Was there a good point in the sermon you heard for Sunday Mass?
About this blog…
“This blog is like a fusion of the Baroque ‘salon’ with its well-tuned harpsichord around which polite society gathered for entertainment and edification and, on the other hand, a Wild West “saloon” with its out-of-tune piano and swinging doors, where everyone has a gun and something to say. Nevertheless, we try to point our discussions back to what it is to be Catholic in this increasingly difficult age, to love God, and how to get to heaven.” – Fr. Z
Coat of Arms by D Burkart
Polls
Loading ...Donate using VENMO
GREAT BEER from Traditional Benedictine Monks in Italy
CLICK and say your daily offerings!
A Daily Prayer for Priests
Do you have a faithful Catholic website that needs competent and reliable tech support?
NEW OPPORTUNITY – 10% off with code: FATHERZ10
Fr. Z’s VOICEMAIL
Nota bene: I do not answer these numbers or this Skype address. You won't get me "live". I check for messages regularly.
WDTPRS
020 8133 4535
651-447-6265YOUR RECENT COMMENTS
on ASK FATHER: Can Catholics still get married with the Traditional Latin rite of Matrimony?: “Thank you Father Z for the line… state of constant agitation. This is exactly what happens to me if I…”
on Daily Rome (not) Shot – 501 – bonus pics: “Wow. Fabulous food. Anyone know what is in the picture below the Frutti di Mare?”
on ASK FATHER: Can Catholics still get married with the Traditional Latin rite of Matrimony?: “In any case, as long as the priest has his delegation, there is not the tiniest whiff of a validity…”
on Concerning the Traditional Latin Mass in Washington D.C.: “There is no TLM “situation”. The Cardinal needs to understand that the TLM is going to happen with or without…”
on Fr Dana Christensen: R.I.P.: “Fr. Christensen was one of the priests at our wedding in Sioux Falls many years ago, and five of my…”
on Fr Dana Christensen: R.I.P.: “Fr. Dana already helped us, even when he was still here. When we had Covid, we thought of him and…”
on Daily Rome (not) Shot – 500: “Father Z, You must be having the greatest time partaking of all those delicious meals on your pilgrimage! Keep sending…”
on Fr Dana Christensen: R.I.P.: “Holy Infant Jesus, have mercy. Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for Fr. Christensen. St. Joseph, Patron of the…”
on Daily Rome (not) Shot – 499: “My first reaction was that it was an interesting-looking airplane.”
on Fr Dana Christensen: R.I.P.: “The Father never leaves us without examples to follow…from the prophets, His Son, the saints…if we only have eyes to…”
on Fr Dana Christensen: R.I.P.: “I got to meet Father via Facebook when I still did that. I have been praying for him ever since…”
This REALLY helps! And it’s great coffee (and tea)
I use this when I travel both in these USA and abroad. Very useful. Fast enough for Zoom. I connect my DMR (ham radio) through it. If you use my link, they give me more data. A GREAT back up.
This blog has to earn its keep!
PLEASE subscribe via PayPal if it is useful.
That way I have steady income I can plan on, and you wind up regularly on my list of benefactors for whom I pray and for whom I periodically say Holy Mass.
In view of the rapidly changing challenges I now face, I would like to add more $10/month subscribers. Will you please help?
For a one time donation...
Yes, Fr. Z is taking ads…
Use the coupon code...
fatherz10
Be a “Zed-Head”!
CHALLENGE COINS!
My "challenge coin" for my 25th anniversary of ordination in 2016.
Want one? I do exchanges with military and LEOs, etc.
PLEASE RESPOND. Pretty pleeeease?
Loading ...This is really useful when travelling… and also when you aren’t and you need backup internet NOW! I use this for my DMR “Zednet” hotspot when I’m mobile. It’s a ham radio thing.
If you travel internationally, this is a super useful gizmo for your mobile internet data. I use one. If you get one through my link, I get data rewards.
WDTPRS POLL
Loading ...Fr. Z’s stuff is everywhere
Help support Fr. Z’s Gospel of Life work at no cost to you. Do you need a Real Estate Agent? Calling these people is the FIRST thing you should do!
They find you a pro-life agent in your area who commits to giving a portion of the fee to a pro-life group!
GREAT causes to support
Help Monks in Wyoming (coffee – UPDATED LINK) and Norcia (beer) and the wonderful "Soap Sisters" of Summit, NJ!
Please follow me on Twitter!
Sin, mortal and venial, confession, confession, confession!
And: an amusing story about the good padre’s avoidance of dentists for 20 years (helped by a viewing of the film Marathon Man) and how the priest in the confessional is most happy to receive the penitent.
And then: Go to confession!
(St. John the Beloved, McLean, VA, noon TLM, Fr. McAfee.)
“Something…something…something…” (baby behind me crying loudly) Main point was that our possessions are on loan to us, as all good things come from God. We need to strive for eternity, not spend our time obsessed over accumulating more money, more things which will not be useful to us in our next lives. Also that while it is all right to have a modest number of possessions, it is how we use them that matters, and how we share what we have with others.
If we line up everyone here, from the richest to the poorest … Most people think they would fit in the middle. If you really are in the middle, as you think you are, to whom will you pay more attention? To the poorer? Or do you look to follow the “rich and aimless”? It was a good line and made the point memorable.
I missed out because I was
doing my weekly penanceconfined to the crying room, but we had the founder of Dominican Missionaries for the Deaf Apostolate and one of the brothers visiting our parish (website appears to be down at the moment). My oldest son was utterly fascinated that the priest could “talk with his hands” (it was his first time witnessing sign language). Hearing impairment is a cause near and dear to my heart, so I was really happy to learn that such a group exists. By the way, the mass was still done ad orientem.I was actually stunned and surprised at a simple, short sermon about letting go of what’s materially holding us back from loving God as He should be loved and abandonment of materiality.
Father used a story of how some trap monkeys in the wild: they clear a large circle in the jungle of trees and brush, insert a transparent enclosure which has just enough room for a monkeys arm to reach inside and fill with bananas. The monkeys grasp and take a banana, and even though there is enough time for them to get away, they see the trappers coming, they will not let go of the banana which is preventing them from escaping (as their fist won’t exit the tube with the banana).
The question was: what was holding us back, what did we need to drop/give up/change. Note: NO Mass.
Have big eyes and ears for our Lord, but have a small mouth. I think he was talking about being charitable and knowledgeable in our wonderful faith, since it’s required from baptism.
In my Ordinary Form Masses, I preached about the Four Last things – death, judgment, hell and heaven (purgatory).
In my Extraordinary Form Mass, I preached about the house of God (Introit), the building that contains the Real Presence, the Mass and active participation.
How the vanities of the world should in some cases cause us to feel shame, how shame is just the manifestation of the virtue of humility, and how humility is merely us recognizing the world to be as God made it, not as we see it.
Our Pastor made an analogy using the reality shows on hoarding. We all want to protect ourselves by surrounding ourselves with things, achievements, accolades, even large circles of friends. These are not necessary. We often use them to hide our wounded natures from ourselves and others. God sees us as we really are. God’s eyes cut through our human vanity and expose our hearts to love that may feel like a raw wound, until we accept God’s love.
…..was extremely uplifted…..importance of Sacraments….and our priest kept quoting from the Council of Trent Catechism…..how about that!!!!!!!!!!