1. Stop going to church.
2. Keep attending but stop participating fully in Mass.
3. Attend, participate, and learn to live with them.
The world was in the midst of the Great Depression in 1931 and the memories of World War I were still very much alive in the minds of Europeans when in Poland a sister of the Congregation of Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy, Faustina Kowalska (1905-1938), is said to have been personally visited by Jesus.
He was a 16-year-old Catholic high school student who entered my confessional during a school reconciliation service at a local retreat house where I assist with confessions. “I’ve done everything,” he said, like some penitents when they don’t know where to begin or how to get started.
Is this something new? Isn’t the celebration of the Mass enough?
Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament is not something new. It is a centuries-old practice rooted in an essential teaching of Catholic Christianity: Jesus Christ is truly and completely present in the Eucharist. Like many practices of our faith, however, adoration of the Blessed Sacrament developed gradually.
November 28, 2010, the First Sunday of Advent, marks the beginning not only of a new liturgical year but a countdown to "welcoming the new Roman Missal," as the U.S. bishops' website calls its preparation program for the new translation of the Mass. Over the coming year English-speaking Catholics around the country will relearn prayers they have long been able to recite or sing by heart.
November 28, 2010, the First Sunday of Advent, marks the beginning not only of a new liturgical year but a countdown to "welcoming the new Roman Missal," as the U.S. bishops' website calls its preparation program for the new translation of the Mass. Over the coming year English-speaking Catholics around the country will relearn prayers they have long been able to recite or sing by heart.
Editors' note: Sounding Board is one person’s take on a many-sided subject and does not necessarily reflect the opinions of U.S. Catholic, its editors, or the Claretians.
I was spending a leisurely minute planning my funeral the other day--not a savory task, but a prudent one since I have pancreatic cancer.
Editors' note: Sounding Board is one person’s take on a many-sided subject and does not necessarily reflect the opinions of U.S. Catholic, its editors, or the Claretians.
I was spending a leisurely minute planning my funeral the other day--not a savory task, but a prudent one since I have pancreatic cancer.
The recently approved English translation has a number of features that Mass-goers will surely notice. Here's a preview of the 10 most obvious changes coming to a parish near you. As Catholics around the country prepare, we'll offer more resources with analysis in the coming year. Learn about how we got to where we are by reading our special section on the liturgy.
(Changes indicated with strikethroughs and bold additions.)
The recently approved English translation has a number of features that Mass-goers will surely notice. Here's a preview of the 10 most obvious changes coming to a parish near you. As Catholics around the country prepare, we'll offer more resources with analysis in the coming year. Learn about how we got to where we are by reading our special section on the liturgy.
(Changes indicated with strikethroughs and bold additions.)
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