CYCLE B 3RD SUNDAY
1. The Storm SIREN resounds to make you aware of an impending or imminent Weather development. Your heart MONITOR beeps to advise you of a serious problem. The Alarm CLOCK rings to wake you to a new work or school day. In all cases we are best served when we HEED the CALL of the SIREN, MONITOR or ALARM CLOCK.
While they are all important warnings, and there are many more. One is Different from the others. The ALARM CLOCK.
The Alarm Clock calls us to wake up. To get going. It tells us it’s time to ‘Seize the Moment’. We must ABANDON our beds. For we will MISS OUT on Good opportunities, maybe even some Great opportunities to be prosperous.
2. In the 1st reading: The PROPHET belts out, “…40 days more and Nineveh will be destroyed.”
In the 2nd reading: Paul the APOSTLE proclaims that “Time is running Out…..the world in its present form is passing away.” And in the Gospel: Jesus the MASTER tells us in a more positive tone that, “This is the time of Fulfillment. The Kingdom of God is at Hand. Repent…”
We would be very wise indeed to take seriously the warning of the PROPHET, APOSTLE or MASTER. All have important warnings. But here too, one is different from the others. Its’ the call of the MASTER. Jesus is telling us that something GREAT is happening.
But we need to CHANGE DIRECTION our lives OR we LOSE OUT! He insists that because something GREAT IS HAPPENING, we must ABANDON whatever it is that holds us back in heeding his call to spiritual Prosperity.
3, Jesus wants to bring about the fulfillment of His Kingdom and he is going to start it right now. Not just in heaven. A personal Spiritual Prosperity that should be understood as GROWTH and ACTION.
Jesus was not then and is Not now, interested in preservation of a status quo. We don’t just live life to the ‘FULL’ by just avoiding Sin. We have the ‘FULLNESS’ that God intends when we ‘Avoid Sin’ and live a ‘PRO-ACTIVE Christian way of Life at the same time. (Remember the gospel story of the servants with 5-2-1 Talents.)
4. In the Gospel today Peter and Andrew responded in a way we to must learn to follow. They Chose to ABANDON their Lively hood. They abandoned their fishing boats, equipment and co-workers. They left with ‘No Preparation’ or ‘Getting use to the idea’ first. James and John too, just got up and ‘LEFT’ / ABANDONED their Father upon the call of Jesus.
We were told a story at the reception for the Ordination of Bishop Nickless, that would help us to know how he had to ‘ABANDON’ his way of life to come to Sioux City. On the day he bid farewell to his parish, he could hardly talk to say Goodbye. The emotion of leaving something near and dear to him, overwhelmed him.
Bishop Nickless awoke to the Lord’s ‘Alarm Clock’ calling him to ‘Great things’ that must happen here.
5. The readings today include ‘Fair warnings’ for us TO HEED or something bad may happen. But they also included an ‘ALARM CLOCK WAKEUP’. For we too are being Called by the Lord to Help make something GREAT happen. We too, must ABANDON Something, Someplace and Somehow’ to ‘SEIZE THE MOMENT for our Lord.
It could be something as ‘Little’ as….
-Abandoning a TV program …to go Pray or read a spiritual book.
-Abandoning your own BED to go to morning Mass 1 day a week.
-Abandoning a NIGHT OUT so you can visit that sick or elderly
-Abandoning your FEARS to invite someone back to the Church. Or it may be something as ‘BIG’ as…:
-Abandoning plans for a Car, Vacation or Club Membership to send your children to the Catholic school.
-Abandoning a Action that is morally wrong (Like drug abuse, living together or contraception) to take oneself out of the state of sin.
6. When we Abandoned anything for God and the Kingdom, GREAT THINGS will begin to happen in your life.
-Self evident will be your mastery of VICE with VIRTUE.
-Then you will love the hard work we must endure for Christ.
-You will be able to tolerate suffering or ‘Carrying your Cross’
-The social stigma of ‘Doing without’ will be a badge of Honor.
-In Abandonment to God we will understand the adage of ‘LESS IS MORE’. Less of this life…gives way to a FULLER LIFE in the next.
CHRISTIAN MORALITY
SIN DEFINITION: Sin is an unwillingness to open ourselves to God’s Love and carrying it to others. Sin is the refusal to love God, to refuse to love others as
Ourselves.
‘To miss the mark’
‘To have hardness of heart’
Through Actions of OMMISSION or COMISSION.
SIN TYPES
1. VENIAL
a. Light matter
b. Know they are wrong
c. To choose to do them
(Lying, cheating, sarcasm, Gossip, not praying, habits.)
2. SERIOUS
a. Actions of Serious Matter
b. Not always sure their wrong
c. Not full consent
(Missing Mass, sexual Habits, Actions towards others ie. Isms)
3. MORTAL
A. Grave Matter
B. Full knowledge that it is wrong
C. Choose to do it.
( Murder, Adultery, Abortion, Actions not loving God)
Importance of our CONSCIENCE.
-It is our inner being with the capacity to Judge weather an action or lack of action is right or wrong.
1. Must develop a conscience.
2. Must follow our conscience.
LAW: Guides to help us do the right thing.
A. Natural Law: Laws of God that govern the Universe. ( Seasons, Gravity, etc.)
B. Divine Law: Laws of God that govern our Personal lives. ( Marriage, Modesty, Relationships) – Ten Commandments -Beatitides
C. Civil Law: Man made laws that help govern Societies. (Traffic, Drinking, Taxing)
D. Church Law: Laws made in the Authority of The church that define our obligations. (Marriage, Sacramental, Fasting etc.)
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