Ad Jesum per Mariam

The Declaration: An Ideal Worth Living The Homily reflects on the 250th anniversary . . . . . . of the Declaration of Independence alongside the celebration of a wedding anniversary, drawing a profound connection between freedom and faithful commitment. The Homily argues that true freedom is not found in independence alone but in choosing to belong . . . to God, to one another, and to the common g...

An Adoration and A Special Rosary with Reflections Pilgrimage Take a special spiritual pilgrimage and join several dozen pilgrims in Eucharistic Adoration and the praying of the Rosary. Each decade of the Rosary is accompanied by thoughtful reflections designed to deepen your meditation and prayer. At the beginning of this pilgrimage, St. Louis de Montfort speaks about what he considered the singl...

Praying with the Heart: Lessons from the Our Father The Homily centers on three important lessons found within the Lord’s Prayer. First, when Christians pray “Our Father,” they acknowledge a profound relationship with God. God is not distant or indifferent but a loving Father who knows His children, cares about their struggles, and desires to accompany them through every aspect of life. The Homily...

Storing Up Treasures in Heaven In this Homily, Jesus calls His disciples to store up treasures in heaven rather than on earth. The Homily explains that during biblical times people commonly measured wealth through fine clothing, gold and silver, abundant harvests, honor, and power. Yet all these earthly treasures are temporary. Clothes wear out, food decays, wealth can be stolen, and worldly achie...

The Echo of God: Mary’s Praise and the Transformation of the Human Heart This conference represents a Marian retreat centered on praying . . . . . . “with Mary, in Mary, through Mary, and for Mary,” emphasizing that the purpose of the day is not primarily intellectual instruction but interior experience. The opening prayer . . . the Little Crown of the Blessed Virgin . . . draws on Revelation 12’s...

Mary, Mother of the Church Today’s Homily reflects on the Feast of Mary, Mother of the Church, . . . . . . highlighting the Church’s growing recognition of Mary’s unique role in salvation history. The Homily explains that Mary’s motherhood of the Church begins with her “yes” at the Annunciation, where she became the New Eve and cooperated in God’s plan of redemption. Her presence at the foot of th...

Five Saturdays of Reparation This conference explores the rich history, theology, and spiritual meaning behind the Five First Saturdays Devotion . . . . . . associated with Sister Lucia and Our Lady of Fatima. The conference explains that devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary on Saturdays long predates Fatima, arising from the Church’s meditation on Holy Saturday, when Mary alone remained steadfast...

Childlike Trust and the Path to Holiness Today’s homily reflects on the message of Our Lady of Fátima apparitions and its enduring relevance for the modern world. The homily emphasizes that in the midst of the turmoil of 1917, during the First World War, Heaven chose not worldly leaders but three humble shepherd children to receive Mary’s message. We are reminded that childlike trust and openness...

Praying in the Spirit of Christ Today’s homily reflects on Jesus’ promise . . . . . . in the Gospel of John that “whatever you ask in my name” will be granted. The homily explains that praying “in Jesus’ name” is not a magical formula or a phrase added to the end of prayer, but rather a way of living and praying in deep union with Christ and according to His Spirit. True Christian prayer requires...

The Bread That Comes Looking for You Today’s Homily reflects on the Gospel discourse of Jesus as the “Bread of Life” . . . . . . alongside the story of the Ethiopian eunuch in the Acts of the Apostles. The central theme is that the true fulfillment of every human longing is found not in places, accomplishments, or temporary satisfactions, but in the person of Jesus Christ, who actively comes seeki...

Christ Walks With Us Through Every Storm Today’s Homily reflects on the growth of the early Christian Church and the challenges that accompanied that growth. Drawing from the Acts of the Apostles, the Homily explains how the first Christian community expanded rapidly through the witness of the apostles and their communal life of prayer, generosity, and unity. Yet growth also brought tension, parti...

Transformed by the Light of Christ The Gospel from Gospel of John emphasizes that true life comes through receiving the Body and Blood of Christ. Jesus teaches that whoever partakes in Him remains united with Him and gains eternal life. The Homily connects this teaching to the dramatic conversion of Saint Paul. Though Saul was actively persecuting Christians, Christ sought him out first . . . reve...

The Lesson of the Basin and Towel Today’s Homily reflects on the Gospel of Gospel of John, . . . . . . focusing on Jesus washing the disciples’ feet at the Last Supper. It highlights three central themes: 1. Remembrance with purpose The readings emphasize not just remembering but living out what is remembered. The Eucharist is not a routine ritual . . . it is a call to actively embody Christ’s sel...

From Fear to Faith: Meeting Christ on the Way Today’s Easter Homily centers on the Resurrection as the very foundation of the Christian faith. Drawing from the Gospel of Matthew, the Homily reflects on the experience of Mary Magdalene and the other Mary, who approach the tomb filled with love . . . but also anxiety, grief, and uncertainty. Instead of finding the crucified Christ, they encounter an...

Not Indifference, But Decision: Choosing Christ Today’s Homily marks the beginning of Holy Week, . . . . . . emphasizing how the practices of Lent . . . prayer, fasting, and almsgiving . . . prepare us for this sacred time. Drawing from the Gospel of Matthew, the Homily highlights unique details: Judas’s remorse and despair, Pilate’s wife’s warning, and Pilate’s ultimate indifference. These moment...

Lenten Retreat Conference No. 5: When I Am Lifted Up: The Saving Innocence of Christ Note: This audio is the fifth Friday Retreat Conference within the Lenten Season. When I Am Lifted Up: The Saving Innocence of Christ This fifth conference within the Lenten Devotional Season . . . . . . explains how the season of Lent developed over time in the Church. Originally, Lent focused on preparing new co...

Do Not Let Your Hearts Be Troubled Young Adults Retreat with Fr. Bernard Adoration Gospel and Homily, a Q&A Session and a Mass Gospel and Homily The Retreat also featured a Rosary Walk and other activities, which were not recorded. Do Not Let Your Hearts Be Troubled At a young adult retreat . . . . . . centered on Adoration, Scripture, and Mass, participants were invited to deepen their relationsh...

Conversion at the Well: Change of Heart, Change of Life The Conference and reflection centers on the Gospel story of Jesus and the Samaritan Woman. The reflection explains that the story reveals two kinds of thirst: the human thirst for meaning, acceptance, and fulfillment, and God’s thirst for humanity. Spiritual life begins not with our search for God, but with God seeking us. The Samaritan woma...

Love and The Cross: Why Christ Gave His Life Today’s Homily focuses on the Gospel parable of the tenants (Matthew 21:33–46), . . . . . . emphasizing that the foundation of Christ’s sacrifice is God’s love, not simply human sin. The landowner in the parable represents God, who lovingly prepares the vineyard and entrusts it to tenants. Despite the tenants’ violence toward the servants and even the s...

The Reluctant Prophet: The Frightening Greatness of Mercy This conference focuses on the meaning of repentance and God’s mercy during Lent, . . . . . . using the Book of Jonah as a mirror for the human heart. When God calls Jonah to preach repentance to the wicked city of Nineveh, Jonah flees because he suspects that God might forgive them. His flight symbolizes how people often resist God’s will,...

From the Roadside to the Roadway: True Freedom of Life and Spirit This Lenten retreat centers on Jesus as the Light who seeks us out . . . . . . and invites us into deeper conversion. Using the story of the healing of the blind beggar, the conference emphasizes that the spiritual life is not primarily about our search for God, but about God’s relentless search for us. From the beginning of salvati...

Jesus Tells Us: Follow Me Out of the Darkness Today’s Homily contrasts mere compliance with true obedience in the spiritual life, . . . . . . especially during Lent. Compliance is external, minimal, and checklist-driven . . . doing what is required without interior conversion. Obedience, however, is transformative: it allows God’s commands to shape the heart, form character, and open a person to c...

First Lenten Retreat: The Works of Lent: Growth Toward a Generous Spirit During each Friday of the Lenten Season, there will be a Lenten Retreat Conference. This is the first week within this series. Each conference will appear singularly on the Website, SoundCloud, Facebook and iPod platforms. All conferences will also appear within this post. This Retreat explains that Lent has a deliberate spir...

Jesus Tells Us: Be Opened: From Silence to Faith In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus travels through the pagan region . . . . . . of Decapolis, near the Sea of Galilee, where a man who is deaf and unable to speak is brought to him. Jesus takes the man away from the crowd, touches his ears and tongue, looks to heaven, and says “Be opened.” The man is immediately healed and begins to hear and speak clearly...

From Not Enough to More Than Enough Today’s Homily unites two biblical moments: First, The Gospel (Mark 8: Feeding of the Four Thousand) reveals Christ’s deep compassion for humanity wandering in a spiritual “wilderness.” The crowd cannot sustain itself; human resources are insufficient. Yet when the disciples offer their “not much” . . . seven loaves and a few fish . . . Jesus transforms scarcity...