Traditional Catholic Teaching - TWELFTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

NINETEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

Many are called, but few are chosen. St. Matthew 22: 14.

It may be difficult to obtain admission to the marriage feast in heaven, of which we read in to-day's Gospel, but it is not impossible, if only we have the will to do so. "Peace on earth to men of good will." We may find in these words comfort and encouragement under all circumstances. God's grace influences our will and makes it good, determined to follow out St. Paul's advice to the Philippians (2: 14), to whom, after assuring them that God will give them grace, he says: "Do ye all things without murmurings and hesitations, that you may be blameless and sincere children of God." It is impossible to describe in what good will consists better than St. Paul does in these words. It is a resolution to do all things without murmuring and hesitation. Readiness, cheerfulness and joy in doing one's duty are not only good and beautiful, but necessary, and they bring their own reward by conferring peace of mind, which is inseparable from them. Good will is the foundation of future happiness. A quiet, calm, cheerful performance of our everyday duties gives us great consolation in all circumstances; it prevents our imagination from giving way to foolish dreams and it gathers up much merit for heaven. As St. Paul tells us, a good will consists, further, in a firm resolution to be blameless. It is always a sad thing when people have to be forced by fear of punishment to do their duty. A merely natural sense of honour ought to make us desire to escape punishment, but this is not what the Apostle means by wishing us to be blameless; we must be so, not in the sight of men, but in that of God, and fear to offend His justice. Where there is no fear of God there is no good will. Think, therefore, often of God as so just that He frequently punishes men severely even in this world, as the facts of history teach us. What is the use of having great knowledge and abilities if we have incurred His wrath? In the eyes of the world we may have everything conducive to happiness, but He has only to give a sign, and the edifice raised with so much skill and care collapses like a house built of cards. Should we be any better off if He refrained from punishing us here? Would it not be worse to dread His chastisement in the world to come? And may not that world be much closer to us than we suppose?

Good will, according to St. Paul, consists, thirdly, in a resolution to be sincere (i.e., clean, innocent) children of God. Cleanness and innocence of heart are found only where love of God reigns supreme, for this love is the purest motive that we can have for willing and acting. Therefore St. Paul teaches us that fear of God alone is not enough, but that it must be combined more or less with true love of Him, and, where there is good will, fear will be transformed into love.

May God give you this good will in ever increasing abundance, that with earnest love of God you may strive constantly to be worthy to be His children, to be "sincere children of God." This was the wish of the Apostle's loving heart for the community entrusted to his care, and these words, simple as they are, express the highest ideal of every Christian. This piece of advice, far surpassing all the pompous discourses of the world, ought to be impressed upon your hearts, to encourage you to do right and to warn you against evil for your whole life. "That you may be sincere children of God." Well will it be for you if love of God, this pure intention, guides you everywhere and in all things.

Whatever we do for love of God is fraught with merit; we are happy whenever we succeed in doing right for love of Him, and even when we fail we derive comfort from the thought that we at least tried to do something for His sake. This pure intention banishes all self-seeking, envy and all the other passions that make us so unhappy when we act under their influence. A heart guided by so pure an intention is at peace and in union with God. To be a sincere child of God is at once a high dignity, pure joy, heavenly consolation and an anticipation here on earth of the bliss of heaven. How calm and peaceful is the heart of a sincere child of God! Come what may, he looks up to his Father with loving confidence and remains at rest.

His lot in life may be hard and bitter, but a sincere child of God will do his duty and bear his burden, strengthened by the love of God. He may lose all that makes existence pleasant, but he will leave things in God's hand, knowing that, as Christ promised, love will repay a hundredfold all that has been taken away, in fact the comfort afforded by God's love is itself worth more than a hundredfold compensation. May God give you this good will to do all things without murmuring and hesitation, and to be blameless and sincere children of God, always drawing closer to Him. You must not only pray earnestly for this good will, but do your best to preserve it, and remember that it is not enough to have a good will and to make holy resolutions. It was not without design that St. Paul wrote : "It is God who worketh in you both to will and to accomplish" (Phil. ii, 13). A good will manifests itself in actions. Begin at once to exert yourselves, and from to-day onward lay aside all that is not in harmony with your good will. Be earnest in your resolutions; if you voluntarily put off carrying out a good resolution even for a minute, that minute is lost for eternity. If you are tempted to put off doing what you ought, call to mind quickly the solemn fact that your eternal happiness depends upon every minute of your life. Do not only begin to do right, but go on doing it. No will deserves to be called good unless it is firm and constant.

What is the use of beginning to-day and stopping to-morrow? Of being full of ardour to-day, and cold and indifferent to-morrow? Of generously despising all difficulties to-day and of shrinking from some trivial obstacle to-morrow? Pray God earnestly to give you the grace of constancy. Life is not a game, but, as Holy Scripture tells us, it is a warfare, and only he that shall persevere unto the end shall be saved (Match. 10: 22). If you accustom yourselves now to be steadfast in little trials, you will be able to withstand the worse conflicts that you will have to undergo later in life, and your triumph will give joy to God and His holy angels. If now you take pains to do your duty without murmuring and hesitation, you will someday perform hard tasks in accordance with God's will. Purity of conscience now will help you to remain pure in future. Begin now to be sincere children of God; it is far easier to continue to be such than to become such in later years, when your hearts may have grown hard.

Take to yourselves the wish that St. Paul expressed to the Philippians, and pray earnestly for its fulfilment, let it be often the subject of your meditation. May it encourage, comfort, uplift, warn and sanctify you. "Do ye all things without murmurings and hesitations, that you may be blameless and sincere children of God." Amen.

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