Always with Christ

On March 19, we celebrate the faith and courage of St. Joseph, the foster father of our Lord Jesus Christ. To help us to understand the grace-filled life of Joseph, we hear from a homily by St. Bernard of Clairvaux who demonstrates the parallels between the Joseph we celebrate today and Patriarch Joseph. Matthew 1:18

On March 18th, we remember St. Cyril of Jerusalem, who stands as one of the most articulate and profound teachers of the Christian faith. Born in the year 313, he enters holy orders in the year 335, first, becoming a deacon, and 8 years later, he is ordained a priest. He is elevated to the Episcopate in the year 350. In his work as the Bishop of Jerusalem, he provides what is considered to be the first extant example of a catholic theology, holding forth the faith before catechumens and the faithful. His life is a model of holiness, faithfulness and peace. 2 Timothy 4:1.

Today, we celebrate the grace of God at work in St. Patrick, and though he grew up in a Christian home, it was not until he was kidnapped and made a slave that he learned the freedom of the way of the cross. We remember him for going back to the people that had enslaved him,for his tireless work among the people whereby he brought many to the Christian faith, and for his learning to walk by the Spirit. St, Matthew 25:14-23.

An eight-minute overview of the themes for each week in the Church year, Always with Christ is broadcast on AM 1240 KVLF each Sunday morning.

Recording of the Sunday Homily preached on the Fourth Sunday in Lent. Galatians 4:21, John 6.

On March 12, we celebrate the life and ministry of St. Gregory the Great, for on this day in in the 604, he fell asleep in the Lord. We remember him for his many contributions to the Church, for in him comes together the life of active service and the life of contemplation. In his life we find a model of pastoral care, a theologian whose love for Christ fills his every thought, and a reformer who restored the true faith in the places where it had fallen and sets it up where it had never yet been. Matthew 5:13-20

On March 10, we remember the heroic battle for their souls that was waged by the 40 Martyrs of Sebaste in the year 320. Luke 6:17

In the lessons for this 3rd Sunday in Lent, we see the importance of walking in the love of God, of filling our hearts and minds with the heavenly virtues. Ephesians 5:1-14, Luke 11:14-28

Thomas was born into a family that afforded him access to all the "good things" of this world, but, at the age of 19, he recognized the superior glory of the Kingdom of God, and devoted himself to seeking Christ and in this pursuit he put off the works of darkness and set his mind on things above. His life is a model of heavenly virtue and in this purity of heart, he is given keen insight into the faith of the Church Catholic and for this reason he is remembered as the "angelic doctor." Wisdom 7:7

On March 6, the Church commemorates the Holy Martyrs Perpetua and Felicity, arrested in Carthage with other young catechumens. Perpetua, a married woman, well-born about twenty-two years of age, was a mother with an infant at the breast; while Felicity was a serving girl, who, since she was pregnant, was granted a respite, in accordance with the law, until she was delivered. Though she suffered in giving birth, when thrown to the wild beasts she rejoiced. They processed from prison into the amphitheatre with joyful countenances, looking to heaven and treading the devil underfoot.