John
20, Verse 21
[Jesus]
said to them again, “Peace be with
you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”
Christ
then breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the
sins of any, they are forgiven them.” This is the peace of Christ. This is the
renewal of man. Just as God the father breathed the breath of life in Adam now
Christ breathes the breath of life in his church via the apostles and to all
mankind through the sacrament of confession. This is why the Sanhedrin killed
Christ because He forgave sins; seek his face; seek his peace through this
sacrament.
In
fact the angels plead the cause of humans against the devils, by offering the
precious Blood of Jesus. This ministry is especially exercised by the Seraphim,
Cherubim and the Thrones as they are nearest to God in the celestial realm. In
addition to the angels seeking to gain the peace of Christ in our behalf; we
also have His mother Mary whom the angels welcomed into heaven at her
assumption who pleads our cause. We can be at peace upon our death knowing that
it is she that will welcome us saying, “My Son calls thee.” We can only be at
peace when we know we can never find true contentment here, because no earthly
object or goods can meet the yearnings of the human heart. Only the vision of
God, the Infinite Good, can bring peace.[1]
The focus
of this Sunday instructs us to weep over lost souls and rejoice
over converted ones. Today the church retells the rising of the widow of Nains
dead son by Christ.
Goffine’s Devout Instructions, 1896
“Why did Christ say to this widow, Weep not?” To intimate that He would restore her son to her, and at the same time to teach us that we should not mourn and weep to excess for the dead. St. Paul therefore admonishes us not to be sorrowful in regard to the dead, as others who have no hope of resurrection (i. Thess. iv. 12).
Why did Christ command the bearers to stand still? To awaken their confidence and to put it beyond doubt that the resurrection of the dead proceeded from Him. This should teach us that a soul that is dead cannot be restored to life so long as the passions which have caused its death, and borne it, as it were, to the grave, are not brought to a stop.
What more do we learn from this gospel? That no one, however young, is safe from death; and that every one, therefore, should be always prepared for it.
What is often the cause of early
death among young persons?
1.
Gluttony and intemperance; for by surfeiting and intemperance more perish than
by the sword (Ecclus. xxxvii. 34). 2. Lust. 3. Anger “If you bite and devour
one another, take heed you be not consumed one of another” (Gal. v. 15). From
angry words often come strife and blows, and not unfrequently murder itself. 4.
Disobedience. We have dreadful examples to show that God has taken out of the
world, early and suddenly, disobedient children; for instance, Absalom. Not
without reason does God say to children “Honor thy father and mother, as the
Lord thy God hath commanded thee, that thou mayest live a long time, and it may
be well with thee in the land” (Deut. v. 16).
ON
DEATH
Certain
it is that we shall die, but uncertain the hour of our death. Would that we might
never forget this truth that we might earnestly think of it every day! How
different our lives would then be! Have mercy, then, on thine own soul. Keep
thyself in readiness so live that thou mayest have no reason to fear death. Do
in thy lifetime what in the hour of death you will wish that you had done. Die
daily, with St. Paul, by crucifying the flesh with its desires and lusts, and
by voluntarily loosening thy heart from the world, its goods, and its vanities,
before death does this for you by violence. In time of temptation and passion
think of these truths and resist then to die will not be too hard.
Who is it that fears
not death…
Whoever walks without blame, doing
what is right, speaking truth from the heart; Who does not slander with his
tongue, does no harm to a friend, never defames a neighbor; Who disdains the
wicked, but honors those who fear the LORD; Who keeps an oath despite the cost,
lends no money at interest, accepts no bribe against the innocent.
“Trust in
the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight. In all your
ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”
-Proverbs 3:5-6
-Proverbs 3:5-6
"Read
these counsels slowly. Pause to meditate on these thoughts. They are things
that I whisper in your ear-confiding them-as a friend, as a brother, as a
father. And they are being heard by God. I won't tell you anything new. I will
only stir your memory, so that some thought will arise and strike you; and so
you will better your life and set out along ways of prayer and of Love. And in
the end you will be a more worthy soul."
I repeat: to make fun of a Priest — no matter what the
circumstances — is always, at best, a sign of coarseness and poor taste.
·
Please
Pray for soul of Senator
McCain and his family and for the unity of our country; asking Our Lady of Beauraing to
intercede.
[1] St. Michael and the Angels, Tan Books,
1983.
[4]http://www.escrivaworks.org/book/the_way-point-1.htm
No comments:
Post a Comment