The Sunday Sermon Archive

Dear Friend,

Once again, we enter into Holy Week, where we recall the Sacrifice of Jesus. This Sacrifice is the key that opened up the gates of Heaven to all who will follow Him. Many "fair-weather friends" follow Jesus when there is the hope of worldly success and advantages but just as quickly turn against Him when there is the promise of humiliation, physical pain, suffering, or even inconvenience.

Sacrifice is at the heart of the matter. Since the beginning of time, man has offered sacrifices to God. Throughout the Old Testament, we see a sacrificing priesthood with specific sacrifices to be offered for special times or circumstances.

In our modern times, we find a very different form of religion. Many think that modern Judaism is the religion of the Old Testament. Nothing can be further from the truth. Modern Judaism does not have a priesthood. God destroyed the priesthood of the Old Testament with the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD. With the destruction of the Temple came the destruction of the Old Testament priesthood, and with the destruction of the Old Testament priesthood, the abolishment of animal sacrifices. Note that the animal sacrifices were substitutes and prefiguring the actual Sacrifice of Man — Jesus Christ. The removal of sacrifice from religion is a fundamental change. We, therefore, conclude that the modern-day religion of Judaism is not the same religion of the Old Testament.

The Protestant and Modernist religions are likewise devoid of sacrifice and priesthood. They celebrate a memorial meal and a "priesthood of the faithful" where everyone is his own priest. They often celebrate a Passover Meal and symbolically offer bread and wine to become the food of their tables. This does not require a specifically ordained priesthood or specific matter, form, or intention.

The similarities of modern "Judaism" and "Christianity" are many now that so many have rejected Sacrifice and Priesthood. Without Sacrifice or Priesthood, religion becomes not much more than philosophy. The multitudes eagerly embrace this because it appeals to their material hedonistic desires.

There are Pagan religions that claim a priesthood and sacrifices, but these are not offered to God but to devils. These are simply mockeries of the One True Religion.

Only in the One True Catholic and Apostolic Church do we find a true ordained Priesthood with a true Sacrifice. Jesus is made truly present on our altars (Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity — True God and True Man) through the miracle of Transubstantiation. It is not bread and wine which we sacrifice and offer to God in reparation or satisfaction for our sins. We offer the Son of God, Jesus Christ, really and truly present under the appearances of bread and wine as an acceptable offering to God in reparation and satisfaction for us. On the Altar, Jesus is humbled and humiliated, as He submits Himself to the will of men under the appearances of bread and wine. He submits to lonely imprisonment in our Tabernacles, humbly waiting for us to visit Him. He rejoices to be united with the humble and devout in Holy Communion but suffers rejection or abuse by those who approach Him unrepented and proud.

Many are those who follow Jesus in worldly glory and success, but few are they who remain loyal in sacrifice. Many turn on Jesus just as quickly as they came to Him as the miracle worker. Many practice some religion to advance their business or social status but then seem not to know Jesus when they are asked to deny themselves and take up their daily crosses to follow Him.

May we sing out our praises today in honor of Jesus Christ the King and remain just as enthusiastic and loyal as we follow Him in worldly disgrace, pain, suffering, and death. We need to stay faithful to the religion that God gave us — the Religion with a true Sacrifice and Sacrificing Priesthood.

Through the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, Jesus comes to us today and offers us the opportunity to unite our sacrifices with His. This is our opportunity to humbly transform our sacrifices and make them acceptable to God. The Sacrifice of the Son of God is eternally acceptable and pleasing to God. When we unite ours with His, we, in turn, become pleasing and acceptable as well.

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

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