Episode Transcript
Speaker 1 00:02 And in doing good. Let us not fail for in due time, we shall reap, but not failing the name of the father and of the son and of the Holy ghost. Amen. How many of us have ever stopped and asked herselves, Hey, why is it that I'm not a Saint? Even though I made my first communion? Well, that's not a stupid question. First off, when we think about what community is, there's no lack in our Lord. That's him. Body, blood, soul and divinity. The second person, those bless a Trinity, God the son, Jesus Christ in the flesh, hold on entire on receiving communion. So it's not a stupid question. When remember, God wills our holiness, he wills our holiness. He actually wills that we become Holy. In fact, he's so in love with us and it's such an incredible desire that we become Holy, that we become saints, that he actually gives himself to us in Holy communion SIF. We're not saints yet. It can't because of something lacking on the par of our Lord. He wills our holiness. We receive him. So why aren't each one of us that have received first communion? Maybe many more comedians, saints, yet
Speaker 1 01:22 is God has one condition he has laid down. The condition is that in order for us to become saints, there must not be any obstacles within us which impede the action of his grace. In order for us to become saints, there must not be any obstacles to the action of his grace within us. So before we go any farther, just paranthetically mortal sin is not just an obstacle, it's a complete impenetrable barrier. Mortal sin in the life of grace are mutually exclusive. When God comes to us in baptism, in the life of grace, our soul becomes a temple and it's so beautiful because God has put his beauty into it, that he's in love with it and he moves in. But a mortal sin is so drastic in a mortal sin. What are we doing? We're turning. We're looking at God because it's a seriously wrong and we know it's seriously wrong and then we will it anyway.
Speaker 1 02:14 So basically we were looking at God, tell him, get lost. Get out of my life. I can handle this on my own. We're imitating Satan. A mortal sin is a complete deviation. We completely turned away from God and towards a creature when nobody's going to tell us what to do. That's what a mortal sin does. So it's a complete barrier to holiness. So mortal sin, if you have medicine, you have to go to confession. If you die with even one mortal sin, you can't go to heaven because you don't have the power to get to heaven. And even if you got there, you don't have the power to live there. You have to die with grace. Okay? So that's an absolute barrier. Who we already know that we're assuming we're in the state to go to communion. Why aren't we saints? God wills, we become saints.
Speaker 1 02:55 He loves us so much and has such an incredible desire that we become saints. The actually gives himself to us in Holy communion. So if any of us right now is not yet a Saint, it's because we have obstacles within us that impede the action of his grace. There's a virtue that removes these obstacles to the action of God's grace and our souls. Obviously since everyone here is serious about holiness, that's why we're here. Why would you bother coming here? Otherwise, this is a key virtue for each of us to focus on. So this morning we're going to take some time looking at that very virtue and then the principle cause of that virtue. Okay, so let's get started. What is the name of the virtue that removes obstacles to the action of God's grace within our souls?
Speaker 2 03:47 It's humility.
Speaker 1 03:49 It's the virtue of humility. St Joseph Kawasakis used to say, quote, if you desire to be Holy, be humble. If you desire to be very Holy, be very humble, close quote after all, that's why she's the holiest, because she's the most humble. Humility is a virtue. What does that mean? A virtue is a good habit. A vice is a bad habit and a virtue is a good habit. Now, when we say something is a habit, what do we mean? When we sit at, well, if someone has a habit, it means that he can properly and easily perform some act. If it's a bad habit like swearing, it just flows right off his lips without even thinking about it. That's what a vice does for. If it's a good habit like saying a prayer, he just probably rise to prayer. You know the guy that has advice to of swearing, he dropped something on his toe.
Speaker 1 04:39 He starts swearing. The guy that has a virtue of prayer dropped something on his toy. He starts praying for the poor souls. He doesn't want it to go to waste. The difference between a virtue and a vice right there, when someone has a virtue of humility, it means he has a habit. It's the habit of promptly and easily performing acts of humility. So what sort of acts is a virtue of humility? Make it easy for us to promptly perform. He Modi inclines us out of reverence for God to a base ourselves and to keep ourselves in the place that we see is due to us. Okay? Humility inclines us from reverence towards God to base ourselves and to keep ourselves in the place we see use do to us. Compare that to Satan, but the sin of pride. What Satan essential sin. He's going to rise up.
Speaker 1 05:27 He's going to be God. He's going to be the one that decides what's right, wrong. What's Adam sin? You don't tell me what to do. The first sin, you know, you'll be as God's deciding right, wrong. Adam, don't tell me what to do. I'm going to decide and so forth. Okay? Pride is exact opposite. Humility. Humility. Inclines is out of reverence for God to base ourselves and keep ourselves in the place that's proper for us. Okay? We're going to follow for the most part, the teach you that great. Incorrupt Benedict in Dom. Marmion bless it, Dom army as usual, all kind of uh, uh, squash quotes together and add some editorial comments. Bless it, Don Marmion quote.
Speaker 3 06:06 Okay.
Speaker 1 06:06 When we contemplate the perfections and works of God, what is the first movement of the soul? Touched by grace is one of self-abasement. The soul is lost in adoration. I mean, stop. Hold that thought. If you really see an absolutely beautiful sunset or the mountain range or something, it's just really incredible. It just you're, you're filled with admiration at the beauty that God's just splashed out there just for us to look at. Okay. Anyway, this attitude of adoration is the only true one that the creature has such can have before God. What is adoration? It's the acknowledgement of our absolute dependence in the face of the infinite sovereignty of God and the face of him alone who is of himself. The fullness of being is the homage of our subjection and the face of the infinite sovereignty. When a creature does not remain in this attitude of adoration, it is not in the truth and having the blessing are locked in God's embrace, embrace, surpassing all that the most aren't love can imagine they're possessed by God.
Speaker 1 07:18 They possess him in essence of their soul. God is all in them and yet they do not cease to be lost in deep reverence. The expression of their adoration should not that annihilation of self be likewise our law here below when faith, which is a prelude to the beatific vision, that's the vision of heaven. When faith, which is a payload to the beatific vision, makes us touch something of God's unfathomable perfections. We at once cast ourselves down in adoration. The soul understands where the strong inner light, what a close contact there may be between itself and God beholds the infinite contrast of the two terms. Littleness and lowliness contrasted with greatness and majesty, greatness and majesty contrasted with littleness and loneliness. The soul may more ever concentrate its attention the more upon the one or the other of these two terms. The relation is upon the term God.
Speaker 1 08:16 It tends to adore him is upon the term of self. The soul tends to humble itself is that the precise instant of ourself annihilation in the presence of the divine majesty that humility is born in the soul. As soon as reverence towards God fills a soul is like the source. When humility Springs up at st Thomas says humility is caused by reverence towards God, this causes lacking and muddy cannot exist is a point which cannot be too much insisted upon. Close quote. I know that was long, but we're going to unpack it. Very important stuff. Here it is. At the precise instant of ourself annihilation and the presence of the divine majesty. That humility is born in the soul. As soon as reverence towards God fills, the soul is like the source from which humility Springs up. Humility is caused by reverence towards God. If this causes lacking, humility cannot exist.
Speaker 1 09:19 This is a point which cannot be too much insisted upon. Humility is caused by reverence towards God. Humility is caused by reverence towards God, and melody is caused by reverence towards God. The causes lacking humility cannot exist. Humility is caused by reverence towards God. Okay, so what have we see? We've seen in an adoration, we are moved by a comparison. The comparison of our littleness and loneliness, contrast with God's majesty and greatness, and during that process of comparison, when the soul concentrates upon God, it tends to adore him. When it concentrates upon itself, it tends to humble itself. We've seen it. It's at this precise instant, this precise recognition of her own nothingness in the presence of God. That humility comes forth in the soul. We've seen that as soon as reverence towards God fills the soul. It's this source from which humility flows out.
Speaker 1 10:22 Humility is caused by rooms towards God and we've seen that if reverence towards God is missing, humility cannot exist. There are a lot of very important implications here, some of which will draw out in a few minutes. Now, bless a Dom Marmion reminds us of a very important balance here that we have to keep sight of quote, if forgetful of our own nothingness, we come before God full of confidence, but with little reverence or on the contrary, if we are penetrated with fear but have only a slight confidence, our relations with God are not what they ought to be. The self-abasement of the creature should not be the detriment of the confidence, the child, the quality of the child ought not to the forgetfulness of the condition of creature and center. If everybody sees the point here, Don Marmion blessed our minds pointed out if we want to be truly Reverend, there's a balance.
Speaker 1 11:10 We have to remain a two things at the same time as she approached God. It's true, yes, that we are creatures and sinners coming in the presence of the almighty Lord and God. But it's also true that we're children. They love so much. He sent his son down to die for us. We have to keep both those terms in front of us. So we remember his awesomeness and his love a defect in either one of those and we're not approaching God in spirit and truth. Dom Marmion humility does center stood, envelops her whole being. We must understand that the root of humility is an intense reverence of the soul before God. That this reverence itself is born of the contemplation of what God is and does for us is two fold character of Lord and father. And that is two fold reverence. Once anchored in the soul, keeps it in the self-abasement be fitting it as a creature stained by sin, but at the same time surrenders it entirely and confident and graceful.
Speaker 1 12:09 Abandon to the will of the Henley father. Okay, so the writ of humility is intense reverence in the soul. That's what humility Springs forth from this intense reverence in the soul. It's born of contemplation. We're thinking about what God is and what he's done for us, what we are and what we've done to him. Okay? So we look at him as Lord and his father, and once that's anchored in the soul that keeps us in the right relationship before God, both with self-abasement because we're sinners, but if the quality of a child because he loves us. Okay, very important passage. Don Marmion quote, we should first of all, aim at acquiring the interior virtue of humility. If that is real sincere, life will anchor the soul. It will quite naturally manifest itself outwardly if we haven't carry humility the body by reason, the substantial union of our B will express the reverence that fills a soul before God.
Speaker 1 13:03 Outward humility is only of any value if it is the real expression of inward humility or if it is the mains employed to arrive there at, we'll unpack all this in a minute. A man must acquire an expressive ability by the movements the soul knows of the body. We ought then to exercise ourselves. Likewise, an outward humility, even if we've not reached a high degree of the inward virtue on account of the close union between soul and body. Every act of virtue often repeated, such as striking the best, keeping the eyes lowered or going down on one's knees before the Lord has its echo on the soul and necessarily influences our interior life. Close quote. Okay, so that's all the big stuff. Now we'll start unpacking it. What does this mean?
Speaker 1 13:48 What this means is that acts of outward humility are valuable means to grow in humility of heart and interior humility. In other words, if just by acting in a reverent manner, for example, I'm making a good genuflection, not some stage production, look at me, aren't I pies, but irregular, good genuflection in honor of our Lord most Blessitt. Second of all, they're just a normal one, and we do that with the intention of showing reverence the Lord. We will grow in humility. That is great. It means one of the easiest ways we can grow in humility is simply by being reverent in our thoughts, words, and especially our actions in the presence of the Lord. They're scared. Two examples right now. Neilia the Canyon, Neely for Holy communion. Genuflecting tapping our breasts quietly at the ag of the confetti or not some caveman bang bang bang thing, uh, acting a reverent manner, dressing in a modest dignified matter, use a chapel, veil, all those things.
Speaker 1 14:45 All those acts can produce humility. What happens on outside does matter. Cause we're one thing. The interior mode is more important, but it's not like there's two of us of body and a soul. We're one thing because of the punishment. We get separated at death, but we were in a violent state of st Thomas says till we come together to resurrection the dead, we're one thanks to our body really matters. That's not all. Don Marmion quote, this reverence towards God extends to all that touches, represents or announces God to Christ humanity than to all the members of his mystical body. Close quote, the reverence extends to all that touches, represents or announces God. That is unbelievably significant. What? Bless it, Don Marmee is pointing out to us is that reverence towards God is not limited simply to God himself present the most blessed sacrament of the altar.
Speaker 1 15:37 Reverence towards God extends to everything that touches God. For example, chalices a submarine priest, fingers, reverence toward God extends towards everything that represents God. For example, crucifixes the stations of the cross Catholic churches trines the Paul, a Bishop, a priest, reverence towards God extends to anything that announces in everything that announces God, the Holy scriptures, a religious brother or sister in full habit, the liturgy, the rubrics, the sacred music of the choir, the sacred architecture, the vestments, incent reverence towards God extends to all the members of his mystical oddity, the angels, the Sates, our brothers and sisters here in the church, militant or family members. In other words, all these things precisely because they provide a means of expressing our reverence toward God or by that very fact, actual means of growing in humility. When we treat them reverently we grow in humility. When we treat those things reverently when I was a kid, people don't wear hats that much anymore, but the guys, when they went in front of the church would take their hat off. Why? I mean it doesn't make strictly speaking any difference to our Lord and the blessed Itzhak mud. No, but you're honoring. You're acting Reverend from Sid driving by and the pickup guys take their hat off, walking by. They take their help. Why is it passed in front of a church? Reverence towards God. We grow in humility. Reverend behavior in thought word indeed produces humility and remember what humility does. Humility removes the obstacles within us that are preventing us from becoming saints.
Speaker 1 17:30 Everyone needs to burn this into his mind. Reverence produces humility. Humility removes the obstacles within us. They're preventing us right here now from becoming seeds. Not only that, once we understand this, it also gives us the means to make an intelligent, dispassionate and objective evaluation of any particular liturgy in terms of its efficacy, in terms of its usefulness in helping us grow in holiness. All we have to do is answer the question. How is the reverence towards God expressed? Is there a Reverend atmosphere in the presence of our Lord? Are the people quiet and Reverend and their movements? Jenny flections dress and department. How beautiful is the Charles? What's it made of? How is it handled? Are the alter crucifix and the station's fitting works of sacred art? How about the other statues? How about the altar? Does the architecture adequately express the beauty of the house of God? How about the sacred music? Do the rubrics and movements the sacred ministers express the reverence do towards God or the Vetements beautiful,
Speaker 2 18:43 et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.
Speaker 1 18:47 It's a, you're the priest, the Holy Kerry of ours. He used to walk around and tattered rags of a Cassick cause a cassock was for him, but he spared no expense on the chalice, on the vestments, on all the appointments to the altar cause that was for him. The creature noses, a sinner. That's the creator.
Speaker 1 19:08 These are objective questions. It can easily answer by anyone. The efficacy, the usefulness of any particular liturgy and helping us go on holiness by means of reverence is easy for any Catholic to access. You don't need any expertise at all. God didn't set up some religion where we all need to be experts, where everyone needs to have a bunch of high flute and degrees to understand what's going on. He set up the Catholic religion, which is for everyone now, given the fact that if reverence towards God is lacking, humility cannot exist. If humility does not exist. There is no holiness. It's easy to see why these days we see so little sanctity. Everything starts here. Everything starts here inside our Catholic churches, Ron, our beloved nation and the world, Catholics are unable to deport themselves with the reverence due to our Lord in the most Placid sack and the altar, and I include priests, small wonder, small wonder. There's so little reverence towards others out there, especially the babies, the elderly, the sick, the women, small wonder. We see so little sanctity in our modern world, small wonder. We're composed about by this culture of death. We're getting hemmed in by this present darkness, which is drawing ever closer
Speaker 2 20:31 around us.
Speaker 1 20:34 Well, there's very little reverence.
Speaker 2 20:37 There can be very little humility. There's very little humility. There's very little holiness where the saints,
Speaker 1 20:49 we have scenes, they're hidden away during the Cloisters and families with sense of reverence has been preserved.
Speaker 1 21:11 Parents, this has very obvious Pratt of Quantico. Wences if you want your children to be wholly taken to Reverend liturgy, if you want your children to be wholly taken to reverent liturgy, if you don't care if they get to heaven to no worry about it. Before we close, let's take a minute to consider quickly another important spiritual fruit of Reverend attitude, and that is a delicate conscience. What exactly is a delicate conscience? Someone with a delicate conscience is so filled with reverence towards God that he preferred to die rather than to commit the smallest, deliberate venial sin. He's so filled with reverence towards God that he'd rather die than commit the smallest deliberate venial sin. Okay, deliberate venial sin. What do we mean by that? That's when we know something's wrong. It's not that wrong. So we notice it's wrong with his full knowledge and self reflection with sufficient reflection, we commit the sin any way.
Speaker 1 22:04 It's a cold blooded venial sin. Okay, I had sufficient reflection. I know that's wrong. It's not that big of a deal. I'm willing to offend God. It's small, but I'm willing to offend God. That's cold blooded. The person was delicate, conscious wouldn't do that. We're not talking about a semi deliberate venial sin. That's for example, when somebody gets caught by surprise and then in their embarrassment awkwardness suddenly blurts out a little white lie or whatever and later on they really regret it. That's a semi deliberate without special graces like she got. We can't avoid all of those, but we certainly can avoid deliberate cold blooded venial sins, but it's not natural. Some of the delicate conscious, so filled with reverence towards God that he would rather die. They commit even the smallest deliberate video's sin and this is not natural. It's supernatural. It can only come from grace and we have to ask for it.
Speaker 1 22:54 It's something that you should pray for every day. And especially when you go to communion, it's quite possible to get, it's quite possible to get God wills your holiness. He desires you to be Holy, so that means he desires you to have a delicate conscience, so ask for it. Ask for it. Let's close. Dom Marmion quote, humility derive from reverence towards God will destroy the obstacles. They can prevent the souls union with God plus a Dom Marmee, and I'll repeat that again. Humility derive from reverence towards God will destroy the obstacles. They can prevent the souls union with God. When this humility truly possessed to the soul, then the Holy spirit action being no longer posed by sin or attachment to sin. Attachment to the creature or attachment to itself is all powerful. The Holy Spirit's actions all.
