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Fourth Sunday after Pentecost

7/6/2014

At that time: As the people pressed upon Jesus, to hear the Word of God, he stood by the lake of Gennesaret.

Sermon by St. Ambrose the Bishop

When the Lord wrought so many works of healing, neither time nor place could restrain the people from seeking health. Evening came, and they still followed him; he went down to the lake, and they still pressed upon him; for which reason he entered into Peter's ship. This is that ship, which spiritually up to this very hour, according to the expression of Matthew, is buffeted by tempests; but still, according to Luke, is filled with fishes. By all this is signified that for a while things are troublous for the Church, but afterwards fruitful. And the fishes are those Christians which are as yet in the troublous waters of human life. In this ship also spiritually doth Christ, for the sake of his disciples, still sleep, and still command, for he sleepeth for the lukewarm, and watcheth for the perfect.

No fear, then, for the ship where wisdom steereth, where false teaching is not known, where faith swelleth the sails. How shall she be troubled, whose Lord is himself the Church's sure Foundation? It is where faith is weak that there is fear; where love is perfect, there is safety. To many it is commanded to loose their nets, but to Peter also is said: Launch out into the deep: which may be interpreted as the depths of doctrine. What indeed is there so deep, as to gaze upon the depth of all riches, to recognize the Son of God, and to take up the confession of his divine generation? This is a thing which the mind is not able to grasp by the searchings of man's reason, but which is embraced by a hearty faith.

For, albeit, it is not given unto me to know how the Son of God was born, yet of the fact that he was begotten, I may not be ignorant. What the order of his generation was, I know not, but the Source of his generation, I do acknowledge. None hath beheld the Begetting of the Son of God by the Father, but the Church hath stood by to hear the Father testify that this is his beloved Son. If we believe not God, whom shall we believe? For whatsoever we believe cometh either by sight or hearing; sight is oftentimes deceived, but faith cometh by hearing.

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.

2nd Sunday after Pentecost

6/22/2014

At that time: Jesus spoke unto the Pharisees this parable: A certain man made a great supper, and bade many.

Sermon by St. Gregory the Pope

Dearly beloved brethren, between the dainties of the body and the dainties of the mind there is this difference, that the dainties of the body, when we lack them, raise up a great hunger after them, and when we devour them, straightway our fulness worketh in us niceness. But about the dainties of the mind we are nice while as yet we lack them, and when we fill ourselves with them, then are we an-hungered after them, and the more, being an-hungered, we feed thereon, the more are we an-hungered thereafter. In the bodily dainties, the hunger is keener than the fulness, but in the spiritual the fulness is keener than the hunger. In the bodily, hunger gendereth fulness, and fulness niceness; in the spiritual, hunger indeed gendereth fulness, but fulness gendereth hunger.

Spiritual dainties, in the very eating, do stir up the keenness of hunger in the mind which they fill, for, the more we taste their sweetness, the better we know how well they deserve to be loved; and, if we taste them not, we cannot love them, for we know not how sweet they be. And who can love that whereof he knoweth nothing? Hence saith the Psalmist: O taste and see that the Lord is good; that is, as it were, If ye taste not, ye shall not see his goodness: but let your heart once taste the bread of life, and then indeed, having tasted and proved his sweetness, ye shall be able to love him. But these were the dainties which man lost when he sinned in Eden, and when he had shut his own mouth against the sweet bread whereof if any man eat he shall live for ever, he forsook paradise.

And we that, from the first man, are born under the afflictions of this pilgrimage, are come into the world smitten with niceness; we know not what we ought to want, and the disease of our niceness groweth the worse, as our soul draweth itself the more away from that bread of sweetness. We are no longer an-hungered after inward dainties, since we have lost the use of feeding on them. And so in our niceness we starve, and the sickness of long famishing maketh prey of our health. We will not eat of that inward sweetness which is made ready for us, and being enamoured only of things outward we sink into the wretchedness of loving starvation.

Trinity Sunday

6/15/2014

At that time: Jesus said unto his disciples: All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye, therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father, and of the Holy Ghost.

Sermon by St. Gregory Nazianzen

There is no Catholic but knoweth that the Father is a very Father, the Son a very Son, and the Holy Ghost a very Holy Ghost, even as the Lord himself saith unto his Apostles: Go ye and baptize all nations in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. This is that perfect Trinity who is but One Being, and of whom therefore we testify that his Substance is One. For we make no division in God, as divísions are made in bodies, but we testify, that, according to the power of the Divine Nature, which standeth not in matter, the Persons named have a real existence, and that God is One.

We do not say, as some have dreamt, that the Begetting of the Son of God is an outgrowing from one part to another part: neither do we say that he is the Word in the sense of a mere sound uttered by a voice, but we do believe that these three Names and the Persons meant by them are all of only One Being, One Majesty, and One Power. And therefore we testify that God is One, because this One-ness of his Majesty forbiddeth that we should use the plural form of speech and say Gods. It is Catholic language to say Father and Son, but we cannot and must not say that the Father and the Son are two gods. And that, not because the Son of God is not by himself God, yea, he is Very God of Very God, but because we know that the Son of God is not from elsewhere, but from the One Father himself. Therefore we say that God is One. This is the doctrine which Prophets and Apostles have delivered; this is the doctrine which the Lord himself taught when he said: I and the Father are One. That is, he meant, as touching the One Divine Being, but as touching Persons, we are distinct.

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.

Pentecost Sunday

6/8/2014

At that time: Jesus said unto his disciples: If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.

Sermon by St. Gregory the Pope

Dearly beloved brethren, our best way will be to run briefly through the words which have been read from the Holy Gospel, and thereafter rest for a while quietly gazing upon the solemn subject of this great Festival. This is the day whereon suddenly there came a sound from heaven, and the Holy Ghost descended upon the Apostles, and, for fleshly minds, gave them minds wherein the love of God was shed abroad; and, while without there appeared unto them cloven tongues, like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them, within, their hearts were enkindled. While they received the visible presence of God in the form of fire, the flames of his love enwrapped them. The Holy Ghost himself is love; whence it is that John saith: God is love. Whosoever therefore loveth God with all his soul, already hath obtained him whom he loveth; for no man is able to love God, if he have not gained him whom he loveth.

But, behold now, if I shall ask any one of you whether he loveth God, he will answer will all boldness and quietness of spirit: I do love him. But at the very beginning of this day's Lesson from the Gospel, ye have heard what the Truth saith: If a man love me, he will keep my word. The test, then, of love, is whether it is shewed by works. Hence the same John hath said in his Epistle: If a man say, I love God, and keepeth not his commandments, he is a liar. Then do we indeed love God, and keep his commandments, if we deny ourselves the gratification of our appetites. Whosoever still wandereth after unlawful desires, such an one plainly loveth not God, for he saith, Nay, to that which God willeth.

And my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. O my dearly beloved brethren, think what a dignity is that, to have God abiding as a guest in our heart. Surely if some rich man or some powerful friend were to come into our house, we would hasten to have our whole house cleaned, lest, perchance, when he came in, he should see aught to displease his eye. So let him that would make his mind an abode for God, cleanse it from all the filth of works of iniquity. Lo, again, what saith the Truth? We will come unto him, and make our abode with him. There are some hearts whereunto God cometh, but maketh not his abode therein; with a certain pricking they feel his Presence, but in time of temptation they forget that which hath priced them: and so they turn again to work unrighteousness, even as though they had never repented.

Thoughts for Pentecost Sunday

6/8/2014

The Coming of the Holy Ghost

“The Advocate, the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, He will teach you all things” (John, 14:26)

Today the Catholic Church commemorates the dramatic and important event of the first Pentecost, almost two thousand years ago, when the Holy Ghost descended on the Blessed Virgin Mary and the disciples assembled in prayer in Jerusalem, on the tenth day after the ascension of Jesus Christ into heaven.

The Holy Ghost is the Third Person of the Blessed Trinity, the Spirit of Love. While all the activities of the divinity in the world are actually performed by all three Persons, we ascribe or appropriate certain works to one particular Person. Hence, works of love, such as the enlightenment and the sanctification of human souls, we attribute to the Holy Ghost. For the same reason we attribute to the Holy Ghost the indwelling of God in the Church, which is a work of love. On the first Pentecost the Holy Ghost became the very soul of Christ's Mystical Body, the Church. And just as the human soul gives to the body strength and vigour, so the Holy Ghost gives to the Catholic Church the power and the stability it needs to combat all hostile forces and to continue until the end of time its work of bringing souls to eternal salvation.

Sometimes people wonder why the Catholic Church is so vigorous, despite the many difficulties and persecutions it encounters. The answer is not to be sought in any natural source. If the Church had relied on merely natural means of preserving and protecting itself, it would have perished centuries ago. The life of the Church is divine, because it is conferred directly by God Himself. That is the reason why the Church can never perish.

The Holy Ghost dwells also in the souls of individual Catholics, giving them the spiritual strength they need for the battle of life, and enlightening them to know God's holy will. However, they will merit this help and guidance only by exercising staunch loyalty to Christ and to His Church. Only if they are members of the Church in the fullest sense can they expect to share in its supernatural life in full measure. Only those Catholics who habitually live in sanctifying grace and frequently receive the sacraments can hope to derive from their membership in the Church the aid of the Holy Ghost in the degree in which Christ willed we should partake of the supernatural benefits of the Advocate whom He sent on the first Pentecost.

Practical Application

Thank God for His protection over the Catholic Church and rejoice today in the birthday of the Church. Promise that you will so live your Catholic life that your soul will ever be worthy to be the dwelling place of the Holy Ghost.

Sunday in the Octave of the Ascension

6/1/2014

At that time: Jesus said unto his disciples: When the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of Truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me.

Sermon by St. Augustine the Bishop

The Lord Jesus addressed a discourse to his disciples after the Last Supper. This was on the very eve of his passion, when he was, as it were, about to go away and leave them, so far as his bodily presence was concerned, albeit as touching his spiritual presence, he is with us always, even unto the end of the world. In that discourse he exhorted them to bear patiently the persecution of wicked men. These men he called The World. I have chosen you, saith he, out of the world. It was from this world that he hath chosen the very disciples themselves, and this fact he pointeth out to them, so that they might know that it was by the grace of God that they were what they were, whereas it was by their own sins that they had been what they had been.

If they have persecuted me, saith he, they will also persecute you. Here he plainly pointeth to those Jews who were the persecutors both of himself and of his disciples; so as to make clear that they which persecute his holy ones are as much citizens of the world which he had condemned, as they which persecuted himself. He saith: They know not him that sent me: and yet again: They have hated both me and my Father: that is to say, both the Sender and the Sent (of all which things we have already treated in other sermons), and with that he came at length to say: That the word might be fulfilled that is written in their Law: They hated me without a cause.

Then saith the Lord, as though in continuation: But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of Truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me; and ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning. What connection hath this with the foregoing words? Which words are: Now have they both seen and hated both me and my Father; but this cometh to pass that the word might be fulfilled that is written in their Law, They hated me without a cause. Is not this the connection? to wit: When the Comforter is come, even the Spirit of Truth, he will convict the world of sin and of righteousness and judgment. That is to say, this stirring up of conviction in men's hearts is the testimony of the Spirit of Truth unto all such as have both seen and hated both God the Son and God the Father. Yea, for some there were who had thus seen, and were still in hatred, until the testimony of the Comforter converted them to the Faith which worketh by love.

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.

Fifth Sunday after Easter

5/25/2014

At that time: Jesus said to his disciples: Verily, verily, I say unto you: Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my Name, he will give it you.

Sermon by St. Augustine the Bishop

We have now to consider these words of the Lord: Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my Name, he will give it you. It hath already been said in the previous part of this Sunday's discourse (for the benefit of those who ask the Father in Christ's Name and receive not), that whatsoever is asked, which tendeth not to salvation, is not asked in the Name of the Saviour. By the words: In my Name: we must not understand the vocalization of letter and syllables, but the meaning of what is said, the honest and true meaning of the words: In my Name.

Hence, whosoever thinketh that Christ is not the only-begotten Son of God, such an one doth not ask anything in Christ's Name, even though he do actually utter letters and syllables to that effect, because by these sounds he meaneth not the real Christ, but a fancied being who hath no existence except in the speaker's imagination. But on the other hand, whosoever thinketh of Christ as he ought to think, the same asketh in Christ's Name, and receiveth, provided only it be nothing against his own everlasting salvation; but if it be good for him to receive, he receiveth. Some things are not given at once, but kept over till a more fitting season. Such is the true interpretation of the words: He will give it you: namely, that to them that ask, all such things will be given as are good for them. All the saints also are heard when they ask for themselves, but not necessarily when they ask for their friends or their enemies, or others, even as it is written, not simply: He will give it: but rather: He will give it to you.

Hitherto, saith the Lord, have ye asked nothing in my Name; ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full. This their joy, whereof he saith that it shall be full, is to be understood not of fleshly but of spiritual joy; and when that joy is so great that it can be increased no more, then shall it without doubt be full. Therefore, whatsoever is asked which concerneth the fulfilling of this joy (that is, if we thereby aspire to receive God's grace, and so do ask for that life which is the really blessed one), that same is a thing which it is meet to ask in Christ's Name. If we ask anything else than this, we ask nothing (even though we think within ourselves that we are asking for something), because all things are nothing in comparison with this.