Catechumen To Neophyte

April 16, 2022By

Easter Vigil 2022
The Easter Vigil is the culmination of our Lenten retreat and especially for the catechumens who are baptized and who will receive their first Holy Communions at the Mass which follows.  The Liturgy brings light to the darkness of the world of sin and sings the praise of Our Lord’s Paschal candle.  Then we are reminded of the miracles around water in preparation for the blessing of the Easter and baptismal waters which lead to the baptism of our catechumens.  The Mass of Christ’s triumphant Resurrection will end with our Easter communion and our union with the Risen Savior.  The newest members of the Church now begin their lives as part of the faithful.
#20220416M

Listen Now

The Only Solution

April 14, 2022By

Holy Thursday 2022
Today is a good day to remind everyone about how to receive Holy Communion properly. The Epistle is a warning from St. Paul that is timely  because we live in a time of unprecedented sacrileges against Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament.  The Gospel describes the Mandatum when Christ washed the feet of His apostles.  This was the first interruption of what was the last Passover meal.  The second interruption near the end when when Our Lord gave His most precious gift just before His death – Himself in the Holy Eucharist.  This is the supreme sacrament in the Church that everything revolves around.  The Mass and priesthood which were instituted this night with the Holy Eucharist are essential to Its continuation to the end of time.  All the problems which face us can and will be solved by God in the Blessed Sacrament of the altar.
#20220414

Listen Now

The Devil Hates Us

March 6, 2022By

First Sunday In Lent 2022
This Friday begins Stations of the Cross and this is an appropriate devotion for Lent that was begun by our Mother of Sorrows.  Fasting and abstinence began on Ash Wednesday and their origins go back to Noah.  These practices are essential to our Lenten retreat days.  This week is the feast of St. Dominic Savio who was a student of St. John Bosco and died young at the age of 15.  This account of his spiritual life is moving and an exemplary example for the young of all ages.  Finally, we learn from today’s Gospel about Our Lord’s temptations in the dessert after His forty days of fasting at the beginning of His public life.  The devil was permitted to tempt the Son of God without the least degree of success; however, the devil vents his anger against God now through his attacks on us, especially during holy times like this season preparing us for Holy Week and Easter.
#20220306

Listen Now

Lent Is A Season Of Joy

March 2, 2022By

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.
#20220302

Listen Now

Crave The Eucharist

April 1, 2021By

Holy Thursday 2021

St. Paul warns us in the Epistle not to abuse Our Lord by receiving Him sacrilegiously in Holy Communion.  This is especially so because the Holy Eucharist is the greatest gift God has given us and the sign of His love for us.  To betray this love is like the kiss of Judas.  The Mandatum is part of the ceremony and this is Christ’s commandment of love which He taught the apostles by His own example.  In giving us Himself in the Holy Eucharist Our Lord asks us to love Him in return.  We have many heroic ancestors to follow who inspire us when we experience our own difficulties in returning love for love.  Eucharistic miracles are God’s frequent way of proving the truth of the Faith and with all these aids we should not be discouraged.
#20210401

 

Listen Now

Baptism Rite Is A Mini-Lent

March 7, 2021By

3rd Sunday in Lent 2021
Today is also the feast of St. Thomas Aquinas who is a model of many things including fidelity to a vocation.  The Liturgy of Lent continues to prepare the catechumens and penitents for the Sacred Triduum.  The daily Masses for this week are geared by the Church for this purpose.  Today’s Gospel returns our attention to the enemy of our spiritual life, namely, the devil.  We can draw all the defense we need against this foe from the Mass and Sacraments, especially the exorcising power of priests.  We are reminded at the end of this account from St. Luke of Our Lady’s role in combating the evil one.  The Blessed Mother has empowered us with the Holy Rosary which carries the mysteries of our Faith in our hands whenever we are unable to be at the altar.
#20210307M

Listen Now

Prayer and Fasting

February 21, 2021By

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.
#20210221S

Listen Now

Our 40 Day Lenten Retreat

February 17, 2021By

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.
#20210217M

Listen Now

Ultimately Penance Is Love

February 14, 2021By

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.
#20210217

Listen Now

Purity of Intention

February 14, 2021By

Quinquagesima Sunday 2021
In preparation for Ash Wednesday and Lent there is a review of the laws concerning fast and abstinence.  Today is also the feast of St. Valentine and his impact in our own day.  The Epistle for this Mass is taken from St. Paul and teaches us the importance of doing all our works, especially the upcoming penances, with purity of intention which is produced by charity.  The Gospel tells of the cure of the blind man by Our Lord.  We are that blind man who need God’s help to see our sinfulness and do something about it.
#20210214K

Listen Now
×
Your Cart
Cart is empty.
Shop our collection of religious items
Go to our Store
$0.00
Final shipping & taxes re-calculated at checkout
$0.00
Checkout
$0.00
View Cart
Keep Shopping
Protected by CleanTalk Anti-Spam