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“This blog is like a fusion of the Baroque ‘salon’ with its well-tuned harpsichord around which polite society gathered for entertainment and edification and, on the other hand, a Wild West “saloon” with its out-of-tune piano and swinging doors, where everyone has a gun and something to say. Nevertheless, we try to point our discussions back to what it is to be Catholic in this increasingly difficult age, to love God, and how to get to heaven.” – Fr. Z
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The sermon opened with Fulton Sheen’s quote on the three surprises we will get in Heaven. It then went on to compare the narrow way with the little way of St. Thérèse.
About the persecution of Christians in Egypt and elsewehre and to pray for the Muslims.
The new, young priest preached about the narrow gate and how most of us could end up in Hell even if we think we’re generally “good” people. First time I’d ever heard it from the pulpit in a Novus Ordo Mass (in 20 years)! I made sure to thank him and encourage him (in case the parish establishment runs him down about “hard sayings”). I’m thinking about a letter of support to our bishop too, thanking him for sending Fr. to our parish.
Father preached a zinger about the lack of emphasis on morality by Church leaders over the last several decades: giving communion to pro-abortion politicians, keeping quiet about gay marriage, etc. He emphasized that despite the lack of leadership and good example, we are still responsible for making the right choices for ourselves and teaching our children properly. He said that one needs to be Catholic to get to Heaven, but not all Catholics will get there.
I was feeling a bit wobbly about my decision to switch parishes, but he reminded me of the very important reasons my husband and I decided to do so. So often it seems like his sermons are just what I needed, and I’m glad that the baby is cooperating a bit more so I’m not in the crying room where I can’t hear well.
That I am a sinner.
Father noted that in the question ‘Will many be saved?’ is sort of the unspoken, ‘Will many of those other people be saved?’ and Jesus’ response about those who will be locked out and cry that they ate and drank with the master of the house is a rebuke to those who may be thinking they are worthy merely by showing up and being in His presence. That we can fall into the trap of thinking we are doing things that make us entitled to own a spot in Heaven, like the Pharisee praying how glad he is to not be like those sinners…but the only things we are entitled to own are our sins. All good we have comes from the blessing of God but our sins are all ours. The Publican’s prayer is one of the very best. Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner. But that so many times he’s taught it, people don’t like to tack on those last two words, but they are very important. I am a sinner, in desperate need of Christ’s mercy.
I attended a Catholic Mass this morning; I’m visiting family and went with them to their church.
No, there was not a good point in the sermon. Sermons at 9:00 am which begin “While I was eating my breakfast this morning…” rarely contain good points.
It’s quite common for us to boss God around, believing ourselves to be in control. God’s response is to watch. When we say “thy will be done” or “please, God, I need your help”, He says, “Ok., here I am, and I can help.”
He reiterated the idea that material things, in themselves are good. In this context he reminded us that we clutch or grasp the merely earthly possessions, and that we can not cling to them, for our own good.
Mass in the Extraordinary Form. The sermon was auf Deutsch today, so I didn’t catch all of it, but Father preached quite a lot on the Gospel, Matthew 6.24-33. It’s one of the most beautiful passages in the New Testament, a personal favourite. Anyway, he ended by reminding us to allow ourselves to be led by the Holy Spirit and to “Seek first the Kingdom of God, and His justice; and all these things shall be added unto you”.
I vote ‘gold star’ for PostCatholic!
Our Priest was pointing out how in the Latin,the phrase “Nescio vos unde sitis …’ is actually a bit more harsh than we find in the English. He has alluded to the Latin so many times in the past year that one wonders if perhaps ,(Oh can one dare to hope ?) there could be a Novus ordo in Latin on the horizon for us ?
Please correct me if I got part of this wrong:
Protestants say they only need the Bible, but the Bible is only 1/3 of the full faith: Bible, Tradition, and Magisterium, which the Catholic Church has all 3.
It’s also not logical to separate the Bible from Tradition and Magisterium. When the New Testaments was compiled, the books especially the ones that had years of oral unwritten came from Tradition and it was the Magisterium that decided which ones and versions went into the New Testament. So the Bible is a product of Tradition and Magisterium.
Also when Protestants removed books from the Old Testament, they were in a way exercising a form of their own Magisterium.
At FSSP OLF Pequannock, Father gave his last sermon, since, after 9 wonderful years, he is being transferred to Switzerland. He reminded us that with 4 Masses in the Usus Antiquor on Sunday, 2-3 masses each day during the week, many parish activities and a school, we are living in spiritual luxury. He recommended that we all try to attend daily Mass as much as possible, and to be unified in our families and as a parish. He recommended that we spend more time in front of the Blessed Sacrament.
Wonderful place that Pequannock.
HOMILY SHOCKER!! Priest preaches on Hell and Mary. News at 11!
Twice in my life now I have heard a homily where Mary was mentioned. IT WAS AWESOME!!
Tidbits. Many go to Hell. It is your choice. Those who regular pray the Rosary as Mary asks have reassurance and hope of eternal life.
I have no idea where the priest came from. I have never seen him before. It was wild. He actually mentioned Mary. It was nuts. Way better than the time the parish priest tangentially mentioned the Pope and you could hear an audible gasp coming from the congregation.
Remember this acronym for increasing holiness — 123MRE:
1 Goal — Sanctification
2 Prayers a Day — Morning Prayer and Evening Prayer
3 — Say three Hail Marys each day
M — Meditate on God at least 15 a minutes a day, preferably 30 and up to an hour
R — Say a Rosary every day
E — Examine your conscience each evening
pannw’s comment is very near to what I myself was going to say I gained from the sermon this morning… so I won’t rehash his (her?) comment, but I just wanted to point out what he/she raised above, which is also what I found very interesting from today’s sermon.
Father talked about the 9 fruits of the Holy Spirit and that St. Seraphim of Sarov taught that a person who aquires and exhibits just one of these fruits will save 1,000 souls that he/she encounters due to outwardly manifesting that fruit.
Father spoke about the narrow gate and the need for parents to discipline their children. It hurts to do, he said, but it is done in love and the fruit of discipline is eternal life. I’m not doing it justice but his words were beautiful and spoke to me as a father of two small children who gave me the worst possible time just before leaving for mass.
I attended my first TLM ever this weekend! I took the whole family. I had some trouble following along, but I know others have said, it gets easier. It was so beautiful, and I felt such a connection to the sacrifice of the Mass. My heart melted. Why are more Priests not saying this Mass?
The young Father, fresh out of Seminary (how is that for hope?), reminded us that though some people choose to not have a yoke, we all have to carry one. Should we choose the material world where things create heavy burden, or should we choose the Lord? His yoke is easy. His burden is light. Having a few small money issues this month, the Gospel and the message were timely.
Kenyan priest studying at a local Catholic university and saying Masses there. He preached on the need for us not to worry about how many people will be saved when we could be worrying about whether we ourselves will be saved! Good works and moral behavior, evangelizing with our actions toward others, spreading the Gospel all over the world. He preached about all the readings. The college kids listened hard.
In my homily, I explored the question of the “few” versus the “many,” but got to the real question the Lord was answering: not how many are saved, but how to be saved. In the course of it, I emphasized that we aren’t saved because we’re good enough (i.e., not “strong enough”), but we get to heaven the way the lost sheep got home: carried on the back of the Lord, who is strong enough.
I also took the opportunity to recall the controversy of several years ago, about using “many” in the Eucharistic Prayer, pointing out that this was where our Lord does, in fact, answer the question: his blood is poured out “for you and for many.”
People said they liked it, and they seemed–from my conversations with them–to have gotten many of the points I hoped would be conveyed.
I learned that in the temple there were large gates and narrow gates. Money changers with their wares could easily fit through the large gates. Other gates were so narrow that you you could barely fit through them with your clothes on. These gates would have come to mind for many when they heard Jesus speak of the narrow gate.
To summarize the money quote, “if you are saying to yourself, ‘He is scaring the hell out of me.’, then good. That is what I’m trying to do.” Father urged all of us not to take our salvation for granted and to work each day to live the Gospel as it is written, not as we would like it.
Fr. Z, our pastor is a man after your own heart. We are truly blessed.
Father spoke of the narrow gate and that we must constantly strive for a virtuous life to be able to enter, knowing we will fall short of perfection, yet with God’s mercy, grace and the sacraments, we can come close to fitting into the narrow opening. ‘Striving with perserverance’ is the operative term that stuck with me.