Books, Articles, and a New Initiative Coming August 15th

Does the Eucharist Make the Church? | In Focus

What is the relationship between the Eucharist and the Church? In this episode of In Focus, Dr. Richard DeClue introduces Eucharistic ecclesiology — the study of the Church understood through her intrinsic connection to the Eucharist. He defines the theological framework, traces the Eucharist's role in the Church's origin, nature, structure, and mission, and shows how the sacrament is not merely something the Church does, but what makes her the Church.For more, read Dr. DeClue's article Eucharistic Ecclesiology here: https://www.ect.org/en/article/eucharistic-ecclesiology?previousUri=%2Farticles This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.ectplus.org/subscribe [https://www.ectplus.org/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

Family is not "Big Enough” for Divine Love | Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Fr. Cajetan Cuddy, O.P. reflects on Matthew 10 and Christ’s challenging words: “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me.”Jesus is not asking us to love our families less. Rather, He reveals that no human relationship is capable of bearing the fullness of the love He desires to give us.The deepest loves of family and friendship are real and good, but they remain finite. Only Christ is infinite enough to sustain the love for which the human heart was created.When we love Jesus first, our love for others is not diminished—it is transformed. In Christ, we learn to love our family, our neighbors, and even ourselves with a love that shares in His own divine charity.Only Jesus is great enough to become the reason for every other love. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.ectplus.org/subscribe [https://www.ectplus.org/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

Do Not Be Afraid of What Others Think | Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Fr. Cajetan Cuddy, O.P. reflects on Matthew 10 and Christ’s command: “Fear no one.”We often live according to how we are perceived by others, shaping our lives around their judgments, whether favorable or critical. This tendency can become so strong that our sense of identity is rooted more in the minds of others than in reality itself.But Jesus redirects our attention. We do not exist most truly in the thoughts of others, but in the knowledge and love of God. Human opinion does not constitute our being, nor can it save us.The problem is not that others think about us—but that we allow their thoughts to define us. What others think is neither creative nor salvific.God’s knowledge, by contrast, is real, creative, and sustaining. He knows us into being, and His knowledge is ordered toward our salvation.To “fear no one” is to live not in reference to human judgment, but in the truth of how we exist before God. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.ectplus.org/subscribe [https://www.ectplus.org/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

Emotions are Not Intrinsically Evil | Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

Fr. Cajetan Cuddy, O.P. reflects on Matthew 9 and the significance of Jesus’ compassion.When Jesus sees the crowds, His heart is “moved with pity.” This reveals something essential: the emotional life is not inherently disordered or sinful.Christ shows us that to be human is not only to think and to choose, but also to feel. And because Jesus is like us in all things but sin, His emotions reveal their true purpose.The problem is not that we have emotions—but that they are wounded. And what is wounded can be healed.Grace does not bypass the human person. It transforms the whole person—intellect, will, and even the affective life.No part of our humanity is beyond the reach of Christ. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.ectplus.org/subscribe [https://www.ectplus.org/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

Whoever Eats This Bread Will Live Forever | The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ

Fr. Cajetan Cuddy, O.P. reflects on John 6 and the shocking claim at the heart of the Eucharist."I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever." The Jews quarreled among themselves — not because the question was bad, but because they turned inward rather than toward Jesus.This is the great temptation for all of us. When faced with a saving truth we cannot fully understand, we turn to our own objections, our own standards, our own debate. But there is no clarity within ourselves. We are not God.Jesus does not enter their dialectic. He does not take a poll or address their objections. He simply reiterates the truth: "Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you."Jesus alone is the principle of clarity about his sacred mysteries. He invites us to make him our first stop — not our last resort. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.ectplus.org/subscribe [https://www.ectplus.org/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]