Episode Transcript
Speaker 0 00:01 Today, we are gonna briefly consider land from the perspective of a practice. Had God commanded in the 16th chapter Deuteronomy when he commanded the men of Israel to appear before his holy altar to go up to the tabernacle at that time and then later on the temple and bring up their tithes and offerings for they were not quote to appear before the Lord empty handed. Close quote, Deuteronomy 1616. Now, before we go any farther, you can relax. You don't have to grab hold your wallet and hang on her sentence. This isn't a sermon about money. We're thankful for your generosity. Uh, I said years ago, if we ever talk about money, it's because we have too and oral or we're ordered to and we'll make it clear. It's so that's not what it's about. We're talking to them about when here. So stick with us. So what does all this have to do with Len?
Speaker 0 00:50 In order to understand that, we had to take a minute to make sure we understand the spiritual meaning of a ties in the old testament and the old testament. The ties, for example, the offering of the first fruits is a tie, a tie them one 10th of all the crops, one 10th of all the fruit of the trees and also the firstborn of the cattle and sheep were offered to the Lord. These offerings were used to maintain a temple, to support the priests and care for the poor, but to tie that a deeper spiritual meaning is rooted in the recognition of one basic reality. The reality that it isn't just our crops, but it's everything that mankind has. All our possessions up to and including our life itself comes to us from loving hands of God. And so when the people of Israel offered up 10% of their crops, the fruits of their labors to the Lord, it was a real sacrifice.
Speaker 0 01:46 But dedicating that sacrificial ties to the Lord, that 10% of their first fruits, they were recognizing that all these good things came to them from his hands and the process. They're also symbolically offering everything, all their crops, obviously because we need to live, we need to hold some beck. But symbolically by offering their best 10% they're symbolically offering everything they have and that way, dedicating and find the other 90% of their produce at the very same time. So they gave their first fruits their very best to the Lord, not a bunch of leftover rotten fruit or moldy grain or crippled calves and not just a little bit of their best, not a pinch here, pinch there. They gave their best and 10% of their best. Okay, so what does that have to do with Lynne? Well, to put it in perspective, there's one thing that each of us accepted.
Speaker 0 02:41 Of course our lady, there's one thing that each of us can truly claim as their own. In fact, it's the only thing we can truly claim as their own. The only thing that we can say, this didn't come to us from the loving hands of God. It's the only thing that we can each take complete credit for. And that's our sins. See, that's our sins. That's the one thing we can really say. These are my works in my works alone. And so the reality is that we've all shown him our undying gratitude by sinning and that reality should fill us with a profound sense of sorrow and a profound desire to make amends by doing pennants. And if it doesn't, we need to think harder. We need to really reflect on what it is our Lord went through for us, watched the movie, the passion, and when you're watching it think about the reality and it is a reality.
Speaker 0 03:38 If I were the only person out of the billions of people that have lived Willa will live. If I were the only one that ever offended Christ our Lord, he would have still became man and gone through all that. For me. That's the love he has for me. That's the price. My sins cost him that out of film me with a spirit of sorrow. So what does that have to do with lint? The great father and Dr the church. Pope Saint Gregory the great gives us the answer when he points out that lent is our ties for the year. It's approximately 10% of the year in us. It's our tie in regard to time. Lent is rooted in the recognition of a basic reality of the reality that in spite of the fact we fully recognize that everything we have all our possessions every minute of every day, our very life itself has come to us from loving hands of God and we've responded to that with sin.
Speaker 0 04:46 So when Catholics, the people of God in the New Testament offer up Arlette with acts of prayer and fasting and pennants and spiritual exercise and offering, which should be a real sacrifice, not just going through the motions. We offer that up by dedicating that sacrificial ties of time, those 40 days to our Lord. We're symbolically recognizing that all times and all things come from his hands and in the process, we're dedicating sanctifying the other 90% of the year at the same time. And if the people of Israel could give their first fruits their very best to Lord, not leftover half rotten fruit and moldy grain or crippled calves, not just a little bit of uh, their best, but 10% of their best. If they can give that to our Lord, can we who have been cleanse not by the blood of goats and calves, but by the precious blood of Christ or Lord himself? Can we do any less than this? Strive to up for up our very best to offer up a pleasing ty during lent, lent, filled with our very best efforts to grow in holiness, to do penance, to make reparation for our sins. And those are the world around us.
Speaker 0 06:05 And that's another reason to pause and think. We see the world seated in sin and darkness. People is rushing towards sin and who's making reparation to Christ for it? Who's doing that? There aren't many penitential congregations left and the Catholics what were bound to, okay, we are bound to that, but we're talking two days of fasting and eight days without me. That's pretty light fare. When we look at the sin that surrounds us. So yes, according to current regulates in the church, all those 14 on up, do I have to abstain from meat on Ash Wednesday? Good Friday in the Fridays and land and all those from 18 up to 60 have to fast on ash Wednesday and Good Friday. But is that the best we can do? Let's consider the fact that our spiritual ancestors offer up their best produce before the Lord. Heaven forbid that on Judgment Day we have been given so much she'd be accused by them of spiritual stinginess.
Speaker 0 07:15 We need to have a good land. On that note, I'll read some beautiful suggestions. I got this little Lenten calendar and I threw away that my own notes because they had so many good suggestions here. I said, I'll read you this. The Lenten discipline consists of three separate parts. One corporal external fast including abstinence from certain foods, drink and amusements. That is music and parties during lent. These points of fat should be stressed today, especially with the Maini of entertainment be setting our society too. So that's first is corporate that are external, fast to spiritual or internal fast, which consists of abstinence from all evil. That is to say sin parenthetical remark. Here's what our Lord got unfair sees about. It wasn't the fact that they were doing these practices, but he said, you cleanse the outside of the dish but not the inside. So it is important to do the external corporal things, but what's more important than it's expression of a disposition that comes from our heart and that's what the spiritual or internal fast talks about.
Speaker 0 08:19 Saint John Chris System taught that the value of fasting consistent not so much an abstinence from food, but rather than withdrawal from sinful practices and saying base of the great explains turning away from all wickedness. It means keeping our tongue in check, restraining our anger, suppressing evil desires, and avoiding all gossip, lying and swearing to abstain from these things. Here in lies the true value of fast. So that spiritual or internal fast three spiritual change achieved by the practice of virtues and good works must be the main objective of our FASC. The fathers of the church insisted during lent, faithful, attend Linton church services and mass. So we want to change by virtue in good works. We want to come out of lent more virtuous than we came in, not just to sort of check off some boxes, say note to self, you know, wasn't that cool that I gave up candy?
Speaker 0 09:14 There's nothing wrong with that, but we want to change. Have this internal change in the course of the centuries or fastened. Discipline has undergone numerous and radical changes today. Unfortunately, the observance of led is but mere formalism reduced to abstinence and certain days and without any stress and one spiritual growth as amending of one's lifestyle. It is urgent that we return to the pristine spirit of the great fast, which is so badly needed in our materialistic world. Will. Amen. That's a great line. It is urgent. We returned to the pristine spirit of the great fast, which is so badly needed in our materialistic world listed below our suggested practices that may be used along with your use of Lenten, family traditions of sacrifices and penances. So I'll read some of these suggestions because they're great. So corporal or external practices a take less of what you like today and more of what you dislike at meals today be take nothing to drink between meals.
Speaker 0 10:07 C, do not use seasoning on your food today. D, do not use any sweeteners with your food or drinks today. He avoid listening to the radio at all today. F, take nothing to eat between meals today. G, avoid any TV or videos. Instead, read the passion of the Christ and your Bible or missile. Well, just apparent thickly. Fix Your TV. Many of you don't have a 10 gauge, but 12 gauge will work. H, take only one helping of each item at meals today. I say an extra rosary. So those are the corporate external practices. All great spiritual or internal fast practices. Here's a list of these. Hey, don't do any unnecessary talking. Instead, say little prayers, aspirations throughout the day, like my Jesus mercy. Be Exercise your patients today and all things. See, don't make any complaints today. De Restrain any anger and go out of your way to be kind to the person who caused you anger.
Speaker 0 11:12 He don't be distracted with someone else's business. F avoid any gossip today. Instead, see an extra rosary to overcome this great fall. Gee, when asked to do something extra, do so with a joyful and pleasant attitude today. H, speak in a pleasant tone to everyone today. I avoid using the phone today. Jay, tell the truth and all your dealings today and Kay. Avoid any vanity or self seeking a day. So those are the spiritual internal fat practices. Find some spiritual practices to grow for virtues and good works. Hey, practice humility today and all your actions be be generous today. Help someone need see. Look for ways to be helpful throughout the day. Dee, do a job that needs to be done without being asked. E, be courageous. Walk away from any impure situations today. F Don't be islet all today. Always be doing something for others or for your spiritual growth.
Speaker 0 12:12 G, go out of your way today to help or talk to someone who is usually difficult. H volunteer for an extra job today. I sent extra rosary today for the conversion of a center and Jay visits someone who is sick or lonesome today and offer to say the rosary with them. So those are just some suggested practices to grow in the virtues and good works if the people of Israel could and did give 10% of their very best to Lord. Should we or dare way who've been routined by the precious blood of God himself. Dare we do any less than our best to offer up a pleasing Lenten tide filled with our best efforts to pray and fast do penance and spiritual good works in reparation for our sins. I for the conversion of sinners, the 40 days a land or a tie on the year, which shows our willingness to make reparation to God for our sins, to express ourself for having offended our lord who has loved us so much in whom we have offended so deeply and hold back is just judgments on ourselves, on our neighbor.
Speaker 0 13:27 Let's remember paranthetically. It's traditional, a act of prunes to clear any extreme or special penances or spiritual practices with a confessor director, but every one of us can do some kind of physical corporal fasting. Every one of us can do some kind of spiritual, internal fasting. Every one of us can do some kind of good work should the goal of crawling a virtue every one of us can resolve to have the holiest led he's ever had. We can do that this year. Let's resolve to offer up a pleasing and tie to Lord. After all, our Lenten sacrifices aren't only met to make reparation for our own sins. That's not all they're meant for at all. On that note, we'll have one last thought to ponder Fatima. In August, 1917 our lady said, pray, pray very much and make sacrifices for sinners. For many souls go to hell because there are none. To sacrifice themselves and pray for them.
Speaker 1 14:36 Yeah,
Speaker 0 14:37 close quote to bless the Virgin Mary. Let that not be said of any of us.
Speaker 1 14:45 Okay.
Speaker 0 14:45 This land, let us not appear before the altar to the Lord with the empty hands. Let us pray. Pray very much to make sacrifice for sinners for their many souls that will go to hill if we don't sacrifice ourselves and pray for them.
