Sunday Sermon - 9.17.23
LATIN MASS: SIXTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
EPISTLE: Ephesians 3:13 Wherefore I pray you not to faint at my tribulations for you, which is your glory. 14 For this cause I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 Of whom all paternity in Heaven and earth is named, 16 That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened by His Spirit with might unto the inward man, 17 That Christ may dwell by faith in your hearts; that being rooted and founded in charity, 18 You may be able to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth, and length, and height, and depth: 19 To know also the charity of Christ, which surpasseth all knowledge, that you may be filled unto all the fulness of God. 20 Now to Him who is able to do all things more abundantly than we desire or understand, according to the power that worketh in us; 21 To Him be glory in the Church, and in Christ Jesus unto all generations, world without end. Amen.
St. Paul is undergoing tribulations during his ministry, but note who the tribulations are actually for and who receives the glory of his tribulations. Salvation in the Christian faith is both an individual event AND a corporate event. Each person must choose for themselves whether they will love and serve God or not, but at the same time the prayers, penance, offerings and sufferings of the Church can be offered for the salvation of others. A father praying for his wife and children fervently for many years can have a huge impact on the salvation of his family. His offerings to God will be received and will petition God to send graces to his family so that they are offered many chances at salvation. Always keep praying, sacrificing and doing acts of penance for the whole world and those in your family.
GOSPEL: Luke 14:1 And it came to pass, when Jesus went into the house of one of the chief of the Pharisees, on the Sabbath day, to eat bread, that they watched Him. 2 And behold, there was a certain man before Him that had the dropsy. 3 And Jesus answering, spoke to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying: Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath day? 4 But they held their peace. But He taking him, healed him, and sent him away. 5 And answering them, He said: Which of you shall have an ass or an ox fall into a pit, and will not immediately draw him out, on the Sabbath day? 6 And they could not answer Him to these things. 7 And He spoke a parable also to them that were invited, marking how they chose the first seats at the table, saying to them: 8 When thou art invited to a wedding, sit not down in the first place, lest perhaps one more honourable than thou be invited by him: 9 And he that invited thee and him, come and say to thee, Give this man place: and then thou begin with shame to take the lowest place. 10 But when thou art invited, go, sit down in the lowest place; that when he who invited thee, cometh, he may say to thee: Friend, go up higher. Then shalt thou have glory before them that sit at table with thee. 11 Because every one that exalteth himself, shall be humbled; and he that humbleth himself, shall be exalted.
A person who refuses to answer simple, direct questions is someone who is not interested in the truth, and certainly not interested in following Him who is truth itself. In this passage, these Pharisees were too cowardly to answer Our Lord directly. The reason they were cowardly is because if they answer that it is lawful to heal, then they have no room to object to Our Lord and accuse Him of undermining the Law. And if they answered that it is not lawful to heal on the Sabbath, then they are objecting to God’s miracle and when He chooses to perform it. The true answer is that it was lawful to heal on the Sabbath, but they didn’t want to admit this, which means they did not want to follow the truth, because following the truth would mean their personal theology was wrong.
There are MANY both inside and outside the Church who will refuse to answer simple, direct questions because the answer undermines their personal theology. They love their own theology more than they love God and the truth.
NOVUS ORDO: TWENTY FOURTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
OLD TESTAMENT: Sirach 27:30 Anger and wrath, these also are abominations, yet a sinner holds on to them. 28:1 The vengeful will face the Lord’s vengeance, for He keeps a strict account of their sins. 2 Forgive your neighbor the wrong he has done, and then your sins will be pardoned when you pray. 3 Does anyone harbor anger against another, and expect healing from the Lord? 4 If one has no mercy toward another like himself, can he then seek pardon for his own sins? 5 If a mere mortal harbors wrath, who will make an atoning sacrifice for his sins? 6 Remember the end of your life, and set enmity aside; remember corruption and death, and be true to the Commandments. 7 Remember the Commandments, and do not be angry with your neighbor; remember the Covenant of the Most High, and overlook faults.
Our Lord teaches this same message in His parable of the Unforgiving Servant, which is the gospel reading for this Sunday. As always, the readings for each Mass have at least one connection and message woven through them. They are not random.
If you wish to be forgiven of your sins, you must forgive others. This is not optional. It is mandatory for your salvation. And why do you wish to hold onto these grudges and anger towards those who have wronged you? Give them to the Lord. He is the perfect, eternal, infinite and completely righteous Judge of the entire universe. Give those sins committed against you to Him! Let Our Lord deal with them and judge them. He sits on the throne, not us.
Today at Mass, when you are present in front of the Tabernacle, get on your knees and say to Our Lord in the Eucharist: “Lord, I do not wish to hold onto any sins that have been committed against me. I give them all over to you. I forgive everyone who has committed any sin against me and I pray for mercy upon them from You. I entrust all this to the Blessed and Holy Trinity to do with according to the Father’s will. Amen.”
Forgive your enemies and anyone who has committed any sin against you. Life is very short and you will soon stand before Our Lord at your judgment. Do not carry these burdens and instead give them over to Him.
Also remember that forgiveness is an act of the will and not a feeling. You may still feel resentful to that person, but make a firm act of your will to forgive them. And keep forgiving them until your feelings begin to follow your will. If you keep doing this, your feeling WILL conform to your will and actions.
NEW TESTAMENT: Romans 14:7 We do not live to ourselves, and we do not die to ourselves. 8 If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s. 9 For to this end Christ died and lived again, so that He might be Lord of both the dead and the living.
Remember fallen man, that you were bought at an eternal and infinite price on the Cross. You are His. So act like it. Give over your life to Our Lord and ask Him what He wants you to do.
GOSPEL: Matthew 18:21 Then Peter came and said to Him, “Lord, if another member of the Church sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?” 22 Jesus said to him, “Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times.
23 “For this reason the Kingdom of Heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. 24 When he began the reckoning, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him; 25 and, as he could not pay, his lord ordered him to be sold, together with his wife and children and all his possessions, and payment to be made. 26 So the slave fell on his knees before him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ 27 And out of pity for him, the lord of that slave released him and forgave him the debt. 28 But that same slave, as he went out, came upon one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii; and seizing him by the throat, he said, ‘Pay what you owe.’ 29 Then his fellow slave fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ 30 But he refused; then he went and threw him into prison until he would pay the debt. 31 When his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their lord all that had taken place. 32 Then his lord summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked slave! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. 33 Should you not have had mercy on your fellow slave, as I had mercy on you?’ 34 And in anger his lord handed him over to be tortured until he would pay his entire debt. 35 So My Heavenly Father will also do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”
Remember always that faith alone is a false heresy. Once Saved Always Saved is also a false heresy. If you wish to be saved from damnation by Our Lord, your behavior and actions must conform to the will of the Father. You must forgive others and you must do corporal and spiritual works of mercy. You must do good works. These are not optional. They are required to be saved. Christ isn’t joking here.
If you refuse to forgive others, you WILL be damned. So go now to the Tabernacle in you parish, and tell the Lord that you forgive everyone who has committed any sin against you. Do it today.
Your encouragement and a great Friar Preacher sermon have sent me to the forgiveness place in my heart, my memory and my knees. Thank you 🙏