Fr. Ioannes Petrus

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

A Good Leader Enables His Followers

DVRodriguez2021-05-21T09:05:18-04:00

When a good leader goes on ahead [1] he leaves behind what is needed for those following and [2] he leaves markers so they will not get lost. Thus, they can ultimately be reunited. This is certainly true of Christ, the perfect leader. He gave commandments, instructions and promises. He provides the Church, sacraments, grace, His own Mother, His Sacred Heart, etc. He has not left us powerless or orphans. He showed the way - in His own flesh - and opened the way to Heaven, leaving us all we need to follow Him up!

A Good Leader Enables His FollowersDVRodriguez2021-05-21T09:05:18-04:00

Eight Points of Reflection on Motherhood

DVRodriguez2021-05-12T10:00:25-04:00

Motherhood is under a terrible attack by the diabolical errors or Russia. Using typology we can look to the Ark of the Covenant (Our Blessed Mother) for eight points which help heal the wound in woman caused by Eve. These points of reflection include teaching, correcting, compassion, chastity, modesty, self-effacement, and others. Dear Mothers, know and take up your place, mirroring the Ark of the Covenant: to raise up saints to help the Church in this time of need. You may not be known in this world but many will say of your children, 'You must have had a good mother."

Eight Points of Reflection on MotherhoodDVRodriguez2021-05-12T10:00:25-04:00

No Sympathy for Satan

DVRodriguez2021-04-26T23:51:28-04:00

A good shepherd removes all blockages that prevent his sheep from reaching their end. Like a boxing trainer, he prepares those under his care to persevere unto victory. On the other hand, the world seduces men into accepting these blockages. It leads us to feel sorrow for whom we ought not feel sorrow. A clear sign of warped evil is sympathy for satan (this theme runs in literature, art, music, movies). It even motivates many within the Church Militant (think of those who sympathize with Judas). Be on your guard! Avoid supporting anything that does not have a solid Catholic foundation [...]

No Sympathy for SatanDVRodriguez2021-04-26T23:51:28-04:00

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

Lock Me Up Tight I Will Still Escape

DVRodriguez2021-04-13T08:17:30-04:00

Christ is Risen. He descended into the realm of the dead, freed the imprisoned, and broke the bonds of death. Yet the devil and his followers are always trying to lockup and imprison Christ. Do we not feel the noose closing about the Church now? Yet they always fail. They dig a pit and fall into it themselves. One such terrible pit is gnosticism. It ebbs and flows with the occult. It has been around since the first centuries of Christianity, but today spreads rapidly under the guise of 'new age.' Even worse, its primary tenants have become mainstream in modern [...]

Lock Me Up Tight I Will Still EscapeDVRodriguez2021-04-13T08:17:30-04:00

Why We Veil During Passiontide

DVRodriguez2021-03-24T15:16:36-04:00

At the start of Passiontide we cover the cross and statues inside our churches and the relics are hidden. Veiling teaches many lessons. Our Lord hides from those who wish to kill Him until His hour arrives. Theologically, the Church too follows the Lord in His Passion. Liturgically, we veil that which is sacred and contains great power. Morally, veiling calls to mind the importance of modesty. Psychologically, veiling reminds us that many things remain hidden to us at present. It signals us to mortify our disordered curiosity and unhealthy suspicions, abandoning ourselves to Divine Providence. Anagogically, this practice foreshadows Christ [...]

Why We Veil During PassiontideDVRodriguez2021-03-24T15:16:36-04:00

Saint Joseph the Sidelined

DVRodriguez2023-05-01T11:35:21-04:00

Not only is St. Joseph silent and hidden in Scripture, but he was often sidelined. For example, he was excluded from Simeon's prophecy and was 'imprisoned' in Limbo during the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Our Lord. Many of the terrible sufferings he patiently bore are prefigured by the Patriarch Jospeh. Yet the glory of his bodily resurrection is prefigured in the Ark (type of Our Lady) and the bones of Joseph (type for him) which crossed over the Jordan River and into the Promised Land. If you think "I looked for help but found none," then go to St. Joseph!

Saint Joseph the SidelinedDVRodriguez2023-05-01T11:35:21-04:00

The Church Seemingly Possessed

DVRodriguez2021-03-09T08:01:31-05:00

Consider Bl. Miriam of Jesus Crucified (+1878) as a type for the Church. God allowed the devil to possess this Carmelite mystic for forty days as a victim soul. She suffered terribly but never sinned as God preserved her soul in grace. Could Holy Mother Church presently be enduring a similar trial? The Church has so many failures and is seemingly possessed, yet she remains the holy and immaculate Bride of Christ. This has caused a breakdown in authority. All faithful souls feel a certain aloneness as they struggle to defend their fortress. We need great patience, perseverance and fortitude to [...]

The Church Seemingly PossessedDVRodriguez2021-03-09T08:01:31-05:00