Lessons on Love and Suffering

March 6, 2015By

First Friday Conference – March 2015
We know the story of Saints Perpetua and Felicity from their firsthand account.  During one of the general persecutions of the Church, these two heroic, young women gave their lives for Christ.

It is important to understand the meaning of a “type” and how God uses types or prophecies to foreshadow things to come.  We see one of the most vivid types of Christ in the patriarch Joseph.  Just as Joseph was the favorite son of his father and the envy of his brothers led to their murderous desires, so too was Our Lord, the only Son of God, put to death out of envy.  Joseph became the savior of his family by offering them life-giving bread during famine, as Christ redeemed the world and gives to us the Holy Eucharist.

Catholics should not be troubled by temptations, or confuse them with sins, but view them as opportunities for merit.  Even those trials from the devil may be turned to acts of love for God.

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No Fear of the World

March 1, 2015By

2nd Sunday in Lent 2015
There are Catholics who are giving their lives for the Faith in our own day.  What a powerful lesson that should encourage us to stand courageously with Christ in our own lives.  St. Thomas Aquinas is an excellent example for us of humility, obedience, and the need for spiritual reading.  Spiritual reading lays the foundation for mental prayer.  In the Epistle for today, St. Paul warns us about sins of the flesh and the need to preserve our bodies as the dwelling place of the Blessed Trinity.  We should have a holy fear of God and His law, but never fear of the world.
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Lent Restores Peace

February 18, 2015By

Ash Wednesday 2015
Not one word is said about punishment or damnation in the readings for this Mass, and that should give a hint to Catholics about the true spirit of this season.  There is no such thing as a private sin.  Not only are all our sins known to the heavenly court, but the whole universe is affected by them.  In the early years of the Church, public penitents were driven out of the churches, just as Adam was driven from Paradise after his sin.  This is a time of holiness, mercy, hope, and pardon, not condemnation and gloom.  We must begin Lent as we should examine our conscience, by looking at Our Lord and comparing ourselves with Him.  During Lent Christ pleads with us not to leave Him alone, so we may be united with Him forever.
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The Hymn of Charity

February 15, 2015By

Quinquagesima Sunday 2015
We are judged primarily by love.  This Epistle for today tells us that charity removes anger and evil thoughts.  Although anger can be justified and good, it can also be inordinate and sinful.  We must be patient with others, but especially with ourselves.  When they fall, those who are full of pride become impatient with themselves.  The humble thank God even for allowing them to fall to teach them how dependent they are.  We should petition God for our needs with all patience, knowing that God will answer our prayers in His own good time.  We must have a constant resolution to reject our sins and even our imperfections.
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Distrust of Self

February 8, 2015By

Sexagesima Sunday 2015
Many of the Epistles of St. Paul were dictated by him and written by his fellow disciples.  He was being attacked by false Christians, so in this Epistle he attempts to bring back the faithful who were led astray.  St. Paul’s great lesson is to distrust ourselves.  This season is the realization of original sin, but this week we learn about actual sins.  We know that we suffer in this life because of sin.  In the Gospel for this Mass Our Lord demonstrates that there is meaning behind all the words of Scripture.  We must respond completely in giving ourselves to God.
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It Is Not Easy

February 1, 2015By

Septuagesima Sunday 2015
The Epistle tells us that if we are to put our efforts into anything it should be something that really matters.  Not for the perishable rewards given in sports but for the eternal reward of Heaven.  These three Sundays are for an examination of conscience.  We should be asking during these days what we have done in our life that has truly mattered.  It is not easy to be a Catholic, because it means we will have enemies in this life.  The opinions of men do not affect our eternity.  It does not matter how we begin our life, but how we end it.  We must live with distrust of self and knowledge of our dependence on God.
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Combating Evil

January 25, 2015By

3rd Sunday after Epiphany 2015
In today’s Epistle St. Paul is telling the Christians of Rome to be at peace as much as possible with all men.  We must make an answer to God for all we do, even our idle words.  We make converts by the good example we give as Catholics.  During His public life, Christ desired to show that He was the Son of God and the only means of salvation.  The enemies of Christ, because of their jealousy, criticized Christ for the miracles He worked.  We must battle the evil of the world and within ourselves.
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The Depths of Christ’s Humility

January 1, 2015By

Octave of Christmas 2015
Jesus Christ is fully God and fully man.  If we want to know how much God loves us, all we need do is think of the Incarnation.  In all humility the Son of God bridged the infinite gap between God and man.  The closer we come to God the more we realize we are the lowest of all beings.  Pride tells a lie, which is why God answers the prayers of the humble.  This day celebrates the Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin and the Circumcision of Our Lord.  As we enter a new year, we confide our past faults to God’s mercy and live in the present.  We must be recollected and prayerful, and we must see reality as it is – even if it is unpleasant.  This is the way to peace and happiness.
#20150101

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Penance and Preparation

December 21, 2014By

Sermon From The
4th Sunday of Advent 2014
✟Father Violette
This is the last day of preparation for the birth of Christ.  To talk about penance, conversion, and self-purification is not opposed to the joy of Christmas, but necessary for true participation.  Even the Child Jesus had His Passion in mind when He first entered the world.  St. John the Baptist was the holiest man who had ever lived up to that point, yet he was not given power to change the soul through his baptism.  It is only through the merits of Christ that the sacrament of Baptism gives us new life.  Without prayer and penance, we will surely lose our way.
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+ Father Violette’s final sermon +

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Watch And Pray

November 30, 2014By

Sermon from The
1st Sunday of Advent 2014
St. Andrew was the first of the Apostles.  He traveled to Greece and even Russia, and ultimately gave his life by crucifixion in imitation of Our Lord.  We begin the new liturgical year and the reliving and re-presentation of the life of Christ, through which we are able to tap into the mysteries of His life.  We know the end of the world will come and the evil we endure now is only because of the good God will bring from it.  We must know the signs of the end so we may watch and pray, full of trust in Christ.
#20141130

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Jan
15
St. Paul the First Hermit

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