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Jan 31 – Homily – Fr Angelo: St John Bosco

apostolate — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 12:58:21 +0000

Homily #090131 ( 09min) Play – Fr. Angelo Geiger preaches on the life of St John Bosco and how he started the Salesian Order that reformed many street children to be good Catholics and citizens and did so with minimal discipline but with religion, reason and maximum kindness.
Ave Maria! Mass readings
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Prayer Knocks, Fasting Obtains, Mercy Receives

Sr. JosephMary f.t.i. — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 20:00:30 +0000

Ave Maria Mediations

Prayer, Fasting and Mercy by St. Peter Chrysologus

There are three things, my brethren, by which faith stands firm, devotion remains constant, and virtue endures. They are prayer, fasting and mercy. Prayer knocks at the door, fasting obtains, mercy receives. Prayer, mercy and fasting: these three are one, and they give life to each other.

Fasting is the soul of prayer, mercy is the lifeblood of fasting. Let no one try to separate them; they cannot be separated. If you have only one of them or not all together, you have nothing. So if you pray, fast; if you fast, show mercy; if you want your petition to be heard, hear the petition of others. If you do not close your ear to others you open God’s ear to yourself.

When you fast, see the fasting of others. If you want God to know that you are hungry, know that another is hungry. If you hope for mercy, show mercy. If you look for kindness, show kindness. If you want to receive, give. If you ask for yourself what you deny to others, your asking is a mockery.

Let this be the pattern for all men when they practise mercy: show mercy to others in the same way, with the same generosity, with the same promptness, as you want others to show mercy to you.

Therefore, let prayer, mercy and fasting be one single plea to God on our behalf, one speech in our defence, a threefold united prayer in our favour. Let us use fasting to make up for what we have lost by despising others. Let us offer our souls in sacrifice by means of fasting. There is nothing more pleasing that we can offer to God, as the psalmist said in prophecy: A sacrifice to God is a broken spirit; God does not despise a bruised and humbled heart.

Offer your soul to God, make him an oblation of your fasting, so that your soul may be a pure offering, a holy sacrifice, a living victim, remaining your own and at the same time made over to God. Whoever fails to give this to God will not be excused, for if you are to give him yourself you are never without the means of giving. To make these acceptable, mercy must be added. Fasting bears no fruit unless it is watered by mercy. Fasting dries up when mercy dries up. Mercy is to fasting as rain is to earth.

However much you may cultivate your heart, clear the soil of your nature, root out vices, sow virtues, if you do not release the springs of mercy, your fasting will bear no fruit. When you fast, if your mercy is thin your harvest will be thin; when you fast, what you pour out in mercy overflows into your barn. Therefore, do not lose by saving, but gather in by scattering. Give to the poor, and you give to yourself. You will not be allowed to keep what you have refused to give to others.

St. Peter is an early Church Father and as one of the greatest preachers of the early church explains the key penitential practices of Lent-prayer, fasting, and almsgiving or mercy. Saint Peter Chrysologus declares that Prayer knocks at the door, fasting obtains, mercy receives. He shows how prayer, mercy and fasting are one, and they give life to each other. This reading is used by the Roman Church for the Office of Readings for Tuesday of the 3rd week of Lent. St. Peter Chrysologus was the bishop of Ravenna, Italy in the middle of the 5th century. His sermons were so inspiring that he was given the title “Chrysologus” (greek for “Golden-worded) and was eventually declared a “Doctor of the Church.”

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Jan 31 – Homily – Fr Angelo: St. John Bosco Pastor of Souls

apostolate — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 12:51:05 +0000

Homily #120131 ( 10min) Play – Fr. Angelo preaches on how St. John Bosco, like Jesus, worked with people around him to help them in their everyday needs an so bring them closer to God. He mentions the three principles of his Preventative Education which this saint used to bring young people to conversion, Reason, Religion and Kindness.
Ave Maria!
Mass: St. John Bosco – Mem – Form: OF
Readings: Tuesday 4th Week of Ordinary Time
1st: 2sa 18:9-10, 14, 24-25, 30-19:3
Resp: psa 86:1-2, 3-4, 5-6
Gsp: mar 5:21-43

Audio (MP3)

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Jun 27 – Homily – Fr Dominic: The Everyday Charity

apostolate — Thu, 27 Jun 2013 11:31:03 +0000

Homily #130627 ( 04min) Play – Fr. Dominic reminds us of the need to practice the everyday humble charity of kindness and doing good towards our neighbors, and especially those who we don’t feel like being charitable towards.
Ave Maria!
Mass: Fifth Sunday after Pentecost – Ferial – Form: EF, Exaudi Domine
Readings:
1st: 1pe 3:8-15
Gsp: mat 5:20-24

Audio (MP3)

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Jul 08 – Homily – Fr Benedict: Blessed are the Peacemakers…

Griswold Friars — Mon, 08 Jul 2013 11:51:52 +0000

Homily #130708 ( 10min) Play – St. Elizabeth of Portugal is remarkable for her work in preserving peace between both people and nation. One of the most iconic moments in when she rode in between the advancing armies of her husband and her rebellious son, and there reconciled them. Fr. Benedict preaches on peace and how to be, like St. Elizabeth, a peacemaker.
Ave Maria!
Mass: St. Elizabeth, Queen and Widow – 3rd Cl – Form: EF, Cognovi
Readings:
1st: pro 31:10-31
Gsp: mat 13:44-52

Audio (MP3)

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Jun 08 – Homily – Fr Tito: The Fruits of the Holy Spirit

apostolate — Sun, 15 Jun 2014 12:50:22 +0000

Homily #140608t ( 12min) Play – 1832 The fruits of the Spirit are perfections that the Holy Spirit forms in us as the first fruits of eternal glory. The tradition of the Church lists twelve of them: “charity, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, generosity, gentleness, faithfulness, modesty, self-control, chastity.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church)
Ave Maria!
Mass: Pentecost Sunday – Solemnity – Form: OF
Readings:
1st: act 2:1-11
Resp: psa 104:1, 24, 29-30, 31, 34
2nd: 1co 12:3-7, 12-13
Gsp: joh 20:19-23

Audio (MP3)

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Love & Hatred – Jan 05 – Homily – Fr Terrance

apostolate — Sat, 05 Jan 2019 17:12:35 +0000

Fr Terrance gives the homily at Bloomington, IN on Jan 05 on how there are two opposing themes in Today’s readings, love which brings us to everlasting life and hatred that leads to damnation and separation from God. We should live our lives around the love of God and neighbor, imitating our loving and merciful God who gave his only Son out of love for us.

Ave Maria!

Mass: St John Neumann – Mem
Readings: Wkdays before Epiphany – Jan 5
1st: 1jo 3:11-21
Resp: psa 100:1b-2, 3, 4, 5 0
Gsp: joh 1:43-51

More on the Readings: http://dev.airmaria.com/r?m=1339&r=1317

Also on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/90378558559/videos/286885722027430

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Imitate the Just Mercy of God – Mar 01 – Homily – Fr Ignatius

apostolate — Mon, 01 Mar 2021 15:53:46 +0000

Fr Ignatius gives the homily at Bloomington, IN on Mar 01, 2021, on how God is just but merciful and we should do likewise.

Ave Maria!

Mass: Monday 2nd Week of Lent – Wkdy
Readings: – http://usccb.org/bible/readings/030121.cfm
1st: dan 9:4-10
Resp: psa 79:8, 9, 11, 13
Gsp: luk 6:36-38

More on the Readings: http://dev.airmaria.com/r?m=1659

Also on Facebook:
and YouTube: https://youtu.be/qWHayac-a7U

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On Kindness

Sr. JosephMary f.t.i. — Fri, 09 Jul 2021 15:56:16 +0000

Ave Maria Meditations

Kindness is constantly wins stray souls back to God by opening hearts that seemed obstinately closed. Fr. Faber has noted that kindness has converted more sinners than either zeal, eloquence, or learning and these three have never converted anyone, unless they were kind also.

By kindness, you encourage others and their efforts after good. All of us need encouragement and most of us must have praise. Kindness encompasses all the virtues of praise without its vices. Kindness is the most graceful attitude you can assume toward another… A kind deed, a kind word, or the tone of voice is enough to convey sympathy to the poor suffering heart and in one instant all is right again.

The least kind action is greater than the greatest wrong. It reaches far and travels swiftly. And a kind action can last a long time. No kind action ever stops with itself . One kind action leads to another. Good example is followed. As you become kinder yourself by practicing kindness, so the people you are kind to learn to be kinder, or if they were not kind before they learn to be kind. There is no better thing you can do for others than to be kind to them. Your kindness, after the grace of God is the greatest gift they can receive. Kindness drives gloom and darkness from souls and puts hope in the fainting hearts. It is sweetens sorrow and lessons pain. Kindness purifies, glorifies and ennobles all that it touches.

(Little rules of kindness): Don’t speak unkindly of anyone. Don’t speak unkindly to anyone. And don’t act unkind toward anyone. But do speak kindly of someone at least once a day. Do think kindly about someone at least once a day. And act kindly toward someone at least once a day… Each kind action that you do work helps to restore the balance between right and wrong.

+Fr. Lawrence Lovasik

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Oct 25 – Bl. Christopher of Romagnola – Franciscan Saint of the Day

apostolate — Mon, 25 Oct 2021 15:00:27 +0000

The Life of Bl. Christopher of Romagnola, Confessor, First Order (d. 1272) for the Franciscan Saint of the Day for Oct 25. Bl. Christopher was known for his love for the poor, simple, and victims of leprosy. He was kind to others but severe with himself, industrious, converted sinners, predicted the death of St. Francis, and lived to be almost 100 years old.

Reflection is on being sociable as was Bl. Christopher, which, in Imitation of Christ, enabled him to convert sinners.

For more on Bl. Christopher of Romagnola
– https://www.roman-catholic-saints.com/blessed-christopher-of-romagnola.html
– https://catholicsaints.info/blessed-christopher-of-romagna/

Also on Youtube: https://youtu.be/ysxjlpBVy6o

Read by Fr. Ignatius Manfredonia, FI from Marion Habig’s ‘The Franciscan Book of Saints’ Revised Edition, Franciscan Herald Press, ISBN: 978-0819907516

Playlist of Franciscan Saints: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2TxcAETrU_k&list=PLejh_e0-LN4wErRczZGry4TXytCZFiLCm

Ave Maria!

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