The Sunday Sermon Archive

Dear Friend,

Our Lord appeared in today's Gospel to the Apostles and the first words we hear from Him are: "Pax vobis." "Peace be to you." This is God's wish not only for the Apostles but for all of mankind.

Jesus then gave them the authority and power to forgive or retain the sins of their fellow men. In this He has placed in their hands and the hands of all their true successors the source of peace. If we are to truly receive this peace that Christ wishes us to have we must first of all have the obstacles to that peace (sin) removed from our souls.

Only in the Catholic Church do we find the true power and authority to forgive someone in the name of Jesus. Only in the Catholic Church do we find the means of receiving this peace that God wishes for us and that we so eagerly are in pursuit of.

It is a tragic loss that so many find themselves outside the pale of the Catholic Church; outside the pale the forgiveness of their sins; and therefore outside the pale of true peace.

What does God wish for all of men? He wishes their eternal peace and happiness with Him in Heaven. And He has given us the means to reach this end in the Mystical Body of Christ _ the Catholic Church. And sadly enough outside the Catholic Church there is no salvation.

Christ was very clear and very specific. He has established the Church not many churches but only one, and in Her He has placed all the means that are necessary for the attainment of our eternal peace and happiness. As the Father had sent Jesus so Jesus has sent His Apostles, and the Apostles have in turn sent other Apostles even to this day.

Those who have received this mission from God have the duty of preaching the truth in season and out of season and constantly seeking the accomplishment of God's will, the peace of mankind.

The Apostles and those who follow them not only preach but, pray and offer sacrifice for their fellow men. And they are not alone in this task but they constantly seek the assistance of the entire Mystical Body of Christ. The popes and the bishops throughout history have appealed to clergy, religious, and laity to participate in this endeavor and likewise offer their works, prayers, and sacrifices for the attainment of this goal.

The great Apostasy has not lessoned this obligation that has been placed upon us, but on the contrary has vastly increased it. The few true bishops and priests in the world have an immense task placed before them. But, the rest of the Mystical Body must do their part also and must pray that God's will of the message of peace be spread throughout the world; they must beg of God the grace that their pastors need to stand up to this tremendous task; and must, in short, do all that they can to assist in the accomplishment of this goal.

Yes, it is an impossible task that is placed before us, but on the other hand; nothing is impossible to God. What is holding us back? Is it not because we are lacking in the true love of God and His will? Is it not true that we have not yet begun to love our fellow men as we love ourselves?

We must strive with our entire being and pray without ceasing to constantly grow in the love of God and of our fellow men. Have the Gospels that we have read or heard read so many times made no impression upon us?

How can so many of us still harbor envy, revenge, and even hatred for our fellow men? Have we no love of God? Have we no love for our own salvation? The actions of so many shout very loudly that we hate our fellow men and therefore we hate ourselves, and in turn we hate God. Why can so many not see the terrible consequences of eternal damnation in this?

The peace that Jesus wishes to give us this day, is conditioned on many things among which is the need to share this peace with our fellow men. It is not given to us to be locked up or hidden under a bushel or buried in the ground, but to be brought out into the open and shared with all those around us.

We have received the wondrous grace of the forgiveness of our sins this past season of Lent, we have received Christ Himself in the sacrament of the Blessed Eucharist, we have received His blessing of peace today. Now it is time for us to put these wondrous gifts to work and make them increase by sharing them or at least attempting to share these precious gifts with the rest of mankind. If so many will be damned, let it not be because we had not done all that we could for them.

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