Podcasts about fr paul

“How do you make a good examination of conscience?” This essential practice is explored alongside questions about the significance of Jesus’ second coming, the role of the Trinity in marriage counseling, and the implications of annulments for remarriage. Each topic sheds light on the complexities of faith and relationships within the Catholic tradition. Join the Catholic Answers Live Club Newsletter Invite our apologists to speak at your parish! Visit Catholicanswersspeakers.com Questions Covered: 07:50 – How do you make a good examination of conscience? 19:25 – What does it mean that Jesus will come again in glory? Was the first time at creation, the incarnation, or the Eucharist? 22:00 – How might one use the image of the Trinity when counseling couples for marriage? 24:33 – What happened to the gold, frankincense, and myrrh that the wise men gave to Mary and Joseph? 29:57 – If my husband divorced and I have an annulment, does he have to die before I can marry someone else? 36:00 – My wife and I are going through OCIA and our annulments are not complete. If the annulments are not finalized by Holy Week would we still be able to enter the Church provided that we intend to remain celibate until the annulments are resolved? 41:00 – Could a widow enter into a marriage that was just through the Catholic Church and not a civil, legal marriage? I'm getting mixed answers about whether or not this should be done. 43:26 – My son is getting married to a muslim woman. He was raised Catholic. Now he says he believes in God but not in Jesus' divinity. She is Muslim but not very practicing. They told her father a lie, that my son converted to Islam, to appease him. How do I handle this upcoming wedding?

Thirty-eight years ago, Archbishop Lefebvre performed the heroic act of consecrating four bishops without papal mandate. Because of that act:The movement of traditional Catholicism has been able to grow and thrive in the past four decades.Countless souls have been able to receive the traditional and authentic teaching of the Church and worship at the Mass of all time.Other traditional communities, like the FSSP and the ICK, have been allowed to exist.Many, many souls have been saved.This past week, our Superior General, Fr. Davide Pagliarani, announced that the SSPX plans to repeat this act of its founder. New bishops will be consecrated this coming July 1, even though we have not received permission from Rome to do so.This is a huge event in the life of the Church, and will have enormous consequences.In this sermon, I want to explain two things: why this act is necessary, and why it is justified.Why it is necessaryThese consecrations are necessary because first of all because we have a duty to Holy Mother Church, to her spirit and her traditions. We do not want to abandon our Mother in this time of her greatest trial. On the contrary, we want to do all that we can to support her and sustain her.By the Providence of God, the life of Tradition in the Church today lives and dies with the Society of St. Pius X. These consecrations are necessary for the continuation of Tradition.Secondly, we need to do these consecrations for your sake, my dear faithful, for you faithful who have come to us in the midst of this crisis, who have asked the SSPX, “Please, give me the traditional catechism, give me the traditional sacraments, give me a traditional Catholic community.” The SSPX takes care of hundreds of thousands of souls around the world and, if it does not consecrate bishops, it will not be able to continue this work.The SSPX was established for the formation of good Catholic priests. But priests cannot be ordained without bishops. Only bishops can make priests.Archbishop Lefebvre consecrated four bishops for the SSPX in 1988. Since then, two of the bishops have died and the other two are in their late 60s. The two bishops who remain are traveling around the world in order to administer the sacraments of Confirmation and Holy Orders. They have been keeping up this insane rate of travel for 38 years.It is clear that, if the SSPX does not provide new bishops for itself soon, its work will not be able to continue.Think about St. Isidore's. We have been having this capital campaign and the faithful have been so generous contributing to it. For what purpose? So that our church can stand the test of time, so that this community can flourish. But without these consecrations, it would not be able to exist one day.Without these consecrations, all of the work of the SSPX around the world would ultimately have to cease. The SSPX currently has about 1500 members, between its priests, brothers, and nuns; it is located in 77 countries and it has almost 800 Mass locations. Between the SSPX and the religious communities associated with it, there are 140 schools in the world. All this would go away without bishops. The hundreds of thousands of faithful would have to find somewhere else to go.

11:30 am Mass

Fr. Paul Born currently serves as the Parochial Vicar at Mary, Queen of Martyrs Parish in Plymouth, Massachusetts. In Today's Show: Why does it seem more people are disconnected from the Holy Spirit now? Can you consecrate adult children to Mary? What should you do if your confessor supports the Russian invasion of Ukraine? Is there a religious exemption for the flu shot? How can we ask Jesus to calm our minds before bed? Should people wear NFL jerseys to mass? Why did God in the Old Testament ask for animal sacrifices? Why did God appear as a smoking fire pot and flaming torch when speaking to Abram in Genesis? Visit the show page at thestationofthecross.com/askapriest to listen live, check out the weekly lineup, listen to podcasts of past episodes, watch live video, find show resources, sign up for our mailing list of upcoming shows, and submit your question for Father!

Explore the hidden emotional scars of abortion in this compelling episode with Dr. J and sociologist Father Paul Sullins. Discover new research revealing that up to 14 million U.S. women suffer long-term distress post-abortion, often dismissed by mainstream narratives. This episode delves into the mental health risks, societal denial, and the need for compassionate care, drawing comparisons with international approaches. Whether you're a woman affected, a healthcare provider, or simply curious, this discussion offers vital insights and hope for healing. Join us to understand the profound impact of abortion-related trauma and the path to recovery. 00:00 Understanding Abortion's Psychological Impact 02:55 The Shift in Societal Perception of Abortion 06:01 Post-Abortion Trauma: A Hidden Reality 08:57 The Study's Methodology and Findings 11:59 The Need for Care and Support 14:48 The Role of Ideology in Abortion Research 17:57 Comparative Analysis of Abortion and Childbirth 20:55 The Importance of Acknowledging Distress 23:50 The Call for Compassionate Care 27:07 The Challenges in Research Publication 29:57 Conclusion: Acknowledging the Silent Suffering 40:27 The Complexities of Abortion and Mental Health 45:52 Critique of the Turnaway Studies 51:14 Censorship in Scientific Research 57:31 The Impact of the Dobbs Decision 01:02:32 Wanted Child Abortions and Coercion 01:09:44 Theological Perspectives on Abortion and Innocence Resources & Links: Father Paul Sullins's Research Page at the Ruth Institute https://ruthinstitute.org/sullins-abortion-research/ Rachel's Vineyard Ministry https://www.rachelsvineyard.org/ American Psychological Association on Post-Abortion Stress https://www.apa.org/ Guttmacher Institute https://www.guttmacher.org/ Father Sullins' Reports on Clergy Sexual Abuse: https://ruthinstitute.org/resource-centers/father-sullins-research/ Subscribe to our newsletter to get this amazing report: Refuting the Top 5 Gay Myths https://ruthinstitute.org/refute-the-top-five-myths/

#catholic #sermonDramatic shift with Septuagesima Sunday: we stop saying Alleluia until Easter; we put on purple, the sign of penance. In the office, we go back to the beginning of the Bible, the opening chapter of the book of Genesis. This season represents a new start for us.We learn about the creation of the world along with the creation of mankind. We learn about the sin of our first parents.The Church wants us to start off this season with a reminder that we are wounded with Original Sin. Our souls are sick and in danger of dying.Original Sin with its wounds is like a genetic disease that is passed on through the ages, from generation to generation. Our first parents, Adam and Eve contracted the disease and modified the spiritual DNA of the human race. From that point forward, the disease is transmitted every time a child is conceived.This is a doctrine of the Catholic Faith. Trent: “If any one asserts, that the sin of Adam injured himself alone, and not his posterity; and that the holiness and justice, received of God, which he lost, he lost for himself alone, and not for us also, let him be anathema.”Trent also defines that Baptism takes away original sin, but that its effects remain in us. “This holy synod confesses and is sensible, that in the baptized there remains concupiscence, or an incentive to sin; which, whereas it is left for our exercise, cannot injure those who do not consent, but resist manfully by the grace of Jesus Christ,”The effects of Original SinHere is the situation: we received a defective spiritual DNA from our parents, such that Original Sin was communicated to our souls when we were conceived. The sin itself was taken away when we were baptized, but the effects of the sin remain in us.We are sick in our soul with these effects. And when someone is sick, you take them to the emergency room or urgent care, depending on how severe their condition is. The doctor would say to us: you have the wound of ignorance in your mind, you have the wound of malice in your will, and you have the wounds of concupiscence and weakness in your emotions.Holy Mother Church is like our nurse and doctor. She makes us aware of our condition and she prescribes remedies. She encourages us to fight against our spiritual sickness and gives us the seasons of Septuagesima and Lent to train us in that fight.When you have a disease, you try to fight it. You do not do anything that you know will foster the disease. You do not go to a place where the disease is rampant. If I go to a rock concert or a bad website or a bar, the disease within me will grow stronger. I will become more sick, weaker.But we do not just fight the disease by avoiding places where the air is infected with sin. We take the disease everywhere we go, because we carry it within ourselves.We know that when a disease is inside a person, it seeks to propagate itself. Think of cancer for instance. It is always trying to grow more and take over our body, until it has destroyed us. The sin within us tries to do the same. Just as cancer patients have to fight the cancer within them if they want to survive, so too we have to fight the cancer of sin if we want to reach eternal life.Mortifying ourselvesThe epistle of today's Mass is all about carrying on this crucial fight for our eternal lives. St. Paul compares it both to a race and to a fight.And he tells us what he does to fight the fight: “I chastise my body and bring it into subjection”.

The audio file for this sermon has very bad audio from 2:00=15:40.One of the cornerstones of a Catholic civilization is the phenomenon known as the large family. Catholics have always been known for having large families. But large Catholic families stand out more today than they have in the past just because families themselves are becoming rarer, not just large families.Young people today are finding it harder and harder to get married.The median age for marriage today is 30 for men and 28 for women, while it was 23 for men and 21 for women back in 1970.Fewer people are getting married: there were around 10.5 per 1000 in 1970, while there are around 6 per 1000 today. This is a difference of over 40%.Marriage requires a commitment for life and the shouldering of great responsibilities. You have to be very motivated to take on that commitment.Many young people find it difficult today to commit themselves to something so big as marriage and they find it even more difficult to commit themselves to having the children that come with a Catholic marriage.They don't trust themselves and they don't trust others to be able to make the marriage commitment. And so they just remain single.Good Catholic MarriageThis rarity of commitment makes a good Catholic marriage shine with all the more splendor today.We know that, when two Catholics get married, they make vows to one another. They vow to live marriage in the way that God made it.They exchange vows and they give to one another their life-giving powers. They promise that they will never withhold their life-giving power in their marital union.This gift on the wedding day is a sign of their unconditional love for one another. They accept in advance whatever life will come forth from their love.This helps us see how false is the love which says, “I will come together with you but I do not want to have children by you. I do not want new life to come from our union.”Big Families Rare TodayWhen there is rampant and easy birth control in a society such as ours, as well as a plague of immorality, the only thing that will lead people to make such a commitment to one another is a religious motivation. They have to believe that God wants it of them and they will only be following God's plan if they have the children that God gives to them.The reason for this is that we as human beings tend to take the easy way out. It is difficult to have the children that God wants to give you and so people will opt to have just a few or none, when they are given the option. So many countries are trying today to get their citizens to have children and it is just not working. They are not motivated by money or benefits.Meanwhile, in the Church today, Catholics simply ignore the Church's teaching on birth control. Studies indicate that 98% of Catholic women have used birth control at some time in their life.Meanwhile, it takes a special set of circumstances to have large families (like six or more children) and those circumstances are very rare today.The couple has to get married young, in their early 20s. And they have to be committed to having all the children that God wills to give them. Both of these extremely rare today.Meanwhile, it is a great blessing to a family and to the world when the family abounds with life. In 1958, Pope Pius XII gave an address to representatives of a number of associations for large families in Italy. In this address, he pointed out three testimonies given by large families.

Saturday Vigil Mass 5:30 pm

#catholic #sspxOn this Second Sunday after Epiphany, it is customary to speak about the sacrament of matrimony, because of the Gospel about the wedding feast at Cana.Today, however, I would like to speak about a different kind of marriage, the union that exists between Christ and His Spouses in the religious life.We have this incredible blessing here at St. Isidore's that the Consoling Sisters are planning to build a novitiate. This will be a place where young women will be prepared to become spouses of Christ.They will be prepared to enter into a way of life that has existed from the earliest days of the Church, wherein young ladies forego marrying and having a family in order to give their lives completely to Christ.There are three stages at every novitiate:first is the postulancy, which is the period of time when the young lady comes to the novitiate and adjusts to the life there. This usually lasts for six months.Second is the novitiate. It is started by the young lady taking the religious habit and receiving a religious name. The novitiate is a time for her to practice in earnest the three religious vows and for her to be trained in the religious life by the mistress of novices. The novitiate typically lasts for two years.The third stage is the taking of vows, also known as the first profession. That is the day when the young lady approaches the altar and binds herself to the three vows of religion for the first time. She takes the vow of poverty, whereby she can only use material things under the direction of her superior; the vow of chastity, whereby she does not seek any earthly love but only the love of Christ; and the vow of obedience, whereby she submits her will to the will of her superiors. She makes these three vows in order to give herself to Christ in the most perfect way possible. This is why she typically receives a ring on the day of her first profession. From that point, she officially lives the religious life and is given some assignment by her order. She leaves the novitiate and joins a community of sisters somewhere else.This special way of life, this beautiful way of life, is a treasure of the Catholic Church. The fact that the Catholic Church, and pretty much the Catholic Church alone, has promoted and fostered this way of life throughout her entire history is a sign of her holiness. The fact that millions of women have lived this way of life in the past 2000 years is a sign that the Catholic Church is truly a divine institution.This way of life is also a great gift to the world, because the nun is a very special kind of woman. She is a woman who is a bride of Christ, living a supernatural life and possessing a special kind of love that she brings to everything that she does. Her life of sacrifice and her intense love of Christ make her able to do great things for God in this world, that no one else can do.

1-21-26: Feast of St. Agnes – Fr. Paul Sullivan by

Fluent Fiction - French: Parisian Proposal: Love Finds a Way Above the City of Lights Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/fr/episode/2026-01-09-08-38-20-fr Story Transcript:Fr: La tour Eiffel s'élève majestueusement contre le ciel d'hiver.En: The tour Eiffel rises majestically against the winter sky.Fr: Étienne se tient sur la plateforme d'observation avec Louise.En: Étienne stands on the observation platform with Louise.Fr: Le vent froid fouette son visage, mais son cœur est plus chaud que jamais.En: The cold wind whips against his face, but his heart is warmer than ever.Fr: Aujourd'hui, Étienne a prévu de faire sa demande.En: Today, Étienne plans to propose.Fr: Louise admire la vue, insouciante de ce qui l'attend.En: Louise admires the view, unaware of what's coming.Fr: "C'est magnifique ici," dit-elle, enroulée dans son écharpe.En: "It's beautiful here," she says, wrapped in her scarf.Fr: Étienne sort une petite boîte de sa poche.En: Étienne takes a small box out of his pocket.Fr: Ses mains tremblent un peu.En: His hands tremble a bit.Fr: Pas à cause du froid, mais de l'angoisse de ce qu'il s'apprête à faire.En: Not because of the cold, but from the anxiety of what he is about to do.Fr: Il invite Louise à se retourner pour contempler un autre angle de la ville.En: He invites Louise to turn around to admire another view of the city.Fr: Alors qu'il s'agenouille, la boîte glisse de sa main.En: As he kneels down, the box slips from his hand.Fr: L'anneau tombe.En: The ring falls.Fr: Étienne regarde horrifié alors que la précieuse bague roule doucement puis chute.En: Étienne watches, horrified, as the precious ring rolls gently and then drops.Fr: Elle se coince juste à l'extérieur de la rambarde en fer.En: It gets caught just outside the iron railing.Fr: Affolé, mais déterminé, Étienne cherche une solution.En: Panicked but determined, Étienne looks for a solution.Fr: À ce moment, Paul, un jeune touriste, passe par là.En: At that moment, Paul, a young tourist, walks by.Fr: Il tient un parapluie qui semble parfait pour la situation.En: He holds an umbrella that seems perfect for the situation.Fr: "Mon ami!"En: "My friend!"Fr: crie Étienne.En: shouts Étienne.Fr: "Pouvez-vous m'aider, s'il vous plaît?"En: "Can you help me, please?"Fr: Paul, étonné, écoute l'histoire d'Étienne.En: Paul, astonished, listens to Étienne's story.Fr: Sans hésiter, il tend le parapluie vers l'anneau.En: Without hesitation, he extends the umbrella towards the ring.Fr: Avec précaution, Paul accroche la bague et la ramène lentement vers eux.En: Carefully, Paul hooks the ring and slowly brings it back to them.Fr: Louise se retourne, intriguée par ce qui se passe.En: Louise turns around, intrigued by what is happening.Fr: Elle voit Étienne et Paul penchés sur la rambarde avec un air de conspirateurs.En: She sees Étienne and Paul leaning over the railing with a conspiratorial look.Fr: "Qu'est-ce que vous faites tous les deux?"En: "What are you two doing?"Fr: demande-t-elle, riant.En: she asks, laughing.Fr: Étienne, le visage rouge d'émotion, récupère l'anneau.En: Étienne, his face red with emotion, retrieves the ring.Fr: Il inspire profondément.En: He takes a deep breath.Fr: "Louise, veux-tu m'épouser?"En: "Louise, will you marry me?"Fr: Il tend la bague vers elle, ses yeux remplis d'espoir.En: He presents the ring to her, his eyes filled with hope.Fr: Les larmes brillent dans les yeux de Louise.En: Tears shine in Louise's eyes.Fr: "Oui, oui, je le veux!"En: "Yes, yes, I will!"Fr: s'écrie-t-elle, en se jetant dans les bras d'Étienne.En: she exclaims, throwing herself into Étienne's arms.Fr: Paul applaudit et les passants autour d'eux sourient.En: Paul applauds and the passersby around them smile.Fr: Étienne sent un poids quitter ses épaules.En: Étienne feels a weight lift from his shoulders.Fr: Les imprévus ne pourront jamais entacher cet instant magique.En: The unexpected twists could never tarnish this magical moment.Fr: Il a découvert que parfois, même les accidents créent des souvenirs inoubliables.En: He discovered that sometimes, even accidents create unforgettable memories.Fr: Sous les lumières scintillantes de la tour, Étienne et Louise s'embrassent, prêts pour une nouvelle aventure ensemble.En: Under the sparkling lights of the tour, Étienne and Louise kiss, ready for a new adventure together. Vocabulary Words:the tower: la tourto admire: admirerthe observation platform: la plateforme d'observationthe anxiety: l'angoisseto kneel: s'agenouillerthe box: la boîteto slip: glisserthe ring: l'anneauprecious: précieuxto roll: roulerthe railing: la rambardeto get caught: se coincerpanic-stricken: affoléthe solution: la solutionthe tourist: le touristeastonished: étonnéwithout hesitation: sans hésitercarefully: avec précautionto hook: accrocherintrigued: intriguéthe conspiratorial look: l'air de conspirateursto recover: récupérerto applaud: applaudirthe passerby: le passantto tarnish: entacherunexpected: imprévuto discover: découvrirthe accident: l'accidentunforgettable: inoubliableto shine: briller

#sspx #sermon #catholic #sundayOn this feast of the Holy Name, we have the joy of inducting new members into the Holy Name Society. This Society was founded in the Middle Ages to help men increase their faith in the divinity of Our Lord Jesus Christ.One way in which this is done is by asking the members to respect the name of Our Lord and to foster respect for the name of Our Lord and good use of language in those around them.But the Society also wants to assist men in their belief in Our Lord's divinity by having them live Sundays as Catholic men ought. There are eleven obligations for Holy Name members and four of them concern Sundays:6. Never to work or carry on business unnecessarily on Sunday.7. To do all they can to induce their dependents to sanctify the Sunday.9. Communicating in a body on Holy Name Sundays.11. Staying after Mass on Holy Name Sundays to have a meeting.One of the basic means we must employ to restore society is living Sunday in the way that it should be lived.we must try not to allow the spirit of the world to seep into our souls such that, while we go to Mass on Sundays, we still live Sundays in a secular spirit.we must try to have a Catholic mentality about the true meaning of Sunday and then try to live out that mentality every seven days.Sunday is a period of time that we set aside as the property of God. It is a consecration of time. Just as, when a church is consecrated, the territory on which the church rests and the building of the church itself are set aside exclusively for the use of God, so too with Sunday. It is a time that is set aside for God.It is easy today for us to see Sunday as just the day that we have to go to Mass and not as a day consecrated to God. Under this mentality, once we go to Mass, we have the rest of the day for ourselves. People who have this mentality are more likely to:Go to the shortest Mass possibleLeave as soon as possible after Mass without talking to people or hanging outSpend the rest of the day in worldly entertainmentThey fulfill the letter of the Sunday obligation, but they do not have the spirit of Sunday.Whenever God asks us to do something, it is not only because He deserves that we do what He asks; it is also because what He asks is good for us.We need to keep holy the Lord's Day not only to fulfill a commandment; we need to do it in order to live a properly human life, and for our freedom.

#catholic #christmas #sermonWhen God Himself became incarnate in this world, when He assumed our human life, He decided that there would be two symbols that would be representative of His life.Those two symbols were the manger and the cross.Both of them are made of wood.On both of them, Our Lord lied down. Our Lady laid Him down in the manger, while the Roman soldiers laid Him down on the Cross.On both of them, Our Lord was bound and in a state of helplessness. In the manger, He was wrapped in swaddling clothes, clothes that confine a baby in such a way that he cannot move. Likewise on the Cross, He could not move, because He was nailed to it.On both of them, Our Lord was in a state of poverty. He laid in a manger in a cave, a place that was not his house, a place that belonged to no one. On the Cross, He was naked and completely despoiled of all of His possessions.On both of them, Our Lord was in a state of humiliation. In the manger, He was a tiny, helpless child, born in extremely humble circumstances. On the Cross, He was being executed as a criminal in full view of hundreds of people.The Creche and the Cross are the two defining moments of Our Lord's life; they are the two symbols that He chose to represent His life.We know that Our Lord chose the life that He would live, we know that He lived the most perfect life, and we know that His life is the model for our lives.This is why being a Catholic and living a Catholic life is always a great challenge, in every age. It is difficult to imitate Our Lord, because it is difficult to embrace poverty, humiliation and suffering.This is why Our Lord's life has always been a scandal to the world. One of the many reasons why the world has always rejected Our Lord is that it does not want to be called to the excellence of Our Lord's life. It finds His life far too demanding, far too difficult.As such, the world has always defined for its followers a different path. In place of poverty and humility, the world presents another “virtue” for everyone to practice. It is the “virtue” of mediocrity.

This reflection was originally published in 2022. While the Redemptorist's title, location, and the specific days and dates mentioned may no longer align, the reading and reflection remain just as relevant today!

In the 7 AM hour, Larry O’Connor and Patrice Onwuka discussed: INTERVIEW - STEVE MILLOY INTERVIEW - FR. PAUL SCALIA HALLMARK MOVIES Where to find more about WMAL's morning show: Follow Podcasts on Apple Podcasts, Audible and Spotify Follow WMAL's "O'Connor and Company" on X: @WMALDC, @LarryOConnor, @JGunlock, @PatricePinkfile, and @HeatherHunterDC Facebook: WMALDC and Larry O'Connor Instagram: WMALDC Website: WMAL.com/OConnor-Company Episode: Wednesday, December 24, 2025 / 7 AM HourSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

#catholic #sspx #adventThere are two comings of Our Lord Jesus Christ, the first at Christmas and the second at the Last Judgment.St. Paul speaks of the Last Judgment today when he says: “pass no judgment before the time, until the Lord comes, Who will both bring to light the things hidden in darkness and make manifest the counsels of hearts.”We know this is one of the characteristics of the Last Judgment: everything will be revealed.But this is also one of the characteristics of the First Coming of Our Lord: His first coming brought to light many things that were hidden before.Recall what the old man Simeon said in prophecy to Our Lady, in the very same chapter as today's Gospel, when He says that Our Lord will be a light of revelation to the Gentiles.The first chapter of St. John's Gospel, which we read at the end of every Mass, also speaks of Our Lord as the light in His first coming, saying that He is “the true light, which enlighteneth every man that cometh into this world”.And in this time of Advent, the Church quotes for us this prophetical passage from Isaias: “The people that sat in darkness, hath seen great light: and to them that sat in the region of the shadow of death, light is sprung up” (Is. 9:2). St. Matthew tells us that this prophecy was fulfilled by the preaching of Our Lord.The light that Our Lord brought to the world with His first Coming is very great:He showed us clearly what our purpose is, what we are made for.He taught us the moral law in a much clearer way than the Old Testament did. Recall the Sermon on the Mount, which shines a new light on the Ten Commandments. By doing this, He gave us a much clearer idea of what is good and what is evil, what is sinful and what is not.Our Lord showed us clearly the meaning of suffering and how the Cross is a valuable part of our life, if we bear it with humility and resignation.Our Lord showed us clearly the way that we must live our lives, if we are to fulfill our God-given purpose.Our Lord gave us the fullness of revelation, all of the supernatural truths that we need to know in order to unite ourselves with God.St. John says of Our Lord that “His life was the light of men”. His life and His teaching changed the course of the world simply because Our Lord brought a light into this world that it had never seen before and which can never be exceeded.But, as you know, the reaction to this light was very different on the part of those who received it in Our Lord's lifetime.When you are in a dark room for some time and then you go outside, the light is too bright for your eyes. There are three things that you can do:Go back inside and return to the darkness.Close your eyes to the light and try to walk in a state of blindness.Allow your eyes to hurt for a little while until they are able to adjust to the brightness.These represent the three types of reactions to Our Lord's light both in His time and ours.

#catholic #sspx #sermonDoctors tell us that if we want our bodies to be healthy, we must exercise our bodies regularly. If our bodies are always at a state of rest, not moving, not straining, they will deteriorate over time.It is interesting to note that many exercises consist of pushing back against gravity. We have this force of gravity that is always being exercised upon us, which pulls us down. We find that, if we sometimes work against that force of gravity, if we strain our bodies against it, it is helpful for our bodies, rather than just letting gravity always pull us down.We can think about the exercises of pull ups, push ups, sit ups, and so on. There is a kettlebell exercise where you simply hold a weight above your head and walk with it.God has made our body in such a way that it needs periodic movement and strain in order for them to be in good health.Today, I want to speak to you about a spiritual exercise that is like the anti-gravity bodily exercises. It consists in pushing back against the weight of our fallen human nature that is always weighing down upon us.Our fallen nature works on our souls like the force of gravity works on our bodies. It is always pulling us down to earthly things. We can think of our souls as naturally being stooped over and always tending to look at ourselves, to want creature comforts, to be consumed with the things of this world.If we made a log of what we are always thinking about for one day, we might be surprised. We might find a lot of vanity, selfishness, and pride in our thoughts.Just as if we leave our bodies alone and do nothing with them, they fall apart, so too with our souls. If we let them live this way all the time, we will lose them. Our souls will be always consumed with the things of this earth and will end up falling into hell rather than rising up to Heaven.At the beginning of this season of Advent, we heard these words of Our Lord: “when these things begin to come to pass, look up, and lift up your heads, because your redemption is at hand.”We have to be continually be lifting our souls up to heavenly things. This is the spiritual exercise I would like to talk about. It consists in lifting our souls up to God throughout the day.Sometimes, you will hear this referred to as the “practice of the presence of God”. In other places, you will hear it referred to as the practice of recollection.

#catholic #sspx #ourladyThe Immaculate Conception of Our Lady was a unique privilege given to her alone by God. Of all of the people born into this world after the sin of Adam and Eve, only one was prevented from contracting Original Sin by the intervention of God.This is implied by Pope Pius IX when he defined the dogma in 1854: “We declare, pronounce, and define that the doctrine which holds that the most Blessed Virgin Mary, in the first instance of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege granted by Almighty God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the human race, was preserved free from all stain of original sin, is a doctrine revealed by God” (Ineffabilis Deus)At the beginning of the same document, the Pope says, “Above all creatures did God so love her that truly in her was the Father well pleased with singular delight. Therefore, far above all the angels and all the saints so wondrously did God endow her with the abundance of all heavenly gifts poured from the treasury of his divinity”.Our Lady saw fit to make it clear that the Immaculate Conception is her unique privilege in an extraordinary way just four years later, in her apparitions to St. Bernadette in 1858.St. Bernadette was given the mission by the parish priest to ask the lady who was appearing to her to say what her name was. It was uncertain that Our Lady was appearing.The Lady asked St. Bernadette to come for fifteen days in a row. St. Bernadette kept asking her name but the Lady never gave it, and the fifteen days ended on March 3.But St. Bernadette would sometimes get a strong urge to go to the grotto and this urge came to her on March 25. When Our Lady appeared to her, Bernadette was still quite focused on her mission. She asked the lady three times if she would not mind saying who she was and what was her name. Each time, the lady just smiled. She asked a fourth time and finally the lady became serious, lifted her eyes to heaven, and said those incredible words, “Lourdes: I AM the Immaculate Conception.”Bernadette was a simple girl who could not read and hardly knew her catechism, even though she was fourteen years old. She had no idea whatsoever what was meant by “Immaculate Conception”. Plus, her memory was bad so she just kept repeating the phrase to herself so she could faithfully tell it to the priest.If Our Lady chose to speak of herself in such an extraordinary way, it was to communicate to us an important fact about her immaculate conception: God gave the privilege only to her.

“We should not be discerning our vocations just by ourselves. We need the help of other people who love us and have the best in mind for us.” Fr. Paul Graney joins Fr. Craig Giera and Fr. Drew Mabee to share his journey to the priesthood. He describes the “light-switch moment” in his college dorm that sparked his discernment and reflects on the importance of mentors, community, and the desire to belong to something bigger than yourself. His story highlights how God uses every part of our lives—even hockey and pickup trucks—to draw us toward our vocation.(0:25) Fr. Craig and Fr. Drew open the episode, recorded on the feast of Sts. Simon and Jude, by welcoming their guest, Fr. Paul Graney. The trio catch up on recent events in their lives and joke about the fact that Fr. Paul and Fr. Craig are often mistaken for each other. The conversation turns to Fr. Paul's modified F-150 and love of playing hockey.(08:30) Fr. Paul recalls growing up in Oxford, playing backyard hockey on the rink his dad built, and the joy of his high school varsity team's first big win. He then shares how skiing trips with friends led him to a non-denominational youth ministry that he increasingly attended throughout high school. (18:11) Fr. Paul explains how his Protestant youth minister encouraged him to consider ministry, something he initially rejected due to a fear of public speaking. While attending Oakland University, he experiences a sudden interior prompting: “Do you want to be a pastor?” (27:40) Fr. Paul attends a small evangelical Bible program, learning Scripture, learning to preach, and serving in soup kitchens. He eventually moved to New York City and got a job at the Starbucks at Rockefeller Center, across the street from St. Patrick's Cathedral. This led to an impromptu meeting with the priest and a return to the Sacrament of Confession and the Catholic faith.(50:03) Fr. Paul attended a discernment weekend at Sacred Heart Major Seminary, where Fr. Tim Birney, the vocations director, encouraged him to live the Catholic faith for a few years while continuing to discern the priesthood. Once he finally entered the seminary, his biblical background helped him navigate the shift from a Protestant to Catholic understanding of Scripture.(56:03) Fr. Paul recounts how his godfather and parents responded to his return to the Church, and how his renewed faith eventually drew them back to regular Mass attendance. (58:24) Fr. Paul offers advice to men discerning the priesthood: stay close to the sacraments, listen, seek mentors, and immerse yourself in parish life. He concludes by reflecting on the gift of belonging to the “team” of Jesus Christ and the fraternity of the priesthood. He then closes the episode with a prayer for all discerning men and for the Church's priests.

#advent #catholic #sspxAdvent is a holy season of waiting. We learn how to wait for God.Waiting well is an important spiritual skill, because God often moves slowly. When we look at the history of the world and of the human race, we see that God is never in a hurry.God is outside of time. All of time is like a single moment for Him. He sees all of human history from the highest perspective.When we interact with God, we have to be willing for Him to act slowly. We have to be willing to wait. “Show, O Lord, thy ways to me. Teach me thy paths”, we say in today's Introit. His ways are slow.Abraham: God first appears to him when he is 75 years old, and promises that he will make a great nation of him. But his wife is not able to have any children. After 25 years, God appears to Abraham, when he is 100 years old, and promises that he will have a child by Sara, who is 90 years old. She has Isaac and the whole race of the Chosen People comes from him.Moses: the Israelites are being oppressed by the Pharaoh. He is telling the midwives to put their male children to death. Moses is saved from the water and raised by Pharaoh's daughter in the Egyptian court. When he is 40 years old, he flees to the desert. Only after 40 years more does God appear to Moses and ask him to go back to Egypt to deliver the Israelite people. They had been in slavery for 80 years at that point.Coming of Our Lord: God waits a number of centuries after Adam. When Our Lord comes onto this earth, He is not rushed. Rather, He spends 30 years living a hidden and unknown life. Only then does He come out into the public.Bottom line: God often waits a long time before acting. (same will be true of end of world!)We find this characteristic of our God difficult because we are naturally impatient as human beings. We are willful and we want control. We want things to happen when we want them to happen. We find it humbling to be forced to wait.

We look at the hidden emotional and spiritual challenges of infertility and how Springs in the Desert accompanies couples carrying this cross. The guests share the ministry's origins, the grief and identity struggles many couples face, the different ways men and women process infertility, and the need for compassionate pastoral care. They also explain how community, faith, and a focus on Christ—not just conception—help couples find hope, healing, and a sense of fruitfulness in their marriages. Ann M. Koshute, MTS, is co-founder and Executive Director of Springs in the Desert, a Catholic ministry offering spiritual and emotional support to women and couples carrying the cross of infertility and loss. A graduate of the Pontifical John Paul II Institute, she and her husband Keith are Byzantine Catholics living in Central Pennsylvania. Ann speaks at conferences and retreats, contributes regularly to Eastern Catholic Life, and has written for Ascension Press's Catechism in a Year Companion and daily Scripture reflections; in 2021 she was appointed to the USCCB's Advisory Council. Fr. Paul Varchola West, Spiritual Father for Springs in the Desert, was ordained a Byzantine Catholic priest in 2020 and serves as pastor of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Levittown, Pennsylvania. A columnist for Eastern Catholic Life, he was appointed Director of Deacons for the Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Passaic in 2025. He and his wife Alissa, married in 2009, enjoy music, the outdoors, and life with their two children—blessings that came after many years of prayers and infertility treatments. http://www.springsinthedesert.org Facebook: @Springs in the Desert Instagram: @springsinthedesert_ ​The Springs in the Desert Podcast: https://springsinthedesert.org/podcast/  00:00 Introduction to Springs in the Desert 05:24 The Journey of Infertility and Founding the Ministry 08:33 Understanding Byzantine Catholicism and Spiritual Leadership 11:22 The Role of Spiritual Support in Infertility 14:11 Navigating Medical and Spiritual Aspects of Infertility 17:16 The Emotional Landscape of Infertility 20:23 Programs and Resources Offered by Springs in the Desert 23:25 The Importance of Community and Shared Experiences 26:30 Addressing Grief and Loss in Infertility 29:19 The Unique Perspectives of Men and Women in Infertility 32:46 Navigating Emotional Responses in Marriage 38:56 The Role of the Church in Supporting Infertility 49:51 Addressing Pregnancy Loss and Grief 54:24 Understanding Identity Beyond Infertility 01:02:01 The Temptation of Objectification in Relationships 01:04:54 The Struggle with Self-Absorption and Spirituality 01:08:37 The Urgency of Infertility Ministry Today 01:11:53 Changing the Conversation Around Infertility 01:16:33 Normalizing Infertility in Young Education 01:21:58 The Importance of Connection and Community 01:25:18 Action Items for Supporting Couples Facing Infertility 01:35:23 Real Estate Commercial  Subscribe to our newsletter to get this amazing report: Refuting the Top 5 Gay Myths https://ruthinstitute.org/refute-the-top-five-myths/ Have a question or a comment? Leave it in the comments, and we'll get back to you! Watch the full episode, uncensored, on Rumble: https://rumble.com/user/Theruthinstitute Subscribe to our YouTube playlist:  @RuthInstitute   Follow us on Social Media: https://www.instagram.com/theruthinstitute https://twitter.com/RuthInstitute https://www.facebook.com/TheRuthInstitute/ https://theruthinstitute.locals.com/newsfeed Press: NC Register: https://www.ncregister.com/author/jennifer-roback-morse Catholic Answers: https://www.catholic.com/profile/jennifer-roback-morse The Stream: https://stream.org/author/jennifer-roback-morse/ Crisis Magazine: https://crisismagazine.com/author/jennifer-roeback-morse Father Sullins' Reports on Clergy Sexual Abuse: https://ruthinstitute.org/resource-centers/father-sullins-research/ Buy Dr. Morse's Books: The Sexual State: https://ruthinstitute.org/product/the-sexual-state-2/ Love and Economics: https://ruthinstitute.org/product/love-and-economics-it-takes-a-family-to-raise-a-village/ Smart Sex: https://ruthinstitute.org/product/smart-sex-finding-life-long-love-in-a-hook-up-world/ 101 Tips for a Happier Marriage: https://ruthinstitute.org/product/101-tips-for-a-happier-marriage/ 101 Tips for Marrying the Right Person: https://ruthinstitute.org/product/101-tips-for-marrying-the-right-person/ Listen to our podcast:  Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-ruth-institute-podcast/id309797947 Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/1t7mWLRHjrCqNjsbH7zXv1 Subscribe to our newsletter to get this amazing report: Refuting the Top 5 Gay Myths https://ruthinstitute.org/refute-the-top-five-myths/ Get the full interview by joining us for exclusive, uncensored content on Locals: https://theruthinstitute.locals.com/support

#endtimes #catholic #ourladyToday is the last Sunday of the liturgical year and it represents the end of time. That is why the Church gives us a Gospel passage of Our Lord speaking about the Last Judgment.Whenever Our Lord speaks of the Last Judgment, He wants to give us certain means by which we may identify it, while at the same time He does not want to tell us when it will happen. Rather, He wants us to always watch and be ready for His coming.Today, I would like to speak about some other general information about the Last Judgment and the End Times. We do not have this information from the Gospels but from a saint.This information comes from St. Louis de Montfort and it concerns the role of Our Lady in the End Times.We have to understand St. Louis' perspective on the Providence of God. It is that God the Trinity desired to make use of Our Lady in every aspect of the work of the Redemption and salvation of mankind.This was a free choice on the part of God because of the fact that He is almighty and does not need anyone. It is not that He needs to make use of Our Lady; it is that He wills to do so out of His goodness.Think of a situation in the home where the father is fixing a door. He is the most capable member of the family to do it and he does not need anyone's help. But he chooses to ask his daughter to help him, for her sake. He wants to spend time with her, he wants her to learn, and he wants her to be a part of the upkeep of the house.Something similar goes on with our salvation. It's like the door into Heaven was broken and could not be used any more. The heavenly Father is going to fix it. He does not need anyone to help Him to do so. But He chooses to ask one of the members of the human race, the ones who broke the door, to help Him in fixing the door.He asks Our Lady for her help and she consents. By her consent, one of the members of the human race that is being redeemed and saved participates in the work to save us.We all know what this meant for Our Lady during her lifetime. She consented to become the Mother of Our Lord. She took care of Him during His hidden life. She requested Him to perform His first miracle. She accompanied Him during His public life and was with Him at the foot of the Cross.During the first centuries of the Church, Marian devotion was present but was not very strong. As the centuries go by, Our Lady becomes more and more known. She becomes more honored. Catholics understand better the role that God gave her. They start to make more use of devotions to her, like the Office of Our Lady and the Rosary that she revealed to St. Dominic.Our Lady herself begins to reveal herself more through apparitions: her apparitions to St. Dominic, St. Simon Stock, the founders of the Servite Order—all these in the Middle Ages.Then, the more modern apparitions to St. Bernadette in Lourdes, to St. Catherine Laboure in Paris, and to the three children of Fatima.St. Louis de Montfort notices these two things and he applies them to the end times: a) God wants to make use of Our Lady in the whole of the work of our Redemption and salvation; b) God wants Our Lady to become more and more known over time.From the realization of this plan of divine Providence, he draws a conclusion: “It was through Mary that the salvation of the world was begun, and it is through Mary that it must be consummated… In the second coming of Jesus Christ, Mary has to be made known and revealed by the Holy Ghost in order that, through her, Jesus Christ may be known, loved and served… God wishes to reveal and make known Mary, the masterpiece of His hands, in these latter times” (True Devotion, par. 49-50).

Matthias speaks with Fr. Paul Thornton, parish priest of Cabra West and long-time chaplain to the Dublin Diocesan Lourdes Student Helpers. Fr. Paul shares how he first became involved with the schools' pilgrimage, the transformative impact the experience has on Leaving Cert students, and the profound encounters they have through the service and prayer, the […] L'articolo Lourdes Schools Chaplain Fr. Paul Thornton on how Our Lady transforms students proviene da Radio Maria.

Why is it important for us to prepare for the coming of Christ at Christmas? How can we experience the “fullness of time” of this season as we prepare for the incarnate Lord to come into the world?In this episode, Ann speaks with Fr. Paul about the Psalms as we get ready to pray the Psalter together this Advent as a community. They'll discuss:The origin of the Psalms and their spiritual importance.How the Psalms can be both personal and communal prayers.Why praying the Psalter can be so good for us on the path of infertility and loss.Psalter Links:Fr. Paul's pick: The Psalter (Pocket Edition)Alissa's pick: A Psalter for PrayerAnn's pick: Songs of Praise: A Psalter Devotional for Orthodox Women

Fr. Paul Sheller, a monk of Conception Abbey, joins us to share some stories from seminary with Fr. Chad, including a garage sale phase and the rods in Fr. Paul's back from surgery for scoliosis. Finally, Fr. Paul shares his vocation story as well as a few opportunities for anyone to deepen their spiritual life through Benedictine spirituality. 

On July 13, 1917, Our Lady appeared for the second time to the three children of Fatima. She promised to work a miracle on October 13, so that everyone would believe. Then, she asked the children to sacrifice themselves for sinners and to pray the following prayer when doing so: “O Jesus, it is for love of you, for the conversion of sinners, and in reparation for the sins committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary.”These three young children were already familiar with the conception of praying and making sacrifices in order to make up for sin.God had sent an angel to them the year before, to prepare them for the apparitions of Our Lady. This guardian angel of Portugal taught the children about their mission: it was for them to do prayer and penance for the conversion of sinners and in reparation for sin, to stop sin from being committed in the future and to repair for sin already committed in the past.Later, Our Lady came to ask for the practice of the five first Saturdays devotion. This is a devotion of reparation for the offenses committed against Our Lady's Immaculate Heart. There are five first Saturdays because there are five types of blasphemies that are committed against Our Lady.The fourth type is the “blasphemies of those who seek openly to foster in the hearts of children indifference or contempt for this Immaculate Mother.”These facts about the message of Fatima show us that Heaven takes very seriously the offenses committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Our Lady would not come down on earth, speak to the three children, and work incredible miracles for no reason.Another thing that we learn is that the work of reparation is very important. Every sin is a crime against God, an injustice. Every sin deserves a punishment to make up for the injustice.There are many sins being committed around the world all the time. God looks for souls who are willing to pay for the sins of mankind. Our Lord and Our Lady, of course, paid a great price for the sins of the world, enough to wipe them all away.However, God did not want to leave us with nothing to do in the supernatural order. Rather, God asks that we unite with the work of Our Lord and Our Lady to do something to pay for sin ourselves. He asks for the work of “reparation”, making up for sin by prayer and sacrifice.This is what the Sacred Heart asked of St. Margaret Mary and us. This is what the Immaculate Heart asked of the three children of Fatima and us.Doing this work is part of living a Catholic life.The most important sins for us to make reparation for are sins of blasphemy. St. Thomas says that blasphemy is “the disparagement of some surpassing goodness, especially that of God”.What Fr. Pagliarani and Fr. Fullerton are asking us to do is to make reparation for a sort of blasphemy against the Mother of God in the form of the document Mater Populi Fidelis of the Dicastery of the Doctrine of the Faith.This document disparages a surpassing goodness, namely, the roles of Our Lady as Co-Redemptrix and Mediatrix of All Graces.

Fr. Paul Born currently serves as the Parochial Vicar at Mary, Queen of Martyrs Parish in Plymouth, Massachusetts. In Today's Show: If the theory of evolution is correct, then when did we receive our souls? Are Gregorian masses only for souls who have just died? Is deportation an intrinsic evil? Is it acceptable to break a driving ban to go to Mass? How can a finite crime be applicable for infinite punishment? Do we still believe in limbo for the souls of unbaptized babies? Should we consume religious media that takes creative liberties? How do priests cope with burnout and loneliness? Questions from our YouTube Chat and more! Visit the show page at thestationofthecross.com/askapriest to listen live, check out the weekly lineup, listen to podcasts of past episodes, watch live video, find show resources, sign up for our mailing list of upcoming shows, and submit your question for Father!

Robert Brennan on the movie Nuremberg, Dr Ray Guerendi on his new book, and Fr. Paul Zoghby on the Sunday Gospel Reflection.

#sspx #catholic #catholicchurchWe have a special feast day today, the dedication of the archbasilica of St. John Lateran in Rome. It is interesting that the Church makes this a second class feast, while the feast of the dedication of St. Peter's Basilica, which will take place next Tuesday, is only a third-class feast.The main reason for the special honor given to St. John Lateran is that it was the first official church of the Catholic Church. When you visit St. John Lateran in Rome, you see an inscription written on it: “the mother and head of all the churches in the world”.You know that Catholics were persecuted by the Roman Empire as soon as the Church was founded. Sts. Peter and Paul themselves were martyred in Rome.The persecutions continued for an extremely long time, for close to 300 years! Some Roman emperors were more aggressive than others in their attempt to destroy the Catholic Church but the fact is that the Catholic religion was more or less illegal for these 300 years.Imagine what it was like for the faithful during these difficult times. They knew that Our Lord was God; they knew that they belonged to the true faith. At the same time, they had a heavy price to pay for the practice of their faith.They could not use public buildings to practice their religion or build their own temples. They rather had to meet in secret, in their homes and in the catacombs. They had to be careful who they talked to. They had to be very discreet in telling people that they were Catholic.Think about how weary they must have been with this situation, when it continued decade after decade. The persecutions made it difficult to convert people to the faith, because everyone knew that the Empire did not like Catholicism. Everyone knew that they could be executed if they became a Catholic.Think of all the prayers that the Catholics of the first centuries lifted up to Heaven, to ask Our Lord to send them an emperor who would at least allow them to practice their Catholic faith in peace.Our Lord did not want to intervene right away to help these first Catholics. On the contrary, He wanted the first Catholics to be strong and sacrificial. He wanted them to have their life on the line at all times.For that reason, He waited! He waited not for 100 or 200 years, but for over 250 years. This is how we have the examples of all those martyr saints from the first centuries of the Church. This is why we have so many great saints to honor from those centuries.In due time, however, Our Lord decided that He would make His Church triumph. He decided that He would answer all of that blood that was shed and all of those prayers that were offered.He gave to the Catholics of the empire something they were always dreaming about but had never been given: an emperor who converted to the Catholic faith.

#catholic #sspx #christthekingIf we look at all the of the problems in the world and in the Catholic Church today, they all really boil down to one problem. It is a first commandment problem. The first commandment is hardly being honored and practiced today.Now, it may seem that the first commandment is the easiest one of all to practice. “I am the Lord thy God; thou shalt not have strange gods before Me.” We can understand this commandment too simplistically, thinking it just commands us not to worship false gods, not to be an idolater.In the Gospel, however, Our Lord shows us, as it were, the other side of this commandment: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart, and with thy whole soul, and with thy whole mind”. Our Lord tells us that the whole of the law and prophets rests on this one law.This commandment might be referred to as a declaration of the rights of God. God is our Creator, our Redeemer, and our final end. As such, He has a right to demand our love. He has a right to make a law for every single one of us that we love Him above everything else.The biggest question for each one of us in our lives is whether or not we will respect the rights of God over us, whether we will love Him above all things or not. If we do, then we will spend all eternity with our heavenly Father in a state of perfect happiness. If we do not, we will go to Hell, because we had a first commandment problem. We could not follow that commandment.As I say, this is precisely the problem with the world and the Church today: the first commandment is not being followed. The rights of Christ the King are not being respected.Who is the idol that has been put in the place of God and is being loved more than God? The idol is man. Man today is worshipping himself.

Fr. Paul Born currently serves as the Parochial Vicar at Mary, Queen of Martyrs Parish in Plymouth, Massachusetts. In Today's Show: What do we say to those who believe there is no God? How can we as parishioners better understand the Mass? Can you live in true faith if Christ is not the center of your life? Why does Saint Thomas suggest life begins at birth in his writing? Is Harry Potter and Percy Jackson Demonic? Can you repair rosary beads? Does the Church teach against gambling? Should we put any trust in Protestant Bibles?  Visit the show page at thestationofthecross.com/askapriest to listen live, check out the weekly lineup, listen to podcasts of past episodes, watch live video, find show resources, sign up for our mailing list of upcoming shows, and submit your question for Father!

By the design of God, the first second of our existence passes in a dark place, the womb of our mother. We remain in the darkness for three quarters of a year, growing, making the transition from an embryo to a fetus to an infant.Finally, the day comes when we emerge into this world and we get to see for the first time what sort of world we are born into. Our vision is at first very blurry and is limited to a range of about half a foot.The infant's perception of reality, of the world that he has newly entered, in his narrow range of sight, is dominated by one figure: his mother. She is the one whom his feeble sight is most often able to perceive. She is the one who always seems to be around when he is awake: the one who feeding him, the one clothing him, the one speaking to him, the one holding and kissing him.This is how God designed things for His human beings: that, coming out of the well of nothingness, we should spend nine months in the womb of our mothers; and then, coming into the world, our whole perception of that world should be dominated by the face and contact of our mother.God made it to be that way for us. And He made us to need it to be that way.If such is the way it is in the natural world and with our natural life, it should not be surprising to us that God should want something similar to be true for the supernatural world and our supernatural life.God wants us to have a mother. At the moment of our baptism, the first moment that our souls lives a supernatural life, the first moment it exists in the supernatural order, we receive the Church as our mother (we become members of the Church) and we receive Our Lady as our Mother.We go to our Mother the Church to receive our supernatural life. We get the sacraments from her, which nourish our soul. Especially confession and Communion.But God also gives Our Lady, His own Mother, to be our mother. She is a human being like us, but she is a human being who has been given a crucial role for the human race, the role of being the New Eve, the new Mother of all the living.And just as we saw with the natural order, so too must we say of the supernatural order: God made it to be that way for us. God has made us a supernatural world where we have Holy Mother Church and we have a human mother, the Mother of God, to be our mother.God made it to be that way for us. And He made us to need it to be that way.

Fr. Paul Born currently serves as the Parochial Vicar at Mary, Queen of Martyrs Parish in Plymouth, Massachusetts. In Today's Show: What would we do if Satan infiltrated the church? Are AI videos of the deceased a first commandment problem? What books should I read to gain spiritual progress? Can homilies be aimed at those who are single? Is Homeopathy permissible for Catholics? Does the Old Testament accurately reflect God's divine will? Is it okay to go on a ghost tour? How do I overcome envy?  Visit the show page at thestationofthecross.com/askapriest to listen live, check out the weekly lineup, listen to podcasts of past episodes, watch live video, find show resources, sign up for our mailing list of upcoming shows, and submit your question for Father!

God has created a law for the natural order such that what goes up must come down. God has made there to be the same law for the supernatural order: what goes up must come down, and what goes down must come up.If you are prideful in this life, if you make yourself out to be something greater than you are, if you despise others and are selfish, you will go down to hell after this life is over. If on the other hand, you are humble during this life, if you willingly accept corrections and humiliations, if you think well of others and poorly of yourself, if you are unselfish and sacrificial, then you will go up to Heaven after this life is over.This is the law of Divine Providence that Our Lord teaches us in today's Gospel, and also in other places of the Gospel: “everyone who exalts himself shall be humbled, and he who humbles himself shall be exalted.”If we want to save our souls, we have to be humble. There is no other way. There are only prideful souls in hell and only humble souls in heaven.There is no one who has understood this plan of God better than the saints. For the saints, there are only two places: the first place and the last place. But the first place is already taken; it is occupied by God. Thus, the only other place available is the last place, and that is my place.The saints thought of Our Lord as speaking to them in today's Gospel when He says, “Take the last place.”

Robert Brennan on his piece on Charlie Kirk, Woodene Koenig Bricker on her book "Praying with the Saints," and Fr. Paul Zoghby has our Sunday Gospel Reflection.

#sspx #catholic #catholicism #priesthoodFr. James Chipperfield is a strange man. He is only 26 years old and he is already a priest. That is a strange and rare thing in today's world. It is what we call the young vocation.The average age of a newly ordained priest in the USA today is 34 years old, but Fr. Chipperfield was ordained when he was still 25 years old. The other Australian who was ordained with him was also 25 and the priests ordained for the SSPX are usually in their 20s.These young vocations are a consolation and a blessing because it means that young person has found his path early in life and been willing to commit himself to it. We know how Our Lord tells us in the Gospel that those who hear the call of God should answer right away, that they should drop everything to follow Him.His words even seem shocking. Here is the vocational direction He gave to someone approaching Him: “I will follow thee, Lord; but let me first take my leave of them that are at my house. Jesus said to him: No man putting his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” (Lk. 9:61-62)For those who become His priests, Our Lord wants generous hearts. He wants young men who are willing to leave behind a career in the world, leave behind a family, and offer all of their youth and talents to Him unreservedly.When they do that, when they become priests at a young age, it typically means that they will be able to minister to the salvation of souls for a long time.It also provides a powerful example to the world, for the world, which is so enamored with youth and is trying to remain forever young, to see a young man who has turned his back on the world.

#sspx #suffering #cross #catholic“The two persons in the world whom God loved best were Jesus and Mary, and the advantages which they possessed over all creatures on account of their virtue were that they suffered more than all. No two persons were ever so tried as they. Let us console ourselves then in sorrow, for the more of it we have, the more like shall we be to Jesus and to His Blessed Mother.”By this quotation from a saint, the Jesuit brother St. Alphonsus Rodriguez, we are taught the Catholic spirit in the face of suffering: suffering is the greatest and best way for us to imitate God and His holy Mother.Does this mean that we have to be unhappy our entire lives, if we want to live as good Catholics and become saints? No!The word “suffering” is different from the word “unhappiness”. We have many words to indicate unhappiness, such as “sadness”, “sorrow”, and “depression”, but none of these means the same thing as suffering. What this means is that while suffering can cause unhappiness, it can also be borne without unhappiness. You can suffer and be happy at the same time.You know that each person has a different measure of suffering in his life, but nobody is without suffering in this life. Everyone has suffering but suffering is not a condemnation to unhappiness.What our Catholic faith offers us is the possibility of enduring the sufferings of our life while at the same time being happy. How is this the case?

Fr. Paul Clark from Jefferson City and Fr. Scott Schilmoeller from Omaha join Fr. Garett to discuss their adventures in New York during the vocation directors conference as well as Fr. Paul's choreography expertise getting put to good use for seminary musicals. Then, Fr. Paul shares the story of his vocation, including how encounters with the saints inspired him to follow them in giving everything to the Lord. 

Fr. Paul Born currently serves as the Parochial Vicar at Mary, Queen of Martyrs Parish in Plymouth, Massachusetts. In Today's Show: Do we need to know of Jesus to accept him?  For financial reasons, can people live with their fiancé before marriage? What is baptism of desire/blood? Why was the Anointing of the Sick originally named "Extreme Unction" Unleavened Bread Vs. Leavened Bread Did Jesus travel to Persia?  Is K-Pop Demon Hunters and Theology of the Body appropriate for school children? Visit the show page at thestationofthecross.com/askapriest to listen live, check out the weekly lineup, listen to podcasts of past episodes, watch live video, find show resources, sign up for our mailing list of upcoming shows, and submit your question for Father!

Fr. Paul Born currently serves as the Parochial Vicar at Mary, Queen of Martyrs Parish in Plymouth, Massachusetts. In Today's Show: Concern about demonic influence from violent video games. Befriending a Freemason to guide him into the Church. Requesting a later Mass time for working people. Favorite Catholic feast day foods. Why women stopped wearing head coverings at Mass. Can I put a picture of a love one on a rosary instead of a medallion? Visit the show page at thestationofthecross.com/askapriest to listen live, check out the weekly lineup, listen to podcasts of past episodes, watch live video, find show resources, sign up for our mailing list of upcoming shows, and submit your question for Father!

Fr. Paul Born currently serves as the Parochial Vicar at Mary, Queen of Martyrs Parish in Plymouth, Massachusetts. In Today's Show: Recapping some big show-related announcements What is Father's opinion on healing ministries? What is Father's favorite apparition of Mary? What are Jordan's and Father's favorite memories of the show over the past two years? When is my guardian angel's birthday: when I was conceived, the day I was born, or the day I was baptized? How did Father Born meet Father Brancich and become friends? Did Father Born ever consider joining the FSSP? Why are we here on this planet, or what is the "point" of human existence? Since the Bible describes heaven as a wedding feast, does that mean we'll actually eat in heaven? If so, what do you think will be on the menu? Do you think heaven sounds more like Gregorian chant, angelic choirs, or something we can't even imagine? Visit the show page at thestationofthecross.com/askapriest to listen live, check out the weekly lineup, listen to podcasts of past episodes, watch live video, find show resources, sign up for our mailing list of upcoming shows, and submit your question for Father!

“What happens if someone confesses to murder?” This episode explores the complexities of confession and forgiveness, alongside questions about processing unconfessed sins and the requirements for receiving a plenary indulgence during a visit to Rome. Join us as we delve into these important topics and more in this thought-provoking discussion. Join The CA Live Club Newsletter: Click Here Invite our apologists to speak at your parish! Visit Catholicanswersspeakers.com Questions Covered: 03:41 – What happens if someone confesses to murder? 15:36 – How do I process unconfessed sins that I haven't thought of? 20:42 – What do I have to do to receive a plenary indulgence for my visit to Rome? 23:35 – Was Jesus ordaining the disciples at the washing of the feet? 30:22 – If God doesn’t weigh our deeds, what’s the point of Jesus weighing our deeds at the last judgement? 35:46 – Is it ok to publicly use a rite or celebrate a mass of a defunct rite? 38:04 – If a person has dementia, would that person still remember the people they met after dying while in purgatory? 43:02 – Regarding last Sunday's readings? Who were the 3 men Abraham met outside his tent? 47:01 – Why do we not read about gentiles believing in God until Jesus? Did the Jews not allow them to follow God? 50:18 – What happens at death? Do we sleep until the resurrection or do our souls move to either heaven or purgatory? 53:25 – Can people in purgatory pray for us?