4th Sunday of Lent 27 Mar 2022 Sermon

4^th Sunday of Lent 27 March 2022 Security

The miracle of the loaves reasserts God's providence, and His ability to feed His people; to meet all their needs if only they will be humble enough to know that their greatest need is Himself.

He is our primary need; everything else fits in around that.

Yes, we need bread to eat, but even more so the Bread of Heaven.

Yes, we need to overcome our sickness, but to overcome sin is more important.

Yes, we need security against poverty and other misfortunes but our full security can be found only in Him.

When we see refugees escaping with only the clothes they are wearing, it brings home to us how fragile our earthly securities are.

In turbulent times such as in a war or disaster one could lose all one had, even life itself, or one’s way of life.

We would be on very insecure ground if that were all there is.

There is more,  however.

Appearances can be deceptive, we know.

The physical securities make one kind of deception. Everything appears to be in place, but one event can send it all tumbling down.

However the appearance of utter loss can also be deceptive. We have the best insurance policy possible if we keep ourselves close to Jesus Christ.

He can compensate our losses. If we have Him we have all we need. He can feed the hungry, cure the sick, raise the dead, and give eternal life.

Other things we miss, but with Christ we have far more than we lost.

This world can look very harsh at times. People see the pain and the grief, and they ask: Is there anything behind all this? Is there anyone out there?

Do we live in an impersonal universe with nobody at the controls; or is there a loving powerful presence guiding the whole operation?

It is the latter, and we can believe that with help from the same source as everything else – God Himself.

Having that much faith we have also joy, something we acknowledge on Laetare Sunday.

We can be happy because we are on good terms with the source of all happiness.

We remind ourselves of God's holy will, His promises, His fidelity to His word - these are things which we need to hear – not just to make us feel better, but because they are true. It is their truthfulness that makes them so appealing.

We might hope for things which we are unlikely to achieve, like winning the lottery. But this one - security in this life and the next - is attainable by all, and does not need luck.

We just need to be on good terms with God. That can be put in different ways – to be in a state of grace, to love Him  (to the best of our capacity); to trust Him to meet all our needs.

We cannot see it all at once due to limitations of our perception, but over and over the help will be there.

This is why we have readings from the Bible, to remind us this is who is running the universe!

This is why we have the Mass, to confirm and increase our link with so much power and goodness.

He works in our needs with everyone and everything else. He gives us the best He can at any point. Over time we can see what He has done, and we have confidence that He will keep blessing us.This is joyful if only we remember to turn to Him, and not let despair in the door.

We must tell our neighbours of His goodness. People complain that God has hurt them and not given them compensation. The compensation would come if they could only trust a little.

 It is for us as for the people in today’s Gospel: Sit down and wait, you will be fed!

 

 

 

 

3rd Sunday of Lent 20 Mar 2022 Sermon

3^rd Sunday of Lent 20 March 2022 Working hard

The demon goes for reinforcements, and the sinner finds himself in a worse state than he was before (Mt 12,45).

This is a warning to us against complacency.

Complacency is thinking things are better than they are. We have a lot of it around at present.

It can apply in the spiritual domain.

a) Many people think themselves to be good people, without any reference to God, not even asking for His mercy. This is complacency. If we compare ourselves to others we might come out reasonably well, but by the standards of Christ – that is another matter.

b) Others will acknowledge they do have sins and they do need mercy, but that mercy is not something that has to be worked for; it just happens anyway. God is not angry with anyone, the reasoning goes, so there is no need to worry about sinfulness.

It is true that God is merciful but we have to ask explicitly for the forgiveness of sins.

c) Even those who do observe these requirements can be complacent, thinking that  whatever they do is ‘enough’, or should be. God asks for more than the minimum, however. He wants us to strive to find Him, and serve Him when we do.

d) It is complacency when people say they still believe in God, as though that is all that is needed. This means that they think God exists. That is not much of a compliment to Him!

e) It is complacency when a Catholic goes to Mass only at Christmas and Easter, or begrudges prayer, or makes fun of someone who does want to do these things.

God wants us to be diligent in our response.

This will require confession of sin, a firm purpose of amendment, some action towards reparation for the damage our sins have caused.

Complacency is whenever we think we are good enough, or have done enough, and we can take the foot of the pedal.

We should be reluctant to declare ourselves to be ‘good’.

The good we achieve is by the grace of God; any harm we do is our own fault.

We should value ourselves because we are children of God, but this does not give us licence to do as we please. When confronted with our sins we must all the more resolve to serve God in all things.

We can engage with Him, ask for His mercy, and promise with His help to behave better in the future. (cf Act of Contrition)

To ask for mercy is at the same time to commit to work in His name. Our Lord said to the people He healed: Go and sin no more (eg Jn 8,11).

The forgiveness we seek will not be real unless translated into some sort of response at the practical level.

The question is not whether God loves us but whether we love Him. This is where we can  become derailed. We do not seek forgiveness only but the grace to do better in the future.

Unless we are on our deathbed that will mean a review of our whole life pattern, an energetic commitment.

Look at St Paul and other saints, how hard they worked – giving us a model to follow.

We do not just drift along, indifferent to God and His claims upon us.

No, we must give God the best we have, our time and attention, our gratitude and obedience, and it must be every day of the year.

This is how to stop seven other demons returning once we have removed one!

2nd Sunday of Lent 13 Mar 2022 Sermon

2^nd Sunday of Lent 13 March 2022 Transfiguration

Our Lord gives  a glimpse of His real power and majesty in the Transfiguration. It is just a glimpse but enough to prove that this was the real state of affairs.

This event, being recorded for future generations, is meant for our consolation as well as it was then meant for the Apostles.

God has a certain way of dealing with us. He gives us enough information and enough help and then expects us to work with that, and derive the necessary lesson for our own application.

Also He wants that we would build on what we have learned, and let it bear fruit in multiple ways.

We should do this instead of forgetting all His previous help and starting at zero each time we deal with Him. It is as though God has to prove Himself every time before we believe in Him.

Life has many hard bits, and we need a lot of help along the way – divine help, especially.

Each time God makes Himself known, we should store that away in the memory bank, and come out stronger the next time. Strong enough that we do not doubt His leadership but willingly follow Him on all points.

We are familiar with the basic pattern adopted in many fictional stories.

The hero and heroine are in all sorts of trouble and the evildoers are in control. Yet one thing happens and then another and somehow the good triumphs. Against all odds.

A cynic explained that this is why it is called fiction, because real life is so much unlike that!

Is it just that we like stories with a happy ending or does this search for a right outcome indicate a real hope embedded in us?

God has planted in us a desire to be saved from evil, and a strong hope that we will be so delivered.

We have a story book ending too but we might have to wait hundreds or even thousands of years to see its full effect.

We learn to be content with finding a place in God's great design.

If we do our bit, in our time and place, that is enough for our own salvation and to help many others find theirs.

All the while God is there, turning out miracles, guiding and sustaining us; showing the power which He always has, but does not always reveal  as clearly as at the Transfiguration.

We learn to tag along, not expecting everything to be easy but eventually falling into place.

The transfiguration was joyful but it did not remove the need for the apostles to suffer, nor for us.

Our Lord wants us to share in His divinity and this means taking on certain qualities which we do not have to start with – like self-sacrifice, self-control, charity, mercy etc.

We are disciples, learning from the Master. We become good people, and this is itself part of our salvation.

The Master will rescue us just like in the stories. He will firstly help us cope in the midst of evil, and then finally release us from this life to enjoy eternal life.

We must never forget what we have seen in the Transfiguration. It is always true, but mostly  hidden.

We put our trust in the one true God who can raise others, and Himself from the dead;  can answer any prayer; can reward those who persevere; can encourage the waverers.

If we consider what He has done so far must we not join Him? Is He not far and away the obvious answer?

As St Peter said on the mountain: It is good for us to be here.

1st Sunday of Lent 6 March 2022 Sermon

 1^st Sunday of Lent 6 March 2022 Commands

Why is it so hard to obey God's commands? It is the result of original sin and the general disorder that has flowed from that.

It can be summed up as Wanting Everything Now. Wanting too much and too soon, and often the wrong thing as well.

Our desires have been distorted and we have been trying ever since to get them back in the right shape.

God's commands can seem very onerous if we have various desires raging inside us.

But if we can bring our desires into order then those same commands become easy to obey.

My yoke is easy and My burden light said Our Lord. (Mt 11,28-30)

Our Lord shows us the way in His humanity by redefining all the devil’s intentions and straightening them out.

Yes, He could turn stones to bread but better still to live on spiritual food. Our Lord purified and elevated each temptation, moving from physical satisfaction and material gain to spiritual unity with God. Live on  His word, do not tempt Him, adore Him.

In short, put God first and all else will fall into place.

In this state of things we will find it progressively easier to obey the various commands and their application in daily life.

We will not steal because we have enough, and we respect others’ needs.

We will not commit adultery because we understand God's purposes for marriage and family, and can adapt to that.

We want what He wants. His way is the best way. Anything else amounts to worshipping false gods and cannot deliver lasting happiness.

We cannot have complete order all at once, but we do what we can to be free of our own sin, confessing it humbly and gratefully receiving God's mercy.

It is important to use the right names for things. Sins are given euphemistic names like errors of judgment, poor choices, peccadillos, mistakes etc

Call it sin. Be direct like Our Lord was with Satan. It is easier to resist a sin if we name it correctly.

All the time we ask for the help we need to bring our desires and passions under control

Our Lenten penance is one part of that process. We deny ourselves things to which we are entitled, to reverse the times we took what was not ours to take - forbidden fruit.

We understand that there is more involved than keeping rules but it is a start.

We see beneath each rule or command the value that is represented there.

If we obey the law anyway, even if we do not fully understand it, that will enable us to go deeper into what is really at stake, and it will be easier for us to see how it all fits in.

We might say there are certain sins that are so embedded we cannot remove them.

Think of it this way There are certain sins we would not commit, like stealing a car.

It is not part of our world to do that, or even think of it.

We can apply the same logic to the sins we would think of, and move them to the unthinkable side. Thus we no longer do those things we are always confessing.

Long-term Catholics might feel aggrieved at having to be good for so long, but it is more happiness to keep God's commands than to break them.

With wisdom we will come to see from God's point of view, and the burdens really do become light.

Let us use this Lent as a time of special effort to uproot persistent sins. We can do it if only we look to the true God and not false ones.

 

 

 

Quinquagesima Sunday 27 Feb 2022 Sermon

Quinquagesima Sunday 27 February 2022 How God works

Lent is a season of really coming to terms with our inner selves in terms of our relationship with God; of seeking to be cleansed and healed by Him, changed for the better and for good. Any progress is welcome.

To get to know God is quite a challenge and will take longer than one lifetime. We could contemplate Him forever; He is glorious and infinite, beyond our capacity, so we must never think we are going to get bored contemplating His goodness.

Eternal adoration awaits, but even in this life - surrounded by troubles - we can still discern, and distinguish from all around, the presence and activity of Almighty God.

We are very glad to be a part of that process. We have much to learn but we can still participate fully.

We learn that God operates very differently from how we would. My thoughts are not your thoughts, says the Lord. (Is 55,8-9) 

The apostles in today’s Gospel show forth their humanity by offering advice and correction to Our Lord.

He tells them what He is going to do and they immediately tell Him He is on the wrong course. Can the clay tell the potter what to do? (Is 45,9)   Can a mere mortal tell Almighty God the best way forward.

His way forward is certainly different. He will let evil men take Him and crucify Him.

Then He will rise on the third day.

The advice from the apostles was: You can't get Yourself killed. They did not address the resurrection but they probably would have found difficulties with that too.

Our Lord did both these things, against all advice and all expectations!

He will not always take our advice! He can see a lot further than we can.

In allowing Himself to be crucified He wanted to be the sacrifice for our sins, more effective than previous animals etc.

He is Priest as well as Victim, and as Priest He pleads for us incessantly. This sacrifice continues every moment as a fragrant offering, pleading for our forgiveness and conversion.

The Father will accept the ongoing sacrifice of the Son. This is the main reason we have the Mass, so that we can step into this eternal sacrifice and reconciliation.

All this shows the generosity of God. If He treated us like our sins deserved we would have been wiped out multiple times by now.

If He is saving us every second we are still rejecting Him every second. If He is still dying we are still killing him – we, as in the human race.

For ourselves, no, we are anxious to reverse the rejection and turn it into full acceptance and then adoration.

We are saying to God that there are people who do understand and appreciate what He is doing.

We have the Mass as our central prayer. The more people that come here, and the more attuned each one is to the process, the further the power of this ongoing sacrifice can reach.

There is a whole level of seriousness which much of humanity does not see.

People see it is urgent when war breaks out, when it is something visible to the senses, but not if it is something hidden below the surface.

God does not reveal everything all at once, but enough for us to work with.

We will not try to stop Him going up to Jerusalem, and all that follows. We need that to happen so that He can be our sacrifice. We are grateful for that at the same time as we are appalled at His suffering.

We want to perpetuate the sacrifice, but now as fully converted to union with Him.

Save us, O Lord!