Salve, Regina, Mater Misericordiae.
Praised be Jesus and Mary.
The readings this Sunday have so much to teach us.
We really don't know where to begin.
So I guess we'll just begin with the first reading, the book of Sirach, formerly known
as the book of Ecclesiasticus.
And this book of Sirach really would be a great book to take in hand for one's daily
reading and meditation.
This is one of the books of wisdom that are in the Old Testament.
And the Holy Spirit has so much to teach us on how to live wisely in this world.
And so the first reading starts off,
If you choose, you can keep the commandments.
They will save you.
And we see in this first line the affirmation of our free will and that we can choose to
keep and observe the commandments.
If we choose, we can keep and observe the commandments.
That is, it's up to us.
God gives us all of the sufficient grace to observe the commandments and to avoid all
mortal sins.
And so it's our choice.
It's up to us.
We know the commandments are not impossible to observe, as some people want to say.
God does not command anything impossible.
And so if we choose, we can keep and observe the commandments.
And so if we choose, we can keep and observe the commandments.
we're not observing the commandments or we feel that they are impossible, then there's something
wrong. There's something lacking on our part. Now we see in the gospel, our Lord says that if we
want to be saved, if we want to enter the kingdom of heaven, our righteousness must surpass that of
the scribes and Pharisees, right? They were known for their perfect external observance of the law.
But we see in everything that follows in today's gospel, our Lord is saying, yes, external observance
is necessary, but internal observance, purity, holiness is also necessary, right? It's impossible,
it's, sorry, it's possible
to commit
a serious mortal sin
internally
with no exterior
act, right?
If we allow anger to take
hold of us to the point
where we willingly
hate someone,
that is
a mortal sin, okay?
And you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven
with that on your soul.
Or,
as our Lord talks about,
if we
commit
adultery we will be
adulterous.
And what is that?
Well, we'll just read it.
You have heard that it was said,
you shall not commit adultery,
but I say to you,
everyone who looks at a woman with lust
has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
Oh my goodness.
Now think about what's going on in the world,
what's going on through means of the internet.
All the impurity, all the impure desires, and images,
being cultivated there,
so many men trapped
and really knowing by experience
what it means to be slaves of sin.
There may not be any exterior action,
although oftentimes there is,
but there may not be.
Our Lord is saying,
if you look at a woman
and have lust,
desire for her in your heart,
now, we're not talking about
acknowledging beauty.
There's nothing wrong with
recognizing a woman as beautiful,
but it's when you go beyond that
and start desiring in your heart
that which is not licit
and willingly cultivating that
for the sake of deriving pleasure.
And so we need to mortify our eyes
for the sake of deriving pleasure.
Now, look at what our Lord says
directly after this part
that deals with purity of one's heart.
He says,
if your right eye causes you to sin,
tear it out and throw it away.
It is better for you
to lose one of your members
than to have your whole body
thrown into Gehenna.
And if your right hand causes you to sin,
cut it off and throw it away.
It is better for you
to lose one of your members
than to have your whole body
go into Gehenna.
All right.
Now, our Lord here,
he's not advocating self-mutilation.
Right?
That is not lawful.
But what our Lord is saying
that anything that causes us to sin,
anything that for us
is an occasion of sin, right?
The near occasions of sin,
no matter how precious it is,
right?
Our eyes,
the ability to see,
our hands,
how useful they are.
Our Lord is saying,
no matter how valuable
and useful the thing is.
Now,
not only valuable and useful,
but no matter how painful it is
to get rid of this occasion of sin,
right?
Plucking out your eye,
cutting off your hands,
and that would cause a lot of pain.
So our Lord is saying,
no matter how valuable this thing is,
no matter how painful it is for you
to remove this occasion of sin,
you better get rid of it.
Because it's better
for you to lose this valuable thing.
It's better for you
to undergo this temporal suffering
than to be thrown into Gehenna.
And that means
if the internet,
is an occasion of sin for you,
put a filter on your computer
and mortify yourself.
Or, if necessary,
throw it away.
Throw it right out the window.
It's better to get to heaven
without your computer
than to go to hell
with one.
So we need to do everything
in our power,
to avoid the occasions of sin
and whatever leads us to sin.
Right?
Just like the person
who struggles with alcohol.
Don't keep it in your home.
Don't even go there.
We need to keep these things
far away from us.
And again,
even if it requires
great sacrifice,
we must do it.
Now, we see also in the first reading
how it's necessary
that we be pure interiorly
and really try to cultivate
purity of heart,
purity of intentions,
because God sees everything.
Immense is the wisdom of the Lord.
He is mighty in power
and all-seeing.
God sees everything.
Even the secret movements
of our hearts.
He understands
man's every deed,
including thoughts.
All right?
Now, it's the civil law
that punishes
external wrongdoing.
Right?
But they don't punish
bad intentions
or bad desires
or bad thoughts.
But God does
make us
responsible for these things.
All right?
And it is
really our free will
and the use of our free will
that is the criterion
of goodness
and wickedness,
of virtue
and vice.
Our Lord says,
those things
that come from the heart
are what defile man
if they be evil.
So, it definitely takes
an effort,
a striving
to obtain this purity.
We have all the power
and all of the means
necessary.
Prayer,
daily prayer,
the sacraments,
especially confession
to purify our souls,
frequent confession,
the worthy reception
of the Holy Eucharist,
and then also
our own personal mortifications,
perhaps a fast,
a day of fasting
every now and then,
or at least every day
we can make
little sacrifices
with regard to food.
Okay, not always
having everything
that we prefer.
Okay, all of these
are means to obtain
interior purity,
purity of heart
and intentions.
And now,
the psalm promises us
all of the blessings
that we will receive,
okay, if we arrive
at this purity.
Blessed are they,
who follow the law
of the Lord.
We will already begin
to experience in this world
the blessedness of heaven.
God will reward
our generosity
in observing His commandments,
in remaining pure of heart,
in doing all of the things
necessary for this.
He will reward our generosity
with blessedness
already in this life.
And then,
when we think about
what awaits us,
in the life to come,
look at what the second
reading says.
It says,
we speak God's wisdom,
mysterious,
hidden,
which God predetermined
before the ages
for our glory.
This is the salvation
in Christ,
this mystery
of the incarnation
and redemption
that was hidden
throughout the ages
in order to bring us
to union with God
and to glory in heaven.
It goes on to say,
what eye has not seen
and ear has not heard
and what has not
entered the human heart,
God has prepared
for those who love Him.
All right?
So if we strive
to love God
with all of our strength
and we are deemed worthy
of the eternal crown,
we have no idea
what awaits us.
We can't even imagine
what heaven is like,
what it's like
to see God
face to face.
These three persons,
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
in one God
who have created
the whole universe
and who order
all things sweetly.
We are going to see
God face to face.
The veil of faith
will be removed.
We have no idea
what that is like.
It's similar to
a person who
is born blind
into this world.
A person born blind
can have some idea
of what certain objects
look like
by using the sense of touch.
But they have absolutely
no concept
of color.
You can't describe
green
or blue.
And these things.
So they have no concept
of color.
Now think about
if by a miracle
this person born blind
receives the gift of sight.
What a marvel
to see the blue sky
decorated with the white clouds
or the green fields
and the beautiful colors
of the flowers.
This would all be amazing
and a cause for immense joy
in that blind person.
Something which
they could not even
have imagined before.
This is similar
to what it will be like
for the soul
who enters heaven.
Hasn't even imagined.
Hasn't even come into his mind.
And if he had known
all those sacrifices
required
to avoid sin
or to avoid sin
or to avoid sin
or to practice virtue
how little
was required of me
to gain the vision of God.
This fullness of joy
this fullness of peace
which will never end.
What would I not have done
to obtain heaven?
And so you see
brothers and sisters
we are here in this world
for a very
very
very
, very
short time.
So as the scripture says
as Saint Francis
exhorted his brothers
while we have time
let us do good.
Let us love God
with all of our hearts
minds
souls
and strength.
In the name of the Father
and of the Son
and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Amen.
Amen.
Amen.
Amen.
Amen.
Amen.
Amen.
Thank you.