Sunday Sermon

The suffering of the saints and the prosperity of the wicked is an issue which is frequently addressed in the Word of God. We find the Book of Job dealing explicitly with this matter. We come face-to-face with it again in Psalm 73. In each passage of Scripture the issue is considered from a slightly different perspective.

God's call and our response is not only a single moment in a vocation. It is the vocation. To follow Christ is to consent to being called at each moment—to be called away from something, to something, or into something. It is to respond generously at each moment with our heart’s full consent.To be so faithful and prompt when God calls, especially if it goes against our moods and interests—or even when more serious things such as our safety or reputation are at stake.

The greatest works of God are often made manifest to us, not when we seek signs or wonders, but when we do our daily duty in charity, and when we put our faith and our closeness to the Lord into practice.

Two men died and were waiting in line for admission to heaven.

“We've got room for only one more,” Saint Peter said. “Which one of you is more humble?”....Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also the interests of others.

The wolves that catch and scatter the sheep of Jesus Christ are the authors of scandal, who, not content with their own destruction, labour to destroy others. Woe to him who gives scandal, and causes others to lose the grace of God. If there be any among you who has given scandal, I will endeavour to convince him of the evil he has done, that he may bewail it and guard against it for the future.

In John 20:19-31 we see the disciples set themselves apart from fear of danger. The same is true for us. We’re fearful of the things that might harm us. We’re wary of the Coronavirus. And if we would get sick, we fear we might be one of the unfortunate ones who end up dying from it. We’re afraid of what this pandemic means for us economically. Business owners fret over the fate of their companies. Workers fear they may lose their jobs. And people who already are unemployed wonder how they’ll make ends meet.

There is a special episode preserved by the Gospel of John that stands out from among the post-resurrection scenes. This is the incident of the appearance of the risen Lord to Thomas, brilliantly narrated by John. The specialty and the importance of this event lie in the fact that it presents the relation between seeing and believing in a splendid, superbly formulated manner. More specifically, it shows the significance of believing after, or because of, having seen the risen Christ, and believing without having seen him.

After His resurrection, Jesus Christ entered, though the doors were closed, into the house in which the eleven faithful apostles were assembled, and stood in the midst of them. The mystic meaning of this miracle is, that the Lord does not enter into our souls unless we keep the door of the senses shut." If, then, we wish Jesus Christ to dwell within us, we must keep the doors of our senses closed against dangerous occasions, otherwise the Devil will make us his slaves. I will show today the great danger of perdition to which they who do not avoid the occasions of sin expose themselves.

Jesus spoke more often and more graphically about hell than anyone else in the Bible. The entire Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, reveals a God who will bring judgment on sinners, but who shows mercy to those who repent of their sins and trust in Him.

Near the cross! O Lamb of God,

Bring its scenes before me;

Help me walk from day to day,

With its shadow o'er me.

Near the cross I'll watch and wait,

Hoping, trusting ever,

Till I see my Savior's face,

Leave His presence never.