From Our Pastor

21st Sunday after Pentecost
October 14, 2018

The Collect for the Mass asks the Lord to “keep His household the Church in continual godliness”. What does it mean to live in continual godliness? It is to live a life of piety, of virtue. A life where we imitate our Lord, His Mother and the Saints. This takes an effort on our part, but our eternal happiness will depend on how we do and whether we persevered trying.

St. Paul in the epistle tells us to put on the armor of God, since we will be doing battle against the devil. Temptations can take on many forms, whether it is something physical, spiritual or even imaginary. Whatever form the temptation takes, it is nevertheless a spiritual battle, and a fallen angel who probably suggests the temptations. Sometimes it is our own weakness or the temptations from the world that get us in trouble, but it is still a spiritual disorder that leads to the improper use of things or lack of control of our own passions. The battle is spiritual, and so we must use spiritual weapons. St. Paul tells us to take on the armor of God: he mentions that our loins must be girt with truth, having on the breastplate of justice, and our feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace. We should use the shield of Faith, which will be our defense against the wicked one, and to take on the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.

As things get crazier in our society, we will need to be more firmly grounded in the use of these powerful spiritual weapons. 

Rev. Charles Van Vliet, FSSP
Pastor, Regina Caeli Parish