The Sunday Sermon Archive

Dear Friends,

The Season of Lent is quickly passing. There is a greater urgency for us to prepare our souls. We do not want to find ourselves unprepared to meet Jesus when He returns in His Glorious Resurrected State. We should set aside any laziness, indifference, or fear. Truly, now is the acceptable time to embrace our crosses — both for the love of God and in reparation for our personal faults and failings.

It is a Law of the Church that we must confess our sins at least once a year. This Lenten Season is the opportune time for us to examine our consciences, form the necessary resolutions, and humbly receive the Sacrament of Penance.

Penance is not gloomy; it is a cause of great joy. Jesus tells us there is more joy in Heaven over one sinner doing penance than over ninety-nine just men. Examining and diagnosing our physical ailments are welcome because we will then know the problem and can begin suitable treatments to restore us to health. The same is true for our souls. We should welcome the examination of our consciences and acknowledge our sins and faults because this is the first step in our cure and gaining better health and life.

It is frightening in the beginning to see our disease and give it a scary label, but once we begin to accept the fact of our particular illness, we can then begin the necessary treatment. With our bodies, we rely upon the expertise of human doctors. With our souls, we rely upon the expertise of the Divine Physician. He does not have to guess or try different remedies as human physicians do. The spiritual prescription is our daily cross. Our personal cross has been designed and made specifically for us — it is precisely what we need. Our cross is not helpful to others, and others' crosses are not helpful to us. We cannot exchange crosses but must take our own specific medicine. The cross (medicine) may be heavy, it may be bitter, it may be painful, but it is what is necessary. We need not fear the cross (medicine) because it will not hurt us; it will only make us better. We know this because it comes to us from God's all-knowing and all-powerful Hand, Who loves us and only wants what is best for us. In addition, He has promised that if we humbly and willingly embrace our daily medicine (cross), He will make it light, sweet, and joyful.

It is also a Law of the Church that we receive Jesus in the Holy Eucharist during the Easter Season. It is not enough for us to take our medicine; we must also nourish our bodies. Just as food is a necessary medicine for our bodies, so Jesus in the Holy Eucharist is The Necessary Medicine for our souls. As we strip away the disease (sin) in our souls, we must now fill that place with Health and Life. The only Health and Life for our souls is Jesus Christ. It is His desire to be with us and that we receive Him into our bodies and souls. Without the Holy Eucharist, we cannot have Life within us.

Perhaps the greatest evil that we bring upon ourselves is when we are physically alive but spiritually dead. The death of our souls when we are in the state of mortal sin soon manifests itself even in our physical bodies. Our bodies reflect our souls. Sickness and death in our souls often manifest in our physical life as anxiety, despair, depression, anger, rage, hatred — an overall self-disgust, loathing, and hatred. There is no peace with sin, so there is no peace in our physical lives. The solution is obvious. We must find our disease, expose it to God in the Confessional, embrace the divinely prescribed medicine (penance), and feed our souls the proper nutrition — Jesus in the Holy Eucharist.

Many people pay no attention to what they put into their bodies, but they are shocked as their health declines due to the abuse. Likewise, many people pay no attention to what they put into their souls but are then shocked as their souls die and their bodies likewise follow their souls. On the other hand, some people pay a lot of attention to the food they eat and only put what they believe to be the best for their life and health into their bodies, but they pay no attention to what they put into their souls. Their physical bodies may, at first, appear healthy and robust but are soon brought down by various mental challenges or diseases.

When the soul is ill, the whole person — body and soul — is ill. When the soul is dead, the whole person soon dies as well. In this life, we cannot maintain our bodies forever, but we can maintain our souls forever. If we properly take care of our souls, even though our bodies grow old, weaken, and die, we look forward to our own resurrection, where our bodies will then join our souls in eternal life and health with Jesus in Heaven.

May the Immaculate Heart of Mary inspire, guide, and protect us!

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