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Ten Ways to Celebrate Corpus Christi
Next Sunday is Corpus Christi, a designated feast day for the Catholic Church. In preparation for the event, I thought I would offer a brief explanation of what it is, as well as 10 things you can do to celebrate! According to Wikipedia, “The Feast of Corpus Christi (Latin for Body of Christ), also known as Corpus Domini, is a Latin Rite liturgical solemnity celebrating the tradition and belief in the body and blood of Jesus Christ and his Real Presence in the Eucharist.” Technically, this feast day lands on the Thursday after Trinity Sunday. However, it is celebrated on the following Sunday because the Thursday event is not a holy day of obligation. Wikipedia explains that, “While the institution of the Eucharist is celebrated on Holy…
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Transubstantiation
Transubstantiation is perhaps one of the most confusing and misunderstood of all Catholic beliefs. What Exactly is Transubstantiation? According to the Merriam Webster dictionary, the word transubstantiate means “to change into another substance.” As Catholics, we believe that the Eucharist, which is made of bread and wine, literally turns into the body and blood of Jesus Christ during Mass. When explaining transubstantiation, Catholic theologians speak of the difference between “accident,” and “substance.” Accident and substance are philosophical ideas that come from the Greek philosopher Aristotle which describe the essential and non-essential properties of any given object. A droplet of water, for example, is composed of hydrogen and oxygen. These qualities are essential to the…
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50 Ways to Celebrate the Easter Season
Did you know that Easter isn’t just a single day? The liturgical season of Easter lasts 50 days, from Easter Sunday to Pentecost Sunday (May 15th this year). Easter season is a time of joy and new life. Christ has risen! The Church asks us not only to acknowledge the liturgical seasons, but also to enter into them — to allow them to move our hearts and guide our lives. In honor of the 50 days of Easter, here are 50 ways you can celebrate the Easter season this year. Go to daily Mass. Or, if you can’t make it, follow along with the daily readings. Go on a picnic…
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The Holy Triduum
A lot of times, I feel like non-catholics don’t quite get the Catholic fascination with Lent, and, by extension, the Holy Triduum. Jesus rose from the dead, after all. Why focus on the Passion when you can focus on the obviously “more important” event of the Resurrection? Right? As one of my Protestant friends once said, when discussing her aversion to the crucifix and why she didn’t feel the need to celebrate Jesus’s rather horrific death, “My Jesus came down from the cross.” Why exactly do Catholics feel the need to spend an entire three days meditating on the death of our Lord? Are we really that dark and sadistic? Do we enjoy pagan rituals and nighttime jaunts…
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Guest Post: Why You Shouldn’t Fast on Sundays
Hey guys! My name is Brian. I am your fearless blog leader Erin’s husband. I’m guest posting today and I’m very excited about that. This is my second time doing this, the first being a post on one of the Gospels during Advent. This time around I’ll be talking about something a little more specific–why we as Catholics do not fast during Sundays in Lent. Fasting On Sundays: To Fast or Not to Fast? We all know about it. It’s Lent, you’ve been drudging through a long week of penitence and things are really starting to get hard. Then comes Sunday–what a glorious day! You finally get to indulge in…
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7 Facts About Ash Wednesday
Ash Wednesday is here! It’s hard for me to believe that it’s Lent already when it feels as if Christmas has only just passed (full disclosure–Brian and I still have our Christmas tree up!!). Besides the Triduum–which is pretty much Lent–Lent is my favorite Church season, and, other than Good Friday, Ash Wednesday is my favorite Mass. Technically, Ash Wednesday is my all-time favorite Mass because Good Friday isn’t actually a Mass (it’s a Service). Ash Wednesday is a Catholic holy day that celebrates the first day of Lent. For the Catholics out there, it is important to note that it is not a holy day of obligation. However, I still highly recommend…
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Why is Modesty Important?
Last month, I addressed the question, what is modesty? Today, I want to take what we learned and expand upon it. Namely, I want to talk about why modesty is important. The world has changed a lot in the past few decades. Immodesty has become the norm, but that does not mean that modesty isn’t relevant to today’s society. Modesty is as important as ever, and the need for it is greater than ever before. Modesty is important for several reasons, but in the end it is all about love–love for the people around you, love for God, and love for yourself. Modesty as Love for Those Around You So often,…
