Sunday Sermon - 10.8.23

LATIN MASS: NINETEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

EPISTLE: Ephesians 4:23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind: 24 And put on the new man, who according to God is created in justice and holiness of truth. 25 Wherefore putting away lying, speak ye the truth every man with his neighbour; for we are members one of another. 26 Be angry, and sin not. Let not the sun go down upon your anger. 27 Give not place to the devil. 28 He that stole, let him now steal no more; but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have something to give to him that suffereth need.

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Pay close attention to this teaching from St. Paul. It is a wonderful and beautiful teaching on how to forgive, how to put aside our anger and to turn away from evil. It encourages us to embrace what is holy and good. Go to Confession and then after you perform your penance, right there in front of the Tabernacle, forgive your enemies and turn over their sins against you to Jesus who is the perfect judge. Let Him worry about their sins and be generous with your forgiveness. You were just forgiven for all your sins, so freely forgive all the sins committed against you.

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GOSPEL: Matthew 22:1 And Jesus answering, spoke again in parables to them, saying: 2 The Kingdom of Heaven is likened to a king, who made a marriage for his son. 3 And he sent his servants, to call them that were invited to the marriage; and they would not come. 4 Again he sent other servants, saying: Tell them that were invited, Behold, I have prepared my dinner; my calves and fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come ye to the marriage. 5 But they neglected, and went their own ways, one to his farm, and another to his merchandise. 6 And the rest laid hands on his servants, and having treated them contumeliously, put them to death. 7 But when the king had heard of it, he was angry, and sending his armies, he destroyed those murderers, and burnt their city. 8 Then he saith to his servants: The marriage indeed is ready; but they that were invited were not worthy. 9 Go ye therefore into the highways; and as many as you shall find, call to the marriage. 10 And his servants going forth into the ways, gathered together all that they found, both bad and good: and the marriage was filled with guests. 11 And the king went in to see the guests: and he saw there a man who had not on a wedding garment. 12 And he saith to him: Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? But he was silent. 13 Then the king said to the waiters: Bind his hands and feet, and cast him into the exterior darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 14 For many are called, but few are chosen.

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This parable was originally aimed at the Jews who had been promised the Messiah would come to them but they rejected Him. But in our day, this parable is just as effective at exposing the guilt of Catholics all over the world. We were given the gift of the Church and her sacraments. We were given the patrimony of the Church Fathers and the Saints. We were given the opportunity to come to the wedding feast of the Lamb in the Mass every day! Yet what have we done with it? Catholics have shunned our Church and shunned God. They have turned away from the New Covenant and worshipping Christ even though they were invited to the wedding feast. So God is going to invite others to His wedding feast who will not turn Him down.

Note as well the second part of this parable. The man who comes to the wedding feast without a wedding garment is thrown into hell. If you refuse to make yourself presentable to God and make yourself ready for the wedding feast, God will turn you away. This is primarily true in the spiritual sense, but it is also true in the bodily sense. We need to dress modestly and appropriately for meeting with the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Wearing sandals, shorts and sports jerseys is not acceptable wedding attire. Immodest clothes are not appropriate wedding attire. Dress for the King.

Final note on this. Note that many are called but few are chosen. God does both the calling and choosing. He calls all to the wedding feast. But how does He choose? Look to the parable. Those He will choose are those who accept His invitation but ALSO prepare themselves for His wedding feast.

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NOVUS ORDER: TWENTY-SEVENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

OLD TESTAMENT: Isaiah 5:1 Let me sing for My beloved my love-song concerning His vineyard: My beloved had a vineyard on a very fertile hill. 2 He dug it and cleared it of stones, and planted it with choice vines; He built a watchtower in the midst of it, and hewed out a wine vat in it; He expected it to yield grapes, but it yielded wild grapes. 3 And now, inhabitants of Jerusalem and people of Judah, judge between Me and My vineyard. 4 What more was there to do for My vineyard that I have not done in it? When I expected it to yield grapes, why did it yield wild grapes? 5 And now I will tell you what I will do to My vineyard. I will remove its hedge, and it shall be devoured; I will break down its wall, and it shall be trampled down. 6 I will make it a waste; it shall not be pruned or hoed, and it shall be overgrown with briers and horns; I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it. 7 For the vineyard of the Lord of Hosts is the house of Israel, and the people of Judah are His pleasant planting; He expected justice, but saw bloodshed; righteousness, but heard a cry!

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Just as noted above, this passage was originally directed to the Israelites who refused to obey God and uphold His Covenant with them. But now this passage can be aimed squarely at Catholics today. God gave graces upon graces to the Church so that the Church could produce good fruit of holy souls. But in our current day, what does it yield? Very few holy souls and many wild grapes (unrepentant souls in mortal sin). Our Church produces very little good fruit and produces mostly bad. God blessed His Church with every possible benefit and grace so that it could produce the holy souls He was wishing to receive. Yet we refused to deliver the good fruit He deserves. So do not be surprised when God removes the protection from the Church and allows much of it to be devoured by the demons that surround us. We deserve it.

Stay holy my friends. Produce the good fruit that God expects so that He will once again bless us as He wants to.

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NEW TESTAMENT: Philippians 4:6 Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

8 Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 9 Keep on doing the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you.

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Just as I stated above, stay holy my friends. Hold fast to the unchanging teachings of the Church and receive the sacraments frequently. Perform good works and acts of charity. Love God with all your heart, mind, soul and body. Love your neighbor as yourself.

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GOSPEL: Matthew 21:33 “Listen to another parable. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a watchtower. Then he leased it to tenants and went to another country. 34 When the harvest time had come, he sent his slaves to the tenants to collect his produce. 35 But the tenants seized his slaves and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. 36 Again he sent other slaves, more than the first; and they treated them in the same way. 37 Finally he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 38 But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir; come, let us kill him and get his inheritance.’ 39 So they seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. 40 Now when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” 41 They said to Him, “He will put those wretches to a miserable death, and lease the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the produce at the harvest time.”

42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures:

‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord’s doing, and it is amazing in our eyes’?

43 Therefore I tell you, the Kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that produces the fruits of the Kingdom. 44 The one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and it will crush anyone on whom it falls.”

45 When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard His parables, they realized that He was speaking about them. 46 They wanted to arrest Him, but they feared the crowds, because they regarded Him as a prophet.

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The West was given every blessing of God so that it could produce the good fruit of God. The West has turned its back on God and refused to give Him what He is due. The West refuses to love God. So do not be surprised when God pulls His protection from the West and instead grows the Church in other parts of the world. We deserve the punishment that is coming.

Stay holy my friends. Go to Confession.