Living icons is how I've heard it described. Windows to Heaven. Hidden aspect of the baptism in Christ seems to manifest gently, in small ways mostly. Difficult not to get worked up or have holy fear when get to sense God working through one of His disciples in powerful ways. Thankfully know detachment is necessary. Must mortify the senses or can get overwhelmed even by joy.

Praise be Jesus and thanks be to God for your preaching. Sounds like holy detachment/indifference needed to obey God in all things and then abandonment to Divine Providence because only Jesus can save us...yet to pray and work out the salvation and thank God for the daily bread to do so.

We celebrate Christ the King but never related it to every single celebration of the Mass. Takes prudence to speak truth to power without being martyred. Addicted to Christ? Good zeal and bad zeal. More prudence needed. Charity must prevail. I agree God breaks through with His graces in the sacramental life. Tend more toward monastic worship but helps many to have more beautiful structures to praise God.

Thanks be to God for the O Oriens preaching. Listening again to better understand. Jumped to the theme being the sacraments. Need to support holy families to get holy men to become priests so we can celebrate the Eucharist.
+++

Per an OSB site:

http://vultus.stblogs.org/2012/12/o-oriens.html

O DAYSPRING (Zech 6:12; Lk 1:78),
Splendor of Eternal Light (Heb 1:3),
and Sun of Justice (Mal 4:2):
Come, and enlighten those that sit in darkness,
and in the shadow of death (Is 9:2; Lk 1:78-79).

Orien … [More]

Stunning teachings, thanks be to God. To enter into the Liturgy that deeply would be awesome. The conquering of sin and death in the liturgy by the Theopany! Rest of the time we're the Church militant, fighting the good fight but can find rest in the Liturgy. Hmmm. The Holy Father representing Christ the King aka Ruler of the Universe being carried around is foreign to my generation. Quite a contrast with Christ riding on a donkey but I get the point even though for an American most sadly … [More]

Now and forever, praised be Jesus Christ. Hearing truth preached about longing for the Lord to come is so refreshing. Used to have solemn vespers during Advent but that Msgr has been assigned elsewhere. Few seem to keep Advent as a season of penance. May the Lord have mercy on us taking Him for granted.

+Thanks be to God for the gift of the Advent retreat and being in the person of Christ the Teacher. Hard to convey the experience of how God transfigures souls but what you say rings true with the experience I've had so far. Was given the desire to worship daily even though requires ongoing confession and even had what seemed like a purgation - was totally humiliating but consoled by the love of God at the same time. Requires greater mortification and frequent confession. The spiritual life isn … [More]

Now and forever, praised be Jesus. Thanks be to God for the confirmation of the sweetness of God (unspeakable joy at times) and vivid warnings of the onslaughts of the Devil (indeed, brutal and will torment in every way possible but limited by God's hidden judgements for the salvation of the world. (Please correct me if I'm in error). We're helpless, easily distracted and deceived. Must dwell with/seek God's Presence who rules all things mightily and seeks to redeem us body and soul...the … [More]

Speaking hard truths and illuminating the Scriptures, thanks be to God.

+Thanks be to God for the lesson. Answered a question I had gotten long ago about discerning good fruit. Recall with sorrow some can be blind to discerning the bad fruit of birth control in ministry to the poor. They point to the temporary good fruit of earthly prosperity and health and think the tree is good. Ignoring the spiritual fruit is the rotten apple of disobedience.

Union with God is the goal. I just never considered it possible in this world except for select souls. The pain of loving that much would be a crucifixion.

+Thanks be to God for the preaching, illuminating the Scriptures, and increasing humility. Both spiritual and material poverty seem necessary to have that deep awareness of needing God. Yet the Lord clearly relied on others to share what they have been given so we must share God's hospitality with others too. He also praised the widows mite so I thought for giving everything back to God. The saints illuminate further per Haydock commentary: Ver. 3. Whatever we offer to the Almighty with a good … [More]

+Thanks be to God for the preaching. This one reminds me of related counsels: the Devil knowing our achilles heel; the world, flesh and the Devil are at enmity with God and the necessity to mortify; created good but fallen and redeemed; always some predominant fault(s) in everyone and blindspots - hence need for obedience to spiritual director or elders in the faith and to seek God's will.

Thanks be to God, Fr. Nay, for the teaching/preaching. Grateful when the Spirit tutors to go to Scripture to followup on the lesson. Googled Haydock and talents and got further instruction in graces/talents in Mt 25. Any good we do is by means of God's grace so there's hope for even a foolish preacher boasting of his ability to give a sermon....'however mean or despicable our abilities may be, we still have an equal facility with the most learned of entering heaven. (Jansenius).

We should pray against our unbelief! Thanks be to God. Reminded of a prayer learned in childhood:

The Pardon Prayer
The seers said this prayer was taught to them in the initial Fátima apparition in the spring of 1916, by an angel who called himself "the Guardian Angel of Portugal".
My God, I believe, I adore, I trust and I love Thee! I beg pardon for all those that do not believe, do not adore, do not trust and do not love Thee.

+Thanks be to God for the preaching. We're not in Heaven yet. If anything one should be learning charity at Mass :-). Many graces God wants to give. Motivated me to seek out supplemental preaching online and if too distracted to repent and ask for the grace of attention, reverence, and devotion.

+Peace! Have you seen the one whom my soul loves? (Sgs 3:3) Some advise going over circumstances to see Jesus in them. The Most Holy Trinity indwells if in a state of grace. Why would anyone look outward or bother about the past or future when in God's eternal/timeless Presence? Makes sense sometimes but then distracted and lose the recollection. Lord have mercy. Obviously God keeps everything in existence, is always present though we're blinded to Him or He parts the ocean of Mercy so you … [More]

+Thanks be to God, Fr. Nay, for your preaching and the shot of the Holy Angel. Being forced to look ahead into the infinity of God and eternity is a bit terrifying. Not sure how to keep offering firstfruits but fully expect Providence to intervene and redeploy me in the Church militant and hopefully to the Church suffering when my time comes. God's will be done.

+Praise God. Thank you Fr. Nay for your preaching on poverty in the first Beatitude. The Indian-giving aspects of existence can be hard lessons but seem preparation for when death divides body and spirit. Heard it said everything is a gift from God so try to be like Job and pray: Blessed be God who gives and takes away. Always attached to some familiar comfort or other. Helping me see the Holy Spirit/Most Holy Trinity is everything. Not easy just being miserable and waiting on God, but know … [More]

+Praise God for all things. Thanks be to God for your preaching. Needed to hear that and trust the darkness of painful tendonitis in the feet will teach me to hope in God alone and He has His reasons for permitting the disabling condition.

+Thanks be to God for the preaching. Lord have mercy. Who is worthy? God chooses who He permits to come to Him in communion. I pray like St. Joan (and confess my failures to love). "If I am in the grace of God I pray He keep me there. If I am not in the grace of God I pray He put me there." Peace!

+Thanks be to God, Fr. Nay, for your preaching. Reminded of the psalm 127: If the Lord does not build the house...the subheading says: 'apart from God our labors are worthless'. To God be all the glory. God is. I Am who am. To be empty and nourished by the Trinity indwelling. Guided by the Spirit and detached. To do whatever God commands us to do. Much a mystery but glad He is watching. Kind of freaks me out at times but thankful. Praise God.

+Thanks be to God, Father Nay, for the preaching. The last part was startling about being hellbound so I listened again for context and see you were speaking of those who boast of good works but do not adore God or seek His will. Hope springs eternal that the Lord won't say 'I never knew you' to any of His flock. Peace!

+Thanking God for the consoling preaching, Fr. Nay. So true. Instinctive to go before the tabernacle with troubles. Church attendance increases in tragedy. Just seems easier to talk to God when alone so good to have that solitude if possible at the tabernacle. It saddens me so many churches have to be locked up in the U.S. There's usually adoration chapel time possible but can't always be alone.

+Thanks be to God for the preaching and keeping this posted. Blindspots are a problem. Helps to be challenged whether truly being Christ-directed. The Heavenly-minded need to take care of not getting trampled by swine. We're "sheep in the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves." Peace!

+Amen! Praise God for the preaching that smites unto tears of sorrow for sin and a more contrite and humble heart. Reminds how only the pure of heart will see God. Thankful to not be in the darkness of deadly sin and how the Lord purges from within us.

"I am writing to all the churches to let it be known that I will gladly die for God if only you do not stand in my way. I plead with you: show me no untimely kindness."
St. Ignatius of Antioch

Thanks be to God! Always need to reminding I'm just a pilgrim soul.

+Thanks be to God! Needed to hear that for the second time. Second guessing matters and sometimes the heart wars with the head.

Amen! Praise God. This preaching is similar to a reading attributed mostly to St. Albert the Great On Cleaving to God via ccel.org. He wrote 16 chapters on how to do what Father Nay just said in 6 minutes. Hard to describe but listening to it has been an experience of purification of the many distractions and to stay focused intently on the love of God and others. Highly recommend it. Peace and all good.

Scanning the NewAdent Catholic encyclopedia on 'parables', the parable of the 10 virgins seems as Father Nay preached and also about taking care to be prepared for an unexpected final judgement. Others may (and do indeed) attempt to diminish the oil supply/perseverance and joy in the vigil-keeping for the coming of the Lord. May we all be humble and dwell consistently in the grace of God, stay on fire with the Holy Spirit, and firmly grafted onto the Body of Christ. Thanks be to God the Father … [More]

+Peace! Was just pondering the issue of the immortal soul and how many live as if they don't have a soul or don't spend time preparing their souls. The body can be such a great distraction. I haven't much philosphical knowledge, but knew the Greeks and Hebrew scholars grappled with it. Googled 'the immortal soul'. The Greek refers to it as 'the vital breath' yet we understand it as incorporeal - not based in physical reality but transcends time and space. Blessed be God.

+Praise God, praise God, praise God for His brilliance. Reducing the universe to nothing without the Father and therefore there being no truth struck me like a smackdown of a Jewish Nobel Winner in Physics who claimed in a tedtalk in 2007 there is truth and beauty in physics and God is not necessary to explain the accidents or holes in the fundamental theories....hope he accepts the grace to repent and his great knowledge isn't a millstone for eternity. Thanks be to God for your preaching Fr. Nay!

I'm reminded of St. Joan: "If I am not in the grace of God, I pray the Lord to put me there. If I am in the grace of God, I pray the Lord to keep me there." Always good to preach on the 4 last things. Any Christian who knows how to beg for mercy and show it to others surely has a good shot at making it to purgatory. One Xaverian said be sure to repent of all mortal sins but don't worry if you've got thousands of years in purgatory! I thank God that Our Lady, the Holy Angels, and the saints are … [More]

Peace! Good news when peaceful pro-life protesters are being subject to persecution. Sounds to me that the judge is not pro-life, hence the costly verdict despite the evidence for those keeping a regular peaceful protest. Possibly grounds for a counter-suit for harassment and violation of civil rights to peacefully protest an grievous injustice (unborn death penalty). Stalking has a broad definition - commonly used to refer to unwanted, obsessive attention by individuals (and sometimes groups … [More]

Thanks be to God for your preaching. There are real reasons to have a bleak outlook per a CIA report on geopolitics. Best not to put one's hope alone in this world alone. Keep the faith!

+Actually probably better to offer the sacrament of confession outdoors on Saturday as a witness. I've seen it done on a secular college campus. Hope the portion of the faithful who I presume were the primary audience can now get to another Holy Mass on Sunday.

+Thanks be to God for your preaching, Fr. Nay. So true. When trying to keep God at the center, the world will try to pull you off-center. Secular science would have you doubt having a soul or a Creator so it's an ongoing and fierce battle with those who think faith and science are mutually exclusive. Pascal's wager doesn't seem to convince even the dying as you mentioned. Really shook me to hear another preacher say if we get hardened to our sins and turn from God, we become like the demons who … [More]

+Thanking God again for your sharing the recollections with us. Helps to know to cherish that desolation feeling. Sounds like monastic wisdom. Quite a challenge to be both clever yet more simple. I have to remember God's wisdom surpasses all human wisdom - especially as the sheer volume of knowledge can be distracting from obedience. The simpler the better. Thank God for scholars who can distill the wisdom of God for us. May God reward you.

+Thanks be to God, Fr. Nay. Words that pierced the darkness and the emptyness of the world. Can only move through the desert of some days hoping for an oasis of grace.

+Thanks be to God for your homilies. Got the point. It is frustrating. Not sure I'm doing impossible things but certainly things I never imagined I could do. Peace!

May God reward you! Explains how the last 10yrs have pretty much progressed since my conversion. You love God, do good, and get persecuted for it but you're at peace with God.

Praise God. Thank you for posting this homily. Spirit-filled and converting to live and think like an apostle. The temptation to react to evil is truly difficult. Law of the jungle guides the world. Didn't mention the wolves in sheeps clothing in the Church being real too. It's often a lonely human journey but filled with the greatest love of God for consolation. Peace!

Thanks be to God for your homilies. I try to dig down around the roots of pride, anger, envy, greed, gluttony, sloth, and lust when I confess but it's hard not to rationalize or mitigate sin when it's really about a lack of love for God. The attachments to the world seem like invisible chains but I trust the Lord will set me free to serve Him.

+Praise God! For me this was the perfect homily, like getting baptized again. May God reward you. I have confessed weekly for about 9yrs as that was advised as the best way to draw closer to Jesus and it's true...it's one humbling failure after another and you realize how much you need the grace to do what God asks as it generally seems impossible and the virtues are all difficult when tested by those who target you with hatred for simply being at peace with God or associated with an imperfect … [More]

Blessed be God. Thank you again, Father. Seems hard to grasp the glory of the Lord. I tend to think nothing on earth compares. All I can think of is it will be the uncreated Light and a lightness of being because we can join fully into the eternal Love that is possible without any fear of sin. Memorable phrases "become powerful victims of God's mercy, grace and blessings" and God's mercy fills the chasm between us and Him. I think of how hard it is to relate to people because of differences in … [More]

Thanking God for you, Fr. Nay. I just started laughing as you described it exactly as it happens...and even among those who think it only natural to fleece the sheep to the point of drawing blood, figuratively-speaking of course. No such blessing to be a martyr yet but have run for more Divine Mercy and stoking up for the next time the Lord wants it to be poured out. May God reward you.

Thanks be to God for your preaching Fr. Nay. Again, I've never heard this Scripture preached this way and it makes beautiful spiritual sense. I rejoice any time I get to share Jesus with others but I'm still afraid to bring Him up when I sense I'm among folks who get uncomfortable just seeing my San Damiano cross or a smiling face...Mystifies me. I figure the Spirit may be smiting them and maybe they're angry with God, etc. I know we're supposed to consider anger a part of human nature but I'm … [More]

This is the 2nd time I've listened and truly brings a great blessing of conversion for me to persevere and put first things first. Each moment given us is precious and may glorify the Lord. His Light also burns brightest in the darkness..not to be afraid. May God reward you! May the Lord grant us all to serve Him with good zeal.

Blessed be God! That was awe-inspiring. I haven't heard the saints or angels - though might have heard an angel one Christmas...takes a bit of work to find churches that are silent and left open for prayer in the States...Pretty sure I'm hearing from the Holy Trinity though and it is incredible balm to a wounded soul to know God is waiting and listening and loving us all. May God reward you!

Thanks be to God for your preaching, Fr. Nay. I never heard this taught so beautifully. Usually the focus is on being trusting of Providence. Change and growth do seem harder as one ages. I'm grateful to have been re-verted in my mid-30s and it's been 10 years now. I still recall one particular heart expanding experience early on when learning more about the mercy of God for all, particularly those who due to mental illness commit suicide. Truly felt like my heart grew larger on hearing that - … [More]

+Thank God for your preaching. Opened wide that passage for me. Explains a bit what I've been experiencing in prayer too. Seems like the Spirit is bringing Scriptures to mind that are not part of the usual lectio on the daily readings but often far in advance of readings. Not that I know the Scriptures as fully as I should. Lord have mercy. It's startling to be given a piece of the Lord's mind like that but figure I'll get used to it and best to do whatever He tells me. May God reward you. Our … [More]