Fr. Michael Rodriguez

During Eastertide, the Church exhorts us to renew our baptismal vows and walk in the light of Christ. This means: [1] Live according to the faith. In humility, be grateful to God that He has given you grace and light. Be especially grateful and humble that you are able to see the terrible attack undermining the faith. [2] Examine yourself, scrutinize how you are renouncing the world, and detach from all that is not God. [3]Give thanks to God when you are humiliated, ostracized, rejected and persecuted. Rejoice when you suffer and are humiliated; there is the joy of Easter! Pray the Litany of Humility.

Our Lord did not come to us independently, but Jesus came in the flesh through a family. It is never just Jesus, but rather, “Jesus Mary and Joseph”. The Holy Family teaches us, especially by their example, that holiness is loving God with a pure love; for which chastity is indispensable. This virtue is so important, particularly in our time, which has forgotten the purpose of marriage. The Holy Family shows us what it means to love God with our whole heart, mind and soul. A prayer from the Raccolta teaches us to ask for five graces from the Holy Family: two for the faith and three for [...]

The Holy Ghost is the Spirit of Truth. He comes to give us wisdom so that, above all else, we may seek the treasures of Heaven: grace, merit and glory. This is the goal of Easter and why now is a privileged time to pray a novena for an increase in the Holy Ghost’s Gifts. Yet the evils of our time stem from a widespread subversion of the primary truths on which society is based. Most men pursue the false pleasures of the world and are either ignorant of the life to come, or recklessly reject it. This means most men, even if [...]

A must hear sermon! - deep insight and powerful exhortation sure to increase a much-needed devotion in your soul. We are sinners… And why is it that so often do we not change? How much of an effort have you truly made to behold the Sacred Heart of Jesus? It is the love of His Sacred Heart that leads Him to seek out sinners and the power that brings them to conversion. Every time you hear the Gospel (Christ’s words, actions, miracles), reflect upon how the Sacred Heart is there: beating and loving. Consider the immense joy that is felt by the Sacred Heart upon one sinner doing penance! Meditate upon how the Sacred Heart is related to all the [...]

God made us to unite us to Himself through Holy Communion. We must always pray [1] for greater faith in the Blessed Sacrament and [2] for the grace to love Jesus above all things. Moreover, in order to truly adore and love Him in the Most Holy Sacrament, [3] we must be pure (in body and soul) and be ready to suffer. This is exemplified by the Virgin Martyrs. In beholding our heart, may Our Lord always be able to say “It is all Mine.”

Consider the infinite mystery of the Precious Blood of the God-man, which was shed to cleanse our souls of sin and open for us the gates of Heaven. [1] This IS the price of our redemption. [2] It lay in the mind of God from all eternity to redeem man in this manner. St. Bernard calls the Precious Blood a trumpet that calls to Heaven for mercy. St. Catherine of Siena exhorts men to forget themselves and keep their memory ever filled with the Blood of their Redeemer. Aptly does this describe the life of a faithful Catholic - to die to one’s self and to [...]

In considering the Trinity, we do well to familiarize ourselves with the Athanasian Creed. The mystery of the Holy Trinity is, after all, the substance of the New Testament. It is greatest of all mysteries since it is the fountain and origin of them all. It is the central mystery of Christian Faith and life, for it is the mystery of God in Himself. In fact, in order to know and contemplate this Mystery, the angels were created in Heaven and men upon earth. Consider twelve brief examples of how this Mystery is the source of all the mysteries of the Faith and the Light which enlightens them all [...]