Your Sunday Sermon Notes

It’s the 10th Sunday after Pentecost or else the 19th Ordinary Sunday.

Was there a good point made in the sermon you heard during the Holy Mass in fulfillment your of Sunday Obligation? Let us know.

 

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17 Comments

  1. beelady says:

    Father gave an excellent homily. He stressed keeping our eyes on Jesus and praying, “Lord, help me” when we look away and the storms of life start to overwhelm us.
    At the end of Mass something wonderful happened. He consecrated our parish and all members to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
    This was done at the request of our bishop, Earl Boyea. He has instructed that every pastor in the Diocese of Lansing, Michigan do the same consecration this weekend! Praise God!

  2. Imrahil says:

    Mass for the external celebration of the feast of St. Dominic, founder of the order, in our local OP presence. (Lectures and Gospel from the Sunday. Oh, this NO, you can’t understand it…)

    The preacher gave an excellent homily and the point that stuck first and foremost was:

    “If we look at Catharism from the light of the New Testament, we can but say: what a baloney!”

    The sermon did contain more than that, though. It started off with an explanation of the word “apostolic” in the Nicene Creed; why do we say “apostolic” when we might think the Church is just the Church of Christ which she, of course, is. The reason is that the Faith has been handed down through the generations up to ours and far beyond; with the first being the Apostles. We all have to acquire it for ourselves in our own way, which is why behind the preacher’s lectern were the statues of the four Evangelists – that is, four distinct Evangelists, and not one standardized Gospel. It is, however, [he did not say this “however”; I think he should have; but he would not say “no” to it] always the same one truth, which St. Dominic also taught filled by the joy of the Gospel. As opposed to our modern attitude to treat the Faith as a merely private affair of if anything secondary importance.

    This was actually also the case, to a degree, with the time when St. Dominic lived; nobility would intermarry between Catholics and Catharists for political reasons with the faith being, if anything, of secondary importance. Not so for St. Dominic, though; now what were these Catharists is set out to convert? They had a pretty well-established counter-Church, and their teaching focused on the old Problem about the fact that God created this world and the world contains sin and all sort of defects. The Catharist answer to this was that God could not possibly have created this world; it was the product of some lesser and evil spirit. While answering to this specific question, their system however left no place for the Incarnation of Christ; at most, he could have had a pseudo-body, but coming to Earth as a man, redeeming mankind by his death on the Cross, entirely impossible. They taught (that is a literal quote and it was rather beautifully expressed I think) a worldless God, and apart from Him a godless world.

    So, in this godless world (according to their system) redemption was impossible; how then could a Catharist be redeemed? The only way, they thought, was that some perfecti lead entirely sinless lives and passed their virtue on to the others by way of imposition of hands. There are documents around (said the preacher; I have not seen them myself) where from Southern France people about to die went as far as Italy to get some very perfect perfectus administering them the imposition of hands. At which point, judging from the New Testament, we can only say: What a baloney! (See above.)

    St. Dominic went into all that with the liberating message that God did enter this world, that he did redeem this world, and he did sanctify ourselves quite apart from any previous personal virtue. Personal virtue is then our answer (emphasis, somewhat, in the original), but at first we get grace from God.

    For which case, the Dominican Breviary calls St. Dominic praedicator gratiae, that is preacher of grace; and our age which, not unlike the Catharists, cannot be satisfied – maybe not in the private*, but in the professional life – by anything less than perfection would do well to remember it.

    [* I wonder whether our preacher was not too optimistic. Sure, the private standard is usually considered “low”, but if we take a close look this is a question of laws, it is heretical opinions on the question “does this commandment actually hold or not”; not a lax approach to given law. For the commandments our age actually perceives as holding, it may demand as much perfection as in the professional life even in the private life.]

  3. Imrahil says:

    In the “St. Dominic went into all that with the liberating message that God did enter this world” part, the preacher did make a little swerve to today’s Gospel saying that he pulled St. Peter out of the water immediately, even though he reproved his littleness of faith afterwards.

  4. AnnTherese says:

    Our priest applied the Gospel to our very current “storm” in America and internationally– specifically this week’s white supremacist march in Charlotte and the escalating nuclear war threats between US and North Korea. He both challenged us to become more vocal and active as Christians in the face of hate and fear; and, reminded us of the comfort and strength that is ever-present to us when we turn to Jesus. He reflected that– while many of the people involved in these actions consider themselves Christian, their words and actions are evil, and WE must step up as Christians and peacefully yet forcefully (including the force of prayer) stand against racism and violence that destroys life. He charged us to be pro-life in ALL circumstances. It was a powerful reflection and application of The Good News in a time of bad news at every turn.

  5. Charivari Rob says:

    Solid and straightforward on not trying to limit God by putting him in the box of our own expectations.

    Also, pointed out that we should be wary of focusing on Peter’s faltering faith to such an extent that we lose sight of the fact that he had the faith to step out in the first place.

  6. The title of my homily is, “What steals our joy, and what restores it.” It was keyed off the readings for the 19th Sunday in the Ordinary Form. I talked about how we get discouraged, envious and resentful, and how to overcome these things.

  7. Joy65 says:

    Wonderful sermon of how we , the Catholic believers are the boat being tossed in the waves of the things of this world. We MUST yell out to Jesus “SAVE ME, LORD”. We can either be tossed until we drown with the things of this world.

    Also he printed this in our bulletin: WOW!

    satan’s convention

    satan called a worldwide convention of demons.

    In his opening statements he said, “We can’t keep the Catholics from going to church.  We can’t keep them from reading their Bibles and knowing the truth.  We can’t even keep them from forming an intimate relationship with their Savior.   Once they gain that connection with Jesus, our power over them is broken.”

    “So let them go to their churches.  Let them have their covered dish dinners, but steal their time so they don’t focus on developing a relationship with Jesus Christ”!  satan ordered.

    “How shall we do this?” his demons shouted.

    “Keep them busy with the non essentials and invent innumerable schemes to occupy their minds,” satan answered.  “Tempt them to spend and borrow, borrow and spend.  Persuade the wives to go to work for long hours and the husbands to work 6-7 days a week 10-12 hours a day, so they can afford their empty lifestyles.   Keep them from spending time with their children.   As their families fragment, soon their homes will  offer no escape from the pressures of work.”

    “Over stimulate their minds so that they cannot hear that  still small voice.  Entice them to play the radio whenever they drive, to keep the TV and the PCs going constantly in their homes. Jam their minds and break that union with Christ.   Flood their mailboxes with junk mail and every kind of newsletter and promotional offering for free products, services and false hopes.”

    “Let them be excessive even in their recreation.   Send them to amusement parks, sporting events, plays, concerts and movies.  Keep them too busy to go out in nature and reflect on God’s creation.”

    “And when they meet for spiritual fellowship involve them in gossip and small talk so that they leave with troubled consciences.   Crowd their lives with so many good causes they have no time to seek power from Jesus.  Soon they will be working in their own strength, sacrificing
     their health and family for the good of the cause.”

    It was quite a plan, and the demons went eagerly to their assignments causing Catholics everywhere to get busier and more rushed, going here and there,  having little time for their God or their families and friends, or to tell others about the power of Jesus to change their lives.

    “But has the devil been successful at  his scheme?”

    You be the judge.

    CREDIT: Acadiana Catholic August 2017

  8. jameeka says:

    Fr C spoke extemporaneously, having been struck by the second reading for 19th Sunday Ordinary Time– St Paul to the Romans 9:3:

    “For I could wish that I myself were accursed and separated from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kin according to the flesh.”

    Fr drew parallels between St Paul’s anguish about his fellow Israelites, and St Teresa Benedicta of the Cross ( Edith Stein) who also was born and raised a Jew. Then, she became atheist for a time but after reading St Teresa of Avila’s autobiography she converted to Catholicism. She became a cloistered Carmelite nun.
    St Teresa Benedicta was willing to die with the Christian Jews of Holland after the Dutch bishops publicly denounced the racism of the Nazis, and was considered “martyred for the faith”. Despite receiving an offer to be dispensed from internment in the concentration camp, she adamantly wanted to share the fate of the Jewish families, as well as give them comfort before they were all executed in the gas chambers of Auschwitz.

    Her feast day is August 9th.

  9. iamlucky13 says:

    We had a visiting Maryknoll missionary, retired I assume, as I think he was in his 80’s.

    He might have rambled a bit, but I found interesting his discussion of Elijah being sent to Damascus, where he didn’t want to go, and the apostles being sent across the sea of Galilee to a Gentile land, where they would not have wanted to go. He likewise mentioned the conditions where he had worked, in Latin America, but the importance of going there, which he learned as he worked there and saw the difference it made in lives of those he served.

    He also asked for prayers for vocations. He said when he was ordained, he was one of 40 other missionary priests ordained that year. This year there were two.

  10. JordanH says:

    I like to read over the readings before Mass, as many do. I was rushed this morning and went over the 1st and 2nd reading (Ordinary Form). I scanned the Gospel and said to myself “Oh, I know this one. OK, I’m good…”

    Well, the Father pointed out something I’d never seen or heard before. When Christ reaches out to Peter to rescue him as he was sinking, they must have been very close, within just a few feet, probably within 1 or 2. Right. There. Peter had faith to jump out of a boat at night and walk across the water to his Lord, but his Faith was failing him as he stood right before him, when he was in clear view.

    There’s a lot to think about there.

  11. juli says:

    Father spoke about a line that often gets missed in this Gospel. It said Jesus “went up the mountain by himself to pray.” Father tied in the tiny whispering sound that elicited Elijah’s response of worship. We need quiet time with God to be able to hear Him. This is not going to happen in our noisy world without an effort on our part. At the end of Mass the deacon giving the announcements invited those who do not already participate in perpetual adoration in the parish to sign up for an hour of quiet time with Jesus.

  12. CaliCatholicGuy says:

    Father said just like Peter became scared and sunk when he was focused on the storms instead of Our Lord, so too we sink when we do not focus on Jesus but on the “storms” of the world today.

  13. ocleirbj says:

    Jesus is extending His hand to you – take hold of Him!

  14. LuxPerpetua says:

    I regret to say that there were very few points in the sermon at all. Father was unprepared, not linking any of the OF readings together at all (least of all the EF ones – not sure if he even knows what the EF is) and his strange homiletic rambling dragged on for more than half an hour, prompting me to find better points to reflect on reading the news on my smartphone. Mea culpa.

  15. Prayerful says:

    Fr Nevin preached his homily for the Feast of the Assumption of BVM. A notable highlight was an anecdote about British Labour politician Nye Bevin from 1950. The Pope had just defined the Dogma of the Assumption of Our Lady and some Protestant Tories in the Commons’ Bar were mocking in their comments. Mr Bevin overhead and commented to them that if Jesus is the Son of God, then Assumption was the least He could do for His Mother.

  16. Barnacle says:

    Father interpreted the Gospel for us as a metaphor. Loosely it went like this: Jesus ascends to Heaven (Mount Tabor) and the boat (the Church) sets off for the promised land, (Heaven,) on the course He has set. We must stay aboard, and however leaky or broken the boat, however stormy the waters, however much water is taken on, (ref.Pope Benedict’s comment) we must use the old skills (Tradition) maps and guides (Bible, Catechism) to stay with it, we must work under the captain together with everyone to make sure the boat with everyone on board gets there! No getting off onto another boat which seems to be better -it’s not Jesus’ boat, is it? No stopping off at attractive islands and coastal ports which seem easier, quicker, prettier, (not Jesus’ destination.) And when it seems the Captain (Peter) is floundering, he will not sink! He will be restored! Stick together, work together, pray together, trust together, we will make it.

  17. andia says:

    Mass at the National Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima.
    First half was about the apparitions, second half was the evils of racism and how racism – or prejudice in form- is not compatible with following Jesus Christ.

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