What the Season Teaches

December 30, 2012By

Sunday within the Octave of Christmas 2012
St. Paul tells us that although we were under the dominion of the world, we are the adopted sons of God and heirs of His kingdom.  It was prophesied that those who accepted the Messias will rise, while those who reject him will fall.  We have three major feasts after Christmas: St. Stephen, St. John, and the Holy Innocents.  We are taught by St. Stephen that it will not be easy to follow Christ.  St. John teaches us that we will be called to stand against heresy as he did in the first century.  And the Holy Innocents remind us of the secular persecution which desires to put Christ to death once again.  We must resist the attacks on the family which are widespread.  We must be thankful because we have been blessed.  We are the shepherds who have been chosen to approach the manger.
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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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We Are the Happiest of Mankind

December 2, 2012By

Sermon from The
1st Sunday of Advent 2012
The Catholic Faith is clear and transparent in its revelation of truth.  The effects of the sacrament of matrimony are the increase of Sanctifying Grace and the special graces to aid in the raising of children.

Once again, as we approach the feast of the Nativity, we are forced to defend the doctrine of the perpetual virginity of the Blessed Mother from the attacks of evil clergy, while those who hold to tradition are accused of heresy.

The beginning of the new liturgical year is a chance for a fresh start.  Our resolution for this year should be the liturgy. We should resolve to be faithful in attending Mass, which is the official prayer of the Church, in addition to reciting faithfully the Rosary.  We are reminded of the fearful signs of the end of time because this fear is the beginning of wisdom.  However, there is a ray of hope in this Gospel account.  In that last day we will lift up our heads for the vindication of the just.
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Bear with One Another in Charity

November 11, 2012By

24th Sunday after Pentecost 2012
10am Mass
Living with our fellow man is always difficult.  Remembering the numerous occasions in which we knowingly or unknowingly afflict our neighbor will make it far easier to endure his shortcomings.  Charity is the bond of perfection because when we possess it we love God more than we love ourselves.  We go to God as He is in Himself and surrender ourselves, seeking to be united to Him.  Without charity all the other virtues are worthless, because they are all so many modes of expressing divine love.  God has loved us first, and by expressing our love for Him we only return the love He has given us.

In this parable of the weeds, we are given a bleak look into the life of the Church.  We have the explanation of this parable from the words of Christ Himself.  It is a prophetic story about the evil to be found within the Church especially among the clergy.  However, these trials can also bring out the very best in the faithful who courageously stand against the incursions of the devil.
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Joy Amidst Suffering

November 9, 2012By

Conference On Purgatory
1st Friday November 2012
The Holy Souls in Purgatory experience eviternity, or what is called discontinuous time, which is that time which measures the change in a soul.  God lives in a reality independent of time, and one might say that the souls in Purgatory live in a reality between time and eternity.  If one dies without being completely prepared, the presence of God would be too intense for the soul to endure.  It must first be purified completely before seeing God, and this is the reason for Purgatory.  The joy experienced in Purgatory is like the joy of Heaven amidst suffering.
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Everything from God’s Hand

September 23, 2012By

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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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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God’s Gratuitous Gifts

September 9, 2012By

Sermon From The
15th Sunday after Pentecost 2012
✟Father Violette
If we wish to know how we are to live our lives, we need only study the Holy Liturgy.  So often when we read the Gospels it is as if we are being instructed on a certain topic for the very first time.  Today’s Collect tells us that we should cry out to God in our helplessness.  Unfortunately, too few of us appreciate how helpless we really are.  We cannot do anything in our natural state to obtain our ultimate goal of Heaven.  We all bear one another’s burdens.  Not only do we suffer because of the sins of others, but we benefit from the merits of the saints.  We are called to live a holy life so that we may save our own souls and those of our neighbors.
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The Slavery of Impurity

July 22, 2012By

8th Sunday after Pentecost 2012
When devout Catholics hear about a tragedy on the news, they should feel the obligation to pray for the bodily and spiritual well-being of those affected.  It is not for us to question the will of God.  What we are to suffer and when we are to die is all according to His providence.

St. Paul instructs us to avoid being debtors and slaves to the flesh.  The Gospel does not commend the evil acts of the unjust steward, but his forethought and clever prudence in achieving his goals.  This was the secret of the saints, who were solicitous in achieving their ultimate goal in Heaven.  There are countless stories of those who have given themselves over to the slavery of sin, especially sins of impurity, which should serve as a dire warning to us all.
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St. Monica and the Force of Will

May 4, 2012By

Conference from
1st Friday May 2012
In the early Church, widowhood was considered a special vocation for women.  Widows would dedicate themselves to the care of the church and looked to St. Monica as their special patron.  The tears of St. Monica merited the conversion of her son, who left behind his dissolute life and became one of the greatest theologians and philosophers of the Church.  St. Monica came from a Christian family in Northern Africa.  As a young woman she was inclined to drink excessively.  When this vice was discovered, in her shame, St. Monica vowed to never drink wine again and kept that promise for the rest of her life.

When the force of the human will is aided by divine assistance it is truly astounding what can be accomplished.  If we want something enough, we do what is necessary to get it, but if we don’t want to do it, the least excuse will prevent us from trying.  If we are forgetful of self, focused on our duty, and rely on divine assistance, we will overcome the greatest obstacles.
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