Sunday Sermon - 12.31.23
LATIN MASS: SUNDAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE OF CHRISTMAS
EPISTLE: Galatians 4:1 Now I say, as long as the heir is a child, he differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all; 2 But is under tutors and governors until the time appointed by the father: 3 So we also, when we were children, were serving under the elements of the world. 4 But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent His Son, made of a woman, made under the Law: 5 That He might redeem them who were under the law: that we might receive the adoption of sons. 6 And because you are sons, God hath sent the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying: Abba, Father. 7 Therefore now he is not a servant, but a son. And if a son, an heir also through God.
God became man to raise mankind up to God. The Word BECAME Flesh and dwelt among us. When we were baptized, we were made part of God’s family. That’s why we are baptized in the NAME of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost. One singular NAME of God. Just as a child is given their own name but also the name of their family. Your name is not just your first name, but also your last name too. We became a son or daughter of God and through Christ are heirs to the Father. Our inheritance is Heaven and eternity with He who loves us more than we can imagine.
You have been given God’s NAME. So act like it. Keep yourself holy and if you haven’t been recently, go to Confession. Keep yourself holy until your judgment day so that you inherit the treasures that God has reserved specifically for you in Heaven.
GOSPEL: Luke 2:33 And His father and mother were wondering at those things which were spoken concerning Him. 34 And Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary His mother: Behold this Child is set for the fall, and for the resurrection of many in Israel, and for a sign which shall be contradicted; 35 And thy own soul a sword shall pierce, that, out of many hearts, thoughts may be revealed. 36 And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser; she was far advanced in years, and had lived with her husband seven years from her virginity. 37 And she was a widow until fourscore and four years; who departed not from the Temple, by fastings and prayers serving night and day. 38 Now she, at the same hour, coming in, confessed to the Lord; and spoke of Him to all that looked for the redemption of Israel. 39 And after they had performed all things according to the Law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their city Nazareth. 40 And the Child grew, and waxed strong, full of wisdom; and the grace of God was in Him.
So much is packed into this passage. Christ is destined for the fall and resurrection of many. Christ offers everyone a choice. It’s not up for negotiation. Either accept it entirely or reject it completely. Do you choose to obey Him or reject Him? There are no other options.
And notice what it says about Our Lady in verse 35. A sword shall pierce her heart and that will reveal the hearts of many. How we receive and treat Our Lady reveals so much about our own souls and hearts. We all need to “behold your mother”.
For those who were obedient and willing to listen to God, He was not secretive about Himself or what He was doing. The Holy Spirit spoke openly and loudly through Simeon and Anna to anyone who would listen. And they spoke openly in the Temple and not in secret. Are we ready to listen and obey Him?
NOVUS ORDO: FEAST OF THE HOLY FAMILY OF JESUS, MARY & JOSEPH
OLD TESTAMENT: Sirach 3:1 Listen to me your father, O children; act accordingly, that you may be kept in safety. 2 For the Lord honors a father above his children, and he confirms a mother’s right over her children. 3 Those who honor their father atone for sins, 4 and those who respect their mother are like those who lay up treasure. 5 Those who honor their father will have joy in their own children, and when they pray they will be heard. 6 Those who respect their father will have long life, and those who honor their mother obey the Lord; they will serve their parents as their masters. 8 Honor your father by word and deed, that his blessing may come upon you. 9 For a father’s blessing strengthens the houses of the children, but a mother’s curse uproots their foundations. 10 Do not glorify yourself by dishonoring your father, for your father’s dishonor is no glory to you. 11 The glory of one’s father is one’s own glory, and it is a disgrace for children not to respect their mother. 12 My child, help your father in his old age, and do not grieve him as long as he lives; 13 even if his mind fails, be patient with him; because you have all your faculties do not despise him. 14 For kindness to a father will not be forgotten, and will be credited to you against your sins; 15 in the day of your distress it will be remembered in your favor; like frost in fair weather, your sins will melt away. 16 Whoever forsakes a father is like a blasphemer, and whoever angers a mother is cursed by the Lord.
ALTERNATE OLD TESTAMENT: Genesis 15:1 After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, “Do not be afraid, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.” 2 But Abram said, “O Lord God, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” 3 And Abram said, “You have given me no offspring, and so a slave born in my house is to be my heir.” 4 But the word of the Lord came to him, “This man shall not be your heir; no one but your very own issue shall be your heir.” 5 He brought him outside and said, “Look toward Heaven and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” Then He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.” 6 And he believed the Lord; and the Lord reckoned it to him as righteousness.
21:1 The Lord dealt with Sarah as He had said, and the Lord did for Sarah as He had promised. 2 Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age, at the time of which God had spoken to him. 3 Abraham gave the name Isaac to his son whom Sarah bore him.
This Sunday has two options for readings and they are both good. For Sirach, look at how much Scripture tells us about the importance of honoring our father and mother. Honoring, obeying and caring for our parents can forgive us of sins. God will take account for how we treat our parents. It’s not an accident or coincidence that honoring our father and mother is listed BEFORE the command not to murder in the Ten Commandments. That’s because a society that no longer honors its parents is a society that will crumble. Murder is tragic but it will not destroy society. Violating the command to honor father and mother will destroy a society. It is also how we get to a society where murder is common. The destruction of the family will destroy society.
For Genesis, God promised to Abram/Abraham that his descendants would be a numerous as the stars in the sky, even though both he and his wife Sarah were very old. God is the master of all creation. Nothing is beyond His abilities. He can raise up even people from the dead. He did this miracle through Abraham and Sarah to show that He has power to forgive us and save us from hell.
NEW TESTAMENT: Colossians 3:12 12 As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. 13 Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14 Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. 15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one Body. And be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God. 17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the Name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.
18 Wives, be subject to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. 19 Husbands, love your wives and never treat them harshly. 20 Children, obey your parents in everything, for this is your acceptable duty in the Lord. 21 Fathers, do not provoke your children, or they may lose heart.
ALTERNATE NEW TESTAMENT: Hebrews 11:8 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to set out for a place that he was to receive as an inheritance; and he set out, not knowing where he was going. 9 By faith he stayed for a time in the land he had been promised, as in a foreign land, living in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he looked forward to the city that has foundations, whose architect and builder is God. 11 By faith he received power of procreation, even though he was too old—and Sarah herself was barren—because he considered Him faithful who had promised. 12 Therefore from one person, and this one as good as dead, descendants were born, “as many as the stars of Heaven and as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore.”
13 All of these died in faith without having received the promises, but from a distance they saw and greeted them. They confessed that they were strangers and foreigners on the earth, 14 for people who speak in this way make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. 15 If they had been thinking of the land that they had left behind, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a Heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; indeed, He has prepared a city for them.
17 By faith Abraham, when put to the test, offered up Isaac. He who had received the promises was ready to offer up his only son, 18 of whom he had been told, “It is through Isaac that descendants shall be named for you.” 19 He considered the fact that God is able even to raise someone from the dead—and figuratively speaking, he did receive him back.
For Colossians, notice how we are to behave towards each others as Christians. We are to emulate Christ and show charity and love towards one another even when it is difficult. Don’t think for a second that it was sunshine and teddy bears for the Colossians that Paul was writing to. The reason Paul is writing this to them is to get them to behave better with each other. There was strife and anger even then. This is a constant battle that each generation of Christians must fight. Demons always lurk about trying to get us to act with evil intentions towards one another. We must respond with charity and mercy towards one another. Forgive others as you have been forgiven by Christ. That’s not an optional command.
For Hebrews, note how it ties in directly with the reading from Genesis and expounds more about it. Abraham and Sarah obeyed God and believed in Him even when they couldn’t know about either the Old or New Covenant. They knew God had a long plan of salvation for all mankind but didn’t know what it would look like. Yet they still believed. They obeyed God and did their part in the plan of salvation so that you and I today now have received the New Covenant in Christ. We received so many blessings from them even when they couldn’t participate in the sacraments. So NEVER take the sacraments for granted because a long line of prophets, saints and patriarchs suffered greatly for you so that you could receive the New Covenant. They did their part so that the path of the Lord was made straight and His Incarnation was prepared for and ready.
GOSPEL: Luke 2:22 When the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, they brought Him up to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male shall be designated as holy to the Lord”), 24 and they offered a sacrifice according to what is stated in the Law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.”
25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; this man was righteous and devout, looking forward to the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit rested on him. 26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. 27 Guided by the Spirit, Simeon came into the Temple; and when the parents brought in the Child Jesus, to do for Him what was customary under the Law, 28 Simeon took Him in his arms and praised God, saying,
29 “Master, now You are dismissing Your servant in peace, according to Your word; 30 for my eyes have seen Your salvation, 31 which You have prepared in the presence of all peoples, 32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to Your people Israel.”
33 And the Child’s father and mother were amazed at what was being said about Him. 34 Then Simeon blessed them and said to His mother Mary, “This Child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed 35 so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed—and a sword will pierce your own soul too.”
36 There was also a prophet, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, having lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, 37 then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the Temple but worshiped there with fasting and prayer night and day. 38 At that moment she came, and began to praise God and to speak about the Child to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.
39 When they had finished everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. 40 The Child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon Him.
Note what was written above about the Presentation of the Lord in the Temple. Here are a couple more thoughts.
The sacrificial offering that they make was required under the Old Covenant. This was because they first born male was always dedicated to God. So Israelites had to go and offer a sacrifice as replacement to God for what was rightly His so they could receive it back. Just as Abraham received back his first son Isaac and did not have to sacrifice him. (see the New Covenant reading from Hebrews). This applied to everything and not just their sons. The first male of their animals were also offered as sacrifice to God in the Old Covenant. The Israelites also had to offer their first fruits and grains as sacrifice to God. That is because God is the author of life and of everything. He gets first dibs. He is to be worshipped before anything else happens. So that is why the firstborn is offered to God.
God also set it up this way so that we would understand better the gravity and seriousness of what God offers back to us. God withheld NOTHING from us. He offers to us HIS first-begotten. He offers to us HIS SON! He holds nothing back. He gives us everything and only asks for our love and obedience in return. We only have to give Him so little and He gives us everything including eternity with Him if we will only love Him. Remember that the next time you want to commit sin!
Thank you 🙏