THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH

Her Doctrine and Morals

Septuagesima Sunday

28 January 2024

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The Sunday

Sermon

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Dear Friends,

We are infected with a false idea of fairness or justice. If we humbly and seriously consider what we deserve in truth and justice, we can easily set aside envy or jealousy of our neighbors. The truth demands that we humbly admit that we do not know what our neighbors justly deserve. We do not know who is pleasing in the eyes of God and who is not. We do not know to what degree a person is pleasing or displeasing to God. This does not give us any leeway for comparison with ourselves. We are different, and the modern concepts of "equality" cause more spiritual harm than good.

God has created everyone, and each one is unique. Not only are we created with different gifts, talents, or crosses, but we also have free will that allows each of us to act differently, even in otherwise identical circumstances. God's goodness and beauty are manifested in His creatures' limitless variability.

Our worth is not determined in comparison or competition with our neighbor but rather by the degree of our love and conformity with God and His Holy Will. God is the only One Who can objectively and correctly judge this. To increase our worth, we should strive to complement and assist one another in loving and serving God.

The blessings that others receive should cause joy in our hearts. We should strive to see the goodness and mercy of God in these gifts. It is not for us to determine the worthiness of others — that would be a usurpation of God's power and authority. It is idolatry to try to make ourselves "like God" in judging others. This was the sin of the fallen angels and our first parents.

If others have something of more excellent value than we do, we should see the hand of God and rejoice in His Holy Will. If God wanted us to have that gift, He would have given it to us. Can we not see the good and enjoy the blessings that others have without wanting to possess them ourselves? Do we need to possess things in order to enjoy them?

When we live according to God's Will, we find that we are interdependent and complementary to each other. The gifts that anyone receives benefit everyone else as well. The blessing of good health, youth, wealth, power, or influence allows some to be of greater service to others. It does not give them the right to abuse or take advantage of those who did not receive these gifts or received them to a lesser degree. Those who did not receive have no right to hate those who have been given more but are called upon to see the goodness of God in others.

While Saint Paul says that the spiritual life is a contest or a race and that we should strive to win, we must understand that it is not genuinely winning if we try sabotaging others. Heaven is big enough for everyone. We do not advance by abusing others or by cheating. Our battle is not with each other but against demons. To win, we cannot focus on keeping others down. We must focus on making ourselves better. The athlete must train, abstain, and prepare, so we must do so in our spiritual race. Tearing others down does not make us any better. To truly win in this battle, we need to do our best, but we also must do what we can to help everyone else succeed as well.

The apparent equality of payment that we see in the parable of today's Gospel reading (Saint Matthew 20:1-16) is not as equal or unfair as we might first suspect. 1.) Each person received a day's wage no matter how long they worked. This manifested God's justice in those who worked the whole day. They received what was just and fair and what they agreed upon. It also displayed God's generosity in those unable to work the entire day. 2.) The value or importance of that sum of money differed for each of the laborers. Some may have been very poor, and their payment meant the world to them. Others may have been better off, and so the earnings were not as critical for them. The same amount can range from essential to superfluous depending on the circumstances of those who receive it.

In Heaven, there are many mansions. Heaven is the same reward for all those who lovingly serve God in this world. Everyone in Heaven experiences joy to the fullest. Some have a smaller capacity, and others have a larger capacity for joy, but everyone is filled to the fullest of their own capacity.

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