Sunday Sermon - 7.28.24
LATIN MASS: TENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
EPISTLE: 1 Corinthians 12:2 You know that when you were heathens, you went to dumb idols, according as you were led. 3 Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man, speaking by the Spirit of God, saith Anathema to Jesus. And no man can say the Lord Jesus, but by the Holy Ghost. 4 Now there are diversities of graces, but the same Spirit; 5 And there are diversities of ministries, but the same Lord; 6 And there are diversities of operations, but the same God, who worketh all in all. 7 And the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man unto profit. 8 To one indeed, by the Spirit, is given the word of wisdom: and to another, the word of knowledge, according to the same Spirit; 9 To another, faith in the same Spirit; to another, the grace of healing in one Spirit; 10 To another, the working of miracles; to another, prophecy; to another, the discerning of spirits; to another, diverse kinds of tongues; to another, interpretation of speeches. 11 But all these things one and the same Spirit worketh, dividing to every one according as He will.
If anyone comes to you and says that what has been taught by the Catholic Church is false, that person is saying anathema to Jesus. They are refusing to call Jesus Lord. This may puzzle some, but remember that accepting Jesus means accepting everything He taught and everything He did. So when Jesus built a Church, and a person refuses to submit to that Church, then they are rejecting the Lordship of Christ.
Remember also what St. Paul teaches about gifts from the Holy Ghost. He does not grant everyone the same gifts. He gives gifts as He decides. So accept your gifts with humility, gladness and gratefulness. Those are the gifts that He wants you to use to benefit the Kingdom of God and to do the Father’s will. Your gifts and what you can do to help the Church will be different from someone else. But they are all necessary.
The person who sweeps and cleans the parish hall is furthering God’s plan of salvation, even if it doesn’t feel like it. Yet the humble work of keeping the church clean, so that the Mass can be held in a holy and proper place, is important work. The overworked father who picks up an extra shift to provide for his family is furthering the Father’s plan of salvation, even if it doesn’t feel like it. The mother who cleans up and cares for a sick toddler is furthering the Father’s plan of salvation, even if it doesn’t feel like it. The heroic stories of Christian virtue and martyrdom are wonderful, but they are the exception. The normal, usual and “boring” work of the Church is in the humble sacrifices from the holy faithful.
GOSPEL: Luke 18:9 And to some who trusted in themselves as just, and despised others, He spoke also this parable: 10 Two men went up into the Temple to pray: the one a Pharisee, and the other a Publican. 11 The Pharisee standing, prayed thus with himself: O God, I give Thee thanks that I am not as the rest of men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, as also is this Publican. 12 I fast twice in a week: I give tithes of all that I possess. 13 And the Publican, standing afar off, would not so much as lift up his eyes towards Heaven; but struck his breast, saying: O God, be merciful to me a sinner. 14 I say to you, this man went down into his house justified rather than the other: because every one that exalteth himself, shall be humbled: and he that humbleth himself, shall be exalted.
Humility is the virtue most lacking in our times today. No one is humble and no one wants to be humble. Pride is the first and most deadly of all the seven deadly sins. Yet we revel in it today. Pride in our sins and pride in our own vainglory. We take a million selfies and are enraptured in our own egos. We have entire parades dedicated to the sin of pride and few dedicated to Christ.
Pride goeth before the fall, and pride leads to hell. This is especially true of any Christians who hold themselves out as gifts to God rather than sinful & fallen people who need His mercy.
NOVUS ORDO: SEVENTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
OLD TESTAMENT: 2 Kings 4:42 A man came from Baal-shalishah, bringing food from the first fruits to the man of God: twenty loaves of barley and fresh ears of grain in his sack. Elisha said, “Give it to the people and let them eat.” 43 But his servant said, “How can I set this before a hundred people?” So he repeated, “Give it to the people and let them eat, for thus says the Lord, ‘They shall eat and have some left.’” 44 He set it before them, they ate, and had some left, according to the word of the Lord.
God has ultimate and complete control of all of the universe. What He says, is. So when the Lord says “they shall eat and have some left”, that’s what will happen. And never allow anyone to tell you this was not a miracle, or that it was a miracle of sharing, rebuke that person immediately. God turned a small amount of food into enough food to feed a hundred. It was a real miracle and the laws of physics were repealed by God for that moment. This prefigured and foreshadowed what Christ would do in feeding of thousands. Our Lord took even less food and turned it into enough food to feed even more people. He shows that He is greater than Elisha and the other prophets.
NEW TESTAMENT: Ephesians 4:1 I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one Body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all.
You were bought at a high price because that’s how much you are valued by God. So be patient and loving to one another because Our Lord values that other person so highly. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism and one Church. One Father, one Son and one Spirit. We must accept those whom He has called as our brothers and sisters in the faith. Even if we do not like our brothers and sisters, they are our family. So we must love them. Doesn’t mean we have to like them, but we must love them.
GOSPEL: John 6:1 After this Jesus went to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, also called the Sea of Tiberias. 2 A large crowd kept following Him, because they saw the signs that He was doing for the sick. 3 Jesus went up the mountain and sat down there with His disciples. 4 Now the Passover, the festival of the Jews, was near. 5 When He looked up and saw a large crowd coming toward Him, Jesus said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?” 6 He said this to test him, for He Himself knew what He was going to do. 7 Philip answered Him, “Six months’ wages would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little.” 8 One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to Him, 9 “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish. But what are they among so many people?” 10 Jesus said, “Make the people sit down.” Now there was a great deal of grass in the place; so they sat down, about five thousand in all. 11 Then Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks, He distributed them to those who were seated; so also the fish, as much as they wanted. 12 When they were satisfied, He told His disciples, “Gather up the fragments left over, so that nothing may be lost.” 13 So they gathered them up, and from the fragments of the five barley loaves, left by those who had eaten, they filled twelve baskets. 14 When the people saw the sign that He had done, they began to say, “This is indeed the prophet who is to come into the world.” 15 When Jesus realized that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, He withdrew again to the mountain by Himself.
In this miracle of feeding the five thousand, Jesus shows that He is Lord of all creation. Whatever He says, is. He also shows that He has come to bring everyone to Him. The twelve baskets are representative of the 12 tribes of Israel. He shows that He is bringing all of the chosen people into Him. In the other miracle, the feeding of the four thousand, there is seven baskets left over. This symbolizes all the rest of humanity that He is also collecting into Himself.
He is greater than the prophets. He is greater than the kings. He is greater than the priests. He is the greatest Prophet, the High Priest and the King of Kings. He is the Alpha and Omega.