The Sunday Sermon Archive

Dear Friend,

Today we celebrate the coming of the Holy Ghost (the God of Love) upon the Apostles and the Church.

There is much talk of love and peace but very little true love or peace. The Holy Ghost came to the apostles because they loved God. Their love of God was manifested by their love for Jesus Christ the second Person of the Blessed Trinity. And their love of Christ was manifest in their keeping the words of Christ.

If we look closely we see that there is a chain of events that brings us to God, and if we depart from the chain at any link we will fail to reach our goal of eternal happiness with God in Heaven.

We must begin with faith. We must believe in Jesus Christ. That He is the second Person of the Blessed Trinity. That He is both God and Man. Etc.

This faith brings us logically to the hearing of His words. Our faith fills us with a desire to hear what He has to say to us. And next, we come to love. Our love is measured by the extent that we not only hear the words of Christ but by the extent that we keep His words.

The love of Him draws us into a closer relationship with each of the Persons of the Blessed Trinity. God has loved us first with the greatest love possible. This draws all right ordered souls to return this love. We cannot love in equal measure to the love that was first given to us, so we are left to love with all that we are and all that we have _ completely.

Because we now love the Son, the Father loves us also, and the Father sends in the name of the Son the Paraclete to abide with us. The love that we have for God draws greater graces to us from God, and these greater graces likewise increase the love that we have for God. And the cycle continues the rest of our earthly life unless we break it with sin (a falling away from love). For all sin is in essence a lack of charity. We only sin when we cease loving God, and in ceasing to love Him we cease to hear Him, and therefore cease to obey Him (keep His word).

But, what does the Paraclete do for us? He brings to our minds all the things that Christ has said and done. As we open up our hearts and minds to the Holy Ghost we learn more of the words of Christ. As we learn more of the Word of God our love draws us to a more perfect obedience and we are brought more into conformity with God.

Those who do not believe in Christ do not love God and are therefore damnable. Those who may believe but do not obey do not truly love Him and they are therefore damnable. Thus we see that the majority will be lost because the majority does not love Him because they do not keep the words of Christ.

The pagans are lost, those who claim to love God but reject Christ are lost, those who refuse obedience to His word are lost. Those who will not hear the voice of His representatives will not hear Him, nor will they hear the Father who sent Him, and in not hearing Him they cannot love Him, and in not loving Him they are lost. It is not enough to just proclaim faith in Jesus Christ. (Faith without works is dead.) We must order our lives upon this faith which brings us back to keeping His words.

Those who dare to put asunder what God has joined together (divorce) do not keep His words and therefore do not love Him and therefore do not have the Holy Ghost dwelling in them and are therefore lost. Those who murder their unborn children show their lack of charity and unconcern for the words of God and therefore for God Himself. Those who refuse to eat His Flesh and drink His Blood likewise count His words as naught and will be damned. Those who rebel and refuse obedience to rightful authority can not claim to be guided by the Holy Ghost.

We see the vast number of non-Christians lost; we see the vast number of sects separated from the Catholic Church is likewise lost. The Holy Ghost only dwells in the Catholic Church. Outside of Her there is no salvation. But, how many who are within the Church will be saved? How many can truly say that they love Christ, and they can attest to it by their actions (keeping His word)?

Where do we find ourselves today? Though we may not be non-believers, or false believers like so many Protestant sects, or in the ever so popular Novus Ordo sect, we are by no means secure. A sincere and humble examination of our conscience will give us a rather clear picture of who we truly are and were we stand as regards our keeping of Christ's words and therefore of our faith and love and ultimately our eternal destiny in Heaven or Hell.

Let us call upon the Holy Ghost for His aid in showing us Christ and His words and thus increasing in us the essential virtue of Charity that we may grow in love the rest of our days and continue in that love for all of eternity.

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