Our Lord’s earthly ministry often saw Him getting embroiled in controversies concerning the Jewish Law. In so doing, He was combatting the spirit of empty formalism. To this day, we are often preoccupied with formal adherence to the law rather than embracing its spirit.

What is our relationship to the Mass? Are the prayers of the Mass mere words or do they mean something to us? Do we come to this liturgy because it is merely required or because we love it?

On the feast of Pope St. Pius X, which falls on September 3rd, we reflect on the connection between this holy and St. John Vianney, the Curé d’Ars. Both of their lives instruct us on the meaning of the priesthood and living the virtue of poverty.

When the Israelites were traveling through the wilderness, God provided for them. Despite this, God’s people consistently complained and murmured, even going so far as to wish they had never been liberated from Egypt rather than accept what the Lord provided. In the ancient Israelites we see a painful reflection of ourselves, particularly when we complain about material things and the struggles of everyday life.

When making petitions to God in prayer, we desire He answer in the affirmative, but often find He does not. Even the saints, whose prayers appear to be more efficacious than our own, do not always receive what they request, for it is not God’s will. Why is this so, and does this reality mean that God leaves prayers unanswered?

Be A Spiritual Good Samaritan – SSPX Sermons

As the Blessed Virgin Mary was never far from Our Lord’s side during his earthly life, so she remains to this day. She is a golden thread that runs through the entire life of the Church, from the Incarnation to the present day.

In prayer, more is accomplished by listening than talking. Here we consider how this principle, the importance of prayer, played a central role in the life of St. Jane Frances de Chantal, founder of the Visitandines.

The sin of presumption, like despair, is a vice that’s the opposite of the theological virtue of hope. Many Catholics find themselves torn between these vices, believing on the one hand that God has withdrawn His grace from the world or, on the other, believing that Our Lord does not care for our moral behavior and how permits every sort of vice.

On this day of Our Lady’s Assumption, we have the opportunity to reflect on her role in our intellectual, emotional, and moral formation. The Blessed Virgin stands as a model of Christian living while also being available to us as an advocate before the throne of Heaven.