The Lasting Joy of Faith

April 26, 2015By

3rd Sunday after Easter 2015
Today’s Epistle tells us of the importance of good example.  Many more conversions are made by good example than by preaching.  The “little while” during which the disciples would not see Christ described His passion, death, and descent into limbo.  The disciples were so attached to Our Lord that it was like death for them to be separated from Him.  After this “little while” in the tomb Christ predicted that He would rise again and would be seen by His followers once more.  Faith is a supernatural power that permits us to ascent with the mind and embrace with the will everything God has revealed, simply because He says so.  The fact of the Resurrection gives assurance to our faith and fills us with lasting joy.
#20150426

Listen Now

Gratitude Is Our Goal

April 19, 2015By

Good Shepherd Sunday 2015
This is the day we are called to a more perfect life.  Our Lord shows Himself to be the Good Shepherd Who truly loves His sheep.  Not only does He care for and nourish His flock, but He protects us from attacks, even to the point of giving His life for us.  The clergy are meant to be leaders and examples for the faithful, and it is the job of all the faithful to bring more people into the Church.  How many countless sacrifices have the missionaries made throughout the centuries to win conversions?  We must thank God every day for the gifts we have been given.
#20150419K

Listen Now

The Only Acceptable Worship

April 4, 2015By

Easter Vigil 2015
We are privileged to be a part of the unbroken history of this liturgy. Catholic worship is more than merely a compilation of rituals. It is a true reliving of the past. Because of our fallen nature, and the sins we commit, we are not placed in friendship with God but in enmity with Him. Merely human worship, therefore, does not suffice in pleasing God. There is only one worship that is acceptable to Him and that is the worship of His Divine Son. Every act of the Divine Son is infinitely holy. In the instant when His death on the cross took place, the destiny of the universe was changed, and the true Promised Land of Heaven was opened to us.
#20150404

Listen Now

The Royal Road of the Cross

April 3, 2015By

Good Friday 2015
This day we put God to death with our sins.  Christ saw all our sins and suffered for each one of them.  He bore the pains which we all deserve for our innumerable crimes.  In this liturgy we acknowledge our sins in all humility and plead for God’s forgiveness.  We do not have the ability to be sorry for our sins without the loving gift of God’s grace.  The unveiling of the cross reminds us that it is not only the Cross of Christ but our own cross, and we all suffer because we are all called to love.  We have the ability to turn all of our pain into love of God.
#20150403S

Listen Now

May Christ Triumph in Us

March 29, 2015By

Palm Sunday 2015
This is the most important week of the liturgical year, and we are reminded of the necessity of all the sacraments, but especially of Baptism and the Holy Eucharist.  We begin this week with a look towards the future triumph when we celebrate Our Lord’s entrance into Jerusalem.  We meet Christ now with the palms and in the priest in the procession, and we will meet Him in the future when He leads us into the heavenly Jerusalem.  We must have the disposition that God desires when we received the palms, so we may be victorious over sin. Let us, by our fervor, make up of the sins for our life during this week.
#20150329M

Listen Now

Our Redemption Has Begun

March 25, 2015By

Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary 2015
What beautiful words the angel spoke to the Virgin Mary: “Nothing shall be impossible with God.”  Everything is under God’s power, and He is the Author of all.  We all exist to manifest the goodness of our Creator.  Evil is only permitted to occur so we may be sanctified by it.  This is called the Golden Mass because of its beauty and the many favors that are granted to those who pray fervently on this day.  This is the beginning of our redemption.  In the silent moment after the fiat of the Blessed Mother and the departure of the angel, the Son of God became man.  Christ became a priest at the moment of His conception, because in Him the whole cosmos is united.
#20150325

Listen Now

Season of Conversion

March 22, 2015By

Passion Sunday 2015
“The reason that you do not hear is because you are not of God.”  We should pray that these frightening words are never directed towards us.  We must ask ourselves who is more evil, the people in this Gospel who desire to put Christ to death, or all of us, who believe in Christ’s divinity and still continue to sin?  There is still time to hear the voice of God and change the direction of our lives.  This season of the Passion is given to us so we may make a conversion of life.  We must follow the example of the Apostles’ conversion in these final days of Lent.
#20150322S

Listen Now

The Father of Vocations

March 19, 2015By

Feast of Saint Joseph 2015
When a person is given a vocation, he is always given the divine help necessary to reach his final goal of Heaven.  Even the people who miss their divine calling are given sufficient grace to save their souls.  Many people, especially in our days, lack confidence in God and are too afraid to fulfill their great calling in life.  St. Joseph was called to be the spouse of the Mother of God and the earthly representative of God the Father.  This was a vocation which was truly beyond human ability to fulfill.  The only doubts St. Joseph entertained were doubts about his own judgment.  He recognized his poverty in every way, but was filled with confidence in God.  Like the priest, St. Joseph had custody over the Body of the Son of God and was willing to lay down his life to protect Him.  The patron of all our needs is St. Joseph.
#20150319

Listen Now

The Language of Lent

March 15, 2015By

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.
#20150315

Listen Now

Lessons on Love and Suffering

March 6, 2015By

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.

#20150306

Listen Now

Dec
27
St. John
0
    0
    Your Cart
    Your cart is emptyReturn to Shop
    To find out your shipping cost , Please proceed to checkout.
    Continue Shopping
    •‎  ‎ Sunday Mass: 9 AM  ‎ • ‎  719.985.4129 ‎  •