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Second Sunday in Lent
St. Paul teaches purity in this Sunday’s Epistle. The Transfiguration is meant to encourage apostles and us to persevere and to reveal Christ’s divinity. Our only goal in life is heaven. Read the Mass texts for Lent. Pray for mercy.
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First Sunday In Lent 2016
After hearing the importance of Psalm 90 for Lent and the sacramental of ashes, Father gives suggestions for penances and practices for this holy season. From the Gospel Our Lord teaches us how to combat the devil and temptations. St. Valentine’s day is explained in light of the saint whose feast is honored on Feb. 14.
Octave of Christmas 2016
We must remember that Christmas is just the beginning of the work of redemption. It assures us of glorious day of Our Lord’s second coming. We can see in nearly every aspect of the Christmas mystery future events typified. Today we have a second celebration of Christmas, because one day is not enough for this great feast. So many in our day attack the doctrine of the Virgin Birth. This should enrage the pious hearts of true Catholics. On the eighth day after the birth of Our Lord, He was circumcised. This ritual was of divine institution, and through it a baby boy become part of the Hebrew race. It was a type of the sacrament of Baptism which makes us members of the Mystical Body. Although Christ did not need to submit to this ritual, He did so in order to be better associated with the sinners He was about to redeem. On this day the Virgin Mary held Our Lord on her lap and shared for the first time in His sufferings as He shed His first drops of Precious Blood.
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Sunday within the Octave of Christmas 2015
The liturgy is not only the prayer of the Church, but the prayer of Our Lord Himself. Similar to the sacraments, the liturgy also uses outward signs to confer grace to us. We continually renew the celebration of Christmas throughout the days of its octave. In the composite scene of the Creche Set we are taught many things. In the animals of the nativity scene we see that all of creation is being renewed and once more submits to its Creator. This Mass also looks forward to the end of the Christmas season with its reference to the feast of the Purification. We must not submit to the disinformation which the world propagates against the Nativity and must remain ever confident in Christ’s coming victory.
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Christmas Midnight Mass 2015
We should pay special attention to the repetition of the phrase “swaddling clothes” in the Gospel account for today. The importance of these swaddling clothes is found in the care and love shown to the Holy Infant. Even though this Child was rejected by so many and was forced to be laid in a filthy feeding trough for animals found in a dark cave, there are those who still loved Him and cared for Him. This is the story of Christ’s entire life – rejected by many but ardently loved by a few. The Savior entered the world through the painless, virginal birth of His Mother. This birth prophesied the Resurrection, in which Our Lord passed through the tomb with new life, while leaving the tomb shut. On this feast, we celebrate the stupendous moment in which our Redeemer first appeared to mankind in the Flesh. God the Father became father in a new way today, and all Heaven celebrates the birth of His Son. On this feast, our sorrows are lifted and we look forward to a greater day to come.
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Gaudete Sunday 2015
The “O” Antiphons are sung every day from December 17th to the feast of the Nativity. Antiphons are citations from Holy Scripture or prayers created by the Church that demonstrate the theme of the day, recited before and after the Psalms of the Divine Office. The “O” Antiphons are very ancient petitions to God the Son in preparation for the end of time. These prayers refer to the Son of God as “Wisdom,” “Adonai,” “Root of Jesse,” and other titles full of meaning. We should pray these antiphons to help us prepare for the real purpose of Christmas.
The liturgical color of rose is a combination of the violet color representing penance and the white representing joy. Penance is found in the hatred of sins and the intention never to commit them again. Mortification is related to penance but refers to acts which put our evil inclinations to death. Through mortification we deny ourselves even those things which are permissible, in order to strengthen us on the road to sanctity. The joy of this day comes from our proximity to the great feast of Christmas, in which we have a foretaste of the everlasting joys of Heaven.
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Feast of the Immaculate Conception 2015
Although the Blessed Mother was given the unique privilege of being preserved from Original Sin, this does not mean that she was not redeemed. It simply means that she was redeemed in a more perfect, anticipatory manner. She was conceived with an initial plenitude of grace, yet her share in God’s life continually increased in her until she was taken back to Heaven. Adam was made God-like with the gift of Sanctifying Grace and mankind was meant to remain in perfect harmony with the Divine. Because Adam was made master of creation, he was given a sign to show his subordination to God – the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. The devil brought evil into the world by convincing Eve to tempt Adam. We see in the book of Genesis how quick God is to offer mercy after we fall. Immediately after the sin of Adam was revealed, God promised a Savior who would come through the new Eve, the woman never touched by sin.
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