23rd Sunday of Ordinary Time

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, “This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it”. (Psalm 118:24) On this 22nd Sunday in ordinary time, the Lord in the gospel for this weekend (Mathew 16:21-27) has spoken powerful words which people in general do not want to hear. Those words are about carrying our daily crosses and following him. Not even the leader of the Apostles, St. Peter, could understand why the Messiah had to suffer. He got reprimanded by the Lord for trying to evade this important subject. The Lord had unequivocally declared to the disciples that his passion and death was the defining element of his Mission as the Messiah. He did not leave the disciples with the sadness of the cross but told them about his glorious Resurrection on the third day. If we accept our crosses willingly trusting in his love and and care, the Lord will reward us. Monthly Praise and Worship Eucharistic Adoration: We are going to resume the monthly Praise and worship Eucharistic Adoration on the first Monday of every month, 6:30 pm - 7:30 pm, beginning September through May. Since the first Monday in September falls on Labor Day, which is a federal holiday, we are hosting the Eucharistic Adoration on August 31st a week early. Please bring your children and youth to introduce them to Praise and worship type of Eucharistic Adoration. Anointing & Confessions: Usually we have anointing given during the 8 am Mass on the first Thursday of a month followed by Confessions from 8:30 am - 9:30 am. We will offer anointing during the 6:30 pm Mass too on the first Thursday of every month followed by Confessions from 7 pm - 7:30pm. THE THEOLOGY OF THE EUCHARIST: We are going to focus on ‘the real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist’ today. According to St. Thomas Aquinas the real presence is the fruit of transubstantiation. As soon as the substance of the bread and wine are miraculously transformed into the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Christ, He becomes truly, really and substantially present in the Eucharist under the appearance of bread and wine. His glorified Body is present in a unique, sacramental mode proper to the mystery of the altar. Such a supernatural phenomenon is beyond the capability of science or any other empirical investigations. One may ask as to who has the authority to allow such a supernatural event to take place in our imperfect human world. The answer is: The Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity. In the beginning when God created the world, he said: “Let there be light”(Genesis 1:3), and there was light. Neither our intellect nor the science have the capability to analyze how God’s Word brought about the light and the whole world into existence. The Son of God, Jesus Christ who was present at the time of the Creation of the world, pronounced the powerful words of Consecration which transformed the ordinary bread and wine into His Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity. Therefore the teaching of the protestant theologians that the Eucharist is only a symbol or metaphor does not flow from the Bible narrative of the last Supper where the Lord instituted the Eucharist. There is no mention of the word ‘symbol’ in the texts of the Consecration (Mathew 26:26-28, Mark 14: 22-24, Luke 22: 19-20). The verb ‘is’ is used when the Lord said: “This is my Body, This is my Blood”. The verb ‘is’ denotes that something is present right here and right now. It does not point to anything else. When the Lord declared to the Jewish people of his time that he is the Living Bread that came down from heaven and that unless they ate his flesh and drank his blood, they had no life, they all left him (John 6:66). I pray that the 70% of our Catholics who are struggling to believe in the Real Presence of the Lord in the Eucharist and our protestant Brothers and Sisters who are being taught that the Eucharist is only a symbol or metaphor, would one day be brought to the enlightenment of the truth of the Eucharist. God bless you! Fr. Bob Romaine

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it". (Psalm 118:24) The gospel of Mathew 16:13-20 on this 21st Sunday of ordinary time, highlights the person of St. Peter. His life is a testament to the fact that God's grace can transform ordinary people into extraordinary human beings. St. Peter was a fisherman by profession from the town of Bethsaida situated on the banks of the sea of Galilee which is also known as lake Genesareth, lake Tiberius or lake Kinneret. Introduced to the Lord by his brother Andrew (John 1:40-42) and then called by the Lord himself to follow him, Peter and his brother Andrew left their fishing nets and boats and followed the Lord to become "fishers of men"(Mathew 4:19). The Profession of Faith of St. Peter in the Lord Jesus as "the Christ, the Son of the Living God" was the reason the Lord appointed Peter as the head of the Apostles and the cornerstone of the Church. It is important to note the words of our Lord: “And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it" (Mathew 16:18). The reference to 'the keys to the kingdom, binding and loosening' is a sign of authority Jesus gave to St. Peter. Thus St. Peter became the first Pope or the leader of the Church in Rome. The present Pope Leo IVX, is the 267th Successor of St. Peter. The office of the holy Father traces back to the appointment by the Lord himself. Therefore we ought to obey the holy Father and be in Communion with the Church. St. Peter was part of the core group of disciples along with James and John who were present at important events like raising of Jairus' daughter, Transfiguration and agony in the garden. Even though Peter denied the Lord at his Passion, the Lord forgave him. After his resurrection, the Lord asked Peter the same question 'Do you love me more than these?' Three times. "When he answered 'yes' the Lord entrusted him with the task of tending his sheep. After the the coming of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and the Blessed Virgin Mary at the Pentecost, Peter took the leadership role to proclaim courageously the resurrection of Christ starting from Jerusalem. During the persecution of Christians in Rome by emperor Nero between 64 and 68 AD, Peter was crucified upside down at his request. His body was buried directly beneath the high altar of St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican City. Despite his weaknesses, St. Peter remained loyal to the Lord and steadfast in faith till the end. Parking Lot with new black top and striping & 2 handicap spaces: I am grateful to our Parish Council for overseeing the work done on our Church Parking lot. We have added two extra parking spaces for the handicap. I am pleased with the good work done by Ted Gude and his crew. New Chairs for the Celebrant and the Concelebrant: One of our Parish families offered a generous donation towards the purchase of Chairs for the Celebrant and the concelebran to be used during the celebration of the holy Mass. I respect the fact that they want to be anonymous. God bless you for your generosity. I like for all of us to spend enough time meditating upon the life of St. Peter transformed by the grace of God. Therefore let us take a break from the study of the theology of the Eucharist this weekend. Next weekend we highlight the most important aspect of the Eucharist,' the Real Presence of the Lord in the Eucharist'. God bless you! Fr. Bob Romaine

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, “This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it”. ( Psalm 118:24) The gospel on this 20th Sunday in ordinary time highlights a canaanite woman whose unconditional faith in the Lord brought healing to her daughter. She represents the so called outsiders who are also called to belief in the Lord who came to reconcile the whole world to His Father beginning with the lost sheep of Israel. This weekend I am happy to share with you the following Blessings: 1. CATHOLIC MINISTRY APPEAL :Thanks to the generosity of our parishioners, our Catholic Ministry Appeal goal of 59,433.00 has been met. All those who pledged, please complete your payments in due time. 2. 1000 ROSARIES: Some of our parishioners, with the leadership of Janet Nathe, have made one thousand Rosaries in honor of The Venerable Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen who will be beatified on Thursday, September 24, 2026, at the Dome at America’s Center in St. Louis, Missouri. These Rosaries are called the World Mission Rosaries, each decade of the Rosary made with a different color. Since Archbishop Sheen designed the world mission Rosary 75 years ago, the Church authorities plan to give out 75,000 Rosaries at his Beatification. Many Parishes in the USA are making the Rosaries to reach the goal of 75,000 Rosaries. Thank you Janet and all your group members for your dedicated hard work. The meaning of the colors is as as follows: Green : symbolizing the forests and grasslands of Africa Blue : for the ocean surrounding the islands of the Pacific White : symbolizes Europe, the home of the Holy Father Red: for the fire of Faith of the missionaries to the Americas Yellow: for the morning light of the East, symbolizing Asia 3. NEW LOCKS: I thank Mark Barthle, the head of Ushers and a member of the Parish Council for overseeing the change of Locks of the Church and the hall to regular and solid lock system which is easy to operate. Thank you, Mark! 4. CHURCH SIGN REPAIRED: I thank Larry and Sandy Plunkett for repairing our Church sign. Ten years ago, they built three signs: for the church, for the parish Office and for the Preschool. Hopefully the signs will remain strong for long time. God bless your hard work Larry and Sandy! THE THEOLOGY OF THE EUCHARIST: Are you ready to pronounce the long and mouthful word ‘Transubstantiation’? What does it mean? St. Thomas Aquinas used this term to explain the miracle that takes place at Mass as the priest acting in the person of Christ says the words of Institution over bread and wine which are the same words of Consecration first pronounced by the Lord Jesus at the Last Supper. The Church teaches that at the time of Consecration, as the words of institution are said, the substance of bread and wine is changed into the substance of the glorified Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. Such a transformation is the supernatural event which happens on the altar. At the same time the ‘accidents’ meaning the external appearance remain the same. It means that the host looks like, tastes like and feels like host while the wine tastes like wine. This miracle is hidden from our ordinary eyes but open to the eyes of faith. Let us take the example of a person to explain transubstantiation. A person has the “substance” of personhood with the “accidents” like weight, height, and hair color. While the accidents change, the personhood of a person remains the same. God bless you! Fr. Bob Romaine

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, “ The is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it”. (Psalm 118:24) On this 19th Sunday of Ordinary time, the gospel of Mathew 14:22-33 gives us a marvelous account of the miracle of calming the sea. It is so refreshing and reassuring of our Lord’s love for us as we meditate upon his parables and his miracles. As long as Peter kept looking at the Lord, he could walk on the waters. The moment he turned his gaze from the Lord to the waves, he started sinking. Here is a great lesson for us to learn. As long as we trust in the Lord’s power, the problems of life will not engulf us. The moment we begin to doubt the power of God, we will be lost in the darknes. BACK TO SCHOOLS: This is the week in the state of Florida(August 9-15) during which the public and private schools reopen after summer vacation. I believe the home schools too follow the similar schedule. We pray that God’s abundant blessings come upon the students and their teachers in their pursuit of knowledge and Wisdom. Leading the young ones to God is the true Wisdom. SOLEMNITY OF THE ASSUMPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY INTO HEAVEN: On November 1, 1950 Pope Pius XII declared the Assumption as a dogma of our Faith with infallible authority: “We pronounce, declare, and define to be a divinely revealed dogma: that the Immaculate Mother of God, the ever Virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory”. The solemnity of the Assumption is celebrated on August 15th. This year, since the solemnity of the Assumption falls on Saturday, the US Conference of Catholic Bishops decided that it is not a holy day of obligation. T HE THEOLOGY OF THE EUCHARIST: This weekend we highlight the Eucharist as a Sacrament. We have seven sacraments in the Catholic Church instituted by Jesus Christ himself: Baptism, Confirmation, Holy Eucharist, Penance, Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders and Matrimony. Jesus instituted the holy Eucharist during the Last Supper as mentioned in the gospels of Mathew 26: 26-28, Mark 14:22-24, and Luke 22:19-20. Even though John’s gospel does not record the words of the Institution of the Eucharist, there is the mention of the Last supper during which Jesus washed the feet of the disciples(John13). In John 6, Jesus proclaims himself to the people of his time as the Bread of life. He did not edit his wording when he told them that unless they ate his flesh and drank his blood, they had no life in them. All the people left him because they thought he was out of his mind. Only the twelve disciples remained with him. What the Lord declared to the people in public, he made it a reality by instituting the Eucharist at the Last Supper. Jesus took bread, gave thanks and gave to the disciples saying: “Take this all of you and eat of it, for this is my Body which will be given up for you”. Then he took the cup filled with wine, blessed it and gave it the disciples saying: “Take this, all of you, and drink from it, for this is the chalice of my Blood, the Blood of the new and eternal Covenant, which will be poured out for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Do this in memory of me”. The origin of the Eucharist is the Lord himself. Therefore it is not just a sacrament, but a special sacrament as we receive Jesus Himself who is truly and really present in His Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity. We continue the theology of the Eucharist in the weeks ahead. God bless you! Fr. Bob Romaine

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, “This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it”. ( Psalm 118:24) On this 18th Sunday of Ordinary time the gospel narrative from the gospel of Mathew 14:13-21 highlights the miraculous feeding of five thousand men, not counting women and children. In total we are looking at 25,000 hungry people who were fed by our Lord with just five loaves of bread and two fish. It is also known as the miracle of the multiplication of loaves and fishes. The Lord was moved with pity for the vast crowd. He cured their sick and satisfied their hunger by multiplying five loaves of bread and two fish to be fed for all of them. This miracle points to the greatest miracle of giving his own body and blood in the Eucharist for our nourishment. WELCOME ABOARD CARLA GORDON SHIVE! I am happy to welcome Carla Gordon Shive as our new Administrative Assistant in the Parish Office. She is a native of Pasco County and a lifelong Parishioner of our Parish hailing from one of the long time established families of the Parish: The Gordon family. Carla has been actively involved in the Parish singing in the 10:30 am Mass choir. Since last year she has graciously accepted to be the director our Children’s choir. Carla comes with extensive experience in Administration. Welcome aboard Carla and God bless you! THE THEOLOGY OF THE EUCHARIST: We will be dealing with the key aspects of the theology of the Eucharist over a period of few weeks just like we did with ‘Walk through the Mass’. The term “Eucharist” originates from the Greek word ‘eucharistia’, which means thanksgiving. The Last Supper during which our Lord instituted the holy Eucharist is the Jewish annual thanksgiving meal known as ‘The Passover or the Seder dinner’. The Catechism of Catholic Church #1359 says: “The Eucharist, the sacrament of our salvation accomplished by Christ on the Cross, is also a sacrifice in thanksgiving for the work of creation. In the Eucharistic sacrifice the whole of creation loved by God is presented to the Father through the death and resurrection of Christ. Through Christ the Church can offer the sacrifice of praise in thanksgiving for all that God has made good, beautiful, and just in creation and in humanity”. The theme of thanksgiving is echoed throughout the Mass. The Jewish People thank God at their yearly Passover dinner for delivering their ancestors from slavery in Egypt and leading them to freedom by a miraculous crossing of the red sea. (Exodus 14). While the Passover dinner reflects thanksgiving to God for delivering one nation from slavery, the holy Mass is a thanksgiving to God for delivering the entire humanity from the slavery of sin by the Paschal Mystery: The Passion, Death and Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Did you notice that we do not have to wait a whole year to celebrate such a thanksgiving sacrifice? We celebrate that thanksgiving sacrifice during the Mass every day in our Catholic Churches throughout the world. Are we blessed or what!!! Our Lord has commanded us to celebrate this thanksgiving sacrifice in His memory. The Hebrew word ‘todah’ means ‘thanksgiving sacrifice’. According to Talmud which is a collection of Jewish religious practices, there are two ingredients to ‘todah’: One, you thank God, and two, you offer God something as a gratitude. At the passover dinner, psalms of thanksgiving are sung and the flesh of a lamb is offered to God and eaten by the participants of the dinner. During the holy Mass we thank and praise God and receive Jesus Christ the Lamb of God. Jesus has taken the place of a lamb. Therefore the ancient practice of sacrifice of innocent lambs is no more needed. Jesus is the perfect thanksgiving sacrifice. In the holy Mass the fullness of gratitude to God is celebrated on behalf of the ancient Israel and the new Israel which is the Church.  If you have any questions, feel free to ask me at the Church after the Mass or call Parish Office. God bless you! Fr. Bob Romaine

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, “ This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it”. (Psalm 118:24) On this 17th Sunday in Ordinary time we hear our Lord telling us two parables about the Kingdom of God from the gospel of Mathew 13:44-52. He compares the kingdom to a treasure buried in a field which a person finds and sells all he has so that he could buy that field. He also compares the Kingdom to a merchant who sells all that he has in order to buy fine pearls. It shows how precious the Kingdom of God is! It reminds me of St. Francis of Assisi who gave up his family inheritance to follow the Lord. THANK YOU, ALICIA SILLEN: On behalf of our Parish, I thank our outgoing Administrative Assistant Alicia Sillen for her dedicated service to our parish in the last one year. She has filled our office with her sweet and gentle nature while dealing with the parishioners. John Bard, the head of our maintenance, and Alicia worked hard during the move of the Office/Rectory buildings in April of this year. As she is expecting her first child, we wish God’s blessings upon her, her husband Brandon and their whole family on both sides as they await the birth of the baby. God be with you, Alicia!  THE THEOLOGY OF THE EUCHARIST: I hope you had a great time walking through the Mass with me by reading a little bit about it each weekend. Now our focus is going to be on the very teaching of the Church on the Eucharist. Our intention of the study is to cultivate a deeper understanding and appreciation and devotion to the holy Eucharist. Only when children fully understand the sacrifice of their parents, they will be ever grateful to them; or else they will take them for granted. In the same way if we fully grasp the Sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ on the Cross, our Churches would be so full every Sunday. Let us begin by refreshing the definition of the sacrament of the holy Eucharist according to the Catechism of the Catholic Church # 1324: “The Eucharist is the Source and Summit of the Christian life”. The other sacraments and the Apostolic works are oriented towards the Eucharist. For, in the blessed Eucharist is contained the whole spiritual good of the Church, namely Christ himself, our Pasch. The Eucharist is the source of all graces. This is the sacrament in which the ordinary bread and wine are transformed into the Body and Blood of Christ which is the origin of all graces. A summit is understood as the pinnacle or the highest point. As the summit, the Eucharist is the highest act of worship. It is the sacramental offering of Christ’s Sacrifice on the Cross made present on the altar. It unites the Faithful on earth with the heavenly world of Angels. It is only in the Eucharist that these two worlds: earth and heaven meet. There is no other prayer or liturgical celebration that supersedes the Eucharistic Celebration. Please try to remember the above mentioned one line definition of the Eucharist by heart. God bless you! Fr. Bob Romaine

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, “This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it” ( Psalm 118:24) On this 16th Sunday of Ordinary time, the Lord told us three parables in the gospel of Mathew 13: 24-43: The parable of weeds and the wheat The parable of a mustard seed The parable of yeast The theme of divine Justice is highlighted here. The weeds represent those who do evil deeds while the wheat symbolizes good people who love God and their neighbor. At the end of our lives we all will be standing before our merciful Judge our Lord Jesus Christ. The Kingdom of God will continue to grow and grow till the Lord returns. Let us do our part in building up the Kingdom of God. EVENING MASS ONCE A WEEK: I was pleasantly surprised when a young couple approached me with a request for having Mass in the evening once a week for the sake of those who work during the day. Starting in the middle of August, we will be having an extra Mass on Thursdays in the evening. The daily morning Masses will continue as usual. I hope and pray that our parishioners who work during the day will be able to attend the evening Mass once a week. POSTURES AND GESTURES AT MASS: Having completed the walk through the Mass last week, we now concentrate on the postures and gestures which are incorporated in the celebration of the Sacrifice of the holy Mass. It indicates that our whole Being: body, mind and soul is involved in the worship of God. The Catechism of the Catholic Church, no.1097 says: “In the liturgy of the new Covenant every liturgical action, especially the celebration of the Eucharist and the sacraments, is an encounter between Christ and the Church”. Some of the postures and gestures at Mass are: Making the Sign of the Cross by touching the forehead, the heart and the shoulders with the right hand at the beginning of the Mass to express our faith in the Triune God. Striking our breast during the Confiteor to express or sorrow. Bowing during the Creed at the mention of the Birth of Christ and at the name of Jesus. Making the sign of the cross with the thumb on the forehead, on the lips and on the heart before the gospel is read to signify that we understand the Word of God, proclaim it with our lips and believe with our hearts. Standing: At the start of the Mass, during the Mass and at the end of the Mass. Sitting: During the Liturgy of the Word, we sit down and listen to God’s Word in the first and the second readings, at the time of offertory and after receiving the hoy Communion. Kneeling: The Faithful kneel during the entire Eucharistic prayer and after receiving the holy communion to thank the Lord in silence. Genuflecting: As a sign of Adoration, we genuflect by bending our right knee to the floor as we enter and leave the Church. The priest genuflects after showing the Body and Blood of Christ to the Faithful after the Consecration. Orans: The priest extends his hands to his sides slightly elevated. This is an ancient prayer posture of the priest indicating praying. Singing: We bring our voices together in unison as sing the praises of God. Praying in Unison: By praying together the same prayers, we become one Body united in Christ through the sacrament of Baptism. Silence: By observing silence during the Mass, we reflect upon the word of God, and to open our hearts to the mystery celebrated. The Church sees in all these postures and gestures at Mass an ambiguous witness that we are indeed the Body of Christ, united in body, mind and voice. God bless you! Fr. Bob Romaine 

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, “This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it”. ( Psalm 118:24) This weekend we celebrate the 15th Sunday in Ordinary time. The Lord through the parable of the Sower and the Seed, is teaching us to be receptive to God’s Word, meditate upon it, cherish it and live it out in our daily lives. The evil one will cause temptations, trials and tribulations to scare us away. Our loving God will give us the grace and the Courage to be strong against the tactics of the evil and bear fruit for the Lord abundantly. Let us fall on our knees and humbly beseech the Lord for his protection. BROWN SCAPULAR ENROLLMENT: On July 16th we celebrate the feast of our Lady of Mount Carmel. In honor of that feast I will be happy to enroll anyone who likes to be enrolled into the Confraternity of our Lady of Mount Carmel, also known as our Lady of the Brown Scapular after all the Masses this weekend. It is a brief ceremony during which the Priest blesses the brown scapulars, and puts them around necks of the members. Enrollees share in the spiritual graces offered through the prayers of the Carmelite priests and Nuns. They are assured of the never failing maternal protection and the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary. WHAT HAPPENS AT MASS?: A WALK THROUGH THE MASS: This weekend we highlight the last part of the Mass: The Concluding Rite. It consists of Prayer after Communion, Announcements, second collections for specific purposes, final Blessing by the priest and the dismissal of the people either by the priest of the deacon. The Faithful respond to the dismissal by saying: ‘Thanks be to God’. It is important to pay attention to the words of the dismissal: "Go forth, the Mass is ended" or "Go and announce the Gospel of the Lord" or "Go in Peace, glorifying the Lord by your life." When the priest or the deacon dismisses the Faithful by one of the above mentioned formulae, we are being sent forth into the world to proclaim the Good News of Jesus. There is a sending forth at every Mass. We are called to put into action what we celebrate at the Mass.  As St. Gregory of Nazianzen said: “Let us become as Christ is, since Christ became as we are”. We are sent forth from the Mass to be the hands and feet of Christ to this hurting world. My first Pastor in the USA, Fr. Fausto Stampiglia, SAC, the former Pastor of St. Martha Catholic Church, Sarasota, FL always used to remind the people at the end of the Mass to be nice to each other in the parking lot. Our mission of spreading the love of Jesus begins right outside the front door of the Church. The Mass concludes with the recessional hymn led by the choir. The priest and the altar servers process back to the sacristy. God bless you! Fr. Bob Romaine

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, “This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it”. ( Psalm 118: 24 ) This weekend we celebrate the 250th Anniversary of the Independence of our Country: The United States of America. On July 4, 1776, thirteen colonies declared their independence from England which paved the way for the formation of the United States of America as a free and independent Country. Today there are 50 states in the USA. On June 11, 2026, the Bishops of the United States consecrated our Country to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus on the occasion of the 250th Anniversary of the declaration of Independence. The Consecration was inspired by Pope Francis’s encyclical ‘Dilexit Nos’ (He loved us) on the Sacred Heart of Jesus. In our catholic Faith, Consecration means to set something or someone apart for a holy, divine purpose. Our country now belongs to the Sacred heart of Jesus. Since the day (6/11/2026) the Bishops consecrated the United States to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the image of the Heart of Jesus hovering over our country has been imprinted in my mind. I will cherish that image all through my life. Wow!!! What a Blessing to be consecrated to the Sacred Heart! God bless the United States of America! WHAT HAPPENS AT MASS?: A WALK THROUGH THE MASS: This weekend we come to the fourth part of the Mass: The Communion Rite . After the great Amen, the whole congregation stands and at the invitation of the priest, prays the Lord’s Prayer. The prayer ‘The Our Father’ is called the Lord’s Prayer because it was taught to the disciples by our Lord himself. After the Lord’s prayer, the priest prays for peace in the Church and asks the Congregation to exchange a sign of peace in the form of handshake, or a nod or a hug. It is a fitting follow up to the Lord’s prayer. After the exchange of peace, the congregation looks forward to receiving the Lamb of God Jesus Christ who is the prince of peace. The title ‘Lamb of God’ or in Latin ‘ Agnus Dei’ calls to mind the moment when John the Baptist pointed to Jesus at the Jordan river and exclaimed, “Behold the Lamb of God!”. (John 1:29) It is so enriching to dig deeper into the old testament reference to the Lamb of God. Abraham tells his son Isaac that God himself will provide the lamb (Genesis 22:8) for the sacrifice after the angel ordered Abraham not to offer his son Isaac as the sacrifice. After many centuries, God gave His own Son Jesus Christ as the Lamb of God whom we receive during the holy Mass. At the Last Supper, when Jesus gave himself to his disciples under the species of bread and wine, He replaced the lamb which was slaughtered by the Jews and eaten during the seder dinner as a thanksgiving sacrifice to God for delivering their ancestors. After saying the silent prayer, the priest raises the consecrated host over the chalice filled with the precious blood and says: ‘Behold, the Lamb of God. Behold Him who takes away the sins of the world. Blessed are those who are called to the supper of the Lamb.’ The Faithful respond saying: ‘Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed’. These are the words spoken by a Roman Centurion to express his humility before Jesus. (Mathew 8:8)  After the priest and the deacon receive the holy Communion, the altar servers and the Eucharistic ministers receive Communion. Then the priest, the deacon, and the Eucharistic ministers distribute Communion to the Faithful. One should be a practicing Catholic, in the state of grace to receive Communion. The rule of one hour fasting before the Mass is to be observed except for health reasons. Few moments of silence are to be observed after receiving the holy Communion for personal prayer of Thanksgiving. God bless you! Fr. Bob Romaine