This sermon focuses on why we need the Holy Spirit in our times.  The term Pentecost means 50 days (after Our Lord’s Passion, Death and Resurrection) and on this day the Holy Spirit descended upon Blessed Mother and the Apostles.  This action of the Holy  Spirit transformed them into veritable spiritual warriors for the Faith and enabled them to carry out the most important commandment – to go out into the world, preach the gospel and baptize in the name the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  It is the also the birthday of the Church, meaning that the Church became visible to the world on that day and its missionary activity began in earnest.  Unlike the modernist view of the world today, the apostles knew that missionary activity was, indeed, necessary to accomplish their mission.  Fr. Superior gives many examples of how this has been done throughout church history and credits those who, though relatively few in number today, continue this great work of salvation.
This sermon focuses on the need to be prudent in our dealings with others and the need to pray, especially for our Church and our Nation. Â In doing this we must forgive all injuries in imitation of Our Lord and the Saints. Â One of the reasons for prayer is thanksgiving and in this case gratitude for the gifts of the Holy Spirit, so needed in these times. Â It is these gifts which make the practice of virtue easier than would otherwise be the case. Â Also, we must remember that our prayers are always answered but not necessarily in the manner we expect.
Today’s sermon can be broken into two parts.  The first part is a reflection on the great Pope of Tradition, St. Pius V, whose feast falls on May 5th, but today gives way to the Feast of the Ascension.  The second is of course on the Ascension of Our Lord into Heaven.  St. Pius V essentially gave us the Traditional Mass we celebrate today and codified it for all posterity. He also did so much in the relatively short time of his papacy (7 years) that it would take many books to describe the impact he had on the Faith. He promoted missionary activity, fought and won battles against both protestantism and mohammedanism and left us a catechism based on the doctrine of the Council of Trent. Our Lord ascended to Heaven to prepare a place for us which is foretold by Jesus saying to his disciples: “Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s s house there are many mansions. If not, I would have told you: because I go to prepare a place for you. And if I shall go, and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and will take you to myself; that where I am, you also may be.” So, we can take from this being bonded to Our Lord through the Eucharist that Heaven is our real and final home. It is our destiny if only we will keep the Faith.
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Evening Mass
Treasure In Heaven
Father mentions the words that Fr. Superior spoke this morning regarding St. Pius V whose feast day is May 5th but today gives way to the Feast of Ascension Thursday. Â Though of relatively short duration, the pontificate of St. Pius V has enormous significance for us and the entire Church. Â He gave us the Mass that we have today, taken directly from Saints Peter and Paul, and codified it for all eternity. Â In regards to the epistle and gospel for the Ascension, Father mentions that we are required to regulate our affections. This means that if our hearts are for God, then our efforts will be towards the good, but if our hearts are towards evil, then our efforts will be towards evil. Â Christ said: “where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.” Â This should also cause us to engage in mental prayer, which is the raising of our hearts and minds to God and showing Him how much we love Him. Â This is especially important on this day when our Lord gives us the promise of our own entry into Heaven. Â Mental prayer is really the easiest form of prayer but is often neglected in the rush of today’s world.
Today’s sermon refers to the Epistle of St. James from the Fifth Sunday after Easter in order to caution us not to be overbearing in our relations with others, especially in matters pertaining to the Faith. Â With reference to the prayers of the Mass for St. Joseph the Worker, we learn of the great virtues of the man chosen by God to be the foster-father of Jesus. Â Although not His biological father, Joseph was a true father to Jesus in every sense of the word and a model for all fathers. Â Because of his great virtues, he is called Patron of the Universal Church and even today works for our salvation. Â The admonition: “Ite Ad Joseph” is a good one for us to follow, especially in these times. #20160501K
Today we are honored to hear Fr. Superior speak to us on the merits of two great saints: St. Mark the Evangelist and St. Fidelis of Sigmaringen. St Mark is known as the apostle who spoke to the Gentile-Christians whereas St. Peter was known as the Apostle who spoke to the Jewish-Christians. Each had his own charism for speaking to these groups and St. Mark is noted for being the most succinct in his discourses  His Gospel is considered as being the easiest of the four gospels to read and his writings were meant for us, the Gentiles. St. Fidelis, a Lawyer who became a Capuchin Monk, is known for his strong dislike for the lawyers who took advantage of the poor and his abhorrence of sloth, as he was always at work keeping busy with the tasks at hand.
After explaining why St. George became a popular saint and reading the Epistle and Gospel, Father briefly explains the “little while” of today’s Gospel and then gives a close reading of the Epistle in which St. Peter instructs us on the moral life. Â The key is the practice of obedience and meekness which we first must exercise towards ourselves, especially when we get angry at our own failings.
Today’s sermon delves into why there is One we call the Good Shepherd who is willing to die for His sheep and also why there are hirelings who abandon the flock in need. Â The Introit of today’s Mass clearly invokes Mercy under the Banner of the Good Shepherd who, in fact, gave up His life for His sheep and continues to do so at every Sacrifice of the Mass. Â For a further contemplation we are referred to Chapter 34 of the Book of the Prophet Ezekiel, for in it God declares against false shepherds and promises to care for the sheep Himself.
This sermon focuses on Mary’s acceptance of God’s Will that She be the Mother of God and the great degree of Humility that She demonstrated in accepting the words of the Angel Gabriel and, most importantly, what this means for us and all humanity. Nothing would have happened had She not consented to the awesome request presented to Her to not only be the Mother of God but our Mother as well. Can we imagine how She felt on that day? She was, of course, predestined for this role but Her acceptance of it was key to its fulfillment. Can we be as accepting of the Will of God in our lives as She was in Hers?
“Peace be with you” were the words Our Lord used to address the Apostles on Easter night so they would know that He harbored no ill will towards them for their failure to be with Him at Calvary. These are the same sentiments for all of us sinners to remember so we recover from our falls.
Lumen Christi, intoned by the Celebrant three times with increased vigor as he approached the Altar during the Easter Vigil, is a reminder to us that the Light of Christ will remain with us even in the darkest hour – that period of time between Christ’s Death and His Resurrection. And He showed this Light to His Blessed Mother, to those at the cross and to the many of the faithful so as to confirm their Faith and leave no room for discouragement – that indeed, they might spread the Good News to all nations. Will we spread the Good News despite the efforts of many who would dispel it in our times?
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Servants of the Holy Family, a Catholic religious community in Colorado Springs was founded on the Feast of the Holy Family in 1977 and is placed under the patronage of the Sacred Persons of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. Read more
