The Remedy for All Weakness

April 5, 2012By

Holy Thursday 2012

On this night we celebrate the institution of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and Holy Orders.  Who would forgive our sins and give us the sacraments of Christ had He not founded the priesthood?  Just as He humbled Himself before the Apostles in the washing of their feet, God Almighty surrenders Himself to us in the gift of His being in the Holy Eucharist.  On this night, in the stripping of the altars, we also remember the great attacks and abuses Christ endured at the beginning of His Passion and still endures in offenses against the Blessed Sacrament today.  The Holy Mass is the most effective means of conversion from and reparation for sin.  How many misfortunes do Catholics face because of their neglect or abuse of the greatest gift of God on Earth – the Holy Mass?  Our Lord desires to come to us, concealing His omnipotent power, so that we might feel welcomed to approach Him.
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No Longer Spectators

April 1, 2012By

Palm Sunday 2012
Each of us participates in the prayer of the Son of God offered to His Father.  We have received a character through Baptism and it has made us a priestly people.  The priest asks that his sacrifice and ours may be acceptable to Our Lord.  Despite all the distance in time and space, we are truly a part of this event which took place 2,000 years ago.  Today Christ entered the Holy City publicly as King.  After the celebratory part of this ceremony the mission of Our Lord begins in all gravity.  We must desire to be by His side at the Cross, knowing that we will triumph.  When we receive the palm, we are participating in the triumph of God over the devil every day of our life.
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Make Me Trust as She Does

March 26, 2012By

Feast of the Annunciation 2012

In this Epistle, Isaias the Prophet warns the king of Israel about the danger of syncretism.  It is far more likely that in relationships with bad friends, it is not the good that lift up the bad but the bad who drag down the good.  At this moment, Isaias made a prophecy, not only for the Hebrews, but for all people – that of the Virgin Birth.  The truth of this dogma far surpasses the ability of words to express it.  Upon the consent of the Blessed Mother, God the Son took a human body and soul and began to take nourishment from her.  Because Christ is both God and man, He is Head and Master of all creation.  We are able to glorify God more perfectly than brute animals with the use of our intellect and will.  All the gifts given to the Blessed Mother were to prepare her for this moment.  All true Christians love and esteem the Virgin Mary, and strive to imitate her humility, confidence, and trust.
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A Vision of Hell

March 25, 2012By

Passion Sunday 2012

The liturgical year reflects the life of Christ, and we now reach the fruition of His earthly life with the approach of Holy Week.  All the images are veiled to remove all consolations so that we may better unite with the desolation Christ endured in those moments.  The great mystic, Josefa Menéndez, received visions of Purgatory and Hell.  Our Lord spoke of these punishments of the next life very often.  Sister Josefa frequently spoke of the inability of the lost souls to love, and that if even the slightest act of love were permitted it would no longer be Hell.  She saw that a soul which had gone to great lengths to deprive and mortify itself on Earth would not endure the sufferings of Hell.  We should have an undying fear of this eternal punishment, practice the virtue of hope, and respond to the continual graces God offers.
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A Father to Us All

March 19, 2012By

Feast of St. Joseph 2012
In the Hypostatic Union of Jesus Christ, He possessed no human personality, and because of this, His human nature is transcendent and universal.  In a sense all our human natures are found in His.  St. Joseph, who was chosen to be the father and protector of Our Lord’s Body on Earth, is a true father to the Mystical Body of Christ – our father.  When a boy comes into his manhood, he realizes an inherent responsibility to be a protector of those around him, especially the most needy.  A true man must possess both strength and compassion and St. Joseph is the perfect exemplar of these manly virtues.  We frequently remember the sorrows of the Blessed Mother, but we neglect to remember how much St. Joseph sacrificed and suffered in the care of the Holy Family.  The age when the whole Church will recognize the greatness and authority of this Patron of the Universal Church is yet to be seen.
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The Flesh Of The Sea

March 18, 2012By

Sermon From
4th Sunday In Lent – Laetare Sunday 2012
This day marks the midpoint of Lent, so it is important to renew our spirit of penance for this season. If we desire to come in contact with Our Lord, we must inter into the waters of Baptism. This is why the fish has been used from ancient times as a symbol of the Holy Eucharist, because one must enter into the water to obtain the “flesh of the sea.” Like St. Peter who walked on the sea to reach Christ, through Baptism we are able to receive Our Lord in Holy Communion.

Too few Catholics know how to pray correctly. Our Lord cannot resist our prayers when they come from the soul. We may reach such a degree of prayer that we remain always recollected in the presence of God.

The Gospel readings from the previous week remind us how grateful we should be that our judgment is in the hands of such a loving Lord.

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Extreme Unction and Temptation

March 11, 2012By

3rd Sunday in Lent 2012

In the sacrament of Extreme Unction, the priest anoints the organs of the senses, the eyes, ears, hands, etc., in order to prepare the dying individual for Heaven.  He prays that any sins committed through the senses may be wiped away.  This sacrament is for those in proximate danger of death, and it restores health to the soul and sometimes to the body of the recipient.

Few of us want to face the consequences of sin, but today the Church urges us to do just that.  This season began with the temptation of Christ, in which Our Lord showed Himself attacked by the devil when He was weak from fasting.  We too should be on guard against the devil’s influence, which can affect us in many ways.
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The Doctrine of Indulgences

March 4, 2012By

2nd Sunday of Lent 2012
All Catholics have a serious obligation to know the catechism.  Our Lord made infinite satisfaction for the sins of mankind by His sufferings and death, and these merits, along with the superabundant merits of the Blessed Mother and the saints, are available to us in the Treasury of the Church.  By practicing works to which indulgences have been attached, we may remove the temporal punishment due to our forgiven sins.  Although the doctrine of indulgences is often condemned, because of past abuses in the use of indulgences, it is nevertheless a beautiful and salutary truth of the Faith.

Many deny the existence of Hell or the fact that souls are punished there, but we have just as much certainty of these truths as we do of the existence of God Himself.  It is necessary to believe that God rewards the good and punishes the evil. He gives us all sufficient grace to love Him, and it is up to us to do so.
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Confidence In Our Conquest

February 26, 2012By

1st Sunday of Lent 2012
This is the season in which saints are made.  All these days demand from us a great desire for holiness.  The devil temps us to sin so we may be his pawn in revenge against God.  In the Gospel we see Christ tempted in the inauguration of His public life, the theme of which was combat with the devil and his servants.  Temptations come to us so that we may be made strong in the virtues where we are the weakest.  We will be invincible in the face of temptation if we never fail to ask confidently for God’s help.

Stations of the Cross is among the most ancient devotions of the Church.  Through it we make a spiritual pilgrimage to share in the sufferings of our Redeemer.  This practice developed from the imitation of the Blessed Mother who visited the places where her Divine Son suffered.  We should ask to see the stations through the eyes of the Virgin Mary so we may reap the greatest profits from this devotion.
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We the Penitents and Catechumens

February 22, 2012By

Ash Wednesday 2012
The time leading up to the season of Lent is to help us follow the example of the catechumens and public sinners of the early Church.  The Sundays that comprise Septuagesima take to heart all that was in the mind of these two groups of people.

After God told Noah of His regret for creating mankind because of their rebellion, and after He destroyed the world with the deluge, he sent the dove with an olive branch to make peace with humanity.  It is important to remember that God desires not our damnation, but our salvation.

Many people dislike the season of Lent because they are forced to see their true sinful nature.  When we see ourselves in this way it should spur us to a deep detestation and a humble confession of our sins.  This humility is the recognition of the truth about ourselves.

The principal works of penance are prayer, especially the Holy Mass and mental prayer, spiritual reading, and the gift of alms.  If we can overcome one habit of sin through these works, we have made great progress towards sanctity..

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