Have you ever wondered why religious life is not a Sacrament? The reason is simple: the Sacraments are signs of the Heavenly kingdom, while consecration is the reality of Heavenly life, begun here on earth. As such, while all the Sacraments will ultimately pass away, religious life will endure even in Heaven – because there, every soul is totally consecrated to God!
Read MoreOur Lord’s words to the lone thankful leper (“Where are the other nine? Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?”) provide a window into the way our ingratitude grieves His Heart. We as Passionists, however, have the great joy of being able to console Him by our vow of gratitude – “to promote devotion to and grateful remembrance of the Passion and Death of Jesus Christ”!
Read MoreWhy, some may ask, is humility so important after all? The answer lies in our creation in the image and likeness of God. "Humble yourself the more, the greater you are," urges our First Reading, and the greatest example of this is God Himself.
Read MorePerhaps we are not struggling with mortal sin, but how closely do we resemble God? Our standard for holiness is not “everybody else,” but the Lord Himself: “Be perfect, even as your Heavenly Father is perfect.”
Read MoreThe Greek word that our translation renders as “burdened” literally means “pulled away”; Martha’s anxiety over her “to-do list” was actually pulling her heart and attention away from Jesus. This is a classic example of how the devil loves to take a thing that is good in itself and make it into an obstacle, by encouraging us to place excessive focus on it.
Read MoreSt. Peter writes in his first epistle that we are “partakers in the divine nature,” and St. Paul repeatedly asserts that all those who are baptized are filled with the very Spirit of God. How would it change our approach to evangelization and catechesis if we fully grasped the implications of this awe-inspiring truth?
Read MoreSt. John could have truthfully written that “The dwelling of God is in the heavens, and He will reign as sovereign forever.” However, what the Lord said to him was rather different: “The dwelling of God is with the human race. He will dwell with them … and God Himself will always be with them as their God.” Of all the features He could have chosen to highlight in His description of the new creation, God focuses on His closeness to humanity.
Read MoreThis Sunday, we began the time traditionally known as “Passiontide” – those days leading up to the great feasts of our Redemption during Holy Week. How fitting, as we turn to a greater focus on Our Lord’s suffering out of love for us, that Mother Church offers us a beautiful Gospel about Christ’s love and mercy towards a particular sinner.
Read MoreJust as we in the USA are deeply concerned when our fellow Americans are in danger in a foreign country, so the Saints and angels take a personal interest in our welfare as members of the Church Militant. What greater support could we ask in our daily battle for the Kingdom of Christ?
Read More“Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you …” Such an approach obviously runs counter to our natural instincts, and it takes the grace of Christ to make such a lifestyle even possible. But when that grace is given and received, how amazing the results can be!
Read MoreOur Lord’s first sermon at Nazareth is vehemently rejected and almost leads to His death. Why, a Sister asked, does God send His messengers (and even His Son!) when He knows they will not be accepted? And how could a person with such an apparently “fruitless” mission find strength to persevere?
Read MoreAs always, Holy Mother Church uses the first Sunday of this season to call our attention to the Baptism of Jesus, the beginning of His public ministry which we will be exploring throughout the coming weeks.
Read MoreThe Visitation is the sudden manifestation of the Spirit’s hidden work in the lives of Mary and Elizabeth, and the vibrant joy of this moment echoes down even to our own day.
Read MorePassionists often refer to our unique religious habit as the “garment of mourning and penance,” so what are we to make of Our Lord’s command to “take off the garb of mourning?” Isn’t it He Who called us to wear this garb in the first place? The answer lies in the deeper mystery of what it means to be a Passionist.
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