THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH Her Doctrine and Morals Fourth Sunday of Advent 18 December 2011

The Sunday Sermon

Dear Friends,

Today we hear once again the invitation of St. John the Baptist. It is time to prepare our souls to receive Jesus. We are called upon to do penance and repent of our sins so that Christ can come to us. The time is drawing nearer day by day. Our time is running out. We do not know if we will be given tomorrow so we must start today.

St. John preached a baptism of repentance, and his words are just as much for us today as they were for those to whom he directly spoke them. We must reject our sins and vices and put on the fruits worthy of redemption.

St. Gregory Nazianzen says that there are several different kinds of baptism: “Moses baptized, but in water, in the cloud and in the sea; but this he did figuratively. John also baptized, not indeed in the rite of the Jews, not solely in water, but also unto the remission of sins; yet not in an entirely spiritual manner, for he had not added; in the spirit. Jesus baptized, but in the Spirit; and this is perfection. There is also a fourth baptism, which is wrought by martyrdom and blood, in which Christ Himself was also baptized, which is far more venerable than the others, in as much as it is not soiled by repeated contagion. There is yet a fifth, but more laborious, by tears; with which David each night bedewed his bed, washing his couch with tears. (Ps. Vi. 7)”

In baptism we are slain with all our sins so that we rise up clean and undefiled. The baptism of St. John did not wash away sins as the baptism that Christ instituted for the Church does. It was a symbol of what was to come just as the baptism of Moses. St. John’s was closer and clearer than that of Moses’ baptism, but it still fell short of what Jesus give us.

We have received the baptism that Christ has instituted in the Church. This is a most glorious and precious gift that we should accordingly cherish and preserve. The tragedy as St. Gregory tells us is that it is often, “soiled by repeated contagion.” All is not lost though because God has foreseen this terrible malady of ours and has provided the sacrament of Penance for us to wash our souls again after having soiled them with the contagion of sin. These last few days of Advent remain for us to make use of the time so that we may increase our penances and mortifications with greater earnestness as the anticipation of Christ’s coming heightens day by day.

Perhaps one day we will be blessed with the grace to receive a baptism of blood and in this manner conform ourselves more closely to Jesus. We, like the good thief hanging on the cross can in this manner “steal heaven.” We must not allow ourselves to become discouraged by so many of our repeated sins, but always strive to rise immediately from our sins by a speedy repentance; and then let us hope and pray for that grace of final perseverance. After all, it is how we will ultimately end up that is of the most importance.

If we do not receive the grace of martyrdom, we can always take the laborious path with King David: the path of tears. Tears too are a great grace from God when they are shed in this spirit. It is said that God cannot refuse a contrite heart. These tears of contrition soften our judgment for us. We must not think that this is something that is done once and then it is finished. On the contrary, St. Gregory tells us that this is a laborious baptism. “David each night bedewed his bed, washing his couch with tears.”

We can never regret our sins enough. There will always be sins for us to weep for. This is a continual baptism because it is a continual dying to ourselves. This baptism of tears will only end when one enters into the joys of heaven.

Let us hear the call of St. John and wash our sins away in the sacrament of Penance and add to this the baptism of tears ever hopeful and desirous of giving not only contrition of heart and tears but even of our very life and blood as we follow Christ in His sacrifice. The time is short and He is coming, let us make sure that we are ever so ready.