The Mass is where we are saved, the purpose for which Jesus came, and where Jesus is lifted up By Deacon Bob Hunt In one of the most profound Old Testament passages, the prophet Jeremiah speaks of the Lord establishing a new covenant with His people. “The days are coming, …
The Collect: the prayer that begins Mass
All such prayers share a common structure and can teach us who God is and what to pray for By Father Randy Stice Every Mass is provided with three orations (prayers) proclaimed by the priest: the Collect at the beginning of the Mass, the Prayer over the Offerings, and the …
‘Most everything’s working. It’s all good’
God would love to ‘climb out of bed, survey the universe,’ and think those words to Himself By George Valadie I’m not the weather fanatic my wife is, but I know this much: if our daughter in Little Rock gets hit by something crazy, odds are pretty good Chattanooga is …
A look at the table of God’s Word
As Pope Benedict XVI wrote, Word and Eucharist are so intimately ‘bound together’ By Father Randy Stice The Mass is a single act of worship composed of two parts: the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist. The Church calls these two parts the two tables, the …
Easter approaches—how is your Lent going?
It’s not too late to make a new beginning, focusing on the purpose of small sacrifices we make By Deacon Bob Hunt Here we are in mid-March, and Lent is already two-thirds through. Easter is only a couple of weeks away. How’s your Lent going? Lent is somewhat like New …
1
It’s hard being George during Lent
Seeing people doing something for somebody else could be his way to get ‘closer to God’ By George Valadie I just don’t know what I’m going to do,” my wife uttered with a stressful tone of indecision heading downhill toward frustration. “I don’t know whether to wear my jeans or …
Our mission now: understand Jesus is Lord
If we follow and remain faithful to Him, our troubles will end, and we will live in the bosom of the Father By Deacon Bob Hunt “Jesus said to His disciples: ‘Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith also in me’”(John 14:1). There …
The Eucharistic Prayers for Reconciliation
The two reconciliation prayers lead us more deeply into the work of the Trinity By Father Randy Stice In 1975, the Church celebrated a Holy Year with two main themes: renewal and reconciliation. Pope St. Paul VI wanted these two themes to “resound repeatedly in liturgical celebrations, especially in the …
Retirement in the Valadie household
Quibbles about ballgames and TV shows aside, there is thankfulness for good health By George Valadie Hey, will you turn the game up?” “2 o’clock, I think.” “What?” “2 p.m. Can’t you hear?” “What?” “What?” “What are you talking about?” “Katy said his game is at 2. Isn’t that what …
Realize the gift you have received from Him
We should not be so distracted that we fail to notice how God has moved in our lives By Deacon Bob Hunt I was conversing with my oldest sister recently, and we spoke about how often we miss God’s grace moving in our lives simply because we aren’t paying attention. …
An exploration of the prefaces at Mass
The prefaces are sure guides for the graces that God wants to pour out on us in each season By Father Randy Stice In previous columns, we looked in detail at the Eucharistic Prayer, “the center and high point” of the Mass. In the last two columns, we considered the …
‘What is God’s will for my life?’
Avoid paralysis by multimedia analysis in determining Holy Spirit’s plan By Claire Collins What is God’s will for my life?” seems to be the eternal and sometimes seemingly unanswerable question that resides in the mind of the Christian. In a sea of endless potential answers, it can be hard to …
