73 Pentecost 13th Sunday

Immaculate and Sorrowful Heart of Mary

DVRodriguez2023-10-24T14:08:33-04:00

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 [...]

Immaculate and Sorrowful Heart of MaryDVRodriguez2023-10-24T14:08:33-04:00

A Potent Collect Prayer

DVRodriguez2022-11-26T07:31:19-05:00

Draw your attention to the Church’s Collect Prayer in general and today in particular. We beg God for an increase of faith, hope and charity. We can’t grow in them based on our own will and effort. God promises them to us and they are His free gifts to us. Nevertheless, we must do our part to merit them. We also ask God to help us love His Commandments. Too often men erroneously view God’s law as burdensome; yet it is an expression of His love.

A Potent Collect PrayerDVRodriguez2022-11-26T07:31:19-05:00

Saintly Monarchs and Machiavellian Apostates

DVRodriguez2022-09-22T07:40:56-04:00

The Church recently celebrated two great monarchs: St. Louis IX of France and St Stephen of Hungary. What a great blessing for a nation to have a virtuous Catholic ruler! But what a curse it must be to have an bad [apostate] Catholic in power – as we do today. Apparently heeding Machiavelli's advice, he acts as if the ends justify the means and prefers to be feared than loved. He eschews natural and divine laws, following instead Alinsky's Rules for Radicals. His cruel methods serve to anger, hurt and polarize. Might this signal a twilight of 'The American Experiment?'

Saintly Monarchs and Machiavellian ApostatesDVRodriguez2022-09-22T07:40:56-04:00

Glowing Maternal Heart

DVRodriguez2021-09-06T08:11:02-04:00

There is a deep connection between Mary's Immaculate Heart and the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Our Lady pondered and preserved in her heart all the wondrous events of her Son - especially His Passion (cf. Lk 2:19, 51). As a very real mother, Our Lady took note of the slightest details regarding her Son. Her heart is a sacred depository of God. Now Holy Mass makes all these mysteries - contained in her Immaculate Heart - present for us! We are meant to ponder and preserve the Passion, marvelous mysteries, and events of Christ's life. Imitate Mary thus and you [...]

Glowing Maternal HeartDVRodriguez2021-09-06T08:11:02-04:00

Nativity of Mary

svfonline2019-09-13T07:13:11-04:00

Holy Job, a grandson of Esau and a wealthy king of Edom, was blameless and upright for he feared God and shunned every sort of evil. We know of him through an ancient book authored by Moses. Job is best known for the suffering God allowed satan to inflict upon him, testing his faith and patience. He never spoke against God but did 'curse' the day he was born. In this vale of tears, many people can commiserate with him. Our Church in fact does not celebrate the natural birthdays of saints but their deaths, their birthdays into Heaven if you [...]

Nativity of Marysvfonline2019-09-13T07:13:11-04:00

Dependence Upon God is Freedom

svfonline2019-09-10T06:36:29-04:00

There are three basic 'rules' for satanists: [1] Do what you want; [2] No one has the right to command you; [3] You are your own god. These false maxims give the impression of freedom (independence), but lead to ruin and destruction. On the other hand, Catholics honor Our Lady because she is supremely successful in being completely dependent upon God. No part of our Our Lady is "free" of God. In fact, while virginity in man is complete dependence, virginity in God is complete autonomy! God in turn grants dominion upon His dependents. Protestants misunderstand Our Lady because they fail to value [...]

Dependence Upon God is Freedomsvfonline2019-09-10T06:36:29-04:00