King and Lawgiver

March 10, 2013By

Sermon From
4th Sunday In Lent – Laetare Sunday 2013
We pray for the election of a holy pope, which is so necessary in these times of unprecedented crisis in the Church.  Although we have little confidence in any natural means to accomplish this desire, we place our hope in God and His divine intervention.

This is one of the two days when rose, the liturgical color of mitigated joy, is used.  It is also called the “Day of the Golden Rose.”  On this day a papal procession carried a golden rose, which had been blessed and placed on the altar during the Mass, and gifted this rose to a certain Catholic monarch as a sign of the pope’s favor.

We are given a foretaste of the pleasure and joy of Eternal beatitude with every reception of the Holy Eucharist.  How many people join the Catholic Church for the simple reason that they desire to be intimately united to Christ in this sacrament?

Every part of the Bible is true, but we must remember that it can be interpreted in the literal, the applied and the typical sense.  Events of the New Testament are foreshadowed by the events of the Old Testament.  The readings of the Divine Office this week give an example of the typical sense of Holy Scripture in Moses, who foreshadows Our Lord in our redemption.
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The Saints and Angels

September 30, 2012By

Sermon From The
18th Sunday after Pentecost 2012
St. Jerome was an extraordinarily learned man, especially in the fields of rhetoric and language. Pope St. Damasus commissioned him to translate the entirety of the Bible into Latin. To this day the translation of St. Jerome, known as the Vulgate, is considered the official scriptural translation of the Catholic Church.

St. Francis of Assisi is one of the most beloved saints of the Church. After hearing the words of the Gospel preached in a sermon, he renounced his inheritance and worldly possessions and dedicated his life to God. Although he is mistakenly viewed as a saint of ecology, he only wrote so beautifully about the natural world because of the gift of knowledge, which he possessed to a great degree. This mystic gift enables a soul to see the emptiness of the world except for its expression of God’s glory.

The feast of the Holy Guardian Angels celebrates all those angels that are given to us from birth to watch over and protect us. We should frequently speak and pray to our Guardian angels. In the Gospel of that Mass, Our Lord warns against the sin of scandal. We are called to avoid evil and the appearances of evil. The clergy and parents in particular must be on guard against this terrible sin.
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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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The Flesh Of The Sea

March 18, 2012By

Sermon From
4th Sunday In Lent – Laetare Sunday 2012
This day marks the midpoint of Lent, so it is important to renew our spirit of penance for this season. If we desire to come in contact with Our Lord, we must inter into the waters of Baptism. This is why the fish has been used from ancient times as a symbol of the Holy Eucharist, because one must enter into the water to obtain the “flesh of the sea.” Like St. Peter who walked on the sea to reach Christ, through Baptism we are able to receive Our Lord in Holy Communion.

Too few Catholics know how to pray correctly. Our Lord cannot resist our prayers when they come from the soul. We may reach such a degree of prayer that we remain always recollected in the presence of God.

The Gospel readings from the previous week remind us how grateful we should be that our judgment is in the hands of such a loving Lord.

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We the Penitents and Catechumens

February 22, 2012By

Ash Wednesday 2012
The time leading up to the season of Lent is to help us follow the example of the catechumens and public sinners of the early Church.  The Sundays that comprise Septuagesima take to heart all that was in the mind of these two groups of people.

After God told Noah of His regret for creating mankind because of their rebellion, and after He destroyed the world with the deluge, he sent the dove with an olive branch to make peace with humanity.  It is important to remember that God desires not our damnation, but our salvation.

Many people dislike the season of Lent because they are forced to see their true sinful nature.  When we see ourselves in this way it should spur us to a deep detestation and a humble confession of our sins.  This humility is the recognition of the truth about ourselves.

The principal works of penance are prayer, especially the Holy Mass and mental prayer, spiritual reading, and the gift of alms.  If we can overcome one habit of sin through these works, we have made great progress towards sanctity..

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That We May Hope

December 4, 2011By

Sermon From The
2nd Sunday of Advent 2011
The Holy Bible, and particularly the New Testament, was written primarily to strengthen the faith of those who already believe.  It is meant to give continual education and guidance to the faithful.  We should treat the word of God with the greatest reverence.  If we read Holy Scripture regularly, the words will become imprinted in our hearts and come to mind when they are most needed.

Our Lord fulfilled His promise to the ancient Hebrews when He became man, but for the gentile nations, God had no promise or obligation.  He came to us out of love alone.  This should make us all the more humble and grateful.  This season was given to us so that we might have a deeper gratitude for what our Redeemer has done for us.  In order to appreciate how good Our Lord is, we must first appreciate the state of our wretchedness and the evil of sin – its cause.  In this knowledge of ourselves we cry out, “If You will, Lord, You can make me clean!”
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