Rector's letters

How do we make the most of Lent? This month, we consider the words of our revered founder. While penance and mortification are necessary aspects of the Lenten season, it is in the fulfillment of the two greatest commandments, love of God and love of neighbor, that God is most pleased. During this holy season, let our prayer continually express our love for God; a love that is both simple and selfless, as a child in the arms of his father. From this love of God will flow love of neighbor and the strength to undergo purification by the Cross.

The Fall of Man and every sin that flows from it is founded upon a single lie from the mouth of the Serpent, “You shall not die… you shall be like God.” Satan, the Father of Lies, has thus enslaved all men and drives them on the road of perdition. By our sin we further the reign of Satan and spread his empire of deceit. As children of God by grace, we are called to reject this slavery to sin and reflect the image of Our Lord Jesus Christ who is Light and Truth.

During this Advent season as we prepare to receive Our Lord, let us remember with gratitude the many blessings we have received from Him throughout this year. St. Thomas Aquinas Seminary would like to thank all of our friends and benefactors for the immense generosity and countless prayers that have made it possible for us to continue our mission. Please be assured of our continued prayers for you at the altar. May God bless you.

It was on a quiet night in Bethlehem that God’s Word was spoken two thousand years ago and His Word continues to echo throughout the world for those who have ears to hear. His coming was announced by an angelic host to shepherds watching their flocks by night, whose response was to quickly rise and journey to Bethlehem to adore the Infant Savior. Will we spend this preperatory season swept up in the cacophony of consumerism, comfort, and end of the year celebrations? Or will we rush to the Bethlehem of our souls to prepare a place for the Messiah?

Do we fight the good fight? Or are we indifferent Christians?

We are living in the “Passion of the Church.” The crisis of our day is a crisis of paternity, and one of its many symptoms is a distrust and suspicion of ecclesiastical authorities. The current crisis, being a negation of the natural order of Christ’s Church, cannot be the foundation of right action; there first must be a return to order. The Society is not a reactionary force, but a part of the Church with the mission to sanctify the priest and preserve the Mass of All Time.

Catholics are born for combat! We live in an age of imposed and ready-made thinking determined by public opinion and radical progressives. The modern world would have us abandon Catholic principles and submit to this yoke of godless and humanistic thinking in exchange for comfort and acceptance. It is our baptismal duty to reject the world’s invitation to compromise. We must be willing, in imitation of Christ, to stand as signs of contradiction against the anti-Christian forces in the world.

It is one of the effects of Original Sin that man is blind to his own misery. Not only does he fall victim to even the smallest obstacles and temptations, but all the while he imagines that he can be master of his own destiny. However, such a man is doomed to walk in darkness. Christ is our Light, and He desires to heal our blindness that we might hope entirely in the Redemption through His Cross.

Be sober and alert; the devil prowls like a roaring lion looking for whom he may devour. The devil’s total hatred for God does not only concern Him; it extends also to the soul living in sanctifying grace. In his malice and envy, Satan works tirelessly to lead holy souls astray and into the pit of eternal misery. Against this adversary, we place all our hope in the Cross of Christ, the Cross that conquers for all time.

The good God offers a wealth of graces for the soul who prepares to receive them; this preparation is accomplished by prayer and mortification. As lent approaches, it is imperative that we make fruitful and lasting resolutions,not just for the coming forty days, but for the rest of our lives. Uniting our sufferings to the sufferings of Christ, let is perservere under our crosses so that we may share also in His triumph.