Your Sunday Sermon Notes

Was there a good point in the sermon you heard at Mass as you fulfilled your Sunday obligation?  Let us know what it was.

For my part, I don’t have a congregation today so I won’t preach.

However, I will offer Mass for my benefactors today, in the Extraordinary Form at Ss. Trinità.  I am grateful to all of you who send donations, regularly and occasionally.  It is my duty and pleasure to pray for you and ask God to bless you with graces.

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11 Comments

  1. We observed the Ascension, so I preached on that. I explained that the Ascension means we are, in a true sense, already in heaven. I made the point that if we really “get” that, we can’t help but be fired up and all in, not bored pew-sitters. I sought to demolish — pretty savagely — the excuse about it being “too hard” and “I don’t get it.” If someone puts a juicy, hot steak in front of me, I’m not going to starve just because no one cut it up for me. I’ll grab it with my bare hands if i have to and gnaw it off the bone. Because it’s mine. Heaven is ours to claim.

  2. frjim4321 says:

    Who was Theophilus?
    It’s a bit of a mystery.
    The mysteries and wonders of faith can often best be embraced through story.
    As we did during the Triduum, with the stories of:
    Mary of Bethany,
    Mary of Nazareth,
    Mary of Magdala;
    stories helping us to assess the qualities of service, sacrifice and solidary
    which characterize Christian love.
    The great mysteries of Eastertide draw us in as well; but they also are almost too great for the human mind to grasp. The power of story helps us here too, for in a rather broad sense,
    The resurrection is the story of what Jesus did for us,
    the Ascension is the story of what the Father did for Jesus,
    Pentecost is the story of what we, as member of the Body of Christ, do for one another.
    (Expanded on those three a bit … and then:)
    There is an interesting parallel between these three stories, and our trifold initiation through the
    Easter sacraments as we are:
    Adopted (baptism)
    Empowered (confirmation)
    Sent forth (Eucharist) as Jesus becomes bread and wine for us so that we in turn
    become the Body of Christ in the world.

    It is a tall order, but we truly have been empowered, through in imposition of hand and calling down of the Spirit and the Gifts of the Holy Spirit at Confirmation.

    (Quick review of the Gifts.)

    A reference to Mark’s (very late) report of the intitial commissioning or sending for of the disciples. It was not just the disciples of 2,000+ year back that were sent it, it as also ourselves here who receive this commission.

    Back to that first mystery … the one about Theophilus. Many experts, if not most, believe that the term “Lover of God” (Gk.) refers not a specific person who is now lost to history, but is it an expression such as would be “Everywoman,” Everyman,” “Everyteen” or “Everychild.” It is a term meant to embrace all of us, even all of us who are here.

    We are the adopted,
    We are the empowered,
    We are sent forth.
    We are Theophilus.

  3. Ame E. says:

    Father spoke how today is Mother’s day and that May 13th, 2017 was the 100 year anniversary of the Fatima apparitions.. He said that our Lady made predictions, requests, warning and promises.
    First point was hell exists; second point was war is a consequence of sin; third point was salvation of souls requires conversion of sinners.

    Our Lady requested 1. Sacrifices made by each of us according to our station in life. Offer it up when suffering comes. 2. Pray a rosary every day. 3. where the brown scapular. 4. make a communion of reparation on the first Saturday for five consecutive Saturdays. a. confession b. receive Holy Communion c. recite the rosary d. keep Mary company for 15 minutes. He spoke more about the predictions of Fatima. Very timely, practical, and helpful sermon.

  4. Ame E. says:

    Wear the brown scapular. — what happens when you don’t proofread.

  5. Ef-lover says:

    In the Byzantine Rite today was the Sunday of the Fathers of the 1st Ecumenical Council. Father talked about Arius and why the First Ecumenical Council was called and why it is important today and the danger heresy poses to the faith.

  6. Prayerful says:

    A diocesan priest who offered the solemn High Mass for the Sunday after Pentecost lamented what has been lost to Christians since he was ordained fifty years ago, that in this time of apostasy and degeneracy, it is so much harder for a Christian. Yet the Faith gives us hope that we can unite with God. The upcoming referendum wasn’t notably referenced (as best I could hear given I making my confession for part of the homily), but it mixed both sadness and hope.

  7. Jack in NH says:

    Ame E.-
    Fr. B. @ St. Stan’s?

  8. jaykay says:

    Powerful homily in our local Dominican church on the theme of how although Christ ascended to Heaven He remains with us, we now being His witnesses, His hands and feet, in charity towards our brothers and sisters. In fact, he echoed some of the points FrJim4321 makes above. He drew attention to our duty to fulfil this witness of charity in the forthcoming filthy abortion referendum here in Ireland. It was probably about 15 minutes (well, he also included the Fatima Novena prayers) but it was, if one could say, a rockin’ homily!

    Father is 83. God bless him and his Dominican confreres. We are truly graced with the Dominican community in our town.

  9. rcg says:

    Sunday after Ascension. Also the 101st anniversary of Fatima. We must heed the warning to pray the Rosary or expect the current easily foreseeable storm to crush us. But with obedience we pray for peace.

  10. roma247 says:

    Alas! Alas! A mere four days ago I was sitting right next to that lovely image of the Madonna and Child, watching the candles splutter during the Ascension Day Mass.

    Our new deacon, David, gave Sunday’s Homily and did a very nice job, but my jet lag is not allowing me to recall details…

    Thank you for your continued prayers and for offering Masses on our behalf, they are a great consolation to all of us. We need those graces very much.

  11. Tom Ormon II says:

    Wisdom is the 1st of the 7 gifts of the Holy Spirit … why does our “fervor” / love of God wane thin over time? (Rather than remain constant, it will come every few weeks / months or so, then we go luke warm again) Because we don’t maintain virtue, continuing to foster works of charity to neighbor out of love for God … we don’t remember to thank God for the continual gifts & generosity He bestows upon us … We need to ask ourselves, “Do I glorify God by my actions & daily conduct?”, “Are my works aimed at pleasing Him?”, “Do I draw my neighbor to love & praise God?” (These all being means to kindle the fire of the Love of God within us, so we don’t grow tepid after a short period of time). Father also encouraged remaining in the Sacramental life of the Church (… That is regular Confession & frequent reception of Holy Communion) to remain fervent in our interior life & profession of the Christian faith.

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