Sunday Sermon - 3.2.25
LATIN MASS: QUINQUAGESIMA SUNDAY
EPISTLE: 1 Corinthians 13:1 If I speak with the tongues of men, and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. 2 And if I should have prophecy and should know all mysteries, and all knowledge, and if I should have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. 3 And if I should distribute all my goods to feed the poor, and if I should deliver my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. 4 Charity is patient, is kind: charity envieth not, dealeth not perversely; is not puffed up; 5 Is not ambitious, seeketh not her own, is not provoked to anger, thinketh no evil; 6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth with the truth; 7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. 8 Charity never falleth away: whether prophecies shall be made void, or tongues shall cease, or knowledge shall be destroyed. 9 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. 10 But when that which is perfect is come, that which is in part shall be done away. 11 When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child. But, when I became a man, I put away the things of a child. 12 We see now through a glass in a dark manner; but then face to face. Now I know in part; but then I shall know even as I am known. 13 And now there remain faith, hope, and charity, these three: but the greatest of these is charity.
Faith alone is worthless. Faith enough to move mountains, is worthless without charity. Faith without works is worthless. It is a clanging gong. It is just annoying noises. Good works through charity are the greatest of the Christian virtues. All the other virtues are meaningless without charity. You must act. You must perform acts of charity. You must have true love for God and for neighbor. If you have charity for others, you can endure and abide all trials and tribulations, because the grace of God will be flowing through you to others.
GOSPEL: Luke 18:31 Then Jesus took unto Him the Twelve, and said to them: Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things shall be accomplished which were written by the prophets concerning the Son of Man. 32 For He shall be delivered to the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and scourged, and spit upon: 33 And after they have scourged Him, they will put Him to death; and the third day He shall rise again. 34 And they understood none of these things, and this word was hid from them, and they understood not the things that were said. 35 Now it came to pass, when He drew nigh to Jericho, that a certain blind man sat by the way side, begging. 36 And when he heard the multitude passing by, he asked what this meant. 37 And they told him, that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by.
38 And he cried out, saying: Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me. 39 And they that went before, rebuked him, that he should hold his peace: but he cried out much more: Son of David, have mercy on me. 40 And Jesus standing, commanded him to be brought unto Him. And when he was come near, He asked him, 41 Saying: What wilt thou that I do to thee? But he said: Lord, that I may see. 42 And Jesus said to him: Receive thy sight: thy faith hath made thee whole. 43 And immediately he saw, and followed Him, glorifying God. And all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God.
The blind man could see what everyone around Our Lord could not. He could see His power and mercy when those with sight could not see it. Note what the blind man calls Our Lord. He calls Him the Son of David. He is declaring openly that Jesus is the descendent of King David is the rightful ruler of all Israel. He is declaring Him to be the Messiah who will save His people. The crowd which was spiritually blind tries to shut him up and tell him not to declare the truth about Christ.
NOVUS ORDO: EIGHTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
OLD TESTAMENT: Sirach 27:4 When a sieve is shaken, the refuse appears; so do a person’s faults when he speaks. 5 The kiln tests the potter’s vessels; so the test of a person is in his conversation. 6 Its fruit discloses the cultivation of a tree; so a person’s speech discloses the cultivation of his mind. 7 Do not praise anyone before he speaks, for this is the way people are tested.
This is one of the passages that Our Lord implicitly refers back to when He says that what goes into a person does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth is what defiles. A person’s speech tells what is on their mind. The tree is known by its fruit. Wait until you know who a person is before you begin to praise them. See what fruit they produce and see what comes from their mouth before you esteem them highly.
NEW TESTAMENT: 1 Corinthians 15:54 When this perishable body puts on imperishability, and this mortal body puts on immortality, then the saying that is written will be fulfilled:
“Death has been swallowed up in victory.” 55 “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?”
56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the Law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58 Therefore, my beloved, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the work of the Lord, because you know that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.
Jesus will melt away all of Heaven and Earth at the Last Judgment. He will then create a new Heaven and a new Earth. He will also give us our resurrected and glorified bodies to reunite with our souls. Death itself will be destroyed and will never have power over mankind again. Sin will be destroyed. Your work in fulfillment of the will of the Father helps to bring about this newness of life.
GOSPEL: Luke 6:39 He also told them a parable: “Can a blind person guide a blind person? Will not both fall into a pit? 40 A disciple is not above the teacher, but everyone who is fully qualified will be like the teacher. 41 Why do you see the speck in your neighbor’s eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye? 42 Or how can you say to your neighbor, ‘Friend, let me take out the speck in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbor’s eye.
43 “No good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit; 44 for each tree is known by its own fruit. Figs are not gathered from thorns, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush. 45 The good person out of the good treasure of the heart produces good, and the evil person out of evil treasure produces evil; for it is out of the abundance of the heart that the mouth speaks.
Many people do not read this parable correctly. Everyone uses this parable to declare that no one can point out the speck or logs in the eyes of others. That’s not what Our Lord actually says though. He says to first clean out our own eyes FIRST. But keep reading. He then says you will have clear vision so that you can then help your neighbor clean out his eyes. We are not supposed to run around with logs in our eyes and everyone pretending it is okay.