What Catholics Believe

Why do Christians build churches and what sets them apart?

The goal for each of us during Mass is "full, conscious, and actual" participation, but what does the Church mean by that?

We should try to be conscious, at the various points of Mass, of who is speaking to us and to whom we are speaking.

Why is celebrating the Eucharist more important than celebrating it on other days.

A look at the question of who celebrates the Eucharist?

The beginning of a series of reports on the celebration of Mass and why Catholics celebrate Mass.

The catechism reminds us of the central role that marriage plays in Scripture, both in terms of the meaning of marriage itself and it being a metaphor for God’s relationship with His people (CCC 1602)

In His mercy and love, Our Lord offers us a sacrament to assist us when we are confronted by serious illness or some other serious suffering, the sacrament of the anointing of the sick.

One of the core messages of the New Testament is that in Christ, God offers forgiveness and reconciliation to the human race.

The word “Eucharist” refers to several related sacramental realities. In the first place, it refers to the sacrament itself, instituted by Christ at the Last Supper on the night He was betrayed as a memorial of His death and resurrection.

Confirmation – or chrismation, as it is known to Catholics of the Eastern Churches - is one of the sacraments of initiation. 

The Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us that “Baptism is the basis of the whole Christian life, the gateway to life in the Spirit, and the door which gives access to the other sacraments” (CCC 1213).

In my last article, I described a sacrament as a sign instituted by Christ to impart grace to those who receive it. Before proceeding to a quick overview of the seven sacraments, it seems worthwhile to explore that definition in a little more detail.

Here begins a series on the sacraments of the Church. We will be exploring each of the seven sacraments individually and looking at how the sacraments are usually organized into groups. 

This final line of the Creed sums up our faith in a life that continues beyond our physical death. It’s not quite what many people would expect.

As we look at the statements in the Nicene Creed, it helps to remember that each one was formed over several decades as a result of discussion, dispute, reflection, and prayer.

After we have spent some time professing our faith in the Triune God, the Creed moves immediately to the Church.  This is no accident. 

Many Christians lack a clear concept of or a sense of a personal relationship with the Holy Spirit. In traditional art, the Father and the Son are most often portrayed in human form.

The Nicene Creed’s description of the Father is remarkably succinct: only 19 words, in our English translation, speak of our faith in the One who is the Source of all. 

Having briefly glanced at the Trinity as a whole in my last article, I’ll now look at what the Creed says about the Father here. 

In the last issue of Harvest, we looked at our faith in God as One and how that faith in God’s essential unity is (or ought to be) reflected in how we, as His Church, are one.

From very early in its experience, the people of Israel came to believe that the God they worshipped, the Lord, was not merely one god among many, or even the main god or the most powerful one. 

Before we examine the articles of the Nicene Creed themselves, it is worth taking some time to reflect on what we are saying about them as we recite the creed, especially during Sunday Mass.

What does it mean to be a Catholic Christian? Is it something that is defined by each individual Christian, or is it something that defines me as a Christian?

There is so much that we could say about the Our Father. For this reflection, we focus on the use of the word “Father” as a name for God

Whenever one writes about prayer, one should be cautious. After all, those who presume to speak on prayer had better be ‘pray-ers’ themselves.

In the May issue of Harvest, Father Paul Plante began by stating that “of the Ten Commandments, the last two may be the least well-known and perhaps even taken for granted.

Of the Ten Commandments, the last two may be least well-known and perhaps even taken for granted.

This commandment’s meaning seems obvious: judicial witnesses are not to lie under oath to obtain the condemnation of the innocent.

Growing up, we all knew that stealing was wrong, and we understood exactly what stealing consisted of.

When we work with engaged couples in marriage preparation, we always ask them, what are your hopes and dreams for your marriage?

The U.S. Catholic Catechism for Adults (USCCA) presents and interprets the Fifth Commandment – Thou shall not kill – in light of the New Covenant, in Christ, through whom all life was created, saved, and sanctified.

I’m a young father, married to my wife, Schara, for five years now and blessed with three beautiful children.

Do you remember the days when the stores were all closed on Sundays or your mom didn’t do laundry on Sundays because she would have to go to confession if she did?

I may be dating myself, but when I think about the Ten Commandments, what comes to mind is an image of Charlton Heston holding two stone tablets in Cecil B. DeMille’s movie The Ten Commandments.

“I, the LORD, am your God…You shall not have other gods besides me” (Exodus 20:2-3). Perhaps this statement brings to mind images of a golden calf or a bronze serpent with hundreds of people bowing down to these idols made of precious metals.

“Geraldine” was the name of one of the most famous and endearing characters developed by the late comedian Flip Wilson.

Growing up when I did, I never really heard of devotions . However looking back as an adult and as a priest, I realize it is only the word devotion that I do not remember.

Human beings are born with a capacity to recognize signs and symbols. From early on, each of us has had the ability to appreciate something we could call “second meanings” or “stand fors.”

It was a warm April afternoon in Rhode Island; friends and family packed the small church of St. Agatha and watched as we exchanged our vows- the outward sign of our commitment to each other in the bond of marriage.

Holy Orders is the only sacrament that is plural, for indeed it includes bishops, priests, and deacons. I will be reflecting on the priesthood, leaving it to those called to be ordained as bishop or deacon to reflect on their specific “order” in our Church.

The woman looked up from her hospital bed and in a nervous voice said, “Father, do you know something that I don’t know?”

At World Youth Day 2002 in Canada, Venerable Pope John Paul II proclaimed, “We are not the sum of our weaknesses and failures; we are the sum of the Father's love for us and our real capacity to become the image of his Son.”

Back in 1992, I was a selfish young adult who had fallen away from my Catholic faith and my relationship with God.

The confirmation season, Easter through Pentecost, is an annual high point of my ministry as bishop. As I think about it, I have never met a bishop – and I have met hundreds – who does not thoroughly enjoy his role as the ordinary minister of confirmation.

As parish catechetical leader, I prepared second graders for the sacraments. The parents of one boy (David) who attended the parish school were not Catholic and never had David baptized.

Today, I would like to examine the central truth of our faith. As we continue our look at the United States Catholic Catechism for Adults, we turn to Chapter 14 which wraps us in the Paschal Mystery.

I remember as if it were yesterday the times when I was blessed with the beautiful but painful privilege of offering the prayers of commendation of the dying for my mother and father – Mom in 1977 and Dad in 1998.

As we continue our review of the Catechism for Adults, we come to chapter 12: Mary: The Church’s First and Most Perfect Member.

Chapter Eleven of the United States Catholic Catechism for Adults has to do with the four identifying marks of the Church: it is one, united under our pope and bishops, holy, catholic or universal, and apostolic.