The PadreCast - Faithful Catholic Homilies

Sainthood Pre-Reqs | PadreCast Solemnity of All Saints

If you don't love God first, then you can't have God, because He's the first good. . . .

The Saints have learned to seek all goods in the right order, and God above all others. Which is why when they die and go to Heaven, they get to look at the "goodest" thing ever, for all eternity. The get to bask for all eternity in the greatest desire of their hearts. . . .

We were designed by God to seek these things out so that in seeking them we might find... Him, Who is the greatest of all goods.

The Saints did that. It's why they're in Heaven sharing in that beautiful good. And it's our job too, to imitate their example and to follow them to receive that same reward.

That's why the Church gives us the Beatitudes on this Feast Day today. The Beatitudes are the pre-requisite for sainthood. It's the checklist if you want to be a saint in this life and/or in the next, this is what you need to strive for.

When our Lord says "blessed" are these people who are: poor in spirit, who mourn, who are meek, who hunger and thirst for righteousness, who are merciful, who are pure of heart, who are peacemakers, and who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness . . . . When He says that these men and women are "blessed" He is saying "They are given My Glory. They get to see My Face, and have nothing but peace and joy forever in eternity."

But when we look more deeply into these pre-requisites, there's a lot of suffering required of the Saints. . . .

You can't simply choose one of these Beatitudes and say, yeah, I'll just do that one. But the rest, nah. Not my cup of tea.

Our Lord is describing Himself in the Beatitudes. He is telling us Who He is, how He thinks, how He acts. He's telling us if we want to be blessed like Him, if we want to be united to Him in holiness in this life and in the next, this is what we're supposed to do.

 

Rv 7:2-4, 9-14; Ps 24:1bc-4b, 5-6; 1 Jn 3:1-3; Mt 5:1-12a

 

You may watch the Mass in its entirety on out YouTube channel. Homily begins at 21:26

How Can Salvation Come to My House? | PadreCast Thirty-first Sunday Ordinary Time

Why is penance so essential to the forgiveness of our sins? If Jesus Christ paid the price for our sins, why do you and I, when we confess, have to pay at least some price? Because that's what penance is. The mode by which - at least in a small way - we seek to make up for our sin. Obviously our penances are not sufficient to make up for our sin. Only the Cross of Jesus can do that. But He still expects us to contribute. To do some type of act of sacrifice or penance. The simple reason is: out of justice, there are consequences to sin. . . .

As human beings, the "ripple effects" that we cause when we sin are twofold. There is the spiritual effect, and the material, or physical, effect. You and I are complex creatures. We're not animals and we're not angels. Angels are pure spirit, animals are pure matter. As humans, we're matter and spirit. So when I do something that has a moral quality to it, it effects both matter and spirit.

Jesus pays the price for the spirit. He fixes the problem we have with God when we sin. That's what His Cross makes up for, which is why He can forgive us. But He does not pay the price for the matter, for the natural order of things. That's one of the things He requires us to participate in - the natural consequences of sin. He takes care of the supernatural stuff - that's why we're forgiven by God. We have the responsibility to help take care of the natural stuff.

One of the ways we do that is through our penances. Now, the penances we receive in confession don't really make up for much. So it's not like the Lord is necessarily asking us to do the whole thing.

The Saints teach us that our Lord, in His infinite wisdom and justice, gives us the penance we need throughout our lives to make up for our past sins. These are the daily crosses that come to us.

And if we go to confession, repent of our sins, do our little penance, and suffer patiently the crosses that come to us throughout each day, then we're saved. There's no worry. . . .

In our Gospel today, Zacchaeus is going to confession. It's one of the first examples ever of anyone going to confession to Jesus. When he has this encounter with Jesus, he's repenting of his sins. And he's willing to do penance! What does he say? "Lord, half of all my possessions I will give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone I will pay it back four times over." I think that's a very good penance.

But it's not his penance that enables Jesus to forgive him, it's Jesus' penance for him - the Cross. Yet, he's still required to some act of penance himself. This is why the Lord says, "Salvation has come to your home." You were humble. You have admitted to your sins and repented. You are willing to do penance.

How could the Lord refuse forgiveness to anyone like that? He can't! He won't. . . . .

The problem that we have is that we resist these penances.Or we don't freely take them upon ourselves as Zacchaeus does. . . .

But the Lord will give you the penances that you need. Every little cross, every little suffering - and the big, of course - that comes to you each day is our Lord's gift to you. . . .

Our Lord is a just God. He's infinitely merciful, but He's also infinitely just. He has for each one of us a certain requirement of penance that we're going to have to complete in our lives in order to go straight to Heaven when we die. Now if we don't get that penance done before we die, that's what purgatory is. It's one of the reasons there's a purgatory. I've got to finish up, pay back the small debt that I still owe the Lord.

If I have suffered my daily crosses patiently, then when I die - by His grace and the sacraments of the Church - I'm good. I'll go straight to Heaven.

 

Father goes on to explain the grace of the Apostolic Blessing. Don't miss it.

 

Wis 11:22—12:2; Ps 145:1-2, 8-9, 10-11, 13, 14; 2Thes 1:11—2:2; Lk 19:1-10

 

We had technical issues Sunday which prevented the live streaming of the Mass.
We apologize for being unable to post a link here.

Words and Actions | PadreCast Thirtieth Sunday Ordinary Time

What we say when we pray, and what we do with our bodies when we pray reflects our beliefs. . . .

Throughout the Mass there are different rituals that we practice with our bodies, different postures that we have to express different things. . . .

Why do we kneel during the consecration and yet are forbidden from kneeling during the Our Father? Again, it's because of what the position of my body expresses in those moments.

I'm kneeling out of humility because of the miracle that is happening, for the God Who is coming to me. But when I pray the Our Father, I am praying - according to the Church's teachings - in the person of Jesus Christ. Since the Church is His Body and the Our Father is His prayer, when we pray as a body, we stand. Because a Son stands in the presence His Father. When we pray in the words of the Son, we stand, to represent our shared sonship in Christ.

What we do with our bodies expresses what we believe in our minds and hearts.

Lex orandi. Lex credendi. Lex vivendi. Which means: As we pray (both with our words and bodies), so we believe. And as we believe, so we live.

 

Why was it always the tradition of the Church that if you were not going to receive communion, you would not even approach? The simple reason is because that's the most humble thing you could do. To stay back. If you're not ready or able - for whatever reason - to approach the Holy of Holies, then why approach at all? Isn't that somewhat presumptuous?

I believe our Gospel reading today is the reason why the early Christian would not approach (if they were not prepared). . . .

You've got this sinner, this tax collector, who knows how offensive his sins are to God. He does not presume to approach. He stays back. Not only does he not approach, but he won't even look up to heaven. He looks down, he's probably on his knees, and hew prays this prayer: "Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner."

Jesus tells us that because of his humility, his prayer is heard, and he is forgiven. . . .

In our first reading from Sirach, we're told that "the prayer of the lowly is heard." It "pierces the clouds" like an arrow. A humble, a lowly person when they pray - even if they're a sinner - that prayer is heard by God and answered.

But the words you use when you pray are not enough. Even your body - what you do in your motions, your posture is important because it reflects what you really believe in your heart.

So if you, like this tax collector, like this sinner, are unworthy to receive the Lord, should you be approaching? Should you be "taking up your position" to receive communion? Of course not.

 

Our Lord doesn't want you to be singled out. He wants you to express - by your words and actions - the humility, the sorrow and the regret, that is needed. . . .

Anyone who receives communion at any Mass is not receiving because of their own righteousness, but purely because our Lord in His mercy has forgiven their sins. You see, it's our Lord Who washed you clean. It's our Lord Who made you worthy. You have no credit of your own. So when you do come forward, worthily, to receive His grace, all you can do is thank God.

 

This is not a rule. It's just a recommendation I am making for you because this is the ancient practice of Christians.

 

 

Sir 35:12-14, 16-18; Ps 34:2-3, 17-18, 19, 23; 2Tm 4:6-8, 16-18; Lk 18:9-14

 

You may watch the Mass in its entirety on our YouTube channel. Homily begins at 17:04

Prayer without ceasing - for over two thousand years | PadreCast Twenty-ninth Sunday Ordinary Time

That's why intercessory prayer is so essential. Moses, the leader of the people was interceding for them to God in his prayer so they could win the battle they were fighting. And it worked.

Notice, though, the prayer had to be continuous. Now that seems a little unfair of God, right? We get tired. Humans are finite creatures. We don't have infinite energy.

The beauty of this first reading is that it shows us just because you have to "pray without ceasing" doesn't mean you have to do it alone.

Moses had his deacons. The two men who assisted him in his prayer when he was not strong enough to do it by himself. Even Jesus Christ had Simon of Cyrene help Him carry His cross when it got too heavy.

By God's design, the command to "pray without ceasing" - which is necessary - cannot be done by an individual. This is intentional. God created us this way on purpose. Both the need to pray ceaselessly to succeed, and the fact that we're finite and can't do it alone. That means we have to do it together as a community of people. We need each other to support one another in prayer.

The highest prayer is always the prayer of the leader. Our leader is Jesus Christ. . . . When the priest stands up here and prays the prayers of the Mass, he is praying in the person of Jesus Christ.

The beauty of the Mass and the raised hands of the priest is that - with the Catholic Church spread throughout the world - in Catholic Churches throughout the world, in every town and village, in every country and nation, there is a Mass being celebrated and a priest's hands being raised at every moment of every day. That is the continuous prayer of the Church. Literally non-stop, the Body of Christ has hands lifted up to God the Father in supplication.

How can we lose? How can we lose the battle, whatever the battle may be? . . .

Do you believe in the prayer of the Church? Do you believe in the prayer of the Mass? That this is the prayer of Jesus Christ Himself. That's the faith that our Lord is asking of each one of us.

 

When you're going through your daily spiritual battles, whatever they may be, all you have to do is close your eyes and think: Somewhere, a priest has his hands raised. And the Mass is being offered. For me.

 

 

Father follows this stirring homily with some "particulars".
Specifically about who raises or extends their hands during the Mass.

And who does not, and why.

 

 

Ex 17:8-13; Ps 121:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8; 2 Tm 3:14—4:2; Lk 18:1-8

 

You may watch the Mass in its entirety on our YouTube channel. Homily begins at 21:00

Ordinary Miracles | PadreCast Twenty-eighth Sunday Ordinary Time

In our lives - 99% of the time - this is how God will give you grace. This is how God will answer the prayers that you are lifting up to Him. Whatever you're asking. Whether it's a healing. A conversion. Virtue. Whatever it is that you're asking, God will give you that grace through your ordinary lives. Your ordinary vocations, and the humble obedience and fulfillment of those responsibilities.

Like Naaman, we can sometimes be tempted to think, "OK, I gotta pray a thousand rosaries to get this intention from God." Or "I have to go into the church and prostrate myself on the floor, and beat myself ten times a day for a year". Maybe God just wants a rosary. Just give Him one rosary. You don't have to overdo it.

Notice how He continually supports the laws of Israel.

Do you follow the laws of the Church? Do you keep asking Him for grace but disregarding the teachings and rules of His Church?

So often we ask God for special graces. I often ask people: Well, when was the last time you went to confession?

Maybe God has already given the grace. It's just there in confession waiting for you.

A lot of times you cry out to God for some type of enlightenment. "Lord, show me what I need to do. Lord, direct me!" And He never seems to answer. When was the last time you asked someone for advice? Maybe God has already given the answer to them. You just have to be humble enough to ask this person. It's ordinary.

Even the Eucharist, if you think about it, the Eucharist, the greatest miracle that Christ has given to us; His real Presence, His Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity, is given to us in the most ordinary way possible. Food. Something we do three times a day. What's more ordinary than that? . . .

God prefers the ordinary way.

But it takes a degree of humility to submit to that. Because it might not be what we prefer.

Humble, ordinary obedience to laws. To rules. To institutions. That will be the means by which God will answer your prayers.

If there is a grace for which you are praying that is very great, it may take more than the "ordinary things" to obtain. But you don't have to worry about figuring that out.

If God realizes that to give you this grace, a greater sacrifice must be offered, He will give you the sacrifice. He will do that, you don't have to go and find it. There's really no need to take on extra penances. Just do the ordinary penances you're supposed to be doing.

And if you're crying out to God for the conversion of some loved one who is far from Him, that's a huge grace. So it may require a large cross. Know that, if God sees it is necessary, He will give you those crosses that you need. You don't have to go looking for them. They will come to you.

Your job is to humbly submit to them. Not to resist. . . .

Christ chose to be weak for us. He chose that. And He wants us to be willing to submit to weakness as well. Because in that submission, in that obedience to His will, we find true humility.

Our Lord cannot refuse the request of one who asks with humility.

Just be humble. Submit in obedience to the ordinary requirements of society. Of the Church. Of your family. Offer your prayers to God asking for that which you want and need. Expect that through these ordinary means, He will answer your prayer.

Yes, it's nice when we get that flashy miracle. But I'm telling you: miracles happen to you all the time.

 

2 Kgs 5:14-17; Ps 95:1-2, 6-7, 8-9; 2 Tm 2:8-13; Lk 17:11-19

 

You may watch the Mass in its entirety on our YouTube channel. Homily begins at 21:11

Our problem is that we know too much evil | PadreCast twenty-seventh Sunday Ordinary Time

Our difficulty with faith is not so much not having it, as it is with other things getting in the way. Remember when Jesus says we are like the ground that needs to receive the seed of Truth, of the Gospel Truth, that He wants to plant in our minds and hearts. But there’s a problem with the ground.

There are rocks in it. Seeds can’t grow well in rocky soil.

Maybe there are weeds or other plants in the way.

To make the ground fertile, you have to till it, pull up the weeds, get rid of the rocks.

In our own minds and hearts, there is so much junk in the way that it’s killing the faith that is trying to grow day by day.

“I want to believe. But….”

All of those “buts”. How do I get rid of that?

First and foremost, you must avoid those things in your life that constantly lead you to doubt your faith in God.

The news is a great one. …You need to stop watching the news. It’s not helping you.

“But I need to know what’s going on in the world.”

Really? Really? You need to know what’s going on in the world? Why? What good does it do you? How does it help you in any way except fill your mind with worrisome things which you can do nothing about?

 

I constantly fill my mind with things that are totally out of my scope, beyond my ability to influence. And then I expect God to give me peace about them!

 

But wait, I have an intellect. I have a mind. Shouldn’t I know as much as I can?

The only answer to that is to go back to Genesis when the Lord created Adam and Eve. Remember, original sin is that they ate of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. That was the original sin that tainted us all. Our desire to have knowledge, not just of good, but also of evil.

Our problem is that we know too much evil. Not only by personal sin which needs to be confessed and removed, but also by filling our minds with all of the evil things people do in the world.

 

What has to change in me that I can become more like God? That I’m not tossed about, as Saint Paul says, by the winds of this world? Emotionally. Intellectually. That I hold fast to the faith. That I’m grounded in it. Planted in it.

I need to ask the Lord to remove from my mind all of the evil that I have learned over these years. So that, in the end, there’s nothing but Truth.

And yes, by removing this, part of my knowledge base shrinks. It becomes small, and pure, and simple like that of a child. That’s why Jesus tells us we need to become like children.

 

Children are far more easily at peace with the circumstances in their life, even when they’re suffering, precisely because they don’t know as much as adults do. Our Lord says we need to be like that.

 

All of that knowledge that doesn’t help you maintain faith and peace? It needs to go.

 

How do I become detached from the things that fill my mind and negatively impact my faith? So that I too can have the faith of a child, the faith the size of a mustard seed. And have the peace and joy of spirit that will come along with that purity.

 

Hb 1:2-3; 2:2-4; Ps 113:1-2, 4-6, 7-8; 2 Tm 1:6-8, 13-14; Lk 17:5-10:2

 

You may watch the Mass in its entirety on our YouTube channel. Homily begins at 20:07

When is generosity required? | PadreCast Twenty-sixth Sunday Ordinary Time

It's an important rule to remember that Jesus is the only one Who can require you to be generous. God is the only One Who can require - according to justice - that we give to those in need. The reason is, is that He is the One Who gives to us when we are in need, even thought we might not deserve it.

Now, why do I point this out? All of us know intuitively that we are supposed to support, so far as we are able, those in need. But it doesn't mean everybody who asks for help needs help. There are lazy people out there. The Bible says: those who do to work, should not eat. . . .

There is no commandment in all the Scriptures that says: give to those who ask of you. To give to those who want.

No. "Give to those in need." Those are the works of mercy. When you visit the sick or imprisoned. When you give food to the hungry. Clothing to the naked, shelter to the homeless. When you provide generously to those in true need, technically whether they deserve it or not, that is because God has done the same with you, and with me.

I do not deserve His mercy, His love, and yet, Jesus, we know, became poor. He emptied Himself of His glory in Heaven and became a slave, a human. So that we would become rich. He would fill us with the wealth of the Spirit.

Because of that great generosity, He requires of us that we give (especially of our excess) to those in need. And for that reason, He can punish us if we don't.

God is pretty much the only One Who rightly can do that.

One of the philosophical errors of our age, and ages past, is that charity, generosity, love, compassion, mercy, can be required of citizens. And that's baloney. You can't require that by law. That is unjust. Do you know why?

Because it's my money. It's my house. It's my car. It's my possessions. I worked for it. I earned it or I inherited it. Either way, it's mine. And ownership is part of the natural order that God has established in creation.

Since ownership is a real thing established by God in nature, that means that some people are going to own more than others. OK. Since they own it, they have the right to determine its use. Whether you or I like it or not. They have the right, according to justice, because they are the owner, to determine its use. If they are hard of heart and don't want to give to the poor and needy, that's on them.

It is unlawful for any government - church or civil - to try and force generosity.

Taxes are different. I know this area gets complicated. There is a difference in requiring some tax in order to care for the needs of the greater body.

But generosity can never be required. Otherwise it's not generosity, it's justice. The only way you can take from what belongs to me and forcibly give it to somebody in need is if that person has earned it. That's the only way it could be just.

This is one of the major problems with socialism and communism. Those are built upon the philosophy that "the ends justify the means". What that means is I can do whatever is necessary as long as my goal is "good". Since feeding the poor, housing the homeless is "good", I can take from the rich and give to the poor.

That's evil. It would be condemned in the sight of God. Good motivation. Bad means.

For an action to be good, not only does the end - the goal - have to be good, but the way you get to that goal has to be good as well. . .

But Jesus Christ and the Church encourage us to bet generous. That's the difference. It cannot be required by law. But it can be encouraged. And it should be encouraged, and rewarded. . . . Jesus give us a reward to motivate our goodness. Jesus says "Hey, you get to go to heaven forever if you do what I tell ya!" There's no greater motivation than that.

But the idea that the ends justify the means, or that any type of governing body can forcibly make you be generous - that is unlawful. And ultimately demonic.

 

Ex 32:7-11, 13-14; Ps 51:3-4, 12-13, 17, 19; 1 Tm 1:12-17; Lk 15:1-32

 

You may watch the Mass in its entirety on our YouTube channel. Homily begins at 19:40

Am I uniting my suffering with the suffering Christ? | PadreCast Twenty-fifth Sunday Ordinary Time

Mary was so conformed to the will of God that She did not only endure the agony of Her Son, but She consented to it. It is said by the Fathers of the Church that if Mary had not consented to the immolation and death of Jesus, God the Father would not have had Him crucified. Mary was so in union with the will of God - like her Son Jesus - She, along with our Lord, consented to this cross.

That's why She is co-redemptrix. No one has so perfectly suffered, alongside Jesus, and united their will with His as much as She has.

This is a degree of union in suffering with God that, even intellectually, we have a hard time grasping. It's why no saint in history will come close to the degree to which She shared in the passion of Her Son.

Now, all of us are called to share in the offerings of Christ. As a member of his Body, we are to be mediators, with, in, and through Jesus; and co-redeemers with, in, and through Jesus. Not to the degree that our Lady is, but along with Christ in certain ways. In fact, when a soul is baptized, God expects of that soul a certain degree of crosses suffered throughout their life. He has already pre-ordained the number of things you and I are supposed to suffer in our lives as individuals to share in the Passion of Jesus.

But we have to do it like Jesus. When I complain, that suffering was not suffered like our Lord. When I reject a suffering. Again, it wasn't suffered the way our Lord wanted.

If you can't endure any discomfort, any crosses, any difficulties without running for some fix, are you ever going to learn to suffer like our Lady? Like our Lord? . . .

Saint Paul actually talks about this in his Letter to the Colossians. In the first chapter he says something strange that many don't understand. Paul says: "Because I am baptized, in my flesh I make up for the sufferings lacking in the Body of Christ, the Church." Paul is saying in his own body, in his own crosses and suffering, he is making up for the sufferings lacking in the Body of Christ. The Church. What does he mean by this?

Did Jesus lack any degree of suffering? No, He suffered perfectly.

So what is lacking in the suffering of the Body of Christ? Paul is referring to the mystical Body of Christ: the Church. Christ suffered perfectly, but each of us, members of that same Body, don't suffer perfectly. Which means the tally of suffering that is required of each one of us isn't paid.

Let's say I fall short of the patient suffering that God asked of me. So what happens? I can't go to Heaven unless that's paid for. That's one of the reasons for purgatory - you've got to finish off the debt. But! You know that just because you can't pay a debt, it doesn't mean that someone else can't pay it off for you. That's what Saint Paul is talking about. He's saying: I've suffered enough for me, now I'm suffering for the rest of you who aren't suffering what you should be. . . .

 

The highest form of poverty in this life is poor of spirit. "Poor of spirit" refers to not just physical possessions, but even my own soul. I am poor in this sense: I do not require my will. I am willing to sacrifice my will ultimately, for the will of God. That's why our Lady is the best.

Do you think our Lady wanted to sacrifice Her Son? Of course not! But She was willing to do it. Because it was the will of the Father. She gave up Her own will for the will of the Father. There is no greater act of love She could have made. She died to Herself. Her own thoughts. Her own desires. She was totally submissive to God in all things, regardless of what it cost Her. No one has so emptied themselves and become poor in spirit as much as She.

That's the model for us, that's the model of our Christian life.

 

Each day we have to consider: Am I carrying my crosses patiently? Am I uniting my suffering with the suffering Christ? Am I making up - as Saint Paul said - for those sufferings lacking in the Body? That is the greatest good that we as Christians can do.

 

 

Am 8:4-7; Ps 11 3:1-2, 4-6, 7-8; Tm 2:1-8; Lk 16:1-13

 

You may watch the Mass in its entirety on our YouTube channel. Homily begins at 21:50

Can you love Her too much? | PadreCast Twenty-fourth Sunday Ordinary Time

We, baptized believers, make up the members of the Body of Jesus. And that's not just some pious understanding, (Saint) Paul is speaking literally. It's in a mystical way, but it is literally true.

That means, if you and I are united in the Body of Christ, and Christ is the One mediator between God and man, then we share in His mediation. To the degree that we share in His life, we share in his whole life. Even His ministry to bring about the forgiveness of sins, and union between man and God. So anyone who is a member of Christ's Body, has the power - with, in, and through Christ - to mediate, to intercede on behalf of those in need, specifically sinners. Anyone can do this as long as you are united to Christ through baptism. The more sacraments you have, the stronger your mediation power. The more holy you are, the stronger your ability to mediate.

This is why the Church also teaches that no one mediates better than Mary. No one can intercede better than anyone else better than Mary. Except Her Son.

The only reason Mary can intercede for us so well is because She's so perfectly united to Christ Her Son.

This was always our Lord's intention in creating us this way. He wanted to bond us to one another as a family. . . .

Christ as the head of the body obviously has the most influence. But the head alone without the body can't do much good. Mary in a sense is - analogously - like the neck. Everything the head has and receives has to pass through the neck to get to the rest of the body. This is why the Church teaches that Mary is the "mediatrix of all graces". Which means that any graces that any human on earth has ever received has to come through Jesus, He's the one mediator. But it always comes through Mary as well. . . .

This is why we should have such love and devotion to Her because She can do so much for us.

Now sometimes, people do worry: can you love the Blessed Mother too much? . . . Can you be too devoted to Her? . . .

St Maximillian Kolbe says: "Never be afraid of loving the Blessed Virgin too much. You can never love Her more than Jesus did." No matter your devotion, you can always have a greater love and devotion to Her because you still don't love Her as much as Her Son. . . .

If you want to love the Blessed Mother rightly, you must do what Christ did. You must offer Her all of yourself. And even that will never be enough. But you don't have to worry. The reason you don't have to worry about being devoted to the Blessed Mother or loving Her "too much" is because She won't let you. She's such a good disciple of the Lord that if you start getting a little overly attached, She's going to send you to Her Son. She's not going to let you worship Her - She'd put a stop to that right away.

I would challenge you to continue to increase your love and your devotion to Her. The classic methods always work:

• Daily recitation of the Rosary
• Wearing Her scapular
• Consecrating yourself to Her and Her Immaculate Heart
• If you have an image of the King of heaven and earth, Jesus Christ, in your home, you should have an image of the Queen.

There are many, many others. But the more devoted to Her you are, the more easily She can intercede for you, because you can more easily hear Her voice and take Her direction.

 

Ex 32:7-11, 13-14; Ps 51:3-4, 12-13, 17, 19; 1 Tm 1:12-17; Lk 15:1-32

 

You may watch the Mass in its entirety on our YouTube channel. Homily begins at 21:35

What’s in a Name? More than you thought | PadreCast Twenty-third Sunday Ordinary Time

We are only ever allowed to call upon angels by name if we're referring to Michael, Gabriel, or Raphael.

It is forbidden to attempt to call upon any other angelic name. It's forbidden. Those are the only three angelic names we are allowed to use.

You can't name your guardian angel.

You can't follow other traditions who believe they know the names of other angels or other archangels.

Basically, we know the name of Lucifer - and we don't call on him, the reason is pretty obvious; and we know the three archangels. That's the Church's teaching.

It does not mean we can't call upon the other choirs of angels - in general. It doesn't mean we can't call upon all of the guardian angels - in general.

But if we are using the name of an angel, as Catholics, we're only allowed to use one of these: Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael

Now, this has always been the Church's teaching and tradition. This has been the tradition since the Old Testament.

Why?

Because in over two-thousand years of Judeo-Catholic Tradition, those are the only three names we've ever been given! You can study the entire Old Testament, and the entire New Testament.

The only angels that are named are those three. They're the only ones we're allowed to call on by name.

If we attempt to use a supposed other name, thinking it refers to an angel, you're actually calling a demon.

In 745 at the Lateran Council. . . the teaching and writings of a heretic "bishop" were read aloud to the Pope and the Bishops. A prayer that the heretic wrote is very interesting. The prayer for the most part sounded extremely Catholic. It sounds like a really good, Catholic, prayer. And, for the most part, it is. Except at the end of the prayer, he calls upon the intercession of eight angels. By name.

After this was read to the Pope and the Bishops, they became so infuriated, they wanted the documents burned immediately (fortunately, they didn't and decided to preserve it in the Vatican archives). They declared unanimously that he was not calling upon angels. Only one was a true angel and that was Michael. The others were all demons.

But they were names that, if you study a lot of other traditions and beliefs about angels, you may have heard before.

Why would it be the case that if I were to call upon any other name than Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael - assuming that it was some angel: my guardian angel, an archangel or whatever - why would it always be a demon?

The Church has given us this teaching, but the question is: how does it happen?

It's unlikely, that on your own, you're going to figure out the name of a demon. How is it that you may be unintentionally calling upon a demon when you use even a human-sounding, yet unapproved name?

It's because, let's say that the name you use is not attached to any angelic spirit or demon. Since it doesn't refer to a specific spirit, then any spirit can say to itself, "OK, I'm going to adopt that name and make it my own." The good angels would never do this because God has never given them permission. They'd never answer to any other name because that's not the will of God. It's not been revealed by God to us.

So who would adopt that name? Take it upon themselves? Obviously, someone who wants to lead you away from God.

So even without knowing, you may have created a name and some demon says, "Hey, I'll take that. Go ahead and keep calling on me. I'll be there."

This is why the Church so strictly follows the revelations of our Lord. We don't want to be lead astray. We are ignorant on earthly matters, how much more ignorant are we on spiritual matters?

Imagine the rest of the world who does not have the Church to guide them. They have no idea what they are doing. They may be attempting to seek God, but unknowingly seeking demons.

There's a very consoling Scripture passage: God protects the fools, whether that be you or me, or anyone else. God will protect the foolish as much as He is able. But it's not always that simple, so we do need to be on guard about these things.

It's also important to talk about calling upon the intercession and aide of the Saints. We call upon angels and archangels in a general way because we do not know their specific name. In like manner, we need to be very careful when we call upon any human who has died.

 

Father outlines the Church's teachings about praying for the intercession of our deceased relatives or friends by name and whether this is a good idea or not.

 

Wis 9:13-18b; Ps 90:3-4, 5-6, 12-13, 14 & 17; Phlm 9-10, 12-17; Lk 14:25-33

 

At the end of the recording you'll find our Back to School Litany of Saints
which we prayed at the close of the Mass.

 

Homily begins at 19:33

No one loves sinners more than the Lord | PadreCast Twenty-second Sunday Ordinary Time

There's a very good reason why God did not do what (Monica) asked. The Bishop of Milan at that time, was Saint Ambrose. Augustine encountered Ambrose during his stay in Milan. Because of the wisdom and holiness of this man, Augustine was converted.

Now, Saint Monica, again: the example of a holy wife and mother. Her greatest desire is to help obtain the salvation of the souls of her husband and of her children. In her life she got to she the baptism of her whole family. Imagine what a consolation and a joy this was for her.

For those of you who pray diligently for your loved ones, those who may have shied away from Christ or maybe don't even know him at all, Monica is your intercessor. You need to turn to her, she's wonderful. . . .

But just because you're holy, and you're a saint, and you have all the right intentions, it doesn't mean you know what's right for every sinner.

You see, it seems logical, from Monica's perspective that if her sinful son - who can't say no to temptation - goes to the worst city in the known world at the time, he's going to get worse.

Who could have predicted that the Bishop of this bad city was a saint? And God was going to use that man to help convert her sinful son?

We can't predict these things. So we need to be careful when we're praying for our sinful friends and relatives - and even for our sinful selves - not to be too specific in what we ask of the Lord. It's best to entrust the specifics to God. He knows everything. God will save that soul.

God certainly loves Augustine more than Monica did. He's God. She's just a creature. God has more knowledge and more power to help Augustine convert.

God doesn't need anyone to help him save a soul, He can do it Himself. He's God. But He wants to use our intercession, He wants to use our help. It can help provide more graces when we do intercede. So it is a good thing that the Monicas of the world pray for sinners. They need to continue to do so. But they have to do so with a deeper trust in the Lord, and not presume how God will save that soul.

That's the lesson Saint Monica teaches us.

 

Her sinful son, Saint Augustine, teaches us a slightly different lesson . . . . Conversion takes time, prayer, penance, discipline. It can take years or decades. I think you might be able to relate to this very famous prayer of Saint Augustine. He said: "Lord, make me chaste. . . . Just not yet." Now, yes, the proper way to pray would be: Lord give me the virtues I need to be holy. But what's important about the way Augustine prayed was that he was honest.

He knew intellectually, that chastity, this teaching of Christ, was the right way. But he also knew that because of his sinful habits and the desires of his sinful flesh, that he wanted to sin! There was an internal battle. As Saint Paul says, it's the flesh warring against the spirit. He wanted both things. And he was honest with God. "Lord, I don't want to be chaste. But I do want to be chaste. Please help me."

I think God is so pleased by honesty that He can give more grace when we can be honest like Saint Augustine. It takes a lot of humility to look deeply within ourselves and admit to what we really desire. Sometimes what we desire is multiple things. Yes, God willing, I want to be holy and virtuous and do the right thing but honestly, at times, I don't. That's why I sin.

Learn from Augustine's example. He becomes this amazing saint of the Church. I encourage you to read his writings. This example of a sinner striving to be a saint is what all of us need.

 

So you have Saint Monica, the one who intercedes and prays for the sinner. And you've got Augustine, the sinner, who prays and intercedes for himself.

This wonderful duo, mother and son, two of the greatest saints of the Church, can be an example for each of us depending on where we are in our spiritual lives. Or, both an example simultaneously.

 

But regardless of whether we are the sinner, or we are praying for someone else who is far from Christ, we need to have that faith that trusts in the Lord. Ultimately, conversion of the sinner is in the hands of God, and we need not worry about that, because no one loves sinners more than the Lord.

 

Sir 3:17-18, 20, 28-29; Ps 68:4-5, 6-7, 10-11; Heb 12:18-19, 22-24a; k 14:1, 7-14

 

You may watch the Mass in its entirety on our YouTube channel. Homily begins at 19:50

Judge Responsibility, Not Guilt. That is the Lord’s. | PadreCast Twenty-first Sunday Ordinary Time

This is an important distinction: the difference between guilt and responsibility. You can be responsible and guilty at the same time. You can be responsible and not guilty. But if you're guilty, you're always responsible.

It's in understanding the relationship and differences between these two things that helps us understand how judgements should be made against individuals who are responsible. . . .

If you're the one - the actor, the mover - in regards to any action, you're responsible. . . .

Justice follows a simple law of physics. For every action, there's an equal and opposite reaction. If I perform an act, there is a natural reaction that should take place. If the act is unjust, then something has to make it just. Something has to correct the imbalance. . . .

 

As Christians, we're given a very specific directive from our Lord. It's okay to judge, He's going to judge us all one day. It's okay to judge according to His terms. His Truth.

There's right and wrong. There are rules. You break them, you get punished. If you're willing to accept that punishment it becomes discipline and helps you grow in virtue. If not, it's punishment and you deserve it.

Ultimately, that's the reason for hell. The damned don't want to be redeemed. You see, not all punishment is remedial. But the Lord wants it to be.

So in our judgements of ourselves and of others, we need to be careful not to equate or confuse responsibility and guilt. If I perform the action that is offensive or wrong, I am responsible. I need to take responsibility for that on myself and perform actions to correct what I have done.

But, I should not presume to judge my own guilt, let alone yours. When our Lord says "judge not, lest ye be judged", that's what He's referring to: guilt. Not responsibility. You have to judge responsibility; yours and other all the time.

We as Christians don't judge guilt. We leave that to the Lord.

That's why even when someone has committed a crime, or committed a sin, or done something wrong, we treat them with dignity because we don't know their guilt. Though correction or discipline is necessary in those circumstances. . . .

But I don't need to worry about guilt. I need to be responsible. I go to confession, whether I judge my guilt or not. I repent because I am responsible. But I leave the judgement of my soul up to God. That's what we should do.

We know we are responsible for the punishment due to sin. This is why our Lord asks us to bear certain crosses in our life: to make up for these sins. Even if we're guiltless, we still have a responsibility.

Jesus' cross was obvious, not because of any guilt He had. Jesus was guiltless. But in becoming a man, He made Himself responsible for us. That's why He could take responsibility and suffer the punishment, even though He Himself was innocent. We as Christians can do the same thing. . . .

Who cares if you're responsible or not? Take up the responsibility. Do it freely. Just like Christ did for you.

 

Is 66:18-21; Ps 117:1, 2; Heb 12:5-7, 11-13; Lk 13:22-30

 

Due to technical issues, we were unable to stream this week's Mass. We apologize.

Truth Brings Division | PadreCast Twentieth Sunday Ordinary Time

...Christ tells us that's not why He came. "I didn't come to establish peace on the earth, I actually came to bring division."...

The reason Christ is, by His very nature, divisive, is because He always speaks the Truth....

 

You can have a false sense of peace when you simply reject all truth. When you say it doesn't matter what's true. What you believe, what I believe, who cares? That's being lukewarm. The devil can mock peace in that regard, and that's what was happening in our country, and all first world countries for decades.

Absolute relativism. Which made it seem like we were getting along, everything going smoothly, no major problems.

But what that relativism did was enable lies to be taught and encouraged in society.

It was a false unity. You have to believe me on this: it is actually a good thing what we are experiencing politically and culturally right now. Both in our country and throughout the world. It is a good thing.

Remember: the Truth brings division. The more divided we are - it doesn't mean we're following the Truth - but it means the Truth is trying to be discovered and maintained. . . .

 

The way of God is submission, humility. Self-sacrifice in order to bring about unity through the truth. And what Truth is this? That this (the crucifix) is what real love looks like.

So how do we restore unity in society? How do we come to the truth? . . .

Any act of unity and love in this world that does not look like the Cross of Jesus Christ, is a lie. Because anywhere there is sin, this is the only way to manifest Truth and Love. . . .

 

We need to pray for the grace that enables us first and foremost to conform to the teachings of Jesus Christ and His Church. Remember, Truth must come first. And when we know the Truth, we should seek to implement it in our lives by reordering, or reorganizing, our lives and our decisions to conform them to that Truth.

 

Jer38:4-6, 8-10; Ps33:1, 12, 18-19, 20-22; Heb12:1-4; Lk 2:49-53

 

You may watch the Mass in its entirety on our YouTube channel. Homily begins at 19:40

Without faith, we cannot be saved | PadreCast Nineteenth Sunday Ordinary Time

Our Lord today in the Gospel is trying to teach us to put greater faith in Him. That's why He begins by telling the disciples that they should not be afraid any longer. That's a complete statement. He's not saying about some things. There's no reason to be afraid of anything any longer. He calls us His "little flock." The reason we shouldn't be be afraid of anything any longer, He says, is because "your Father is pleased to give you the kingdom."

Of course He's speaking about the Kingdom of Heaven. Ultimately, that's salvation, that's life for eternity with Him in Heaven. But it's even the Kingdom of Heaven here on earth in His Church and in her Sacraments. It's in these things that our Lord wants us to put our faith.

Now, if we have our greatest faith in these gifts, then we won't be afraid of things. The problem is we're still concerned and anxious, like Martha, about many things in this world. . . . It's not that we don't have faith in Christ, it's that our faith in Christ has not yet been perfected. . . .

Faith, first and foremost, is a gift we receive from the Church in her teachings, but ultimately in the grace of the Sacraments, won for us in Jesus Christ. But after this gift has been given to us, we have this obligation to increase, or to grow in our faith. There's an important truth in the spiritual life that the saints teach: there is no standing still in the spiritual life. You're either moving forward or you're falling back. . . . Generally speaking, if we're not striving to grow in our faith, even in small ways, then we are actually losing faith. We're slipping away. . . .

The moment you stop engaging this gift of faith - the truths that have been revealed to you, given to you and strengthened in the sacraments - the moment you stop engaging it, it starts to slip away.

When was the last time you went to Confession?

Are you in any grave or mortal sin?

What's your prayer life like?

If you're not living in the grace, the sacraments of the Church, how can you maintain this supernatural gift? It's not run on natural energy, it's only the life of Christ within us that can maintain true faith. . . .

If I'm not communicating with God - intentionally - each day, then the relationship weakens. . . . It's absolutely essential: striving to remain in the state of grace and daily, daily prayer. The goal Christ gives us is to "pray without ceasing". . . .

Heaven is eternal prayer, and your job right now, as a disciple is to get ready for that. To get ready to pray without ceasing.

 

The gift that is offered to us is far greater than any cost to ourselves.

 

 

Wis 18:6-9; Ps 33:1, 12, 18-19, 20-22; Heb 11:1-2, 8-19 ; Lk 12:32-48

 

You may watch the Mass in its entirety on our YouTube channel. Homily begins at 21:47

I’m not in charge. He knows what I need. | PadreCast Eighteenth Sunday Ordinary Time

It is very difficult for us to distinguish between" wants" and "needs". . . We have so many basic needs, and if we seek to fulfill them in right order - and this is what the philosophers teach, the theologians of course too - then you'll find contentment in life. But we're constantly fed this lie that you need more. . . .

It's an important lesson we have to learn: to distinguish between necessity and want. And it's not always clear or obvious.

What did our Lord say to this young man who came to Him and said, "Teacher, tell my brother to share the inheritance with me." . . . You'd think: wouldn't God want him to share? Does he really need all of that?

Our Lord's response is "Friend, who appointed Me your judge and arbitrator?" Here is the Lord Who has come to save the world and He's not going to get involved in this dispute.

So often, when we are convinced that we "need something" we go to God, and we pray - we're trying to be good Christians, spiritual people - so we pray. And we think that God agrees with our need. All I have to do is ask, and He's going to work it out. . . .

Why do we oftentimes assume that God's judgement will fit within ours in regard to wants and needs?

It's because we don't realize that ultimately, God doesn't care whether I have money or not. He doesn't. He cares whether having money or not having money will help me get to heaven. . . .

He is concerned with your soul. And He will use whatever external means He needs to help you stay close to Him.

In fact, the greatest needs of each one of us are not the needs of our body, but the needs of our soul. The body can die because Jesus can resurrect that. But if the soul dies - if its damned - its damned forever. We are immortal beings, you have remember this. . . . Once created, we live forever. So out of necessity, the greatest goods for us are the goods of our souls.

We have to stop making these assumptions in our prayers that "my" idea of what is necessary is truly best for my soul or the souls of others. . . . I learned long ago that I'm not in charge of my own life. I wasn't meant to be. I'm not my own god.

We need to pray for a deeper knowledge and understanding of the differences between needs and wants. To have the proper ordering of our needs. The needs of our soul - the highest. And then for the trust and the patience to endure whatever circumstances of our life that may be challenging or difficult, trusting that the Lord has a reason, a plan for it. Nothing can happen to His children apart from His will.

 

Eccl 1:2, 2:21-23; Ps 90:3-6, 12-14, 17; Col 3:1-5, 9-11; Lk 12:13-21

 

You may watch the Mass in its entirety on our YouTube channel. Homily begins at 15:34

Persist. | PadreCast Seventeenth Sunday Ordinary Time

It is appropriate that we pray today for our brothers and sisters in need, because the readings today focus specifically on the importance of prayer, and on one element in particular which is persistence or perseverance.

Our Lord is telling us in the gospel that you need to be faithful, you need to continue to pray for that which you need, that which you want, that which is good for you, and if you persist, you will receive. . . .

Now, if your neighbor who is not necessarily helping you out of virtue, is willing to give you what you want just to get you off his back, how much more will God - Who Loves you and Who wants to give you what is good - give you that which you ask for? When you pray with persistence. Faithfully. For however long it takes. . . .

 

The temptation we have I those moments is to say, "Well, it doesn't do any good. I'm going to quit praying, I didn't get what I asked for, obviously, I'm not going to get it."

And that's a huge mistake because more often than not, when the Lord wants you to wait, it's because the gift that he wants to give you is greater than the one you have asked for.

 

But prayer alone is not enough. Prayer requires sacrifice as well. Jesus prayed on our behalf, but He also sacrificed Himself to obtain that grace.

Oftentimes, one of the sacrifices that God expects from us is perseverance. You just gotta keep praying.

 

Gn 18:20-32; Ps 138:1-3, 6-8; Col 2:12-14; Lk 11:1-13

 

You may watch the Mass in its entirety on our YouTube channel. Homily begins at 23:08

Think about it this way | PadreCast Sixteenth Sunday Ordinary Time

"... Mary has chosen the better part, and it will not be taken from her."

It is precisely because of this passage in scripture that the Church teaches that the highest vocation, the highest action you can perform in life outside of the sacraments themselves, is meditation.

Here is Mary, sitting there, listening to Jesus speak. Now our Lord does not say, "Martha, Martha loving and serving your neighbor is not good", He doesn't say that. He says in comparison, your acts of love and service, as good and high and exalted as they are, are not as exalted as this: to sit at the feet of the Master and listen to His word. So it is not surprising that in the history of the Church that religious orders have sprung up, not focusing on serving the poor and the needy, but on prayer and meditation.

 

Why is it true -Jesus said it, it has to be true - that mediation is superior to acts of service? . . .

Knowledge precedes love. Love may be superior in the grand scheme of things, but knowledge is more primary. Until you know, you cannot act properly. Since knowledge is primary - it comes first, even before acts of love - it is the first thing that each of us must do in order to love properly.

 

Now, the greatest thing we can know is God. There is nothing greater than God's self-revelation. So contemplation, meditation on God, on His words, on His actions; reflection upon these things is the first - the primary - goal that each of us has.

Ultimately, these religious communities of men and women, they want to love God better. That's why they spend so much time thinking about Him. Contemplating who He is, what He wants form them. And it's a lifetime pursuit. You never get done with it because God is infinite, there's always more to learn. . . .

 

You cannot grow deeper in your relationship with the Lord without mediation. You can't. It's just not possible.

 

Father Miller proceeds outline serval pointers
which will help us begin or deepen our own times of meditation.

 

 

Gn 18:1-10a; Ps 15:2-5; Col 1:24-28; Lk 10:38-42

 

You may watch the Mass in its entirety on our YouTube channel. Homily begins at 18:55.

Nothing Teaches Humility Like Failure | PadreCast Fifteenth Sunday Ordinary Time

The reason the Church set up the Saints, or I should say, Christ sets up the Saints is to be an example to us. Not only to intercede for us, but also to be an example of how to turn to the Lord, how to grow in holiness. We see this in the majority of the lives of the Saints, especially when we know their history. We see that they may have lived sinful lives, but then they convert, they repent, and they grow in holiness.

In our first reading, Moses, obviously speaking under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, is telling the people to heed the voice of God, and to keep all of His commandments and statutes. "If you do this, you'll be blessed."

So, all you have to do is obey all God's commandments and all will go well for you. Well, we have a problem relating to that because we struggle and we fail. But again, the Church sets up Saints as - See? They learned to do it, you can too.

One of the most famous "sinner turned saint" is of course Augustine. He was a really wild guy, lived a very pagan and sinful life, but he has this big conversion, he turns to the Lord, and now he's this amazing Saint. He clearly learned to be virtuous, and grew in holiness by the grace Christ in his efforts. This is the typical example we see from the saints.

 

But it's not exactly who Saint Mark Ji Tianxiang was. What you may not know about him is: he struggled with addiction. His whole life. He was addicted to opium for most of his life and he never was able to break this addiction to the day he died. And yet he's still a saint, he still gave his life for Christ.

During the last thirty years of his life, his local priest refused to give him sacraments. The priest was convinced that he just wasn't working hard enough, wasn't repenting sufficiently enough to get over his addiction. So for his last thirty years he couldn't go to confession. He couldn't receive communion. He couldn't be anointed. Absolutely no sacraments. He had to go to Mass every Sunday never receiving the Eucharist, until the day he died.

 

Now, I was pleasantly surprised by the life of this saint, because I recognize in him a great hope. Not only for all of us sinners who struggle, but especially for addicts. . . .

Here we have a saint of the Church, canonized in our day and age, who never got over his addiction while he was alive.

 

The Church's teaching on and understanding of addiction has improved over the last century. Addiction, by its very definition, is enslavement of the will. Meaning you don't actually have the ability to refuse the impulse.

If he were struggling in this day with that type of addiction, a pastor, following the Church's current knowledge and understanding, would probably let him go to communion as long as he was continuing to fight the addiction. Even if he failed over and over again.

The addiction itself is a type of enslavement, forcing their will. Sometimes, they may go along with it, sometimes, they may resist, but in the end, more often than not, they can't refuse it. They're not strong enough.

The idea is if you just repent well enough, and work hard enough, your will will grow and you'll be able to overcome it. That is not always the case. We clearly see that in the life of Saint Mark Ji Tianxiang.

 

We don't know why God allows certain people to remain in a certain sin. But Saint Bernard of Clairvaux's belief and teaching is that God allows it for the sake of the virtue of humility, because humility is the most important virtue anyone can possess.

 

Failing, especially in sin, is always used by God to help us grow in that important virtue. And the response to sin, of course, is repentance. 

 

Dt 30:10-14; Ps 69:14, 17, 30-31, 33-34, 36, 37; Col 1:15-20; Lk 10:25-37

 

You may watch the Mass in its entirety on our YouTube channel. Homily begins at 19:10

What Should I Wear? | PadreCast Fourteenth Sunday Ordinary Time

As human beings, we intuitively recognize that the way we present ourselves, the clothing that we wear matters culturally. It always has and always will.. . . In fact, in many very formal events - a fancy restaurant, the opera - the won't let you if you're not dressed appropriately.

It's not a new thing in this day and age. It's always been like this in every culture because human beings, by God's design, recognize the importance of externals. Now externals aren't everything. They're not the most important thing, that's the internal, the spiritual, the soul. But the externals matter.

And they're important by design. God designed us. He designed human nature such that, all of the external things in the world, are supposed to be a sign of the spiritual world, the hidden world. Our bodies actually reveal the nature of our souls.

We say that the soul is the form of the body. So the body, by its very design and function, expresses the mysteries of the spiritual soul.

Externals matter because they are meant to reveal the hidden spiritual truths.

 

You all remember a story that Jesus spoke about the kingdom of heaven. It's like a king who throws great wedding feast for his son. He invites all the dignitaries, all the important people, but they all make excuses and can't come. He says to his servants "Go out and find anyone who will come. The poor, the weak, doesn't matter. Bring them all in I'm having a party for my son." Once the party has begun a man is found there at the gathering not dressed appropriately.

The Lord says to to his servants, "Bind his hands and feet and throw him outside into the darkness." Because he's not dressed appropriately for this celebration.

Now, Jesus of course is referring to heaven. . . . He's telling us you have to be dressed appropriately to go to heaven. Now it's not a physical grab, it's a spiritual one that we receive at baptism. It's that white garment, that spiritual cleansing that we receive by the gift of the Holy Spirit and the sacrifice of Christ.

If we don't keep that spiritual garment clean and spotless, then when it's our turn to go to heaven, we might get kicked out, because we're not dressed appropriately. Now that's the higher truth. That's the most important thing we have to focus on.

 

But it's also true on a natural level. For God the most important thing is your soul. But He also realizes the importance of the externals because the external effect everyone else around you.

 

So modesty refers to that appropriate dress in appropriate situations depending on who you are. That's why the Church has always had such strict rules about what the priest and the servers should wear in the sanctuary. These external trappings - they're not spiritually necessary - but they reflect the spiritual truth of what we're doing up here.

So when we come to Church, what is the goal of our presence and ultimately, of the clothes which we choose to wear?

Obviously, the purpose of Mass is to worship God. That's the primary reason you are obligated to come to Mass on Sundays and holy days of obligation. You have to worship the God Who made you and the God Who sent His Son to die for you. It's not to receive communion actually. You come to Mass to worship God.

 

How we dress reflects our view of what we're dong. Whether we think it's important or not. Whether we think it's sacred or not. . . . If you're not trying to wear the best you have, then on some level, you don't think our Lord deserves it.

 

 

Is 66:10-14c; Ps 66:1-7, 16, 20; Gal 6:14-18; Lk 10:1-12, 17-20

 

You may watch the Mass in its entirety on our YouTube channel. Homily begins at 12:30

Our Work Has Just Begun | PadreCast Thirteenth Sunday Ordinary Time

On one level, we can consider the Supreme Court decision (Dobbs) a great victory. because federal law forced the legalization of abortion upon the country. So thank God that that's over, and now states can decide. But we're not done, that's just the beginning. The next step for us is to get North Carolina declared a state of life, meaning abortion is declared completely illegal.

The Church explains in the Catechism that the laws of nations- of any nation - must protect life. That's an obligations. It's not an option. It doesn't matter what religion you are or what country you live in. All civil laws must protect life, and if they don't, then all of the laws of that nation are corrupt, because life - individual personhood - is the basis for al law. The good of the person. If you don't protect the innocent life, the rest of the laws can't do any good for those people.

So we have to fight for that first in our state. That's our next goal: to make North Carolina a state where we make all forms of murder illegal.

 

The second point I want to reference is the Church's teaching on self defense, or "just war theory." The reason it's important that we talk about it at this time is because it's clear that there are many on the extreme pro-choice side, who have been violent, some toward people, some towards buildings and things. . . . So , what are our God-given rights in regard to self-defense? this can be a difficult and sensitive topic. If you want to look it up in the Catechism, it's explained under "Avoiding War". It begins paragraph 2307. It gives the Church's teaching, that has always been held, this is the teaching of Christ as explained by the Church.

Even though war can be "just" - the self defense of a nation - the goal of every Christian is to avoid it insofar as is possible. And that's what we have to begin with in regards to any form of self defense. Where the taking of another life is required, to defend your life or the lives of the innocent, that is always the last resort. . . . You need to avoid doing everything in your power, reasonably speaking, to avoid taking a life. Even if that life is guilty.

 

1 Kgs 19:16b, 19-21; Ps 16:1-2, 5, 7-11; Gal 5:1, 13-18; Lk 9:51-62

 

You may watch the Mass in its entirety on our YouTube channel. Homily begins at 18:30