The Sunday Sermon Archive

Dear Friends,

Jesus wept over Jerusalem, and He weeps over us. As Jesus looked upon Jerusalem, He wept because the people did not know that God was with them — that He came for them. In fact, they did not know Him, but they even hated Him and killed Him. Their great sin was that they did not know the time of their visitation. If they had known that God was visiting them in the Person of Jesus Christ, they would certainly have wept over their sins with true repentance and obtained forgiveness and salvation. But, they would not!

When Jesus entered Jerusalem, He went into the Temple, and there He drove out the sellers and the money changers. The House of God is a House of Prayer, but they had made it a den of thieves. In so many "churches" it is observed that a religion of materialism or money is practiced rather than the Religion of God. The religion of many "Christians" today is concerned more with material or worldly success and advancement. Obtaining the riches and pleasures of this life is often presented and encouraged as the blessing of God upon our works. Material success is not a sign of God's pleasure, nor is poverty and suffering a sign of God's displeasure. We should constantly reflect that the Good God spreads material gifts graciously upon all. "He makes His sun rise on evil and good, and sends rain on just and unjust." (St. Matthew 5:45)

The cause of the blindness of Jerusalem apparently has its roots in the Temple and therefore Jesus went there and cleaned house by driving out the sellers and money changers. Then, He went daily to the Temple to teach. No doubt, many came to hear Him teach, but not enough to turn Jerusalem around. Probably, there were many who came to be entertained by Jesus' teaching, rather than to be instructed and moved to tears and repentance.

The same seems to apply to the churches in the world today. How many have been made into dens of thieves? How many clergies tolerate, encourage, or even participate themselves, in the sale of God's gifts? How many truly concern themselves with the teachings of Jesus Christ and offer this to the people as good shepherds — not concerned for their own material gain, but rather for the love of souls?

Sadly, it appears that history is repeating itself again. Jesus weeps for us as He wept for Jerusalem. He teaches us through the Sacred Scriptures, but so many are merely entertained, rather than being taught and converted from their evil ways. Ultimately, Jerusalem killed Jesus to drive Him out of the city. This we see has happened in all the various Protestant churches that deny the Gift of Transubstantiation. They have driven Jesus out of their churches and lives. We find the same in the Modernist Churches of the Novus Ordo where they, if not in fact, in practice they deny Jesus by profaning, insulting or even mocking Jesus in the Holy Eucharist. Having changed the words of consecration, they have denied and inhibited the Physical Presence from coming to them. They further confirm this through indifference to Him, as they offer their wafers to anyone who would like to have them — regardless of proper dispositions or repentance and confession of sins. They have moved tabernacles off to the side, they have removed altars, etc.

Not having known the time of our visitation, we have rejected Jesus' Presence with us. This indeed is the cause of the tears of Jesus that we read of in today's Gospel. Not only for Jerusalem but for us today. Jesus is God and He knew clearly that He was rejected by the men of Jerusalem as He is rejected today by would be "Christians" and "Catholics." His Word still stands and will remain forever. We should strive to truly hear Him and be instructed, moved, and converted by Him. His teachings are not for our entertainment or amusement, but for our salvation. His Tears and His Instructions should lead us to shed our own tears of repentance; to realize our own time of His Visitation, and to flee from the worldly Jerusalem or materialism so that we may find the true and eternal Jerusalem with Him in Heaven.

Jesus is visiting us this very day. He is offering Himself to us. His loving tears give us proof and testimony of God's love for us. His Gospel is filled with rebukes and condemnations of sin, and if we will truly hear them, He will drive the sellers and money changers from our very hearts and souls. For our souls are the true Temples and Houses of God. As St. Paul would tell us, "Now is the acceptable time." Now is the time of our salvation. We must not put off our conversion until it is too late.

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