The Sunday Sermon Archive

Dear Friend,

The blind see, the deaf hear, the lame walk, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. These are the signs of the working of God's grace through His Son, our Savior and Redeemer. But, Christ tells His apostles that they in turn would work greater miracles than these.

The world will ask what could be greater than this. Perhaps it is to raise the dead to life? This Christ did and so did some of those who came after Him. But, this too is not the greater miracles that Christ was speaking of. Christ was obviously speaking of the things of the soul. For the soul is greater than the body. To restore sight, sound, motion, and even life to the body is a very small thing compared to restoring sight, sound, motion and life to the soul.

Some of the greatest miracles that Christ has performed He has continued even to today in the sacraments.

Christ's ministers today preach the Gospel to everyone, they open their eyes to the light of faith, and their ears to the words of God and restore the motions of grace to the soul and even bring the soul back to life after it has died in sin. These things Christ did and so did His disciples and likewise all those who have truly come forth from Him.

Christ performed both the physical and spiritual miracles in plain sight of all men, but, the majority would not see. The majority chose rather to remain blind, deaf, dumb, lame, and dead; rather than see, hear, speak, move, and live with Christ.

When we preach the words of God to the people today we are often confronted with disbelief, or obstinacy. This is quite disheartening that so many people love their misery more than they do the life, health and happiness of grace. But, Christ faired not much better than we do today.

When Our Lord offered everyone eternal life, "he who eats My Flesh and drinks My Blood will have life in him", the majority followed Him no longer. So we see today that the majority even today over two-thousand years later say the same thing: "This is a hard saying. Who can believe it?" And so they choose to reject Christ, His grace, and life itself rather than submit their understanding and will to God's.

Men do not try to become like unto God as the devils' continual temptation, but rather we try to set ourselves above God. We attempt to tell God what He should do and how He should do it, rather than submit to Him. So we see even more clearly as the ages of time have passed by that men are even more obdurate in their sins.

So many wish to bypass the plan of salvation that God has given us, yet they still imagine that they will obtain eternal happiness in Heaven. They behold the narrow path that Our Lord has pointed out and reject it to follow the broad path refusing to believe that it leads to Hell. They see the steep and rocky path to eternal salvation and reject it as too hard; and choose rather the gentle and smooth highway to Hell. And they comfort themselves by saying that this too will lead to Heaven. Thus they call God a liar, and choose to hear the voice of the devils.

These poor souls are the truly blind, deaf, lame and dead. But what can be done for them? We can preach, admonish, and pray but if they will not see, listen, or move there is no hope for them. If they reject our efforts it is not the ministers of God who are being rejected but, it is God Himself who is thereby rejected.

The sacraments in the most part are for the living. There are two given us to raise the souls dead in sin to life, the rest are only for the living.

Let us take advantage of these sacraments as they are needed in our lives. Only fools remain dead when they have such easy means to live. Only fools remain blind when it is so easy for them to be able to see. Only fools remain deaf when it is so easy for them to be able to hear.

Truly we are surrounded by many fools, but this is no reason for us to follow them. The majority will be lost on that wonderful smoothly paved highway to Hell. The few chosen souls will see the folly of the world and reject it as they take up their daily crosses and manfully climb the narrow rocky and steep path to eternal joy. These are the ones that know they have found Christ because they experience the workings of His grace in their souls, and they behold even at a distance that there is a great treasure awaiting them at the end of the rough path ahead. Let us be among the few wise men rather than partners with the majority on the deceptive path to Hell.

Franciscan Benefactor Seraph Subscription Vocations Have you remembered God?