Jesus asked his apostles and those who would follow to continue the eucharistic celebration that he began. Paul was the first to record the specific request that Jesus made. After Jesus took the bread and broke it, he said, “This is my body that is for you. Do this in memory of me” (1 Cor 11:24). Likewise, after Jesus offered the cup he said, “Do this, as often as you drink it, in memory of me” (1 Cor 11:25).
Sunday is the Lord’s Day. Jesus rose from the dead on Sunday morning, so Sunday is sacred and reserved as the Christian sabbath, the day to remember the Resurrection and to offer our praise and worship. God gave us the Third Commandment as a solemn obligation, not a suggestion or an option: “Keep holy the sabbath day” (Ex 20:8-11; Dt 5:12-15; see also the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Nos. 2174–2178).
St. Juliana of Cornillon was born in Liège (modern-day Belgium) around 1192 and was left an orphan at age 5 when her parents died. She was raised in a house of religious Norbertines and quickly distinguished herself. She had an extraordinary memory, being able to recite the entire Psalter by heart, and she was a gifted musician.
Q. I have all of these plans for my day, but then I just get so distracted that it seems like I don’t get anything done. Even more, I am always “somewhere else” when I should be with the people who matter the most to me. Is that even possible?
“It’s a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don’t keep your feet, there’s no knowing where you might be swept off to.” Samwise Gamgee offers these words of wisdom to his friend, Frodo Baggins, as they embark on a journey into an unknown future as captured in J.R.R. Tolkien’s “Lord of the Rings.”
The Eucharist, in addition to being a meal, is also a sacrifice. Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world (Jn 1:29), and as the sacrificial lamb on the altar of the cross, he took upon himself the sins of us all (Is 53:6b).
We are familiar with the summary of the Commandments that Jesus gives when under the interrogation: “What is the greatest commandment?” He says that “the whole law and the prophets” are summed up in the commandment to love God with our whole heart, soul and mind, and then to follow upon this love with loving our neighbors as ourselves — a tall order indeed. In fact, it’s impossible without divine grace.
Q. I’ve recently been more and more interested in exercise and keeping fit. I am a husband and father and want to be able to play with my kids. You seem like someone who exercises. How do I know if I am placing too much emphasis on being physically fit and when have I crossed over into mere vanity?
With the month of May now here, the thoughts of many turn to Minnesota’s 10,000 lakes and the annual fishing opener. Ask someone, and I’m sure that person will have a fishing story to share. I vividly recall times fishing as a kid. We all have our stories.
The Eucharist is at the forefront of Holy Thursday. The Easter triduum begins with the Mass of the Lord’s Supper. The liturgy commemorates the institution of the Eucharist by Jesus, the faithful receive the Eucharist during the Communion Rite, the Eucharist is carried in procession at the end of Mass as it is transferred, and the night concludes with eucharistic adoration.
