Giving to God and neighbor

To truly ‘live our Mass,’ it must be the fruit of our offering to God that we share with others By Bishop Richard F. Stika “How blessed the people who know your praise…, who find their joy every day in your name, who make your justice their joyful acclaim” — …

An offering pleasing and acceptable to God

St. Gregory the Great: ‘The Mass will be a sacrifice for us to God when we have made an offering to ourselves’ By Bishop Richard F. Stika “No one shall appear before [the Lord] empty-handed.”— Exodus 23:15 How wonderful it is after two long months to again open the doors …

Jesus, I trust in you

In this time of crisis and pandemic, the Divine Mercy illumines our way and dispels the darkness of fear By Bishop Richard F. Stika “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith also in me” (John 14:1). Though you are reading this column in …

Make a spiritual Communion

Whether we can receive the Eucharist or not, we should always desire to be in union with Christ By Bishop Richard F. Stika “Do not fear: I am with you; do not be anxious, I am your God.”— Isaiah 41:10 Since the first words of fallen Adam: “I was afraid,” …

Real Presence, Real Friendship

St. John Pail II: The Eucharist is a mystery of presence, the perfect fulfillment of Jesus’ promise to remain with us until the end of the world By Bishop Richard F. Stika “No longer do I call you servants…I have called you friends, because I have told you everything I …

An offering pleasing to God

St. Gregory the Great: ‘The Mass will be a sacrifice for us to God, when we have made an offering of ourselves’ By Bishop Richard F. Stika O Lord, “let our sacrifice be in your presence today and find favor before you.” — Daniel 3:40 To those who say, “I …

1

Understanding the Mass, Part I

There exists a dire need for a renewed catechesis upon the liturgy and the Eucharist By Bishop Richard F. Stika The Magi “were overjoyed at seeing the star, and on entering the house they saw the child with Mary His mother. They prostrated themselves and did Him homage. Then they …

1

Called to be mothers of Christ

Christ longs to be conceived in our heart and to be given birth in all we do, think, and say By Bishop Richard F. Stika “She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus.” — Matthew 1:21 Recently, I was shown an icon of the Nativity of …

1

Given up for you

God calls us to be good stewards of all creation, and it begins with being thankful By Bishop Richard F. Stika “Bless the Lord, all you works of the Lord. Praise and exalt Him above all forever. …” So begins the beautiful Canticle of Daniel (3:57-88, 56) that the Church …

Guns and roses

The Church’s spiritual weapon of choice to combat the evil of our times is the rosary By Bishop Richard F. Stika Mary treasured all these things and reflected on them in her heart. — Luke 2:19 As intense debate continues on the question of banning weapons—be they handguns, assault rifles, …

Rights of migrant and country

In considering the issue of immigration, we need to keep two basic rights in perspective By Bishop Richard F. Stika “They took hold of a certain Simon, a Cyrenian, who was coming in from the country; and after laying the cross on him, they made him carry it behind Jesus” …

Transfiguring icons

Christian iconography expresses in images the same Gospel message that Scripture communicates by words By Bishop Richard F. Stika Come up the mountain to me! — Deuteronomy 10:1 The call of Moses by God to ascend Mount Sinai to enter into closer communion with Him reminds us that prayer, like climbing …