Daily Sermons from March 8 to 11.
Moses and Elijah, St Frances of Rome, the 40 martyrs, Total Consecration.
Mar 15, 2017
Sunday Sermon, March 5 -- The Three Ages of the Interior Life and Mortification
[pre-sermon note on almsgiving during Lent: Remember that the poor live a much harder Lent than we do, and they live it all year long. Our Lent should provide some savings which is given to the poor. When you are really craving whatever you sacrificed this Lent, consider making a small donation for alms as a way of connecting fasting and almsgiving]
There are three ages of the spiritual life: The beginners, the proficients, and the perfect; or the purgative way, the illuminative way, and the unitive way.
The beginners are attached to sin and to the world, and though they have truly begun to follow God and do desire to be holy, they still have a worldly outlook and worldly goals.
The proficients have broken their attachment to the world and strive to avoid sin. Their focus is on God and his glory, and they seek heaven; but they approach the spiritual life from an human perspective and with human judgments (looking for human success in the spiritual life). They have entered into the life of infused contemplation in prayer.
The perfect have broken all attachment to the world and to sin. They live in constant union with God and have a totally supernatural world-view. These are the great saints. They still commit some venial sins, but they are very humble and follow God unreservedly.
One of the main reasons why people remain as beginners their whole life is a failure to practice bodily mortification. It is true that interior penance is more important than physical or bodily mortification (like fasting), but if we can't practice external penance we will never be able to practice interior penance. If I can't give up meat, I'll never be able to give up pride!
Lenten penance and bodily mortification (especially fasting and abstinence) is a great means of attaining spiritual growth!
Listen online [here]!
There are three ages of the spiritual life: The beginners, the proficients, and the perfect; or the purgative way, the illuminative way, and the unitive way.
The beginners are attached to sin and to the world, and though they have truly begun to follow God and do desire to be holy, they still have a worldly outlook and worldly goals.
The proficients have broken their attachment to the world and strive to avoid sin. Their focus is on God and his glory, and they seek heaven; but they approach the spiritual life from an human perspective and with human judgments (looking for human success in the spiritual life). They have entered into the life of infused contemplation in prayer.
The perfect have broken all attachment to the world and to sin. They live in constant union with God and have a totally supernatural world-view. These are the great saints. They still commit some venial sins, but they are very humble and follow God unreservedly.
One of the main reasons why people remain as beginners their whole life is a failure to practice bodily mortification. It is true that interior penance is more important than physical or bodily mortification (like fasting), but if we can't practice external penance we will never be able to practice interior penance. If I can't give up meat, I'll never be able to give up pride!
Lenten penance and bodily mortification (especially fasting and abstinence) is a great means of attaining spiritual growth!
Listen online [here]!
Mar 8, 2017
Tuesday, March 7 -- Father Raymond Nyquist, Funeral Sermon
Sermon from the Funeral Mass for Father Raymond Nyquist.
Father Nyquist had three loves: The Eucharist, the poor, and the family.
Listen online [here]!
Sunday Sermon, February 19 -- On loving the enemies of the Church and of good morals
[pre-homily note on attending daily Mass during Lent. Please note: I mistakenly said that only Lent has proper Masses for each of the weekdays, that is no longer the case as there are now proper Masses for the weekdays of Advent as well. Traditionally (prior to Vatican II), Lent was unique in this respect. Even still, the weekdays of Lent are of an higher rank than the Advent weekdays and "trump" most saints' feast days -- thus, the essential point remains the same, namely, that the daily Masses of Lent have a unique character and importance in the Liturgical Year.]
"Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you."
It is truly divine to be able to love our enemies -- Jesus proves his divinity by his love for his enemies.
To love means to sacrifice. If we love our enemies, then we will be sacrificing for them -- prayer and fasting.
Listen online [here]!
"Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you."
It is truly divine to be able to love our enemies -- Jesus proves his divinity by his love for his enemies.
To love means to sacrifice. If we love our enemies, then we will be sacrificing for them -- prayer and fasting.
Listen online [here]!
Daily Sermons, February 21 to March 4
Daily Sermons from February 21 to March 4.
These are a few weeks of daily Mass sermons all posted together.
These are a few weeks of daily Mass sermons all posted together.
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