Your Sunday Sermon Notes

11 Comments

1. harrythepilgrim says:

   31 August 2015 at 12:41 PM

   A nun gave the homily at the OF Mass, so I walked out (quietly, until she finished).

   At the EF Mass, Father Bishop gave a fine sermon on chastity (and the lack of it in our present culture).

   [A reminder to all: This post is to be about GOOD points heard in a SERMON. This is not the place to post what was bad or post about some other kind of talk (which is what the nun gave… nuns can’t give sermons at Mass. No matter how long a nun talks about any topic, no matter where or when it is during Mass… it isn’t a sermon.]
2. Grateful to be Catholic says:

   31 August 2015 at 1:16 PM

   At our EF Mass at Old St. Mary’s in DC, Fr. Menke (sp?) built his homily around the Collect: Custodi, Domine, quaesumus, ecclesiam tuam…. He kept repeating, “Guard your Church, O Lord, we beg you,” to point out that the Church has always needed God’s protection, from persecutions and heresies, to civil disorder and barbarian invasions, to schisms and the Protestant Revolt, the Enlightenment and totalitarian oppression, right up to today with attacks coming from without and within. God does protect His Church but we must always confidently ask for it. It was a very coherent and inspiring sermon.
3. Fatherof7 says:

   31 August 2015 at 1:45 PM

   The priest told us that if we only go to communion because other people do or don’t want to be seen not going and are not in a proper state, it is the worst of outward actions. Saying Amen when receiving the Eucharist should mean we are in a state where we are willing to die for the faith.
4. Sacred1 says:

   31 August 2015 at 1:55 PM

   Summary of sermon:

   1) It is easy to appear externally good. We engage in external signs of piety and prayer, looking virtuous while hiding a heart and mind corrupted by sin. Rather than focus on correcting that sin, we point the finger at others. But this state of tension cannot last! You will eventually fall. Where your treasure is your heart will be also. No matter our visible appearances, we all are sinners. Christ offers the spiritual food to nourish the inner man, transforming our hearts and minds toward holiness.

   2) How easy is it for us to by hypocrites! We love to point the finger at others. We get pleasure from their fall and their shame. But we are all sinner here, and we all engage in hypocrisy.

   3) The media today and much of the younger generation gets more pleasure by destroying others for their sins rather than correcting them. They are hypocrites.

   4) Why do so many people hate good Christians? Why does society (and the media in particular) hate these good people? These are good people. They hate them, they mock them, because they hate their desire to be good.

   5) Live your life and direct your thoughts according to Church teachings. How can we claim to be Catholic without knowing and living the Church’s teachings? This is important for how we interact with non-Catholics. Live the life, or people will perceive you as a hypocrite. Know the teachings, or people will be perceive you as a hypocrite.
5. Elizabeth D says:

   31 August 2015 at 2:06 PM

   “A nun gave the homily at the OF Mass” A non-ordained person preaching at Mass during the time for the homily is reprobated and should never be happening. Courteously object to the pastor and tell the bishop. If the bishop doesn’t care (most bishops probably do care), tell the nuncio.

   Homily at the OF Mass I attended was about the hypocrisy of outwardly following Catholicism but neglecting the moral law. They care about appearances but neglect essential things. The examples included people who would be all abuzz if they attended a wedding and the bride were wearing a flowered dress rather than a traditional wedding gown, but who would not have any reaction if the newlyweds declared at the reception that they planned to have a “child-free” marriage, or people who are all about social justice but were indifferent to the teachings that flow from the Ten Commandments.
6. jacobi says:

   31 August 2015 at 4:50 PM

   We have a good new priest, a touch of the “reform of the reform ” about him.
   He asked us to go into the city, find a central tabernacle and adore the True Christ. All good stuff.

   What he did not do, was to point out to the congregation that just directly in front of them was a central tabernacle, containing the Blessed Sacrament and which immediately after Mass each Sunday they completely ignore chatting and laughing away to their palls, some backs as in any group, backs towards the tabernacle. They are not being rude, just totally ignorant and/or indifferent.

   What is more, the new priest by this time standing towards the back of the church, either outside or often inside (it rains here), with full view of the chatting congregation, sees this and is either, well I won’t say rude or indifferent, but what.

   Personally, I just don’t get this??????
7. iamlucky13 says:

   31 August 2015 at 5:48 PM

   The pharisees who Jesus dealt with obsessed over the minute details of Mosaic law while forgetting that their obedience of the law was a means of serving God. They were using their faith to satisfy their own desire to prove themselves better than others. The hypocrites of today are not the people who profess to be Catholic and follow Catholic teaching on unpopular topics like abortion, marriage, etc, but those who profess to be Catholic and do nothing to live out that life.

   Father gave an example of a couple who came to him for permission to get married in the Church. When discussing their preparation with him, they admitted they had no intention of remaining practicing Catholics. They just wanted a picturesque church wedding.

   He then spent a significant amount of time discussing parents who profess to be Catholic but do not reflect that belief in the daily lives their children see, and deliberately pass on the faith to their children. Even going to Mass once a week does not help children to know God in a meaningful way, beyond the symbols and the limited teaching Father has time for in his homily. Children need to see their parents practicing their faith at home, too, and to be what we believe and why in detail.

   The homily was wrapped up with strong encouragement for everyone to sign their children up for religious education classes, which will open for enrollment soon.
8. Sconnius says:

   31 August 2015 at 6:03 PM

   Father preached about the virtue of Justice, about what it is, and how we should be conscious of this especially as we relate to God’s perfect justice, and how there can be no true mercy without justice.
9. pannw says:

   1 September 2015 at 7:08 AM

   God gave the law so that we might live. The Jews felt very blessed that among all the peoples of the world, God gave the law to them. The devil likes to tell us it is because God is just trying to boss us around and kill our fun. It isn’t, as we see when we break God’s law and are miserable. Sometimes we have a puritan nature and look for the breaking of the law ‘out there’ in other people or society in general. We behave like the pharisees, when we really need to look for sin inside ourselves. This doesn’t mean we ignore sin in others. It is a spiritual work of mercy to admonish the sinner, but we need to be even more vigilant with our own souls. Make an examination of conscience every night. If we can’t come up with anything, and don’t see our own sins, seek help, because we all have them. Ask the Holy Spirit to enlighten us to them. If we are still blind, having a hard time coming up with sins, ask someone who knows us well, including our faults, like a spouse or sibling, etc… It will be good for us and them, because it is a spiritual work of mercy to admonish the sinner. Then, go to confession.

   And Father makes sure we have ample opportunity to go to confession. God bless him.
10. AngelGuarded says:

    1 September 2015 at 12:09 PM

    Yes, many good points but the over-riding one that hit me deep in the soul is that the Pharisees had the Messiah for Whom they waited generations right in front of them, physically present, but they did not recognize Him because they were so caught up in human traditions. As we so often do in our lives. Instead of realizing He is there, right there, physically present at Mass, we complain about the song, or the sign of peace, ignoring our Messiah because we are caught up in worrying about human traditions. Great homily by our new young associate pastor. God bless him and all Priests, you too Fr Z! :))
11. Mike says:

    3 September 2015 at 11:23 AM

    We are to live this moment in the world without worry, but to remember also our eternal destiny. This seeming paradox produces the temptation to try to serve two masters that only God’s grace, for which we pray when we sincerely seek first the Kingdom of God, can transcend.

Comments are closed.