Judy Zarick

I’d like to offer my “pastor’s take” on the meaning of Church, and sacrament as I lead the assembly in the Creed each weekend. It used to bother me when Catholics critical of the Church would say, “Father, why does the Church tell us…?” I knew they were referring to the Church’s leadership. But I wanted to say, “YOU are the Church!”

To understand what we are as Church, the Creed gives us four adjectives: one, holy, catholic, apostolic.

The prayers of the new translation of the Roman Missal, Third Edition have been in use for several weeks now. These Sundays of Advent have been a time of implementation, of “starts and stops,” as presider and assembly have struggled to integrate the new prayers into their prayer at Mass.

One of the stories about Francis of Assisi relates how a brother watched the saint in prayer, and heard him pray the words, “Who are you, Lord my God, and who am I?” These two questions are fundamental to the Christian life. The Easter season celebrates the new identity of thousands of newly baptized people around the world.