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Proper Preparation
Catholic Douay Rheims Bible
This is the Written Word of God
1) The Act of Contrition;
2) The Veni, Sancte Spiritus.
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 20th Sunday After Pentecost
Ephesians 5:15-21.
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 5, Verses 15-21.
Brethren:
See therefore you walk circumspectly: not as unwise, But as wise:
redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
17 Wherefore become
not unwise, but understanding what is the will of God. And be not
drunk with wine, wherein is luxury; but be ye filled with the Holy Spirit,
speaking to yourselves in psalms, and hymns, and spiritual canticles, singing
and making melody in your hearts to the Lord; Giving thanks always
for all things, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to God and the Father:
Being subject one to another, in the fear of Christ.
Gospel for the 20th Sunday
After Pentecost
John 4:46-53.
The Gospel for today is taken from the Holy Gospel of Saint John Chapter 4, Verses 46-53.
At that time, Jesus came again therefore into Cana of Galilee, where he made the water wine. And there was a certain ruler, whose son was sick at Capharnaum. He having heard that Jesus was come from Judea into Galilee, went to him, and prayed him to come down, and heal his son; for he was at the point of death. Jesus therefore said to him: Unless you see signs and wonders, you believe not. The ruler saith to him: Lord, come down before that my son die. Jesus saith to him: Go thy way; thy son liveth. The man believed the word which Jesus said to him, and went his way. And as he was going down, his servants met him; and they brought word, saying, that his son lived. He asked therefore of them the hour wherein he grew better. And they said to him: Yesterday, at the seventh hour, the fever left him. The father therefore knew, that it was at the same hour that Jesus said to him, Thy son liveth; and himself believed, and his whole house.
Thus far are the words of today's Holy Gospel.
“Giving thanks always for all things, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to God” (EPISTLE, Ephesians 5:20).
VIn the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost. Amen.
Birthday cards are something very special, especially to the people who receive them on that one very special day of the year, but which day of the week varies for obvious reasons. In other words, over the course of a number of years, it could happen on any day of the week, from Sunday to Saturday.
But how many times do the people whose birthday it is, also think about giving thanks to, and express their gratitude to, Almighty God for having created their very own unique immortal soul and infused it into their very own unique body at the moment they were conceived?
Is not your own life one of the greatest gifts you have received from God? But how often do you thank God for having created that one of a kind, extremely unique creation, called YOU?
For those of you who have analyzed exactly WHO YOU ARE, you know that there never was and never will be anyone else exactly like you. Each and everyone of you is unique in many ways.
Have you ever considered how it is that you see and hear other people around you and yet you are not any of these other people - your unique soul is not in the unique body of anyone else, nor do any of these other people have your unique immortal soul or your unique body.
When you consider the biological odds against YOU being selected to be conceived, instead of one of your thousands of biological competitors for life, does it not stagger your mind?
So then, all the more reason why YOU should always thank God and give God the gratitude which finite creatures owe to their Infinite Creator Who choose to animate your unique human body with a very special and unique human soul, which is totally unique only to you and to no one else!
By the way, the word “animate” comes from the Latin word for “soul” because it is your own unique immortal soul that gives life to your own unique body. This is why death occurs when your soul leaves your body. Your soul never dies.
It is no wonder, then, that God the Holy Ghost instructs each of us in today’s Epistle, through the pen of Saint Paul, that each of us should be:
“giving thanks always for ALL things, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to God.” (EPISTLE, Ephesians 5:20).What is but one of these “all things” but your very life - the super unique body and soul God created for you because, from all eternity Almighty God willed to give YOU life instead of giving life to trillions and trillions of others He could just as easily have created, but willed not to do so!
The immensity of this one basic Truth all of us share in common, namely our own unique personal creation by God, and the knowledge that there never was and never will be another YOU who has been or who will be created or born, is overwhelming! Stop to think about this - reflect and meditate on it!
Thomistic Theology teaches us that “Humility is Truth.”
(Father Walter Farrell, O.P., S.T.D., S.T.M., [b. Chicago, Illinois on Tuesday, July 21,1902 A.D. - d. River Forest, Illinois on Friday, November 23, 1951 A.D.], a Moral Theologian, Member of the Thomistic Institute, A Companion to the Summa, Volume 3, Chapter XVIII -- The Fullness of Truth [Q. 155-165].)In this case, the immensity of the Truth that God uniquely created each of us, because He loves each of us so very much, is a never-ending font of the practice of the Virtues of Humility and Meekness for all of us.
Why is this?
Not only for the very obvious reason that God created each of us by infusing a very unique immortal soul into the very unique body of each of us at the moment of our conception, but also for the so easy to overlook reason that God could have chosen to NOT create YOU or me - EVER! Instead, God could have created someone else to take your place and to take my place in this world.
One begins to drink the very dregs of the Virtue of Humility when one humbly and meekly realizes the Truth that God did NOT have to create YOU or me and that instead God could have chosen to create someone else in place of YOU and me. This Truth is so profound, it is overwhelming for a finite mind to even begin to really understand it.
Resolutions
For our Resolutions, beginning right now, get into the habit of giving thanks and expressing gratitude to God, Our Infinite Creator, for having not only created YOU, but redeemed YOU to make it possible for YOU to one day enter into the eternal joys of Heaven.
Remember:
“it is written: That eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man, what things God hath prepared for them that love Him” (1 Corinthians 2:9).Almighty God has created each and everyone of us to know Him, to love Him, and to faithfully serve Him in this world so that we may be happy with Him in Heaven for all eternity.
Therefore, is it any wonder that you read where God the Holy Ghost, through the pen of the Holy Apostle Saint John, writes about love. For example:
“you have heard from the beginning, that you should love one another” (1 John 3:11).And again:
“Dearly beloved, let us love one another, for Charity is of God. And every one that loveth, is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not, knoweth not God: for God is Charity” (1 John 4:7-8).Still again:
“If we love one another, God abideth in us, and His Charity is perfected in us” (1 John 4:12).Six times does God the Holy Ghost write the phrase “love one another” through the pen of the Holy Apostle Saint John in his Epistles.
However, God is not talking about a carnal love, but rather a love for one another that must be a Spiritual, Supernaturalized love in which you see God in the other person and thus your love of God overflows into this Spiritual, Supernaturalized love for others by which, looking through the glasses of Humility, you see the Truth that God has created others, just as He has created you, because the destiny of each person is to know God, to love God, and to faithfully serve God in this world so that, just as with you, they also may have an opportunity to be happy with God in Heaven for all eternity.
So thank God every day for creating you, and for creating others, and ask the good God, Whose love for you is pure, Infinite love, that you be filled to overflowing with a tremendous love for God so that, with the overflowing portion of your Spiritual, Supernaturalized, God-centered love, you may be able to “love one another”, which, if each of us were to do this, then “God abideth in us, and His Charity is perfected in us” (1 John 4:12).
So everyday, with these intentions, give your gratitude to God saying:
“Deo gratias!” - “Thanks be to God!”
PROVE to God that you love Him by obeying His Ten Commandments and performing your teeny, tiny acts of love of God which are things you do not have to do - called acts of supererogation. Then you will merit to contemplate God, Who IS Love, in the eternal happiness of Heaven!
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).
“Giving thanks always for all things, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to God” (EPISTLE, Ephesians 5:20).
V In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost. Amen.
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