The Seed
Living in Glory
Posted by St. Henry Parish 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 Parish 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 Parish 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 Parish 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 Parish 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 »
Formation of Conscience
Posted by St. Henry Parish on 3/01/23
Following up on last week’s bulletin article and insert, I want to give a little more catechesis on conversion, specifically the necessary formation of conscience according to Scripture, Tradition, and the teaching authority of the Church in matters of faith and morals. In order to identify those areas ... Read More »
A Season of Conversion
Posted by St. Henry Parish on 2/23/23
As I spoke about in last Sunday’s homily, Lent can get a bit of a bad rap among the seasons of the year, because we allow it to be colored by all the things we cannot do. Even us practicing Catholics can fall into the trap and believe ... Read More »
Marked for Christ
Posted by St. Henry Parish on 2/16/23
This Sunday, we celebrate the confirmation of many young people in our parish. Confirmation is a special sacrament, and for these students, it is the last of their “Sacraments of Christian Initiation”. This sacrament – along with Baptism and Holy Eucharist – renders the recipient fully initiated into ... Read More »
A Future Full of Hope
Posted by St. Henry Parish on 2/01/23
Two weeks ago, the communion antiphon at Mass was taken from Psalm 34: 6: “Look toward the Lord and be radiant; let your faces not be abashed.” As I listened to our cantors and choirs intone this antiphon, it occurred to me that looking toward the Lord is ... Read More »
Sacred Stillness, a Correction, and an Encouragement
Posted by St. Henry Parish on 1/26/23
Romano Guardini was a German theologian (of obviously Italian descent), who wrote extensively on the liturgy. He once said, “if someone were to ask me what the liturgical life begins with, I should answer: with learning stillness.” Liturgical life begins with learning stillness. That’s something worth considering. We ... Read More »