St. Andrew's Church-Old Pasadena CA

Fr. Joseph, OFM Third Sunday After Easter Sermon

BISHOP GILES, OFM AUDIO SERMON SATURDAY APRIL 28,2012

BISHOP GILES, OFM AUDIO SERMON THIRD SUNDAY AFTER EASTER

VIDEO SERMON FATHER BONAVENTURE, OFM THIRD SUNDAY AFTER EASTER

HOLY MASS FROM WAUBEKA, WI - FR. BERNARD, OFM

HERE IS THE LINK FOR BISHOP LOUIS, OFM ON THE RADIO SHOW FRIDAY. WELL WORTH THE TIME!

Blessed Luchesius

 

Luchesio and his wife Buonadonna wanted to follow St. Francis as a married couple. Thus they set in motion the Secular Franciscan Order.

Luchesio and Buonadonna lived in Poggibonzi where he was a greedy merchant. Meeting Francis—probably in 1213—changed his life. He began to perform many works of charity.
At first Buonadonna was not as enthusiastic about giving so much away as Luchesio was. One day after complaining that he was giving everything to strangers, Buonadonna answered the door only to find someone else needing help. Luchesio asked her to give the poor man some bread. She frowned but went to the pantry anyway. There she discovered more bread than had been there the last time she looked. 

She soon became as zealous for a poor and simple life as Luchesio was. They sold the business, farmed enough land to provide for their needs and distributed the rest to the poor.
In the 13th century some couples, by mutual consent and with the Church’s permission, separated so that the husband could join a monastery (or a group such as Francis began) and his wife could go to a cloister. Conrad of Piacenza and his wife did just that. This choice existed for childless couples or for those whose children had already grown up. Luchesio and Buonadonna wanted another alternative, a way of sharing in religious life, but outside the cloister. 

To meet this desire, Francis set up the Secular Franciscan Order. Francis wrote a simple Rule for the Third Order (Secular Franciscans) at first; Pope Honorius III approved a more formally worded Rule in 1221. 

The charity of Luchesio drew the poor to him, and, like many other saints, he and Buonadonna seemed never to lack the resources to help these people. 

One day Luchesio was carrying a crippled man he had found on the road. A frivolous young man came up and asked, "What poor devil is that you are carrying there on your back?" "I am carrying my Lord Jesus Christ," responded Luchesio. The young man immediately begged Luchesio’s pardon.
Luchesio and Buonadonna both died on April 28, 1260. He was beatified in 1273. Local tradition referred to Buonadonna as "blessed" though the title was not given officially.

Quote:

Francis used to say, "Whoever curses a poor man does an injury to Christ, whose noble image he wears, the image of him who made himself poor for us in this world" (1 Celano, #76).

THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH Her Doctrine and Morals Third Sunday after Easter 29 April 2012

The Sunday Sermon

Dear Friends,

Our Lord speaks to us today referring both to His second coming and to His continual presence with us the Holy Eucharist.

Time may not appear to be “a little while” as it is passing by but after it is past and we are looking back at it then we will truly understand this it was only a little while. We notice this even in this life but, once we enter into eternity and begin to truly grasp what “forever” really means then there will be no doubt that the longest time here on earth is truly just a little while.

It will not be very long then, until Christ returns. So we must always be careful and watchful.

We see Christ in the Holy Eucharist with our faith, but once our faith is made complete (in a little while) we will see Him again. Many of the saints beheld Our Lord physically manifest in the Holy Eucharist. The little while of the blindness of faith gives way to seeing Him again.

We must not become impatient or try to force the workings of God’s timetable or His grace. We must ever remain calm in faith trusting that all will be made manifest and clear to us when it is best for God and even for our own souls.

The childish whims and flights of fancy of so many who call themselves Catholic are actually an insult to the inscrutable ways of God. How often we wonder what is holding back the hand of God, or why does He not strike now, or why does He not manifest Himself more clearly now so that it would be easier for us to truly believe. We even hear of the questioning of God’s ways when people wish that they were not born in this present age but lived when (they imagine) the life of faith would have been easier for us to live. These thoughts and desires really amount to a questioning of God and His ways, and logically it leads to questioning if God really knows what He is doing. The pride and vanity on the part of man seems to be hidden from our direct view. Who are we to ever question the ways of God? All that God does is done well and is done at the proper time and place. 

For us now to find that God’s presence is eclipsed from our view not only physically but even spiritually with the manifest proliferation of Modernism, and Neo-Paganism, is no reason to question the ways of God, much less is it a reason to doubt His words. 

These and so many other popular ways of thinking are mere childishness or even foolishness. It is as we are told time to put off the ways of children and put on the ways of adults. 

As adults in the Catholic faith we must remain calm and peaceful even in the midst of trials and tribulations. We must mature in our faith so that we trust God and His words even without physical manifestations or proof of it. 

Patience is not found in children because they have not the experience and therefore the understanding that everything takes time. Children must learn that things happen with time, and that they seldom happen at a rate that is pleasing to them. Maturity teaches them to remain calm and patient and then all will be accomplished. The same is true with our faith. The young and the weak in the faith are always looking for immediate proof or confirmation of the Faith; whereas the more mature who have advanced somewhat in the spiritual life are more trusting and patient as they believe, understand, or know that in due time all things work for the greater honor and glory of God and for the salvation of men.

There is no panic among the spiritually mature when scandals, and immorality abound; there remains a calm that comes from the understanding that no matter how bad things are, God can and will make some greater good come from it all – “in a little while.”

The Dutch Jesuit St. Peter Canisius (1521-1597) was a leading figure of the Counter Reformation. A deeply prayerful man and indefatigable worker, he reanimated the Catholic Church in central Europe by preaching, writing, and founding Jesuit colleges.
Peter Canisius or Peter kanis, was born in the Dutch town of Nijmegen on May 8, 1521. He studied at the Latin school of St. Stephen there, and at 15 years of age he entered the University of Cologne. At the Carthusian monastery in Cologne he was influenced by the simple and ardent piety of the Devotio Moderna. In 1540 he became a master of arts and undertook the study of theology. In 1543 he heard about Pierre Favre, one of the first Jesuits, who was then at Mainz. He made the Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius of Loyola under Favre's direction and decided to become a Jesuit. He was ordained a priest in 1546.
Peter started a long career of apostolic labor in many countries of Europe. In 1546-1547 Peter participated in the Council of Trent; in 1548 he joined nine other Jesuits in opening a school at Messina; in 1549, with two other Jesuits, he joined the faculty of the University of Ingolstadt; and in 1552 he went to Vienna to assist the new Jesuit community there. To meet the challenge of Luther's popular catechism, Peter published his Summary of Christian Doctrine in 1555. Designed for boys in the upper classes and lucidly written in easy Latin, it rapidly ran into hundreds of editions. A German edition came out in 1556. The same year Peter published his Tiny Catechism for children, and 2 years later, his most popular work, An Abridged Catechism, planned for students in the middle grades. This he embellished through the years with engravings, verses, and prayers. In 1556 he became superior of the Upper German Province.
For the next 41 years, Peter's days were filled with the most diverse activity. He shared in the establishment of 18 Jesuit colleges, and in the Augsburg Cathedral alone he preached 225 long sermons in 18 months. He began the Catholic response to The Centuries of Magdeburg with two folio volumes of patristic learning, the forerunners of Baronius's Annales ecclesiastici. In 1557 he traveled about 2,000 miles through Italy, Austria, Bavaria, and the Rhineland. Prelates constantly sought his counsel.
Peter's correspondence, which fills eight large volumes, reveals a person of gentle patience, understanding, and ardent Zeal for the Catholic Church. He regarded heresy as "a plague more deadly than other plagues," but he insisted on a spirit of charity in meeting non-Catholics. At the age of 76 he died at Fribourg, Switzerland, on Dec. 21, 1597. Pope pius XI canonized him and declared him a Doctor of the Church in 1925.

Dear Friends,

I'm sending this reminder early because of my travel schedule.

After Bp. Louis suffered a stroke last week, I did not expect him to be able to be the guest host on Friday's program. I spoke with him earlier today and he wants to do it.  His topic will be on the Corporal Works of Mercy and the Fifth Commandment of the Church, to give to the support  of the Church. If needed, Fr. Bonaventure Strandt, OFM will assist him.

 

The Catholic Faith Radio Program is broadcast each Friday from 2 - 4 p.m., Central Time from the studios of KRFE AM580, Lubbock, TX. It is streamed LIVE on our website, www.catholichour.org. use the Radio Program Live link and choose your player.

 

Thank you for your continued prayers and support.

May God bless you,

Fr. Joseph, OFM

 

 BISHOP GILES, OFM SERMONS:

Audio Sermon for the Second Sunday after Easter
Audio Sermon Saturday April 21, 2012

St. Conrad of Parzham, OFM Cap
(1818-1894)


 

Conrad was not a founder of an order, a priest or a doctor yet his love of God and his devotion to Mary made him a hero of Christ. Conrad excelled in the virtue of Charity, showing itself in love of God and neighbor, devotion to the Holy Eucharist and a childlike confidence in Mary, the Mother of God.

Conrad received a good training in Catholicism from his parents whom he helped on the farm. We are told that he spent many hours in prayer while going about his work, so it may not be surprising that this holy youth sought entry to the Capuchins after attending a mission in his town. He entered as a humble lay brother. In his notes we find written, "The Cross is my book." Because Christ had given all to us, Conrad decided to give all he could possibly give for Christ and souls. He held the office of Porter at Altoetting for over forty years. As the monastery was a place of pilgrimage, it was besieged by a thousand calls a day. To young and old alike, to polite and impolite, the saint was kind and gentle.

By living in union with God, he was able to let Christ act through him. In answering questions and discussing God, he led many souls to the Divine Redeemer. Conrad ate little, slept less, and worked hard, but always in communion with Christ, the God of his heart. He had a great longing for the Eucharist and served Mass with great devotion. The Mass was the greatest joy of Conrad's long and hard life. Whatever extra time he had from his work, the Saint spent before the Blessed Sacrament.

 

 

To the strong devotion to the Eucharist and the Crucified Lord, Conrad added a special devotion to Mary. She was his Queen and Advocate in all his trials and above all his guide to Christ. He prayed before the statue of Our Lady of Sorrows and the Crucifix in the Porter's Office and was always ready to spread devotion to Mary by the distribution of Rosary Beads. Finally crippled, Conrad served his last Mass on April 18, 1894; three days later, while the children whom he had taught the Rosary, recited it outside his window, Conrad died. His heroic virtues and the miracles he performed, won for him the distinction to be ranked among the Blessed, by Pope Pius XI, in the year 1930. Four years later, the same Pope, approving additional miracles, which had been performed, solemnly inscribed his name in the list of Saints. The feast of St. Conrad is celebrated on April 21.

THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH Her Doctrine and Morals Second Sunday after Easter 22 April 2012

The Sunday Sermon

Dear Friends,

We must not only discern the true shepherd of our souls from the wolves and hirelings, but we must also discern the tendencies of our own hearts and minds. Not only does the shepherd recognize his sheep, but the sheep must also recognize the true shepherd. 

Many appear to fail in this endeavor because they do not actually wish to follow the true Shepherd -- Jesus Christ. The passions, the world, and the devils offer them an apparently more interesting life. The life of the good lamb is one that is not very appealing to this sort of soul. It appears boring and uninteresting. 

The tendency of the modern world is one that only thinks of material and worldly pleasures. Without these superficial distractions we are led to believe that our lives are boring and without any pleasure. The life of virtue seems to the world as one of not living at all, while the life of vice and sin is looked upon as living life to the fullest. 

Order is completely turned upside down. The pleasure that comes from disorder and following the suggestions of our passions and lusts is only the illusion of pleasure. We can see this very clearly from the regret and remorse that follows the fruition of these vices. These sins not only cause distaste from hindsight but, as St. Augustine tells us in His Confessions, they produce a pain and suffering even at the very moment we imagine that we are enjoying them. Our intelligence, our memory, and our will reminded us of the disorder and the wrongness of our actions so that even in the “pleasure” of gratification, there is a disgust that not only follows but is comingled with the illicit gratification. 

Rather than renouncing the disorder and vice, too often, we return to the same vice with even greater vivacity trying to find that illicit pleasure that we did not find the last time. Our passions lie to us in suggesting that this time we will find lasting happiness in sin. 

The true Shepherd of our souls tells us to flee from this disorder and the false pleasures of sin and seek the real and true pleasures that come from practicing virtue. While the practice of virtue does not offer the thrill of the illicit, it offers something that is less volatile, but more stable and lasting. The calm peace that comes with the practice of virtue does not appear as exciting as the volatile excitement of “enjoying” something illicit. 

The true Shepherd is calling to us, but it is still within our power to hear Him and follow Him, or to turn away from Him. It is necessary that the sheep hear and follow the true Shepherd if they are to be counted as members of the true flock. 

Let us not only look to the identity of the true Shepherd – discerning the Shepherd from the wolf and the hireling – but, also let us pay close attention to that faculty of our soul called our free will and discern who it is that we are choosing to be led by. 

It has been said that we could never be deceived if we did not at first deceive ourselves. It is easy for us to point the finger at different leaders and suggest that they are to blame for our taking the wrong direction. There are many who tempt and lead us into error or vice, but we are the ones who actually choose to accept them or reject them. We would never fall into their traps if we did not first desire what they are suggesting. With the corruption of our will in forming this illicit desire (whatever it may be) the enemy has already won. 

There is a cost for everything. Nothing is free. If we seek true peace and happiness here and now and an eternal reward in Heaven, we must sacrifice the fleeting, illicit, illusionary pleasures of our passions. If we seek the false enjoyment of our passions instead, we must sacrifice the peace and happiness of a clear conscience in this life and pay with an eternal suffering in Hell.

Let us examine ourselves carefully and put our wills in right order – desiring to follow only the right way; and then with right ordered desires we will very easily hear the voice of the true Shepherd and follow Him in this life as He leads us into the eternal happiness of Heaven.

The Lourdes visionary who expected to be boiled on a grill in Purgatory

St Bernadette (April 16) grew up in the direst extremes of poverty

By Spiritual Life on Monday, 16 April 2012

St Bernadette grew up uneducated, undernourished, and asthmatic

The eldest of nine children, only four of whom survived childhood, Marie-Bernarde Soubirous (1844-79) was born at Lourdes, in the foothills of the Pyrenees. After her father, a miller, lost his job in 1854, the family was exposed to the direst extremes of poverty.
“Bernadette” grew up uneducated, undernourished, and asthmatic, obliged to work as a waitress and a farmhand. The little girl spoke in a Basque dialect, and could scarcely read or write. She did, however, imbibe from her parents a deep Catholic devotion.
By 1856 the Soubirous were living in an abandoned prison cell which stank of sewage. On February 11 1858 Bernadette, with her sister, Toinette, and a friend, went to gather firewood. In a grotto beside the river Gave, at a place used as a watering hole for pigs, she saw a vision of a “Lady” wearing a white dress, a blue girdle and a yellow rose on each foot.
Bernadette’s companions saw nothing, and she herself wondered whether her experience had been an illusion. Three days later, though, she returned to the grotto, and again saw the apparition.
On February 18, her third visit, the vision spoke for the first time, asking for her presence over the next fortnight. Next day, the Lady instructed Bernadette to tell the priests to build a chapel at the grotto.
Crowds began to gather to witness the phenomenon of the small girl in ecstasy. The police, concerned, interrogated Bernadette, who related her experiences with clarity and conviction.
Local interest quickened after the Lady told Bernadette to drink from a muddy trickle in the grotto. By the morrow the trickle had turned into an active spring.
On March 4, at the end of the prescribed fortnight, a crowd of 10,000 gathered to watch Bernadette. In fact, she would experience three more apparitions, bringing the total to 18. Chivvied by the parish priest, she insisted that the Lady should give her name. “I am the Immaculate Conception,” came the reply, in perfect Basque dialect.
Spectators saw the flames of a candle lick Bernadette’s fingers for a quarter of an hour without producing any effect.
“I do not promise to make you happy in this world but in the next,” the apparition had told her.
In 1866 Bernadette entered a convent in Nevers where she suffered much from an unsympathetic mistress of the novices. Her character, however, remained a rare blend of simplicity and strength until, at 35, her frail health finally gave way.
She refused suggestions that she should return to Lourdes. “They think I’m a saint,” she observed. “When I’m dead they’ll come and touch holy pictures and rosaries to me, and all the while I’ll be getting boiled on a grill in purgatory.”

Dear Friends,

The topic for the Catholic Faith Radio Program on Friday, April 20 will be the Hypocrisy and Contradictions of Society concerning the influence of Religion Upon Society. I will concentrate on several holy days in the Church calendar which are used by the world to promote materialism and at the same time illustrate how many of these same people want to eliminate the influence of the Catholic Church in Society.  The recent feast of Easter is a good example.

I hope you're able to join us tomorrow!

 

The Catholic Faith Radio Program is broadcast each Friday from the studios of KRFE AM580, Lubbock, TX from 2 - 4 p.m., Central Time. It is streamed LIVE from our website, www.catholichour.org. Go to Radio Program Live and choose your player.

 

 

May God bless you,

Fr. Joseph, OFM



HERE IS TODAY'S PROGRAM: 

 

This prayer replaces the Angelus during Paschaltide Regina Coeli laetare. Alleluia.
Quia quem meruisti portare. Alleluia.
Resurrexit sicut dixit. Alleluia.
Ora pro nobis Deum. Alleluia.
V. Gaude et laetare, virgo Maria. Alleluia.
R. Quia surrexit Dominus vere. Alleluia.

Oremus. Deus, qui per resurrectionem Filii tui, Domini nostri Iesu Christi, mundum laetificare dignatus es: praesta, quaesumus; ut, per eius Genetricem Virginem Mariam, perpetuae capiamus gaudia vitae. Per eundem Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen.
Queen of Heaven, rejoice, Alleluia.
For He Whom thou was made worthy to bear. Alleluia.
Hath risen as He said. Alleluia.
Pray for us to our God. Alleluia.
V. Rejoice and be glad, O Virgin Mary. Alleluia.
R. For the Lord hath risen indeed.
Alleluia.

Let us pray.
O God, Who through the resurrection of Thy Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, hast vouchsafed to make glad the whole world, grant us, we beseech Thee, that, through the intercession of the Virgin Mary, His Mother, we may attain the joys of eternal life. Through the same Christ our Lord.
Amen.

As a child I was really fascinated with the sinking of the Titanic.  I read stories about it and in a strange sort of way wanted to know "all the details".  I never saw the movie because I don't care for movies but was really surprised at the following article that was on a website tonight:

Did anti-Catholic sentiment of Titanic workforce help doom the unsinkable ship?

Reports of anti-Catholic secret messages on the Titanic in Belfast were widespread

By

KERRY O’SHEA,

IrishCentral Staff Writer

Published Friday, April 13, 2012, 7:31 AM

Updated Friday, April 13, 2012, 7:49 AM

  

 

A Titanic wall mural in Belfast City

Photo by Roger Price

Divine intervention has long been a blamed by some for playing a role in the sinking of the Titanic during its maiden voyage in 1912.

Harland and Wolff, the East Belfast shipyard  where the ship was manufactured, was notorious for not hiring Catholics.In the 1900’s the workforce was entirely  Protestant and virulently anti -Catholic.

“At Harland and Wolff it was not unknown for workers to paint on the sides of ships under construction the words “NO POPE” in letters ten feet high or more,” writes naval historian David Allen Butler.

There were widespread stories that each rivet hammered into the Titanic was accompanied by a ‘f.. the pope epithet

Any Catholics who were hired were subject to blatant discrimination.Some had hammers dropped on them from above and the atmosphere against Catholics was described as “poisonous”

The  author and historian Daniel Allen Butler writes about a how anti-Catholic sentiment in Northern Ireland at the time of the ship’s construction was blamed by some  for the tragedy.

“Very active in Ulster politics at this time was one William James Pirrie, who became the Chairman of Harland and Wolff in 1895.  He instituted an unwritten but strictly enforced policy that the firm would never knowingly employ a Roman Catholic,” writes Butler about the era during which the Titanic was being crafted in Belfast.

Butler goes on to write how rumor has it that “a cryptic anti-Catholic message was hidden in her [the Titanic’s] hull number, the one given to the Titanic by her builder, Harland and Wolff.  That mysterious number was 3909-04:  when written out and viewed in a mirror, the number spells out the words NO POPE–providing a certain bit of leeway is allowed with the 4.”

“There’s more than enough blame to go around in this story,” writes Butler, “and nobody’s hands are clean.”

While there are differing  reports as to whether or or not the hull bore the number that could be read as an anti-Catholic cryptic message, Titanic faithful at the time the ship set sail proclaimed earnestly that “not even God himself could sink this ship.”

However an iceberg off the Canadian coast certainly did.

Dear Linda,

In recent weeks there have been reports about an abortion surcharge contained within President Obama’s signature healthcare law. Pro-abortion activists have been desperate to shove the issue under the carpet. They know full well public outrage will ensue if the law’s hidden agenda is fully exposed to the American people in broad daylight.

Many pro-abortion bloggers and members of the media have tried to hide the reality of the “abortion premium mandate”—a provision actually contained within Obamacare. But it’s imperative that you fully understand the facts they’re trying to hide.

Here’s how the provision essentially works: An individual enrolled in an insurance plan that covers abortions through an employer, by choice or even unknowingly, must pay an added abortion surcharge of one dollar per month. With no choice of opting out of the plan, paying for this abortion coverage is imposed whether an individual wants to or not.

This amounts to you and I being forced to take twelve dollars a year to the local Planned Parenthood or other abortion mill, place the money in the blood-stained hands of the abortionist and say, “This is to help fund the killing of innocent unborn babies.”

Obamacare even contains a clause that prevents insurance plans from letting people know about the required abortion surcharge. You won’t be notified that you’re paying into a plan that covers abortion until your time of enrollment. By then, in most cases, it’ll be too late. It’s sinister government secrecy—a bureaucratic sleight of hand—that will result in wholesale abortion-on-demand provided by the government.

Take a look at the text of the law for yourself:

(3) RULES RELATING TO NOTICE—(A) NOTICE—A qualified health plan that provides for coverage of [abortions other than in cases of rape, incest, or the life of the mother] . . . shall provide a notice to enrollees, only as part of the summary of benefits and coverage explanation, at the time of enrollment, of such coverage.
(B) RULES RELATING TO PAYMENTS—The notice described in subparagraph (A), any advertising used by the issuer with respect to the plan, any information provided by the Exchange, and any other information specified by the Secretary shall provide information only with respect to the total amount of the combined payments for [abortions other than in cases of rape, incest, or the life of the mother] (emphasis added).

Why would the law include such wording unless they didn’t want Americans to know what they’re buying until it’s too late?
In addition to a finalized HHS rule that requires coverage for abortifacient drugs, this is yet another wave of assault against the pro-life community and your religious freedoms by the pro-abortion Obama administration.
You can see why it’s vital that you help me spread awareness of and opposition to the abortion surcharge. The lives of countless unborn babies depend upon the Obama administration feeling the heat for trampling on the conscience rights of everyday Americans. Education is the key for pro-life legislative victories. Many of your fellow pro-lifers are vaguely aware that such an abortion surcharge exists, but they don’t have a solid resource that lays out a helpful explanation. Please share this email with them.
For LIFE,

Bradley Mattes
Executive Director
Life Issues Institute

Video Sermon for Low Sunday - Fr. Bonaventure from Rochester, NY

AUDIO SERMON FROM CORPUS CHRISTI-LUBBOCK- FR. JOSEPH, OFM 

BISHOP GILES, OFM - LOW SUNDAY 
 BISHOP GILES,OFM - SATURDAY IN EASTER WEEK

 

BISHOP LOUIS, OFM VIDEO SERMON FOR EASTER SUNDAY

THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH Her Doctrine and Morals Low Sunday 15 April 2012

The Sunday Sermon

Dear Friends,

We saw on Holy Thursday that Jesus instituted the Sacrifice of the Mass, the Holy Eucharist, and the Priesthood: to continue until the end of time the unbloody renewal of the Sacrifice of Calvary. Today we see Jesus giving His priests the power to forgive sins.

"Receive ye the Holy Ghost; whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them: and whose sins you shall retain, they are retained."

This same power has been passed on and therefore continues even to the present day in the true priests of the Catholic Church.

St. John Chrysostom says that we should "- treat with reverence those to whose hands the work of the Spirit has been entrusted. For great is the dignity of the priesthood." He continues: "For you have but the care of what concerns yourself; and if you look well after that you will not be held accountable for what others do. But the priest, even should he order his own life in a fitting manner, yet does not scrupulously have due care for both your life, and the lives of those about him, shall go with the wicked into everlasting fire; and so he oftentimes while not failing in his own conduct will perish because of yours, if he has not done all that belonged to him to do.

"Knowing then the greatness of their danger, treat them with much consideration, for as Paul goes on to say They watch for your souls; and not simply this, but as having to render an account of them. Because of this you must treat them with honor. And should you join with others to insult them, then neither will your own affairs prosper. For as long as the helmsman is in good heart those on board are safe. But, if he is grieved by their abuse, and by their hostile behavior, he can neither keep a good watch, nor perform his task properly, and unwillingly involves them in many disasters. And so likewise the priest. If he is held in honor by you, he will be able to take care of what relates to yourselves. But if you throw them into despondency, weakening their hands, and making them easily overcome, you expose both them and yourselves to the waves, however courageous they may be."

The priest has personal faults and failings, but as long as he represents Christ we must reverence him. St. John also says: "Remember what Christ said of the Jews: The Scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the chair of Moses (Mt. xxiii. 2, 3). Now we can say that the priests are seated, not upon the chair of Moses, but upon the chair of Christ. For it is from Him they have received their teaching. Because of this, Paul says: For Christ therefore we are ambassadors, God as it were exhorting by us (II Cor. V. 20)."

Considering these things it becomes obvious that the burdens of the priesthood are great and that the accusations of so many Protestants, that the Church has established the Sacrament of Penance so that She can control the people, is completely false. The priest of necessity feels the consequences of the sins of all the flock entrusted to him. It is to him a burden to have to listen to the miseries of our lives in the confessional, but with this burden comes also great joy. When determining a penitent worthy, the priest is able to pronounce these words: I absolve you in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost; and at once all that was once sad, bitter, and painful, is turned into great peace and joy - not only for the penitent but also for the priest confessor.

Let us never forget the many graces that we have received through the hands of the priests and offer our prayers for them likewise, never forgetting to always show our respect and gratitude by doing all that we can to assist them in carrying their crosses because if they fall, we too will inevitably fall.

Dear Friends,

I hope all of you have had a Blessed Easter, and the Holy Season will continue with many graces and blessings!!

 

The guest for tomorrow's program will be Fr. Bonaventure Strandt, OFM. He will be speaking about the Resurrection of Our Lord, using a Scriptural basis for his discussion. As is usually the case with his discussions, I'm sure it will be informative and inspiring.

 

The Catholic Faith Radio Program is braodcast from the studio of KRFE AM580, Lubbock, TX from 2 - 4 p.m., Central Time. It is also streamed LIVE from our website, www.catholichour.org. Click onto Radio Program Live and choose your player.

 

May God bless you all,

Fr. Joseph, OFM

Fr. Bonaventure's newborn niece Grace

FR. BONAVENTURE, OFM SERMON FROM EASTER SUNDAY

IS GOD ANGRY WITH AMERICA???

 EASTER SUNDAY HOLY MASS FROM WAUBEKA, WI
http://www.sermon.net/OurLadyoftheRosary/sermonid/119881213


BISHOP GILES, OFM HOLY THURSDAY
EASTER MIDNIGHT MASS KENTUCKY
BISHOP GILES, OFM EASTER MORNING

HIS EXCELLENCY BISHOP LOUIS, OFM HOLY THURSDAY VIDEO SERMON 

FATHER JOSEPH OFM EASTER SUNDAY SERMON 

HOLY SATURDAY AT OUR LADY OF THE ROSARY-HE IS RISEN!

HOLY THURSDAY MASS-OUR LADY OF THE ROSARY


STATIONS OF THE CROSS ON GOOD FRIDAY

GOOD FRIDAY SERVICES (PROBLEMS WITH SOUND) 

KISS OF JUDAS 1604-1606 GIOTTO DI BONDONE

Orémus et pro hæréticis et schismáticis: ut Deus et Dóminus noster éruat eos ab erróribus univérsis; et ad sanctam matrem Ecclésiam Cathólicam, atque Apostólicam revocáre dignétur.		Let us pray, also, for heretics and schismatics, that our Lord and God may deliver them from all their errors, and vouchsafe to recall them to their holy Mother, the Catholic and Apostolic Church.

Oremus. Flectamus genua R. Levate. Omnípotens sempitérne Deus, qui salvas omnes, et néminem vis períre réspice ad ánimas diabólica fraude decéptas; ut omni hærética pravitáte depósita, errántium corda resipíscant, et ad veritátis tuæ rédeant unitátem. Per Dominum nostrum Jesum Christum, Qui Tecum vivit et regnat in unitate Spiritus Sancti, Deus, Per omnia saecula saeculorum. R. Amen.		Let us pray. Let us kneel. R. Levate. Almighty, eternal God, Who dost save all, and willest not that any should perish, look upon the souls deceived by diabolical fraud, that, abandoning all heretical depravity, the hearts of the erring may regain sanity and return to the unity of truth. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Who livest and reignest, with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God For ever and ever. R. Amen.

For Immediate Release

April 6, 2012

 

Contact: Peggy Hamill, State Director, cell (414) 416-0489

 

Pro-Life Wisconsin thanks Governor Walker for signing pro-life bills

 

Madison – On Thursday, April 5, Governor Walker signed three pro-life bills into law. Senate Bill 237 reverses the contraception education/instruction sexual education mandate of 2010, once again giving public school districts the freedom to adopt abstinence-only human growth and development curricula. Senate Bill 92 prohibits any plan in Wisconsin’s prospective health insurance “exchange” from covering abortion. Senate Bill 306 effectively prohibits RU-486 videoconference abortions by requiring the prescribing physician to perform a physical exam of the woman and to be physically present in the room when the abortion-inducing drug is given.

 

Pro-Life Wisconsin State Director Peggy Hamill offered the following comments:

 

“Pro-Life Wisconsin is very happy to see Governor Walker sign three important pieces of pro-life legislation. We applaud him for approving these common sense bills that protect children, women and pro-life taxpayers.

 

Restoring local control to our public schools in the sensitive area of sexual development and rejecting Planned Parenthood’s ‘one-size-fits-all’ contraception instruction mandate is a key victory for parents and children. Giving our kids the tools they need to practice chastity is the only truly effective way to protect their bodies and their hearts from the pitfalls of premarital sex. Furthermore, studies show that increased contraception use leads to an increase in the abortion rate.

 

Concerning the Obamacare health 'exchanges,' polls demonstrate that Americans overwhelmingly oppose the inclusion of taxpayer-funded abortion in health care reform. Government must not force us to participate in the killing of our preborn brothers and sisters with our federal tax dollars. Finally, outlawing so-called ‘webcam’ abortions in our state is critical. Planned Parenthood already has the videoconference infrastructure in place to remotely dispense RU-486, a toxic chemical abortion drug dangerous to women’s health.

 

Pro-Life Wisconsin is proud to be part of the coalitional effort that resulted in today’s bill signings.”

 

 

WHAT WILL HELL BE LIKE?
St. Alphonsus Liguori

How Punishment Is Measured

It is useless to object that it does not seem just to inflict an

eternal punishment for a sin which endures but a moment. For St.

Augustine remarks that punishment is not measured by duration of a

fault, but by its gravity. Even at the tribunals of justice here on

earth, the penalty of death is imposed upon some crimes which are

committed in an instant.

The Angelic Doctor adds that it is but just that the punishment

should not cease as long as the fault does not cease. Now, a fault

which remains eternally can be remitted only by the grace of God,

which man cannot acquire after death. As we have seen above, the will

of the damned is obstinate in evil. Hence, he continues to love his

sin at the same time that he submits to its punishment. How, then,

can God deliver him from his chastisement, while he continues to love

his fault? How can God pardon his sin, while the damned is hardened in

his hatred for God, if at the same time the Lord offered him pardon

and friendship, the damned refused both the one and the other?

Nor can it be objected, as some heretics do, that it is contrary to

the goodness and mercy of God to behold one of His creatures suffer

eternally from such terrible punishments in Hell. For, as St. Thomas

remarks, God has given superabundant witness of His goodness and

mercy toward men. Beholding all men lost by the sin of Adam and their

own sins, what great goodness did He not manifest in descending from

Heaven to earth to become man, in the endurance of a poor, humble and

afflicted life, in pouring forth the very last drop of His Blood amid

such terrible torments upon an infamous gibbet? What greater proof of

His goodness could He have given to men than to leave to them His own

Body and Blood in the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar, that they might

there find nourishment for their souls, and that, through this means,

they might preserve and increase their spiritual forces until death,

after which, finding themselves more closely united to God, they

might enter into Heaven, there to enjoy eternally the life of the

blessed?

The Patience of God

Ah! Most certainly, on the day of judgment, the Lord will make known

to the entire world how many mercies, how many lights, how much help

He has dispensed to each man during his life! And the numerous

ingrates, who, despite such favors, have merited such chastisements,

with what patience did He not pursue them, with what love has He not

begged them to repent? If, despite such favors, they still would not

renounce their passions and earthly pleasures, wished to live and die

separated from God, voluntarily abandoning themselves to their eternal

ruin, how can it be said that God has not manifested His mercy and

goodness towards them?

In lieu of declaring the punishments of Hell not to be eternal, some

heretics have invented another opinion, maintaining that the

punishments of Hell will be lessened after a time, or momentarily

interrupted. But this opinion is expressly contrary to the Sacred

Scriptures. Isaias, for instance speaking of the reprobate proclaims:

"Their worm will not die, and their fire will not be extinguished."

(Is. 66:24). And in the sentence pronounced against them at the Last

Judgment, Jesus Christ will say to them: "Depart from me, ye cursed,

into everlasting fire."

PALM SUNDAY - FR. BONAVENTURE, OFM FROM FILLMORE NY

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