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Centuries ago, St. Thomas Aquinas asked the question, "Why did Jesus give us His Body and Blood?" If the Lord wanted to leave us a memorial of Himself, He could have given us some spectacular power — like the ability to cure the sick, multiply food, change water into wine or raise the dead. Why did He not do this? The answer is because if He did, we would think about Jesus only as often as we think about our auto mechanic — that is, only when our car breaks down. And since Christ’s supernatural powers in us would...

Knights of the Eucharistby Marilyn KorpalskiKnights attest to the value of eucharistic adoration for themselves, their families, their councils and parishes In this article: Parish Renewal Faithful to Our Lord A Message for Young People A Year of the Eucharist Initiative Some respond with their time and others with their brawn. But every Knight committed to eucharistic adoration is motivated from his heart and his love for the Lord. Devotion to the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist is not a new initiative for many Knights. During this Year of the Eucharist, however, the spiritual riches for Knights, their...

The Year of the Eucharistby Bishop Donald WuerlA time, Pope John Paul II says, for 'starting afresh from Christ' In this article: Spiritual Nourishment A Time for Outreach Nourishing Eucharistic Devotion Goals for the Coming Year In his homily at the Basilica of St. John Lateran on the solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ, Thursday, June 10, Pope John Paul II announced a special Year of the Eucharist. He declared that it would begin with the International Eucharistic Congress, held in October in Guadalajara, Mexico, and would end with the next ordinary assembly of the Synod of Bishops...

Across the oceans and the tides of time, at the heart of ancient Rome, there once stood a sports arena on the Vatican hill. In the year 37 A.D., the Emperor Caligula took an obelisk from Alexandria in Egypt and placed it on this spot. This stone rising 83 feet high and weighing 331 tons stood as a symbol of Roman power and the vast kingdom under Caesar. But, like every other kingdom, that great empire died with the death of the last Caesar. Only once did a kingdom begin at the death of its king. At the death of...

Is one obligated to take Communion from the cup in addition to the host? My husband and I have a disagreement about this. He thinks you must take it if it is offered, but I've been taught that you do not have to take it. I'm a post-Vatican II Catholic, so I'm not quite sure how things used to be in the Church, although my mother has told me that they never used to receive Communion from the cup--that the priest would consecrate and drink it and that it was not shared with the community. Quite frankly (and I'm sure...