The Seed
Summertime & Sunday Mass
Posted by St. Henry Cluster on 5/10/23
We are just around the corner from summer vacation. As we all consider and make plans for time away during the summer, it is helpful to revisit the subject of getting to Mass while travelling. In former times, the sense was that if I am travelling then I ... Read More »
Drawing Close to Mary
Posted by St. Henry Cluster on 5/08/23
The month of May gives us opportunity to reflect on our relationship with the Blessed Mother. The Second Vatican Council emphasized Mary’s role in salvation and in the lives of Christians. In Chapter 8 of Lumen Gentium, we are taught that Mary is: Truly the Mother of God ... Read More »
Indulging us with Grace
Posted by St. Henry Cluster on 5/01/23
During this last year, I’ve learned about a Catholic practice that is greatly misunderstood, and in some instances completely forgotten: Indulgences. Many Catholics think that the Church did away with this practice – that somehow Martin Luther was right. While the Church did reform some of the corrupt ... Read More »
How to Spend Time in Adoration
Posted by St. Henry Cluster on 4/18/23
“What is adoration?” “What does it mean to call it ‘perpetual’?” “Is adoration for everyone?” “And what am I even supposed to do in adoration?” I’ve heard questions like these in some form or another from various people, so I want to offer some practical tips and information ... Read More »
Strength in our Communion
Posted by St. Henry Cluster on 4/17/23
I hope that everyone has had a blessed Easter Octave. The Octave of Easter is a special week of solemnity in which we celebrate each day as another Easter day, so great is the power, importance, and splendor of the Resurrection. I hope everyone celebrated this Octave accordingly! ... Read More »
Living in Glory
Posted by St. Henry Cluster on 4/06/23
“Christ is risen” – “Indeed, He is risen!” This Easter greeting, at one time shared among Christians with the same joy as so many Christmas greetings are still exchanged today, expresses the essential content of the Gospel: Christ the Lord has risen from the dead! While this is ... Read More »
It's the Holiest Time of the Year
Posted by St. Henry Cluster on 3/31/23
These Lenten days are drawing to a close, and we have arrived at Holy Week, with the highpoint of the whole liturgical year taking place during the Sacred Triduum – the three holiest days of the Church’s entire year of grace. In fact, Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and ... Read More »
He Can Give No Greater Gift Than This
Posted by St. Henry Cluster on 3/22/23
There is a connection between faith in the Eucharist and the strength of our faith in general. Reports abound that many Catholics – church-going Catholics – do not really believe Jesus is present in the Blessed Sacrament. Many think It is a mere symbol; others perhaps just a ... Read More »
Come and Rest
Posted by St. Henry Cluster on 3/17/23
As Jesus’ disciples returned from their labors, He invited them to “Come away by yourselves to a lonely place, and rest a while”. These words were not just meant for the disciples following Jesus 2000 years ago – they are words He speaks to us in our own ... Read More »
Is the Lord in Our Midst or Not?
Posted by St. Henry Cluster on 3/10/23
The Book of Exodus, and its themes of slavery, liberation, penance, worship, sacrifice, and conversion, offers a context for our Lenten exercises, and this week it provides our first reading at Mass. Exodus recounts the Passover: The Angel of Death passing over the homes marked by the Blood ... Read More »