A 13th Siunday of Pentecost Sunday Thought About What Always Stays The Same for Us

As September takes over, with fall with its change of season not far away, some things stay the same. And not just as the seasons change but really through the centuries, since Our Lord came to live amongst us.

His appearance wasn't just a one time event. His Passion, Death, and Resurrection changed everything, but we don't just acknowledge that and go about our lives as if He did it all and that's that. Some Protestants have the idea, apparently, that if we acknowledge Him as our Lord and Savior, we're done. We're saved. There's no need to add anything to the mix. Even if we sin, it's all good, in a sense.

Now, that may be a bit of an oversimplification. But remember that Luther, the father of our separated brethren, pushed Faith over works. Works - what we do - didn't matter, if we had Faith. 

But works do matter. What we think, say, and do each day matters greatly. In our daily life we work out our salvation. Our recollection of this needs reinforcing from time to time, especially in a world that doesn't spend a lot of time and energy on God. The secular, natural view of everything has bumped the divine and supernatural, at best down to the minor leagues, at worst out of the ballpark.

With that in mind, and knowing how we Catholics won't be saved if we drift into some sort of Protestant mind-set or go along with the customs and habits of our secular world, here's something to revitalize our sense of the importance of the daily struggle for sanctity that ought to be in our bones. 

    “Generations come and go, but our human nature and the Gospel of Christ remain unchanged. Nineteen centuries ago Christ laid down the essential condition for following Him, when He said: ‘If any man will follow Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow me.’ Self-denial, then, is the characteristic virtue of lovers of the Sacred Heart. It is not enough for them to bear the crosses of their own choice, but they must also carry those which their heavenly Father sends. There are many crosses in this world: crosses of mind and heart, crosses we find in our state of life, crosses put upon our shoulders by others, and those we made ourselves. But we know that all these crosses are just our cross, and that we must deny ourselves and take it up and bear it after Jesus.

    “Self-denial is an unsavory word, and our nature abhors it. The world does not demand it of its devotees. They are allowed to travel on the broad road that leads to perdition, the road of least resistance, self-indulgence, and shameful gratification of their basest passions. Still, lovers of the world do not know what true spiritual freedom means, for they are slaves of their own perverse inclinations. And what is more pitiful and repulsive than an evil habit? Weakness follows upon weakness; sin upon sin; remorse upon remorse; and in the end often comes despair.

    “How different are the followers of Christ! They tread the narrow path of self-denial, and this leads to spiritual freedom, to the wonderful liberty of the sons of God. Christ came to set us free from the bondage of sin; but His freedom is not for those who are not of good will. If we truly understand the Sacred Heart, we show it by following the path of self-denial, and by curbing our evil passions, especially our pride and sensuality. In order to belong entirely to the Sacred Heart, we must renounce everything and declare war upon our corrupt nature. Aided by God’s grace, we must daily battle with our evil inclinations, until we can give the keys of our house to Jesus living within us. Then the Sacred Heart will be really enthroned in our hearts, and we shall be able to enjoy His sweet peace and manifold other blessings.” (Fr. Thilges, S.V.D)

   

Happy Sunday!