Liturgy and Worship Reflections

Ever wonder why the bread we use at Mass, then consecrated into the Precious Body of the Blessed Sacrament, is different from other bread we might normally encounter, and not just Wonder Bread? The way in which the bread is made is strictly regulated by the Church, and the wine for the Precious Blood is no different. The regulations, while allowing for some broad differences (though not often seen in the USA), are very precise about the most important details to ensure that the bread is real bread and the wine is real wine that would be analogous to the same that our Lord would have used when he instituted the Eucharist.

According to Catholic theology, baptism is much more than merely a symbolic sign of belonging to the church. It is the means by which a person is incorporated into Christ, becoming a member of his mystical body. Baptism, accordingly, makes the baptized an alter Christus, another Christ, and thereby grants us the common offices of priest, prophet, and king. This is precisely why, for example, every candidate for baptism is anointed with oil, just as, in the Old Testament, priests, prophets, and kings were anointed upon assumption of their offices.

Catholics set themselves apart from many other Christians through their practice of praying for the deceased. This practice stems from the belief that the souls of the departed may be in purgatory, and the prayers and sacrifices of the living on Earth can aid their journey to Heaven.