THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH

Her Doctrine and Morals

Sunday within the Octave of the Nativity

31 December 2023

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The Sunday

Sermon

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Dear Friends,

Today's Gospel reading comes from Saint Luke (2:33-40). "And His father and mother were wondering at these things which were spoken concerning Him." It is said that as often as the memory of wondrous things returns to the mind, so often does the mind renew its wonder. As we contemplate wondrous things, the wonder and amazement only increase.

Many natural things become tedious or tiresome the more we deal with them. Once the novelty or newness wears away, we tend to lose interest, and these things lose some of their original luster. They are not prized as much; they are not valued as much; they are not appreciated as much. As the saying goes, "Familiarity breeds contempt."

However, the genuinely sacred or spiritual things seem to become more beautiful, mysterious, and fascinating the longer we consider them. The spiritual or prophetic things spoken to Mary and Joseph filled them with this spiritual wonder. It is as if these things cannot be forgotten. They are so beautiful, pleasant, and wonderful that they captivate and enthrall us.

The angel's message to Mary at the Annunciation was perhaps the first of these things revealed to us that can only fill us with wonder. Next, we find: the praise of Saint Elizabeth when Mary went to greet her; the multitude of the heavenly host at His birth; and the revelations given to the shepherds in the field on the holy night of the Nativity of Our Lord. Moreover, now the prophecy of Simeon and the inspired words of Anna, a prophetess, fill them and us with wonder.

God and everything sacred is veiled or hidden from us. We catch glimpses from time to time, but the more we see, the more we realize that we do not see. The more we know, the more we realize we do not know. The more that we love, the more there is to be loved. The mysteries of God, the mysteries of the faith, the mysteries of the Sacraments, the mysteries of the Rosary, etc., are all limitless fountains for us to wonder and be amazed. The more we learn of these mysteries, the more we love them and the more we want to learn and love. We have a limitless desire to know and love; the sacred and divine are the only genuinely limitless wonders given to us. "Our hearts are restless until they rest in God" (St. Augustine).

The demonic in this world seeks to destroy the wonder and pondering over these things. There is a constant effort to reduce everything to materialism. The world redefines love as physical pleasure, emotion, or even "chemistry." Everything that speaks of God is denied and rejected as wishful thinking. The workings of the human mind and soul are often made out to be nothing more than physical actions and reactions — devoid of anything sacred or spiritual.

When God, the true faith, and even our very lives are only considered from a materialistic perspective, it is atheistic and, therefore, demonic. It is the demonic goal to remove God and everything sacred from our lives so that we become like them — lost souls.

This time of year, we give much attention to the Holy Family. Marriage and procreation are spiritual things that the demons want us to perceive as simply material or physical. Marriage can easily be broken or dissolved when it is only a worldly and material contract. Selfishness replaces true love. Pleasure-seeking replaces sacrifice. Convenience replaces commitment. Physical or biological reproduction focuses heavily on the bodily or material, so the spiritual is forgotten. In our arrogance, we think that children are made through our physical or biological actions. We do not have to look far to see that it is not that simple; there is much more to it than that. Many who try to have children find that they cannot. They look for physical or material causes and "cures." What everyone seems to be missing is that God is the One Who gives life. Men and women cannot create life; they can only cooperate with God in creating another human being made in God's image and likeness.

Marriage is a Sacrament, and it is sacred. It should cause us to wonder and be amazed. It is filled with unlimited love, beauty, mystery, and discovery. Those who want to reduce it to mere physical, material, or mechanical functions are suffering from demonic illusions. These demonic illusions are the bane of our current society. This is the source of broken marriages and families. This is the source of despising and killing new human life in the womb. This is the source of fornication, adultery, homosexuality, pedophilia, bestiality, sexual or gender confusion, and anarchy. All this is truly demonic. Moreover, the demonic deception is that everything is simply physical, and there is nothing spiritual. We are being tempted to live as animals without souls, to fail to see and love the sacred, Divine, inconceivable, hidden, and unexplainable. When marriage and life become mechanical, measurable, and predictable, it is bland and without value. With the help of God's grace and the intercession of the Holy Family, may we always keep the sacredness with its mystery, wonder, and love alive in our hearts, lives, and families.

May the Immaculate Heart of Mary inspire, guide, and protect us!