Sunday Sermon - 10.20.24
LATIN MASS: TWENTY-SECOND SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
EPISTLE: Philippians 1:6 Being confident of this very thing, that He, who hath begun a good work in you, will perfect it unto the day of Christ Jesus. 7 As it is meet for me to think this for you all, for that I have you in my heart; and that in my bands, and in the defence and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers of my joy. 8 For God is my witness, how I long after you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ. 9 And this I pray, that your charity may more and more abound in knowledge, and in all understanding: 10 That you may approve the better things, that you may be sincere and without offence unto the day of Christ, 11 Filled with the fruit of justice, through Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.
If you are willing to cooperate with God and His will, you will be transformed over the years into a more pure and larger container to hold the grace that God wants to pour over into you. When you first are baptized or convert, think of yourself as a thimble that can hold just a little water. But instead of water, imagine that you hold God’s grace in your soul. By willingly participating with God and following His will, you will start to see that thimble transformed into the size of a cup, then a pitcher, then a barrel. God can keep increasing the size of your soul to hold more and more of His grace.
Eventually He can make you into a mighty dam that hold rivers of God’s grace and God will pour even more into your soul so that it pour out of you and into others. God will fill everyone to the brim with His grace. How much we cooperate determines how big our soul becomes. To the faithful servant with three talents, He will give three more. To the faithful servant with ten talents, He will give ten more. Follow the commands of Christ and do the will of the Father to increase the size of your soul.
GOSPEL: Matthew 22:15 Then the Pharisees going, consulted among themselves how to insnare Him in His speech. 16 And they sent to Him their disciples with the Herodians, saying: Master, we know that Thou art a true speaker, and teachest the way of God in truth, neither carest thou for any man: for thou dost not regard the person of men. 17 Tell us therefore what dost Thou think, is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar, or not? 18 But Jesus knowing their wickedness, said: Why do you tempt Me, ye hypocrites? 19 Shew Me the coin of the tribute. And they offered Him a penny. 20 And Jesus saith to them: Whose image and inscription is this? 21 They say to Him: Caesar's. Then He saith to them: Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's; and to God, the things that are God's.
Tying in the Epistle reading above, the one thing that you hold that is God’s is your soul. From your creation, you were imprinted with the likeness God. When you were Baptized, you were sealed with God’s grace and given His Name imprinted on your soul. When you were Confirmed, you were anointed with God’s chrism to be a holy tabernacle for Himself to reside in. So obey Christ here and give to God what is His, namely your soul.
NOVUS ORDO: TWENTY-NINTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
OLD TESTAMENT: Isaiah 53:10 Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him with pain. When you make his life an offering for sin, he shall see his offspring, and shall prolong his days; through him the will of the Lord shall prosper. 11 Out of his anguish he shall see light; he shall find satisfaction through his knowledge. The righteous one, my servant, shall make many righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities.
The Son has born our iniquities. He is ready to make you righteous. He is the Word of God and you will prosper if you turn to Him. This life will be one of suffering, as we must suffer like Our Lord. But He promises that we will be delivered in the next life from that suffering and we will prosper.
NEW TESTAMENT: Hebrews 4:14 Since, then, we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession. 15 For we do not have a High Priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have One who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
The narrow path to Heaven has already been walked by Our Lord and the saints. We have their examples to show us that it can be done if we will just cooperate with His grace. So doing that, we should approach Our Lord in the Eucharist in boldness to receive Him. Boldness with humility. We are not approaching to brag about ourselves, but with confidence that His grace is promised to us if we obey Him.
GOSPEL: Mark 10:35 James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came forward to Him and said to Him, “Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask of You.” 36 And He said to them, “What is it you want Me to do for you?” 37 And they said to Him, “Grant us to sit, one at Your right hand and one at Your left, in Your glory.” 38 But Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?” 39 They replied, “We are able.” Then Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink you will drink; and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized; 40 but to sit at My right hand or at My left is not Mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.”
41 When the ten heard this, they began to be angry with James and John. 42 So Jesus called them and said to them, “You know that among the Gentiles those whom they recognize as their rulers lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. 43 But it is not so among you; but whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all. 45 For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”
As mentioned above, the narrow path to salvation has already been walked by Our Lord and the saints. We must be baptized with His baptism. We must pick up our cross daily. Our lives must be lived as daily sacrifices of service to God and man. We must not look to be served by others but instead to serve them just as He served us.