Fr. Iakobus

Go Out and Fish

DVRodriguez2025-07-15T15:24:47-04:00

Life can be fatiguing. At times we wonder if it is even worth it. Yet the sufferings of this life are not worthy of being compared to the glory that shall be revealed in us. Everyone must suffer but only the Catholic Faith show these trials as working our way to Heaven. They are means to grow in grace and prove our love. Even when you don’t understand God’s reasons, do what He commands. Learn that lesson from St. Peter. God is working for your good. He will reward faithfulness and provide the good catch in His good time.

Go Out and FishDVRodriguez2025-07-15T15:24:47-04:00

God the Father and All Fathers

DVRodriguez2025-07-06T16:47:07-04:00

If we are to know God, we need to know the Father. He shows what all fathers, natural and spiritual, ought to be. The Father brings forth life and makes sure that His creatures have what they need to attain their perfection. He provides and protects. He disciplines us to keep us on the right path. He does all this because of love. Human fathers are called to give life, to maintain it, and to provide all their children need to attain their fulfillment This duty can be burdensome and fatiguing, but it is an obligation of love. Fathers: Have an [...]

God the Father and All FathersDVRodriguez2025-07-06T16:47:07-04:00

Sins of the Tongue Destroy Charity

DVRodriguez2025-06-05T10:13:21-04:00

Christians are made perfect in the bond of charity. We ought to have a constant mutual charity for one another. This comes about through grace in our souls and it unites us in the one Faith. Now charity for our neighbor must be based in God. It means desiring the best for another. It means we comfort and support one another. It necessarily involves prayer and sacrifice. Spouses, families, and parishes must be built upon this charity. We must strive hard against sins of the tongue - like complaining, criticizing, and murmuring - which destroy charity.

Sins of the Tongue Destroy CharityDVRodriguez2025-06-05T10:13:21-04:00

The Golden Rose

DVRodriguez2025-04-05T20:32:39-04:00

The origins of Rose Sunday lie in antiquity. The Pope would bless golden roses and give them as gifts. The symbolism is deep: gold for Christ the king, flower for beauty, fragrance for the Gospel, and thorns for the passion. This tradition reminds us that Christian joy and suffering are inseparably bound. Those who desire a life of joy only (or pleasure) are always angry, for this can’t be attained. Suffering is inevitable. The soul that accepts suffering, unites it with Christ, and offers it to God, receives many graces and lives at peace.

The Golden RoseDVRodriguez2025-04-05T20:32:39-04:00

Christ Elevates Marriage to a Sacrament

DVRodriguez2025-03-30T13:26:07-04:00

God created marriage. At Cana, He elevated it to the level of a sacrament. Just as Christ was present at Cana, so He is present in every sacramental marriage. We should invite Our Lady to our marriage. Mary took note of the couples humiliating situation, interceded, and turned it to great joy. From water used for purification, Christ created a superabundance of the most exquisite wine, representing sacramental grace. Just as His disciples believed, so spouses should trust in Christ and His grace. What is a good reason for people to enter marriage? What should spouses do first thing in the [...]

Christ Elevates Marriage to a SacramentDVRodriguez2025-03-30T13:26:07-04:00

Duty and Peace in the Family

DVRodriguez2025-03-24T17:45:11-04:00

Marriage is under attack: its roles reversed, ends inverted, and duties abandoned. We must look to the Holy Family. The man has authority and must make difficult decisions for the good of the family. He provides, protects and leads prayers. The woman must embrace [monotonous] house work, support and obey her husband, and guide the children. Children must obey, be respectful, and ease the family’s burdens. (Obedience does have limits; it may never violate God’s law.) Pray for the light and grace to imitate the Holy Family. The Reign of Christ spreads in the world through true families.

Duty and Peace in the FamilyDVRodriguez2025-03-24T17:45:11-04:00

The Two Ends of Marriage

DVRodriguez2025-03-11T09:39:09-04:00

The primary end of marriage is to "increase and multiply" (Gn 1:28). God wants souls with which to share His goodness – Himself – for all eternity. Parents are 'stewards' of their children with the duty for help children reach the perfection God has planned for them (think of the parable of the talents). The secondary end is mutual help and the quelling of passion (Gn 2:18,23). Marriage demands a man and woman who are open to all the children God wishes to give them. They must be ready to die for their vocation, and not be motivated by self-interest or [...]

The Two Ends of MarriageDVRodriguez2025-03-11T09:39:09-04:00

The Marriage Vows

DVRodriguez2025-02-28T20:13:45-05:00

Marriage is under terrible attack in our society. Even many Catholics are succumbing to the errors which have proliferated society. In order to live holy matrimony well, the wedding vows and the nature of the sacred contract must be understood and appreciated. This contract can only end by death (God does not permit divorce). The primary end of marriage is the procreation and formation of children. The secondary end is the mutual good of the spouses. Unity and indissolubility are essential properties. These deep truths have very practical consequences for how marriage must be lived on a day to day basis.

The Marriage VowsDVRodriguez2025-02-28T20:13:45-05:00

The Family Needs Purity of Intent

DVRodriguez2025-02-11T09:03:13-05:00

Our Lady provides a great model for what it means to be pure, which is far more than just purity in body. Purity begins in the mind. A family can't be happy unless it is a pure family. Purity helps us resist pride, selfishness, and the world. It means not judging things by our feelings but according to what God wills. Parents, practice purity and form your children accordingly. Children should not face these things alone. It is far easier to shun vice when we know the truth. Marriage is not for pleasure or self, it is to die; to die [...]

The Family Needs Purity of IntentDVRodriguez2025-02-11T09:03:13-05:00

Man is Not Self Sufficient

DVRodriguez2024-10-02T12:24:58-04:00

There are many evils around us. Let us not be fearful, bitter or fall into despair. From all eternity God made us to live in this specific time and to be sanctified in this battle. He is ready to help us, but we must pray. If God did not require this of us we would forget Him and fall. By remaining in a state of grace, we are disposed to receive God's gifts. But we must still ask. Ask without ceasing and with sincere desire and firm confidence. We have the greatest prayer available – Holy Mass. Do not take it [...]

Man is Not Self SufficientDVRodriguez2024-10-02T12:24:58-04:00