Catholic Lite?

Lite foods may be fine for dieters, but does lite spiritual food really nourish the soul? Today being All Saints Day, my husband and I went to the early low Mass at the Linden Chapel. Yesterday I asked someone what time they were going to Mass on the "Holy Day of Obligation." She reminded me that it isn't a holy day because the feast fell on a Saturday and when they fall on Saturdays or Mondays the obligation is lifted.

A Reflection on the Assumption of Mary -- More than a Historical Event

By Fr. Tom Collins. 

As we celebrate Our Blessed Mother's Assumption into heaven, it is worth noting that this doctrine does not only point out an historical event, but also subtly indicates a mystery of faith, a spiritual dynamic, whereby communion with God is offering to engage and transform souls, who are willing to take time to contemplate the deeper dimensions of these teachings.

We see this in other Church teachings. For example, the Eucharist (as Word, Word-made-flesh, Sacrifice and Holy Communion) is not only the source and summit of the Church's life, but also the sustenance of that life. "Source and summit" alone could be interpreted to indicate a "salmon spirituality". Such spirituality implies that just as a particular river is the place where a salmon begins and ends its life, most of which is spent away from that river in the ocean, so also Catholics are free to embrace, what we used to call a "hatch, match and dispatch" spirituality (i.e., go to church to be baptized, married and buried). The fact that only a minority of baptized Catholics conscientiously participate in the Mass on all Sundays and holy days of obligation indicates the appeal of the implications of such a spirituality.

Let's Get This Straight....Sunday is not Thursday!

Today is the Feast of the Ascension. You know....Ascension Thursday. Most parishes in the country will be celebrating the feast on Sunday. 

Tis a Puzzlement: Celebrating Ascension Thursday on Sunday Creates a Dilemma

Here's my dilemma. When my husband and I are at home we go to daily Mass and rarely miss. Last week, however, we left on Wednesday to pick up our new camper at Lerch RV in Milroy, Pa. (Great experience, by the way. If you're in the market we recommend them.) We ended up spending Wednesday night in a little town out in the middle of nowhere not far from the dealer. I didn't even think about Ascension Thursday because our diocese shifts the Holy Day to Sunday. There was, in fact, a Catholic Church about half an hour away, but, I didn't know it at the time.

On Thursday afternoon we traveled to Gettysburg where our square dance camping club was meeting over the weekend. We settled in about supper time and, again, did not think about the holy day.

On Friday, we went to the battlefield visitor center, bought one of the auto tour CDs, and drove around the battlefield. Then we decided to check out where the church was for Sunday Mass.

Immaculate Mary, Your Praises We Sing!

Happy Feast Day to our Blessed Lady. We are putting white lilies on our Jesse Tree in her honor today.

Queen conceived without original sin, pray for us. I invite you to pray with me the Litany of Our Lady.

Today Should be Ascension Thursday...

....but Thursday in my diocese is on Sunday. (Yes, sounds crazy doesn't it?)  What's wrong with this picture?  Has watering down the faith made Catholics more zealous or more committed to Christ?

Not that I've noticed.

Give us back Ascension THURSDAY as a holy day of obligation instead of moving it to the nearest Sunday. There are few enough obligations on Catholics these days. Sundays and a handful of holy days is little enough to give the Lord of the universe in return for His great love of us.

Two thumbs up to the dioceses that still celebrate Ascension Thursday on Thursday. They include Boston, Hartford, New York, Newark, Philadelphia, and Omaha.

My husband and I wouldn't think of missing Mass on the REAL Ascension Thursday (today) even if we did hear readings for the 6th Thursday of Easter. As for Ascension Thursday Sunday -- well, let's just say it's a head-shaker!