Blogposts

Sad to say strange things, sometimes non-Catholic things, are increasingly said at Catholic funeral Masses today sometimes by clergy and sometimes by laity in a eulogy. Clergy proclaim erroneously that the deceased is in Heaven so that the funeral Mass is used as a canonization ceremony or a eulogy proclaims the whole Mass is a eulogy celebrating the life of the deceased. The funeral Mass, or for that matter, any Mass is not a human celebration of us but the supreme and perfect worship of God through Jesus Christ offering Himself on our behalf as Priest, Offering, and Altar.

A recent article notes: A rainbow is an optical illusion. The latter term means: an image seen by the eye that differs from what is actually there. The rainbow occurs when sunlight hits water droplets, be they raindrops, mist from a waterfall, or fog. In order to be visible, the rainbow must be directly in front of the viewer, and the sun must be behind him….. Even though it seems to be an arc, a rainbow is actually a circle. An observer only sees the half above the horizon. Since the rainbow is an optical illusion, every viewer sees a different one. Vantage points and horizons differ.

Importance: Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus is intimately associated with the most fundamental teachings of the Gospel: (1) Jesus is the revelation of the Father’s infinite love in Person. (2) As true God and true Man he has a personal interest in every human being. (3)This love was seen from the very outset to be symbolized in Christ’s human heart.

Why do people exit the church before Mass ends usually right after Communion? Sadly, it’s a long existing phenomenon in many parishes. Obviously there are real emergencies that can take place where people have to leave church early. That’s not the issue here. St Philip Neri, a 16th century saint, assigned two Mass servers to accompany a man, down the street, who left church after Communion, with lighted candles .The man, of course, returned demanding an explanation, which gave the saint a chance to explain the importance of taking time to thank God for the gift of the Eucharist. The final blessing and dismissal send us forth to transmit what we have received to our brothers and sisters.