Was there a good point made in the sermon you heard at the Mass that fulfilled your Sunday Obligation? What was it?
There are a lot of people who don’t get many good points in the sermons they must endure.
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Father Bryan preached on the nature of sin and why we need Lent
Title of my homily: “Which is worse, coronavirus or sin?” I was explaining that sin is the problem and Christ came because he is the solution. And I made the point that sin is turning from God, turning back is what we must do.
At Holy Rosary in Portland, from the sermon of Fr. William Dillard my recollection:
The three temptations of Our Lord in the desert correspond to our temptations to pleasure, power and possessions, the three P’s. And there is a fourth. To reduce our propensity for sinful pleasure, the Church suggests fasting; for power prayer; and for possessions almsgiving.
The fourth P is passivity, where we would decide to do nothing during Lent. But this is a mistake since we are all sinful creatures, and as Catholics should be endeavoring to become closer to God. We enter Lent now in the First Sunday of Lent and hope to come out of it at Easter as better people. For that reason we should be working on our besetting sin, and have a strategy to reduce it. If our besetting sin is gossip, giving up chocolate is not going to help ( and this drew a laugh), but beginning the day with prayer for help in not gossiping, having during the day and at the end of the day a particular examen regarding that issue would help.
I just pounded one drum: Go to Confession!
Given that our archdiocese circulated instructions to give communion only in the hand, while relaying the memo, I devoted the greater part of my homily to the significance of communion on the tongue, so that (quoth I), everyone could receive on the tongue with greater benefit as soon as the restrictions were lifted. I commented on Jn 13:25-27, which distinctly implies that the Lord placed the bread He broke during His last Supper directly on His disciples’ tongues. I then segued onto the Gospel, indicating that the Lord was able to overcome Satan’s temptation by placing himself in the very same spiritual disposition of receiving his nourishment form the hand of His Father like a little child, and not arrogantly seizing it for Himself.
It was a peculiar sight to see people on their knees with their hands out to receive – an unusual combination. Some stuck out their tongues anyway. I decided it would be rude and unpastoral to rebuke them…
Father preached on prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. Oh and he also mentioned there will be additional opportunities for confession during Lent and urged people to go especially if they haven’t been in a long time. Our parish has had confession “by appointment only” during the last few administrations and thus people have gotten out of the habit, so he has an uphill battle trying to re-establish it.
The priest mentioned in his homily that the reasoning Pope Francis’s proposed Our Father translation is BS because scripture itself says that “The Spirit led Jesus into the desert to be tempted by Satan.”
In other words, God led Jesus Himself into temptation. Of course He could and would do the same for us, but we should ask that He doesn’t.
Father Z, Thank you for sharing your homiliy. I found it very practical and inspiring!
It was fascinating to hear your sermon just now. Our pastor rang changes on the same themes that you preached on. Same diamond; different facets. They must have been themes that the Holy Ghost wanted brought. Hmm. Perhaps it was me He had in mind?