Virginity a Precious Christmas Gift
wpengine2025-01-01T21:42:36-05:00The prophecy of Isaias 66:7 makes sense in light of the prophecy in 7:14: A virgin will concieve [without the agency of man] and give birth to a son [while retaining her virginity]. This is a deep miraculous sign and history will never see its equal. Mary's perpetual and physical virginity - before, during and after the Birth - is infallibly defined. One who does not believe it is anathematized. Error abounds when this truth is denied or doubted. The value of virginity has been lost in our world. Yet God created the world virginally. Virginity is noble and precious. It [...]
Christian Remember Your Dignity
wpengine2025-01-02T08:21:47-05:00Christmas is such a wondrous feast that it demands great celebration. God became man that we might share in His divine nature; that man might be like God! St. Francis originated the tradition of the nativity scene so all would see the love, humility, and poverty of our good God. Yet so many live this blessed season in undignified manners, as if they were no more than material beasts. Today, the war on Christmas is even openly demonic. Oppose this blasphemy, remember your Christian dignity, and act in a godly way.
Heresy of Apollinarianism and the Tilma
wpengine2024-12-20T12:26:04-05:00We have reason to rejoice in our Holy Mother: The Church and Our Lady. Mary is the perfect type of the Church. The miraculous tilma of Guadalupe points to numerous truths about the Church: She is divine, she is alive, Jesus lives in her, she is indestructible, she is sweet even as she corrects and reproves. We also recently celebrated Pope St. Damasus (+384), who battled an anti-pope, upheld the Sacred Scriptures, and condemned heresy. He defended the Person of Christ and His two natures. These truths dispel today's popular errors that animals may be resurrected, redeemed or have eternal souls.
State of Grace
wpengine2024-12-05T17:38:14-05:00On 30 July 1945 the US Navy suffered its worse single loss of life in the sinking of the USS Indianapolis. Only 316 of the 1195 crew members survived, due in part to the efforts of Fr. Thomas Conway and Captain Edward Park. These two represent zealous priests and parents who seek to protect the youth who want to imbibe the [apparently] appealing lustful, corrosive, and deceptive waters of the world. A soul in the state of grace is more beautiful than anything we can imagine. Come what may, keep your eternal life preserver on!
Eating Fire From Above
wpengine2025-06-19T12:07:15-04:00Fire from below is delightful to the senses and fires up the imagination. It is fueled by the mass media and rarely conforms with God’s right order. But fire from above fills the heart and mind with light, grace, life, and the desire to fulfill the will of God. We receive this fire from above through Christ: His Sacrifice, His Body. St. Peter of Verona and St. Anthony Mary Claret are wonderful examples of what this fire from above accomplishes.
Abuses Against Corpus Christi
wpengine2025-06-19T15:32:54-04:00The origin of the Feast of Corpus Christi is found in a supernatural vision experienced by St. Juliana of Liege (+1258), a Norbertine nun. This feast was instituted to give greater glory to God. Unfortunately, many have become unappreciative and indifferent towards the Blessed Sacrament. We forget that it is not a thing, but that a Person resides in the Sacred Host -- a Divine Person! Our society is terribly guilty of devaluing people by objectifying them (regarding them as objects to be used instead of as persons). That mentality is being applied towards the most Blessed Sacrament. Numerous abuses occur in the New Mass, often due to lack of catechesis. This [...]
Would You Be My Valentine
wpengine2025-02-02T07:58:57-05:00February 14 is the feast of the great Catholic martyr and priest, St. Valentine. His persecutor, Claudius II, forbade Roman soldiers to marry. Since the saint officiated secret nuptial Masses, he was arrested, beaten, and beheaded. His relics remain in Rome. In addition to special graces, martyrdom requires training, which rests upon the self-denial (penance) of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. Lent provides this time of exercise, preparing us to be witnesses for Christ (martyrs). Life is not worth living unless there is something worth dying for!
JOY in Marriage
wpengine2025-02-02T08:27:27-05:00The ordering of charity according to J-O-Y (Jesus first, Others second,Yourself last) is the same as the Cross composed of love of God (vertical)and love of neighbor (horizontal). Our Lady shows her perfect adherence to this ordering in her life at the Marriage in Cana. Two practical explanations of this ordering in marriage are: [1] One ought not assist at weddings which are contrary to the laws of God and His Church. [2] The marital act must always abide by this order. The marital act must first be [1] for the procreation and formation of souls for Heaven(for love of God), then [2] for the mutual support of spouses (other) and lastly [3] for the quieting of [...]