Corpus Christi Blog

When it comes to picturing ways of serving the Church, many people likely think of priests celebrating Mass, missionary work, teaching and catechizing, or volunteers feeding the poor. These are all visible works of charity that are critical to the Church’s mission. Similarly, when we think of religious vocations, we tend to picture religious orders with which we are most familiar, given their visible activity in the world. Our diocesan priests dispense the sacraments every day, the Sisters of Charity tend to the poor and marginalized, the Fathers of Mercy come to our parishes for our Advent and Lenten missions, and so on. Again, these visibly active religious orders are a necessary and life-giving part of our Church’s mission. Still, there is another hidden type of religious community that offers a form of service just as essential to the life of the Church, even if few people ever witness it ­— cloistered religious orders.

When we celebrate the Mass, Christ is at the center, the priest presides, and many parishioners contribute their gifts to the sacred liturgy. Beyond the ordinary ministers (the priest and deacon) many other people help enhance the beauty and reverence of the Mass week in and week out. Some of them we can see and hear, while others work behind the scenes. All of them help make Corpus Christi a welcoming place where we can grow in our faith and develop a deep, personal, lifelong relationship with Jesus.

God uses human instruments to communicate his grace, will, and his divine plan for salvation. You’ve certainly had an experience where God has sent just the right person to you at just the right time. The same is true in Scripture. Each character throughout the Old and New Testaments plays a very specific role, leading humanity through salvation history. One extremely important biblical figure through whom God communicates deep theological insight is Jesus’ earthly father, St. Joseph. St. Joseph is particularly interesting because he is hardly mentioned in Scripture.

As Catholics, we believe in the afterlife, hope for heaven, and look forward to the resurrection of our glorified bodies at the end of time. However, despite this hopeful outlook, oftentimes many people still have trouble letting go of loved ones after they have died. You may have encountered someone who has held onto the cremated remains (cremains) of a loved one in their home, or preserved them in another form, such as a piece of jewelry; perhaps you have done this yourself. While the sentimentality of these practices is understandable, keeping the remains of our loved ones is strictly prohibited by the Church. Conversely, the Church simultaneously allows, and even encourages, the relics of canonized saints to be distributed for veneration amongst the faithful, which can create confusion about the proper disposition of cremains. Understanding the distinction between the cremains of the ordinary faithful at home and the distribution of saints’ relics for veneration is important and requires examination of Church teaching on the body, resurrection, and the unique role of the saints.

Some may remember this fundamental question from part one of the old Baltimore Catechism: Why did God make you? Answer: “God made me to know Him, to love Him, and to serve Him in this world, and to be happy with Him forever in heaven.” Man was created with a purpose, and that purpose is to share in the very life of God by loving and serving him who is all love. Then, since this life on earth is transitory, our sharing in his life is intended to continue into eternity as we love and glorify him forever in heaven. The goal of reaching heaven is one every soul shares, even if someone is not necessarily aware of it. However, there are forces that would prefer we not reach that goal and actively work against us every minute of every day. We will now reflect on the enemies of our salvation – the flesh, the world, and the devil – so we can be more aware of the obstacles we face in obtaining eternal happiness.

This is the conclusion of a five-part series in which we have been closely examining each stanza of the Salve Regina. The hymn calls upon Mary under some of her well-deserved titles, such as Queen and Mother of Mercy, by virtue of her being the mother of our King and Savior. It also petitions her under her roles as intercessor and advocate, recognizing her powerful influence with her Son. We will now look at the final two stanzas of this beautiful hymn to better understand the words we pray.

We are continuing a five-part series in which we are closely examining each stanza of the Salve Regina. We’ve looked at some of Mary’s well-deserved titles, such as Queen and Mother of Mercy, and at how her roles as intercessor and advocate are powerful with her Son. Now, we will reflect on the next two stanzas of the hymn to better understand what we are praying in the Salve Regina.