Love – Saint Vincent Ferrer Foundation

O My Adorable Infant!

DVR Fatima2024-01-12T10:37:18-05:00

From the Sermon 'Day of Joy and Pardon' given on December 25, 2023 O My Adorable Infant - by St. Alphonsus Ligouri O my dearest Redeemer, for the sake of the suffering Thou didst endure and the tears Thou didst shed in the stable of Bethlehem, give me tears – give me a great sorrow – that may make me all my life long lament the displeasure I have caused Thee. Grant me love for Thee, but such love as may compensate for the offenses I have committed against Thee. I love Thee, my Infant Savior, my Infant God. O my [...]

O My Adorable Infant!DVR Fatima2024-01-12T10:37:18-05:00

When Is It Asking Too Much

DVRodriguez2023-04-03T14:37:27-04:00

Things are now different in Passiontide. The Church covers up her saints? Why? She is merely following the spirit of her Master, who now covers up His glory. If Christ has nothing to give you, will you still follow Him? What are the limits of your love for Him? All that really matters is that we fall in love with Christ. This is the Catholic Faith. These two weeks define us as Catholics, how will you respond?

When Is It Asking Too MuchDVRodriguez2023-04-03T14:37:27-04:00

Mysteries of His Sacred Infancy

DVRodriguez2022-02-07T09:49:04-05:00

Devotion to the Child Jesus means devotion to the Mystery of the Incarnation. Meditate on the mysteries of His sacred Infancy to grow in love for Him. These mysteries highlight His humility, poverty, obedience and love. In particular, consider that He purposefully chose each of these events to begin His saving mission on earth. To love Him you must strive to imitate Him. For example, every one of us can be more detached from the world; by this we imitate His poverty.

Mysteries of His Sacred InfancyDVRodriguez2022-02-07T09:49:04-05:00

All Three Loves Must Be Well Ordered

DVRodriguez2021-05-30T07:02:03-04:00

True love needs to be ordered correctly, as all other ‘love’ is nothing but fools’ gold. Spiritual love, or love of God, must come first. Soul love, union with others, must make its choices in light of Heaven. Bodily love, provided by creatures around us, readily tends towards excess and must be moderated. When any one of these loves is out of place, one experiences trouble, emptiness and restlessness. Yet spouses, parents, siblings will inevitably fail their loved ones. One must expect this! Nevertheless, one can have perfect love, if and only if, one does not attempt to compensate these failures [...]

All Three Loves Must Be Well OrderedDVRodriguez2021-05-30T07:02:03-04:00

Your Treasure Is Where Your Heart Is

DVRodriguez2021-05-23T22:26:33-04:00

What do you love? If the heart is centered upon Heaven, then one thinks about and desires heavenly things; if on earth, then one thinks about and desires earthly things, even sinful ones. Whenever a thing is ardently loved, it draws to itself the mind and heart of the lover. The entire spiritual life can be mapped out in accordance with charity. Charity is the form of all the virtues. By it we can combat self-centeredness, lack of forgiveness, lust, selfishness, and many other vices.

Your Treasure Is Where Your Heart IsDVRodriguez2021-05-23T22:26:33-04:00

Love Your Cross

DVRodriguez2021-02-15T06:36:45-05:00

What if this was your last Lent? It may be, so make it count! Love Lent and deepen your appreciation for it. Lent is a time to practice loving God more than self; a time to place neighbor before self; a time to love soul more than body. Man has the ability to merit by his sufferings because he has a body. Thus, Lent is a time to voluntarily embrace all our crosses, that we not be caught off guard by anything the world, flesh and the devil might throw in our path. If we flee from the cross, then we [...]

Love Your CrossDVRodriguez2021-02-15T06:36:45-05:00

Jesus Deliver Us

DVRodriguez2021-02-11T08:05:32-05:00

God often exercises His power in hidden and mysteries ways that we do not expect. An example of this is His Holy Name. The Holy Name of Jesus inflames us with love for Jesus and protects us from evil. The devil is strong and cunning, so we must specifically invoke Jesus’ Name to deliver us from spiritual evils. To love Jesus is to imitate His love. Our love suffers from many defects and it must be purified and strengthened. That will only happen by God’s grace. Pray the Litany of the Most Holy Name, the Divine Praises, and brief aspirations devoutly [...]

Jesus Deliver UsDVRodriguez2021-02-11T08:05:32-05:00

Two Ways to Grow in Your Love for Jesus

DVRodriguez2021-01-25T06:15:36-05:00

Christmas brings new grace, specifically to love Jesus more and to adore Him more faithfully. We cannot live this reality without the help of the Holy Ghost. All the Saints had an immense love for and trust in the Name of Jesus. Therein they saw all His love, all His power, all He said and did while on earth. Two practical recommendations: [1] Invoke His Holy Name to overcome a specific sin you continue to struggle with — for only Jesus has the power to overcome sin. Children struggle with disobedience to parents, spouses repeatedly hurt each other, and everyone has habitual [...]

Two Ways to Grow in Your Love for JesusDVRodriguez2021-01-25T06:15:36-05:00

An Affirming and All-Inclusive church

wpengine2021-01-24T20:18:42-05:00

Our modern society prides itself on being welcoming, inclusive, and open to all ideas. This appeals to people who donu2019t feel comfortable with a u2018rule-based spirituality.u2019 Yet in such a welcoming u2018churchu2019 of the future - where the sinner and the sin are affirmed and made to feel safe - it is the Divine Child who is excluded and shunned. The worldly do not welcome the longed-for Messiah because the spirit of antichrist reigns over them and the serpent dwells in their midst. Do we really want Jesus to come? Are our hearts cold and distracted by worldly concerns or shall [...]

An Affirming and All-Inclusive churchwpengine2021-01-24T20:18:42-05:00

Active Love is a Harsh and Fearful Thing

wpengine2021-01-26T08:04:54-05:00

At Christmas, we celebrate how God became man so that man might become god. The serpent tempted Eve with this good. Fallen man still wants to make himself god without God-made-man, without His Church, without Christmas. Yet to enter into Heaven, we can't bypass Christmas and the Mystery of Christ's Incarnate Love. So many think that they have the right answer (idealists). Clinging to this "love in dreams," man actually carves out a pit into which he falls once reality sets in. Active love is a hash and fearful thing as compared to love in dreams. One must humble himself, stop [...]

Active Love is a Harsh and Fearful Thingwpengine2021-01-26T08:04:54-05:00