Homily Notes, 03-01-20 - Lent

March 1st, 2020

Lent is a time to prepare for the holiest feast of the Church: Easter. Don't waste this time of preparation.  Don't waste the graces that God wants to give you during this time.  

The Tract of today's Mass is about God's protection.  He wants to be there for us.  He will be there for us if we want Him to be.

When we are in a state of grace, God dwells in our souls.  It should give us more courage to stand up for our faith and to profess it publicly, and to not be ashamed of the Truth that we have.

1. Why are we on this earth?  What is our purpose?

"Be perfect as your Heavenly Father is perfect" -- we are not called to be mediocre.  We are called to do the will of God every single day, not just sometimes.  "What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his soul?" Our soul is the most important thing we possess.  Too often we choose earthly things over our more important souls.  We have the promise of salvation, of Heaven, and so often we trade it away for small passing things.

"The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and left untried." - G. K. Chesterton

We are made for greatness, for perfection.  Too often we don't even try because it's too hard.

2. What are we given?

We are given God's protection.  We are given sanctifying grace in our souls, the life of God truly living in our souls.  We are given actual graces to help us avoid evil and attain perfection.  In sum, we are given everything necessary to save our souls.

3. What do we do with what we are given?  What do we do with the things God has given us?

How often we try to get by doing the bare minimum.... We have an attraction to sin which makes it difficult, but that's not an excuse not to try.  It's a reason to try harder.  We deserve hell, but God, in His mercy, has given us a second chance.  We have to prove ourselves.  It's hard and it takes effort.

How often do we neglect our prayers?

How often do we not dress modestly or set a good example for others?

How often do we put ourselves in occasion of sin?

How often do we not want to live as a Catholic because it's too hard?

How often do we forget the sanctifying grace, God dwelling in our very souls, and live as though He isn't there?

It is Lent.  The Church wants us to do penance.  The church used to require that every fast every day, ultimately to satisfy for sin.  The difficulty of the fast is so we can understand the gravity of our sin and what it really takes to make up for sin; what it takes to detach ourselves from earth; what is takes to strengthen our will.

We are dust.  We are really nothing compared to God.

We are called to do penance.

"I haven't come to make you happy in this world, only in the next." - Our Lady of Lourdes

We are given the help of God during Lent, during this time when he wants to offer us a lot of graces.  But we have to be proactive in taking advantage of the graces He offers during Lent.  The Church encourages us to do penance and to draw closer to God during this time of Lent.

And yet what do we do?  We say it's too hard, and we don't do much penance.  We shouldn't make excuses.  Are our penances really helping us to draw closer to God?  Or are our resolutions pointless? We are called upon to do something difficult.  Virtue doesn't come from doing the bare minimum.  Choose something difficult and make it practical by setting specific criteria.  It is possible with the protection and help of God.  On your own, you are going to fail.  You need God's help.

The world wants to kill your soul and pull you away from God.  As we approach Holy Week, remember the two thieves.  They were condemned to death for being criminals; condemned to a cruel death of crucifixion, so their crimes must have been very bad.  They are both given the same opportunity, yet only one was touched by grace.  Two results: one saved his soul, one did not.  The good thief and the bad thief.  The bad thief wasted his chance, his final grace.  We are given that chance and we have those same two choices.  Either we do God's will or we don't.  It's hard to do God's will, but we are rewarded when we do.  It's easy to do our own will, but there is no reward.

Strive for greatness.  Be perfect as your Heavenly Father is perfect.  That is what He demands of us.