Blessed indeed is your Son, present in our midst when we are gathered by his love, and when, as once for the disciples, so now for us, he opens the Scriptures and breaks the bread.
- Eucharistic Prayers (I-IV) for Various Needs
Jesus' first commandment to us comes from his Jewish tradition: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and all your soul, and all your mind, and all your strength." But how do we love God in that way? How do we grow in that depth of love with Him?
The answer is to encounter God. Finding God is not primarily about an idea, or a catechism, or a set of rules, but entering into a relationship.
Jesus gave us three primary ways that we can encounter Him:
Prayer - Scripture - Sacraments
In the Catholic Church, and certainly here at St. Mary Magdalen, our most important function is to help God's people to experience Him through prayer, scripture, our sacramental life, and other opportunities to encounter Him.