Your Sunday Sermon Notes

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

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16 Comments

  1. L. says:

    Our Pastor suggested that we remember that what we desire is not necessarily what would be good for us, and that God wants what is good for us.

    I still would like to win the lottery, though.

  2. Prayerful says:

    The pharisee and the publican can co-exist in the same person. He segued this into how the devil who tempted the pharisee to pride also induces the opposite feeling in Europe, among Europeans. Fr spoke too of how modern apostate Europe is rotting in the face, consumed with self hatred. A quote of Benedict XVI referred to this self hatred. The deeds of Crusaders 800 years ago are blamed for modern Islamic crime. It is a little sad that a person will only hear a priest speak plainly at a traditional Latin Mass, but it was good to hear this bracing sermon. I hope I’ve fairly represent its highlights.

    [Ehem. On Sunday I said both the TLM and the NO. Are you saying that I didn’t “speak plainly” at my second Mass? I think anyone who heard me at that NO Mass would set you straight.]

  3. ZCGP says:

    OF at a beach parish, so definitely not the most reverent, “say the black do the red” Mass I’ve attended. Very unfortunate, but nonetheless Father was an excellent homilist. He spoke about our need to accept how much God loves us despite our sins (of course, he said, our sins are detestable, but God loves us through it all). He had us all take a moment to silently reflect on whether or not we believe that God’s love for us is as strong as the Gospels say it is. He spoke about how accepting God’s love is the only way to have a fervent prayer life, and that we shouldn’t be afraid to ask, seek, and knock.

    Before making his Communion, he (illicitly) spoke about how we are receiving the actual Body and Blood of Christ. In a way, I was glad he said something even though he shouldn’t have. Reinforcement and catechesis in the truth of the Real Presence is much needed in this day and age.

  4. bombcar says:

    Our priest pointed out that the Pharisee was praying with himself; the publican was praying to God.

  5. jameeka says:

    10th Sunday after Pentecost, Gospel about the Pharisee and the Publican—who kept his eyes downcast, not daring to look up to heaven. This was a lead-in to a great sermon regarding the “custody of the eyes” that the priest follows, especially seen in the TLM. He went through the first parts of the Mass, and that the priest does not even look upon the Crucifix until the Gloria. He looks downward, and not from side to side during the procession, etc because he, as priest, is to be invisible/transparent so people can see through him to Jesus Christ. And when we kneel to receive Communion, it is the closest to the threshold of heaven we will be in this life—the Liturgy has been a progressive nearing to God.

    Fr made an analogy about being too familiar, and how he counsels couples who are living together before marriage to separate—they have perhaps already bought a house together but have a little escape hatch that builds up a “small wall of distrust” that injures any potential permanent marriage bond. Also familiarity breeds contempt.

    Human beings are being treated nowadays in so many insidious, utilitarian ways—I loved the WDTPRS citing Redemptor Hominis. Pope St John Paul II could see this danger clearly. I am so thankful for all the good priests we have, caring for our souls.

  6. WYMiriam says:

    EF. In speaking of the Pharisee and the publican in the temple, Father M. spoke briefly about prayer, and told us about how his Sicilian grandfather had been in the habit of praying “God, be merciful to me a sinner.” Then he said, “Before you pray, say an Act of Contrition, being sure to include all your sins of commission as well as your sins of omission.” (I smiled at hearing him say, “before you pray, pray!”) I understood his meaning to be that what the publican prayed was an Act of Contrition, which is why he went away justified.

    And God bless all our priests who offer the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass according to the 1962 Missal!

  7. PhilipNeri says:

    So, who are we in relationship with God? “Man is a beggar before God.” So says St. Augustine. And he’s right. But being a beggar before God and knowing that we’re beggars before God are two very different things. What separates the truth from our ignorance is the sin of pride, more specifically, the lack of humility before God and His gifts. We are beggars but we don’t know how to beg well b/c we do not yet fully understand what we truly need to thrive as children of God.

    http://hancaquam.blogspot.com/2016/07/who-are-you-in-prayer.html

    Fr. Philip Neri, OP

  8. JesusFreak84 says:

    The homily really didn’t have to do with the readings, (1oth Sunday after Pentecost, Ukrainian-Greek Catholic Gregorian calendar,) but Father preached about the Works of Mercy, *including the Spiritual ones.* He didn’t even shy away from mentioning “admonishing the sinner” and “instructing the ignorant,” which had me all kinds of happy-grinning in my pew :p

  9. GrumpyYoungMan says:

    EF.

    Father said he typically talks about the readings, but decided instead to discuss our fascination with the supernatural. He said there is so much focus on the evil side, that he wanted to discuss the good side, specifically guardian angels.

    Father covered a lot of ground, but one thing that stuck out for me was that while guardian angels look out for us, if we need help from them we really ought to ask them directly.

    This is a topic I don’t recall hearing much about during RCIA or any time after. Honestly I haven’t given my guardian angel much consideration – this was a great eye-opener.

  10. Fr. Thomas Kocik says:

    Prayerful says: “… a person will only hear a priest speak plainly at a traditional Latin Mass …
    Not true. Let’s not overgeneralize.

  11. sirlouis says:

    The celebrant said that prayer has to be persistent and will be even more powerful if combined with fasting.

  12. wmeyer says:

    That today, the Lord would not find 10 good men.

  13. Mike says:

    At the final Sunday Mass of the outgoing rector, his order’s provincial superior spoke of his qualities and those of the incoming rector as “different gifts but the same Spirit.”

  14. Bethany says:

    Fr talked about mercy
    -To say, “God is mercy” is untrue- Mercy is love towards the miserable- God loves Himself- He would had He never made us- He is not miserable- God is love
    -God works toward the order of love- He doesn’t give mercy to everyone in the same way
    Justification= to come into a right relationship with God- to be forgiven
    -Forgiveness requires repentance- God takes the initiative- He offers the grace of repentance, then the grace of forgiveness- those who refuse the grace of repentance also refuse the grace of forgiveness

  15. KAS says:

    We have a younger priest who took all the Masses today as our senior priest was away.

    He is one of these who insists that, before Mass begins, that everyone be ordered to stand up and introduce themselves to one another, THEN we have to stand through some LAME lesson given by some woman about something(I’m an old stiff introvert, and adding this is painfully uncomfortable and then just smacks of trying to get a woman’s homily into the Mass), and only THEN does Mass start.

    It is annoying and I try hard to avoid this priest’s Masses for that reason, but at least it does NOT happen after the Mass begins.

    He sometimes chants parts of the Mass– I like this. He clearly loves God. It shows with the depth of reverence he shows during the Mass. He clearly cares about the sheep.

    Then, He insists on walking down and giving his homily from the floor between the pews. This means I cannot see him unless I turn around in the pew, which doing tends to aggravate old injuries so I do not, and trying to hear someone I cannot see is difficult– BUT he had a point in his homily that this jaded old gal had never heard!

    He suggested that, in the parable about the man coming to his friend’s door and asking for bread to give his unexpected visitors, he knocks and call out for him to open the door, but the friend is in bed, door locked, kids asleep(finally!), and he says he cannot get up for him. But that due to the persistence of the friend at the door, the family man will eventually get up and give him what he wants. He suggested that WE are the guy in bed and GOD is the one knocking and asking us to accept His will. NOW THAT MADE SENSE. Real sense. I suddenly could SEE myself in the family guy– comfortable and not wanting to upset my carefully settled plans– and along comes God, making demands of me– and yeah, sometimes I won’t get up for love of God, but I will get up because God will not leave me alone until I do. Yeah, THAT was a great point.

    And as for the annoying things I dislike, the extroverts in the parish love it, so I try hard not to hate it quite as much as my extreme introvert self hates it. Why can’t they just set up coffee outside and socialize THERE and let us introverts come on in to pray and be quiet?

  16. The title of my homily was “Sodom, hell and hope.” Yes, I did talk about that subject, but it wasn’t the only thing I talked about. As always, this is a topic that needs to be handled delicately, and what feedback I received suggests I accomplished that.

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