This week I will post this a bit early, for the sake of your memories.
Do you remember some good point from the Sunday sermon you heard?
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I didn’t hear our sermon today, the power was out. ;)
The deacon gave a short and sweet homily about the vine and branches.
It was about being pruned and fruit. Unfortunately as a father of 6 I had to take the 4 year old out of church and dust his pants off for him, since he would not stop whining like a puppy so all I got to hear was the pruned part, but I am sure the rest as Fr. Gahan’s sermons kick butt.
Jim Dorchak
Thanks Fr. Z “for the sake of your memories”
Unfortunately not much to remember. It’s almost as if our pastor is simply re-reading the gospel.
No new insights. I have to give myself a sermon and simply meditate on what the gospel means to me as applied to myself.
The parish priest said, clearly, that the only way to salvation and heaven is through baptism and through the sacrifice, redemption and atonement of Jesus Christ. He could have added, through the Catholic Church, but I was happy to hear that much.
How we come to the Church each week with and in faith, however one can be erudite on matters of religion and still not be faithful or have faith, and one can desire faith and pray for an increase of it.
Today I attended the local Byzantine Church. Little did I know what I was in for. During the Sermon, it was announced that the Parish Priest was leaving the Catholic Church and becoming an Orthodox Priest. The new Parish Administrator then went into why it was important for the faithful to stay with the Catholic Church and not join the former Pastor in leaving for the Orthodox Church. He then talked about the importance of the two lungs of the Church being reunited.
The Dominican pastor was explaining how to remain “connected” to the Vine: basically, the Sacraments. Specifically, Sunday Mass, and he added that “missing Mass on Sunday is a serious sin.”. I remember this because it was so startling to hear such a clear teaching from a pulpit! I should add, however, that it is quite common to hear such clear teaching at this Dominican parish.
I just returned from Cardinal Dolan’s Mass of Thanksgiving at the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis. I left after the rest of the procession departed the building, while he was still shaking hands with everyone in the front pews. I never laughed so hard at any sermon in my entire life. He told the story of a taciturn sacristan at the Cathedral who he hadn’t seen for eleven years, when he was auxiliary Bishop in Saint Louis. On greeting the sacristan, Cardinal Dolan remarked at how much had changed since he left. The sacristan took a good look at the Cardinal and offered, “Less hair, more pounds.” The sermon did have something about vines and branches, but folks were laughing too hard and I missed most of it. Sister Rosario, who taught him as a boy, gave the first reading.
Dies Irae,
I think I was the same church as you….maybe. Was he a visiting/British/stationed-in-Atlanta priest? (hehehe)
Our wonderful priest made the point regarding sin that our initial, emotional reaction to temptation must be resisted. “The first few seconds of our mental state must get control of our thoughts before a sin is actually comitted.” he said. My father explained the same thing to his four sons many years ago about lust: “you have five seconds to stop think’en about that if you see something er.. you know… bad….”. (His Five Second Rule). But I always wondered how long I had to go ‘stopped’ think’en about it to reset the five second clock?!?!?!
I am spitting mad. Our pastor, who refused to say one $*#*#**&$*$*$ word about the HHS mandate upon the bishop’s request a few months back–no petition & no word after communion w/announcements–spent today’s homily defending the nuns who feel “hurt” and what have you by the Vatican’s criticism. He told us to take action and thank a nun. I am surprised he didn’t tell us to write the Vatican of this “injustice.” Arghhh.
Fortiter Pugnem,
LOL, I sat in the same pew as you.
Our Parochial Vicar preached on the vine and the branches (of course) with an interesting side discourse on viniculture — then talked about we must keep vigilant in pruning all our “dead branches” of sin that cause us to stumble . . . bottom line, “Get to Confession!”
He’s a very fine, hardworking, orthodox priest. You’d never know, with his kindness and humility, that he’s just finishing up his doctorate in Canon Law, has a raft of advanced degrees, and is a professor at our Really Catholic College.
A really great sermon from a permanent Deacon who takes his deaconry seriously. It was Novus Ordo so we have vines and branches and the vine grower. Like the vines are to draw sustainance from the soil, we are to draw from Christ. As the branches are to be pruned in order to bear fruit, so we must be pruned of what comes between us Christ.
Fr. P talked about the vine, branches – healthy or otherwise, the living sap (the sacraments, especially Eucharist), and good rich soil (the Church and the deposit of Faith). Also introduced the topic of deadheading in order to have continuous flowers ….hmm….
Hubby and I pulled away from the curb in Queens at 9:30. The parking is usually plentiful in NYC’s Midtown at 10 AM. We were headed for Holy Innocents and the EF. I had already attended First Friday and Saturday.
I knew there was going to be trouble when I saw the legion of bicyclists above the midtown tunnel. Once crossing Park Ave, in Manhattan, it became apparent that we were going no where fast. Hubby talked me in to attending the Novus Ordo at Our Lady Queen of Martyrs, Forest Hills. They played a Lutheran Hymn for the processional of altar girls and women in pant suits and it went downhill from there.
I hate you, NYC Bike Tour.
Dies Irae: ;) Twins. Lol.
I could hear the sermon…Fr. preached about the problems St. Paul encountered in Corinth and the means he used to correct them.
The priest spoke about how we must remain attached to Jesus the vine, because just as in a garden when you cut branches off a vine, the cut off branches die and are thrown away or burned, in the same way when we are separated from Jesus we die, even if we are still physically alive, we are dead. Then he gave us three ways to stay attached to the vine and abide in Jesus: first, we must go to confession when we sin, second, spend some time every day with the Gospel , even if only a few minutes, and third to receive Holy Communion.
Guarding awareness of being close to God. Universality of agricultural parables.
Cleaning up gardens of weeds and dead branches, is like seeing the times of sin when we did not have hearts for God. Jesus used the condition of grapevines as a symbol of states of life to help our understanding of many aspects of our faith because everyone has thirst. The juice of the grapes was for thirst in His day; and what would be the fulfillment of faith then and now. The prunings were for other purposes than quenching thirst. Possible to see them as troubles which we should bring to God for help; or they’ll(we’ll) just get separated from God and wasted or burned. Branches of the growing vine produce fruit. Jesus asks the same of people for God’s creation.
We attended Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal in Hampton, NH on Sunday. The priest began with this anecdote to illustrate what happens to an individual who decides they don’t need to be connected to Christ through attending church:
“D.L. Moody once called on a leading citizen in Chicago to persuade him to
accept Christ. They were seated in the man’s parlor. It was winter and
coal was burning in the fireplace. The man objected that he could be just
as good a Christian outside the church as in it. Moody said nothing, but
stepped to the fireplace, took the tongs, picked a blazing coal from the
fire and set it off by itself. In silence the two watched it smolder and
go out. “I see,” said the man.”
A substitute priest at our twice monthly Tridentine Mass gave a wonderful sermon on the Rosary. This FSSP priest, studying at CU, started by saying how we commonly look for miracles from God, while we ignore some simple action that He asks us to do. As an example, young David skipped the heavy armor and weapons and met the giant with his usual garb and sling. Fr L continued as he described Our Lady of Fatima and her request that we pray the Rosary, pray the Rosary, pray the Rosary. It is Mary’s slingshot, a simple but powerful weapon against all of today’s scourges.
You want to bring your kids back to the Church? Pray the Rosary daily.
Our visiting priest at the EF today spoke about the virtue of meekness, and the gentility with which we should approach our children when correcting them. One thing that really stood out to me- he said that while it is important to teach our children the catechism, if we want our children to hold onto the faith as adults we should be joyful and show them that you can be happy living as a faithful Catholic. I think that point is especially important to bring up in a parish where people are trying very hard to teach their children the faith, and most have pretty large families. The stress and fatigue involved in raising a large family can result in short tempers once in awhile, and it’s good to remember that our children are watching us and we should show them that even though our vocation is challenging, we are still happy and joyful and gentle. He also said that giving in to anger is like handing the Devil the keys to your house. Ouch.
I heard Father McDonald, of St. Joseph Church in Macon, Georgia (and of the blog, Southern Orders), explain in straightforward terms what being in the Vine versus “pruned” means. Mere opinion about various issues does not trump Church teaching, and we need to be clear about that, in particular for the sake of lukewarm Catholics who could go to hell.
He even mentioned the words, “outside the Church there is no salvation,” and then gave an explanation of how we understand that.
While I love to preach the Gospel, it is rather nice to offer the Mass and merely receive a homily.
Here in NC, we have a same sex marriage amendment on the ballot. Our priest,who was just ordained in June, gave an impassioned homily on why a Catholic in good conscience vote in favor of it. He also said Catholics could never vote for a pro-abortion candidate! Father B, we ‘ve got your back!
NoraLee9 “I hate you NYC bike tour”
I gotta say : LOL (seriously) although I feel your pain ad well.
Hey NoraLee9,
I too frequent EF at Holy Innocents in NYC. Would love to meet up with you and attend EF there during the week if you are up for it. It’s tough to find others who familiar with Holy Innocents and their EF Masses.