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The Language of Lent

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Laetare Sunday 2015
Penance has a variety of meanings.  It refers to the infused virtue that inclines a person to hate his faults, the sacrament of penance, and the works we perform to make up for our sins.  Mortification refers to works which put to death evil inclinations.  Propitiation is an act by which someone who has been offended is now appeased.  The Mass and our prayers are great works of propitiation.  When we make satisfaction, we punish ourselves for our sins.  Our sufferings may be offered to God as a form of satisfaction.  Atonement refers to the union with God which is achieved when our sins are expiated or wiped away.  This is the Sunday of the Golden Rose, on which the pope would take a golden rose and give it to a privileged monarch, who was favored by the pope.  The rose is seen as a foretaste of the happiness of Heaven.
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Lessons on Love and Suffering

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First Friday Conference – March 2015
We know the story of Saints Perpetua and Felicity from their firsthand account.  During one of the general persecutions of the Church, these two heroic, young women gave their lives for Christ.

It is important to understand the meaning of a “type” and how God uses types or prophecies to foreshadow things to come.  We see one of the most vivid types of Christ in the patriarch Joseph.  Just as Joseph was the favorite son of his father and the envy of his brothers led to their murderous desires, so too was Our Lord, the only Son of God, put to death out of envy.  Joseph became the savior of his family by offering them life-giving bread during famine, as Christ redeemed the world and gives to us the Holy Eucharist.

Catholics should not be troubled by temptations, or confuse them with sins, but view them as opportunities for merit.  Even those trials from the devil may be turned to acts of love for God.

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Lent Restores Peace

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Ash Wednesday 2015
Not one word is said about punishment or damnation in the readings for this Mass, and that should give a hint to Catholics about the true spirit of this season.  There is no such thing as a private sin.  Not only are all our sins known to the heavenly court, but the whole universe is affected by them.  In the early years of the Church, public penitents were driven out of the churches, just as Adam was driven from Paradise after his sin.  This is a time of holiness, mercy, hope, and pardon, not condemnation and gloom.  We must begin Lent as we should examine our conscience, by looking at Our Lord and comparing ourselves with Him.  During Lent Christ pleads with us not to leave Him alone, so we may be united with Him forever.
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Distrust of Self

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Sexagesima Sunday 2015
Many of the Epistles of St. Paul were dictated by him and written by his fellow disciples.  He was being attacked by false Christians, so in this Epistle he attempts to bring back the faithful who were led astray.  St. Paul’s great lesson is to distrust ourselves.  This season is the realization of original sin, but this week we learn about actual sins.  We know that we suffer in this life because of sin.  In the Gospel for this Mass Our Lord demonstrates that there is meaning behind all the words of Scripture.  We must respond completely in giving ourselves to God.
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The Best For Last

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2nd Sunday after Epiphany 2015
We are instructed today to use our gifts and talents with care, intention, and love of God.  We must use the Faith and Tradition to guide our interpretation of Holy Scripture.  Without the Faith we remain confused and are easily misled.  Prayer keeps our mind on Heaven and prevents us from wishing evil on our enemy.  The miracle of the marriage feast of Cana looks forward to our Redemption.  We cannot fathom what God is truly like, but God has made Himself present in His Word, and His Word is present in all of us.  God has loved us for eternity, how much must He want us to return that love?
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Priestly Life: Human and Divine

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Conference From
First Friday November 2014
To teach, rule, and sanctify are the three powers priests must employ to accomplish their purpose on earth.  Through preaching the priest shares the fruits of all he knows.  In ruling the priest is able to organize society according to the principals of the Church.  By sanctifying the priest makes the people truly holy.  The priest is called “Father,” because he gives life by healing and restoring the faithful.  The priest should offer all, especially the Mass, for the remission of sins.  God chose men, not angels, to be priests, because men know sin and can offer compassion to their fellow sinners.  But despite knowing sin, no one on earth has a greater obligation to perfection than the priest.  Priests belong entirely to Christ and must possess His mind and will.
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A Place Of Peace

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All Souls Day 2014
We remember in a special way the great priests who stood up against the corruption in the Church.  They were persecuted so we might have the Faith today.  We should pray with all our hearts and souls during this Mass.  Purgatory was not first created out of justice but out of love.  Our greatest obligation is not to obey God, but to love Him.  One great act of love can forgive our sins.  We love God freely, but we also owe God our love in justice.  If our love is tainted by pride and ego, it must be purified in Purgatory.
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Mercy For The Living And The Dead

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Sermon From The
21st Sunday after Pentecost 2014
The books of the Machabees are read in the Divine Office during this time.  We are given an important instruction from the Machabees, especially during the month of November, to pray for the dead.  We are fighting a seemingly impossible enemy to conquer.  But we must think of God, not of ourselves, and rely on His help and the help of the good angels.  We will be punished if we are hardhearted and do not forgive those who ask for mercy, or do not pray for the souls in Purgatory who are so much in need of our help.
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The New Law Changed Everything

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Sermon From The
12th Sunday After Pentecost 2014
The feast of Pope St. Pius X is this week and even he acknowledged that all his efforts had only delayed the enemies of the Church.  The Epistle summarizes the importance of recognizing the difference between the spirit of the law and its letter.  In the Gospel Our Lord teaches how the new law of love is extends to our neighbors too, even those we may not like.  Say the Act of Charity in the morning and practice it throughout the day by caring for someone else even if you do not feel like it because we do it for the love of God and it is the right thing to do.
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The Veiling Ceremony

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Sermon From
6th Sunday After Pentecost 2014
This week we have the feasts of St. Mary Magdalen, St. James the Greater and St. Anne.  This Mass repeats Holy Week for us and its sacraments of Baptism and the Holy Eucharist.  Today is also the veiling day for one of the Carmelite Sisters which is rare in our world.  The veil is the sign of consecration to Our Lord as the true Spouse of souls and the reserving of the look of the countenance to Him alone.  Do not deny Jesus anything because no amount of generosity on our part can outdo that of the Savior.  All the elements of this beautiful ceremony express the joy, peace, sacrifice and eternal reward that a contemplative vocation embodies.
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