Pray In My Name

5th Sunday after Easter 2025

Although Memorial Day is a secular holiday, every Catholic should remember those who courageously gave their lives in service of our country and pray for them on that day.

This Mass commands us to pray in the name of Our Lord, and we fulfill this command through the liturgy.  We should pay special attention to the prayers of today’s Mass.  The maniple was not originally a vestment of the priest.  In ancient times, so many priests needed a handkerchief during the liturgy, because they were moved to tears, that the handkerchief became an official vestment.  St. James the Less reminds us to be a doer of the word, not a hearer only.  He was the cousin of Our Lord, and he is chosen to teach us the truths of the Faith during Paschaltide.  We remember this month that the Blessed Mother is Queen of Heaven and Earth, let us treat her as such.
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The Support of the Church

4th Sunday after Easter 2025

The Church would not be able to distribute its spiritual blessings to us without our support.  A Mass stipend is not a payment for the Mass, but merely a gesture of gratitude and a donation for the daily sustenance of the priest.

This week we recall the lives of Saints Bernadine of Siena and Rita of Cascia.  St. Bernadine fought tirelessly against the vice of gambling, as well as witchcraft and sins of impurity, while St. Rita lived a life of heroic virtue as a wife, mother, widow, and Augustinian nun.  She is the saint invoked for impossible causes.

In the Epistle for today’s Mass, St. James speaks of the source of our consolation and reminds us that we are the greatest creation of the Holy Trinity.  We must remain pure and meek as we cast out all evil from our lives.
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The Real Battle

Ash Wednesday Evening 2024
Our heart should remain forever in the chapel with Our Lord.  Prayer, fasting, and almsgiving are the great practices of Lent.  The words that were spoken by God to Adam and Eve after the Fall are repeated for us today with the distribution of blessed ashes.  We are reminded of our mortality and the passing glory of this world.  If we always remember our mortality, we will certainly avoid sin.  When we fast it not only makes us weak, but it also brings us closer to God.  Christ came to Earth to suffer and die for our sins, and without His suffering we would not be saved.  How much do we owe Him in penance; how much do we owe Him in love?
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True Affection For The Dead

All Souls Day Evening 2023
Our bodies at the time of death are separated from our souls and undergo corruption.  All the souls of the departed will hear the voice of the Son of God at the Last Judgment.  It is an ancient practice, and one that is natural to man, to pray for the dead.  We must be punished for our sins.  Even if our guilt is removed in the sacrament of Penance, we must still make up for our sins.  Purgatory is a place of mercy, and we have the ability to aid the souls detained there.  Our Faith is based on worshiping God and the salvation of our souls.
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Lent Is A Season Of Joy

Ash Wednesday 2022
Septuagesima season has prepared us for this time of removing sin from our lives.  This should comfort us as we begin this time of penance.  When examining our conscience we should not look at self but at Our Lord crucified to realize the effects of our evil on Him.  Lent is the bond of unity in the Church when we all struggle together. By  Penance we understand different things.  It is the sacrament, a moral virtue and the acts flowing from it.  Ashes are given today because they are one of the three major sacramentals in the Church and remind us powerfully of death which is the consequence of Adam’s sin.  Finally, practical suggestions are given to help us choose and practice spiritual exercises which will make Lent truly beneficial for us.
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All Souls Day Conference

All Souls Day 2021
Having a day to pray for the souls of the faithful departed began in the monasteries where the deceased monks were remembered in Masses, the Divine Office and by reciting 150 Our Fathers.  Souls in Purgatory are often permitted to visit family, friends and the altars where they assisted at Mass.  At death a person’s soul leaves his body and is judged instantly.  His decision at that time can never change because without his body to provide new information the soul’s choice at the moment of death is irrevocable.  Those in grace but not yet perfect are purified in Purgatory where the fires purify their souls by humbling their pride.  There is peace and joy there also because the Holy Souls know that they are saved and will see God.  We should pray, fast and give alms to assist them.
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Stand With Christ And Pray

22nd Sunday After Pentecost 2021
Still in the month of the Holy Rosary, we are reminded of the 15 Promises Our Lady made concerning those who recite it.  The Mass texts today emphasize prayer which is essential as we approach the day of the Lord, whether in the particular or general judgments.  Equipped in this way we join in St. Paul’s joy while in chains.  The Gospel shows Our Lord exposing the malice of His enemies who attempt to set a trap for Him about paying taxes to Caesar.  Christ our King adds that we must render to God what is God’s.  We must all practice fortitude by praying.
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Prayer and Fasting

1st Sunday In Lent 2021
Jesus Christ leads us by example as we begin Lent.  He sanctified the forty days we have begun by first spending that number of days in prayer and fasting in the desert before He started His public life.  Upon its completion He overcame Satan and his temptations.  We will do the same during this Lent as we walk in Christ’s footsteps by doing penance that will regain control of ourselves.  We make up for the sin of eating that Adam and Eve committed.  We follow our ancestors who made Lent holy and would not mar these forty days with war, court proceedings and other distracting activities.
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Our 40 Day Lenten Retreat

Ash Wednesday Evening 2021
Ashes are a sacramental so we should stir up our hearts and receive them devoutly.  By popular demand the reception of ashes was extended to all the faithful not just the public penitents.  We should imitate the penitents and catechumens during this spiritual retreat and practice acts of penance like prayer, fasting, almsgiving and studying.  Our Lord taught us about these in the Sermon on the Mount from which today’s Gospel comes.  We enter Lent with Christ as our Leader so we imitate Him in His sufferings and eventually in His Resurrection.
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Ultimately Penance Is Love

Ash Wednesday 2021
Neglect of practicing penance during Lent is a cause of the problems we experience in the world today.  The virtue of penance is a power from God which makes us hate sin, be sorry for it, make reparation for it and convert because sin offends God Who loves us.  Penance spurs us on to mortify our evil tendencies and remove the obstacles during Lent so to make room for Our Lord.  The Liturgy teaches us these things and the acts of penance are traditionally known as prayer, fasting and almsgiving.  Many ask for penances during Lent and several recommendations are given to help us make a good and holy Lent.
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