Serving God from the Heart
by VP
Posted on Sunday March 29, 2026 at 03:00AM in Sunday Sermons
The Procession in the Streets of Jerusalem by Jacques Tissot
"Hosanna to the Son of David."-St. Matt. xxi. 9.
"Today, my dear brethren, we are reminded of that hour in the life of our Lord on earth in which He was receiving from the people of His own nation all the honor they could render Him. He then entered the chosen city of God in triumph over all who had opposed Him. Thousands surrounded Him, went before Him and followed after Him. They paved the road before Him with their own clothing and with the branches of trees, that they might thus make His entry into Jerusalem as glorious as possible.
In a few days, when He had been arrested by His enemies, where was this great crowd? Where were those who had cried out so fervently, "Hosanna to the Son of David"? But few could there be found. The rest had either deserted Him or joined in with the crowd that mocked Him even while He was dying on the Cross. Nearly all had abandoned Him in the day of His adversity. The first test of their faith in Him, the first trial that proved the strength of their love for Him, found them entirely wanting in that characteristic of true love, fidelity to the end.
Is it impossible for us to do as they did? No; it is not impossible, for many who are Catholics born and bred do the same thing now.
But who are these? They are those who fail to keep the Ten Commandments of God and the precepts and laws of the Church. Every Catholic who breaks the Commandments of God and refuses to obey the laws of the Church does worse than those did who deserted our Lord when He was condemned and crucified. With their lips they declare they are Catholics, and in this way cry out "Hosanna to the Son of David," but in their hearts and lives they live and associate with the enemies of Christ.
But why are these men worse than the others? Simply because they received the graces of Christ in their baptism, in their confirmation, and in their First Communion, as well as in their many Communions thereafter. In Communion they receive our Lord Himself, the Lord of eternal glory who is eternal life itself. These have been, in truth, members of the kingdom of heaven, but have cast themselves out by not keeping the Commandments of God, by not obeying the laws of the Church. Truly does the Scripture say of many of them: "He that wandereth out of the way of understanding shall remain in the congregation of the dead.” For dead many of them are apparently-dead eternally. They seem to be in the spiritual slumber of eternal death. They appear to be eternally judged; their eternal fate already sealed.
Why do I say this? Because nothing can move their hearts to return to God. Missions, sermons, exhortations, threatenings, warnings, counsels, the prayers and entreaties of fathers, mothers, kindred, and friends are all unheeded by them, are all in vain. Even the tears of their fathers and mothers, and the blushes of shame whenever they are alluded to by friends, have no effect upon them, none whatever. They will not return to God.
Poor souls! Remember that whatever excuse you make to yourselves, this is true, that those who keep the Commandments and the laws of the Church show they are the true friends of our Lord; those who do not keep these show to all in heaven and earth that they are His enemies. We have but one sure and positive test of our love for our Lord. The Ten Commandments and the laws of the Church constitute that test. All who really love Him keep this faithfully. "If you love Me," said our Lord, "keep My commandments." All who do not love Him break them and disregard them. God Himself is not their friend. They have no part in the triumphs of our Lord on this day. It is true they cry out with us "Hosanna to the Son of David," but in their lives they side with His enemies and crucify our Lord.
What, then, is to be done? Let those who are faithful profit by the terrible examples of these abandoned souls. Let them dread and tremble lest they also be brought into the same state by their increasing tepidity and neglect. Let them care to secure to our Lord a complete triumph in their own souls that He may rule there in time and eternity. "The kingdom of God is within you,” said our Lord, and the Christian soul is truly the throne of God. None but faithful or truly repentant souls can cry out today, in all sincerity, "Hosanna to the Son of David." Palm Sunday -Five-minute Sermons by the Paulist Fathers 1893
St. Armogastes, Martyr, A.D. 457
by VP
Posted on Sunday March 29, 2026 at 03:00AM in Saints
"A nobleman in Africa, who, in the persecution of the Vandals was apprehended, and most cruelly tortured. But no sooner had the jailers bound him with cords, than they broke of themselves, as the martyr lifted up his eyes to heaven; and this happened several times. And though they afterwards hung him up by one foot with his head downwards for a considerable time, the saint was no more affected by this torment than if he had been all the while upon a soft bed. He seemed, however, so desirous of martyrdom, that the malice of his enemies reprieved him from the sentence of death pronounced against him, that he might be deprived of the glory of dying a martyr. He was therefore sent to work in the mines; and afterwards for more public ignominy, to keep cows in a place near Carthage, where he was exposed to the eyes of all. But this was no confusion to him, who knew how to glory in being dishonoured by men, for the interest of truth, and of God.
Learn from this holy man the spirit of Christianity, which is not to be pleased with the esteem of men, but rather in being despised by them. It is pride and self-love that make us solicitous to please, and give disquiet upon the apprehension of contempt. And according to the degree of this solicitude and disquiet, may be taken the truest measures of a prevailing pride, and of self-love not subdued. Let this be your daily observation; and accordingly use daily endeavours for overcoming that which must be overcome. For until you have gained this point, of placing your satisfaction in doing your duty, whether it pleases others or displeases; and can think yourself happy in those accidents which bring abjection with them, and disesteem, which are justly due to your unworthiness and state of sin, you have not the spirit of the Gospel, nor that humility which Christ has taught you. Pray therefore, and labour every day to obtain it. Pray that like this saint, you may consider it your true glory to be dishonoured before man in the sacred cause of God and religion." The Catholic Year by Rev. Fr. John Gother
Prayer to Our Lady Help of Christians. ( Raccolta, 1935)
Virgin most powerful, loving helper of the Christian people, how great thanks do we not owe thee for the assistance thou didst give our fathers, who, when they were threatened by the Turkish infidels, invoked thy maternal help by the devout recitation of thy Rosary! From heaven thou didst see their deadly peril; thou didst hear their voices imploring thy compassion; and their humble prayers, enjoined by the great Pope, Saint Pius the Fifth, were acceptable unto thee, and thou camest quickly to deliver them. Grant, dear Mother, that in like manner the prolonged sighs of the holy Bride of Christ in these our days may come to thy throne and engage thy pity; do thou, moved anew to compassion for her, rise once again to deliver her from the many foes who encompass her on every side.
Even now from the four quarters of the earth there arises to thy
throne that lovéd prayer, to win thy mercy in these troublous times even
as of old. Unhappily our sins hinder, or at least retard, its effect.
Wherefore, dear Mother, obtain for us true sorrow for our sins and a
firm resolution to face death itself rather than return to our former
iniquities; we are sore distressed that, through our fault, thy help, of
which we stand in such extreme need, should be denied or come too late.Rise, then, O Mary, incline thyself to hear the prayers of the whole
Catholic world, and beat flat to the ground the pride of those wretched
men, who in their insolence blaspheme Almighty God and would destroy His
Church, against which, according to the infallible words of Christ, the
gates of hell shall never prevail. Let it be seen once more that when
thou dost arise to protect the Church, her victory is sure. Amen. SC Ind 1891; SP Ap 1935
Day 40. Lent with the Cure d'Ars: On Death
by VP
Posted on Sunday March 29, 2026 at 02:00AM in Lenten Sermons
"A day will come, perhaps it is not far off, when we must bid adieu to life, adieu to the world, adieu to our relations, adieu to our friends. When shall we return, my children? Never. We appear upon this earth, we disappear, and we return no more; our poor body, that we take such care of, goes away into dust, and our soul, all trembling, goes to appear before the good God. When we quit this world, where we shall appear no more, when our last breath of life escapes, and we say our last adieu, we shall wish to have passed our life in solitude, in the depths of a desert, far from the world and its pleasures. We have these examples of repentance before our eyes every day, my children, and we remain always the same. We pass our life gaily, without ever troubling ourselves about eternity. By our indifference to the service of the good God, one would think we were never going to die.
See, my children, some people pass their whole life without thinking of death. It comes, and behold! they have nothing; faith, hope, and love, all are already dead within them. When death shall come upon us, of what use will three-quarters of our life have been to us? With what are we occupied the greatest part of our time? Are we thinking of the good God, of our salvation, of our soul? O my children! what folly is the world! We come into it, we go out of it, without knowing why. The good God places us in it to serve Him, to try if we will love Him and be faithful to His law; and after this short moment of trial, He promises us a recompense. Is it not just that He should reward the faithful servant and punish the wicked one? Should the Trappist, who has passed his life in lamenting and weeping over his sins, be treated the same as the bad Christian, who has lived in abundance in the midst of all the enjoyments of life? No; certainly not. We are on earth not to enjoy its pleasures, but to labor for our salvation.
Let us prepare ourselves for death; we have not a minute to lose: it will come upon us at the moment when we least expect it; it will take us by surprise. Look at the saints, my children, who were pure; they were always trembling, they pined away with fear; and we, who so often offend the good God - we have no fears. Life is given us that we may learn to die well, and we never think of it. We occupy ourselves with everything else. The idea of it often occurs to us, and we always reject it; we put it off to the last moment. O my children! this last moment, how much it is to be feared! Yet the good God does not wish us to despair; He shows us the good thief, touched with repentance, dying near Him on the cross; but he is the only one; and then see, he dies near the good God. Can we hope to be near Him at our last moment - we who have been far from Him all our life? What have we done to deserve that favor? A great deal of evil, and no good.
There was once a good Trappist Father, who was trembling all over at perceiving the approach of death. Someone said to him, "Father, of what then are you afraid?" "Of the judgment of God," he said. "Ah! if you dread the judgment - you who have done so much penance, you who love God so much, who have been so long preparing for death - what will become of me?" See, my children, to die well we must live well; to live well, we must seriously examine ourselves: every evening think over what we have done during the day; at the end of each week review what we have done during the week; at the end of each month review what we have done during the month; at the end of the year, what we have done during the year. By this means, my children, we cannot fail to correct ourselves, and to become fervent Christians in a short time. Then, when death comes, we are quite ready; we are happy to go to Heaven.
Source: The Blessed Curé of Ars in His Catechetical Instructions (1951)
Prayer for Lent: O Lord who, for our sake, didst fast forty days and forty nights; give us grace to use such abstinence that, our flesh being subdued to the spirit, we may worthily lament and acknowledge our wretchedness, and may obtain perfect remission and forgiveness of Thee, the God of all mercy, who livest and reignest with the Father and Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen
Source: Lent with the Cure d'Ars Compiled by the CAPG