For the past Year, there has been a faithful group who have gathered at my home to pray the Holy Rosary for and with me if time and health permits. This is a sermon I gave them Monday evening.
My dear children in Christ Jesus!
Praised be Jesus Christ!
It is always a blessing to know that you are praying for me, even though I can’t always join you for various reasons. I’m also moved by the various people who come. Many of you are faithful to coming every Monday, when surely you don’t have to. Many of you have struggles in your own lives, but still come here every Monday. This itself is a miraculous grace that Our Lady has given us.
Tonight, I wanted to talk about something joyful, but in today’s world, joy seems far away. We have confusion about the Wuhan Devil, that has literally plagued us for almost a year now. The confusion about vaccinations, masks, or the constantly changing messages from the government cause us confusion and steals our joy, which is the work of the devil. He wants to have us confused and in a sort of spiritual haze, and to make us afraid to gather, or even see each other’s faces.
Then there is the terrible situation in Afghanistan. We see the devil at work clearly there. The evil of the Taliban is demonic through and through. They have no problem severing a Christians head from their neck. And now we learn that ISIS is back causing the deaths of our soldiers and countless innocent victims. Even there, in such vile barbarism, we find Christ among His flock consoling those being tortured, and the small girls sold into sexual slavery. Even there, we find the joy of Jesus, king of martyrs and virgins, consoling them as they are tortured and abused.
Then there is the near constant confusion in the Church, where the cardinal archbishop of Chicago ordered all parishes to not pray the saint Michael prayer or the hail Mary after Holy Mass. Just when we need these powerful intercessors most, the Church takes them away. A stupid move no doubt.
Then, in a move few of us who love traditional Catholicism could imagine, Pope Francis took away the ancient form of the Holy Mass. Confusion, again, robbing us of our joy, just as the devil would want. There is division in the Church, like we have never seen in our lifetime. It borders on schism, a terrible sin that divides the Church, which our Lord himself said should be one in unity.
So, how children, do we restore our joy?
First, we must know who we are up against, the devil himself. Being an angelic being, he is smarter, stronger, and has more perseverance than us. So, we can’t rely on our own power. We must fight with the power of God, and the intercession of the saints, especially Our Lady.
We do this by using all the weapons we have. The weapons we have are many beginning with the seven sacraments. Confession to purify us from the sin we have committed in the blood of Jesus. Often people ask me how often they should go to confession, well, given the times, and the constant temptations around us, I’d say every other week is reasonable. If you are a big sinner like me, every week. This brings the obvious joy of being set free. With the freedom from sin comes the ability to never be slaves of Satan again.
Holy Communion, which gives us the strength to continue to fight against evil. If possible, go to daily Mass. Holy Mass, especially daily Mass, gives us the daily shot in the arm we need to fight the world, the, flesh, and the devil. It is what we need to become the Special Forces in the battle against Satan. This brings the joy of receiving Jesus, something the angels long for but do not receive.
Then there are my three favorite sacramentals. Which are like sacraments, but rely more upon our faith, than the power of the Sacraments, which work on their own, as long as there is a valid priest and the proper matter and form.
Now, don’t get me wrong, sacramentals, when used with faith, are very powerful indeed.
So, first, the Holy Rosary, which we should be saying every day, as Our Lady of Fatima requested of us, specifically for world peace, and we surely need that now with so many hot spots around the world. This brings the joy of being devoted to the perfect of mothers, the very Mother of God. I fear that without an army of people praying the Rosary every single day, we are headed for war. I’m no prophet, but we can all see the signs of the times, and see what is coming. Of course, have no fear, our Lord Jesus is in control, and whatever happens is only for our good, and so we MUST put our trust in him.
Second, the brown scapular of our Lady of Mount Carmel. This is a sacramental that needs to be worn, because it is a miniature religious habit that a monk or nun would wear. It’s kind of like Our Lady’s garment of grace that she has lovingly knit for us to be a protection against the cold of sin and the evil temptations of the devil. It’s simple to wear, and the promise associated with it is big. Our Lady said to St. Simon stock when she gave it to him, whosoever dies wearing this scapular will not suffer the fires of hell. What a promise that is. It’s a wonder every Catholic doesn’t wear one. This brings us the joy of being clothed in the garment of salvation. It is a little-known fact that during the miracle of the sun at Fatima that Our Lady appeared as Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, inextricably connecting the message of Our Lady of Fatima with the brown scapular of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel. As St. Dominic said, through the Holy rosary, and the scapular the Lord will save the world.
Third, is the saint Benedict medal. This medal has the distinctive privilege of being the only medal that is exorcised before it is blessed. Many priests don’t know of this blessing, so when I post this on my blog I will provide a link, as well as a link to get good quality scapulars, medals, and rosaries. The St. Benedict medal, because of its special blessing, and the ancient symbols and prayers inscribed on it, it is especially effective against the devil. This gives us the joy of having power, as did my holy Father, ST. Benedict, have power over the enemy of our soul.
So, in addition to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, confession, and these three sacramentals, we are loaded to the holy hilt to do battle against our foe. Which brings the ultimate joy, that of heaven.
Amen.
Posted with permission from A Living Sacrifice