Rector's letters

It was on a quiet night in Bethlehem that God’s Word was spoken two thousand years ago and His Word continues to echo throughout the world for those who have ears to hear. His coming was announced by an angelic host to shepherds watching their flocks by night, whose response was to quickly rise and journey to Bethlehem to adore the Infant Savior. Will we spend this preperatory season swept up in the cacophony of consumerism, comfort, and end of the year celebrations? Or will we rush to the Bethlehem of our souls to prepare a place for the Messiah?

Do we fight the good fight? Or are we indifferent Christians?

We are living in the “Passion of the Church.” The crisis of our day is a crisis of paternity, and one of its many symptoms is a distrust and suspicion of ecclesiastical authorities. The current crisis, being a negation of the natural order of Christ’s Church, cannot be the foundation of right action; there first must be a return to order. The Society is not a reactionary force, but a part of the Church with the mission to sanctify the priest and preserve the Mass of All Time.

Catholics are born for combat! We live in an age of imposed and ready-made thinking determined by public opinion and radical progressives. The modern world would have us abandon Catholic principles and submit to this yoke of godless and humanistic thinking in exchange for comfort and acceptance. It is our baptismal duty to reject the world’s invitation to compromise. We must be willing, in imitation of Christ, to stand as signs of contradiction against the anti-Christian forces in the world.

It is one of the effects of Original Sin that man is blind to his own misery. Not only does he fall victim to even the smallest obstacles and temptations, but all the while he imagines that he can be master of his own destiny. However, such a man is doomed to walk in darkness. Christ is our Light, and He desires to heal our blindness that we might hope entirely in the Redemption through His Cross.

Be sober and alert; the devil prowls like a roaring lion looking for whom he may devour. The devil’s total hatred for God does not only concern Him; it extends also to the soul living in sanctifying grace. In his malice and envy, Satan works tirelessly to lead holy souls astray and into the pit of eternal misery. Against this adversary, we place all our hope in the Cross of Christ, the Cross that conquers for all time.

The good God offers a wealth of graces for the soul who prepares to receive them; this preparation is accomplished by prayer and mortification. As lent approaches, it is imperative that we make fruitful and lasting resolutions,not just for the coming forty days, but for the rest of our lives. Uniting our sufferings to the sufferings of Christ, let is perservere under our crosses so that we may share also in His triumph. 

The year 2018 is here, and we may be tempted to think that it could only be worse than the last. However, we must reject the temptation towards discouragement and despair, and strive faithfully in the Christian life for the glories of Heaven. While it is our duty to war against the evils and enticements of the world, we must never surrender the joy that is our inheritance as children of God. Indeed, with Christ as our champion, our victory is assured.   

"The harvest is abundant, but the workers are few." The words of Our Lord from the Gospels are as true now as they were then. The more our world strays from God, the greater the need for priests who are generous in their vocation as instruments of Christ's love. Let us continue to pray fervently for many holy priests! 

In times gone by, the season of autumn meant for man the reaping and assessing of fruits sown in the summer and the necessary preparartions for winter; it is the same for the interior life. If we were to examine our soul, what fruits would we find in our stores? Should winter come tomorrow, what account could we give before our Lord's judgement seat? Perhaps it is time for a retreat; God forbid we neglect our soul and find ourselves as the ten foolish virgins with lamps unlit at the coming of the Bridegroom!