Purity, Temptation, Mercy

This is a computer-generated transcription that has been included to make the homily searchable.  It has not been verified by the author. 

The Mission of Divine Mercy. So we’re here at the Mission of Divine Mercy. And the name, the Mission of Divine Mercy was not something that we came up with. It was something that the Lord, I won’t go into the whole story, but the Lord, through different events guided us to. And so I think it was really His choice, Him wanting this to be the Mission of Divine Mercy. And Divine Mercy is especially given for this time that we’re living. St Faustina and the revelations that the Lord gave to St Faustina; it wasn’t too long ago that she lived, and about a century ago. But it’s just recently, in these past decades that her messages were approved in the devotion and St John Paul gave us the feast that the Lord had asked, the Feast of Divine Mercy. So it’s a sign that the Lord wants, especially for the battles of our time, wants to pour out Divine Mercy. And so many of the messages speak of His desire, to His intense desire, to pour out mercy upon our time. And so I think our little mission here is, is one of the instruments He wants, a little instrument of fitting, and like this reading today in the light of God’s mercy. Because it’s talking about something extremely serious. Jesus says, “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea.”  And so those are very serious words coming from Jesus, who is the Lord of mercy, but who is also the Son of Justice. Also Jesus not a person who says, you know, all sorts of things and all sorts of exaggerations, when Jesus is the truth. And so He’s speaking the truth when He says these very severe words. And even those words are mercy, because He is alerting people to how grave this sin is. And we think of the attacks against children, which are so intense today we have a whole, the whole entertainment industry, and with it the whole like public relations and advertising marketing industry, which is so advanced and have so many techniques for manipulating people, and unfortunately has become the tool of this attack against children with the immorality and pornography which has become so accessible, like through the internet. And sometimes these attacks are in more subtle forms, like with the idolizing appearances. And how much in our culture, how much is the focus on appearances and not on what is good and what is bad, who is good and who is bad. And also the education establishment, which should be caring for and protecting children, has become, often the tool we know of a sophisticated attack on children, which are trying to force parents into submitting to this. And we’ve had some of the most, you know, some of the most blatant things like the drag queen story hours or the pride celebrations, but those are just the more blatantness. So much of it, which has been become part of this great system. And the abuse of children like there’s more recently, there’s been exposes of how much child trafficking is going on, and the border, sadly, is one of the great centers of that child trafficking. And so here we know, just say, on our highway, Interstate 35, how much that has become a route of child trafficking. I mean, it’s all around us, hidden, but all around us. And child abuse even was tragically even in the Catholic Church, very evil persons who have infiltrated the Catholic Church and are committing child abuse. And some of this child abuse is organized and done by very powerful, influential people. It’s not just by shady characters in a dark alley. This is by some of the most prominent people in our society, and it’s often organized and even ritual, a satanic ritual, truly a satanic ritual, openly a satanic ritual, because satan hates those that God loves in a special way. Satan wants to destroy the innocence of children. And so that’s one of the things that the Lord is revealing in this gospel. Who is behind all of this? And that’s one of the services that Jesus gives us, is revealing the enemy. Because it’s very important to be aware and to be able to know who is the enemy. And the very Gospel we read today, Jesus speaks of the fire of Gehenna, the fire of hell, and also begins with one of the main examples of casting out demons. And so that’s another sign in the gospel. So much of the Gospel, the fact that there was so much Jesus, so often casting out demons. One of the things He’s doing is making people aware of the presence of satan, who tries to hide himself most of the time. I say most of the time now, because actually, our society has come to the point where now, oftentimes the satanic presence, and even just to mention, for instance, music and other entertainment, like movies and so forth, where the satanic presence is even actually now, even sometimes even open. And so this is reminding us that we’re not just fighting against the seductions of the world and against the weakness of our own flesh, but we’re fighting against demonic spirits. As St Paul says that we’re not just fighting against flesh and blood, but against these powers, these demonic powers. St John says, and I often come back to this quote, because I think it’s so important for us to remember, because the whole world is in the power of the evil one. The whole world is in the power satan has commandeered most of the positions of power in our world. And so this world is even more this is more true today, and so this power which is ceaselessly attacking us and tempting us. It’s kind of like in a place where there’s a lot of air pollution, you can’t get away from it, everybody is breathing in and it’s affecting everybody, and it’s degrading everybody’s health.  Where we’re in, it’s like that the spiritual, spiritual evil of immorality is so present today that it affects all of us. We can’t get away from it. And the devil who knows so well our own weakness, our woundedness and we know also that he attacks us when we’re most vulnerable. We he’s not like a person who wants to play fair, and so doesn’t want to kick someone when he’s down. The devil attacks us, especially when we’re most vulnerable. And so this affects all of us. You know, as a confessor, and unfortunately, because of our canonical situation, for the moment, I’m not able to be confessing, but in my experience as a confessor, just knowing how widespread is the experience of being abused as a child. But in a sense, practically everybody, because of course, all of us were children once, and practically everybody today, well, actually, all of us already from original sin. Original Sin we’re already wounded and made vulnerable by the original sin. And then, of course, baptism removes original sin, but it doesn’t mean that we don’t still have these wounds and vulnerability. And then we know we’re in a world which is a world in which there is so much evil. So all of us have been wounded and now we’re under constant bombardment. So it’s like an exhausted soldier who’s been fighting, and sometimes he falls out of weakness. And so that’s a very discouraging experience, a person who’s trying to resist, but then they fall, and they fall so often they get discouraged, and satan is trying to push them towards discouragement and despair. And so the great message of Divine Mercy, the Lord wants this great message of Divine Mercy, to trust in Him, so that we humbly recognize our struggles, humbly recognize that we’re sinners, but never let our sins cause us to be discouraged or despair; but on the contrary, that they can help us be humble, but above all, help us remember that our trust is not in our own abilities, but it’s in the infinite mercy of God, humility and trust. And the Lord gives us this great sacrament of His mercy, a sacrament of reconciliation. But the gospel today also gives us strong, clear guidance. In a world with so many, so much lies and confusion, the Lord gives us strong, clear guidance. The evil one is trying to make us think that God is way too demanding, that what He’s asking of us, it’s impossible, that God just wants us to suffer. He wants to take away all enjoyment. And so Jesus is revealing the truth that when He says, when Jesus talks about being thrown into hell where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched, because Jesus knows where satan’s lies are leading, leading to Hell, where satan wants to be able to torment us forever. And so Jesus is revealing to us that danger, the way Satan is trying to keep us from the infinite joy that God has prepared for us, that God is calling us to. And so, like a doctor, Jesus is giving us helpful, like a doctor saying giving someone, telling them what therapy they need, what exercise. You know that that can be very helpful when a person can tell you, well, if you do this exercise, that’s going to help you a whole lot. And you know that just knowing the right exercise that you, of course, you still have to do the exercise, it’s not enough to know it, but just knowing the exercise to do can be very helpful. And so Jesus is giving us this light to know what we can do. And so that’s also part of His mercy to reveal this to us. And so we remember this scripture, which, from the very beginning, says, “God created man in His own image. In the image of God, He created him, male and female, He created them.” And satan hates this fact that man has been created in the image of God, and in his masculinity or femininity, is sharing and reflecting this image. And so there’s a special intensity of attack on this area. And so that’s why Jesus is speaking about this danger when He says, “if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes, to be thrown into hell where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.” And so He’s speaking very clearly of the danger, the danger that our world tries to hide. Jesus is saying this very clearly. And in the Gospel of Saint Matthew that verse is preceded by this verse, which I’ll read to you. He says, “You have heard that it was said you shall not commit adultery, but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” And so one thing that’s important to realize in His words of Jesus is He’s distinguishing between temptation and the sin of lust. The fact that we see something or see someone, and we feel a temptation that’s not sinful. It’s an invitation to sin, but it’s also an opportunity for a victory. It’s a temptation. It doesn’t become sinful until we consent.  And so that’s very important to distinguish what the temptation and then what is, it’s not sinful until we consent to it. And but this is very hard today, because, as I said, temptations are so, both the temptations are so are everywhere. And the devil, the devil, doesn’t just need you to be in a world for temptation. You know, there’s a lot of examples of saints. Even the saints would go into the desert to way off into the desert, to be away from temptation. And even there in the desert, satan would be tempting them, because he doesn’t need exterior things, he can tempt just by his own action. And so it’s very temptations, and especially in a society which is so contaminated, the temptations are more difficult because we don’t live in a society, some societies give us much more protection and help us avoid it. But today, our society is in the opposite situation, far from avoiding it, it is far from protecting us. It is constantly attacking us. And so one of the things that can help, I remember, well, a lot of you know now that back in 2017, Sister began receiving a lot of messages from the Lord. But as we’ve often said that it didn’t begin for us then, it was about 30 years ago, two women were receiving a number of messages, and they came and asked me to be their spiritual director and so that began a long, a long collaboration. And so we received a lot of messages through them. And one time I had to give a talk in Monterey to a group of young people. And the Lord gave me, basically gave me the talk of how to give it. And one of the things He talked about was, He said to speak about how a lot of temptations come through our eyes. Our eyes are source of a lot of temptation. And so one of the things that’s very helpful, and it’s this is a very classical Catholic teaching, is custody of the eyes, custody of the eyes. That is being careful about what we look at. You know, that’s so against our society today, where our society that is the exact opposite. But just, you know, just the way, for instance, that when there’s a city that has or an army which has enemies around it, they put up guards, so they don’t let just anybody come through the gate, but they have to be careful about who comes through the gate. And so you could say something similar for our own mind, that if our eyes are not careful, we receive a bunch of, a bunch of attacks through the eyes. But if we’re more careful, we can limit a lot those attacks. And so this is for everybody, all of us, but it’s especially important for us men. It’s because it’s something a special vulnerability of us men. And so in this message the Lord is giving, He said one thing that can be helpful because this is difficult to do. He says, it can be helpful to start with something that is easy, something that in itself, is not sinful, but just because it’s an easier thing to practice. Just the way it, for instance, if you’re trying to lift weights, you don’t start with that the heaviest weight; you start with something that’s easier, and you gradually work up. And so he said, like, one example could be, say, if a guy likes motorcycles, and so there’s nothing wrong with looking at motorcycles, but he says, But a person could just practice by just kind of whenever they see, like, a motorcycle that he would be interested in, just kind of discreetly turning his eyes to look at something else. And so, just as a way, again, not that there’s anything wrong with motorcycles, but just practicing on something that’s easier. And so that’s a little tip to strengthen our custody of the eyes. One of the points that the Lord makes throughout scripture is about the sacredness of our body. St Paul, talking to the Romans, says, “I appeal to you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship”. Present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. So this is such a radical message today. He says, “Do not be conformed to this world.” Well, what is fashion? Fashion is being conformed to this world, the world telling you how you’re supposed to dress. Now, what’s the style?  “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may know what is the will,” he says, “that you may prove what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” So he’s calling about a radical different way, not being, not following the world, but being transformed by the will of God. And St Paul, to Corinthians, says, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God. You are not your own.” What is the society today? My body. I can do anything I want with my body, because it’s mine. And St Paul’s saying, “You are not your own. You were bought with a price.” So he’s saying, not only did your body, you didn’t create your body, God created it. But he’s also saying, “but you were bought with a price,” speaking of the death of Jesus, “so glorify God in your body.” Glorify God in your body. So all our bodies deserve respect because of the sacredness, but there’s a special respect due to women’s bodies because it has an especially sacred character, because made by God as the temple where new human life is conceived. And so the woman’s body is especially attacked, physically and spiritually, as the object of lust. And in a Christian society, that there’s an effort to protect that sense, to promote relationships which respect each person. But our society has lost that, and not only lost it, but it’s been attacked. And that, speaking of the sacredness of the human body and of modesty, the Catechism says “purity requires modesty. Modesty protects the intimate center of the person. It guides how one looks at others and behaves towards them in conformity with the dignity of persons.” I’ll read that again. “Modesty protects the intimate center of the person.” So modesty is protecting people. “It guides how one looks at others and behaves towards them in conformity with the dignity of persons.” And so about that, I should mention something that I don’t think we’ve ever said before publicly. You know, we have a little dress code here at the mission. Where did that dress code come from? It wasn’t us who dreamed that. Well, we should have a dress code here. It was years ago. The Lord in those messages from these ladies, from both of them, not just from one of them, from both of them. The Lord was insisting a lot on that, on proper dress in Church, modest dress in Church. And He told us that, because it’s difficult to have a dress code today in the United States, here in Texas, of course, it’s very hot, we have Canyon Lake and River Road and Schlitterbahn and so forth, which are not places of great modesty. And so and here we are in the middle of all that. And so it’s not, if you want to win favor and public approval, I don’t suggest a dress code. There’s always people who get upset by it, and it’s a very sticky wicket to try, so it wasn’t something that we wanted to do because it’s difficult. But the Lord told us He wanted it. He told it very clearly, and we were kind well, and He made it very clear. He even said something like, “I would rather my temples empty than profane.” I would rather my temples empty than profane, because I hear a lot of priest say the opposite. It’s better that they come, no matter how they’re dressed, than they’re not coming. Well the Lord is saying no, because it’s not just the fact that being in the Church which sanctifies us. We have to be there with the proper attitude, with an attitude of faith and respect. And so that’s where the Lord didn’t give us all that. I don’t remember exactly. It didn’t dictate all the details of Jessica, but he made it very clear there was Him who wanted that. And so that again, that’s one of the things we had to do. We couldn’t tell people why we’re doing it again. It’s not, with a lot of people it’s not a very popular thing to do, but the Lord was telling us He wanted that, and so we tried to be obedient. I want to give one final perspective on this gospel. When the Lord says “and if your hand or your foot or your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out, cut it off. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye or one hand or one foot than to be thrown into hell with two.” And so the Lord is showing us what really matters. And so it’s not; what are the things that can be an obstacle to heaven? It’s not just parts of our body. It can be other things that we’re attached to. It can be our appearance, our health. It can be success. It can be what people think of us. It can be money; it can be possessions. It can be relationships, other persons that can become idols, can cause us to sin. But it can be very hard for us sometimes to let go of those things, to sacrifice those things. So I think sometimes God takes things away from us in our short time here on earth that we would not be strong enough to let go of by ourselves. And we can think maybe of many examples in our own lives where we had to let go of something that was hard, but the Lord sometimes permits it because He wants to save us for the infinite glory, the infinite joy and happiness that He is preparing us for. And so sometimes it’s the Lord Himself who was taking something away, permitting us to lose something so that we will gain something infinitely greater. And so many of things which seemed, which we look upon as great losses in our life, I think in eternity and the joy of heaven, they will have become what prepared us, what saved us from temptations and led us to heaven. And so to conclude, in our weakness, let us ask our Blessed Mother’s help, Jesus, these severe words of Jesus to those who corrupt. Jesus, warning those how serious it is. How serious is the chastisement, the punishment of those who attack the innocent. How much Jesus carries in Himself these wounds, these attacks against the innocent, these abuses. So   the Mass is an opportunity for us to bring to Him all our wounds, all our struggles, our struggles with sin, our discouragement, maybe even sometimes feeling despairing, and also all the things that we have felt were taken away from us in this life, and to bring all of this to Him so that His infinite mercy can be poured out in us and through us, trusting in His mercy, trusting in His love for us. Jesus, we trust in You. Amen. 

KEYWORDS / PHRASES:
Mark 9:38-43, 45,47-48
Matthew 5:27-28