On the Journey

Matt Swaim, Ken Hensley, and Kenny Burchard continue their series comparing their own experiences of leading Protestant worship gatherings with what they experienced when they began going to Mass. This week, they dive into the Liturgy of the Eucharist, and specifically into a prayer (posted below) that really calls the Church to reflect on who She is, and what She means by the concept of Communion. ***** Prayer: Therefore, O Lord, as we celebrate the memorial of the saving Passion of your Son, his wondrous Resurrection and Ascension into heaven, and as we look forward to his second coming, we offer you in thanksgiving this holy and living sacrifice. Look, we pray, upon the oblation of your Church and, recognizing the sacrificial Victim by whose death you willed to reconcile us to yourself, grant that we, who are nourished by the Body and Blood of your Son and filled with his Holy Spirit, may become one body, one spirit in Christ. May he make of us an eternal offering to you, so that we may obtain an inheritance with your elect, especially with the most Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, with blessed Joseph, her Spouse, with your blessed Apostles and glorious Martyrs and with all the Saints, on whose constant intercession in your presence we rely for unfailing help. May this Sacrifice of our reconciliation, we pray, O Lord, advance the peace and salvation of all the world. Be pleased to confirm in faith and charity your pilgrim Church on earth, with your servant N. our Pope and N. our Bishop, the Order of Bishops, all the clergy, and the entire people you have gained for your own. Listen graciously to the prayers of this family, whom you have summoned before you: in your compassion, O merciful Father, gather to yourself all your children scattered throughout the world. † To our departed brothers and sisters and to all who were pleasing to you at their passing from this life, give kind admittance to your kingdom. There we hope to enjoy for ever the fullness of your glory (He joins his hands.) through Christ our Lord, through whom you bestow on the world all that is good.† Therefore, O Lord, as we celebrate the memorial of the saving Passion of your Son, his wondrous Resurrection and Ascension into heaven, and as we look forward to his second coming, we offer you in thanksgiving this holy and living sacrifice. Look, we pray, upon the oblation of your Church and, recognizing the sacrificial Victim by whose death you willed to reconcile us to yourself, grant that we, who are nourished by the Body and Blood of your Son and filled with his Holy Spirit, may become one body, one spirit in Christ. May he make of us an eternal offering to you, so that we may obtain an inheritance with your elect, especially with the most Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, with blessed Joseph, her Spouse, with your blessed Apostles and glorious Martyrs and with all the Saints, on whose constant intercession in your presence we rely for unfailing help. May this Sacrifice of our reconciliation, we pray, O Lord, advance the peace and salvation of all the world. Be pleased to confirm in faith and charity your pilgrim Church on earth, with your servant N. our Pope and N. our Bishop, the Order of Bishops, all the clergy, and the entire people you have gained for your own. Listen graciously to the prayers of this family, whom you have summoned before you: in your compassion, O merciful Father, gather to yourself all your children scattered throughout the world. † To our departed brothers and sisters and to all who were pleasing to you at their passing from this life, give kind admittance to your kingdom. There we hope to enjoy for ever the fullness of your glory (He joins his hands.) through Christ our Lord, through whom you bestow on the world all that is good.† ***** More episodes: https://www.chnetwork.org Our Online Community: https://community.chnetwork.org Support our work: https://www.chnetwork.org/donate  

Matt Swaim, Ken Hensley, and Kenny Burchard continue their series comparing their own experiences of leading Protestant worship gatherings with what they experienced when they began going to Mass. This week, they talk about a major aspect of the Mass that helps shed light on what Catholic worship is: anamnesis. What exactly are we doing when, at Christ's command, we celebrate the Last Supper in "remembrance" of Him? More episodes: https://chnetwork.org/on-the-journey-with-matt-ken Our Online Community: https://community.chnetwork.org Support our work: https://www.chnetwork.org/donate  

Matt Swaim, Ken Hensley, and Kenny Burchard continue their series comparing their own experiences of leading Protestant worship gatherings with what they experienced when they began going to Mass. In this episode, they begin to dig into the various prayers that make up the Liturgy of the Eucharist, how they draw from and point back to Scripture, and how they reflect the worship of the earliest Christians. More episodes: https://www.chnetwork.org/onthejourney Our Online Community: http://community.chnetwork.org Support our work: https://www.chnetwork.org/donate

In a special behind-the-scenes episode of On the Journey, Matt, Ken and Kenny talk a bit about their roles at The Coming Home Network, the way their experience as converts has informed their approach to the series, and how the pastoral care mission of CHNetwork sets the backdrop for the unique way they go about planning episodes. Support The Coming Home Network at https://chnetwork.org/compass/

Matt Swaim, Ken Hensley, and Kenny Burchard continue their series comparing their own experiences of leading Protestant worship gatherings with what they experienced when they began going to Mass. For so many Christians, the high point of Sunday worship is the sermon. Why is it that for Catholics, the high point is Holy Communion? Matt, Ken and Kenny begin to dig into the theology underpinning why Catholics approach this question differently than other Christians, and why the Eucharist is the centerpiece of Catholic worship. More episodes: http://www.chnetwork.org Our Online Community: http://community.chnetwork.org Support our work: http://www.chnetwork.org/donate

Matt Swaim, Ken Hensley, and Kenny Burchard continue their series comparing their own experiences of leading Protestant worship gatherings with what they experienced when they began going to Mass. One of the misconceptions about Mass is that it is dead ritual that ignores the saving work of Jesus. Matt, Ken and Kenny show how Jesus is actually the central focus of the Mass, and there are numerous signals, from the readings and prayers, to our actions and postures, to the shape of the building itself, that point to the centrality of Jesus in Catholic worship. More episodes: http://www.chnetwork.org Our Online Community: http://community.chnetwork.org Support our work: http://www.chnetwork.org/donate

Matt Swaim, Ken Hensley, and Kenny Burchard continue their series comparing their own experiences of leading Protestant worship gatherings with what they experienced when they began going to Mass. In this episode, Matt, Ken and Kenny dig into the Liturgy of the Word, the section of the Mass that focuses on Sacred Scripture. They look at the role of the Bible in Catholic worship, and compare it to the role that Scripture played in the worship services from their days as Evangelical Protestants. More episodes: http://www.chnetwork.org Our Online Community: http://community.chnetwork.org Make an end-of-year gift to support our work: http://www.chnetwork.org/donate

Matt Swaim, Ken Hensley, and Kenny Burchard continue their series comparing their own experiences of leading Protestant worship gatherings with what they experienced when they first went to Mass. In this episode, Matt, Ken and Kenny look at the Introductory Rites that take up the opening few minutes of the Mass, and discuss how they set the stage for the way that the liturgy will unfold. They also look at the role of Scripture in this part of the Mass, and how Catholic worship today connects back to the worship of the first Christians. More episodes: http://www.chnetwork.org Our Online Community: http://community.chnetwork.org Support our work with a year-end gift: http://www.chnetwork.org/donate

All Christians talk about worship, but not all understand it in the same way. What is our goal in gathering together regularly as a community of believers? What should we be doing when we're together? How does God ask us to worship Him, and how did the earliest Christians seek to honor Him when they gathered?   Matt Swaim, Ken Hensley, and Kenny Burchard start a new series comparing their own experiences of leading Protestant worship gatherings with what they experienced when they first went to Mass, and discuss the questions each of them began to ask about what true Christian worship should look like. More episodes and resources: http://chnetwork.org Our Online Community: http://community.chnetwork.org The end of the year is rapidly approaching! To make a gift now to support our work at The Coming Home Network, visit http://www.chnetwork.org/donate.

It's not uncommon for some Protestants to wonder if Catholics are actually Christians. But for Matt Swaim, Ken Hensley, and Kenny Burchard, who came from Protestant backgrounds and became Catholic, what did it look like to them to have that question reversed? Are Protestants, in their multitudinous variety of theological expressions and Scriptural interpretations, actually Christians? Matt, Ken and Kenny share their own stories from the Wesleyan, Baptist and Pentecostal traditions, and unpack not only their own experiences, but also formal Catholic teaching on how to understand those who believe in Jesus but are not formally connected to the apostolic deposit of faith. More episodes: http://www.chnetwork.org/onthejourney Our Online Community: http://community.chnetwork.org Support our work: http://community.chnetwork.org