Speaker

Te Deum Laudamus

DVRodriguez2021-03-18T05:11:25-04:00

Many people were longing for an end to the year 2020. But perhaps we overestimate just how bad the year was. The Church officially responds to the end of every year by giving thanks to God and providing indulgences. Yes, there were many terrible things, but like the saints and holy Job, let us recognize the Hand of God in disasters and thank Him for it. As Christians we know that all things, save sin, come from the will of God. Let us thank God for 2020. It was a year in which we learned more about ourselves as a people [...]

Te Deum LaudamusDVRodriguez2021-03-18T05:11:25-04:00

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

Amar y Aceptar a la Cruz

DVRodriguez2021-03-16T13:20:22-04:00

La voluntad de Dios es vuestra santificación. ¿Qué es lo que nos santifica? ¡La Cruz! Jamás la cruz sin Jesús, ni Jesús sin la cruz. No somos más santos porque en vez de aceptar a la cruz, la rechazamos. Pero si soportas tu cruz con valentía, te llevara al cielo. La Cruz nos asemeja a Jesucristo. La Cruz es la causa, el alimento, y la prueba del amor. La Cruz produce para quien la lleva un peso inmenso de gloria en el cielo. Hay que rezar por la gracia de aceptar y amar a la Cruz.

Amar y Aceptar a la CruzDVRodriguez2021-03-16T13:20:22-04:00

Pray to Accept and Love the Cross

DVRodriguez2021-03-16T13:03:11-04:00

Without the Cross, there is no growth in holiness. If we eliminate the Cross, we eliminate Christ. The sign of the Cross is a most terrible weapon against the devil. And yet the Cross remains a scandal and stumbling block - even for very devout Catholics. In theory, we praise it; but in practice, we lose courage, complain, and run away as soon as the possibility of suffering arises (just think how Mass and the public practice of our faith have recently been cancelled). The Cross is precious because: [1] It make us resemble Christ. [2] When well carried, it is [...]

Pray to Accept and Love the CrossDVRodriguez2021-03-16T13:03:11-04:00

O Cruz Fiel

DVRodriguez2021-03-17T03:27:00-04:00

La cuaresma trae ante nosotros de una manera más intensa espiritualmente la Cruz de Nuestro Señor Jesucristo. La cuaresma nos ofrece una gracia especial para verdaderamente centrar nuestras vidas en la Cruz y así poder beneficiar y gozar de sus poder salvificio. La Cruz tiene el poder de superar cualquier mal, convertir cada corazón, y santificar cada alma. La Cruz nos hace santos. Todo en nuestra santa religión apunta a la Cruz. Jesús nos dice "Si alguno quiere venir en pos de mí, niéguese a sí mismo, y tome su cruz, y sígame" (Mt 16:24). Pídanle a Dios la gracia de [...]

O Cruz FielDVRodriguez2021-03-17T03:27:00-04:00

A Spirit of Entitlement

DVRodriguez2021-03-09T08:48:24-05:00

There is a an entitlement complex among many youth: as if the world owes them something. Bitter complaints follow unrealistic and unmet expectations. This problem is not new. Man wishes to divorce Christ from His Cross and take the glory of Tabor without the passion of Calvary. The post-Christian West has created a cheap effeminate Christ by expecting resurrection without a cross. Today’s feast reminds us that these two mysteries of Christ (His transfiguration and death) are intimately related. This connection between glory and humiliation both moderates our joys and comforts us in our trials. A price must be paid for [...]

A Spirit of EntitlementDVRodriguez2021-03-09T08:48:24-05:00

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

Crux Fidelis

DVRodriguez2021-03-16T10:13:47-04:00

The Cross has has the power to convert and sanctify, even the most hardened sinners. Lent brings the Cross before us in a more spiritually intense way. Consider the Good Friday Liturgy as a powerful example. Jesus prays and fasts in the desert for forty days and endures temptation, especially to prepare Himself for His passion and death on the Cross. Should not we catholics do the same? Do your best this Lent to grow in devotion for the Cross. Prayer, fasting, and alms giving are the means to detach us from sin, the world, selfishness and attach us profoundly to [...]

Crux FidelisDVRodriguez2021-03-16T10:13:47-04:00

Requiem for Francelia

DVRodriguez2021-03-05T06:33:58-05:00

Only one things is necessary, the salvation of our soul. Baptism is necessary to enter a state of grace, but we must die in a state of grace. The sad reality is that today there are many problems in our beloved Church and the path to salvation has been greatly obscured. I encourage you to: [1] Pray for the eternal rest of Francelia. [2] Give thanks to God. All too often man is tempted to question God, especially when confronting death. [3] Take to heart the example Francelia gave of working for the salvation of her soul, by loving God above [...]

Requiem for FranceliaDVRodriguez2021-03-05T06:33:58-05:00

Three Pillars of Penance

DVRodriguez2021-02-27T06:38:57-05:00

Prayer, fasting and almsgiving are at the very foundation of our spiritual life as Catholics. We must practice them in order to grow in God’s grace. All three require a profound interior disposition. Prayer grows our love for God, almsgiving increases our love of neighbor and detachment from the world, and fasting requires our death to self. These pillars of penance are the most important ways to store up treasures in Heaven and combat the obstacles to receiving God’s grace. This Lent, I exhort you to pray the Rosary more devoutly, meditate upon the Stations of the Cross, grow in your [...]

Three Pillars of PenanceDVRodriguez2021-02-27T06:38:57-05:00