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The Eucharist: Understanding Through Simple Stories My old pastor gave a homily in which he talked about preparing a girl for First Communion. Her parents had been wondering if she was ready yet, so Father asked her to explain her understanding of the Eucharist. She pointed to the large crucifix in the back of church and said, “That looks like Jesus, but isn’t. The Eucharist doesn’t look like Jesus, but is.” It’s hard to imagine a better or more succinct way o …

Can you lose your salvation?Some Protestants believe in the doctrine of “Eternal Security” and would say no.Catholics take a different view.Apologist Karlo Broussard tells us Galatians 5:4 is a go-to text for Catholics when it comes to defending the belief that Christians can lose their salvation:You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace.Notice that St. Paul says the Galatians were “severed from Christ” and that t …

Another question that arises when we’re talking about our relationship with the saints, and the honor that is due to them, is, “Must I have a devotion to the saints?”Well, it depends on what we mean by devotion. If we intend to include within our definition of “devotion” the recognition of certain facts about them, then yes. For example, we must honor them by acknowledging their saintly status and our communion with them in the body of Christ. And, as mentioned in …

Navigating Disagreements Among Catholics “Trent, can you respond to what this Catholic said online? It’s just really confusing.” Normally, I don’t like to nitpick other Catholics, even if I don’t agree with their approach toward sharing our faith. I don’t want to spend time arguing about matters Catholics are free to disagree about, especially since Scripture condemns this kind of quarreling and infighting. St. Paul said,“Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise y …

Recognizing the Presence of Jesus in the EucharistThose of us who believe that the Eucharist is really Jesus have to examine our own hearts and lives, too.Some time ago, I met a man who had once worked for a Western intelligence agency. He was embedded in a majority-Muslim country, posing as a businessman. Given the lawlessness of parts of the country, he had to be driven across it in the dead of night to avoid bandits. As they were speeding across the desert at high speeds, with the headlights …