“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men of good will.” (Lk. 2:14)

MEDITATION

At Bethlehem the angels announced two things: Glory to God and peace to men; the one corresponds to the other. No one glorifies God as much as that little Babe lying on the straw. He alone, being the eternal Word, can give God the perfect, infinite praise that is worthy of Him. And no one more than Jesus, our Savior, brings peace to men; making reparation for sin, He reconciles man with his Creator and establishes a new covenant between them: the Creator will become Father, and man, will become a son.

Something similar is verified in our daily life.  Those who obey God’s law enjoy peace; observing the divine law they also glorify God. The glory of God corresponds perfectly to the peace of men. But we are treating of that peace which comes only from Jesus, from His grace, peace which we will seek in vain elsewhere.

Peace is the tranquility of order. Order is established by the law and will of God. Those who respect this order fully possess the plenitude of interior peace; those who depart from it, even in a slight degree, lose their peace in proportion to their deviation from it. Peace is the refreshment and repose of the soul in the midst of the struggles and sorrows of life, but this is not the only reason for which we should try to obtain and possess it. We should desire it above all because it gives glory to God.

The angels promised peace “to men of good will”. Our will is “good” when it is upright, docile and resolute.  It is upright when it is sincerely and entirely oriented toward good; docile when it is always ready to follow every indication of God’s will; resolute when it is prompt to adhere to the will of God, even though difficulties and obstacles arise, and sacrifices are required. The Lord is continually urging us to generosity and abnegation in all the circumstances of life, even the smallest ones. We must give ourselves to God without hesitation, certain that if God asks anything of us, He will also give us the strength to carry out His wishes. Such was the conduct of the shepherds; as soon as they heard the message of the angel, they left all, their flocks and their rest, and “came with haste [to Bethlehem] where they found … the Infant lying in the manger” (Lk. 2:16). They were the first to find Jesus and to taste His peace.

Time passes and does not return. God has assigned to each of us a definite time in which to fulfill His divine plan for our soul; we have only this time and shall have no more. Time ill spent is lost forever. Our life is made up of this uninterrupted, continual flow of time, which never returns. In eternity, on the contrary, time will be no more; we shall be established forever in that degree of love and glory (that we have attained at life’s end). If we possess only a slight degree of love, that is all we shall have throughout eternity. No further progress will be possible when time has ended.

Therefore, while we have time, let us work good to all men. We must give every moment its full amount of love, and make each passing moment eternal, by giving it value for eternity, This is the best way to use the time given us by God. Charity allows us to adhere to God’s will with submission and love and thus at the close of life we shall have realized God’s plan for our soul; we shall have reached the degree of love which God expects from each one of us and with which we shall love and glorify Him for all eternity.

(Fr. Gabriel of St. Mary Magdalen, O.C.D.)

Look at Christ Jesus. All His life is consecrated to the glory of His Father Whose will He always accomplishes: “I seek not My own will but the will of Him that sent me”(Jn.5:30, 6:38).  He seeks only that. At the moment of achieving His life here below, He says to His Father that He has fulfilled His mission: “I have glorified Thee on the earth” (Jn 17:4).  The desire of His Divine Heart is that we too should seek the glory of His Father.

(Blessed Columba Marmion)

Gloria in altissimis Deo, et super terram pax in hominibus bonae voluntatis.

Gloria in excelsis Deo
et in terra pax hominibus bonae voluntatis
Laudamus te
Benedicimus te
Adoramus te
Glorificamus te
Gratias agimus tibi propter magnam gloriam tuam
Domine Deus, Rex caelestis, Deus Pater omnipotens
Domine fili unigenite, Jesu Christe
Domine Deus, Agnus Dei, Filius patris
Qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis
Qui tollis peccata mundi suscipe deprecationem nostram
Qui sedes ad dexteram patris miserere nobis
Quoniam tu solus sanctus
Tu solus Dominus
Tu solus Altissimus, Jesu Christe
Cum Sancto Spiritu in gloria Dei Patris.
Amen.

English:
Glory to God in the highest
and on earth peace to people of good will
We praise you
We bless you
We adore you
We glorify you
We give thanks to you for your great glory
Lord God, Heavenly King, God Almighty Father
Lord Only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ
Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father
You who take away the sins of the world have mercy on us
You who take away the sins of the world hear our prayer
You who sit at the Father’s right hand, have mercy on us
For you alone are holy
You alone, Lord
You alone the Most High, Jesus Christ
With the Holy Spirit in the glory of God the Father.
Amen.

The post Gloria in excelsis Deo! first appeared on AirMaria.com.

Homily #101225 ( 15min) Play – In the Gospel for the Midnight Mass for Christmas we have the appearance of the angels to the shepherds in Bethlehem who announced to them the coming of Christ the Lord as a little babe laid in a manger:

And the Angel said to them: Fear not; for behold I bring you good tidings of great joy, that shall be to all the people: for this day is born to you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord, in the city of David. And this shall be a sign unto you: you shall find the Infant wrapped in swaddling clothes, and laid in a manger. And suddenly there was with the Angel a multitude of the heavenly army, praising God and saying: Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men of good will.

Fr. Angelo preaches on how Our Lord comes in a lowly manner and announces himself first to the lowliest, the shepherds.

Ave Maria!
Mass: The Nativity of Our Lord – First Mass at Midnight – Form: EF, Dominus Dixit
Readings:
1st: tit 2:11-15
Gsp: luk 2:1-14

Audio (MP3)

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The post Dec 25 – Homily – Fr Angelo: Angels We Have Heard on High first appeared on AirMaria.com.

Conferences #197 – ( 40min) >>> Play

Ave Maria!

Fr. Ben Luedtke gives the first talk for the Priest’s Retreat at the Mother of the Redeemer Retreat Center in Bloomington, IN, filling in for Card. Burke. He discusses the mystery of Christ’s sacrifice and how this is made present in the Mass by the priest and how this shows the marvelous uniqueness of the Catholic priest.

List of talks for the Priests Conference 2012:

• Hom #1 Mon, Dec 3, Fr. Ben Luedtke, On the Mass
• Talk #1 – Mon, Dec, Conf #197 , Fr. Ben Luetdke, Unique Shepherds
• Hom #2 – Tue, Dec 4, Fr. Ben Luedtke, Becoming Christ
• Talk #2 – Tues, Dec 4, Conf #198, Fr. Ben Luetdke, The Whys of Priests
• Talk #3 – Tue, Dec 4, Conf #199, Fr. Ben Luetdke, Conversion
• Hom #3 – Wed, Dec 5, Card. Raymond Burke, Unite to Him who Sends Us
• Talk #4 – Wed, Dec 5, Conf #200,  Card. Raymond Burke, Saintly Priests
• Talk #5 – Wed, Dec 5, Conf #201,  Card. Raymond Burke, Celibacy
• Hom #4 – Thu, Dec 6, Card. Raymond Burke, St Nicholas, Exemplar of Shepherds
• Talk #6 – Thu, Dec 6, Conf #202,  Card. Raymond Burke, Centrality of Eucharist
• Talk #7 – Thu, Dec 6, Conf #203,  Card. Raymond Burke, Sacred Heart
• Talk #8 – Fri, Dec 7, Conf #204, Card. Raymond Burke, New Evangelization
• Hom #5 – Fri, Dec 7, Card. Raymond Burke, St Ambrose, Good Shepherd

Audio (MP3)

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The post Video – Conferences #197: Priests Retreat 2012 Pt1, Fr. Ben Luetdke, Unique Shepherds first appeared on AirMaria.com.

Ave Maria!

Fr. Ben Luedtke gives the ninth of twenty-five conferences for his Eight Day Ignatian Retreat. The subjects he covers are: The Nativity, Announcement to the Shepherds, the Magi, Presentation, Flight into Egypt.

About the retreat:   The retreat was conducted by Fr. Ben Luedtke who has condensed St. Ignatius’ classic thirty day spiritual exercises into an eight day retreat that makes this life changing spiritual experience more accessible to the average person. It consists of twenty-five conferences (recorded in this video series), which are used by those on retreat along with further reflections given to them as handouts to base their hour long meditations which they make after each conference. The typical day consists of three of these conferences, one in the morning, afternoon and evening. Fr. Ben also gave them private spiritual direction and Mass each day. The retreat took place at the Mother of the Redeemer Retreat Center in Bloomington, IN from Oct 9-17th, 2016. Father usually gives these retreats at this retreat center in the spring and fall of each year. See his website for other times and places or to arrange one near you.

Links:

Full Series of conferences on AirMaria: http://dev.airmaria.com/category/air-maria-shows/conferences/8-day-ignatian-retreat/

Fr. Ben Luedtke’s web site: http://www.godblessya.com/

Mother of the Redeemer Retreat Center: http://www.maryschildren.com/

Audio (MP3)

The post Video – Fr. Luedtke – 8 Day Retreat – 9/25 – The Nativity – CONF 341 first appeared on AirMaria.com.

The keys of the Kingdom have been given to the head of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. All those called to be members of this Kingdom must become members of the Church.

Ave Maria!

Mass: Tuesday 30th Week of Ordinary Time – Wkdy

Readings: 
1st: Rom 8:18-25
Resp: Ps 126:1-2, 2-3, 4-5, 6
Gsp: Lk 13:18-21

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The post Oct 31 – Homily: Unity of Christians first appeared on AirMaria.com.

Is there any reason to think Christ was really born on December 25th? Here are three reasons.

Ave Maria!

Mass: Weekdays of Advent – Dec 20

Readings: 
1st: Is 7:10-14
Resp: Ps 24:1-2, 3-4, 5-6
Gsp: Lk 1:26-38

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More on the Readings: http://dev.airmaria.com/r?m=1331

The post Dec 20 – Homily – Fr Matthias: The Date of Christmas first appeared on AirMaria.com.

On the memorial of St. Augustine (Bishop and Doctor of the Church, Aug 28), Fr. Matthias reminds us that at the heart of the sex abuse problem is the issue of lack of chastity. At this moment, when this defect in so many members of the Mystical Body of Christ is being graphically exhibited, we must not forget that we are all called to contribute to resolving the problem: by seeking and practicing, from the heart, our own chastity and self-mastery, in order to re-edify the Body of Christ.

Ave Maria!

Mass: St. Augustine of Hippo – Mem

Readings: Tuesday in the 21st Week in Ordinary Time
1st: 2 Thes 2:1-3, 14-16
Resp: Ps 96:10, 11-12, 13
Gsp: Mt 23:23-26

More on the Readings: http://dev.airmaria.com/r?m=1146&r=925

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For Audio go to http://dev.airmaria.com?p=67036

By the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate http://marymediatrix.com

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The post Augustine’s Solution to Sex Abuse: Chastity of the Heart – Aug 28 – Homily – Fr Matthias first appeared on AirMaria.com.

On the memorial of St. Gregory the Great (Pope & Doctor of the Church, Sept. 3), Fr. Alan explains how the current crisis of sexual abuse within the Church conspicuously points to the need for reform, beginning by restoring the principle of truth in matters of faith and morals, especially with regard to sexual behavior.

St. Gregory reformed the Church in his day, addressing lost discipline in the clergy and in the liturgy by restoring the sense of sin and of the sense of the sacred. These fundamental issues are today undermined by the loss of the principle of truth, through relativism. A sense of truth must be restored in order to resolve the crisis at the root.

Ave Maria!

Mass: St. Gregory the Great – Mem

Readings: 
1st: 2 Cor 4:1-2, 5-7
Resp: Ps 96:1-3, 7-8, 10
Gsp: Lk 22:24-30

More on the Readings: http://dev.airmaria.com/r?m=1148

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For Audio go to http://dev.airmaria.com?p=67084

By the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate http://marymediatrix.com

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The post Sex Abuse Reform: Restoring Truth, Faith, and Morals – Sep 03 – Homily – Fr Alan first appeared on AirMaria.com.

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

Please like and share this video on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/90378558559/videos/2165927757006283

For Audio go to http://dev.airmaria.com?p=70190

By the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate http://marymediatrix.com

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