THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH

Her Doctrine and Morals

Passion Sunday

6 April 2025

[Image]

The Sunday

Sermon

Click the button on the right to be told about updates. Your address will be kept strictly private.

Dear Friends in Christ,

At the end of today's Gospel reading (Saint John 8,46-59), we read: "They took up stones therefore to cast at Him. But Jesus hid Himself, and went out of the temple." We see this manifested for us today with the veiling of the crucifix and all of the statues in the Church.

When men with hearts hardened like stones because of sin turn against Jesus, He hides Himself from their view. It is common to hear sinners say that they cannot see God or even see evidence of God in their lives. It is like a double-edged sword. On the one hand, they refuse to believe because they cannot perceive God, but on the other hand, they cannot see God because they refuse to believe in Him. Jesus is hidden from them because they have rejected Him and have even raised up violent hands against Him. From stony hearts, they pick up stones to cast at Jesus. And then they wonder why they can't see Jesus. Sinners hide behind science and reason, as some kind of wisdom for their lack of faith. If they can't see or perceive Him, logically, He must not exist. This "wisdom" of men is truly foolishness. Having refused to see, they blame their lack of perception on impotence or even the non-existence of God.

Even when we may not always perceive the presence of God, we must always maintain faith and believe that God is always here. God sees all things, knows all things, and can do all things. Though we may close our eyes to Him, we are always present before His eyes. Even when the crucifix and the statues are veiled, and we cannot see them, we know they are still there. At times in our lives, when we find it hard to see God, we must understand that He is always there, and our faith is our guide in perceiving His presence.

To see God, we only need to look for Him. It is childish foolishness to close our eyes and then complain because we cannot see. If we seek, we shall find; if we knock, it shall be opened to us. Our great problem is that we easily become distracted by the materialism of this world or by the fallen passions of our bodies. We look for and seek these things, which only blind us to God and His grace.

This penitential Season of Lent, which is quickly drawing to a close, has been given to us to enable us to turn away from the pursuit of the various concupiscences of the world and of our bodies. It's a time to open our eyes to the spiritual realm, to see with the eyes of our souls, and to focus on the presence of God.

Jesus is not hidden from the eyes of those who love Him. The goal for us is to love Jesus more and more. If it seems that Jesus is no longer with us, then we must turn away from physicality and toward spirituality. It is sin and concupiscence that have darkened our perceptions. With faith, we can at least perceive that the crucifix and statues are behind the veils. With faith, we can see the presence of God in all the manifestations of His Works.

All of the efforts of evil men to disprove the existence of God are irrational, no matter how cleverly they try to dress them in science, logic, or reason. Their eyes cannot see because Jesus is hidden from them. Jesus is hidden from them because they have taken up stones to cast at Him and drive Him from them. It is as simple as that. None of them can convict Jesus of sin. Their claim to be seeking the truth is a lie because they have rejected The Truth — Jesus Christ, the Son of God. All their efforts to discredit or dishonor Jesus only blinds them, making them all the more foolish.

The world's fashions are tempting, and skepticism, atheism, and agnosticism are all fashionable in our world. However, we should know, at least from our recent Lenten mortifications, that the fashions of this world are at odds with the Will of God. These fashions are childish, foolish, and even demonically irrational — no matter how much they try to convince us otherwise. It's a call for us to discern and choose the path of spiritual maturity over the allure of worldly fashions.

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