Sunday Sermon - 7.7.24

LATIN MASS: SEVENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

EPISTLE: Romans 6:19 I speak an human thing, because of the infirmity of your flesh. For as you have yielded your members to serve uncleanness and iniquity, unto iniquity; so now yield your members to serve justice, unto sanctification. 20 For when you were the servants of sin, you were free men to justice. 21 What fruit therefore had you then in those things, of which you are now ashamed? For the end of them is death. 22 But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, you have your fruit unto sanctification, and the end life everlasting. 23 For the wages of sin is death. But the grace of God, life everlasting, in Christ Jesus our Lord.

---

The theme to the readings from this Mass are the fruit we bear. Do we produce the fruit of iniquity? Or the fruit of sanctification? St Paul lays it out the the most blunt terms imaginable. The wages of sin is death.

Remember this fact as well. St. Paul is writing to those who are already saved. Yet he is emphatically warning them. They are being warned that if they continue to produce the fruit of iniquity, they will receive death as their wages. Take this warning with complete assurance. Anyone who continues to live a life of unrepentant sin will be damned.

---

GOSPEL: Matthew 7:15 Beware of false prophets, who come to you in the clothing of sheep, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. 16 By their fruits you shall know them. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? 17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit, and the evil tree bringeth forth evil fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can an evil tree bring forth good fruit. 19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit, shall be cut down, and shall be cast into the fire. 20 Wherefore by their fruits you shall know them. 21 Not every one that saith to Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven: but he that doth the will of My Father who is in Heaven, he shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.

---

An old saying comes to mind here. “Your actions are speaking so loud I can’t hear what you’re saying.” Our Lord is echoing the same principle here. You can have all the pleasant words and have faith that can move mountains, but if you do not bear good fruit, you will be thrown into the fires of hell. All of your talk is meaningless if you do not produce good fruit. You must produce acts of charity and love towards God and man, or Our Lord will throw you into hell. He’s not kidding, so choose wisely.

---

NOVUS ORDO: FOURTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

OLD TESTAMENT: Ezekiel 2:2 And when He spoke to me, a spirit entered into me and set me on my feet; and I heard Him speaking to me. 3 He said to me, Mortal, I am sending you to the people of Israel, to a nation of rebels who have rebelled against Me; they and their ancestors have transgressed against Me to this very day. 4 The descendants are impudent and stubborn. I am sending you to them, and you shall say to them, “Thus says the Lord God.” 5 Whether they hear or refuse to hear (for they are a rebellious house), they shall know that there has been a prophet among them.

---

God gives us all the command to go forth and spread the good news of the Gospel to everyone. Each person deserves and is owed the right to hear about Our Lord and the Gospel. Now whether they choose to listen and accept the Gospel is on their own heads. But we are commanded and required to proclaim the message of Christ to everyone.

---

NEW TESTAMENT: 2 Corinthians 12:6 But if I wish to boast, I will not be a fool, for I will be speaking the truth. But I refrain from it, so that no one may think better of me than what is seen in me or heard from me, 7 even considering the exceptional character of the revelations. Therefore, to keep me from being too elated, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me, to keep me from being too elated. 8 Three times I appealed to the Lord about this, that it would leave me, 9 but He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.” So, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. 10 Therefore I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities for the sake of Christ; for whenever I am weak, then I am strong.

---

Our Lord does not promise success or comfort. In fact He promises the opposite. He promises a life of picking up a cross every day. He promises persecutions and thorns of Satan for us. He promises trials and tribulations.

Yet He also promises His grace. And He does not promise and equal measure of grace, but an overflowing abundance of grace. He promises to pour out so much grace on us that it will be a deluge. But we have to be willing to trust Him and accept what tribulations He has set for us. Our weaknesses allow the power of Christ to dwell within us. Be content in the cross you are given and gladly embrace it. Our Lord will give you back more than you can imagine.

---

GOSPEL: Mark 6:1 He left that place and came to His hometown, and His disciples followed Him. 2 On the Sabbath He began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard Him were astounded. They said, “Where did this Man get all this? What is this wisdom that has been given to Him? What deeds of power are being done by His hands! 3 Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon, and are not His sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him. 4 Then Jesus said to them, “Prophets are not without honor, except in their hometown, and among their own kin, and in their own house.” 5 And He could do no deed of power there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and cured them. 6 And He was amazed at their unbelief. Then He went about among the villages teaching.

---

Look at what happens to those who refuse to believe. The grace and miracles of Christ go absent. His Presence among us will vanish. It is not that Our Lord lacks power to do His miracles, it is that Our Lord will force no one to love Him. He will not force Himself upon anyone and that includes even His miracles. He will respect our decision, even if our decision is to choose hell rather than Him.