Notes from a Friar: The Theology of a Poet
June 8, 2023
When Does Jesus Become Present?
The Western Church asserted the body and blood are present at the completion of the words of consecration. The Eastern Church supported the view that the real presence takes place through the epiclesis (the prayer for the sending or coming of the Spirit to sanctify the gifts of bread and wine).
The Our Father, Amen, and Holding Hands
Would you say if there is still an amen at the end of the Our Father? At Mass, I realize a prayer has been inserted between the main body of the prayer and when the priest says amen.
Substituting for the Gloria
For the past few years, from midnight Christmas through Epiphany, the director of music in our parish has elected to use “Angels We Have Heard on High” instead of the Gloria. What is proper in this regard?
A Friar Reflects on the Hope of Lent
The word season has many meanings, and each tells us something about what Lent can and should mean for us.
It means, first of all, one of the four seasons of the year. Lent falls during the late winter and early spring seasons. This year, Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent, fell on March 1. Lent ends at Holy Thursday, the beginning of the Easter Triduum (Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter). Easter, this year, is on April 16.
Franciscan Inspirations: Grains of Sand
Jesus spoke of the potential of the tiny mustard seed: “If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to [this] mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you” (Lk 17:6).
Advent Wreath: A Popular Symbol
One of the most recognizable Catholic symbols of the Advent season is the Advent wreath.