We Must Be Changed

March 29, 2024By

Good Friday 2024
We do not have the Mass today because even though the Mass is the re-presentation of Our Lord’s death, it is also the reminder of His Resurrection.  The Church avoids even the slightest hint of joy on this day.  An infinite offense was offered to God and only an Infinite Being could make up for it.  Why did Christ do this?  So that we would appreciate the evil of sin, and the great love of God.  We prostrate under the weight of our sins at the beginning of this ceremony, and we recite the solemn prayers in union with Christ on the Cross.  We must pray that today we remove all the obstacles we have placed in the way of God’s grace.
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The Prerequisite of Charity

March 28, 2024By

Holy Thursday 2024
These are the most sacred days of the liturgical year, because they make present the very act of our Redemption.  The Holy Oils, from the Mass of the Chrism, receive their efficacy from the Holy Eucharist.  Today is the birthday of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, which was offered in anticipation of Christ’s death on the Cross the following day.  A gift of Faith is required to believe the dogma of the Holy Eucharist.  The Holy Oils made this morning are prepared to sanctify us.  The exorcisms performed over these oils drive away the influence of the devil from the oils themselves and from all whom they will anoint.
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The Bravery of the Saints

March 17, 2024By

Passion Sunday 2024
Saint Patrick stood for the true God against the pagans in Ireland.  He threw down the idols of the druids and established the Catholic Church in what is now known as the Island of Saints.  Saint Cyril of Jerusalem fought against the Arian heresy and was persecuted for it.  His bravery and steadfastness in defending the Faith are examples we must follow.  Saint Benedict saw the corruption in Rome during his time and left to become a hermit.  He started his famous Benedictine Order, which has produced thousands of saints.  If we pray with confidence and humility, we have nothing to fear. We must stand courageously beside the saints in defense of God.
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Attraction to the Divine

March 3, 2024By

3rd Sunday in Lent 2024
As children imitate their parents, so must we imitate God.  When St. Paul in this Epistle says, “how unbecoming of saints,” he is not referring to canonized saints, but all Catholics.  We are all called to sanctity.  We must battle the temptations about which St. Paul speaks by the Rosary, mental prayer, spiritual reading, and devotion to our guardian angels.  Aristotle, judged from reason alone, without the help of Divine Revelation, that “man should be attracted to divine and immortal things as much as he is able, and however little of these things he experiences, he should love them above all inferior substances.”  We should all heed these words.
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The Great Evil of Venial Sin

February 25, 2024By

2nd Sunday in Lent 2024
St. Paul calls us to make “even greater progress,” but in order to do so, we must begin attacking our habits of venial sin.  Mortal sins kill the soul,  but venial sins are the great obstacle to sanctification.  These lesser sins can easily be overlooked if we are not on guard against them.  They lessen God’s grace in our soul and they kill fervor, making spiritual practices difficult.  Our habits of venial sin will inevitably lead us to serious sin.  This disease of the soul must be combatted with custody of the mind, sincere desire of amendment, and with hatred and horror of any offense against God, no matter how slight it may appear.
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The Real Battle

February 14, 2024By

Ash Wednesday Evening 2024
Our heart should remain forever in the chapel with Our Lord.  Prayer, fasting, and almsgiving are the great practices of Lent.  The words that were spoken by God to Adam and Eve after the Fall are repeated for us today with the distribution of blessed ashes.  We are reminded of our mortality and the passing glory of this world.  If we always remember our mortality, we will certainly avoid sin.  When we fast it not only makes us weak, but it also brings us closer to God.  Christ came to Earth to suffer and die for our sins, and without His suffering we would not be saved.  How much do we owe Him in penance; how much do we owe Him in love?
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From Dust to Dust

February 14, 2024By

Ash Wednesday 2024
The Church reminds us of the fate that awaits all men.  We are mortal and destined to return to dust.  The sacramental of blessed ashes reminds us of our mortality and also the transient nature of worldly glory.  From the triumphant Roman generals to the Byzantine emperors,  a Memento Mori has been a common practice to remind men that if their hearts are set on perishable things, their souls will perish with them.  For good Catholics this is not a season of sorrow but of liberation from the attachments of the world.  We should see every day we are given as a merciful call from God for a conversion of life.
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Cry Out to God!

February 11, 2024By

Quinquagesima Sunday 2024
Abraham is our patron today.  His willingness to sacrifice his only begotten son was a type of the Sacrifice of Jesus Christ.  In today’s Gospel, the Apostles did not understand Our Lord’s words.  To remove any doubts, Jesus performed the miracle of curing the blind man, demonstrating His divine power.  We also must cry out as this blind man did.  We need God to cure our blindness of heart and mind.  Our good works become void if they are not for the love of God.  Our intentions must be pure.  Today’s Epistle is a great aid to meditation and will help us obtain divine charity.
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The Call To Sanctity

February 4, 2024By

Sexagesima Sunday 2024
St. Gregory tells us that this Gospel needs no explanation, because Our Lord explained it Himself.  We must ask ourselves, are we the “good ground” or are we the “bad ground”?  It is a dogma of our Faith that everyone, without discrimination, is given the chance to be saved.  If we are saved, God saves us; if we are lost, we have lost ourselves.  St. Paul teaches us in his Epistle to follow his example.  He encourages us to abandon our sins, and become great saints, willing to suffer for Christ.  It is essential that we practice mental prayer and spiritual reading and think of God frequently throughout the day.  Without these helps it is difficult to be saved.
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Where Joy and Sorrow Meet

February 2, 2024By

Feast of the Purification 2024
The candle is one of the great sacramentals of the Church.  It is like a sacrament in the sense that it is an outward sign, but unlike a sacrament, it does not give grace automatically.  This day links Our Lord and the Blessed Mother so closely.  Today we remember both the joyful mystery of the Rosary and the first of the Virgin Mary’s great sorrows.  Because the Mother of God was not affected by original sin, and because of the Virginal Birth, she was not subject to the law requiring purification.  However, she submitted to it in all humility.  God used the New Eve to carry the New Adam into the Garden, when the Blessed Mother carried Our Lord into the temple.
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