We become credible witnesses to the joy and transforming beauty of the Gospel only when we recognize that the love we celebrate in this sacrament cannot be kept to ourselves but demands to be shared with all.

The priest or the deacon dismisses the faithful with, “Go forth, the Mass is ended”. This is not simply a “meeting adjourned” closing to the Liturgy. It is something much greater. It is a sending on mission

We believe that as we persevere in prayer to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, we are able in union with them to transform a culture of death into a culture of life and a world of violence and hatred into a civilization of love.

The procession with the Blessed Sacrament on Corpus Christi brings the One who heals the ills of people with His own wounds, suffered for us in His Passion. His Real Presence in the Holy Eucharist provides an encounter with God Himself, who reaches out to those who are suffering to bring them hope.

The Lamb of God Himself knocks at the door of our hearts because He desires to come in and share with us the Banquet of His Body and Blood. Yes, we are unworthy, but He is merciful.

The imparting of the Sign of Peace at Mass is not a mere gesture of good will from one person to another...It is a profound receiving and sharing in the peace that comes only from Christ Himself.

It is a cry of the faithful gathered for the Eucharistic Sacrifice to the Lord for the fruits and graces that come from receiving the Body and Blood of Christ. While it is the priest who prays this prayer aloud, the faithful present unite their hearts and their intentions with the priest, who stands in the Person of Christ.

While the “Our Father” is a prayer of intimacy that most of us learn from our childhood, it is also a corporate prayer that unites all who pray it with one another and all of the members of the Body of Christ

No matter how dark or dire the world may seem, prayer is what changes all for the better. It saves human lives and especially souls. St. Joseph is still our liberator, and protector of the Church and of our families.

The one perfect sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross is the greatest expression of adoration of the Holy Trinity into which we are called to participate. This offering of incomprehensible love to the Father can only be accomplished by God the Son Himself through the power of God the Holy Spirit.

Trusting in the unfailing mercy of God, there is always hope to be admitted into the company of the saints who praise God in the heavenly liturgy

When we come together as members of His Body at Mass, through the Sacrifice of His Body and Blood made present, we are given the ability to reach out to our beloved dead and aid them in their preparation to enter into the Presence of God.

During this sacred week, let us seek the face of Christ. Let us take time to contemplate His Real Presence in the Holy Eucharist and see the beauty of His countenance there.

This reminds us that when we come to the altar in church, we are united with the adoration of the Triune God in heaven. It is through the offering of these gifts, the Sacrifice of Jesus Christ, through the power of the Holy Spirit, that we worship the Father. It is because the Son of God became man in the Incarnation that each one of us can come before the altar and be united in this perfect sacrifice of praise.

This prayer of anamnesis, or remembrance, focuses us as we come together before the altar at Mass. We come there to be united in the Paschal Mystery of Christ, His Passion, Death, Resurrection and Ascension in the hope of His return.

The prayer of consecration is truly the heart of the celebration of the Mass because, at this point, Our Lord Jesus Christ becomes substantially present by the efficacy of the words of the priest, a power given not of the priest himself but by his ordination. These words are spoken for the salvation of not just the priest, but for the salvation of all.

In this prayer the priest is addressing God the Father, and he asks the Father to bless these offerings of bread and wine, which are set apart for God alone.

Every time we come to Mass, we find ourselves in a dynamic relationship with God. Through the action of Jesus Christ, the Great High Priest, His sacrifice of the Cross is made present according to God’s design by the oblation (offering) of bread and wine through the ordained ministry of the priest.

When we, as the Church on earth, approach the altar at Mass, we do not approach alone. The part of the Roman Canon known as the “Communicantes,” meaning “In communion with,” speaks eloquently of our belief that we gather before the altar in communion with the members of the Church in heaven.

At this point the priest prays, “Remember, Lord, your servants N. and N. and all gathered here.” Here the priest prays silently calling to mind by name all those he desires to remember in this Eucharistic Sacrifice. Certainly, if the Mass intention is for a living person, it is most appropriate to pray for that person or persons at this time.