THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH Her Doctrine and Morals Second Sunday after Epiphany 15 January 2012

The Sunday Sermon

Dear Friends, 

Our Lord attended the wedding feast to impress upon us the sanctity of marriage. We see Him changing water into wine not to satisfy His own thirst or even that of the guests at the feast. This was done so that the people would believe in Him.

Jesus did not change stones into bread when He was hungry and the devil tempted Him. Jesus came not to satisfy the wants and desires of the flesh but rather those of the soul. He did however on this occasion change water into wine because it was a request of His mother and not of the devil; and because it would be the first miracle for His disciples so that they might believe in Him.

We take away from this first of Jesus’ miracles that: 1) Jesus is God; 2) that He honors and confirms by His presence and the first of His miracles, the marriage state; 3) By this miracle Jesus confirms His apostles in their belief in Him.

We know that God brought forth the first woman (Eve) from man (Adam) without any help from a woman. And we know that God brought forth His Son through a woman (Mary) without any help from a man. Thus, we can conclude with St. Paul that the virginal state of man is the more perfect state. This is the state that God has honored from the beginning. This state is not however God’s plan for all of mankind. God intended that men should marry and bring forth children for the love of Him. His plan is that every husband should be the husband of one wife and that every wife should be the wife of one husband. God intends that this union of husband and wife should last their entire lifetime. Only death severs the marriage bond.

God knows the burdens and tribulations that this state in life places upon our weak human nature, and this is why He has graced this state with the first of His miracles and elevated this state to a sacrament (which bestows the graces that are needed for this vocation as long as the parties cooperate with Him.)

Too often those who enter into this state enter for the wrong reasons or abuse this state to the detriment of their souls and an insult to God. Matrimony was given us so that we could more closely resemble and unite ourselves with God. The two united into one flesh is a reflection of the Mystical Body of Christ. Man and woman are to come together in the flesh but even more importantly in spirit (in heart and mind). All too often men and women come together in the flesh like the brute beasts who do not have reason nor do they know God. In this manner they mock God and abuse the gifts that God has given them.

The greater state of virginity has been scorned by our perverted society so much so that anyone who refrains from the use of sexuality is looked down upon or even scorned. Our society has thrown all decency and modesty out so that they can indulge in the most disgusting sexual sensuality. The sights of the brothels, and prostitutes are no longer confined to the “bad parts of town” but have now become the norm in all places. The dress (or rather undress) of women in public has one effect and that is to entice to sin – if not in deed at least in desire. Now the workplace, the shopping center, places of entertainment, etc. have all become as corrupted and corrupting as the houses of ill repute. What is even worse is that with our modern technology we have brought this same filth into our homes to defile the very places that should be sanctuaries of goodness and holiness.

We find that more and more people enter into marriage with the thought that it will be a license for them to indulge in all manner of immorality. Modesty and decency are considered out of place in most marriages today. Let us remind ourselves that marriage is designed by God to be the sanctuary and nursery for not only these virtues but, for all the virtues.

Jesus is still God and He is still watching us. Let those who can, follow Him in celibacy; and those who cannot, marry with His grace and blessing. One and all must strive for holiness and goodness in their lives no matter which state God has called them to. We must resist the devils, the world, and our passions and keep ourselves holy and unsullied because we are temples of the Holy Ghost.

Let us keep these evil influences out of our lives and homes by closely monitoring what we allow to come into our lives. We must learn to censor: the sights, sounds, and thoughts that are constantly bombarding us. In this manner we will recognize that Jesus is truly God; we will believe in Him; and we will learn the proper and good use of His gifts (especially that of marriage).