The Sunday Sermon Archive

Dear Friends,

Advent is a time of penance. We see St. John in today's Gospel preaching penance both in word and by example. We have preachers of penance today but we have very few who are doing penance.

There are many who believe that they have no need for doing penance. They attempt to balance the good with the bad in their lives; and from their superficial measurement it appears to them that they are more good than bad, and therefore there is no need for doing penance. After all they have not murdered anyone, robbed anyone, or committed adultery, and besides they do many good things too. This type of thinking leaves these poor souls under the illusion that all is well.

We must remember that nothing stained can enter into the kingdom of Heaven. If at death we were to find one who has performed a million good deeds and have committed but one mortal sin he would be condemned to an eternity of suffering in Hell. The one mortal sin far outweighs the many good deed the man had done. And likewise one venial sin is enough to bar one from immediate entrance into Heaven. Such a soul would have to go through the purifying suffering of Purgatory until all the stain of sin is purged.

With this thought in mind we will soon find that our conscience is a constant preacher of penance to us. Our conscience speaks to us of everything that we do, if we will only attune our ears so that we can hear it. And what will our conscience say of all our deeds. Will we hear words of praise for deeds well done, or will we hear words of condemnation for evil deeds. Even when we listen to the voice of our conscience concerning the good deeds that we perform, what will it reveal to us as we look beyond the surface? Were our good deeds performed out of love for God? Were they done to receive the praise of men? Did we have a good and proper intention? Did we take a vain and foolish pride in our deeds and thus ruin any merit we may have earned? The more attuned to the voice of our conscience we become, the more revealing become our examinations. We will soon begin to see faults and failings and sometimes even sins where we once only saw good with very superficial eyes. Our conscience will now urge us on to do penance. It will not reveal too much to us at once lest we fall into despair but will certainly show us enough to spur us on to penance if we will only listen.

Next we have a preacher of penance in the Word of God and in His ministers. The scriptures are full of admonitions to do penance and of beautiful examples of penance. And the priests who preach to us give us many encouragements to do penance. They point out to us the necessity and the ways to do penance. The priest in the confessional is ready to admonish and direct us in the proper attitude and manner for doing penance.

We have the lives of the saints and many spiritual writings that all direct us to do penance.

We have the seasons of the Church year that specifically direct us to do penance. We have Advent, Lent, Ember Days, Fridays, etc. all of which our holy Mother the Church directs us to do penance.

God sends us various events in our lives to encourage us to do penance. Sinners are often exposed to sickness, trials and tribulations to wake them up from the spiritual lethargy that they have fallen into. Many an accident (fire, hail-storm, drought, flood, bad crop, car wrecks, etc.) is God's way of preaching to us of the necessity to do penance. God also sends public calamities (war, storms, plagues etc.) to wake the people up and spur them on to do penance to appease the justice of God.

We see that there are many preaching to us of penance but, we also see that there are very few who are actually doing penance. Many imagine that they still have time enough to do penance later. The young imagine that they will do penance in their old age. But, how many die in the prime of their lives, or even before? And sadly enough those who have contracted an evil habitual way of life will most likely never be able to do true penance. Those who play with fire will most likely get burned. As a man lives most likely that is how he will die. Those who live in sin and put off doing penance will most likely die in sin — without ever having done any penance. The old imagine that they still have time even though they already have one foot in the grave. Or they wait until such a time as now their bodies are no longer capable of doing the penance that they would wish to do.

Follow the admonition of the Psalmist: Today if you shall hear his voice, harden not your hearts. (Ps. 94;8) Whenever the voice may come which says, "Do penance," listen to it; it is the voice of God, who wills your salvation. Heed it, obey it, for he who now comes as a Redeemer will one day appear as a Judge. All who at the coming of our Lord are not purified by true repentance and reconciled with God must hear those terrible words: "I know you not." (Matt. 25; 12) Therefore do penance speedily, and save your immortal souls.

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