic-link.org/trouble-understanding-the-mass-heres-a-simple-explanation/ A few years ago, I belonged to a choir, but for different reasons, I had to leave it and commit to other things in the field of evangelization. However, I have continued educating...
“Marie, I’ve got a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore!” In my family, we often speak to each other with movie quotes. The first time my parents attended Mass in the Maronite Church, when the priest began the liturgy chanting in Syriac, my father leaned over to my...
Habits and routines form and shape our experiences and our lives. These habits will help you make going to Mass more than a habit. Going to Mass is the ultimate form of prayer and should be a spiritual encounter with Christ. I invite you to reconsider your Mass...
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...
Did you know that there are three prayers in the Mass that, like the readings, are different for each Mass? It wasn’t until I had a recent conversation with my dad that I realized that I had been letting the words of these prayers wash over me without paying any...
One of the most common refrains I hear from young people is 'Mass is boring. Homilies are boring. I don't know why I have to come Sunday after Sunday.' Some of my youth in the rear pews would be distracted on their phones during Mass. When I asked them once what they...
Occasionally, the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments to Diocesan Bishops will reiterate the guidelines for the Eucharistic bread and wine. The reminders are necessary because, at one time, it was mainly religious communities that made...
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...
What is the problem with a Catholic outdoor wedding? Believe it or not, the Catholic Church actually has some beautiful reasons as to why getting married outside the Church building is discouraged. The Church is not trying to ruin the plans for the day you have...
"A foretaste of the Heavenly Liturgy"¹ Several years ago I stumbled upon a video of a lecture given by Denis R. McNamara, that blew me away, and has subsequently traveled with me, so to speak, in my meditative, Mass-going, beauty-loving journeys as a Catholic. Every...
There are certain, obvious parts of the Mass that become more automatic touchstones ... easier, in a sense, for us to focus on or re-focus from. For instance, we can read along in our missals during the Liturgy of the Word—a natural way to engage. And at the...
Even if you weren't aware of their names, or haven't heard them in Latin, chances are you're familiar on some level with these two traditional hymns, both composed as prayers by none other than the Angelic Doctor, St. Thomas Aquinas. In addition to sharing a common...
Of course, there is no question that the spiritual benefits far outweigh any practical benefits that children may receive when they attend Mass and that the reason we attend Mass is to be with and worship Our Lord, but we’ve already written about that in a few other...
Sometimes the choir sounds so beautiful at Mass that it's tempting to not join in singing. You're inclined to just sit back, relax and enjoy the show. But, that's just it. This isn't a show. This is Mass. This is our highest form of worship and prayer and it is...
There's an interesting phenomenon at work in this annual, very public ritual (and it's not exclusive to Catholics; other Christians mark their foreheads with ashes to commemorate the start of Lent). While in some parts of the world it's become less common to see...
This article is for you, especially for you, if you have been thinking about going back to Mass. On the part of all of us at Catholic-Link, let me personally invite you back to mass (we even wrote a letter for you!): We want you back! Today's article looks to give you...
It doesn’t take long for us parents to realize that our children absorb everything we do and say. I remember the first time I heard my two year old let out a long sigh and say “Oh, my gosh. I can’t even.” Her tone and expression were exactly like mine. Sometimes you...
Looking for an extra boost to your prayer life? Still wondering how to approach Lent? A while back, The Living Person partnered with Lifeteen over the idea of a daily Mass challenge. Lent is a wonderful time to add to your time in prayer, and if your daily routine has...
Many times when I get bored at Mass, it is because I didn't prepare myself well beforehand. Or I might have had too many worries floating around in my head that I was unwilling to entrust to God. I think it would be safe to say that the readings of the...