Sacraments

What Does It Mean to Be Merciful

DVRodriguez2024-08-29T17:54:41-04:00

God shows His power most by being merciful. Yet this is terribly misunderstood. Mercy means we see someone who is suffering and are moved to act! Mercy means replacing an evil with a good and thereby alleviating the suffering. We find this mercy in the Sacrament of Penance. Too often Catholics lose respect and honor for the sacrament; then one fails to receive all the available graces. Review how to make a good confession. See the greatness of what God is giving us. The examples of Saints Mary Magdalene. Zacheus, and Dismas will help enliven our souls with true contrition.

What Does It Mean to Be MercifulDVRodriguez2024-08-29T17:54:41-04:00

Nothing Greater That One Can Do

DVRodriguez2023-09-18T12:16:42-04:00

Every person is created to profess true Faith in Jesus Christ and to truly love Him. This is precisely what we do when receive Holy Communion worthily. This is the path to Heaven. It applies to us all. And Mary is an integral part. She suffers so much because she loves so much. On the occasion of his nephew's First Holy Communion, Fr. Rodríguez considers Our Lady of Sorrows role in the Sacrifice of her Son and Its fruits.

Nothing Greater That One Can DoDVRodriguez2023-09-18T12:16:42-04:00

The Life of Grace

DVRodriguez2023-09-16T09:43:27-04:00

On the occasion of his niece's christening, Fr. Rodríguez invites us to consider the profound connection between Our Lady of Sorrows and the Sacrament of Baptism.

The Life of GraceDVRodriguez2023-09-16T09:43:27-04:00

Holy Matrimony is Practicing for Heaven

DVRodriguez2023-01-13T09:36:20-05:00

The bride and groom who marry do not have true love. What they have has the potential to reach perfection as authentic ennobling love. Sadly, it can also develop into a mere coexistence and ignobility. Which shall it be? In this world, suffering is the proof of love and gives love its meaning and value. Love in marriage must mirror the love of the Blessed Trinity. It is indissoluble and self-effacing, thereby spirating love and life. Sacrifice your excellence. Bear one another. In the company of saints we become saints. The moving example of Saint Eulogius and the Cripple teach us [...]

Holy Matrimony is Practicing for HeavenDVRodriguez2023-01-13T09:36:20-05:00

Horror for Every Kind of Sin

DVRodriguez2022-11-19T08:28:09-05:00

Be devoted to Our Lady’s Immaculate Heart by striving to share her heart’s five principal sentiments: [1] Horror for all sin. [2] Scorn for this corrupt world. [3] Lowest esteem for self. [4] Profound love for all the things of God. [5] Veneration and love for the Cross. How very unlike her heart is our heart. Who amongst us desires to be humiliated? A hatred for sin will lead to greater contrition and a better confession. Meditating upon the Stations of the Cross will also increase our horror for sin and our contrition.

Horror for Every Kind of SinDVRodriguez2022-11-19T08:28:09-05:00

Reparation and the Precious Blood

DVRodriguez2022-10-17T07:15:15-04:00

Holy Mass, Confession, and Holy Communion are the great vessels, or fountains, of the Precious Blood. We must place the greatest importance upon them, for their power is far above our devotions and sacramentals. These three are also the greatest means to make reparation. We must open our eyes to see how great is this need. Remember your sins first, then those of the Church and the world - there is so much ingratitude, indifference and infidelity. By reparation we 'balance' the evil with good and console Our Lord and Our Lady.

Reparation and the Precious BloodDVRodriguez2022-10-17T07:15:15-04:00

Easter, Baptism and Faith

DVRodriguez2021-04-26T08:33:41-04:00

All the Gospels of the Easter Octave clearly have in common Our Lord's call to faith. This is of great significance. Christ exhorts us to truly place our faith in His passion, death and resurrection. In fact, with two words we can easily summarize the Church's focus during the Easter Season: Baptism and Faith. By Baptism we die and rise with Christ. What overcomes the world is our faith. A great danger is for the world to contaminate, and thereby overcome, our faith. To fight against such danger, pray for a lively faith and a greater devotion to Holy Communion. Know [...]

Easter, Baptism and FaithDVRodriguez2021-04-26T08:33:41-04:00

A Firm Purpose of Amendment

DVRodriguez2021-04-19T09:28:09-04:00

God becomes positively blind to our sins when we capture His heart. We do this by striving firmly and surely to have real contrition, to amend our lives, and to practice true repentance. Contrition is a rational sorrow of mind and detestation of sin with the purpose of not sinning in the future. It is always necessary for the forgiveness of sins. Without proper amendment, we risk making an invalid confession. A firm purpose requires much practice! And the grace available to us through the Sacrament is directly related to the response of the penitent. Don't be surprised if you fall [...]

A Firm Purpose of AmendmentDVRodriguez2021-04-19T09:28:09-04:00

To Hide Sins Well Confess Them Well

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

St. Thomas Aquinas taught "there are three sources of trial for the Church: (i) external persecution; (ii) undermining of the Truth from within by heresy and spreading of error; and (iii) corruption of members through sin." Under the guidance of the Holy Cure d'Ars, let us consider the third source. St. John Vianney could be tough in the confessional, but he would also shed tears and himself perform most of the penance due to his penitents. He knew that sin ties man to his shameful bonds (enslavement) and that absolved sins are completely gone! He had such a love for God and the [...]

To Hide Sins Well Confess Them WellDVRodriguez2020-11-13T21:49:49-05:00

Baptism not Transhumanism

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

Some elitist secular humanists are dreaming of a futuristic 'bionic man' who does not suffer, is filled with knowledge and has immortality. Yet this "transhuman" would not be divine; he'd be more like a 'walking smart phone.' The false promise of such an 'evolved being' reminds us of satan seducing Eve, 'You will be like gods.' No, such an artificial 'evolution' would make us more akin to preternatural demons. On the other hand, the baptized Catholic IS filled with the Holy Ghost and participates in the Divine Nature itself. Through grace, we don’t become simply spirits or angels, but we become divinized. At every Baptism, the Holy Ghost comes [...]

Baptism not TranshumanismDVRodriguez2020-11-13T21:49:50-05:00