Liturgical Year

Why We Veil During Passiontide

DVRodriguez2021-03-24T15:16:36-04:00

At the start of Passiontide we cover the cross and statues inside our churches and the relics are hidden. Veiling teaches many lessons. Our Lord hides from those who wish to kill Him until His hour arrives. Theologically, the Church too follows the Lord in His Passion. Liturgically, we veil that which is sacred and contains great power. Morally, veiling calls to mind the importance of modesty. Psychologically, veiling reminds us that many things remain hidden to us at present. It signals us to mortify our disordered curiosity and unhealthy suspicions, abandoning ourselves to Divine Providence. Anagogically, this practice foreshadows Christ [...]

Why We Veil During PassiontideDVRodriguez2021-03-24T15:16:36-04:00

Rejoice Over the Crosses God Sends You

DVRodriguez2021-03-21T15:56:06-04:00

Today, the Church calls those who have been in sorrow to rejoice. This joy is not one connected to pleasures of the senses, but is a fruit of the Holy Ghost which brings great peace and tranquility of soul. It is a spiritual joy that comes from following Christ. It is a lenten joy that does not come without the Cross. It is a joy that comes through much pain and sorrow, yet it endures (unlike the passings joys of the senses). The Cross alone nourishes our love of God. So rejoice and be glad when God favors you with one [...]

Rejoice Over the Crosses God Sends YouDVRodriguez2021-03-21T15:56:06-04:00

Never Jesus Without His Cross

DVRodriguez2021-03-19T08:10:46-04:00

We must always adore Christ - that is at the center of our holy religion. We just die to our self love and offer Him our body, mind and heart. Yet no one can truly adore Christ without adoring His holy Cross. Our love of God is weak because our love of the Cross is weak and our rejection of the Cross all too frequent. Attachment to the world and love of self are so strong in us, that we must unceasingly strive to purify ourselves by fasting, prayer and almsgiving. This is the only way to grow in our love [...]

Never Jesus Without His CrossDVRodriguez2021-03-19T08:10:46-04:00

Te Deum Laudamus

DVRodriguez2021-03-18T05:11:25-04:00

Many people were longing for an end to the year 2020. But perhaps we overestimate just how bad the year was. The Church officially responds to the end of every year by giving thanks to God and providing indulgences. Yes, there were many terrible things, but like the saints and holy Job, let us recognize the Hand of God in disasters and thank Him for it. As Christians we know that all things, save sin, come from the will of God. Let us thank God for 2020. It was a year in which we learned more about ourselves as a people [...]

Te Deum LaudamusDVRodriguez2021-03-18T05:11:25-04:00

Pray to Accept and Love the Cross

DVRodriguez2021-03-16T13:03:11-04:00

Without the Cross, there is no growth in holiness. If we eliminate the Cross, we eliminate Christ. The sign of the Cross is a most terrible weapon against the devil. And yet the Cross remains a scandal and stumbling block - even for very devout Catholics. In theory, we praise it; but in practice, we lose courage, complain, and run away as soon as the possibility of suffering arises (just think how Mass and the public practice of our faith have recently been cancelled). The Cross is precious because: [1] It make us resemble Christ. [2] When well carried, it is [...]

Pray to Accept and Love the CrossDVRodriguez2021-03-16T13:03:11-04:00

A Spirit of Entitlement

DVRodriguez2021-03-09T08:48:24-05:00

There is a an entitlement complex among many youth: as if the world owes them something. Bitter complaints follow unrealistic and unmet expectations. This problem is not new. Man wishes to divorce Christ from His Cross and take the glory of Tabor without the passion of Calvary. The post-Christian West has created a cheap effeminate Christ by expecting resurrection without a cross. Today’s feast reminds us that these two mysteries of Christ (His transfiguration and death) are intimately related. This connection between glory and humiliation both moderates our joys and comforts us in our trials. A price must be paid for [...]

A Spirit of EntitlementDVRodriguez2021-03-09T08:48:24-05:00

The Church Seemingly Possessed

DVRodriguez2021-03-09T08:01:31-05:00

Consider Bl. Miriam of Jesus Crucified (+1878) as a type for the Church. God allowed the devil to possess this Carmelite mystic for forty days as a victim soul. She suffered terribly but never sinned as God preserved her soul in grace. Could Holy Mother Church presently be enduring a similar trial? The Church has so many failures and is seemingly possessed, yet she remains the holy and immaculate Bride of Christ. This has caused a breakdown in authority. All faithful souls feel a certain aloneness as they struggle to defend their fortress. We need great patience, perseverance and fortitude to [...]

The Church Seemingly PossessedDVRodriguez2021-03-09T08:01:31-05:00

Crux Fidelis

DVRodriguez2021-03-16T10:13:47-04:00

The Cross has has the power to convert and sanctify, even the most hardened sinners. Lent brings the Cross before us in a more spiritually intense way. Consider the Good Friday Liturgy as a powerful example. Jesus prays and fasts in the desert for forty days and endures temptation, especially to prepare Himself for His passion and death on the Cross. Should not we catholics do the same? Do your best this Lent to grow in devotion for the Cross. Prayer, fasting, and alms giving are the means to detach us from sin, the world, selfishness and attach us profoundly to [...]

Crux FidelisDVRodriguez2021-03-16T10:13:47-04:00

Three Pillars of Penance

DVRodriguez2021-02-27T06:38:57-05:00

Prayer, fasting and almsgiving are at the very foundation of our spiritual life as Catholics. We must practice them in order to grow in God’s grace. All three require a profound interior disposition. Prayer grows our love for God, almsgiving increases our love of neighbor and detachment from the world, and fasting requires our death to self. These pillars of penance are the most important ways to store up treasures in Heaven and combat the obstacles to receiving God’s grace. This Lent, I exhort you to pray the Rosary more devoutly, meditate upon the Stations of the Cross, grow in your [...]

Three Pillars of PenanceDVRodriguez2021-02-27T06:38:57-05:00

Immensity of Gods Infinite Goodness

DVRodriguez2021-02-27T06:27:11-05:00

God, and His infinite perfections, is always the starting point of our religion. For example, He always teaches us the truth. His patience and kindness is unfathomable. God bestows His graces so liberally; yet man remains terribly unappreciative. God is disposed to give us whatever we need, if we but turn to Him with faith. The more we become aware of how good God is, the more our hearts shall be inflamed with love for Him. So what are the obstacles to God’s word and grace taking root in our hearts? The devil. The weakness of our mind, heart, and will. [...]

Immensity of Gods Infinite GoodnessDVRodriguez2021-02-27T06:27:11-05:00