Time to Repent! The Axe Lies at the Root of the Trees

Sermon by Rev. John Paul Shea

Second Sunday in Advent, Dec. 4, 2016

Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish, Tucson, AZ

“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!”

As we come together on this Second Sunday of Advent, let us listen to the words of Saint

St. John the Baptist in the Wilderness
by Bartolome Esteban Murillo

John the Baptist in today’s Gospel.(Matthew 3:1-12)

 
Saint John the Baptist  -- considered the greatest prophet by Our Lord Jesus Christ -- was the real deal. He was passionate for God!  He was the last prophet of the prophets of the Old Testament and therefore would become the bridge between the Old and the New Testaments. 

Mary vistis Elizabeth. John is
sanctified in his mother's womb

He was filled with the Holy Spirit from the time he was in his mother’s womb, and he would let nothing stop him from his mission to prepare the way of Our Lord Jesus Christ. 

We hear of Saint John the Baptist’s mission in today’s Gospel passage as he sets out into the desert of Judea. He is “the voice of one crying out in the desert, Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.” 

Yet, let us be reminded that God called John the Baptist to prepare the way of the Lord Jesus in His first coming, but his mission is not ended. His message of repentance and conversion is even more vital for us today as we await the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ who will come in all His glory to judge heaven and earth!

Therefore, the proclamation of John the Baptist for repentance and conversion needs to be proclaimed today with even more passion and zeal.

For, our Lord Jesus is coming again soon! “His winnowing fan [will be] in his hand! He will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire!”

Fr John Paul Shea 

My brothers and sisters, let us not underestimate the importance of Saint John the Baptist’s proclamation in today’s Gospel!

The call for repentance and conversion is the central mission of our Church and it always has been. This is why  Jesus called His disciples -- to proclaim that the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand and we need to believe in the Gospel! Yet, it seems today that many in our Church are losing sight of this message.

 
The reality is that many souls are lost today because of sin. Sin is everywhere! Immorality is degrading humanity and is destroying the life within many souls. 

The sanctity of marriage has become widely disregarded. Our society now accepts and encourages sexual relationships between two men or two women. Person’s cohabitate and have sex outside marriage continually. Pornography is watched on a regular basis in many households. Adultery flourishes. The Lord’s sacred Sabbath is ignored by the majority, and many simply put their own desires and entertainment before God! 

Yet, with all the sin that is taking toll on so many souls, where is the proclamation of the message of John the Baptist in our world today that says repent? Where is the proclamation of John the Baptist in our Church today that says, “Turn away for sin, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand?”

Instead of proclaiming the message of repentance, it seems as if our Church today is more concerned with proclaiming a message of tolerance, acceptance, accompaniment, and discernment. It seems that more and more Catholics today are more concerned with appeasing the world than saving souls.

Yet, what does Saint John the Baptist say? He says, “You brood of vipers… Produce good fruit as evidence of your repentance” and do not presume God’s mercy!” 

The need for repentance and conversion cannot be underestimated. The message of John the Baptist of the need for repentance and conversion is more important today than ever!

For the reality is that there is a hell. There is eternal damnation, and many souls are in jeopardy. Many have forgotten about God, and many who do acknowledge God presume His mercy. 

Therefore, let us acknowledge the seriousness of the words of Saint John the Baptist in today’s Gospel passage. For Our Lord Jesus is coming again soon to judge heaven and earth. “Even now the ax lies at the root of the trees,” and “every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire!”

Saint John the Baptist, pray for us!

Christ's Kingship is Perfect; Others Are Not

Let Jesus Be King of Your Lives!

Sermon by Rev. John Paul Shea

Solemnity of Christ the King, 34th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Nov. 20, 2016

Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish, Tucson, AZ

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit as it was in the beginning is now and ever shall be world without end. Amen!

Today our Church celebrates the solemnity of Christ the King. Today’s celebration marks the end of the liturgical year, and is therefore a very good way to end the liturgical cycle because the very fact that Jesus is king of the world is the culmination of Biblical revelation.

Today, we are reminded that Jesus is the one and only king that we should honour with deep devotion. It is only through the kingship of Christ that we will arrive at the eternal kingdom that is to come.

We hear of many kings throughout the Bible. Ever since the beginning of salvation history God has sought out leaders and kings to rule the world according to His purpose. Yet, none of these kings were able to fulfil role of king as He desired for humanity. None could establish the perfect kingship God has planned for His creation. 

In today’s first reading (2Samuel 5:1-3), King David is anointed king of Israel. The Lord says of David, "You shall shepherd my people Israel and shall be commander of Israel." Although King David accomplished many things for God, he too was unable to fulfill God’s plan of eternal Kingship.

Therefore, God would send His Son into our world. Our Lord Jesus is not simply king of this earth, but He is king of the entire universe, and He is coming again to establish His Kingdom in its fullness. 

Fr John Paul Shea

My brothers and sisters, today’s celebration calls us to acknowledge the kingship of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

In today’s second reading (Colossians 1:12-20), Saint Paul teaches us that Jesus Christ is “the image of the invisible God” and that through Him, God “[delivers] us from the power of darkness and [leads] us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” 

Let us therefore keep our hearts focused on the power of Our Lord and His eternal kingship that is offered to each one of us who repents and lives our lives according to His plan of life! 

For “in [our Lord Jesus] was created all things in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers; all things were created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together!”

My brothers and sisters, Our Lord Jesus is

king of the universe. He is the most perfect King. 

He has entered into our world to prepare us to live under a completely different rule than the kingdoms of this world today. Our Lord knows that the kingdoms of this current age are going to fail. He knows that this world as we know it is going to pass away. 

You may recall in the Gospel last Sunday that Our Lord spoke about the signs that would point to the end of the times in which we live today and when our Lord would come to establish His Kingdom on earth. Our Lord spoke about wars and insurrections. He said that “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom." (Luke 21:10) Therefore our Lord reminds us that the kingdoms of this world today will never be in peace until His kingdom comes, and the closer we come to the end, the worse things will become.

We have had many kingdoms that have arisen and fallen since Our Lord Jesus Christ walked the earth. Yet, unlike any time, we now have a globalized world. We not only have nations that rise against nations, but we now have the technology to literally destroy nations. 

Our Blessed Mother warned us at Fatima 100 years ago that our societies are entering into difficult times. She told us that we need to pray and make sacrifices for the salvation of souls! She told us to pray the Holy Rosary! 

My brothers and sisters, we are living in a pivotal moment in human history. We do not know the immediate future, but what we do know for sure is that our Lord is coming again soon to establish His Kingship on earth, and the kingdoms of this world today will be broken down and humbled. Everything that is not of Our Lord’s kingdom will be done away with! 

Today our Church marks the end of the Year of Mercy. God is very merciful. Yet, we must keep to heart that our Lord is coming again to judge heaven and earth. Every thought and action of our lives will be brought into the eternal light and we will have to make recompense before our Lord! 

Therefore, what is most important for each one of us today is to keep our hearts focused on the kingdom that is to come. We need not to get too caught up in our world that we lose sight of the hope Our Lord has in store for us.

For this world is passing away!
Seek conversion. Repent of your sins and strive to sin no more because sin cannot enter into the Kingdom of God. If we want to live with and in Our Lord for all eternity then we must first be purified of all that is not of Our Lord’s Kingdom!

For if we think we can live a life that contradicts Our Lord and His Church then we are fooling ourselves and the devil will have the last laugh. 

As we come to receive our Lord Jesus in the Holy Eucharist, let us acknowledge Who it is we are receiving. We are receiving the King of the Universe into our bodies and our souls!

As we acknowledge Who it is we are receiving, let us allow Him alone to be King of our lives. For, He is the only King who will save us from the wrath that is to come upon this earth. He is the only one who will save us from eternal damnation. For His Kingdom will come, His will will be done on earth as it is in heaven! Lord Jesus help us to be faithful to You!

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit as it was in the beginning is now and ever shall be world without end. Amen!

Jesus, Remember Me When You Come Into Your Kingdom

Sermon by Fr. Joseph Mungai

Solemnity of Christ the King, 34th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Nov 20, 2016

St. John the Apostle Awasi Catholic Church, Kisumu Archdiocese, Kenya

To understand the significance of this solemnity, it is important to keep in mind the circumstances around which Pope Pius XI instituted this feast in the year 1925 AD. This is the time between World War I and II. 

Italian dictator Benito Mussolini

Thumbing his nose at the Vatican, Italian dictator Benito Mussolini shed all pretence of democracy. He  clearly was consolidating a totalitarian fascist state. Nazi Germany was in its formative stages, and the wind of secularist nationalism -- that had no place for God -- was gathering all over the world. 

Nations were heavily arming themselves by developing sophisticated war machines, and it’s no wonder that these events degenerated into World War II. This is the war where even Africans were forced to get involved although they had no immediate interests in the war.

In this volatile situation, the Pope fired a shot of grace by reminding the whole world that

Pope Pius XI fired a shot of grace

He instituted the Solemnity of Christ the King

really only Christ is the King of the Universe. This was meant to be a sign of contradiction to the emerging political powers that had no regard for God nor for humanity.

Human beings have to constantly choose between ruling themselves and perish or allowing themselves to be ruled by God and live. In the first reading today (2 Samuel 5:1-3), the people of Israel make a covenant with David, whom the Lord had anointed saying, “I have found David my servant …. a man after my own heart.” 

Remember that the Lord anointed David after rejecting Saul as the leader of his people (1Sam13:9, 15:1-23). The Lord rejected Saul for two reasons. First, out of foolish anxiety and fear of the Philistines, Saul arrogated  to himself the office of prophet and priesthood, which the Lord had not given him. He did this by making a peace offering before the Lord. Only Samuel the Prophet was given the authority to make this sacrifice. Secondly, Saul got carried  away by greed and refused to put the spoils of war from Amalek under the ban as the Lord had commanded. In other words, Saul departed from depending on God in his political royalty and started depending on himself.

God therefore anoints David and establishes  him as a figure of the Kingship of Christ. We know that David is only a figure of Christ because prophet Nathan said to David that his dynasty shall endure forever (2Sam 7). But it is the prophet Isaiah who puts the record straight when says that “a shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse." (Is 11:1-9) -- he will be king of Justice and Peace. In other words David became king of Israel and a figure of Christ because of his obedience to the Lord as opposed to Saul’s disobedience.

It is here that a stark difference between the kingdoms of this world and God’s Kingdom stand out. In the kingdoms of this world, men

follow their own designs, but in the kingdom of God, all the children submit themselves in obedience to God out of love. Christ is our first model of love and obedience to the Father. My brothers and sisters, this is the reason why in the Gospel today (Luke 23:35-43), Jesus is given to us as a crucified Messiah.

Now one of the criminals hanging there reviled Jesus, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us.” The other, however, rebuking him, said in reply, “Have you no fear of God, for you are subject to the same condemnation? And

"Jesus, remember me when you 

come into your kingdom."

indeed, we have been condemned justly, for the sentence we received corresponds to our crimes, but this man has done nothing criminal.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” He replied to him, “Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”  (Luke 23: 39-43)

He is crucified out of love for the Father and love for those given to Him by the Father. He sacrifices himself for His people. While kings and rulers of this world can swiftly force physical submission by guns and tanks, Jesus conquers the heart with love. If guns and tanks do it swiftly and ruthlessly, love does it slowly and soothingly. Therefore the method of Christ may appear inefficient, unreliable and even a disillusionment. The  difference is that the former is short lived and the latter is everlasting. The kingdoms of this world may win one battle buts it's Christ who  wins the war.

People may feel ashamed of identifying themselves with a crucified Messiah, but that is exactly what Paul meant when he told the Corinthians (1Cor1:23) that “We preach Christ

Fr. Joe Mungai preaching to his people in Kenya 

crucified, a stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness to the Greeks." Again he says that to those being saved, the cross is an expression of the power of God. 

How do we know that Christ is winning? First, we know it because He is God. Secondly, we have 2000 years of history to look at. We have seen Jesus walk with and deliver His people from numerous clashes with the devil. All those earthly kingdoms that were so mighty  at the time of Pope Pius XI  were hell bent on exterminating the Catholic Church from the face of the earth. But she still stands, and they no longer exist. 

Dear brothers and sisters, it's up to you to chose with whom you want to align yourself.

"Today, you will be with me in Paradise."

Do you want to join those who look glorious today but will wither tomorrow, or do you want to identify yourself with the crucified Messiah, and say, “I have no king but the Lord”?
Happy New Year ( Liturgical).