Bringing the Christmas season to its glorious conclusion, the feast of Candlemas emphasizes: [1] Jesus is the Light and Salvation for all men. [2] Simeon's example. [3] Jesus was born to be sacrificed. [4] Strive to fulfill the will of God. [5] The Blessed Virgin Mary's role. Christ is obviously the Light, but it is God's will that she place Him into the arms of Simeon and then of Anna.
St. Vincent Ferrer Pilgrimages to Our Lady of Buen Suceso in Quito, Ecuador A brief overview of the 2016 pilgrimage can be viewed / downloaded HERE. Sites we have visited on our various pilgrimages are listed below. This miraculous statue, completed by St. Francis and the archangels, will last until the end of time.Priests leading prayers during the novena processions before dawn.The incorrupt body of Mother Mariana de Jesús Torres y Berriochoa (+1635).Touched to Mother Mariana's incorrupt body, the pilgrims' sacramentals become third class relics.Sermons preached by Father are included in the Mission Talks.Monasterio de la Inmaculada ConcepciónOur Lady of the [...]
Our Lady provides a great model for what it means to be pure, which is far more than just purity in body. Purity begins in the mind. A family can't be happy unless it is a pure family. Purity helps us resist pride, selfishness, and the world. It means not judging things by our feelings but according to what God wills. Parents, practice purity and form your children accordingly. Children should not face these things alone. It is far easier to shun vice when we know the truth. Marriage is not for pleasure or self, it is to die; to die [...]
From the sermon Light, Salvation and Glory given on February 2, 2017 O most Excellent and Immaculate Queen of Heaven, Holy Mary of Good Success, most favored Daughter of the Eternal Father, most beloved Mother of the Divine Son, most cherished Spouse of the Holy Ghost, sublime throne of the Divine Majesty, august Temple of the Holy Trinity, in whom the Three Divine Persons have placed the treasures of their power, wisdom, and love! Remember, Virgin Mary of Good Success, whom God has made so great, so that thou canst give succor to miserable sinners; remember that thou has often promised [...]
One thing that greatly tarnishes mankind is the sin of impurity - lust. It darkens our intellect and stains our souls. It is thrust upon us everywhere we go and seemingly wherever we turn our eyes. We must practice the virtue of chastity. Yet our holy tradition reminds us that chastity is a fragile virtue. It is easily tarnished or broken. Chastity is like a precious vase that needs guardians to protect it. These guardians, the saints teach us, are other virtues, including humility, obedience, temperance, and love of Jesus and Mary.
Tradition tells us that as St. Simeon translated the Scriptures, an angel prevented him from adjusting the word 'virgin' to 'young maiden' in Isaias' prophecy (7:14). The angel then revealed that Simeon would not die until he had seen the long-awaited Messiah (Lk 2:26). Upon that predestined day, though he was quite old, he hastened to the Temple with the spring of youth. Simeon’s eyes immediately noted the Child Jesus, he reverently approached the Holy Family, and falling to his knees, adored the Divine Child in Mary's arms. The old man then prayed to God to release him from this life (Nunc Dimittis). St. [...]
The Christmas Season engrains in our minds Our Lady's great love for Jesus. This is what is characteristic of her heart. Mary teaches us to contemplate Jesus, for her eyes and ears were only focussed on Him. What about us? Today's feast also reminds us that Our Lady has a sorrowful suffering Heart. She suffers so that our hearts will be purified. In Christmastide, God is giving us the heart of His Blessed Mother, so that we may love, contemplate and suffer for Jesus after her example. Today is also Candlemas, the end of the Christmas season, when the Church uses [...]
