Nothing impure can enter Heaven. Thinking about Purgatory inspires penance and self denial (which we all struggle with). Here are five important means to avoid Purgatory. Our Lady is the Mother of everyone in Purgatory and there is no soul there whose pain is not alleviated by her. Happy is the he who loves with eternity always in view; with a lively faith that he must shortly die and enter into eternity.
You will be judged by God at your death, the moment your soul leaves your body, at the very spot where you breathe your last. All you ever said, thought or did shall come under God's judgment. Consider your end and the Last Things. Can the souls in Purgatory help us? When can our normal prayers not aid a soul in Purgatory? What grace is there in a mother who forgives even murder for the love of God? May the teaching and example of saints help motivate us.
Have you ever wondered why we eat turkey at Thanksgiving? Most Americans know the story about the Puritan Pilgrims who came aboard the Mayflower and landed at Plymouth in 1620. They nearly starved to death but were helped by the Wampanoag tribe. The next fall they held a food-filled autumn fest celebrating their friendship and thanking God – for their survival.It was quite natural for the pilgrims to hold such a celebration, as autumn harvest feasts had been celebrated in Europe since time immemorial. But have you ever wondered why a large fowl served as the centerpiece?Although the protestant Puritans had [...]
Jesus Christ is God. Jesus Christ is Lord. Jesus Christ is King. We were born to profess this Faith. A major problem is how many claim to know and feel Jesus, but it is not about believing in Jesus "in our own way" but according to His way. Everything must be subject to Him: governments, schools, media, entertainment, sciences, arts, families, marriages, and each individual. Consider these examples of how He must reign in every person's mind, will, heart and body. [Father José María Robles was killed for Christ on June 26, 1927. He helped build a huge statue of Christ [...]
St. Francis is the first recorded instance of the stigmata. Suffering with Christ –the Cross!– is central to our faith. The Cross is the source of all blessings, the cause of all grace, and the only path to Heaven. Carrying our cross well is what it means to be Catholic. Yet pride leads us to reject the cross. So we must grow in humility. Humility of intellect (an honest acknowledgement of our total dependence on God and of our real incapability of doing anything good without His assistance) makes us faithful to prayer. Humility of will (the readiness of the heart [...]
Church tradition honors St. Teresa of Avila as the virgo seraphica, doctrix mystica, and reformer of the Carmelite Order. Her life was marked by such miracles as a 'resurrection' and the transverbration. She can teach us much about mental prayer, including overcoming failures. Prayer is essential for salvation and meditation is necessary for growth in virtue. Mental prayer is nothing else than an intimate friendship, a frequent heart to heart conversation, with God. [This sermon includes a brief, yet excellent, explanation of how to do mental prayer.]
October is a month dedicated to the Rosary and holy angels. The angels reflect God's glory as images of His perfections. Consider what St. Michael defends and promotes: the glory of God; the Church; the Blessed Virgin Mary; the Holy Eucharist; the Pope; and true doctrine and true worship. St. Michael fights against the enemies of God who seek to undermine, change and destroy the holy things of God. Lucifer attempted it before creation. Today, we see Francis and his synod undermining the Deposit of Faith (foundational truths revealed by God and necessary for our salvation). We are in the midst [...]
Could anything be more important than being in the presence of Jesus in His glory? Anywhere else one rather be? St. Peter on Mt. Tabor give us a good model for how we should respond to Holy Mass: "Lord, it is good for us to be here!" The Council of Trent teaches we must attend Mass with devotion and purity (exterior) and a pure heart (interior). What is a pure heart? Consider the visions of St. Mechtilde.
St. Paul of the Cross (April 28 feast day) preached Christ crucified unceasingly. In particular, he prayed for England to return to the Faith. Surely his intercession played a role in the conversion of John Henry Newman. Yet on April 18, Anglican "ministers"–including women–held a heretical service at the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran. The ceremony was led by a fake bishop who is divorced and "remarried" and a known Freemason. The idolatry of pachamama took place in 2019 at St. Peter's. Now we have sinful rituals upon the altar of the Mother of all Churches in the entire Catholic world. [...]
God's gift of St. Joseph is a cause for great rejoicing. No saint's intercession, excepting Our Lady, is more powerful. Know the seven privileges granted those who invoke St. Joseph in a devout and proper manner. Meditate upon his life (as seen by the mystics). Appreciate his patronage more and grow in your devotion to him.
