5 Things You Might Not Know About St. Joseph
I’m going to write on five surprising things of St. Joseph in celebration of his feast day today. 1) St. Joseph was probably born without original sin. I know this one sounds heretical, but follow me here. A nun in Ohio received private revelations from Mary and Joseph in 1956, all of which were approved by Cardinal Burke in his letter to the USCCB in 1997. These apparitions are known as “Our Lady of America.” St. Joseph said the following about himself in this apparition: “It is true, my daughter, that immediately after my conception I was, through the future merits of Jesus and because of my exceptional role of future Virgin-Father, cleansed from the stain of original sin. I was, from that moment, confirmed in grace and never had the slightest stain on my soul. This is my unique [...]
Second Sunday of Lent
On the Transfiguration, the Crucifixion and Divine Providence.
40 Martyrs of Sebaste
Today is the Memorial of the 40 Roman Soldiers who banded together in modern day Armenia, refusing to renounce Christ. St. Basil writes of their glorious and manly martyrdom: These holy martyrs suffered at Sebaste, in the Lesser Armenia, under the Emperor Licinius, in 320. They were of different countries, but enrolled in the same troop; all in the flower of their age, comely, brave, and robust, and were become considerable for their services. St. Gregory of Nyssa and Procopius say they were of the Thundering Legion, so famous under Marcus Aurelius for the miraculous rain and victory obtained by their prayers. This was the twelfth legion, and then quartered in Armenia. Lysias was duke or general of the forces, and Agricola the governor of the province. The latter having signified to the army the orders of the emperor Licinius [...]
Baby Leah’s Funeral
I buried a premature baby today in Louisiana, and this is the sermon I gave. It was made public with the permission of the parents, because they believed there was a message people had to hear in this podcast. If you are reading this podcast description on iTunes, please also visit my blog to see the picture at the top of the casket that the baby's father made for her in his woodworking shop. I'll also include some sites and footnotes that I referenced in this sermon. I spoke in the sermon about the length of eternity, and here is a blog post I wrote with that same "beach of eternity" analogy I gave in the sermon. Also, to read the full account of the martyrdom of Saints Felicity and Perpetua, click this footnote here: Vibia Perpetua, was executed in [...]
First Sunday of Lent: Christ in the Desert
Garden Temptation 1 John Jesus vs. Satan Vows Matthew 6 Mark 4 Good for eyes Lust of eyes Worship me and have kingdoms poverty alms World Good for food Lust of flesh Fasting vs. Bread Chastity Fasting Flesh Makes one wise Pride of life Temple/Test God Obedience Prayer Devil
Ash Wednesday Homily
Tear Open Your Hearts
Quinquagesima Sunday
Today's sermon is on how Jesus Christ on the cross fulfills the law of charity: Love in the shape of a cross.
Sexagesima Sunday: Nature versus Nurture
How much does the father-wound or mother-wound affect our ability to follow Christ?
How God Loved Your Soul Before It Existed
Last night, a spiritual directee in Europe emailed me a quick question on Scripture and philosophy. I typed out a medium-length answer, but it hit me that this might actually help my other readers to understand God's love in a new way. I normally don't publicize emails to me, but she gave me permission and I changed her name. The above picture is Aristotle, and you'll see how he fits into the answer. Happy Sunday, Padre! I have questions. Souls don't exist before our bodies, right? At conception, is when God first creates the soul and joins it to the body. Right? That's when we first 'began' but the soul has no end. I don't fully understand this though, because how then could Jeremiah 1:5 fit in with this? "Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you" is that saying He knew who he would [...]
Septuagesima Sunday Sermon
In this sermon I referenced Fr. Richard Heilman and his fasting program of Ninevah90 as well as his highly-acclaimed article on Fatima at 100 years. Run so as to win.