Posts by Connor Szurgot
On Our Present and Expected Salvation
Pentecost, like Easter, has a solemn vigil liturgy. This liturgy includes a large number of Old and New Testament readings foreshadowing the coming of the Holy Spirit upon the Church. They highlight His role as unifier of all nations in the Church (Genesis 11:1-9), as God dwelling with His people (Exodus 19:3-8a, 16-20b), as the…
Read MoreI Have Much More to Tell You, But You Cannot Bear It Now
As we approach the Ascension of our Lord into Heaven, our hearts both rejoice at His glorification and grow sad at the loss of the closeness we experienced with Him while He walked on earth. Yet, the words which Jesus speaks to His apostles show us that His work is not finished. He promises to…
Read MoreOn Receiving Communion Well
“I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst.” It is so important to prepare properly to receive our Lord in the Eucharist! It is so easy for Communion to become routine and forget the incredible gift that we are receiving. There are…
Read MoreOn Knowing the Truth
Man naturally seeks the truth, but fallen man finds it difficult to know the truth. In philosophy, it is said that man only perceives the accidents, not the substance. In this context, ‘accidents’ means the physical properties of the thing we observe with our senses, e.g., the object’s color, height, weight, or temperature. The ‘substance’…
Read MoreDo We Need to Fast?
Against any who would assert that fasting is not necessary in the New Covenant, we have the clear words of our Lord, “When you fast” and “The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.” It is plain to see from these verses that Jesus expects His…
Read MoreOn the Sanctity of Marriage
John the Baptist was a man that easily stood out from the crowd. He was a powerful preacher that spoke of a coming Messiah that would baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire. He lived in the desert and survived on locusts and wild honey. Today’s Gospel recalls that, despite his blunt attacks against the…
Read MoreOn Trust in the Grace of God
In today’s Gospel we see an important principle in the spiritual life expressed: God always gives sufficient grace to follow the commands/calls He gives. This principle, flowing from the theological virtue of hope, enables us to whole heartily give ourselves to the work that God entrusts to us, confident that grace will bolster our feeble…
Read MoreThe Priest as Alter Christus
During the holy season of Advent, the lectionary gives us many prophecies of the Messianic Era. Vibrant imagery is used of overflowing abundance, peace, healing, and an end to the sorrows of the past. Such is the prophecy spoken by the prophet Isaiah in the first reading, O people of Zion, who dwell in Jerusalem,…
Read MoreOn the Value of the Human Soul
In both the First Reading and the Gospel, we hear proclaimed the immense value of the human soul, but from different perspectives. St. Paul covers the topic from our perspective, while Jesus reveals to us God’s view of the immense value of our souls. From Our Perspective St. Paul writes: But whatever gains I had,…
Read MoreOn the Rosary: Sword and Shield
I am amazed that you are so quickly forsaking the one who called you by the grace of Christ for a different gospel (not that there is another). But there are some who are disturbing you and wish to pervert the Gospel of Christ. (Gal 1:6-7) Paul begins his letter to the Galatians with this…
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