The Spiritual Life

The Precious Blood of Jesus is the Symbol for the Whole Mystery of Redemption

July 12, 2024

A Sermon Preached by Rev. Fr. Bernard Uttley, O.S.B., on June 29, 2014 My beloved people, this Tuesday is the feast of the Most Precious Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ, and in popular piety the entire month of July is dedicated to the devotion of the Precious Blood. Although Our Lord’s entire Sacred Humanity is worthy of divine honor, since it is united to a divine Person, the Church allows public veneration and official liturgical worship for only two parts of His humanity: His Sacred Heart and His Precious Blood. The reason would seem to be that these two parts are most closely connected with our Savior’s redeeming work. His Heart is the symbol of the love which urged our Blessed Lord to deliver Himself to death for us, and the shedding of His blood was the actual means by which expiation for the sins of the world was

Loving Reparation for Sin Consoles the Hearts of Jesus and Mary

July 5, 2024

A Sermon Preached by Rev. Fr. Francisco Radecki, CMRI(The Fatima Conference, October 10, 2013) Sin and the Need for Reparation Although millions today seriously offend God by their wicked lives, apathy, and indifference, there are still faithful souls throughout the world who console Him by a life of sacrificial love and perseverance in virtue. Imagine the joy the Hearts of Jesus and Mary must feel when They see those who choose God over sin, faithfully observing the Commandments and living lives of charity, purity, and patience, following Jesus’ words: “If you love Me, keep My Commandments.” When we think of reparation, the word repair comes to mind. Cloistered monks and nuns are not the only ones who can repair for the sins of the world; priests, religious and laity can all placate God Who has done so much for us. In appreciation, we will receive a special reward and a

The Long and Eventful History of the Miraculous Icon of Our Mother of Perpetual Help

June 27, 2024

(Fall-Winter, 2005)by Sr. Mary Agatha, CMRI The following is the fascinating story, dating back more than 500 years, of the miraculous icon which the Blessed Virgin herself commanded to be venerated between the churches of St. Mary Major and St. John Lateran in Rome. The icon of Our Mother of Perpetual Help is one of the most well-known and loved images of the Blessed Virgin known to Catholics. For many years, a weekly holy hour or novena in honor of Our Mother of Perpetual Help was common in many parish churches all over the world, and indeed, the custom continues in many places to this day. The history of the original icon, which is now enshrined in the Redemptorist Church of St. Alphonsus in Rome, can be traced back to the year 1495, when the image, already considered ancient, was enshrined in a church on the island of Crete. When

To Win Our Grateful Love: Reflections on the Sacred Heart Devotion

June 21, 2024

A Sermon Preached by Very Rev. Fr. Casimir Puskorius, CMRI (Spring, 2016) My Dearly Beloved: Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus is one of the most beautiful, most rich, and most profound devotions that we have in the Catholic Church and it is absolutely theological and powerful in its meaning. Today as we celebrate the Feast of the Sacred Heart, we are reminded of so many things. We are reminded, first of all, that God became man. I literally believe that we cannot meditate enough on the dogma that Almighty God — the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity — came down from heaven to earth and became a member of our human race. This shows the incomprehensible love of God for His human creatures. Why would He love His human creatures so much, we who have offended Him and turned our backs on Him? God is in love

To Work for the Reign of the Sacred Heart, We Must First Fully Appreciate and Understand Holy Mass

June 7, 2024

Excerpts From a Conference Given by Fr. Mateo Crawley-Boevey, SS.CC, at a Benedictine Convent in April, 1944 The great Cardinal Mercier, a saintly man and a great theologian, used to say: “Give me a priest who fully appreciates the gift of his daily Mass, who relishes his Mass at the altar, never rushing, who lives the grace of his Mass, and I say to you, that priest will die one day — not good, not excellent, but a saint to be canonized.” I apply that now to all of you. If you fully realize the doctrine, the theology of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, living, really and truly, the grace of your daily Mass, when you die you will be not simply good, not simply excellent, but worthy of being canonized one day. I am preaching the reign of the Sacred Heart, but the reign of the Sacred Heart

If God Truly Loved Me, Would He Allow Me to Suffer Horribly and Be Tempted to Sin?

May 28, 2024

by Rev. Fr. Dominic Radecki, CMRI (Fall, 2012) The allurements of the world and the lust of the flesh work to keep us from God and lead us to disobey His commandments by tempting us with an apparent good or poisoned pleasure. Our disordered passions and senses are lured by the bait of sinful pleasure to which we so often fall prey. In addition to these spiritual dangers which confront us, we must also wage war against the temptations of the evil spirits who are constantly seeking the ruin of our immortal soul. Our powerful and crafty spiritual enemies continually study our weak points in order to tempt us to sin when we are most vulnerable — either in our moments of weakness or when we are lulled by a false sense of security. In a vision, St. Antony saw the whole world covered with traps set by the evil