It’s the time of the year during which the RCIA process intensifies, so, if you’re a part of that in any way – candidate, catechumen, sponsor, facilitator, pastor, etc…etc….Check out these resources:
The How to Book of the Mass – much more here.
When our Lord gave the disciples on the road to Emmaus the bread that He had blessed and broken, “he vanished out of their sight” (Luke 24:31). It was then that they recognized Him. We receive the Lord as they did in receiving the Eucharist. Now, at the moment that He is within us, we too should reflect, as they did, on the Scriptures that He has opened to us during this Mass, especially on what has made our “hearts burn.”
In our consumer-minded society, we can miss the treasure that we receive if we treat it like one more thing to “get” and then go on to the next thing. Our Lord is not a “thing.” He is God, who has deigned to come intimately into our lives. We should reflect on His Presence within us and ask what He would have us do.
We should commune with our Lord and meditate on His Presence within us. We should thank Him for the great gift He has given us. We should pour our hearts out to Him and ask Him to fill us with the graces necessary to fulfill God’s will for us in this life.
The same Jesus who was born in Bethlehem, preached and healed throughout Israel, who suffered and died on the cross, then rose from the dead and ascended into heaven, now is within us. We will never exhaust the multitude of wonder that should fill our hearts at this moment!
The Words We Pray – more here, inclulding an excerpt.
It’s a collection of essays about traditional Catholic prayers, from The Sign of the Cross to “Amen.” Each chapter provides a bit of historical and theological background, as well as more essay-ish, reflective material.
Charlotte was Both 