DEAR EDITOR: Please permit me to make a short comment on an article written by Rex Escalante, who said in last week's edition, “If the priest preaches a beautiful sermon or a dull and boring sermon, so what! The main and most important function of the priest is to represent Christ on the altar and by His Spirit, change the bread and wine into His Body and Blood.”

While it is true that the Eucharist is at the center of Christian living, Mr Escalante failed to mention that at every celebration of the Eucharist, Christians feed from two tables i.e., the “Table of the Word” and the “Table of the Eucharist”.

The Liturgy of the Word prepares hearts and souls for the Liturgy of the Eucharist. Therefore, it is incumbent on all priests, deacons etc to prayerfully prepare their homilies, encouraging, challenging, correcting those who are present. In addition to this, Lectors must also spend time prayerfully reflecting on the readings in order to proclaim God's Word with conviction.

In doing these things, we can truly say like the two on the road to Emmaus, “Did not our hearts burn as we listened to Him explaining the Scriptures to us”(Lk 24:32). It is from the breaking of the Word, that we can recognise Jesus in the Breaking of the Bread.

Allan Kelly (via email)

DEAR EDITOR: Thank you very much for the article “Home’s a Holy Place” by Daniel O’Leary (courtesy The Tablet).

It quite unexpectedly touched me as I sat reading it this morning in the maxi taxi on the Priority Bus Route, heading to work.

The power of its ideas, the poetry of the words and images reminded that my calling as wife and mother is about the most important way I may spend my life.

In the very rhythm and routine of our daily chores, the unglamorous things that just must get done, the many worries, the bills to be paid, the house to be cleaned again, the doubts (is our six year old son watching too much TV, is he reading at his level, are we bringing him up right), that in  all these things ,the stuff of our lives , in the very ordinariness of our home , in serving my husband and son ,and our extended family, I serve God , my Creator, and try to love Him back jus a little, who has loved me first.

What a privilege and delight! I think too of my sisters-in-law and friends, wives and mothers, like I am, still fairly new to this calling, trying our best to participate in God’s calling to build His Kingdom here and now and to start in the very ordinariness of our homes.

I pray for Anuska, Karen, Salisha, Wendy, Gail, Heather, Claire, Sherlyn, Sune, Leticia.

I pray that God bless us, and all mothers. May He strengthen us when we are tired, give us peace when we are worried, enlighten our minds and hearts with wisdom when we make decisions, calm our fears and doubts, and fill our lives with His Joy in doing our work, The work He has called us to do for Him!

May I also wish my father Louie Anthony Miles, who has always prayed for us, who first taught me pray and to think of such things, taught me to appreciate the power of words and images, and to rely on Papa God for everything, Happy Birthday, on August 25?

Monique Miles-Sargeant, Holy Trinity Parish, Arouca

DEAR EDITOR: I greatly appreciate the timely concerns raised by Juliana Valdez in the TV Review, July 23 (paper edition). I think the entire Church should welcome the points she raised and the suggestions given.

Indeed, to me it appears to be a routine in the way grown-ups behave or react on receiving the Blessed Sacrament.

In the case of the youths, especially at the Children’s Mass where attention span is so short and focus is lacking, there is a serious need to instill in the youths the importance and sacredness of the sacrament of the Eucharist.

I do think that a proper discourse given to them as they are about to receive Jesus in Holy Communion will go a long way in fostering in the proper attitude towards the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist and encourage them to display more solemnity at the reception of this Sublime Gift.

J. De Coteau, Diego Martin

DEAR EDITOR: On a recent visit to Antigua the following notice, listed in the weekly bulletin of the Holy Family Cathedral parish caught my attention:
Inappropriate Styles of Dress for Church Celebrations
"Despite the existence of signs at all doors for the past few years that seek to correct the growing practice of disrespect in manner of dressing for Church (e.g. spaghetti straps, bared shoulders, skin-tight pants, plunging necklines) the practice continues.
" In light of this, a set of “shawls” will be made available, and persons dressed inappropriately will be requested to wear a shawl during the period of time they are present in church, and return it when leaving the “House of God”. The same respect given to the courts and prisons should be applied to the “House of God” as it relates to the styles of dress.
Jo-an Kay (via email)

DEAR EDITOR: As a non-participant in this year's Liturgy School but being someone who visited on various days as I have done since 1985, I ask “Where is Liturgy School?”

It was heartbreaking to see so few participants and the poor atmosphere in which the programmes were conducted. Listening to the younger participants in particular one would have thought that they were on a paid vacation - awaking late into the night and being unable to attend the sessions on the following day.

Who were the co-ordinators and why did they allow this? It was also sad to see an occasion such as this being used politically to highlight the smelter plant issue, which was questioned by one of the foreign participants. How does a smelter plant in Trinidad affect the citizens of Guyana or St Lucia?

I remember the days when there was hardly any space in Bennett Hall for Holy Mass. Sadly, throughout the entire week there was virtually a half-full hall. The priests chosen for Liturgy School were uninspiring and whereas when one should be leaving on a spiritual high, one left bored and uninspired.

Fr Ian Taylor recently wrote an interesting article in the Catholic News giving data on the dwindling followers of the Catholic Church. Liturgy School this year would have done nothing to help arrest this decline locally.

Interestingly, the said Fr Taylor recently organised the highly successful Jesus Explosion. Fr Taylor with the permission of the Archbishop is developing a small community in worship and Bible study at a residence in Preysal.

According to another article in the Catholic News, the youths of this community have been out evangelising in various areas of the country.

So what is wrong with this? According to the article, the evangelisation is not transforming into persons coming into the Catholic Church, but to Preysal.

If we are now forming communities within the Church and are not bringing followers into the Church, but to the communities, how will the Catholic Church survive?"

Bernard, Couva