Sermon, 2nd Sunday of Lent, Feb. 24, 3013.

Second Sunday of Lent, February 24, 2013

Epistle, 1 Thessalonians 4: 1-7           Gospel, Matthew 17: 1-9

            I suppose all the Apostles asked themselves, “Why did Jesus pick me? I’m just an ordinary fisherman.  Peter. I’m just a tax collector. Matthew.  I persecuted the church. St. Paul. Judas may have been the only one who didn’t ask this question. He apparently was more interested in the things of this world than in his soul. They were picked because they became men of strong faith, a faith so strong that they died for our Lord – all except St. John the Evangelist.

            Their faith was not always strong, but it developed over the years being with Christ, and now that His Passion was near Jesus wanted His disciples to really know Him. After nearly three years following Him, listening to His words and witnessing His miracles, they believed in Him. One of them, Peter, even told Him, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” But the test to which they were about to be put in His Passion was so great that Christ armed them with an extraordinary grace.  By the Transfiguration Jesus desired first to remove from His Disciples the scandal of the Cross; secondly, so the lowliness of His voluntary Passion might not trouble their faith, He let them see His hidden glory.

            What are the things that can make our faith as strong as the faith of Christ’s Disciples? We can look at the story of the Canaanite woman recorded at Mathew 15: 21-28. Jesus was approached by this woman the crowd who cried out, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou son of David: my daughter is grievously troubled by a devil.” Jesus ignored her, but “she came and adored Him, saying, ‘Lord help me.’” Jesus seemingly insulted her, saying, “It is not good to take the bread of the children [of Israel], and to cast it to the dogs.” The woman replied, “Yeah, Lord: for the whelps also eat of the crumbs that fall from the table of their masters. Then Jesus answering, said to her: ‘O woman, great is thy faith: be it done to thee as thou wilt’: and her daughter was cured from that hour.” 

            What made her faith great? St. Francis De Sales says it was attentiveness. She paid attention to where the Lord was, even though she was just one of a large crowd following Jesus that day. She seized her opportunity to approach and present her plea, “Have pity on me, Son of David.” She believed if only He would have pity on her it would be enough to relieve her daughter from  attacks by a devil. Her faith was great because she was attentive to what our Lord said and that we can see by the conversation she had with Him. Many if not most of the people in that crowd that day were listening to Jesus, but if asked later what He had said they would not be able to repeat it because their mind was on their real “treasure” be it  a business deal they were working on, or planting a field they owned. It’s a lot like us on Sundays. We listen to a sermon, but not with great attention and so we don’t remember it later.

            We are asked to pray and meditate on the sermons we hear and on the Word of God given to us at Mass. But what is it to meditate? It is prayer. To pray with attention is to have a lively, vigilant faith like the Canaanite woman, paying attention to the words we say.  Such a faith displays many virtues that go along with it. Four of these virtues were displayed by this woman: confidence, perseverance, patience and humility. She does not doubt Our Lord’s power or His will, simply saying to Him: “You are so gentle and kind to everyone, that I have no doubt if I beg You to have pity on me You will do so, and as soon as You do, my daughter will be healed.”

            Our Lord ignored her, so she persevered in her request, “Lord, Son of David, have pity on me.” She continued in this, even though the Apostles asked Jesus to dismiss her because she was becoming a nuisance. But “let us persevere in prayer at all times. For if Our Lord seems not to hear us, it is not because He wants to refuse us. Rather, His purpose is to compel us to cry out louder and to make us more conscious of the greatness of His mercy.”

            Jesus at last responded to the woman, and His response must have hurt her deeply, “It is not right to take the food of the children of Israel and give it to dogs.” Her patience was tried, but she continued, and her response was:  “Yeah, Lord: for the whelps also eat of the crumbs that fall from the table of their masters.” In this response the Canaanite woman displayed confidence, perseverance, patience and humility. It was as if she said, “Even though I am a dog, Lord, I still look for the crumbs from Your table.” It seems hard for a mere human being to impress God, but this pagan Canaanite woman did it. “O woman, what great faith you have,” Jesus responded, and immediately removed the troublesome devil from her daughter. 

            Today’s Gospel reading is of the Transfiguration of Christ before Peter, James and John. Our Lord’s Passion was about to start and He wanted to strengthen His Apostles’ faith. Christ knew all that was about to happen, that the world would seem to defeat Him by killing Him, and that would be a test of the faith of His followers. This was also a promise that as Jesus, Moses and Elias glowed with a light from heaven, so would we when we enter into His kingdom.

           

            Deuteronomy 19: 15 says “In the mouth of two or three witnesses every word shall stand.” The Transfiguration fulfilled this. The Messiah, Who had been promised in mysteries and in types, now stands with His early followers who waited so long for him. The Old and the New Covenants agree one with the other and both proclaim His glory. What could be more stable or more steadfast?  It was because of this that St. John wrote: The Law was given by Moses; grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.” (John 1: 17)

            It is our turn now to patiently await His return, as the Jews of old awaited His coming.

Let us not run from Him. Let us take His yoke upon us because He is meek and humble of heart, because His yoke is sweet and His burden light.  Here we will find rest for our souls. +++

(Thanks to St. Francis de Sales for much of today’s sermon.)

               

We Celebrate the Traditional Tridentine Latin Mass

Sermon, 1st Sunday of Lent, Feb. 17, 2013

First Sunday of Lent, February 17, 2013

(Mt. 4:1-11)

"My son, when you come to serve God, prepare your soul for temptation."

(Ecclesiastes - Sirach) 2:1

            Today is the first of the six Sundays of Lent, and today we will talk about temptation. No matter how holy or charitable we think we are, if we resolve to serve the Lord we will be tempted.  Even our Lord, in obedience to His Father, was led into the desert by the Holy Spirit to be tempted. Jesus could not fall to the temptations of Satan, but He allowed temptation to teach us how to handle them.

            What weapon did Our Lord use against Satan? It was none other than the weapon we read about in Psalm 90, Verse 1: “He that dwelleth in the aid of the most High, shall abide under the protection of the God of Jacob.” Jesus told Satan, “Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.” (Matthew 4: 5) We cannot respond in those same words because we are not God, but we can trust in the promises of Psalm 90, and when we are tempted we can say, “I believe.” And Who is it we believe in? “God, the Father Almighty.” When you are tempted, recite and pray the Creed and recite and pray Psalm 90 – “He shall say to the Lord: Thou art my protector, and my refuge: my God, in him will I trust . . . His truth shall compass thee with a shield: thou shalt not be afraid . . . He hath given His angels charge over thee; to keep thee in all thy ways . . . Because he hoped in me I will deliver him . . . He shall cry to me, and I will hear him: I am with him in tribulation, I will deliver him, and I will glorify him.”  What harm Satan do to us when we pray: “I believe in God and He is my Almighty Father.” By saying this we say that we do not trust in ourselves to resist, but we trust in God, and it is only with trust in God that we undertake combat with the devil.  

            St. John tells us (1 John 2: 16) that we have three enemies to fight: “For all that is in the world, is the concupiscence of the flesh, and the concupiscence of the eyes, and the pride of life . . .“  Concupiscence of the flesh refers to a love of sensual things. When not curbed, this love leads us into unlawful pleasures. Concupiscence of the eyes refers to a love of the things of this world, riches, possessions and power. These things dazzle our eyes, and then seduce our hearts. Pride of life is an excess confidence in ourselves that can lead to vanity and make us forget that everything we have, our lives and every good gift, comes from God. These are the three temptations that Satan presented to Jesus in today’s Gospel.

            The first temptation was to the flesh, change these stones into bread. If Jesus consented and filled His stomach, the devil would know that he is just another mortal man, giving in to concupiscence like other men. The lesson Jesus teaches us here is temperance. Temperance is the mother of purity, and intemperance excites our senses to rebel against God.

            The second temptation is to pride, cast Thyself down and angels will bear Thee up. Satan wanted to know (in Satan’s thinking) if the favors of heaven had produced in Jesus that haughtiness and ungrateful attitude that makes a man credit to himself all good things in his life, and then to forget that God is his true benefactor. Jesus’ humility foils the tempter when he is  quickly and quietly told, “Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.” Note that the Lord quotes Scriptures appropriately, but  Satan quotes them inappropriately. Satan quotes Psalm 90: “That he hath given his angels charge over thee, and in their hands shall they bear thee up, lest perhaps thou dash thy foot against a stone.” This passage refers to the assistance that angels give to just persons in removing obstacles on the road to heaven. We know Jesus is God, so we also know that God, who can hold the universe in the palm of His hand, does not need an angel to lift Him up.

            The third temptation is to ambition through the eyes. From the top of a high mountain Satan shows Jesus all the kingdoms of the world and promises them to Him if only Jesus would fall down and adore him. With this temptation, Satan claims to be the Creator and owner of all the kingdoms of the world as well as of the whole universe, and this brings forth a rebuke from the Lord because this is a sin against His Father. “Begone Satan!” Jesus says and drives the devil away by the authority of His command. The lesson we should learn here is to hate the riches of the world, if obtaining those riches means that we worship Satan in order to get them.

            Note how our Lord teaches us to reject temptations without delay. Temptations proceed along a set course: first the temptation presents itself to us; second, is called delectation, where we consider the temptation and we delight in it; the third is when we consent to the sin. The way to deal with temptations is the way Jesus did  – do not consider them even for a second. Reject them immediately.

             These Lenten days of fast and penance are given to us to help us redeem our sins and save our souls. We fast for 40 days, as Moses (Exodus 34: 28) and Elias (3 Kings 19: 7 & 8) did, and as the Son of God did. But why did God’s Son fast? And why is there fasting after Baptism? Fasting is the first law of God and goes back to the Garden of Eden – abstain from eating the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. We know that fasting is good for us because our Lord also fasted in the tradition of Moses and Elias. Further, we know that fasting displeases the devil, otherwise why would Satan have seduced Adam and Even to disobey God’s precept to fast in the Garden? Pope St. Gregory reminds us that it was “not unworthy of our Redeemer, who came to be slain, that he was willing to be tempted.” Rather, it was right “that he should overcome our temptations by his own temptations,” just as he came to conquer our death by his own death.

           

            Remember our Lord’s patience and calmness in the face of Satan’s temptations. The devil will tempt all of us with lust, gluttony, greed, laziness, wrath, envy and pride – the seven deadly sins.  Fasting will make us masters of our bodies and enable us to remain patient and calm in the face of these temptations. +++

We Celebrate the Traditional Tridentine Latin Mass

Ash Wednesday Sermon, Feb. 13, 2013

Ash Wednesday, February 13, 2013

(Epistle - Joel 2: 12-16; Gospel - Matthew 6: 16-21)

            Today we begin the 40-day Lenten fast required by the Church. I would like to put fasting in perspective so that we understand how far reaching it is. Fasting by itself is not a virtue. It becomes a virtue only when it is done with conditions that make it pleasing to God. We are told to be perfect even as our Heavenly Father is perfect. We can go a long way toward becoming perfect if, along with a fast of our bodies, we also fast with our souls. Fasting with body and soul makes us want to please only God with a pure heart.

          Fasting with our whole heart is the first condition needed to make fasting pleasing to God. We must fast willingly, whole-heartedly, entirely and according to the rules of the Church. Sin entered the world through the mouth, but all of our other senses have also sinned, so we must fast entirely, with all our senses; sight, touch, hearing, speech and taste. Follow the simple rules of the Church about fasting and abstinence, but if you wish to be perfect as your Heavenly Father is perfect, then fast with all your senses: Fast with your sight and hearing by refusing to watch any TV shows or movies or look at pictures that are not wholesome to your soul. Fast with your taste by not overeating on non-fasting days. Fast with your touch by using your hands only in a way appropriate for one of God’s children.

          Next, fast through humility, not through vanity. St. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 13 that if we do not have charity we are nothing. Fasting, like all good works, is also nothing if not done with humility. True charity and humility are seen together in a person, so you cannot fast with humility unless you have charity. What is it then to fast through vanity? If you make up your own rules for fasting and ignore the rules of the Church, you are fasting through vanity. Someone might fast on every Saturday of the year, but not during Lent. Some other person might decide to eat only one meal on fast days instead of three. If you fast according to the rules of the Church your obedience will bring you to humility and your fast will involve both your body and soul.

          Lent is also the time for a generous soul to come closer to God by forgiving offenses, ignoring insults and forgetting past injuries. You can be sure that the more you live like this and the more you go out of your way to do good for others, the more will the devil envy you, hate you and try to destroy you. When those who have lived a life of sin turn over a new leaf and follow Christ, they may feel pride in their efforts and that pride makes them subject to vanity. Vanity is the playground of the devil and he uses it to destroy good people. St. Paul’s advice on this is: “He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord. For not he who commends himself is approved: but he whom God commends.” (2 Corinthians 10: 17, 18)

                               

                If you follow the Lenten fast in obedience to the rules you will soon find that your soul now rules your body, that your body and passions no longer rule you. Our souls, which live forever, are meant to rule our bodies, which live only a short time. By limiting our intake of food we learn to limit our desires for physical intimacy, power, possessions and position in society. You begin to see that the rules of the Church are not just a bunch of rules for people who don’t know how to enjoy life. You will begin to understand that Mother Church’s rules are born out of wisdom and much experience and are designed to show us how to live a full and happy life dedicated to the salvation of our own souls and those of others.

          Remember, we don’t have to be sad because we must fast. Rather, be sad because our sins have made atonement necessary. +++

Lenten Fast & Abstinence

FAST: Everyone is obligated to observe fasting, after their 21^st birthday, until the midnight of the completion of their 59^th birthday. One may eat only one full meal. You may also eat two light meatless meals in between the main meal, for strength, not equal to the main meal. Water, milk  and juices may be taken between meals.
ABSTINENCE: Everyone is obligated to observe abstinence who is aged 7 and above.  No meat on all Fridays of the year , nor on Ash Wednesday. On Ember Days meat once a day (Feb 20, Feb. 22, Feb. 23, 2013) and on Holy Saturday until noon (Mar. 30, 2013).

A Lesson on Vanity

            St. Pachomius, a Desert Father who died about 346 A.D., was walking along with other monks. They earned a living by making mats, and each monk was required to make one a day. On this occasion one of the monks laid out in the sun two mats he had made that day. No one asked why he made two mats, but St. Pachomius knew that he made two mats out of vanity, so the other monks would know that he was better than they. Pachomius ordered the mats thrown into a fire and he confined the vain monk to his quarters for a period of time as a punishment and an example to the other monks. This monk lived in a desert monastery, a humble existence, yet he let vanity get the better of him even there. Satan will use everything in God’s creation to snare us in his net and drag out souls to hell.

We Celebrate the Traditional Tridentine Latin Mass

Sermon, Quinquagesima Sunday, Feb. 10, 2013

Quinquagesima Sunday, February 10, 2013

Epistle, 1 Corinthians 13: 1-13             Gospel, Luke 18:31-43

            St. Matthew records the incident when Christ went out in a boat with His Disciples. A storm came up and the boat was covered with waves. (Matthew 8: 24) Those waves are like temptations to sin and we live our lives like little boats in a storm. Waves of temptation will slam into us all our lives, and we are not totally safe from shipwreck until our lives end. St. Antony, who retired from the world into the Egyptian desert, was allowed to see devils passing by in the air, thousands of them, roaming throughout the world seeking the destruction of souls, as we say in our prayer to St. Michael after Mass.

            Watch and pray we are told. If we want to please God and save our souls we will meet two important things that we must understand. First, the large number of devils who surround us and how eager they are to destroy our soul. The second thing is how carelessly we live among the waves of temptation we are faced with every day. Jesus told St. Peter in Gethsemani just before He was arrested, “Watch ye, and pray that ye enter not into temptation.” (Matthew 28: 41) So what enemies should we watch for and fear the most?

            People who would damage our reputation by slander, those who would steal from us, even those who try to kill us are not our real enemies. They are tools that God uses to give us the opportunity to practice humility, meekness, charity and patience. These people will be the cause of our getting into Heaven if we accept them in this Christian spirit.

            Our real enemies are those who try to rob our soul of innocence, to kill our soul in the sight of God and to cast it into hell. We even carry these enemies inside ourselves. These invisible enemies are the ones we have to avoid the most and constantly be on guard against.  What are they? Look at how we like to boast about our possessions, how we have more than other people, or how we boast that our work is better than others’ – we are overly prideful. Look at how we’re offended when someone makes a joke at our expense – our self esteem is injured. We have envy,  when we are sad that our friend does better than we. If we are glad when something bad happens to someone we don’t like – that is hatred.  And what about right now at Mass? We come here to worship God, but how many other things are we thinking about? Things we have to do later today or during the coming week. These are some of our secret enemies.

           

            Now let’s talk about external enemies. Everything has been created by God for our use and service. All things will point us toward our salvation or to our damnation depending on what use we make of them. Look at a poor man. His poverty should get him into heaven. But, instead of offering his poverty and suffering up to God, he grumbles and complains and envies the rich, calling them cruel tyrants.  Or look at a rich man. Instead of being thankful to God and using his wealth to help the less fortunate, he becomes proud and haughty and stingy. He becomes completely unaware of the needs of his soul.  Devils are always around us. They make use of everything, trying to catch us in their net.

            These are some of our enemies, both inside and out. If we examine our hearts we will find more than the few I mention today. All of them can cause our ruin if we do not suppress them with great care. Our only salvation is to fight them with prayer and sacrifice, with charity and patience. When we pray, be aware of carelessness and tiredness. If we meet with suffering, don’t grumble, instead be thankful that you have this to offer to God in reparation for sin.

            What gives us confidence is that we always have recourse to our Father in heaven, Who will never permit us to be tempted beyond our strength, and Who will always help those be victorious who come to Him in prayer and humility. So, this Lenten season, watch and pray and, like Jesus, you will overcome the world. (John 16: 33)

In addition to fasting this Lent we prepare for Good Friday by meditating on His Passion. St. Bonaventure wrote that “nothing produces in the soul such a complete sanctification” as contemplating the Passion of our Lord. Read the Gospels on His Passion, Death and Resurrection to see exactly what He went through for us and His glory on Easter Sunday. St. Paul must have spent a lot of time contemplating our Lord’s Passion because he said he did not come in loftiness of speech, “For I judged not myself to know anything . . . but Jesus Christ, and him crucified.” (1 Cor. 2:2) +++

We Celebrate the Traditional Tridentine Latin Mass