Sunday Sermon - 3.17.24
LATIN MASS: PASSION SUNDAY
EPISTLE: Hebrews 9:11 But Christ, being come an High Priest of the good things to come, by a greater and more perfect Tabernacle not made with hand, that is, not of this creation: 12 Neither by the blood of goats, or of calves, but by His own Blood, entered once into the holies, having obtained eternal redemption. 13 For if the blood of goats and of oxen, and the ashes of an heifer being sprinkled, sanctify such as are defiled, to the cleansing of the flesh: 14 How much more shall the Blood of Christ, who by the Holy Ghost offered Himself unspotted unto God, cleanse our conscience from dead works, to serve the living God? 15 And therefore He is the mediator of the New Testament: that by means of His death, for the redemption of those transgressions, which were under the former Testament, they that are called may receive the promise of eternal inheritance.
Sin has a price in blood. As God has said, the life is in the blood (Lev 17:11). So when we sin, we reject God and we reject life since God is being itself. Sin is a rejection of God and sin is how death entered into the world. So to reconcile man back to God and to redeem him from his sin, there must be blood that is shed. Life must be given for the life that was destroyed through sin. This was done through the Old Covenant with the constant sacrifice of animals but it never gave eternal redemption. That eternal redemption was accomplished through the eternal sacrifice of Christ and the shedding of His Blood for our sins. Since Christ, as God, is infinite and eternal, His sacrifice was also infinite and eternal. That is why His sacrifice does not need to be and cannot be repeated. His sacrifice of His Body and Blood transcends time into the eternal, which is how we are able to participate in this one sacrifice even today. The Mass is a participation in that one sacrifice of Calvary.
GOSPEL: John 8:46 Which of you shall convince Me of sin? If I say the truth to you, why do you not believe Me? 47 He that is of God, heareth the words of God. Therefore you hear them not, because you are not of God. 48 The Jews therefore answered, and said to Him: Do not we say well that Thou art a Samaritan, and hast a devil? 49 Jesus answered: I have not a devil: but I honour My Father, and you have dishonoured Me. 50 But I seek not My own glory: there is one that seeketh and judgeth. 51 Amen, amen I say to you: If any man keep My word, he shall not see death for ever. 52 The Jews therefore said: Now we know that Thou hast a devil. Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and Thou sayest: If any man keep My word, he shall not taste death for ever. 53 Art Thou greater than our father Abraham, who is dead? and the prophets are dead. Whom dost Thou make Thyself? 54 Jesus answered: If I glorify Myself, My glory is nothing. It is My Father that glorifieth Me, of whom you say that He is your God. 55 And you have not known Him, but I know Him. And if I shall say that I know Him not, I shall be like to you, a liar. But I do know Him, and do keep His word. 56 Abraham your father rejoiced that he might see My day: he saw it, and was glad. 57 The Jews therefore said to Him: Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast Thou seen Abraham? 58 Jesus said to them: Amen, amen I say to you, before Abraham was made, I AM. 59 They took up stones therefore to cast at Him. But Jesus hid Himself, and went out of the Temple.
The Messiah comes to mankind and tells us how He will redeem all mankind through His death. He tells them that anyone who wishes to be redeemed to the Father must follow the Son. In response, the Jews argued with Jesus that Abraham was their father and so they were already reconciled to God. Jesus correctly points out that they are not children of Abraham, since they don’t follow what Abraham did. In fact, they accuse Jesus of having a devil in control of Him. Jesus responds to this by saying the Father will glorify Him and then to top it off, He says that He is the eternal God and preceded Abraham, but saying He is the I AM that God uses to refer to Himself with Moses. He is openly claiming Divinity here and the Jews, rather than falling down in worship and penance, they look to kill Him.
Remember that every time you choose to commit mortal sin, you are doing the same thing. You are rejecting God, and throwing Him out of your soul. You are cutting off the Holy Spirit within you and severing yourself from God and salvation.
NOVUS ORDO: FIFTH SUNDAY OF LENT
OLD TESTAMENT: Jeremiah 31:31 The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will make a New Covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. 32 It will not be like the Covenant that I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt—a Covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, says the Lord. 33 But this is the Covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My Law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 34 No longer shall they teach one another, or say to each other, “Know the Lord,” for they shall all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the Lord; for I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more.
God established a New Covenant so that we may have direct access to God Himself and His grace in the sacraments. This does not mean that we do not have a priesthood in the New Covenant or that we do not need to be instructed in the faith by catechists and priests. We still obviously need those. What this passage is teaching is that we can have God Himself, the Holy Ghost, reside in our very bodies and souls. Through the sacraments, we can receive God directly into our very being. Never take this for granted or fail to recognize the monumental nature of what the New Covenant is. The Creator of everything still wishes to have the most intimate and personal of relationship with you. He wishes to make His home within your body and soul.
NEW TESTAMENT: Hebrews 5:7 In the days of His Flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to the One who was able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His reverent submission. 8 Although He was a Son, He learned obedience through what He suffered; 9 and having been made perfect, He became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey Him, 10 having been designated by God a High Priest according to the order of Melchizedek.
Even Jesus was heard because of His reverent submission. God will refuse to hear the prayers of those who refuse to be humble and those who refuse to repent. Even the Son of God had to be obedient, so why do you think you do not have to as well? One small note, when it says that Jesus was made perfect, this does NOT mean that He was sinful. What it means is that actions speak louder than words and we must actually DO the things we believe or we do not actually believe them. Christ is God and is always perfect. He still had to actually DO the will of the Father through His earthly life.
GOSPEL: John 12:20 Now among those who went up to worship at the festival were some Greeks. 21 They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and said to him, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” 22 Philip went and told Andrew; then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. 23 Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24 Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. 25 Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 Whoever serves Me must follow Me, and where I am, there will My servant be also. Whoever serves Me, the Father will honor. 27 “Now My Soul is troubled. And what should I say—‘Father, save Me from this hour’? No, it is for this reason that I have come to this hour. 28 Father, glorify Your Name.” Then a voice came from Heaven, “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.” 29 The crowd standing there heard it and said that it was thunder. Others said, “An angel has spoken to Him.” 30 Jesus answered, “This voice has come for your sake, not for Mine. 31 Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out. 32 And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to Myself.” 33 He said this to indicate the kind of death He was to die.
Whoever serves Me must follow Me, and where I am, there will My servant be also. Just as noted above, your actions speak louder than your words. Jesus in the parable of the two sons tells us about one son who when asked by his father to do something says “yes” to him but doesn’t do it. The other son says “no” to the father but gets up and does what the father asked. Only the son who did the father’s will was righteous and their words answering their father were meaningless. You must DO the will of the Father and you MUST obey the Son. This is the only path to salvation.
NOVENA TO ST PATRICK
Glorious St. Patrick, you are honored as one of the greatest evangelizers, and true defenders of our faith. Please obtain for me the same zeal for Christ that enabled you to bring the light of the true faith to all of Ireland. Intercede for me and place my special intentions before Christ, especially: (State your intentions here.) May my petition receive a favorable response if it be for the greater honor and glory of God and my own soul. St. Patrick, you devoted your life to spreading the good news of salvation in lands where people were initially hostile to the faith. Pray for me that I may experience true conversion in words, thoughts, and deeds.
Pray 1 - Our Father
Pray 1 - Hail Mary
Pray 1 - Glory Be
St. Patrick, Evangelist and Patron of Ireland, Pray for us! Amen.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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