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Category Archives: Latin Mass

Final Perseverance (Latin Mass)

June 14, 2015 2:59 pm ⋅
3rd Sunday after Pentecost
Beloved in the Lord,
In 1839, two young seminarians who were good friends, decided to make a pact: ‘Whoever dies first, they said, ‘should return from the grave and tell the other of what happened.’ What they did not expect, was that one of them would soon die.
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The other mourned his loss, as he attended the Funeral. That night, he couldn’t sleep. His bed was in a dormitory with 20 other seminarians; everyone else was sleeping, but he sat on the edge of his bed, and thought about the events of the day.
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Suddenly at midnight, it began: it sounded like a dull roll, then the eerie sound grew louder. It grew in intensity and the vibrations echoed off the walls like many horses or an engine. The whole dormitory was now wide awake, and then came a sound almost like an explosion, as the doors flew open.
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What entered the room was not a shape that could be identified, but a light, changing in color. As all the boys watched, it spoke: Calling out the name of the young man seated on his bed it spoke three words: ‘I am saved!’ Then it vanished.
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The seminarians all ran out of the room in fear, but not the young man seated on his bed. He had peace. His friend had kept their pact, and he was happy, because he was saved.
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Now you might say, ‘Father, that’s just another one of those “stories,”‘ until we consider who tells it to us. That young man who saw and heard all of this, was none other than St. John Bosco.
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Friends in Christ, no one knows for certain, when they die, whether they will be saved or lost; whether they will reach heaven, or hell. If a person dies in mortal sin, they will not be saved, that much is certain, because mortal sin means that a person has turned away from Christ, in a serious way has acted against God’s commandments and has not repented. One must be a friend of God to be saved. For this reason, no one should be too smug about how they will fair on judgment day.
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I meet people who think they are doing just fine, but they are living an immoral life. They are deceived. They are not on the path to heaven, but they think they are.
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And even if we feel that we are trying to follow the Lord faithfully, we cannot be certain of what state we will be in on our last day. And this brings us to the question of ‘Final Perseverance:’  persevering in Faith, in a life faithful to Christ, all the way to death. The devil will no doubt try to tempt us in the final hour, even with our past sins. And so we pray that we will obtain the ‘grace of Final Perseverance;’ we pray to obtain this grace, because it is a sheer gift of God. In no way can we earn it.
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Only God knows who will persevere to the end and be saved, and who will be lost. We call this Predestination. God knows, in his plan, who will persevere and reach heaven and who will not, and go to hell. God already knows whose names are written in the Book of Life, and whose names are missing.
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Our Lord today gives us confidence; he shows us that his mercy is always waiting for us to begin again and get back on the path to heaven. He tells of the man with the lost sheep who goes to find it; the woman with the lost coin who searches for it; in the same way, heaven rejoices when a sinner returns, and gets back on the path.
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So on the one hand, the mercy of Christ is ever urging us on to hope. On the other hand, we must never presume that we in any way deserve heaven. That is the sin of ‘presumption:’ presuming that God will bring me to heaven – no matter what. It is pride. Even the great St. Paul said that he does penance, ‘lest after having preached the gospel, I myself might be lost.’ So if this great saint didn’t presumed on his salvation, we certainly may not. I tell you that we priests often feel like St. Paul. ‘Lord, in your mercy, grant that I will persevere, that after having preached the gospel I myself will not be lost.’
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We read about King Joash in the Book of Kings. The Lord gave him so many graces and blessings; he did great good for a time, but in the end, he turned away from God in moral disaster. There are plenty of examples of people who were very good for some or most of their life, but in the end turned from God: The great Tertullian, King Saul, Judas of course, and many more, even today. They failed, because they did not persevere in grace.
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A very holy woman used to bury the martyrs;[i] it was sort of her mission; she found one who actually still had life in him; she nursed him back to health, and when he was better, temptation lead them both to commit sin, and afterward they entirely left the Catholic Faith. St. Paul says, ‘take great care, lest ye fall.
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When we walk out of a good Confession, resolved to be faithful, we can have confidence that we are a friend of God. But we must remember: we are not yet saved. As Holy Scripture says: ‘He that perseveres to the end, he shall be saved.’
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On judgment day, as the Book of Life is opened with the names, we will desperately search for our name there. As St. John says, ‘Anyone whose name was not found written in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire.’
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Some people speak foolishly about ‘once-saved-always-saved;’ they say that all you have to do is declare Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, and then it doesn’t matter what you do or what kind of sin or evil you do. Hogwash! As if my commitment to Jesus today is sufficient for the rest of my life? This is the sin of presumption. Such an idea is not in the Holy Scriptures – rather, the opposite.
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In many places, St. Paul writes letters to other Christians – who have fallen back into sinful ways. Does he tell them that they are still alright, and will be saved? No.
‘DO NOT ERROR,’ he says. ‘Neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor the evil-tongued, nor the greedy will inherit the kingdom of God.
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He is writing to people who once had faith, but they have fallen back into sin. They can be forgiven, but they must change their life. Otherwise, as he says, they ‘will not inherit the kingdom of God.’
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Mother Church tells us over and over, to pray for the grace of Final Perseverance. It is a gift from God of which none of us is worthy. But Jesus desires that we persevere; the whole reason he has come and died for us, is to offer us the grace to choose the right path; all we have to do is cooperate with his grace, which he offers in abundance.
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‘But when I think about judgment and the end of my life and all my sins, I get nervous.’ Then go to Mary. St. Alphonsus says, devotion to the Mother of God during our life, will bring us joy at the end.
‘You will experience joy at your death, he says, if you can at that time remember that you have loved Mary. Nor will this joy be withheld from you, even if you have been for a time, a sinner, provided that from this day on, you live rightly, and love this dear and merciful Lady.
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Mary, pray for us. Jesus, have mercy on us. That our names will be found written in the Book of Life.

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[Entrusted to the prayers of Audrey Santo. If a miracle occurs through her prayers, please contact the Little Audrey Santo Foundation]

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[i] Preparation for Death, p. 320

Posted in: Latin Mass

Receive Him with Faith

June 7, 2015 4:33 pm ⋅
Corpus Christi 
Beloved in Christ,
for little Louis Martin, his life was not always easy. He was born with a rare disease that left the doctors confused; he spent a lot of time lying on the couch instead of playing with his friends. But eventually the doctors figured it out, and with the proper medicine, he started to improve.
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In August of 2013, at the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in LaCrosse, WI, Louis’ older brother Gregory, received his 1st Communion; he received Jesus for the first time from none other than Cardinal Raymond Burke, who was visiting his boyhood diocese.
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Louis sat with his family during the Mass, but afterwards he wouldn’t say a word. Finally, his parents discovered that he was heart broken that he couldn’t receive Jesus in the Eucharist like his brother. After Mass, Cardinal Burke came over to greet the families of the first communicants. He had a little gift for each one. When he approached the Martins, he gave Gregory his gift, but then he saw Louis crying. He asked what was wrong. Did he want a gift too?
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His mother explained that he was sad because he did not receive his 1st Communion as well. Cardinal Burke looked compassionately at Louis, and with that, Louis leaned into the Cardinal grabbing his vestments, and cried. His Eminence embraced the boy warmly and said, “don’t worry! Your first Communion will come soon enough!” Well, it was true. The next year, actually on the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, young Louis Martin received his first Holy Communion at the hands of His Eminence, Cardinal Burke.
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Friends in Christ, this true story is floating around the internet, and I thought it was very appropriate for today, to hear about a little boy who longed to receive Jesus in Holy Communion.  Today is the Feast of Corpus Christi: the Body of Christ. It is the day that we put all of our attention and love on Christ, present in the Holy Eucharist.
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We can pray to Jesus all day, and we should – spiritually. But only in Holy Communion can we touch him, bodily receive him, join our flesh to his. This union is the most sublime of all existence, our union with God. This union on earth is veiled by sacrament, under the appearance of bread, but it is a foretaste – an anticipation of our union with the Lord in heaven. Receiving Christ at Mass, we should then speak to him, tell him all our worries and ask him many things.
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Jesus came bodily into this world 2000 years ago; his disciples could touch God, embrace God, in the flesh, but it took Faith. This marvel continues through history, Jesus Christ still comes bodily into the world, is born on our altars that we may touch and embrace and love this Lord, and become one with him.
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Today on Corpus Christ – the Feast of the Body of Christ – we proclaim this to the world. At 2pm we will have our Eucharistic procession, weather permitting. We will carry this Jesus, gloriously displayed in a beautiful gold monstrance with all the pageantry and solemnity owed to a king, because he is Our King, he is really here in the world, and so we display our Faith.
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It is so beautifully Catholic, that all over the world on this day, from the doors of Catholic Churches stream little processions of young and old, the serious and the excited, marching through the streets of the secular world. So many people – too many people – live in our neighborhoods and do not know this Lord, this Savior. Today is a day that we carry him through our streets, singing, marching, praying – stopping at altars, to be blessed again by our Eucharistic Jesus.
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I often wonder: ‘what do the police think as they block the streets for us, for this excited little band of pilgrims carrying their Jesus? I wonder about those who are not Catholic or have no Faith at all: what do they think looking through their curtains at this motley group of Catholics? ‘Look honey, they are out there again, so many. You really have to give them credit.’ ‘Dear, why are you crying?’ ‘Because it’s so beautiful – I mean, their faith.’
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I wonder about the lax Catholics who don’t attend Mass. When they see this procession out their window. If they wonder: ‘I should be with them.’ There are altar boys, and incense, and candles; priests, music and singers and instruments; people walking with canes – there’s a wheel-chair being pushed, and another; children who don’t know how to stay in line – ‘What gives them such faith?,’ they ask. ‘Maybe we should return to God.’
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Elizabeth Hesselblad, who was a protestant, when a Eucharistic procession was going past, the Catholic people were all going down on their knees. ‘I will certainly not kneel down’ she said to herself. But as soon as the priest came by her spot, she felt herself compelled to kneel. She said, ‘I knew it was true’. She became a Catholic, and re-founded the Brigiteen sisters.
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Dom Chautard reminds us, that it was just after Christ had given us the Holy Eucharist at the last supper, that he spoke of the Vine and the Branches. ‘I am the Vine, you are the branches.’ By receiving Jesus in Holy Communion, with a holy heart and living the Christ-life, it is in this way that we the branches are in contact with the Vine; then Christ can act in us; ‘He that abides in me and I in him, will bear much fruit.’
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When the Christian retains in his heart the Eucharistic life of Christ from Mass – when his heart is consumed with the fire that consumes the heart of Jesus – what life his words and actions will have, they will be living flames.
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For each of us, our 1st Holy Communion was a great event; well prepared, we tried to receive Jesus with great faith and love. But this love and faith – we must make it grow, and seek to receive our Savior with ever greater devotion.
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Let us ask then, the Blessed Virgin to help us have great faith; faith in our Eucharistic Lord; faith to know that when we receive Holy Communion, we are receiving the Living Lord, his Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity.

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[Entrusted to the prayers of St. Nicholas]

Posted in: Latin Mass, Sundays

The Mystery of God

May 31, 2015 2:31 pm ⋅
The Most Blessed Trinity
 ‘Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.’
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Beloved in Christ,[i] today is the Feast of the Most Holy Trinity. The Blessed Trinity is the source of all life and of all creation, and is the meaning and goal of every human life. It is the most important belief of our Faith.
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We believe that God is 3 Divine Persons in One God.
God the Father – is God.
God the Son – is God.
God the Holy Spirit – is God.
3 “Persons” with the same Essence, and so we say that they are “Consubstantial,’ of the same substance; One Divinity.
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Those who deny the divinity of Christ naturally also deny the Holy Trinity. Jehovah Witnesses, Mormons, and Muslims do not know about this inner life of God.
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In the past we have spoken of how this Holy Trinity is reflected in the family. Husband loves wife, and wife loves husband, and this love brings another person into the world, yet it is one family; so, this is a sort-of-image of the inner life of God.
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Priests on this day often wrestle with how to preach on the subject of such a great mystery. Today, I thought we could delve deeply into some theology; so I’d like to give you a 2 week course in 8 minutes on the Holy Trinity!
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In God, there are 4 Relations, 3 Persons, 2 Processions, and one Essence;
and let us preface this by saying that there are two operations in God: knowing and willing, due to his Intellect and Will. This is true of human beings and of angels as well: the operations of knowing and willing. God has an intellect and Will.
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When we ourselves ‘think a thought,’ the thought is something in itself, but it is not ourself. The thought comes from ourself, but it is not ourself. It is a little bit like that with God, but on an infinite scale.
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God the Father is the source of all, he is the first principle of life. From the ‘knowing’ in God – his intellect – proceeds the Son, he is called the Word, like a thought of God that comes forth. This is the 1st Procession in God: the Procession of the Son from the Father; we say that the son proceeds by generation, or by an eternal begetting; this is not something that began in time, since God is outside of time; the Son has always been. So this is the first Procession.
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The 2nd Procession is due to the Will in God, his willing. From the Father and the Son, proceeds the Holy Spirit, who is Love. Love is in the Will.
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Procession in God must therefore be either by an operation of the intellect, by which the Word proceeds – the Son – or by an operation of the will, by which Love proceeds – the Holy Spirit.
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St. Thomas Aquinas says that since God knows all things by a single act of intellection, and loves all things by a single act of the will, there cannot be several ‘Sons’ or several ‘Holy Spirits.’
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Now there are two primary heresies regarding the Holy Trinity: some will say that the Son of God is God’s first and greatest creation, such as the Jehovah Witnesses. This is the heresy of Arianism.
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Others, such as the United Pentecostal Church or other Oneness movements – they say that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are merely names given to modes or aspects of God, not distinct Persons. This is known as the heresy of Sabellianism.
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Those are heresies, but they are nothing new. By a proper study of what Jesus Christ has told us in the Holy Scriptures about his relationship to his Father, and their relationship to the Holy Spirit, theology has enabled us to understand some true things about the mysterious inner life of God.
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The Son of God proceeds from the Father by ‘generation.’ This is because this procession is due to the Intellect; the thought of the Father generates an image of himself that is identical in all ways except Fatherhood. This image is of the same divine nature as the Father, sharing a single Will.
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The Holy Spirit proceeds not by generation, but by Spiration from the Father and the Son. This means that a single act of the will, shared between the Father and Son, results in the spiration of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit has its origin not in an act of the intellect, as with the generation of the Son, but in an act of the will. This is, in fact, an act of love between Father and Son, and so this 3rd Person of the Blessed Trinity is called Love.
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If we can grasp that the infinite love of the Father pours itself out to the Son, and the infinite love of the Son pours itself back to the Father, and from that, proceeds the 3rd Person, the Holy Spirit – well, this eternal chase of love within God is called the circuminsession.[ii]  St. John Damascene said that these Divine Persons dwell in each other, always One, in the intimacy of their friendship.
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Our discussion has focused on the inner life of the Trinity. But beyond that inner life, God has created all things: the world, the angels, the universe, ourselves; and the 2nd Person of the Blesssed Trinity, the Son of God, has united himself to this creation, to this world by Jesus’ taking humanity to himself. Why did he do it?
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Because he wishes to bring each of us into the loving intimacy of the Holy Trinity. At the Cross, at Mass, Christ offers himself, pours himself out to the Father as he has always been doing. We too are swept up with Jesus at Holy Mass, we are also offering outself with him, and through Christ we become participants in the very life of the Trinity.
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St. Peter tells us that we participate in the Divine nature of God. St. Paul says, God, has raised us up together, and has made us sit together in the heavenly places, through Christ Jesus. Eph 2:6
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In a superb talk on the Holy Trinity, lecturer Tim Staples says: ‘we become the flower that is flowering this earth; the cause of that flower is the Holy Spirit, and in a way, become the love that is proceeding from the Holy Trinity into the world.[iii]
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In Chapter 22 of the Book of Revelation it gives us a great vision of the Holy Trinity: It says: ‘He showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming forth from the throne of God and the Lamb. And in the mist of the city street, on both sides of the river, was the Tree of Life.’
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The throne of God signifies the Father, the Lamb signifies the Son, and the water is the Holy Spirit. The Divine life of God flows from, proceeds from, the Father and the Son. The water of life is the Holy Spirit, clear as crystal.
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The result? Divine Life for us, Zoe, straight from the heart of God. When we find this, we have found the Tree of Life.
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May the Blessed Virgin always help us – Mary help us, to forever praise the Most Blessed Trinity, to whom we owe our existence, and in whom is our destiny. To the Holy and undivided Trinity, be everlasting praise, honor, power, and glory, from every creature, and to us forgiveness of all our sins, forever and ever. Amen.

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[Entrusted to the prayers of St. Bernadette]

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[i] Ideas for this homily can be found  in the tape series by Tim Staples on the Holy Trinity.

[ii] or the pericoresis

[iii] For more on this, see the Theology of the Mystical Body, by Mersch.

Posted in: Latin Mass, Sundays

Hope in heaven

May 17, 2015 10:27 am ⋅
The Ascension
Beloved in the Lord, after Jesus Christ rose from the dead, he spent 40 days with many of his disciples – that’s a month and a half. They lived and spoke with Jesus, passed time with him – with the only man who has ever gloriously risen from the dead.
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They saw in Christ, this future which could be theirs as well. St. John writes about that experience: ‘I write of what was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked upon and our hands have touched: the Word of Life.’
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For 3 years Christ had tried to teach them of his plan for humanity. But it didn’t sink in. Now, for 40 days, they could see it for themselves: a glorified man. You can just hear their elation in the writings of the Apostles: ‘We now testify and announce to you, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, the Life Eternal which has appeared to us.’
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Friends, we ourselves will not only be resurrected one day, God-willing, but we will also be taken to heaven to be united with God. Jesus shows us this: at the end of his earthly life, he Ascended up to Paradise – we are supposed to follow him: ‘And it came to pass as he blessed them, that he was carried up into heaven and a cloud took him out of their sight.
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Today we celebrate the Ascension of Christ into heaven. The Holy Scriptures tell us that after Jesus had disappeared from sight, the apostles were looking up at the sky, and this shows us that their minds were now on heaven.  
– Our minds should be on heaven –
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A good friend of mine, when his mother suddenly died, he was devastated. He felt lost without his mother. But a friend gave him a book to read about heaven; for the first time in his life, he really understood how important are the promises of Jesus and our Holy Faith. ‘Now I know, that Mom is not dead, but alive,’ he said; ‘and if I can get to heaven I will be with her again.’ His life changed, because now his mind was on getting to heaven.
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Our whole life is rushing toward this goal; heaven is our hope.
Hope is the desire for something that will fulfill our happiness. Hope is always on something that is not so easy to obtain, but it is obtainable.
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A boy being trained by his coach has hope that he will win. Hope in achieving his goal, makes him work hard; and this hope of victory already gives him happiness.
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A man told me, ‘when I first met my future wife, I said ‘I want to marry that girl.’ That was his hope. Hope is for something somewhat difficult to achieve, but possible. He had to work at it; he had to show the girl he was a man of good character and complete his education – yet in all of this he was driven by hope: hope that he could win her hand.
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When a goal that we desire cannot be achieved, then hope is gone; we experience despair. Many today are without hope. Some don’t believe they can achieve any goals. ‘I’ll never find a job; ‘I’ll never find a good husband;’ ‘I can’t pass these classes.’ To be without any hope, is despair and that means sadness. Others, because of past failures, become jaded and cynical, and this too is lacking in any hope.
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Another requirement for hope is that the goal we have can be achieved, but it will not be easy to achieve. If a girl from a rich family is spoiled: given a new car, a huge allowance, college all paid-for, and anything she wants; she may have no hope, because hope is for a goal that is not easy to achieve; but if everything is easy, she has no hope. So we can see how important it is in life to have hope, it is important for our happiness.
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Now attaining many of these goals – winning the track meet, marrying the girl – fulfilling our hopes – once achieved, we are not always so fulfilled. And this is because earthly hopes are important, but they are not the real source of happiness.
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If you read the life of St. Alphonsus, you will see that SO MANY things did not work out for him; his plans fell apart many times; and on top of it all, his health was utterly horrible. When he was 52 years old he believed the end of his life was near because his body was totally falling apart. Little did he know that he had yet 40 more painful years to live!
He had arthritis in his back so bad, that he could no longer lift his head off of his chest – 19 years like that. But in all of this and all his failed projects, he never lost hope. Why? Because under all those ‘little hopes’ of his projects, was a much larger, underlying hope: hope in Jesus, hope in heaven.
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The Lord’s Ascension up to heaven gives us hope, because he leads the way. The apostles were not sad when Jesus Ascended, it says that they had great joy. The Ascension gave them the certainty that they had a friend, not only on earth but in heaven. And this filled them with the hope that not only would they see him again, but that Jesus would be living in them, working with them.
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We have our hopes and dreams, we have hopes for certain earthly projects, which may or may not work out as we wish. But our joy and peace should always be grounded in the great hope of a Christian. As St. Paul says: ‘May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace, so that by the Holy Spirit you may ever abound in hope.
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Hope in Jesus – hope in heaven, this leads us to someone else too, who will help us: Mary. What did the Apostles do after the Ascension? It says that they returned to Jerusalem to pray with Mary. They went right to their Mother.
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Let us too stay close to this Mother during our time on earth, until we rejoice with her and with Jesus in the glory of heaven.

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[Entrusted to the prayers of Mother Teresa]

Posted in: Latin Mass, Sundays

A mother’s virtues

May 10, 2015 12:08 pm ⋅
Beloved in Jesus Christ, in 1550, a woman very much wanted a child, and finally that child was born, whom she named ‘Camillus.’ But instead of being a joy to her, the boy caused her many sorrows. Camillus had a violent temper, he rarely went to school, and he was stubborn and lazy. Sadly, his mother died when he was only 12 years old.
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From then on, Camillus followed in the footsteps of his irresponsible father. He became addicted to gambling and learned about every sin there was. With his father, he hired himself out for fighting in wars, and – well his life spiraled downward for a long time.
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But after many years of a disastrous life, and after the death of his father, Camillus changed. He wanted to change – to give up his sinful ways, and help others. Eventually he would become famous for his compassion and care of the sick, and we would come to know him today as: St. Camillus.
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Why did he change? What was it, that led him to leave his evil life and become a great saint? If you read books about him, you will find one thing that they always say: He never forgot the love of his mother.
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Today is Mother’s Day, it is a day we think about this beautiful gift given only to some: to be a mother. One need only look through history to see how many great people were influenced by their mother. Thomas Edison said: “My mother was the making of me; I felt I had something to live for, someone I must not disappoint.”
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“My mother was the most beautiful woman I ever saw,’ said George Washington, ‘All I am I owe to my mother.
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And Abraham Lincoln said; “All that I am or ever hope to be, I owe to my angel Mother.”
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Nowadays, many don’t wish to be mothers; they wish to live only for themselves. ‘My condo, my live-in-boyfriend, my dog – it’s all I need.’
Civilization itself, in Europe and the US is dying, because so few wish to be mothers. No babies, no future.
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Although this is the situation, it is also nevertheless true, that there are still many very good and generous mothers keeping the world alive.
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Mothers come in different sizes, personalities, and styles; there is no ‘one way’ to be a good mother. Some work outside the home to make ends meet, some keep a business from their home. Other moms may do volunteer work in the community, but otherwise are dedicated to domestic work and a near-fulltime raising of children; some oversee the direct education of their kids, as for example in a homeschooling family which can only be done with an energetic, full-time mom at home. There is no one ‘rule’ for how to be a mother.
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For centuries, most families were raised on a farm, and mom was busy with kids and cows and chickens, all at the same time. The Holy Scriptures show us that women were often helping support the family: Proverbs (31) says, the good woman puts her hands to the spindle and makes garments for her home and also sells them; with her own hands she plants a vineyard and she looks well to the ways of her household; her children rise up and call her blessed.’ Would that children today would rise up and call their mother blessed.
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The Church does not insist on any certain way that a mother build up her home, and as we have said, many mothers must work outside the home; today there is plenty of encouragement for this approach; but let us today speak of the loving, domestic work of the home to which many mothers have committed themselves.
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St. Josemaria has said that today there is disdain, even a loathing, for those committed to working in their home; domestic work is ridiculed, and is called ‘exploitation,’ merely because others benefit from this careful work.
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A woman who pours herself out selflessly, putting in long hours at the company office is called ‘dedicated,’ and she is an asset to the company. ok.
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But when another pours herself out, selflessly putting in many hours to make a home warm, and clean, and holy – she is sometimes ridiculed as being a servant to others. But how is being at the service of one’s family of LESS importance than being of service to a corporation and it’s stockholders?
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In the eyes of God, there is no distinction at all between ‘higher’ and ‘lower’ classes of work. The value of one’s work is the amount of love with which it is done, and therefore, it is precisely domestic work in the home for one’s family that really stands out as valuable.
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St. Josemaria, who urged people to sanctify their work, even in the smallest things – he was once speaking to a reporter who questioned the value of homemaking. He said, ‘Let us not forget that although some people consider work in the home as demeaning, it is not so at all. Such work is just as valuable as that of a teacher or a judge.’
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We can and must certainly declare, that too many mothers are not appreciated. The Holy Sciptures tell us: ‘Children, do not forget the birth pangs of your mother (Sirach 7:27) and forsake not your mother’s teaching (Prov 13:1). Yet many good mothers remain in the background, quietly helping the family with little recognition.
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A boy was angry after the laundry. ‘Where are my favorite sports socks?! Did they get thrown out?!’ Then he realized that his mother was mending a hole in them.
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In many ways a mother has to be like God. God pours out his love on us, and often receives no thanks or gratitude, sometimes he is even ignored or insulted. A mother too often does not receive thanks for all the little things she does for her family, or is even taken for granted. But she knows that her treasure is in heaven, and her ‘Father who sees in secret will reward her.’
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Sometimes at a funeral, or a wake service – I say, ‘tell me something about your mother;’ and sometimes what I hear is: ‘Her life wasn’t easy father, when dad was alive, he often belittled her, and we ourselves, too often did not show respect. But it was mom who was the heart of our home, who kept everybody together; she never complained, and touched so many, even the neighbor families.’
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The mother who thinks not of herself or her own needs but of others – this is the heart of a mother who can quietly change the world. And it follows the advice that Jesus gives in the Gospel: ‘No one has greater love than this, than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.’
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The world needs generous mothers; it is my prayer that more young women will dedicate their life to raising a family of many children, creating homes of love and safety, where each person feels that they belong. It is from such homes that come the Abraham Lincolns, the George Washingtons, and the saints.
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The Holy bible tells us that a mother has a unique authority over her children, because she has given them life. (Sirach 3:2-6) If this is true, then we should look not only to our earthly mother, but to Mother Mary in heaven.
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St. Alphonsus says that although Mary in heaven, no longer commands her Son as when he was a child on earth, nevertheless her prayers are always the prayers of a Mother, and consequently she obtains whatever she asks.
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Mary, bless our mothers, and obtain the choicest blessings for them from Jesus.

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[Entrusted to St. Joseph]

Posted in: Latin Mass, Sundays

Confirmation – sacrament of the Holy Spirit (latin mass)

May 3, 2015 1:45 pm ⋅
Latin Mass: 4th Sunday of Easter
Beloved in Jesus Christ, the Acts of the Apostles is the book that follows the Gospels in the Holy Bible. It is the story of the early Church, it tells what was happening in those early years of the faith. In reading Acts, one thing you will notice is that the Holy Spirit is mentioned on nearly every page; it has been called, the ‘Gospel of the Holy Spirit,’ and there is a lot we can learn from this book.
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For example, in Acts chapter 8, it tells us that there were some people who had only been baptized, but they had never received the Holy Spirit, so the apostles went there, laid hands on them and prayed, and they received the Holy Spirit. The same thing happened in Acts chapter 19; some people were baptized, and in a separate action, St. Paul, praying, laid hands on them, and it says ‘they received the Holy Spirit.’
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We can see from these events, that in addition to baptism, a separate action is necessary for a person to receive the fullness of the Holy Spirit; the East calls it ‘Chrismation,’ we call it ‘Confirmation. The Sacrament of Confirmation is one of the 7 sacraments of the Church, and as we have seen, it has been the practice of the faith since the time of the Apostles.
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Confirmation really completes baptism. In the early church, it was a common practice that after a person was baptized by the bishop, he would then immediately receive Confirmation, even a baby. But as the Church grew quickly, the bishop was not able to be there for every baptism, and so the custom began that the priest would baptize, and then later the bishop would come and administer Confirmation. When the bishop does this, hands are laid on the person, a prayer calls down the Holy Spirit, and then the person is anointed with Sacred Chrism.
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Sacred Chrism is one of the 3 oils used in the sacraments. The three oils are: the oil of the sick, the oil of catechumens, and Sacred Chrism. Sacred Chrism is used in the 3 sacraments that permanently change you: baptism, confirmation, and holy orders. You can only receive these sacraments once, because a permanent change occurs in your soul.
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In baptism, you are permanently made into a Christian, a child of God, a member of the Church, and that can never be changed. Even if you become a bad Christian, ignore the faith, or worse – you are still a child of God, a member of the Church (but a dead member). When a man is ordained a priest, he is permanently a priest, it can never be changed. Even if he would become a loser priest or even suspended by the bishop, he’s still a priest.
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So what is the permanent change in a person who receives Confirmation? We can say that if, in baptism, the person became a child of God, in Confirmation the person becomes a soldier of God. This means we are given a new strength of the Holy Spirit to stand up for Christ, to defend the Holy Faith, to be a witness. By baptism we are a child, by confirmation a mature and brave Christian. A child is never expected to defend his home or family, but an adult is. A confirmed Catholic is expected to always stand up for the true teachings of Holy Mother Church.
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These days, we often have chances to speak about the true moral way of life – even when such words are not popular. Confirmation gives us an increase in the Gifts of the Holy Spirit for the express purpose of standing for Christ, even if it would mean giving our life. People in the middle east are giving their life for Christ.
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I was thinking about all the martyrs who gave their life. St. Lucy came to mind, she was in such a situation. She was brought before the proconsul and ordered to give up her faith; she was required to comply with the law of the Empire. But Lucy responded: ‘You obey your master’s laws, I shall obey the laws of my God.’
Proconsul: ‘I will have you tortured to death.’
Lucy: ‘I am ready for every torture. I offer myself to the Lord.’
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And so she did. It was the power of the Holy Spirit, alive in her, that gave her the strength to stand for Christ, giving her life. Her name is mentioned to this very day in the Canon of the Mass – because she is an example for us.
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We need the power of Confirmation, these Gifts of the Holy Spirit, to help us be strong and true Catholics in the midst of a confused and even hostile society. A young woman told me that in her high school, one of her teachers is an atheist, and is always finding little ways to criticize the Catholic Church, distorting history lessons, and even making up lies. This is so-called separation of Church and State –  She said, ‘Father, I was not going to take that, I spoke up and told him he was wrong.’
‘And you got away with that?,’ I asked.
‘Father, I’m the smartest in my class!’
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This is the power of the Holy Spirit. In just a few weeks we will celebrate Pentecost, the coming of the Holy Spirit on the entire Church. In the gospel today, Jesus is preparing his apostles for this coming Holy Spirit. ‘I tell you the truth: it is expedient to you that I go: for if I go not, the Paraclete will not come to you: but if I go, I will send Him to you.’
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Although we receive the Holy Spirit in our souls at baptism, we receive a new outpouring of the Holy Spirit with new graces, at our Confirmation. We might say that Confirmation is the ‘sacrament of the Holy Spirit.’ But we must act on these graces for them to be fruitful, we must pray daily, to remain united to this great Paraclete, and then he will help us, and teach us.
‘But when He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will teach you all truth.’
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The world in which we live today – well, we can’t be solid Christians without the grace of the Holy Spirit. St. Paul sums up our role in today’s world. ‘Be blameless and innocent children of God,’ he says, ‘in the mist of a twisted and perverse generation, for among them you must shine like stars.’
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We must shine like stars. It isn’t always easy.
But if our commitment to the Lord’s way is sometimes weak, we can always call on another advocate who will help us: Mary.
Mary is known as the Spouse of the Holy Spirit, and if we remain close to her, she will help us to remain faithful to God.
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In ancient times, if a sailor was losing his way at night, he could look for that special star, by which he could be guided to port. Mary has been called the Star of the Sea. In old paintings, you will often see a single star on her veil. She is the star who keeps us on the right path, who keeps us close to the Holy Spirit, if we ask her.
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O Mary, star of the sea, pray for me.

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[Entrusted to the prayers of St. Agatha]

Posted in: Latin Mass

Why is there suffering?

April 19, 2015 4:22 pm ⋅
Latin Mass: 2nd Sunday after Easter
Friends in Christ, in the Epistle today from St. Peter, we read: ‘Christ suffered for us, leaving you an example that you should follow in his steps.’
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Suffering is part of this life, no one can deny that. As we saw in Holy Week, suffering was the path to our redemption. In the resurrection, Jesus showed his apostles the nail prints in his hands and feet – evidence that suffering is central to the mystery of salvation.
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But the suffering in the world can make people question their faith. Young people sometimes ask: ‘How can God allow suffering?’ ‘If God is all good and all powerful, why does he allow this to happen to me, or my brother, or my mother?’ ‘Why does he allow people to be tortured and persecuted?’ ‘Why is there cancer?’
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This is one of the greatest questions there is. It is called ‘the problem of evil.’
Now contained in this question are two different types of evil. Physical evil and moral evil.
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Physical evil is: why does God allow cancer, or earthquakes, or typhoons; why does God allow a person to be attacked by a shark? ‘Why did my father have to die?’ These are causes of suffering which are not due to anyone’s fault, but due to nature. Like those innocent sheep in the gospel today who the wolf attacks, it is an act of nature.
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The other kind of evil is moral evil. Why does God allow ISIS to kill innocent Christian people? Why does God allow a gang member to kill a child in the city, or your friend to be beaten up by bullies? Why does God permit these evils? These are ‘moral evils,’ they are caused directly by sin.
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Atheists often bring up this question of evil: ‘The evil in the world proves there is no God. If God were all powerful and all good, he would not allow suffering.’ So what can we say about this?
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First let’s say the small things, and then the big thing.
First, Free-Will
If God were going to stop the gang member from shooting, if he miraculously stopped the bullet in mid-air; or if, when the bully is going to throw the punch, his arm miraculously would freeze up and in this way, no one would be capable of ever hurting another, then we would really be robots controlled by God, there would no longer be free-will. God has given us a great gift: free-will. He wants us to use it to love him, but the Lord must weep often, over how it is wrongly used to hurt others. And every parent often feels this same frustration, seeing children use their free-will, not always for good things.
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God also allows the devil to exercise his free-will; the devil was the original source of all the moral evil, and the demons create enormous pain in the world by their temptations. So this is one reason that God allows moral evil: free-will. and we must say that he ALLOWS all this, but he does not desire it. It is his permissive will, not his active will. God weeps over the suffering of the world.
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Another thing for us to consider, is that God is working on a much larger scale than we are. He can see the very long-term effects of things. God is painting a masterpiece that extends over millions of years. If you put your face up close to a painting, you may say: ‘This black smudge is ugly, what a mistake.’ But backing away a distance, one can see that that black spot is a very important part of the entire painting.
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We see a handicapped child in a family; why did God allow this? And then we meet the brothers and sisters and parents, and we find out that that handicapped child has made all of them into better people: kind, patient, and giving. We can sometimes see good that comes out of trouble.
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God allows some people to be cruel, irritating, or unkind; but it is just these persons who allow another to be patient, serene, and long-suffering. How can we pray for our enemies, unless we have some? For most of us to become a saint, there must be another person in our life – ‘to make us a saint,’ if you know what I mean!! So God can bring good out of evil, even if we can’t always see it.
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God also wants nature to be free. He allows cancer cells to grow in their own way, he allows sharks to do what sharks do and germs to do what germs do. The wind and seas move as they will; the earth’s crust shifts in a freedom all it’s own.
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In the 2004 earthquake/Sunami, thousands of people died. This tragic event however produced an enormous amount of compassion and aid and generosity on the part of others. ‘But all those people died,’ you say. yes. But that isn’t the end of the story for them, is it?
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A man and woman were chatting in a barber shop in New York. The TV was on. They saw the devastation from the Sunami. The man shook his head. ‘Life is terrible.’ The woman said, ‘No, life is beautiful, but it’s full of pain.’
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Among the smaller answers to the question of pain in the world, we have to say this: Say the Cubs are playing the Cardinals and they win easily. The fans would be happy. But that’s not the kind of game God has in mind. If the Cubs and Cardinals instead are in a battle of the century; the lead changes back and forth; men get injured, it goes extra innings – 18 innings – 25 innings. Both bullpens are used up. And victory comes in the 28th inning on a squeeze play at the plate – this is more like God’s world. In life we often have to claw and scratch for every inch; but this how God can make us great.
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These are some of the smaller reasons we can mention. But how really do we answer the atheist? Let us ask: ‘If there is no God, then what? Then suffering is totally meaningless, then everything is meaningless.
But St. Paul has a different answer: ‘We are heirs with Christ,’ he says, ‘provided – provided that we suffer with him – that we may also be glorified with him.’
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God has not totally explained the Mystery of suffering, but it is true that God himself has come into the world and has joined himself to our suffering. He didn’t take it away, but he has chosen to be IN all of our pain along with us, giving it meaning. It was through suffering, that he saved the world. And when our suffering is united to Christ, we are doing what Jesus did, we are helping him save the world.
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A lady was giving a lecture at the hospital to all the chaplains. She told us about a woman with cancer, who refused pain medicine, because she ‘wanted to offer her pain up for her family.’ The protestant chaplains laughed and said ‘it’s foolish.’ But we Catholics did not laugh; we had respect.
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God has not taken away suffering, but he has joined into it, with us. In heaven, when the meaning of all things is revealed, after the pain of this life – we will finally see the end of the story. We must therefore trust God today, until we are able to see the end of the story.
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May the blessed Virgin assist us in all the trials of this life, that we may see her glorious face with Jesus, in heaven.

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[Entrusted to the prayers of St. Teresa of Avila]

Posted in: Latin Mass

A Quiz on the Resurrection

April 12, 2015 12:29 pm ⋅
Sunday after Easter
‘And he said to Thomas, “Come, put your finger here and see my hands, and bring your hand and put it in my side, and do not be unbelieving, but believe.’
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Friends in Christ, Thomas the Apostle, was not with the others when Jesus showed them that he is alive. Later, when they told Thomas, he just couldn’t believe it. After that brutal and final death of the Lord? After he was buried in the tomb? Impossible! Impossible that he is alive!
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But those others no doubt told him, ‘Thomas, remember, Jesus told us that he would one day be crucified, and then rise up. We had forgotten that he said that, but he has done it.’ ‘No. I won’t believe it unless I can touch him!, and that’s final.’
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Well, as we read, Christ DID show himself to Thomas, and even told him to come and touch him. He said, “Put your finger here and see my hands, and bring your hand and put it into my side, be not unbelieving, but believe.” Thomas answered, “My Lord and my God!” In fact, this is what many people whisper at Mass, when the priest holds up the Host and the chalice, ‘My Lord and my God,’ echoing Thomas’ words of faith. There has been a partial indulgence attached to that.
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We are told in the gospel that this experience of St. Thomas was for our benefit, so that even we, who were not there, would believe. This then, is a major part of our Catholic Faith: the resurrection of Jesus, and our own resurrection.
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When I was thinking about this, I thought to bring a quiz here today. So here are 8 questions for us to answer.
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1. T/F – God’s plan for us is to do what Jesus did: rise from the dead at the End of the World. T
(In fact, Jesus said, ‘The Hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs shall hear the voice of the Son of God. They who have done good shall come forth unto resurrection of life; and they who have done evil unto resurrection of judgment.’)
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2. T/F – Our resurrected body will not have any defects, and will be filled with beauty and radiance. T
(As St. Paul says, he will transform our lowly bodies to be like his own, glorious body. So, no defects or problems.)
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3. T/F – Our resurrected bodies will not be real bodies, but will only have the appearance of a body. F
(Today in the Gospel, Jesus told Thomas to touch him, to show him his true, physical body and dispel any doubts. He even appeared another time to them, and when they shout they were seeing a ‘spirit’ or a ghost, he upbraided them and even ate food in his presence.)
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4. T/F – There will be some suffering in heaven, but not too much. F
(God will return us to the original state of happiness of the first man and woman: the way we were meant to be. No sadness or problems.)
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5. T/F – Our resurrected body will be able to move quickly and easily over vast distances in heaven. T
(In the resurrection, Jesus was able to visit many different people in different places, going there simply by his will. At times, the saints also could bi-locate for example; for us in the resurrection this will be common.)
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6. T/F – The wicked people in hell will not have their bodies. F
(The damned will also rise; Jesus says this in John, chapter 5. So when we think of people being tortured in hell, it will be in their bodies. But they will not be glorified bodies.)
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7.   T/F – Jesus was able to visit his apostles even though the door was locked. In the resurrection, we also will be able to pass through a locked door or a solid object. T
(St. Thomas Aquinas calls this power ‘Subtlety.’ In the glorified body, the soul will have complete dominion over the body. We will not be limited by time or space.)
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8. T/F We will rise in the same bodies we have now? T.
This is because our soul is uniquely linked to our body. We are unique individuals. But we must not think however, that our resurrected bodies will need to use the same molecules that are in our cells now. Even now, our body’s molecules are changing all the time.
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The world ahead will be an adventure. If we think that experiences of life are exciting – riding on an airplane, or a rollercoaster – having your first child, going to Hawaii – if these events are thrilling, wait until we are resurrected from the dead. That will be the ultimate adventure.
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St. Thomas was lacking in Faith until he saw Jesus and touched him; but we ourselves DO have faith; in the world to come however, we will not need faith at all, because we will see in the flesh, all that God has done for us.
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May the blessed Virgin pray for us; Mary, help us; help us to always have a strong and joyful faith in the promises of Jesus Christ, and the resurrection of the dead in the life of the world to come. Amen.

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[Entrusted to the prayers of St. Thomas Aquinas]

Fr. Luke Winkelmann
Posted in: Latin Mass, Sundays

The Resurrection of the Dead

April 5, 2015 11:51 am ⋅

Easter

‘He is not here; but go, tell his disciples that he goes before you into Galilee; there you shall see him as he told you.’
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Beloved in Jesus Christ,
today is Easter, the day that Our Lord conquers death, and sin, and Satan. 
He leads the way for us;
we walk in the Lord’s footsteps in this life, sharing in his life; we die, but we have this promise of being resurrected, alive on the Last Day, in the world to come.
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Our dear Lord had once told his apostles, ‘You will see me again; and on that day, you will rejoice.’ The horrors of Christ’s death, followed by the surprise of his resurrection, produced the most profound joy in those apostles.
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When the women had told them that Jesus was alive, they first called it nonsense. It was an idea that was too good to be true. And even when they saw the Lord, it says: ‘They disbelieved and marveled for joy!’
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The most cruel, horrid, humiliating defeat one day – the most glorious resurrection, three days later. This is the surprise of joy that God wishes for us as well, on the Last Day.
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A young woman missed her deceased mother very much – one night, she had a dream, that coming home, she found her mother there, in the kitchen cooking. ‘I was embracing my mother,’ she said. I was so happy, I was so happy!’ ‘When I awoke, I knew it was a dream, but I cherish that dream; I cherish and remember it, because I know it will be true one day.’
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Easter is the greatest feast of the year because it makes life worth living, it gives us hope; it is the meaning and the goal of our entire religion. It is the whole reason Jesus came into the world, to make it possible for each of us to be forgiven of our sins, and to one day be resurrected, alive, with all those we love – with God – in heaven.
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A few years back, we were concluding the burial prayers at the cemetery for an older lady; naturally, the prayers speak often of the Resurrection of the Body, but most people do not think about it. Afterward, a mother and her children walked over to chat; it turns out that the deceased was a very dear aunt to the children, Aunt Anne.
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They looked up at me with their sad little hearts, so I decided to tell them the Gospel. I said, ‘Do you kids want to know a secret?’ They did.  I said, ‘Look out at this vast cemetery; you see those thousands of graves and tombs there?’ Their eyes scanned the rolling hills, the myriad of tombstones.
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‘Those graves are all people who are waiting. And on the Last Day, Jesus is going to wake everyone up and have them go to paradise with him, and it will be the happiest day in the world. One boy asked me: ‘Aunt Anne too?’ ‘Yes,’ I said, ‘Aunt Anne too.’ And they were very happy, because they had Faith. They were happy, because it was the first time they had heard the greatest teaching of the Catholic Faith.
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It is the magnificent promise that Jesus makes to us, to his faithful disciples; it is when hope will be turned into joy; our entire life is rushing toward this goal.
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May the Blessed Virgin pray for us; Mary, pray for us, to always have this great faith in the resurrection of the Body, and the life of the world to come.

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[Entrusted to the prayers of St. Philomena]

Posted in: Latin Mass, Sundays

Jesus and the Donkey – Palm Sunday

March 29, 2015 10:52 am ⋅
Palm Sunday
Friends in Christ, this is Palm Sunday. We remember today, Our Lord Jesus, riding up to Jerusalem on the donkey, and this was a kingly symbol which had been foretold by Zechariah. (9:9)
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It says in the Holy Gospel of St. Mark, that this donkey had never been ridden before. So this should give us pause. If you take a donkey, or a horse, that has never been ridden on, and you get on it, what happens?   It bucks you off!!
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A little 5th grade girl who is a horse rider – I asked her about this – She said, ‘Father, donkeys are worse than horses, if they aren’t trained, they buck like mad.
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So what’s with this? Jesus gets on, and rides nice and smoothly into Jerusalem.
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Also, if you take a donkey or a horse into a crowd that is cheering and yelling and waving branches hysterically, what happens? That animal is spooked, and goes wild! Even well-trained police-horses, in crowds, wear blinders to keep them from getting nervous. So what gives? Jesus rides this donkey that no one has ever ridden, into a wild crowd, and it is calm as anything.
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It’s because that donkey’s creator is riding him. Jesus is Lord of all creatures, of all the earth, of all creation – and he comes as king. This is the same Lord who told Peter to cast his net and he would catch fish. And all those fish obey the command of Jesus and go right into his net. This is the Lord of all creation, riding into Jerusalem.
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People think that he is the Messiah, the King, who will crush the Romans and make their nation great, in a worldly way. But this Savior will do something different. He has come to die, to save us.
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The true King. What does he want? He wants to take back the earth. The world has been under the power of Satan since the fall of Adam and Eve. Jesus wants it back. He wants us back, who have been under the dominion of this cruel tyrant.
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We will see this drama played out this week. We will see how, with great sacrifice, Jesus Christ defeats the devil. Let’s walk with him in the Sacred Triduum this week. It is by the Passion that we get to Easter, it is through the cross that we find the resurrection.

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St. Alphonsus, pray for us.

Posted in: Latin Mass, Sundays