Corpus Christi Blog

Characteristics of Jesus

01-29-2023Weekly ReflectionJen Arnold, M.A. in Theology and Catechetics

As Christians, we are called to imitate Jesus in all aspects of our life. Asking, “What would Jesus do?” in any given situation, however, may seem abstract or like a mere platitude. In this reflection, I have identified some specific traits of Jesus that can help us imitate him in our own lives.

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Marian Typology

01-22-2023Weekly ReflectionJen Arnold, M.A. in Theology and Catechetics

“The New Testament lies hidden in the Old and the Old Testament is unveiled in the New.” - St. Augustine

There is a unity between the Old and New Testaments since they both contain the inspired word of God. God revealed and foreshadowed this unity through both explicit means, like prophecies, as well as more hidden and implicit means of communicating His plan of salvation all throughout the Old Testament. Then, in the New Testament, we see all His foreshadowing fulfilled in the person of Jesus Christ. The more implicit means of revelation include what the Church refers to as typology.

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Priestly Celibacy

01-15-2023Weekly ReflectionJen Arnold, M.A. in Theology and Catechetics

Today we’ll examine a relatively controversial practice in the Catholic Church, which is priestly celibacy. There is a whole spectrum of opinions on the issue, from both within and outside of the Church, with all sorts of evidence supporting their positions. Regardless of whether or not I change any minds, my goal is to explain the reasons why priestly celibacy is presently valued in the Church, in the hope that others reach an understanding and openness to the Church’s perspective.

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The Epiphany

01-08-2023Weekly ReflectionJen Arnold, M.A. in Theology and Catechetics

Today we celebrate the feast of the Epiphany, which is the day the Church recognizes the arrival of the Magi from the East in Bethlehem to pay homage to the newborn king, Jesus. The essential importance of the Magi’s presence in Scripture is to establish that Jesus came as a savior for all nations and peoples, even pagan ones, as they also become beneficiaries of the promises that had previously only been made to the Jewish people. The Incarnation was for the benefit of all. (See CCC #528.)

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The Magnficat

01-01-2023Weekly ReflectionJen Arnold, M.A. in Theology and Catechetics

Today we celebrate the Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God, a day in which the Church honors Mary’s role as the mother of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. For reflection on this feast day, we will examine the Magnificat – the first words recorded in Scripture of Mary as a mother (Lk 1:46-55).

The Magnificat is the inspired canticle, or hymn, that Mary proclaimed after she arrived at her cousin Elizabeth’s home and heard her greeting: “And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” (Lk 1:43). We know the canticle was inspired for several reasons. Mary was a devout Jewish woman who was steeped in Scripture and prayer, the Holy Spirit had just descended upon her to conceive Jesus in her womb, and Elizabeth had been filled with the Holy Spirit in that moment (Lk 1:41). There was nothing worldly whatsoever between the two women, only God and His super-abundant grace. Mary’s song was a prayer of praise, thanksgiving, and joy and has since held a privileged place in the prayer of Mother Church, included even in the Liturgy of the Hours.

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Eucharistic Miracles

12-25-2022Weekly ReflectionJen Arnold, M.A. in Theology and Catechetics

Merry Christmas! Today is the day we celebrate the coming of God to us in the flesh, in the person of Jesus Christ. If you are visiting our parish to celebrate with us, welcome! We invite you to come back, especially if you live in the area and are looking to deepen your relationship with Jesus.

If you are a regular attendee at our Sunday Masses, I hope you have enjoyed the Advent reflections linking the incarnate body of Jesus to the same flesh we find in the Eucharist (the reflections can be found on our parish website). To finish the series, I will share a bit on proven Eucharistic miracles to further demonstrate the connection between the baby who was born to Mary on this day and the Eucharist we have celebrated every day since the Resurrection.

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Awe

12-18-2022Weekly ReflectionJen Arnold, M.A. in Theology and Catechetics

As Advent comes to a close in this fourth week, the word we will focus on is awe. The word awesome is probably one of the most incorrectly used words in the English language these days. We tend to think everything is awesome: the great people in our lives, a good book, or finding a close parking space.

In reality, very rarely do we experience truly awesome things, unless of course, we’re talking about things pertaining to divine realities. Creation is awesome. Our human bodies are awesome. God Himself is awesome. So, as we have been focusing on the Incarnation and the Eucharist this season, if we truly are thinking about them correctly, we should be inspired with a sense of awe that should only increase the more we think about them.

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Unity

12-11-2022Weekly ReflectionJen Arnold, M.A. in Theology and Catechetics

On this Third Sunday of Advent, our word for reflection is “unity.” When it comes to God and all His creations, there is nothing that isn’t connected, in some way, to everything else.

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Love

12-04-2022Weekly ReflectionJen Arnold, M.A. in Theology and Catechetics

The word for this week’s reflection, showing the connection between the mystery of the Incarnation with the mystery of the Eucharist, is love. God is pure love. The Catechism tells us, “God’s very being is love…God himself is an eternal exchange of love…” (CCC #221).

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Light

11-27-2022Weekly ReflectionJen Arnold, M.A. in Theology and Catechetics

During the season of Advent, we spend time contemplating Jesus’ coming to us in the flesh as a little baby after being carried in His mother’s womb for nine months. We also contemplate what it means to prepare for His second coming. We are still going to think about those things, but we’ll do it a little bit differently this season.

Earlier this year, the bishops of the United States called for a 3-year period of Eucharistic Renewal in which we intensely focus on the Eucharist and the true presence of Jesus Christ within the Sacrament. For each week’s Advent reflection, I have selected one word that links the mystery of the Incarnation to the mystery of the Eucharist, showing how the Eucharist we consume at every Mass is one and the same as the Jesus that was born in the flesh to a virgin in Bethlehem.

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King of the Universe and End of the World

11-20-2022Weekly ReflectionJen Arnold, M.A. in Theology and Catechetics

Today we celebrate the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe. That is quite a mouthful, and with it comes a lot of weight. We think of Jesus as a king in many different ways, like the king of our hearts or the king of heaven. We think of Him as a humble servant king or a king of justice and mercy.

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Children at Mass

11-13-2022Weekly ReflectionJen Arnold, M.A. in Theology and Catechetics

This week’s topic can be, at times, a touchy subject for people on both sides of the equation, however, please bear with me to the conclusion so that we all might gain a little perspective. Children, particularly infants and toddlers, can often be disruptive at Mass by nature of their youth. With five children myself, I have had many experiences over the years with everything from people asking me not to bring my little ones to Mass, to people encouraging me along, and even complete strangers offering to hold my babies to give me a hand.

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Indulgences

11-06-2022Weekly ReflectionJen Arnold, M.A. in Theology and Catechetics

One of the most misunderstood teachings of the Catholic Church – both by Catholics and non-Catholics alike – is the doctrine of indulgences. Granting indulgences is an ancient practice of the Church that was given, as a right by divine authority, for the remittance of the punishment due to sin. However, over the centuries, for various reasons, much confusion grew around this practice.

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Purgatory

11-02-2022Weekly ReflectionJen Arnold, M.A. in Theology and Catechetics

The Catholic doctrine of purgatory is a beautiful one if understood correctly. It can also be controversial, particularly with non-Catholic Christians. It is argued that nowhere in Scripture is the word “purgatory” mentioned. However, this could be said of many other theological words such as Trinity, Incarnation, and even the word Bible itself, yet they are matters of faith which all Christians believe and profess. While the word “purgatory” is not in the Bible, the concept is present, both in the Old and New Testaments. The Church has drawn on these scriptural references to formulate her doctrine on purgatory. Here, the Church’s teaching on purgatory will be explained, citing the Catechism of the Catholic Church, as well as by laying out some of the Scriptural references as the basis for those teachings.

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