June 3rd, 2021 - Feast of St. Francis Caracciolo (Santa Rosa - TLM)
”The zeal of Thy house hath eaten me up.”
Reflection.--
It is for men, and not for angels, that our
blessed Lord resides upon the altar. Yet angels
throng our churches to worship Him while men
desert Him. Learn from St. Francis to avoid such
ingratitude, and to spend, as he did, every
possible moment before the Most Holy Sacrament.
February 24th, 2021 - Ember Wednesday of Lent (Santa Rosa)
GOD, Who, when the disciples ministered to the Lord and fasted,
ordered that Saul and Barnabas be set aside for the work to which
You called them, be with Your Church as she prays now, and You, who
know the hearts of all of us, show those whom You have chosen for
Your ministry. Through Christ, Our Lord. Amen.
February 16th, 2021 - Feast of the Holy Face (Santa Rosa)
Collect of today’s Mass
O God, who willed that your only-begotten Son should become man,
and show us in his human nature a perfect image of your divinity, grant,
we beseech you, that by venerating the image of his Holy Face we may be
united with him in the mysteries of his Passion and Death, and so come to
contemplate forever his glorious Face in the joy of the resurrection.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you
in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, forever and ever.
January 29th, 2021 - Roman Catholic Mass for Vocations to the Priesthood (Santa Rosa)
on the Opening of the 2021 Vocation Discernment retreat (Santa Rosa)
Prayer for Vocations:
Lord, You told us that "The harvest indeed is great but the laborers are few.
Pray, therefore, the Lord of the harvest to send laborers into His fields." We
ask You to strengthen us as we follow the vocation to which You have called us.
We pray particularly for those called to serve as priests, sisters, brothers,
and deacons: Those whom You have called, Those You are calling now, Those You will
call in the future. May they be open and responsive to the call of serving Your
people. We ask this through Christ Our Lord. Amen.
O Jesus, Eternal Priest, keep all Thy priests within the shelter of Thy Sacred Heart,
where none may harm them. Keep unstained their anointed hands which daily touch
Thy Sacred Body. Keep unsullied their lips purpled with Thy Precious Blood. Keep
pure and unearthly their hearts sealed with the sublime marks of Thy glorious
priesthood. Let Thy holy love surround them and shield them from the world's
contagion. Bless their labors with abundant fruit, and may the souls to whom
they have ministered, be here below, their joy and consolation and in Heaven
their beautiful and everlasting crown. Amen
January 24th, 2021 - 3rd Sunday of Ordinary Time (Santa Rosa)
At a moment when “time was running out” for evil Nineveh, God did something
extraordinary: he raised up Jonah to preach repentance to “the great city.”
When “Jesus came proclaiming the Gospel of God,” Christ’s first action was to
call men from the sea to preach to the world. Nothing convinces us of the
compassion, the love, the kindness, and the goodness of God like the witness
of these humble believers who leave nets, boats, and father to follow Jesus.
To us who beg, “Teach me your paths,” Jesus beckons: “Come after me.”
January 22nd, 2021 - Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children (Santa Rosa)
“The dignity of a person must be recognized in every human being from
conception to natural death. This fundamental principle expresses a
great “yes” to human life and must be at the center of ethical reflection….
In presenting principles and moral evaluations regarding…human life, the
Catholic Church draws upon the light both of reason and of faith and seeks
to set forth an integral vision of man and his vocation, capable of
incorporating everything that is good in human activity….
The Magisterium also seeks to offer a word of support and encouragement
for the perspective on culture which considers science an invaluable
to the integral good of the life and dignity of every human being. The
Church therefore views scientific research with hope and desires that
many Christians will dedicate themselves to the progress of biomedicine
and will bear witness to their faith in this field. She hopes moreover
that the results of such research may also be made available in areas
of the world that are poor and afflicted by disease, so that those who
are most in need will receive humanitarian assistance.
Finally, the Church seeks to draw near to every human being who is suffering,
whether in body or in spirit, in order to bring not only comfort, but also
light and hope. These give meaning to moments of sickness and to the
experience of death, which indeed are part of human life and are present
the story of every person, opening that story to the mystery of the
Resurrection. Truly, the gaze of the Church is full of trust because
“Life will triumph: this is a sure hope for us. Yes, life will triumph
because truth, goodness, joy and true progress are on the side of life.
God, who loves life and gives it generously, is on the side of life”
(Saint John Paul II).”
— Dignitas personae, From the Instruction On Certain Bioethical Questions
of the Congregation of the Doctrine of Faith
January 15th, 2021 - 1st Friday of Ordinary Time (Santa Rosa)
There are some whom the Word of God did not profit because
“they were not united in faith.” It is just such a union of faith
that captures Christ’s attention today—
“when Jesus saw their faith”
— moving him to heal the paralytic. We are blessed to receive that Good News
just as our ancestors did:
“Your sins are forgiven.”
Obedient faith gives us new legs to walk.