Trinity Sunday: The Unchanging Church - Fr. Federico Palma 06-15-25

SummaryFr. Palma begins with Christ’s promise: “Behold, I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world.” He explains this is why Catholics gather in true Mass centers, travel long distances for the traditional Mass, and why faithful priests do the same—because Christ is with His Church until the end, and the Holy Sacrifice must be preserved.He clarifies that Christ’s presence is both visible (protecting and guiding the Church through persecutions, making her always visible and infallible in faith and morals) and indefectible—meaning the Church will endure in the same form and doctrine Christ gave her, not changing into something else. This is why the Novus Ordo religion cannot be the Catholic Church—it has changed in essence, not just in superficial practice, and therefore is a new religion keeping only the name.Christ is with His Church in many ways:In the Holy Eucharist (Body, Blood, Soul, Divinity).In His Word, through preaching.In faithful priests.In sanctifying grace dwelling in the soul.In actual graces guiding conversion and perseverance.In the fear of Hell, which keeps souls away from sin.In the hope of Heaven, which draws souls toward Him.In the communion of the faithful.In the example of the saints, who confirm His closeness.The sermon ends with a call to respond to Christ’s fidelity by loving Him in return—through firm adherence to the teachings of the Church, frequent and worthy reception of the sacraments, obedience to God’s commandments, and continual trust in His mercy.Key Quotes“The Church will last until the consummation of the world in the same way He created her. She cannot become something else.”“The Novus Ordo is a new religion. Keeping only the label ‘Catholic Church’ does not make it the Catholic Church.”“Love is paid back with love. His faithful promise must be paid back on our part with love.”“Leo XIII says that the fear of Hell is one of the best apostles in the preaching of the Gospel.”Key Points & TakeawaysChrist’s Promise is the Basis of FidelityHis abiding presence in the Church until the end of time sustains true Catholics and motivates perseverance.Indefectibility Means No Essential ChangeThe Church will never change her essential nature or doctrine; the Novus Ordo is rejected because it has done precisely that.Christ’s Multiple Modes of PresenceEucharist, preaching, priests, grace, fear of Hell, hope of Heaven, communion of the faithful, saints.Fear and Hope as Helps to SalvationThe fear of Hell is a grace that keeps us vigilant; the hope of Heaven draws us upward.Our Response Must be ActiveFidelity to doctrine, worthy reception of sacraments, obedience to commandments, trust in God’s mercy.ConclusionFr. Palma’s homily reinforces that true Catholics stand firm in the traditional Faith not out of nostalgia, but because of Christ’s indefectible promise to remain with His one true Church, unchanged in essence, until the end of time. This is the theological foundation for rejecting the Novus Ordo religion—it is not merely “less reverent” but an entirely new religion incompatible with the indefectibility of the Church. The faithful must love Christ in return for His fidelity by steadfast adherence to His teachings, faithful worship, moral living, and persevering trust in His mercy.Sedevacantist, Pre-Vatican II CommentaryFr. Palma rightly underscores that indefectibility is more than just the Church surviving—it is the Church enduring unchanged in essence in faith, morals, and worship. This truth is fatal to the claims of the Vatican II sect, which has altered essential doctrines on religious liberty, ecumenism, and salvation, thus proving itself a counterfeit church.The Novus Ordo religion cannot be the Catholic Church because:The true Church cannot promulgate error or heresy.The true Church cannot replace the Mass with a Protestantized service.The true Church cannot teach that false religions have God-given rights.Christ’s abiding presence is not a guarantee that modern Rome’s hierarchy is Catholic; rather, it is the guarantee that the true Church—wherever the true Faith and Sacraments remain—will endure. This is why sedevacantist clergy and laity preserve the Faith and worship outside the Novus Ordo structure: not because they have abandoned the Church, but because they refuse to abandon the unchanged Church Christ founded.Fr. Palma’s reminder that Christ is with us in grace, in His priests, and in the sacraments, even in a time of apostasy, is both a consolation and a rallying cry for the remnant faithful.TrueCatholicFaith.com