The Sunday Sermon Archive

Dear Friend,

The Pharisees and the scribes murmured against Jesus, saying, "This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them." This situation allowed Jesus to provide us with the parables for today of the lost sheep and the lost silver coin. God loves all His children and desires our eternal happiness with Him in Heaven. Jesus came to suffer and die upon the cross for the salvation of us all, both collectively and individually. It is the sick person who needs special attention and care. It is the lost person that needs direction and guidance. Healthy and safe people do not need the help of a doctor, protector, or guide.

St. Gregory said: "… true justice feels compassion, the false only scorn; though the just are also wont to feel angry with sinners, and rightly so. But what is done through zeal for the divine law is one thing, what is done through the swelling of pride another. For the just, outwardly, heap up reproaches against sinners, but out of devotion to the divine law, while inwardly they retain the bond of charity. In their own minds they place those they correct above themselves. They correct those subject to them, because of discipline, but through humility they keep a watch on themselves."

"They, however, who pride themselves on a righteousness that is hollow despise everyone else, and are without any compassion for the weak. And the more they believe they are not sinners, the worse sinners they become. The Pharisees were undoubtedly of these; murmuring against the Lord because He received sinners, and from their own dried-up hearts rebuking the Fount of compassion. But because they were sick, and so sick that they did not know they were sick, the Heavenly Physician treats them as with soothing foments: [the parables of the lost sheep and the lost coin]."

Our fallen nature appears to love finding fault with others. Perhaps it is because we then make secret comparisons between ourselves and others and then have a reason to prefer ourselves over others. While we may pretend to find fault so that we may help others become better, often the reality is that we find fault to boost the ego of our pride and vanity. When people we have pre-judged receive some blessing or good thing in their lives, we are tempted to think that they do not deserve this blessing. Or we believe that we are more deserving of it than them. It is bad enough when our pride seeks out the faults (real or imaginary) in others, but worse, we are led to blasphingly accuse God of being unfair or unjust. Perhaps we think that God does not know all that we know?

The reality is that we do not know the degree of guilt or innocence of anyone — not even ourselves — without a direct revelation from God. Nor do we know the graces needed for the salvation of particular souls. In considering this matter, we can easily conjecture that those whom we might judge as great sinners and already condemned to Hell may be the ones who receive the grace of repentance and merit Heaven. At the same time, those we think are good and secure in their salvation may end up eternally condemned to Hell.

We know nothing of the inner workings of other peoples' souls. So, we should form no judgments about the condition of their souls. However, we can obviously see the physical actions of others, and we can judge which activities are to be praised and which ones are deserving of rebuke. If we are in a position of authority over others, it becomes incumbent upon us to do our best to charitably admonish and correct those in error. We may even extend the necessity of this spiritual work of mercy to our equals and our superiors as long as we do so humbly and charitably. We should keep in mind the attitude of St. Paul, "I chastise my body, and bring it into subjection lest, perhaps, when I have preached to others, I myself should become reprobate" (I Cor. 9. 27).

Jesus came to this world to draw sinners to Himself so that He may instruct and heal their souls. We are all sinners and in need of His gifts, both those who are publically or outwardly sinners as well as those who are filled with hidden inward sins. We must remember that the man who lusts in his heart is just as guilty as the man who openly commits adultery. The man who harbors hidden hatred in his heart is just as guilty as one who commits open murder. We must, therefore, be careful not to judge others too harshly because we may be even more guilty than them.

Above this, we must not question God in the working of His grace in the lives of others in the world around us. Though evil may appear to be blessed and succeed in this life, God is still in charge and knows what He is doing. Sin only has a brief moment in time to flourish, and then it will be eternally condemned to Hell. May we look more to the condition of our souls and humbly acknowledge that we are lacking in some good that we can easily see in others. We are all sinners and are the lost sheep and the lost coin that Jesus came to find and save. If we humbly repent, there will be great rejoicing in Heaven.

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