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Monthly Archives: February 2014

What do we do if we fall? Get up, what else?

27 Thursday Feb 2014

Posted by Fr. Moore in C.S. Lewis, Repentance, Thought for the Day

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No amount of falls will really undo us if we keep on picking ourselves up each time. We shall of course be very muddy and tattered children by the time we reach home. But the bathrooms are all ready, the towels put out, and the clean clothes are in the airing cupboard. The only fatal thing is to lose one’s temper and give it up. It is when we notice the dirt that God is most present to us: it is the very sign of His presence.

C.S. Lewis from The Collected Letters of C.S. Lewis, volume II

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Friends with God or the World?

27 Thursday Feb 2014

Posted by Fr. Moore in Salvation

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(This post was intended for a few days ago when the verse below was from the reading for the day. But unfortunately things got in the way of me writing it at that time.)

“Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” (James 4:4, RSV-CE)

How are we to understand this passage from the Epistle of St. James? Did not God make the world? We are told in Genesis that God created everything “and behold, it was very good” (Gen 1:31). Therefore, why would friendship with the world make us an enemy of God? Because, the 'world' which St. James is referring to is not the one that God created. It is the world of sin and death which St. James is referring to – the world that came into being at the moment Adam and Eve sinned. Ever since that time mankind has had a tendency to do his own will and ignore the will of God. And yet, as creatures that were created by God and for God it is only in doing His will that we can truly be happy.

In addition to this notice that St. James does not leave any middle ground on which to stand. You cannot be friends with God and with the world at the same time. If we are pursuing the things of this world then we are necessarily moving farther away from God. Conversely, if we are truly pursuing God in our lives then we should be moving away from the things of this world.

Lastly, it should be understood that not all things of the world are bad in and of themselves. In fact, many things are quite the opposite – good things that God has given us to enjoy. What matters for us is how we obtain those things, how we use them and what place they occupy in our lives. No matter how good something is, if we put it in the place in our life that is reserved only for God, then it will never makes us truly happy. True happiness – that happiness for which we are all searching and of which the things of this world can only give us a glimpse – can be found only with God.

 

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The Road to Hell – An Easy Path to Travel

26 Wednesday Feb 2014

Posted by Fr. Moore in C.S. Lewis, Salvation, The Screwtape Letters, Thought for the Day

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You will say that these are very small sins; and doubtless, like all young tempters, you are anxious to be able to report spectacular wickedness. But do remember, the only thing that matters is the extent to which you separate the man from the Enemy. It does not matter how small the sins are provided that their cumulative effect is to edge the man away from the Light and out into the Nothing. Murder is no better than cards if cards can do the trick. Indeed the safest road to Hell is the gradual one—the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts.

From The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis

Nothing to say except: scary! We would do well to remember the words of our Lord, “Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is easy, that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many.” (Matthew 7:13, RSV-CE)

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Keeping Our Eyes on Christ

24 Monday Feb 2014

Posted by Fr. Moore in Salvation, Thought for the Day

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As no darkness can be seen by anyone surrounded by light, so no trivialities can capture the attention of anyone who has his eyes on Christ. The man who keeps his eyes upon the head and origin of the whole universe has them on virtue in all its perfection; he has them on truth, on justice, on immortality and on everything else that is good, for Christ is goodness itself.

From a sermon on Ecclesiastes by St Gregory of Nyssa

The world around us is constantly fighting for our attention. Often this is from various forms of advertising: “Do this…” “Buy that…” “Go on vacation in…”. Or these constant distractions may be from the media, politicians, or so called famous people. But whatever the case may be we should always be wary of becoming engrossed in such distractions. The reason for this caution: the devil uses all of these various distractions to pull us away from the One who truly deserves our attention: God. We must never allow the common (and often pointless) concerns of this life to lay claim to our life. In other words, we must not become absorbed in the things of this world. Instead, as St. Gregory has just reminded us, we must keep our eyes on Christ.

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You shall have no other gods…

23 Sunday Feb 2014

Posted by Fr. Moore in Salvation, Thought for the Day

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For God is far superior to all His creation, since everything which exists has been made by God and for Him. And so, in deserting God, who is beyond compare, for the inferior works of creation, a man shows that he values God, the author of creation, less than creation itself.

From a Treatise on Charity by St. Maximus the Confessor

Anytime we make some thing the thing of primary importance in our life we have made that thing into a false god. This is true not only of bad things, such as the desire for power or money, but also good things, such as the love for a spouse. Love between spouses is a good and holy thing but once we make it more important than our love for God then it becomes for us a false god. We must be aware of this in our own lives.

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Jeremiah 5:22

21 Friday Feb 2014

Posted by Fr. Moore in Humor

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For those who know LOTR.

Do you not tremble before me?
I placed the sand as the bound for the sea,
a perpetual barrier which it cannot pass;
though the waves toss, they cannot prevail,
though they roar, they cannot pass over it.

 

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Life or Death: Which Do You Choose?

18 Tuesday Feb 2014

Posted by Fr. Moore in Politically Incorrect, Salvation, Sermons

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Sermon for the Sixth Sunday after the Epiphany

Today’s lessons can be summed up with one verse we heard from Sirach today, “Before a man are life and death, good and evil, and whichever he chooses will be given to him.” Mankind knows the difference between good and evil because we have been given that ability by God Himself. But because of our fallen and sinful nature many times people choose that which is evil – that which goes against the will of God. We are not here speaking of those individuals which are mistaken about the immorality of a certain vice and are unknowingly leading a life of sin. As our Lord said, “he who did not know, and did what deserved a beating, shall receive a light beating.” Meaning that if through no fault of our own, we are truly ignorant of the wrongness of something then we are much less responsible (and perhaps not responsible at all) for the wrong done than if we had known how bad something was and did it anyway. Of these two groups – those who are ignorant and those who know better – we will be focusing on those who are not ignorant. This is for two reasons: first, by knowingly living a life of sin they are endangering their souls to eternal separation from God. Secondly, many times those who knowingly live a life of sin may be committing another very serious sin without even knowing it: the sin of scandal. You see, our actions have consequences – if we do something good we may influence someone else to do something good. On the other hand, when we sin we may very well lead others into sin, which may ultimately lead them to hell.

So, in regards to the first point, why should we care if someone is endangering his soul through sinful behavior? After all, this is a free country, right? Don’t we have the right to choose to live as we see fit? And who am I to tell someone else what is right and what is wrong? All these questions you have probably heard before and they come from a nation of people who have lost sight of the basic understanding of mankind – that we are a people created by God and made in His own image and likeness. At the moment of conception God created an eternal soul for each and every person. In addition to this, each and every one of those souls that God created is unique and of the greatest importance to Him; and He wants them all to be with Him forever in Heaven.

Therefore, if we see our brother sinning – doing that which leads them away from God, then the only option is to lovingly try to lead them out of their sin. And notice I say ‘try’ to lead them out of sin because we cannot force anyone to do something against their own will, whether good or bad. But this brings up an important point: those who live a life of sin can be divided into two groups. Those who choose a sinful life without repentance and those who may be continually tripped up by the same sin over and over but who earnestly want to change. At this point, we shouldn’t try to kid ourselves because to a greater or lesser extent we all fit into this last category. Perhaps you aren’t prone to a particular sexual sin, for instance, but what about the sin of looking down on those who are afflicted with sexual sin? We must never forget that we are all sinners and that if someone perpetually sins then they need our prayers and not our self-righteous indignation. But, at the same time, that does not mean that we are to tolerate sin. Remember, God wants all those He has created to be with Him, and so for love of those souls we must try to bring back those lost in sin because if we do nothing then they may be eternally lost.

But what about those who choose a sinful life without any desire to change? Let’s take the same example I’ve already used – that of sexual sin because our Lord refers to it today. What about the man who goes on in his lust day after day? Even if he never touches a woman our Lord says that he “has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” But, if he steps over that line and actually takes hold of the one for whom he lusts, he has sinned in an even greater way. And this is compounded so often today by those who try to contract a marriage with someone who is civilly divorced. This is not possible! Marriage is until death and unless the Church has proclaimed a previous marriage to be null, then any other marriage is impossible. What did Christ say to the woman caught in adultery? Go, and have all the men you want. No, He said go and sin no more.

And of course this leads us back to the sin of scandal, which I mentioned in the beginning. Those who attempt to contract a marriage with a divorced person can lead others into this same sin by making it seem like it’s OK. The way this happens is that the general consensus becomes, “Oh well, everyone else is doing it – so it must be OK.” But the rightness or wrongness of something is not determined by how many people do or don’t do it – it is determined by God Himself. But nevertheless this has happened with so many sins in this country in addition to remarriage after divorce: abortion, contraception, homosexuality and gay ‘marriage’, cohabitation and fornication and on and on. With every one of these issues it has become a situation where people say, “It must be OK because everyone is doing it.” When in reality these issues, and the scandalous behavior which has caused them to become so prevalent, have actually destroyed the moral framework of a countless number of eternal souls created by God.

Some of you here may be either deliberately or habitually tied up in one of these sins. Please understand that they are not being brought to your attention just to make you feel bad. Instead, the Church wants you to know the Truth out of concern for your eternal soul. God wants you to be with Him and if you renounce these sins and tell God that you desire to change then He will help you to do it. You must understand, though, that the change probably won’t happen overnight and you may slip up again and again. But if you do sin again and again and every time go to confession with true contrition and earnestly tell God that you are sorry and that you want to change, then He will bring you to Himself. We must, therefore, remember the words from Sirach today, “Before a man are life and death, good and evil, and whichever he chooses will be given to him.” The question that remains is this: which one will you choose?

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Why Should We Go To Mass?

13 Thursday Feb 2014

Posted by Fr. Moore in C.S. Lewis, Catholic Obligations, Christian Unity, Liturgy, Thought for the Day

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Sunday Mass

For your consideration, below is a quote from C.S. Lewis in regards to Christians gathering for common worship. In this quote you will find one reason that we are required by our Mother the Church to attend Mass on every Sunday and Holy Day of Obligation.

No Christian and, indeed, no historian could accept the epigram which defines religion as “what a man does with his solitude.” It was one of the Wesleys, I think, who said that the New Testament knows nothing of solitary religion. We are forbidden to neglect the assembling of ourselves together. Christianity is already institutional in the earliest of its documents. The Church is the Bride of Christ. We are members of one another.

More on this quote later because there is something else to take into consideration here. What happens when mankind starts to treat religion as something that is done in solitude?

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Excommunication Part 3 – Biblical Basis?

08 Saturday Feb 2014

Posted by Fr. Moore in Excommunication, Thought for the Day

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The title for this post contains a question mark because I couldn't find anything (although it was a very hasty search and with more time I could find the answer) that explicitly stated that these passages are the biblical foundation of excommunication in the Catholic Church, but it does seem possible.

This is from St. Paul. (2 Thess 3:13-15)

My brothers, never grow tired of doing what is right. If anyone refuses to obey what I have written in this letter, take note of him and have nothing to do with him, so that he will feel that he is in the wrong; though you are not to regard him as an enemy but as a brother in need of correction.

And this is from the mouth of our Lord. (Matthew 18:15-20)

If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them.

Definitely something to think about!

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ASK FATHER: Can I fulfill my Sunday Mass obligation by watching Mass on the internet?

05 Wednesday Feb 2014

Posted by Fr. Moore in Catholic Obligations, Liturgy

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The following post is from Fr. Z's blog and is located at the link here. This is a concise explanation for understanding the obligation to attend Mass and when the obligation doesn't apply.

From a reader…

QUAERITUR:

If one cannot get to a live Mass (illness of spouse, having to ride bike long distance to get to church, etc.), does attending a Mass on the internet fulfill the Sunday Mass obligation?

No.

We have looked at this question quite a few times in the past, but it bears repeating for newcomers.

This is something of practical value that parish priests should teach to their flocks. When people have been made aware of obligations, they are – in my experience – sincerely interested in fulfilling them, provided they understand the “why” behind the obligation. At the same time, people also need to know enough about those obligations and the law so that they can be at ease about how to fulfill them and when they don’t. They need to know enough law so that they aren’t filled with anxiety or fear about their responsibilities.

If you cannot go to Mass, truly cannot, then the obligation is suspended.

If you can go, you go. If you can’t you can’t. God doesn’t ask the impossible.

If you are sick, you don’t have to fulfill the obligation. If you are old and afraid to go out alone, or that you might slip on the ice, you don’t have to fulfill the obligation. If you are far from a church while travelling and don’t know where to go or can’t get to a church, you don’t have to fulfill the obligation. If you are taking care of a sick person and cannot leave, you are not obliged to go to Mass.

Of course, if a person really can go to Mass, and doesn’t… well… don’t get hit by a truck, because you have probably committed a mortal sin, if you knew that not going was wrong, knew you could, and simply blew it off.

Furthermore, because it always comes up, watching Mass on the internet or on the TV does NOT fulfill the obligation. Doing so can be edifying (depending on the Mass, of course) and even consoling, but internet/TV Masses don’t fulfill the obligation.

Finally, the 1983 Code of Canon Law, in can. 1245 gives to pastors (in England “the parish priest”) the ability to grant a dispensation from the obligation in individual cases or else to commute the obligation to other pious works.

You can debate whether or not watching Mass on TV or the internet counts as a “pious work”.

Fulling our Mass obligation is a serious matter for our spiritual well being. That said, Holy Church’s laws underscore her practical experience of centuries, her common sense mercy, and her concern that we be at ease about how to fulfill those obligations.

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Fr. Moore

Fr. Moore

Parochial Vicar Our Lady of the Atonement San Antonio, Texas FrMoore@truthwithboldness.com

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