UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT LOS ANGELES Paul LI -nci .rs. Peripord SERMON PLANS. ROKHAMFTON 1 : PRINTED BY JOHN 'GRIFFIN. J FIVE-HUNDRED SERMON PLANS Rev. George S. Howe. Benziger. 1903. vi PREFACE. .< ~) THE favourable reception given to the " Catechist "" a few years ago led the writer to think, that possibly a collection of plans for Sermons on the same lines might not be unacceptable, while a number of corres- pondents who took an interest in the former also suggested the latter : hence the present volume. No doubt, each priest has his own method of putting his subject before his people, and any other may prove awkward for him. Too much, therefore, must not be expected from such a work as this.. Failures among sermon books are notorious ; yet, may it not sometimes be that the failure lies rather with the users than with the authors of such books ? In spite of this danger, however, the writer ventures to put forth this further effort to aid his brother priests, who have not always much time for preparation, and especially the younger and inex- perienced among them, by laying before them outlines of sermons drawn up ready to hand. The principle followed has been, first of all, to give a brief introduction, and then to present two or vi PREFACE three leading thoughts on the subject chosen ; under each of these main points, subdivisions are given, so as to present to the mind an orderly scheme of development on the Virtue, the Vice, or the Truth in question, containing references to Holy Scripture, along with examples therefrom, as well as from the lives of the Saints, thus forming a series of sugges- tions for the preacher. Some of them may be found more lengthy than is always expedient for a single discourse ; but each one can take that only which suits him best, clothing and developing the thoughts according to circumstances. In order that the eye may assist the mind, each sermon is so printed in its various types, etc. on two pages facing each other,* that its plan and contents may be seen entire at a glance, without the interrup- tion caused by turning over a leaf. Some deprecate the practice of announcing the divisions of a sermon to the people. Yet, if the chief points, two or three at most, are made known at the beginning, will this not aid the hearers in following more easily? and will not such a practice help to keep the speaker to the point, and to avoid his wandering into generalities ? It is the old-fashioned custom, and must enable the audience to follow more methodically, and then, to remember more easily what has been said. To make ourselves clear to others, we must have * Owing to this, it was found necessary, during the process of printing, to curtail somewhat a few of the Plans. PREFACE vii clear ideas in our own minds, otherwise we are apt to become inaccurate, faulty in memory, then con- fused ; hence the chartlike form in which these Plans are presented, as more likely to fix them in the memory. Yet no outline of thoughts will be of much use to a preacher, unless he first make them his own by impressing his own mind upon them. Ideas are more easy to remember than words ; if the former, as here presented, are made to sink into the mind, words will hardly fail to follow. The chief hindrance to facility of speech is the want of thinking. We are apt to appropriate other men's thoughts by the memory only, instead of making them our own, through meditation and study ; and the people are not slow to feel whether a preacher is speaking as from himself, or only through his lips. Every true sermon is intended to effect some good, and not merely to be listened to ; it will fail of its purpose, unless it make some truth more clear and certain to those who hear it, or explain and enforce some duty. To this end, the priest must be in earnest, and make the matter his own by careful thought and preparation. Unless he prepare beforehand what he wishes to say, he will throw out statements at random, and utter propositions that are inexact, perhaps even erroneous, while he may easily wander into three or four different subjects, to the great bewilderment and weariness of the people. viii PREFACE These Plans are designed to aid the preacher in keeping before his mind the chief ideas of his subject, which he must think out for himself, and then develop in suitable expression. Thus they will not relieve him of all preparation, when he has time and oppor- tunity for it, but may give him much assistance in his labour. It has been truly said, that the more it costs the preacher to prepare, the less it costs the audience to listen, and vice versa. This should indeed be a spur to action. It is hoped the Plans, with their divisions and texts and illustrations, may be a help towards avoiding emptiness of thought and matter, or verbosity in expression. Some of them may perhaps seem commonplace in subject or design ; yet in this country, we require simple and earnest instruction, "the studiousness of a simple and apostolic preaching," as Father Faber puts it, and much that may seem commonplace may be of extreme practical importance. S. Ignatius is said to have had a horror of long sermons ; these sketches are intended to occupy perhaps some twenty or twenty-five minutes, which will usually be found enough for a morning service. It is well to take generally a low estimate of the intelligence and knowledge of our audience ; this will guard us against speaking over their heads, make us aim at simplicity of thought and diction, and lead us to repeat our explanations, if necessary, the better to secure their reception. At the foot of many of the Plans, an example, a PREFACE ix comparison, or a fact from the lives of the Saints is given, by way of putting into concrete form the lesson referred to in the text. It is exceedingly desirable to adopt such a practice for every instruc- tion, where possible, giving the example a reasonable development. This serves to lighten the subject, to rivet attention, and to impress our teaching on the mind. This was one of the features in the discourses of S. Gregory the Great an endless store of examples. If these can sometimes be taken from local circumstances, they will be all the more pleasing and effective. It is not sufficient to leave the instruction to produce its own fruit, and it is a mistake to trust to hearts and consciences to make the application of what has been said. We must endeavour to do this, putting the lesson into definite form for use in daily life. Hence, at the end of each plan, two or three practical lessons are suggested, of which one or more may be given by way of conclusion to the sermon. They will help to concentrate and sum up what has been said, and serve as the spiritual nosegay which, holy writers suggest, we should always bring away from our meditations. It is well to especially prepare the opening sentence or two of a discourse, and still more to make sure of an effective close ; the former will give confidence to the speaker, by making a good begin- ning, while the latter will leave a good impression on his hearers. Some speakers find themselves in the x PREFACE greatest difficulty to hit upon a satisfactory sentence to finish with, and they are painful to listen to as they beat about the bush for a natural and simple ending : a little previous thought will spare us such a trial. If we take this ordinary care with our sermons and instructions, with prayer to God for the divine blessing on our work, our labour herein can hardly fail to produce good fruit in men's souls. The present work does not profess to put forth original ideas on the part of the writer ; they are but notes and analyses of the writings of others, preachers or commentators, gathered together and put into shape, and no attempt can be made to indicate the many sources whence they have been drawn. At first, it was intended to give further sketches, suitable to a number of Feasts throughout the year. This was afterwards found to make the book too long and too bulky, and the idea was abandoned ; hence the present volume contains Plans for the Sundays and Holidays only. By changing the text and modifying the introductory remarks accordingly, the plan set down for one occasion may sometimes be found suitable for another also. If the hopes and ideas here expressed come to anything like realization, and the Clergy are in any way assisted thereby in their arduous and responsible duty of preaching the Word, the labour bestowed on this volume will not have been in vain, for thus will PKEFA CE it serve to spread the knowledge and love of Religion, which now more than ever are necessary to our People. G. E. H. Tynemouth, November, 1903. CONTENTS 3RD SUNDAY: Revenge ..... Apostolic Counsels The Leprosy of Sin } The Advantages of Faith . 4TH SUNDAY : Payment of Debts . . . .50 The Decalogue . . . .52 The Storm, a type . . . 298 The Passions .... 300 5TH SUNDAY : Purity of Intention . . .54 Music in the Church . . .56 The Wheat and Cockle . . . 302 Bad Company .... 304 6iH SUNDAY : Prayer for each other . . .58 The Presence of God . . .60 Parables ..... 306 The Mustard seed, a two-fold type . . 308 SEPTUAGESIMA : God's favours to His People . . 62 / The three Enemies of the Soul . . 64 The Call to God's Service . . . 310 Inequality of God's Gifts . . . 312 SEXAGESIMA : Scandal . . . . .66 Joy in tribulation . . . .68 Hearers of the Word . . . 314 Relapse ..... 316 xvi CONTENTS PAGE QUINQUAGESIMA: The Theological Virtues: (Faith and Hope) . 70 (Charity) . . 72 Spiritual Blindness . . . 318 Self- Examination .... 320 IST SUNDAY OF LENT: Abuse of Grace . . . .74 " The acceptable time " . .76 Temptation .... 322 Fasting . . .324 2ND SUNDAY: Sanctification of the Soul . . .78 Impurity .... 80 The Transfiguration . . . 326 Heaven ..... 328 3RD SUNDAY : Covetousness . . . .82 Delusions about Repentance . . 84 The two Standards . . . 330 Hearing the Word . . . 332 4TH SUNDAY : The Epistle . . . .86 Freedom of the Children of God . . 88 Holy Communion .... 334 The Gospel Example . . . 336 PASSION SUNDAY: Christ, our High Priest . . .90 Necessity of Sacrifice . . .92 Patience .... 338 Meekness .... 340 CONTENTS PALM SUNDAY : The Humility of Our Lord . . 94 The Humiliations of Our Lord . . 96 Our Lord's Sadness . . . 343 Resignation . . . . 344 GOOD FRIDAY : The Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary . 98 The Last Words on the Cross . . too The Passion of Our Lord . . . 346 Lessons from the Death of Christ . . 348 EASTER SUNDAY : The Resurrection, a pledge of triumph . 102 Newness of Life .... 104 The Resurrection .... 350 Joy of the Resurrection . . . 352 IST SUNDAY: Subduing the passions . . . 106 The three Witnesses . . . 108 Observance of Sunday . . . 354 Qualities of Risen Bodies . . . 356 2ND SUNDAY : Christ's principal Virtues . . . . no Sheep and men . . . .112 The Good Shepherd . . -358 Unity of the Church . . . 360 3RD SUNDAY : The Christian Pilgrim . . .114 Obedience to Civil Authority . . 116 Confidence in God . . . 362 * The Trials of Life . . .364 b CONTENTS PAGE 4th SUNDAY : Hearing and speaking . . .118 Anger ..... 120 Death . . . . .366 Devotion to the Holy Ghost . . 368 5TH SUNDAY: Calumny. . . . .122 Detraction . . . .124 % Prayer . . . . .37 Qualities of Prayer . . . 372 ASCENSION DAY : Thoughts on the Ascension . . .126 Objects of the Ascension . . . 128 Heaven, our goal .... 374 The Ascension .... 376 SUNDAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE: Prudence and Prayer . . .130 Charity to others .... 132 Bearing testimony to Christ . . 378 Persecutions of the Church . . . 380 PENTECOST : The Tongues of fire . . . 134 The Holy Ghost .... 136 Receiving the Holy Ghost . . . 382 The Gifts of the Holy Ghost . . 384 TRINITY SUNDAY : God's Knowledge .... Effects of our love of God . The Blessed Trinity Mercifulness CONTENTS xix CORPUS CHRISTI : Communion under one kind . . 142 Bad Communion .... 144 Effects of Holy Communion . . 390 The Real Presence . . . 392 2ND SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST: The World's Hatred . . .146 Hatred ..... 148 Excuses against Communion . . 394 Holy Mass .... 396 3RD SUNDAY : Humility. . . . .150 Providence .... 152 The Human Soul .... 398 The Sacred Heart . . . 400 SS. PETER AND PAUL : The Feast .... Devotion to the Holy See . Institution of the Church . Papal Infallibility 4TH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST: The trials of Life . . . .158 Our Home in God . . . 160 The Pope .... 406 Uncertainty of earthly things . . 408 STH SUNDAY : Christian Unity .... 162 The Presence of God . . . 164 The Justice of the Christian . . 410 Reconciliation . . . .41:5 CONTENTS 6TH SUNDAY: The Effects of Baptism . . .166 The Resurrection of the Body . . 168 Providence . . . .414 Grounds for Confidence in God . . 416 7TH SUNDAY : Reparation for Sin . . .170 Hell . 172 * Good Works .... 418 The Will of God . . . .420 STH SUNDAY : Mortification .... 174 Fear of God .... 176 The Stewardship .... 422 Almsdeeds .... 424 QTH SUNDAY : The Brazen Serpent . . .178 The Epistle . . . .180 Beauty of God's House . . . 426 The House of God . . . 428 IOTH SUNDAY : HnUnncs of Life I 182 (" i i f i ' T r.iMir.n . 430 THE ASSUMPTION : The Feast . . . .186 Types of Mary . . . .188 The Feast .... 434 Titles of Mary . . .436 IITH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST: j Divine Grace .... igo Correspondence with Grace . . 192 Spiritual Deafness and Dumbness . . 438 Cure of the Deaf and Dumb . . 440 I2TH SUNDAY : The Secret Workings of Grace . . 194 Moses, a type of Christ . . . 196 The two-fold Precept . . . 443 Parable of the Good Samaritan .. . 444 I3TH SUNDAY : Unity of God .... 198 Promise of a Redeemer . . . 200 Prayer and Faith of the Lepers . . 446 Sacramental Confession . . . 448 I4TH SUNDAY : * The Spiritual Combat Religious Sects .... The Study of Nature Over-solicitude .... I5TH SUNDAY: Bon r ji-.g opp another's burdens . . 206 ^ap^ rt oi Pastors . . . 208 Three kinds of Death . . . 454 Human Lite .... 456 i6TH SUNDAY: God, Creator of all ... 210 Length, etc. of God's love . . . 212 Occasions of Sin .... 458 Servile Works . . . 460 IJTH SUNDAY: Exclusive Salvation . . .214 Unity of Faith . . . .216 Divinity of Christ .... 462 Humanity of Christ . . . 464 i8TH SUNDAY : Thanksgiving and Praise . . .218 Perseverance .... 220 Sloth . . . . .466 Indulgences .... 468 IQTH SUNDAY : Lying . . . . .222 Socialism .... 224 Parable of the Wedding Garment . . 470 Fewness of the Elect . . . 472 20TH SUNDAY: Time ..... Drunkenness .... The Existence of Evil Venial Sin .... 2isT SUNDAY: Good Angels .... 230 Evil Spirits .... 232 Purgatory .... 478 Forgiveness of Injuries . . . 480 ALL SAINTS : The Feast .... 234 (2) . 236 Fountains of Happiness . . . 48.5 Persecution for Justice . . . 484 CONTENTS 22ND SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST : The Particular Judgment . . . 238 Liberality .... 240 The Use of Images, etc. . . . 486 God and Cassar 488 23RD SUNDAY : Sign of the Cross .... 242 Predestination .... 244 Three degrees of Spiritual Death . . 490 Devotion to the Holy Souls . . 492 24TH SUNDAY : Good Works .... 246 Our knowledge of God . . . 248 Signs preceding the Last Judgment . . 494 -t The Cross of Christ . . . 496 SERMON PLANS I. ON THE EPISTLES. SERMON PLANS 1. WORK FOR ADVENT. "It is now the hour to rise from sleep." Rom. xiii. n. i. To-day begins a new ecclesiastical year, ii. The four weeks of Advent are a time of preparation for Christmas, as God took some 4,000 years to prepare men for the Messiah. iii. Consider the words of the Epistle, this time of consideration. Rise from sleep : i. Sleep of the soul is the neglect of the things of God. ii. In the past we have perhaps been remiss : for, a. We are all prone to fall from our first fervour. b. We all need to be roused to redoubled piety, iii. It is well therefore to examine the past : e.g. a. Our thoughts, words and deeds. b. Our spiritual duties. c. The duties of our state in life. d. The quantity and quality of our reading. e. The debts and liabilities we have incurred. /. Any evil habits contracted. iv. Our sins, of whatever kind, must not discourage us. This is not the idea of the Apostle : on the contrary, v. We must endeavour this holy season to begin again, with fresh zeal and courage, vi. God's grace to this end will not fail, if duly sought. Works of darkness : i. Wicked deeds that cannot bear the light of day. ii. Sins that bring shame, suited only to the darkness. iii. How terrible and how frequent are such evils: e.g. The crime of Cain : Gen. iv. 8. The sin of Sodom and Gomorrha : Gen. xviii. 20. The sin of Achab : 3 Kgs. xxi. ON THE EPISTLES iv. We should now pray for mercy, lest such crimes bring down God's anger on the world. v. Even our own lesser sins are darkness before God. Advent is a time for reflection and repentance. The armour of Light: viz. i. Living Faith : shown in a. Obedience to God's will: Mth. vii. 21. b. Works of mercy : Mth. xxv. 40. c. Victory over the world : i Jn. v. 4. ii. Grace: a. Habitual grace, the supernatural life of the soul. b. Increased by worthy reception of the Sacra- ments. c. If lost, regained by repentance, iii. The Christian Virtues : e.g. a. The Theological Virtues. b. The Cardinal Virtues. c. The Virtues opposed to the capital sins. Lessons : i. See here matter for reflection during Advent, ii. Repent now of past sloth and indifference, iii. Take the Apostle's advice and put on the Lord Jesus Christ.* iv. Prepare your hearts for His coming at Christmas- time. v. Think of the Judgment Day (to-day's Gospel), when He will again come, not in mercy, but in justice. Ecclus. vii. 40. * It was this very portion of S. Paul's Epistle that S. Augustine happened one day to light upon, as he opened the Holy Scriptures, and the words made such an impression on him as led finally to his conversion to God. Confessions, viii. SERMON PLANS 2. MORTAL SIN. " Cast off the works of darkness." Rom. xiii. 12. i. Works of darkness mean mortal sin of any kind, ii. S. Paul here bids us to abandon sin. iii. To avoid it in future, consider now some effects of mortal sin. Mortal Sin : any grievous offence against the Law of God. i. Kills the soul : a. Depriving it of its supernatural life divine grace. b. Though the sinner may still appear living, working, etc. ii. Cancels past merit : a. As plainly stated by the prophet Ezechiel, xviii. 24. Albert the Great's mechanism.* b. Yet when sin is pardoned, Merit probably revives, iii. Renders us incapable of meriting meanwhile : a. Even miracles, without Charity, avail not for Heaven : i Cor. xiii. 2. b. Yet good works done in sin should not be omitted, for they may lead to repentance : The penance of Achab : 3 Kgs. xxi. 29. The prayer of Manasses: 2 Par. xxxiii. 13. iv. Deserves Hell through its malice : a. Pain of sense, for the Body, in every limb. b. Pain of loss, in the Soul. c. All for all eternity ! v. Involves temporal punishment, even when forgiven, vi. Yet, however great, may always receive pardon, on repentance. Conditions, that sin may be mortal : i. Grave matter : e.g. a. In itself : murder, large theft. b. In the purpose of the Law : Communion after food. c. In its circumstances : small theft from a poor person, ii. Knowledge and advertence : But wilful ignorance does not excuse, iii. Full consent to the act, or to the occasion of it. Saul at S. Stephen's death : Acts. vii. 57. Lessons : i. Resolve against so great an evil as mortal sin : by a. Daily prayer for strength. b. Frequent reception of the Sacraments. c. Resisting the beginnings of temptation. ii. Advent is a time of prayer and meditation ; hence, a. Think now of the terrible evil of mortal sin. b. Seek instruction in Christian Doctrine, iii. Advent is also a time for penance : hence, a. Atone for sin by works of penance and mortifi- cation. b. Observe the laws of Fasting and Abstinence. c. Deny yourself some pleasure, even though lawful in itself. iv. The more we enter into this spirit of Advent, the greater will be our joys and graces at Christmas- tide. * Albert the Great spent thirty years in making a wonderful piece of work a human figure, which, by means of certain contri- vances, was made to speak and act as though alive. He thought to give a surprise to a friend, by showing him the mechanism in action. The latter, on seeing the figure move and speak so natur- ally, full of a strange fear, seized a piece of wood beside him and instantly broke the work to pieces. " Stop," cried Albert, too late. " What have you done ? Thirty years have I laboured to bring that work to perfection, and in a single instant you have destroyed it ! " So does one mortal sin cancel the merits of a lifetime. SERMON PLANS 3. SPIRITUAL READING. " What things soever were written, were written for our learning." Rom. xv. 4. i. This text implies the duty of reading the Scriptures, ii. Hereby is inculcated the principle of Spiritual Reading generally. A most effective aid in making our lives truly spiritual. Importance of Spiritual Reading : i. We all need instruction, though perhaps thinking we know enough. Hence, a. In the Old Law, the Scriptures were daily read in the Synagogue. b. In the New Law, the Epistles and Gospels are " written for our learning." c. S. Paul advised his disciple to read : i Tim. iv. 13. ii. Spiritual Reading is listening to the voice of God Himself, iii. The Fathers of the Church inculcate its necessity : c,g. S. Athanasius,* S. Jerome. t iv. Founders of religious Orders all agree in requiring it. v. The common practice of holy persons in the world. Advantages : i. We cannot at all times hear sermons, but can always read a book, ii. Words of a sermon may pass away or escape us ; but, with a book, we can pause, or read again, iii. Books speak to all alike, without respect of persons, or fear of offence, iv. Books give us the companionship of Saints and Doctors : whose sanctioned words have fed and formed souls to God. v. It gives purity, tranquillity, nourishment and strength to the soul. vi. A wonderful influence to encouragement and perse- verance. Conversion of S. Ignatius: Jly. 31 ; and S. Augustine : Aug. 28. ON THE EPISTLES Method : i. Read slowly. a. Not hurriedly, like a storybook, for pleasure; but, b. Dwelling on parts that concern us, or affect us. Food does good, only when duly digested, ii. Make an occasional ejaculation, while reading. Thus turning it into real prayer, iii. Little at a time : a. To remember better what is read. b. To make practical application of it. c. Often the same book, if found profitable. S. Francis of Sales read the " Spiritual Combat " for 20 years ! iv. Above all, seek God therein, not mere information or pleasure. Which Books? i. Holy Scripture, especially the Epistles and Gospels. As so many letters from our Father, and our true Home. a. With a desire of spiritual progress. b. In the spirit of humility. c. In submission to the Church's interpretation, ii. The " Imitation of Christ." Containing sweetness, like the manna, for every condition of soul, iii. Books of religious Instruction. So necessary in these our days, iv. Lives of the Saints and Martyrs : Example is the best exhortation to sluggish human nature. Lessons : i. Regularly, every Sunday at least, some Spiritual Reading, ii. Procure suitable books occasionally, especially for children's sake, iii. Lead these to adopt the practice in their early years. * " You will see no one truly intent on God's service, who is not also given to reading." Exhort, ad Relig. t " Let sleep come upon you with a book in your hand, and let the Holy Scriptures receive your declining head." Ad Enstoch. SERMON PLANS 4. HOPE. "That you may abound in Hope." Rom. xv. 13. Hope: i. One of the theological virtues, by which the soul apprehends God. ii. Firm trust that God will give us all things necessary to salvation, if we do what He requires of us. iii. Virtue necessary to salvation, belonging only to this life. a. If we do not hope, we shall not ask and shall not receive. b. In Heaven, we do not expect, but possess and enjoy God. Motives for Hope : i. The COMMAND of God : "Trust in Him, all ye congregation of people." Ps. Ixi. 9. " Have confidence in the Lord with all thy heart." Prov. iii. 5. " Hope in thy God always." Osee xii. 2. ii. The GOODNESS of God : a. Who is willing and desirous to help. b. Shown forth so often in the past : e.g. 1. Our Creation and Redemption and all spiritual Graces. 2. Temporal blessings without number. c. A pledge therefore of mercies yet to come, iii. The POWER of God : a. Who is able to help and can do all things: Mth. xix. 26. b. Examples of such power : The Creation and Preservation of the Universe. The protection of Daniel, and of the three children : Dan. vi. iii. ON THE EPISTLES iv. The FIDELITY of God, who will help us. " Because he hoped in Me, I will deliver him." Ps. xc. 14. " God is faithful." I Cor. i. 9. v. Our own ADVANTAGES : for, those who hope, a. Gain greater light to see the Truth. b. Receive special strength in trial. Example of the ivy.* c. Have aptitude for the gifts of Heaven. Qualities of Hope : it must be i. Firm : because of these motives. David against Goliath : i Kgs. xvii. 37, 45. Bl. Thomas More to his daughter, f ii. Unlimited : in all we need for soul or body. Our Lady, at the marriage-feast : Jn. ii. 5. iii. Submissive : resigned, should God defer our petition. Job a model of trust in God: xiii. 15. Lessons : i. Ask God to strengthen your Hope. ii. Consider sometimes the grounds on which it rests. iii. Make an act of Hope each day. iv. In all your difficulties, appeal at once to God ; for, v. God will work within us, according to the hopes we place in Him. 5. Bernd. * Ivy naturally seeks a trunk, or a wall, to cling to and climb upwards : so human nature, poor and needing all things, seeks the protection and help of God. t " I will never doubt the goodness of God, no matter how weak I feel. Even if through fear I were to fall, as Peter did, I would still hope in God ; I would ask Him to look on me with mercy and raise me up again, to confess once more His truth." 10 SERMON PLANS 5. JOY IN THE LORD. " Rejoice in the Lord always." Phil. iv. 4. i. Holy writers insist on joy in the service of God. ii. The Saints have ever put this advice into practice, iii. Let us also consider this spirit of gladness and joy. Importance : i. Greater than is sometimes imagined ; for, Joy of heart is no small help in Religion, ii. Shown by frequent references in Scripture: e.g. " Be glad in the Lord and rejoice." Ps. xxxi. ii. "Serve ye the Lord with gladness." Ps. xcix. 2. " Nothing is better than for a man to rejoice in his work." Eccles. iii. 12. "Again I say, rejoice." Phil. iv. 4. iii. Shown in the spirit of the Church, bidding us joy, a. In Advent, time of penance : Alleluia, throughout the Office. Gaudete, Introit of the third Sunday. b. In Lent even, the season of sorrow : Latare, Introit of the fourth Sunday. c. In Funerals: Bencdicitc, Benedictns, or Laudatc Dominum. Examples from the lives of the Saints : S. Francis of Sales, in his daily life, and writings: Jan. 29. S. Ignatius urged his disciples to gladness : Jly. 31- S. Jerome, in the midst of his austerities : Spt. 30. Religious who have left all things for God. Josaphat and the Leper.* ON THE EPISTLES II Motives : i. Joy is conducive to God's glory. a. A prince is honoured by the alacrity of his attendants. So is God glorified by our cheerful service. b. We shall obey cheerfully, if we have joy in the heart. c. Our joy will draw others to serve God. ii. Joy perfects our work, and is pleasing to God. a. God loves a cheerful giver : 2 Cor. ix. 7. b. As we also do, and value the manner of a gift. iii. Joy is a help to perseverance : What we undertake with gladness, we willingly continue. Means to it : i. Holiness of life and purity of conscience. Ecclus. i. 12. ii. Humility and meekness. Mth. xi. 29. iii. Resignation to the Divine Will : Taking all as from God's hands, we are happy, iv. Mortification and self-denial. Mth. v. 5. Lessons : i. Strive after joy of heart, through these means, ii. Pray the Holy Ghost for His spirit of Joy. iii. Cultivate it, as a powerful aid, both in spirituals and temporals. A foretaste here of eternal joy hereafter. * Prince Josaphat, hunting in a wood, suddenly heard a voice singing sweetly, and was surprised to find it that of a leper almost dying, who said: "For forty years my soul has been confined in this body, now falling to pieces, as you see. My soul will soon be able to wing its flight to God and His kingdom, and I sing with delight, at the very thought." Mrs. Herbert. ii SERMON PLANS 6. THE PEACE OF GOD. " The peace of God . . . keep your hearts." Phil. iv. 7. i. So long as evil exists and the passions last, there must be some conflict and trouble in the heart. ii. Christ came to restore peace to the world, lost through sin. iii. This is the peace the Apostle wishes us this day. Peace : i. Is reconciliation of man with God through Our Lord. a. Until He came, man was at variance with his Creator. b. Only the " Prince of Peace " could restore the lost friendship of God. ii. Is harmony with our neighbour, through a. Forgiveness of injuries. S. Elisabeth, the great Saint of peace and reconciliation : Jly. 8. b. Charity in all things to all men. S. Ignatius and his Foundations.* iii. Is in oneself, contentment of soul, through a good conscience. " Which surpasseth all under- standing." Phil. iv. 7. a. Which the devil tries to destroy by sin ; or, b. Endeavours to disturb by scruples and doubts ; or, c. Seeks to undermine by the allurements of self- indulgence. iv. Bestowed by Our Lord, through a. A Lesson : the preaching of the Cross and self-denial. Such doctrine sets up a stronghold in the soul's centre. ON THE EPISTLES 13 b, A Ministration : the sacramental system : 1. In the wide sense of Sacraments, Sacri- fice and Rites. 2. The ordinary means of gaining peace which the world cannot give. c. A Presence : The Sacred Heart, abode of Peace. Approached by worship and devotion, v. Has beneficial effects : a. Unfailing cheerfulness of mind and heart. b. Measureless confidence in God, in all things. c. Strength against the persecutor and tempter. d. Courage amid temporal trials. Dangers to Peace : i. Temptation against the Law of God. ii. Want of resignation to His Will. iii. Self-opinionatedness with others. iv. Disobedience to Superiors. v. Pride, or anger. vi. Envy, or avarice, vii. Selfishness. Lessons : i. Strive ever to live in grace with God : for, " Much peace have they that love thy Law." Ps. cxviii. 165. ii. After sin, seek immediate forgiveness. iii. In scruples or doubts, consult a prudent confessor. Then will this three-fold peace " keep your hearts and minds." * When founding Colleges and Houses of his Order, S. Ignatius used to place over them Superiors taken from various nations ; thus the head of the Roman College would be a Frenchman, his object being to secure that most desirable effect, peace among the different nationalities. What more wonderful than to see men from different countries so united by the observance of discipline, that there seemed only one mind among them, while their bodies seemed the instruments of the same mind, which more than anything else excited the admiration of Pope Gregory XIII. Lohner. 14 SERMON PLANS 7. HUMAN RESPECT. " It is a very small thing to be judged by you." i Cor. iv. 3. Human Respect: i. Fear of what the world may think or say. ii. A most fertile source of temptation and sin. How many souls are lost through it ! iii. S. Paul emphatically declares against it, (above). iv. Insulting to God : a. Preference given to man's esteem rather than God's will. 1. Yet God is the fountain of all honour. 2. Any mark of His displeasure, greater than any evil. b. As saying, at least in act, " I would serve if convenient ; " or, " Cast me off, if only the world applaud ! " c. The blasphemy of this, if duly considered ! v. Mean and cowardly : a. Abject servitude, to regulate moral conduct by others' opinions. b. Some subjection is honourable : e.g. 1. Inferiors to superiors. 2. In matters indifferent, to refer to others. 3. Certain customs, if not against God's Law. But, c. In matters of Faith and morals, none must intervene, except by divine authority. Moral courage wanting, if we yield in such a case. Occasions of fall: i. The sign of the Cross at meal time, ii. Observance of Friday abstinence, iii. Saluting Priest or Church, in passing. ON THE EPISTLES 15 iv. Frequent reception of the Sacraments, even before Catholics. v. A call to embrace the true Faith. vi. Friends wishing us to go to dangerous places. Overcome by : i. The thought of God's presence. As a soldier, under the eyes of his General, ii. The thought of our Lord's words : " He that shall be ashamed of Me . . . the Son of man will be ashamed of him." Mrk. viii. 38. " He that loveth father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me." Mth. x. 37. iii. Prayer to the Holy Ghost for fortitude, iv. Foreseeing the occasions of danger. "Forewarned is forearmed." v. Studying the conduct of the Saints : David before Goliath : i Kgs. xvii. S. Dunstan and the Nobles : May 19. S. Gregory against the Emperor : May 25.* Lessons : i. Resolve against Human Respect by these means, ii. Heed not the world, if doing God's will, iii. Be brave in little things : one victory brings another. Fidelity in small things, then in greater. Lke.xvi.io. * For several long years, S. Gregory VII. sustained a difficult struggle for the liberties of the Church against Henry IV. of Germany. In spite of all the remonstrances and suspicions of the world, the Pontiff boldly obeyed his conscience throughout, and finally died in exile, A.D, 1085. 16 SERMON PLANS 8. RASH JUDGMENT. " Judge not before the time." i Cor. iv. 5. i. The habit of judging others most injurious to the soul, ii. S. Paul here bids us avoid it. iii. Hence consider the question of rash judgment. For, it may sometimes be even a mortal sin ! Rash Judgment: i. Wilful suspicions without sufficient grounds, ii. Opposed to a. Justice : each has a right to his good name till really forfeited. b. Charity, which 1. Thinketh no evil: i Cor. xiii. 5. 2. Teaches us to love others as ourselves, iii. Committed by a. Conceiving dislikes at first sight. Totila and the Bishop.* b. Attributing bad motives. c. Assuming one addicted to sin, because once guilty. d. Pronouncing guilty, without hearing the defence. Eliphaz against Job iv. 7. iv. Unfortunately, as common now as in the days of the Apostles. Its Guilt seen thus : i. God's word forbids it. "Judge not, that you may not l>e judged." Mth. vii. I. ii. It shows corruption of heart, they judging most who are most guilty. "The fool esteemeth all men fools." Eccles. x. 3. ON THE EPISTLES 17 iii. It usually arises from pride, usurping authority to judge. "Who art thou that judgest thy neighbour?" Jas. iv. 13. iv. Often also from jealousy and envy. As in the Pharisees against Our Lord, v. It is most injurious to our neighbour. Unjustly depriving him of his reputation in our mind, vi. It is so easy to be deceived, in passing judgment. Benjamin's brothers and the cup : Gen. xliv. The Pharisee, as to Mary Magdalen : Lke. vii. 39- The Pharisee, as to the Publican : Lke. xviii. n. Our own past experience. Means to avoid it : i. The practice of humility and charity. ii. The consideration of one's own sins. iii. Believe not every flying rumour you hear ; but, iv. Try to put kindly interpretations on the acts of others. Resolution to avoid this sin, because i. It is the parent of contempt and detraction. ii. It robs God of His right to judge, iii. It will end in our everlasting banishment from God. iv. If we judge not, we shall not be judged severely. Mth. vii. i. * Totila, King of the Goths, in the 6th. c. formed a bad opinion of a holy bishop, named Cassius, on account of his red and fiery complexion, saying he must be a drunkard. God however at once undertook the defence of His servant, for Totila's sword-bearer was suddenly tormented by the evil spirit. The by-standers in alarm carried the possessed man before the Bishop, who delivered him by simply making over him the sign of the Cross. Thereupon Totila retracted his rash judgment, and ever after revered Cassius as a saint. S.Gregory the Great. l8 SERMON PLANS 9. OUR LORD'S THREE-FOLD CHARACTER. " God hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness." Hebr. i. 9. i. This text, from Ps. xliv. 8, suggests some of the features of the Messiah. ii. He was called Christ, from a Greek word meaning anointed. The Messiah anointed : i. Not with material oil, like His prototypes : ii. But with the fulness of the Divinity, for He was God : and iii. With the " oil of gladness," i.e. : a. In the Incarnation, with grace, giving gladness to the heart. b. In the Resurrection, with the glory of triumph, iv. Because He fulfils the three-fold office of King, Priest and Prophet : and, v. Among the Hebrews, these were anointed with oil, to denote and support a. In Kings : authority to rule and legislate : i Kgs. xvi. 3 : 3 Kgs. xix. 16. b. In Priests : power to offer sacrifice and prayer : Ex. xxix. 7: Numb. iii. 3. c. In Prophets : honour, as ambassadors of God : 3 Kgs. xix. 1 6. vi. Adam's sin contained a three-fold guilt : viz. against God's a. Authority, refusing His command: Hence the weakness of our Will. b. Love, scorning His friendship : Hence the corruption of our Heart. c. Wisdom, believing rather the word of the tempter : Hence the ignorance in our Intellect. vii. Now the Messiah came in a three-fold capacity, in order a. To atone for this three-fold offence against God. b. To repair this three-fold injury done to Man. ON THE EPISTLES 19 As King : Lke. i. 32. "He shall reign . . . and of His Kingdom there shall be no end." Lke. i. 33. i. Having all power in Heaven and on Earth. Mth. xxviii. 1 8. ii. Destroying the empire of the devil, a rebel from the beginning. iii. Making the conquest of men by His Precious Blood, iv. Founding the Kingdom of His Church, on earth, v. Establishing the Kingdom of His Grace, in souls, vi. Regaining for us the Kingdom of Glory, in Heaven. As Priest : Hebr. vi. 20. i. According to the order of Melchisedech : Ps. cix. 4. Offering a sacrifice, with which no other can compare, ii. Immolating Himself on Calvary, for the atonement of sin. iii. Offering Himself still in Mass, to apply His merits to souls. Hence the dignity and value of Holy Mass ! As Prophet: Deut. xviii. 15. i. Giving to man true knowledge of mysteries of Faith, ii. Fulfilling in Himself the prophecies spoken of Him. iii. Knowing all things, as being truly God : e.g. Reading the secret thoughts of men : Mth. ix. 4 : Jn. i. 47. iv. Foretelling future events : e.g. His Passion and Death: Mth. xx. 18, 19: Lke. xviii. 32. The destruction of Jerusalem : Lke. xix. 44. Lessons : i. We are all anointed in Baptism, &c. : hence, each one is a. King, to govern the kingdom of his heart. b. Priest, to sacrifice his passions to the Law of God. c. Prophet, to show by his life and example, his belief in the future. ii. We must remember our three-fold dignity, and not degrade it by sin. iii. Such a resolution, a worthy offering to our new-born Messiah. 20 SERMON PLANS 10. OUR LORD'S FOUR-FOLD CHARACTER. " Making purgation of sins." Hebr. i. 3. The Text appropriate to Christinas Day : For, i. The Nativity is the visible beginning of our Redeemer's career. ii. To-day He announces the work of purgation of sins, iii. The Prophet saw in vision four faces to the Cherubim. Ezech. i. 10. Typifying the four-fold character of Christ, as oft represented in Art. iv. To-day's Epistle recalls these emblems of the Messiah. Hence consider the four-fold character of our new- born Saviour. I. Face of a Man: i. Denoting Our Lord's human nature, having a. A soul, like ours, with all its faculties. b. A body, like ours, with all its senses. ii. Unless He were man, He could not suffer and atone. Human nature sinned : human nature must atone, iii. As man, " appointed heir of all things." As God, He was Creator and Lord of all. a. Sharing the divine glory, (hypostatic union). b. Through Him only, we become heirs of God. c. Hence, the need of Baptism, Faith, &c. iv. The hypostatic union will never be dissolved for all eternity. 11. Face of an Eagle: i. Denoting Our Lord's divine nature, "by whom He made the world." ii. Creation, being an act of wisdom, is attributed to the Son. "All things were made by Him." Jn. i. 3. ON TH PlSTLE$ in. Giving to all His acts infinite merit and value. Hence, equal to atone for the sins of a thousand worlds. iv. " The brightness of His glory," i.e. same substance as the Father. Comparison of the sun and its rays. A Lap. in loc. v. " Upholding all things," i.e. omnipotent Providence. III. Face of an Ox : i. Denoting Our Lord's priesthood and sacrifice, " Making purgation of sins." Oxen, in the Old Law, the chief victims of sacrifice. ii. Sin closed Heaven against the human race. iii. All men and angels together unable to open it. Finite creatures, hence finite efforts. iv. Our Lord in mercy came to atone for sin. Himself Priest and Victim of infinite value. IV. Face of a Lion : i. Denoting Our Lord's royalty and triumph ; for, " Sitteth on the right hand of the majesty on high." The lion is king of animals, and fears none. ii. Like other men, Our Lord died and was laid in the tomb. His Body adorable there, as to-day in the Crib of Bethlehem. iii. Unlike other men, He rose at once, a pledge of our resurrection. iv. In His Resurrection, through His own will, a. He showed His royalty and power. b. He triumphed over death and all His enemies. Resolution to honour Our Lord's four-fold character of i. God : by adoration and sacrifice. ii. Man : by gratitude and love. iii. Victim : by reparation for sin. iv. King : by confidence and service 44 SEtMON PLANS 11. THE FULNESS OF TIME. " When the fulness of time was come, God sent His Son." Gal. iv. 4. i. Words referring to the day fixed by God for the Incarnation. ii. Perhaps about the year 4,000 of the world's creation, iii. During these long centuries of time, I. God promised a Redeemer, seven times over: viz. to i. Adam and Eve: Gen. iii. 15. ii. Abraham: Gen. xxii. 18. iii. Isaac: Gen. xxvi. 24. iv. Jacob: Gen. xxviii. 14. v. Juda: Gen. xlix. 10. vi. Moses: Deut. xviii. 15. vii. David: 2 Kgs. vii. 12. II. God gave types of the Redeemer: e.g. i. Abel : as the man of suffering : Gen. iv. ii. Noah : as the Saviour of men from the deluge of sin : Gen. vii. iii. Isaias : as Victim for sin : Gen. xxii. iv. Moses : as Deliverer of his people : Ex. xiv. v. Manna: as Food of our souls: Ex. xvi. vi. Brazen Serpent : as raised on the Cross, to heal us : Numb. xxi. III. God's Prophets foretold : e.g. i. His birth of a virgin: Is. vii. 14: Lke. ii. ii. His birth in Bethlehem: Mich. v. 2: Mth. ii. i. iii. His flight into Egypt: Osee xi. i : Mth. ii. 14. iv. His resurrection: Ps. xv. 10: Mth. xxviii. 6. IV. God prepared the World for Him : i. From eternity, God decreed three great designs ; and, ii. To fulfil these, He raised four great empires; Dan, ii, 36, ON THE EPISTLES 23 FIRST DESIGN : The Jews were to be the depositaries of the true Religion. First Empire : The Assyrians : To punish the idolatry and infidelity of the Jews. SECOND DESIGN : Birth of the Messiah in Bethlehem : Mich. v. 2. Second Empire : The Persians. i. To release the Jews from the captivity of Babylon, ii. To enable them to settle again in Palestine. THIRD DESIGN : The spread of the Gospel : Ezech. xviii. 23 : Dan. ii. 44. Third Empire : The Greeks : to prepare men's minds, i. By spreading their language, in which the Gospel was to be written. ii. By scattering the Jews, e.g. in the army, as mission- aries of truth. Fourth Empire: The Romans: to prepare the earth, i. By bringing all nations under their rule : Gen. xlix. 10. ii. By opening out roads, to facilitate communication. Conclusion : i. Then came the " fulness of time," and God sent His Son into the world. ii. The long delay of thousands of years a. Taught man his helplessness and misery. b. Showed him the need and cost of a remedy. c. Implies an eternal design in the mind of God. d. Shows how Religion goes back to the very beginning of time. iii. Recognize how God holds in His hands the reins of empires, and makes all things serve the accom- plishment of His designs. iv. Confide therefore in God ; know you are in His keeping, and under His watchful care, SERMON PLANS 21. HERESIES ON THE INCARNATION. " God sent His Son, made of a woman." Gal. iv. 4. i. Almost every doctrine of the Churcli has been attacked, ii. The mystery of the Incarnation no exception : e.g. by a. The Arians, on the Divinity of our Lord. b. The Monothelites, on His Humanity. c. The Nestorians, on the Union of the two natures. iii. To study these errors helps to elucidate the dogma of the Incarnation. I. Arians : i. Named from Arius, priest of Alexandria, 4th c. who ii. Held Our Lord to be a creature only, with divine power. iii. Denied thus His divine nature, and His equality with the Father, iv. Were condemned in the Council of Nicaca, A.D. 325. a. The Nicene Creed : Consubstantialcm. b. All turning on one letter in a Greek word. (6/xoouo-ios, not 6/xoioverios.) v. Denial of the Divinity is also denial of the Redemption, vi. Hence the need of exactness in matters of dogma. The death of Arius.* II. Monothelites : i. From Greek words meaning ' one will.' ii. Held Our Lord had but one will the divine. a. Hence, that He was not truly man. b. Yet, He was " made of a woman," i.e. human, with a human will, iii. Condemned in the Council of Constantinople, A.D. 680. ON THE EPISTLES 25 iv. In Christ there are two wills, viz. a. Human : " Remove this Chalice from Me." b. Divine : "Not My will, but Thine be done." Lke. xxii. 42. v. The two always in perfect union, though truly distinct. The Human ever subject to the Divine, as in the Agony. III. Nestorians : i. Named from Nestorius, Bp. of Constantinople, 5th c. ii. Held there are two persons in Christ, iii. Denied thus the hypostatic union, iv. Taught therefore that Mary is not " Mother of God," But of Christ, as man only, v. Condemned in the Council of Ephesus, A.D. 431. a. Solemn definition of the title " Mother of God." b. Rejoicings thereat throughout the city. Lessons : i. The Church has had heresy to oppose all through her history, ii. This warfare such that she could not survive, except under the protection of the Holy Ghost, iii. Confidence therefore in the Church, as the work of God. iv. Importance of knowing well the true teachings of the Church. This, only through instruction and good books. * Arius had many followers and was with them preparing one day to be forcibly received back into the Church. With much parade, they formed a joyful procession, when suddenly their leader was seized with frightful spasms which compelled him to retire. After some delay, he was found on the floor, his blood and intestines strewn around him : his body had burst asunder, like that of Judas. Theodont. 26 SERHfON I'LANS 13. A GOOD LIFE. " We should live soberly and justly and godly." Tit. ii. 12. i. Text most suitable to the beginning of a new year, ii. Suggests how we must live henceforth ; viz. in a. Sobriety, as to ourselves : b. Justice, as to our neighbour, and c. Religion, as to God. I. Soberly: i. Duty regarding our own lives, ii. Avoid excess in food, and especially in drink. What sins of drunkenness during the year past ! iii. But sobriety here implies the cardinal virtue of Temperance, i.e. a. Moderation in all things, even lawful. b. Restraint of the senses. c. The spirit of self-denial. iv. Effects on ourselves : a. Brightness and cheerfulness. b. Evenness of disposition. c. Health and strength of body. d. Perseverance in the practice of virtue, v. A first maxim with all holy persons : e.g. Judith viii. 6. Daniel x. 3. S.John the Baptist: Mth. iii. 4: Lke. i. 15. S. Peter of Alcantara: Oct. 19. II. Justly: i. Essential duty we owe to our neighbour, ii. How great the sins of injustice in the world ! e.g. a. Theft and robbery. b. Fraud and deceit in every form. C, Injury to name and character in any way. 6.V TtfE EPISTLES 2? iii. How irreparable often the evils that follow ! e.g. a. Hatred and dislikes. b. Lawsuits and quarrels. c. Hardness of heart. d. Even bloodshed and murder. iv. How binding, yet how difficult, the duty of restitution ! III. Godly: i. Words embracing all our duties to God. ii. How great, how widespread the neglect of them ! iii. Yet the first and foremost duty of each one. " Seek ye first the kingdom of God." Mth. vi. 33. iv. Observance of God's commandments, v. Obedience to His Church, vi. Resignation to the Divine Will. vii. The Sacrifice of the Mass, on Sundays and Holydays. viii. The Sacraments, channels of Grace to souls. Lessons : i. To-day we begin a new year of life. a. Shall we see the end of it ? b. Thousands certainly will not ! ii. Need therefore of good resolutions on these three points, iii. " A good beginning is half the work." Hence start well, with God's grace, iv. Then look with hope for the " coming of the glory of God." 28 SERMON PLANS 14. CHRIST, OUR REDEEMER. " Who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us." Tit. ii. 14. i. We not only believe that Christ became man for us, ii. But we also know the object of His birth our redemption. Redemption : i. Idea of a Redeemer seen in one who ransoms a slave.* ii. Need of a Redeemer. a. Adam's sin closed Heaven to man. b. Malice of this sin against God infinite. c. Thus man, a finite being, could not repair it. d. Hence the need of a God-man to do so. iii. Effected by Our Lord's shedding His Blood for us. a. He offered Himself to God, as Priest and Victim. b. Sacrifice of infinite value, because of the dignity of His person, iv. Universal, i.e. for all men : " Propitiation for the sins of the whole world." I Jn. ii. 2. "Christ died for all." 2 Cor. v. 15. " Who gave Himself a redemption for all." I Tim. ii. 6. a. For those living before the Incarnation, through faith in the future Redeemer. b. For those coming afterwards, by living up to His teachings. Benefits of the Redemption : i. Delivery from sin. "Redemption through His Blood, the remission of sins." Eph. i. 7. " VVho washed us from our sins." Apoc. i. 5. ON THE EPISTLES 29 ii. Hence, delivery from Hell, the punishment of sin. "Who hath delivered us from the wrath to come." I Thess. i. 10. iii. The grace of election : "The Father chose us in Him " (Christ). Eph. i. 4. iv. The grace of justification, i.e. sanctifying grace. "The Blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth us from all sin." i Jn. i. 7. a. " By which we remain in Christ, and He in us." Jn. xv. 4. b. Which makes our works pleasing to God. c. By which they become the works of Christ Himself. As branches receive nourishment from the trunk. d. Which makes them meritorious of v. Eternal glory : "Whom He justified, them He also glorified." Rom. viii. 30. "The grace of God, life everlasting." Rom. vi. 23. " He became the cause of eternal salvation." Hebr. v. 9. Lessons : i. Deep love of gratitude to our most holy Redeemer, ii. Observance of His Law, as proof of our love. " If you love Me, keep My commandments." Jn. xvi. 15. iii. Chanty to all men, redeemed like ourselves. Otherwise our love of God is not genuine : i Jn. iv. 20. iv. To effect our salvation, we must believe and love. " Faith that worketh by charity." Gal. v. 6. * To free their brethren from slavery and to buy them their liberty has ever been looked upon by Christians as one of the greatest of good works. S. Paulinus, of Nola, even himself became a slave to redeem another, and S. Exuperius sold the sacred vessels, in order to have means to fulfil this merciful duty. 30 SERMON PLANS 15. HOLY INNOCENTS. History ; i. Our Lord was persecuted, as soon as He came among men. Hence we may not expect better treatment : Mth. x. 24. ii. Herod, King of Judaea, was a monster of iniquity and cruelty. Having put to death his mother, mother-in-law, two sons and many friends. iii. Hearing the Magi's enquiry about Christ, he was troubled : Mth. ii. 3. a. Hence he resolved on the death of the Child of Bethlehem. b. He feigned a wish to go and adore the new born King : Ibid. 8. With dagger in hand, to slay Him ! But, c. God admonished the Magi not to return to Herod to report. d. He also ordered S.Joseph to carry the Child into Egypt. 1. A journey of some 200 miles. 2. Tradition as to the idols falling. Is. xix. i. 3. Fulfilment of the prophecy of Osee xi. i. iv. Obedience of S.Joseph: prompt, blind, courageous. a. He was not told how long to remain there. A constant anxiety : yet was he ever resigned. b. The gold of the Magi was a help during the exile, v. Thus frustrated in his design, Herod was exceeding angry : Mth. ii. 16. a. He therefore resolved to slay all male children under 2 years in and around Bethlehem. b. Soldiers sent to massacre all, perhaps over 100. 1. Obedience and harshness of the military. 2. Sufferings and shrieks of the children and their mothers, f. Yet happy was the death of these children ! j. Just receiving life, and already losing it for Christ. ON THE EPISTLES 31 2. Their special glory : to die instead of Him. 3. How few might otherwise have escaped the evils of life ! d. Their mothers thought not of this, hence their lamentations. As we oft regret accidents, though blessings in disguise, vi. How blind and furious a passion is ambition : see Herod ! vii. Misery and misfortunes of his last end : a. He survives the massacre by only a short time. He would have committed suicide, had he been allowed. b. Sickness and sufferings intense, in the body. 1. Worms were breeding in his very wounds. 2. The stench thereof drove away even his best friends. c. Torture of mind, through remorse and despair. 1. Yet amid all, he had a son executed in prison ; and, 2. Ordered some Jews to be executed after his own decease ! d. At length, he died miserably, cursed by all the people. See the angered Justice of God in these punishments. Reflections ; i. Parents are bound to see their children devoted to God. a. Imprinting the best sentiments on their young minds. b. Instructing them thoroughly in their religion ; for, c. Without knowing God, we cannot love or serve Him. ii. Great too should be the zeal of children and others to hear of God. The eternal truths ; and our various duties, iii. Do not unduly lament the death of innocent children : for, a. If baptized, they are at once united to God for eternity. b. Could a greater blessing ever be given them ? 32 SERMON PLANS 16. LOVE OF OUR NEIGHBOUR. " If God hath so loved us, we also ought to love one another." i Jn. iv. ii. i. The epistles of Christmastide full of the subject of charity ; for, ii. The Love of God appeared to us in the Incarnation. Hence, iii. S. John argues we must love one another. We must love our neighbour : i. All persons, even our enemies : ii. In God and for God, as a motive, iii. Because: a. God so commands : "Thou shall love thy neighl>our." Mth. xxii. 39. " A new commandment : that you love one another." Jn. xiii. 34. b. We are all children of God, and brothers of Christ." Mth. xxiii. g. c. In loving them, we love God : Prov. xix. 1 7. d. It is a powerful means to obtain mercy: i Pet. iv. 8. e. Without this, we cannot truly love God : i Jn. iv. 20. iv. This love of others makes earth a foretaste of Heaven, v. This one law, if observed, would dispense with all human law. This brotherly love : i. Makes us regard our neighbours' interests as our own. a. The very spirit of Christianity. b. Opposed to the spirit of envy. ON THE EPISTLES 33 ii. Produces : a. Peace and concord. b. Willingness to act and suffer for others. c. Readiness on their part to do likewise, iii. Shown by : a. Sincere congratulations on success. b. Sympathy in trial and sorrow. c. Repression of rancour and ill-feeling. d. Not giving offence. e. Not taking offence. /. The Works of Mercy, corporal and spiritual, iv. Exemplified in : Abraham towards Lot : Gen. xiii. 8. David and Jonathan : i Kgs. xviii. Our Lady towards her cousin : Lke. i. 39. S. John, throughout his Epistles. Founders of Orders, making it an essential point of their rule, v. Attained by : a. Love of God first, of which it is a part. b. Considering that 1. Envy makes us resemble the devil. 2. We are all brothers in God. c. Speaking well of others and defending them. d. Helping a neighbour. e. Seeing Christ in all men. Lessons : i. Appreciate the spirit of the Church at this season of love, ii. In imitation of the love of Bethlehem, show love to others, iii. Mere philanthropy is not the Christian love of our neighbour. For it has no motives higher than this earth, iv. Practical and detailed resolutions for the year just begun. D 34 SERMON PLANS 17, THE FEAST OF CONVERTS. " The Gentiles shall walk in Thy light." Is. Ix. 3. i. The three Kings were the first Gentiles to visit Bethlehem, ii. They were the first converts to walk in the light of faith. iii. To-day thus becomes the Feast of Converts, iv. Consider some points of resemblance between the Kings and Converts. The Kings ; i. Their life before they saw the Star : a. Seeking the true God, yet with uncertainty. b. Anxious to remain at home, God now calling elsewhere, ii. The Star arises : Mth. ii. 2. a. Their heart tells them to follow it. b. Friends blame and expostulate ; but, c. They are faithful to the call, and set out. iii. The Star at one time disappears, a. As they near Jerusalem and its crowds. b. But this only quickens enquiry : Mth. ii. 2. c. False counsels given, which they do not follow : Mth. ii. 8. iv. The Star reappears : 0. To their intense joy. b. They persevere on their way. c. And reach Bethlehem in safety. v. They find the new-born Saviour: Mth. ii. ii. a. Their adoration and three- fold offering. b. Perhaps they embrace the Divine Child ; and, c. Enjoy sensible sweetness, a strength to the faith, vi. They return home by another road: Mth. ii. 12. a. To escape the treachery of Herod. b. Living now by the light they have received. c. Becoming missionaries among their countrymen. d. Their peaceful and happy death. ON THE EPISTLES 35 II. Converts: i. Life before conversion : a. Often truly conscientious, according to their lights. b. Content with their state, though doubts sometimes arise, ii. Some circumstance in life arrests their serious attention, e.g. A reverse of fortune, a sermon, an accident, etc. a. They feel drawn to examine their position. b. Friends hearing this, treat it as folly. c. But they are determined, and seek advice, iii. The voice of conscience sometimes dies down : a. Perhaps through worldly cares and preoccupa- tion. b. Anxious friends encourage the indifference. c. Yet faithful to God, they correspond to their grace, iv. Then the true path seems more clear than ever. a. Their conscience once more at ease. b. They continue instructions, reading, etc. c. Final resolve to embrace the Catholic Faith. v. Baptism and other Sacraments : a. Fervour and devotion. b. Often spiritual sweetness as encouragement, vi. They continue their routine of life. a. Avoiding however discussions on Religion. b. Rejoicing in true peace of mind. c. Influencing others by their example. d. Good life and holy death. Lessons : i. Gratitude for the gift of Faith, ii. Fidelity to grace, iii. Zeal to obtain the same for others. SERMON PLANS 18. CONVERSION OF THE GENTILES. " The strength of the Gentiles shall come to thee." Is. Ix. 5. i. To-day's lesson prophetical of the world's conversion. Isaias lived some 700 years B.C. ii. Read to-day, the Christmas Day of the Gentiles. a. The three Kings, the first called among them. b. As the Shepherds were among the Jews. iii. " The strength of the Gentiles," i.e. great and powerful nations, iv. " Shall come to thee," i.e. to the Church, here called Jerusalem, v. Consider some examples : I. Early Conversions : i. Rome alone in the 4th c. had already 40 Churches, ii. Most of Italy converted by the disciples of S. Peter, iii. Gaul, in the ist c. by disciples of other Apostles. In the 3rd c. it had as many bishoprics as large cities, iv. The north of Africa, in the 2nd c. 70 Bishops at the Council of Carthage, end of 2nd c. v. Conversion of Spain, A.D. 250. II. Ireland: 5th c. i. S. Patrick, Apostle of Ireland. a. Early carried into slavery. b. On his release, his studies in Rome. c. Sent as missionary by Pope Celestine. ii. Eagerness with which he was listened to. Source of the veneration still shown to him. Tradition of the shamrock-leaf, iii. Success of his apostolic labours. a. Foundation of monasteries innumerable. b. Conversion of the island. c. Its fidelity to the Faith. ON THE EPISTLES 37 III. England : 6th c. i. Christianity from the time of the Apostles, even, ii. Increased by the conversion of King Lucius, A.D. 180. S. Alban, our proto-martyr, A.D. 303 June 22. iii. Permanently established through monks sent from Rome, viz. iv. S. Augustine and 40 companions, A.D. 597. 0. The landing in Kent. b. Interview with Ethelbert under the oak.* c. Conversion of the King and of many of his people. d. See of Canterbury established, with the primacy, v. Flourishing state of Religion till the i6th c. vi. Catholic revival of the present time. IV. Missionary enterprise nowadays : e.g. i. In China, by the Jesuits. ii. In India, by the Jesuits and Dominicans, iii. In Africa, by the Oblates of M.I. and the White Fathers. Lessons : i. The Epiphany is our Christmas Day, we being Gentiles. ii. Gratitude for the call to the true Faith, iii. Zeal to extend this grace to others : a. By prayer, that the prophet's words may be fully realized. b. By contributions to missionary societies. * The Saxon prince, Ethelbert, received the missionaries under an oak, in an open field, at the suggestion of his priests, who had told him that in such a situation the spells of the foreign magicians would lose their influence. Ethelbert at first refused to abandon the gods of his fathers, but the missionaries were allowed to preach without molestation, and were supported at his expense. On the feast of Pentecost in the following year, he himself received Baptism. Lingard. 258254 SERMON PLANS 19. "REASONABLE SERVICE." "A living sacrifice, holy, pleasing unto God." Rom. xii. i. i. Sacrifice ever an essential to public worship. a. In the Old Law, sacrifices of animals. b. In the New Law, the sacrifice of the Mass. ii. In private devotion also, sacrifice is necessary. The Apostle asks the sacrifice of our bodies. I. Living Sacrifice: i. S. Paul alludes to the olden sacrifices, animals slain. ii. With these he contrasts living victims, our bodies, as they are : iii. Living, because a. Still inhabited by the soul, not slain and dead. b. Animated by vivifying works of the spiritual life : e.g. Christian virtues, almsdeeds, prayer. c. Especially, mortification makes it a living victim ; and is 1 . A sort of death, the death of concupiscence. 2. In some degree, necessary to all men. Though in its perfection, only of counsel. 3. The way to sanctity ; it may even fit for martyrdom, iv. Three kinds of sacrifice of ourselves to God : viz. a. Of the mind, by prayer. b. Of the body, by mortification, etc. c. Of our works, by almsdeeds. S. Cyprian to the convicts.* II. Holy Sacrifice: The Jewish victims sacred, and not to be touched by the unclean : Lev. i. 3. i. Holy, because a. Dedicated to God in Baptism. b. Thus separated from things profane : e.g. pride, ambition. OAT THE EPISTLES 39 c. Especially, it must be kept free from impure sin. 1. So directly opposed to the holiness of God. 2. Chastity according to one's state essential to holiness, ii. Keep thus holy the body that is to be offered to God. III. Pleasing Sacrifice: The Jewish victims were as an odour of sweetness to God : Lev. i. 1 7. i. Pleasing, when truly a holy and living sacrifice, (as above) if, e.g : a. The eyes refrain from sinful looks. b. The tongue, from uncharitable language. c. The hands, from unlawful gains. d. The feet, from leading us to sin : 5. Chrysostom. ii. On the contrary, our sacrifice is not pleasing, if we are a. Proud and rebellious against God.. b. Jealous and envious of others. c. Given to unlawful pleasure. d. Guilty of injustice in any form. If such be our state, no sacrifice of ours can please God. Lessons : i. Ever then present your bodies to God, a sacrifice worthy of Him. ii. Thus will you give Him your " reasonable service," i.e. a. Service dictated by reason and discretion. b. Not mere outward service, like that of the Jews. c. But a spiritual worship of the soul guiding the body. iii. Such service will assuredly bring you a blessing, here and hereafter. * S. Cyprian consoled those who, for their Faith, were condemned to work in the mines, by telling them that, though deprived of the Holy Sacrifice of the Eucharist, they could offer to God a victim, pleasing to Him and meritorious for themselves, by bearing their painful trials in patience, a sacrifice of their bodies offered night and day unceasingly, holy, living and pleasing, according to the words of the text. 40 SERMON PLANS 20. CONSTITUTION OF THE CHURCH. "We being many are one body in Christ." Rom. xii. 5. i. The Apostle compares the Church to the human frame, ii. As the body has a complex formation, so too the Church, iii. Consider then its Constitution. I. The Head: i. The human body has a head. Body without head is a contradiction. a. Seat of the directing power the Intellect. b. United with the various members of the body, ii. The Church also has a head. a. Jesus Christ, its Founder, the invisible Head, in Heaven. b. The Pope, His Vicar, its visible Head, on earth. The Church, a visible society, needs a visible head. c. This two-fold headship not a contradiction. King and Viceroy exist for the same de- pendency of India. d. No society can exist without a head. e. From this Head flows all power and authority ; /. To it all final appeals are made. II. The Members: i. The body has various members ; (hands, feet, etc.) a. Each has its own work and function : Eyes, to see ; feet, to walk. b. Yet in union and sympathy with each other. c. All subject to the head and its commands. ii. The Church too has various members and grades. a. Each its own duty to fulful : e.g. Bishops . . Priests . . Faithful : i Cor. xii. 29. ON THE EPISTLES 41 b. All in union with each other, by 1. The interior link of Faith and Grace. 2. The exteriorlmkof Sacraments and Worship. c. All united to the Head, by Love, reverence and obedience. III. The Soul: i. The body has a soul to animate it. a. Without it, the body is a corpse, helpless, etc. b. This soul gives life and energy to its every part, ii. The Church also has a soul the Holy Ghost. "In one Spirit we were all baptized into one body." I Cor. xii. 13. a. Our Lord's work incomplete, till the Spirit descended on it. b. Powers of the Apostles in abeyance, till He came upon them. c. His love and grace unite the members together, and give them spiritual increase and sancti- fication. d. He thus animates with divine life the mystical body of Christ. Conclusion : i. Thus does the human body truly typify the Church, ii. This briefly the Constitution of the Church, of which a. The invisible Head and Soul are divine. b. The visible Members, human. iii. We are members of this mystical body ; hence, a. Be grateful for so signal a grace. b. Live lives worthy of such a vocation. Eph. iv. i. c. Pray that others also may share it.* * The Holy Ghost declares the absolute necessity for all men to be, as members of a body, in perfect union with the Church, in order to be in union with Christ. Separation from her, if culpable, is irreparable folly, for separation from her, the Body, means separation from Christ, the Head, and the Holy Ghost, the Soul. The result of such separation is, that spiritual life is impossible for one in such a state as impossible as is natural life for a limb dissevered from the body. Duke. SERMON PLANS 21. FERVOUR AND TEPIDITY. "In spirit fervent." Rom. xii. n. i. S. Paul bids us be fervent in the service of the Lord of Lords: Whose eyes are ever upon us in the homage we do Him. ii. Consider then the subject of Fervour, and of its opposite, Tepidity. Fervour : i. An ardent and efficacious desire of living up to our vocation. a. The state of the Saints upon earth. b. Should be the state of all who aim at perfection, ii. Motives: a. The greatness of God's goodness to us. b. His liberality to His faithful servants. c. The shortness of time allotted to us for work. d. The joy of heart which Fervour brings. iii. Means: a. Meditation on such motives. b. The thought of the uncertainty of life.* c. See the zeal of worldlings in their pursuits. d. Remember the greatness of future rewards, iv. Fruits : a. Great courage for good. b. Self-distrust. c. Love of mortification. d. Holy indifference. c. Peace of heart. v. Examples: King David, in the service of God : i Par. xxix. 2. S. Ignatius, whose face seemed inflamed in prayer : Jiy- 31- S. Stanislaus Kostka, who died of fulness of divine love: Nov. 13. ON THE EPISTLES 43 Tepidity : i. The very opposite of Fervour, a canker in the soul, ii. Recognized by such symptoms as : a. Facility in omitting exercises of religion. b. Negligence in those we do perform. c. Acting without any kind of intention. d. Seeking comfort and distraction in earthly things. e. Contempt of small things, and opportunities for good. /. Thinking rather of the good we have done, than of the good left undone. iii. Most hateful to God, who condemns it so forcibly, in a passage without any parallel in Scripture : Apoc. iii. 1 6. iv. Effects : a. The forming of a false conscience. b. Fear to undertake too much for God. c. Irreverent use of the Sacraments. v. Examples : They are tepid and lukewarm, who, e.g. : a. Are patient, when they have nothing to suffer. b. Are gentle, when uncontradicted. c. Are humble, when honour is untouched. d. Wish to be saints, without trouble or struggle. e. Are willing to do many things, but not to take Heaven by violence, vi. Remedies : a. Quicken your Faith, by meditation on the eternal Truths. b. Don't have too many things to do. c. Preserve silence, without singularity. d. Persevere in spiritual exercises. e. Practise bodily penance and self-denial. * If thou wouldst oftener think of thy death than of the length of thy life, no doubt thou wouldst more fervently amend thyself. Imit. i. xxi. 44 SERMON PLANS 22. CURSING. " Curse not." Rom. xii. 14. i. The Epistle to-day a continuation of last Sunday's, ii. S. Paul continues his instructions to his Roman converts. iii. In them, much for us also to learn : to-day on cursing. Sin very common nowadays : hence, worthy of consideration. Cursing : i. Praying evil on ourselves, or any of God's creatures, ii. Sin of diabolical malice, because a. Directly opposed to the Law of God, 1. Who tells us to love one another. 2. While the curser hates his neighbour. b. Opposed to the very object of the Incarnation. 1. Which is the salvation of men. 2. The curser prays for their damnation. c. It usually gives bad example. Mth. xviii. 6. Especially in parents, masters, etc. d. He shows ingratitude, who curses his tools, cattle, etc. 1. All these are God's gifts, deserving of thanks. 2. No wonder if such a one does not prosper ! e. Cursing is the language of Hell ! iii. Scripture gives four cases where cursing is answered : a. The poor cursing the rich who oppress them. " The prayer of him (the poor) that curseth thee shall be heard." Ecclus. iv. 6. b. Widows and orphans cursing their oppressors. " The widow's tears . . . the Lord will not be delighted with them." Ecclus. xxxv. 19. ON THE EPISTLES 45 c. Parents cursing their children How common a sin! "The mother's curse rooteth up the foundation." Ecclus. iii. II. A mother's curse.* d. People cursing themselves. " He loved cursing, and it shall come unto him." Ps. cviii. 18. The Jews in the wilderness : Numb. xiv. 3, 29. The Jews on Calvary : Mth. xxvii. 25. Guilt of cursing : i. Mortal sin, when a. The evil is great and adverted to ; or, b. The habit is continued, ii. Venial sin, where a. The evil is not great, or deliberate ; or, b. The habit is being corrected. Lessons : i. Realize the evil of this sin : a. So hateful to God. b. So injurious to His creatures. c. Yet so common in the world ! ii. Renounce this shocking and anti-Christian practice, iii. Avoid coarse and profane language of any kind, iv. Make reparation to the Holy Name of God herein abused : e.g. a. To say the Litany of the Holy Name ; (to-day.) b. To say the Divine Praises. * A rich widow, in Florence, had two children, whom she loved even to weakness, never refusing them anything. One day however she was constrained to refuse some unreasonable request ; but this so irritated them that they raised their hand and struck her. In her anger, the poor mother cursed her children, praying the devil to seize them. At that very moment, he did so, and they began to fight like wild beasts, ready to tear each other to pieces. It was only on the prayer of S. Zenobius, Bishop of Florence, that they were healed, and their conversion effected. Delmas. 46 SERMON PLANS 23. REVENGE. " Not revenging yourselves, my dearly beloved." Rom. xii. 19. i. S. Paul warns his Roman converts against revenge, ii. A sin common in the world, to be now considered. Revenge ; and spite. i. Returning evil for evil, ii. Most sinful, as directly opposed to the Law of God. "If one strike thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other." Mth. v. 39. "Love your enemies, do good to them that hate you." Mth. v. 44. " Be not overcome by evil, but overcome evil by good." Rom. xii. 21. S. John Gualbert observed these commands : Jly. 1 2. iii. Arrogates God's attribute to itself. " Revenge is mine, and I will repay." Deut. xxxii. 35. " He that seeketh to revenge himself shall find vengeance from the Lord." Ecclus. xxviii. i. a. A great evil to be the object of God's anger. " It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." Hebr. x. 31. b. For God's anger is terrible in its effects : e.g. The Deluge : Gen. vii. The destruction of Sodom : Gen. xix. 24. c. Therefore, instead of revenge, show pity to a victim of God's displeasure. Effects of taking revenge : i. It bars the way to God's forgiveness. " If you will not forgive men, neither will your Father forgive you." Mth. vi. 15. ON THE EPISTLES 47 ii. It makes the Ouv Father a mockery on our lips. " Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive." A nun's revenge.* iii. It unfits us for the Sacraments. "Go first to be reconciled to thy brother." Mth. v. 24. iv. It leads to injustice, calumny, even murder, v. It destroys peace of mind. Like a splinter left in a wound. Remedies against revenge : i. Meditation on the injury sin does to God, who so punishes it. ii. Thought of His readiness to pardon and forgive. *' I desire not the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live." Ezech. xxxiii. ii. " Who maketh His sun to rise upon the good and bad." Mth. v. 45. iii. Prayer for those for whom we feel ill-will most efficacious. "Pray for them that persecute you." Mth. v. 44. iv. The sight of Our Lord on the Cross. " Father, forgive them." Lke. xxiii. 34. v. Thus will you avoid a sin so hateful to God, so injurious to others, and so ruinous to your own soul. * During the cholera epidemic in Paris, in 1832, a Sister of Charity, going into the hospital, was rudely insulted by a passing workman. One morning a new patient was brought in whose condition seemed desperate. " No more room," was the answer of the person in charge : but the Sister was there, recognized the patient and exclaimed : " Do not refuse him : I'll find him a corner somewhere, and will tend him myself." And without neglecting her other patients, she cared for this one so well that in eight or ten days he was convalescent : but one morning she was missed from his side : she died of the cholera taken in attending the one who had insulted her : she revenged herself on him after the manner of the Saints. Guillois. SERMON PLANS 24. APOSTOLIC COUNSELS. i. How strange we are no better than we are ! ii. It is not through lack of instruction, for we have a. Moses and the Prophets. b. Our Lord's divine teaching. c. The example of Our Lord and the Saints. d. S. Paul's epistles these weeks past. Let us try to profit by all these, iii. To-day again three plain lessons are inculcated, viz : I. True self-knowledge: " Be not wise in your own conceits." Rom. xii. 16. i. Perfect self-knowledge lies in true humility, ii. Humility is a true estimate of ourselves. a. It does not imply falsehood : e.g. Saying we have no talent, if we really have. b. But refers all merit to God alone. c. It acknowledges its own weakness and is not puffed up. iii. Sometimes men have overweening ideas as to their own judgment. a. Foolishness of this : for, b. Their past mistakes and the experience of the world should make them diffident, iv. Fear not to seek counsel and advice from others. v. What it takes years of experience to learn, grace can teach quickly, if we follow the Apostle's advice : Rom. xii. 16. II. Forgiveness of Injuries: "To no man rendering evil for evil." Rom. xii. 17. i. You may expect injury at the hands of others : for, In this world good and evil are mixed. ON THE EPISTLES ii. If you expect it, be not troubled when it conies. a. " Forewarned is forearmed ; " thus, b. You are better fitted to meet it. Hi. Evil tends to beget evil. a. To return it is folly and sin. b. It multiplies the miseries of life. c. It recoils on ourselves. iv. Therefore overcome evil by doing good : Rom. xii. 21. a. Forgiving injuries. b. Praying for them that persecute you : Mth. v. 44. III. Good Example : " Providing good things ... in the sight of all men." Rom. xii. 17. i. Further means of fighting against evil. ii. Not to be done for vanity or applause ; but, iii. As Christians, men are entitled to expect good from us: Mth. v. 1 6. iv. Hence fear not to do good before others : e.g. a. To lead a practical Catholic life. b. To do works of mercy, etc. v. Good example tends to right the balance of good, as against evil in the world. Conclusion : i. What a blessing to learn but one lesson every Sunday ! ii. During Mass, ask, through S. Paul, the grace to profit by his teachings to-day. iii. Then we shall improve and make some progress. 50 SERMON PLANS 25. PAYMENT OF DEBTS. " Owe no man anything." Rom. xiii. 8. i. There is one debt we can never fully pay the debt of charity.* ii. All other debts we must try to discharge. " Owe no man anything." iii. Too often neglected is this precept of the Apostle. We must pay our debts : i. When goods are bought, the price of them belongs to the seller. He parts with them, on the understanding we pay him their value. ii. To refuse payment is an unjust keeping of what belongs to another. a. Now, all unjust keeping is forbidden by the 7th Commandment. b. It is always sinful, therefore, to some degree. c. Hence, we must pay our debts. iii. Under this heading come wages, loans, interest, rent, etc. a. They are all real debts of justice. b. But how often is there unnecessary delay in paying them. iv. We must economize, so as to be able to meet our liabilities.! Evils of delay : i. Inconvenience and loss to creditors. a. Tradesmen have goods to buy, for resale. b. These they must pay for. c. But how do it, if their own dues be withheld ? d. All know the inconvenience of want of money, ii. Sometimes such delay may spell ruin. a. Tradespeople being thus unable to pay their way, further goods are refused them. b. What responsibility in us, to place them in such a position ! iii. Necessity of having to make restitution, founded on a. The Natural Law, implanted in the heart. b. The Divine Law of God : Ex. xxii. 5 : Mth. xxii. 21. ON THE EPISTLES 51 c. The Civil Law of nations. d. Duty most strictly binding, where possible. e. Duty oftentimes as difficult as it is essential, e.g. Through human respect, fear of detection, etc. iv. Ill-feeling between neighbours : a. Men thus defrauded naturally resent the evil. b. Ill-feeling may then spring up, which 1. May deepen into hatred, and 2. Lead to detraction, calumny, etc. c. Thus is scandal produced. v. Scorn and ridicule brought on Religion : for, a. Too often " Good church-goers are bad debt- payers." b. Too often they run into debt for mere luxuries. c. Too often they borrow, without prospect of being able to repay ; d. Too often they take offence, when asked to settle accounts ! e. All this is opposed to simple honesty and true Religion. Hence the contempt into which Religion is brought. Lessons : i. Ever show real honesty in all your dealings with others. ii. Be thoughtful to pay your just debts within reason- able time, iii. If bound to restitution, make it at once. Conscience cannot rest till this be done. Better still iv. Avoid the difficulty of restitution, by avoiding the cause of it. v. All this will be easy, if we make Christian charity our guide. * I always owe charity to others, which alone when paid leaves me still their debtor. Mutual love I willingly give, and gladly receive. When I receive it, I still demand it, and when I pay it, I still owe it. S. Augustine. t Let no man ever think that economy is meanness, or that it is to be despised. It is he who saves that can afford to give ; and nothing is mean which is honest, and which enables us to do justice to others. 5 a SERMON PLANS 26. THE DECALOGUE. i. S. Paul tells us charity is the fulfilment of the Law : Rom. xiii. 10. ii. He then goes on to recall a good part of this Law. iii. Take this occasion to speak on the Decalogue. The Decalogue : i. So called from the Greek, meaning " ten words." ii. Comprises the ten Commandments, given on Sina : Ex. xx. a. A compendium of Morals, as the Creed is of Faith. b. Explicit statement of the laws of truth, order, and justice, iii. Like God Himself, they are Holy . . . True . . . Just . . . Unchangeable, iv. Necessary for salvation. a. Our first duty to God is belief in His Reve- lation. Delivering the Mind from ignorance. b. Our second duty is observance of His Laws. Delivering the Heart from concupiscence. c. Need of knowing these laws, through instruc- tion, etc. v. Not a burden, but a benefit to man, even here. The parapet.* vi. Divided into a. Positive : requiring a thing to be done : e.g. the 4th. b. Negative : forbidding a thing to be done : e.g. the 7th. The stream and its banks. I 53 vii. Binding a. On all men, unlike human laws. b. Each and every commandment : " Whosoever shall offend in one point is become guilty of all." Jas. ii. 10. One instrument out of tune destroys a whole concerted piece. One weak link weakens the whole chain, viii. Therefore possible to all. a. God is wisdom, goodness, and justice. b. He does not, can not, exact the impossible. c. Grace is given to enable us to observe His Law. d. The Saints have kept it, so may we. ix. Confirmed by Christ in the New Law : a. By His teaching and doctrine. b. By His example in life. c. By His sending the Holy Ghost. Lessons : i. Learn, understand and love the commandments. ii. Humility, in submission- and obedience to them, iii. Petition for grace in temptation against them, iv. Heaven the reward of observing them. * If on a narrow plank, crossing a ravine, a parapet is raised on either side, so that a traveller cannot fall into the abyss, unless he deliberately leap over it, no one would consider its erection a piece of tyranny, or an unreasonable curtailment of his freedom and liberty : on the contrary, it is a benefit bestowed to secure his safety. So with man, on his way to eternity, the Commandments are a protection to him, as he passes along the plank of life, guarding him against falling into the deep abyss of Hell. Gaume. t The positive precepts are like so many different streams, conveying the riches of a fountain to various parts of the earth. The negative are like banks, hindering the passions from troubling the waters, and turning them out of their course. Gaume. 54 SERMON PLANS 27. PURITY OF INTENTION. " All things do ye in the name of the Lord." Col. iii. 17. i. God created all things for His glory, ii. We should do all for the same motive, iii. Such practice useful to our own souls also. The Glory of God : i. Much of it is lost on earfh, a. By the sins of men. b. Through forgetfulness of God. c. Even good people giving God the second place. Under show of moderation, human respect, etc. ii. Zeal of Our Lord to procure His Father's glory: e.g. His stay among the doctors : Lke. ii. 49. His labours for souls. His agony over sin : Mth. xxvi. iii. We also should seek God's glory : e.g. by Purity of Intention : i. Doing even our most trifling acts for God : e.g. a. Rising, eating, labour, pain, pleasure. b. No matter how trivial the act, heavenly motives sanctify it. ii. Through the offering we make of them to God : a. On waking, for the whole day. b. And again before our chief actions, iii. Principle grounded on Our Lord's promise. The cup of cold water : Mth. x. 42. 'iv. Turns all we do into merit for eternity. A true "philosopher's stone." a. Most of the Saints sanctified through their common actions. ON THE EPISTLES 55 b. These done with extraordinary fervour and good motive. c. We thus "pray without ceasing." i Thess. v. 17. v. If the Saints could grieve, it would be over loss of glory, through neglect of this practice, vi. The pity we should fail in this ! a. Our labours have to be performed. b. Our sufferings have to be borne. Why not thus sanctify both ? c. Our pleasures in no way diminished by it. S. Charles playing chess.* vii. This spirit of oblation begets tender familiarity with God. The childlike freedom of the Saints springs from it. Lessons : i. Adopt this truly Catholic and simple practice. The habit of making the morning offering easily acquired. ii. Apply it in practice to the whole day, to "All whatsoever you do, in word or in work." iii. Atone to God for the glory He is robbed of. The " A.M.D.G." of S. Ignatius. f iv. So increase daily your merit for eternity. * When others were saying what they would forthwith begin to do, if they knew that they should die within an hour, S.Charles Borromeo said he should go on with a game of chess he was engaged in, for he began it simply for God's glory, and he desired nothing better than to be called away in the midst of an action begun for the glory of God. Faber. f To excite himself and his disciples to do all for God, S. Ignatius ever kept before him the words : Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam the motto now of the Society of Jesus. SERMON PLANS 28. MUSIC IN THE CHURCH. In hymns and spiritual canticles, singing ... to God." Col. iii. 16. i. The fine arts thrive best as handmaids of Religion, ii. Among them all, the Church especially interests herself in Music. iii. The voice of Praise, the earth's answer to its Maker's word of Creation. Music (Vocal and Instrumental) : i. Always, and everywhere part of Divine Worship. Expressing gratitude, joy, sorrow, etc. ii. Common among the Hebrews : e.g. The Canticle of Moses, the oldest recorded. Ex. xv. Especially David's psalms, called the " Book of Praise." Choirs of Levites in the Tabernacle : i Par. xxiii. 5. Dedication of the Temple : 2 Par. vii. 6. Harps, cymbals and trumpets : i Par. xiii. 8. iii. The Christian religion has always used Music : e.g. The Introit, Kyric, etc., in the Liturgy. Vespers, Benediction, etc. a. As authorized by Our Lord. Angels sang at His birth : Lke. ii. 14. " Hosanna," on His entry into Jerusalem : Jn. xii. 13. He rebuked the Pharisees for condemning this: Mth. xxi. 1 6. b. Recommended by the Apostle : S. Paul to the Ephesians, v. 19: to the Colossians, iii. 16. S. John's vision of Heaven : Apoc. v. 9. iv. The Church has a style of Music her own : As shown by many decrees and regulations. a. Plain Chant, parts coming down from the days of the Temple. ON THE EPISTLES 57 b. Chorale Style, after the Palestrina school, 16 c. c. Figured music tolerated, if grave and devotional. S.Cecily, Patroness of Church Music: Nov. 22. v. Objects of using music in Church Services : a. To give glory to God. b. To give edification to our neighbour. Experience of S. Augustine.* c. To devote all our talents to the service of Him who gave them. vi. All should take part, if possible, in the singing in Church. a. God's praise and love must of course come from the heart. But, b. Our voices are from God, therefore use them to His glory. c. He requires the homage of the whole man, body and soul. d. Hence prayer in song the best form of praise. Qui bene cantat bis orat. e. Congregational singing much to be desired : 1. Expressing spiritual joy of the hearts of the Faithful. 2. Exciting to fervour and devotion. /. Even if we understand not the words, we know their object. A statue gives honour to God's house. Lessons : i. Join in the public singing and prayers of the Church, ii. Consider it a privilege to take a share in the services, iii. Exert your influence in favour of true ecclesiastical music. " Psallite sapienter." Ps. xlvi. 8. * " What tears did I shed, under the powerful emotion caused by listening in Thy Church to the hymns and canticles sung to the glory of Thy name ! While these sounds struck my ears, Thy Truth flowed into my heart, exciting within me the deepest piety." Confess, ix. 58 SERMON PLANS 29. PRAYER FOR EACH OTHER. " Making a remembrance of yon in our prayers." i Thess. i. 2. i. The Apostle here gives us the example of thoughtful charity, ii. Consider this practice of praying for each other. We are all brethren : i. All children of the same Father, ii. Hence the wants of others should be to us as our own. When one member of our body suffers, all suffer, iii. In the epistles, the Faithful are styled " Brethren." iv. We should help each other as members of the same family. This especially by prayer. Prayer for others: i. Recommended a. By Our Lord's own words. " Our Father," (not " my ") : Mth. vi. 9. b. By the Apostle : " Pray one for another : " Jas. v. 16. c. By the practice of the Church : " Pray for us," (plural) in the Litanies, ii. Avails more than prayer for ourselves only. Because thus accompanied by charity for others. iii. This intercessory prayer a. Tends to advance the glory of God. b. Brings many graces to souls. iv. Persons for whom we should pray : a. Those in sin, or outside the Church. Practice of S. Teresa.* ON THE EPISTLES 59 b. Those in lukewarmness or tepidity. c. Those in sorrow, spiritual or temporal. d. The sick and the dying. How much depends on the hour of death ! e. Our relations, friends, and benefactors. /. Even our enemies : Mth. v. 44. v. Founded on the dogma of the Communion of Saints. Hereby the Faithful may assist each other by prayer and good works. Examples : Job prayed for his friends : Job xlii. 8. Judith, asking for prayers: Jud. viii. 31. Jeremiah, for Israel: Jer. xiv. n. The Church, for S. Peter : Acts xii. 5. S. Paul asks for prayers : Rom. xv. 30. Our Lord, for His disciples: Jn. xvii. n. Also for His enemies : Lke. xxiii. 34. S. Stephen, for Saul : Acts vii. 59. Lessons : i. Imitate this practice of the Apostle, ii. Hesitate not to ask for prayers. iii. When promising prayers to others, don't fail to say them. * S. Teresa gives this as a reason for founding her convents that, as there are so many that offend God, nuns ought to pray for their conversion, especially for the defenders of the Church, for preachers and learned men who maintain its truth. She spent whole nights praying and weeping for the conversion of souls, especially those infected with heresy. Faber. 60 SERMON PLANS 30. THE PRESENCE OF GOD. " Before God and our Father." i Thess. i. 3. i. S. Paul reminds the Thessalonians of their work " before God," i*. of their work as done in God's presence. ii. Take occasion to consider the practice of the presence of God. Motives ; i. Equity: a. We must not forget a friend. " Forget not thy friend in thy mind." Ecclus. xxxvii. 6. b. Still less, God to whom we owe so much. Jas. i. 17. ii. Examples of the Saints of all ages : Henoch walked with God : Gen. v. 24. Noah, in like manner : Gen. vi. 9. Abraham and Isaac: Gen. xlviii. 15. The Patriarchs ever spoke of God. " Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh." Mth. xii. 34. Saints of the New Law, as seen in their lives and writings, iii. A restraint in temptation : a. Impossible to commit grievous sin, if we remember God's presence, 1. Who sees our every action and thought. 2. Who holds in His hand the thread of our lives. 3. Who has power to cast us into Hell : Lke. xii. 5. No one would dare to break the law under the very eyes of his King ! ON THE EPISTLES 61 b. How should we act in presence of some great one of the earth ? Even the pagan Seneca recognized the force of this thought. c. If God manifested Himself visibly, who would dare to resist ? d. Yet Faith should remind us of His real presence, though invisible, and so restrain passion. Joseph under temptation : Gen. xxxix. 9. Conversion of S. Thais : Oct. 8. iv. Powerful incentive to virtue.* " Walk before Me and be perfect." Gen. xvii. i. a. God sees also and will reward our good works. The cup of cold water : Mth. x. 42. b. Such thought encourages to do good. c. Especially helpful in prayer, against distraction, v. A great comfort in affliction. a. God watches our combats with evil. S. Antony amid temptation : Jan. 17. b. He beholds our sufferings and trials. Job and his many crosses. c. If borne for God, these too become meritorious. d. God seeing us thus, tempers the trial : i Cor. x. 13. Lessons : i. Exercise the presence of God, by a. Remembrance of Bethlehem, or Calvary, or the Blessed Sacrament, etc. b. Lively faith in His real presence around us. Especially in temptation and trial, ii. Make occasional use of pious ejaculations, iii. Morning offering of all to God. iv. Have some special occasions for thinking of His presence, each day. * No building can be raised to any great height, unless it rest on a solid foundation. In like manner, the practice of Perfection can never rise to any high degree, except it be based on the ground- work of the Divine Presence, ever borne in mind. Saint Jwe. 6a SERMON PLANS 31. GOD'S FAVOURS TO HIS PEOPLE. i. The epistle names some of God's mercies to H is people, ii. These typical of His mercies to us. Our fathers were all under the cloud : i. The cloud spoken of in Exodus xiii. ii. A cloud by day, against the sun's rays in the desert. iii. A pillar of fire by night, to give light, iv. For forty years it went before the Jews as their guide. An angel in charge of it, to direct its movements. v. Leaving Egypt under its guidance, the Jews reached the sea. All passed through the sea : i. The N.W. arm of the Red Sea. ii. The cloud standing between the Jews and the Egyptians. To the former a light ; to the latter, darkness. iii. Moses stretched his rod over the sea, and the waters divided. iv. The Hebrews crossed safely during the night. v. In the morning, the Egyptians seeing this, followed ; but, vi. The waters closed in, and not one of them escaped, vii. Canticle of Moses, the most ancient recorded : Ex. xv. All were baptized in the cloud and the sea : i. The cloud, type of the Holy Ghost. a. The light of God to our path, as the cloud was to the Jews. b. The love of God, cooling our passions, as the cloud did the sun's rays. ii. Passage of the Red Sea, type of Baptism, in which a. Our souls are reddened in the Blood of Our Redeemer. ON THE EPISTLES 63 b. Concupiscence and passion are cooled down. c. Moses is type of Our Lord, the leader of His people. d. The rod a type of the Cross. e. Pharao and his Egyptians, type of the Devil and his angels. /. Israel represents those who receive Baptism. All received the same spiritual food and drink : i. Good and bad fed on the manna. Type of the Holy Eucharist, our spiritual food, ii. Good and bad drank the water from the rock. Type of the Precious Blood, quenching passion and sin. iii. The spiritual (typical) rock is Christ Our Lord.* With most of them God not well pleased : i. In spite of such mercies, the Jews often rebelled, ii. Hence God was not pleased with them : a. Only two of their great number reached Cana : Numb. xiv. 30. b. The carcases of the rest were strewn in the wilderness : Numb. xiv. 29. iii. Lessons for ourselves. a. God bestows many blessings on us of every kind. But we must not presume on His favours of the past. b. Let us be grateful, and order our lives accord- ingly. c. Especial care due to the Bl. Eucharist, to be received shortly. d. Otherwise we may commit sacrilege and perish. Being excluded from the true land of Cana, Heaven. * A Jewish tradition says that the rock struck by Moses miraculously followed the Hebrews and wandered about with them, supplying them with water for their daily wants, till they reached the Promised Land. Numb. xxi. 16. 64 SERMON PLANS 32. THE THREE ENEMIES OF THE SOUL. i. S. Paul reminds the Corinthians of their famous public games. Most expressive to them of the value of a prize, ii. From this idea he exhorts them to strive for the eternal prize. iii. We also have to struggle and fight : our chief enemies are three, viz. : I. The Devil: i. Created in innocence, but subjected to a trial, ii. Fall of one- third of the Angels, and their punishment: 2 Pet. ii. 4. iii. Now suffering the pain of loss and fire, for ever, iv. Occupied a. In cursing and blaspheming God. b. In tempting men to sin, 1. Through hatred of God. 2. Through envy of man. 3. Through enmity to all that is good. c. In accusing souls before the Judgment Seat, v. They tempt unceasingly to all and every sin. 4, Those especially who are aiming at perfection. b. According to the inclinations of each one tempted. c. With the cunning and experience of long ages, vi. To be resisted by prayer, and the sign of the Cross. II. The World: i.e. i. The maxims of the world : e.g. a. Earthly pleasure man's true happiness. b. Wealth to be got at any price. c. Injuries to be returned. d. Poverty to be despised. ON THE EPISTLES 65 ii. Society of those who love vanities, riches and pleasures more than God. iii. Maxims which are false and opposed to those of the Gospel, iv. To be overcome by contempt for worldly custom, by moral courage. III. The Flesh: i. Our own bodies and the senses, ii. Hankering after ease and forbidden pleasures, iii. Corrupt from the time of Adam's fall, iv. Most dangerous, because a. Always with us. b. Alluring most powerfully to sin. v. Yet we must not be discouraged, for a. Such temptations may result merely from past sin. b. If borne in patience, they atone for sin. c. They are perhaps the punishment of our pride. d. Many Saints have been assaulted by them. S. Paul : 2 Cor. xii. 7. S. Mary of Egypt : Apl. 9. S. Jerome : Sept. 30. S. Francis of Assisi : Oct. 4. vi. To be subdued by mortification and penance. Lessons ; i. Know well the enemies of the soul ; then, ii. To overcome them, a. Watch against occasions of sin. b. Pray for God's aid and strength. c. Fight by positive efforts at resistance, iii. " So run that you may obtain." 66 SERMON PLANS 33. SCANDAL. " Who is scandalized and I am not on fire ? " 2 Cor. xi. 29. i. To take the bodily life of another is a crime crying vengeance, ii. To destroy the spiritual life of the soul, a more grievous crime. For the soul is more precious than the body, iii. Well may the Apostle display his anguish at the thought of scandal. iv. Yet scandal is a most common sin, worthy of serious consideration. Scandal : i. Any word, deed or omission, calculated to lead others to sin. ii. Most sinful, because of our proneness to imitate evil, iii. They are guilty of scandal, who a. Counsel evil, or provoke to it : e.g. Anger through raillery ; or theft, etc. b. Teach or suggest evil : e.g. By indecent dress, act or language. c. Ridicule piety and virtue in others ; Which advances the reign of wickedness. d. Give bad example to those under their charge: Parents, by cursing, quarrelling, etc. iv. The grievousness of scandal seen thus : a. It does the work of Satan, who tries to ruin souls. b. It undoes the work of Christ, who came to save them. c. It contains a two-fold guilt : viz. against 1. The love we owe to God and our neighbour. 2. The virtue violated, or likely to be. ON THE EPISTLES 67 d. Its effects may extend to all time, as ripples spread on the water. Examples of Luther, Henry VIII. Irreligious and immoral writings. e. Hear the curses uttered against it : " Wo to that man by whom the scandal cometh." Mth. xviii. 7. " Wo to you . . . because you shut the kingdom of Heaven." Ib. xxiii. 13. v. Nothing causes greater fear in death than the thought of scandal given. Berengarius.* Yet how common in the world, in various forms ! Reparation of Scandal : i. As necessary, where possible, as in the case of injustice, ii. Often most difficult, as the evil can seldom be reached, iii. Yet something may and must be done : e.g. a. Retractation of the evil committed. b. Good example for the future. Mth. v. 16. c. Prayer for the scandalized ; and d. Penance and self-denial, to appease God's anger. Lessons : i. Try to realize the terrible nature of Scandal ! ii. Know that it may be given by the open neglect of Religion : e.g. Omission of Sunday Mass, Easter Communion, iii. Make what reparation you can for the past, iv. Avoid it now, for the future : our own sins are enough for us ; and, v. Pray for the success of Our Lord's work in souls. * Berengarius, in the xith c. denied the Real Presence and brought many others into his error. On his death-bed, he was seized with a great fear. " I am about to appear," he exclaimed, " before the judgment seat of Christ : for my own sins I hope for pardon : but for the sins I have made others commit, I have the greatest fear : I tremble lest I be lost, for I know not how to repair the evil I have done." Power. 68 SERMON PLANS 34. JOY IN TRIBULATION. " Gladly will I glory in my infirmity." 2 Cor. xii. 9. i. These the words of S. Paul, after relating his trials and God's promise of grace, ii. We also should endeavour to rejoice in trials. iii. Two kinds call for consideration. I. Spiritual Trials: e.g. temptations: i.e. i. Whatever may lead us to offend God. ii. Not sinful in themselves, but only when consented to. Our Lord Himself was tempted : Mth. iv. iii. Of various kinds : viz. from the Devil, the World, the Flesh, iv. Serve many good purposes : e.g. a. To keep us humble. " Lest the greatness of the revelations should exalt me." 2 Cor. xii. 7. b. To show our weakness and the power of grace. " What doth he know that hath not been tried." Ecclus. xxxiv. 9. c. To enrich us: every temptation overcome means fresh merit. Saints have prayed for temptations and grace to bear them. d. To atone for past sin, from which they sometimes spring. An encouragement to bear them. v. Thus, though a trial, they must not depress or discourage. " Count it all joy when you shall fall into divers temptations." Jas. i. 2. Because of the good they may do you. " Blessed is the man that endureth temptation." Jas. i. 12. ON THE EPISTLES 69 II. Temporal Trials : e.g. i. Sickness and Suffering : a. Robust health not always the best thing for holiness. S.Teresa: Oct. 15.* b. The soul often stronger and more detached in weak health. c. God's power made perfect in our infirmities, by His grace enabling us to bear them. Job, in his many trials. S. Lidwina, in sickness for 38 years. Apl. 14. ii. Our daily toil : a. We all have something to bear. Rich and poor alike ; high and low. b. Each one has duties to fulfil and corresponding difficulties. c. Here also God's Grace will strengthen and assist us. d. No state of life in which God's power may not shine forth : e.g. Kings: S. Louis, Aug. 25 : S. Edward, Oct. 13. Servants : S. Zita, Apl. 27. Soldiers : S. George, Apl. 23 : S. Maurice, Sept. 22. High Rank : S. Jane de Chantal. Aug. 21. e. Perfection consists in doing our ordinary actions extraordinarily well, iii. Similarly, other trials : e.g. loss of fame, wealth, friends, etc. Rejoice and be glad in their midst, like the Apostle. Lessons : i. As trials are the lot of each one, bear them cheerfully. a. So to sanctify them and render them meritorious. b. So to lighten their weight. ii. Grace will enable us to bear them all. iii. Grace given to those who rightly seek it. * S. Teresa had a great desire to die, that she might be speedily united to God, but this her desire was tempered by an ardent longing to suffer for His love. Her prayer was: "To die or to suffer : I beg no other thing for myself." Her request was granted, and by years of patient suffering in mind and body, she rose to great heights of sanctity. Her Life. TO SERMON PLANS 35. THE THEOLOGICAL VIRTUES. " Faith, Hope, Charity." i Cor. xiii. 13. i. These the three theological virtues, ii. The greatest of these is Charity ; for, in Heaven, a. Faith will be exchanged for vision. b. Hope, for fruition and possession ; but, c. Charity shall remain for ever, iii. Consider now the first two of these. Theological Virtues: i. So called (from the Greek), because relating imme- diately to God. ii. Placed at the head of the virtues, as the noblest of all. iii. Infused into the soul in Baptism. iv. Strengthened by the worthy reception of other Sacraments. v. Excel all other virtues, which must find their root herein. vi. Acts of these virtues should be made, e.g. a. When we come to the use of reason. b. Frequently in life. c. In temptations against them. d. In the hour of danger and death. Faith : i. Supernatural belief in God and His revealed truth, ii. Absolutely necessary for salvation. " He that l>elieveth not shall Ix; condemned." Mrk. xvi. 16. " Without faith it is impossible to please God." Heb. xi. 6. iii. Lost by apostasy, heresy and wilful doubts. Oftentimes not regained. ON THE EPISTLES 71 iv. Exercised by a. Formal acts of the virtue. b. Acts of Religion : e.g. attendance at Church. c. Open profession of it : e.g. observance of fast-days, v. Effects of Faith : a. It is a foundation of the other virtues. b. It gives merit to our good deeds. c. It is the source of our victory over the world. i Jn. v. 4. vi. Examples : Abraham, sacrificing his son : Gen. xxii. 8. The Martyrs, dying rather than deny it. The Confessors, suffering for professing it. Hope: i. Supernatural confidence that God will give us salvation and all means necessary to it. ii. Necessary for salvation : " Without Me you can do nothing." Jn. xv. 5. " We are saved by hope." Rom. viii. 24. iii. Lost by grievous sins of presumption and despair, iv. Exercised by : a. Formal acts of the virtue. b. Prayer and petition. c. Courage and patience in trial, v. Effects of Hope : a. Resolution in the service of God. b. Triumph over temptation and difficulty. c. Peace of mind in trouble and pain. vi. Examples : Job, in his trials: Job xiii. 15. David, throughout the psalms. The woman, touching Our Lord's garment. Mth. ix. 21. Resolution to exercise these virtues, as necessity may require. 72 SERMON PLANS 36. CHARITY. "The greatest of these is Charity." i Cor. xiii. 13. i. The whole of to-day's Epistle sings the praises of Charity, ii. Its excellence is established on the ground of a. Its necessity for salvation : (verses i, 2, 3). b. Its utility : (4 7), and c. Its perpetuity even throughout eternity : (8 13). iii. Study this " Queen of Virtues," in its two-fold branch : viz. I. Charity towards God : i. Supernatural love of God above all things. ii. Essential to salvation. " If I have not charity, it profiteth me nothing." I Cor. xiii. 3. iii. Lost by any grievous sin, but especially by hatred of God. iv. Exercised and shown by : a. Formal acts of the virtue. b. Observance of God's commandments: Jn.xiv. 15. c. Obedience to the laws of the Church: Lke. x. 16. d. Frequent thought of God : Mth. vi. 21. e. Willingly speaking of Him : Lke. vi. 45. /. Opening the heart to Him : Judg. xvi. 15. g. Doing His will : Jn. xiv. 31. h. Repentance for sin. v. Effects: a. Zeal for God's honour and glory. b. Sorrow for sin. c. Esteem of grace. d. Joy, strength and merit. ON THE EPISTLES 73 vi. Examples : Abraham, offering his son : Gen. xxii. Joseph, preferring prison to sin : Ibid, xxxix. The three children, refusing to adore idols : Dan. iii. Susanna, in temptation : Ibid. xiii. Magdalen's repentance : Lke. vii. 47. II. Charity towards man : i. Love of our neighbour in and for God. ii. As necessary as love of God. "Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." Mth. xxii. 39. " I command you, that you love one another." Jn. xv. 17. iii. Lost by grievous sins of hatred, envy, injustice, etc. iv. Shown by : a. Exercise of the works of mercy. b. Congratulation, or sympathy, with others. c. Willingness to oblige. d. Repression of rancour, ill-feeling, etc. v. Examples : Abraham and Lot : Gen. xiii. David, fighting for his people : i Kgs. xvii. 36. Judith, before Holophernes : Jud. xiii. Esther, interceding for her people : Esth. viL Mary, visiting S. Elizabeth : Lke. i. 39. S. Martin, ready to live and labour : Nov. 1 1. Lessons : i. Observe this beautiful law of Charity. " There are two precepts, but only one Charity." 5 1 . Aug. ii. It is a matter, not of counsel but, of strict obligation, iii. Salvation depends on the observance of it in its two- fold form. 74 SERMON PLANS 37. ABUSE OF GRACE. "Receive not the grace of God in vain." 2 Cor vi. i. i. Words appropriate to the time of Lent, " an accept- able time." ii. They should lead us to spend it in the right spirit. Actual graces : i. Transient divine influences, enabling us to avoid evil and do good. ii. Of two kinds : a. Exterior : e.g. a mission, good example, sermons : Nathan, in regard to David : 2 Kgs. xii. 7. Jonas, as to the Ninevites : Jon. iii. b. Interior : e.g. inspirations of the Holy Ghost, remorse, iii. Of these we have all received in abundance : e.g. Calls of the priest. Warnings of sickness or misfortune. This Lent, a further grace, iv. What profit have we drawn from them ? a. Have we improved ? b. Are we resolved on a better future ? v. God has numbered the graces of each one. " Thou hast ordered all things in measure and number and weight." Wisd. xi. 21. a. He numbers the flowers, the insects, the births of men, etc. b. So also His graces, to some more, to others less. To all sufficient, and in all justice, vi. Hence the need of the warning given in the text. ON THE EPISTLES 75 Abuse of grace : i. Many neglect the graces offered them : e.g. They heed not the voice of the priest.* They seize not the occasions of mercy : e.g. Lent. They stifle the voice of conscience, ii. A time comes when God will give no more. Pharao, after repeated warnings, was ruined, iii. Threats of God against this abuse : The ungrateful guest: Mth. xxii. 13. The barren fig-tree : Lke. xiii. 7. Jerusalem : Lke. xix. 44. iv. Let us then beware. a. This Lent will be the last for thousands. b. To all it is a time of grace ; therefore, "Harden not your hearts." Ps. xciv. 8. v. Abuse of grace hardens the heart. a. Grace makes no further impression. b. Further graces are withheld ; then c. Final impenitence follows, and eternal loss. Lessons : i. Pray God to impress upon you the value of grace, ii. Resolve to spend Lent well : so, a. To repair the past ; and b. To guard against future relapse. iii. Profit by this time of grace, and deserve others. These will lead to final perseverance and eternal salvation. * During a mission given in a large town of the north of England, one great sinner was repeatedly urged to attend it, and make his peace with God one more grace offered to him. Despite all entreaties, however, he refused and never went near. Only a fortnight after the mission was ended, he took very suddenly ill, and sent for the priest. The latter hastened to the house with all speed, but only to find, on his arrival, that the unhappy man had already breathed his last ! 76 SERMON PLANS 38. THE ACCEPTABLE TIME. " Behold now is the acceptable time." 2 Cor. vi. 2. Now the acceptable time : i. The present moment : but when will men under- stand ? ii. They put off their conversion to God, a. Thinking some future day more befitting. Yet St. Paul distinctly says " now." b. Thinking conversion will be easier. 1. Yet the older the tree, the deeper its roots. 2. So also with our passions. c. Presuming on the mercy of God. But He has not promised mercy to the presumptuous, iii. Danger of delay. a. When grace calls, then is the acceptable time. b. It is often given only for a moment, and must then be seized. c. If not accepted, it is lost, and another may not be given. Death in the Hospital.* d. Hence the warning not to receive it in vain, iv. Therefore delay not. a. The present is all we can call our own. b. Death -bed repentance is seldom sincere. Lent an acceptable time: i. God, however, chooses certain times, as seasons of special grace. ii. Lent is one of them, in which conversion is easier : a. In the springtime, when all things revive. A time for fresh beginnings on our part. ON THE EPISTLES 77 b. Special graces given to the united penance and prayer of the whole Church. c. Special invitation to repentance, through the command to receive the Sacraments. d. Often special services and instructions, iii. A time for penance and repentance. iv. Christian penance means, broadly, repentance for sin. a. Internal: i. Detestation of sin in the past. , 2. Resolution against future relapse. 3. Conversion of the heart to God, as with the Prodigal. b. External : 1. Watchings, fastings, daily toil. 2. Sickness and suffering, anxieties, v. Penance necessary to all : Lke. xiii. 3. a. No sinner ever entered Heaven, except through penance. b. The lost in Hell are there through lack of it. c. Thus the sinner must choose between repent- ance and damnation. vi. Because of its special helps, Lent truly an " accept- able time." Lessons : i. Resolve to utilize this holy Season. a. Practices of prayer, fasting, almsdeeds. b. Attendance at services and instructions. c. Worthy reception of the Sacraments. ii. Do not risk salvation, through delay of repentance. This may be the last offer of divine mercy ! * A priest, visiting one day the wards of a hospital, came across a patient for the first time who was evidently seriously ill ; he admitted having neglected all religion for over 30 years, yet persistently refused to make his confession ; after repeated endeavours to this end, the priest at last had to leave : but an hour later, that man was dead, and had answered to God for that neglected grace ! 78 SERMON PLANS 39. SANCTIFICATION OF THE SOUL. " This is the will of God your sanctification." i Thess. iv. 3. i. The whole duty of man is to do God's will. ii. God's will is that we sanctify and save our souls, iii. See some motives and means of doing this. Motives for Sanctification: i. The fact of our Creation imposes this duty on us. a. The very object of our existence is that we may attain to God. b. God, as our Creator, demands sanctity of us : " Be ye holy, because I ... am holy." Lev. xix. 2. ii. Our Redemption requires it. a. Our Lord came from Heaven to secure salvation. b. He -delivered Himself for the Church, that He might sanctify it : Eph. v. 26. c. He calls us to perfection : "Be you perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect." Mth. v. 48. d. To aid us herein, He has given us 1. His own example to copy. 2. The Sacraments, as channels of His grace. Especially those of Penance and Holy Eucharist. 3. The Sacrifice of the Mass. 4. His Church, with all its varied helps, iii. Our future Glorification presupposes it : a. The promise made to Abraham holds for us. "Be perfect ... I am thy reward exceeding great." Gen. xvii. I : xv. I. b. The greater our perfection here, the greater our glory hereafter. c. The Saints appreciated this truth : hence their strenuous efforts at sanctifying their souls. ON THE EPISTLES 79 Means to Sanctification : i. To desire it ardently : a. We never attain to a thing, unless we desire it. b. It is the hungry that God fills with good things : Lke. i. 53 : Mth. v. 6. ii. To seek it earnestly : a. Acting like the man finding the pearl : Mth. xiii. 46. b. Taking practical steps about it, e.g. 1. Fervent prayer : Wisd. vii. 7. 2. Spiritual Reading : Conversion of S. Ignatius : Jly. 31. Conversion of S. Augustine : Aug. 28. 3. Study the example of the Saints.* "What these have done, canst thou not do, my soul ? " S. Aug. iii. To persevere in pursuit of it : a. When a man has found a mine, he does not then cease to labour. b. S. Paul thought not of the past, but stretched forth to the future: Phil. iii. 13. c. Not to go on is to lose ground. Like the boat on the rapid stream. Lessons : i. Consider well the absolute necessity of salvation. ii. Naught else avails without it : Mth. xvi. 26. iii. To secure salvation hereafter, sanctification is neces- sary now. iv. Practical thoughts on this, during Lent. * Noah, on the testimony of the Scripture itself, was a just and perfect man, and therefore found grace before the Lord : Gen. vi. 9 David was declared to be a man according to God's own heart : Acts xiii. 22 So great was the veneration of S. Francis Xavier for S. Ignatius, that he always wrote to him kneeling S. Francis himself was so greatly esteemed for his sanctity of life, that imme- diately after death he was looked upon as a Saint, by Christians and Pagans alike. 8o SERMON PLANS 40. IMPURITY. " God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto sanctification." i Thess. iv. 7. i. Impurity the ruin of innumerable souls, ii. As common now as in the days of the Apostle, iii. Therefore, like him, the priest too must raise a warning voice. Impurity : i. Criminal affection for the pleasures of the flesh. Whether in thought, or word, or deed, ii. Directly opposed to the sanctity of God, hence so hateful to Him. The Deluge : Gen. vii. Destruction of Sodom : Gen. xix. Death of Onan : Gen. xxxviii. 10. iii. Opposed to holy purity, so dear to Jesus, who a. Chose a Virgin Mother : Lke. i. 27. b. Loved a Virgin disciple : Jn. xiii. 23. c. Is followed by Virgins in Heaven : Apoc. xiv. 4. iv. Always a mortal sin, when consented to. "They who do such things shall not obtain the Kingdom of God." Gal. v. 21. "Shall have their portion in the pool burning with fire." Apoc. xxi. 8. v. Effects: a. Blindness in the Intellect to the truths of God. b. Hardness of Heart against grace. c. Weakness of the Will in temptation. d. Sacrilegious Confessions and Communions. e. Ruin of bodily health and strength. A doctor's opinion.* /. Domestic unhappiness. ON THE EPISTLES 81 g. Cause of other sins : e.g. Of murder, in David : 2 Kgs. ix. 15 In Herod : Mth. xiv. 10. Of Idolatry, in Solomon : 3 Kgs. xi. 5. h. Despair and final impenitence, vi. Remedies : a. Flight from occasions of every kind. " In this warfare, cowards win the day." S. Philip. b. Resist with vigour the first attacks of tempta- tion.! c. Prayer and frequentation of the Sacraments. d. Mortification and bodily penance. e. Occupation of mind and body. /. Practice of the presence of God. g. Humility and self-distrust. h. Great devotion to Mary, " Queen of Virgins." Lessons : i. Conceive a love of holy purity. ' ' O how beautiful is the chaste generation with glory. " Wisd. iv. i. ii. Conceive a horror of the opposite vice, iii. Avoid the causes of it : e.g. a. Idleness. b. Excess in food and drink. c. Bad books and companions. * A medical man of renown, in a large industrial centre, one day maintained that one of the most destructive battles of Napoleon, frequently repeated in that town, would not destroy as many victims as did debauchery and sin. Franco. t S. Benedict one day rolled himself among briars and thorns, to repel and overcome an impure temptation For the same purpose, S.Bernard plunged into a pool of water, in the depth of winter This was real resistance to evil. SERMON PLANS 41. COVETOUSNESS. 1 No covetous person hath inheritance in the kingdom of Christ." Eph. v. 5. i. S. Paul calls avarice a serving of idols, ii. Too many nowadays make this their God. iii. Hence the importance of the subject. Covetousness, or Avarice : i. An excessive love of the goods we possess or wish to possess. ii. Poor as well as rich may be guilty of it. iii. Increases, the more it is gratified : in old age especially. Making men wretchedly poor in the midst of plenty, iv. Displays itself in a. Hardness of heart to the poor, even to relations. b. Niggardliness to one's self. c. Indifference to all good works. d. Hoarding up money. e. Paying debts begrudgingly. /. Uneasiness at even trifling losses. v. Of its nature a grievous sin ; for, "No covetous person hath inheritance in the kingdom of God." Eph. v. 5. vi. One of the capital sins, and cause of a. Fraud, theft and injustice. b. False oaths. c. Meanness and treachery. d. Oppression of others (e.g. sweating). e. Worry and anxiety. /. Even murder. ON THE EPISTLES 83 vii. Examples : Achab, coveting Naboth's vineyard : 3 Kgs. xxi. Judas, selling our Lord : Mth. xxvi. Ananias and Saphira : Acts v. A miser buried alive.* viii. Remedies : a. Liberality to the Church and the poor, espe- cially in Lent. b. Consideration of 1. The vanity of things that pass. 2. The shortness of life. 3. The evils of covetousness. c. Study of the first Beatitude : " Blessed are the poor in spirit." Mth. v. 3. Lessons : i. Think over these points and guard against all forms of avarice. ii. Confidence in God's Providence, along with reason- able care. iii. Teach children generosity, and train them a. To share pleasures with companions, and b. Their pence with the poor, iv. Lent is a time for almsgiving. v. Follow the advice of the Gospel : " Lay up to yourselves treasures in Heaven." Mth. vi. 20. * It is related that a miser once had a subterranean cellar made, with an iron door so cleverly concealed that no one could notice it. Thither he used to retire to contemplate his gold and silver, of which he made his god. One day he forgot to take his key with him, and as the door did not open from within, he was unable to get out, unable even to appeal for help. The missing man was long looked for, when a locksmith remembered making him a special safe, and made the case known. The place was broken into, and there lay the miser's body, all putrified and eaten with worms. Baudrand. SERMON PLANS 42. DELUSIONS ABOUT REPENTANCE. " Walk as children of the light." Eph. v. 8. i. Our Lord is the true light of the world : Jn. i. 9. ii. Sinners love darkness rather than the light: Jn. iii. 19. iii. See some of the delusions which mislead them : First Delusion : God will easily forgive me. i. Truly, God's mercies are above all His works: Ps. cxliv. 9. a. He freely pardons the repenting sinner. b. He restores him His grace and friendship. c. He continues to shower down many blessings, ii. But He does not promise grace to those who abuse it. "Then shall they call upon Me and I will not hear." Prov. i. 28. "The hope of the wicked shall perish." Prov. x. 28. "God is not mocked." Gal. vi. 7. iii. No greater folly therefore than to offend God, because He is merciful. a. You don't throw money into the river, because you may get it again. 4. Why plunge the soul into sin, hoping for an uncertain repentance. iv. Repentance is God's gift, which may be refused. Second Delusion : Repentance will be easier later on. i. A fatal error, opposed even to common sense. a. A young tree is easily uprooted ; not so an old one. b. So, temptations yielded to grow stronger as time passes : Jer. xiii. 23. ii. A later day may never be ours : Prov. xxvii. i : Mth. xxv. 13. a. Death often takes men suddenly : 1. How many sudden deaths come under our own notice ? 2. Youth and health are no proof against his calls. 02V THE EPISTLES 85 b. Why may not this happen any day to ourselves ? c. How criminal to risk salvation on an uncertain future ! iii. God forbids such delay. " Defer it not from day to day." Ecclus. v. 8. " Tarry not in the error of the ungodly." Ecclus. xvii. 26. iv. To listen to such delusion has been fatal to many. Death in the hospital. (Ex. p. 75). v. On the contrary, the present is " the acceptable time." 2 Cor. vi. 2. a. God is willing to pardon us now, if we repent: 2 Par. xxx. 9. b. Grace is not refused to those who ask aright : Mth. vii. 7. vi. In any case, death-bed repentance is always uncertain, often insincere. Third Delusion : God will bear with me. i. Thus the devil lulls the conscience of the sinner. But the Holy Ghost warns us against such pre- sumption : Ecclus. v. ii. God numbers the sins He will pardon to each one. As He numbers the flowers and insects on the earth, iii. When that number is reached, He will at length chastise. The longer the delay, the more terrible the punish- ment. King Antiochus : 2 Mach. ix. iv. One more sin may fill up the cup of your iniquity. " Evil-doers shall be cut off." Ps. xxxvi. 9. " I will repay them in due time." Deut. xxxii. 35. v. How terrible to fall into the hands of the living God ! Heb. x. 31. Lessons : i. Ponder well such important truths, this holy season. ii. Resolve to renounce sin now, the time of mercy, iii. Delay in repentance may bring you God's vengeance ! Gen. xix. 15. iv. Fulfil, therefore, worthily the Easter precept. 86 SERMON PLANS 43. THE EPISTLE. i. Though not so from the beginning, custom permitted more than one wife. a. Partly, the patriarchs were not content with one only. b. Partly, this promoted increase in Israel. ii. Abraham had two wives, of which the epistle speaks, iii. Study this difficult passage, which is allegorical. Abraham had two sons: i. Ismael, by a bondwoman, Agar : According to the flesh, in the ordinary course of nature, ii. Isaac, by a free woman, Sara. Through the promise made to Abraham : Gen. xvii. 19. These (Agar and Sara) are the two testaments: i. The Old Testament of Mt. Sina, represented by Agar, a slave. a. Sina, a barren, rugged mountain of Arabia. b. Law engendering unto bondage. Children of slaves were themselves slaves. c. Slaves living under the law of fear. Fear of temporal evils and punishments. d. Herefrom a numerous people sprang up : Gen. xvii. 20: xxi. 13. ii. The New Testament, promulgated in Jerusalem, typified by Sara. a. Sara, aged and barren, when God made His promise. b. The New Law is the law of grace and love. c. The Church teaches the highest and purest motives of action. d. The Church has flourished and spread. Hence: "Rejoice, thou barren, that bearest not." Is. liv. i. i. Words prophetic of the Church in the New Law. ii. During the early persecutions, unable to increase and multiply. ON THE EPISTLES 87 iii. Yet even then Christians were found in the Imperial palace. IV. " The blood of Martyrs is the seed of Christians." Tertullian. v. Compared with the Synagogue, the Church has been fruitful indeed. We, as Isaac, children of promise : i. Isaac, promised to Abraham and Sara in old age: Gen. xvii. 19. a. Ismael, the elder brother, hated and perse- cuted him. b. Though probably reconciled on the death of their father : Gen. xxv. 9. ii. We also are the children of promise. We inherit the promises and graces of the New Law. a. Jews and others have ever persecuted the Church. b. Possibly they may be reconciled at the end of time: Jer. xxxi. 31 : Dan. xii. i. One of the signs of the approach of the last day. What saith the Scripture? i. Ismael and Agar cast forth from the house of Abraham: Gen. xxi. 10. a. The Jews and their Synagogue rejected in the New Law. ii. Ismael excluded by law from the inheritance which fell to Isaac. b. The Jews deprived of the inheritance of the Church, iii. Isaac, son of the freewoman, Sara. c. We are children of the freedom acquired by Christ, iv. The service of the Old Law 1. Forced men to obey through fear, and 2. Imposed ceremonies and laws in them- selves useless to salvation. d. The liberty of the New Law 1. Leads us to serve God in spirit and truth and love. 2. With sacraments and ceremonies, having power to help us. Gratitude to God for such favours ! 88 SERMON PLANS 44. FREEDOM OF THE CHILDREN OF GOD. "The freedom wherewith Christ has made us free." Gal. iv. 31. i. On Calvary, Our Lord purchased for us our freedom. Man became once more truly the Child of God. ii. Consider the meaning of this freedom. I. Freedom from sin and hell. " He washed us from our sins in His own Blood." Apoc. i. 5. i. Adam's sin a most grievous offence against God : a. Sin in knowledge and light. b. Sin without concupiscence impelling. c. Sin of deep ingratitude. ii. Adam's sin affected all mankind. " All men sinned in Adam." Rom. v. 12. a. All men are born in sin, slaves of the devil. b. Men also sin of their own free-will ; and, c. All share the consequences of sin, in time and eternity. iii. Adam's sin involved a two-fold punishment : a. As to the Soul : 1. Loss of divine grace. 2. Closing of Heaven's gates. 3. Eternity of Hell. b. As to the Body : 1. Sorrows and suffering: Gen. iii. 16. 2. Toil and labour : Gen. iii. 1 7. 3. Death : Gen. iii. 19. iv. Our Lord, by His Passion and Death on the Cross, a. Has atoned for all sin. b. Has given us 1. Baptism, against original sin. 2. Penance, against personal sin. 3. Other Sacraments for other wants. ON THE EPISTLES 89 c. Has softened the asperity of punishment. 1. Bearing our infirmities in Himself. 2. Submitting even to death. d. Has reopened the gates of Heaven for us. Thus redeeming us from sin and hell. II. Freedom from the devil: ' ' That through death, He might destroy the devil. " Heb. ii. 14. i. In olden times, the devil often possessed even the bodies of men. Sarah, daughter of Raguel : Tob. xii. 14. The woman held eighteen years : Lke. xiii. 16. ii. He still has power to tempt and possess souls. "As a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour." i Pet. v. 8. iii. Formerly an object of worship: Deut. xxxii. 17: i Cor. x. 20. Even now again, in Luciferianism.* But, iv. The Incarnation of Christ a. Has greatly curbed the devil's power over soul and body. b. Has merited us strength to resist him. c. Yet for our good, he is still allowed to tempt us. Lessons : i. Thankfulness that we are members of God's Church. Therein we share in this freedom of Christ, ii. Frequent use of the means of grace thus bestowed, iii. Compassion and prayer for those deprived of such blessing. * Mgr. de Segur states that in 1848 there was a Masonic Lodge in Rome, where the " mass of the devil " was celebrated in the presence of men and women ; each deposited in a ciborium a consecrated host, purchased or received in Church : the sacred elements were stabbed by the whole assembly, who afterwards gave themselves up to orgies, like to the pagan mysteries of old. Waite. SERMON PLANS 45. CHRIST, OUR HIGH PRIEST. "A high priest . . . and mediator of the New Testament." Heb. ix. ii, 15. i. Explain the idea of Priest and Mediator, ii. Christ is both, according to the Apostle. Priesthood befitted Our Lord: i. A special office of priesthood is to be mediator between God and man. a. A priest imparts things divine to men : Mai. ii. 7. b. A priest offers the people's prayers to God and atones for their sins: Heb. v. i. ii. Thus priesthood was most becoming Our Lord, because a. Through Him, divine things are given to man : 2 Pet. i. 4. b. Through Him, mankind are reconciled to God : Col. i. 20. Christ both Priest and Victim : Eph. v. 2. i. Man needs sacrifice for three ends : a. For remission of sin, which separates from God : Heb. v. i. b. For preservation of grace, in which is peace and salvation. c. For perfect union of the soul with God in glory, ii. These three things are ours, through Christ, a. Who was delivered up for sin : Rom. iv. 25. b. Who became the cause of eternal salvation : Heb. v. 9. c. Who acquired for us the fulness of glory : Heb. x. 19. iii. Thus Christ is both Priest and Victim Holocaust : Sin-offering : Peace-offering. a. Freely He offered Himself to the Father : Is. liii. 7 Priest. b. The sacrifice He offered was His own body Victim. ON THE EPISTLES 91 Christ's sacrifice expiates sin : Heb. ix. 14. i. For remission of sin, two things are required : a. The stain to be blotted out, and the heart turned to God. b. The punishment to be forgiven by satisfaction being made, ii. The sacrifice of Christ effects both these : a. By Him justifying grace was bestowed : Rom. iii. 24. b. He fully atoned for our transgressions: Is. liii. 5. iii. Christ then had power to expiate sin : a. He was priest, not as God but, as man. b. But the Divinity and Humanity are united in the one Christ. c. Hence His sacrifice is of the highest efficacy, being of infinite value. iv. The sacrifice of the altar differs from that of Calvary only in form. The Priesthood of Christ is eternal : Ps. cix. 4. i. In the priestly office, two things may be considered : a. The offering itself of the sacrifice. b. The perfection of the offering gaining the object sought for. ii. The object of Christ's sacrifice is, not temporal but, eternal good. a. In Heaven, He still presents the Father the satisfaction made ; b. And is ever dispensing the graces obtained for men. iii. His priesthood thus lasts for time and eternity, in its character and effects, iv. According to the order of Melchisedeck : Ps. cix. 5. a. The name Melchisedeck signifies King of Justice. Christ the Just One: Acts iii. 14. b. Melchisedeck was King of Salem, i.e. of Peace. Christ is the Prince of Peace, Is. ix. 6. c. Melchisedeck offered bread and wine in sacrifice. Christ, in these, offers the sacrifice of the Mass. During Passiontide, meditate on the Priesthood and Sufferings of Christ. 92 SERMON PLANS 46. THE NECESSITY OF SACRIFICE. i. The conclusion of the Epistle shows the need of an atoning sacrifice, ii. Suitable occasion for speaking on the sacrifice of the Cross and the Mass. Definition of Sacrifice.* Necessity of an atoning sacrifice. i. From the beginning, man was bound to offer sacrifice to God, for Adoration : Thanksgiving : Petition, ii. After the Fall, a further obligation arose, viz. Satisfaction for sin. iii. This atonement for transgression must equal the offence. a. The offence, as against an infinite God, infinitely great. b. No finite being can make atonement of infinite value. c. Nothing then remained for man, but the prospect of eternal ruin ; for iv. Adam and Eve, though repenting of their sin, were quite unable to repair its effects. Sacrifice of the Cross : i. God, in compassion, offered to man the means of reconciliation : His own divine Son, victim of infinite merit : i Jn. iv. 10. ii. This Son of God offered Himself a willing victim : Is. liii. 7. a. Dying, not through weakness of nature, etc. b. But through violence ab extra. ON THE EPISTLES 93 iii. It was expedient that Christ, becoming man, should die : Jn. xi. 50. a. To satisfy for the human race condemned to death: Gen. ii. 17. b. To prove the reality of His human nature. c. To diminish our fear of death : Heb. ii. 15. d. To induce us to die spiritually to sin : Rom. vi. 1 1 . e. To triumph over death by rising again. /. To give us a hope of a similar resurrection, iv. All this, Christ did by His sacrifice on the Cross. Atoning for sin, and purchasing redemption for man. Sacrifice of the Mass : i. This general redemption requires application to individual souls. ii. The great means for this is the Sacrifice of the Mass. Continuation of that of the Cross, though differing in form, iii. Through this most holy Sacrifice, a. We pay to God due homage, as His creatures : Adoration : Thanksgiving : Petition : Satis- faction. b. We apply to ourselves the fruits of the Redemption. c. We obtain contrition and forgiveness of sin. d. We gain graces for the Church Militant. e. We bring relief to the Church Suffering. f. We give joy to the Church Triumphant. Lessons : i. Gratitude to Our Lord for the Sacrifice of atonement, ii. Show this gratitude practically, by a. Appreciation of the Holy Sacrifice. b. Sympathy with His sufferings this Passiontide. c. Sorrow for sin, their sole cause. d. Prayer that the effects of this Redemption may extend. iii. Realize the need for this atoning Victim, and the utter helplessness of man without it. * Sacrifice is an offering of some sensible thing, by a lawfully appointed minister, to acknowledge, by its destruction, real or equivalent, the majesty and sovereign power of God, and to proclaim His absolute dominion over every created thing. Rock. 94 SERMON PLANS 47. THE HUMILITY OF OUR LORD. " He emptied Himself." Phil. ii. 7. i. Our Lord submitted to many humiliations from without. ii. But before that, in becoming man, He humbled Himself in three ways : viz. I. He emptied Himself of Glory: i. Christ Our Lord was God from all eternity. But He was in time made in the likeness of men. ii. He was the King of Majesty and Glory in Heaven. " King of Kings and Lord of Lords : " Apoc. xix . 16. But, He took the form of a servant on earth. iii. He did not thereby lose His Glory. a. This was impossible, for He cannot cease to be God. But, b. He veiled that glory under the form of His humanity. iv. He did not empty Himself through external compul- sion. But, a. Of His own free-will and through love of us. b. To teach us love of contempt and dishonour. II. He emptied Himself of Power: i. In His divine nature, He was the God of all power and might : Is. ix. 6. In His human nature, He became helpless and weak, as the servant of God. ii. He was the Creator of all things, visible and in- visible; but, He became one of the creatures of God. iii. As Creator, His name is : " I am who am." Ex. iii. 14. As creature, it is : "I am not." For creatures are, and have, nothing except from God. ON THE EPISTLES 95 iv. The creature, unless sustained by the Creator, would return to nothingness. As light disappears, when the sun withdraws, v. This annihilation consists : a. In receiving all and everything from God. As rays of light receive their being from the sun. b. (In rational beings,) in obedience and reverence to their Creator. c. Both these may be predicated of Christ, as Man. vi. Especially in His Passion, does Our Lord's weakness appear : a. Abandoned by His Apostles. b. Forsaken even by the Father : Mth. xxvii. 46. c. Subject to the insults and power of man. vii. All, to instil into us a love of abjection. III. He emptied Himself of Riches : i. In Heaven, Our Lord possessed all treasures and riches. But, ii. On becoming man, a. He was born in poverty and want. b. He was exposed to the inclemencies of the weather. c. He lived in hardship and toil at Nazareth. d. He was often without a place of rest. Mth. viii. 20. e. On the Cross, He died in nakedness and priva- tion, iii. He taught poverty, as a virtue most dear to Him : Mth. v. 3. iv. Who was ever born, or lived, or died as poor as He ? To teach us to despise riches. Lessons : i. Our Lord emptied Himself a. Of Glory : Who then shall be proud ? b. Of Power : Who then shall be harsh or domi- neering ? c. Of Riches : Who then shall despise poverty ? ii. In imitation of Our Lord, practise the virtues He practised.* * "All human glory, indeed all temporal honour, all worldly grandeur, compared with Thy eternal glory, is vanity and foolish- ness, O my God." Imit. iii. xl. SERMON PLANS 48. THE HUMILIATIONS OF OUR LORD. " He humbled Himself." Phil. ii. 8. i. Humility, the beloved virtue of Our Lord, ii. He gives us examples of it in His life-long humilia- tions. iii. Consider some now, especially in the history of the " Great Week." Humility of Our Lord : i. In His Incarnation : Lke. i. 38. a. Uniting Himself to nothingness, misery and sin. b. Retaining the marks thereof through all eternity, in His humanity, ii. In His Birth : Lke. ii. 7. a. From a human being. b. In poverty and want, though God of all things. c. In a home for animals, and that not His own. iii. At Nazareth: Lke. ii. 51. a. His foster-father was a poor artisan. b. His mother ignored and unknown, though of the royal race. c. His life hidden and toilsome, iv. In His Ministry : a. He was baptized, as though a sinner. b. Twelve poor fishermen were His friends: 1. Their waywardness and contentions: Lke. xxii. 24. 2. His patience with them all. 3. His washing their feet : Jn. xiii. 5. c. Insults and opposition from the Scribes, etc. v. In His Passion and Death : a. The betrayal by Judas: Mth. xxvi. 49. 1. The pain of such treachery. 2. Humiliation of being sold for money. 3. By a friend too, and to His enemies. ON THE EPISTLES 97 b. Jesus receives a blow : Lke. xvii. 64. 1. Indignity of this public insult, so unjust and cruel. 2. Yet He receives it without anger or resent- ment. c. His condemnation : Lke. xxiii. 24. 1. Bound as a malefactor. 2. Unjustly accused of crime. 3. Bearing all, in patience and silence. d. The Scourging, and the Crowning with thorns : Mth. xxvii. 26, 29. 1 . Apart the pain, see the ignominy and shame. Disgraceful character of both insults. 2. Derision and mockery of the crowd. e. The Crucifixion : Mth. xxvii. 35. 1. Form of death reserved only to slaves. 2. Jesus put on a level with thieves: Mth. xxvii. 38. 3. Further blasphemies and insults from His enemies. 4. Instead of striking them dead, He prays : Lke. xxiii. 34. Lessons : i. Such thoughts suitable to Holy Week. a. Jesus had always taught humility in word. b. This week especially, He gives examples of it. ii. Humility, the virtue He tells us to learn of Him : Mth. xi. 29. iii. Consider Our Lord's sufferings and humiliations, a. As an encouragement in the midst of your own. b. As a help towards overcoming pride. c. As a proof of the greatness of His love, iv. Meditate on the Passion during these few days. SERMON PLANS 49. SORROWFUL MYSTERIES OF THE ROSARY. i. To-day the day of suffering for Our Lord, ii. Fix then your minds awhile on His chief sufferings : They constitute the five sorrowful mysteries. iii. Such meditation a remedy for our repugnance to suffer. I. The Agony in the Garden: Mth. xxvi. 39. i. In Gethsemani, at the foot of Mount Olivet. Adam sinned in a garden : Christ repairs the evil in a garden. ii, He kneels and becomes sorrowful unto death, because of a. The countless sins of men. b. His love for man and His Father. c. His approaching sufferings and death. iii. A mysterious sweat of blood bathes His whole body, iv. Hence His repeated prayer : " Let this Chalice pass from Me." Human will, shrinking from suffering. " Not as I will, but as Thou Wilt." Human will, ever subject to the divine, v. Lesson : the spirit of Prayer. a. None can overcome great temptation without grace. b. Grace is usually given only in answer to prayer. c. Pray then in every form of trial. II. The Scourging at a pillar: Mth. xxvii. 26. i. Punishment reserved only for the worst of criminals. So ignominious that no Roman might submit to it. ii. Violence of the soldiers, bribed for the work. a. Revelations say Our Lord received 5,000 stripes; though, b. The Jewish Law allowed only 39. iii. Borne by Our Lord to expiate our sins of the flesh. ON THE EPISTLES 99 iv. Became the origin of taking the discipline. v. Lesson : the spirit of Mortification. a. As a means of reparation for the past. b. As a help to perseverance in the future. III. The Crowning with thorns; Mth. xxvii. 29. i. By the soldiers, but on their own authority only. ii. To expiate our sins of thought of many kinds. Hi. Conceive the intensity of pain it must have caused, iv. Lesson : the spirit of Fortitude, To bear the crosses and thorns in our path through life. IV. The Carrying of the Cross: Jn. xix. 17. i. Type: Isaac, bearing the wood for the sacrifice: Gen. xxii. 6. ii. In the form of a Latin cross, of heavy, rough oak. iii. Journey of about a mile. Its various incidents constitute the " Way of the Cross." iv. Lesson : the spirit of Patience in crosses and trials. The path of suffering is the only safe way to Heaven. V. The Crucifixion : Mth. xxvii. 38. i. Type : the Brazen Serpent : Numb. xxi. 9. ii. Cruelty and roughness of the executioners, iii. The agonizing pain of the Five Wounds, iv. The ignominy of such a death, between two thieves, v. The death of Christ completed the work of our Redemption. Many wonders in the natural order accompanied it. vi. Meditation on the Crucifixion a great help to con- trition, vii. Lesson : the spirit of Self -sacrifice for God : our neighbour : our own soul. Let the thought of your Saviour's sufferings fill your minds this day : it will prepare you for a fuller share in the joys of the Resurrection. ioo SERMON PLANS 50. THE LAST WORDS ON THE CROSS. i. Our Lord spoke seven Words, as He hung on the Cross in death, ii. Consider some of them, as suitable to the anniversary of that death, iii. Listen with reverence, and learn some lessons therefrom. " Father, forgive them." Lke. xxiii. 34. i. Exceeding love of Our Lord shown herein ; for, a. In the very midst of His sufferings, He prays for His executioners ; and, b. In them, for us and for all sinners. ii. God punished the Angels' sin immediately and eternally; while, a. For us intercession is made ; but, I. Revenge may be taken, if we abuse grace to sin the more. iii. While admitting its necessity, do we practise forgive- ness of others ? a. This is not a counsel, but a command. b. If we forgive not, we pass sentence against ourselves. " Forgive us, as we forgive." Mth. vi. 12. iv. What an encouragement given here to fulfil the precept ! S.John Gualbert: July 12. "Behold thy son ... Behold thy Mother." Jn. xix. 26, 27. i. Our Lord's sufferings increased by the presence of Mary and John ! Their tears as bitter to Him as the loss of His own Blood. ii. He here commends His virgin Mother to the virgin Disciple. a. Showing His preference for the state of virginity. b. Yet, all states are good and may approach the Cross. Thus, ON THE EPISTLES 101 iii. Three women were near Jesus, as He died : a. Mary Magdalen, type of beginners. b. Mary of Cleophas, of proficients. c. Mary, Mother of Jesus, of the perfect. iv. Mary stood by : Stabat Mater a. In grief : as a mother near her suffering child. b. In constancy : as Mother of God, and full of grace. c. Thus pictures wrongly present her as falling, etc. v. The happiness and honour of S. John thus given to Mary's care ! We, as represented by him, are also her children, vi. Show then devotion to her thus given to us by our dying Jesus. a. Imitating her virtues, in our various stations in life. b. Devotion to Mary, a pledge of salvation. " I thirst." Jn. xix. 28. i. Literally: through a. Want of food, tasting nothing since the last supper. b. Exhaustion, and loss of blood, ii. Figuratively: a. Longing to complete the work of Redemption. b. Desiring more suffering and even death, iii. Pain, borne to expiate our sins of the palate, iv. Desires are well-named thirsts : if for a. Heavenly things, the source of purest joys even here. b. Earthly things, such thirst is truly a torment. v. Stand amazed at Christ's thirst for your salvation, while you are perhaps so indifferent to it ! vi. Where your treasure is, there also your thirst will be. "Into Thy hands I commend My spirit." Lke. xxiii. 46. i. Returning His soul to the hands of its Creator, ii. As we also should do, in the hour of death, iii. A good practice to do it every night before sleep; for, There are dangers for both body and soul, even at night. 102 SERMON PLANS 51. THE RESURRECTION A PLEDGE OF TRIUMPH. " Christ, our pasch, is sacrificed." i Cor. v. 7. i. Christ had been sacrificed, but He is risen, ii. On Friday the Church wept over her Saviour on the Cross, iii. To-day she sings "Alleluias" of joy over His Resurrection, iv. Celebrate this, the greatest Christian mystery, as a pledge of I. Triumph for the Church : for i. It proves Christ to be God, and His teaching divine. a. He wrought many miracles during life : e.g. . . . b. But He ever appealed to this one, as proof of His divinity. ii. On this mystery is the Church's teaching based : hence truly, "If Christ be not risen again, then is our preaching vain." i Cor. xv. 14. iii. In the miracle of to-day, recognize the power of the Omnipotent. a. The power of man may be great in the arts and sciences : e.g. . . . b. But he cannot restore life : God alone can do this. c. Thus the Resurrection puts the seal of authority on Our Lord's message, iv. The Apostles go forth to announce it to the world : a. Preaching a Saviour crucified, but risen again. b. God's power accompanies them, supplying their deficiencies. c. Great therefore is their influence over men. v. Yet their work was not in peace : Our Lord's word is verified : Jn. xvi. 20. o. Their progress was through conflict and perse- cution. b. The Church has ever had foes, but has triumphed over all. ON THE EPISTLES 103 vi. Our risen Jesus has triumphed for 1,900 years ! a. Go to His tomb, where His power seemed buried. b. He is risen, and has gone forth in triumph : and, c. Millions to-day celebrate the glory of His Resurrection. II. Triumph for the Christian soul : for, i. Jesus died to save us : and He rose that we might share His glory. a. As cause of our resurrection, through the same power of God. b. As model, if we comply with His conditions, ii. Most consoling thought for all : a. Poverty, sorrows and hardships pass away ; and, b. If we die in grace, we shall rise in glory, iii. To do this, two things are needed : viz. : a. To rise from sin by repentance : for, 1. As in time of grief, rejoicing is unbearable, 2. So, if any be now in the sorrow of sin, not theirs the joy of to-day. a. They are daily nearing death and hell. ft, Despite success and wealth, honours and friends, y. What are these, if sin be in the heart ? 3. Be wise in time and reflect : Rise from sin, then can you rejoice in the Resurrection. b. To persevere in grace : 1. Only to perseverance has reward been promised : Apoc. ii. 10. Many in hell once repented, but per- severed not. 2. What avails a long fight, if it end in defeat ? 3. In the world, defeat does not always imply disgrace. But, 4. In the fight for Heaven, failure means eternal misery. iv. Thus is Easter day a pledge of triumph for each of us. 164 SERMON PLANS 52. NEWNESS OF LIFE. " Feast with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth." i Cor. v. 8. i. To understand the force of this short Epistle, remember : a. The Jews annually observed the feast of the Pasch: Ex. xii. 14, 25. In memory of their deliverance from Egypt. b. The festival lasted seven days: Ex. xii. 15, and, c. No leaven was allowed in the house during that time. d. Children were instructed, as to the origin and purpose of all this : Ex. xii. 27. ii. These things were figures of the New Law : i Cor. x. ii. Thus, a. The Paschal Lamb was a figure of Christ, immolated for us. Thereby redeeming us from sin. b. The spiritual "seven days" imply the whole time of life. c. During this time, no leaven of sin must be found in us. iii. We also require instruction on these points. Hence : I. Unleavened bread of "Sincerity": i. Unleavened bread means: life without admixture of sin. ii. " Sincerity " here a. Opposed to " malice," i.e. sin in general ; and, b. Means sanctity and goodness of life. For, iii. Christ, our Pasch, has been sacrificed for this end ; and, a. In His Blood, we are cleansed and saved : As the Jews were spared, through the blood of the lamb. b. In this Blood, we are delivered from the devil and sin. As the Jews were, from the destroying angel. c. In this, we are strengthened against future assaults. d. This Blood given to our souls especially in Holy Eucharist. OAT THE EPISTLES 105 iv. This " bread of sincerity " implies a. Sorrow for " malice " in the past. Without which there can be no real sincerity. b. Resolution against sin and its occasions. Nothing more suitable to this Festival, v. In Lent, we prayed and did penance for our sins. a. We must not therefore return to them now : 1. Otherwise we can have no true resurrection ; and, 2. God's vengeance may overtake us : i Cor. xi. 30. b. " Sincerity " will give us the joy befitting this day. " Let us be glad to rejoice therein." Ps. cxvii. 24. II. Unleavened bread of "Truth": i. Unleavened bread means again, life without sin. ii. " Truth," here, a. Opposed to "wickedness," sins of fraud and deceit. b. Means Christian honesty, in its widest sense, iii. How common are sins of injustice in the world: e.g. a. Thefts, bribes and extortion. b. Frauds in buying and selling. c. Waste of time, or goods, or money. d. Calumny and other sins of the tongue. e. Cheating, gambling. /. Unprincipled strikes. iv. Possibly, we have been guilty of such in the past. If so, a. Sincere repentance now, on beginning a new life. b. Restitution and reparation, to the best of our power, v. Feast now in the unleavened bread of " Truth " : Ever showing scrupulous honesty, in word and act. Lessons : i. Fresh courage from the beauty and joy of the Feast, ii. Resolution to remain, by God's grace, " a new paste." Holy and pure, free from all leaven of sin. 106 SERMON PLANS 53. SUBDUING THE PASSIONS. " Whatever is born of God overcometh the world." i Jn. v. 4 i. We are born of God by Faith and Charity in Baptism, ii. If we would show this, we must overcome our passions, iii. Consider three means to this end : viz. I. The armour to put on: i. Confidence in God : a. David rejected Saul's armour, trusting in God : i Kgs. xvii. 39, 45. b. In the spiritual combat, imitate David, not trusting to self, ii. Confidence grounded on a. The divine Goodness and Power. b. The promises of God : "God is not as a man that He should lie." Numb. xxiii. 19. " My words shall not pass." Mth. xxiv. 35. iii. This full confidence we must have, in order a. To fight with success. b. To protect ourselves, as with a shield. c. To make us irresistible. "If God be for us, who is against us?" Rom. viii. 31. II. The Weapons to use: i. With his confidence in God, David also took necessary arms : i Kgs. xvii. 40. ii. We too need arms, viz. : the faithful discharge of religious duties : a. Meditations, or instruction. b. Daily prayers, for strength. c. Mass on Sunday ; and oftener. d. Frequentation of the Sacraments. e. Spirit of restraint and self-denial. OiV THE EPISTLES 107 iii. These may seem commonplace : yet they are essential. None can succeed without them. III. The plan of warfare: i. Attack the predominant passion : i.e. the King of the passions, ii. This being overcome, the others are more easily subdued. Their chief being slain, the Philistines fled : i Kgs. xvii. 51. When Achab, the king, was killed, the fight ended : 2 Par. xviii. 34. iii. The predominant passion is that a. Which exercises the strongest influence over our inclinations. b. Whose temptations are most frequent. c. Which, though light in itself, is strong for us. d. Which the Devil, therefore, uses most to our disadvantage. e. Which most holds us back in spiritual progress. The Remora.* iv. The predominant passion varies with each one. To be discovered by self-examination, and con- fessor's advice, v. We must ever struggle against this, on our way to Heaven. Like Israelites fighting their way to Cana : Deut. vii. Conclusion : i. By this three- fold method, victory will be ours, ii. The present, an appropriate time for beginning again, iii. Courage in the battle, God Himself fighting for us. Jos. xxiii. 10. * The Remora is a small fish which, by means of a sucker-disc is able to attach itself to smooth surfaces. The ancients imagined that it could thus arrest the course of a ship in full sail. Such fable is at any rate an image of the ruling passion, which can most certainly hold us back in the pursuit of virtue. io8 SERMON PLANS 54. THE THREE WITNESSES. "Three give testimony in Heaven ... on Earth." i Jn. v. 7, 8. i. The Apostle gives evidence that " Jesus is the Son of God." ii. His witnesses in Heaven and Earth agree as to Our Lord's nature. iii. These witnesses above exception, and therefore worthy of credence : viz. : Three in Heaven : i. The Father : a. At Our Lord's Baptism: Mth. iii. 17. b. At the Transfiguration : Mth. xvii. 5. c. At Our Lord's prayer : Jn. xii. 28. ii. The Word: by a. His teaching : " I and the Father are one." Jn. x. 30. " He that secth Me seeth the Father also." Jn. xiv. 9. b. His miracles: e.g. Change of water into wine: Jn. ii. 9. Feeding the multitudes: Mth.xv. 37: Jn.vi. ii. Raising the dead to life: Lke. vii. 15 : Jn.xi.44. His own Resurrection : Mth. xxviii. c. His prophecies : e.g. The betrayal of Judas: Mrk. xiv. 18. The denial of Peter: Mth. xxvi. 34. The destruction of the Temple : Mth. xxiv. 2. iii. The Holy Ghost : a. At Our Lord's Baptism: Mth. iii. 16. b. At Pentecost, according to Our Lord's promise : Jn. xvi. 7: Acts ii. 3. iv. These three are one : a. In their divine nature and essence God. Though distinct in the Trinity of Persons. b. In the effect of their testimony : the Divinity of Christ. ON THE EPISTLES log Three on earth: i. The Spirit : a. The soul, which Our Lord commended to the Father : Lke. xxiii. 46. Real human intellect, memory and will. b. The Holy Ghost, sent on earth at Pentecost : Acts ii. 3. Working through the Sacraments a divine work, ii. The Water: a. Which issued from Our Lord's side on the Cross : Jn. xix. 34. b. Typifying the washing of the soul in Baptism a divine work, iii. The Blood : a. Shed throughout the Passion of Our Lord. b. Issuing from His side in death : Jn. xix. 34. c. Its merits applied therein to souls. d. The Holy Eucharist especially a work of divine love and power, iv. These three are one : a. Earthly and created witnesses. b. Alike in their testimony to Christ being Mediator and Redeemer. c. Showing also the sanctification of our souls. d. Water and Blood testify to the Humanity animated by the Spirit. Conclusion ; i. Christ the Messiah is truly God and Man : a. As Man, He suffered and died. b. As God, His sufferings had infinite merit. ii. He is our Redeemer promised from the beginning, iii. Worthy of our adoration, our gratitude and love. i io SERMON PLANS 55. CHRIST'S PRINCIPAL VIRTUES. "Leaving you an example that you should follow His steps." I Pet. it. 21. i. Christ came on earth for three objects: viz. a. To redeem us by His death. b. To teach us His doctrine. c. To give us the example of virtue. ii. Consider three of Our Lord's chief virtues : viz. I. Meekness : i. Virtue preventing or moderating the impulses of anger, ii. Founded on Humility, which a. Reminds us of our own defects, and b. Makes us allow for those of others, iii. Practised by Our Lord, in a. His dealings with little children: Mth. xix. 13. b. His bearing with the roughness of the Apostles, f. The sufferings and insults of the Passion. Is. liii. 7. iv. Recommended in Holy Writ : e.g. Ecclus. iii. 19: Mth. v. 4: xi. 29: Jas. i. 21. v. Effects: a. Peace of mind amid trial. b. Influence and power with others. c. Foundation of Patience. vi. Shows itself in gentleness of temper and patient forbearance. II. Humility: i. Virtue teaching us to refer all good to God. ii. Founded on a. Knowledge of our own nothingness and sin- fulness. b. True appreciation of all things. ON THE EPISTLES in iii. Practised by Our Lord : a. In the Incarnation. b. In His obedience to His own creatures : Lke. ii. 51. c. During the humiliations of the Passion, iv. Recommended in the Word of God : e.g. Ecclus. xiii. 9 : Mth. xi. 29: Lke. xxii.26: i Pet.v-5. v. Effects: a. Foundation of meekness and all virtue. b. Charity and consideration for others. c. Resignation to the divine Will. vi. Seen in readiness to yield and oblige, and acceptance of humiliations. III. Obedience: i. Virtue making us submit to others for God's sake, ii. Grounded on a. Humility, recognizing our own inferiority. b. Faith, seeing God in our superiors. Lke. x. 16. iii. Practised by Our Lord : a. Coming on earth, because of His Father's Will. Ps. xxxix. 8. b. Being subject to Mary and Joseph : Lke. ii. 51. c. Submitting to the Law: Mth. v. 17. iv. Commanded of God : e.g. Ex. xx. 12 : Eph. vi. i : Col. iii. 22 : Heb. xiii. 17. v. Effects: a. Merit in all we do. b. Security against sin. c. Peace and temporal happiness. d. Concord and welfare of society. e. Preparation for the office of Superior. Lessons : i. Let each one apply these thoughts to himself, in practical form, ii, Invoke Our Lord's help to " follow His steps " herein. 112 SERMON PLANS 56. SHEEP AND MEN. "You were as sheep." I Pet. ii. 25. i. St. Peter reminds the Faithful, in his Epistle, a. That they had strayed, as sheep, from God and the path of salvation. b. That they had given themselves to sin and perdition. c. How the Shepherd of their souls had rescued them. ii. See points of resemblance between sheep and men. Learn therefrom lessons of practical use in daily life. Sheep and Man : i. Sheep are social and gregarious animals. 1. They live and graze in company. 2. They assemble together in danger. a. Man is made for society. 1. Living and dealing with his fellow-beings. 2. Having one end in view security and mutual help, ii. Sheep easily wander away : 1. They constantly leave the fold when able. 2. They follow each other in straying. b. Man easily strays from the right path. " I have gone astray like a sheep." Ps. cxviii. 176. " All we like sheep have gone astray." Is. liii. 6. 1. How often do men sin and stray from God's love. Our own experience must convince us. 2. Evil example easily leads them away, iii. Sheep easily become a prey to wolves. Only the watchful dog can drive them off. c. Man falls an easy prey to the devil and sin. 1. God's minister is his guide and protector. Through Sacrifice, Sacraments, Exhor- tations, etc. 2. The priest's duty to rescue and recall the Faithful. ON THE EPISTLES 113 iv. Sheep often bring forth monsters : More frequently perhaps than other animals. d. So in the moral order among men. 1. Monsters of cruelty to children and animals : e.g. Many of the Roman Emperors. 2. Some 10,000 murders on earth each year! Now you are converted: i. Not through your own power or merit. ii. But by God's grace, drawing you to Himself. "No one can come to Me, except the Father draw him." Jn. vi. 44. " It is God who worketh in you." Phil. ii. 13. iii. From sin and evil to grace and good life. iv. During Lent especially, a time of grace and repent- ance. v. Though Lent be past, the spirit of penance must ever be with us. Shepherd and Bishop of Souls: i. Christ our Lord is the Shepherd of our souls (To- day's Gospel) : a. Who has done and given so much for their welfare. Even feeding them with His own Body and Blood. b. Him we must love and hear. ii. As if to typify this, He brought to His crib a. The watchers of sheep the Jewish shepherds : Lke. ii. 16. b. The shepherds of nations the Gentile kings : Mth. ii. ii. iii. Christ is the bishop of our souls. a. Who has redeemed them with His Blood. b. Who watches over them and provides for them. c. To whom we owe obedience, reverence, grati- tude. Acknowledge all this by perseverance in conversion. H4 SERMON PLANS 57. THE CHRISTIAN PILGRIM. " As strangers and pilgrims." I Pet. ii. n. i. Man is made for Heaven, his final home, ii. On earth he is therefore as a " stranger and pilgrim." iii. See how pilgrims should act, then act accordingly. I. A pilgrim must know he is a pilgrim: i. Sometimes travellers, away from home, a. Grow enamoured of the strange land they are in ; and b. Seem to forget their own country, to which they must return, ii. So too acts the Christian pilgrim, who a. Engrosses himself in the goods and pleasures of time. Houses, wealth, servants, horses, etc. b. Forgets the object of his creation and position on earth. c. Neglects the affairs of his soul and the interests of eternity. Even the pagans recognized the folly of all this. iii. His first duty will be to correct this and recognize his position. II. A pilgrim has much to bear on the way: i. Besides pleasure, a journey also entails difficulties. Cold and heat, danger and fatigue. a. The traveller must set out prepared for these. b. On his return, he delights to relate his experi- ences, ii. The Christian too has trials to bear.* a. Spiritual difficulties : temptations, passion, tepidity, etc. b. Temporal crosses : sickness, misfortune, etc. c . These he must meet with fortitude and courage : 2 Cor. iv. 17. d. On reaching his true home, he will exclaim with S. Peter of Alcantara : "O happy trials, which have brought me so great a reward." iii. A second duty will be courage amid difficulties. ON THE EPISTLES 115 III. Often the pilgrim is laughed at: i. His language and habits are strange to the natives of other countries. But he passes on and takes no notice, ii. So is the Christian pilgrim despised by the world. " We are made as the refuse of this world." I Cor. iv. 13. a. His practices of piety are ridiculed. b. His virtues thought odd and against fashion. c. But he must be independent and heed not the world. "A small thing to be judged by you." i Cor. iv. 3. For we are " Fellow citizens with the Saints, and the domestics of God." Eph. ii. 19. d. Thus have holy men ever acted : e.g. S.Gregory against Henry IV. (see p. 15). Saints and Martyrs before their persecutors, iii. The Christian pilgrim must be proof against human respect. IV. The pilgrim longs for his country: i. On his journey, he enjoys lawful pleasure and distraction. Yet he often thinks of those at home, and will long to return. ii. So let the Christian pilgrim oft think of his true home Heaven. a. There God, with His Angels and Saints, awaits him. b. There, friends and relations long for him. Secure of their own salvation, anxious for his. iii. Unless he longs for Heaven, he will not take means to reach it : for, A real desire of salvation is a first step towards obtaining it. Lessons : i. Detach your hearts from this land of exile, ii. Fix your minds on Heaven, for which you are striving. * God has the goodness to put some of our purgatory into each day ; let us embrace the cross thus presented to us. Gold is put into the crucible to be purified, and soon it will shine on the brows of kings, and on the altars of the living God. The cross effects the same in our regard : it is our crucible. De Ravignan, n6 SERMON PLANS 58. OBEDIENCE TO CIVIL AUTHORITY. 41 Be ye subject . . . to the King . . . to Governors." i Pet. iii. 13. i. Words addressed to the early Christians by S. Peter : for, a. Many Jewish converts thought themselves free to disobey pagan rulers ; and, b. They inclined to rebel against the Roman Emperors, ii. Words fully applicable to our own day; for, a. The spirit of independence and disobedience is abroad. b. Rebellion against law and order is so common, iii. Consider then the duty of submission to civil authority. Be ye subject: i. Subjection is the order of nature : e.g. Children, to parents; pupils, to teachers, etc. ii. Similarly, obedience to Civil Rulers is a natural duty ; for, a. Thus only can unity of order be preserved in the world. b. Such obedience of citizens becomes the stability of the State. iii. In laws and regulations not opposed to the Divine Law; for, "We ought to obey God rather than men." Acts v. 29. To the King . . . Governors: i. The King : i.e. the Head of the State. a. Whether King, Emperor, President, etc. b. The living representative of God on earth. ii. Governors : i.e. all in subordinate capacity, entrusted with authority. Magistrates and such as carry on the civil govern- ment of the country. iii. Secular authority is supreme in its own sphere. a. In temporal matters, in temporal government. b. Its authority, like all other, is from God. Off THE EPISTLES 117 iv. Even to the wicked and impious : As was Nero, when this Epistle was written, v. Kings and magistrates are agents of God, to carry on His work : The maintenance of the life of Society, for the good of all. vi. The corollary of Authority is Obedience to them that wield it. vii. Human authority is thus consecrated, as represent- ing the Divine ; and, Obedience is honoured, a's shown to God in His representatives. For God's sake : i. It is God who established all civil authority ; for, " There is no power but from God." Rom. xiii. I. " By Me Kings reign." Prov. viii. 15. Numa and Lycurgus.* ii. For the love of God : a. Whom the Civil Authorities always represent. b. Motive suggested by S. Paul to all who obey. Making reasonable and meritorious the service we pay. c. That others seeing, may glorify God: Mth. v. 16.* iii. Who will punish disobedience shown to His represen- tatives : Rom. xiii. 2. Lessons : i. Ever therefore show due obedience to all lawful authority. ii. Guard against the spirit of insubordination now so common, iii. If grievances exist, seek redress by constitutional means only. iv. Inculcate obedience in children, while young, and for high motives. * Numa and Lycurgus feigned to converse with the gods and to receive from them the laws they made for Rome and Sparta, so as to give them weight and authority, as Plato relates. | Eusebius avers that moved by the example of patient obedience in a Christian slave, the Iberians of Spain were brought to the knowledge of God and the true Religion. Ii8 SERMON PLANS 59. HEARING AND SPEAKING. " Swift to hear, but slow to sjxrak." Jas. i. 19. i. The early part of the Epistle speaks of the gifts of God. ii. These words suggest means to obtain them. How so and why? i. Hearing is a means to learning. 11 A wise man shall hear and shall be wiser." Prov. i. 5. a. Students learn, by hearing the teaching of a master. S. Thomas of Aquin.* b. But speaking is rather the work of a teacher. 1. It is more safe and useful to hear than to speak. 2. No man can teach well that has not first learnt well. c. S. James here enforces this idea ; because he found 1. Some of the early Christians preferred to teach rather than to learn. 2. Are there not many nowadays the same ? ii. God, who is all wise, gives an example : a. For countless ages, He was infinitely happy in Himself alone. b. Slowly only, viz., at the beginning of time, He spoke His first word. Theyfa/ that brought all things into being. c. During nearly 6,000 years, God has seldom spoken. 1. Only what Holy Scripture contains. 2. Man speaks more in one year than God in a thousand. d. They best imitate God who are slow to speak. iii. Our Lord in the Incarnation similarly: a. During 30 years, He listened much and spoke but little. b. Only in His 3oth year did He begin to teach. And how few His words compared with His wisdom ! ON THE EPISTLES ng iv. Example of the Angels, who most approach God in intelligence : a. How few their words, as recorded in the Sacred Pages : Raphael to Tobias : Tob. v. Michael to Daniel : Dan. x. Gabriel to the B.V.M. : Lke. i. b. Among themselves, they intercommunicate as by acts of the will. v. Nature itself would seem to suggest the same : a. The more intelligent animals use their voice but little : The elephant, the horse. b. Many birds of beautiful song sing only at stated times. The nightingale and blackbird. c. The others are ever chirping : The swallow, the sparrow. d. Man has two ears, only one tongue. The former ever open, the latter enclosed, vi. Talkativeness is a sign of foolishness ; silence, of wisdom. Prov. xvii. 27 : xxix. 20 : Ecclus. xxi. 29. vii. Wise men have ever taught the same : e.g. among a. Pagans : Zeno, Demosthenes, Solon. b. Christians : S. Gregory Naz. : S. Basil : S. Bernard. Lessons from the text : i. " Swift to hear." a. Be willing to listen and learn. In sermons, lectures, reading. b. Try to retain and digest what is learnt, ii. " Slow to speak : " a. Be not too ready to talk ; but, b> Weigh well and consider what you say : for, 1. The spoken word cannot be recalled. 2. Thus may you spare yourself many regrets. * In his student days, S. Thomas was so silent that he was named the Dumb Ox. But Albertus, his master, soon realized his genius and exclaimed : " You call him a Dumb Ox, but a day will come, when he will bellow so loud by his learning, that he will be heard the world over." His Life, Mch. 7. 120 SERMON PLANS 60. ANGER. " Let every man be slow to anger." Ja.s. i. 19. i. S. Paul says anger excludes from Heaven." Gal. v. 20. ii. It must therefore of its nature be a grievous matter, iii. Hence the advice of S. James to-day : " Be slow to anger." Anger : i. A feeling of displeasure at real or supposed injuries, with a desire to punish the offender, ii. Causes: a. Pride, at being thwarted or opposed. b. Envy and jealousy of others. Cain against Abel : Gen. iv. 5. iii. Guilt: a. Directly opposed to the spirit of Christ and the Gospel. "Whosoever is angry with his brother shall be in danger of the judgment." Mth. v. 22. b. Varying according to the degree of passion, or evil done. c. Excluding from Heaven : hence in sc mortal. d. The source of other sins, one of the "capital sins." Saul, slaying the priests: i Kgs. xxii. 18. Absalom, killing Amnon : 2 Kgs. xiii. 28. Henry 11. and the Martyrdom of S.Thomas: Dec. 29. iv. Effects (apart the sinfulness) : a. Ridiculous looks and gestures : Julian the Apostate, foaming, when in anger, Queen Elizabeth, striking her attendants. b. Bodily disease and insanity. Valentinian and the ambassadors.* OM THE EPISTLES 121 c. Misery and unhappiness in self and others. The wasp, in stinging, destroys itself. A passionate man is unfit for society, dreaded by all. " Who can bear the violence of one provoked? " Prov. xxvii. 4. d. Blindness of intellect, unreasoning obstinacy. Therefore do not act under the influence of passion, v. Yet, anger may sometimes be lawful true zeal. 11 Be ye angry and sin not." Ps. iv. 5. Moses, against Israel: Ex. xxxii. 19. Heli, punished for lack of it : i Kgs. iv. Our Lord's indignation in the Temple : Lke. xix. 45. Lessons : i. Consider well the nature and the evils of passion, ii. Use remedies against it : e.g. a. Daily morning prayer for strength. b. Forestall occasions of provocation. " Forewarned is forearmed." c. Practice of humility. d. Study examples of meekness. Our Lord, in life and death : Mth. xi. 29. Our Lady, Inter omnes mitis. Moses, the meekest of men : Numb. xii. 3. S. Francis, naturally hasty, become so gentle : Jan. 29. iii. Show lawful anger, in due season. Otherwise, great evils may arise, and equal responsibility. * The Quadri, defeated by Valentinian, sent ambassadors to sue for mercy. When they presented themselves, the Emperor saw that they were poor men, coarse and ill clad. Thinking this an insult offered to himself, he grew so angry and passionate, that he broke a blood'vessel and died shortly after death, the result of anger ! 122 SERMON PLANS 61. CALUMNY. "Not bridling his tongue." Jas. i. 26. i. Man has three lives : a. The Spiritual life of the soul : injured by sin. b. The Temporal life of the body : injured by wounds, etc. c. The Civil life of good fame: injured by un- bridled tongues, ii. Among sins of the tongue, a most grievous is calumny. Calumny : i. Imputing crimes and faults to another untruly. rt. By word of mouth, by letter or action. b. Whether through malice or interest, ii. Exaggerating his real faults or defects. iii. Denying his good qualities or actions. iv. Most odious and malicious sin, against a. Truth : saying knowingly what is false. b. Chanty : showing absence of all Christian feeling. c. Justice : endangering another's temporal prospects. d. Reltgiott : which is vain, where the tongue is unbridled. e. Manly courage : stabbing in the dark, in the victim's absence. Yet how common this sin, especially in moments of passion. v. Guilt of calumny : a. Always a sin, because always a lie. " Thou shall not calumniate thy neighbour." Lev. xix. I j. b. Will vary, according to 1. The nature of the imputation made. 2. The injury effected or intended. 3. The number of persons hearing it. c. A most cruel persecution : 1. Its bitterness penetrates so deeply. 2. In other trials usually some alleviation : seldom in this. 3. Hence, the great reward of those that bear it well. Mth. v. 12. ON THE EPISTLES 123 vi. Reparation must be made, where possible. Otherwise there is no true sorrow, and the sin cannot be forgiven. The tongue must be bridled: i. Our tongue is as that of Christ. S. Chrysostom. On it, is Our Lord received in Holy Communion.* ii. The tongue is a most dangerous member : Jas. iii. Of which we are so prone to make evil use. iii. The unbridled tongue causes a three-fold grievous injury : a. To God : destroying His work in souls. b. To neighbours : 1. Giving scandal and encouragement in evil (as hearers). " Evil communications corrupt good manners." i Cor. xv. 33. 2. Endangering also their temporal interests (as victims). c. To the Speaker himself, through his sin. "The tongue of the fool is his ruin." Ecclus. v. 15. iv. The tongue, a chief instrument for mischief employed by the devil. Lessons : i. Take to heart S. James' reminder this day ; for Too many disgrace their Religion by neglect of it. ii. Endeavour to bridle the tongue, against calumny, by a. Prayer for aid, together with humility and watchfulness. b. Thought of the presence of God. Lke. xxiv. 17. c. Thought of the account we must give of our words. Mth. xii. 36. iii. Unless this be done, religion will little avail us. * A magnificent horse was once lent to one of the Popes. Having once borne the Supreme Pontiff, it would never allow any one else to mount it. The tongue of the Christian, which so often bears Our Lord in Holy Communion, ought never to serve any other master. : Fdber, 124 SERMON PLAMS 62. DETRACTION. " Not bridling his tongue." Jas. i. 26. i. Many evils follow the unbridled use of the tongue. Hence this warning of the Apostle, ii. Among common sins of the tongue is Detraction. iii. Consider this, lest our religion prove vain. Detraction : i. Consists in a. Making known without cause the secret faults of another. By word of mouth, insinuation, writing, etc. b. Imparting uncharitable news, even as a secret. c. Hinting there are things others know not of a neighbour : or, d. Seeking to lessen the merit of his good works, ii. Often a grievous sin ; " The detractor is the abomination of men." Prov. xxiv. 9. " Detractors, hateful to God." Rom. i. 30. a. Against Charity : 1. Doing an act of hatred or dislike. 2. Exposing a neighbour to ridicule or contempt. 3. Causing him pain, should it reach his ears. b. Against Justice : 1. Robbing another of the esteem he enjoys. 2. Exposing him thus to temporal losses. c. Against the Example of Christ, Who would not name the one that was to betray Him. d. Committing, as it were, a three-fold murder : 1. In the soul of the Detractor himself. 2. In the soul of the Listener. 3. In the civil life of the Victim. ON THE EPISTLES 125 iii. The guilt of the Detraction depends on a. The character and position of him 1. Who speaks the evil : and 2. Of whom the evil is spoken. b. The nature of the fault revealed. c. The number of those who hear it. d. The injury thus caused. iv. Forbidden also in regard to the dead. a. They still have a right to their good name. b. Surviving friends are also affected by the detraction. Wolves and the dead.* v. Reparation necessary where possible. According to the nature of the sin, and the circumstances of the case. Lessons : i. We have faults enough of our own, without troubling about those of others, ii. Avoid detraction as mean and dastardly. The frogs and the dark.f iii. Remember the evils of this sin, often irreparable : e.g. Hatred, misunderstandings, temporal and eternal loss, iv. Be not deceived : a detracting tongue and true religion are incompatible. v. Endeavour to be kindly, in thoughts and words about others. * Wolves sometimes tear up the soil of graves, to prey on the bodies of the dead. Detractors are sometimes so keen of evil, that they spare not even friends and others deceased. t Frogs are usually silent during the daytime, but in the darkness of the night they croak and make noise enough. Detractors dare not speak evil openly before their victim, but only in the dark, as it were, and behind his back. ja6 SERMON PLANS 63- THOUGHTS ON THE ASCENSION. " A cloud received Him out of their sight." Acts i. 9. i. Each mystery of Our Lord's history presents thoughts and lessons, ii. Consider some in reference to His Ascension. He was taken to Heaven : i. Not by the hands of Angels, ii. But by His own divine power, as God-Man. By the "agility" imparted to His glorified Humanity, iii. Opening to man the gates of Heaven, closed by Adam's sin. iv. Why at the early age of 34 ? a. Christ came to offer His life to redeem us. 1. Befitting that this should be in the fulness of age; for, 2. Adam was created, and sinned, in perfect manhood. 3. Christ repaired this evil at that same age. b. He had completed the work He came to do: viz. : 1. The preaching of His doctrine. 2. The practising of all virtues. 3. The working of many miracles. 4. The founding of His Church on earth. c. Heaven thus now due to His sacred Humanity. As it is also promised to His followers. d. To teach us not to desire long life, but I leaven rather. Forty days after the Resurrection : i. The number 40 is sacred and of frequent use in Scripture : The deluge lasted 40 days : Gen. vii. 4. Moses was 40 days on the mount: Ex. xxiv. 18. Our Lord fasted 40 days: Mth. iv. 2, ON THE EPISTLES 127 ii. Fulfilling types of old : a. God showed Himself 40 days to Moses, in giving the Old Law. Christ spent 40 days with the Apostles, completing the New Law. b. The Jews wandered 40 years in the desert, journeying towards Cana. 1. Christ remained 40 days before returning to Heaven. 2. This also denotes our whole life of exile on earth, iii. A recompense to His Apostles, for His 40 hours' separation from them, in death. iv. Gradually weaning them from His visible presence, v. Showing His liberality in bestowing consolation : a. For 40 hours' withdrawal, He gives 40 days of His presence. b. Thus does He also deal with souls : joy after pain. Speaking of the Kingdom of God : i. The Kingdom of Heaven and its glory. The eternal reward for which all must strive, ii. The Kingdom of the Church on earth : a. Where God reigns in souls by His grace. b. Which is the way to the Church in Heaven, iii. Giving the Apostles instructions, as to a. The constitution of the Church. b. The preaching of the Gospel to men. c. The Sacraments and Sacrifice. d. The Christian virtues, leading to Heaven. e. The spiritual trials and persecutions to come : Mth. xi. 12. iv. Teaching us to think and speak of Heaven : a. Heaven, our support in trial. S. Felicitas and her children : Jly. 10. b. Heaven, the reward of our fidelity. Faith in which will make us strong in God : Heb. xi. Let us to-day fix our eyes and hearts on Our Lord ascending to Heaven, (whence He came to redeem us) which we must all strive to gain. 128 SERMON PLANS 64. PURPOSES OF THE ASCENSION. " Beholding Him going up to Heaven." Acts i. 10. Objects of Our Lord's Ascension: i. To receive the reward of His merits : a. Heaven only is the place befitting a glorified body. b. During life Christ suffered ignominy and pain. c. The reward of this is bestowed to-day. ii. To triumph over enemies, spiritual and temporal. As a prince returns home after his victory. iii. To reopen the gates of Heaven to man. a. Adam's sin had closed these gates for ever. b. All men together unable to reopen them. c. On this day He ascended, accompanied by the souls in Limbo. iv. To rejoice and adorn the kingdom of Heaven : Apoc. xxi. 23. a. The angels acclaim Him in gladness and joy : Apoc. v. 12. b. He is seated in glory, on the right hand of the Father. c. The Sacred Humanity, one of the joys and beauties of Heaven. v. To show that His kingdom was not of the earth : Jn. xviii. 36. a. The Apostles thought He would establish a kingdom here. b. Their minds and hearts at first fixed on things of earth. But, c. Vanity, self-love, etc. cannot ascend to Heaven, vi. To confirm the divinity of His doctrine : a. lie taught that He came from Heaven to deliver it. b. He visibly returned thither in proof of this. ON THE EPISTLES 129. vii. To send down the Holy Ghost : Jn. xvi. 7. a. To be the light of the Church. b. To be the strength of the Apostles and the Faithful. We should therefore prepare for the coming Pentecost. c. To complete Our Lord's work in the Church, viii. To prepare a place for us : Jn. xiv. 2. a. According to the merits and sanctity of each one. b. Here at least is ambition truly lawful to strive for a high place. S. Martin in death.* ix. To be our Mediator : " We have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the Just." I Jn. ii. I. " He is the propitiation of our sins." I Jn. ii. 2. "Christ . . . maketh intercession for us." Rom. viii. 34. x. To be able to remain with us in the Most Holy Eucharist. Visible presence with sacramental presence would seem incongruous. Lessons : i. See here reasons to rejoice on this Festival, ii. Our Lord's Ascension, a pledge of our own. iii. These thoughts should help a. To strengthen us in temptation and trial. t b. To revive our courage in despondency. c. To make us despise things of earth. d. To make us long for God's glorious kingdom. * Full of confidence in the consoling thought, that Our Lord by His Ascension had gone to prepare a place for us, S. Martin, on his death-bed, kept his eyes fixed on Heaven, as in an ecstasy. His disciples suggested he should turn on his side for relief, but he replied : " Leave me to contemplate Heaven rather than the earth, and to medi- tate on the path my Saviour took to Heaven, which path I hope my soul will shortly follow to go and be united to my God." His Life: NOV.II. t Struggle, labour and suffering are the three elements of life here below : they are painful and often discouraging. But happy we, if we have a larger share of them, for they will bring us in closer union with Christ, in the glory which results from them, J I3< SERMON PLANS 65. PRUDENCE AND PRAYER. " Be prudent, and watch in prayers." i Pet. iv. 7. i. This three-fold advice always seasonable. ii. Yet especially so, between Easter and Pentecost : a. That we may guard the peace gained through our Easter confession. b. That we may prepare for the coming of the Holy Ghost, iii. We can easily lose this peace : the Holy Spirit will not enter a soul in sin : Wisd. i. 4. iv. Consider then the three duties of I. Prudence: i. Virtue dictating what is best to be done, to act according to God's will. The guide of all the other virtues. S. Bernd. ii. Office of prudence : a. To discover good and the means to it. b. To judge all the circumstances of a case. c. To direct the will to do right. iii. Means to obtain it : a. Fervent prayer : "Show, O Lord, Thy ways to me, and teach me Thy paths." Ps. xxiv. 4. b. Willingness to take advice : "Seek counsel always of a wise man." Job. iv. 19. " My son, do thou nothing without counsel." Ecclus. xxxii. 24. c. Subdue the passions, which blind the intellect, iv. Examples : King Solomon: 3 Kgs. iii. 12. The five wise Virgins : Mth. xxv. II. Watchfulness: " Watch ye, and pray that ye enter not into temptation." Mill. xxvi. 41. i. Avoid occasions of sin : Person, place or thing. ON THE EPISTLES 131 ii. Guard the senses, avenues of sin to the soul, especially the eyes. iii. Foresee occasions of danger, and prepare for them. iv. Unless we watch, prayer will be like tempting God. v. S. Peter was taught by the experience of his triple fall : Mth. xxvi. Hence his advice herein. III. Prayer: i. Under prayer would come : a. Fervent petition to 1. God, for jnrace and strength. 2. Bl. Virgin, for protection and aid. 3. Angel Guardians, and Patron Saints. ' b. Ejaculations in time of need. c. Reception of the Sacraments, as fountains of strength. The practice of the Saints and holy souls. d. Meditation, or instruction on the eternal truths, ii. Especially this week, for the gifts of the Holy Ghost. a. Like the Apostles, making the first novena in the Church. b. The greater our fervour, the greater the abundance of these graces. Lessons : i. Some at Pentecost will displease the Holy Spirit by their sin. a. Wanting in prudence: walking on the very brink of hell. b. Devoid of watchfulness: throwing themselves into every occasion. c. Careless of prayer: feeling not the need of divine help, ii. We at least must imitate the Apostles this week : a. In prudence : withdrawing occasionally from the world. b. In watchfulness : controlling and mortifying the senses. c. In prayer : preparing ourselves for the Holy Ghost. Then will He come with the abundance of His Gifts. I 3 a SERMON PLANS 66- CHARITY TO OTHERS. " Have a mutual charity among yourselves." I Pet. iv. 8. i. Our Lord has shown the greatest love in our regard. Incarnation : Passion and Death : Bl. Sacrament, ii. Such love S. Peter desires us to show to each other. Motives of Charity : i. Our neighbour is the object of God's eternal love : Jer. xxxi. 3. a. His immortal soul is redeemed like ours, and dear to God. b. God's love for it compared to that of a mother for her child: Is. xlix. 15. c. We all have the same Father, and are destined for the same Home. d. How fail to love what God loves so well : i Jn. iv. ii. e. Mere philanthropy is not the Christian virtue of Charity : 1. Seeking chiefly the good of the body. 2. Based, too often, on mere human motives, ii. The command of God : "Thou shall love thy neighbour as thyself." Mth. xxii. 39. a. The love of our neighbour is like to the love of God. 4. It is declared to be the fulfilment of the law: Rom. xiii. 10. c. Without it, love of God is not genuine, iii. Christ calls this precept His own special command : Jn. xv. 12. iv. Our lot for eternity is made to depend on it : Mth. xxv. : e.g. a. Our union with God in Heaven : 1. What we do to others, we do unto God. " I was hungry, and you gave Me to eat," etc. 2. This the reason of our great reward. ON THE EPISTLES 133 b. Our separation from God in Hell : 1. What we fail to do to others, we fail doing to Him. " I was hungry, and you gave Me not to eat," etc, 2. This the reason of the soul's damnation. c. No duty could be more strongly enforced. Charity requires i. Intelligence : a. Recognizing the reasons for loving one another, (above). b. Avoiding love based on mere sentiment, or fancy. c. Reasoning on the excellence and beauty of every soul, ii. Devotedness : a. Readiness for self-sacrifice : In time, wealth, goods, personal service. b. Every day brings opportunities for this, iii. Restraint of the tongue : a. Criticism and discussions ruin Charity. b. Tale-bearing, ignoble tittle-tattle, etc. cause endless mischief. c. A tongue without restraint is the tongue of a viper : 5. Bernd. Manner of showing Charity : i. We must love all without exception. As God makes His sun to rise upon all : Mth. v. 45. a. Relatives, friends, benefactors. b. Fellow-countrymen and co-religionists : Gal. vi. 10. c. Even our enemies, like Our Lord on the Cross : Lke. xxiii. 34. ii. In practical form: i Jn. iii. 18: e.g. Through the works of mercy, spiritual and corporal, iii. In a kindly and cheerful spirit: Ecclus. xxxv. ii. iv. The good, unselfish spirit is everything. Lessons : i. Examine your conduct as to brotherly love. ii. Repair the past, by good resolutions for the future, iii. Charity brings its own reward both here and hereafter. "Charity coverelh a multitude of sins." (Ep. to-day.) 134 SERMON PLANS 67. TONGUES OF FIRE. " Parted tongues, as it were, of fire." Acts ii. 3. i. Three appearances of the Holy Ghost in the world : a. As a dove, at Our Lord's Baptism : Mth. iii. 16. b. As a cloud, at His Transfiguration : Mth. xvii. 5. c. As tongues of fire, on Pentecost : Acts ii. 3. ii. Consider to-day the meaning of this last. Parted tongues : i. Numerous, one over each of those assembled together, ii. Denoting the multitude of the gifts to be bestowed. "There are diversities of graces, but the same Spirit." i Cor. xii. 4. iii. The tongue enables us to distinguish between bitter and sweet. The Holy Ghost, between things earthly and spiritual, iv. We need the Holy Spirit, to rule and sanctify the tongue. v. Denoting the gift of tongues in the Apostles : a. Necessary, to enable them to preach the new Gospel to all men. Men of every nation understood them : Acts ii. 8. b. Some Saints have also had this gift.* vi. Implying the ministry of the Word, and the duty of preaching. Success of the preaching of the Apostles: Acts ii. 41 : iv. 4. As it were: i. Implying the likeness to fire, not the reality, ii. No real dove at Our Lord's Baptism ; only the appearance. Fire: i. The Old Law given amid thunder and lightning : Ex. xix. The New Law, under this form of fire, ii. The Law of Christ was to be a law of fire, (Charity and zeal). ott THE EptsTLES r 35 iii. As the Holy Spirit had strengthened the Prophets by fire, so now the Apostles : e.g. Isaias vi. 7. Jeremias: Lam. i. 13. iv. Denoting the effects of the Holy Ghost : e.g. a. Fire purifies : e.g. metals from their dross. The Holy Ghost cleanses the soul from imperfections. b. Fire consumes what comes in its way. The Holy Ghost consumes our hearts with love. c. Fire gives light : the Holy Ghost 1. Is the light of God, to show us the path to Heaven. 2. Is to be invoked in doubt, and difficulty of any kind. d. Fire gives heat : The Holy Ghost animates the soul with practical charity. Lessons : i. We too all need the Holy Ghost : Be convinced of this, and seek His gifts, ii. Confirmation especially bestows them; and supplies the need, iii. Pentecost a. Renews His graces. Not in miraculous form, yet most truly in the soul. b. Hence the benefit of its annual observance, iv. Devotion to this Holy Spirit a. Preserves His gifts within us : hence, b. Aspirations of love, hymns, etc. in His honour. * S. Vincent Ferrer (Apl. 5) always preached in Spanish or Latin, yet was understood by French and Greeks, Germans and English, who flocked to hear him S. Dominic (Aug. 4) was desirous of teaching the true religion to some Germans whom he met, but was unable to do so, not knowing their language : he prayed to God for a knowledge of it ; his prayer was heard, and for some days together he instructed those Germans S. Anthony of Padua (June 13) had the gift of languages, and by the light of the Holy Ghost was able to read the state of men's souls So in like manner, S. Francis Xavier (Dec. 3), among the various peoples of India. 136 S&RMON PLANS 68. THE HOLY GHOST. "They were all filled with the Holy Ghost." Acts ii. 4. i. The event of to-day is a. The beginning of a new life in the Apostles. b. The completion of the foundation of the Church, ii. Consider three truths, concerning the Author of such work. First Truth: The Holy Ghost is the third person of the Bl. Trinity, i. A person is a complete substance : a. Endowed with reason. b. Existing in itself. c. Responsible for its own actions. ii. The Holy Ghost is truly a person : because, a. Fulfilling the conditions of the definition. b. Called so equivalently in Holy Scripture. "He shall give you another Paraclete." Jn. xiv. 16. " I will send Him to you. Jn. xvi. 7. c. Scripture attributes to Him the acts of a person. "The Holy Ghost will teach you all things." Jn. xiv. 26. "The Spirit Himself asketh for us." Rom. viii. 26. iii. Third in the order of the Divine Persons: Mth. xxviii. 19. Second Truth : The Holy Ghost proceeds from Father and Son. i. As from one principle. CL of 'Florence. a. Called the Spirit of the Father: Mth. x. 20: Spirit of the Son : Gal. iv. 6. b. Said to be sent by the Father : Jn. xiv. 26 : by the Son : Jn. xv. 26. ii. Two modes of procession in the Divine Persons : by way of a. Knowledge, (generation), as with the Son. b. Love, (spiration), as with the Holy Ghost. OAT THE EPISTLES 137 iii. The Holy Ghost not later than Father or Son : a. The mutual love of these is eternal. b. Hence the Holy Ghost is eternal like them. Third Truth : The Holy Ghost is equal to the Father and the Son. i. The Holy Ghost is called God. " The Father, the Word and the Holy Ghost : and these three are one." I Jn. v. 7. "The Spirit of God dwelleth in you." I Cor. iii. 16. Ananias lying to the Holy Ghost lied to God : Acts v. 3, 4. ii. Scripture gives Him divine attributes : e.g. a. Omniscience : "The Spirit searcheth all things: yea, the deep things of God." I Cor. ii. 10. b. Omnipresence : "The Spirit of the Lord hath filled the whole world." Wisd. i. 7. c. Omnipotence : " The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow thee." Lke. i. 35. d. Miracles: " I by the Spirit of God cast out devils." Mth. xii. 28. iii. Thus the Holy Ghost is the same Lord and God as the Father and the Son, and is equal to them in all things for ever. Lessons : i. Pentecost will repeat the event it commemorates : In different form, yet as truly as with the Apostles, ii. The Holy Ghost will come to us also, if we avoid a. Mortal sin, which excludes Him from the soul. b. Venial sin, which grieves Him. iii. Cultivate special devotion to the Holy Spirit, as a. The Light of God, to guide us. b. The Grace of God, to strengthen us. iv. Invoke Him in times of trial, doubt and difficulty. 138 SERtfON PLANS 69. GOD'S KNOWLEDGE. " O the depth of the riches of the knowledge of God." Rom. xi 33. i. God's knowledge far surpasses that of all angels and men : it is a. From eternity and incapable of increase. b. At the same moment : we proceed from know- ledge to knowledge. c. From Himself: not through creatures. ii. Consider to-day this infinite knowledge of the triune God. God knows and sees all things : i Jn. iii. 20. i. All things known and knowable : e.g. a. Actual, i.e. now existing : e.g. Every grain of sand, every flower, insect and being. b. Possible, i.e. that might exist but do not : " God callcth those things that are not, as those that are." Rom. iv. 17. c. Past: 1. The good and bad acts of men from the beginning of time. 2. The details of all men's lives. d. Present : "All things are naked and open to His eyes." Hcbr. iv. 13. 1. All the actions of men now doing in all parts. 2. All events now occurring throughout the universe. c. Future : 1. Events good and bad yet to occur. Jesus knew who was to betray Him. Jn. vi. 65. 2. Things yet to come into existence. The predictions of Christ and the Prophets. 3. The future free acts of men. ON THE EPISTLES 139 /. Conditional Future, i.e. what would be, under certain conditions : David's danger, if he went to Ceila : i Kgs. xxiii. 12. The repentance of Tyre, if it had had the graces of Corozain : Mth. xi. 21. ii. Even our most secret thoughts. " I know their thoughts." Deut. xxxi. 21. "The Lord knoweth the thoughts of men." Ps. xciii. II. Hidden from all, in the depths of the heart. Jesus read the thoughts of the Scribes : Mth. ix. 4. He knew the heart of Nathaniel. Jn. i. 47. iii. This knowledge does not destroy man's free-will : a. Man does not act, because God knows and sees the act. b. But God knows and sees the act, because man will do it.* iv. Mystery explained by the Eternity and Immensity of God. v. The source of God's unerring justice. Fatalism holds that i. Everything that is must be. ii. Nothing can be otherwise than it is. iii. Man therefore is not free to act. iv. God cannot therefore justly punish or reward, v. Man need take no precautions in sickness, etc. vi. There is no Providence. All which teaching favours passion and justifies crime ! Lessons : i. As God sees all, so must we, as His images, see a. The Past, to humble ourselves and return thanks. b. The Present, to profit by it. c. The Future, to prepare for it. ii. God sees me ! these words well meditated prevent more crime than all preachers together. iii. The thought that God sees us should also comfort us in trial. * If, standing by the banks of a river, you see a log of wood up the water floating towards you, you know that in time it will reach the place where you are standing and pass before you. The log however does not come down to you because you see it, but you know it will pass you, because it is coming. SERMON PLANS 70. EFFECTS OF THE LOVE OF GOD. " His charity is perfected in us." I Jn. iv. 12. i. True love is ever fertile in results. ii. The stronger the flame of God's love within us, the more perfect its effects. Effects of the love of God : i. It purifies the soul from earthly desires: a. The heart is made to love, and must find an object to love. b. The more we fix it on God, the more we detach it from things of earth, ii. It leads the soul to do all for God: i Cor. x. 31. a. Whoso loveth God, eats, not for pleasure's sake but, to please Him. b. Sleep, study, labour, etc. are all in like manner for God. c\ Love is thus a link of union between lover and beloved : e.g. Jacob and Benjamin : Gen. xliv. 20. Jonathan and David: i Kgs. xviii. i. The early Christians, through love, had all things in common : Acts iv. 32. iii. It makes the soul desire and do great things for God: e.g. The Apostles rejoiced to suffer for Christ: Acts v. 41. S. Paul thought his trials but light: 2 Cor. iv. 17. Undertakings of missionaries, in spite of all dangers. Things not easy in themselves, but easy to them that love. iv. The same love tends to increase daily in the soul. a. The salamander was supposed to live on fire. Symbol of the lover's heart. b. God's love is as a flame ever burning within. c. Some Saints seem to have been all consumed with love : e.g. S. Francis of Assisi : Oct. 4. i. Who saw God in all things. ON THE EPISTLES 141 2. Who burned with love to the Blessed Sacrament. 3. Who was rewarded with the Stigmata. S. Philip Neri : May 26. v. It makes the soul try to spread love in others : e.g. S. Paul, writing to the Corinthians : 2 Cor. v. 20. The Saints wept to see God so little loved. The efforts of holy men to bring souls to God. " He that hath no zeal hath no love." S. Bernd. vi. It gives the soul power with God : Jacob wrestling with the angel : Gen. xxxii. 28. S. Francis of Assisi commanded the brute creation. The Saints, through love, worked miracles of power. They read the hearts of men, and knew the future, vii. It brings peace and joy to the soul : Job, amid all his trials : Job i. ii. David ever sang the praises of God : Ps. xxxiii. 2. S. Lawrence's joy on the gridiron : Aug. 10. " Enough, O Lord, enough," exclaimed S. Francis Xavier: Dec. 3. viii. It makes the soul to languish and die in God. Our Lady died, not of disease, but of pure love of God. The ecstasies of the Saints. Lessons ; i. Appreciate the beauty of this love of God, true beauty of the soul.* ii. Take means to obtain it : e.g. a. Strive for a more perfect knowledge of God. It is just their knowledge which makes the " charity " of the Blessed so full. I. Consideration of one's own nothingness. c. Purity of heart and detachment from creatures. d. Longing desires to possess it: Wisd. vi. 21. iii. One of our most important occupations should be the exercise of explicit acts of love. * Unless a coal be inflamed and burning, it has no beauty ; so neither has the soul, except it burn with love for God. S. Bernardine. I 4 2 SERMON PLANS 71. COMMUNION UNDER ONE KIND. " Whosoever shall cat . . . or drink." I Cor. xi. 27. i. In the Holy Eucharist, the Body of Our Lord is not separated from His Blood. But, ii. The Whole living Christ is contained under each species. Hence, Hi. Whoever receives under one kind only receives the whole Sacrament. Communion under one kind: i. Christ is received in every consecrated particle the world over. One man speaking may be heard by a thousand. A broken mirror reflects an object in each of its pieces. The soul is whole and entire in all our members, ii. Hence the priest may divide particles when necessary, iii. The same promises are made to those who eat only, as to those who eat and drink : " If any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever." Jn. vi. 52. " He that eateth My Flesh and drinketh My Blood hath life everlasting." Jn. vi. 55. iv. S. Paul declares him that eats or drinks unworthily guilty of the Body and the Blood, i Cor. xi. 27. v. From the very times of the Apostles, Communion was often given under the form of bread only : e.g. a. To the faithful, to take to their homes during persecution. S. Tharcisius.* b. To prisoners, infants and the sick. Serapion ; and Queen Mary.f c. To anchorets, to communicate themselves in the desert, vi. Common in England in the yth c. : general in the West in the i2th c. o. Because of accidents and abuses. b. Because of the difficulty of giving the Cup to crowds. ON THE EPISTLES 143 c. Many cannot bear the taste of wine. d. For the sake of greater reverence. vii. Definitely laid down in the Council of Constance : A.D. 1414. a. Against the Hussites, maintaining the necessity of the Cup. b. A matter of discipline only, which may vary as needed, viii. The belief of the Faithful guards them against thinking this a loss, ix. Practice agreeable to Holy Scripture : a. As seen from the words of Our Lord. (iii. above). b. The Eucharist often described as the breaking of bread. Lke. xxiv. 30, 35 : Acts ii. 46. c. Probably the opposite is often held through pride only, rebelling against regulations made by authority. x. Thus is the Church justified in continuing her present practice. Conclusions : i. The custom of the Church, in preserving the Holy Eucharist under the form of bread, shows her belief in the permanence of the Real Presence. ii. Her whole practice ever in consonance with Scripture. iii. How unfounded then the objections against Com- munion under one kind. iv. Respect and obedience due to the Church's wisdom in such matters. * S. Tharcisius was arrested by the Pagans, as he was carrying the Bl. Sacrament to his home, and stoned to death, because he would not betray It to them. Life: Aug. 15. t A certain old man named Serapion, when at the point of death, despatched a youth for the priest, who, happening also to be confined to bed by sickness, sent to the dying Serapion a particle of the Bl. Eucharist. He directed the messenger to moisten It with water, and then put It into the mouth of the old man, who expired shortly after receiving It. Eusebius. When Mary, Queen of Scots, was imprisoned by Elizabeth, and no priest allowed near her, Pope S. Pius V. permitted her to administer Communion to herself, with Sacred Hosts brought to her by a faithful attendant. SERMON PLANS 72. BAD COMMUNION. " Eatelh and drinketh judgment to himself." I Cor. xi. 29. i. From the time of the Apostles, bad Communions have been made. It was even an Apostle that made the first one. ii. The Church to-day recalls words for our warning and meditation. Bad Communion : i. Communion made with the consciousness of mortal sin in the soul. Bringing Our Lord and the devil to dwell together ! ii. A sacrilege of the deepest dye : a. To turn a church into a stable would be a crime. b. To profane sacred vessels, like Baltazzar, the same. c. What then to receive Communion into the filth of sin ! Like tying the martyrs to putrid corpses ! iii. Usually caused by a previous bad confession. Hence the Apostle bids us prove ourselves : i Cor. xi. 28. iv. As a sacrilege, a. It tends to harden the heart. The robber's advice.* b. Often punished even in this life : Remorse and despair, as in Judas: Mth. xxvii. 5. Sickness and premature death : i Cor. xi. 30. The Donatists and their dogs.f v. Does not discern the body of the Lord : i.e. a. Does not distinguish between this heavenly food, and our daily food. b. Treats both as on an equal footing. c. And so eateth and drinketh judgment, i.e. punishment, vi. Better no Communion, therefore, than a bad one ! ON THE EPISTLES 145 Means to avoid bad Communion : i. Lively faith, through meditation : a. Realizing well what it is we receive. This divine mystery offers a wide field for thought and study. b. Leading us to approach with all reverence. ii. A good confession : a. As the means of blotting out mortal sin. b. As a means of exterminating, or weakening, evil inclinations. c. The channel of abundant grace to the soul. The more the soul is thus adorned, the greater the fruits received, iii. Careful preparation : a first result of lively faith. a. Remote : in the practice of a good life. b. Proximate : in prayer, acts of desire, actual devotion, iv. Worthy thanksgiving : a further effect of lively faith. a. At least a quarter of an hour in prayer. b. The soul then has three precious advantages. 1. Her acts are more fervent and efficient. 2. She obtains more ready answers to her petitions. 3. She is transformed into the likeness of Jesus more efficaciously. c. A great help towards a good Communion next time. * To a young robber, whose sense of right had not yet been stifled, the chieftain of the band said : "Go and make bad Communions, and you will no longer fear ! " Unfortunately the young robber followed this advice, and indeed soon found how sacrilege hardens the heart, for he became the most desperate of the lot. Cat. en Ex. t The Donatists, 4th c. used to invade the Catholic churches and throw the consecrated particles to their dogs. But one day the Justice of God overtook them, for the dogs, suddenly becoming furiously mad, rushed upon their owners and almost devoured them, thus avenging the sacrilege committed against the BI. Sacrament. S. Optatus. K I 4 6 SERMON PLANS 73. THE WORLD'S HATRED. "Wonder not, if the world hate you." I Jn. iii. 13. i. Contraries hate one another : Black is opposed to white ; activity, to sloth, ii. Thus the followers of the world ever hate the children of God. As in the very beginning, Cain hated Abel : Gen. iv. Grounds of this opposition : i. The difference between worldlings and the Saints. a. Worldlings love honours, riches and pleasure. The Saints practise humility, poverty and self-denial. I. Likeness and resemblance are the roots of mutual love; while Dissimilarity begets hate and dislike, r. Testimony of Holy Writ : " He is grievous unto us ... for his life is not like other men's." Wisd. ii. 15. "All that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution." 2 Tim. iii. 12. d. In the animal kingdom similar feuds are found :e.g. Between wolf and lamb ; hound and hare. e. Wonder not, then, if hatred exist between the followers of the world and those of Christ, their aims being so different, ii. Envy and jealousy : a. Men swayed by passion cannot rise to the virtue of the Saints. b. They see the Saints in the path to Heaven, while they themselves are on the road to Hell. c. This creates envy, and then begets opposition. As the devil and the damned envy and hate the Blessed in Heaven. d. Hence sinners hate those who practise religion, iii. The world sees the Saints separate themselves from its ways. " He ahstaincth from our ways, as from filthiness." Wisd. ii. 16. ON THE EPISTLES 147 a. It thus regards them as traitors and deserters. b. Our Lord Himself assigns this as a cause of persecution. " Because you are not of the world . . . the world hateth you." Jn. xv. 19. iv. The Saints are a reproach to the ways of the world. a. Vain reasonings of the wicked from the beginning : 1 ' He upbraideth us with transgressions of the law, and divulgeth against us the sins of our way of life." Wisd. ii. 12. b. A good life is a silent condemnation of a bad one. 1. The Saints cling to God and His Law, in spite of all. 2. They suffer prison, slander, etc. for justice' sake. c. Men resent such rebuke, however indirect. d. Hence their persecution of those who give it. Lessons : i. If we are trying to serve God, we may look for hatred and opposition. ii. Our Lord suffered such before us: Jn. xv. 18. As His disciples, we must expect the same : Mth. x. 24. iii. This hatred of the world will help a. To detach our hearts from it. b. To obtain us God's special love and protection.* c. To secure us a magnificent reward hereafter: Mth. v. 20. iv. This way of the Cross is the safest road to Heaven. f * In the lives of the Saints, are found many instances of the miraculous manner in which God has extended His protection to those who serve Him, in spite of the hatred and opposition of men : the natural laws suspended in their favour ; wild beasts subdued at their feet ; the whole of nature obedient to their word. . : S. Martina, Jan. 30 ; S. Venantius, May 18 ; S. Francis, Oct. 4 ; S. Daria, Oct. 25. t Walk where thou wilt, seek what thou wilt, and thou wilt find no higher way above, no safer way below, than the way of the holy Cross. IiHJt. 2. xii. 148 SERMON PLANS 74. HATRED. " Whosoever hatelh his brother is a murderer." i Jn. iii. 15. i. A chief object of S. John's Epistle is to inculcate the need of good works, ii. Love of our neighbour is a necessary and meritorious good work, iii. Hence his frequent reference to Charity and to the avoidance of all that may wound it. iv. To-day he speaks of hatred, directly opposed to love. Hatred : i. Deep, permanent resentment for injury received; enmity, ii. Most sinful, as a breach of the two-fold law of Charity. "Love your enemies." Mth. v. 44. " He that hateth his brother is in darkness." I Jn. ii. n. " If any man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar." I Jn. iv. 20. iii. Dislike is not hatred, but, if not controlled, may lead to it. iv. Signs of : a. Taking opportunity to inflict injury in any way. The Egyptians against Israel: Ex. i. 13. b. Grieving at an enemy's success. c. Rejoicing in his misfortune. d. Refusing him the ordinary marks of civility, v. Guilt of : a. Varies with the intensity and deliberation. b. Oftentimes a mortal sin. vi. Causes of : 0. Ill-feeling not suppressed, but encouraged. b. Dislikes not resisted, r. Jealousy and envy. Joseph hated by his brethren : Gen. xxxvii. 4. Off THE EPISTLES 149 vii. Effects of : a. It hardens the heart, and closes it to grace. S. Nicephorus and Sapricius : Saints' Lives : Feb. 9. b. It destroys the power of meriting : " If I should deliver my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing." i Cor. xiii. 3. c. It destroys our own peace of mind : Producing gloom, restlessness and misery. d. It causes dissensions and quarrels. " Hatred stirreth up strifes." Prov. x. 12. Whoso hates another is a murderer: i. Not always in act and deed, ii. But in will and desire. Esau, hating Jacob, thought to murder him : Gen. xxvii. 41. Aman, preparing a gibbet for Mardochai: Est. v. 14. iii, He murders his own soul by his grievous sin. iv. Yet so terrible a sin is not uncommon : a. Not always in its most ugly form. b. But in its lesser degree, often. v. Hence the need of speaking on the subject. Lessons : i. Reflect on the grievous nature of this sin. ii. See if it lurk not in the soul in any degree. As judged by the signs given above, iii. If so, resolve at once on removing it. iv. Though difficult to cure, it can be done, by aid of a. Divine grace, obtained through prayer. b. The thought of God's mercy to us, in spite of our sins. 150 SERMON VLANS 75. HUMILITY. 11 Be you humbled under the mighty hand of God." I I'ct. v. 6. i. Who, if only he reflected, would not humble himself before God ? a. Who holds the universe in His palm : b. Whose hand is mighty to destroy : c. Who hurled forth the proud angels from Heaven. ii. Consider the virtue of humility, so becoming the creature. Humility : i. Virtue by which, through true self-knowledge, man appears vile in his own eyes : S. Lawr. Just. ii. Does not consist a. In speaking ill of ourselves, which is often pride in disguise. b. In merely acknowledging to God we are sinners. But, iii. Consists essentially a. In acknowledging ourselves to be really what we are. b. In esteeming ourselves accordingly, and wishing others so to esteem us. c. In true and sincere contempt of ourselves. d. In referring to God any good we may have, or do. i Cor. iv. 7. iv. Foundation of all virtue and essential to salvation. Humility and the Flower.* "There are many virgins in Hell, but no humble souls." O.L. to 5. Mary Pa-.i. v. Its happy effects: a. Confidence in God only. b. Compunction for sin which displeases Him. c. Meekness and gentleness of manner. d. Charity and sympathy with all. ON THE EPISTLES 151 vi. Shown by a. Ready obedience to Superiors, as to God : Lke. x. 1 6. b. Yielding to the opinion of others. c. Modesty in tone and expression. d. Readiness to seek counsel and help. e. Absence of ambition, and anxiety about results. /. Willingness to oblige. g. Peace of mind amid insult and misfortune, vii. Examples : Joseph, referring interpretation to God. Gen. xl. 8. Moses, sent to deliver Israel: Ex. iii. u. Our Lord, King of Heaven and earth. The Bl. Virgin : Lke. i. 48. The Publican, in the Temple : Lke. xviii. viii. Advantages and need of : a. Our Lord declares it necessary to salvation- Mth. xviii. 3. b. He bids us learn it from Him : Mth. xi. 29. c. The humble 1. Receive grace from God : i Pet. v. 5. 2. Have great power with Him : Ecclus. xxxv. 21. d. Humility will guard us against despair. Lessons : i. Strive after this virtue, so pleasing to God, so necessary to all. ii. Take means to obtain it : e.g. a. Imitation of Our Lord and His Saints. b. Love of humiliations. c. Consideration of our own nothingness and sin. d> Prayer to God to grant it. iii. The humble shall be exalted in due season. Lke. xviii. 14. * The flower depends on its root, and if cut off from it withers and dies. So virtue of whatever kind, unless rooted in humility, soon fails and disappears. Rodriguez, 1 5 2 SERMON PLANS 76. PROVIDENCE. " He hath care of you." l Pet. v. 7. i. Prudent forethought is by no means forbidden ; but, ii. When you have done your best, leave the result to God. For, iii. There exists in God a two-fold Providence: viz. Attention and will to preserve the physical and moral order established by Him. iv. It includes infinite Wisdom, Goodness, Power. I. Providence in the Physical Order; i. Scripture tells of it : " Who givcth the leasts their food." Ps. cxlvi. 9. " Say not, there is no Providence." Kccles. v. 5. "Thy Providence, O Father, governeth it." Wisd. xiv. 3. ii. All nations recognize it, even the Pagans : e.g. Every portion of the universe was dedicated to some deity, iii. The constant succession of the same phenomena: a. This requires a constant cause, law : therefore a law-giver. b. Yet He who established law can modify it. Thus nations have ever prayed to Him in famine, etc. iv. Manifests itself : fl. In bestowing on creatures all things necessary for their good : e.g. The clothing of animals, according to the climates they inhabit. Migrations of birds and fishes. Forms of flowers adapted to reflect the heat to the seed. b. In protecting creatures against evil : e.g. History of the three children, and of Daniel : Dan. iii. vi. Every animal has arms of self-defence.* Otf THE EPISTLES 153 II. Providence in the Moral Order: i. Scripture testimony : a. The psalmist bids us trust in God : Ps. liv. 23. b. The Apostle to-day, in like manner. " Casting all your care upon Him." c. Our Lord represents Himself as the Good Shepherd: Jn. x. n. d. He taught us to call God our Father: Mth. vi. 9. e. He tells us to ask for what we need: Mth. vii. 7. ii. All nations have ever felt a. That man lives under the government of God. b. That God is offended by sin and pleased with virtue, iii. Providence in the physical order implies the same in the moral. If God provides for the lower creation, how much more for man : Mth. vi. 30. iv. Shows itself in the many helps given to men, whereby to observe the Law and attain salvation. Lessons : i. Meditate on the Providence of God, working out your whole welfare. ii. Do your best in all things, then trust the rest to God. iii. Be resigned to the Divine Will : a. In sorrow of mind and soul. b. In sufferings of body. c. In all the evils of life. Knowing well God watcheth over you. iv. Thank God for all that befalls you, like holy Job : i. 21. * The Bee has its sting The Cuttlefish, common along our coasts, is able to emit a blackish substance like ink, which darkens the water, and so enables it to escape pursuit The Electrical Fish, in the Bay of Biscay, can give shocks that have sufficient power to stun, or even to kill other fish that may attack it. SERMOX PLANS 77. SS. PETER AND PAUL. i. Feast of the two great pillars of the Church, SS. Peter and Paul, ii. Appropriate occasion to consider some points and lessons of their lives. I. S. Peter : " Prince of the Apostles." i. First Vicar of Christ in the Church. Bishop of Antioch 7 years, then of Rome for 25. ii. Three chief points in his career. a. His Fall: Mth. xxvi. 1. At the voice of a servant, three-fold denial of our Lord. 2. As we perhaps fall, through a. Human respect; or, ft. Fear of difficulties that do not exist. 3. Caused by a. His neglect of prayer, sleeping instead. ft. His self-confidence, remaining in the danger, y. Seeking human comfort, " warming himself." b. His conversion : Lke. xxii. 1. Our Lord looked on him with love. How often does He do so with us ! 2. S. Peter then remembered the warning he had received. a. Had he always done so, he had not fallen. (3. We need to remember God's word in meditation. 3. He went forth : a. Away from the danger ; while, ft. We often hesitate to give up occasions of sin. Yet violence is necessary to gain Heaven: Mth. xi. 12. Oti THE EPISTLES 155 4. He wept bitterly : a. Through sincerity and depth of love. /?. At having offended so loving a Master, y. All through his life, according to tradition. 8. Happy we, if our tears be as his. c. His appointment as Head of the Church : Mth. xvi. iii. Writer of two canonical Epistles, iv. Persecution, and crucifixion under Nero, A.D. 67. Head downwards, out of a spirit of humility. II. S. Paul : " Apostle of the Gentiles." i. Incidents of his career : Acts ix. a. A blasphemer, and persecutor of the Church : i Tim. i. 13. b. His miraculous conversion, now "a vessel of election." c. His wanderings and sufferings : 2 Cor. xi. d. Burning zeal for souls during 26 years, ii. The writer of many Epistles : Of which we often hear on Sundays, iii. As a Roman citizen, beheaded, A.D. 67. The three fountains.* Lessons ; i. Prayer to-day for the Pope and the Church. ii. Fidelity to the Faith of Peter, iii. Defence of the rights of the Holy See. iv. These two Saints, examples of a. Zeal for souls. b. Courage and fortitude in trial. c. Humble and sincere repentance. * S. Paul was martyred about a mile beyond the magnificent basilica of S. Paul's outside the walls. His head bounded three times after his decapitation, and from the spots where it touched the earth there burst forth fountains of water which still exist, an altar now standing over each. I5 6 SERMOM 78. DEVOTION TO THE HOLY SEE. " Prayer was made without ceasing . . . for him." Acts xii. 5. i. These words show the love of the early Christians for the Vicar of Christ. ii. This love and devotion ever the mark of a good Catholic. Consider Some reasons for this devotion : i. Peter is supreme Head of the Church : a. The Faith is now everywhere attacked, and we need his help. b. The special office of S. Peter is to strengthen our Faith. c. Devotion to him will inspire love for the Faith, ii. Peter represents the principle of Authority : a. The sin of the age is pride and rebellion. In individuals and homes, then against Church and State. b. The religious condition of England like that of Babel. No one admits any authority outside himself. c. This spirit often found among Catholics too. In criticisms, disrespect, disobedience, etc. d. Devotion to S. Peter inspires docility, and reverence for authority, iii. Peter is the father of the Sacerdotal Order : a. The unity of the priesthood takes its rise from him. All engaged in the pastoral office work under him. b. He needs labourers animated with his spirit. 1. The harvest is great and ready : Mth.ix.37. 2. Prayer necessary for obtaining labourers. 3. Devotion to S. Peter will help to gain vocations. c. Priests themselves need a patron and model. Both these they have in S. Peter, the father of their Order. iv. Knowledge and love of Peter can alone restore England to the Faith. ON THE EPISTLES 157 a. Apostasy from Peter, the great sin of the i6th c. b. Thousands of our countrymen are now out of the Church, through ignorance of Peter's claims. c. Anglicans hold the teaching of the early centuries to be pure. Hence, The teaching of those ages should to them be conclusive.* d. To spread the love of Peter will be to help on England's conversion. Cultivate therefore and extend this devotion, v. The Pope governs the whole Church, and is the channel of graces to all. a. He can therefore claim our help in his temporal wants. b. For centuries, he owned temporal means, provided by the Faithful. c. In recent years, the Revolution has despoiled him of these. d. Hence the re-establishment of Peter's Pence, or Rome Scot. 1. First introduced by the Anglo-Saxons in the 8th c. 2. Less than ^"300,000 a year suffices for the government of the Church. 3. Nearly ^"500,000 a year required by the English Government, for printing and stationery alone ! e. The Pope has a claim, in gratitude and justice, on our temporal help : i Cor. ix. 7 n. Lessons : i. Prayer to S. Peter for firmness in the Faith, ii. The devotion of Petertide June 29 to Aug. i. iii. Love, reverence and obedience to the Pope, as to Peter. iv. Almsdeeds, in the form of Peter Pence, v. Prayer for the return of England to Peter's Fold. * Take as an example the words of S. Cyprian, A.D. 248 : "There is but one baptism and one Holy Ghost, and one Church founded by Christ on Peter, as the source and principle of unity." Also these of S.Ambrose, A.D. 385: "They have not Peter's inheritance, who have not Peter's Chair," I 5 8 SERMON PLANS 79. THE TRIALS OF LIFE. "The sufferings of this lime are not worthy to l>e compared with the glory to come." Kom. viii. iS. i. Suffering in some form or other the lot of all men. ii. Too often borne in impatience and rebellion against God. iii. A few thoughts may help us to Christian resignation. The sufferings of life : i. Are of many kinds : a. In the body : sickness, accidents, poverty. b. In the mind : anxiety, fear, ill-will of men. f. In the soul : temptation, desolation, scruples, ii. In themselves, they cannot compare with the glory to be revealed. How can the temporal weigh with the eternal ! Yet, iii. Vivified by charity, and borne for God, they are worthy of it. For, a. They thus become works of grace. b. Grace here is the seed of glory hereafter, iv. A small seed can produce large results : As an acorn, the oak. So, v. Sufferings and trifles done for God may merit eternal reward. The piece of gold.* vi. Hence the Saints, with this thought in view, have prayed for trials. " To suffer, or to die." S. Teresa. Means to lighten our sufferings: i. Prayer for strength. "Call upon Me in the day of trouble: I will deliver tliee." Ps. xlix. 15. "He shall cry to Me, and I will hear him." Ps. xr. 15. "They cried to the Ix>rd . . . and He delivered them,'' Ps. cvi. 13. " Ask and it shall be given you." Mth. vii. 7. ON THE EPISTLES 159 ii. The Holy Eucharist : " Thou hast prepared a table before me against them that afflict me." Ps. xxii. 5. a. The food that strengthens the soul in every- thing. b. Wherein the Martyrs found their courage. c. Where we too must seek support. d. To be often received, therefore, if only worthily, iii. Foresee and prepare for your crosses. Our Lord forewarned His Apostles. Jn. xvi. 4. iv. Consider the Providence of God : a. Who ordains all for the best. b. Who watches over all His creatures. c. Who will not suffer us to be tried beyond our strength: i Cor. x. 13. v. Consideration of past sin : a. Mortal sin deserves eternal punishment. b. When forgiven, it still deserves chastisement. c. Even venial sin demands reparation to God. d. Nothing so effectual for this, as trials borne for Him. vi. Think of the future reward : a. Anything done for God's sake merits glory hereafter. The cup of cold water. Mth. x. 42. b. How much more, painful crosses borne in resignation. c. This thought has given courage to the Martyrs and Saints. Conclusion : i. Use these helps amid " the sufferings of this time." ii. They will lighten your burden, and inspire fresh courage through life. * A small piece of gold may be worth a large object, such as a box or a book, both by its own intrinsic value, and by the common estimation of men. So a work, though small in itself, but done for God, may merit an eternal reward, both through its own dignity and worth, and in consequence of the promises of God, A Lapide, i6o SERMON PLANS 80. OUR HOME IN GOD. " The creature waiteth for the revelation of the sons of God." Rom. viii. 19. i. Man is made for happiness. a. He is always seeking it. b. Sometimes where it is not : e.g. in sin. Yet, r. Happiness is the end he aims at. ii. Consider the true happiness to be revealed to us Heaven. Description of our future Home : i. The Majesty of God, Three in One, outlying beyond all space. Infinite in beauty, and power, and love, ii. The Sacred Humanity of Our Lord, now glorified for ever. iii. The Bl. Virgin, the Martyrs, the Saints, iv. The riches and splendour of the Heavenly Jerusalem : Apoc. xxi. v. Land of happiness and joy, of peace and plenty. a. Broad : containing all possible delights, for 1. Body: life, health, youth, and beauty. 2. Soul : to see, love and enjoy God for ever. b. Long : its goods and joys eternal, unending. c. High : noble and exalted above all conception : i Cor. ii. 9. d. Deep : happiness unmixed with the least evil, vi. Joy the same for all, though varying in degree. Yet all are happy and content, amid the inequality. vii. Three classes named for special crowns, (aureola) : a. Doctors of the Church, for resisting the Devil : Dan. xii. 3. b. Martyrs, for overcoming the World. c. Virgins, for subduing the Flesh. ON THE EPISTLES 161 Our life in that Home: i. To see God : a. In Himself, and all His divine perfections. b. His mercies and love to man. c. With faculties of soul and body, illumined by the Light of Glory, ii. To love God : a. With intense energy and devotion, as being created for Him. b. Praise, blessing and thanksgiving. And, c. In and for Him, all things as He loves them, iii. To enjoy God : a. In knowledge and love, the Blessed possess God. b. In this possession, they enjoy Him. c. Joy that would break the hearts of all men, as a drop only to our joy in God ! iv. All for ever and without end. a. Without fear of loss or diminution. b. Its very security constituting one of its joys. c. An eternity of good, for a moment of trial ! v. Examples : S. Paul could not recount the beauty of Heaven : i Cor. ii. 9. S. Adrian, converted by the thought of it : Spt. 8. S.Stephen strengthened by sight of it: Acts vii. 55. Conclusions : i. Are our present tastes fitting us for this Home ? ii. Is our present life preparing us for it ? This should be our one thought and care, iii. The thought of this revelation to be made to us is a. A great incentive to virtue. b. A preservative against sin. c. A source of filial fear and love. d. A source of strength and courage in trial. iv. Acts of trust and desire of Heaven, and of longing for God ! L 162 SERMON PLANS 81. CHRISTIAN UNITY. " Be ye all of one mind." I Pet. iii. 8. i. A father desires perfect union among his children, ii. Men constitute one large family, with God as their Father, iii. Unity and brotherly love most befit creatures in their mutual intercourse. To be shown in two ways chiefly, viz. : I. Watchfulness over the Tongue: i. Constant restraint of it, an effect and a sign of the control of the passions. ii. It is not only perfection, but the summit of perfection. " Who is there that hath not offended with his tongue ? " Ecclus. xix. 17. " If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man. 1 ' Jas. iii. 2. iii. A difficult undertaking : a. Loquacity not the least of the faults of fallen nature. 1. Whatever the mind conceives we long to speak. 2. This inborn propensity hard to resist. For, " Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaketh." Mth. xii. 34. b. It is difficult to control the imagination. And, Language is the fruit of thought, and an index of the heart. A saying of Socrates.* c. Watchfulness has so many circumstances to consider (time, place, etc.). A work beyond the powers of unaided nature. d. Man is prone to praise himself and blame others. Yet, iv. Who can enumerate the evils of neglect of this ? E.g. a. Misunderstandings, so hard to repair. b. Bickerings and heart-burnings. c . Damage to reputation and good name. d. Injury to temporal prospects. e. Reparation so necessary, yet so difficult. ON THE EPISTLES 163 v. Thus, to refrain one's tongue is essential to peace and harmony. II. Taking opportunity of helping others: i. The members of the human body mutually aid each other. The eyes guide the feet. The hand feeds the stomach. Now, ii. We are all members of one large body, or family. Hence, iii. We must endeavour to aid and help one another : e.g. a. By the various works of charity and love. b. By sympathy with others in their trials. c. By kindness of word and act. d. We must seek after peace with all men. The divine gift of Christ to the earth : Lke. ii. 14. iv. True fraternal charity requires a. Intelligence, that we may see 1. The grounds on which we must base our love. 2. The manner of showing it, to be pleasing to God. b. Devotedness, a readiness to make sacrifices for others. In time, means and personal service. c. Restraint of the Tongue (above). d. Supernatural Motive, to make it truly effective and meritorious. The Philanthropy of the day, loving merely the body, is not Christian charity. v. Such charity will greatly tend to Christian Unity among brethren. Lessons : i. Examine yourselves as to the use of the tongue, and the law of charity. a. Reparation for the faults of the past. b. Resolution as to the future, on these points. ii. How good and pleasant for brethren to dwell together in unity! Ps. cxxxii. i. * Socrates used to say : " Speak, that I may see what you are," implying that, by a man's language, he could judge the character of his mind and heart. A Lapide. 164 SERMON PLANS 82. THE PRESENCE OF GOD. "The eyes of the Lord are upon the just . . . and upon them that do evil." I Pet. iii. 12. i. Among the practices of perfection, the Saints strongly commend the presence of God. ii. God abides in all things and everywhere, by His presence and power. iii. It is well to recall this truth, for it is I. A check on the Passions. i. Even the pagans recognized that a witness to our daily lives would prevent many sins.* ii. How much more the thought of God's Presence. No subject would dare to rebel, under the very eyes of his sovereign ! iii. God knows and sees all things, even our very thoughts. a. Who will sin, remembering the eyes of God are upon him ? Susanna and the Elders : Dan. xiii. 23. b. Who will sin, knowing God can see and cast him into hell ? c. Who will sin, knowing this God will be his judge ? d. In solitude and darkness, God is ever present with us. iv. This thought of God's presence truly a check on the passions. v. How many lost souls would have been saved, had they realized this truth. Let us learn by their experience ! II. A spur to Virtue. i. Scripture instructs us that this practice leads to perfection. "Walk before Me and be perfect." Gen. xvii. I. ON THE EPISTLES 165 ii. It tells of great servants of God adopting it. E.g. Noah walked with God and was perfect : Gen. vi. 9, Abraham (as above) : Gen. xvii. i. Isaac walked in God's sight : Gen. xlviii. 15. Ezechias walked before God : Is. xxxviii. 3. David set the Law of God ever before his eyes : Ps. xv. 8; xxiv. 15. iii. Progress in virtue, a natural result of such practice. Comparisons.! iv. Saints and Holy Writers have extolled it : e.g. S. John Chrysostom : Jan. 27. S. Basil : June 14. S.Teresa: Oct. 15. v. Take it up, then, as a great aid to perfection. Means of practising 1 it : i. By aid of the imagination, representing God as a. The Babe of Bethlehem. b. The Child at Nazareth. c. The Missionary in Palestine. d. The Victim on Calvary ; or, e. The Prisoner in the Tabernacle. Each one, as his fancy and devotion may suggest to him. ii. By acts of faith in God's presence, and ejaculatory prayers. Knowing we are plunged in it, as a bird in the air. iii. By seeing God in His creatures (stars, flowers, events of life). iv. By sanctification of our daily actions, doing them for God. * Seneca advised his friend Lucillus to keep before his mind some virtuous man and to imagine this person continually looking at him, saying that by means of this imaginary witness of his actions he would avoid many of his sinful doings. t Everything is by so much the more perfect as it approaches nearer to the source of its being ; that water is clearest which is drawn at the fountain-head ; that heat is the most intense which is nearest the fire. So the closer our union with God, the more do we advance in perfection. Scaramelli. 166 SERMON PLANS 83. EFFECTS OF BAPTISM. The reference to Baptism in to-day's Epistle suggests the thought of speaking on the effects of this Sacrament. Baptism : i. Cleanses the soul from sin : a. Giving us the robe of sanctifying grace. b. Making us friends of God, for the first time. c . Yet not removing the consequences of sin : 1. Temptations and trials of many kinds; which are 2. Helps to humility, and occasions of merit, ii. Makes us Christians : " Your bodies are the members of Christ." I Cor. vi. 15. a. Uniting us to our Lord, as members to the head. " I am the vine, you the branches." Jn. xv. 5. b. Happy union, tending to give merit to all we do. c. This is the Sacramental Character conferred by Baptism ; 1. Which remains in the soul for eternity. 2. Hence this Sacrament may not be repeated. Conditional Baptism is not a second Baptism, iii. Makes us children of God : a. Christ is Son of God by nature, from all eternity. b. We are sons of God by adoption, in Baptism. "You have received the spirit of adoption of sons." Rom. viii. 15. c. The gates of His kingdom are thrown open to us. As the Heavens opened at Our Lord's Baptism : Mth. iii. 16. d. Happy privilege which enables us to call God our Father ! ON THE EPISTLES 167 iv. Makes us members of the Church : Acts ii. 41. a. Hence called the " Gate of the Church." b. Giving right and title to the other Sacraments. c. Yet, of itself, it will not save all. Adults must fulfil its obligations, v. Remits also actual sins : Rom. vi. 4. a. Our own personal offences, great and small. 1. Presupposing sorrow for them. 2. Typified by the cleansing of Naaman : 4 Kgs.v. 14. b. Along with all punishment due to them. Hence no Satisfaction imposed, as in Penance, vi. Imposes on adults the obligation of renouncing a. The Devil : 1. Author of evil, and murderer of souls. 2. Who strives to undo the work of Baptism. b. His Works: 1. Sin of any and every kind. 2. His work is to lead souls from God. c. His Pomps : i Jn. ii. 16. 1. Concupiscence of the flesh self-indul- gence. 2. Concupiscence of the eyes love of wealth. 3. Pride of life ambition of place and power. These the Baptismal promises, made by our sponsors in our name. Lessons : i. Behold, and forget not, all you owe to God in Baptism.* ii. Gratitude to Him, for putting it within the reach of all. iii. Allow no unnecessary delay in procuring it for children. iv. Know how to give it, in case of necessity, v. Meditate on and renew your Baptismal Vows. * S. Francis of Sales used to gather his young companions around the font, where they had been baptized, and remind them of all they had there received. After saying together the " Glory be to the Father," they kissed the font with reverence, and then dispersed for their games. His Life: Jan. 29. 168 SEtfAfON PLANS 84. THE RESURRECTION OF THE BODY. " We believe that we shall live together with Christ." Rom. vi. 8. i. A glorious immortality, the reward of a good life upon earth, ii. Take occasion to speak of the Resurrection the gate to that happy life. Resurrection of the Body : i. A truth known under the Old Law : a. The patriarchs believed it : Job xix. 26. b. The prophets predicted it : Ezech. xxxvii. 6 : Dan. xii. 2. c. The pagans also knew it. ii. In the New Law: a. Christ confirmed this belief : Jn. v. 29 : vi. 55. b. The Apostles preached it : Acts xvii. 32 : i Cor. xv. c. The Church teaches it eleventh article of the Creed, iii. At the end of time, for the General Judgment. The same Bodies: i. Physically identical : not a new creation, but a restitution. ii. With all their limbs, no matter where left on earth, iii. In the proportions of manhood, like Our Lord in His resurrection, iv. With all their senses, except perhaps the sense of taste. v. Without the defects of this life, e.g. blindness. vi. The Martyrs with their scars, for their greater glory. Like Our Lord with His five wounds. vii. In resplendent glory, or hideous deformity. Pledges of the Resurrection : i. The Old Testament gives three cases of restoration to life : viz. a. The widow's son at Sarepta : 3 Kgs. xvii. 22. b. The child of the Sunamite : 4 Kgs. iv. 34. c. The man in the tomb of Eliseus : 4 Kgs. xiii. 21. ON THE EPISTLES 169 ii. In the New Testament : a. The daughter of Jairus, just dead : Mth. ix. 25. b. The widow's son, on the way to burial: Lke. vii. 15. c. Lazarus, dead four days : Jn. xi. 44. d. Tabitha, by S. Peter : Acts ix. 40. e. Eutychus, by S. Paul : Acts xx. 10. iii. Saints have raised the dead to life : e.g. S. Dominic : Aug. 4. S. Francis Xavier : Dec. 3. iv. Reason suggests the Resurrection : a. Body and soul are made for each other, here and hereafter. b. The whole man seeks for happiness, for which he is made. To be obtained fully only in the Resurrection. c. The bodies of the Saints shared their sufferings ; so also the reward. d. The bodies of the lost shared their pleasures ; so also the punishment. All this can be only through the Resurrection, v. Analogies in Nature : a. Day dies down to night and returns : (daily resurrection). b. Summer, followed by winter, returns : (annual resurrection). c. Seed in the soil corrupts, and then springs up. d. Vegetation is renewed year after year. e. All things revive for man : shall not man be restored to himself ? Lessons : i. Honour your body, and abuse it not by sin. a. The Church anoints it, and consecrates it to God. b. She respects it, and lays it in blessed soil. ii. Bear patiently sufferings and death, in view of a glorious future. iii. From this take comfort in the death of friends : i Thess. iv. 12. 170 SERMON PLANS 85. REPARATION FOR SIN. "Now yield your members to serve justice unto sanctitication." Rom. vi. 19. i. All men sin before God in some degree, ii. All must therefore repair the past, and atone for evil done: Giving now to virtue what hitherto they had given to sin. Reparation for Sin : i. Every sin implies two things : a. Guilt in the soul, to be forgiven. b. Punishment for that guilt, to be undergone. ii. God often pardons sin, without pardoning the guilt: e.g. Adam and Eve forgiven, yet condemned to death : Gen. iii. David's sin forgiven, yet punished in the death of his child : 2 Kgs. xii. 14. iii. This punishment may be : a. Eternal, remitted by the Sacrament, or perfect Contrition. b. Temporal, partly remitted by Good Works and Penances, iv. More easy and efficacious here on earth than hereafter in Purgatory. For the former is voluntary, but the latter, involuntary. Means of making reparation: i. GOOD WORKS, comprised chiefly under three heads, viz. a. Prayer, which appeases God, For such sins as blasphemy, neglect of Mass. b. Fasting, which chastises Ourselves. For sins of self-indulgence in any form. c. Almsdeeds, which satisfies our Neighbour. For any injustice we may have done him. d. Good works are also meritorious of reward when done for God. The cup of cold water: Mth. x. 42. ON THE EPISTLES 171 ii. PENANCES : " Do penance for all your iniquities." Ezech. xviii. 30. "Except you do penance, you shall perish." Lke. xiii. 5. a. Anything laborious or painful borne for God. b. Patience in labour, toil, suffering, etc. S. Aloysius and the weather.* c. Acts of mortification and self-denial. d. Will do no injury, if undertaken in prudence. S. Hilarion lived 80 years : Oct. 21. S. Jerome 100 Sept. 30. S. Antony 105 Jan. 17. All, men of austere lives. e. Will not make life miserable ; on the contrary. S. Jerome, amid his penances, seemed as in Paradise. S. Francis Xavier cried " Enough, O Lord," in the joy he felt in penance : Dec. 3. See the joy and happiness found in religious houses. /. Hence fear not the spirit of penance and self- denial. In some degree, it is necessary for salvation. g. All meritorious to repair sin, and shorten its punishment. h. All, then, can and must, do penance in some form or other. Even invalids and the sick, at least by patience and resignation. Lessons : i. Follow the advice of the text and repair sin now. ii. A Christian is " one born to penance." iii. While making reparation for sin, Penance also subdues the passions, and will make death sweet. * S. Aloysius, speaking of the inconveniences of the heat and cold of the seasons, said that of all mortifications they were the most pleasing to God, for two reasons : because they came from God's hand and should therefore be most dear to us ; and, because they are more hidden and thus less exposed to the dangers of vanity or pride. Cat. en Ex. 172 SERMON PLANS 86. HELL. " The wages of sin is death." Rom. vi. 23. i. After the resurrection, Heaven or Hell the eternal lot of all men. ii. The Epistle to-day reminds us Hell is the result of mortal sin. iii. Let us meditate on this important subject eternal death. Eternal Death, or Hell. " The wages of sin is death." Rom. vi. 23. i. Place of punishment for all who die in mortal sin. ii. The country of despair and useless tears. a. Long : its pains are all eternal. b. Broad: containing all manner of torments for soul and body. c. High : its torments raised to the highest degree. d. Deep : its anguish real, unmixed with any solace. iii. Intensity of punishment proportioned to the guilt of each one. Every sense and faculty having its own peculiar suffering. iv. Lasting for ever, without hope of release. "Their worm dieth not, and the fire is not extinguished." Mrk. ix. 43. The maddening thought of all ! v. The two great evils of Hell are : I. The Pain of Loss: separation from God: Mth.xxv.4i. i. The greatest of all the torments the damned endure, ii. The soul, made for God and once freed from the earth, longs for Him with intense yearning. But, iii. God in His anger now repels the soul from Him. iv. This pain of loss the damned feel in their a. Understanding;, knowing 1. God, as deserving their love, but now their Avenger, whom they hate. 2. The saints and their joys, but only to envy and curse them. 3. The graces received in life, and the justice of their sentence. ON THE EPISTLES 173 4. The evil done, but only to regret it in unavailing remorse. 5. Their former companions saved, with perhaps fewer graces. 6. Their torments now useless for merit or expiation. 7. Their damnation entirely their own fault. b. Memory: 1. Wondrously accurate and unfailing since the Judgment. 2. Ever suggesting reflections of anguish, hate and despair. c. Will: 1. Conscious of their utter slavery and misery. 2. Intensely hating God, His Saints and themselves. 3. Deep sorrow, not for sin but, their own punishment and ruin, 4. Wishing for one hour for repentance, but all in vain. v. Oh, the unbearable suffering of eternal separation from God ! II. The Pain of Sense: fire: Mth. xxv. 41. i. As appears from some fifteen passages of Holy Scripture. ii. According to theologians, material fire, iii. Not like earthly fire, made for our comfort and daily wants. iv. But lit up by the anger of God for punishment, v. Endowed with special properties, to burn soul as well as body. Tormenting each sense and faculty with merciless power. vi. Burning ever, yet consuming never ! Eternal pain ! Lessons : i. Meditation on Hell will act as a. A preservative against sin : Ecclus. vii. 40. b. A spur to vigilance and care. c. A source of wholesome fear of God. ii. Many Saints have trembled, as they thought over it. Let us fear also, and be wise in time. 174 SERMON PLANS 87. MORTIFICATION. " Mortify the deeds of the flesh." Rom. viii. 13. i. The passions of man tend to lead him from God. ii. If he wish for eternal life, these must be resisted, iii. By mortification, especially, can we reduce them into subjection. Spirit of Mortification : i. Any restraint we place upon ourselves, ii. Of two kinds : a. Corporal, or exterior : 1. Penances inflicted on the body. 2. Labour, fastings, watchings, etc. b. Spiritual, or interior : 1. Subduing the passions of the soul. 2. Obedience, humiliations, etc. iii. Advantages: a. It tames the body and subjects it to the soul. As the servant is subject to his master. b. Remission of temporal punishment due to sin. Penance is of an expiatory character. c. Joy of heart in God's service. 1. Nothing so unworldly as mortification. 2. The mortified are void of the world, therefore mirthful. d. Great power with God. 1. By suffering, our Lord redeemed the world. 2. The gift of miracles follows close on austerity. 3. Lack of self-denial makes prayer less availing. e. Strength to our piety and devotion. As gymnastics give muscle and strength to the body. ON THE EPISTLES 175 /. Without it, no Christian truly fulfils his calling. We are the disciples of a crucified Lord, iv. Without exterior mortification, interior will not be robust. Occasions for Mortification. i. Exterior : a. Afflictive penances (discipline, fasting, etc.). b. Custody of the senses, the preservative of virtue. c. Bearing sickness and pain. d. Works of mercy to the poor, etc. e. The vicissitudes of life. Labour, poverty, heat and cold (No. 85*). ii. Interior : a. Mortification of the judgment and will. b. Kindly interpretations. c. Bearing with the tongues of others. d. Spiritual desolation and temptation. Lessons : i. Two classes of men need mortification : a. Saints, to remain innocent : e.g. Job xlii. 6. Daniel ix. 3. The Baptist : Mth. iii. 4. S. Aloysius : June 21. b. Sinners, to repair the past, and do better : e.g. The Ninevites : Jon. iii. S. Margaret of Cortona: Feb. 22. S. Mary of Egypt : Apl. 9. S. Mary Magdalen : July 22. ii. Mortification will be our true perseverance. I 7 6 SERMON PLANS 88. THE FEAR OF GOD. " You have not received the spirit of bondage in fear." Rom. viii. 15. i. The Fear of the Roman converts was not as that of the ancient Jews. Evidently the Apostle refers to the fear in which the Law was received in Sina. ii. There is a fear which is pleasing to God a gift of the Holy Ghost, viz. Fear of the Lord : i. Filial and reverential, leading us to avoid offending God. An awe which makes us dread God as a tender father, ii. Other kinds of fear : e.g. a. Worldly fear, of losing what the world can give. b. Servile fear, forsaking evil through dread of punishment only. c. Carnal fear, of sickness, suffering or incon- venience, iii. Gift found in Christ Himself, as seen in a. His veneration for the Father. b. His dependence on God. c. His submission to the divine Will : Mth. xxvi. 39. d. His hatred of sin. iv. In no way opposed to Hope : Scripture enjoins them both.* a. We must hope for the rewards of God : Ps. cxviii. 112. b. We must fear His punishments: Lke. xii. 5. Both therefore are legitimate motives of action. c. They present to us two necessary aspects of God. 1. The sternness of His Justice: and, 2. The tenderness of His Mercy, v. Effects of holy fear : a. Respect for God and His judgments. To the soul animated with Fear, God alone is Great. b. Respect for the Church, Her Laws, Ceremonies, Feasts. " He that heareth you heareth Me." Lke. x. 16. ON THE EPISTLES 177 c. Respect for the creatures of God. All come from Him and bear some relation to Him. d. Hatred and horror of sin : for, This fear makes God's majesty, etc., to shine forth clearly. e. Deep humility, and watchfulness. /. Desire of being purified by Confession, vi. Necessity for this Fear : a. A first condition for Wisdom and Salvation. "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." Prov. i. 7. "With fear and trembling, work out your salvation." Phil. ii. 12. b. It prevents man degrading himself by sin. c. It preserves him his liberty and dignity. d. It guards against unworthy fear (above), vii. Is opposed to the spirit of Pride. a. Making us feel our nothingness and sin. b. Giving a distrust of our own judgment and will, viii. Means to obtain it : a. Prayer and petition to God. " Pierce thou my flesh with Thy fear." Ps. cxviii. 120. b. The thought of God's Majesty, Sanctity and Power. c. Reflection on our own wretchedness and sin. d. Meditations on the four last things: Ecclus. vii. 40. ix. Examples of this salutary Fear.f Lessons : i. Seek to obtain so precious and necessary a gift, ii. On Pentecost especially, beg the Holy Ghost to strengthen it in you. iii. Holy Fear will bring you joy and gladness of heart : Ecclus. i. 12. * Hope is like the sails of a ship, and Fear is its ballast : the one impels, the other restrains ; and between the two, there is equilibrium. t S. Alphonsus (Aug. 2) was full of fear, when a slight lie had escaped his lips, and he left the world in consequence S. Cajetan (Aug. 7) feared for his soul amid the lawful splendours of the court of Rome S. Rose (Aug. 30) cut off her hair, through fear of the danger it might cause her. Lives of the Saints. M 178 SERMON PLANS 89. THE BRAZEN SERPENT. "Some of them tempted, and perished by the serpents." I Cor. x. 9. i. The Jews murmured against Moses, and so tempted God: Numb. xxi. 5. ii. Whereupon fiery serpents were sent among them, iii. At the prayer of Moses, God gave them a remedy the brazen serpent. This Serpent, a figure of Christ: 1500 years B.C. i. The Jews were bitten by the serpents, and many perished. Fiery, i.e. in the inflammatory effects of their bite. a. The human race bitten by the infernal serpent. 1. This wound brought death into the world. 2. How many die the spiritual death of sin ! 3. Though many are healed, how many are killed eternally ! ii. God was moved by the sufferings of His people. b. God is also moved by the evils of sinners. 1. He often sent prophets to warn them before punishment. 2. He sent His Son to redeem them. 3. He has given Church and Sacraments, to heal their wounds. iii. God ordered a brazen serpent to be set up. 1. The people bitten were to look upon this. 2. Thereupon they were healed of their wounds. a. Not by the Serpent they saw, but by Him it represented. ft. In virtue of their compliance with God's command. y. An expression of faith in the divinely appointed means of salvation. 8. Miraculously, and not in any way through superstitious worship. c. Our Lord was raised on the Cross: Jn. iii. 14. i. We, looking to the Cross of Christ, shall be freed from sin. ON THE EPISTLES 2. Faith, confidence, and sorrow must animate us in so doing, iv. The Serpent seen by only one people, the Jews. d. Our Lord on the Cross, the source of hope for the whole world. 1 . He died thereon for all men ; and, 2. No one is denied His healing grace who truly repents. v. The Serpent not long exposed to the people's view. Only while their physical sufferings lasted. e. Our Lord is seen on the Cross till the end of time. To bring salvation to all generations, vi. Only by looking on the Serpent could the wounds be healed. It was the only means God appointed for that end. /. Only by the Redemption of the Cross can man be freed from sin. vii. The Serpent was harmless in itself, but was made like the creatures cursed of God: Gen. iii. 14. g. Christ, holy and undefiled, was made sin and a curse for us: Gal. iii. 13. This figure teaches that i. The Messiah was to cure the diseases of the soul, ii. To be cured, we must look upon Him, in faith, love, obedience, etc. iii. He is the only true physician of mankind. Lessons : i. Murmur not against authority, lest God be angry and punish you. ii. What the Serpent was to the Jews, the Cross is to Christians. iii. Let the Crucifix be found and honoured in every Catholic home, iv. The Sign of the Cross will help to a. Revive our Faith. b. Strengthen our Hope, and c. Nourish our Chanty. v. As Christ died for all on the Cross, never despair for any sin, nor of any sinner. i8o SERMON PLANS 90. THE EPISTLE. 41 These things . . . are written for our correction." I Cor. x. II. i. These, the words of the Apostle on the events he relates. ii. " Our correction," i.e. our instruction, as a warning, iii. See then what the Epistle really says. Become not idolaters, like some of them : i. A reference to the golden calf set up by Aaron : Ex. xxxii. 4. a. Holocausts and peace-offerings made to the idol. b. Eating and drinking, in honour of the new god. c. Amusements and play of many sorts, ii. The Corinthians are warned against a. Eating meats offered to idols, giving a suspicion of idolatry. b. Sinful indulgence of any kind. c. Excess in even lawful pleasures ; for, To all these, the Corinthians were very prone. Commit not fornication : i. The Jews had sinned with the daughters of Moab : Numb. xxv. ii. Three and twenty thousand slain by command of God, in His anger, iii. S. Paul addresses this warning to the Corinthians, on account of their libidinous propensities, iv. As God was angered of old, so is He yet by sin. Tempt not Christ, as some of them tempted : i. How could the ancient Jews tempt Him, not yet born ? a. Christ was God from eternity. b. The Jews tempted God by speaking against Him : for, ii. Many complained of a. Being led into the desert. b. The light food provided for them : Numb. xxi. 5. ON THE EPISTLES 181 iii. Numbers were destroyed by the serpents : Ibid. 6. a. Called fiery, because of the burning wounds they caused. b. Images of the devils, wounding our souls by sin. iv. The Brazen Serpent was the means of healing them: Ibid. 8. Type of Christ crucified, and of faith in Him : Jn. iii. 14. v. Some Corinthians doubted the Resurrection, and S. Paul warns them against thus tempting Christ. Murmur not: i. Core and others murmured against Moses and Aaron : Numb. xvi. 2. They were swallowed down alive by the earth : Ibid. 32. ii. Then the people also rebelled, after their example. Fourteen thousand perished by the destroyer r Ibid. 49. iii. Against such spirit of murmuring, the Apostle also warns his people. These things written for us : i. In the crimes here named, S. Paul a. Instances sins whereon to reprimand the Corinthians. b. Shows God's punishments, so to inspire dread of them, ii. We also must avoid these same sins : viz. a. Idolatry : 1. Not perhaps the worship of false gods. 2. But, e.g. gluttony and indulgence of the passions. Which is a serving of idols : Eph. v. 5. b. Fornication, and every sort of impure sin. c. Tempting God, especially by presumption. d. Murmuring : 1. Whether directly, against His Providence, 2. Or indirectly, resisting the will of superiors. iii. God is the avenger of all these things : i Thess. iv. 6. i8a SERMON PLANS 91. HOLINESS OF LIFE. i. The Apostle says there are diversities of graces, ii. One gift is bestowed upon all ; viz. grace sufficient for salvation, iii. To save our souls, we must sanctify them by Holiness: i. Man is holy, only in so far as he fulfils God's will. ii. Now the lives of most men are lives of labour. iii. Hence, for most men, holiness will lie in the sancti- fication of their labour, iv. Take example from the life of the Holy Family. 1. They were poor, but not in extreme poverty. 2. Though of royal descent, they were simple, hard-working people. a. Joseph : 1. A humble working-man: Mth. xiii. 55. 2. Daily labour in his workshop or elsewhere. 3. Grave and kind, honest and beloved. b. Mary : 1. Household work : cleaning and arranging all things. 2. Journey to the market and the well, for daily supplies. 3. Preparation of meals; spinning or weaving. Tradition says the seamless garment was woven by herself. 4. Daily devotions to God ; and practice of the Christian virtues. c. Jesus : 1. Would likewise share the work. 2. Helping His parents, as might be needful. 3. Accompanying one or both, especially to the synagogue. v. Thus, for years, was spent the hidden life of the Holy Family. a. Amid hardships, toil and privation. b. Yet with contentment, mutual affection, and love of God. ON THE EPISTLES 183 c. Thus was everything sanctified to a degree none could equal. But, vi. We may try and imitate their holiness : for, 1. Have not most of us similar duties to fulfil? and, 2. Have we not all of us our lives to sanctify ? a. Women ! mothers, daughters, servants, saying you have no time for this ! 1. You have washing, cooking, mending to do. 2. But look at Mary, see her work, and feel her hands. Yet was ever creature as holy as she ? b. Men ! husbands, sons, artisans, and labourers. 1. You complain of your unceasing work. 2. But see S.Joseph, and even Jesus, working as hard as you and as long. Yet was any one ever so holy as they ? Oh ! the nobility of labour and work, as sancti- fied by the Holy Family ! vii. Examine and correct all false ideas of holiness. a. It does not consist in 1. Leaving the world for the cloister, the call of few. 2. Great austerity, singular works, or vows. 3. Prayer alone: Mth. vii. 21. 4. The amount of grace received : a. Many receive much and resist it. ft. Others receive less, but profit by it. 5. Long hours in church, etc. to the neglect of one's duty. b. It essentially consists in fulfilling perfectly the Will of God in one's state. viii. Labouring millions ! see your examples and en- couragement in Mary and Joseph. a. Begin to realize the simplicity of the work. 1. Doing your duties with pure intention. 2. Joseph was a perfect carpenter : Mary, a perfect wife and mother. b. Sanctify your ordinary actions : Herein lies the true philosopher's stone. c. Thus will your daily toil be the source of 1 . Holiness, here on earth ; 2. Salvation, hereafter in Heaven. 184 SERMON PLANS 92. GIFTS OF THE HOLY GHOST. "There are diversities of graces, but the same Spirit." I Cor. xii. 4. i. Some theologians take this text to refer to the Gifts of the Holy Ghost. ii. It at least furnishes an opportunity of studying them. Gifts of the Holy Ghost : i. Since the Fall, two spirits hover over every soul : a. The Holy Spirit and the Wicked Spirit. b. \Ve necessarily live under the influence of one or the other. c. According as we are thus guided, we shall be saints or reprobates. ii. The Wicked Spirit, accompanied by seven others more wicked : Mth. xii. 45. a. Pride, Covetousness, Lust, Anger, Gluttony, Envy, Sloth. \Vho amongst us has not experienced their malign influence ? b. Inspirers and abettors of all public and private sins and disorders. iii. The Holy Ghost comes to our aid with seven other Spirits. For man of himself is too weak to resist the evil ones. These are called the seven Gifts of the Holy Ghost, iv. Infused habits, enabling us to graceful promptitude in the service of God. a. Divine germs of all real human heroism. b. Inspirers and promoters of all public and private virtues. c. Foundations of all high principles. d. Freeing us from the slavery of creatures, and giving true liberty. e. Closely connected with the Fruits, and the Beatitudes, v. Seven in number, enumerated by Isaias xi. 2, 3. a. Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel, Fortitude, Knowledge, Piety, Fear. ON THE EPISTLES 185 b. Named in the order of dignity, as found in Our Lord. c. Hence, the repetition of seven in canonical penances, etc. Penitents regaining the seven Gifts, after sin. vi. Inseparable from each other, as bound up in Charity. As Charity is lost or regained, so are they, vii. They perfect the whole soul of man ; by a. Illumination of the Intellect. b. Sanctification of the Heart. c. Union of the Will with God. viii. Necessary to salvation : "God loveth none but him that dwelleth with Wisdom." Wisd. vii. 28. " He that is without Fear cannot be justified." Ecclus. i. 28. As with the first and the last, so with the interven- ing gifts. ix. They exist, though unequally, in all who are in grace. The human countenance the same in all, though varying in detail. x. They lie dormant till cultivated, and till occasion brings them into activity. Comparisons of fire and harmony.* xi. Opposed to the seven evil spirits, which attack man in his whole being, xii. To resist these evil spirits, we need these seven divine forces of God. Marvellous tools, wherewith to work the sanctifica- tion of the soul. Hence : i. Make these Gifts the object of frequent and fervent prayer, especially on Pentecost. But, ii. Purify your soul from sin for their reception. iii. When received, cultivate them and allow them to grow and expand : As buds upon the tree, always unfolding into flower and fruit. * Fire is always in the flint, but it does not appear until elicited by a stroke ; the harp is mute, until the hand of the player elicits the harmony that lies in its strings. So, the soul of man, though containing the whole power of harmony with the divine Will, does not manifest it, without the assistance of the " Finger of God." Manning. 1 86 SERMON PLANS 93. THE ASSUMPTION B.V. " I was exalted like a cedar in Libanus." Ecclus. xxiv. 17. i. The Assumption, the greatest of Mary's feasts, the crowning of a unique career, ii. Imagine the triumphant return of a victorious hero of war. iii. But what is that, compared with Mary's exaltation into Heaven ! The Assumption : i. Feast of the 4th c. in honour of Mary's ascent, body and soul, to Heaven. a. At the age of 63, or 72. b. At Ephesus, probably, or Jerusalem. ii. None of Mary's feasts observed in the very early ages. a. Lest the pagans, with their goddesses, might think the homage excessive. b. Lest some might even pass on to adore her. iii. Eliseus experienced once the pains of separation : 4 Kgs. ii. 12. iv. A similar pain the Apostles experienced twice : viz. a. At the Ascension of Our Lord (by His own power). b. At the Death and Assumption of Mary (by the power of God only), v. This may be a day of sadness, or joy : a. Of sadness, at Mary's leaving us : b. Of joy, over her magnificent triumph. vi. Mary dies, not of old age or sickness, but of love. a. To die in love, is to die in the state of grace. Necessary for salvation, as with all the Just. b. To die for love, is to die through fidelity to God's law. As with the Martyrs, rather than renounce their Faith. c. To die of love, is that love causes death. Thus died Mary, the Virgin Mother. ON THE EPISTLES 187 vii. If it became Mary to die, it became her also that Death's victory should be short, and her tomb be glorious like her Son's. Tradition, as to the opening of her tomb. viii. Mary's SOUL has the three-fold aureola in Heaven, of a. Virgins : " Virgin of Virgins." b. Doctors : She was teacher of the Apostles even. c. Martyrs : " Queen of Martyrs." ix. Mary's BODY enjoys the highest degrees of the glorified state. a. The face of Moses shone as the sun : 2 Cor. iii. 7. How much more will the body of Mary, most perfect. b. If she were so perfect on earth, how much more now in Heaven. c. One of the joys of the Blessed to contemplate. x. Mary's triumphant assumption a day of a. Glory to God Father, Son and Holy Ghost : The crowning of the work of His hands. b. Gladness to the A ngels : The Introit to-day bids us rejoice with them. c. Jubilation to the Saints : Our own human nature here raised to the height of glory. d. Happiness to the Church on earth : Mary is the Mother of the Faithful. e. Magnificence to Mary herself : 1. Her sorrows turned now to joy. 2. Her trials fully rewarded. 3. Her desire to be reunited to her Son realized, xi. Not defined as a dogma ; . yet the teaching and tradition of the Church. A grievous presumption to question or oppose it. Lessons : i. The glory of Heaven is our reward also : encourag- ing thought ! ii. Cooperation with divine grace, the root of perfection, iii. Perseverance in love, despite every obstacle, iv. Devotion to Mary, a pledge of salvation. 1 88 SERMON PLANS 94. TYPES OF MARY. i. To-day's lesson compares Mary to a rose-plant, a cedar, etc. ii. As Our Lord was typified in the Old Law, so also Mary, His Mother. iii. These comparisons suggest our considering some types of Our Lady. I. Eve : Gen. ii. i. Made direct by the hand of God Himself. Mary the special work of God His masterpiece in body and soul. ii. Eve, created in innocence and holiness, happy before the Fall. Mary's purity inviolate and inviolable, never estranged from God. iii. The name means, " mother of the living," as mother of mankind. a. Mary is mother of Jesus, source of the life of our souls. She is called " our life, our sweetness." b. As Pharao's daughter adopted Moses, so Mary, the Faithful, iv. But how inferior the type to the reality ! Eve brought us death, by sin : Mary gives us life, by Christ. II. The Ark of Noah : Gen. vi. i. The Flood, the punishment of the iniquity of men. Representing the deluge of sin, by which men's souls are ruined, ii. The Ark and those within alone saved from the universal catastrophe. Mary, ark of the living God, alone preserved free from all sin. iii. Contained Noah, the restorer and second father of the human race. Mary, the second ark, carried Jesus, who restored our souls to grace. ON THE EPISTLES 189 iv. All in the Ark were saved from death in the waters of the Flood. Mary is our ark of salvation : no true client of hers will perish. III. The Burning Bush: Ex. Hi. i. The Lord spoke to Moses in a flame of fire. A bush burning, without being consumed, ii. Mary is typified by this burning Bush. Image of her admirable and perpetual virginity. a. The Lord rested in the Bush. The Son of God dwelt in Mary. b. The Bush was not consumed by the flames. Mary's Virginity not affected by her Maternity, iii. Moses had this vision, when God was about to deliver Israel. a. Mary became Mother, when our redemption was at hand. b. The figures and symbols of the past were now to be fulfilled. iv. God appeared not in a tall tree, but in a lowly shrub. The Son of God born, not of a noble queen but, of a humble virgin. v. Let us go and meditate this miracle : a virgin, bearing the Son of God. IV. The Tower of David : Cant. iv. 4. i. David built a tower on the walls of Jerusalem, well provided with armour. From this stronghold, all attacks could be resisted. ii. Mary is a spiritual fortress, a tower of strength. Solid and secure in virtue against all the powers of Hell, iii. Mary not only a tower, but the Tower of David : Descending from David, of whom Christ also came, to defeat the infernal Goliath, iv. Mary, a tower of defence and a place of refuge. a. To her we must have recourse in danger. b. There, repentant sinners may flee from divine vengeance. Hence : i. Honour Mary, thus typified in Holy Writ, ii. Congratulate her on this her greatest Festival. SERMON PLANS 95- GRACE. "By the grace of God." I Cor. xv. 10. i. The question of Grace one of the most difficult in all theology. S. Augustine, its chief exponent : 5th c. ii. At the same time, a most important one for all. iii. Try therefore to know something of it. Grace : i. A supernatural gift of God, freely bestowed for our sanctification and salvation. ii. There are many divisions of Grace: consider the two chief : viz. a. Habitual, or sanctifying Grace : 1. Permanently inhering in the soul. 2. Uniting us to God, as His children. 3. The source of actual graces 4. Typified by The cleansing of Naaman : 4 Kgs. v. 14. The wedding garment: Mth. xxii. 12. The parable of the vine: Jn. xv. 5. b. Actual Grace: 1. Not a permanent, but a transient divine influence. 2. Enabling the soul hie et nunc to avoid evil and do good. 3. Enlightening the mind, and strengthening the will. 4. Examples : The preaching of Jonas : Jon. iii. The descent of the Holy Ghost : Acts ii. 3. The conversion of S. Paul : Ibid. ix. 5. Occasions of actual grace : e.g. a. Sermons : S. Antony, the Hermit : Jan. 17. ft. Good reading: S.Ignatius: Jly. 31. y. An accident: S. Norbert : June 6. 8. A death : S. Francis Borgia : Oct. 10. e. Friendly advice : The rich young man : Mth. xix. 21. ON THE EPISTLES igi 6. Means to obtain it : a. The performance of good works : Especially prayer, fasting, and alms- deeds. /?. Hearing Mass, y. Receiving the Sacraments. 8. Attending instructions, iii. Effects of divine Grace : a. Justification of the soul by freedom from mortal sin.* b. We become the temples of God : i Cor. iii. 16. c. Ease in obeying the divine Law and moral precepts. d. Great peace in the mind: Ps. cxviii. 165. e. Good works, done for God, and then meritorious for eternity. /. We become children of God, and heirs of His Kingdom. g. Grace is the root of future glory. Our Glory in Heaven, proportioned to our Grace upon earth. iv. Lost by one mortal sin, though it probably revives on repentance. v. Without a special revelation, no one knows whether he have grace in the heart, though we may have a moral certitude of it. Lessons : i. Value this beautiful gift, producing such fruits in the soul, ii. Guard it with care, as it may easily be lost : 2 Cor. iv. 7-f iii. Avoid occasions of sin that expose you to its loss. * Some Saints have been permitted to see a soul in grace, and have declared that its dazzling beauty exceeded every splendour they could conceive of on earth. t " Even if a man have the light of grace and the love of God, let him remember he is still under the open sky and not in the house, and that a breeze may put out this holy light for ever." 5. Bernard. 192 SERMON PLANS 96 CORRESPONDENCE TO GRACE. " His Grace in me hath not been void." I Cor. xv. 10. i. Whole sanctities may follow correspondence with a single grace ! ii. See what S. Paul became, by accepting the grace given him on his way to Damascus : Acts ix. iii. To-day he tells us, in the text, that he corresponded with it. iv. This is a subject of utmost importance, and concerns us all most closely. Correspondence to Grace i. Is and implies a. Accepting the graces God may bestow. b. Habitual attitude of waiting for grace. c. Prayer to God that we may use grace rightly. d. Renewal of intention to seek God's glory in all things. e. Perseverance and heroism in difficulties, ii. Is absolutely necessary to all of us. "God made us without ourselves, but will not save us without ourselves." S. Aug. iii. Is a stimulating source of prayer, iv. Draws down upon us a number of further graces : These help to form the chain of our final perseverance, v. Must be a. Prompt : Without hesitation, once we know the move- ment to be grace. b. Brave: 1. Gladly believing even in the impossible! 2. Yet with diffidence of self, and full trust in God. c. Humble: 1. Ourow-n will must disappear before God's. 2. Being less attached to our work than to Him for whom we do it. Otherwise much grace may be lost. 3. Not resting in our graces : they are but means to an end. Thus even the gifts of God may have their dangers. ON THE EPISTLES 193 Neglect of Grace: i. A secret reserve of God's wrath, ii. An important witness against us at the Judgment, iii. Prevents other graces reaching us that were intended for us. iv. Furnishes food to old habits of sin. v. Chills fervour into lukewarmness. vi. Hardens the heart, and intercepts the grace of final perseverance. Examples of i. Correspondence with Grace : Samuel, answering the Lord : i Kgs. iii. The Shepherds, going to the Crib: Lke. ii. 15. The Magi, leaving their homes : Mth. ii. 2. The Good Thief : Lke. xxiii. 42. Saul, thrown to the ground : Acts ix. 6. ii. Abuse of Grace : Cain : Gen. iv. 7, 15. Pharao and the plagues. The Pharisees, ignoring our Lord's miracles. The rich young man : Mth. xix. 22. Judas, called " friend " by his Lord : Ibid. xxvi. 50. The impenitent thief, receiving the same mercies as the other. Lessons : i. Learn from both sets of examples to value highly the graces of God. ii. Resolve now to profit by those you receive, iii. One grace contains, as it were, another, and tends to bring it to us. As the acorn truly contains and produces the oak. iv. One grace rejected may mean the ruin of persever- ance : while, v. Every grace accepted means increased reward here- after.* Correspondence with grace is thus our sole work. * Grace is glory begun, and glory is grace consummated. Grace is glory in the bud, and glory is grace in the fruit. Grace is the lowest degree of glory, and glory the highest degree of grace. Burkitt. N 194 SERMON PLANS 97. SECRET WORKINGS OF GRACE. "Our sufficiency is from God." 2 Cor. iii. 5. i. How silently work the great forces of Nature : e.g. The morning light steals softly over the world. Noiselessly the sap stirs the naked trees in spring. ii. Thus silent is the action of God on matter, but more so still in the immaterial souls of men. If we cannot follow it in the former, still less in the latter : Lke. xvii. 20. iii. Consider one of God's spiritual gifts Grace and its secret workings. Divine Grace: i. Man at birth pertains to the order of nature, till Baptism lifts him to a supernatural plane. a. The difference not at once apparent, yet truly there; as, b. Between a real and a carved acorn, little differ- ence to the eye, yet in reality what a distance divides them ! c. So, the essential, though invisible, difference between a man in grace, and one devoid of it. ii. Grace lifts us even above the angels, considered in their nature alone. a. A greater gift than Creation a new creation into a higher order. b. It is literally being " born again : " Jn. iii. 5. First, children of Adam, by nature ; then, of God, by Grace, iii. This relationship with God bestows upon us a. Spiritual rank and dignity, beyond description. We may now address Him as "Our Father." b. Fellowship with Christ, since we are sons of God. 1. Relationship without an equal in condes- cension and love. 2. Intensified in the Incarnation, wherein Our Lord embraced ON THE EPISTLES a. Temporal life, that we might acquire the eternal. ft. Poverty, that we might share His riches. c. Men are proud of noble ancestry. Yet what compares with the honour of being brothers of Christ ! iv. Grace makes us tabernacles of God: i Cor. iii. i6> a. The Holy Ghost dwells in a soul in Grace. b. Where He is, there also are Father and Son : Jn. xiv. 23. c. We are even made partakers of the divine nature: 2 Pet. i. 4. Hence the enormity of sin, committed by one in grace. d. The soul does not become God, but God enters its innermost recesses. As light fills a clear crystal. e. As bodies reflect light differently, so also souls,. their degrees of grace : i Cor. xv. 41. v. Grace also bestows a. A special knowledge of things spiritual ; and b. A power to discriminate between them and earthly vanities. As witness the lives of the Saints and Martyrs, vi. It makes our every act pleasing to God, if done for supernatural ends. a. The true " philosopher's stone " (merit). b. Whereby the future life is made dependent on this one. vii. Thus is Grace, day by day, secretly working out the principles of future glory. Lessons : i. Realize the beauty and effects of Grace, then will you guard it jealously, ii. Keep it ever bright in the soul, like the wedding garment: Mth. xxii. 12. iii. Grace, a joygiving thought to sorrowful and sin- laden souls. They are made for happiness, and through Grace, will find it in eternity. 196 SERMON PLANS 98. MOSES, A TYPE OF CHRIST. i. God took 4,000 years to prepare the world for the Messiah, ii. As one means to this end, He raised up types of Him. a. Types show forth His chief characteristics. b. The Elders were enlightened to recognize these, and instruct the people therein, iii. When our Lord came, men could not fail to observe them, iv. To-day's Epistle refers to Moses, a prominent type of Christ. Moses, a type : e.g. i. Pharao slaying the male children, when Moses was born : Ex. i. 16. a. Herod slaying the Innocents, at the birth of Christ: Mth. ii. 16. ii. Escape of Moses, in a basket among the sedges : Ex. ii. 3. b. Escape of Our Lord, by flight into Egypt: Mth. ii. 14. iii. Moses was taken to the Court of Pharao to be educated. c. Our Lord was reared for a time in the foreign land of Egypt. iv. Moses later on returned to his brethren, the Israelites. d. Our Lord returned to His brethren, the Jews, in Palestine. v. Moses, chosen of God to deliver Israel from Egypt : Ex. iii. 10. e. Our Lord, sent by the Father to deliver man from sin. vi. Before appearing among the people, Moses passed 40 years in the desert. /. Before manifesting Himself to the world, Our Lord spent 30 years at Nazareth. vii. Moses wrought miracles to prove himself the envoy of God : Ex. iv. g. The Gospels relate the miracles Our Lord wrought to prove Himself the envoy, and also the Son of God. ON THE EPISTLES 197 viii. Moses commanded the sacrifice of the Paschal Lamb : Ex. xii. 24. h. Our Lord, the true Paschal Lamb, sacrificed Himself on Calvary, and is still offered daily on the Altar. ix. Moses led the Hebrews through the waters of the Red Sea, which then separated them from the Egyptians : Ex. xiv. 22. i. Christ leads His people through the waters of Baptism, which separates Christians from Infidels. x. Moses led his people through the desert, towards the Land of Promise. j. Christ leads His followers, through the desert of life, to the true Land of Promise Heaven. xi. Moses obtains the Manna from Heaven, as food in the desert : Ex. xvi. 15. k. Christ feeds our souls with the Living Bread from Heaven, xii. Moses gives the Law on Mount Sinai : Ex. xx. 1. To the Jews, and for a time only. 2. Amid the terrors of thunder and lightning. /. Our Lord gives a more perfect Law the Sermon on the Mount : Mth. v. vii. 1. For the whole world, and for all time. 2. Taught in all sweetness and mercy. xiii. Moses offered the blood of victims to ratify the Old Covenant. m. Our Lord offers His own Blood to ratify the New. xiv. Moses did not finally lead the people into Cana : Deut. xxxiv. 14. n. Our Lord, greater than Moses, opened Heaven to men, on the day of His Ascension. Conclusion : i. Moses typifies Our Lord, chiefly, as being Our Deliverer, our Legislator, and our Intercessor. ii. The Just of the Old Law found their consolation in the many types God raised up in their midst. iii. Let us rejoice in the reality, and admire the ways of Divine Providence. 198 SERMON PLANS 99. UNITY OF GOD. "God is one." Gal. iii. 20. i. These words express a simple and elementary truth of Faith. ii. Simple truths are very apt to be overlooked : for, iii. How few people care to dwell on such a sublime subject as the nature of God. iv. Take then to-day the opportunity of considering the Unity of God : I. A REVEALED TRUTH : for God has manifested Himself in i. A Primitive Revelation, as the a. One Creator of all things: Gen. i. : ii. 19. b. One Lawgiver, who gave all to Adam except one fruit. "Of the tree of knowledge of good and evil thou shall not eat." Gen. ii. 17. c. One Judge, who will punish disobedience. " In what day soever thou shalt eat of it, thou shah die." Ibid. ii. A Revelation to Moses and the prophets, as one God. " Thou shalt not have strange gods before Me." Ex. xx. 3. "There is no other god besides Me." Deut. xxxii. 39. iii. A Christian Revelation. "That they may know Thee, the only true God." Jn. xvii. 3. "There is no God but One." I Cor. viii. 4. II. A TRUTH ATTAINABLE BY REASON: i. It is repugnant to Reason to hold the existence of a plurality of absolute beings : a. The existence of one such excludes the very idea of a second.* b. A being is supreme only in so far as others depend on him. c. That being alone is infinitely perfect who has all perfections. If more than one God existed, some of his perfections must be limited. ON THE EPISTLES 199 d. Since God is infinitely perfect, He must be supreme Lord. Two or more cannot be supreme, because limited by each other. ii. Unity of order in Nature testifies to one Author of Creation. a. Everything in the moral and physical worlds points to unity of thought, will and execution. b. Everywhere we find the same laws, same causes, same results. c. All which presupposes one supreme Legislator, and one Providence governing all things, iii. The voice of Conscience points to one Lawgiver. The principles of the Moral Law are everywhere the same. III. A TRUTH CONSENTED TO BY ALL MEN : i. Despite their polytheism, even the Pagans have preserved the idea more or less distinct of the unity of God ; for, ii. Their polytheism was not one of equality, but of subordination ; and, iii. They recognized among their gods one as supreme, iv. Thus do they agree herein with the primitive Revelation of Jews and Christians. IV. ONE OF THE FOUR GREAT TRUTHS : To be believed by every Christian : hence, i. The need of knowing and studying it ; and, ii. The great Charity of teaching it to others, iii. The zeal of missionaries, going among the heathen. Lessons : i. As God is one, so is His Church, His authoritative manifestation on earth, ii. Thank God for calling you to this Church, whose unity proclaims its divine origin. iii. Endeavour always to promote unity of mind and heart among men. * Manicheism held two infinite necessary principles of good, and of evil. Into this heresy of the fifth c. the great S. Augustine fell : pride and sensuality were the causes of such a fall, as he himself admits. The instructions of S. Ambrose, at Milan, were the first beginning of his conversion from error. His Life: Aug. 28. SERMON PLANS 100. THE PROMISE OF A REDEEMER. "God gave it to Abraham by promise." Gal. iii. 18. i. Fallen man could not make his peace with God. a. A finite being could not repair an infinite evil. b. He consequently must have been lost for eternity, ii. But God in mercy promised a Redeemer, first to Adam (Gen. iii.), then to Abraham (Gen. xxii.). Abraham and the Promise : i. After the deluge, men multiplied, and again fell from God. By every form of sin : Wisd. xii. 4 : Rom. i. 23. ii. Man was now left for ages in his sad plight : a. To teach him how great is the corruption of hearts after the Fall. b. To cure his pride, showing him what he is capable of, left to himself. c. To convince him of the need of a Redeemer, iii. Yet God did not abandon him altogether. He chose a special people, whom He preserved from the general corruption. iv. As a reward of his fidelity, Abraham became the father of this people. " I will multiply thee exceedingly." Gen. xvii. 2. " I will multiply thy seed as the stars of Heaven." Gen. xxii. 17. v. The descendants of Abraham a. Multiplied and grew to be a great people. b. Received the Law through Moses to guide them : Ex. xx. " After four hundred and thirty years" from the promise. c. Settled in Cana, " flowing with milk and honey " : Jos. v. 6. d. Had the promise renewed five times again. (No. n.) e. Had prophets sent to them, to instruct and rebuke. /. Received many miraculous favours from God. ON THE EPISTLES vi. Known in history, as a. The Israelites, from the name of one of their patriarchs. b. The Jews, from Juda, of which tribe the Redeemer was to come. c. The People of God, from the special protection He gave them, vii. Even they were not always faithful, but often rebelled against God. Who punished them, but on repentance, pardoned again, viii. Their religion consisted chiefly in sacrifices of animals, etc. Types of the future sacrifice of the Redeemer, which gave them their efficacy, ix. The rest of nations were called Gentiles : a. Who knew not God, nor the things of God. b. Were guilty of idolatry, and of every abomina- tion before Him : Rom. i. The Israelites and Revelation : i. God made known some truths to His People : e.g. a. The knowledge of Himself and His Law. b. The cause of their miseries Sin. c. The only remedy for them a Redeemer. d. The object of their Creation Salvation. e. The means to this end Faith and Obedience, ii. Even these simple truths were often perverted and misinterpreted, iii. God at last gave His full revelation to man, through Jesus Christ, the long-promised Redeemer, iv. The chief offices of this Saviour were : a. To redeem men from sin and Satan. b. To enlighten their minds with the truths of eternity, v. To this end, God chose a new people His Church. a. It likewise multiplied over the face of the earth. b. It receives ministers and miraculous favours. c. Of this Church, we are members, who must be ever grateful for, and profit by, the mercies here bestowed. d. Pray God that this people may increase, through worthy converts being added to the Church. 202 SERMON PLANS 101. THE SPIRITUAL COMBAT. "The flesh lusteth against the spirit." Gal. v. 17. i. From the day of the Fall, man's life is a warfare : Job vii. i. a. The spirit and the flesh ever opposing each other. b. The soul tending upwards, the body dragging downwards. ii. Yet Heaven is a prize, worth the battle of a lifetime, iii. Consider two points of this unending struggle. Our Enemies: i. S. Paul says they are manifest and well-known : The works of the flesh, as opposed to those of the spirit, ii. He enumerates some, which may be classed under a. Self-indulgence : e.g. uncleanness, drunkenness. b. Impiety : e.g. idolatry, witchcrafts. c. Irascible appetite : e.g. enmities, quarrels. iii. They will assault us, till we draw our last breath : a. In all times and places. b. The more perhaps, the more we love God. c. Taking advantage of creatures, to deceive us. d. Varying, according to characters and disposi- tions, iv. In permitting this, God has ends in view : a. Trials make us more active and careful. b. Temptation tends to strengthen our virtue. As storms strengthen the oak. c. Dangers teach us our weakness and our need of God. d. Otherwise, we may become tepid and slothful. Seamen sleep in the calm, but watch in the tempest. v. Hence be not discouraged, but accept the helps offered, viz. ON THE EPISTLES 203 Our Helps : i. The Holy Ghost, who a. In Baptism, 1. Gives us sanctifying grace. 2. Infuses the moral virtues. b. In Confirmation, 1. Renews and strengthens them for greater trials. 2. Gives also His twelve fruits. (Epistle.) ii. Prayer to God a. Who usually gives help only in answer to petitions. Hence daily devotions, ejaculations. b. Who will not suffer us to have too great trials : i Cor. x. 13. iii. Penance and Holy Eucharist, sources of strength, iv. Avoidance of dangerous occasions : Ecclus. iii. 27. a. God will not help those who help not themselves. b. At least making dangers remote, by due pre- cautions, v. Lively Faith a. In the great truths of salvation. b. In the happiness and misery of eternity. c. Leading us to renounce the transitory things of earth. vi. Such helps had the Saints, in fighting the same enemies. In Conclusion : we must know that i. If the Devil cannot lead us into sin, a. He will try to discourage us ; or, b. Will cloud the soul with trouble and anxiety ; or, c. Will endeavour to make us scrupulous. ii. These are dangerous delusions, sometimes fatal : a. Preventing us making progress. b. Perhaps forcing us to give up religion altogether, iii. We must use the Helps given us, as the Saints have done before us. 204 SERMON PLANS 102. RELIGIOUS SECTS. " Dissensions, sects." Gal. v. 20. i. S. Paul to-day condemns disputes in religion, heresies, ii. There are nearly 300 religious denominations in England alone ! iii. Of these the Catholic Church differs from all, in one essential point: a. Their rule of faith is : the Bible and private interpretation. b. Hers, the Bible interpreted by an infallible guide. Arguments against the Protestant theory: i. Christ never wrote a line for His Church a strange thing, if He meant men's religion to depend on personal interpretations of documents, ii. Christ commanded His Apostles to teach and preach : Mth. xxviii. 19. But never once to commit anything to writing, iii. Christ never said a. " If a man read not the Scriptures " : but, " If he will not hear the Church." Mth. xviii. 17. b. " Whoso follows the Scriptures, follows Me " : but " He that heareth you> heareth Me." Lke. x. 16. c. And : " Faith cometh by hearing." Rom. x. 17. : not, by reading. iv. Few Apostles only ever wrote anything in the Bible : And then, only through circumstances, and to parts of the Church. v. The very form of the Bible shows it is not a text- book of doctrine. It contains no methodical statement of teaching in regular sequence. vi. The entire Bible was not complete for generations : S.John's Gospel and Apocalypse written about A. 0.96. vii. Hundreds of years passed, before its scattered parts were brought together. Thus no one could see them all, unless greatly travelled. ON THE EPISTLES 205 viii. Even when brought together in one volume, few could obtain it. a. Printing and paper were not yet invented. b. The only thing to do would be to copy it out (in, say, 5 years), and at immense cost. Religion, so long dependent on such means, is not that of Christ, ix. For many ages, excepting the Clergy, not i in 500 could read. The rest could, then, have no rule of faith, no path of salvation. x. Christ prayed for unity of faith among His disciples : a. The " Bible only " is cause of " dissensions and sects ; " for b. Honest and able men draw opposite conclusions from it. What then of the less honest and less able ! Further Difficulties: i. The history of the Bible : a. It was written by different men, and under different circumstances. b. Not before the 4th c. did the Church declare the Canon of Scripture. c. In this, the Church was either fallible, or not : 1. If fallible, she might err, and we are not sure of the Bible. 2. If infallible, we must listen, accept and obey, ii. The Interpretation of the Bible : a. However holy, it is useless, if interpreted against its real meaning. Yet this is inevitable, unless there be an infallible interpreter : for, b. It is not easy to understand it. The Queen's eunuch : Acts viii. 31. S. Peter's declaration : 2 Pet. iii. 16. Conclusion : i. There can be but one true Church, one fold: Jn. x. 16. ii. If Unity be essential, what is the bond of union ? The infallible Church, maintaining unity among its members, iii. Therefore does the Apostle condemn all "dissensions." 206 SERMON PLANS 103. BEARING ONE ANOTHER'S BURDENS. " Bear ye one another's burdens." Gal. vi. 2. i. Such the advice of S. Paul, a very apostle of charity, ii. If only followed by men, how different the world would be ! iii. See how we can put it into practice. Bearing others' burdens: e.g. i. Differences of character ; a. Often a source of uncharitableness and unhap- piness. b. Examples: 1. The phlegmatic with the choleric. 2. The gentle with the impatient. 3. The active with the slothful. c. In the same house, same office, etc. d. In all, let each one bear with the other, ii. Various troubles : a. Such as sickness, cares, poverty, etc. b. They may affect ourselves, also. Yet, c . Bear one another's burdens : e.g. by 1. Sympathy in trials.* 2. Encouragement in difficulty. 3. Assistance in poverty, iii. Especially, temptation and sin : a. Sin, tJie great burden of all. 1. Oppressing a neighbour, and exposing him to fall again. 2. Like a beast, falling under his load. b. Sin of apostasy here specially implied. Yet, c. Any sin, of which we know a neighbour guilty. ON THE EPISTLES 207 d. Bear one another's burden : i.e. 1. Instruct him in the spirit of meekness. 2. Remind him charitably of his fault : Avoiding all painful rebuke. 3. Urge him to sorrow and repentance. e. Taking it, as it were, on your own shoulders, that he may rise. As you relieve a fallen animal, that he may get up. /. Bear also such burdens, especially by 1. Prayer for his conversion. 2. Acts of penance, by way of expiation. As Christ did in our regard : Is. liii. 4. iv. If we thus bear with others, we shall find others bear with us. A sign of perfection. i. Sympathy and forbearance, proofs of strong robust virtue. "So you shall fulfil the law of Christ." Gal. vi. 2. ii. Contempt and condemnation of neighbours, usually a sign of some hidden sin. iii. Charity, " the Queen of virtues," is not puffed up, thinketh no evil, endureth all things : i Cor. xiii. Lessons : i. Show this Christian charity to a neighbour, under his burden, spiritual or temporal, ii. Put kindly interpretations on his acts, or intentions, and allow for circumstances. iii. Thus shall we tend to lighten his burden. While, iv. Whoso freely carps at another's faults will often be found guilty of the same ! * Next to love, sympathy is the divinest passion of the human heart. He who cannot weep for his neighbour's trouble, cannot console him for it. 208 SERMON PLANS 104. SUPPORT OF PASTORS. " Let him that is instructed . . . communicate ... in all good things." Gal. vi. 6. i. Support of the Clergy has ever been considered a duty of the Faithful, ii. S. Paul here lays down the precept, iii. This principle is based on three grounds : viz. I. Justice: i. To attend to the ministry, the priest does not engage in trade. Yet he must live, as other men must, ii. The Faithful receive spiritual blessings, through his ministrations. The Holy Sacrifice : the Sacraments : Instructions, iii. The Priest sacrifices time, health and strength, and even life for his people. iv. It is therefore simple justice that they support their Pastor. " Who feedeth the flock, and eateth not the milk of the flock." i Cor. ix. 7. v. To support their own Pastor, whatever they may do for others elsewhere. II. The Command of God: i. Seen in Holy Writ : in word and example : "Give them their portion of the first-fruits." Ecclus. vii. 34. "The workman is worthy of his meat." Mth. x. 10. "They that serve the altar partake with the altar." I Cor ix. 13. "They who preach the Gospel should live by the Gospel." i Cor. ix. 14. Our Lord accepted the necessaries of life from the people. He eat with Matthew the Publican : Mth. ix. 10. He accepted the hospitality of Martha and Mary : Lke. x. 38. ii. In the Old Law, cities and lands were set apart for the maintenance of the Levites : Jos. xxi. 2. iii. The Levites were entitled to first-fruits and tithes: Numb, xviii. : Deut. xviii. ON THE EPISTLES 209 iv. In the New Law, the same existed in the early ages. Lands, etc., were given for the support of the Clergy. v. In England, their confiscation in the i6th c. renewed the need of other means of support.* III. The Command of the Church : i. We are bound to support our parents in their need, 4th Comdt. of God. ii. In like manner, our spiritual fathers, the Clergy, iii. Hence the fifth command of the Church does but develop the fourth command of the Decalogue, iv. Neglect of this duty is thus really a sin crying vengeance : Jas. v. 4. " The labourer is worthy of his hire." Lke. x. 7. v. Command too often neglected nowadays. Through the spirit of independence, contempt, or indifference. Hence : Resolution to fulfil henceforth this duty : e.g. by i. Paying door-pence or seat-rents : Not as an alms, but as just payment for fair value, ii. Contributing to the Offertory, according to one's means, iii. Giving a. Honoraria for Masses. b. Stole-fees, e.g. at Baptisms, Marriages, etc. iv. Joining the Altar Society. v. Taking a share in the mission burdens, vi. Such liberality to His ministers is pleasing to God. The widow of Sarephta : 3 Kgs. xvii. The widow's mite : Mrk. xii. 43. vii. Generosity of the kind never impoverishes ; it brings a blessing with it. * Our Catholic forefathers were full of a generous zeal to secure by endowments the services of a permanent priesthood and to provide for the competent and splendid celebration of the divine worship. A considerable part of the provision thus made was confiscated and squandered during the Reformation ; what remained was transferred to the Anglican body, and is still enjoyed by them. Cath. Diet. O SERMON PLANS 105. GOD, THE CREATOR OF ALL. "Of whom all paternity ... is named." Eph. iii. 15. i. Words denoting God as sole author and creator of all things. ii. They refute the Gnostics, who held there were many principles of existence. God created all things: i. Brought all things forth from nothing, by His only word. " He spoke and they were made : He commanded and they were created." Ps. cxlviii. 5. "All things were made by Him." Jn. i. 3. ii. Before Creation, God alone existed. a. From all eternity : overpowering thought ! b. Infinitely happy in Himself and His divine Perfections. c. Having no need whatever of creatures. iii. God created, for His own honour and glory : i.e. a. To be known and praised by His creatures. b. This is only His due, and is sought in a due manner. " I have created him for My glory." Is. xliii. 7. "The Lord hath made all things for Himself." Prov. xvi. 4. iv. God also preserves His creation, His Providence watching over it. "He upholdeth all things by the word of His power." Heb. i. 3. "By Him all things consist." Col. i. 17. v. Examples of God's power and dominion over all things : a. Of many kinds : e.g. Changing the rivers into blood : Ex. vii. 20. Dividing the water of the sea: Ex. xiv. 21. Giving water from the rock : Ex. xvii. 6. Protection amid the flames: Dan. iii. Raising the dead to life : Mth. ix. 25 ; Lke. vii. 15. OAT THE EPISTLES 21 r b. Truly God alone is mighty, " King of kings, and Lord of lords." i Tim. vi. 15. c. This infinite power, a comfort to the Saints, as it should be to us. vi. God could destroy the universe. a. All creatures have their being from God. b. He is thus sole master, and there is none to resist Him. c. He could therefore destroy, as He can create, vii. Besides the visible world, God also created the Angels. a. Pure spirits with intelligence and free-will. b. Created in the state of grace, in Heaven. c. In a hierarchy of order the nine Choirs. d. Large numbers fell from grace, and are lost for ever. e. Of those that remained faithful, some given as guardians to men. viii. Last of all, God created Man. a. To His own image and likeness : Gen. i. 27. b. The Body, from the slime of the earth : Gen. ii. 7. c. The Soul, a spiritual substance, direct from His hands. d. In the state of justice in Eden. e. This happiness lost by Adam's sin. /. Redemption of man by Jesus Christ. g. Destined, and now able again, to live for ever with God. Lessons : i. Reverential Fear of God almighty. " Who can destroy both soul and body into Hell." Mth. v. 28. ii. Unbounded Trust in His power. iii. Gratitude for our creation, the ground of all God's benefits,* * A beautiful tradition among the Jews says that when God had created the world, He asked the Angels what they thought of His work ; and one replied that it was so vast and perfect, that only one thing seemed wanting a clear, mighty and harmonious voice which should incessantly fill all quarters of the world, to offer thanksgiving to its Maker for His blessings. So should our gratitude be ever living and fresh in the heart. Faber. 2ia SERMON PLANS 106. LENGTH, ETC. OF GOD'S LOVE. "The breadth and length and height and depth." Eph. iii. 18. i. The Apostle prays that we may have a full sense of the infinite goodness of God, in these its four dimensions. ii. Consider it to-day, under these four heads. I. Length of God's love : its eternal duration. i. What an honour, had God loved us from the day of our birth only ! ii. Still greater honour, if from the beginning of time ! But, iii. God's love of us has been eternal : 0. His knowledge and love are as essential as Himself. b. What He loves in time, He has loved from eternity. c. From all eternity He decreed our existence, and all the effects of His love, we have ever experienced. iv. What an amazing idea this gives of God's love its eternal duration. " I have loved thee with an everlasting love." Jer. xxxi. 3. II. Breadth of God's love : the extent of its effects in the natural order : e.g. i. Giving us existence, the foundation for every good. a. In preference to thousands of possible beings. b. Without any merit on our part. c. Even with reasons against it our sins foreseen : Ecclus. xxxix. 24. ii. Preserving our existence : a. Giving us all we need, for soul and body. b. In spite of our continued sin and ingratitude. c. Offering time and opportunity for repentance, iii. The universe for our benefit and welfare : 0. Sun, moon, etc. : the elements : goods of the world. ON THE EPISTLES 213. b. Inequality of distribution, through some bene- ficent design. c. Command laid upon all to love us. iv. Spiritual protectors to each one, the Guardian Angels, v. What ample grounds for admiration and gratitude the breadth of God's love ! III. Height of God's love : the excellence of His supernatural gifts. i. These bestow on us a new spiritual dignity. a. Making us friends and children of God. b. Making us " partakers of the divine nature." 2 Pet. i. 4. ii. They give us a title to God's Kingdom of glory hereafter. Joys without compare, and eternal ! iii. Yet not all men reach that Kingdom. But, a. To us, what graces are given, above many ! b. Why to us, and not to the Pagans ? c. What our doom, if the faith were not ours ! iv. How great, again, our obligations to God. How many thousands might have made better use of His gifts than we ! IV. Depth of God's love : His humiliations to secure us grace. i. The strongest love, when despised, oft turns to hate. a. Where is love equal to God's (supra] ? b. How often repaid by sin ! ii. Might we not expect instant justice, as with the Angels ? Yet God submits to outrage, and waits to have mercy : Is. xxx. 18. iii. His divine Son degrades Himself for our redemption. Poverty and labour, suffering and death ! iv. His solicitude to continue and extend His graces. Especially in the lowly form of Holy Eucharist, v. Could God's love go lower and deeper than it did ! Consider thus the length and breadth, the height and depth of the Divine love. " O the depth of the riches of the wisdom of God." Rom. xi. 33. The gratitude of Tobias an example to us : Tob. xii. ai 4 SERMON PLANS 107. EXCLUSIVE SALVATION. "One Lord, one Faith, one Baptism." Eph. iv. 5. i. Nothing so excites hostility against the Church as her doctrine of exclusive salvation, ii. She is accused of intolerance in holding it. iii. Consider then this doctrine, and its exact meaning. True: i. To be saved, we must a. Believe all that Christ taught ; and b. Do all that He commanded. ii. Only in the Catholic Church, is the full teaching of Christ to be found. The Sects mutilate, or misinterpret, His doctrines, iii. Hence outside this Church, there is no salvation As outside the ark, none were saved, iv. Thus Indifferentism stands condemned, which holds a. All religions are equally good ; and b. It matters not which one we follow. v. " Exclusive Salvation " may sound harsh and hard. a. Yet, if it be true, it must be accepted.* b. If 2 -H 2 = 4, all other totals must be excluded. Necessary : i. The Catholic Church, professing to be the Church of God, would stultify herself, if she did not make this claim, ii. Such claim is often called intolerance. Yet, a. Intolerance is the general law of all that is stable: e.g. Gravitation is intolerant : build a wall out of plumb, and it falls. b. So is it with Truth : 1. Error destroys the very idea of truth. 2. Therefore is truth intolerant of error. c. In this sense only, is the Church intolerant, iii. But her intolerance does not imply persecution. a. Individuals have sometimes resorted to it : but, b. The Church never approves, always condemns it. ON THE EPISTLES 215 Reasonable : i. Only in the Catholic Church is the Sacrifice of Redemption offered. Only there can its saving graces be obtained, ii. They alone receive the salary that work in the vineyard of the Lord. iii. A member separated from the body cannot have life. iv. Reason alone tells us that God can mark out the path by which He wills men to reach salvation. This He has done in establishing His Church, v. Hence, outside this, there is no salvation. Meaning : i. Those only who are sacramentally baptized are visibly members of the Church : but, ii. Baptism of Blood, or of Desire, makes us members before God. Such, by innocent life, or by repentance, may be saved, iii. Unless we are thus in some way members of the Church, we can never see God. iv. All who are in the Church are not necessarily saved. a. In the ark were animals clean and unclean, the latter rejected. b. So, even in the true Church, they will be rejected who die in mortal sin. Conclusion : i. With this explanation, " Exclusive Salvation " is less harsh than it sounds. a. Every doctrine needs explanation. But, b. Whatever we may feel, we must hold to this, because it is true. ii. Gratitude for our Baptism, and the true Faith, iii. Prayer that they may be given to many others also, iv. Anxiety to secure early Baptism to Infants. * Some truths are hard to hear. It is a hard thing, very hard, that, owing to a simple false step, a man falls over the precipice, and is dashed to pieces : very hard, but true, all the same. 2i6 SERMON PLANS 108. UNITY OF FAITH. "One Faith." Eph. iv. 5. i. The Apostle urges his converts to union and charity, ii. He bases his appeal on their unity of Faith, iii. This is one of the marks of the true Church. Unity of Faith : i. Our Lord desired this unity of Faith among His disciples in every age and place. "That they may be one, as we also are." Jn. xvii. n. ii. He did not, could not, give two faiths, two opposing doctrines. God being one, there can be but one doctrine from Him. iii. To secure this, Christ gave a practical and efficient principle of union : The principle of divine Authority, found in the Catholic Church only. iv. The Church of God is held together by an infallible Head. a. Bishops, Priests and Laity are all dependent on the Pope. b. He is the Vicar of Christ on earth, in Faith and Morals. c. If we obey His authority, we retain the unity of Faith. d. If we proudly resist it, we are cast out of the Church, as rebels, v. This Unity of Faith implies, that a. All members of the Church believe everywhere the same truths. b. Every age has received and transmitted the same deposit of faith. c. All accept the same interpretation of Scripture and Tradition. d. All submit to the same rule of Morals, flowing from that teaching. e. Catholics accept all definitions that the Church has, or may, put forth. ON THE EPISTLES 217 vi. Does not require explicit belief in every doctrine. a. This is impossible for mankind at large. b. But in certain leading dogmas only. vii. Requires implicit belief in them all, by all : i.e. A readiness of mind to accept whatever the Church proposes. viii. The bond of union among Protestants is the Bible. But the principle of private judgment thereon is a source of disunion. Dogma : i. The precise enunciation of a divine truth by the Church. ii. Defining a dogma a. Does not imply a new doctrine.* But, b. Means making the acceptance of a doctrine binding the consciences of all. c. Examples of recent definitions : The Immaculate Conception, in 1854. Papal Infallibility, in 1870. Heresy : i. Is a proposition directly opposed to Faith : e.g. Arianism, 5th c. denial of Christ's Divinity, ii. To be a heretic is always a grave misfortune, be it formal, or even material only. iii. Heretics do not belong to the Body of the Church, and receive not the spiritual advantages of members, iv. If they die, wilfully separated from the Church, they are lost. Lessons : i. Prize and treasure the holy Faith, the great gift of God. ii. Dogma the source of true solid devotion. Knowledge must precede love, iii. While hating heresy, compassionate heretics. iv. Let your Faith be the groundwork of true Charity. * The circulation of the blood was not a new fact, though only discovered by Harvey in 1616. So, the divine Maternity of Mary was not a new doctrine, when formally defined A.D. 431. 21 8 SERMON PLANS 109. THANKSGIVING AND PRAISE. " I give thanks to my God always." I Cor. i. 4. i. God is the source of all graces and blessings to men. Jas. i. 17. ii. To Him therefore thanks and gratitude are due. iii. S. Paul's words remind us all of a plain duty. Motives for gratitude and praise, i. The example and will of God. a. As shown by His commanding to the Jews : 1. The Paschal Solemnity: Ex. xii. 17. In gratitude for their deliverance from Egypt. 2. The Feast of Tabernacles : Lev. xxiii. 34. For God's favours in the desert. 3. The Feast of Pentecost: Ex. xxiii. 16. a. In memory of the giving of the Law. /?. In thanksgiving for the harvests. b. As shown in numerous texts of Scripture : e.g. "Bless the Lord, O my soul, and never forget all He hath done for thee." Ps. cii. 2. " Giving thanks always, for all things." Eph. v. 20. " Watching in (prayer) in thanksgiving." Col. iv. 2. " In all things, give thanks." I Thess. v. 18. " Seven times a day, I have given praise to Thee." Ps. cxviii. 164. ii. The example of Our Lord : c.g. a. At the multiplication of the loaves: Mrk. viii. 6; Jn. vi. ii. b. At the raising of Lazarus: Jn. xi. 41. c. At the last supper : Mth. xxvi. 27. iii. The example of the Church Triumphant, ever praising God: Ap. vii. 12. iv. The Example of the Church Militant : e.g. a. Daily recitation of the Divine Office. b. The Gloria Patri, at the end of the psalms. ON THE EPISTLES 219 c. Deo gratias, in the Mass and Office. d. The Gloria in Excelsis. v. Gratitude, a means of obtaining further favours.* vi. Therefore, let us ever praise and thank God for His mercies. Subjects for thanksgiving and praise : i. Blessings common to the human race. Creation : Redemption : Providence, ii. Personal blessings on ourselves : a. Faith, conversion, vocation. b. Even trials, mortifying our self-love. c. God's patience and longsuffering. iii. Holy men have praised God on behalf of irrational creatures. An excellent practice of the presence of God. iv. Even blessings given to the damned who bless not God. v. For the Holy Eucharist, as sacrifice and sacrament. Itself a worthy thankoffering to God, as its name implies. Practices : i. Have different objects each day, for which to praise God. ii. Due thanksgiving after Confession and Communion. Imitate not the ingratitude of the nine : Lke. xvii. 1 7. iii. Gratitude for every trifling mercy, spiritual and temporal.! Even a simple Deo gratias from the heart, iv. Look on God as a loving father, then praise and thanksgiving will become an easy practice. * The gifts of grace cannot flow in us, because we are ungrateful to the Giver. Imitation . Speak to God in thanksgiving, and you will get graces more and more abundantly. 5. Bernard. + Be grateful for the least, and thou shall be worthy to receive greater things. Imitation. 220 SERMON PLANS 110. PERSEVERANCE. " Who will confirm you unto the end." I Cor. i. 8. i. S.JPaul hopes God will preserve his converts in grace to the end. ii. Perseverance is God's gift, and a most precious one. iii. A"serious matter for all of us, and worthy of careful thought. Perseverance : i. Our continuance in virtue and God's love, until death, ii. Absolutely necessary, if we wish for salvation. " He that shall persevere unto the end, he shall be saved." Mth. x. 22. " Be thou faithful until death, and I will give thee the crown of life." Ap. ii. 10. iii. It little avails to begin well, if afterwards we renounce God.* iv. A special gift from God alone, which we cannot merit, but may confidently hope for, if we take the means to it : e.g. Means to Perseverance : t i. Daily fervent prayer : for, a. Perseverance is essentially God's gift. b. God usually gives grace, only in answer to prayer. c. S. Philip urged daily prayer to this end. ii. Renewal of good intention : a. Sweetness of devotion usually accompanies beginnings of conversion. b. Later on, it often disappears. Hence again, c. S. Philip recommended renewals of fervour, iii. Not to undertake too many good works. a. Consider prudently what you can do. b. Having undertaken it, don't give it up. iv. True devotion to the Blessed Virgin. a. Even though in small matters only. Quidquid minimum, dummodo sit constans. S.John Berchmans. ON THE EPISTLES b. Such as Rosary, Litany, Hail Mary, etc. But, c. Imitation of her virtues, the best devotion. d. Teach children, while young, to love the Mother of God. e. The Saints declare this a pledge of salvation. v. Devotion to S. Joseph, patron of a happy death. vi. Charity to the living and the dead. a. Works of mercy gain many intercessors ; and, b. The prayer of many cannot fail to be heard, vii. Holy Fear of God : which will produce a. Deep humility, and distrust of self. b. Respect for God and His Law. c. Hatred and horror of sin ; and thus, d. Final perseverance. viii. Correspondence with individual graces, which consti- tute the links of the chain of Perseverance. Lessons : i. Our life is like the pursuit of agriculture. a. Its object must be to reap the harvest of eternal glory. 1. How perseveringly the farmer toils on, in spite of difficulties. 2. So must the Christian struggle, despite opposition. b. Hope of good harvests lightens the farmer's labour. c. Hope of eternal reward encourages the Christian to battle manfully. ii. Take the means to perseverance here suggested, and the crown must be yours. * They that run in the race, all run indeed, but one receiveth the prize. So, all virtues tend to the possession of God's eternal Kingdom ; for instance, contempt of the world, love of poverty, obedience, patience, and the rest ; but perseverance alone receives the crown. t Like prudent and experienced travellers, let us make such provision for our journey through the desert of this world, as will prevent us from fainting on the way, and take such precautions, as will secure us from falling into the hands of our enemies. Perry. SERMON PLANS 111. LYING. " Putting away lying, speak ye the truth." Eph. iv. 25. i. This lesson not sufficiently impressed on the minds of many, ii. Examine therefore the subject, in the presence of the God of truth. The nature of lies, and their guilt. Lies: i. Words or signs against the truth, to deceive a neighbour. To say an untruth, believing it true, is not a lie, but an error, ii. The devil told the first lie in the Garden of Eden : Gen. iii. 4. Hence called the " father of lies : " Jn. viii. 44. iii. Kinds of lies : a. Jocose : spoken to please, and hurting no one. b. Officious : hurting no one, but intended to be of service. Sarah, saying she did not laugh : Gen. xviii. 15. The Egyptian midwives to Pharao: Ex. i. 19. c. Malicious : injurious to God and man. The devil, speaking to Eve : Gen. iii. 4. The woman before Solomon : 3 Kgs. iii. 20. S. Peter's denial of Our Lord : Mth. xxv. 72. The Scribes, at the Resurrection : Mth. xxviii. iv. Are obstacles to the current of free communication and progress among men. Guilt of lying seen thus : i. A lie is a direct attack on God, who is Truth itself, ii. God gave us speech, to make our thoughts known to others. Lying goes directly against this end. iii. Lying does injury to our neighbour, who has a right that we should not deceive him.* ON THE EPISTLES 223 iv. Lies bring disgrace on him who utters them. " A lie is a foul blot in a man." Ecclus. xx. 26. a. It is a- reproach to be, and to be called, a liar. b. A lie implies cowardice, meanness, etc. : and, c. A man must have regard for his reputation. For, " A good name is better than great riches." Prov. xxii. I. v. Lying is strongly reprobated in Holy Scripture : ' Thou shall fly lying." Ex. xxiii. 7. 1 Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord." Prov. xii. 22. 1 Thou will destroy all that speak a lie." Ps. v. 7. 'The mouth that belieth killeth the soul." Wisd. i. n. ' Lie not one to another." Col. iii. 9. vi. Thus a lie is never lawful, no matter for what end.f We may not do evil that good may come. Rom. iii. 8. vii. The degree of guilt will vary according to the circumstances of the case : (e.g. injustice, scandal, perjury, sacrilege). Lessons : i. Detestation of this vice of lying, and circumspection to avoid it. ii. Teach children, so prone to lies, the duty of strict truthfulness. iii. Avoid that specially hateful form of lie calumny, iv. Reparation is due for the evils that flow from lying, v. Try to raise the degraded tone of the world, by rigid integrity and candour. * S. Andrew Avellino, in pleading a cause, allowed a lie to escape him, though of no great weight. On reading in Scripture that the mouth that lieth killeth the soul, he was so struck with remorse, that he resolved at once to renounce his career in the law ; he gave himself up to a penitential life, and to the spiritual care of souls. His Life: Nov. 10. t God, who is truth itself, can never approve any kind of lying ; nor can anything be more destructive of civil society and commerce, than that doctrine which allows it by principle. It would be more eligible to live among dumb persons, than in a nation of liars. Butler. 224 SERMON PLANS 112. SOCIALISM. "Let him now steal no moie." Eph. iv. 28. Seventh Commandment : i. The only true basis of right in property, right divine. a. Whatever a man lawfully has, he has from God. b. He may think to have it through talent or industry. c. Yet God gives the talent, and blesses the effort, ii. Hence the hatefulness of theft before God, as being a. A rebellion against His Providence. b. An effort to overturn the order by Him estab- lished. iii. This right in property implies the duty of respecting it : Ex. xx. 15. iv. Communism holds that a. There is no God but Nature. b. The evils of the day arise from social inequalities. c. Nature never intended 1. Some to be masters, rich and idle ; and, 2. Others to be servants, poor and slaves. d. Ownership is the most fatal of errors. Hence, e. Community of goods must be established, which 1. Is opposed to reason and nature. 2. Means theft and pillage. Hence its condemnation. v. Perfect Communism can only exist in Religion, where a. Members voluntarily renounce their possessions, b. Celibacy exists, and no family wants need providing for. Socialism is Communism under state control : e.g. i. All men are equal and deserve equal treatment. a. True in the abstract : as to Creator, Law, End. b. Hence all must be treated as men, and have the necessaries of life. c. But, in the concrete, men do vary, so also their rights and duties : Especially man and woman, ii. The Community is absolutely supreme : a. All must share in production for the common good. ON THE EPISTLES 225 b. Each one must seek the good of the com- munity first. c. This a pagan idea of the State, 1. Excluding personal rights and possessions. 2. Denying the high idea of man's end. iii. Yet gradations of social rank must exist : e.g. a. Ignorant persons exist, hence also teachers, with different rights. b. Yet Socialism would make all men fit for all work. Which is absurd ; though a logical conclusion, iv. The equality of Socialism is unnatural and cannot last. a. Remember the differences in men mental, moral, physical. b. These result in differences of honour, influence, wealth, etc. c. Violence alone can effect equality, and only for a time. v. Socialism opposes the rights of property : Yet, a. Christ enforces the loth commandment : Mth. v. 17. b. He only counsels the young man to sell : Mth. xix. 21. c. Ananias might have kept his land : Acts v. 4. d. The followers of Christ possessed : (Martha, Philemon). e. The Church has ever acknowledged such right. /. Christianity forbids revolution. But Socialism needs it, and officially pro- claims it. Lessons for Catholics, nowadays especially : i. See the evils of Socialism, and its impossibility, ii. Beware of it, under its plausible pretexts, iii. Recognize fully the rights of property, under the 7th commandment, iv. Obedience to God's Law will render inequalities bearable. v. If only the world would do this, it would be spared much trouble and misery. 326 SERMON PLANS 113. TIME. " Redeeming the time." Eph. v. 16 i. After grace, Time is the most precious gift of God. Yet how much do we waste of it ! ii. See motives and means of spending it well. Motives for good use of Time : i. Its brevity: " It is a vapour which appeareth for a little while." Jas. iv. 15. a. Its course is like the lightning - flash, or the raging torrent. b. Only the present is ours, and that of short duration.* c. Once gone, it is irrevocable, ii. Its value :