Sunday Sermon - 7.30.23
LATIN MASS: NINTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
EPISTLE: 1 Corinthians 10:6 Now these things were done in a figure of us, that we should not covet evil things as they also coveted. 7 Neither become ye idolaters, as some of them, as it is written: The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play. 8 Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed fornication, and there fell in one day three and twenty thousand. 9 Neither let us tempt Christ: as some of them tempted, and perished by the serpents. 10 Neither do you murmur: as some of them murmured, and were destroyed by the destroyer. 11 Now all these things happened to them in figure: and they are written for our correction, upon whom the ends of the world are come. 12 Wherefore he that thinketh himself to stand, let him take heed lest he fall. 13 Let no temptation take hold on you, but such as is human. And God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that which you are able: but will make also with temptation issue, that you may be able to bear it.
Here in chapter 10 of 1 Corinthians, St. Paul is teaching those in Corinth who are already believers, those already saved. Yet he warns them repeatedly about committing various sins and what will happen if they commit them. He shows as a prefigurement, several examples from the Old Testament of various punishments handed out to the Israelites. Even though they were God’s chosen people, God still inflicted heavy punishments upon them. The Old Covenant was a prelude to the greater New Covenant, and every prefigurement in the Old Covenant had a greater corresponding realization in the New Covenant. Jesus is the New Adam and New Moses, and is greater than them. The Ark of the Old Covenant prefigured Our Lady, and she is greater than the Ark. In the same way, the punishments for these sins under the Old Covenant were temporal and destroyed the body. The punishments for such sins in the New Covenant are also greater than their prefigurement in the Old. The punishments for these sins will be the destruction of our souls.
Always keep your soul clean and go to Confession regularly. Never believe anyone who tells you that once we are saved we can never lose our salvation. St. Paul is explicit that this is not true.
GOSPEL: Luke 19:41 And when He drew near, seeing the city, He wept over it, saying: 42 If thou also hadst known, and that in this thy day, the things that are to thy peace; but now they are hidden from thy eyes. 43 For the days shall come upon thee, and thy enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and straiten thee on every side, 44 And beat thee flat to the ground, and thy children who are in thee: and they shall not leave in thee a stone upon a stone: because thou hast not known the time of thy visitation. 45 And entering into the Temple, He began to cast out them that sold therein, and them that bought. 46 Saying to them: It is written: My house is the house of prayer. But you have made it a den of thieves. 47 And He was teaching daily in the Temple. And the Chief Priests and the Scribes and the rulers of the people sought to destroy Him:
Are we ready for the time of our visitation? Do we realize that at every Mass, Jesus is making His visitation to us and giving us an opportunity to receive Him and worship Him?
Or do we only go through the motions and do we take for granted every grace that God is offering to us? At some point, the time of our visitation from Christ will be over, and the time of our judgment will arrive. When that time comes, we better have paid attention and received Our Lord when He arrived, or our judgment will go poorly.
NOVUS ORDO: SEVENTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
OLD TESTAMENT: 1 Kings 3:5 At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, “Ask what I should give you.” 6 And Solomon said, “You have shown great and steadfast love to your servant my father David, because he walked before You in faithfulness, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart toward You; and You have kept for him this great and steadfast love, and have given him a son to sit on his throne today. 7 And now, O Lord my God, You have made Your servant king in place of my father David, although I am only a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in. 8 And Your servant is in the midst of the people whom You have chosen, a great people, so numerous they cannot be numbered or counted. 9 Give Your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern Your people, able to discern between good and evil; for who can govern this Your great people?”
10 It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this. 11 God said to him, “Because you have asked this, and have not asked for yourself long life or riches, or for the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right, 12 I now do according to your word. Indeed I give you a wise and discerning mind; no one like you has been before you and no one like you shall arise after you.
Do we use the multiple gifts and talents that God has given to us for His purposes, or for our own? Do we use the many blessings that God have bestowed upon us to bless others and to glorify His Name? Or do we use His many gifts to glorify ourselves?
Always work on keeping yourself humble, and a good way to do that is to look for opportunities to use your blessings to bless others through the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy
NEW TESTAMENT: Romans 8:28 We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to His purpose. 29 For those whom He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, in order that He might be the firstborn within a large family. 30 And those whom He predestined He also called; and those whom He called He also justified; and those whom He justified He also glorified.
God has a plan for every single person. Nothing is by chance. You are infinitely precious in His eyes and He has laid out a plan of salvation for you. The choice before you is whether you will walk the narrow path to Heaven or the wide path to hell. You have been predestined by Him to be with Him for eternity. You were MADE to be with Him in Heaven. But He won’t force you to be with Him. That choice is yours.
Choose wisely.
GOSPEL: Matthew 13:44 “The Kingdom of Heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. 45 “Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; 46 on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it. 47 “Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and caught fish of every kind; 48 when it was full, they drew it ashore, sat down, and put the good into baskets but threw out the bad. 49 So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous 50 and throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 51 “Have you understood all this?” They answered, “Yes.” 52 And He said to them, “Therefore every Scribe who has been trained for the Kingdom of Heaven is like the master of a household who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.”
What earthly riches or special pleasure keeps you from God? What earthly goods do you try to hold onto rather than offer them to God for His purpose? What temporal and finite things or pleasures do you hold onto rather than hold onto God. What keeps you from Him?
It’s not worth it, whatever it is. Even if you live a long life, a century of time here on earth is less than the blink of an eye compared to eternity. Never let any pleasure (especially a sinful pleasure) keep you from Him. Never try to have your cake and eat it too. You cannot have God and have sin as well. You cannot have God and just a small, very tiny, smidgen of sin. You must give all sin up, even venial ones. You must also give up all temporal goods or pleasures if they are higher in priority than God. Even the good things, our blessings, in life must be lower in priority to Him. You must choose.
So choose wisely.
We must forsake sin, agree wholeheartedly. It promises the world and yields only death. What do you say to Paul's words to Timothy, "Christ came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am the chief" (present tense). Are we truly able to forsake all sin?