This week on The Catholic Mass Series, we finish our discussion at the Theology of the Mass with an episode about the reception of the Holy Eucharist. In the contemporary Church, the practice of receiving Holy Communion has changed. Why? What did the reception of the Eucharist look like throughout history? Did faithful in the early Church receive Our Lord on the tongue, and kneeling? Why did this practice change – and then why has the practice reverted back in the last fifty years? What about the priests’ reception of Communion?

This week on The Catholic Mass Series, we look at mysteries and the nature of the Blessed Sacrament. There is a lot that we cannot comprehend fully about the Eucharist, but examining this great mystery of the Church, we can deepen our devotion to the Blessed Sacrament and the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. In this episode, examine questions concerning Our Lord’s real presence in the Eucharist. Then we discuss transubstantiation, and finally, the effects that Our Lord’s presence can have on the soul of the recipient.

This week, as we approach Christmas, we examine the three ways in which our Lord is present at every Mass. This will help to deepen our faith as we understand how He is present not just in a poetic or imaginary way, but in a real – yet sacramental and mysterious – manner. We see how he is present as both the high priest and victim. Finally, we consider how He comes to us sacramentally through the Eucharist.

Last week’s episode covered the fundamental nature of the Mass while answering Protestant objections. Today, we consider the question of the Mass’s nature, including its relationship to the Holy Eucharist. What does it mean to refer to the Eucharist as a “sacrament” and how does this relate to the sacrificial nature of the Mass itself? Moreover, in recent decades, a greater emphasis has been placed on the idea that the Mass is a “memorial meal” or a “gathering.” Is it wrong to speak of the Mass—and the Eucharist—this way and, if so, why?

Today, we continue exploring the Theology of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass by focusing on its fundamental purpose and addressing key errors about it. We examine the parallels between minimizing Protestant hostility toward the Mass and efforts to justify the New Mass. Additionally, we consider historical objections to the Mass, such as the claim that faith and personal contact with Our Lord are sufficient for salvation, that a hierarchical priesthood is unnecessary, and that the Sacrifice of the Cross is distinct from the Mass celebrated on altars throughout Christendom.

Today, we start a new section of The Catholic Mass Series. We have been looking at the history of the Mass, from the Old Testament, to the Last Supper, on to the Liturgical Movement. And now we move onto exploring the rubrics and theology of the Mass. In this episode, we begin by asking some basic questions, ”Why is the sacrifice important? Why are victim, priest, and the offering so difficult to comprehend without a proper context?”

Today, we bring our third and final episode on the “Liturgical Movement.” Last time we saw how World War II impacted the Roman Liturgy and its reform. Today, we delve into how the French and German clergy, emboldened by the lack of censures for their Modernist ideas, pushed for more radical changes that broke from the original spirit of the Liturgical Reform. We also explore what led these liturgical radicals to become more vocal, and how their planning made its way into the Second Vatican Council’s official documents. Finally, close by exposing the movement’s true intention: the creation of the Novus Ordo Missae. For more on this – please read “The Liturgical Movement” available at Angelus Press.

Today, in our second episode on the Liturgical Movement we focus on origins of the movement and we examine how it went awry. We also focus on the inter-war period and see how it corrupted the liturgy and the indirect of modernism had a detrimental effect on the war we worship. We still have not recovered from it today.

Today we start a series of three episodes, all looking at the period from the Council of Trent up to the Second Vatican Council. Specifically, we focus on what’s called “The Liturgical Movement.” This was a movement for the restoration of the Liturgy; renewing its discipline; and broadening the education of both the faithful and the clergy about the Mass itself. In the beginnings of the movement, it had a positive purpose, and it started out well. What we explore is what went wrong with the movement and the social, political, and ecclesiastical forces that disrupted an otherwise noble enterprise.

Today we’ll trace the development of both the Divine Office and the Mass over 1,000 years, beginning with St. Gregory the Great in the 6th century and concluding with the reforms of the Council of Trent. We’ll discuss how St. Gregory helped shape the liturgical framework and preserved unity while allowing local traditions to thrive. Moving forward, we’ll trace how these traditions evolved, influencing lots of different rites across Europe. We’re not used to thinking that lots of rites are good – but what was good about them? And why did these ultimately lead to the standardization by Pope St. Pius V, known as the Tridentine Mass. Join us as we journey through this intricate and fascinating liturgical history.