Sunday Sermon

Saint John wrote five books of the Bible, his Gospel, three Epistle and the Apocalypse at the end.

Many read the Apocalypse as a book of prophecy, which it is. However, when we read the Bible, let us look for spiritual advice. And this includes the prophetic books, because there is much spiritual advice there.

"A voice of one crying in the wilderness saying : The voice of one crying in the desert: Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the wilderness the paths of our God. Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall become straight, and the rough ways plain. And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh together shall see, that the mouth of the Lord hath spoken." (Isa.40:3-5). This message has an application for us. The Lord is coming back a second time. And just as John the Baptist prepared the people for His first coming, the church must prepare people for His second coming.

All of us are messengers. We all convey messages whether we realize it or not. But unlike us many times, Jesus' answer to Johns disciples were not just by his words, he answered them by his actions.

None of us can know where we will be in eighteen years. We can know, however, how we ought to face each day between now and then.

In the Gospel we hear of our Lord preaching in the synagogue, and calling to a woman who had suffered a spirit of infirmity for eighteen years. She could not even lift up her head for her illness. And yet she sought the Lord and His grace with resolve and dignity.

Our Lord heals her on the Sabbath, in the sight of all, even to the consternation of those who would hold that being healed on the Sabbath was against the law.

Let us take an example from the woman both in her infirmity and in her healing.

The First Commandment says, “You shall have no other gods but me.” Specifically, we must not attribute the efficacy of prayers or of sacramental signs to their mere external performance, apart from the interior dispositions that they demand ”

While it is wise to provide for the future, we ought always to do so according to the richness of God. For all that we have and all that we can offer is given to us by the rich mercies and bounties of Almighty God. Our first concern is that all the goods which are placed in our care are used in the manner desired by the Lord.

Hear today a short parable from the Lord about the rich man who sought to provide only for himself, forgetting the mercy of the Lord. We can avoid falling into the same trap by cultivating true thanksgiving in a joyful heart.

Heaven and Earth shall pass away but my Word shall not pass away- Luke 21:33

Third Sunday After Advent

We are all looking for an easy way to become a saint. If becoming a saint is easy, why aren't we all becoming saints?

“Behold, Thy King cometh unto thee” (St. Matthew, Chapter 21) Hear Jesus' own declaration of his kingship. Accept the amnesty that King Jesus holds out to you, and renounce your allegiance to self and success and money and family and physical pleasure and security – and whatever else rules you more than Jesus.