Hope

The Extraordinary Gift of Faith

May 17, 2012By Servants Of The Holy Family

Ascension Thursday 2012

Today is one of the only times when a dogma of the Faith was proclaimed by the angels. Our Lord predicted that the preaching of the Apostles would be confirmed by the miracles they would work. Even a cursory knowledge of Church history gives ample confirmation of these words. Miracles aid in belief, but they do not cause the virtue of faith. We should pray for an increase of faith every day of our lives.

The Apostles were commanded on this day to make the world Christian, and we are put to shame when we remember the heroism of the missionaries who sacrificed their lives to follow that command.

Our Lord has prepared a throne for us in Heaven and gives us a foretaste of this coming happiness every time He comes to us in Holy Communion.
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Our Daily Duty

May 13, 2012By Servants Of The Holy Family

5th Sunday after Easter 2012
As we near the end of this season of great happiness, the Church never ceases to rejoice. St. James gives practical advice in this Epistle for the practice of virtue and avoidance of bad example. The theme of this Mass is one of prayer and sacrifice.

On this day on which we congratulate our mothers, we must remember the primary purpose of marriage and the evil of artificial contraception. The vocations most attacked by the world are those sacramental vocations of marriage and the priesthood. We thank God for the gift of good mothers who work alongside the priests for the salvation of souls.
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The Qualities of a Glorified Body

April 29, 2012By Servants Of The Holy Family

3rd Sunday after Easter 2012
The name “Extreme Unction” means the “last anointing,” because this sacrament is only given when the danger of death is imminent. It is in our last moments that the devil has his final chance to strike out at God by tempting us to sin. Oftentimes this sacrament provides health to the body in addition to its spiritual aids.

Easter is the guarantee of the resurrection of all the just. The preternatural qualities possessed by the glorified bodies of the just at the end of time will include impassibility, subtlety, agility, and clarity.
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The Eyes of Faith

April 15, 2012By Servants Of The Holy Family

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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Supply What I Lack

April 8, 2012By Servants Of The Holy Family

^{Easter Sunday 2012}We pray that we may receive all the benefits of this Mass. The Mass of today, the greatest of all feasts, is the crown of the liturgical year. The historical event is made present again at the Mass. The Resurrection is the central doctrine of the whole Catholic Church. Christ came for the purpose of saving us. When we receive Holy Communion at the Mass today, we can receive any graces we did not obtain this Lent.
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A Vision of Hell

March 25, 2012By Servants Of The Holy Family

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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Penance in Charity

February 19, 2012By Servants Of The Holy Family

^{Sermon From}^{Quinquagesima Sunday 2012}There is no question on the Catholic Church’s stance regarding contraception and abortion, despite the attacks of the world on these moral teachings in our day.

We have had St. Paul as our retreat master preparing us for Lent, and now that we have spent this time and know the malice of our fallen nature, we are prepared to perform penances during the coming season in all charity. We will need faith and love to carry our cross with Christ through Lent. This is our chance to do battle with the help of Christ. God will never abandon us.
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He Was Sent To Heal Us

January 15, 2012By Servants Of The Holy Family

2nd Sunday after Epiphany 2012
We are in a new season of the Church which connects the time of the Nativity to the Paschal Mystery. We must bring our attention, devotion, and especially fervent prayer to the Mass today. The Church continues to celebrate the fact that God has become a man. We have something the world lacks; we have hope. We know that despite all we endure, God can fix everything in an instant, and all that He permits us to endure is for our good. In the Gospel for today we see the power of the intercessory prayer of the Virgin Mary. She speaks to us when she says to “do whatever He says.” The transubstantiation which took place at Cana was not only a type of the Holy Eucharist, but also a foreshadowing of the transformation which must take place in each of our souls.
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That We May Hope

December 4, 2011By Servants Of The Holy Family

^{Sermon From The}^{2nd Sunday of Advent 2011}The Holy Bible, and particularly the New Testament, was written primarily to strengthen the faith of those who already believe. It is meant to give continual education and guidance to the faithful. We should treat the word of God with the greatest reverence. If we read Holy Scripture regularly, the words will become imprinted in our hearts and come to mind when they are most needed.

Our Lord fulfilled His promise to the ancient Hebrews when He became man, but for the gentile nations, God had no promise or obligation. He came to us out of love alone. This should make us all the more humble and grateful. This season was given to us so that we might have a deeper gratitude for what our Redeemer has done for us. In order to appreciate how good Our Lord is, we must first appreciate the state of our wretchedness and the evil of sin – its cause. In this knowledge of ourselves we cry out, “If You will, Lord, You can make me clean!”
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