‘The Eucharist,’ in the writings of Pope St. John Paul II, ‘is a sacrifice in the strict sense’ By Father Randy Stice At the Last Supper, Jesus spoke of His impending death as a sacrifice. He offered His disciples His body “which is given for you” and His blood “which …
Challenges affecting participation in Mass
In a media-driven age, writes Pope Benedict XVI, signs and symbols are no longer understood By Father Randy Stice Recent popes have identified three cultural challenges that can affect our participation in the Mass. Pope Francis has written that many today no longer believe that God is present and active …
A bishop and the liturgical life of his diocese
Sacred power is given to the shepherd to build up ‘his flock in truth and holiness’ By Father Randy Stice “The bishop is the chief steward of the mysteries of God and the overseer of all liturgical life in the Church entrusted to his care.” This is how the Ceremonial …
A look at the Rite of Ordination of a Bishop
It is composed of the preparatory rites, the essential element, and the explanatory rites By Father Randy Stice On July 26, Bishop-elect Mark Beckman will be ordained and installed as the fourth bishop of the Diocese of Knoxville. In this column I want to explain the Rite of Ordination of …
The ending prayer of the Communion Rite
The Prayer After Communion offers a rich theology on the Eucharist’s transforming power By Father Randy Stice This column is the last of a three-part series on the three proper prayers of the Mass. In previous columns, I have discussed the Collect and the Prayer Over the Offerings, so in …
Looking at the Prayer Over the Offerings
The language of sacrifice and offering or oblation is prominent in this second proper prayer By Father Randy Stice Last month, I began a three-part series on the proper prayers of the Mass: the Collect, the Prayer Over the Offerings, and the Prayer After Communion, beginning with the Collect. In …
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 …
1
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 …
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 …
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 …
The General Calendar is a living document
The calendar includes the celebration of saints’ solemnities, feasts, and memorials By Father Randy Stice Last month, I introduced the liturgical year and discussed what is known as the Proper of Time (the temporal cycle) that begins in late November/early December with Advent and comprises the seasons (Advent, Christmas, Lent, …
The ‘today’ of Christ’s saving work
The Holy Spirit makes the special graces of each mystery of our salvation present By Father Randy Stice On Dec. 3, the first Sunday of Advent, we begin a new liturgical year in which the Church “unfolds the whole mystery of Christ, from the incarnation and birth until the Ascension, …
