The PadreCast - Faithful Catholic Homilies

Only Christ and His Church can establish real peace where the lion lays down with the lamb. . . . What did John call the Saducees and Pharisees? A "brood of vipers". He uses this prophetic language. "You're a bunch of vicious serpents." He tells them, "Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce good fruit as evidence of your repentance." It is clear that to join the Kingdom of Heaven an...

Since during this Advent season we reflect upon the coming of Christ and we prepare ourselves to celebrate His birth, I think it's a good time to be reminded of the way in which our God has chosen to bring new life into the world. Obviously when Christ came into the world, it was a totally supernatural event. The Blessed Mother conceived Him virginally. Even gave birth to Him virginally. So it was...

He comes in mercy. He comes in compassion to save us. But if we refuse His mercy and compassion, He will destroy us. And we deserve no better. Anyone who would refuse the forgiveness of God deserves eternal damnation. If in their pride and arrogance they do not recognize their need for a Savior, then they do not deserve one. Hell has been prepared for them and for the demons. You can have the merc...

It is through perseverance that we secure our lives. Perseverance. Perseverance is the ability to suffer patiently as long as it takes until you reach your goal. The goal of course for us is salvation, Heaven. Being faithful to Christ, persevering to the end, regardless of the pain and suffering we have to endure . . . if we do that, then Jesus says we will secure our salvation, our lives. Though...

You've got seven brothers in the first story, seven brothers in the second story. And one woman in each. At the end of all the stories, everybody dies. In the first story, the seven brothers and their mother die because they're murdered. They're murdered for the law, tortured by the king. In the second story, the seven brothers and the wife die, we aren't told how. . . . but the reason they all ma...

If you don't love God first, then you can't have God, because He's the first good. . . . The Saints have learned to seek all goods in the right order, and God above all others. Which is why when they die and go to Heaven, they get to look at the "goodest" thing ever, for all eternity. The get to bask for all eternity in the greatest desire of their hearts. . . . We were designed by God to seek the...

Why is penance so essential to the forgiveness of our sins? If Jesus Christ paid the price for our sins, why do you and I, when we confess, have to pay at least some price? Because that's what penance is. The mode by which - at least in a small way - we seek to make up for our sin. Obviously our penances are not sufficient to make up for our sin. Only the Cross of Jesus can do that. But He still e...

What we say when we pray, and what we do with our bodies when we pray reflects our beliefs. . . . Throughout the Mass there are different rituals that we practice with our bodies, different postures that we have to express different things. . . . Why do we kneel during the consecration and yet are forbidden from kneeling during the Our Father? Again, it's because of what the position of my body ex...

That's why intercessory prayer is so essential. Moses, the leader of the people was interceding for them to God in his prayer so they could win the battle they were fighting. And it worked. Notice, though, the prayer had to be continuous. Now that seems a little unfair of God, right? We get tired. Humans are finite creatures. We don't have infinite energy. The beauty of this first reading is that...

In our lives - 99% of the time - this is how God will give you grace. This is how God will answer the prayers that you are lifting up to Him. Whatever you're asking. Whether it's a healing. A conversion. Virtue. Whatever it is that you're asking, God will give you that grace through your ordinary lives. Your ordinary vocations, and the humble obedience and fulfillment of those responsibilities. Li...

Our difficulty with faith is not so much not having it, as it is with other things getting in the way. Remember when Jesus says we are like the ground that needs to receive the seed of Truth, of the Gospel Truth, that He wants to plant in our minds and hearts. But there’s a problem with the ground. There are rocks in it. Seeds can’t grow well in rocky soil. Maybe there are weeds or other plants in...

It's an important rule to remember that Jesus is the only one Who can require you to be generous. God is the only One Who can require - according to justice - that we give to those in need. The reason is, is that He is the One Who gives to us when we are in need, even thought we might not deserve it. Now, why do I point this out? All of us know intuitively that we are supposed to support, so far a...

Mary was so conformed to the will of God that She did not only endure the agony of Her Son, but She consented to it. It is said by the Fathers of the Church that if Mary had not consented to the immolation and death of Jesus, God the Father would not have had Him crucified. Mary was so in union with the will of God - like her Son Jesus - She, along with our Lord, consented to this cross. That's wh...

We, baptized believers, make up the members of the Body of Jesus. And that's not just some pious understanding, (Saint) Paul is speaking literally. It's in a mystical way, but it is literally true. That means, if you and I are united in the Body of Christ, and Christ is the One mediator between God and man, then we share in His mediation. To the degree that we share in His life, we share in his wh...

We are only ever allowed to call upon angels by name if we're referring to Michael, Gabriel, or Raphael. It is forbidden to attempt to call upon any other angelic name. It's forbidden. Those are the only three angelic names we are allowed to use. You can't name your guardian angel. You can't follow other traditions who believe they know the names of other angels or other archangels. Basically, we...

There's a very good reason why God did not do what (Monica) asked. The Bishop of Milan at that time, was Saint Ambrose. Augustine encountered Ambrose during his stay in Milan. Because of the wisdom and holiness of this man, Augustine was converted. Now, Saint Monica, again: the example of a holy wife and mother. Her greatest desire is to help obtain the salvation of the souls of her husband and of...

This is an important distinction: the difference between guilt and responsibility. You can be responsible and guilty at the same time. You can be responsible and not guilty. But if you're guilty, you're always responsible. It's in understanding the relationship and differences between these two things that helps us understand how judgements should be made against individuals who are responsible. ....

...Christ tells us that's not why He came. "I didn't come to establish peace on the earth, I actually came to bring division."... The reason Christ is, by His very nature, divisive, is because He always speaks the Truth....   You can have a false sense of peace when you simply reject all truth. When you say it doesn't matter what's true. What you believe, what I believe, who cares? That's being lu...

Our Lord today in the Gospel is trying to teach us to put greater faith in Him. That's why He begins by telling the disciples that they should not be afraid any longer. That's a complete statement. He's not saying about some things. There's no reason to be afraid of anything any longer. He calls us His "little flock." The reason we shouldn't be be afraid of anything any longer, He says, is because...

It is very difficult for us to distinguish between" wants" and "needs". . . We have so many basic needs, and if we seek to fulfill them in right order - and this is what the philosophers teach, the theologians of course too - then you'll find contentment in life. But we're constantly fed this lie that you need more. . . . It's an important lesson we have to learn: to distinguish between necessity...

It is appropriate that we pray today for our brothers and sisters in need, because the readings today focus specifically on the importance of prayer, and on one element in particular which is persistence or perseverance. Our Lord is telling us in the gospel that you need to be faithful, you need to continue to pray for that which you need, that which you want, that which is good for you, and if yo...

"... Mary has chosen the better part, and it will not be taken from her." It is precisely because of this passage in scripture that the Church teaches that the highest vocation, the highest action you can perform in life outside of the sacraments themselves, is meditation. Here is Mary, sitting there, listening to Jesus speak. Now our Lord does not say, "Martha, Martha loving and serving your neig...

The reason the Church set up the Saints, or I should say, Christ sets up the Saints is to be an example to us. Not only to intercede for us, but also to be an example of how to turn to the Lord, how to grow in holiness. We see this in the majority of the lives of the Saints, especially when we know their history. We see that they may have lived sinful lives, but then they convert, they repent, and...

As human beings, we intuitively recognize that the way we present ourselves, the clothing that we wear matters culturally. It always has and always will.. . . In fact, in many very formal events - a fancy restaurant, the opera - the won't let you if you're not dressed appropriately. It's not a new thing in this day and age. It's always been like this in every culture because human beings, by God's...

On one level, we can consider the Supreme Court decision (Dobbs) a great victory. because federal law forced the legalization of abortion upon the country. So thank God that that's over, and now states can decide. But we're not done, that's just the beginning. The next step for us is to get North Carolina declared a state of life, meaning abortion is declared completely illegal. The Church explain...