We often pray for the intercession of the saints during Mass and our church sanctuaries are filled with images of saints. How can we deepen our understanding of our relationship to the saints? Intercessory prayer has a complex history in the Church. The post-Vatican II era has seen an effort to recapture a more biblical […]
Author: John Zupez, SJ
Eucharistic Liturgy · November / December 2020
Ongoing Renewal of the Eucharistic Liturgy
What remains to be realized in the liturgical vison of the Mass implemented by the Second Vatican Council? Some Catholics speak of their regret at not having a sense of God’s presence when they enter a modern Catholic church. There are churches in recent years that have been restored to recapture this feeling which Catholics […]
Eucharistic Spirituality · September / October 2020
Soul of Christ: Reflections for After Communion
What do you pray after receiving the Eucharist and why? Soul of Christ, sanctify me. Body of Christ, save me. Blood of Christ, inebriate me. Water from the side of Christ, wash me. Passion of Christ, strengthen me. O good Jesus, hear me. Within your wounds, hide me. Let me never be separated from you. […]
Eucharistic Spirituality · July / August 2020
Praying the “Our Father” in its Scriptural Context
How does the context of the New Testament enhance our understanding of the Lord’s Prayer? We use words in prayer to keep our mind focused. What better than to use the words of prayer that Jesus left us, to raise our minds and hearts to God amidst the cares of daily life? I propose here […]
Eucharist: Living & Evangelizing · January / February 2020
Our Good Deeds Follow Us: A Reflection on the Secondary Joy of Heaven
Everyone wants to experience the joy of heaven, but how do our good deeds affect our eternal joy? There are places in the New Testament where we are told that our good deeds follow us to heaven, and presumably increase our joy there. If we can gain a better understanding of this joy, and why […]
Eucharistic Teachings · November / December 2019
Is the Mass a Propitiatory or Expiatory Sacrifice?
The precise meaning of words is important in understanding how the Church sees God’s saving action in Jesus Christ and the meaning of the Eucharistic rite. Change is difficult, and perhaps never more so than when it relates somehow to the very heart of our religious practice. A change that has become a dividing issue […]
Eucharist: Living & Evangelizing · March / April 2019
The Words of Everlasting Life
The word of God is eternal, but it is also directed to men and women of faith in every age and circumstance. What is God saying to us and to the Church today? What would happen in your parish if the priest did not show up on a Sunday morning, but he had invited the […]