The Sunday Sermon Archive

Dear Friend,

In today's Gospel, Jesus gives us peace and happiness. Our faith is increased or strengthened through the doubts of St. Thomas, followed by the return of his faith. His doubts became the confirmation of our faith. We can believe more readily because St. Thomas doubted and questioned. "We were created for happiness: we were made happy when we were first made. We were given Paradise: to enjoy its delight. We received a commandment: that obeying it we might win merit, not that He knew not what was to be, but as laying down the law of free will. Through envy we were deceived. We were cast forth because we had broken the law. We hungered, because we did not deny ourselves: being defeated and overcome by the Tree of Knowledge. For the Commandment was with us from our beginning, being in a manner an unvarying guide to our soul, and a restraint upon pleasure; and to it we were reasonably made subject, so that we might regain by keeping it wat we had lost by not keeping it. That we might live we needed a God Incarnate, and dying for us. We died with Him, that we might be cleansed of our sin. We rose with Him, because we died with Him. And with Him shall we be glorified, because we have risen with Him."

Faith brings joy into our hearts, but Jesus also brought peace. He greeted the Apostles with: "Peace be to you." What brings peace to our souls but a clear conscience? How are we sinners ever going even to approach the state of peace? The turmoil of a guilty conscience is a veritable hell. Peace will only come to us when we can have our sins forgiven. In today's Gospel, we see that Jesus made this possible for us. "Receive ye the Holy Ghost. Whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them; and whose sins you shall retain, they are retained."

The presence of Jesus among the Apostles filled their hearts with joy, but they could only possess peace in their hearts when their sins were forgiven them. Jesus forgave them of their sins, but more importantly, He gave the Apostles and their successors the power to forgive us our sins.

We saw on Holy Thursday that Jesus instituted the priesthood, the Sacrifice of the Mass, and the Holy Eucharist. This made it possible for us always to have the presence of Jesus and, therefore, joy in our hearts. What is missing from this joy and even the joy of His Resurrection is peace. True peace comes to us when we unburden our souls by putting off our sins and transgressions.

There is nothing as consoling and comforting as hearing Jesus, through the priest's voice, pronounce the words of absolution. "I absolve you of your sins in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost." When the understanding of what has just taken place penetrates our minds, peace and joy flood our hearts and souls. We then may go in peace because our sins are forgiven. Sometimes the priest may dismiss us by saying: Go in peace and sin no more.

Understanding the great gift God has given us in priests, let us now read what St. John Chrysostom has to say to us:

"Great is the dignity of the priesthood. Hold them in great reverence. For you have but the care of what concerns yourself; and if you look well after that, you will not be held accountable for what others do. But the priest, even should he order his own life in a fitting manner, yet does not scrupulously have due care for both your life, and the lives of those about him, shall go with the wicked into everlasting fire; and so he oftentimes while not failing in his own conduct will perish because of yours, if he has not done all that belonged to him to do. Knowing then the greatness of their danger, treat them with much consideration, for as St. Paul goes on to say, 'They watch for your souls;' and not simply this, but 'as having to render an account of them.' Because of this, you must treat them with honor."

Many call upon the priests to pray for them, but how many remember to pray for the priests. The priests bring peace to our souls by forgiving us our sins, and they bring joy to our hearts by bringing Jesus to us in the Holy Eucharist. Who can put a price upon this peace and joy? These things are indeed the work of God and not the work of men, but these men (the priests) are the instruments that God uses to bring these graces to us.

If there is to be any true joy and peace in this world, we need God's graces, which are bound up in the priesthood. We should thank God every day for the priests He has given us, but we should also pray that He will provide the grace and courage for more young men to deny themselves and take up the burden of the priesthood. As the number of priests dwindles, so does the joy and peace of this world wane away. The world and each of us individually need peace and joy in our lives. To obtain this, we need priests ordained correctly by God with the grace and power to give us the Sacraments. To have these priests, we need parents and everyone to pray and encourage our young men to give themselves entirely to the service of God and their fellow men in the priestly vocation.

To aid these priests, we need both male and female vocations in religious life. We all should pray and encourage the youth of both sexes to seriously consider if God is calling them to His service in the priesthood or the religious life. Their happiness in this life and eternity depends upon living the life God calls them to live. The peace and happiness of all those around them depend on their faithful correspondence with God's graces. The peace and joy of all societies in this world, from the family to nations and states, depend upon these servants of God.

email: father@friarsminor.org Franciscan Benefactor Seraph Subscription Vocations Have you remembered God?

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