A Reflection on Fr. Isaac Relyea's Lenten Mission.
Sermon of 23 February║St. Anthony of Padua Chapel║N. Caldwell, NJ.
Dearest friend,
It was a great blessing to witness Fr. Isaac Relyea preaching his Lenten Mission for the Society of Saint Pius X, and an even greater blessing that the sermons were recorded and graciously provided to me by Fr. Kevin Robinson, FSSPX, for your benefit.
I ask that you pray for Fr. Relyea and for Fr. Kevin Robinson- the facilitator of this extraordinary preaching, especially for sharing the audio files of the entire mission.
The Other Conferences (linked)
*it is easiest to download the files to your phone or computer*
On Death:
With absolutely no hesitation, Fr. Relyea began his sermon by speaking of the spontaneity of death.
“For yourselves know perfectly, that the day of the Lord shall so come, as a thief in the night” (1 Thessalonians 5:2).
There is no greater example of death sneaking upon us like a thief in the night quite like the stories found among the news, whether it be a plane crash, terroristic atrocities, or more. Fr. Relyea beseeches us to think about how many times we’ve engaged in the sin of presumption.
“Oh, I’ll make it to confession another time.”
“I can read Sacred Scripture another day.”
“I’ll start praying more eventually.”
He then blatantly announced in his thick New York accent:
“Lies. Lies. Lies; and who’s the fatha of lies? Satan; and what else is he? A murderah; because when you buy into the lies, your soul dies.” (4:28-4:35) (accent emphasised)
The Tricks of Satan:
A simple, but overlooked fact is that Satan has no new tricks. The Father of Lies is a two trick pony; first he tempts you, reminds you of the virtue of hope,
“God is merciful, fall into this sin, God will forgive you”
At the moment before sin, it is Satan who encourages you, and God who begs you, suffering on the Cross:
“Do not fall into this sin, my child.”
When the sin has been committed, the roles reverse; Satan cackles, he tells you to despair:
“God won’t forgive you, keep sinning, you’ve forsaken Heaven!”
It is in this very moment that God calls out to you, begging:
“Humble your heart and return to Me, Christ has paid your debt.”
One of the most heroic actions that can be undertaken is to stop your sin in its tracks for the love of God. There is always time to repent when you’re alive, but it all comes to an end at a certain point. It is better to repent while there’s time than to fall into despair.
God is consistent with us, as we are told in Psalm 50:19:
“A sacrifice to God is an afflicted spirit: a contrite and humbled heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.” (Douay-Rheims).
When sin has prevailed, God only asks for a humble and contrite heart. The formula is simple; even simpler than Satan’s deceitful tricks.
An additional meditation on this topic is Fulton Sheen’s sermon “the Devil” (LINK)
Separation from Earthly Things:
With death comes the separation of the body and the soul, but also all of your material things and earthly titles. No amount of money that was stockpiled can purchase your entry into Heaven, your university degrees hold no merit in the eyes of God, and your house full of amenities and trinkets will not save you.
All that can guide you through the narrow gate are your faith and works from this lifetime. It’s an incredible thought, really, that nothing in this life matters except the way you followed God’s 10 Commandments and precepts of His Church.
Your significance in Heaven or Hell is determined only by the extremity of your virtues, or lack of them.
The Blessing to be Fearful of Death:
Oh what a lovely thing it is to have a holy fear of death! Even though Our Lord Jesus Christ has removed the sting of death by His Superabundant Sacrifice, Sacred Scripture tells us that:
“It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Hebrews 10:31).
To recognise and meditate on the reality of death is a grace that is not afforded to everyone. Some people may wait their entire lives to begin thinking about death, having already dug themselves a seemingly insurmountable grave. Thanks be to God for revealing this truth to us early on, and let us never forget how much of a blessing it is to know that we must die.
Death is not a punishment, but a blessing. In St. Gregory’s ‘Moralia in Job,’ we are told:
"it is for our good that God does not reveal the hour of our death, that we might be constantly vigilant, and that we might be prepared at all times."
St. Augustine reminds us that,
“The thought of death, which is the end of all things, restrains man from sin." (City of God).
Quite simply, God has supplied us with yet another grace by the means of death. Death is an endless source of meditation; constantly reminding us the cost of sin, the shortness of our temporal existence, and the greatness of God.
Repentance & Salvation:
Our Lord gives us the Parable of the Workers (St. Matthew, Chapter 20) to illustrate that each individual can receive a fair wage (salvation), regardless of when he began working for it. It is never too late to turn to God, to change your ways, and to earn your spot in Heaven, although it is presumptuous to assume that you’ll have a miraculous conversion on your deathbed.
Galatians 6:7 “tells us that “God will not be mocked”, and assuming that you’ll have the opportunity to die on a deathbed, surrounded by family, friends, and medical workers is foolish. By assuming that you can live in sin, await a peaceful death, and then repent, is to spit on Christ, to tell Him,
“I’ll continue to crucify you, and when I’m ready, you’ll absolve me.”
As St. Robert Bellarmine teaches:
"To die in sin is to fall into eternal death, but to live in sin is to walk in the shadow of death."
"The greatest of all evils is to die in sin, for then there is no hope, no remedy, and no more time for repentance." (The Art of Dying Well)
And of St. Jerome:
"Out of 100,000 sinners who continue in sin until death, scarcely one will be saved." (Letter 126)
And of St. Vincent Ferrer:
“The greatest miracle that God can perform is to convert a sinner from his sin.” (Sermons)
What then, is the point of walking in the shadow of death? Considering that most people do not end up with this fate, what makes you think that God will afford you that grace, something so miraculous? So as we lived, we shall also die, and Sacred Scripture tells us in Ecclesiastes 9:12:
“As fishes are taken with the hook, and as the birds are caught in the snare: so are the sons of men snared in an evil time, when it shall suddenly come upon them."
It is for this reason that we should always live with the expectation of death, waking up with gratitude, and going to bed with repentance. Alas, how often do we ask ourselves in the morning, “is this truly my last day?”
If the voice in your head tells you to withhold confession for another day, your reply ought to be,
“Get behind me Satan.”
On Prayer and Evangelisation:
Let us not be the ones to forget that prayer is the acknowledgment of God, a desire to communicate with Him, done to acknowledge your sinfulness, humility, and submission, and that you’ve been afforded a great grace to communicate with the Creator of the World, Christ the King, at any moment.
How many of us then, actually consider what it is to pray? We are told to:
"pray without ceasing,” (1 Thessalonians 5:17)
"[and] watch ye therefore, [pray] at all times, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that are to come, and to stand before the Son of man," (Luke 21:36)
Yet how many of us scroll without ceasing, detract without ceasing, and head towards Hell unceasingly?
Many people attribute the corruption of society to a lack of prayer, but how are you changing that? Have you begun a prayer group? A Bible Study group? Do you evangelise at every opportunity- with your actions, your words, and even your dress?
For the Women- Do you imitate the attire of the demonic movie-stars, or do you dress like the Virgin Mary? Do you seek to console those who need your help? Do you engage in feminine activities- homemaking, homesteading, learning various tasks?
For the Men- Does your dress represent the modesty a man ought to have- are you concealed, appropriate, and mature? Do you engage in your duties to protect, to function rationally, and lead? How often do you use foul language? Are you studious, as a Catholic man ought to be? How well do you know your catechism?
When it comes to fixing society and bringing it back to what it ought to be, every little thing matters. If we are not beacons of the faith, Apostles even, what good will our prayers do? Prayer goes hand in hand with action.
On Community:
Fr. Relyea also mentioned the 15 minute city- an evil concept by the government that advocates for everything that a person “needs,” to be within 15 minutes or so- work, school, groceries, stores, etc.
When the secular government assumes it knows what we need, it conveniently leaves out the need for God. It is incredible how many people fail to see that most of the world’s current architecture is psychologically subversive, meant to dull your moods, drain your energy, and drive you insane.
Catholics are people of the land, quite simply. God is best ascertained through His Creation, not through the perversions of men. If you are trapped in a city, away from the land, animals, fresh air, and the night sky, it is much harder to marvel at the works of God, and significantly easier to marvel at the works of men.
Thus, the importance of a good, traditional community, established at a decent distance away from the hustle and bustle of the cities, but no so far as to be utterly remote. Your parish should be your life, one of your means of honouring God, where your friends dwell, and where your children grow up; it is not just the place where you go to Church on Sundays because you have to.
Not only are such communities vitally important to the faith, but also for the economy. Within them, there is a pleasant local economy, which is not bound to the extortion done by corporations.
For more on private property, a sermon by Fr. James Doran (formerly SSPX, now Maronite).
Disposition of Prayer:
"Ask, and it shall be given you: seek, and you shall find: knock, and it shall be opened unto you." (Matthew 7:7)
"You ask, and receive not: because you ask with an evil intention, that you may consume it on your concupiscences." (James 4:3)
"And he was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights: he did not eat bread, and he did not drink water: and he wrote in the tables the words of the covenant, the ten words." (Exodus 34:28)
"And Jesus, being full of the Holy Ghost, returned from the Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the desert, for forty days, and was tempted by the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing; and when they were ended, he was hungry." (Luke 4:1-2)
"But I chastise my body, and bring it into subjection: lest perhaps when I have preached to others, I myself should become a castaway." (1 Corinthians 9:27)
What then, is the disposition of prayer?
Sacred Scripture makes it abundantly clear that, for prayer to be efficacious, it must be conducive to your salvation, prayed for in an appropriate manner, and it is best to converse with God while fasting.
As St. Paul teaches us, chastising the body makes for effective works. When the flesh can be rebuked, trained, and crucified, so too can the passions. Fasting is not God’s asking of us to deprive ourselves meaninglessly, but to learn temperance, self-denial, and sacrifice.
The significance of Exodus 34 is to that our great Patriarch Moses deemed it necessary to fast for 40 days before speaking with the Lord. What then, do we deem fit for the Lord? Do we pray mindlessly, while actively engaging in sin, without temperance, and always desiring impure things? Or do we pray unceasingly with the mind, with the lips, with a proper disposition, as we chastise our bodies for the Lord?
My dear friend,
This is where I say goodbye for now and await your return for my next article. Though I’ve offered many thoughts on Fr. Isaac’s homily, there is so much more to be said, and I hope this has all been fruitful for you. I’ve left a variety of links to different materials that relate to what was reflected on (books, videos, audio files) for your benefit.
Comments and criticism are always appreciated
Please pray for Fr. Relyea and Fr. Robinson.
May God bless you,
Yours in Christ..
Thank you for sharing! These are excellent.