THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH Her Doctrine and Morals Pentecost Sunday 12 June 2011

The Sunday Sermon

Dear Friends,

“If anyone love Me, he will keep My Word and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and will make Our abode in him.”

Today we celebrate the coming of the Holy Ghost upon the apostles. The words of Christ were fulfilled for those who loved Jesus. They loved Jesus and they kept His word and so God the Holy Ghost came to them and dwelt with them. They became temples of God.

We too have been invited to receive the Holy Ghost. God wishes to come and dwell within us. Jesus has given us the test whereby we shall know if we are loved by God. If we love God, God will love us. And if God loves us He will live within us. But, how shall we know if we truly love God, or if we love Him correctly? That is answered by Jesus also: “If you love Me you will keep My Word.” If we keep the word of God we will love God and He will dwell within us.

Jesus has also given us the sacraments through which He gives grace to all who properly receive them (without placing any obstacles in the way of God’s grace). In the sacrament of Confirmation we receive the Holy Ghost through the instrumentality of the bishop. This sacrament brings to us the Holy Ghost and all His gifts, and through this sacrament we are made soldiers of Jesus Christ. We are truly fitted for spiritual warfare.

We are now soldiers fitted for battle with every help that we need and yet so many have fled their posts or given completely in to the enemy. How is it that they do not use the means that God has given them? How are we to protect ourselves from falling into a like misfortune or how are we to return to that state once we have lost it?

The answer to all our questions is “love.” It is love that places the armor upon us and the weapons in our hands. It is love that enables us to fight the spiritual battles courageously. It is love that enables us to keep the words of Christ. It is the Holy Ghost whom we receive in Confirmation that is known as the God of love.

The Holy Ghost dwelling within us is both the gift and the reward. He is an unmerited free gift to draw us to Himself and He is also the reward for our cooperation with Himself.

Once we begin to love then our eyes are opened. God is love and in loving God we begin to know Him. In knowing Him we serve Him. In serving and knowing Him we love Him.

A simple examination of our conscience is enough to tell us if we have kept the word of God. This in turn will tell us of the depth of our love for God.

Our goal today and always is to strive to love God more and more each day. The greater our love for God becomes the closer God will dwell within us. The more intimately we are untied with God here on earth the greater will be our reward and intimacy with Him in heaven.

Let us strive to love the word of God. We must cherish the words of Christ more than we do any others. In this state of love we will not find it difficult to keep the commandments. In every aspect of our lives we will find a relevant word from the scriptures to help us. As we dwell in the words of God we will find that God will dwell within us. In this dwelling upon the word of God we will love and grow in love for God. In this way the Holy Ghost the God of Love will come to us and within us the Trinity will live. We will be temples of God, but more importantly we will find ourselves in God. We will find ourselves immersed in the presence of God rather than God circumscribed within us.