Father Ben Bray

Did you know that the Holy Spirit has a special role when it comes to the bread and wine at Mass becoming the Body and Blood of Jesus? This may surprise some because we tend to think the Eucharist is all about Jesus. Yes, it is His Body and Blood, but it’s not like the other persons of the Trinity are absent. They are at work, albeit in different ways. This is what we see in a special part of the Mass called the epiclesis. This occurs when the priest (depending on the Eucharistic prayer he...

One of my seminary professors told me something I will never forget: “Matter matters.” What did he mean? God is not a detached reality, but knows that we live in a physical world. He did create it after all! And He desires to share Himself, to communicate on our level through what we experience, so as to be led to greater and more beautiful truths. That is why our sacraments, our religious items, our postures and movements at mass are all important. The visible communicates the invisible....

As some of you know, May is dedicated to our Blessed Mother, Mary. It is sad that many do not understand nor see the need for the Blessed Mother. The truth is that while Jesus is the only One worthy of worship and adoration, Mary has a special part in our walk with her Son. How? Jesus desires to share His work with everyone, in a way that shows God’s goodness and glory. What He shared with Mary is a unique intercession based on relationship. It was Mary who bore, fed, protected, nurtured and...