Your Sunday Sermon Notes

Was there a good point made in the sermon you heard for your Mass of Sunday Obligation?

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26 Comments

  1. Prayerful says:

    It is perhaps a very basic point, but Fr pointed out that the head of the Holy Family was not Jesus, not Our Lady, but the carpenter Joseph.

  2. Rob83 says:

    Buzzwords: Commandments, eternal consequences, evil

    Today’s sermon was mostly a focus on how to love God, by doing his commandments, and that following those commandments were the key to making life on earth better.

    Similar to the reading in Acts, sleeping around was called evil in the sermon, as was abortion later in the intercessions.

  3. PhilipNeri says:

    I used the Gospel (OF) to tackle the notion of conscience. . .

    http://hancaquam.blogspot.com/2016/05/our-aboriginal-vicar.html

    Fr. Philip Neri, OP

  4. Gregg the Obscure says:

    OF Mass. The pastor focused on the reading from Acts to make his first, rather opaque, comments about the Synod of Bishops. Good points: there has always been and will always be a degree of friction between various members of the Church; most such conflicts are not resolved quickly, even when the Church’s leaders give clear instructions such as were recounted in the reading.

  5. pberginjr says:

    Fr. discussed Heaven and eternity based on the symbols in Rev. 21.

  6. benedetta says:

    Sunday of the Blind Man who was healed, Eastern Catholic Rite. On the critique of Jesus’ performing a healing on the Sabbath, of the blind man. The man was blind with his eyes and also spiritually blind to the ways of God. Why do we perform corporal and spiritual acts of mercy to those who are unfamiliar with faith? “Slava” (glory of God) — From a girl who made her First Communion today.

  7. Charivari Rob says:

    Interesting anecdote from Father leading into the specific points of the readings.

    He told a short story of Harry Houdini doing an exhibition in some small town, where he took on the challenge to escape their new, escape-proof jail while the townsfolk wait outside. He uses a flexible rod he had concealed on his person to try to pick the lock, but – try as he might, he can’t open the lock! He struggles in disbelief with this stumbling block to his expertise, keeps trying and trying until well past his advertised time limit.

    At last, he gives up. As he slumps against the door in frustrated defeat – it opens! It had never been locked. All his strength and nerve and talent was useless against an obstacle somebody else removed for him.

    The tie-in: don’t make ourselves prisoners of our own limited possibilities when God has so much for us.

  8. APX says:

    Our priest talked at length about the mysterious helix staircase at the Sisters of Loreto chapel in Santa Fe and mentioned at the end that the sisters, who prayed a novena to St. Joseph, the Master Carpenter, to find someone who could design a stairwell to their choir loft, believe it was St. Joseph who built the stairwell given the degree of perfection with which it was built.

  9. O. Possum says:

    It started out like a sermon but it was all a ruse to hand over that time to the Catholic Charities lady for her sales pitch. I understand that these people doing works of mercy need to get the word out, and maybe I’m just a curmudgeon, but I really wish they would save that stuff for before or after Holy Mass.

  10. aegsemje says:

    The priest spoke about Amoris Laetitia and said that the Church is a living organism and cannot survive without change, and that we need to be open to the changes the Holy Spirit is bringing to the Church.

  11. catholiccomelately says:

    Father Mack spoke of a connection of the 1st and Gospel lessons …. the gift of the apostolic Magisterium to interpret and share the Truth of God’s will for his people, from the 1st Apostolic Council to now (his final example was the magisterial consensus on the Truth of one man, one woman marriage.)
    Our parish is becoming more traditional as we’ve been there and experienced

  12. catholiccomelately says:

    Sorry …… as we’ve experienced the good preaching and ministry of two priests. (Thank you, Bishop Jurgis)

  13. rtrainque says:

    Fr. spoke a little bit about today’s feast of St. Joseph the Workman.

    1) Although the problems the world was facing with Soviet Communism back in the ’50s are not exactly the same as what we’re dealing with now, the feast (and the reason it was instituted) is still important. Although we may not always think of them this way, socialism and “western” consumerism are both materialistic ideologies because their focus is on possessions/money/power (either adding to what they have or getting what “the other guy” has) and therefore ultimately make these passing things their god.

    2) Human work was part of God’s plan from the beginning (with Adam caring for Eden). No matter what our work consists of (physical labor, “knowledge” work, caring for the home/children, doing our studies) we can sanctify it by doing it for God (and if our work is something truly immoral that can’t be sanctified, we should obviously find something else to do). When we do that, we need not consider ourselves to be truly living only when we’re “off the clock” as it were.

  14. zag4christ says:

    Our 7:00 a.m. Mass at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Lourdes was celebrated by Monsignor Pearson. I would guess him at about 80 years. He is “in residence” at the Cathedral, after at least 50 years as a diocesan priest. He is also one of the priests Pope Francis appointed to be priest for the Year of Mercy. He is a survivor of laryngeal cancer, and since I have only known him post cancer, I do not know how he spoke prior, and the fact the sound system at the Cathedral is sketchy at best, it has not affected his ability to preach the Gospel or sing. Three or four years ago he sang a Mass and it was unbelievable. He focused today on the Gospel, specifically on the Peace that only Christ can provide. He spoke of leading a pilgrimage to the Holy Land in the Jubilee Year 2000, and how they were able to visit all the people and places they wanted to, and today one cannot. He spoke on how important it was to continue to have faith in the Real and True peace of Christ. He spoke about the how the peace that is offered by the world is shallow and transient. Thank God for good and holy priests!
    His final words were specifically aimed at the time in the Mass where we are offer a sign of peace to each other. “It is not a time to visit, or greet each other, it is a time to truly hope and pray and offer the Peace that only Christ can give.
    Peace and God bless

  15. geri says:

    Father spoke on the motherhood of the Blessed Virgin, on this first day of May….dedicated to Her. He named many of Her venerable titles but said that the most beautiful and highest title of Our Lady, is “Mother of God.” He went on to say that, throughout history, the battles that men have fought have been, ultimately, to preserve the right to raise their families in peace. It was a beautiful tribute to the Virgin, and a very beautiful homily.

  16. Mr. Graves says:

    Father spoke about Amoris Laetitia and CDR. He explained how reception of the Eucharist by a faithful Catholic is akin to the marital embrace, which itself is an image of Christ’s love for his bride. He said it is false mercy to encourage reception of communion by the CDR unless preconditions of repentance and amendment of life are met.

    And when it seemed it couldn’t get any better, he reminded married couples about the necessity of avoiding contraception. Wonderful homily!

  17. Farmer0831 says:

    The 2nd reading (Revelation) shows us that we are part of a very big, very long-term plan, that we are the spiritual descendants of Abraham and the Lord’s promise to the Israelites is His promise to us as well…true Communion with the Creator.

    Another awesome, orthodox homily…I’m weirded out because I really loved my former pastor, and the pastor at this parish doesn’t pass the “litmus tests” for Catholic orthodoxy. He never speaks specifically about “stuff Catholics ought to do even though…” but then again maybe he knows the parish and doesn’t think they can handle it? (From what I can make out in my grade-school-level Spanish when I go to the Spanish-language masses, he’s a bit more “laying it on the table” with them.) He’s never specifically _not_ orthodox. The liturgy is, frankly, really bad…but Father is extremely, extremely busy and understaffed (rural parish) so maybe that’s just a result of having to delegate to people who don’t know any better? And his nature is definitely to make people feel loved and welcome, not call them to task. He definitely leans liberal and wishy-washy but…would the opposite alternative really be any better? I live in a very “underchurched” area. Maybe Hope and FrancisMercy really are the best ways to reach people here? It seems to be working. By which I mean, it gets people to Reconciliation, not just to the Sunday Mass. At least judging by the line for the confessional.

    Anyhow Father is soon to leave us, being promoted away from this rural parish. And recently he’s been giving some really gritty homilies. Like this one. I mean, politically, this is not an area of the country where it’s cool to point out that Christians owe a debt to our spiritual ancestors, the nation of Israel.

    I do prefer Protestant converts. I’ve been to evangelical services and they get it (they just don’t understand that they ought to be Catholic.) And Protestant converts to the true faith are the backbone of the American Church. (Few of the rest of the American Catholic Church seem to have any backbone. Certainly not the USCCB.) Cradle Catholics who have been called to be priests…it just seems they don’t get it. They don’t understand the urgency. But once in a while they deliver a homily and I think…”wow, you really, truly believe this stuff. Why Don’t You Do This Every Week, Father?”

    This Sunday…Father hit a home run.

  18. JonPatrick says:

    Father preached on the Epistle for St. Joseph the Worker. When a person becomes a Christian they must seek the things from above rather than those of this world. Forgive each other as God forgives us. Whatever you do, do in the name of the Lord Jesus. How do we do this? (1) Knowing who Jesus is (2) Identify ourselves with Jesus who redeemed us (3) Keep seeking the things from above (4) put to death old habits and there were 2 more which I don’t recall unfortunately.

    As an aside, I think that was the first time I’d heard the preface of St. Joseph at an EF Mass.

  19. Imrahil says:

    Sermon for the 6th Sunday of Eastertide, OF, here – well, sort of.

    Our preacher began with the much “concurrence” which this Sunday has, such as the solemnity of St. Mary Patroness of Bavaria (transferred to next Sunday), and of course the Labor Day. He didn’t say that the Church adapted Labor Day to be St. Joseph the Workman’s feast, but he may gave assumed that for common knowledge.

    With that, he got to the topic of his sermon: our collaboration with the trade unions in the defense of the Sunday as a public holiday (adding some stories from is childhood when his father was a shift-worker), and then the Sunday in general.

    How God instituted the Day of Rest at the creation and in the Ten Commandments. That it was moved from Saturday to Sunday, and why – Easter etc. On the necessary works to do on the Sunday, electricity, serving at restaurants and so forth. On the things not to do on a Sunday – just because you’re a farmer and the harvest time does get stressy [and animals have to be fed in any case, addition by me] doesn’t mean you have leave to work on a Sunday regularly (for ploughing or so). That he also disapproves of people drilling their walls or washing their cars on a Sunday (even though they don’t do it for a job). (He didn’t need to elaborate on the problem of whether to go to a shop on Sunday, because they are closed by law; I think I remember, though, that he also spoke briefly and disapprovingly of the trend to make more and more dispensations from that law.)

    He may have alluded briefly to the Gospel verse about God’s peace making a connection, but I don’t really remember.

    Followed by General Intercessions for the continued public protection of Sunday rest.

    All in all, I think, pretty exemplary for a Sunday on Eastertide that happens to fall on Labor Day. I was positively surprised.

  20. Imrahil says:

    Oh, he said St. Mary Patroness is transferred to next Saturday, of course; the “Sunday” above was a slip of mine.

  21. KateD says:

    Read John 17 every day all week. It was stronger than a request or a suggestion.

    There was more, and it was all good, but this was what I drilled into my brain so I wouldn’t forget.

    The only other time a preist told us to read a specific part of the bible, was when our beloved pastor asked us to do so just prior to his passing.

  22. Sliwka says:

    Fr began by expanding on the platitude “God loves you.” saying how we can casually say “yeah, I know.”

    In Fr’s words, God pines for us. This should shock us and radically change our lives. If God does love us and pine for us we should “do what he tells us” (from the OF Gospel).

  23. Stitch says:

    Here was Homily – I think Father hit the nail.

    http://youtu.be/3KE6zvUKRgE

  24. iamlucky13 says:

    Father talked about the Church being guided by the Holy Spirit, regardless of how we perceive the Church, affected as it is by human scandals. He points out that the members of the early Church, dealing with one of its first controversies, were very attentive to Christ’s promise for the guidance of the Holy Spirit, which helped set the Church on the correct course. He also had a brief warning against dissenting from the Church’s teaching. I think he phrased it along the lines of choosing to be guided by our wants instead of the Holy Spirit.

    I’m concerned, however, that the generally pretty solid homily was followed up by the crowning of Mary during the collection. My understanding is this tradition is not included in the missal and must therefore be done outside of the Mass. I’m used to seeing it done after the final blessing.

    Our parish has a very large Vietnamese constituency that seems admirably eager to honor Mary this way. However, the manner they chose was a choreographed routine accompanied by music that I gather has some cultural significance, but wasn’t really distinguishable from liturgical dance.

    I’m wondering if I should talk to Father about this. I’ve never suspected him of being even remotely the liturgical dance type. Liturgically, he’s always kept things pretty appropriate. I think it’s more an effort at trying to help the Vietnamese community feel integrated in the parish than anything, and to that end, I expect he’ll be reluctant to have the presentation done outside the Mass next year.

  25. DcnJohnSaturus says:

    Well, yes. It was Easter yesterday on our calendar, so … Christ is Risen! Alleluia!

  26. pannw says:

    What is the peace that Jesus gives? As He said, it is not peace as the world sees peace; it is not hanging out relaxing on the beach, eating bonbons, etc… It would be very discouraging if we believed that it was, because bad stuff keeps happening. The peace that Jesus gives is the peace to accept the bad with grace and joy. It is the peace that was in St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (St. Edith Stein) as she rode on the train to Auschwitz, and calmed the women by having them do what mother’s do, tend their children. She did not do it thinking somehow things would all turn out fine (as the world views fine). She knew where she was going, but she also knew the Truth of Our Lord. She knew that to follow Him was to follow the way of the Cross to everlasting life, so she had His peace bearing her own cross.

    St. Teresa of Avila was said to pray in a very conversational way with Our Lord. She had His peace, though she was always coming up against hardships, criticism, illness, as she tried to do His will. She asked Him why He kept letting these things happen to her when she was just trying to serve Him. He answered, “This is the way I treat all my friends.” She responded, “Perhaps that is why you have so few!” And she kept on following Him. She knew the peace of the Cross.

    St. Josemaria Escriva would become concerned if he had a day full of worldly peace and would pray asking what he had done wrong to deserve a day without the Cross! He knew necessity of carrying a cross to follow Jesus; he knew the peace of the Cross.

    One of the things Father was taught as a child that always stayed with him was from a holy sister who was principal of Father’s Catholic grade school (when he was still Protestant). She would tell the children when something bad happened, (falling down and bruising knees, etc.) “Offer it up, Honey.” To join our suffering with His on the Cross and to know what His suffering on the Cross did; it saved the world! By offering our own suffering to Him, carrying our cross gracefully, we are helping others in need in our little way and following Jesus, and knowing that brings the peace of the Cross, which is the Peace Jesus gives.

    I thought it was an excellent sermon.

    As I have considered it today, one thing that strikes me is that many of our fellow Christians have an aversion to the idea of the Cross. I don’t just mean the false prosperity gospel stuff. The aversion is to the point many of them believe they will be ‘raptured’ away when it gets really heavy. I can’t really understand that thinking, when He has not spared those of such faith and holiness as St. Edith Stein from persecution and martyrdom. If the SHtF as so many expect, and they aren’t raptured, how many will know the peace of Christ through the Cross, and how many will lose their faith because they do not? I also pray that I will have an ounce of the strength and courage of St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross if need be.

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