There are three levels of worship that I feel important for you to know and be able to explain to those who question you about praying to Mary and to the Saints.  

The three levels of worship are:

Latria

Hyperdula

Dula

Latria means worship and worship is reserved only for God.

Thus, remember the Ten Commandments and how you shall have no other gods.

Hyperdula means honor and this we do to Mary.  We honor her since she is the Mother of God and Jesus while on the cross dying for our sins gave her to us as our mother.  We DO NOT pray to Mary.  Asking Mary to pray for us is no different that me asking you to pray for me.  Well, she does have direct intercession which is more than we have.

Dula means reverence.  We show the saints reverence.  We should do this because with them we are part of the Communion of Saints.  They are part of God's Glory now and we can turn to them for intercession as well.  We Do NOT pray to the saints; again, it is no different than me asking you to pray for me.  Well, they have a pretty closer link to God than we do.

I hope this explains clearly the levels of worship.

The Sacrament of Reconciliation

Reconciliation is a wonderful gift, because it is something we really need:  forgiveness for the sin we commit and a renewed help in overcoming our inclination to sin.

The Sacrament of Reconciliation is a real encounter with Jesus in which we enter in broken and wounded and come out whole and healed.  This sacrament is a wonderful gift from God.

Sin wounds our souls.  Small sins have a way of developing into big sins.  Mortal sin kills the life of Christ in our souls while venial sin makes our soul sick.  Reconciliation is like medicine.  It cures our sick souls.

Our sins may be big.  Our sins may be plenty, but our Lord always forgives us if we are sorry.  He is never angry with us.  He loves us.  That is why He gave us the Sacrament of Reconciliation. 

Here is some further information to help you better understand this sacrament; it comes from Catholic Answers and their book How to Explain and Defend the Catholic Faith.

I have bolded the information from the book to make clear that this information is coming from Catholic Answers.

We must start with John 20:19-23.

When Jesus bestowed on the disciples the power to forgive sins, He did it on Easter Sunday.  

He gave them the power by breathing on them.  

Jesus gives the disciples the authority to forgive, and not to forgive.  This means a priest has to hear the sins in order to know whether to forgive them or hold them bound.

Catholics always confess their sins to God.  The do it directly as well as through His ministers because that is what God requires, as clearly taught in Scripture.

Christ gave His disciples the power to forgive sin.  This power was intended to be passes on, since Christ knew people would sin until the end of time.  

It is my hope that you will review the prayers for Reconciliation that I sent home with you and pray to Our Lord to help you feel called to receive this sacrament soon.

I am working on a the pizza party and confession time for us.

I will keep you updated.

Blessed be God Forever!

The Eucharist

The Holy Eucharist is the most important of the seven sacraments because in this and no other sacrament, we receive the very body and blood of Jesus Christ.

I know that some of you thought I was crazy when I told you that, but it is really true.  You are truly receiving Our Lord when your receive this sacrament.  You are not receiving a sign, you are receiving Our Lord.

How amazing is that???

Yet, I know it can be confusing and so I hope that this blog entry will help you have a better understanding of the Eucharist or at least help you to see that this is the ultimate miracle and we just have to take God's word for it that this is Jesus' body and blood.

Our Church teaches and we are called to believe as Catholics in the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist.

After the consecration, gone are the bread and wine substances.  What is now there is the body and blood of Jesus Christ, which so happens to still look like bread and wine.

Jesus said, "I am the bread of life." (John 6:48).

This is why he instituted the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist at the Last Supper.

You can read about it in the Bible at Matthew 26:17-20, 26-30.

It may still be hard for some of you to understand that Catholics truly believe that the Eucharist is the literal body and blood of Christ.

Let me help you out here a little bit.  This information comes from my good friends at Catholic Answers in their book How to Explain and Defend the Catholic Faith.  This is a book I am constantly referencing and can trust that it is true to Catholic teachings.  I have made the lettering bigger so you will know that it is coming from their book.

John 6:51 says that Jesus tells us we must eat His flesh in order to have life.  In John 6:52 the Jews interpret Him literally.  Jesus then repeats again and again (verses 53-56)- in the clearest possible language--that we must eat His flesh and drink His blood i order to have eternal life.  Verse 55 says,"For my flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink indeed"  this is not the language of symbolism.  In verses 48-58, where Jesus tells us exactly what He means by calling Himself "bread."  The bread Jesus is speaking of is not merely a symbol for spiritual nourishment.  Jesus tells us plainly that the bread is His own flesh (verse 51), which we must eat in  order to have eternal life.  

After reading the verses, you will see that the unbelieving disciples leave Jesus after verse 63--they would not have left at this point if Jesus would have assured them that He was only speaking symbolically.

This is the only time recorded in the New Testament that any of Jesus' disciples left Him because they found His doctrine too hard to accept.  

Perhaps this information will help you get a good start on this mystery of our faith.

What do we need to do before receiving the Eucharist?

1.  We must be free from all serious sin (mortal sin).

We can resolve mortal sin through the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

2.  We must fast for one hour prior to receiving Our Lord.  This helps us to focus on Jesus and show reverence.

When you receive the Body of Christ, you say "Amen!"

When you receive the Blood of Christ, you say "Amen!"

When you say Amen, you are saying,"Yes, I believe this is Jesus!"

The time of prayer after receiving Jesus is a very special time.  It is your time with Jesus.  You are as close to him as you can be.  Take the time to thank Him for all the blessing in His life and for coming to you through the Eucharist.  Talk to him about anything.

Don't forget the about the Tabernacle which is the sacred container where the Blessed Sacrament (Jesus) is placed after communion.

The Sanctuary Lamp is red and always is has a flame except on Good Friday when the Tabernacle is empty.  This represents the darkness of sin.

Also don't forget to stop and show respect when you pass the Tabernacle.  If a famous person or the President of the United States were sitting up there, would you just pass by?  No!! 

Don't lose the chance to say hello to Jesus and remember He is always there to listen to you and your concerns.

Blessed be God Forever!