15th Sunday after Pentecost 22 Sep 2019 Sermon

15^th Sunday after Pentecost 22.9.19 Death removed

One of the less pleasant experiences of this life is dealing with the death of other people, whom we loved or at least respected.

There is a lot of sadness involved with death, it being such a definite separation.

We cannot communicate directly with the dead but we can be consoled at being united with them in Christ. We are united with those who are united with Him.

He is Lord of the living and the dead and draws both to Himself.

That and many other things He helps us to deal with: He forgives those who die repentant, and offers them eternal happiness.

He strengthens us who remain on earth to persevere to the end, assuring us we will not have to suffer long.

Death where is thy sting?(1 Cor 15, 55-57)  When the sin has been forgiven death becomes no more than a sleep.

In today’s Gospel Our Lord raises the young man from death and restores him to his mother.

The Church has always understood this event as symbolic of her own role as Mother and her joy at having her children restored through repentance.

Many children are at present away from this Mother, and we pray fervently they will return.

Sin is a worse tragedy than Death. We notice death as it is more obvious, but sin is the bigger problem.

Our Lord could have raised every dead person in Israel. He could have emptied out all the graveyards, as He could do in the present day.

This, however, is not His normal way of operating. The dead have served their time here, and now move on to the next phase.

They do not come back to us, but we can go to them; and that is a better solution.

When we pray for the dead we do not pray they come back to earth, but that they be freed from their sins and any attendant punishment, thus to enter eternal happiness.

The Church has always encouraged prayer for the dead, prayer which operates on two levels.

On one level we pray that they receive a favourable judgment; that their sins be forgiven and they be saved.

This prayer we can make even long after the person has died; because God can see our prayers across time, and will accept them if they are sincerely meant.

On another level we pray that any punishment due to sin be removed by our prayer and penance.

It is one thing to be forgiven; another to be totally cleansed of any attachment to sin. We pray for both things to happen so the soul can enter Heaven.

We pray that we will not miss them too much, but that every remembrance will be a chance for further prayer; and that our sadness will be absorbed by a deep faith and charity.

The souls of the just are in the hands of God (Wisdom 3,1)

For ourselves we thank God that we have a second chance at life; that the death that would have followed on our sin has been lifted, and we can make another start in the service of Our Lord..

In fact, we can be forgiven many times for the same sins, provided we are serious in our desire to break free from those sins.

Such a level of contrition will itself be the fruit of prayer.

If sin is the greatest evil then Mercy is the greatest good. The mercy of God gives life even when it is not deserved.

For this we are eternally grateful.

14th Sunday after Pentecost 15 Sep 2019 Sermon

14^th Sunday after Pentecost 15.9.19 Security

The best kept secret is: that obedience to God brings more happiness than does disobedience.

Or similarly that trust in God brings more peace of mind than doubting Him.

Or generosity brings more satisfaction than hoarding one’s possessions.

One could go on through all the different polarities; the pattern will be the same.

The epistle today lists the good fruits that come from God and taking Him seriously – charity, joy, peace, patience, chastity.. and also the bad fruits that follow whenever we try to do it without God – quarrels, dissensions, envies, murders etc.

We live in a world where most people do it the wrong way, and this creates a lot of chaos.

All the more reason we must do it the right way: obey God in all things; trust Him at all times; give of ourselves rather than try to hang on to our false securities.

This we must do even if we are the only one; even if we are ridiculed by all around us.

It is the best way and the only way to make sense of it all.

God will provide whatever is needed for all who put their trust in Him.

It is a bit more complicated for us than the birds of the air and the flowers of the field (Gospel). But the principle is the same.

God provides for us but we have to do some work ourselves. He does not just deliver things ready-made from Heaven. We can use some human ingenuity to arrange things. (Even human ingenuity comes from God).

He provides in ways that involve us and require our cooperation.

For example, He sends rain to water the earth, and we meanwhile will plant the right crops, learning as we go. Then we turn those crops into food and we eat the food. So God has provided, and we have received; but also we have participated in the process.

We are tempted to accumulate resources for ourselves (especially money). Our Lord warns against too much self-reliance. Do not be like the foolish man who thought all he had to do was build bigger barns (Lk 12,16-21).

We can pile up money but it will not save us from sudden death or incapacity, should they come.

Did warriors strong around me throng, they could not stay [death’s] power.

God expects us to trust Him, not the assets we may have. We cannot cover every detail, no matter how hard we try; there are too many things that could go wrong.

Preoccupation with our security will paralyse our response to God. He expects us to walk in trust, wherever that takes us, even to the miraculous.

With God on our side who can be against us? (Rom 8,31)

If we obey Him and are generous with our possessions, we will see the path opening before us.

We have to obey first to get the full effect. This is part of our ‘participation’. Many will demand a sign from God before they give Him any consideration. They want manna from Heaven; they do not want to exert themselves in faith.

God, for His part, will withhold blessings to see if we can trust in Him.

He can do more with humble and contrite hearts.

If we do follow the general principles then we will see results.

If we cannot achieve a miracle we will benefit from trying. But we have much more chance of seeing a miracle if we live as God directs.

Our true and only security is in Christ. Give Him an obedient and joyful response and there is no telling how much good can come from that.

13th Sunday after Pentecost 8 Sep 2019 Gratitude

13^th Sunday after Pentecost 8.9.19 Gratitude 

Your faith has made you well… the leper who came back must have had enough faith to enable him to interpret his experience as an encounter with God, and he responded accordingly.

He was passionately moved in gratitude, throwing himself at Our Lord’s feet, acknowledging more than just a physical healing.

He was glad to be healed but he was able to see deeper; that in Our Lord here was someone to compel one’s attention; to whom one should profess allegiance.

This is what Our Lord means by being ‘made well’ –  every part of the human person working in unison, body and soul coming together.

To be healed means healed in soul as well as body.

Faith is the ability to discern the workings of God in our lives. Sometimes His working is powerful and instantaneous, and we rejoice in that.

Other times it is much more of a grind and we have to persevere in prayer and trust for ages, maybe all our lives, before we see the desired change. This would apply to big prayer projects like world peace, conversion of sinners.

Faith will hold us together, enabling us to sense God's presence and activity behind the scenes, if not in full view.

We know that God does not change; does not forget us; does not go back on His word. He does not have changes of mood, as we do. We do not have to wait for God to be in a good mood before we place our requests before Him. He is always the same.

We come to a state of union with Him whereby we believe just as strongly when things go our way and when they do not. It is this union which enables us to see beyond just the latest circumstance.

We see the plans of God unfolding before us. Whether things happen quickly or take centuries - we thank God for all of it.

The other nine lepers presumably did not have enough faith to be able to make the spiritual connection. They took the healing for granted… just one of those things… and did not derive the spiritual benefit that was there for them if they had sought it.

Worse still, people often hold grudges against God, because of misfortunes they experience. This is clearly not the best way forward. We must not resent the One who is perfect goodness.

At such times we have to raise our eyes to the larger picture. Sufferings and disappointments of every kind can be absorbed in God's nature, simply who and what He is.

Our prayer becomes one event, not just random episodes according to need, but a continuous state of harmony with God.

We call on Him, but without needing to shout – like Our Lady at Cana: Son, they have no wine. That is asking for a miracle, but without raising one’s voice.

If the one leper could turn into millions of disciples who believe to the point of death; who come back every day to say Thanks, who throw themselves at the Master’s feet and promise loyalty!

This would be progress. It would mean, among other things, more daily miracles, and less lag time before major breakthroughs would follow.

When we question or complain we are blocking the works, making it less likely that prayers can be heard.

Instead let us keep a reverent silence and simply go to work on the prayer that is respectful, grateful, and will move mountains (Mk 11,23).

Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

12th Sunday after Pentecost 1 Sep 2019 Sermon

12^th Sunday after Pentecost 1.9.19 Loving our Neighbour

We must love our neighbour, whoever that may be, and whatever love requires in each situation.

Our neighbour could be someone we see all the time, like family; or a stranger we see only once.

What love requires may not necessarily be what the person wants from us.

Sometimes love requires that we refuse a request, or that we correct the other person’s behaviour.

One situation that often arises is that people come to churches to ask for money. We should generally refuse such requests because a lot of the claims for help will be untruthful; and we run the risk of being overrun with other people doing the same thing.

We will be accused of being un-Christian if we do not give, but we must seek the best path to take.

The Church has structures for helping the poor, and we should encourage the proper use of those structures. This will keep due order and reduce fraud.

We work for the overall good of each person and of the whole Church.

This  is how God expresses love for us - He works to an overall plan.

We believe He hears our prayers; yet He does not always give us what we ask, nor does He always give it immediately.

We might lament this apparent inaction on God's part, but we can be assured He is working for our overall good.

He will give us what is best for us, and in the way that is best.

We can apply the same logic to our love for others. We will give what we think is best and in the way that is best for each person. We do not have God's infinite wisdom, but we can seek His guidance for the best response in each case.

The whole Church is charitable, materially and spiritually.

The spiritual help is always more important, but we must attend to material help also.

It is no use preaching to a man if he has an empty stomach. We feed him first; because simple charity requires it, and it will put him in a more likely mood to receive the Gospel.

Many would resist the spiritual help, but they need it, even if they do not know or do not want.

The Church is seen as helpful in the material domain, but not for its spiritual value.

But we must pursue the spiritual side of the matter. We must instruct the ignorant and admonish the sinner, two of the spiritual works of mercy. Ignorant and sinful people will not usually admit they are in those states.

This is where we have to overrule sometimes. We hope that those whose requests we refuse will not be embittered, but come to a proper spiritual understanding of their position before God, and see their way to a higher destiny.

In our prayer we ask this of God, acknowledging that He knows best; and while we cannot understand all His ways, we do see the general pattern to which He is working.

That everyone, including ourselves, will see our ultimate happiness as union with God, and all other needs along the way as subservient to that.

We do not find this easy as urgent needs press upon us. We do not find it easy to convince other people that this is their situation.

But it is true for everyone, and God Himself will not allow us to forget it.

He could rain down every conceivable material blessing on us, but He knows that would distract us from the main task, which is to have our sins forgiven, and right relationship with Him restored.

May we find the right balance; that all our giving and receiving be according to God's holy will.