The Sunday Sermon Archive

Dear Friends in Christ,

Today's feast, which supplants the Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost, was initially celebrated to honor the anniversary of the discovery of the Holy Cross by St. Helena and the dedication of the basilica consecrated at Jerusalem on September 14, 335, on the very site of the Holy Sepulcher and of Calvary. But today's feast is also the commemoration of another event — the return of the Holy Cross by the Persians in 629. It had been carried off fifteen years earlier on the occasion of a Persian victory. It was brought back in triumph by the Emperor Heraclius, who had defeated the Persian armies.

In today's Gospel reading (Saint John 12:31-36), Jesus teaches the multitude of His death and crucifixion. The people were anticipating a Savior who abided forever, not one who was lifted from the earth in death on a cross. Jesus answered them: "Yet a little while, the light is among you. Walk whilst you have the light, that the darkness overtake you not. And he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth. Whilst you have the light, believe in the light; that you may be the children of light."

This multitude in today's Gospel reading was in the presence of the Light but did not see or perceive it. The True presence of God was before them, but they could not see it or would not see it. Two thousand years later, and the multitudes are still wandering in darkness, even though the Light of the True Faith is right in front of them. There are countless false lights to deceive and distract the multitude. These can be found in all the false religions throughout the world — even in the majority that claim to be "Christian."

Our modern world is still steeped in darkness. The children of the Light are few, while the children of darkness are many. However, while there is life here on earth, there is still hope and opportunity. The children of darkness may yet become children of Light. Tragically, as well, the children of Light may yet become children of darkness.

We might ask how or why the children of Light might become children of darkness. Jesus has answered this for us in today's Gospel reading. "Walk whilst you have the light, that darkness overtake you not." It is not enough to have the True Faith or to be in the True Church. We must also walk in the True Faith and the True Church. Having True Faith is not enough; we must live the True Faith. Believing and "sinning on bravely" is the way to renounce The Light and embrace the darkness. Those who have been given the Light of the True Faith but desire only to live in sin and darkness soon have the Light of the True Faith taken from them. To them, the darkness of sin becomes their "light."

"He that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth." The sinner who has lost the light of the True Faith by renouncing the light of True Faith for the darkness of sinful desires and pleasures does not know where he is going or what he is doing. He is blind, but it is blindness that is freely chosen and deliberate. The temporal "pleasures" of sin, disbelief, false religion, etc., become the sinner's "light." It is a false light, but the man living in darkness will argue tirelessly that it is true light. He is wandering and stumbling his way right into the eternal darkness of Hell, but with his eyes closed, he cannot help himself.

While we have the Light of Jesus in the True Catholic Faith, we must believe and walk (live) in this Light, never turning away from it for the temporary pleasures of the false light or darkness of sin. History is filled with accounts of many who had the Light of True Faith and lost it. The false light of the Anglican Church began with King Henry VIII of England. King Henry once held the title of "defender of the Faith." He was in the Light of the True Church in the True Faith, but he lost it all when he chose to be blinded by sinful desires and actions. His willing choice of the darkness of sin soon robbed him of the Light of the True Faith. His darkness soon became the darkness of his entire kingdom, and today we still see this darkness over the Protestant sect of the "Church of England." We can look at one after another "Protestant" sect and point out the leader's turning from the Light of the True Faith to the darkness of sin and the false "light" of heresy. Since the time of Christ, the devils have been creating ever more false lights (false faiths, false religions, etc.) even to this very day.

It is a tremendous grace to have the Light of the True Faith in our day when darkness abounds all around us. The darkness is seen from the extreme left of liberalism and modernism to the extreme right of traditionalism and pharisaism, as well as almost everywhere in between. This makes it ever more imperative that we take up our daily crosses, shunning the false lights all around us, and follow Jesus to Calvary, where we die to the darkness of sinful desires and actions and embrace the Light of the Cross, the Light of True Faith, the Light of Heaven.

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

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