One of the things I hear people either complain about or be confused by during the catholic Mass is the variety of stances we as catholics through during prayer. If you are catholic—or have ever been to a Mass—you know what I’m talking about. Stand, sit, kneel … stand some more, kneel again, repeat. Like everything in catholicism, the different postures—often somewhat fittingly dubbed “catholic calisthenics”—that we take during Mass are not arbitrary. The fact of the matter is that we humans are physical as well as spiritual creatures. We pray with our bodies and the different postures during Mass are designed to help with this prayer. Knowing the reasons behind…

Our beautiful Church has a myriad of ways to remind us of Christ throughout the year. One of these is through the tradition of monthly devotions. The month of July is especially close to my heart. This month’s devotion is to the Most Precious Blood. To non-Catholics — and perhaps to some Catholics as well — this devotion is slightly grisly sounding. I mean, isn’t focusing on Christ’s blood a little too macabre? And why would we call something so…well, bloody…precious? To start, let’s define what exactly Catholics mean when they talk about “devotions.” What is a Devotion? A devotion in the Catholic Church is, at its core, an aid for…

What do you do during the “Our Father”? Whether using the Orans Posture, holding hands with your neighbor, or simply folding your hands together in prayer, it’s true that the prayer posture used during the “Our Father” is one of the most hotly contested points of the Mass. Nearly everyone seems to have an opinion. The question is, who’s opinion is right? Is anyone’s? Does it matter? According to the USCCB, “No position is prescribed in the Roman Missal for an assembly gesture during the Lord’s Prayer.” Because no position is prescribed, it is true that prayer posture during the “Our Father” comes down to opinion and personal preference. In other words, we as the…

According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, “The mystery of the Most Holy Trinity is the central mystery of Christian faith and life. It is the mystery of God in himself. It is therefore the source of all the other mysteries of faith, the light that enlightens them. It is the most fundamental and essential teaching in the ‘hierarchy of the truths of faith.’ The whole history of salvation is identical with the history of the way and the means by which the one true God reveals himself to men ‘and reconciles and unites with himself those who turn away from sin.’ ” Catholics — and every other christian religion…

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…