St. Mary Magdalene is the sister of Sts. Martha and Lazarus

16th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

A certain woman named Martha received him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary.  (Luke 10:38-39)

Although doubted by most modern biblical “scholars” and somewhat obscured by the Novus Ordo Liturgy, there is no reason to doubt that St. Mary Magdalene is St. Mary of Bethany, the sister of Sts. Martha and Lazarus. Furthermore, she is the penitent woman described in Luke 7 who wept at the Lord’s feet and drying then with her hair anointed them with the rich perfume.

The key to recognizing the identity of St. Mary Magdalene as St. Mary of Bethany is to see that the Magdalene is the penitent woman. Knowing her to be the repentant sinner who anointed the Lord, we quickly recognize her as the sister of Sts. Martha and Lazarus.

How to celebrate Mass "ad orientem"

Following Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, Cardinal Sarah has repeatedly called for a return to ad orientem worship - in which the priest and the people face together in the same direction toward the front of the church for those parts of the Mass which are addressed directly to God. Most recently, the Prefect for the Congregation for the Divine Liturgy has asked priests to implement ad orientem worship as soon as possible, hopefully at least by the First Sunday of Advent - for this is an act of true renewal and “is something good for the Church and the people of God.”

Many priests will be asking, how exactly does ad orientem work? When would I turn to face the people and when would I face forward “with the people” towards God?

We will give the basic indications, drawn from the GIRM (which is the official book telling the priest how to celebrate Mass) and from the comments of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI as well as those of Cardinal Sarah. I will also add certain practical points learned since I transitioned my own parish to ad orientem two years ago.

Daily Sermons, July 5-9 (Father Ryan Erlenbush, Corpus Christi Parish)

Daily Sermons at Corpus Christi, July 5 - 9.

St Elizabeth of Portugal, St Maria Goretti, Communion under Both Kinds, Precious Blood, and Liturgy of the Word.

Christ is the Good Samaritan, The mystical interpretation of Sunday's Gospel

15^th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

Luke 10:25-37

A man fell victim to robbers as he went down from Jerusalem to Jericho.

The moral of the Parable of the Good Samaritan (which is true history insofar as it relates events common to that time and place) is readily apparent to all – we are not meant to search out reasons why we shouldn’t help someone in need, but rather we out to look for every excuse to reach out and give succor to the desperate.

The Fathers of the Church, together with the great Catholic theologians, go further and read this passage in the mystical sense – recognizing the fall of man, his redemption in Christ, the establishment of the Church, and the prediction of the Second Coming. We rely especially on the Catena Aurea of St Thomas Aquinas and the Great Commentary of Fr. Cornelius a Lapide.

A Subtle Heresy Common to the Distribution of the Precious Blood

We’ve all seen it happen at many a Novus Ordo Parish – After the lay person designated to assist with the distribution of Holy Communion as a so-called “minister of the cup” has finish his “job”, he then takes his purificator and stuffs it totally inside the chalice thereby soaking the puirficator with the Precious Blood that had remained along the sides and base of the cup of the chalice. Many conservative Catholics will be horrified at this, since it is objectively disrespectful to treat the Holy Eucharist in such a manner. However, is soaking a purificator in the Blood of our Savior really so different from wiping the rim of the chalice after a communicant as consumed a sip of the Precious Blood? There is a subtle heresy at work in all of this.

Christ is whole and entire in each part of the Eucharistic Species

We know and believe that our Lord is present whole and entire in each of the Eucharistic species and in each part of each species. This is to say that the whole Jesus is fully and entirely present in the Host and the whole Jesus is fully and entirely present in the Chalice – furthermore, he is fully present in each piece of the Host after it is broken, and he is fully present in each drop of the Blood.

Sunday Sermon, June 3 -- St Junipero Serra, Missionary Discipleship (Father Ryan Erlenbush, Corpus Christi Parish)

Sunday Sermon, June 3.

In the sending of the 72, we recognize that to be baptized is to be a missionary. Every disciple of Christ is a missionary, sent to the world to proclaim the good news of the Gospel!

We consider the life of St Junipero Serra, one of the most important founding fathers of our Nation (USA). Although he is almost completely ignored in school history books, St Junipero Serra is the Father of California and the founder of the American West!

Pope Francis opened the Year of Mercy in the United States with the canonization of St Junipero Serra. We learn three things from the saintly Franciscan missionary: Dedication to the Blessed Virgin Mary, reliance on God's grace rather than human power, and boldness when defying corrupt secular authorities.

Daily Sermons, June 28 - July 2 (Father Ryan Erlenbush, Corpus Christi Parish)

Daily Sermons, June 28 through July 2.
Sts Peter and Paul, Roman Martyrs, Precious Blood, Mary's will.