SAINT AGNES CATHEDRAL 533 South Jefferson Springfield, MO 65806
EXTRAORDINARY FORM OF THE MASS (LATIN)
CELEBRANT: Father Jeffery Fasching
April 14th, 2013 Second Sunday after Easter
Epistle: 1 Pet. 2: 21-25
Gospel: Jn. 10: 11-16
Mass schedule April 15th through April 19th
Monday: Feria of Paschaltide—No Latin Mass
Tuesday: Feria of Paschaltide
Wednesday: Feria of Paschaltide
Thursday: Feria of Paschaltide
Friday: Feria of Paschaltide
The next pot-luck dinner will be held on Sunday, April 21st immediately following the 2:30pm Mass in the school cafeteria.
We must receive the Sacraments with the proper dispositions if we want to obtain God’s grace. We must acquire a true horror of sin. We must gladly use all the means necessary that God offers us to avoid relapsing into sin. Many people are receiving Holy Communion and relapsing right back into serious sin. Many go to Confession one day, and the next fall again into the same sins! These people who confess without contrition and detestation of their sins will have no power over the enemy! Many go to Confession unprepared. They don’t feel the proper repentance. They don’t have a true resolution of not sinning again! Instead of fighting against the devil, they are taking his side!
We must obey the promptings of grace. We must always pray, pray and then pray some more. We must receive the Sacraments with the right dispositions. We must remain faithful to the end. Saint Matthew says: “He that shall persevere to the end shall be saved!”
In Christ,
Father Jeffery Fasching
Prayers at the Foot of the Altar
Showing posts with label Confession. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Confession. Show all posts
Friday, April 12, 2013
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Worship of the Blessed Sacrament
Eucharistic Adoration is a tremendous help in fostering a closer friendship with Jesus Christ. It is an extension of our reception of Holy Communion. It also brings about a deeper longing for receiving the Sacrament again. Eucharistic Adoration is the best means to prepare for receiving Holy Communion and offering up the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Exposing oneself to the presence of Jesus Christ guarantees reception of His graces, provided one remains in the state of grace.
In order to grow in humility and holiness, we must also approach the Sacrament of Penance frequently. This is a great aid in helping one benefit from receiving the Eucharist as well. Without penance, we lose a sense of sin in our lives. If we neglect confession, we tend to overlook how sin becomes a stumbling block in our lives.
Finally, we must foster greater devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Mary's role in the life of the Church is such an important part of our Catholic Tradition and spirituality. Mary is Mother of the Eucharist. She gave Jesus Christ to the world. She always leads holy souls to her Son. When we grow in our devotion to Mary, especially through the recitation of the Holy Rosary and Consecration to her, she always leads us to Jesus Christ.
Sincerely in Christ,
Rev. Jeffery A. Fasching
In order to grow in humility and holiness, we must also approach the Sacrament of Penance frequently. This is a great aid in helping one benefit from receiving the Eucharist as well. Without penance, we lose a sense of sin in our lives. If we neglect confession, we tend to overlook how sin becomes a stumbling block in our lives.
Finally, we must foster greater devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Mary's role in the life of the Church is such an important part of our Catholic Tradition and spirituality. Mary is Mother of the Eucharist. She gave Jesus Christ to the world. She always leads holy souls to her Son. When we grow in our devotion to Mary, especially through the recitation of the Holy Rosary and Consecration to her, she always leads us to Jesus Christ.
Sincerely in Christ,
Rev. Jeffery A. Fasching
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Going to Confession
How frequently should we go to confession? We should avoid receiving the sacrament in a merely routine, mechanical fashion; but this does not mean we should not receive it regularly and frequently. If we are serious about advancing in the spiritual life, as every Catholic should be, we should go often to confession. Pope Pius XII in his encyclical Mystici Corporis wrote:
They are in error who have asserted that frequent confession of venial sins in not to be highly regarded…To hasten daily progress along the path of virtue, we wish the practice of frequent confession to be especially commended, a practice introduced by the Church, but not without the inspiration of the Holy Ghost. By it genuine self-knowledge is increased, Christian humility grows, evil habits are uprooted, spiritual neglect and tepidity are resisted, the conscience is purified, the will strengthened, a salutary control of one’s affections gained, and in virtue of the sacrament itself grace is increased. Therefore let those among the clergy who make light of and lessen esteem for frequent confession, realize that they are approaching a course which is foreign to the Spirit of Christ and destructive of the Mystical Body of our Savior.
Sincerely in Christ,
Rev. Jeffery A. Fasching
They are in error who have asserted that frequent confession of venial sins in not to be highly regarded…To hasten daily progress along the path of virtue, we wish the practice of frequent confession to be especially commended, a practice introduced by the Church, but not without the inspiration of the Holy Ghost. By it genuine self-knowledge is increased, Christian humility grows, evil habits are uprooted, spiritual neglect and tepidity are resisted, the conscience is purified, the will strengthened, a salutary control of one’s affections gained, and in virtue of the sacrament itself grace is increased. Therefore let those among the clergy who make light of and lessen esteem for frequent confession, realize that they are approaching a course which is foreign to the Spirit of Christ and destructive of the Mystical Body of our Savior.
Sincerely in Christ,
Rev. Jeffery A. Fasching
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Repentance IV
Why do so many people refuse to repent? Repentance is absolutely necessary and yet seems to be so seldom found. Without repentance there is no pardon of sin and no heaven. Without repentance our penance, charity, almsgiving or anything else we might do to please God is all in vain.
What is repentance? How do we know whether or not we have it? Repentance is an anguish of the soul, and detestation for past sin, and a firm resolve never to sin again. Without repentance it is absolutely impossible to obtain forgiveness. A lack of repentance is the cause of a great number of sacrilegious confessions and communions. Many unrepentant people do not even realize what a sad state they are in.
If we conceal a sin when we go to confession, this sin is constantly before our eyes and eventually we go to confession again in order to free ourselves from it. But it is different with repentance. We confess, but our heart is not in it. We approach the Holy Sacrament with a cold, unfeeling, and indifferent heart and we just go through the motions! There are a great number of Christians who will discover at the hour of their death nothing but invalid confessions!
Repentance is an anguish of soul. We must weep over our sins either in this world or in the next. In this world we can wipe out our sins by repentance, but not in the next. We should thank our Lord that the anguish of our soul is enough for Him to let us experience eternal joy. It takes so little to satisfy God.
In Christ,
Rev. Jeffery A. Fasching
What is repentance? How do we know whether or not we have it? Repentance is an anguish of the soul, and detestation for past sin, and a firm resolve never to sin again. Without repentance it is absolutely impossible to obtain forgiveness. A lack of repentance is the cause of a great number of sacrilegious confessions and communions. Many unrepentant people do not even realize what a sad state they are in.
If we conceal a sin when we go to confession, this sin is constantly before our eyes and eventually we go to confession again in order to free ourselves from it. But it is different with repentance. We confess, but our heart is not in it. We approach the Holy Sacrament with a cold, unfeeling, and indifferent heart and we just go through the motions! There are a great number of Christians who will discover at the hour of their death nothing but invalid confessions!
Repentance is an anguish of soul. We must weep over our sins either in this world or in the next. In this world we can wipe out our sins by repentance, but not in the next. We should thank our Lord that the anguish of our soul is enough for Him to let us experience eternal joy. It takes so little to satisfy God.
In Christ,
Rev. Jeffery A. Fasching
Thursday, December 23, 2010
The Mystery of the Incarnation
Saint John writes: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. Through Him all things came into being; not one thing was created without Him...The world was made through Him, and yet the world did not know Him. He entered His own creation, and His own did not receive Him."
As Christmas day approaches we look forward to celebrating with great joy the Incarnation of Christ. We pray that we are not among those who did not receive Him. This Advent season we have been preparing to celebrate the birth of Christ through our prayer and penance. We take this time to recognize and acknowledge the ways we have not received Christ and rejected Him by our sinfulness.
When the Word was hidden within God Himself He was invisible to God's created world, but in the fullness of time God made Him visible. God made the Word visible so that the world could be saved by Him.
Let us open up our hearts to the grace God offers us in the person of Jesus Christ. Let us be converted from our sinful ways and enjoy true peace of mind and heart in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Sincerely in Christ,
Rev. Jeffery A. Fasching
As Christmas day approaches we look forward to celebrating with great joy the Incarnation of Christ. We pray that we are not among those who did not receive Him. This Advent season we have been preparing to celebrate the birth of Christ through our prayer and penance. We take this time to recognize and acknowledge the ways we have not received Christ and rejected Him by our sinfulness.
When the Word was hidden within God Himself He was invisible to God's created world, but in the fullness of time God made Him visible. God made the Word visible so that the world could be saved by Him.
Let us open up our hearts to the grace God offers us in the person of Jesus Christ. Let us be converted from our sinful ways and enjoy true peace of mind and heart in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Sincerely in Christ,
Rev. Jeffery A. Fasching
Friday, December 17, 2010
Repentance III
It is God's will that we be saved. Nothing pleases God more than our coming back to Him with sincere repentance. All the prophets up to John the Baptist preached repentance. Christ Himself did the very same thing. He came to call sinners to repentance. He reminded us that is was not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. Christ came to look for the sheep that was lost. "You can be sure that there is joy in heaven, over one sinner who repents" said Christ.
Consider how the Father was moved with pity for his wayward son who returned, repented and made amends for his sins. The Father embraced his son, dressed him once more in fine garments and did not chastise him for any of his sins. "Come to me, all you that toil and are heavy of heart. Accept my yoke, Christ said, my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."
"Forgive, and you will be forgiven, Behave toward other people as you would wish them to behave toward you."
In Christ,
Rev. Jeffery A. Fasching
Consider how the Father was moved with pity for his wayward son who returned, repented and made amends for his sins. The Father embraced his son, dressed him once more in fine garments and did not chastise him for any of his sins. "Come to me, all you that toil and are heavy of heart. Accept my yoke, Christ said, my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."
"Forgive, and you will be forgiven, Behave toward other people as you would wish them to behave toward you."
In Christ,
Rev. Jeffery A. Fasching
Monday, November 29, 2010
Sin
Many of us do not realize that sin kills the soul. Sin kills God Himself. Many love to cling to their sins. We must always meditate seriously about the nature of sin and its effect in our lives. If we sincerely do this, we will learn to have such a hatred for sin that we will cease to commit it.
God created us to be happy and at peace. He gives us His commandments not to be a burden, but to bring us happiness and peace. Unfortunately, many choose unhappiness. Many choose to turn away from God and give themselves over to Satan. We commit sin and soon find ourselves not knowing how to extricate ourselves from it. We lose sight of how nothing is more important than the state of our souls!
Many go to confession and still are not converted because they feel no true contrition for their sins. Our sins crucify our Lord all over again and we feel no contrition! The saints all understood how much sin offends God. They spent most of their lives weeping for their sins!
Let us make our prayer to God a petition that we will amend our lives and feel true contrition for our sins against God!
Sincerely in Christ,
Rev. Jeffery A. Fasching
God created us to be happy and at peace. He gives us His commandments not to be a burden, but to bring us happiness and peace. Unfortunately, many choose unhappiness. Many choose to turn away from God and give themselves over to Satan. We commit sin and soon find ourselves not knowing how to extricate ourselves from it. We lose sight of how nothing is more important than the state of our souls!
Many go to confession and still are not converted because they feel no true contrition for their sins. Our sins crucify our Lord all over again and we feel no contrition! The saints all understood how much sin offends God. They spent most of their lives weeping for their sins!
Let us make our prayer to God a petition that we will amend our lives and feel true contrition for our sins against God!
Sincerely in Christ,
Rev. Jeffery A. Fasching
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Advent
The Church in her wisdom gives us the different liturgical seasons of the year to help us follow Christ more closely. We now enter into the season of Advent when we prepare to welcome the "coming" of Christ our Lord.
Christ's first coming was as a helpless infant. He suffered and died to redeem us with His blood. However, His second coming will be much different than the first. In the future, Christ will come in all His glory escorted by His angels and saints to be our judge.
The Church gives us this wonderful season to help us prepare for this second coming. We want it to be a day of joy and rejoicing. However, for many who are not prepared it will be a day of frightful terror.
Is your heart ready to welcome your Savior? Christ also comes to us through His grace, especially in the sacraments. Let us make use of the Sacraments of Penance and the Eucharist while we still have time. We know not the day or the hour of Christ's visitation.
Sincerely in Christ,
Rev. Jeffery A. Fasching
Christ's first coming was as a helpless infant. He suffered and died to redeem us with His blood. However, His second coming will be much different than the first. In the future, Christ will come in all His glory escorted by His angels and saints to be our judge.
The Church gives us this wonderful season to help us prepare for this second coming. We want it to be a day of joy and rejoicing. However, for many who are not prepared it will be a day of frightful terror.
Is your heart ready to welcome your Savior? Christ also comes to us through His grace, especially in the sacraments. Let us make use of the Sacraments of Penance and the Eucharist while we still have time. We know not the day or the hour of Christ's visitation.
Sincerely in Christ,
Rev. Jeffery A. Fasching
Friday, November 12, 2010
Peter the Rock
When Christ asked Peter and the apostles "Who do you say that I am?" Peter was able to acknowledge Christ for who He was. Peter's response was "You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God." Jesus then told Peter that he would be the rock upon which Christ would build His Church and that the jaws of hell would never prevail against it.
Today we commemorate Pope Saint Martin who succeeded Peter in his chair. What a great privilege it is to be a part of the Church that Christ Himself established! It is a Church that will always exist! We can rest assured that we have access to the fullness of the faith in the Catholic Church! There is to be no further revelation. Through the successors of Saint Peter Christ Himself continues to communicate the fullness of His truth to all who are willing to listen.
Today let us pray the we will embrace the truth with open hearts and do our part to lead others into the truth. Let us also pray for Christian unity.
Sincerely in Christ,
Rev. Jeffery A. Fasching
Today we commemorate Pope Saint Martin who succeeded Peter in his chair. What a great privilege it is to be a part of the Church that Christ Himself established! It is a Church that will always exist! We can rest assured that we have access to the fullness of the faith in the Catholic Church! There is to be no further revelation. Through the successors of Saint Peter Christ Himself continues to communicate the fullness of His truth to all who are willing to listen.
Today let us pray the we will embrace the truth with open hearts and do our part to lead others into the truth. Let us also pray for Christian unity.
Sincerely in Christ,
Rev. Jeffery A. Fasching
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Sacramental Confession
The saints were all very diligent in guarding the purity of their souls since they so often found it necessary to receive the Bread of Angels. They were always well aware of their own sinfulness. Their disposition was always like that of the publican who prayed: "O God, be merciful to me a sinner."
Most of the great saints went to confession every single day. Saint Teresa of the Child Jesus would not even think of receiving communion if she was conscious of even a single venial sin. Saint Thomas Aquinas, Saint Frances de Sales, Saint Ignatius, and many others went to confession each day before celebrating the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.
"Let everyone first examine himself, and then eat of that Bread and drink of that Chalice; because he who eats and drinks unworthily, eats and drinks unto his own condemnation" (1 Cor. 11:28-29).
It was natural for the saints to daily examine themselves, to repent, and to ask God's pardon. The more we strive to conform our lives to Christ, the more fruit we will derive from our frequent communions. The Sacrament of Penance is an excellent way to maintain similarity between one's soul and that of Jesus Himself.
Sincerely in Christ,
Rev. Jeffery A. Fasching
Most of the great saints went to confession every single day. Saint Teresa of the Child Jesus would not even think of receiving communion if she was conscious of even a single venial sin. Saint Thomas Aquinas, Saint Frances de Sales, Saint Ignatius, and many others went to confession each day before celebrating the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.
"Let everyone first examine himself, and then eat of that Bread and drink of that Chalice; because he who eats and drinks unworthily, eats and drinks unto his own condemnation" (1 Cor. 11:28-29).
It was natural for the saints to daily examine themselves, to repent, and to ask God's pardon. The more we strive to conform our lives to Christ, the more fruit we will derive from our frequent communions. The Sacrament of Penance is an excellent way to maintain similarity between one's soul and that of Jesus Himself.
Sincerely in Christ,
Rev. Jeffery A. Fasching
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