Catholic Saints, who have written on the Spiritual Life, suggest that a "remote preparation" is necessary in order to better understand the Word of God.  This includes being a lover of the Truth as well as the practice the Virtues of Humility, Meekness, and Docility to God the Holy Ghost.  "Proximate preparation" includes two prayers:

1) The Act of Contrition;
2) The Veni, Sancte Spiritus.

An Act of Contrition

O my God, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee, because I love Thee above all things with my whole heart and soul.  I detest all of my sins because it was for them and His Love for me that Jesus Christ, the Second Person of the Most Blessed Trinity, my Lord and my God, suffered, was crucified, and died on the cross.  O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee by my sins, faults, imperfections, negligences and carelessness, Who art all good and deserving of all of my love.

I firmly resolve with the help of Thy Grace, to sin no more, to confess my sins, to do penance, to amend my life, to avoid all of the near occasions of sin, and always give to Thee freely, liberally and generously what is of supererogation and perfection, not only in greater things, but especially in lesser things, so that I may gain beforehand Thy efficacious, superabundant, particular and special Graces and Helps so that I will always be victorious in resisting and overcoming all temptations of the world, the flesh, and the devil and his followers.  Grant me those Graces and Helps needed so that my every thought, word and action may be done solely out of love for Thee, Who art Love.  Amen.

Saint John Chrysostom

It was the custom of Patriarch Saint John Chrysostom [b. Antioch, c. 347 A.D. - d. at Commana in Pontus on Friday, September 14, 407 A.D.], Patriarch of Constantinople [Thursday, February 26, 398 A.D. - Thursday, June 24, 404 A.D.], exiled from his See the 2nd time on Thursday, June 24, 404 A.D., Father and Doctor of the Catholic Church, to properly prepare himself and his Congregation before preaching. He taught that unless God the Holy Ghost prepares the minds and hearts of the Preacher and of the Congregation, the Preacher preaches in vain and the Congregation listens in vain.

Therefore, so as not to waste your time, please pray the Veni, Sancte Spiritus, remembering how one Holy Saint was of the opinion that a Sermon is a Sacramental.

Veni, Sancte Spiritus

Come, O Holy Ghost, fill the hearts of Thy faithful
And kindle in them the fire of Thy love.

V. Send forth Thy Spirit, and they shall be created;
R. And Thou shalt renew the face of the earth.

Let Us Pray

O God, who didst instruct the hearts of Thy faithful by the light of Thy Holy Spirit, grant us in the same Spirit to relish what is right and ever to rejoice in His consolation. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary; pray for us.
Saint Thomas Aquinas, Patron Saint of Catholic Schools, pray for us.

Epistle for the 17th Sunday After Pentecost

Ephesians 4:1-6.

The Epistle appointed to be read during the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass today is taken from Saint Paul's Epistle to the Ephesians, Chapter 4, Verses 1-6.

Brethren:  I therefore, a prisoner in the Lord, beseech you that you walk worthy of the vocation in which you are called, With all humility and mildness, with patience, supporting one another in charity.  Careful to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.  One body and one Spirit; as you are called in one hope of your calling. One Lord, one faith, one baptism.  One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in us all.

Gospel for the 17th Sunday After Pentecost

Matthew 22:34-46.

The Gospel for today is taken from the Holy Gospel of Saint Matthew, Chapter 22, Verses 34-46.

At that time the Pharisees came to Jesus and one of them, a doctor of the law, asking Him, tempting Him:  Master, which is the greatest commandment in the law?  Jesus said to him:  Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart, and with thy whole soul, and with thy whole mind.  This is the greatest and the first commandment.  And the second is like to this:  Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.  On these two commandments dependeth the whole law and the prophets.

And the Pharisees being gathered together, Jesus asked them,  Saying:  What think you of Christ?  whose Son is He?  They say to Him:   David's.  He saith to them:  How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying:  The Lord said to my Lord, Sit on my right hand, until I make thy enemies thy footstool?  If David then call him Lord, how is He his Son?  And no man was able to answer Him a word; neither durst any man from that day forth ask Him any more questions.

Thus far are the words of today's Holy Gospel.

“And the Pharisees being gathered together, Jesus asked them,  Saying:  What think you of Christ?  whose Son is He?  They say to Him:   David's.  He saith to them:  How then doth David in spirit call him Lord” (GOSPEL, Matthew 22:41-43).

VIn the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost. Amen.

How many of you ever have had people ask you questions about your Holy Catholic Faith?  The Catholic Church, as a loving Mother, is always concerned about her children.  Historically, this is one reason why the Catholic Church has always tried to provide her children with access to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and the Sacraments as well as good Catholic books for Spiritual Reading.  This is also the reason why the Catholic Church stresses the importance of education for all Catholics, but especially that Children be taught the Catechism so that they will know the basics of what their Holy Catholic Faith teaches.

Nevertheless, adults also need to refresh their minds from time to time on what the Catholic Church teaches.  For example, consider the Gospel passage for today in which Christ asks the Pharisees:   What think you of Christ?  whose Son is He?  They say to Him: David’s.  He saith to them:  How then doth David in spirit call Him Lord?  Christ is reminding the Pharisees that David calls Christ, Lord, which is another way of saying that David calls Christ, God.

Christ goes on to ask the Pharisees this question: If David then call him Lord, how is He his Son? How did the Pharisees answer this question?  They were not able to answer His question as the Gospel testifies:  "And no man was able to answer Him a word; neither durst any man from that day forth ask Him any more questions". (Matthew 22:45-46).

Perhaps you are thinking that the Pharisees were stupid or just dumb?  But ask yourself this question:

"How would I respond if sometime this afternoon a person told me that it really does not matter whether or not anyone believes that Jesus Christ is God because all that is necessary is to live a good life?"

Hopefully, YOU would not be in the same position in which the Pharisees found themselves when they were unable to answer Christ’s question?  So, HOW would YOU refute this person's claim that it really does not matter whether or not anyone believes that Jesus Christ is God because all that is necessary is to live a good life?

Here are some suggestions of HOW to refute anyone's claim that it really does not matter whether or not anyone believes that Jesus Christ is God because all that is necessary is to live a good life?

Suggestions for the refutation:

1)  You could remind this person that anyone can say anything.  What is required to attain the certitude of Truth - which of its nature is absolute - is proof.  In other words, absolute Truth rests on proof.

2)  You follow this up by asking this person to prove this otherwise gratuitous statement.

3)  State your position regarding the position of this person by saying to this person that, so far as you are concerned, this gratuitous statement is based only upon the personal prejudices and predisposed bias of this person.

4)  At this point, either the person will be speechless or dumbfounded or begin to use fallacies such as trying to change the subject, or trying to argue that the gratuitous statement is valid and then proceed to make all kinds of invalid claims as being somehow "proof" of such a statement.

5)  You, on the other hand, then ask this person to refute your position, since this person has ending up going around in circles or speaking in riddles or speaking illogically.

6)  You begin stating your position by telling this person that you are a Catholic who is faithful to the authentic Apostolic Tradition of the Catholic Church.

7)  You continue by saying that it really does matter that a person believes that Jesus Christ IS God by explaining what it would mean IF Jesus Christ would not be God.

8)  You explain that IF Jesus Christ is not God - this would mean the Catholic Faith is a mere human faith and that no one could have absolute certitude concerning its Truths.

9)  You then go on to explain how Jesus Christ proved that He IS God Incarnate, the Divine Logos, the Word of God, the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity.

10)  You ask this person if this person knows HOW Jesus Christ proved that He IS God?

11)  Most probably you will get silence for your answer for two reasons:

a) this person does not have a clue what the answer is;

b) for this person to tell you HOW Jesus Christ proved that He IS God would be illogical for this person because it is contrary to this person's subtle claim that Jesus Christ is not God which fact this person tried hiding under the transparent veil of trying to emphasize the point is not about the Divinity of Christ, of whether or not Christ is God, but rather that it really makes no difference whether or not Christ is God because this issue is irrelevant to this person since the only issue relevant to this person is that all that is necessary is to live a good life which is the actual issue - but this is the fake issue - the fake issue which is the one that is really the irrelevant issue!

c)  IF, for some reason, this person does try to tell you HOW Jesus Christ proved that He IS God, then this person is really admitting to you - indirectly - that yes, Jesus Christ did in fact prove that He IS God and here is the reason, or here are the reasons, of how Christ did proved He IS God!

12)  You prove to this person that Jesus Christ proved that He IS God by relating the following facts:

a)  Jesus Christ performed many public miracles.

For example:

1) changing water into wine;
2) twice, at two totally different times and in two totally different places, feeding a total of well over 10,000 men, women, and children in the wilderness;
3) raising the dead to life;
4) curing the lepers;
5) curing the blind;
6) curing the lame;
7) curing the deaf and dumb;
8) curing the Lady with the issue of blood;
9) etc., etc.;
10) plus His own resurrection from the dead.

b)  Relate the Gospel narrative of His Transfiguration.

c)  No one, except Jesus Christ, perfectly fulfilled and completed all of the Old Testament prophecies about the promised Messias.

13)  You then explain how Jesus Christ demands our adherence to, and unconditional belief in, all of the unchangeable Truths and Doctrines He taught and upon which our eternal salvation depends.

14)  Because you set aside 10 minutes a day for your Spiritual Reading from the New Testament, you would be able to quote Christ Who says:

“He that believeth in the Son, hath life everlasting; but he that believeth not the Son, shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him” (John 3:36).

15)  You emphasize the absurdity of the agnostic’s statement by asking this person:

“What is the logical consequence of your position?”

16)  You continue by explaining that IF Jesus Christ is not God, as this agnostic very subtly implies, the result would be that no one could ever have a rock-solid, firm, undoubting faith, and this for two reasons.

Reason # 1.  People lie.  For example, Mohammad [570 A.D. - 632 A.D.] claimed he was the one and only prophet of God, that his doctrine descended directly from Heaven, and that God Himself had revealed it to him. The irony of Mohammadanism is that it is based on parts of paganism, Hebrewism, Gnosticism (the pagan Persian Cubricus, a.k.a. Manes; Mani; Manichaeus, who was the founder of a pagan sect  known as Manichaeism which has been described as the “Persian Gnosis” because of its great resemblance to, and extensive borrowing from, Gnosticism and from which Manichaeistic Gnosticism Mohammad heavily borrowed), and Catholicism.

Reason # 2.  People can err and can deceive themselves.  Although Jesus Christ led the most Holy Life possible, so holy that He confounded His enemies by asking them: “Which of you shall convince me of sin?” (John 8:46), yet even the greatest holiness provides no absolute security against error.  So, when this person asks you “Why?”, you would respond by saying that Church History tells us that some Fathers of the Catholic Church, as well as some of the greatest Catholic Saints, have erred!

Here are four examples:

For some time, Bishop Saint Cyprian of Carthage, a.k.a. Thaschus Cæcilius Cyprianus, [b. 190  A.D. - d. Martyred on Saturday, August 14, 258 A.D.], in the 3rd Century, and the Donatist heretics of the 4th Century, the latter being condemned at Rome in 313 A.D. and at Arles in 314 A.D., all maintained and declared that Baptism by heretics was invalid.

Origen of Alexandria [b. Alexandria, Egypt in 185 A.D. - d. Tyre, Phenicia in 254 A.D.] taught that the pains of Hell were not eternal.

Saint Thomas Aquinas, O.P. [b. 1225 A.D. in Rocca Secca, Naples, Italy - d. Wednesday, March 7, 1274 A.D., in Fossa Nuova, Italy], Doctor of the Church, erred by using the forgery known to history as Pseudo-Cyril in his writings.  He also seems to have been influenced by various other forgeries and interpolations of various documents.

Bishop Saint Augustine, a.k.a. Aurelius Augustinus [b. Tagaste, Africa, Saturday, November 13, 354 A.D. - d. Hippo Regia, Africa, Wednesday, August 28, 430 A.D.], Bishop of Hippo Regia, Father and Doctor of the Catholic Church, the Doctor of Grace, fell back into the heresy of Manichæanism - which is based upon the heresy of dualism - in a portion of his writings on the Holy Sacrament of Matrimony.

17)  You then explain to this agnostic:

1)  IF Christ had been only a mere man, as the heresy of Arianism teaches and which heresy was condemned by the First Council of Nicæa (Council of Nicæa I [Saturday, June 20, 325 A.D. - Tuesday, August 25, 325 A.D.]), despite His personal holiness and purity of intention to teach only the Truth, IF He was only a mere man, He might have taught error.

2)  But, only “God is Truth” (Saint Thomas Aquinas, O.P., Summa Theologica Part I, Question 16, Article 5; Summa Theologica Part II-II, Question 93, Article 2, Reply to Objection 2. Summa Contra Gentiles Book I, Chapter 60.), and “Truth cannot be Truth’s  contrary”  (Saint Thomas Aquinas, O.P.,  Summa Contra Gentiles Volume IV, 8).

18)  You conclude your refutation and your position by saying:

“Therefore, our Catholic Faith rests on Christ - the rock - as God the Holy Ghost teaches through the pen of the Apostle:  "the rock was Christ" (1 Corinthians 10:4).

In practical terms this means that because Jesus Christ is the rock our Holy Catholic Faith rests upon, therefore our Holy Catholic Faith rests upon a rock-solid immovable foundation because the facts have proven that Jesus Christ is so much more than only a mere man - He IS also true God!

Therefore, Jesus Christ also IS Truth because Jesus Christ IS also God and God IS Truth as He Himself has testified:

I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life" (John 14:6).

Resolutions

For our resolutions, as Catholics faithful to the authentic Tradition, let us consider the wise counsel of Patriarch Saint Cyril of Alexandria:

“The divine disciple wrote, being ready always to satisfy [i.e. to give an answer to] everyone that asketh you a reason of that hope which is in you [1 Peter 3:15].  But he who willeth to do this, innovates in nothing, nor doth he frame any new exposition of faith, but rather maketh plain to those who ask him, what faith he hath concerning Christ” (Saint Cyril of Alexandria [b. at Alexandria, Egypt in 376 A.D. - d. at Alexandria, Egypt in 444 A.D.], Patriarch of Alexandria [412 A. D. - 444 A.D.], Father and Doctor of the Catholic Church, Ancient Epitome of Canon VII of the First Œcumenical Council of Ephesus, Tuesday, July 22, 431 A.D.).

Today it is necessary to have more than only a First-Grade, or even an Eighth-Grade, Catechism-level knowledge of the Catholic Faith.  This is why Sermons are so important and helpful.  Do your best to remember what you can so that you are always prepared - semper paratus - to have a ready answer for the questions of today with a calm, peaceful assurance that your answers are based upon the rock-solid moral principles and doctrinal Truths of the One, Holy, Catholic, Apostolic Church, outside of which there is no salvation!

For those of you who are reading this Sermon on the internet, permission is hereby given to you to copy and paste the 18 step Suggestions for the refutation into your own word processor and then print it on your printer and carry a copy of it with you for quick access, especially if you expect to encounter a person who claims that it really does not matter whether or not anyone believes that Jesus Christ is God because all that is necessary is to live a good life.

You might also want to prayerfully re-read these 18 step Suggestions for the refutation until you become thoroughly familiar with them and/or are thereby better able, not only to understand them - and hence more clearly explain them if necessary - but also to remember at least some of the major points which are made in these 18 steps.

Or simply make copies of the 18 step Suggestions for the refutation and give them to people who need to read them or to others who would also like to know what they are so that they can also use them when the situation arises in their own lives.

By doing this, you heed the wise counsel, both of Saint Peter (1 Peter 3:15) and also of Saint Cyril of Alexandria, and thereby
maketh plain to those who ask you, what faith you hath concerning Christ.

As a final resolution, in the Holy Name of Jesus, and in an exercise of Catholic Charity, please contribute to the support of the Church - in this case - the Shrine of Saint Jude.  Please help us to save Souls!  Thank you for your thoughtfulness and Charity! Remember, God is never outdone in generosity!!!

Think how happy you will be when, in the next life, God shows you all of the Souls you helped to save by helping our Apostolates, including this Sermon web site, because "he who causeth a sinner to be converted from the error of his way, shall save his soul from death, and shall cover a multitude of sins" (James 5:20).

“And in doing good, let us not fail.  For in due time we shall reap, not failing.  Therefore, whilst we have time, let us work good to all men, but especially to those who are of the household of the faith” (Galatians  6:9-10).
 

“And the Pharisees being gathered together, Jesus asked them,  Saying:  What think you of Christ?  whose Son is he?  They say to Him:   David's.  He saith to them:  How then doth David in spirit call him Lord” (GOSPEL, Matthew 22:41-43).

V   In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost. Amen.

 

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