Courage and strength in ordinary life.

Living up to the full the demands of the Faith and of our vocation.

If, upon realizing that his life was in danger, the Bap­tist had remained silent or retired to the sidelines of public affairs, he would not have been beheaded by Herod. But John was not that kind of man. He was not like a reed shaken by the wind. He was true to his vocation and his principles to the end. If he had remained silent, he could have lived a few more years, but his disciples would not have been the first to follow Our Lord. He would not have prepared and made straight the way of the Lord, as pro­phesied by Isaiah. He would not have lived up to his voca­tion. His life would have been bereft of meaning.

Jesus is probably not asking us to suffer a martyr’s death for him. But He is asking us for courage and fortitude in facing up to the demands of ordinary life – to stop watching a bad television show, to cease putting off an apostolic conversation … We cannot allow ourselves to hide behind excuses when there is so much apostolic work to be done. We have to act with optimism, loving the world and the good that is in it while seeking to increase that goodness. We can do this with the example of a joyful fam­ily and of the youthful love that is born of holy purity.

There are other kinds of cowardly silence which we have to struggle against. There is the silence we maintain with the person next to us. God has put him there so that we might be a beacon of light for him or her. In addition, it is hard to imagine that we can be courageous at all in this life if we are not first courageous with ourselves, espe­cially when talking with our spiritual director.

Many of our friends, on seeing that we truly practice what we preach, will be attracted to the Faith. Centuries ago, many people converted after witnessing the martyr­dom of the first Christians.  We dedicate this day to Our Lady. We ask her to teach us when to be silent and when to speak out.

Fr. Francis Fernandez (In Conversation with God)

The post Courage and Strength in Ordinary Life first appeared on AirMaria.com.

Homily #130429 ( 04min) Play – Father explains the virtue of heroic constancy found in St. Peter Verona, Martyr, and how we can practice this virtue in our everyday lives.

Ave Maria!
Mass: St. Peter of Verona, Martyr – Form: EF, Protexisti
Readings: 
1st: 2ti 2:8-10, 3:10-12
Gsp: joh 15:1-17

Audio (MP3)

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The post Apr 29 – Homily – Fr Ignatius: Heroic Constancy first appeared on AirMaria.com.

Homily #131118 ( 06min) Play – In Maccabees, God’s people compromised their faith and ruin befell them. Today, we compromise our faith in our work, our schools, and our families, and so the just consequences of God continue to befall us. To keep our minds from being darkened and losing right reason, we must strive to not make any compromises for our faith, even if it were to mean death.
Ave Maria!
Mass: Dedication of St. Peters and Pauls Basilicas – Opt Mem – Form: OF
Readings: Monday 33rd Week of Ordinary Time
1st: 1ma 1:10-15, 41-43, 54-57, 62-63
Resp: psa 119:53, 61, 134, 150, 155, 158
Gsp: luk 18:35-43

Audio (MP3)

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The post Nov 18 – Homily – Fr Ignatius: Be Faithful, Even to Death first appeared on AirMaria.com.

Homily #131119 ( 09min) Play – In the book of Maccabees, Eleazar gives a stunning example of faith in his old age by not compromising God’s laws, even at the penalty of torture and death. He was concerned with leaving a noble example for the young, teaching them to mortify their desires and never to compromise their faith, no matter how small the issue.
Ave Maria!
Mass: St. Agnes of Assisi – Opt Mem – Form: OF
Readings: Tuesday 33rd Week of Ordinary Time
1st: 2ma 6:18-31
Resp: psa 3:2-3, 4-5, 6-8
Gsp: luk 19:1-10

Audio (MP3)

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The post Nov 19 – Homily – Fr Ignatius: Refuse to Compromise the Faith first appeared on AirMaria.com.

Homily #140207 ( 03min) Play – Like St. John the Baptist, we have the duty of speaking out against what is wrong and doing what is right. Whether it is difficult or causes the loss of respect of others, we must always place God’s will first – even to the point of losing one’s life.
Ave Maria!
Mass: St. Colette of Corbie – Opt Mem – Form: OF
Readings: Friday 4th Week of Ordinary Time
1st: sir 47:2-11
Resp: psa 18:31, 47, 50, 51
Gsp: mar 6:14-29

Audio (MP3)

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The post Feb 07 – Homily – Fr Dominic: Giving Our Life For What is Right first appeared on AirMaria.com.

Homily #140308 ( 12min) Play – Reflecting on prayer, then fasting, and now almsgiving in Lent, we look to St. John of God whose conversion led him from serving in the military to serving God in the poor. Known for firmly carrying out his resolutions no matter how difficult, St. John’s fortitude would now help him to accomplish all his holy inspirations.
Ave Maria!
Mass: St. John of God – Opt Mem – Form: OF
Readings: Saturday after Ash Wednesday
1st: isa 58:9-14
Resp: psa 86:1-2, 3-4, 5-6
Gsp: luk 5:27-32

Audio (MP3)

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The post Mar 08 – Homily – Fr Benedict: St. John of God and Almsgiving first appeared on AirMaria.com.

Homily #140323 ( 08min) Play – Those who are firm in their faith, especially when enduring trials, drink from the fountain of life. They have found what they are looking for in this life and have a taste of eternal bliss in heaven in the next.
Ave Maria!
Mass: Sunday 3rd Week of Lent – Sunday – Form: OF
Readings: 
1st: exo 17:3-7
Resp: psa 95:1-2, 6-7, 8-9
2nd: rom 5:1-2, 5-8
Gsp: joh 4:5-42

Audio (MP3)

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The post Mar 23 – Homily – Fr Ignatius: Strong Faith Is A Taste Of Heaven first appeared on AirMaria.com.

Reflecting on the readings from the Mass of Tuesday of the  5th Week of Lent, Fr Alan focuses on the need for constancy and perseverance, in order to obtain the decisive victory in Christ.

Ave Maria!

Mass: Tuesday 5th Week of Lent – Wkdy

Readings: 
1st: Num 21:4-9
Resp: Ps 102:2-3, 16-18, 19-21
Gsp: Jn 8:21-30

More on the Readings: http://dev.airmaria.com/r?m=1766

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The post From Constancy to Victory – Mar 20 – Homily – Fr Alan first appeared on AirMaria.com.

Fr Maximilian gives the homily at New Bedford on the Feast of St. Mark, the Evangelist (Apr 25) explaining how, although we are weak and may fall, trusting in Jesus’ mercy and relying on his strength, we will be made strong and capable of fulfilling our Christian mission.

Ave Maria!

Mass: St. Mark the Evangelist – Feast

Readings: 
1st: 1 Pt 5:5-14
Resp: Ps 89:2-3, 6-7, 16-17
Gsp: Mk 16:15-20

More on the Readings: http://dev.airmaria.com/r?m=1061

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In the homily for the memorial of St. Agatha (Virgin and Martyr, Feb 05), Fr. Matthias explains how the virtue of chastity combined with the self-sacrificial love of martyrdom, as exemplified by St. Agatha, is what the Church needs today. Deflecting attention from the problem of unchastity and blaming the present crisis on “clericalism” may very well be itself an expression of clericalism. The crisis will go unresolved until the root cause is acknowledged: lack of virtue, particularly the virtues of chastity and fortitude.

Ave Maria!

Mass: St. Agatha – Mem

Readings: Tuesday 4th Week of Ordinary Time
1st: Heb 12:1-4
Resp: Ps 22:26-27, 28, 30, 31-32
Gsp: Mk 5:21-43

More on the Readings: http://dev.airmaria.com/r?m=1030&r=1378

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The post Church in Crisis Needs Chastity and Fortitude – Feb 05 – Homily – Fr Matthias first appeared on AirMaria.com.