The PadreCast - Faithful Catholic Homilies

Lion of Judah. Lamb of God. | PadreCast Feast of Corpus Christi

So why is Jesus called the "Lion of the Tribe of Judah"? Well, the lion was the symbol of the tribe of Judah - that's the simple explanation. But also the lion, as anybody knows, is the king of beasts. That's the way God made lions, they are absolute top predators.

Oftentimes throughout history, we have had ruling families or kings take the lion as their symbol. Dominance. Power. Authority. This tradition began with Israel. The kings in Israel always had the lion from the tribe of Judah as their symbol.

Jesus, we know, is the King of kings, and He is a child of Judah, of Israel. So the lion uniquely belongs to Him as a symbol because it reveals His power. As God He rules over all things. God is all-powerful. But even as a man, He is superior to all other men because He is perfectly holy and always obeys the will of his Father.

So both as God and man, He is superior to all others. Therefore, He is the King of kings, the ruling One, and the Lion is His name. He is the Lion of the tribe of Judah. And He wants you to think of a lion when you hear that name. He wants you to be intimidated.

We have a natural fear of the power, of the danger of a lion. The scriptures are full of instances in which we are taught to fear God. In fact, fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. It is a gift of the Holy Spirit. And you should fear Him. Fear His kingliness, fear His power. You absolutely should. And that's why he is the Lion.

 

But He is also the Lamb. We have to try and resolve this seeming contradiction, because lions eat lambs, not the other way around. So how can Christ be both? Our Lord is trying to reveal to us a deeper mystery of who He is. Humans have never had a problem believing that God is all-powerful. But we do often struggle to recognize how gentle God is. How loving, and how merciful.

 

That's why He sent His Son into the world. That's why He suffered and died sacrificially in this way. He would say: Even though I am the Lion of Judah, I come to you as a lamb. Gently, in weakness. Just to draw close to you, to be near you.

 

Our Lord is both these things, and we see this most beautifully in the eucharist. Our Lord has made Himself food for us. That's how close He wants to be to us - to dwell within us. To facilitate that, He transforms bread and wine into His Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity so that He could dwell within you. Not just spiritually - He can do that through Baptism - but even physically, where you become one flesh with Him. A holy marriage.

He knows He has to do this very gently, because you're skittish, like lambs. You get scared very easily. So He approaches you like one.

 

Today is also Father's Day, and I think this is a very important lesson for all of us fathers. . .

 

Father Miller continues with convicting, insightful encouragement and advice for fathers.

 

 

Gn 14:18-20; Ps 110:1-4; 1 Cor 11:23-26; Lk 9:11b-17

 

You may watch the Mass in its entirety on our YouTube channel. Homily begins at 21:01

Everything in the universe finds its meaning in this mystery | PadreCast Trinity Sunday

This for us as Christians is actually the greatest mystery of our faith. The fact that our God is a trinity of persons. He is One, truly. One in mind, one in heart and yet three persons, eternal.

Now, we can't necessarily understand how this is, but we always try to glean some understanding, even if just a little bit. There are many things that God has done in creating the world, and creating our natures, to help us better understand Him.

That's why this mystery is so essential. It's actually more important than the Incarnation, the Suffering, Death and Resurrection, even though it's that mystery which saves us from sin.

The Incarnation is merely an extension of God's Trinitarian life in the physical universe. Everything we know, everything we perceive on this level of reality only exists because this trinitarian God made it. And when He made it, He made it based on the same Truth of His own existence.

Everything in the universe is trinitarian. Everything.

To illustrate this point, I'm going to give you one of my favorite examples I learned long ago: every atom is trinitarian. It's based on the very same principle of our God. And it makes sense, since God made up atoms to make up the universe, He'd make them like Him. In its basic components, what makes up an atom? There are three primary parts: protons, neutrons and electrons. How do these parts relate, one to the other?

The nucleus - the center - the focal point you could say of the atom, are the proton and neutron which are bonded together inside the nucleus. That which keeps them bonded together is the electron cloud that surrounds them. . . .

Why is this trinitarian? Not just because you have three parts to that atom, it's even how they relate one to the other.

We know, because of revelation, that the Father and the Son love each other eternally. And Their Love is the Holy Spirit. If you think of it logically, the Father and the Son live in Love. Love surrounds and fills Them, just like the electrons do with the protons and the neutrons. They are bonded in some special bond - what happens if you break an atom? Bad stuff happens! All that energy released. . . . obviously, they are meant to be bonded. They're bonded within this electron cloud. Electron symbolizes the Holy Spirit, proton and neutron symbolize the Father and the Son.

Everything in creation, everything, can be broken down into a trinitarian dynamic because it's all based on the Truth of Who God is, and God is the One that made it. . . .

So if you're interested in this stuff, I encourage you, start looking at things and analyzing them and see how they can fit within the trinitarian design. Everything does.

Everything in the universe finds its meaning in this mystery. . . . am I willing to die for this mystery?

 

The truths of the faith - ultimately rooted in the Truth of our God Who is a Trinity - these truths are more true, more profound, more essential than you or I. 

 

Prv 8:22-31; Ps 8:4-9; Rom 5:1-5; Jn 16:12-15

 

You may watch the Mass in its entirety on our Youtube channel. Homily begins at 21:37

What is Love? | PadreCast Pentecost Sunday

The Holy Spirit IS the love of the Father and the Son. He is mutual self-offerings of love. That's why we need Him. Without Him we cannot love properly. We certainly can't love like God.

Jesus show us the way, through His life, as well as providing us the grace necessary, to love like the Holy Spirit. To be that love in the world.

But in a sinful world, if we are to love the way God loves . . . He loves even if His beloved doesn't love Him in return. Which means you're going to empty yourself out and simply remain empty and die. That is the calling. Our Lord says, "Don't worry, do it anyway. And after you die, I will raise you up. " And we say, "But I don't want to die. It hurts!" The Lord says: "I know. I've been through it. I loved until the end." We cannot love this sacrificially without the living love of God within us. Without the Holy Spirit, it is not possible.

This is why when we receive the Holy Spirit, not only in Baptism, but even more powerfully in Confirmation, He gives us His seven gifts.

Jesus calls the Holy Spirit the "power of God." . . . God is all powerful, He can create and destroy. But according to God Himself, that's not His greatest power. His greatest power is love.

These seven gifts that the Holy Spirit gives are necessary to love. . . .

But what does love look like? When it's active, when it's real?

First Corinthians, chapter thirteen. Saint Paul gives you a clear definition of love.

• Love is patient. Are you patient? I'm not saying, are you patient enough. Love is always patient. Always.
• Love is kind. Are you kind?
• Love is not jealous. Do you ever get jealous?
• Love is not pompous. Prideful, it doesn't think itself better than others. Is that you?
• Love is not inflated. It doesn't think more of its qualities and abilities than is true.
• Love is not rude. 
• It does not seek its own interests. It's selfless. It seeks the good, the interests of others.
• It is not quick-tempered. It's selfless. That's probably a big one for a lot of people. Are you quick-tempered? Love isn't.
• It does not brood over injury. This is a very important one. Do you still hold on to past injuries, things other people committed against you. Do you constantly bring it to mind, bring it up to them. Does it lead you to resentment? Love doesn't do this.
• Love does not rejoice over wrong-doing. Should be fairly obvious.
• It rejoices with the Truth. Do you rejoice when you hear the truth?
• Love bears all things. Not some things, and not most things. Love bears all things.
• It believes all things. It's not always doubting others, questioning.
• It hopes all things. All possible goods, love hopes for.
• Love endures all things. Any suffering, any cross that comes your way. Love endures. Patiently.
• Love never fails.

 

If there is any humility in us whatsoever, we have to admit that we don't love like this. Not completely, not yet. There's any number of way I do not love to that degree.

You have to realize that even though you may have the Holy Spirit through the grace of Jesus Christ and the Sacraments, the reason you're not loving the right way - I mean, God's love is alive in you - is because you can actually limit that love. You limit it with your own mind and heart. Your intellect, your will - my intellect, my will - can limit the power of God, the gifts of the Holy Spirit, from functioning in certain areas.

 

So how do I fix this? Do I just get on my knees and pray? Well, yes, please. But that's not enough.

First you have to diagnose the problem before you can apply the right medicine. Healing a soul is very much like working on a body. You can diagnose it. If you know what love should look like, then you know - because you do it - where you fail.

So you say: ok, I'm not patient, at least in these situations. Once you've diagnosed the specific problem, you go to the gifts of the Holy Spirit and you say in which of these gifts can I find help? In what area of these gifts of the Spirit do I still need to grow? ... Try to hone it down to something precise. What is leading to my impatience in those situations? .... You have to be aware of what you're actually thinking.

Most of us don't grow in virtue because we don't do the work.

 

Acts 2:1-11; 1 Cor 12:3b-7, 12-13; Jn 20:19-23

 

You may watch the Mass in its entirety on our YouTube channel. Homily begns at 20:10

We are the Father’s gift to His Son | PadreCast Confirmation, Abbot Placid Solari

You who are to be confirmed this evening are to receive that power from on High, the power that demonstrates itself in all those fruits of the spirit, to go and change the anger, the hatred, the bitterness, the lies, the discrimination that has disfigured the face of the earth. Not that you're going to change it all by yourself. It's going to be God's power working through each of you one at a time.

But we're celebrating here that gift of the Holy Spirit that was first poured out on the apostles at Pentecost - that great feast we're going to celebrate this Sunday as we close out our fifty days of rejoicing at Easter.

In that upper room on Pentecost, were likely fewer people than are gathered here this evening. And yet, because of the power with which they were clothed from on high, down generation to generation, to generation, to you who are to be confirmed this evening, that good news of the Gospel has been passed on throughout the whole world.

You are saying this evening that you wish to continue that. That you will be faithful witnesses to people not yet born. That you will pass on that faith so that the good news of the Gospel can continue to renew the face of the earth until the Lord comes again.

 

The Holy Spirit distributes gifts to each one as the Spirit knows we need, and can accept, and can use. Too often, we spend a lot of time and energy - or we waste a lot of time and energy - looking at everybody else's gifts. And wishing we had those. In doing that, not only does it oftentimes burden us with sadness, and even jealousy, but it's also the work of the evil one in distracting us from the work we ought to do in developing the gifts of the Spirit as given to me.

Reflect on that as we celebrate the Sacrament this evening and in days to come: what are those gifts with which God through the Holy Spirit has outfitted each of you? So that in the unique way each of you will be called to do so, you can be faithful friends of Jesus. And people will recognize that in, you and perhaps be changed.

Don't worry about anybody else's gifts. What are the ones that God in His wisdom, in His knowledge, and in His abundant love for each of you, has decided - out of love for you - to give you? What are the gifts that you have received?

It's with those that the Holy Spirit has outfitted you, that you will be faithful friends of Jesus.

 

You may watch the Mass in its entirety on our YouTube channel. Homily begins at 11:24

We’ve got your back | PadreCast Ascension Sunday

Jesus ascended toward the East. This is an important point that sometimes gets overlooked.

Two men in white appear, these are angels. They ask, "Men of Galilee, what are you doing?... This Jesus Who has been taken up from you into Heaven, will return in the same way as you have seen Him going into Heaven."

So we know that our Lord was taken up on a cloud toward the East, and when He comes again in glory, He will come on a cloud, from the East.

This is why the Church has maintained the tradition for nearly two thousand years, that when we celebrate Mass, we celebrate toward the East. Ad orientum.

From the earliest time of the Church, whenever they gathered to celebrate Mass, they would all face East together in anticipation of His second coming.

That's why I, here at Saint Dorothy's, celebrate Mass ad orientum. It's why the Church for two thousand years maintained this tradition.

So the question is, why after the Second Vatican council did this ancient tradition get scrapped for the most part? . . .

 

He will return again in the same way He was taken up. We face East together when we worship God, so that we are ready to receive Him when He comes again. We don't have our backs to Him. It's really a beautiful tradition when you consider it. . . . There is a reason for this tradition in the history of the Church. I do believe wholeheartedly that it will return. . . .

 

For us as Catholics, the ritual performance of our worship is essential. There's a reason that we do what we do. And even if you're never taught those particular reasons, just practicing them begins to affect you and prepare your body and soul for grace. For your relationship with the Lord.

So I pray on this day, on which we celebrate the great Solemnity of the Ascension, that the Church would once again return to this most holy tradition. That as a people, as a body, we face East together always in anticipation of his coming again in glory.

 

Acts 1:1-11; Ps 47:2-3, 6-9; Eph 1:17-23; Lk 24:46-53

 

You may watch the Mass in its entirety on our YouTube channel. Homily begins at 20:39

 

It was the Church that gave us the Scriptures | PadreCast Sixth Sunday of Easter

It was the Church that gave us the Scriptures, not the Scriptures that give us the Church.

 

This is one of the basic mistakes that we make. We think that the Word of God is only the Scriptures. But we know that the Word of God is Jesus Christ. And the Word of God can be incarnate - the living Jesus Christ, we know in the Eucharist, His Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity. We know that the Word of God can be spoken as in preaching. And the Word of God can be written - the Scriptures. It's all the Word of God.

But we forget that the Church is also the Word of God. Because the Church is the Body of Christ and Christ is the logos, the Divine Word.

Jesus Christ gave us a Church. A community of believers that He empowered to hand on His grace and His teachings.

It was that Church which wrote the New Testament.

It was that Church which brought in converts.

It was that Church Who resolved controversies and disagreements among the people.

To help clarify and solidify this point, we're given the second reading today from the book of Revelation. . . . .

You see what the Holy Spirit is revealing to us through the Book of Revelation and the ministry of John is what the Church looks like and how the Church exists.

We know that we are the Body of Christ. The Lord teaches that we are the living stones from which the House of God, the City of God, the Temple of god is built. So when you hear this description of the stonework of the Holy City it's talking about the people of God. It's talking about us. . . .

We're told very clearly on what foundation this City is built. This City had twelve different kinds of stones that make up its foundation. And these twelve stones represent the Twelve Apostles of the Lamb. And we know who those twelve Apostles are.

The ones that Jesus, the Lamb of God, chose to be the foundation of the Holy City. Of His Church. Of His Body.

 

Acts 15:1-2, 22-29; Ps 67:2-3, 5-6, 8; Rv 21:10-14, 22-23; Jn 14:23-29

 

You may watch the Mass in its entirety on our YouTube channel. Homily begins at 20:19

Your Family is Calling | PadreCast Fifth Sunday of Easter

In the hierarchy of love, after your family obligations - and again, these are obligations of service and love - then what is the next hierarchically important act of service?

It's your parish family. That's your second family in a sense.

On a real level we know that the parish family is more important even than your physical family, because this is the family of Christ. In regards to your responsibilities, your biological family comes first, but after you've served them, if you have any extra time or energy, or money, then you serve your parish family.

You need to look for ways in which you can love your brothers and sisters in Christ. . . .

So when you're considering, "Do I have the time and energy to serve the Body of Christ? In what ways can I do that?" . . .

I just want to take a minute to go through the various ways in which you can serve your local parish and parish community:

• Altar Server
• Altar Guild
• Ushers
• Lectors
• Choir Member
• Set-up and Clean-up at events like the Feast of St Dorothy, Divine Mercy Sunday, Marian Celebration or the various celebrations we have throughout the year where we need extra hands. The Knights of Columbus barbecue can always use help. Those are just "one day" jobs.
• Assistant Catechists in the Confirmation Class
• The Summer Kids' Camp - that takes a lot of work

So often, when you come to a parish event, you might not realize all of the labor that went into not only preparing it, but running it and cleaning up afterwards. If we don't get volunteers, it usually falls to a handful of people to do that work all by themselves. . . .

We're such a big family, it's much easier for us if everybody who is able just give s little aid, a little help.

 

I want you to pray about this and consider it. Is there something more that you can do? . . . As you pray, you have to remember this most important thing: for us the calling to serve and the calling to love is not just an invitation. Jesus says it's a new commandment. Which makes it an obligation.

A commandment. And we are to love as we are loved - as Christ loves us.

 

For more information on how you can get involved, please visit the
Ministries page and Groups page on our website.
Thank you!

 

Acts 14:21-27; Ps 145:8-13; Rv 21:1-5a; Jn 13:31-33a, 34-35

 

You may watch the Mass in its entirety on our YouTube channel. Homily begins at 19:12

The Official Church Teaching on all Issues of Abortion | PadreCast Fourth Sunday of Easter

(You may follow along in your Catechism beginning at CCC2270)

"Since the first century the Church has affirmed the moral evil of every procured abortion. This teaching has not changed and remains unchangeable. . . . .

The moment a positive law deprives a category of human beings of the protection
which civil legislation ought to accord them,
the state is denying the equality of all before the law."

 

It's important to note that this is the official Church teaching. This is the language the Church herself has chosen to explain the position that has been handed down to us by Christ Himself and the apostles. This section quotes a document called the Didache which is the teaching of the twelve apostles, handed down in the very early life of the Church. The Didache specifically condemns the grave moral evil of abortion.

 

So for two thousand years, this teaching has been unchanged and is unchangable.

 

The passage above needed to be emphasized because it points out from Christ's own standpoint, that every civil society, and every legislature, has a required duty to protect the rights of all individual lives. If they create laws that break the equality and dignity of any human life, society itself, and the laws, and the rule of law that seeks to govern it, are fundamentally damaged. . . .

 

The Catechism points out very clearly that if any group of persons in a society by law is not protected, then equality in that society doesn't exist. There is nothing we can do in this culture to create true equality among all peoples until this grave evil is overturned.

 

Pray for the Bishops. Pray for your priests, that they would have the courage to speak out the truth. If we, as the clergy, do not speak the Word of God, then how can the sheep recognize His voice? That's what Our Lord says in the Gospel today: "My sheep hear My voice, and follow Me."

 

I can tell you Joe Biden and Nancy Pelosi and anyone in a similar position are not sheep of the flock of Jesus Christ. They may have been at one point, but they are no longer. Jesus says, the sheep recognize His voice and they follow Him. These individuals clearly aren't following Him, they don't recognize his voice, they are not members of the flock of Jesus Christ any longer. Neither is anyone who rejects this very clear and necessary Church teaching.

 

For those of you who may be concerned, the automatic excommunication that falls on those who participate in the procurement of an abortion, can be lifted by any priest when the person comes to sacramental confession. . . .

 

If we want to overturn the evils of human sacrifice in our culture and in our world, we must do what Christ did. We must be willing to sacrifice ourselves. Even if we are unjustly condemned. But if you, like Christ, willingly submit to those types of crucifixions in your life, and offer them up to the Father with, in, and through Christ's cross, then you can help to overturn this evil in our culture. That is the only way.

 

Acts 14:21-27; Ps 145:8-13; Rv 21:1-5a; Jn 13:31-33a, 34-35

 

You may watch the Mass in its entirety on our YouTube channel. Homily begins at 20:18

Five First Saturdays - Why & How | PadreCast Third Sunday of Easter

Jesus to Sr Lucia: "Have compassion on the Heart of your most Holy Mother, covered with thorns, which ungrateful men place therein at every moment, while there is no one who does an act of reparation to withdraw them from Her."

 

Mary to Sr Lucia: "Behold my daughter, My Heart encircled with thorns, with which ungrateful men pierce it at every moment with their blasphemies, and ingratitude. Give Me consolation, you at least. And make known on My behalf that I promise to assist at the hour of death with the grace necessary for salvation all who on the first Saturday of five consecutive months confess their sins, receive holy communion, recite five decades of the rosary, and keep me company for fifteen minutes meditating on the mysteries of the rosary with the purpose of making reparation to My Immaculate Heart."

 

We're going to begin this First Five Saturdays devotion, here officially at St Dorothy's beginning this month - May 7, continuing, God willing, throughout the year

 

Father continues and explains the exact requirements needed to fulfill the devotion, the benefits not only to the Heart of Mary but for ourselves, and others.

 

In 1939, this is what Sr Lucia herself said: "Whether the world has war or peace depends on the practice of this devotion, along with the consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. This is why I desire its propagation so ardently. Especially because this is also the will of our dear Mother in Heaven.”

 

And why five First Saturdays? Why not four, or ten? Jesus told Sr Lucia there are five blasphemies against our Lady, so the five devotionals are for the sake of consoling Her Heart against all of these blasphemies. They are:

• Against Her Immaculate Conception
• Against Her perpetual virginity
• Against Her divine and spiritual maternity
• The rejection and dishonoring of Her images

Lastly, and this one struck me:

• Neglect of implanting in the hearts of children a knowledge of, and love for, this Immaculate Mother.

Our Lord expects - at the very least - every single Christian to instill in their children a love of Jesus Christ and a love of His Holy Mother. That is His expectation.

 

So it is these five things which we are fighting against. These five ways in which we are trying to console the Heart of our Holy Mother.

 

Acts 5:27-32, 40b-41; Ps 30:2, 4-6, 11-13; Rv 5:11-14; Jn 21:1-19

 

You may watch the Mass in its entirety on our YouTube channel. Homily begins at 20:39

That is the Mercy of Christ | PadreCast Divine Mercy Sunday

Divine Mercy Sunday - this day our Lord wants us to focus on His Mercy which is manifested first and foremost in His Sacraments. There can be no relationship with God, no love, no sharing between Him and us, if there is not first the forgiveness of sin. There is no mercy, there is no hope of anything else.

All of the sacraments, ideally, are oriented towards that mercy. The very first sacrament all of us receive is baptism, through which we are forgiven of sin. Original and personal sin - washed away.

Those of us who were baptized as infants only had original sin, but then we grew up and started having personal sin. But Jesus thought of that and he gave us confession or reconciliation, so that we could approach Him once more under the sacrament of the priesthood and receive His mercy.

When Jesus appeared to His disciples after rising from the dead, after first telling them to be at peace, and giving them His peace, He said this: "Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, Whose sins you retain are retained."

Why would our Lord give the power of reconciliation to the Apostles at this moment?

He was able to do it now because salvation had been won. He's died and He's risen. Now is the time for forgiveness of sins. But He also gives it to them at this unique moment because it's the most precious gift He could offer in the new life of the Church. The power to forgive sins in His name.

The Gospel message is very simple: Repent and believe.

Repent of what? Of your sins which you have committed against God's laws and His teachings. Believe in what? Believe in Jesus Christ Who can forgive you of those sins.

That's the crux of the entire Gospel message. Our Lord wants us to have that same peace which He offered to the Apostles on the day of His resurrection. He wants us all to have that peace, but without the forgiveness of sin it is not possible.

And all of you know this. All of you know this. . . . .

No matter how many times you sin, or bad those sins may be, He's already suffered enough and won more than enough grace, to cleanse you of your sins and forgive you. That's it.

In fact, when He was dying, as God, in His Divine intellect, He thought of you. Individually. He thought of every sin you have committed, not only up to this moment, but every single one you will commit for the rest of your life on earth. And He said to his Heavenly Father, "I die for that."

That is the mercy of Christ.

 

Acts 5:12-16; Ps 118:2-4, 13-15, 22-24; Rv 1:9-11a, 12-13, 17-19; Jn 20:19-31

 

You may watch the Mass in its entirety on our YouTube channel. Homily begins at 17:26

I need not fear because Christ has risen from the dead | PadreCast Easter Sunday of the Lord’s Resurrection

Some of the Fathers of the Church tell us that, at the root of all fear, is the fear of death. Even if you're not necessarily dying, the pain that you're suffering is a small experience of dying, of death.

It's the Resurrection of our Lord from the dead that can ultimately conquer that fear.

It's this Resurrection that gave the apostles such courage as they went forth to proclaim the Gospel. They were no longer afraid to be arrested, imprisoned, beaten, stoned, or to die for Christ. Because they had seen firsthand that He was master of death.

For each of us, as we go through our lives, if you're honest, you'll note that you still have these kinds of fears to one degree or another. There's still a fear of suffering. Still a fear of sickness, and of course, of death. This shows us that on some level, my faith in Christ has not been perfected. I'm not truly convinced of the Resurrection yet.

The apostles have an advantage over us, they actually saw Him rise. They saw Him. They talked with Him. They ate with Him. That experience was obviously so profound, that it made acts of heroic suffering and death much easier for them. That's why Jesus says to Thomas, "Blessed are those that have not yet seen." That's us. Two thousand years later.

The challenge that we have is not sitting in church on a beautiful Sunday morning rejoicing - that's the easy part. It's when the suffering is happening. When they dying is taking place - do you still believe? Because that's when we doubt, that's when we struggle.

Whatever the suffering is, if you're centered in Christ, if you're faithful to your prayer, you'll find in that moment the grace and strength that you need to have faith, and hope. Yes, I may be dying, but I need not fear because Christ has risen from the dead.

 

Acts 10:34a, 37-43; Ps 118:1-2, 16-17, 22-23; Col 3:1-4; Jn 20:1-9

 

You may watch this Mass in its entirety on our YouTube channel. Homily begins at 22:10

Easter Vigil Mass can bee see here.

”He was pleased to crush Him in infirmity” | PadreCast Good Friday of the Lord’s Passion

Oftentimes when we are going through some type of suffering, strong suffering, we can become very frustrated with God. "Why are You doing this to me? Why are You letting this happen?"

Yet, if you are to be conformed to Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ crucified, then this passage applies to you also. The Father is pleased to crush you in infirmity.

. . . .

"Why would you let this happen to me?"

Why did He let it happen to His Son?

For the forgiveness of sin. For the salvation of others.

 

Through our union with Him in the sacraments, our blood is the Blood of Christ. His Blood is ours. So through all of our sufferings united with His, we, with Him, in Him, through Him, help to redeem mankind from sin. There is no greater honor that God could bestow upon you. So remember this. Even though it may be a bitter pill to swallow, when there are times in your life, like our Lord, when you are crushed by infirmity, remember that God is pleased to give you this gift.

 

Is 52:13--53:12; Heb 4:14-16, 5:7-9; Jn 18:1--19:42

 

The service may be watched in its entirety on our YouTube channel. Homily begins at 30:07

The Perfect Servitude of the Eucharist | PadreCast Holy Thursday of the Lord’s Supper

. . . the profound humility of Christ. He came not to be served but to serve. That mystery is most perfectly revealed in the Eucharist. There is no more humble expression, that He came to become our very food.

. . . The perfect servitude of the Eucharist, that Jesus becomes food for us.

One of the wise proverbs of Solomon tells us this: When you go to your neighbor's house and they provide a meal for you, pay close attention to the food that is provided, because when you reach out to take some, you will be required to make a similar gift in return.

The Fathers of the Church tell us, this is referring to the Eucharistic meal. You come before the Lord to eat at His house, at His table. And Solomon warns you: pay close attention to the type of meal you are being fed, because the One Who gave you this meal will expect a similar one in return.

As Jesus has humbled Himself in service for you, He tells us very clearly that we must humble ourselves in service for one another. . . .

The Eucharist is the crucifixion, death and resurrection of Christ. It's the whole gift that Christ gives to His Bride the Church. And it's this gift that you receive every time that you commune with the Body of the Lord.

It is this gift that our Lord expects back from you.

Every time you encounter a situation - especially with family - in which they are trying to crucify you, for one reason or another, whether you deserve it or not, our Lord has shown you how He expects you to respond. . . .

There is no way we can die like Christ without the gift of his grace. That's why He gives it first.

 

Ex 12:1-8, 11-14; 1 Cor 11:23-26; Jn 13:1-15

 

You may watch the Mass in its entirety on our Youtube channel. Homily begins at 24:05

Are we going to accept Him and His cross, or reject Him to avoid it? | PadreCast Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion

Because He was not the King that they wanted, they rejected Him. Jesus did not come to set us free from any earthly ruler. He came to save us from sin, and death. That's why He had to suffer and die - it was the means by which He obtained our salvation. . . .

In our own lives, even two-thousand years later, we fall prey to the same temptation of the Israelite people. Oftentimes our lives, especially when we're suffering or things aren't going our way, we question the Kingship of Christ: "He's not the King I thought He was going to be." "He's not the King I expected." "He's not the God I wanted."

And we have a choice, just like they did. Are we going to accept Him, and His cross, or are we going to reject Him just to avoid the cross?

We should know better, we have their example. So let us pray that as we continue to celebrate this Holy Week, that we would follow Jesus, not just rejoicing and as our King, but also to the Cross.

—————————————

The advice I would give during this Holy Week is: even if you can't make it here to Church during these Holy days, please schedule time during these days to pray. Read over the Gospel passages and meditate on them. . . . If we don't set aside time, and take that time, then what happens is, we're just too busy, the time allotted us has gone by and we've never drawn closer through meditation and contemplation to these Holy mysteries. . . . For all I know, this could be the last Holy Week I'll ever get. I don't know how long my life will be, I don't know when Christ will come again in Glory. We just don't know these things. So it's very important that following the Church's wisdom, we take some extra time this week on these Holy days.

 

Lk 19:28-40(procession) Is 50:4-7; Ps 22:8-9, 17-18, 19-20, 23-24; Phil 2:6-11; Lk 22:14--23:56

 

This week at St Dorothy's:

Holy Thursday of the Lord's Supper 7:00pm

Good Friday of the Lord's Passion 3:00pm

Easter Vigil on the Holy Night of Easter 8:30pm

 

You may watch the Mass in its entirety on our YouTube channel. Homilies begin at and

He did not come to accuse us, but to redeem us | PadreCast Fifth Sunday of Lent

He not only knows all truth, He is all Truth. So you can't trap Him, you can't outsmart the Lord. . . .

How beautiful and brilliant our Lord is in this passage, in defending and protecting this woman, and turning these evil men's intentions upon themselves. But that's not the point of the story at all. In the end, it's the beautiful exchange between our Lord and the woman caught in adultery.

He turns to her and says, "Woman, where are your accusers? Is anyone here to condemn you?" She says, "No one, sir." Then He says, "Neither do I condemn you. Go and from now on, do not sin anymore." You can imagine the humiliation and shame this woman must have felt; not only being caught in this sin, but then being publicly humiliated.

And here is our Lord, not only defending and protecting her. But forgiving her, and sending her on her way. In the eyes of all the people, our Lord was able to justify her.

This is the reason Christ has come, the reason we're celebrating this holy season and, in a few weeks, the Passion of our Lord. Because He wants to save us from sin. From the shame of it, from the humiliation of it, from the damnation of it.

He did not come to accuse us, but to redeem us.

But that's only His first coming, He Himself taught that when he comes in glory, He will not come with mercy. He will come with judgement and accusation. He will take all people, of all time, and He will judge them. Publicly. Bringing up every unforgiven sin.

You think you feel shame for your sins now? Just wait till the final judgement. They will be made known to everyone.

There is only one way to assure ourselves of protection against that final judgement. And that is the mercy He offers us now. Our Lord through His death and resurrection has given us the sacraments of His Church to forgive us of sin. If we accuse ourselves of sin to Him - especially in the sacrament of confession - then He will not accuse us when He comes again in glory. . . .

Our Lord doesn't want to shame you. He wants to protect you. And He has designed the perfect way to do that. It requires, however, your humility. The beautiful gift of the sacrament of reconciliation, is that in the sure and certain knowledge that my sins are wiped away - never to be brought up again - I can go forth from that sacrament with peace in my heart. No fear. No anxiety. In fact, the Scriptures teach that God forgets the sins He forgives. So He can't bring them up to you again. He can't accuse you of them in the future, because He doesn't remember. The Blood of Christ has washed them away.

 

So if you haven't had the opportunity to go to confession since Lent has begun, you've still got two weeks left before Easter. . . . Meditate on all the humiliations He endured to forgive you of your sin. It will make it easier for you to endure the little humiliation of confessing them.

 

 

Is 43:16-21; Ps 126:1-6; Phil 3:8-14; Jn 8:1-11

 

You may watch the Mass in its entirety on our YouTube channel. Homily begins at 19:12

Why do we need to Consecrate anything to Mary? | PadreCast Fourth Sunday of Lent

Technically, anything in this world can be consecrated, since God made it all, it can all be consecrated to His purposes, and made holy. But the only one who can consecrate someone or something is the person who possesses the authority to do so. . . .Consecration, first and foremost is dependent on the authority that the individual has over the people or the objects being consecrated. If he doesn't have the authority then he doesn't have the power. If he doesn't have the power, then it can't be consecrated. And only someone who has the power of God can consecrate someone or something.

This is why it was the Holy Father's responsibility to consecrate Russia. . . . Only the Pope can consecrate the world and any country within it. Only he has that overreaching authority.

So it was right in 1917 that the Blessed Mother asked the Holy Father to consecrate Russia, because only he could do it.

The reason the Blessed Mother said to the children of Fatima to consecrate Russia is because, if you don't, Russia will spread its errors throughout the whole world. Now, the errors our Lady was referring to, are the errors in communism. Obviously, the Popes did not do it fast enough. China is communist, many other countries of the world are communistic. Communisim is even infiltrating the United States. The Popes at the time - the early twentieth century - did not heed the warning soon enough, and so the errors began to spread. We had another world war.

Eventually they started doing it. John Paul II did it very well, and other Popes have done it too.

Whenever a Pope consecrates Russia, or any country, it does work. He is in the person of Christ. He has the power and authority. He has the keys of the kingdom, and what he binds on earth is bound in heaven. And what he looses on earth, he looses in heaven. Because it wasn't done fast enough, the errors of Communism spread instead of being stopped at their source. . . . The disease has spread and now we do the best we can. It's still effective, which is why the Holy Father has done this. So for us, we should rejoice, and be hopeful to see this consecration play out in the ensuing months and years.

But why did our Lady ask that Russia be consecrated to Her Immaculate Heart? Doesn't Jesus love the people of Russia? Doesn't He pour out His grace upon them through His Church and the Sacraments?

Why do we need to consecrate anything to Mary, as opposed to doing it directly to Christ? . . .

All Christians belong to Christ through their holy baptism. But when we sin against the Lord and the role that we're meant to live in relationship to Him, there are consequences to that. We belong to Him. He belongs to us. We fail to live up to those responsibilities, and those consequences must be fulfilled.

But if we also belong to Mary, if we are consecrated to the Blessed Virgin, she can add to our Lord's already profound and perfect love for us her own concern, and her own protection.

Consecration in essence, is giving oneself to God. But when you consecrate yourself to the Blessed Mother, you're giving yourself to God through Her. So you belong to Her first. She in turn, hands you over to Her Son.

If you think of anyone in the world (besides God) to whom you would want to consecrate yourself, it would have to be the most trust-worthy of persons. So trust-worthy, that God Himself trusted them implicitly. Clearly, Our Lady fulfills this role perfectly because, as you know, it was God the Father who trusted Her so much that He entrusted His Son to Her.

There was nothing more precious that the Father could have given to Her, nothing more valuable to His heavenly Heart.

If God the Father thinks Mary is that trust-worthy, then the least we can do is to imitate Him, and entrust ourselves to Her motherly care. . . .

When you belong to Jesus through Mary, you belong to Her. All of you. Body, mind and spirit. All your relationships, all your possessions. . . . You belong to Her. No one can take one of her possessions from Her, no one. . . . She will watch out for it, She will care for it, She will defend it. She will intercede for it.

 

Jos 5:9a, 10-12; Ps 34:2-7; 2 Cor 5:17-21; Lk 15:1-3, 11-32

 

You may watch the Mass in its entirety on our YouTube channel. Homily begins at 24:16

Help from My Friends | PadreCast Third Sunday of Lent

When you truly love someone, you're devoted to them, committed. You have a relationship with them. ... Devotion is necessary in life and just as necessary in our spiritual lives.

In our relationship with Jesus, our relationship with God the Father and the Holy Spirit, we also need devotion to the Saints. It's non-negotiable. Not an option, you have to have it. You don't need devotion to all of them, pick and choose who you like. ...

But two Saints every Christian must have devotion to are: the Blessed Mother, obviously, the Mother of our Lord, and Saint Joseph. Now I talk enough, we pray the Hail Mary, you know the need for devotion to Our Lady in the spiritual life. But I think, and even for myself, I fail in this regard, in my devotion to Saint Joseph. I don't talk to him as much as I should. I don't pray and seek his intercession as much as I should.

Now, sometimes people think, well, do I really need this devotion? Do I really need someone to intercede on my behalf when I can go directly to Jesus? I would point out to you our Lord's parable in the Gospel today. Here He is talking to the Pharisees and He's warning them: If you don't repent, you'll be condemned, terrible things will happen to you. Repentance is your salvation.

The parable is: a man had a fig tree in his garden, and for three years he came back looking for figs on this tree. He gives the tree three years to produce fruit and, nothing. Finally, he's fed up. He says, let's dig it up and try something new because it's just sucking nutrients from the soil. He tells his gardener, just cut it down and burn it.

Our Lord is saying for those who do not bear spiritual fruit, they are as good as damned. But what does the gardener say to the Lord?

Please, sir. Just give me one more year. I'll cultivate the soil around the tree and then, if it doesn't bear fruit, you can cut it down.

The gardener pleads on behalf of the tree: Be patient, be merciful. It doesn't deserve your mercy, but let me work with it and maybe I can get it to bear fruit. On its own, it won't. But, maybe I can help.

Now, this gardener clearly represents Jesus Christ our Lord. He is the True Adam Who was the original gardener. But, Jesus also sends us the many Saints to assist Him in pleading on our behalf to the Father.

Consider it from this perspective: God the Father has a certain number of years he's willing to wait for each one of us to bear fruit. Once we reach that number of years, that's it. He's done. You're damned, it's over. End their life, it's a waste of time to put any more work into you. But He wants to save you even though you don't deserve it, He wants to save all of us, so He sends His Son to plead on our behalf. It's the Master Who sent the gardener. It's not that the Father doesn't want to save you, but because of justice, He is required to give you a specific length of days.

But to give you more time, He sends His only Son. Now Jesus - the gardener - is working in the world, pleading: Father just give more more time with these "plants" I'm sure I can do something with them. And the Father says, yes, because You asked.

Jesus doesn't stop there. He sends the Blessed Mother, so now the Blessed Mother can plead on our behalf to Him, He can plead on our behalf to God and we get even more time.

The Blessed Mother says "Jesus is so smart, He must have learned this from His Father, I'm going to send Saint Joseph."

Basically, all of the Saints and Angels are working in tandem to give each of us as much intercession, as much time as possible to repent. When we have special devotion to them, they can intercede even more powerfully with us. That's why devotion is necessary in the spiritual life.

Father relates a powerful story about Padre Pio and a woman
who came to him because she was afraid her husband was in hell.

If such a tiny act of devotion can save a soul who was so deeply rooted in sin, imagine how much easier it will be for our Lord to save us when we have a strong and abiding devotion, not only to the Mother of God, but to Saint Joseph. We need these intercessors. We need them.  Without their intercession, our chances of salvation are diminished.

 

Ex 3:1-8a, 13-15; Ps 103:1-4, 6-8, 11; 1 Cor 10:1-6, 10-12; Lk 13:1-9

 

You may watch the Mass in its entirety on or YouTube channel. Homily begins at 23:00

Don’t Miss Out | PadreCast Second Sunday of Lent

Why were they chosen to receive this revelation (the Transfiguration) and the others were not? Our Lord actually gives us the reason in a different Gospel. Today we hear the story from the Gospel of Luke. In the other Gospels, when they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus tells them, "Share this with your brothers, not now but later, to strengthen them."

Jesus gave these three men this gift to give to the other apostles. This miraculous event was for all of the apostles, all of them. But it was meant to be seen and then shared by these three. They were chosen by Christ in a sense as angels. The word "angel" means messenger. Jesus certainly could have revealed this to all of them, yet He chose three so they could reveal it to the others because He wanted the apostles to learn to be interdependent. To need one another in their relationship with Christ.

It's a Christian heresy that teaches that individual people can have a relationship with Jesus Christ apart from other believers. "It's just you and Jesus." That's heresy. Jesus clearly acts out and teaches the lesson that we are members of the Body of Christ. We together are united in the Body of Christ, not separate. In fact, if a cell or a limb is separated from the body, it dies. It's the unity of the parts that make up the body, the whole.

To facilitate the unity of Christ's Body, He doesn't give the same gifts to everyone. We have to depend on one another. The other apostles needed Peter, James, and John to tell them about what happened. . . .

Remember Jesus said where two or three witness to something, I am there in their midst. The beautiful thing about that quote is that, that's exactly what happened on this mountain. You have the two, and the three, witnessing to the Truth. Moses and Elijah witness to the Truth because of the past. Moses gave the Law, and Elijah is considered the greatest of the Prophets. So the Law and the Prophets testify to the Truth of Jesus Christ. That's basically the Old Testament.

The New Testament? Peter, James, and John. You see the past and the future all testifying to the Truth for everyone else. . . .

Our Lord wanted to use special instruments so that the Body of Christ would be drawn closer together. So that we would need one another. . . .

He wants us to be united. Why is this so important to Him?

Because God Himself is a unity of persons. It is His Divine Nature, to be three Persons in one Divine unity. As we are made in His image and likeness, the unity of us as people is also necessary for the Divine image. Necessary. Not optional.

Ultimately, it's Christ we're depending on, but we have to do that through one another.

If you're not humble and open enough to listen to whomever the Lord may chose to use, you could actually miss the grace He's trying to give you, the consolation and strength that you need.

If we're not open to the Lord using others in our life to minister to us, then more often than not, we will not receive the grace that He is providing.

 

Gn 15:5-12, 17-18; Ps 27:1, 7-9, 13-14; Phil 3:17--4:1; Lk 9:28b-36

 

You may watch the Mass in its entirety on our YouTube channel. Homily begins at 24:17

Same old tricks | PadreCast First Sunday Lent

Jesus is lead into the desert by the Holy Spirit, to be tempted by the Devil. . . .

There's an important theological element that we must recognize. You see, Jesus is overturning the sin of Adam and Eve. That's the whole purpose of His coming not the world and His suffering, death and resurrection. He's undoing what the first sin did.

It's not surprising if you listen closely to the Gospel, that Satan is tempting Jesus in pretty much the exact same way in which he tempted Adam and Eve.

The Fathers of the Church teach us that when Adam and Eve were tempted by Satan in the Garden with the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, the book of Genesis tells us that there were three things that tempted them.

When Eve took the fruit, she saw that it was good for food, it was pleasing to the eyes, and it was desirable for making one wise.

The Fathers call these three things: Lust of the Flesh, Lust of the Eyes, and Pride of Life. They say that all sins - all categories of sin - fall into these three.

It was "good for food." That's the lust of the flesh. . . . when you cannot control your physical appetites, that is a sin of lust. Whether those appetites are hunger for food, desire for sleep or sex, all of these physical appetites; undisciplined, unmastered, uncontrolled are lusts of the flesh.

In Jesus' first temptation, what does the Devil say to Him? . . . The Devil is smart - he's not going to come to us when everything is going well, he comes to us when we're weakest.

So Jesus has been fasting for forty days and the Devil waits until Jesus is really hungry to come to Him and says, "If you are the Son of God, . . ." A very interesting intro. Jesus knows He is the Son of God. Yet here is the Devil trying to put a doubt into Jesus' mind, a question: Prove to me that you're the Son of God.

It's the same thing he did with Adam and Eve. "Did God really tell you not to eat of fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil?" "Well. yes He did." It's a simple answer.

Here's Satan. Same tactics. Thousands and thousands of years have passed since Adam and Eve, he's pulling all the same tricks. "If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread." Obviously, Jesus is the Son of God and could turn the stone to bread. It's no big deal for Him. So what's the temptation? . . . . Satan is trying to tempt Him with the lust of His flesh. He was very, very hungry. He clearly needed food. Satan was trying to get Jesus to use His power for such a weak and earthly need.

Our Lord responds, "It is written: One does not live on bread alone." If you know the rest of it, it is, "One does not live on bread alone, but on every Word that comes forth from the mouth of God." It is the Word of God - Jesus Christ Himself - Who is the Bread of Life.

 

Father continues and shows us each temptation of Adam and Eve, its counterpart with Jesus in the desert, and His response to turn that temptation aside..

 

In all of these instances, Jesus uses the Scriptures to defend Himself against these temptations, and He does this to teach us all a very important lesson: the Word of God is our defense.

When we are being tempted in any way by Satan, the better we know the holy Scriptures, the better we defend ourselves against temptation and the less we fall into sin. . . . When you're going into spiritual battle with Satan, you want the best weapon you can have to combat his temptations. . . . .

These temptations, that we all have in our lives, are tests that God wants us to endure. It's only when you're tested that you can improve and grow.

 

 

Dt 26:4-1; Ps 91:1-2, 10-15; Rom 10:8-13; Lk 4:1-13

 

You may watch the Mass in its entirety on our YouTube channel. Homily begins at 20:40

Are you really good at sinning? Get better at repenting | PadreCast Ash Wednesday

The ashes represent for us two things. They represent that we were made from the dust of the earth. When our bodies die and corrupt, we're going to turn back into dust. But they also represent repentance. Throughout the Old Testament, whenever someone was calling out to God for mercy, they would take off their nice clothes, they'd put on sackcloth - it really itches - and then they would put ashes on their head. It was one of the ways in which they repented.

So on this day in particular, we begin this season of repentance.

It's always wonderful as a priest, because during the Lenten season so many people come back to Church. They come back and they go to confession, and they start trying to be a good Catholic again.

Usually by the end of Easter, they stop coming again. But it's always good to see them back.

This season in particular, God is pouring out special graces on each one of us to help us repent from our sins.

Without repentance, there is no salvation. When Jesus sent His apostles out to preach, the Gospel message was this: Repent. And believe in the Christ. That's the whole Gospel message. If we don't do the first part, the second part can't help us.

It takes a lot of humility to repent, so it's something we have to continually pray for. Not only for ourselves, but for those of our Catholic brothers and sisters that are in need of repentance. . . . Repentance needs to become a way of life for us.

If you're really good at sinning, your greatest hope is creating a habit of repentance. God may be displeased by your sin, but he's going to be more pleased at your repentance. Those who repent are always saved.

Don't worry about how good you are at sinning, just get better at repenting.

Está bien?

 

Jl 2:12-18; 2 Cor 5:20--6:2: Mt 6:1-6; 16-18

 

You may watch the Mass in its entirety on our YouTube channel. Homily begins at 9:52