Mike Aquilina reflects on the Mass and the Eucharist as gifts rooted directly in the actions of Christ at the Last Supper and carried forward by the earliest Christian communities. Drawing from Scripture, especially Luke and Acts, “remembrance” in the biblical sense means entering into the saving event itself, not merely recalling it. The Eucharist unites the Last Supper, Calvary, the Resurrection, and glorification into a single saving act made present whenever the Church gathers. From the first generation onward, the breaking of the bread, apostolic teaching, prayer, and communion formed the heart of Christian life, shaping how communities worshiped, understood sacrifice, and encountered Christ truly present.

This also points to St. Paul’s warnings in First Corinthians, early liturgical texts like the Didache, and the teachings of the Church Fathers to show how seriously the Eucharist was treated from the beginning. This reverence sometimes led to martyrdom, as seen in figures such as St. Ignatius of Antioch and the martyrs of Abitina, who risked—and gave—their lives rather than abandon Sunday worship. The continuity of the Mass across centuries is highlighted through Justin Martyr’s second-century description, which closely mirrors the structure used today. Taken together, these testimonies show that the Church’s worship has remained consistent, grounded in lived faith, sacrifice, and a profound encounter with Christ that shaped both daily life and death.

1. How does understanding “remembrance” as entering into Christ’s saving act change the way I participate in the Mass?
2. In what ways do I prepare my heart and conscience before approaching the altar to receive the Eucharist?
3. How does the witness of the early martyrs challenge my priorities when it comes to Sunday Mass?
4. What does the continuity of the Mass from the apostles through the Church Fathers reveal about Christ’s ongoing presence in the Church?
5. How might a deeper sense of the sacred shape my interior disposition during the liturgy?

This highly readable introduction to the roots of many Catholic beliefs and practices provides a sense of connection to our brothers and sisters who have gone before us and who helped shape the faith. Mike Aquilina makes it clear that as far as the essentials are concerned, a time-travel trip back to the beginning of the Church would reveal a Church familiar to Catholics today. Just as an acorn grows into a tree and yet remains the same plant, so the Catholic Church is a living organism that has grown from the faith of the earliest Christians into the Body of Christ we know today.

Mike Aquilina is a popular author working in the area of Church history, especially patristics, the study of the early Church Fathers.[1] He is the executive vice-president and trustee of the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology, a Roman Catholic research center based in Steubenville, Ohio. He is a contributing editor of Angelus (magazine) and general editor of the Reclaiming Catholic History Series from Ave Maria Press. He is the author or editor of more than fifty books, including The Fathers of the Church (2006); The Mass of the Early Christians (2007); Living the Mysteries (2003); and What Catholics Believe(1999). He has hosted eleven television series on the Eternal Word Television Network and is a frequent guest commentator on Catholic radio.

As you begin, take a deep breath and exhale slowly. For at least the next few moments, surrender all the cares and concerns of this day to the Lord.

Say slowly from your heart “Jesus, I Trust In You…You Take Over”

Become aware that He is with you, looking upon you with love, wanting to be heard deep within in your heart…

From the Holy Gospel of St. Mark 4:21-25

Jesus said to the crowd, ‘Would you bring in a lamp to put it under a tub or under the bed? Surely you will put it on the lamp-stand? For there is nothing hidden but it must be disclosed, nothing kept secret except to be brought to light. If anyone has ears to hear, let him listen to this.’
He also said to them, ‘Take notice of what you are hearing. The amount you measure out is the amount you will be given – and more besides; for the man who has will be given more; from the man who has not, even what he has will be taken away.’

What word made this passage come alive for you?

What did you sense the Lord saying to you?

Once more give the Lord an opportunity to speak to you:

Jesus said to the crowd, ‘Would you bring in a lamp to put it under a tub or under the bed? Surely you will put it on the lamp-stand? For there is nothing hidden but it must be disclosed, nothing kept secret except to be brought to light. If anyone has ears to hear, let him listen to this.’
He also said to them, ‘Take notice of what you are hearing. The amount you measure out is the amount you will be given – and more besides; for the man who has will be given more; from the man who has not, even what he has will be taken away.’

What did your heart feel as you listened?

What did you sense the Lord saying to you?

Once more, through Him, with Him and in Him listen to the Word:

Jesus said to the crowd, ‘Would you bring in a lamp to put it under a tub or under the bed? Surely you will put it on the lamp-stand? For there is nothing hidden but it must be disclosed, nothing kept secret except to be brought to light. If anyone has ears to hear, let him listen to this.’
He also said to them, ‘Take notice of what you are hearing. The amount you measure out is the amount you will be given – and more besides; for the man who has will be given more; from the man who has not, even what he has will be taken away.’

What touched your heart in this time of prayer?

What did your heart feel as you prayed?

What do you hope to carry with you from this time with the Lord?

Our Father, who art in heaven,

hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come.

Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread,

and forgive us our trespasses,

as we forgive those who trespass against us,

and lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.

May the Lord bless us, and keep us from all evil, and bring us to everlasting life.

Amen

Kris McGregor speaks with Peter Kreeft about his book Practical Theology: Spiritual Direction from St. Thomas Aquinas. He describes spending over a year immersed in the Summa Theologiae, discovering how deeply practical St. Thomas Aquinas’s theology is and how well it unites clear thinking with everyday moral and spiritual life. For Dr. Kreeft, the aim of spiritual direction is sanctity, and St. Thomas Aquinas serves as a guide who helps people connect intellect and action, avoiding the modern habit of separating emotion from reason or spirituality from concrete responsibility.

The book covers themes such as freedom and grace, conscience, virtue, humility, and the reality of good and evil, all presented as part of a meaningful drama rather than abstract theory. St. Thomas Aquinas holds together mystery and order, justice and mercy, divine action and human cooperation, showing that God’s work deepens human freedom rather than replacing it. The book touches on baptism, the sacraments, the last things, and the cultural temptation toward vague spirituality detached from real choices and sacrifice. St. Thomas Aquinas emerges as both brilliant and simple, offering durable wisdom that cuts through confusion and invites trust, discipline, and love as the foundation of the spiritual life.

1. How does St. Thomas Aquinas challenge me to unite clear thinking with concrete choices in my daily spiritual life?
2. In what ways have I separated intellect and prayer, and how might bringing them together deepen my growth in holiness?
3. How do I understand the role of conscience and free will in cooperating with God’s grace?
4. Where do I notice the tension between justice and mercy in my own judgments and relationships?
5. How aware am I of the reality of good and evil as an active struggle in my moral decisions?
6. What does humility look like for me in trusting God when His ways do not fit my expectations?
7. How does my participation in the sacraments, especially baptism, shape the way I live out my faith each day?
8. In what areas of my life am I tempted by a vague or comfortable spirituality rather than committed discipleship?

In this unique work, Peter Kreeft brings together 358 useful, everyday insights from St. Thomas Aquinas’ masterpiece the Summa Theologiae. He pairs these easily digestible quotes from the Summa with his own delightfully written commentary in order to answer the kinds of questions real people ask their spiritual directors. These 358 passages from the Summa have helped Kreeft in his own struggles to grow closer to the Lord. His practical, personal, and livable advice is the fruit of his labors to apply the insights of Aquinas to his own quest for sanctity, happiness, and union with God.

Peter Kreeft, Ph.D., Professor of Philosophy at Boston College, is one of the most respected and prolific Christian authors of our time. His books cover a vast array of topics in spirituality, theology, and philosophy. They include Doors in the Walls of the World, The Greatest Philosopher Who Ever Lived, How to Be Holy, Because God Is Real, You Can Understand the Bible, and Summa of the Summa.

Why did the Son of God have to suffer for us? There was a great need, and it can be considered in a twofold way: in the first place, as a remedy for sin, and secondly, as an example of how to act.

It is a remedy, for, in the face of all the evils which we incur on account of our sins, we have found relief through the passion of Christ. Yet, it is no less an example, for the passion of Christ completely suffices to fashion our lives. Whoever wishes to live perfectly should do nothing but disdain what Christ disdained on the cross and desire what he desired, for the cross exemplifies every virtue.

If you seek the example of love: “Greater love than this no man has, than to lay down his life for his friends.” Such a man was Christ on the cross. And if he gave his life for us, then it should not be difficult to bear whatever hardships arise for his sake.

If you seek patience, you will find no better example than the cross. Great patience occurs in two ways: either when one patiently suffers much, or when one suffers things which one is able to avoid and yet does not avoid. Christ endured much on the cross, and did so patiently, because when he suffered he did not threaten; he was led like a sheep to the slaughter and he did not open his mouth. Therefore Christ’s patience on the cross was great. In patience let us run for the prize set before us, looking upon Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith who, for the joy set before him, bore his cross and despised the shame.

If you seek an example of humility, look upon the crucified one, for God wished to be judged by Pontius Pilate and to die.

If you seek an example of obedience, follow him who became obedient to the Father even unto death. For just as by the disobedience of one man, namely, Adam, many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one man, many were made righteous.

If you seek an example of despising earthly things, follow him who is the King of kings and the Lord of lords, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Upon the cross he was stripped, mocked, spat upon, struck, crowned with thorns, and given only vinegar and gall to drink.

Do not be attached, therefore, to clothing and riches, because “they divided my garments among themselves.” Nor to honours, for he experienced harsh words and scourgings. Nor to greatness of rank, for “weaving a crown of thorns they placed it on my head.” Nor to anything delightful, for “in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.”

Excerpts from the English translation of The Liturgy of the Hours (Four Volumes) © 1974, International Commission on English in the Liturgy Corporation. All rights reserved.

Deacon James Keating reflects on why suffering exists without making it the goal of human life. He explains that suffering flows from the wounded condition of humanity in a fallen world, not from God’s original design. The true purpose of life is communion with God—sharing in the Trinitarian life of love and joy that God freely offers. While the human body and emotions inevitably endure weakness, sin, aging, and loss, these experiences can be taken up into grace. When suffering is joined to Christ’s life, death, and resurrection—most clearly in the Mass—it becomes a means of purification that prepares the soul for heaven. Nothing endured in union with Christ is wasted; all of it is gathered into divine love and transformed into deeper intimacy with God.

Emotional wounds, aging, and loss, often linger more painfully than physical suffering. Emotional pain remains destructive when it is left isolated, but it can be healed when it is consciously handed over to Christ in prayer. Over time, these wounds can become places of compassion rather than resentment. This can be applied to later life, where losses of health, status, possessions, and even family attachments can strip away false securities and invite a final, clarifying choice to live for God alone. This purifying process, even late in life, opens the soul to a profound simplicity and peace.

1. How does understanding that suffering is not the purpose of life, but a consequence of a fallen world, change the way I interpret my own hardships?
2. In what ways am I seeking intimacy with God as the central meaning of my life rather than comfort, success, or control?
3. How do I consciously unite my physical or emotional suffering with Christ’s sacrifice in the Mass?
4. Are there emotional wounds in my memory that I have not yet entrusted to Jesus for healing and transformation?
5. How might my unresolved pain be shaping my reactions, relationships, or patterns of avoidance?
6. In what ways could God be using loss, limitation, or aging to simplify my life and refocus my heart on Him?
7. How do I respond to grief and mourning—with openness to God’s love or with resentment and withdrawal?
8. Where might Christ be inviting me to allow my wounds to become a source of compassion for others?
9. How do I experience peace or quiet consolation even in times when joy feels distant or absent?
10. What would it look like for me to trust that no suffering united to Christ is ever wasted?

Deacon James Keating, Ph.D., is a professor of Spiritual Theology and serves as a spiritual director at Kenrick Glennon Seminary in St. Louis, MO.

Check out Deacon Keating’s “Discerning Heart” page

Day 9

St. Thomas you have taught

Suppose a person entering a house were to feel heat on the porch, and going further, were to feel the heat increasing, the more they penetrated within. Doubtless, such a person would believe there was a fire in the house, even though they did not see the fire that must be causing all this heat. A similar thing will happen to anyone who considers this world in detail: one will observe that all things are arranged according to their degrees of beauty and excellence, and that the nearer they are to God, the more beautiful and better they are.Sermon on the Apostles’ Creed , 13-14

Through the intercession of St. Thomas Aquinas,

Grant me grace, O merciful God,
to desire ardently all that is pleasing to Thee,
to examine it prudently,
to acknowledge it truthfully,
and to accomplish it perfectly,
for the praise and glory of Thy name.

In particular, please obtain the favor I ask during this novena.
[Make your request here…]

Grant me, O Lord my God,
a mind to know you,
a heart to seek you,
wisdom to find you,
conduct pleasing to you,
faithful perseverance in waiting for you,
and a hope of finally embracing you.

Amen.

Background music excerpt: “O Salutaris Hostia” performed by “Capella Musica Seoul”

For the complete 9-day Novena with St. Thomas Aquinas

As you begin, take a deep breath and exhale slowly. For at least the next few moments, surrender all the cares and concerns of this day to the Lord.

Say slowly from your heart “Jesus, I Trust In You…You Take Over”

Become aware that He is with you, looking upon you with love, wanting to be heard deep within in your heart…

From the Holy Gospel of St. Mark 3:31-35

The mother and brothers of Jesus arrived and, standing outside, sent in a message asking for him. A crowd was sitting round him at the time the message was passed to him, ‘Your mother and brothers and sisters are outside asking for you.’ He replied, ‘Who are my mother and my brothers?’ And looking round at those sitting in a circle about him, he said, ‘Here are my mother and my brothers. Anyone who does the will of God, that person is my brother and sister and mother.’

What word made this passage come alive for you?

What did you sense the Lord saying to you?

Once more give the Lord an opportunity to speak to you:

The mother and brothers of Jesus arrived and, standing outside, sent in a message asking for him. A crowd was sitting round him at the time the message was passed to him, ‘Your mother and brothers and sisters are outside asking for you.’ He replied, ‘Who are my mother and my brothers?’ And looking round at those sitting in a circle about him, he said, ‘Here are my mother and my brothers. Anyone who does the will of God, that person is my brother and sister and mother.’

What did your heart feel as you listened?

What did you sense the Lord saying to you?

Once more, through Him, with Him and in Him listen to the Word:

The mother and brothers of Jesus arrived and, standing outside, sent in a message asking for him. A crowd was sitting round him at the time the message was passed to him, ‘Your mother and brothers and sisters are outside asking for you.’ He replied, ‘Who are my mother and my brothers?’ And looking round at those sitting in a circle about him, he said, ‘Here are my mother and my brothers. Anyone who does the will of God, that person is my brother and sister and mother.’

What touched your heart in this time of prayer?

What did your heart feel as you prayed?

What do you hope to carry with you from this time with the Lord?

Our Father, who art in heaven,

hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come.

Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread,

and forgive us our trespasses,

as we forgive those who trespass against us,

and lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.

May the Lord bless us, and keep us from all evil, and bring us to everlasting life.

Amen