The Call to Sacrificial Charity
Summary of Headings
- Our Obligation to Pray
- Facing Criticism and Condemnation
- Christ's Presence and Division
- The Authority of Christ
- Living the Example of Christ
- The Call to Sacrificial Charity
- Embracing the Cross
Our Obligation to Pray
this coming week is certainly going to be a dramatic one and so it's important i think to put things in a certain context of what it is our obligations are well obviously i've tried to make it very clear our first obligation is prayer we need to pray for the church for the society for the new candidates of bishops for the superiors and for each other that is that is first and foremost our obligation but there's going to be a reaction to the actions that we take it's it's inevitable practically humanly speaking it's inevitable that there will be a reaction to this and it'll be possibly from the world most of the world is not going to pay any attention to what we do because they're more interested in the world cup or whatever celebrities doing whatever at whatever time or politics less important things but still that's what they'd be interested in.
Facing Criticism and Condemnation
We shouldn't be offended by that. That is just how, unfortunately, the world thinks and works. Then there will be others who do pay attention to what we are doing and who are going to criticize and condemn reactionaries, radicals, disobedient monsters, any number of other episodes they can throw out, people causing division, poor Pope Leo having to put up with these people. Whatever else they may say, that's okay because they're distant from us. They don't have much to do with us. That does not bother us so much, or it shouldn't. If it does, we need to back off and not pay so much attention to what they're saying.
The ones that are going to hurt, the ones that are really going to affect us and touch us, are those who are closest to us. It may be family and friends. It may be people. We trusted in the past. People whose opinions we rely on for things. Many of them will not go along with this, and many of them will say hurtful things and throw offensive titles, excommunicate, schismatic, rebels. How should we react to this? Well, the natural reaction is one of wounded anger, and of course that is inappropriate. The nice thing about this is that, the nice part is, providence has landed in our laps, this epistle and this gospel, so that we can specifically know what we are supposed to do, how we are supposed to behave, and more importantly, who we are supposed to be.
Christ's Presence and Division
Because this kind of a situation, in the history of the church, in the history of mankind, in the history of the world, this kind of a situation is nothing new. As much as we like to say that this is one of the key points in human history, yes it is, but this is hardly something new. This is not something that is extraordinary, or unique, I should say. This is not something that is completely unique. But it is still something that is going to cause a lot of polemic divide. Why? Because Christ is present in it. Wherever Christ is, there is going to be some division. There is going to be, there is going to be hatred from people who are the world, or influenced by the world, or misguided in the world.
That is just a natural consequence of Christ being present. That is why he said, I come not to bring peace, but the sword. The world will always reject him. Because he has conquered it. Because he does not fit into their idea, the world's idea, of who Christ is supposed to be. But it behooves us to always remind the world of who he really is. Not the fantasy, not the carefully crafted brand that they have tried to present to the world of who Christ is, but the reality of who he is. Not the nice guy. But the one who preached true sacrificial charity, of sacrificing oneself, giving oneself up, in times of need, and giving himself up entirely for the glory of his Father.
The Authority of Christ
That is our goal. Christ said, Do not be sad when they hate you, for they have hated me first. He was considered an excommunicate by the scribes and Pharisees. But he, in this Gospel, is reminding everybody that he is the one who has the authority to apply the law. Because this part of the Sermon on the Mount, he is reminding everybody, you have heard it said, it has been said to you, thou shalt not kill. But I say, he is the one imposing his authority on the teaching of the law. And he does this many times throughout the Sermon on the Mount. He is the one from whom authority comes.
He is the one who brings the law to us.
Living the Example of Christ
He is the one who proves to us, shows to us what it is we are supposed to do. And more importantly, he is the example we are supposed to follow. If you ever doubt how it is we are supposed to deal with the hatred and the labels that the world throws at us, the indifference and the hatred the world throws at us, if you ever have a doubt about how we should react to the insults and the jives and the criticisms of what we do, if you ever have a doubt about how we are supposed to deal with the separations and divisions and the wounds that we suffer as a result of doing what we are supposed to and have to do, then all we have to do is look upon the cross and see the answer.
Charity is not supposed to be easy. Because the first act of charity, the principal act of charity, is based upon sacrifice. This action that we are doing, the consecration of bishops, as well as everything else in our apostolate, as the Society of St. Pius X, and as faithful members of the Church, must be borne upon one very simple principle, and that is the love of God, the love of the Church, and the love of the faithful above our own everything. Above everything. Above our own very lives. That is the purpose for why we should do anything. Just as it was for Christ. He taught out of love for His Father and obedience to His Father and out of love for all of us.
And He accepted His cross and embraced it for those very same principles.
The Call to Sacrificial Charity
Out of love for His Father and out of love for us. Now we must respond in kind. But it's also a good reminder to us, the Epistle specifically is a good reminder to us, as well as the Gospel. It may be so that the general rule of thou shalt not kill is sufficient for everybody else, but we have to hold ourselves to a different level altogether. Why is it that we are called to do these things, to separate ourselves from everybody else, and make ourselves distinct from everybody else by our actions? It is because we have been called to do so. Christ Himself has given us this mandate.
Therefore we must move forward with it. Regardless of what everybody else says, regardless of what the world says. That is never the issue. Christ was never here for a popularity contest and neither should we. We do not live based upon the good opinions. We live based upon the good deeds of people. Or to get likes on our YouTube videos or whatever else. It's all about one thing, love of God above all things, love of souls. Next. That is the purpose for everything we should do. If it is not because of this end, then we should not do it. Period. But because we have been called by the love of God to the love of souls, we have a higher calling.
We have an obligation to hold ourselves apart in our actions. Saint Peter refers to sanctify Christ in your hearts. We must change who we are. We must be better than others. Not because we are better than them by nature, but because God has given us something that He hasn't given to everybody.
Embracing the Cross
It's easy for us to mock and get angry at how lost everybody is around us. We know the truth. We know the light. We see the light. Therefore, it's easy for us to look down upon those around us who do not have those things. And as a result, we do not live according to the rule by which we have been given. God has called us to His love, to His truth, to the light of His truth. And so therefore, we must live according to that truth. Other people have not received it. They are not called to the same level we are. And that is just absolute. Unfortunately, we are not being very faithful about living up to that if we are not compassionate toward those people.
Because that is the first words of Saint Peter in this epistle. Be compassionate one to another. Where is the compassion? Well, Christ had compassion. When He saw the people who had followed Him for days, He called His apostles and said, I have compassion on the crowd. And He performed a miracle to feed all of them. We also must be compassionate. There are people in darkness. There are people who are lost in sin. There are people who are making poor choices every day of their lives and falling away from grace. There are people who are blindly turning away from the light of truth and choosing error and heresy and whatever else because it is more convenient or more popular.
Rather than just sneer and condemn them, we should be fighting for their souls. And if that means putting our head on the block and be martyred for that stance of fighting for their souls and that our blood is what God is going to use to convert someone, so be it. People are turning away from the Catholic faith and turning away from the truth and turning away from the teachings of Christ. Which is why we need to not just preach the word of Christ, but preach it specifically in our actions. We must be examples of the teachings of Christ in our everyday lives. People must look upon us and see the words of Christ.
Not because we're standing on a pulpit, but because of how we behave. That is how they are going to see the light of Christ. And if that means that we are unpopular and we are rejected by those around us, and if it means we even have to make a choice between our lives and our faith, we must choose the faith, no matter what. If that is the price we have to pay for it, then so be it. Again, this is not easy, but it's not supposed to be. If it were possible, let this chalice pass from me. Our Lord Jesus Christ looked upon His passion, the greatest act of love in the history of humanity.
And He looked upon it, and in His humanity He was afraid, and He asked if there was another way that this could happen. But immediately His next phrase, not my will, but Thine, be done. It's okay that we are not perfect. It's okay that we are not strong. It's okay that we are not, that we are blind, or anything else. It's okay that we are not yet perfect practitioners of our faith, provided that we learn from the sacrificial love of Christ how to start letting Him work through us, and change our very lives to be in union with Him. Because the salvation of souls does not happen by our efforts, or our intellect, or our light.
It happens by Christ working through us. The truth is not proclaimed because we know it, and we say it. It's the Holy Ghost who speaks through us. The spirit of charity must reign in everything that we do if we are going to be the faithful missionaries that Christ is calling us to be. And this isn't just restricted to the priests and bishops of the Society of St. Pius X. It rebounds to all of you, and to all of us. We belong to this mission, because God has called us, and He has called us a part. We cannot be like this. We cannot be like everybody else. We cannot have the excuses of everybody else.
We must hold ourselves to a higher standard, knowing for a fact that God will not hang us out to dry. He will give us the grace that is necessary to live up to that standard. He will give us the energy that is necessary. He will give us the strength that is necessary. He will give us the light that is necessary. And He gives us His mother and His foster father to make sure we have everything we need. Most importantly, we have the example of Himself on the cross. Those moments when our weakness seems to be too much, when the vitriol and the hatred of the world seems to be too much, those moments when we seem to be broken down to our knees and we cannot get up, we cannot take another step, we cannot find our way in the dark, look upon the crucifix.
Go to Mass. Those are the places where you are going to find strength, light, the teaching necessary, and everything that is necessary. And an overabundance of everything that is necessary for us to change our lives and to become faithful vessels of the love of God. Because that is what is going to be shared from us, through us, to the rest of all humanity. Because by doing so, by being the faithful recipients, the faithful vessels of the love of God, the love of God can pour out into other souls. And can save them from their error, from their sin, from their blindness, from any number of other things.
This charity, this sacrificial charity of Christ, must become the principle by which we live our lives each and every day. We must start our day by offering ourselves in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, in union with the Cross, and that must be the guiding principle of everything that we do. Let's not get caught up or discouraged by the reactions and the epithets that people throw at us. Let's not get frustrated or hurt by the divisions that it may cause in our own ranks and those around us, or whatever else it may be. Let's not get frustrated by anything else.
Let's not be fearful. But also let's not just get angry. That's something that is very dangerous. It's easy for us to get angry because there is injustice in all of it. Christ was condemned to death completely unjustly. Did we hear a single word of complaint out of his lips about it? Of course not. What right do we, as sinners, have to complain or to get angry at the injustices thrown at us? What right do we, as sinners, have to complain or get frustrated or angry about the injustices that we may have to suffer a little bit? But rather we should actually rejoice.
We have in a very real, tangible way an ability to be able to unite ourselves to the sufferings of Christ and to the sacrificial love of Christ. Because by doing so we become his faithful vessels. By doing so we share in his love and we share his love with those around us. People will be able to see his love. They'll be able to receive it themselves. And the love of Christ will be able to start a new reign and start to spread among this world. And we will be able to conquer this world for Christ, Christ working through us. And we will be able to be eternally happy with even our enemies who we should forgive and who we should pray for and who we should sacrifice ourselves for exactly as Christ did.
Not my will, but thine be done, all the way into heaven. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.
Summary
The homily begins by emphasizing the importance of prayer as our foremost obligation. It acknowledges the inevitable reactions from the world to our actions, urging us not to be offended by the world's indifference. The preacher discusses the criticism and condemnation that may come from those closest to us, reminding us of the need to respond with love and not wounded anger. The homily highlights the presence of Christ as a source of division and the necessity of reminding the world of His true nature. Finally, the homily calls us to live by the example of Christ, embracing sacrificial charity as the guiding principle of our lives. It encourages us to hold ourselves to a higher standard, relying on God's grace to live up to this calling.