Category: Sermons

Thoughts for the 6th Sunday after Pentecost

7/20/2014

Hunger of Soul

“They have nothing to eat” (Mark, 8:2)

The immeasurable compassion of Our Lord for those who are in need is well illustrated in today's Gospel. Fascinated by His preaching, a great number of people had followed Him for three days, without anything to eat, and now they were in extreme need of food. To supply their need Christ worked an extraordinary miracle, feeding a multitude of about four thousand persons with only seven loaves of bread and a few fishes.

In this narrative we find a symbol of the important truth that the hunger of the soul for happiness cannot be satisfied by anything except the possession of God. There is in every human heart a desire for happiness; and experience proves conclusively that it cannot be adequately satisfied by the goods that earth provides, such as riches, honours and pleasures. Many crave these created goods with the feeling that if they acquire them they will be perfectly happy. If they succeed in this ambition, they may be contented for a time; but eventually they become dissatisfied and seek around for some other object to gratify their desires. If they attain this, again there is contentment for a time; and then the story is repeated. Some persons spend their lives in this way, always grasping for more of this world's goods, never really happy, even after they have gained possession of what they sought.

The basic reason is that the mind and heart of man are unlimited in their capacity to know and to seek truth and goodness; and hence, only the unlimited truth and goodness that are found in God alone can measure up to this capacity. St. Augustine expressed this indubitable fact when he said: “The heart of man is made for Thee, O God, and it is restless till it rests in Thee.”

Through the goodness of Our Divine Redeemer, we can possess the one object that will satisfy this hunger of our souls, God. For, when we are in the state of sanctifying grace we have God in our souls, and have a claim to possess Him forever in the life to come. When we receive Holy Communion, we possess Christ Himself, nourishing our souls with supernatural grace and strength, even as of old He nourished the bodies of the multitude with natural food. It is sad to realise that there are so many Catholics who have the opportunity to find true happiness in the possession of God, but who continue to make the things of earth the main object of their desires.

Practical Application

Ask yourself honestly if you are seeking happiness in earthly riches, honours and pleasures or in the love and service of Jesus Christ. Remember that only in the possession of God will your soul find true happiness.

Thoughts for the Fifth Sunday after Pentecost

7/13/2014

The Sin of Enmity

“Everyone who is angry with his brother shall be liable to judgement” (Matt., 5:21)

The moral law proclaimed by Jesus Christ is based on the commandment of love: “Thou shall love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart and soul... Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.” Hence, it is a serious sin to disobey this commandment, not only with reference to the obligation to love God but also with reference to the obligation to love one’s neighbour. This is the significance of Our Lord’s words in today’s Gospel: “Everyone who is angry with his brother shall be liable to judgement.”

Of course, these words must be interpreted properly. Our Lord does not condemn just anger. He Himself manifested just anger when He drove the buyers and sellers out of the temple. If some modern parents were more inclined to show just anger toward their children when they misbehave, there would be less juvenile delinquency in our country. Again, that type of anger which consists in a brief manifestation of impatience or a slight show of temper which is uncalled for is not a serious sin, though people should strive to restrain this also.

But the type of anger toward our fellow men which Christ condemned so severely is that which consists in lasting, deep hatred. It is most unfortunate that many persons yield to this form of anger, which we call enmity. There are cases of enmity that lasts for years--sometimes between near relatives. People who meet daily hate each other so viciously that they will speak only in so far as is strictly necessary. They will strive to do each other harm, they will rejoice in each other’s misfortunes. How can such persons call themselves Christians, followers of the gentle and forgiving Jesus Christ? How can they say with sincerity: “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us?”

It is only natural that at times we should feel a sense of resentment when we are treated unkindly or unjustly by others, and we are not forbidden to manifest our feelings and demand our just rights. But this must be done without hatred of soul. When there is reason to believe that the person who offended us was not aware of what he was doing, we should be sufficiently magnanimous to forget the matter. Often the source of the resentment that divides people for years is a slight incident, not sufficiently important to arouse good Christians to a single burst of impatience.

Practical Application

If you receive any injury or insult from a fellow man, show the true Christian spirit by forgiving this person from your heart and by praying for him.

Thoughts for the Second Sunday after Pentecost

6/22/2014

The Eucharistic Banquet

“A certain man gave a great supper, and he invited many” (Luke, 14:16)

Last Thursday we celebrated the Feast of Corpus Christi, the Feast of The Blessed Sacrament. The day of the institution of the Blessed Sacrament was the day before Our Lord's painful death on the cross and we commemorate this event during Holy Week, on Holy Thursday. However, since this day occurs at the mournful time of Our Lord's Passion, we cannot manifest the joy and exaltation which this great Sacrament deserves. Hence, the Church has assigned for this purpose another day, the Thursday after Trinity Sunday. Today we are sail within the octave of this glorious Feast, and so the Church reads in the Mass of this Sunday the Gospel of the man who gave a great supper and invited many. The reference of this Gospel is clearly to Our Lord Who has prepared for us a banquet of His own body and blood, and invited all the members of His Church to partake of this feast.

The incident of the Gospel, the reluctance of certain persons to come to the banquet, is verified in the reaction of our own day toward the reception of Holy Communion. There are Catholics in great numbers who will not approach the altar to partake of the Blessed Sacrament, except very rarely--perhaps only once or twice a year. These persons are accustomed to make many excuses for their negligence, such as their unworthiness, the difficulty of getting to confession because of their work, the hct that they feel no devotion, etc. But none of these excuses is valid. The only thing that should keep Catholics away from frequent Holy Communion is mortal sin; and mortal sin is entirely due to a person's own will. Furthermore, those who find it difficult to avoid mortal sin will receive abundant graces to overcome temptations if they receive Holy Communion frequently.

The definite doctrine of our Catholic faith that the Blessed Sacrament contains the real body and blood of Jesus Christ should suffice to urge us to frequent communion. What greater privilege could the human soul enjoy than to have the Son of God as its Guest? How can we better solve the problems of life and meet its difficulties courageously than by seeking the aid of Him who is the divine source of supernatural light and strength? On this Sunday, while the Church is rejoicing in the great gift of the Blessed Sacrament, every practical Catholic should resolve to receive Holy Communion at least once a month.

Practical Application

Remember the conditions for frequent communion laid down by Pope St. Plus X-the state of grace and a good intention. Even daily communion is open to all who fulfil these conditions and it will bring the fullness of grace and joy into our Catholic life.

Thoughts for Trinity Sunday

6/15/2014

“Baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost” (Matt., 28:19)

On this day the Catholic Church observes a special feast in honour of the most profound mystery of our faith, the doctrine of the Holy Trinity. According to this doctrine, there is only one God, but in God there are three distinct Persons, known as the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. In theological language this means that God is one in nature, but three in Persons.

We make no claim that we can give a clear and adequate explanation of this doctrine. It is a mystery-that is, a truth which we accept on the authority of God, but which we cannot understand. We can, indeed, understand that there is only one God. Our reason tells us that it would be a contradiction in terms to say that there is more than one God. The very idea of God indicates absolute supremacy, the possession of all perfections. If there were two Gods,neither could be absolutely perfect because neither would possess the perfections of the other.

But, how this one divine nature can be possessed by three Persons, each distinct from the other, yet each identical with the divinity is entirely above our understanding. However, this is no argument against the reasonableness of believing this doctrine. We accept the statements of our fellow men on matters that surpass our understanding when these persons are intelligent and truthful--for example, the statements of the atomic scientists. Why then should we not accept the statement of the all-knowing and all-truthful God when He tells us that He is one God in three distinct Persons?

The doctrine of the Holy Trinity is the very foundation of Christian belief. In the early Church there were many misunderstandings about this sublime doctrine, so that most of the heresies of the first centuries were centred about this mystery. But the infallible Church pointed out the way to the truth, and hence today in our Catholic theology we have a profound and consistent teaching regarding this doctrine, enabling us to answer all the objections that are raised against it, even though we make no claim to give a positive understanding of its full significance. Catholics should try to familiarise themselves with at least a general knowledge of the Church's theological doctrine on the Holy Trinity.

Practical Application

Whenever you make the sign of the Cross, remember you are making an act of faith in the most sublime Christian doctrine. Try to be recollected, and accompany the words with an interior act of faith that there is one God in three Divine Persons.

Thoughts for Sunday in Octave of the Ascension

6/1/2014

Suffering for the Faith

“The hour is coming for everyone who kills you to think that he is offering worship to God” (John, 16:2)

Our Blessed Lord clearly taught that His religion was not easy to practice. He let it be known that anyone who would follow Him must be prepared to bear a cross, and that hatred and scorn would be cast on His disciples by the world. In today's Gospel we hear Him predicting that even death may be the portion of His followers and that those who would inflict this death would consider that they had done a good deed. This prediction has often been verified in the Catholic Church down through the centuries.

Today in many lands these words of Christ are coming true. Those who are faithful to Him are persecuted and sometimes are put to death. The persons who perform these wicked deeds have no idea that they are doing a service to God, because they do not believe in God; but they believe that they are doing a good deed according to their distorted philosophy.

In our land we have not been called on as yet to suffer death for our faith. However, in view of the uncertain state of the world, it is possible that our country may one day behold the sad conditions that are now taking place behind the Iron Curtain. Moreover even now we are sometimes called on to suffer for the sake of our faith. There are persons in our land today who look down on Catholics as if they belonged to an inferior race. They charge Catholics with being ignorant or slavishly obedient to their ecclesiastical superiors. They assert that Catholics cannot be loyal to our country. They sometimes keep Catholics out of posts of honour and authority just because of their faith. Sad to say, there have been some Catholics who, in order to avoid such persecution have renounced their Catholic faith and their membership in the Catholic Church.

We know that it is our duty when persecution of this kind fails to our lot to be loyal to Christ. We may not be cowardly, we must continue to profess our faith fearlessly and openly. In the words of Christ, we must not be scandalised; we must not make the attack of persecutors an occasion of being false to Christ and to His Holy Church.

Practical Application

If you are called on to suffer anything for your faith, remember that Our Lord promised this to His faithful followers. Hence, in the fact that you are persecuted because of your religion you can find a consoling assurance that you are numbered among the beloved disciples of Jesus Christ.

Thoughts for the Fifth Sunday after Easter

5/24/2014

The Power of Prayer

“Ask and you shall receive” (John, 16:24)

Christ made a very extraordinary promise to His followers which is expressed in today's Gospel. Our Lord said, “Ask and you shall receive.” This promise of Christ was intended to urge us to make frequent use of prayer.

Prayer, in general, is the raising of our minds and hearts to God. We may pray for any of four purposes--to adore God, to thank Him for His blessings, to ask Him pardon of our sins, and to seek His favours. It is this last type of prayer, the prayer of petition, to which Our Lord referred when He said, “Ask and you shall receive.”

In a word, Our Lord promises to prayer infallible efficacy. He tells us that any favour we ask in prayer will be granted. Of course, this promise must be taken with proper qualifications. Christ was referring mainly to prayer for spiritual favours. Often the temporal favours we ask in prayer -- a better job, recovery of hearth, success in business, etc., would not be for our spiritual welfare, and we cannot expect that Christ would grant those petitions. But when we ask for some benefit for our soul, such as a greater love for God, patience in trials, the light to see the course of action God wishes us to follow, etc., we have absolute assurance, based on the promise of the Son of God, that we shall obtain what we seek.

This promise is especially applicable to the graces we need to overcome temptation. For this reason we can be certain that if we pray in time of temptation we shall preserve God's grace in our soul. No one can ever claim that he did not receive the grace to overcome any temptation.

If he did yield to the temptation it is an indication that he did not pray or at least that his prayer did not possess the proper qualifications. For undoubtedly Our Blessed Lord was referring only to prayer endowed with the necessary qualities, such as humility, confidence and perseverance. When we pray with these dispositions of soul we have nothing to fear during the entire course of life, for God is with us by His all powerful grace.

Practical Application

Fill your souls with a great desire to make use of prayer as Our Lord wills, and pray frequently for all your needs of body or of soul.

The next three days, preparatory to the feast of the Ascension, are called Rogation Days, days set aside by the Church as a time of special prayer, both for temporal favours (such as an abundant harvest) and for all the spiritual needs of our soul.

Thoughts for the Fourth Sunday after Easter

5/18/2014

The Infallibility of the Church

“When He the Spirit of truth has come, He will teach you all the truth” (John, 16:13)

The words of today's Gospel were spoken to the apostles by Our Blessed Lord on the night before His death. The apostles were saddened and uncertain, and Christ wished to console them by assuring them that in the near future He would send the Holy Ghost to give them light and strength. This promise was fulfilled on Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit descended upon the apostles and disciples in the form of tongues of fire, giving them wisdom and courage so that they were enabled to go forth into the streets of Jerusalem to preach the Gospel without fear or hesitation.

This promise of Our Blessed Saviour was directed to the apostles as the official teachers of His Church; hence, it was intended also for their successors in this office, the Bishops of the Catholic Church and, in the first place, the Pope. In these words of the Son of God we find confirmation of the doctrine of our Holy Faith which asserts that the Holy Ghost will protect these teachers from error in their task of communicating Christ's message to the souls of men even to the end of time.

To many non-Catholics the claim of the Church to infallibility seems preposterous. But it should appear most reasonable to anyone who admits that Jesus Christ is true God, able to watch over the teaching office of His representatives and empowered to send the third person of the Holy Trinity to protect these teachers from leading the faithful astray by error.

For this reason Catholics believe that their Church is infallible. The prerogative of infallibility is possessed by the Bishops when they assemble in council with the Pope, and also when, under his jurisdiction and approval, they agree in teaching some doctrine of faith or morals in their respective dioceses. Above all, infallibility belongs to the Pope when he speaks ex cathedra that is, when, as head of the entire Church, using the fullness of his teaching power, he defines a doctrine of faith or morals to be held by all the faithful. When Catholics receive a doctrine taught in this manner by the official teachers of their Church they know that it has come to them under the protecting power of the Holy Ghost and is infallibly true.

Practical Application

Thank God that when you make an act of faith in the doctrines taught by the Catholic Church you have absolute assurance that God Himself has protected those who announced it from error. Often make acts of faith in the teachings of the Church.

Thoughts for 3rd Sunday after Easter

5/11/2014

“Your joy no man shall take from you” (John, 16:22)

Some persons have the idea that religion is intended to be a gloomy affair. This may be true of some forms of religion; but it is not true of the Catholic religion.

Our Lord established a religion of joy and happiness, as is indicated by His statement to His apostles related in today's Gospel, “Your joy no man shall take from you.”

In the history of the Catholic Church this is abundantly illustrated, especially in the lives of the saints. The saints were men and women who were most happy and joyful, even though they had much suffering to endure and often practised the most severe penances.

The reasons for our happiness as Catholics are many.
1. In the first place, we have the assurance that we are in possession of the one true religion.
2. We know that in the teachings of our faith we have the satisfactory solution to the problems of life.
3. We are aware that we can obtain by prayer all that we need to lead a good life, so that temptation can never rob us of the friendship of God if we seek strength in fervent prayer.
4. And if we are in the state of sanctifying grace, as every good Catholic should be, we know that God loves us with an infinite love as adopted children, and that He is watching over us so that nothing may harm us.

This does not mean that we are assured that because of our Catholic faith we shall be free from all trials and sufferings. Sometimes it is the will of God that those who are very dear to Him shall be called on to endure poverty, sickness, the loss of reputation, and antagonism from their fellow-men. But these tribulations will not diminish our joy if we accept them in the spirit of conformity to God's Will and with the realisation that they will contribute much toward our eternal happiness.

Above all, as Catholics we have the joy of knowing that after this brief life we shall be admitted to the happiness of heaven provided we are faithful to our Divine Lord. This is the meaning of the words He spoke to His apostles and in them to all His loyal followers, “I shall see you again.”

Practical Application

Rid yourself of the unfortunate habit of anxiety and fear, and try to taste the true joy of those who love God. If you live up to your Catholic faith you will experience a peace of soul and happiness far greater than anything on earth can provide, and this joy “no man shall take from you.”

Thoughts for Easter Sunday

4/20/2014

The Resurrection

“He has risen; He is not here” (Mark, 16:6)

Today the Catholic Church announces to her members the same message that the angel proclaimed to the holy women on the first Easter: “Christ is risen.”

In the course of the past few days we lived in spirit the tragic scenes of the first Holy Week. We beheld Christ nailed to the cross, to die in agony; and in the evening of Good Friday we saw His dead body placed in the tomb. His enemies were triumphant; His friends were filled with sorrow and dismay.

But in the early hours of Sunday morn the soul of Christ returned to His body and He came forth glorious from the tomb, never to suffer or to die again. Thus He proved to the world that He is truly the Son of God, and that He has conquered sin and the powers of evil.

We are intimately united with Jesus Christ because we are members of His Mystical Body. His glory and triumph in a sense belong to us. Just as He rose from the tomb, bright and glorious, so we are destined one day to be united in body and in soul and to rise from our grave to enjoy forever the bliss of eternal life. Hence, Easter Sunday is for us a day of rejoicing, because it reminds us of the sublime goal for which we have been created.

However, this privilege will be granted us only if we are faithful to our obligations as members of Christ's Mystical Body--which means that we must make our lives like to the life of Our Lord Himself. Like Him we must be willing to endure suffering in the spirit of full conformity to God's will, repeating from our heart the words He spoke in the Garden of Olives: “Father, not my will but thine be done.” Like Him we must bear our cross patiently, for He said: “If anyone wishes to come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me” (Matt., 16:24). Like Him, we must love God with our whole heart and soul, and our neighbour as ourselves. At times, these duties are very hard, but it was only through such deeds that Christ Himself merited the glory of the resurrection. The servant is not above the Master.

In the midst of the uncertainty that pervades the modern world, in the midst of the hatred and strife that are bringing fear and unhappiness to hundreds of millions of human beings at the present day, it is good for us Catholics to bear in mind that whatever may happen in the world we have the assurance of eternal happiness with Our Lord if we are faithful to His commandments.

Practical Application

In times of discouragement and temptation let the thought of the glorious resurrection that will be yours if you are loyal to Christ be your strength and your consolation

First Sunday of Lent

3/9/2014

At that time: Jesus was led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterwards hungry.

Sermon by St. Gregory the Pope

Some are wont to question as to what spirit it was of which Jesus was led up into the wilderness, on account of the words a little farther on: Then the devil taketh him up into the holy City. And again: The devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain. But verily, and without question, we must take this passage to mean that it was the Holy Spirit who led him up into the wilderness. His own Spirit led him where the evil spirit might find him to tempt him. But behold, when it is said that the God-Man was taken up by the devil either into an exceeding high mountain, or into the holy City, the mind shrinketh from believing, and the ears of man shudder at hearing it. Yet these things are not incredible, when we consider certain other things concerning him.

Verily, the devil is the head of all the wicked, and every wicked man is a member of the body of wickedness, of which the devil is the head. Was not Pilate a limb of Satan? Were not the Jews that persecuted Christ, and the soldiers that crucified him, likewise limbs of Satan? Is it then strange that he should allow himself to be led up into a mountain by the head, when he allowed himself to be crucified by the members thereof? Wherefore it is not unworthy of our Redeemer, who came to be slain, that he was willing to be tempted. Rather, it was meet that he should overcome our temptations by his own temptations, even as he came to conquer our death by his own death.

But we ought to keep in mind that temptation beareth us onward by three steps. There is, first, the suggestion; then the delectation; lastly, the consent. When we are tempted, we oft-times give way to delectation, and even to consent, because in the sinful flesh of which we are begotten, we carry in ourselves matter to favour the attack of sin. But God, when he took flesh in the womb of the Virgin, and came into the world without sin, did so without having in himself anything of this contradiction. It was possible therefore for him to be tempted in the first stage, namely suggestion; but delectation could find nothing in his soul wherein to fix its teeth. Wherefore all the temptation which he endured from the devil was without, for none was within him.