That there are two focuses of prayer? According to Saint John Damascene, “Prayer is the raising of one’s mind and heart to God or the requesting of good things from God.” The first focus is the raising up of our heart and mind to God. Here we focus on and think about God, a truly meditative form or prayer. We put ourselves in the presence of God, acknowledging God’s presence, and the simple fact that without God we are nothing, for God is the creator. The second focus is the requesting of good things from God, and this comes in the form of petition and asking. This can be for ourselves or for others, known as intercessory prayer or intercessions. We must never underestimate the power of prayer! 

This is our faith. This is what we believe!

That Christ, whole and entire, body, blood, soul and divinity, is present in each of the species of bread and wine? Due to this undisputable fact, we can receive either the Holy Eucharist or the Precious Blood by itself, and know with certainty that we have received His body and blood, the whole and entire Christ. The Catechism reaffirms this by stating that ‘since Christ is sacramentally present under each of the species, communion under the species of bread alone makes it possible to receive all the fruit of Eucharist
grace’ (Catechism of the Catholic Church, article #1390). By the virtue of the sacrament and the virtue of concomitance (the virtue that unites the body and blood, and likewise the blood to the body, for they can never be separated), the living Christ is present in each species. We, the faithful, that receive this beautiful sacrament often and regularly, should never feel deprived when only one species is distributed, for we are receiving the whole Christ.

This is our faith, this is what we believe!

That the Feast of Corpus Christi, also known as the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, celebrates the real presence of the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ in the elements of the Eucharist? This is powerful for us as Catholics! While the host still has the appearance of bread, we believe that it truly is the body of Jesus Christ, and that while the wine still has the appearance of wine, we believe that it is the blood of Christ. This is all made possible through the eyes of faith, by the power of the Holy Spirit. This feast was proposed by St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church to Pope Urban IV, in order to create a feast focused solely on the Holy Eucharist, emphasizing the joy of the Eucharist being the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ. It is with joy that we begin to gather once again as a
community of believers, for something has been missing from our lives these past three plus months – the real presence of Christ, welcomed into our hearts and soul through Holy Communion. 

This is our faith; this is what we believe!

That the only thing that distinguishes the Three Person of the Trinity is the “relation of origin?” The Catechism of the Catholic Church, Article 255 highlights for us that: the Father is related to the Son; the Son is related to the Father; and the Holy Spirit is related to both. This is the only means of distinction, for we believe in 3 persons in 1 God. Trinity Sunday is a wonderful reminder for us of the love that is shared among the 3 persons of the Trinity and how we, as daughters and sons of God, are drawn in to share in this love. This is by far one of the greatest mysteries of our faith, one that we will never fully understand in this life. Yet one day, when we are in the presence of our God and Saviour in heaven, we will be able to embrace this magnificent mystery.

This is our faith, this is what we believe!

That Pentecost is the “fiftieth” day at the end of the seven weeks following Passover? At the first Pentecost after the Resurrection and Ascension of Jesus, the Holy Spirit was manifested, given and communicated as a divine Person to the Church, fulfilling the pascal mystery of Christ according to his promise (Catechism of the Catholic Church - CCC). Annually the Church celebrates the memory of the Pentecost event as the beginning of the new “age of the Church,” when Christ lives and acts in and with his Church (CCC, 1076). We receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit at our Confirmation. Do you remember your Confirmation? The Bishop who confirmed you? This is / was a beautiful day for us when we received these gifts – gifts that are to be used by us each and every day. When you are in need of knowledge, courage, understanding and so on, simply pray “Come, Holy Spirit!” We are crying out to God – the third person of the Trinity for help. Be prepared to be amazed! This is our faith!