Much Is Forgiven Those Who Love

July 21, 2013By

Sermon From The
9th Sunday After Pentecost 2013 – 10am Mass
Tomorrow is the feast of the great penitent, St. Mary Magdalen.  Early in life she fell into sin which made her like Satan.  However, Our Lord’s love frees us from sin.  Some, like the Pharisees, rejected His love.  Even mortal sins can be forgiven by a perfect act of contrition.  The Blessed Mother will help us as St. Mary Magdalen discovered.  Christ praised our saint for choosing the better way in contemplation and giving all as shown by her anointing Him with oil.  After the Epistle and Gospel follows an instruction on the priesthood and religious life which stresses the importance of zeal for the commandments as expressed through the vows so thereby we lay up treasures in heaven.
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What Sets Catholics Apart?

June 23, 2013By

Sermon On The
5th Sunday after Pentecost 2013
✟Father Violette
Good Catholics are set apart from the rest of the world, not only because of their modesty and humility, but especially because they render good for the evils they have received.  If we want God to hear our prayers we must avoid evil and do good, pursuing peace with others.  Catholics are called to do the opposite of what the world commands.  When non-Catholics witness actions which are above the natural order, they recognize the source of those good actions could only be God Himself.  Our Lord has given us the true interpretation of God’s Law, which had been perverted by the religious leaders of His time.  We should ask God to help us understand how to follow Him in this life and to understand better the joy of the life to come.
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The Three Give Testimony

April 7, 2013By

Low Sunday 2013
This Sunday does not have the liturgical splendor of Easter, and it is in comparison to that feast that it is called Low Sunday.  We made promises on Easter to love Christ and to put away the things of the devil.  Although we do not know the true state of our souls, we should examine our spiritual life and ask ourselves if we have made any progress.  The Gospel account of today is a truly exquisite example of God’s mercy.  We are quick to judge the Apostles for their doubts, but how often do we struggle with doubts of our own?  The sacrament of Penance was instituted on the evening of Easter Sunday.  We see Christ in the Holy Eucharist, but we must still believe.  We are told that St. Mary Magdalen was one of the first to see the risen Lord because, despite her sins, she remained faithful at the foot of the Cross.  May we ever retain the effect of the Paschal mysteries in our lives.
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Facing the Consequences of Our Sins

March 17, 2013By

Sermon On
Passion Sunday 2013
Father Violette✟
All creation reflects the glory of God, however, angels and men, because of their freewill, have the obligation to acknowledge and worship their Creator.  We must pray humbly, perseveringly, and confidently.

The Church veils the statues of the saints, those objects of consolation, because we are meant to focus on Christ alone, and on the sufferings He endured for our sins.  We tend to blame our sufferings on the sins of others, but in truth, we experience the consequences of our own sins as much as those of our neighbor.  We are the ones condemning Our Lord to suffer and die.  We should rebuke ourselves severely for neglecting attendance at Mass, when we are able to do so.  The graces available to us at a single Mass are sufficient to save our souls.
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A Godly Fear

November 25, 2012By

Last Sunday after Pentecost 2012

✟Father Violette

Sacramentals are holy objects or actions that the Church makes use of to obtain actual graces for us and forgiveness for our venial sins dependent on our disposition.

We speak of the signs of the end times.  The Man of Sin will deceive many by the wonders he will perform, but at the height of his power Christ will strike him down.  We should be affected by a holy fear when contemplating the end of the world just as we should when thinking of our own end.  As a consequence of original sin, we will all face the four last things: death, judgment, and Heaven or Hell.  Faced with our eternal judgment, we rely on God’s mercy and depend on all those things God has given us to make us holy.
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Bear with One Another in Charity

November 11, 2012By

24th Sunday after Pentecost 2012
10am Mass
Living with our fellow man is always difficult.  Remembering the numerous occasions in which we knowingly or unknowingly afflict our neighbor will make it far easier to endure his shortcomings.  Charity is the bond of perfection because when we possess it we love God more than we love ourselves.  We go to God as He is in Himself and surrender ourselves, seeking to be united to Him.  Without charity all the other virtues are worthless, because they are all so many modes of expressing divine love.  God has loved us first, and by expressing our love for Him we only return the love He has given us.

In this parable of the weeds, we are given a bleak look into the life of the Church.  We have the explanation of this parable from the words of Christ Himself.  It is a prophetic story about the evil to be found within the Church especially among the clergy.  However, these trials can also bring out the very best in the faithful who courageously stand against the incursions of the devil.
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The Law of Charity and Mercy

October 21, 2012By

Sermon on the
21st Sunday after Pentecost 2012
✟Father Violette
Once one is baptized, he falls under the jurisdiction of the Church in regard to his marriage. He is no longer able to simply marry with a natural bond as an unbaptized person. For a person to receive the graces of matrimony he must be in the state of Sanctifying Grace.

The Church repeats the lessons Our Lord taught so we may follow them to our everlasting home. When we are full of pride we will show little forgiveness to our neighbor. Although we are not strictly required to forgive those who are not sorry, the example of the saints encourages us to do so. God shows mercy to us to the very moment of our death; it is only our refusal to be contrite that prevents us from receiving that mercy.
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The Eyes of Faith

April 15, 2012By

Low Sunday 2012
We should all pray for a happy death because we cannot merit it without asking for God’s grace in those last moments. We should also frequently ask that all the punishment due to our sins be removed on our deathbed by the reception of Extreme Unction. The Church has always taught that the priest can not only forgive sins but remove the punishment due to them.

This Mass is about faith, but we must remember that no saint has had great faith without great humility. It is only when we realize how much we need help that we ask God for help. We possess nothing good which we have given ourselves. Even faith is a gift from God for which we cannot take credit. Humility is the foundation, faith is the walls, and charity is the roof of the great structure God has built in us.
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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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How Dare We Hold a Grudge

January 22, 2012By

3rd Sunday after Epiphany 2012
This Epistle informs us that we should not imagine we are correct in all things.  Those who are wise know that they could be mistaken.  Also, we are instructed to avoid the desire for vengeance.  We must strive to be at peace with all men as much as possible – even our enemies.  St. Catherine of Genoa tells us that our love of God is measured by our love of neighbor.  By performing acts of charity towards our enemies, we obtain many graces for them.  Anyone who says that he loves God and hates his neighbor is a liar.  God shows love to us when we are His enemies through sin.  He offers His forgiveness to us before we are even sorry.
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