THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH Her Doctrine and Morals Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost 23 October 2011

The Sunday Sermon

Dear Friends, 

Today we are reminded that there are very few that enter into Heaven. “Many are called but few are chosen.” This is a very frightening and sobering thought for us to consider.

There is no doubt that God wishes that all men should be saved, but He has placed the choice in our own hands. When Jesus sent out the Apostles He told them to preach to everyone. Those that would believe and be baptized would be saved. Those that do not believe and refuse to be baptized will not be saved. Therefore, salvation is already limited to only those who are members of the True Church – outside of which there is no salvation. Even among the true Catholics though, we are informed that only a few of these will be saved. We see this clearly explained in the Gospel today.

The invitation to the wedding feast went out first to the Israelites, and then to all peoples. Those who did not come are excluded from the feast – just as those who refuse to believe and be baptized are excluded forever from Heaven. There are however many who enter the Church and have faith but, they lack charity. Without this charity their faith will avail them nothing and they will be thrown out like the man who came to the wedding feast without a wedding garment.

Many have the faith but refuse to do penance, amend their lives, and receive the sacraments. These are lacking in charity. Love has died in them. The Faith teaches us that nothing defiled can enter into heaven and that everyone who commits a mortal sin makes himself liable to eternal damnation. St. Gregory the Great, St. Jerome, St. Augustine, and many other Fathers tell us that among Catholics more will be damned than will be saved. Our Lord says to strive to enter by the narrow gate. St. Paul tells us to run the race to receive the reward. Numerous souls run the race for eternity but, very few receive the reward.

We must examine ourselves and see if this necessary charity is present within us. How will we know if we love God? He tells us: “If you love Me, you will keep My word.” Are we pure and undefiled? If we consider the seven deadly sins, we must confess that they prevail in many Catholic congregations. How many are: Proud? Envious? Revengeful? Addicted to gluttony or drunkenness? Idleness? Impurity? Effeminacy? The commandments of God and the precepts of the Church are frequently transgressed. Many are only nominal Catholics. Many curse, swear, blaspheme God and His holy sacraments; they give false testimony and perjure themselves; they lie, cheat, steal and commit all sorts of injustice; they profane Sundays and holidays, and neglect to hear Mass. Many parents neglect the education of their children; many children will not hear of obedience and submission, but lead a loose, dissolute life. The vice of impurity reigns almost everywhere supreme. It is therefore only too certain that the greater part of mankind, and even of Catholics, pass their life in vice and sin, and consequently will be lost.

The sinner can do penance and amend his life, but how many do? It is too often the case that the young think they can put off their penance until they reach maturity. They strive to live freely in their sins now. The mature put it off till old age. The old put it off to their death bed. More often than not we are taken without warning and completely unprepared. And what is to be thought of so many death bed “conversions?” Are they truly repentant? If they were not on the point of dying would they be just as earnest? It is too often apparent that we repent only when we are no longer physically able to continue in our sins. Once the body can no longer physically commit the sin then we are ready to repent, but is it a true repentance? If we were able to return to our former health and youth would we continue as before or would we change for the better? The repentance must be true and from the heart; it must be of such a nature that our thoughts and words must match the sentiments of our hearts.

Let us always pray to be delivered from a sudden and unprepared death, and let us take this moment right now to truly repent from the bottom of our hearts with a true and sincere purpose of amendment. We must strive to form a perfect act of contrition – that is, we are sorry for having ever offended God. It is this love of God that is the wedding garment that we need to be found worthy to enter into the wedding feast in Heaven.