THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH

Her Doctrine and Morals

Fourth Sunday of Advent

22 December 2024

[Image]

The Sunday

Sermon

Click the button on the right to be told about updates. Your address will be kept strictly private.

Dear Friends in Christ,

Today, we hear St. John once again telling us how urgently we need to prepare to receive God into our presence. The time is drawing very near, so we must become ever more attentive and vigilant. This is not a task for tomorrow, but for this very moment.

What St. John is telling us is nothing new. We have heard it many times before. Even when St. John spoke these words, they were not new because he was repeating the prophecy of Isaias.

God is coming to visit His people. What must we do? We must straighten out our lives. We must bring down the mountains of pride, fill up the valleys of doubt and disbelief, straighten out the crooked ways of lying and deceit, and smooth out the rough ways of our riotous living.

If we continue on just a little further in the prophecy of Isaias, we read: "The grass is withered, and the flower is fallen, because the spirit of the Lord hath blown upon it. Indeed, the people is grass: The grass is withered, and the flower is fallen: but the word of Our Lord endureth forever."

"The people is grass." The spirit of God has blown upon the people, and they have withered up and fallen. How strange, the spirit of God, which is life, seems to bring the opposite to the people. Could this prophecy be similar to the one we will later hear the prophet Simeon make concerning Christ? "This Child is destined for the ruin of many."

We have been told what we must do to prepare for God's coming. Our Holy Mother, the Church, has given us this season of Advent to lead us into this spirit and activity. We must, through penance, tear down the mountains of pride and fill up the voids of vanity, straighten out the crooked ways, and smooth out the rough. We understand this well enough, but many — even the majority — will not heed or follow this direction, so it must be said that these people are grass. God's presence among them, far from giving them life and joy, will serve only for these unfortunate souls as a hot, dry fire to wither and kill all those who are unworthy.

As God comes to dwell within us, His presence will be destructive of all that is unworthy or unbecoming of Him. The more we are attached to the things of this world or our own passions or inclinations, the more painful Christ's presence will become for us because His presence will begin to wither and destroy all that is not fitting.

It is not unusual to see or even experience ourselves the sadness that overcomes so many souls in the days leading up to the celebration of Christ's Birth. It sometimes takes a lot of faith and courage to set aside so many temptations to ruin a joyful occasion for ourselves and others. But, especially on the day after Christmas, we see that the superficial joy of the season has already disappeared from the hearts and minds of the majority. The decorations are put on the curb, and so many of the gifts must be returned, and it is back to the grind of earning our daily bread.

No sooner has Christ come than we push Him away. This seems to be explained by the scorching pain God's presence has upon our guilty consciences and souls. Rather than allow God's fiery love to burn and purify our souls, we would rather chase Him away. Many have experienced this before and now seem to do everything possible to prevent it from happening again. Only they choose the foolish way. They would block God's presence and grace from their lives instead of removing those things that are offensive to Him, which would cause them much pain when His presence is made known to their souls.

This presence of God cannot be avoided forever. The day will come, whether we are ready or not when God will make His presence felt upon each and every soul. At that last coming of Christ, His presence will no longer have the same purifying potential as it did during our present lives. Then God's presence will be an eternal burning pain that will never be quenched. It will cause us to suffer this eternal pain in Hell. This is not a possibility, but a certainty if we do not prepare.

Now is the time to open up our consciences, review the grass that is grown there, and welcome the scorching breath of God to purify us of all that is unworthy of Him. As we spend these last few days in preparation to celebrate His Birth, let us do all we can for our souls so that He will be welcome in our souls. Let us not fear His presence or the pain it may cause us to sting our conscience, but rather welcome Him and be grateful for His gift to us. And let us, above all, seek to keep Him present within our hearts and minds all year long.

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