THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH Her Doctrine and Morals Third Sunday after Pentecost 3 July 2011

The Sunday Sermon

Dear Friends,

Today’s introit begins with the idea of being alone. “Look Thou upon me, and have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am alone and poor; see my abjection and my labor, and forgive me all my sins, O my God.” (Ps 24, 16.18)

This thought tempts many of the faithful in today’s world. The faithful often feel alone in this world as they are surrounded with so many pagans, Jews, heretics and schismatics. It is a hard situation to be a true Christian (Catholic) in today’s world. Above and beyond the majority of pagans, Jews, and Protestants, we now have added to the mix so many modernist Novus Ordo, and schismatical “Traditional Catholics.”

St. Augustine suggests that we like the grain appear to be lost in a heap of chaff. On the threshing-floor the heap looks like all chaff and no grain. So it is with the true Catholics we see all the non-believers and false Catholics and we feel that we are buried alone in the midst of them. Once the hand is put into the pile we can soon tell that there is more grain than meets the eye. When we blow a little some of the chaff is taken away and we see that there is more grain.

We must therefore be patient and persevere even if we are the only ones. A true Catholic should never feel alone. We are members of the Mystical Body of Christ. We are members of the Church and as such we, the Church Militant, are always in union with the Church Triumphant and the Church Suffering. We are always in spiritual union with all the other members of the Mystical Body of Christ (The Church) and we are always united with our guardian angels.

Above and beyond this, God is always present to us. We may neglect to remember Him but He never forgets about us. He never loses sight of us. He is more diligent than the man who lost his sheep and leaves the others to go in search of the one or the woman who lost her coin and drops all her other activities to sweep and search for that which she has lost.

God desires that we be saved and He is always trying various ways to lead us and direct us to our eternal happiness: sometimes with enticements of future happiness; at times with gentle admonitions; at other times with suffering in this life; and often with threats of eternal punishment in Hell. Everything that happens to us, occurs because God either wills it or permits it. In either case He is able to use it to draw us closer to Him and therefore closer to happiness and salvation. The only thing stopping God from accomplishing His goal is our own obstinate or perverted wills.

Once we truly realize and truly believe that God not only created us but loves us, then can we begin to set aside the foolish fears and worries of being alone. He has not and will not abandon us, it is we who abandon Him. In walking away from our loving God and Father, we only walk into a Just Judge.

We must learn that while we are still alive God has not abandoned us or given up on us. He is always striving to save us. We are only truly lost when we are buried in the depths of Hell.

St. Peter tells us in today’s Epistle to resist the devil “knowing that the same suffering befalls your brethren all over the world.” We are not alone in this suffering, all true Catholics must suffer, we must all go through the feelings (thoughts) of being lost or abandoned, but it is at these times that we must recall and renew our faith realizing that this thought too is a temptation and we are never alone in our struggles. St. Peter continues: God will “Himself, after we have suffered a little while, perfect, strengthen and establish us.”

Let us listen to the voice of the Shepherd as he calls out for us (his lost sheep), let us cry out in all humility so that we will be found worthy to receive His grace and profit from our situation. Let us not grow despondent because we see no one else striving to be good Catholics, or envy the evil ones in their apparent heedless pursuit of their passions and lusts, but let us constantly remind ourselves that we are not alone and we are never overlooked by God. God sees all and knows all and can do all things. He intends, if we will let Him, to save us and lead us to Himself for all of eternity.