13th Sunday after Pentecost 2012 We cannot gain an increase of Sanctifying Grace for other souls, however through congruent merit, we have the ability to win an increase of divine assistance for our neighbor. The closer we are to God the more He will bless those around us. This is referred to as the solidarity of the human race. It is also why we pray for the intercession of the saints. It is as if the close friends of Our Lord have a claim on His goodness.
The most important of the moral virtues is prudence, because it governs all the other moral virtues. It is prudence which prevents both excess and defect in the practice of the other virtues #20120826
Sermon From The Feast Of The Assumption 2012 At the moment of the Blessed Mother’s visitation, when St. John the Baptist leapt in the womb of Elizabeth, Our Lord was only three days old in the womb of the Virgin Mary. This is a biblical condemnation of the modern belief that the life of the child only begins after birth – an argument used to excuse the murder of the unborn.
The Blessed Mother did not carry herself to Heaven by her own power, she was assumed, body and soul, by the power of Almighty God. She was raised to the highest position in Heaven, second to the Holy Trinity, because of the degree of divine life she possessed. Sanctifying grace makes us lovable in the eyes of God, and it is the greatest of God’s gifts. The first fruit of Sanctifying Grace is sublime and supernatural divine love. We are not meant for this life. There is a place destined for us where there is no more sorrow or fear, and the Assumption of the Blessed Mother is the promise that one day we might enjoy it. #20120815
Sermon From 9th Sunday After Pentecost 2012 Catholics should be familiar with the story of St. Martha and what it teaches us about the importance of prioritizing the spiritual life over the good works of an active life. There are many who so spend themselves in “good works” that they have no time left for Our Lord. We should practice ardent, frequent, and brief prayers throughout the day.
Saints Abdon and Sennen are two saints from Persia. They were known for their great charity to the poor and needy, and in particular for their dedication to burying the dead – that corporal work of mercy which led to their arrest and martyrdom. The early devotion towards these two saints demonstrates the universality of the Church.
After being badly wounded in war, St. Ignatius of Loyola spent much of his convalescence reading the lives of the saints. It was this practice of spiritual reading that led to the conversion of his worldly life, and subsequently the founding of the Society of Jesus, with its countless missionary journeys throughout the world.
St. Alphonsus Ligori followed a vocation despite the great opposition from his father. He is considered one of the chief moral theologians of the Church.
Through divine inspiration Saint Peter Julian Eymard knew that he must dedicate his life, along with the religious orders he founded, to the perpetual adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.
St. Dominic met with great difficulty in converting the Albigensians to the Faith, until he, at the request of Our Lady, begin to use the Holy Rosary in combination with his preaching. With the help of this powerful prayer, he experienced astounding success in his mission. #20120729
Apparent death takes place when we can no longer observe the signs of life, but real death takes place when the soul leaves the body – a moment that cannot be observed. This is why a priest should still be called after apparent death, so that he can conditionally anoint and absolve the deceased.
The Divine Office of today recalls the story of Nathan the prophet chastising King David for his sin, and David’s subsequent conversion. This should be a reminder to all of us of the necessity of an integral confession.
We are given the leaders that we deserve. In the face of bad leadership, we must remain faithful to the truth, and we must continually change our lives for the better. #20120708M
Pope Pius IX extended this feast to the entire Church in gratitude to Our Lord’s granting victory over His enemies. The Gospel for today was written by St. John, the only Apostle to witness the last moments of Our Lord’s earthly life. After the side of Christ was pierced on the Cross, copious amounts of Blood and water flowed forth. This moment had been prefigured by the sacrificial draining of the paschal lamb’s blood and demonstrated that Christ was the perfect, spotless, victim offered to His Father. The Blood of our Redeemer is called precious because it is the representation of the human life possessed by the Son of God. In the total surrender of His life, to the last drop, Christ made infinite worship to God the Father and offered an inestimable gift to each of us #20120701
Feast Of Corpus Christi 2012 On this day, a priest recognizes the purpose of his existence. Before his duty of teaching and saving souls, the priest exists for the Holy Eucharist. If a priest does not understand this, he is no true priest. St. Bonaventure tells us that if this sacrament were to be taken from the Church we would have nothing but infidelity and error, and the Christian people would be no better than a herd of unclean animals. We see these prophetic words proven true in our own day. This day was instituted at the request of Our Lord to confirm faith in His true presence, to strengthen the faithful on their way to virtue by their love of the Blessed Sacrament, and finally, to make reparations for attacks against Our Lord in the tabernacle. We should express our belief that Our Lord is truly present in the Sacrament of the Altar as soon as we enter the Church and kneel before Him. #20120607
Pentecost Sunday 2012 With the celebration of Memorial Day, we should always remember that the soldiers who have served our country, both living and dead, are in need of our prayers. Apart from the discussion of the politics and morality of war, these people who have suffered and died for us deserve our spiritual help.
Our Lord’s visible reign on Earth ended on the feast of the Ascension and on that day, Heaven became our home. All the joys and pleasures of this world are as shadows compared to the happiness of Heaven. The Holy Ghost was sent to mankind so that the presence of God would not be limited to the physical presence of Christ on Earth, but that it might be spread throughout the entire world. There is a childhood, adolescence, and adulthood in the spiritual life which mirrors that of our natural development. The Apostles passed through these stages as we all must, and their development reached its final stage on this day. From that moment on, the Apostles were confirmed in grace and preserved from committing any grave sin. #20120527
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. #20120517
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. #20120513M
Conference from 1st Friday May 2012 In the early Church, widowhood was considered a special vocation for women. Widows would dedicate themselves to the care of the church and looked to St. Monica as their special patron. The tears of St. Monica merited the conversion of her son, who left behind his dissolute life and became one of the greatest theologians and philosophers of the Church. St. Monica came from a Christian family in Northern Africa. As a young woman she was inclined to drink excessively. When this vice was discovered, in her shame, St. Monica vowed to never drink wine again and kept that promise for the rest of her life.
When the force of the human will is aided by divine assistance it is truly astounding what can be accomplished. If we want something enough, we do what is necessary to get it, but if we don’t want to do it, the least excuse will prevent us from trying. If we are forgetful of self, focused on our duty, and rely on divine assistance, we will overcome the greatest obstacles. #20120504
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