A Heart of Virtue

5th Sunday after Epiphany 2014

We must remember that, in addition to the frequent reception of the sacraments, we should make use of the sacramentals of the Church. The blessed candle is one of the greatest sacramentals because it is a symbol of Christ, the Light of the World. Votive candles which are lit in the chapel represent our prayer even after we leave.

There are many lessons taught by the readings of this Mass. St. Paul tells us to put on a heart of mercy, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. The practice of these virtues will bring us directly to Heaven when we die. Humility is particularly effective in overcoming sins of the flesh. It is only through these virtues and the love of God that we will have true peace.
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The King of All Virtues

25th Sunday after Pentecost 2013 – Part 1
St. Paul wrote the epistle to the Colossians while he was imprisoned.  In it, St. Paul emphasized the supremacy of Our Lord over all creatures and His equality with God the Father.  Mercy, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience are virtues rarely found among Catholics today.  It is through charity that we reach perfection, the intimate union with God.  Charity unites and informs all the other virtues, changing them into true expressions of love.  A gift is only valuable when it comes from love.  If we do not increase in charity, the good works we perform will not increase our glory in Heaven.  We should consider how much we have grown in holiness after so many years of being a Catholic.  This Gospel contains one of the few parables for which Christ gave a direct explanation. It is the perfect parable for our own time.
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Humility Makes Us Happy

Sermon From The
24th Sunday after Pentecost 2013
A Catholic should never be sad, despite his troubles.  We see the example of the Little Flower, who died a painful death, at the age of twenty-four, yet she died laughing.  It is pride that makes us sad, and humility which makes us happy.  The Epistle tells us to forgive friends and enemies alike.  We forgive and ask for forgiveness.  Comparing our lives to those of our neighbor will impede our progress, while comparing them to the lives of the saints will make us saints.  Prayer, rather than argument, is the most effective way of converting our neighbor.
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What Sets Catholics Apart?

Sermon On The
5th Sunday after Pentecost 2013
✟Father Violette
Good Catholics are set apart from the rest of the world, not only because of their modesty and humility, but especially because they render good for the evils they have received.  If we want God to hear our prayers we must avoid evil and do good, pursuing peace with others.  Catholics are called to do the opposite of what the world commands.  When non-Catholics witness actions which are above the natural order, they recognize the source of those good actions could only be God Himself.  Our Lord has given us the true interpretation of God’s Law, which had been perverted by the religious leaders of His time.  We should ask God to help us understand how to follow Him in this life and to understand better the joy of the life to come.
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Our Struggle for an Everlasting Crown

4th Sunday after Easter 2013
The prayers composed by the Church express the intentions for which God wishes us to pray.  In today’s Collect we pray that our hearts may remain forever set on that place where true joys reside.  The angels and saints in Heaven, because of their complete conformity to God’s Will, never resist His desires.  We pray that mankind may submit itself to God in the same way on Earth.  We have the potential, when in the state of grace, to allow God to operate through us.  It is only because of the obstacles we place in God’s way that we do not see that operation in our lives.  Holy Scripture warns us about the heavy consequences of the rejection of Christ by the worldly.  Temptations are a normal struggle for all, but the struggle is nothing in comparison to the reward in store for those who remain faithful.
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Show Them the Light of Truth

Third Sunday after Easter 2013
There is an entire lesson of the Catechism dedicated to one prayer – the Our Father.  We address God as “Our Father Who art in Heaven,” because we belong to Him and we share in His life through grace.

In this Mass we pray that all those in the darkness of unbelief may be given the light of truth.  Pope Innocent III, who died in the year 1216, said that the words of consecration in the Roman Canon were given by Christ Himself to the Apostles, and were handed down by them to their successors.  The Council of Florence teaches us that the formula of the Consecration preceded the appearance of all the Scriptural texts.  Yet the enemies of Christ have sought to tamper with these very words.

We should not hand our children over to the paganism and hedonism of the sports programs.  We are pilgrims in this life, and we must not allow ourselves to be distracted with worldly and godless obsessions.
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Everything from God’s Hand

17th Sunday after Pentecost 2012
St. Paul tells us that we must live the life of holiness to which we have all been called.  When we speak of our neighbor we refer to both our friends and enemies.  Everything that happens to us comes from God.  He controls the universe and wills everything except for sin itself.  It should be easy for us to practice patience and forbearance, if we see all the actions of our neighbor as directly willed or at least permitted by God.  Our enemies provide crosses for us to carry with patience and provide us with the opportunities to practice virtue.  We do not know the conscience of our neighbor, but we know all the graces we have received and the malice of our own souls.  How easy it should be to judge ourselves harshly while being slow to judge our neighbor.
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Like Our Father In Heaven

Sermon On The
3rd Sunday after Pentecost 2012
✟Father Violette
In our day, when fatherhood is so attacked, all those who belong to this vocation must redouble their efforts to live up to their calling. A true father is unselfish, prioritizing his obligations before all else. It is a vocation which requires selfless solicitude at all times, but we are promised superabundant help from God to progress continually in this state of life.

Aware of our great need, the liturgy of the Church is constantly imploring God’s help for us. We must rely on God’s infinite mercy, while never forgetting is infinite justice. We are asked to remain confident and trustful, in an age of distrust, and we are assured that Our Lord will always provide the help we need.
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The Qualities of a Glorified Body

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 Care of the Holy Family

Feast of the Holy Family 2012
During this season the same gift given to the Gentile nations through the Magi is once again given to us.  The divinity of Jesus Christ is demonstrated to each of us.  The events and mysteries of Our Lord’s early life are made present once again, as if we were there to witness them firsthand.

When the Gospel says that Jesus “increased in wisdom, age, and grace,” it refers to Our Lord in His human nature.  The human mind of Christ not only possessed the beatific vision but also all the secrets of nature.  Along with this, in His human mind He also had acquired, experiential knowledge and was capable of increasing in this knowledge.

St. Joseph trustingly followed God’s guidance throughout his life.  And just as he provided for all the needs of the Holy Family, St. Joseph has provided for the needs of our community which has put its special trust in him.
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