Sermon, 10th Sunday after Pentecost, August 5, 2012

10th Sunday after Pentecost – August 5, 2012

(Epistle 1 Corinthians 12: 2-11;  Gospel Luke 18: 9­-14)

            The destruction of Jerusalem, which we touched on last Sunday, closed out the prophetic Scriptures which were based on the history and institutions of that figurative period when the Chosen People lived under the Law of Moses. The figurative period, which we call the Old Testament, showed and indicated through people and events what was to come, the Messiah and His Church. An example of this is Melchisedech, who was a figure of Christ and His priests.

     Under the New Covenant established by the Messiah the true Mass gives us the unbloody recreation of the Passion and Death the Lord, and is the center of the Church where her life is fixed on God with Christ. The true Mass gives the Church her fruitfulness, her ability to spread throughout the world, showing that the Church is truly catholic, meaning universal.

     Starting today the liturgy departs from the historical books and moves on to the Sapiential Books (Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Canticle of Canticles, Wisdom and Ecclesiasticus.

     In today’s Epistle, St. Paul talks about the graces of prophecy, knowledge, tongues and miracles. If we don’t see these around us today, then we can look to the lives of saints who had these gifts. The saints are the common property of all of us, and their biographies are interesting, instructive and exciting.

The special gifts that Paul talks about, these miracles, were necessary in the early days to spread the faith authoritatively. And spread it did, even though the Catholic Faith is contrary to our human inclinations. If someone hurts us we want to hurt him back but we are told to pray for him instead. We want to sleep in on Sunday, but we are told we must attend Mass. We want to eat our fill during Lent, but we are told to fast. The resistance to the new Christian faith by the Roman Empire and by all other peoples was great, yet the Church quickly spread throughout the world.

St. Augustine observed three incredible things: 1) that Christ rose from the dead, 2) that the world believed He did, and 3) that a small number of men from the bottom of society convinced the world that He did. Those opposed to the Church refuse to believe Number 1, that Christ rose from the dead. They do acknowledge Number 2, that belief in Christ spread throughout the world because they can see that with their own eyes. Thirdly our opponents can only account for the world-wide spread of the Church by agreeing to Number 3, that a few obscure and ignorant persons spread this faith around the world. As St. Augustine put it: “If people will not believe that the Apostles performed miracles in testimony of the resurrection of Christ, [then] they ask us to believe in a greater miracle, namely, that the whole world did believe without a miracle.” (The City of God, Book 22, Ch. 5)

Regarding today’s Gospel reading, there is no more appropriate teaching as a sequel to the history of Jerusalem’s fall. “. . .  every one that exalteth himself, shall be humbled; and he that humbleth himself, shall be exalted.” The Pharisee, representing the Jews, was proud. This pride destroyed the Jewish nation -- and made possible the salvation of the Gentiles. We today must take care not to fall into the same trap of pride because it will cause our destruction also. Dom Guéranger writes: “Israel is assured, by prophecy, of a return to God’s favour when the end of the world shall be approaching, (Romans 11: 25-27) [but] there is no such promise of a second call of mercy to the Gentiles, should they ever apostatize after their baptism.”

We can pause in our lives and look around the world and the universe and reflect on our nothingness, but this is not humility. Rather, it’s a conviction that forced itself on the devil and is the chief cause of his rage, because in his pride he wanted to be like God. On the opposite side we can see what happens when the Holy Ghost takes possession of a soul -- He gives us an extraordinary clear-sightedness, both as to what we are and Who God is.

Satan makes his slaves act out of pride and self-importance. The divine way teaches us humility, and humility leads us to the truth. Jesus told us, “The truth shall make you free.” (John 8: 32) Truth makes us free by liberating us from the tyranny of the father of lies. This is true liberty, but worldly people do not want true liberty, they want sin, and they want everyone to approve of their sinful lives. They want to suppress true liberty. That is why they  persecute those who speak up for what is moral and good. The world does not understand that real greatness consists in The Truth, and that those who have the courage to be humble will find it. Jesus Christ is the Way, the Truth and the Life. (John 14: 6) He is the Way to the Truth that we seek and He will lead us to an eternal Life of joy. +++

We Celebrate the Tridentine Latin Mass