THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH Her Doctrine and Morals Sixth Sunday after Pentecost 30 June 2013

The Sunday Sermon

Dear Friends,

The Gospels record two instances when Our Lord multiplied bread and fish to feed the people. In the earlier account, He fed five thousand men with five loaves; here He feeds four thousand from seven loaves.

The first occurrence relates to the Israelites the second one to the Gentiles. In the first, we see the five books of Moses (the Pentateuch) symbolized. The Israelites were near at hand and were fed from the five books. In this first place we see they rested upon grass. The Israelites were given a great many blessings from God throughout their history, but they were still clinging to this earth and the pleasures of this life. We see that this life is as beautiful and pleasant as the grass and flowers of the field, but it soon fades away or is burnt up. The Israelites had a very difficult time in rising above the earth and this flesh. Christ came to these first. He performed many miracles for these people, yet they could not or would not lift their hearts up to higher spiritual realities and love. They were still eager to form an earthly kingdom and followed Christ in the hope of entering into an earthly kingdom where they would rule over all other people. Their fickle hearts Christ tried to lift up to Himself and to a spiritual life rather than the temporal life that was spent adhering to laws and regulations only for the earthly benefit while they neglected the heavenly one. Christ fed them first and many returned only for the feeding of their bodies or the healing or benefit of their bodies. For this reason, we see that Jesus then approached the water and got in a boat so that these people could not reach Him. He was still trying to impress upon them the idea of a spiritual reality and something above the physical world. In drawing away from them physically they were being led to establish a spiritual connection. We likewise are called upon to connect or reconnect in this spiritual relationship to God. Many are forced by physical circumstances to unite themselves spiritually with the Mass and Sacraments and in this way hear the voice of God from a distance. They are forced to no longer rely upon the earthly food and blessings that God sends us in this world, but rather to raise their minds to spiritual realities and to look deeper into the true faith and therefore the true life.

This second occurrence symbolizes the Gentiles. They have come from a great distance and they too are quite earthly, but they are more inclined to have faith in God without the confusion of an earthly kingdom. The seven loaves show us the seven gifts of the Holy Ghost. “The Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and fortitude, the Spirit of knowledge and of godliness. And he shall be filled with the Spirit of the fear of the Lord.” (Is, 11, 2) This is a much greater gift than the Pentateuch. Though the Gentiles came from a distance and have not been following the Law, they have nonetheless made great strides of spiritual progress. We see that this group sat upon the ground and not the grass. In this manner, they tread down the things of the earth.

In the first, there were twelve baskets filled with the Holy Spirit; in this one there are seven baskets or seven Churches or the seven golden candle-sticks. (Apoc 1. 4, 20). In the first, there were two fishes symbolizing the prophets, and the preaching of St. John the Baptist; in the second there is an undefined number which are the gifts of grace, as the Apostle says: “To one, by the Spirit, is given the word of wisdom, to another the word of knowledge, to another prophecy, to another diverse kinds of tongues, to another interpretation of speeches, But all these things one and the same Spirit worketh” (I Cor. 12, 8).

St. Maximus (bishop) says: “We who believe in our Lord Jesus Christ, not through the Law but by faith, who are redeemed, not by its works but by grace itself; who are filled, not from the five loaves, that is, from the Five Books of Moses, but by the seven-fold grace of the Holy Spirit, as blessed Isaias had prophesied, saying: ‘The Spirit of wisdom, and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel, and of fortitude, the Spirit of knowledge, and of piety; And he shall be filled with the Spirit of the fear of the Lord’ (Is. 11), let us continue in this grace of the Sevenfold Spirit, in which we were called, being filled with the gift of the Holy Ghost (Acts ii. 38) through our Lord Jesus Christ, Who lives and reigns in the Unity of the Holy Ghost God for ever and ever. Amen.”

 

"The refusal to take sides on great moral issues is itself a decision. It is a silent acquiescence to evil. The Tragedy of our time is that those who still believe in honesty lack fire and conviction, while those who believe in dishonesty are full of passionate conviction." 
Fulton J. Sheen

Third Sunday After Pentecost - Bishop Giles, OFM 

4th Sunday After Pentecost - Bishop Bonaventure, OFM

5th Sunday After Pentecost - Bishop Bonaventure, OFM

Saturday, June 22, 2013 - Bishop Giles, OFM
5th Sunday after Pentecost - Bishop Giles, OFM

5th Sunday after Pentecost - Holy Mass from Our Lady of the Rosary Church

5th Sunday after Pentecost - Fr. Joseph, OFM

Mediatations on the Book of Osee

riday, June 21, 2013

Mediatations on the Book of Osee

Meditations on the Book of Osee

Many treasures of Divine Wisdom are hidden in the short books of the Old Testament. These Lesser Prophets should not be overlooked, as most Catholics rarely ever delve into these jewels of Sacred Scripture at all. I am well pleased at your desire to know more about the Old Testament, which, of course, will always clearly display Our Lord's presence as the New and Everlasting Testament.

 

Vision of Archdeacon of Lyons, who died the same day as St. Bernard (1153): "Know, Monsignor, that at the very hour I passed away, thirty-three thousand people also died. Out of this number, Bernard and myself went up to heaven without delay, three went to purgatory, and all the others fell into Hell." (Told to St. Vincent Ferrer

THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH Her Doctrine and Morals Fifth Sunday after Pentecost 23 June 2013

The Sunday Sermon

Dear Friends,

Our Lord warns us against anger in today’s gospel. This anger is the same as murder. The Mosaic Law proscribed murder, but not anger that leads to murder. Christ is establishing a new law that demands we exceed this material “justice” of the Scribes and Pharisees in the Mosaic Law. We must not only avoid the taking of our brother’s life, but we must also guard against everything that tends toward or leads us in the direction of murder. Not only must we avoid hatred and anger towards our neighbor, we are even further commanded to love our enemies.

Yet the Psalmist says: “Be ye angry and sin not” (iv. 5). It is indicated that we must be angry with ourselves when we sin and be moved to: repentance, reparation, and resolve to avoid further or future sin. If we truly love our brother and our enemies as we love ourselves, it follows that we must likewise hate within them the sins or evil that are present. This anger however is not the same anger that Christ is speaking of. 

It was mentioned above that Jesus is speaking of anger that is unjust and leads or tends towards hatred of our fellow men and murder. The Psalmist would have us hate the sin and the injustice while still loving ourselves rightly because we are created in the image and likeness of God and the Holy Ghost has transformed us into His Temples. We can extend this to everyone else. 

St. Gregory the Great tells us: “Anger that comes of evil blinds the eye of the mind, but anger that comes of zeal troubles it; for in the measure that it is agitated by zeal for virtue, that image is disturbed which can only be perceived by a heart at rest. For even zeal for rectitude, because it disturbs the mind through unrest, will for a time obscure its vision; so that in its troubled state it no longer sees the higher things it had beheld clearly when at rest. But it is restored again to the vision of the higher things, and to a more acute vision, by that same power which so disturbed it that it could not see.” 

“… It is above all things necessary, that he who is moved by a zeal for justice should be careful of this; that his anger must never pass beyond the mind’s control, that in punishing evil he should be careful both as to the time and the measure; to control the rising agitation of his mind by using it with precise care; to restrain his indignation, and subject the warmth of his own feelings to the rule of moderation and courtesy, so that the more he is master of himself, the more is he fit to judge of another’s chastisement. For since he is to correct the faults of wrongdoers, let him who is to correct first enlarge his own mind through forbearance, and let him judge the matter by rising above his own resentment, lest through being provoked immoderately by his own zeal for what is right he may himself deviate far from what is right. For, as we have said, even praiseworthy zeal for what is good may cloud the eye of the mind, as it is now here said: Anger indeed killeth the foolish. This is to say: anger because of zeal troubles the wise, but anger that arises through evil destroys foolish men; for the one is subject to reason; but the other blindly rules the mind it has entered.” 

In this quote, St. Gregory reminds us that foolish anger destroys the one who is angry. If we stop and examine this evil called anger we see that the cause or source of the anger is seldom harmed by the anger. The person we are angry against often remains ignorant or unconcerned about our anger, while the man who is angry destroys his own soul and often his own health and body by harboring this anger. The anger therefore harms mostly the one harboring it, and so it is foolish to harbor anger as it only destroys oneself rather than the object of one’s anger. 

It is necessary that parents and superiors watch over those whom God has entrusted with their care. In this position of authority, they are bound to watch over their subjects as they watch over themselves. They must constantly remind themselves that they will have to give an account for the souls placed in their care. Just as we are bound to watch over ourselves and be angry so that we sin not; likewise, must we watch over our subjects and be angry and guard them from sin.

This anger is not to destruction or murder, but rather in all charity, motivated to give and protect the true life of the soul. This true charity has motivated great men to take upon themselves the very punishments that their subjects deserve. For example, St. Paul would rather be anathema, than see the destruction of those whom he loves for the love of God.

Being motivated to anger by charity, we become like Jesus. We pray for those who persecute us. We accept tribulation or suffering on behalf of those whom we love. If in our charity we desire to cast out evil spirits, we must recall the words of Christ that some demons can only be cast out by prayer and fasting. Charity, which desires to help some unfortunate soul, inspires us to pray most fervently for him, but also inspires us to inflict upon ourselves some of the punishment that he may deserve. 

The Cure of Ares gives the example to every confessor when we read of his giving of light penances in the confessional and then imposing upon himself what he deems is truly necessary for that soul. Every Catholic is inspired to do penance for his own sins and his own sanctification, but is also encouraged to do the same for the Poor Souls in Purgatory. This is true Charity – willingly sacrificing ourselves for those whom we love. And there is no greater love than Jesus’ Who laid down His very life so that we sinners might live.

Bishop Giles, OFM - Sermon for June 15, 2013
Bishop Giles, OFM - 4th Sunday after Pentecost

Fr. Joseph, OFM - 4th Sunday after Pentecost

Fr. Bernard, OFM - Our Lady of the Rosary - Holy Mass for 4th Sunday after Pentecost

Thanks to Brother Amatus for the photo!

The Audio Sermon for the 3rd Sunday After Pentecost by Bishop Bonaventure Strandt, OFM  recorded at St. Joseph' Mission Church in Union, Kentucky.

http://www.songweetrains.com/sermons/3PentecostSt.Joseph%27s.wma