The saints see the connectivity of all history by typology. Yet this connectivity extends even beyond the confines of this world. A type for the poor souls in Purgatory can be noted in the true story of Robert Trimble. He was an American Air Force captain striving to rescue prisoners of war in WW2. Our hearts should be moved to do all we can to help the holy souls arrive at their heavenly homeland.
Obedience is a moral virtue that inclines the human will to comply with the will of another who has the right to command. We must obey the just commands of superiors because they represent the authority that comes from God. A grave error is to think men ("the people") are the source of public authority. Our nation is founded upon this false principle. When those in authority do not acknowledge the divine source of their authority, they abuse their power, becoming despotic. Subjects in turn mock rulers and only comply out of fear. The result is social dysfunction. Having cast Christ [...]
It is ordained by God, from all eternity, that the sorrows of Our Lady be united with the sufferings of Jesus Christ –in the great sacrifice of Calvary– to make reparation for sin. On the Via Dolorosa, Our Lady fell prostrate and adored Her Son with profound reverence. The more she suffered, the more she drew nearer to the Cross. Yet what causes her the most suffering is to see her spiritual children dead. On Calvary there were two altars: one in the body of Jesus and the other in Mary's heart. She sacrificed her soul by compassion. Imitate Our Lady so [...]
St. Francis is the first recorded instance of the stigmata. Suffering with Christ –the Cross!– is central to our faith. The Cross is the source of all blessings, the cause of all grace, and the only path to Heaven. Carrying our cross well is what it means to be Catholic. Yet pride leads us to reject the cross. So we must grow in humility. Humility of intellect (an honest acknowledgement of our total dependence on God and of our real incapability of doing anything good without His assistance) makes us faithful to prayer. Humility of will (the readiness of the heart [...]
Church tradition honors St. Teresa of Avila as the virgo seraphica, doctrix mystica, and reformer of the Carmelite Order. Her life was marked by such miracles as a 'resurrection' and the transverbration. She can teach us much about mental prayer, including overcoming failures. Prayer is essential for salvation and meditation is necessary for growth in virtue. Mental prayer is nothing else than an intimate friendship, a frequent heart to heart conversation, with God. [This sermon includes a brief, yet excellent, explanation of how to do mental prayer.]
The central mystery of Our Lady's life –from which all her mysteries, privileges and perfection flow– is her Divine Motherhood. It is the reason God graced her as immaculately conceived, sinless, and perpetual virgin. Her assumption into Heaven and crowning as Queen are likewise rooted therein. It is also why she is Mediatrix of all Graces and our Spiritual Mother. In fact, all of Our Lady's apparitions manifest both her divine maternity and her spiritual motherhood of all the faithful.
The Blessed Virgin Mary united herself to her Son's Sacrifice in an all together unique way. Her participation in His Passion and Death was so profound, that she truly merited the title of Co-Redemptrix. Her thoughts and actions, as detailed in the Mystical City of God, provide an ideal model for how we are called to truly participate at Mass.
There is a terrible crisis afflicting the Church. It revolves about unimaginable loss of faith. And the depth of the crisis is accelerating. Simply consider how Catholics today view Mass and Marriage. Or how Catholics are asking, "What if the Church changes this or that teaching?" Take time to examine your own deficiencies in the faith. Pray the Rosary well, for it is a tower of salvation against the assaults of the devil. Never abandon the holy Rosary!
Devotion to Our Lady's Immaculate Heart means to know and imitate her love and perfect charity: [1] her love for God, [2] for Jesus Christ, [3] and her maternal love for us, her spiritual children. These three loves lead us to reflect upon three stages of her life: [1] annunciation / incarnation; [2] passion and death of her Son; [3] Mediatrix and Queen in Heaven. Truly, her heart is sorrowful. The fact that she willingly suffers so much is one of the greatest signs of the immensity of her love. And by her suffering she gives us a perfect example of [...]
Five cardinals sent dubias to the Vatican. Francis' answers increase doubt and raise greater concerns. Much is being said at the synodabout the theory of the 'development of doctrine.' Modernists are using this notion, first expounded by St. Vincent of Lerins, to undermine the Church. We must understand it correctly and not fall into their snares of deceit. Our understanding of a doctrine may deepen, but the meaning can never change to something contrary. Authentic development establishes identity with the past, not difference. It make us more, not less, Catholic. A reversal in doctrine is a clear sign of heresy. The [...]
