Recent Sermons by Fr. Rodríguez
Value Grace Above All Else
The Immaculate Conception is a singular example of the infinite power of God's grace and how God grants grace to overcome sin. She gives us the perfect example of what it means to "put on Christ." In this mystery, we see the full grandeur of God's grace. Make it personal! God's grace can overcome any difficulty, temptation or sin which plagues you. This feast dispels a heresy, promoted by Bregoglio, that at times our "best effort" is a sin, or that God might ask of us a sinful act (in Amoris Lætitia). With God's grace you can always grow in holiness. And while this world will pass away, God's grace will never pass away. The grace with which your soul leaves this earth will be kept for ALL eternity.
December 8, 2024 by Fr. Michael Rodríguez
Put Ye On the Lord Jesus Christ
In giving us His Son, God could give us nothing more. And He gives us everything. God provides this season of Advent so that we will change! Strive to make it a holy season. Father lists numerous ways to grow in Advent. Do not displease Christ. Conform your will to His. May He reign over you. Behold His Heart which has loved so much that It has given itself completely and spared nothing. How do I respond? By Christmas, we must be clothed more with Christ and less with our own self will. Unite my heart with Thine and my will with Thy Will.
December 1, 2024 by Fr. Michael Rodríguez
Little Children, Love One Another
Jesus loves us and calls us to love Him in return His judgment of each one of us will be based on truth and charity. Because we love Him we obey Him and seek to follow His will. Conform yourself to His signified will (as expressed in His commandments, sacraments, church teachings and the commands of our lawful superiors). Conform yourself to the will of His good pleasure (i.e. have a wiling and cheerful acceptance of everything that happens, realizing it comes from His loving hand). Detach yourself from creatures - including self – in order to attach yourself to God.
November 24, 2024 by Fr. Michael Rodríguez
Charity Must Begin at Home
Faith, hope, and charity are like a mustard seed. Meant to grow from the moment of baptism, they are essential to the Kingdom of God. Charity means loving God above all things for His own sake and loving our neighbor for the sake of God. We must patiently endure the faults of others, forgive injuries, and do good to our enemies. God also calls us to practice charity towards the souls in Purgatory. To be more effective, sacrifices, prayers and indulgences should be offered with true charity. Look to the teaching and example of the saints, such as St. Gertrude the Great. We must first practice charity with our spouse and family.
November 17, 2024 by Fr. Michael Rodríguez
Glorious is God in His Saints
Christ the King has redeemed and transformed all time. Living in accordance with the liturgical year is a basic and daily way by which we truly live as Christ's subjects. Yet the vast majority of Catholics ignore His being Lord of all time. The recent feasts emphasize the importance of the saints. Make a special effort to draw closer to them. The examples of St. Rita of Casia (+1457), saint of the impossible, and St. Humility (+1310), illustrate how the saints made Christ sovereign over mind, will, body, time, and life. By their intercession may we too enthrone Christ over our time.
November 10, 2024 by Fr. Michael Rodríguez
Our Lady of Sorrows Carried Her Cross
When one makes the Sign of the Cross, he professes the two greatest Christian mysteries. In fact, the cross is the primary symbol of the Christian Faith. It is the source of all blessings and cause of all graces. It represents the mystery of Christ and His infinite love. There is no health of soul or hope of eternal life without the cross. Yes, the Cross is the proof that God loves us, but it is also the proof He requires of us to show our love fro Him. We must carry our share of the cross. Has anyone done this to perfection? Yes, Our Lady of Sorrows. "O Jesus Crucified, by the merits of Thy cross, help me to carry my cross daily."
September 15, 2024 by Fr. Michael Rodríguez
Guided by the Feasts of the Church
Too often we want to know or experience directly what Heaven is saying to us. (This leads some to give undeserved attention to unapproved private revelations.) Instead, put more faith in what, without any doubt, comes from God. He speaks to us through the Church's feasts. For example, in these past weeks God is speaking to us about the importance of Christ's Kingship, venerating the saints, aiding the poor souls, pondering the Four Last Things, and growing in faith, hope, and charity. It is so important that you make a greater effort to live based on the Faith, not on secular customs. Father concludes with a brief catechism on the virtue of hope, including how one sins against hope.
November 3, 2024 by Fr. Michael Rodríguez
Fidelity to God's Grace
Saintly mystics of the Church provide us with an account of Mary's birth, which we celebrate today. Our Lady was conceived without sin and with the ability to know and love God. Within St. Anne's womb, Mary was already faithfully corresponding to this first grace – and thus growing in grace. Let us be more aware of the graces God gives us and do our very best to correspond with them. Yet attachment to sin and to the world impedes our growth. We prefer what is easier and more comfortable. To counter this, grow in your devotion to Mary, especially Our Lady of Sorrows. Mary was given a fullness of grace so as to more effectively intercede on our behalf.
September 8, 2024 by Fr. Michael Rodríguez
The Saints Believe Christ is King
The saints truly believe – and live! – that Christ is King. We see this in their heartfelt prayer, which we should strive to adopt as own. Do not fall prey to the founding principles of modern democracies which reject, or set aside, Christ's Kingship. Catholics should not live in accordance with these errors, even if everyone else around us does. While this is not an issue we can force, we can be clear regarding the truth and plant the seeds of truth in others. You may not be able to change the trajectory of the nation (that may require a terrible chastisement), but you can make Him the king of your life, your marriage, and your family.
October 27, 2024 by Fr. Michael Rodríguez
Depths of the Immaculate Heart
All of Our Lady's feasts manifest the immense, incomprehensible and incomparable love of the Immaculate Heart of Mary for God, and for us poor sinners. No where else does the adorable will of God reign so perfectly and so we can never adequately revere her Heart. Her tremendous love continues its role in heavenly meditation today. Her intercession is so powerful because her love is so great. In the depths of her heart are the mysteries of God, the Passion of her Son, and all He said and did. Those who truly love and honor Mary receive abundant gifts, favors and blessings from the inexhaustible source of her Heart. Jesus wishes to establish in the world devotion to the Immaculate Heart. It is a sure refuge and the way that leads to God.
September 1, 2024 by Fr. Michael Rodríguez
Patronage of St Michael
St. Michael promotes and defends the glory of God, which includes the truth of God and what He has revealed. St. Michael is the guardian angel of the Holy Eucharist and of the Catholic Faith. He is the defender of the Church and of the Blessed Virgin Mary. When these are not upheld, his guardianship lessens. Catholic bulwarks are being dismantled and satan is wrecking havoc in the Church. Francis' latest statements, perhaps his worst on record, clearly contradict Our Lord. Priests are being persecuted by churchmen simply for defending the Church's doctrine and worship. Our love and devotion to St. Michael must be great and we should do our part to gain his intercession.
September 29, 2024 by Fr. Michael Rodríguez
Holy Communion with Mary and Joseph
Sermon at the First Communion of one of Father's nieces.
Saint Teresa, ora pro nobis.
October 15, 2024 by Fr. Michael Rodríguez
Many Reject Christ's Kingship
Jesus Christ is King. This is a great dogma of our faith. All things are created by Him and for Him. The State has an obligation towards Him and man's laws must be subject to His Law. The only way to have peace is for all nations to submit to Christ the King. Yet many so called Christians – even in the Church – reject His kingship. Our presidential candidates do not confess Christ's Kingship. Bishops are not defending this truth. Francis' recent statements are blasphemous and heretical against this doctrine. As small individuals we may not be able to change the Church or our nation, but we must believe and uphold this truth.
October 20, 2024 by Fr. Michael Rodríguez
Christ the King, Mary the Queen
Christ is Lord of All. This truth is upheld by the reaching on the social and universal Kingship of Christ. Few Catholics proclaim this truth today, yet we must accept it to be saved for it is an infallible dogma. We also celebrate several feasts of Our Lady in these days. October 11 is her Divine Maternity. This is the principal mystery of her life from which flow all her privileges. On October 12 we celebrate her first apparition to St. James (a type of her miraculous pillar is found in Exodus). Our Lady wrought the great Miracle of the Sun at Fatima on October 13, 1917 and delivered a powerful message at Akita on October 13, 1973. Father lists seven things commanded by God through Our Lady of Fatima, five of which every Catholic should be doing.
October 13, 2024 by Fr. Michael Rodríguez
Three Examples of the Incredible Power of the Rosary
In 1571, Pope St. Pius V called all Christendom to pray the Rosary. In response, Our Lady routed the superior Moslem forces at the naval Battle of Lepanto. At Hiroshima, She protected eight Jesuits priests, living the Message of Fatima, from the atomic bomb. In the 1960s, Brazil was saved from communism by the Rosary. The Blessed Mother told St. Dominic that the Rosary is a most powerful means to [1] dissipate heresy, [2] extinguish vice, [3] spread virtue, [4] implore God's mercy, and [5] obtain her protection. And in our time, God has granted the Rosary even more power, so let us pray it faithfully and devoutly! Fr. Rodríguez also provides a brief update on the persecution he is currently enduring.
October 6, 2024 by Fr. Michael Rodríguez
Carry Your Cross Well
Jesus and Mary were united at the foot of the cross – in His passion and death. When carried well, the cross is the source, food, and proof of love. To truly love Jesus, one must first learn to suffer. Now the gifts of grace do increase as trials increase. It seems a new phase in Father's trials has begun on the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows, which has been the date many trials have begun throughout his priesthood. As many of you know, Fr Rodríguez dedicated his priesthood to the Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary at ordination. He explains the trial as well as three things each of us can do. Please pray for Father Rodríguez to Our Lady of Sorrows.
September 22, 2024 by Fr. Michael Rodríguez
Greatest of All Apparitions
Catholics follow many devotions and apparitions, yet 99% do not know the full Message of Fatima. This is a glaring red flag because Fatima is the greatest of all apparitions and the one most necessary for our time. No other apparition has received as much papal approval or so great a sign of divine confirmation. Every Catholic must know about the First Saturday Devotion and the need for Russia’s Consecration. St. John Eudes also gives us reasons why devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary is so important.
August 25, 2024 by Fr. Michael Rodríguez
To Really Believe in the Assumption
Many mysteries are commemorated in the Assumption. They are a window into the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Our Lady stayed on earth making the greatest sacrifice to help build up the Church and propagate the Faith. These mysteries teach us how to live as faithful Catholics. We must persevere in God’s grace, greatly desire Heaven, not be attached to this earth, and prepare for a holy death.
August 11, 2024 by Fr. Michael Rodríguez
Our Lady Requests Churches Be Built
In the heat of Rome's summer, Our Lady dropped snow to indicate where the greatest church in her honor was to be built. St. Mary Major is home to both the manger from Bethlehem and Salus Populi Romani, St. Luke's miraculous painting of Madonna and Child. Our Blessed Mother is inseparable from Her Divine Son. Jesus chooses to enter the world – and our life – through her! At many of her apparitions, Our Lady requests a church be built, not only to receive our prayers and come to our aid, but to renew the Sacrifice of Her Son. Strive to keep what is most in the Immaculate Heart of Mary in your own heart: the mysteries of Christ.
August 4, 2024 by Fr. Michael Rodríguez
Seven Petitions to the Precious Blood
Practice devotion to the Most Precious Blood! This is outstanding way to participate in Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Spend fifteen or twenty minutes – or more – praying thus: Precious Blood of Jesus, I adore Thee (or I thank Thee or Have mercy on me or make any specific intention such as Wash over me or Heal me). . Pray in particular for the Precious Blood to forgive and free you from any serious sin - one that has a strong hold on you. Seven petitions in particular, linked to Our Lord's seven blood sheddings, cover the entire range of the Christian life. Prayed with fervor and perseverance, this is a sure path to sanctity.
July 28, 2024 by Fr. Michael Rodríguez
Recent Sermons by Fr. Iacomus Paulus
Hope and Daring
When you rise and when yo go to bed, ask yourself these two questions: [1] What drives you or fuels your desire? [2] What are you afraid of? We often know what we have to do but fail to do it because of something we fear. What keeps us from giving ourselves to God, and neighbor, as we are meant to do? During Advent, the Church calls to mind the example of St. John the Baptist and the Immaculate Conception. Saints change the world because they do what what others dare not. They achieve great virtue by their hope (the virtue that is born by the desire for difficult but possible things).
December 17, 2023 by Fr. Iacomus Paulus
Mystery is Essential to Christmas
Christ subverts the expectations of the worldly. Yet we are still in love with the things of this world – and our vice – because we have yet to see the true worth in tossing them aside. Christ changes the way we value things. The element of mystery, which surrounds Christmas, compels us to acts of greater virtue. (Note: Father's considerations of the Holy Family in Bethlehem touch upon matters not defined by Scripture or Tradition. Faithful Catholics are free to disagree on such details.)
December 3, 2023 by Fr. Iacomus Paulus
Be a Master of Your Craft
Here are three means to progress and excel in the spiritual life. [1] An ability to identify defects. We usually don't want to hear any critique of ourselves. Yet seeing our [minor] defects, which aren't easy to self detect, is the only way to make progress. [2] Humility in the spirit of collaboration. Every criticism has an element of truth, so be hungry for criticism (not paranoid or angry). [3] Love what you do and study your craft. Be obsessed with being Catholic. If you love your state in life, then at every moment you will try to learn how to be better at what you do.
November 12, 2023 by Fr. Iacomus Paulus
The One Thing That Prevents Your Sanctity
All Saints is time to reflect and celebrate those men and women who accomplished what they were born for. We are all meant to be saints and to reign in Heaven. Yet the Saints were at a time ordinary men and women. There is no difference between them and us on the level where we begin. So what did they do differently? What iron clad gates do we build up around our soul to prevent sanctity? Examine yourself and firmly resolve to eliminate just one simple thing which holds you back.
November 5, 2023 by Fr. Iacomus Paulus
Silent Killers
The dramatic rise in our use of technology is severely handicapping us. Everything we consume is immediate, fleeting and has to entertain. God is not this way. Yet each day we expend much effort habituating ourselves to prompt gratification. We are looking for a God that is easily packaged. This makes it extremely difficult to be in a relationship with God. Even worse, technology induces us to look at obstacles as impossibilities instead of as an invitation from God to do something greater. No one of us is dealing with technology correctly. We see its terrible effect upon vocations. Limit your technology use to only what is absolutely necessary – this will help save your soul and foster vocations.
October 22, 2023 by Fr. Iacomus Paulus
Three Classes of Men
In his Spiritual Exercises, St. Ignatius provides a powerful meditation on three classes of men. Which one are you? Do you strive to eliminate sin from your life? Do attachments prevent you from attaining your heavenly goal? Do you implement the means necessary to get rid of attachments? Or do you want both: God and your earthly goods. If so, you constantly rationalize your self-indulgence. Yet sanctity is radical. It is complete indifference. Nothing matters but God. This is the challenge before you. How do you respond to Christ the King? He calls you to follow Him in everything! Have you forgotten Him or are you obsessed with knowing and loving Him?
July 2, 2023 by Fr. Iacomus Paulus
Recent Sermons by Fr. Simplicius
The Doctrine of Predestination
God by the eternal resolve of His will has predetermined certain men to eternal blessedness. The number of the elect is predetermined and can not change (none added, none taken away). While God wills all men to be saved, not all men are saved. This is based not on God's providence but on a man's sin and lack of contrition. The heresy of "double predestination" holds that men are like brute beasts with God leading some to salvation and others to damnation by His (predetermined) divine will. For men how are saved, it is a gift from God; from men who are damned, it is their own fault.
November 26, 2023 by Fr. Simplicius
Great Pearl and Irrelevance of Novelty
False religions deny Christ and thus have the spirit of anitchrist. Modern Jews are defined by their rejection of Christ. Protestants identify themselves by their denial of the Church. This same pattern, of finding one's identity by denial or rejection, is found in the novus ordo liturgy. Many of its advocates harbor a virulent animus against Tradition, wishing to sentence the traditional liturgy to death. Revolutionaries long for the complete destruction of the old order, otherwise their revolution can't fully succeed. Traditional Catholics should not fall prey to identification by being against the new order for they have the most beautiful thing this side of Heaven. Why waste time and energy focusing on the irrelevance of passing novelties when one has the Pearl of Great Price.
November 12, 2023 by Fr. Simplicius
Decline of Public Authority
Obedience is a moral virtue that inclines the human will to comply with the will of another who has the right to command. We must obey the just commands of superiors because they represent the authority that comes from God. A grave error is to think men ("the people") are the source of public authority. Our nation is founded upon this false principle. When those in authority do not acknowledge the divine source of their authority, they abuse their power, becoming despotic. Subjects in turn mock rulers and only comply out of fear. The result is social dysfunction. Having cast Christ from His throne, the only solution is to acknowledge the kingship of Christ and submit to His Law.
October 29, 2023 by Fr. Simplicius
St Teresa and Mental Prayer
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 15, 2023 by Fr. Simplicius
Can Dogma Change?
Five cardinals sent dubias to the Vatican. Francis' answers increase doubt and raise greater concerns. Much is being said at the synodabout the theory of the 'development of doctrine.' Modernists are using this notion, first expounded by St. Vincent of Lerins, to undermine the Church. We must understand it correctly and not fall into their snares of deceit. Our understanding of a doctrine may deepen, but the meaning can never change to something contrary. Authentic development establishes identity with the past, not difference. It make us more, not less, Catholic. A reversal in doctrine is a clear sign of heresy. The Church never changes her doctrine.
October 1, 2023 by Fr. Simplicius
Is it Catholic to Support Illegal Immigration?
We are witnessing a Great Replacement via mass immigration. This is not a conspiracy theory merely a factual observation. A mass population influx can destabilize a country similar to a military invasion. Nations in Europe and North America are experiencing such tremendous ethnic and civilizational substitution that one wonders if traditional Western cultures will be lost. Mass migration is a new form of slavery, hurting the immigrant and inflicting terrible damage on his homeland. Thomas Aquinas and our Popes have provided sound teaching regarding immigration but few Catholics know it. It is part of the Natural Law that we love and defend our homeland. Yet de-culturation leads to a loss of unity and a weaker country which none are willing to defend. On the other hand, a common identity unites one to his neighbor and makes a people stronger.
September 24, 2023 by Fr. Simplicius
Recent Sermons by Fr. Ioannes Petrus
The Conscience of Man
God gave man a connection to Him - an interior voice, a conscience. St. John the Baptist is a symbol of that voice. We can chose to heed or suppress our conscience; yet, man only finds peace when he listens to it. The conscience is a proof of the soul's immortality. It witnesses, bonds and incites; it also accuses, torments, and rebukes. It incites a holy anger (hatred) against sin, so that man roots out faults instead of justifying them. Make friends with your adversary (conscience) before you are handed over to the Judge.
December 17, 2023 by Fr. Ioannes Petrus
Thou Shall Not Make a False Peace
Why is the Synod discussing so many un-Catholic things? Why is the Latin Mass being suppressed? Why is Russia once again at war? We must seek the cause. And we shall find an all encompassing answer to these problems. Christ's truth requires that man first conquer in the interior life; then he can conquer on the outside. Yet modern man has sought new avenues according to his own wisdom. He seeks an easy way apart from the cross. He chooses compromise with the world to accomplish only an external peace. Yet false peace brings perpetual war. As we ignore Our Lady of Fatima, the errors of Russia proliferate within the Church. We need instead devotion to the Sacred Heart and Immaculate Heart.
November 12, 2023 by Fr. Ioannes Petrus
Prisoners of War and Purgatory
The saints see the connectivity of all history by typology. Yet this connectivity extends even beyond the confines of this world. A type for the poor souls in Purgatory can be noted in the true story of Robert Trimble. He was an American Air Force captain striving to rescue prisoners of war in WW2. Our hearts should be moved to do all we can to help the holy souls arrive at their heavenly homeland.
November 2, 2023 by Fr. Ioannes Petrus
What Is a Woman?
The world is being plagued by a more wicked and perverse society than Sodom of old. There is no logic upon which it can be based. Its confusion is an effect of communism, which attacks womanhood. A woman is a copy of the great original, the Blessed Virgin Mary. She is the indispensable helpmate of man; his complement not replacement. She is his beloved and treasured heart. She is captivatingly mysterious and intuitive. She strives for modesty and self-effacement. She suffers the same wounds as her man, but inwardly and quietly. She saves by supporing her man and by bearing and nourishing life.
July 16, 2023 by Fr. Ioannes Petrus
What Is a Man?
A man is essentially a copy of Jesus Christ. The more a man conforms to his original, the more truly a man he becomes. The devil, father of all lies, seeks to pervert the truth, telling us the exemplar is an ape or single cell amoeba. (How crazy is that!) Man is a thinker. He loves truth. He uses reason and proper moderation to bring order. He remains calm and modest. He is just and religious, giving each man his due and his first fruits to God. Man looks for obstacles to overcome and rewards to gain. He needs someone to save. Man is courageous, suffers for the truth, and is willing to sacrifice his life for the greater good.
July 9, 2023 by Fr. Ioannes Petrus
Early in the Morning
Throughout history, God likes to work early in the morning. This is typological. It reflects the Resurrection. The psalms teach that at this time He hears prayers, grants mercy, and destroys His enemies. Consider Sennacherib's Assyrian siege of Jerusalem under good King Hezekiah (~701 BC). Consider the prophecy of Isaias 28:14-19 and let us avoid entering a league with falsehood, hell and death. Hold fast to the Faith and the Mass, which remain immovable – even in this dark time. Let us rise early and be about the duties of our state, for the glory of God and salvation of our soul.
April 9, 2023 by Fr. Ioannes Petrus