The Sunday Sermon Archive

Dear Friend,

The sorrow of Lent and especially the sorrow of Holy week with the somber mourning of Good Friday have past and now we stand on the morning of joy and celebration. Our faith is not in vain. Christ has risen from the dead. And we too will one day rise from the dead. Death is not the end.

We must not fear those who can only kill our bodies. Christ has given us the example to follow. Those who cried out for His blood and received it only harmed themselves not Christ. He met His terrible death on the cross with patience and resignation to the will of God, and He tells us to do likewise.

On this side of eternity, we often fall into the trap set by the devil, the world and our own fallen nature, of seeking an everlasting happiness here on earth. We look for this happiness in the things of this earth. But with each and every thing that we pursue in this search for happiness we return disappointed because these things were not made to bring us happiness _ the things of this earth are the tools that we are to use in our pursuit of eternal happiness. They are not the source of happiness but the instruments given for the earning of it. As St. Augustine would say: Our hearts are restless until they rest in thee O Lord.

We are constantly in pursuit of this happiness whether we know it or not. But, we often fall into the trap of looking for this eternal happiness in places where it can not be found, and this is the source of such bitter disappointments, frustration, and regrets.

The joy of the Resurrection comes from having renounced the false pleasures of this world and having kept a steady eye on the true happiness of Heaven. Having bartered the temporary false pleasures of earth for the eternal true pleasures of Heaven is truly cause for rejoicing.

Christ has shown us how to conquer the fear of death and even death itself. It is not enough for us to rejoice in His victory. His victory is meaningless and useless to us if we ourselves do not take Him for our pattern and live so that we may die and resurrect gloriously like Him.

The entire past season of Lent was to be that preparation for us, and if we spent it well we do have cause to rejoice. All too often though many have not passed through the season of Lent as they should have, and have not learned to die to themselves, the world, and the devil.

All too many truly fear those who can only destroy their bodies. They are in constant fear of suffering any pain or discomfort in the body. Their fear is fed to such a degree that they often look for any means to escape the slightest discomfort. We see this in so many who rush to a "doctor" or a "dealer" on the corner of the street to find something to "help" them escape from the very cross that God has given them to bear.

It is not this pain or discomfort that we must fear or flee from. These can only harm the body which must die one day anyway. It is our sins that we must fear and flee from for they will not only harm our bodies here on earth but they will send our souls into the fires of Hell for all eternity. And at the end of time when our bodies are resurrected it is our sins that drag our bodies too into that fiery torment of Hell.

If we have spent our Lent well and have fought against these, then we have reason to rejoice in Christ's resurrection. If on the other hand we have not fought the good fight and have not made any progress, then today is worse for us than any other day because is shows us how terribly wrong we are.

Our Holy Mother the Church rejoices today because of Her children who have spent the season of Lent profitably and now are given a glimpse of the joys that await them in Heaven. But, She is simultaneously saddened by the many souls that have rejected the hard and painful path of the cross and have chosen instead the comfortable and pleasant highway of their passions and the world which lead into the depths of Hell.

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