What is the importance of Holy Communion? How is it that the Eucharist is the true Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ? Why must we eat His flesh and drink His Blood in Holy Communion to gain eternal life? Fr. Chris Alar explains in this episode of Explaining the Faith.

The birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary, celebrated on Sept. 8, marks the dawn of our salvation as God begins to prepare a pure vessel for the coming of His Son. Father Donald Calloway, MIC, reflects more deeply on this beautiful feast, one of only three birthdays observed liturgically on the official Church calendar. Then hear the moving story of a couple who faced the heartbreak of infertility, but through prayer, perseverance, and Natural Family Planning, discovered the beauty of cooperating with God's design.

The readings for this homily: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/010826.cfm Father Chris Alar, MIC reminds us that God’s timing is never accidental. Though the Jubilee Year of Hope formally concluded on January 6, its message—and its grace—did not end. Rooted in Leviticus 25 and proclaimed anew by Isaiah, the Jubilee was always meant to announce freedom, restoration, and mercy. But as Father Chris explains, this freedom is not political or economic. It is spiritual.