THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH

Her Doctrine and Morals

Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost

15 October 2023

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The Sunday

Sermon

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Dear Friends,

It is sad when God is our last option when dealing with our physical pain and suffering. We try just about everything before it dawns on us that our only hope is in God.

On the one hand, it shows how little we think of God, but on the other hand, it shows that God is the only remedy for our malady because we have tried everything else. When we have proven to ourselves that the cures created by men are of no avail to us, we more readily accept that our return to health is truly the work of God. Therefore, all the honor and glory belong to Him.

Even when the treatments that mortals prescribe work, we should recall that God has given the treatment its efficacy. We should always pray to God for help, even when we seek the aid of others. It is often through others that God works. Even wicked people become instruments for some good. No matter how wrong something or someone may be, God always draws some greater good from it.

When we ask others for help or aid, we essentially ask them to be the instrument of God's gifts for us. Regardless of the material outcome, there is a spiritual benefit for both parties. We need to open our eyes to see this and appreciate it.

Often, we deserve the rebuke that Jesus gave in today's Gospel reading (Saint John 4:46-53). "Unless you see signs and wonders, you believe not." However, the signs and wonders are all around us and are so ubiquitous that we do not recognize them for what they are. We take too many things for granted — our lives, our health, our family, our homes, our society, our economy, the light of the sun and moon, the water we drink, the food we eat, etc. All these things are precious gifts from God.

Sometimes, God must take one or more of these away so that we will begin to understand and appreciate them as His gifts to us. When God takes away something, it is good and necessary to do this for our souls' salvation. Everything is good for those who love God, and all things work for the good of those who love God. The sunshine and the rain are His gifts, regardless of whether they are pleasing to us.

We like to think of many events in our lives as being accidents. There are not really any genuine accidents. God has already foreseen everything. He has either directly willed that this should be or indirectly willed that it should be because He respects our free will choices and allows the consequences of our free wills to play out.

In the ultimate analysis, there is little distinction between natural cures or events and supernatural ones because everything is made possible by the Will of God. He is the source of everything. The conclusion is simple: there is nothing bad in this life. Everything works according to God's plan. All that is or is not, is God's Will. Everything is good. The only true evil is sin, and sin is not God's work. Sin is the rebellion of our will against the will of God. But even from sin, God draws the greater good.

We need not lose hope or question God when we fall into sin because God can and will bring good from our failures. Our sins should humble us, and this is already a positive thing. We should resolve to avoid this sin and the occasions that brought us to this sin, and this is another positive thing. We should learn that we need God's grace to rise from our sins, which is a positive thing. The more we cooperate with God, the greater good He will manifest in and for us.

In today's Gospel reading, it was good that the ruler's son was at the point of death. This occasioned the ruler to come to Jesus and be admonished for the weakness of his faith, and then to believe Jesus, and after this, to bring faith to his entire family/household. The lesson is that we should see, more and more, the Hand of God in everything and always be grateful when He gives us abundance as well as when He gives us scarcity and want — when He gives us pleasure and joy as well as when He gives us pain and suffering.

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