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Frequently Sigh After Heaven

DVRodriguez2025-04-16T13:30:19-04:00

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 [...]

Frequently Sigh After HeavenDVRodriguez2025-04-16T13:30:19-04:00

Primer on Prayer

DVRodriguez2025-04-05T21:03:51-04:00

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 [...]

Primer on PrayerDVRodriguez2025-04-05T21:03:51-04:00

Help Us O God Our Savior

DVRodriguez2025-03-29T23:06:10-04:00

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 [...]

Help Us O God Our SaviorDVRodriguez2025-03-29T23:06:10-04:00

The Church and the Truth

DVRodriguez2025-03-29T09:48:45-04:00

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 [...]

The Church and the TruthDVRodriguez2025-03-29T09:48:45-04:00

The Key of Divine Treasures

DVRodriguez2025-03-23T10:13:19-04:00

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.

The Key of Divine TreasuresDVRodriguez2025-03-23T10:13:19-04:00

We Have to Persevere

DVRodriguez2025-03-24T17:47:06-04:00

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!

We Have to PersevereDVRodriguez2025-03-24T17:47:06-04:00

Two Most Important Mysteries

DVRodriguez2025-03-11T21:04:56-04:00

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."

Two Most Important MysteriesDVRodriguez2025-03-11T21:04:56-04:00

Three Images for the Whole Year

DVRodriguez2025-03-08T14:18:28-05:00

Jesus was born in order to die for us. Colossians 3:17 aptly describes our fitting response. Three 'Christmas' images which help us keep this response in mind are: [1] The Blessed Mother offering her Son in sacrifice in the temple. [2] Jesus teaching the truth in the temple. [3] Jesus the King teaching from His cathedra. It is necessary to hear and transmit the teaching of Christ and to worship God rightly. Keeping these three images in your mind and heart will help you be faithful to God's grace and to grow in His grace.

Three Images for the Whole YearDVRodriguez2025-03-08T14:18:28-05:00

Cooperate with Actual Graces

DVRodriguez2025-03-03T17:29:18-05:00

Each of us struggles mightily with conversion. Let us not receive the grace of God in vain. Sanctifying grace – the life of God – gives us eternal life. Actual grace is a supernatural help which God bestows upon us daily to work out our salvation. When we cooperate with grace we merit more graces. But the abuse of God's grace prevents us from receiving further graces. There is direct relationship between the amount of grace in our soul when we die and the level at which we will experience the beatific vision of God for all eternity. God is faithful. [...]

Cooperate with Actual GracesDVRodriguez2025-03-03T17:29:18-05:00

My Son, Give Me Thy Heart

DVRodriguez2025-03-03T21:04:32-05:00

Septuagesima season is another example of the great need for us to recover our Catholic Faith. God is calling each of us to be converted to Him with all our heart [intellect & will]. Penitential practices – such as prayer, fasting and almsgiving – are meant to bring about this conversion. To give God our heart, we must be less attached to our own will (that's the biggest problem in all relationships). We also give him our heart by being faithful to the Church's lex orandi, lex credendi. In all this, we look to imitate the Immaculate and Sorrowful Heart of [...]

My Son, Give Me Thy HeartDVRodriguez2025-03-03T21:04:32-05:00