Liturgical Year

Three Classes of Men

DVRodriguez2023-08-13T06:14:54-04:00

In his Spiritual Exercises, St. Ignatius provides a powerful meditation on three classes of men. Which one are you? Do you strive to eliminate sin from your life? Do attachments prevent you from attaining your heavenly goal? Do you implement the means necessary to get rid of attachments? Or do you want both: God and your earthly goods. If so, you constantly rationalize your self-indulgence. Yet sanctity is radical. It is complete indifference. Nothing matters but God. This is the challenge before you. How do you respond to Christ the King? He calls you to follow Him in everything! Have you [...]

Three Classes of MenDVRodriguez2023-08-13T06:14:54-04:00

Devotion of All Devotions

DVRodriguez2023-08-12T07:51:48-04:00

"The devotion of all devotions is love for Jesus Christ – and frequent meditation on the love which this amiable Redeemer has borne and still bears to us" (St. Alphonsus). Our holy religion is not primarily about saying prayers, following the commandments, or doing good deeds. Rather, all we do should first and foremost be a conscious and intentional expression of our love for Christ. We make little progress in the spiritual life and remain in the same sins because we take little care to acquire the love of Christ. This has great relevance for the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, [...]

Devotion of All DevotionsDVRodriguez2023-08-12T07:51:48-04:00

Summary of Our Religion

DVRodriguez2023-07-20T17:16:06-04:00

The popes teach devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus is the summary of our religion, of the whole mystery of our redemption. This makes perfect sense as it has to do with the infinite love of the Blessed Trinity for us. This devotion is directed towards the love of God for us. We are to adore His Sacred Heart, give thanks for It, and live so as to imitate It. It entails three kinds of devotion: of love, of reparation and of imitation. Consider the example of three saints: Gertrude the Great, Catherine of Siena and Clare of Montefalco. O [...]

Summary of Our ReligionDVRodriguez2023-07-20T17:16:06-04:00

Powerful Links in Church Feasts

DVRodriguez2023-07-04T08:27:58-04:00

Time is ordered to God and serves God. The liturgical feasts of June are clearly connected; they reveal how the Holy Ghost is at work. After Pentecost, feast of the Holy Ghost, we turn to the Blessed Trinity because the Holy Ghost reveals who God is. Yet faith in God and faith in the Eucharist are inseparable, so next we celebrate Corpus Christi. Our Lord requested the Feast of the Sacred Heart conclude the Octave of Corpus Christi. In the Blessed Sacrament Our Lord manifests His love and continues to suffer immensely, on account of man's ingratitude and indifference. The Holy [...]

Powerful Links in Church FeastsDVRodriguez2023-07-04T08:27:58-04:00

The Harrowing of Hell

DVRodriguez2023-06-30T19:31:49-04:00

By way of comparison, Our Lord used his own 'Trojan Horse' strategy to strip hades (death) and satan of their spoils. He took a human nature and flesh from the Virgin's womb so that by dying He could pass through the gates of the netherworld. The 'Gospel' of Nicodemus, an ancient Christian text, piously narrates this tradition. We profess our faith in this truth every Sunday when we pray the Creed, "... He descended into hell."

The Harrowing of HellDVRodriguez2023-06-30T19:31:49-04:00

The Art of Complaining

DVRodriguez2023-06-30T18:46:23-04:00

Complaining is a human universal. Why do we complain? Two reasons: [1] Because of our ingratitude. Reality does not line up with what we want. God has given us everything even though we don't deserve it. To complain is immature. We must grow up! [2] Because we lack courage. We complain to illegitimatize something and then not have to give ourselves to it. Complaining is delaying the necessity of action. We lack courage. The only cure is to know Christ – to believe in Him. We have no greater model than the Sacred Heart.

The Art of ComplainingDVRodriguez2023-06-30T18:46:23-04:00

How to Glorify the Blessed Trinity

DVRodriguez2023-06-30T17:35:15-04:00

Everything in our holy religion is related to the great mystery of the Blessed Trinity; for example: the Sacraments, the angels, the Rosary, the psalms, and all our prayers.The Family mirrors the Trinity and is supremely sacred. That's why today's transgenderism is absolutely abhorrent; it is a direct and terrible attack upon the Blessed Trinity. In our times so much glory is being taken away from God and directed instead towards man. Yet we are called to give God glory! The first step is to know the Truth about Him. The second is to love and serve Him. A key element [...]

How to Glorify the Blessed TrinityDVRodriguez2023-06-30T17:35:15-04:00

Each of Us is Wounded

DVRodriguez2023-06-22T09:45:36-04:00

Who is the Holy Ghost? What does He do? How are we to pray to Him? We find a simple answer in the Church's prayer. Come, and bring us the Truth. Come, and fill us with Thy Love. The Holy Ghost comes to heal the wounds which we all carry in our heart and soul, wounds caused by those we should trust most and who should most willingly sacrifice for us. We can't do it on our own. Without Him we are lost. Invoke the Holy Ghost, asking Him to enlighten, purify, console, heal, strengthen and sanctify you.

Each of Us is WoundedDVRodriguez2023-06-22T09:45:36-04:00

The Original Novena

DVRodriguez2023-06-22T08:41:32-04:00

I exhort you to live according to the world, but according to the liturgical year. For example, this period is the origin of the novena, a privileged form of prayer. I recommend you pray a novena to the Holy Ghost in the nine days leading up to Pentecost and another during the nine days following Pentecost.

The Original NovenaDVRodriguez2023-06-22T08:41:32-04:00

Three Stories of Our Lady

DVRodriguez2023-08-20T17:21:43-04:00

Father shares three true stories to encourage you to be more devoted to the Blessed Virgin Mary. He exhorts you to place greater confidence in her and never tire in taking your prayers to her. These stories – Our Lady of Montserrat, St. Joan of Arc, and The Bouquet from 1857 – also provide an example for mothers (and children). He concludes with twelve simple ways to practice devotion to Mary (in honor of the twelve stars of her crown).

Three Stories of Our LadyDVRodriguez2023-08-20T17:21:43-04:00