The Sunday Sermon Archive

Dear Friends in Christ,

The supper that we read of in today's Gospel is symbolic of the joys of Heaven. Sadly, many will never taste the joys of Heaven simply because they will not turn aside from the joys of this earth.

The food of this heavenly supper is charity. Charity is undermined and grows cold as we give ourselves over to the self-indulgence of the flesh, our bodies. We tend to forget that we have not been made for food or for any of the material things of this earth. All these things have been made for us. We, in turn, have been made for God, and God is Love. Hence, we must seek this heavenly food of charity (love) above everything else.

It is truly a tragedy that many have substituted the feeding of the body for the feeding of the soul. We tend to seek the pleasures of the palate rather than seeing just how sweet the Lord is. We must, indeed, eat physical food, but we are admonished to do so in all moderation. Rich, sumptuous food, or food that is super-abundant, is not truly appropriate for those who are followers of Christ and are seeking the Kingdom of Heaven. These types of foods are not very healthy for our bodies either.

Christ came in meekness and humility. He ate and drank, but He did so simply and moderately. When He fed the multitudes, He multiplied bread and fish. These are both very simple and common foods. Plain, ordinary foods help prevent us from succumbing to the temptations of over-indulgence. If we prevent our bodies from over-indulgence, we promote and advance the appetites of the soul. As our souls hunger and thirst for God and the things of God, we advance in the spiritual life, and we will find ourselves eager to comply with God's invitation to His heavenly banquet.

The various excuses that were offered in the parable given to us today in the Gospel can all be boiled down to appetites of the flesh, rather than appetites of the soul. The pursuits of the bodily appetites leave us no room or time to pursue the things of the soul. We have been admonished that we need not worry ourselves or be anxious about these things. Our Father in Heaven knows that we need these things, and He will provide and take care of us because we are of greater value than the beasts, fowls, and flowers of this earth. He provides for all these lesser things; we need only trust that He will also provide for all our needs, as we are of greater value.

Sadly, most will not be satisfied with what God provides us. We often think that it is not enough or not good enough, and so we go in search of more or better things than God supplies us with. In this pursuit, we end up neglecting our souls and actually harming our bodies. For the simple and common fare that God gives to everyone is not only healthy for our souls but is also the best food for our bodies. The rich, as well as those who over-indulge, are often sicker and weaker than the poor and simple laborers who eat to live, rather than live to eat.

The devils are always out and about, tempting us to practice idolatry in one form or another. Many today do not have graven images to worship as gods, but many have made gods of their bellies. They make gods of themselves. This is the highest of offenses against God, as it is the very crime of the devils. What is perhaps even more shocking is that many people make gods of other people, their animals, or even their inanimate property.

It seems to us that the primary question we must each ask ourselves is: "What do I live for?" What drives us? What are our passions? Why do we rise every day? All too often, the answer is for some worldly or material goods or pleasures. In this, we harm not only our bodies, but even worse, we bring great burden and harm to our souls. Blessed are they who live for God, for they will often find that they will be given health and vitality in this life, and more importantly, they will gain eternal life in Heaven.

In living for God, we shall find that the appetites of the body are often subdued, simply because our hearts cannot find satisfaction in them. With St. Augustine, we must each realize that nothing will satisfy us except that for which we were made. We were not made for this earth, but for God. "Our hearts are restless, O Lord, until they rest in Thee."

May the Immaculate Heart of Mary inspire, guide, and protect us.

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