06 May 2021

Perfect Joy

5th Week of Easter (Th)

Fr. Philip Neri Powell OP

St. Dominic Priory, NOLA


We know that charity is the cause of joy and joy is opposed by sorrow (ST II-II.28.1). But what is it to experience “complete joy”? It would seem to follow that complete joy is an effect of complete or perfect charity. God, of course, is perfect charity. And we desire to participate in His charity as a matter of grace. To the degree that we are far from His perfection, our desire for Him is imperfect. “[Our] joy is full, when there remains nothing to be desired” (ST II-II.28.3). Our Lord tells us how we can come to complete joy: “Remain in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love. . .” What obstructs us from keeping his commandments? The demands of disordered desires, desires not properly ordered toward charity, i.e., we desire, we love that which cannot save us. To participate more perfectly in God's love, Jesus teaches us to desire, to love nothing and no one more than God Himself. Complete joy is possible for us only in the Beatific Vision. But while we are here, we can – with God's grace – approach perfection in joy through gratitude and surrender. Give thanks. And give up what cannot save. 


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03 May 2021

Please! Help!

If you read and enjoy the homilies I publish here, please consider giving to my Province.

The money goes toward the tuition, room and board for our student brothers (seminarians) in St. Louis.

They are skinny and malnourished. Also, their bookshelves are a disgrace.


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Christ is the only way

Ss. Philip and James

Fr. Philip Neri Powell OP

St. Dominic Priory, NOLA

Can it be any clearer: I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me”? This truth is what we have given our lives to. There is no salvation through any other name except Christ Jesus. Not sociology, psychology, or philosophy. Not BLM or the Republican Party or the NRA or socialism or capitalism or the Democrats or the State or social justice or racial purity or feminism or holding and professing whatever the currently correct ideology happens to be. We hold and profess the Apostolic Faith, a faith that transcends politics and cultures and nations, leading us to our ultimate end – God in heaven and our place at His table. The pressure to worship the idols of this age is tremendous. We see it everyday. And this is nothing new. Our ancestors in faith were pressured to swear allegiance to race, to politics, to ethnicity, to gender, and a myriad of others gods that cannot save. The apostles were sent to proclaim a simple message: Christ Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Anything beyond this, anything other than this is a lie. We preach the truth. Jesus Christ and him alone is our salvation.



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02 May 2021

Remain on the vine!

5th Sunday of Easter

Fr. Philip Neri Powell OP

OLR, NOLA

[After reading the archbishop's letter reinstating the Sunday Mass obligation June 6th. . .]

Hear again what the Lord teaches: “Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me.” I'll put this in less-literary terms for you: you cannot “grow in holiness as a Catholic” on your own. Neither can I. To be Catholic is to be a member of the Body, attached to the vine of the Church, receiving nourishment and support from the source of our salvation – Christ Jesus. There is no such thing as a “personal Catholic,” or a “private Catholic,” or a “do-it-yourself Catholic.” You are a fruit-producing branch attached to the vine of Christ's Body, the Church; or, you are not. So, how do we remain “in Christ”? How do I stay attached to the vine and produce good fruit? Archbishop Aymond notes one way we have of staying attached to Christ – the obligation to attend Sunday Mass. This obligation has been dispensed for the last year b/c of COVID. Come June 6th – the Solemnity of Corpus Christi – that obligation will be re-instated. And thanks be to God that we are so obliged! If you, like me, struggle to grow in holiness, a firm rule always helps!

You see, the Church is an expert in human nature, an ancient Mother who understands her children. Every child sees “the rules” as unjust, unfair, maybe even mean-spirited. Surely, true freedom comes from having no rules, no laws, no restrictions whatsoever! And that would be true if there were no natural or supernatural consequences to our behavior. But we know – our choices have consequences; our actions cause effects. So, Holy Mother Church, in all her ancient wisdom, lays down a few rules for us to follow. One of these rules is: “You must attend Mass every Sunday and all holy days of obligation.” Missing a holy day or Sunday Mass when you could've attended is a mortal sin. This is the minimum required to stay attached to the vine of Christ and produce good fruit. NB. you are not required to receive communion every time you attend Mass. In fact, if you are carrying a mortal sin, you should not receive communion! To help with this problem, Mother Church requires that we all go to confession at least once a year. The older Catholics among us will remember this rule as “the Easter Duty.” Why all these rules? Didn't we get rid of these after VC2? No, we didn't. What we got rid of (apparently) is the truth that these rules are in place not to control us but to help us remain in Christ.

The Easter season is quickly coming to a close. We are on the edge of the summer months and Ordinary Time, that time of year where we turn toward Everyday Holiness and the sometimes sweaty work of repairing and fortifying our relationship with Christ. Where to start? Easy! Go to confession. A broken vessel cannot hold water. A broken soul cannot receive grace. Going to confession can be scary. You're worried that Father will laugh at you, or yell at you, or maybe be shocked at your sins. I can guarantee you none of that will happen. Priests are sinners too. We go to confession. And we've heard it all before. I've been hearing confessions for 16yrs. There is no new sin under the sun. Whether it's been a week since your last confession or 30yrs. . .come in and repair your relationship with God so that you can receive the Body and Blood of Christ at Mass and produce excellent fruit. The Church's rules are given to us to strengthen us, to point us in the right direction, to guide us around obstacles to holiness. So, bend a little and grow a lot. Your immortal soul depends on it!  



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