Penance

God Loves the Cheerful Alms Giver

DVRodriguez2021-03-02T04:53:28-05:00

A perfect Lent requires prayer, fasting and giving alms. Our Lady at Lourdes and the Angel at Fatima insisted upon a three-fold ‘Penance! Penance! Penance!’ The Archangel Raphael reminds Tobias, “Prayer is good with fasting and alms more than to lay up treasures of gold: For alms delivereth from death, and the same is that which purgeth away sins, and maketh to find mercy and life everlasting” (12:8-9). The world undergoes terrible temptations towards materialism. In fact, the grave crisis we face is due in no small part to men failing to piously use their wealth to combat evil and support [...]

God Loves the Cheerful Alms GiverDVRodriguez2021-03-02T04:53:28-05:00

Lenten Spirituality of St Francis de Paola

DVRodriguez2021-02-16T07:37:37-05:00

St Francis Paola (1416-1507), an extraordinary miracle worker, founded an order of Franciscan hermits: The Minims. They were to be ‘minimal’ in their possessions and diet and in the eyes of the world. They also took a fourth vow: to perpetually live in accordance with the Church’s ancient Lenten discipline. Theirs was a lifelong fast and abstinence from meat and all animal products. St. Francis required this rigor as a heroic act of mortification and to make reparation for the laxity that had entered into Christians’ lenten practices — in the 15th century! He knew that any austerity can be embraced [...]

Lenten Spirituality of St Francis de PaolaDVRodriguez2021-02-16T07:37:37-05:00

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

Recover the Majesty of God

DVRodriguez2020-11-13T21:49:50-05:00

Christ our Savior made a great sacrifice to which all are invited. But many make excuses, having more 'important' things to do. Consider our situation today. So many have 'Covid related excuses' for canceling or missing Mass. God desires us to give Him glory and make Him first in our life. The most important way we do this is by uniting ourselves to the glory that only Christ can give God, and that is the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. If the Mass is set aside, it is impossible to give just and due glory to God! Yet we are 'too [...]

Recover the Majesty of GodDVRodriguez2020-11-13T21:49:50-05:00

Get Serious About Your Salvation

DVRodriguez2020-03-07T05:48:24-05:00

Behold now is the acceptable time, now is the day of salvation! We exhort you that you receive not the grace of God in vain! God offers so many graces, always to either move us into a state of grace or to increase the grace we already have. The state of your soul - your salvation - is supremely important to Him; it must be for you too! If you faithfully reflect upon death, you will get more serious about your salvation. All of must die and leave everything behind. An eternity awaits each of us - an eternity of unspeakable happiness and delight or an eternity [...]

Get Serious About Your SalvationDVRodriguez2020-03-07T05:48:24-05:00

We Must Conquer Temptation

DVRodriguez2020-03-07T05:44:24-05:00

If you are already struggling this Lent - that is good! If its going along with ease, you probably aren't doing the penances you need. Lent is a time to fight temptation. God permits temptations to enable us to grow in virtue and holiness. The Devil's ultimate temptation against Christ was to come down from the Cross. This lies at the root of every temptation - to flee from the Cross. This is because it is through the Cross that God chooses to conquer. Christ allowed Himself to be tempted to: [1] Undo them temptation of our first parents; [2] Strengthen us against temptation; [...]

We Must Conquer TemptationDVRodriguez2020-03-07T05:44:24-05:00

Chair of St. Peter

DVRodriguez2020-02-26T08:28:52-05:00

Two brief daily sermons. * The teaching office of St. Peter and his successors points us to Christ, for it is Christ who entrusted the Church with the mission of preserving, preaching and transmitting, until the end of time, His teaching - integrally and faithfully. By virtue of baptism, each one of us has the responsibility of persevering in this saving doctrine. Many Catholics are confused regarding the Church's dogma on the pope's teaching authority, so here we briefly review it. * Blessed ashes are a holy symbol of three spiritual exercises: [1] Sorrow and contrition for one's sins; [2] Penance and mortification; and [3] [...]

Chair of St. PeterDVRodriguez2020-02-26T08:28:52-05:00

Rend Your Hearts

DVRodriguez2020-02-11T09:14:20-05:00

Holy Mother Church grants us the liturgical time of Septuagesima to prepare for Lent. This is a time for conversion, conversion, conversion! Lent is a time, more than any other, to turn away from sin to God. God asks that we give Him our heart. If you want to know to what degree you love God, honestly assess how you use your time and your money. God further asks that we change our heart. Yet this is not easy, which is why people usually don't do it. We need the light of Christ to see sin - in the world and [...]

Rend Your HeartsDVRodriguez2020-02-11T09:14:20-05:00

Penance Prepares Us

DVRodriguez2019-12-31T16:50:42-05:00

Christmas Vigil is a day of penance, of fasting and abstinence. Why? So as to make room for Christ on our hearts. Jesus comes to save us and to judge us. We have to be prepared. The better one prepares, the more one will be disposed to receive Him, His Love, and His grace. Prayers by St. Alphonsus and meditations upon the Holy Family are aids in this preparation.

Penance Prepares UsDVRodriguez2019-12-31T16:50:42-05:00

The Power of Compunction

svfonline2019-07-30T07:40:34-04:00

On 13 Oct 1917, the little shepherdess Lucia asked Our Lady at Fatima, “I have many things to ask of You: to heal some sick people and to convert some sinners…” The beautiful Lady responded: “Some, yes; others, no. People must amend their lives and ask pardon for their sins. [then growing still more sad, She added] They must not offend Our Lord any more for He is already too much offended.” Our Lady said some of the prayers, conversions, and healings would be denied. Why? These people were not committed to amending their lives. They did not have true contrition. [...]

The Power of Compunctionsvfonline2019-07-30T07:40:34-04:00