True Mercy and Forgiveness

November 10, 2024By

25th Sunday after Pentecost 2024
We live in a time when the weeds spoken of in the Gospel are found among the members of the Church’s hierarchy – those called to be the wheat.  Catholics frequently ask for God’s mercy, but it is only when we practice this virtue ourselves that Our Lord will dispense His mercy.  Every act of forgiveness comes from the Heart of Jesus Christ, because we are incapable of forgiving without His help.  Those in the state of grace participate in the life of Heaven; and they begin to live and love like God.  The spiritual life is like swimming against a river, if we are not making constant progress, we are being carried down the river.  Let us never give up the fight, strengthened by God through prayer.
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Our Belief In Purgatory

November 2, 2024By

All Souls Day 2024 – Evening
The Vestment for tonight’s Mass displays a cross intertwined with the branches of a weeping willow, reminding us to weep for those souls who have not reached their heavenly reward.  Because of its implicit denial of the general resurrection of the dead, the practice of cremation was so condemned by the Church that it incurred the penalty of excommunication.  We see how ancient the practice of praying for the dead is from the account of the Machabees.  To say that everyone goes to Heaven directly contradicts the words of Christ, the Scriptures, Tradition, and reason.  The souls in Purgatory are so close to their eternal end, and we must do what we can to speed their journey.
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Care For The Departed

November 2, 2024By

All Souls Day 2024
We come to this Mass to help the Poor Souls.  Holy Mother Church does not neglect any of her children, even those detained in Purgatory, because God greatly desires that we care for the dead.  The origin of the maniple that the priest wears was originally a handkerchief to wipe the tears from his eyes, and in union with him we all weep for the Holy Souls today.  Everything is directed to the souls in Purgatory.  Even on this First Saturday, when the Blessed Mother is usually the focus, she defers to the suffering souls.  We pray for final perseverance, so that when we are attacked by the devil in our last moments, we will turn to God.  Heaven is only for the perfect, and in order to enter we must have no attachment to sin.  If we do not remove those attachments in this life, we must remove them in the next.
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God’s Mercy For The Merciful

October 13, 2024By

21st Sunday after Pentecost 2024
The Gospel for this Mass gives us hope in God’s mercy and fear of His justice.  The debt we owe God for a single sin we have committed we could never hope to repay, so when we approach Our Lord at every Mass we beg for His mercy in the Kyrie.  God is quick to offer forgiveness, and even showers us with additional gifts.  Those who squander these gifts and fall back into their evil habits, assuming God will always show mercy, are like the man in the Gospel who warranted the wrath of his king.  Those Catholics who refuse to forgive the offenses they receive from their neighbor will be condemned as wicked servants, exemplifying the words of St. James, “Judgment without mercy to him that hath not done mercy.”
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Freedom From Anxiety

December 17, 2023By

3rd Sunday of Advent 2023
Gaudete Sunday – This is a day in which we take joy in our Catholic Faith, a day without anxiety or trouble of heart.  We must make our petitions known to God, trusting that they will be answered in the best way possible.  God gives us the grace to ask for the helps we need.  Those who are of good will enjoy peace in this life.  The patrons of Advent are the prophet Isaias, St. John the Baptist, and the Blessed Virgin.  We must strive to remove whatever is in our life which impairs our union with Our Lord.
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True Affection For The Dead

November 2, 2023By

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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Pray For Their Rest

November 2, 2023By

All Souls Day 2023
The Mass of the dead is really the Mass of life.  Virtually nobody prays for the dead, which is a great injustice.  Although Purgatory is not formally denied, it is simply never mentioned.  We must pray for the priests and religious who held fast to the true traditions of our Faith, and all the faithful who were buried from our Chapel.  When we die, we are incapable of making any more choices, and are unable to merit or demerit.  Nothing sullied can be in the presence of God, and the justice of God demands that we make up for our sins.  Few people in this life make satisfaction for their temporal punishment so God in his mercy offers them Purgatory.  It is a place of great joy and great longing.  God has ennobled our prayers so that what we pray can affect our neighbor.  God will grant mercy to the Holy Souls on the condition that we ask.
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Instruction To The Youth

September 24, 2023By

Q&A Conference September 2023
Children can sometimes be crueler than adults and hurt feelings can last a lifetime.  If we are hardhearted in the way we treat others, God will punish us.  We must beware of gossip.  Young men should be particularly careful with the feelings of young girls.  And young girls should look in the mirror honestly and clothe themselves in a manner that is flattering rather than revealing.  It is the personality that makes friends. We change a great deal externally as we grow older, but a good heart remains.
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Do Not Weep

September 10, 2023By

15th Sunday after Pentecost 2023
No other religion has produced saints as the Catholic Church has.  The greatest mark of the Church is her holiness.  Discretion is one of the best ways to practice charity.  It allows us to know when to offer correction and when to simply let our example teach our neighbor.  Charity is the hallmark of a Catholic.  As much as we unwittingly crucify each other we are still bonded together by charity, and nothing stands in the way of charity for a true Catholic.  Our Lord feels the burdens of His people.
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Be Wise As Serpents

July 23, 2023By

8th Sunday After Pentecost 2023
Christ does not commend the dishonesty of the steward in the Gospel, but rather his prudent foresight.  God has made us stewards of our lives and it is up to us to use our God-given talents to better know Him, love Him, and serve Him.  We see the ambitions of the world, but how much more desirous should we be for heavenly goods.  We too will have to make an account of our stewardship, and if we live our lives as a continual act of love we will be called to enter into the joy of our God.
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