Her Extraordinary Magnanimity

April 8, 2013By

Feast of the Annunciation 2013

Among the peoples living at the time of Our Lord’s coming, there was an anxious anticipation of great change for the world.  We are once again living in a time when the world anticipates a coming change.

This day commemorates the day on which the Virgin Mary became the Mother of God.  It was in the midst of prayer when the angel appeared to her.  When she is referred to as “full of grace” it implies that she was pleasing to God in the highest degree.  The angel did not command Our Lady but requested her consent to this greatest of all vocations.  It was only because of her esteem for the angelic virtue of purity that she asked how this could happen.  The Virgin Mary was truly heroic by choosing to sacrifice her life of secluded contemplation for a life fraught with sufferings.  She realized the dignity and responsibility of the path laid out for her, yet she had no hesitation because of her absolute trust in divine assistance.
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The Three Give Testimony

April 7, 2013By

Low Sunday 2013
This Sunday does not have the liturgical splendor of Easter, and it is in comparison to that feast that it is called Low Sunday.  We made promises on Easter to love Christ and to put away the things of the devil.  Although we do not know the true state of our souls, we should examine our spiritual life and ask ourselves if we have made any progress.  The Gospel account of today is a truly exquisite example of God’s mercy.  We are quick to judge the Apostles for their doubts, but how often do we struggle with doubts of our own?  The sacrament of Penance was instituted on the evening of Easter Sunday.  We see Christ in the Holy Eucharist, but we must still believe.  We are told that St. Mary Magdalen was one of the first to see the risen Lord because, despite her sins, she remained faithful at the foot of the Cross.  May we ever retain the effect of the Paschal mysteries in our lives.
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The Covenant Has Been Renewed

March 31, 2013By

Easter Sunday 2013
We have now had the culmination of the whole Lenten season. We have been catechumens and penitents in preparation for our union with Christ in the Holy Eucharist. Now we walk with Christ in the liturgy. Our Lenten time of training began with the season of examination, then we had to follow Christ to Jerusalem. The Blessed Mother offered her Son on the Cross for each one of us. We have now renounced Satan and proclaimed our faith. We may be small and afraid, just as the Apostles were, but Our Lord had not forgotten them and he has not forgotten us. All order is restored by Christ’s words, “peace be to you.”
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All Is Found in the Cross

March 29, 2013By

Good Friday 2013
We should pray to enter into the mind and Sacred Heart of Our Lord during this ceremony.  In His sufferings, our Redeemer bore the weight of all the sins of all mankind.  Through His unimaginable tortures, He never ceased thinking of us.  He looks down at His loving Mother, St. John, and Mary Magdalen.  He also sees His enemies and the bystanders who mocked Him.  In what group would we be found?  Would we be more faithful than the majority of the Apostles?  Do we have ill will in our hearts for our neighbor, even in the face of this moving scene?  All who have conformed their lives to the Cross will come to Christ with great confidence in the last day.  There is no hope of eternal life except in the Cross of Christ.
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His Last Will and Testament

March 28, 2013By

Sermon On
Holy Thursday 2013
Despite being the season of the Passion, the altar and celebrant are draped in white, because the Church cannot conceal her joy and gratitude for the gifts she has received today.  In preparation for His death, Christ promulgates His last will and testament for His offspring, but unlike an earthly father who can only pass on his wealth, Our Lord gives His children His enduring presence in the Holy Eucharist, and the means of perpetuating it in the priesthood.  All the gifts we receive from Christ, especially those of this day, are given freely and lovingly.  We should value these gifts above everything.  The institution of the Mass is the supreme gift of Christ.  Through this sacrifice the Son offers homage and adoration to His Father.  Through it we make reparation for our sins.  In the Sacrament of the Altar is truly present, not only grace, but the Author of all grace.  Now that the priesthood is so reviled and attacked, we should appreciate it more than ever.  Christians of the past were willing to shed their blood in defense of these awesome gifts – are we?
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Make Us Worthy to Praise Her

December 8, 2012By

Immaculate Conception Of The Blessed Virgin Mary 2012

The Blessed Virgin Mary dispenses the benefits of the Redemption to each of us.  She is always there, watching over us.  God, Who destined the Virgin Mary to be His Mother on Earth, deemed it unfitting that one who was called to such a great and noble vocation be in even the least way imperfect.  Her redemption was anticipatory and preservative, in view of the merits won on Calvary.  This feast is not only meant to honor our Mother in Heaven but to teach us about Sanctifying Grace, the greatest of God’s gifts to us in this life.  We are the continual objects of the devil’s attacks because of his hatred for this wonderful gift we have been given.  The Immaculate Conception made Our Lady the perfect mother to us, and the refuge of all sinners.
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Mother in Joy and Sorrow

September 15, 2012By

Feast of the Seven Sorrows 2012
The Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Mother do not include all the sufferings which the Virgin Mary endured throughout her life, but only the most poignant moments of her pain.  All the sufferings Our Lord endured led to the instant of His death and our redemption.  All of His Mother’s sufferings led to that same moment.  She became the Mother of God in a moment of joy, and became our Mother in a moment of sorrow.  This is the feast that allows us to see Our Lady, devoid of all simplistic sentimentality, in the stark reality of who she really was.  The word compassion literally means to suffer with someone.  The true practice of this virtue is seldom found in our day.  It is perfectly exemplified in that deepest share the Blessed Mother was given in the sufferings of her Divine Son.
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Obedient Unto Death

September 14, 2012By

Sermon From The Feast Of
The Exaltation of the Holy Cross 2012
We should study and meditate on the cross of Our Lord, because it was on this cross that His greatest work was accomplished.  While the Son of God was suspended on the cross, He was thinking of each of us.  This device used for torture and execution has become our symbol of consolation and hope.  It was under this sign that Emperor Constantine conquered, and it was St. Helena, his mother, who led the expedition to recover the True Cross from the Holy Land.  We should not be fearful and reluctant in the face of the trials Our Lord sends us.  If we embrace these crosses, then we too will be obedient to the Will of God even unto death.

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The Example of the Saints

July 29, 2012By

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.
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Blessed are the Obedient

July 15, 2012By

7th Sunday After Pentecost 2012

There is no dignity or honor in this life greater than that of the priest – a dignity which surpasses even the angels in Heaven.  Our Lord Himself speaks through the priest at Mass and in the confessional.  Christ called His priests the “light of the world,” the same title He gave to Himself.

We have an obligation to know our catechism.  It is very difficult to distinguish the wolves from the sheep if we are not well informed about our faith.  If we had the same degree of enthusiasm for our spiritual life as we did for our past sins, we would surely save our souls.  Those who are obedient and seek opportunities to sacrifice their will for the sake of others will be blessed in this life and the next.  We can find few examples of heroic self-sacrifice greater than that of the North American Martyrs.
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