The Dogmas of Christmas

December 20, 2024By

Christmas Conference 2024
In a moment in time the Word assumed a human nature and from then on, He was completely God and completely man and will be so for all eternity.  This feast of Christmas also includes the doctrine of the Virgin Birth.  The Blessed Mother was virgin before, during, and after the birth of Christ.  This miracle foreshadowed the Resurrection, in which Christ passed through His tomb while leaving it shut.

The reason why the Son became man was first to honor His Father, and only secondarily for the salvation of mankind.  All things were made as an expression of His goodness, and all mankind was made for God first.  God became a Father in a new way on Christmas, because it was only then that He became Father in the flesh.  Our Lord came to dwell forever in our hearts as the King of Peace.  This is a feast of hope which offers a foretaste of the final victory at the end of time.  The three Masses of Christmas focus, first on the eternal birth of the Son from the Father, then the birth of the Word in the Flesh, and finally the birth of the Word in men’s hearts.  Christ appeared as a helpless child, and all are drawn to the innocence and purity of an infant.  It teaches each one of us to become like little children so we might enter the kingdom of Heaven.
#20241220

Listen Now

St. Francis’ Knowledge and God’s ‘Little Ones’

October 4, 2024By

1st Friday Conference, October 2024
St. Francis of Assisi is greatly misunderstood and mistakenly viewed as the saint of the ecologists.  He composed a poem, which he gave to the members of his order, and this “Song of the Sun” demonstrates St. Francis’ love of nature – not for its own sake but because of its Creator.  The gift of knowledge gives one a better appreciation of God’s attributes through the beauty of the natural world.  This makes us desire the happiness of Heaven and earnestly pray that we may possess it.

The hallmark of the life of St. Therese of Lisieux is the doctrine of spiritual childhood.  In the Gospels, Our Lord not only spoke of the necessity of spiritual childhood for salvation, but warned against giving scandal to the innocent “little ones.”  St. Therese made the appreciation of her helplessness and complete trust in God the foundation of her spiritual life.  She spent her life doing little things with great love, and if we do the same, we too will be safe.
#20241004

Listen Now

No Lover But Christ

September 8, 2024By

16th Sunday after Pentecost 2024
Carmelite Perpetual Profession – The perpetual vows are received by the prioress of the convent, but the veil comes from the hands of the priest or bishop.  In taking the black veil the novice shows herself to be a true bride of Christ, so it is fitting that it be given by him who is acting in Persona Christi.  In the early days the veil sheltered the face of a married woman from the gaze of the world, her beauty and innocence being reserved for her spouse alone.  So too with the perpetual vows of a nun.  She is the spouse of Christ and she will accept no other lover.  The nun is called to be generous and giving especially in the service of Christ’s representatives – the priests.  The Carmelites in particular share in a special way in the interior life of the priest.  This life is the means of sanctification and union with God.  It requires great love and confidence in the unfailing assistance of Our Lord.
#20240908

Listen Now

Can You Pass This Test?

September 1, 2024By

15th Sunday after Pentecost 2024
This Mass teaches us about Everlasting Life, while the Divine Office offers us the example of Job, who praised God in both prosperity and adversity.  In the Psalms we ask that we are protected, but that we do not forget our enemy.  In the Gospel we see a representation of the Church weeping over her children, dead through mortal sin, in the widow of Naim.  All temptations are tests, and it is what we do with those tests which makes the difference.  We should test ourselves by comparing how closely we follow the commandments of God versus the dictates of the world.  This test will tell us if we are on the path towards the gates of Hell, or if we have been stopped by Our Lord on our road to death to be restored in His life.
#20240901M

Listen Now

Nothing Without God

June 9, 2024By

3rd Sunday after Pentecost 2024
Green vestments are worn during this season to express the virtue of Hope.  We are instructed to hope in nothing but God Who tells us, “Without Me you can do nothing.”  We must know the truth about ourselves, always remembering what we used to be and remaining prepared for the time of our visitation.  Evil people are rewarded in this life for those good things they do because they cannot receive any recompense in Hell.  God’s friends are persecuted and suffer in this life, but will be rewarded for all eternity in the next.  We must pray without ceasing that we will be saved.
#20240609M

Listen Now

A Vocation Worth the Fight

June 2, 2024By

2nd Sunday after Pentecost 2024
Tonsure Ceremony
With first tonsure one becomes a cleric.  This ceremony has been part of the Church since the 5th century.  Just as slaves were shorn to show their complete ownership by their master, so the cleric shows that he now belongs to Christ.  The surplice is imposed to represent putting on the new man, because holiness is no longer an aspiration but a direct call.  Our Lord promised to those who give up the world a hundredfold in this life.  The candle carried in procession represents the soul of those to be tonsured, and when the bishop receives and extinguishes the candle, it demonstrates that the very will of the cleric is offered to God.  God will grant the necessary graces to do everything he asks, if the cleric remains confident in Him as he forges on towards the goal.
#20240602

Listen Now

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.
#20240225B

Listen Now

No Hope Without Tribulation

December 10, 2023By

Second Sunday of Advent 2023
With great hope we are reminded of eternity during this season.  All virtue builds on nature, and the same is true of the virtue of hope.  Hope cannot exist without difficulty and tribulation.  We hope in God, not despite our sufferings, but in light of our sufferings.  The saints took great joy in their tribulations because they knew God wished for them to live the life of His Son.  Adversity opens the eyes which prosperity holds shut.  We must fight the good fight in this life if we wish to be glorified in the next.
#20231210B

Listen Now

Running To Our Lord

October 3, 2023By

Feast of St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus 2023
Investiture of Sister Rose Michael
When the priest gives the habit of Mount Carmel, it is Christ Himself giving the habit and all the graces attached to it.  God wishes that a person embrace religion willingly, without any external pressure.  In poverty we place all our trust in divine assistance.  In chastity we experience the true meaning of love, offering body and soul to our Divine Savior.  In holy obedience we follow God’s Will through our superiors.  God is calling us to live a life joined to the Passion.  We will be sanctified if we maintain great desires in our holy vocation.
#20231003

Listen Now

We Offer Infinite Glory

June 11, 2023By

2nd Sunday after Pentecost 2023
Today’s Gospel warns us against neglecting God.  If we put off His invitation to salvation through sin and vice, we will surely lose His invitation.  God instituted the feast of Corpus Christi right before this Sunday to remind us of the importance of the Blessed Sacrament.  This day is a second Corpus Christi in which we may offer ourselves in union with Christ.  Through the Holy Sacrifice we give God infinite glory. Without the spirit of poverty, chastity and obedience, we will not be saved.
#20230611S

Listen Now

Jan
2
Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus
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 ‎  •