The Sunday Sermon Archive

Dear Friends in Christ,

Today's Gospel reading (Saint Luke 18: 9-14) is a parable that Jesus gave us to warn us not to trust in ourselves. Our holiness is not measured in comparison to others but in comparison to Jesus Christ. We genuinely have no reason to boast in this comparison but, rather, every reason to humble ourselves even more. The sins of others neither make us better nor worse in themselves. However, our judgments of others either raise us or lower us in the eyes of God. It is in this humility that we find the path to seeking forgiveness and spiritual growth, inspiring us to strive for a deeper connection with God.

If we behold the sins of others, we may be tempted to see in them a fellow companion in sin and be emboldened in our sins. If others are guilty of sins we have not committed, we may become emboldened to start sinning that way. Or we may become filled with greater pride and vanity as we think ourselves better because we have not succumbed to that sin. Many things can happen in the quiet of our hearts and minds, only seen by God. In this inner realm of judging others, it is ourselves that we harm. The matter becomes more serious when we bring these thoughts and ideas into the world by speaking of them.

Saint John Chrysostom said: "He who speaks ill of others does great harm to himself and others. In the first place, he makes the one who hears him worse than he was, for if he is a sinner, he becomes more content: finding a companion in sin. If he is a just man, he is uplifted in himself: because of others' sins, he is led to think more highly of himself. In the second place, he injures the fellowship of the Church. For all who hear him will speak ill not only of the one who sinned but will also impute calumnies to the Christian religion. Thirdly, he causes men to blaspheme the glory of God; for just as when we live justly, the Name of God is honored, so when we live wickedly, the Name of God is dishonored. Fourthly, he who is spoken ill of is shamed and will become more hostile and reckless. Fifthly, he who speaks ill of others becomes liable to punishment for his words, which also degrades himself."

Not only must we concern ourselves with our thoughts and words about others, but we must be careful when we hear what others have to say about us. The publican who stood far off, he heard the words of the Pharisee that condemned him, but he gives us an example of how we should receive such words. His reaction serves as a guiding light, encouraging us to respond to criticism with humility and a willingness to seek improvement.

Saint John Chrysostom relates: "He had heard the remark that I am not as this Publican, and he was not indignant but rather moved to the heart. The one laid bare the wound; the other seeks a remedy. So therefore let no one put forward the poor excuse: I dare not, I am ashamed, I could not open my mouth. That kind of fear is from the devil. The devil wishes to close the approaches to God."

When we have sinned, we need to bear our souls before God's priest in the Sacrament of Penance, and it is the devil that strives to use every means possible to make us try to hide our sins from the mercies of God. As Saint John tells us, any excuse the devil may propose for us to try to hide our sins from God's priest is a poor excuse. This is sometimes called spiritual mutism, a term used to describe the silence or reluctance to confess one's sins due to a false sense of shame or fear. Many in the world boast of their sins as if they were something to be proud of, but the moment that they realize that they must humble themselves and confess these sins, the demons fill them with false shame, binding their tongue so that they will not speak of them to the only one that can forgive them.

Today's lesson is that we must be careful in comparing ourselves to others. This comparison can lead to a false sense of superiority which is detrimental to our spiritual growth. We must be even more cautious of the thoughts that we allow ourselves to express in our speech. We must not allow the sins of others to scandalize us (lead us into sin), nor confirm us in the same sin, nor to lead us to evil pride and vanity, thinking that because we are not guilty of that particular sin, we are somehow better than those who have fallen into this sin. When we hear others speak of our faults, we should strive to imitate the publican and become even more humble. We should leave justice, anger, vengeance, etc., to God.

All our good works lose their merit when we allow ourselves to be filled with pride and vanity. The moment we think we are better than others is when we become worse than them. At that moment, pride raises its ugly head and drives out the merits and virtues. If we lack any good works, we must push ourselves to ever greater humiliation to receive God's pardon. The ideal situation is for us to perform all the good works that we can, imitating the good works of the Pharisees, and for us to simultaneously humble ourselves like the Publican. This can be done if we remind ourselves that the value of our works is measured in comparison to Jesus Christ, not anyone else. In this comparison, we are always humbled.

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

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