Recent Sermon
The Sacrament of Divine Conquest
Bp. Ward
The sacrament of Confirmation was instituted by Our Lord Himself. It is a sacrament of the living, meaning we must be in the State of Grace to receive it worthily. Through it the confirmed receives a great increase of sanctifying grace and the presence of the Holy Ghost. What we are given in Baptism is not sufficient in God’s mind, so He has created this ‘Sacrament of Strength’ to help us withstand the assaults of the world, the flesh, and the devil. The confirmed are called to be defenders of Christ’s honor in the face of our godless world. We follow the example of our holy ancestors who courageously endured persecution and spoke on behalf of the whole Church, because Our Lord seeks to transform the world through his confirmed soldiers. In this sacrament we participate in the triumphant victory of the Passion and death of our Redeemer. The gifts of the Holy Ghost are increased in our soul and through them we are granted a deeper intimacy in our relationship with God.
From Our Archives
Our Angel: Brother of Our Soul
The doctrine of Guardian Angels belongs to the Ordinary Magisterium of the Church. Although their rank among the other angels is unknown, it is believed that our angel guardian is given to us at birth. They never leave us in this life, and they will be with us in eternity. The Guardian Angels not only protect us from the multitude of temptations of the devil, but they also pray for us, obtain graces to provide for our needs, warn us about dangers, and admonish us when we sin. Their protection is invaluable, especially at the last moments of our life, when the devil is most eager to take our souls to Hell.
This is a Mass of humility and poverty of spirit. We are reminded of the absolute necessity of prevenient and concomitant grace to help us in performing good actions. It is pride that makes us believe that we can accomplish any good thing without the help of God's grace, and God resists the proud. Poverty of spirit is the first of the beatitudes and its reward is Heaven. We have nothing of ourselves, and the man who is poor in spirit appreciates his true dependence on God. From this poverty of spirit comes an abundance of generosity towards neighbor. Although this generosity is performed for the sake of love, rather than for receiving a reward, we cannot help but reap the benefits of our ‘good investments,’ even in this life.
