Sunday Sermon

“I am the Good Shepherd, and know My sheep, and am known of Mine.” (St. John 10:14​)

The Church calls to our minds the Precious and Life-giving Cross of our Lord.

Recall that our Lord tells those who would follow Him that they, too, must daily pick up their own crosses. In fact, our Lord instructs those who would follow Him with three instructions or conditions: They must deny themselves; they must take up their crosses; and they must *actually* follow Him.

Let us hear this challenge today from our Lord and let us make haste to put into action His words to us!

Saint Thomas Aquinas advises: “In order to avoid sin, pleasure must be shunned, not altogether, but so that it is not sought more than necessity requires.”

Let us remember that all of the penances in the world will not save us without true repentance for all of our sins.

Life is scary, sometimes, when we do not know what is coming. And yet we know that when we are afraid we should stand with Christ.

There are two practices, penance and mortification. The actions of both are the same, although the reason differs. Mortification is to help us stay away from sin as Saint. Paul said: "But I chastise my body, and bring it into subjection: lest perhaps, when I have preached to others, I myself should become a castaway." [1 Corinthians 9:27] Penance is for penitents, which we consider an act only penitents can do. Do any of us think of giving up sin?

“Jesus came and stood in the midst” (St. John 20: 19.)

Jesus stood in the midst of his Apostles, in the room in which they had shut themselves up for fear of the Jews, and in which they were talking of Christ. Jesus is never to be found in the company of those who, without fear or shame, place themselves in the danger of sin; because he who without necessity runs into such danger, will not long preserve the grace of God. There is a certain kind of company that seems to many not at all dangerous, although it is the most dangerous of all-that is, the company of young people of both sexes, who meet at night to amuse themselves; call it what you please, ball or party, or anything else; I call it, in plain language, a nightly promiscuous gathering of young people for the purpose of amusement. If what I have to say offends any of you, I hope you will forgive me; the danger that threatens your precious souls and the duty of my office force me to speak of this matter in order to satisfy my conscience. I do not envy or grudge you your enjoyments, but rather wish you from my heart all kinds of joy in abundance, provided there is no danger to your souls.

How quickly the novelty of a new Lenten season can wear off! But do not become discouraged by this, for Lent is a time for renewal, rather than novelty.

We hear today how our Lord healed the man sick of the palsy, and how the Lord did use this man's healing as a sign to all that the Lord had the power to forgive sins.

This forgiveness is the start of the great renewal that we all must seek within our souls, our lives, and our society. Hear how the Lord uses even that which seems insignificant to be a manifestation of His grace and power.

“Who shall roll us back the stone from the door of the sepulcher?” Mark 16:3.

The greater the desire of these holy women was to behold and anoint their dear Lord, the greater was their anxiety lest they should not be able to carry out their intention; for the entrance to the grave was closed by a huge stone; and therefore, they asked each other: Who shall roll us back the stone from the door of the sepulcher? Poor weak women (that they were), they had not the strength to do it; nevertheless, they went on their way, determined to do their best. In like manner, sinners are deterred from doing sincere penance, and being really reconciled to God. I say sincere penance, and real reconciliation; for the great mass of the ordinary annual confessions, enforced on bad Catholics at Easter, are mere shams and sacrileges. Most of such sinners are shut up in the grave of sin by a huge stone which they fear even to attempt to roll away. The inveterate habit of a certain vice, some unlawful intimacy, or proximate occasion of sin, which they do not wish to abandon this is the stone that lies across the door of their hearts and which they think it impossible to remove. “Who” (they irresolutely ask), “who shall roll us back the stone?” Who will free me at last from this occasion, this intimacy, this inveterate habit? Sinners! (I reply) God helps those who help themselves. But he wishes you to learn now by my lips:

When we think of penance and mortification, we think of fasting. Some even think of hair shirts. We think of giving things up in order to atone for our sins. However, let us remember that the publican, who prayed: "I fast twice in a week: I give tithes of all that I possess," was not justified.

How can penance and mortification have a positive side?

Do know the most common time people report that they worry? The most common time for worrying is between 9:00 p.m. and 3:00 a.m. It’s when the lights go out, activity ceases, you’re lying in bed, all those worries come flooding into your mind, and you just can’t seem to turn it off. God says all that worrying is in vain. It doesn’t accomplish anything. He wants to take those worries away and give you sleep.