Life at the Seminary

There are few people as unique as Jewel. I’ve been a big fan for almost 15 years now. If you know her story, the things she went through to get where she is now, it’s really amazing. She has a really great character, and she is very creative. People around her keep finding lyrics written on just about everything. Pieces of paper, beer coasters, bags, even hotel sheets!

Jewel just posted this beautiful song on her blog the other day, and I thought I’d put it up here so all of my lucky visitors can watch it as well. It’s really about being stuck in a fight with someone (Jewel explains it herself at the start of the clip) and how you can get beyond that point:

“Sometimes getting over it doesn’t mean working things through
Sometimes it’s just deciding that you want to
by remembering why I love you.”

Isn’t that so true, though? That often we just need to take a step back and realize the other person really means something to us. When you put things in the perspective of love, everything seems puny, small, unimportant.

Anyway, enjoy the song. I am just so in love with that voice!!!

We’re at the end of the ride here for this year. Tomorrow I’ll have to take one more exam. Afterwards our Reverend Teachers will hole themselves up in the large meeting room and discuss the results of this semester’s exams. When white smoke comes out of the room, we know the meeting is over and hurry to the rector’s room to get our grades. Then, we celebrate together in our back yard… or else drink away our sorrows Either way, it’ll be a great evening!

I wonder whether it will be same in the future… you know, what will it be like 50 years from now? The seminarians from Missouri answered the same questions in the 1950s and made this (rather entertaining) videoclip. Enjoy!

Well, it’s that time of year again! This week and the next I’m struggling to pass several exams. Once that is over, I have finished my three years of philosophy at the seminary and the holidays can begin! I can barely think about what that will be like….

In the interest of occupying oneself when one is not studying, I decided to get behind my harp and tape a few songs I have been working on of late for the ordination of a friend of mine. He asked that I play at his feast afterwards, and I might as well share a bit of my passion for this beautiful interest with all of you.

Below, you can watch a video (sorry for the terrible recording quality of the sound) where I play a prelude of George Friedrich Handel. Handel lived around 1700 and, along with Bach, can be seen as the most influential and accomplished composer of his age.

I really hope you enjoy this one… it’s really become one of my favorites!

The Pope has declared that the pastor of Ars year will begin on June 19 this year. This means the Saint Paul year we have been celebrating is coming to an end. In recognition thereof, all the seminarians here worked on an aspect of St. Paul’s life, writings, teachings and his impact on Christianity throughout the ages. As for me, I have delved deeper into what has become known as the new perspective on Paul.

What is this new perspective? It is in fact a shift in the way our protestant brothers and sisters see St. Paul in their theology. This ‘new perspective’, in short, means that Luther’s doctrine of justification in which the individual stands before God, was erroneously based on the writings of St. Paul, without taking into account the social structures of first century Judaism.

The conflict surrounding St. Paul’s justification has remained a relevant subject since the 16^th century. The new perspective holds that the rejection of ‘all good works’ is in no way a correct interpretation of the letters of Paul. As true as it may be that someone cannot earn his salvation before God, this was not what Paul was trying to say. By studying Paul’s letters in their historical context and social structures of the time, we can appreciate that the letter to the Romans was meant for the first century Christians in Rome: a church that found itself in the midst of an ethnical and social conflict, in which issues such as circumcision, Jewish holidays, meat that was sacrificed to heathen gods, etc. all played a very real role.

This means that when Paul speaks about the ‘works of the law’, he does not mean you should not perform them because of your faith and out of fear you would take pride of them and not Gods grace. He was in fact speaking about the heathen Christians who had begun to observe the Torah so they could become part of the chosen people of God. According to Paul, one was already part of this covenant if one had accepted the redemption through Christ, the Messiah, and not because of the works of the law, such as circumcision. Once one was part of the covenant, however, one was still obliged to remain in it by performing good works. Not in the way the Pharisees did, but from Paul’s anthropology, that the things you do come from the person you are.

I have written a little article about the new perspective for those of you that are interested. You can download it here. I would especially enjoy comments (through my contact page) regarding spelling and grammer issues with the text, as I am thinking about sending it in for publication somewhere. Enjoy!

There are posts that should be on this blog, but that are just circling around in my head. They have been for quite some time. Is that healthy, I wonder? As promised, I am going to put a few more things online over the next week or two, including some personal items such as this post.

I don’t think that there are many people that would argue that music touches the human soul. I find that getting to know real musicians, who live for their instrument and for music in general, are not unlike priests. Often these people have given their lives, dedicated themselves to being able to play their instruments, to produce something that is untouchable but that has an impact in people’s lives. Before they made the choice to do this, they knew that they would not make a lot of money (most of the time), that their job would require a lot from them and that they would do this for the rest of their lives…

As a ‘new media enthusiast’ and ‘communication expert’, I continue to be amazed by the power of the Internet. A place like Youtube, for instance, attracts such a varied crowd. It has its ups and downs, but did you know that Youtube had its own orchestra, the YouTube Symphony Orchestra (YTSO)? Incredible! These are professional artists who auditioned online by sending in videos in which they played the music for their instrument. And those that were selected really got together in London’s Carnegie Hall last month to perform! I would have given a lot to be able to be there, but alas… I had to watch it over the Internet :/

In this post I would like to introduce you to my favorite piece, composed especially for the YTSO by Tan Dun. Tan Dun is a Chinese composer who has written music for some of my favorite movies, such as Hero and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. In the video below he is directing his own symphony Eroica with the YTSO. Why don’t you listen to it as you read along? It’s the rehearsel for the performance (you can also check out the actual peformance, but I find this more personal and interesting!)

Tan Dun conceived the music for this Internet Symphony during the Olympics in China. He was passing by a garage where he heard the break drums making a beautiful sound. It’s C – A, C-E, which you hear clearly at the start of the symphony. You even see the car parts that they’re playing on. I find it really refreshing: just a sound on the street as the basis for the symphony. It represents the ’spirit of today’.  The melody part which really takes you out above the music are based on the same chords and the theme goes back on Beethoven.

In an interview he says about the project: “Think about it this way: anything could be the way, your language to talk to the people.” And this way the Internet forms a wonderful platform in which we can all participate. The technique is not important, everyone can just share their language of the heart, and if anything, Eroica, I find, is exactly that.

Not only does the YTSO show the diversity of classical music, but above all the passion that people from all around the world have for music and how – when brought together – symbolize more than an individual playing an instrument. This is true, in a sense, for all orchestra’s or even avant garde ensembles, but the great variety of cultures and people and the way they relate to the world and communicate with it, makes this a truly unique experience.

I would like to add – with some pride – that three out of the 96 participants selected for the orchestra are from Holland. Among them is Regina Ederveen, the harpist! It stresses Holland’s unique position in the harp world today, because here in this little country the level of technique in playing the harp has increased dramatically. Regina is a very enthusiastic and able harpist, who does a great job here! There are some interviews with her on Youtube, if you speak Dutch well enough

This doesn’t mean the seminary restricts you (apart from filling up a lot of hours each day with classes and prayer) to be involved in ministry or read about it. I’ve been reading a great book “Your First Two Years in Youth Ministry” by Doug Fields, an Evangelical pastor. As most of you know, I have no reservation in endorsing many protestant programs and pastors and take great pleasure in praying and working together with them. Maybe it’s due to my protestant upbringing, but more than anything else, if you’re really praising the Lord together, you are ‘one of heart and one of spirit’.

Doug begins his book by listing the 10 commitments of a Youth Minister, or indeed, any minister. I am listing them here because I think he’s really spot on. I must hastily add that I haven’t mastered all of them, but I hope they will motivate you as much as they do me.

1. Take it slowly – we have to realize we won’t be able to do everything at once. If you see things you potentially want to change, write them down and prayerfully consider them, but realize you won’t change everything within two years. If you want to change things too soon, you will seem critical in regards to your leader, and if you are the leader, you will still seem arrogant…

2. Evaluate your heart and motives – this is something we really have to do all the time. Why are we doing something? For God’s glory or for our own? Do we want to show off what we know or is it because we will feel good about ourselves… or is it God’s will?

3. Don’t play the number game – it’s really tempting to think in numbers. When I talk about my youth group, which started really small and pathetic and grew out to be a serious group with a really decent turnout twice a month, I always mention numbers to illustrate how well the Holy Spirit worked… it’s kinda crazy, though, because why would a group of only three serious people not be a successful group? It’s the contemporary market mindset which wants to know the numbers, whereas the health of the group is much more of an issue!

4. Don’t criticise the past – when you criticise others to make yourself look good, you will probably only convince weak people of your views. Authentic people can see right through you. You really build character by bringing out the good in someone else.

5. Don’t compare yourself to others- by feeling inadequate, you can ruin your enthousiasm, or – the opposite – by feeling accomplished you can become prideful. Often we struggle for years in order to get recognition from others for the things we do, whereas God has already given them to us unconditionally from the start!

6. Set priorities – it’s really easy to say yes, but a minister setting goals and knowing what is important to her is much more effective. Learn to say no…

7. Check your pace – you’re running a marathon, not a sprint. Endurance and training is what is needed. Spend your time well and take time to relax.

8. Serve - the only (Christian) way to lead is by serving others. You can do it by doing those things that only God can see, e.g. helping someone, or something simple such as refraining from making jokes about another person.

9. Be a student – you can only teach what you have learned… so don’t stop learning.

10. Be content – sometimes the grass seems greener somewhere else, but in reality, it’s just the set of problems that differ. Ministry is NOT EASY, else we’d have a whole bunch of ministers. Sometimes, a short term commitment seems beneficial for us ministers, but it can be disastrous for the youth you work with, because they need a stable environment around the people they look up to.

Well, those are the 10 Commitmens. Which do you struggle with the most? I wouldn’t even know where to begin! In Exodus 23:29-30 the LORD says to his people, that He will not give them the Promised Land all at once. It’s the same way with our ministry. We have to realize we’re in for the long haul, and fruits might not really show for years, but I am confident that with these 10 commitments, I might have a good shot

Going to confession is one of the things that is part of the weekly routine for a seminarian. And even those that do not go once a week, yours truly included, try to go on a regular basis. Especially in lent period and even more so during Holy Week, all Catholics are encouraged to receive this sacrament, about which I spoke in my previous post. In this article, I’d like to help those of you who are thinking about and preparing for confession, by delving deeper into what the sacrament is, and why it’s there.

What is a confession?

A confession is first and foremost a sacrament. And, I hear you ask: what, then, is a sacrament? A sacrament is something concrete, something you can touch, which is a symbol for a spiritual dimension, that is actually happening. So, in sacraments we see something concrete (like bread and wine in the Eucharist), but these concrete things are only there to represent to us a spiritual dimension (Christ’s body and blood).

To understand what a sacrament is, it is important to understand the nature a symbol. Whereas traffic signs, for instance, also represent something, we could change their meaning if we wanted to. They are no symbols in the true sense of the word. The meaning of a symbol is closely connected with the symbol itself, that it exists in this symbol. Such as the dove with a lil branch in her beak representing peace. It’s pretty hard to swap the dove with something else, like a bat, or a crow. Or the heart-symbol, representing love. Or the wedding ring, symbolizing faithfulness. No one could claim the wedding ring would refer to something like fighting dogs. It’s impossible. Symbols truly represent something, which we can’t show in a different way. Through symbols, we are really in touch with their meaning. Like your name is not just a way to identify you, it is something truly personal. Symbols allow us to reach to the depths of the mystery of things.

Confession is such a sacrament, such a symbol. As you confess your sins to a priest, the priest, through his words and the movements of his hands as he stretches them out over your head and makes the sign of the cross, refers to a spiritual dimension. In confession, we can experience that God’s first movement is compassion. 

What is a sin?

A sin is basically saying ‘no’ to God. We can’t just make up our own mind. I know this is a tough one, especially in our culture today and -believe you me- especially in the Netherlands. Let’s take a look at the beginning of chapter 3 of Genesis in the Bible:

1 Now, the snake was the most subtle of all the wild animals that the Lord God had made. It asked the woman, ‘Did God really say you were not to eat from any of the trees in the garden?’ 
2 The woman answered the snake, ‘We may eat the fruit of the trees in the garden. 
3 But of the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden God said, “You must not eat it, nor touch it, under pain of death.” ‘ 
4 Then the snake said to the woman, ‘No! You will not die! 
5 God knows in fact that the day you eat it your eyes will be opened and you will be like gods, knowing good from evil.’ 

In verse 3, we see that Eve had what we call full knowledge. A serious sin (mortal sin) is a sin that we must confess, and for a sin to be that serious, we must have full knowledge that it is wrong. Now note that in verse 4 the devil says something like ‘Did God really say that?’ This is the first thing the devil always does: he instills doubt. The second thing the devil does, is that he tells Eve a big lie ‘No, you will not die!’ (even though God said they would…). This is why the devil is called the Father of Lies.

The original sin is that I become God and I determine what is right and wrong. And this goes for all our sins. If I think it is okay to miss Mass on Sunday, it is, because I am God. I determine that. If I think it is okay to have sex before marriage, it is, because I am in love. If I think it is okay to commit adultery, it is, because God understands Me and God loves Me, and I don’t think it’s wrong. If you think like this, pay close attention… God doesn’t ask you, He doesn’t ask me! It is not our job to say what is right or wrong! It is the devil who does that – take a look at verse 5! This is the original sin: “I don’t think it is wrong”. It doesn’t matter. God said it is. Now let’s read on…

6 The woman saw that the tree was good to eat and pleasing to the eye, and that it was enticing for the wisdom that it could give. So she took some of its fruit and ate it. She also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate it. 
7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened and they realised that they were naked. So they sewed fig-leaves together to make themselves loin-cloths. 

As you can see in verse 6, we learn something more about sin. It is ‘good’ [to eat], ‘pleasing’ [to the eye] and enticing [for the wisdom]. So, get this, in every sin there is something that appears to us as good, pleasing, enticing. Yet in sin, we miss the mark. Eating is good. In fact, we have to eat. But gluttony is not, because we overindulge. We eat way more than is appropriate. The same for instance with sex. There is nothing wrong with it, but if I am doing it outside God’s will, I am using something He created to do good, in a way /I/ think it is best. So sin always has something desirable to us. But when we do it outside God’s law, it loses its goodness.

So sin is not hurting other people! I meet lotsa folks who, when I talk about this, say ‘but I live a good life, I don’t hurt others…’ That is not what sin is about! The only thing that is wrong with it is that God said no. The tree wasn’t poisonous, nor bad. But God said no. And Eve said yes. So please keep in mind ‘the center of sin is I’. As long as there is still ‘I’, there is still sin.

Our relationship with Christ

When you go to confession, and while preparing for it, it is important to realize you are not just summing up a list of sins you committed. It’s not a law you broke, but it is a relationship that you hurt. Just like a husband who committed adultery cannot say to his wife ‘Hon, don’t worry about it, this is not about you but about me’, you can’t sin without it affecting your relationship with God.

If we could be saved by doing good works, or just praying a lot,  there was no need for Jesus to become man, to suffer and die on the Cross. If we could earn our way into heaven, then Jesus died for no purpose. Jesus paid the penalty for our sin. This means He is our only way into heaven. Our fate depends on Him. We are in a relationship with Him, with a person, not with a law.

So when I sin, I don’t just sin because I break a law, but because I am breaking away from my oneness with Jesus. Every time I sin, I am choosing something else than Jesus.In Confession, Christ’s sacrifice is renewed in my heart and the oneness, which I  hurt through sinning, is restored.  None of us would, for instance, spit in our friends’ faces, but imagine each sin you commit is doing exactly that to Jesus. When I go to confession, it is not just a list of sins, but is truly being sorry to a friend for hurting Him.

Jesus has a right to the first place in our lives, because He bought us. And at what a price…

Why can Catholic priests hear confession?

I remember going with a monk to a mosque once. Among many other enriching experiences that day, one of the most memorable was this young man who came to visit his father there during his lunch break. When he saw Fr. Eliah, he introduced himself and the first question he asked was ‘How come you can forgive sins?’ I was astonished when I thought back about this. I had never seen anyone else come up to a priest and ask him that question. I realized that the young muslim went straight to the point. He was asking one of the most important things in our faith, right in front of my nose!

One text that is often cited in this case, is Matthew 16.

18 So I [Jesus] now say to you: You are Peter and on this rock I will build my church. And the gates of the underworld can never overpower it. 
19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of Heaven: whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven; whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.’ 

Note that in verse 18, Jesus tells Peter that He will build His Church. Not His flower arrangement committee. His Church. Then in verse 19, Jesus gives Peter the keys to the kingdom of Heaven. If I would give one of my brothers the key to my room here at the seminary, he would have the power to let folks into room. It is my room, but I gave him the power. And Jesus says: whoever you let in, I’ll let in. And whoever you leave out, I’ll leave out. That’s pretty strong. Why did He do it? I have no clue! But this is the first aspect of why priests can hear confession.

The second Bible text which is important when it comes to confession is John 20.

22 After saying this He [Jesus] breathed on them and said: Receive the Holy Spirit. 
23 If you forgive anyone’s sins, they are forgiven; if you retain anyone’s sins, they are retained. 

Jesus gave the power to forgive sins to his priests. When you go to confession, you will hear a priest say: “God the Father of mercy, through the death and resurrection of His Son, has sent the Holy Spirit among us for the forgiveness of our sins. Through the ministry of His Church may God grand you pardon and peace, and now I absolve you of all your sins in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.”

It is the priest in the instrumentality of God who forgives you your sins. Confession is the ordinary means of forgiveness. Can God cure and heal people outside confession? I am sure of it! But we have to look at sin as a cancer. Can God cure you from cancer? Yes, He can. And He has miraculously cured many who placed their trust in Him. However, most of the time, He uses doctors and surgeons to cure people. He works through these people. The same goes for the priest.

A last text I would like to quote is the beautiful story in Mark 2, where a couple of friends bring a paralytic to Jesus.

5 Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralytic, ‘My child, your sins are forgiven.’ 
6 Now some scribes were sitting there, and they thought to themselves, 
7 ‘How can this man talk like that? He is being blasphemous. Who but God can forgive sins?’ 
8 And at once, Jesus, inwardly aware that this is what they were thinking, said to them, ‘Why do you have these thoughts in your hearts? 
9 Which of these is easier: to say to the paralytic, “Your sins are forgiven” or to say, “Get up, pick up your stretcher and walk”? 
10 But to prove to you that the Son of man has authority to forgive sins on earth’ – 
11 he said to the paralytic-’I order you: get up, pick up your stretcher, and go off home.’ 
12 And the man got up, and at once picked up his stretcher and walked out in front of everyone, so that they were all astonished and praised God saying, ‘We have never seen anything like this.’

Notice  in this passage verse 10: the Son of man has the authority to forgive sins on earth. We have already seen that Jesus gave the power to forgive sins to his apostles, who have in turn ordained new bishops and priests, to forgive sins. But here we see that the forgiving on our sins doesn’t just take place in heaven, but even Jesus himself already and in this concrete case forgives sins here on earth. And He can.

Become Free!

Now, the last thing I’d like to impart is that you may be ashamed of your sins. If you go back to the story of Adam and Eve in Genesis 3, you see what their reaction is to the sin they commited: they were ashamed. It is a natural feeling. It can feel terrible to confess your sins to another human being, but think of it this way: God is there, acting through the priest. You are going to see Him. And one day, you must go and see Him anyway, whether you want to or not…

That priest probably heard way worse than what you tell him. What’s more, He is a sinner, too. Every day, I realize more and more how my words and actions kill my relationship with God an others, and for a seminarian it is not easier than for anyone else to live a holy life. Believe you me So you are talking to a sinner when you are talking to a priest. Don’t worry about your sins. But go and let him set you free!

If you are still in doubt, let me finish by quoting Luke 15 where Jesus tells us the parable of the prodigal son.  He took half of his father’s money with him, wasted it on what-have-yous, and then had to work a dirty job no one else wanted to keep himself alive. He reasons by himself:

18 I will leave this place and go to my father and say: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you; 
19 I no longer deserve to be called your son; treat me as one of your hired men.” 
20 So he left the place and went back to his father. ‘While he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was moved with pity. He ran to the boy, clasped him in his arms and kissed him. 

Now, note his father was already waiting for him. Don’t think he was gone for a day or two. He must have been gone for years. But the father was still waiting for him. What’s more, he ran towards his son and before the son could even say anything, the father has already kissed him. Now, Jesus logic isn’t our logic. Don’t be embarassed to go… He wants to set you free. Celebrate this sacrament of Reconciliation and it will become a true gift of God! Blessed Easter, everyone!

Well friends,

Holy Week has finally arrived. If it is customary in your churches, the statues and crucifixes have been covered for a week now. As of yesterday, Palm Sunday, the hymns of the ‘liturgy of the hours’ (which priests and religious pray five times a day) have changed, as we focus more and more on Jesus’s last week on earth.

Here at the seminary, we enjoy a special week without classes in preparations of Easter and all the other special days of this week. Our days are filled with extra prayers (usually we only pray the lauds and vespers together), several singing rehearsels (as you can imagine, there are several songs which are only sung on one specific day, and we gotta practise for them!) as well as two spiritual lectures a day. Today we spent some time thinking about Christ’s suffering and Cross, for instance and this evening we went to the cathedral (600 feet from the seminary) to receive the sacrament of Reconciliation during a special ceremony and time of Adoration.

All in all, it is a beautiful week! I can’t wait for Easter… and if you’re a Christian, too, I would really suggest that you let this anticipation of the greatest of Christian feasts grown in your own heart. Place a crucifix on your desk or some place where you can look at it regularly and really put your daily life in the shadow of his Cross. All Catholics have to confess at least once a year as well, so if you haven’t gone yet, this week would be a great time to look up a priest and ask for this beautiful sacrament. Also, come back tomorrow as I am set on writing a small article about preparing for confession.

God bless, everyone, and a beautiful Holy Week!

Well, I don’t think it’ll come as a surprise when I announce that lent has begun. A 40-day period in which Catholics prepare for Easter, similar to Jesus 40 days in the desert, where He faced several temptations. He came out, however, ready to begin His public life, which would eventually result in His crucifixion. How is lent experienced here at the seminary?

As a community we have a central program for all staff members and students. Central to this theme is St. John, patron of the seminary and of our diocese. Each of us is invited to pray a prayer to St. John for his fatherly protection on our road to the priesthood every day. Also, we pray for vocations together on his intercession. During Lauds and Vespers, we all spend one minute in comtemplation of the lecture. And every Mass, we say an additional prayer where we ask for God’s blessing. Every two weeks we pray the Way of the Cross together, made for us by the Sisters of St. John.

Foodwise, we do not have any deserts. Nor are there cookies to go with the coffee during our breaks. Lastly, we do not speak during dinners, but instead one of us reads from Scott Hahn’s book Rome, sweet home. If you haven’t read it, it’s a real winner! Not only is it easy to read, it’s a personal account of how a protestant scholar found his way to the Catholic Church through his study of the Scriptures. It’s very motivating to hear him talk. His views on the Eucharist and on Mary have given me new insights as well! Amazing…

The previously named Sisters of St. John are a contemplative organization which is quickly growing. There are about 300 sisters, and more in training. Seven of them live in The Hague, and we are trying to get some money together so they can remodel some of their cells — currently three of them are sleeping in guest quarters of the house, adjoining the night club. You can imagine how much fun that must be for a contemplative sister… Most of us will do some chores in and around the house for money. We’re also selling some of their handwork here and hold a collection in our evening Mass.

Apart from that, each seminarian takes on his own mission for Lent. I am doing something I’ve wanted to do for a long time, and I’ve fleshed out the project with my spiritual director. For some it contains more prayer, another more fasting in the sense of food, for others more charity work or everything combined. I think this must have been the most intensive lent period I’ve had so far, where God has given me many insights already, which hopefully make a change in my life.

I can only encourage those of you who haven’t thought seriously about what they want to do this Lent period, to speak to someone about it. The book of Proverb rightly says that two are stronger than one, and even if both fall, they will keep each other warm. With other words, even if you cannot complete the highest standards that you have set, together it is always easier, even if it doesn’t turn out as you might have hoped. A blessed Lent period, friends!

Hi everyone! The first week of classes is over and I finally have some time to sit down and upload a few things to my website. I know many my visitors are good Catholics, and I am sure most of you will enjoy this update. I would like to share something with you that made a change in my life. It’s EWTN’s Vinny Flynn’s book of Seven Secrets of the Eucharist. The book can be ordered through MercySong, and it’s a really great, clear and inspiring read on how we can change the way we experience the Holy Eucharist.

A while ago, I saw one of Vinny Flynn’s empowering talks was recorded and produced by the Mary Foundation. The Mary Foundation produced free CDs with a Catholic message. All of them are great, and I really do mean that. I have listened to all of their CDs, which you can order for free through Catholicity.com. Since they are free of charge and available to everybody, I am going to make Vinny Flynn’s talk available here through my website. Beware: some of the files are around 10 MB.

• Seven Secrets of the Eucharist – part 1
• Seven Secrets of the Eucharist – part 2
• Seven Secrets of the Eucharist – part 3
• Seven Secrets of the Eucharist – part 4
• Seven Secrets of the Eucharist – part 5
• Seven Secrets of the Eucharist – part 6
• Seven Secrets of the Eucharist – part 7
• Seven Secrets of the Eucharist – part 8

For those of you that do not want to download the entire talk, let me briefly summarize the most important points made in Seven Secrets of the Eucharist:

1. Jesus is alive – yeah, I know, it’s shocking. But let’s realize how often we receive communion and treat it like a dead object. We are receiving a person here!
2. Christ is not alone – did you realize that wherever Christ is, the entire Trinity is as well? And the entire heavenly court? We are really connected with the Church in heaven when we receive Holy Communion.
3. There is only one Mass – if we could see it right now, we would see hundreds of Masses being celebrated at any given moment around the globe. But there’s only one Mass and one Priest, Jesus. When we celebrate Mass here on earth, we are connected to the eternal Mass in heaven.
4. There is more than one Miracle – the Eucharist is a mystery containing many miracles. All supernatural realities are contained within it.
5. It’s not just about receiving – receiving is a passive word. Too often we think God is doing all the work, don’t we? We can really enter into the Eucharist instead of passively receiving it. This opens up a whole ‘nother world!
6. Each time we receive is different – Did you realize it is the manner in which we receive, our participation, that makes each Eucharist truly unique?
7. There is no limit to the number of times I can receive – even if we cannot be with Jesus in the Eucharist, we can be with him through spiritual Communion and Adoration. If you really understand and live this, your life can change!

So, what do all of you think about these Seven Secrets? I am translating Vinny’s talk in Dutch, so we can use it in parishes here and change the life of many faithful. Please pray for this project!