Corpus Christi Blog

Heaven

04-30-2023Weekly ReflectionJen Arnold, M.A. in Theology and Catechetics

This is part two of a three-part series on the afterlife. Last week, we started with Hell in order to get it out of the way so we can focus on more hopeful topics. Although we can never fully know what Heaven is like until we get there, there are things that we can know: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for them that love him,” (1 Cor 2:9).

Let’s first see how the Catholic Church defines the basics of Heaven.

READ MORE

Hell

04-23-2023Weekly ReflectionJen Arnold, M.A. in Theology and Catechetics

This article is the first in a three-part series on the afterlife – Hell, Heaven, and Purgatory. I am intentionally beginning with Hell in order to facilitate a trajectory of hope, rather than despair, through this series. So, with this being the least hopeful portion, please keep in mind that there is more to come.

Let’s start with a very brief catechesis on judgement. The Catholic Church distinguishes between the particular judgement and the final or last judgement. “The Last Judgement will come when Christ returns in glory. Only the Father knows the day and the hour; only he determines the moment of its coming,” (CCC #1040). When this time comes, all things on earth will come to light.

READ MORE

Divine Mercy Devotion

04-16-2023Weekly ReflectionJen Arnold, M.A. in Theology and Catechetics

Today we celebrate Divine Mercy Sunday. This feast and devotion was given to us by Jesus Himself through St. Maria Faustina Kowalska, better known as simply St. Faustina. I would like to spend some time explaining this beautiful Catholic devotion.

I will not go into an in-depth biography of St. Faustina’s life, but briefly, she was the third of ten children born to a poor peasant family and given the name Helen in Glogowiec, Poland on August 25, 1905. Even as a child, she exhibited piety, obedience, gentleness, and great devotion to prayer. She felt called to religious life, but her parents were adamantly opposed, so she took on work as a housekeeper to help support her family. Eventually, however, she was able to join the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy on August 1, 1925, where she took the name Sister Maria Faustina of the Most Blessed Sacrament. During her time in religious life, Faustina received many visions and communications directly from Jesus and enjoyed a very close relationship with Him. She was also given many sufferings, both physical and spiritual to serve as atonement for all of the sinners of the world because, as we know, with great love comes great suffering and she deeply loved Jesus.

READ MORE

He is Risen! Alleluia!

04-09-2023Weekly ReflectionJen Arnold, M.A. in Theology and Catechetics

A blessed Easter to all, the holiest of days in the entire liturgical calendar. We spent our journey through Lent reflecting on the Stations of the Cross, where we meditated on the tremendous sufferings Jesus endured for us on His ascent to Calvary and His ultimate crucifixion. We then reflected on Palm Sunday and the jubilant celebration in the streets of Jerusalem because the promised Messiah had finally arrived. Imagine the confusion, as well as the emotional and spiritual suffering, all the people experienced – going from the highest of highs on Palm Sunday, to the lowest of lows on Good Friday. Not one of them could have anticipated the cruel execution of their Savior and so they spent three days in darkness, not understanding what had happened or what would come next. Then, on the third day, Jesus rose from the dead and gave new meaning to the word hope!

READ MORE

Palm Sunday

04-02-2023Weekly ReflectionJen Arnold, M.A. in Theology and Catechetics

Today is Palm Sunday and the beginning of Holy Week. It signifies the day Jesus enters the city of Jerusalem and begins the series of events that mark His final days of life on earth. Palm Sunday itself carries with it much scriptural importance, which we will examine now.

Beginning in the Old Testament, we look to the prophet Ezekiel. Ezekiel was prophesying the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem because the corruption that was occurring within it was very offensive to God. He describes the “vile abominations” (Ez 8:9) occurring within the walls and the “creeping things and loathsome beasts and all the idols of the house of Israel” (Ez 8:10) that are being brought inside. Ezekiel further describes men turning their backs to the temple and its altar to worship the sun in the East (Ez 8:16). Needless to say, the things going on in the temple of the Almighty God were not good and God was not happy about it.

READ MORE

Way of the Cross - Part 5

03-26-2023Weekly ReflectionJen Arnold, M.A. in Theology and Catechetics

Jesus has finally completed His torturous journey from Pontius Pilate’s praetorium to His destination at the top of Calvary. No human being could have survived this journey and it was only by virtue of His divine nature that He was able to do so. Now we will reflect on the last four stations that mark His final sacrifice for us.

READ MORE

The Way of the Cross - Part 4

03-19-2023Weekly ReflectionJen Arnold, M.A. in Theology and Catechetics

Last week we meditated on the fourth, fifth, and sixth Stations of the Cross. In each of those stations, Jesus had personal encounters with other individuals while in a vulnerable state. These showed us how intimate interactions between humans help us all on our own journeys. This week, we’ll look at the next four stations. While three of them involve Jesus alone, one illustrates yet another exchange with others.

READ MORE

The Way of the Cross - Part 3

03-12-2023Weekly ReflectionJen Arnold, M.A. in Theology and Catechetics

This week, we will continue our Lenten journey by reflecting on the fourth, fifth, and sixth Stations of the Cross. Each of these three stations include an encounter between Jesus and another person when Jesus is profoundly vulnerable, thereby increasing the relational intimacy between them. They also illustrate the larger picture of the interdependence human beings have with each other as we all navigate through the trials of life together. Let’s take a closer look.

The Fourth Station: Jesus Meets His Afflicted Mother

This is one of the stations that is not explicitly found in Scripture. However, the Gospel of John places the Blessed Mother at the foot of the cross during the crucifixion, so it is safe to assume she remained as close to Jesus as the crowds would allow from the beginning of His Passion to the end. Additionally, it is difficult to imagine any mother not being with her child while enduring such great and unjust suffering.

READ MORE

The Way of the Cross, Part 2

03-05-2023Weekly ReflectionJen Arnold, M.A. in Theology and Catechetics

Last week I gave an overview on the history and purpose of meditating on the Way of the Cross. Over the next few weeks, we will enter into a deeper reflection on each station. Today, we’ll cover the first three.

The First Station: Jesus is Condemned to Death

The Way of the Cross begins when Jesus was sentenced to death in Pontius Pilate’s praetorium. The prior evening, just after having supper with His friends, Jesus was arrested in the dark of night and shuffled back and forth between Pontius Pilate and Herod as they tried to decide what to do with Him. There was an angry mob crying for Him to receive the death penalty, despite the fact that He committed no real crime. Jesus was fully divine, but He was also fully human and experienced the same emotions that any of us would experience in a situation such as this.

READ MORE

The Way of the Cross, Part 1

02-26-2023Weekly ReflectionJen Arnold, M.A. in Theology and Catechetics

For this year’s Lenten season, I’ll offer a series of reflections on the Way of the Cross. Before reviewing each of the stations, let’s look at what this practice is and where it comes from.

The Way of the Cross is a devotion that facilitates meditation while commemorating the specific events that occurred on Jesus’ final journey, beginning with His arrest on Holy Thursday, and concluding at the tomb on Good Friday after His crucifixion at Calvary. While usually associated with Catholicism, this commemoration is also shared with a couple of other Christian denominations. You may hear it referred to as the Stations of the Cross, Way of Sorrows, Via Dolorosa, or Via Crucis. Each station along the journey is identified by some sort of marker with an image indicating the specific event being remembered.

READ MORE

Mass Intentions

02-19-2023Weekly ReflectionJen Arnold, M.A. in Theology and Catechetics

As Catholics, we enjoy the unique custom of offering particular prayer intentions at the holy sacrifice of the Mass. Let’s take a closer look at this practice.

For us, the Mass is the highest and most privileged form of prayer because it contains the Eucharistic sacrifice: the source and summit of our faith (CCC #1324-1327). Our Christian life, activities, and participation in the other sacraments are all oriented toward the Eucharist, where Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross is made present in the here and now. We can offer prayers of petition and sacrifice at any time and in all sorts of situations, but it is in the context of the Mass that what we offer is made more perfect, as it is joined to Christ’s perfect sacrifice for us. To that end, we bring what we have to offer, in the form of our intentions and sacrifices, and lay them before the altar.

READ MORE

The Fall: What We Lost and What We Gained

02-12-2023Weekly ReflectionJen Arnold, M.A. in Theology and Catechetics

You have, most likely, heard of Original Sin or the Fall, which we read about in Genesis, Chapter 3. After creating Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, God allowed them to enjoy all of creation to their hearts’ desires. He provided only one instruction: Do not eat the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Retrospectively, for us, that seems like a relatively easy thing to do.

READ MORE

Catholic Investing

02-05-2023Weekly ReflectionJen Arnold, M.A. in Theology and Catechetics

Hopefully most of us properly understand the principles of Christian stewardship in sharing of our time, talent, and treasure in the service of God, others, and the building up of the Kingdom of Heaven here on Earth. We spend our time doing good works within our parish and our communities. We use our talents to promote the Good News of the gospel message to others.

READ MORE