First Sunday In Lent 2016
After hearing the importance of Psalm 90 for Lent and the sacramental of ashes, Father gives suggestions for penances and practices for this holy season. From the Gospel Our Lord teaches us how to combat the devil and temptations. St. Valentine’s day is explained in light of the saint whose feast is honored on Feb. 14.
Ash Wednesday 2016
We hear the words of Genesis today that we are dust and unto dust we shall return. The Church tells us these words to help us remain humble. Following the example of Job, even in the midst of troubles and sufferings we must remain docile to God’s will. Practicing penance will avert the punishments of God, but we must have sincere sorrow from the depths of our heart for having offended Him. Fasting, almsgiving, prayer, and spiritual reading, are powerful means of sanctification. However, we should never allow these good works to become a show or hypocritical. God gave us a free will so that we may choose to love Him. This is not a time of sorrow, but one of inner peace and happiness.
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Passion Sunday 2015
“The reason that you do not hear is because you are not of God.” We should pray that these frightening words are never directed towards us. We must ask ourselves who is more evil, the people in this Gospel who desire to put Christ to death, or all of us, who believe in Christ’s divinity and still continue to sin? There is still time to hear the voice of God and change the direction of our lives. This season of the Passion is given to us so we may make a conversion of life. We must follow the example of the Apostles’ conversion in these final days of Lent.
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Laetare Sunday 2015
Penance has a variety of meanings. It refers to the infused virtue that inclines a person to hate his faults, the sacrament of penance, and the works we perform to make up for our sins. Mortification refers to works which put to death evil inclinations. Propitiation is an act by which someone who has been offended is now appeased. The Mass and our prayers are great works of propitiation. When we make satisfaction, we punish ourselves for our sins. Our sufferings may be offered to God as a form of satisfaction. Atonement refers to the union with God which is achieved when our sins are expiated or wiped away. This is the Sunday of the Golden Rose, on which the pope would take a golden rose and give it to a privileged monarch, who was favored by the pope. The rose is seen as a foretaste of the happiness of Heaven.
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3rd Sunday in Lent 2015
This is the Mass of sight, and today we ask God to let us see the truth and follow it. Today we are reminded to know our enemy and not underestimate him. The miracle of this Gospel is discredited by modern “theologians,” who are the equivalent of the pharisees in our day. Every Mass during this season is teaching us. We are like the catechumens during this season and should take advantage of the lessons in the Mass texts, which warn us about the devil and encourage us to be forearmed against his assaults.
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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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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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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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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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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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