eucharist

One of my photos is being shared around Facebook with the tagline #OccupyAdoration, shared originally by the Peoria Young Catholics Facebook Page:

They did ask permission for using the photo, which was good of them; I've seen some of my photos pop up on websites, some videos, and even a textbook without my permission :-/

Here's the original picture on Flickr.

While I'm no great fan of the #occupy movement, I wholeheartedly agree that occupying your local Eucharistic Adoration chapel would be a very worthy cause. Save your own soul, and save the world!

Hat tip to The Forum, for the following from Arizona [Catholic Sun]:

Plans are underway in the Diocese of Phoenix to implement new local norms for the distribution of Holy Communion that will bring the local Church in line with universal Church guidelines.

As a result, the Precious Blood will not be offered at every Sunday Mass, but instead be reserved for special occasions, left to the determination of each parish pastor.

The change will bring local Catholic celebration of the Eucharist into union with the practice of the faithful around the world. Receiving Communion under both kinds is uncommon in most countries.

"What many people don't realize is that we've had experimental privileges," said Fr. Kieran Kleczewski, executive director of the Office of Worship. "We're now under the same norms as the Church in the rest of the world."

While I know many people who will be disgusted to read this, and tell me that Phoenix is backwards, and is not living in the reality of the day... I have to say that I am excited to read this news.

I grew up knowing only the modern Ordinary Form of the Roman Rite, and did not know anything else until I joined the Seminary (one of my favorite liturgical hymns at that time was City of God). The Extraordinary Form of the Mass, as well as the Ordinary Form celebrated in Latin (or simply by-the-book in English), appealed very much to me (and to many of my peers) not only because it was different than the standard Mass, but because it was more focused and a more direct form of worship.

Things like everyone greeting each other before Mass begins, singing the same 70's liturgical tunes day in and day out (catchy, yes, but God-focused?), and watching priests let the laity perform almost all their jobs (what else is a priest to do, if not celebrate and offer the Sacraments?) are detrimental to my ability to worship the Lord through the Sacraments... and I'll be happy to see the day when liturgy is again universal and, well, Catholic, in every parish I visit.

That we in the United States do strange things like receive the Lord in the hand, have armies of Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist at almost every Mass, and consider youth worship to essentially involve drums and multi-thousand dollar sound systems is a sign that we have lost touch with the universal Church. None of these things are essential to the liturgy, and in fact, if one were to explore the world outside the U.S. and pockets of Europe and other first-world countries, one would discover that, no, these practices are neither universal nor practical (nor, in most cases, fitting).

Liturgy is about worship—of God—and it was made for the sole purpose of man uniting himself to God. Catholic liturgy is facilitated by a priest—a minister ordained to primarily bring God to man. Why do we feel the need to change things? We must stop holding on to so many 'innovations' of the Catholic Church in the U.S. since (and before) Vatican II, and refocus on the fundamentals.

It's my great hope that this Advent's coming revised translation of the Roman Missal will bring about a deeper look in the Catholic Church in the U.S. into what makes liturgy truly effective and meaningful.

One of the final projects I was working on, but did not get to see grow into completion, while I was working with the Archdiocese of St. Louis was the Archdiocese's 2011 Eucharistic Congress. I actually did very little of the work involved in getting the website and video ready for the congress, but was privileged to work with some extraordinarily talented Catholics on both projects.

First, take in this great video (which will likely be passed around a bit in the days ahead!):

Now, check out the Congress' website. A friend and former co-worker from the Archdiocese, Ben G., did a ton of work to get the jQuery on that page working just-so, and he deserves many kudos for his work—it looks and flows great... and even works great on the iPad and iPhone! (Yay to no Flash!).

I hope the Archdiocese of St. Louis and other dioceses can continue to produce beautiful, professional, and inspiring content like this. (Hopefully the Congress itself goes well, too!).

P.S. Also, check out my more technical writeup over at Open Source Catholic.

...is involved, to say the least.

It's just a few days until the 'big' day, when Natalie and I will become 'Mr. and Mrs. Geerling,' and I'm excited! It's been a thrilling year, and though things can be stressful (for both parties) at times, it's all worth it. I will get to share my entire life with one of God's most beautiful daughters, and someday (God-willing), pass it on to my beautiful children! It will be a life full of hard work, personal sacrifice, and devoted prayer.

As I am approaching the Wedding Liturgy, I am seeing more and more the connection between the Eucharist and the Sacrament of Marriage—most especially the sacrificial and life-giving love that Jesus has exemplified on the crucifix, and the sacrificial and life-giving love that I will soon get to share with my wife!

This is why Catholics exalt the Crucifix so highly, and why it often disgusts me (and others) to see a 'resurrexifix*' at a Catholic Church; Jesus chose to die on a crucifix, to be killed in the public eye in one of the most humiliating ways, in order to take away our sin, if we let him. We don't focus on his death because we are morbid. We focus on his death because his dying act was to save our lives.

When I have a stressful moment, or am feeling pressure at work or home, how will I respond? Will I accept this burden with love and devotion, or will I complain? This is something that I can practice right now, and all the days of my life. I invite you to do the same.

I made mention of the importance of a crucifix in my first episode of Catholic Car Wash - check it out!

*A 'resurrexifix' is a cross upon which a resurrected Jesus is located... not quite a crucifix, if you ask me...

The image above was taken at Spirit and Truth St. Louis' Thursday night Benediction, this week with Archbishop Robert J. Carlson (Archbishop of Saint Louis, MO).

Spirit and Truth is a community of young adults (there are many of them in the United States) focused on building life-giving relationships through study of Sacred Scripture, discussion of relevant issues, and, most centrally, through the worship of Jesus Christ in the Blessed Sacrament. You can read more about Spirit and Truth St. Louis on their website.