May 28, 2016

Daily Sermons, May 24-28

Sermons from daily Masses, May 24-28.
Our Lady Help of Christians, St Gregory VII, Corpus Christi, 40 Hours Devotions, Eucharistic Peace.

May 26 - Adult Formation on Dante's Divine Comedy - Purgatorio, Part 2 of 5 (Cantos 1-9)

Pope Francis has named the Divine Comedy as the "official book" and "spiritual guide" for the Year of Mercy.

We discuss the opening cantos of the Purgatorio -- "Ante-purgatory" where those who put off conversion must wait before beginning their spiritual ascent.

May 24, 2016

Sunday Sermon, May 22 -- Trinity Sunday -- The Equality of the Three Divine Persons

Sunday, May 22 -- The Equality of the Three Divine Persons.

A sermon on the mystery of the Trinity, three Persons in one God and one God in three Persons. There is no obedience or subordination within the Trinity, be all three are co-eternal and co-equal. Each Person is fully God and all three are one only God.


The first half of the Athasian Creed:

"Whosoever will be saved, before all things it is necessary that he hold the Catholic Faith. Which Faith except everyone do keep whole and undefiled, without doubt he shall perish everlastingly. And the Catholic Faith is this, that we worship one God in Trinity and Trinity in Unity. Neither confounding the Persons, nor dividing the Substance. For there is one Person of the Father, another of the Son, and another of the Holy Ghost. But the Godhead of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Ghost is all One, the Glory Equal, the Majesty Co-Eternal.

"Such as the Father is, such is the Son, and such is the Holy Ghost. The Father Uncreate, the Son Uncreate, and the Holy Ghost Uncreate. The Father Incomprehensible, the Son Incomprehensible, and the Holy Ghost Incomprehensible. The Father Eternal, the Son Eternal, and the Holy Ghost Eternal and yet they are not Three Eternals but One Eternal. As also there are not Three Uncreated, nor Three Incomprehensibles, but One Uncreated, and One Incomprehensible. So likewise the Father is Almighty, the Son Almighty, and the Holy Ghost Almighty. And yet they are not Three Almighties but One Almighty.

"So the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Ghost is God. And yet they are not Three Gods, but One God. So likewise the Father is Lord, the Son Lord, and the Holy Ghost Lord. And yet not Three Lords but One Lord. For, like as we are compelled by the Christian verity to acknowledge every Person by Himself to be God and Lord, so are we forbidden by the Catholic Religion to say, there be Three Gods or Three Lords. The Father is made of none, neither created, nor begotten. The Son is of the Father alone; not made, nor created, but begotten. The Holy Ghost is of the Father, and of the Son neither made, nor created, nor begotten, but proceeding.

"So there is One Father, not Three Fathers; one Son, not Three Sons; One Holy Ghost, not Three Holy Ghosts. And in this Trinity none is afore or after Other, None is greater or less than Another, but the whole Three Persons are Co-eternal together, and Co-equal. So that in all things, as is aforesaid, the Unity in Trinity, and the Trinity in Unity, is to be worshiped. He therefore that will be saved, must thus think of the Trinity."



Listen online [here]!


May 21, 2016

May 20, 2016

Thursday Adult Formation, May 19 -- Introduction to Dante's Purgatorio (Part 1 of 5)

Part 1 of 5, Dante's Divine Comedy: The Purgatorio

Pope Francis has named the Divine Comedy as the official book of the Year of Mercy. We now begin the second part of the Comedy, the Purgatorio.

Handouts are below:

May 15, 2016

Sunday Sermon, May 15 -- The Gift of Tongues Means Speaking New Languages

Pentecost Sunday - The Gift of Tongues Means Speaking New Languages

The gift of tongues is the wondrous miracle whereby the Apostles spoke many new languages on the feast of Pentecost. This miracles was prevalent in the early Church, but has since mostly disappeared. We consider that this gift was given for the spread of the Gospel in the earliest days of the faith, but is no longer needed since there are men and women of every language who speak the praises of God.

"Prayer of the Spirit" means prayer that is filled with love. Love of God and love of neighbor.


Listen online [here]!

May 12, 2016

Sunday, May 5 -- The Dogma of the Ascension of the Lord

Sermon for the Solemnity of the Ascension (transferred from Thursday in Montana, USA) -- The Dogma of the Ascension of the Lord.

1. What the dogma of the Ascension entails: Jesus has not left his humanity, nor has he abandoned us; he has removed his visible, tangible presence (natural species) from us, even as he remains present in the Eucharist to the end of time.

2. What the Ascension means for us: Our Lord inspires our faith in what is not seen, lifts us our hope to the things of heaven, and makes our love to be truly spiritual and celestial.


Listen online [here]!



May 7, 2016

Ascension Thursday Sermon, May 5 -- The Ascension helps the spread of the Gospel

Ascension Thursday -- The Ascension helps the spread of the Gospel.

It is tempting to think that we would be better off if Jesus had remained upon the earth and not ascended to heaven -- he could solve all the disputes present in the Church and world today! However, the simply history proves that Jesus' ascension has been the greatest benefit to the growth of the Church and the spread of the Gospel.


Listen online [here]!


Daily Sermons, May 3 - 7

Homilies from daily Masses at Corpus Christi, Great Falls, MT -- May 3 through 7.
Sts Philip and James, Pentecost Novena, St John at the Latin Gate, Mary the Mother of the Church.

May 2, 2016

Sunday Sermon, May 1st -- Mary is the True Spouse of the Holy Spirit

The Bible shows Mary to be the spouse of the Holy Spirit, through whom he desires to come into the world and produce Jesus Christ. Acts of the Apostles shows a Christian Church which is gathered around Mary through whose intercession the Spirit descends in power.

There is much fruit to be gained from meditating upon the intimate union of the Holy Spirit and the Blessed Virgin Mary.


Listen online [here]!




May 1, 2016

May Crowning 2016

After the 9am Mass on Sunday, May 1st, Corpus Christi had our traditional May Crowning of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The practice of dedicating the month of May to our Lady was popularized especially by the Rosary Encyclicals of Leo XIII – beginning in 1883 and concluding in 1889, the Pontiff wrote twelve encyclicals and five apostolic letters on the Rosary. The Catholic Encyclopedia discusses the rather recent origin of Mary Month:


“The May devotion [to our Lady] in its present form originated at Rome where Father Latomia of the Roman College of the Society of Jesus, to counteract infidelity and immorality among the students, made a vow at the end of the eighteenth century to devote the month of May to Mary. From Rome the practice spread to the other Jesuit colleges and thence to nearly every Catholic church of the Latin rite (Albers, "Bluethenkranze", IV, 531 sq.). This practice is the oldest instance of a devotion extending over an entire month.” (Catholic Encyclopedia, “Special Devotions for Months”)
The connection between motherhood and May led Christians eventually to adopt May as Mary Month. May is the Month of our Lady precisely as the Mother of God. So wrote the priest-poet Fr. Gerard Manley Hopkins, sj in his marian classic “May Magnificat.”