Was there a good point made in the sermon you heard at the Mass you frequented in fulfillment of your Sunday obligation?
Let us know what it was!
NB: Share a GOOD point. This isn’t a gripe post.
For my part, I took the deacon’s role for a Solemn Mass, with our TMSM‘s beautiful new green vestments. Not the best quality shot, but here we are. I think we made a good point with these vestments and the beautiful Mass.
The celebrant, the diocesan VG, made a great point. When he said Mass for migrant workers at a canning factory, they took up a collection that amounted only to about $36. Not a heck of a lot, but for those people it was indeed quite a bit, like the widow’s mite. On the one hand, he would have preferred that they had kept their much needed money and hadn’t taken up the collection. On the other hand, as small as the collection was, it is the most beautiful collection he had every seen, and it underscored their great dignity. In doing what they can, the poor reveal also their great dignity.
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Was an EXCELLENT homily. He sent the entire time talking about Humane Vitae and all it encompasses. He gave some WONDERFUL insight an because we had our biggest crowd of young families at that Mass he really told them what the Church requires and WHY! He also said he knows it isn’t easy but he is always there to talk to and help them in any way he can and also to put them in touch with people who will help them with NFP. He does care about this particular issue very much and it shows in his genuineness and concern for young Catholic families.
I’ve heard that rationalisation of the loaves and fishes miracle – the problem is that it doesn’t explain the people’s reaction: ‘Then those men, when they had seen the sign that Jesus did, said, “This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world.”’ And He has to flee, because they want to forcibly crown Him as their king. That would seem excessive, if He had just encouraged them to be nice and share their food with each other.
I think the sermon I heard was about feeding the hungry among us, not just in the literal sense but being aware of and responding to the material, emotional and spiritual needs of those we meet. I am not a very good listener, my mind tends to wander when someone’s talking for a long time, but I think that was the gist of it.
A person who doesn’t practice mental prayer needs no devil to drag him to Hell.
Our transitional deacon gave his homily before returning to seminary. He relates his excitement and joy that a close friend of his has professed her vows to the Nashville Dominicans. This friend had always encouraged those around her to make use of their gifts that God has given them, that He elevates what we consider to be meager gifts when we serve him. The deacon related this to the boy in the Gospel who brings the barley loaves and fish to the disciples and Jesus multiples these meager gifts to feed a mighty crowd.
He asked us to examine, meager they may seem to us, the gifts we have been given that we can give back to God who will take and multiply them.
OF, Gospel multiplication of the loaves and fish. Father emphasized that barley loaves were the common person’s bread, not fancy bread. If we give our humble offerings to the Lord in trust and faith, he will multiply them; his work, not ours. He can multiply our offerings beyond what we imagine possible and beyond what we would naturally desire.
Our priest said that he could identify with every person in the story of the loaves and the fishes, for during the day, practically every day, he finds himself spiritually famished like the crowd, like Philip he finds himself doubting, like Andrew somewhere between faith and doubt, and then he comes to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament and is filled to the brim, sated, as was the crowd.
He quoted a fellow Dominican who said in conversation with him that it seemed to him that the best thing one can do for his spiritual life is to come to daily Mass. Now there are some of you who come to daily Mass during Lent, and that is laudable. But my challenge to you is to think about coming to Mass every day.
And he went on in that vein for a bit, about the beauties of daily Mass
Now this is something that I have been hoping for for years, that somebody would make that pitch. It seems like such an easy sell, and moreover I heard of a pastor someplace in Texas, I believe, who has a third of his parish coming to daily Mass.
Now, our preacher yesterday had been in insurance sales at one point, I believe, and one principle of good salesmanship is that if you want the order, you must ask for it. That he did, and led to my remarking to my wife on the way home that perhaps rather than homiletics our seminaries should be teaching salemanship.
Anyway, it was very good, at Holy Rosary in Portland, where the liturgy is perfect and the sermons are to die for.
Father talked about Humane Vitae and how, even though what HV teaches can seem really difficult to live out at times, it’s really God’s plan for humanity, and following His plan leads to joy and real happiness. Among his many points, he said that he’s met many, many mothers in his years as a priest, and not once has he met one mother who wished she’d had fewer kids in retrospect, but rather he’d met a lot of mothers who regretted not having more kids.
Father mentioned Humanae Vitae and why it was important. I have never heard a priest SAY anything about it before; I’ve read, yes, but not heard in person. I wish that had happened a few decades ago, but I expect it will be of use to some of the younger people there.
It’s August, and many priests who are willing to add a TLM to their parishes’ Sunday schedule or to drive to offer one at another parish are gone back to Africa for vacation. Thus we found ourselves at a Maronite rite Catholic church on Sunday, where the reading recounted the meeting between Jesus and Zacchaeus, who didn’t know Jesus and was simply wanting to satisfy his curiosity. Jesus not only knew him but called him by name and his life was transformed. It seems that if only we take a tiny step in God’s direction He meets us much more than halfway.
We had a fine sermon (to a TLM crowd) about admitting our sins – like the publican – rather than preening ourselves like the Pharisee. Among the excuses he mentioned hearing for sins were Brexit and Donald Trump! He also warned against confessing other peoples’ sins. He mentioned that there is a particular danger for those of us who want to restore the Church and Her traditions, insofar as we might set ourselves up rather as the Pharisees did. So a recommendation to prayer, penance and the sacraments especially confession.
Two different liturgies but the homilies reinforced each other.
Melkite Byzantine Rite Saturday Evening. If you had the faith of a mustard seed you could move a mountain. Mountains symbolize those things in us that are hard to change. It is often harder to change ourselves than others. It requires interior spiritual work i.e. prayer and fasting, the latter to discipline our passions.
On Sunday at the Extraordinary Form, the Gospel was the one about the Pharisee and the Publican. True repentance is not just saying your sorry but about becoming selfless – “no longer I but Christ lives in me”. Another quote “God cannot come to visit unless you are not there”. The Pharisee feels he has no reason to change and defends himself against God. We are often the most defensive in the areas where we most need to change. On the other hand the Publican comes face to face with the truth about himself. Repentance is dying to self. What is left? – The truth.
God cannot fill us if we are full of ourselves.
My homily was on the readings for the Ordinary Form, so the beginning of five weeks centered on the “Bread of Life” discourse in John chapter six. I plan to do a series of homilies tied to this cycle. My first homily keyed in on the “signs” in all the readings (in the 2nd reading, the Ephesians themselves are a kind of “sign” by their lives), and I explained that additional signs must be added: us. Our lives are either faithful signs that lead others to Christ, or else unreliable signs that people do not want to follow. I mentioned the problem of bad shepherds (my prior week’s homily), and said our response is to provide better, more convincing signs in our own lives.
How do we make ourselves more convincing signs? Be penitent: that is, be in the habit of confession; and be reverent at Mass. I talked about sloppy ways people sometimes receive Holy Communion and I encouraged receiving on the tongue, and reminded everyone to make a sign of reverence beforehand.