Fr. Michael Rodríguez issues a heart-felt open letter to the new pope, Leo XIV. It includes twelve pleas or requests. The world's Catholic faithful will come to learn much about the new pontiff given how he responds over the coming months (years?) to these pleas.
Consider three interrelated themes: resurrection, faith, and the Cross, which holds these themes together. We often lack faith, turning from the Cross and preferring the easier path. We fail to believe the Cross is the source of all blessings and what brings us sanctification. Eternal life comes through faith and the cross. The saints, who enjoy eternal beatitude, are models in faith and in carrying their cross. In fact, every saint carried a heavy cross. The cross purifies and strengthens your charity. And the more you love the cross, the more God works through you.
Easter is the greatest day of the year for we celebrate Christ’s great victory. Yet the resurrection only comes by means of the cross. His cross is the source of all grace and blessings. The liturgy provides many examples of this, such as the Exsultet, the Paschal Candle, the Easter Sequence, and the Veneration of the cross. Keep in mind these two truths: [1] Jesus can never be separated from His cross. [2] in the cross is salvation. We must believe and live by these truths!
Our Lord provides a remarkable example: He raises His eyes to Heaven (to pray). The Church begins every Sunday Mass in Lent with a call to prayer. We rejoice today because we go to the House of the Lord, to be with Him in this ‘house of prayer.’ Everyone can pray, no matter their station or condition. Prayer, unlike many other laws or works, has no possible substitute. We often don’t pray as we ought. So don’t just go through the motions but apply yourself to prayer with diligence and care, fervor and devotion, and especially, great faith and love. We [...]
Without the grace of God, man can do nothing towards his salvation. Yet grace is not given, in God’s ordinary providence, except to those who pray for it. Thus prayer is necessary for salvation. We ought to pray unceasingly and give thanks to God in all things. Prayer is an elevation of our soul to God to offer him our homage and ask His favors in order to grow in holiness for His glory. Prayer has four ends: adoration, thanksgiving, importation, and propitiation. We should always pray for: love of God, love of prayer, forgiveness of our sins, and a happy [...]
Year after year goes by and we don’t really live a conversion. This is because it is not easy to change our heart, intellect or will. We need God’s grace and we must never tie of praying for it. We sin because we don’t see supernatural realities. We fail to see the evil of mortal sin, the horrendous fires of hell, the beauty of Heaven, or Christ dying for us at Mass. Like the blind beggar, pray “Have mercy on me,” and beg “Lord, that I may see.” Make a serious effort this Lent to commit yourself to prayer, fasting and [...]
Continuation of the course by Father Rodríguez on the Foundations of the Christian Faith. Jesus asks every one of us "Who do you say that I am?" We all fall into the temptation of believing in Jesus as we want to; that is, we fashion God according to our own image. Many profess to be Christians and yet they reject the Church or selectively believe some of Jesus' teachings. One who truly believes in Jesus must adhere to the truth He taught and the Church He founded. Yet today it is impossible to remain perfectly faithful to both. The crisis is [...]
God’s grace is absolutely necessary to perform any good work towards obtaining eternal life. The ordinary means for obtaining this grace is prayer. In general, God only gives His grace to those who ask for it and are disposed to receive it. Through the prayers selected for Lent, the Church is teaching us how to pray and prayer's great value. In prayer one 'sets himself apart' so as to be with God. The goal of prayer is to transform the heart and mind (conversion). By prayer, one offers his heart and mind to God.
God calls us to conversion (a change of heart, intellect, and will). This conversion is not easy. We absolutely need God’s grace. One also needs to have faith and to do penance (prayer, fasting, almsgiving). All this comes from grace; so one must ask for these graces and continue to ask. The great and mysterious work of the Holy Ghost is to sanctify men’s souls via divine grace. He shows us what is good and virtuous. He strengthens us to do the good and avoid evil. Don’t let up asking for His help during Lent!
First class in a course taught by Father Rodríguez on the Foundations of the Christian Faith. Father discusses the two most foundational truths of the Catholic Faith. Every Catholic should know them and really believe them. (Father tests all his first communicants on these two points.) These two truths have innumerable consequences for how we live and how we practice the Faith. Knowing these principles helps us rebut those who ask "Well, where is that in the Bible?" or "The pope said such and such, so you have to accept it."
