Lec # 134- 25th Sun of OT- Sept 23,
2012- Fr. Bresowar
Recently, I was accused of being a really nice
person. That’s not a problem. I like being accused of this, I have no problems
living under this title, a nice person. But then, the one who accused me of
this, added… there always comes a stipulation, he is really nice… but… he is
too strict with his doctrine.
He is too Catholic!
He doesn’t leave any wiggle room for those of us
who don’t agree with the Church on every issue.
To which I respond, absolutely, if that is the
case, then I’m doing my job. Because there is only one way, and it’s not for me
to question it, it is for me to preach it.
My brothers and sisters in Christ… I did not say
“Yes” to being a priest to preach or teach a water- downed version of what is
going to get us into Heaven one day. I said “Yes” to a life of difficulty, and
challenges, not simply because I love people and I want to do good things while
I’m here, I didn’t say yes for me, I’m not simply a social justice priest, I said
“yes” because first and foremost Jesus Christ is the way the truth and the
life, and his Church is the avenue in which he leads us to Himself, and He
called me to be one of his priests. And he gave me the strength to say yes.
The gate that leads to life is narrow and
constricted, and few people find it.
Yes we must do good things for others, especially
the poor, the suffering, the widows, those who have nothing, we must feed them,
and shelter them, and give them clothes to wear, with no expectation of return,
we must… but with one goal in mind…all for the glory of Jesus Christ. Not for
them, but for Christ. Whatever you do for the least of my brothers or sisters,
you do for me.
We live in incredibly difficult times, where once
again, the Church must be purified of her complacency and tendency to bend to
social pressure, shepherds must preach the Truth independent of their own
interpretation, and this Truth of Jesus Christ, the light of the world, must
shine forth so that those who live in darkness, can once again see the great
light.
The darkness is everywhere around us, surrounding
us, choking us, it is in the media, it is in our movies, our music, our
politics, it’s everywhere, and if we don’t combat it with Truth, then how will
people find their way out?
We can’t simply feed people with food that
perishes… we cannot accept people, love them, feed them, clothe them, shelter
them, while at the same time accept behavior that is killing them. That’s not
love at all. People who want to be their own Gods often times use the excuse
that Jesus loves them no matter what and that he understands all their
challenges, and so it’s okay to break the divine and natural law, it’s okay to
use contraception, or engage in deviant behavior, because Jesus loves me and he
understands my needs.
Jesus does love them, and he does understand their
needs, but he never said be your own God, you make the rules, I’ll just accept
you no matter what. That’s garbage, and it is had invaded our society.
Relativism is a plague which is leading many souls to hell. No Jesus said quite
the opposite, he said, if you love me, keep my commands.
We must always be thinking about Eternity! Where
are we going? That should be a question that each of us asks ourselves every
day, and it should influence every decision, every thought.
In the Gospel today, Jesus announces that he is
going to go and be handed over to men and they are going to kill him!
He thinking about his victory, and eternal life,
which is why this makes sense. In worldly view, this makes absolutely no sense,
it is defeat, it is death… it is to be laughed at and scorned by the world, and
is a sign of weakness… but to Jesus, who is not thinking like the world thinks,
what he is telling his disciples, is that “I’m going to go open the gates of
paradise to all of you.” He says, they will kill me, but in three days I will
rise.
But they don’t understand… they haven’t quite
gotten it yet, they don’t recognize that for them to live, he must die, and
they haven’t made the connection for their own lives as well, that to live with
Him in eternity, they are going to have to die with Him too.
But what does it mean to die with Christ? It means
first to die to our own desire to be our own god and make the rules independent
of the Church with Christ himself gave the power of the keys of Kingdom of
Heaven. We can’t afford anymore, to reject the teachings of the Church and
still call ourselves Catholic. We are either in, or we our out. It’s a choice
we have to make, a choice, which has eternal consequences.
However, If it was given to us to see what lies
ahead for those who follow Christ with their lives, their choices, those who
trust the Church that he established and gave power, those who follow her
doctrine with obedience, and learn to love for the sake of Christ first, and then
naturally others which is borne of the love of Christ, if it was given to us to
see the paradise that await those that do, we would all work without worry of
fatigue to receive this reward that does not go away. No eye has seen nor ear
has heard, nor has it dawned on the very thoughts of men, what God has prepared
for those who love him.
My brothers and sisters, the doctrine of the Church
is Truth received from Christ himself for the sake of Love, for the sake of eternal
life. It is liberating to follow, not constrictive, not enslaving, it certainly
is difficult because it requires a death to our own ego, and it can’t be
redefined for our own sake… it is what it is, but if we take a leap of faith,
pray for each other, pray for grace and a willingness to take up the cross and
some how find it within ourselves to follow Her, we will be transformed into
vessels of light, purified of our complacency and our own desire to be God, and
we will love for the sake of love, we will become beacons of hope and light,
which is to say, we will become the hands and the feet, and the heart and the
soul, and love and the beauty, and the eternity, we will become one with Jesus
Christ.
