Sermones

perdon por el gran retraso les debo los sermones pasados. my apologies for the delay I Bring here all the sermons from the lasts Sundays after Pentecost.
Sermon on Humility 16th Sunday after Pentecost
“God rejects the proud and exalts the Humble”. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit Amen…

Dear faithful in Christ, Humility is shown in this particular Gospel passage, this virtue is difficult to attain easy to say and we see in the liturgy the texts of Saint Paul and Gospels of these Sundays after Pentecost the need of Charity that union with God and the fulfillment of the commandment which is the love of our neighbor for the sake of God. We see the importance in the spiritual life of the virtue of humility which is necessary for salvation, our calling to sanctity is our mission here on earth, that is to say to follow the commandments of God and therefore to be with Him, to follow Jesus we need to be humble in imitation of Him the one who invites us to take the last place in the wedding If we want to enter into his kingdom. We need to open the door to the Wedding feast by humbling ourselves, not by a particular amount of vocal prayers, attachment to a particular rite of Mass, books that we read etc… but rather what Saint Ambrose has to say on this subject: commenting on this Gospel reading “ But above all, it is to the constant attitude and exercise of humility that we must especially direct his attention who would secure a prominent place in the divine feast of the nuptials”. All saints are ambitious for future glory but they are aware that in order to win it they must go low down, during the present life, into their own nothingness .
The first place is not to be sought in the first seats of an earthly wedding ; rather the virtue of humility should be on the first place. Saint Thomas Aquinas says: “ Humility holds the first place inasmuch as it expels pride which God resists”. Hence Saint Gregory asserts that “he who gathers virtues without humility is like the man who carries dust against the wind”. His virtues shall be scattered. This sublime virtue is but little known so many times spoken a lot too but not practiced by us. Pride on the contrary which was the cause of ruin to Adam and his posterity is known by us all and unfortunately is a main obstacle in our lives as Christians. Who came to give us example, the Son of God, who emptied himself taking the form of a servant. Despised, says Isaiah and the most abject of men. Where was he born? In a stable and laid in a manger; in Nazareth, poor , unknown and employed in the humble occupation of assisting a poor artisan. Look at Him at His passion, scourged as a slave, insulted, mocked all the way to Calvary, crowned with thorns as a mock king and at the end suffering the ignominious death of the cross.
We ought to know that the position reserved for us in the kingdom of heaven depends not, in the least, either upon our own thoughts about ourselves or upon the judgment passed on us by other people; it depends solely on the will of God, who exalts the Humble and then he will say to us : “ Friend go up higher”. From the book of Ecclesiasticus: “The greater thou art, the more humble thyself in all things, and thou shall find grace before God; for great is the power of God alone, and He is honored by the Humble”. Let us a claim and follow in all things the last place, not with falsity not wanting to make progress in our studies or professional endeavors however to do that solely thinking on the glory of God and not to glory ourselves but in Him whom we have received all that we have. The surest test of our Humility before God is the practical charity for our neighbor, which, in the several circumstances of everyday life, induces us, without affectation, to give him the precedence over ourselves. We should not be disappointed If we are far way behind on this aspect of the spiritual life, since God hears in a special way those who are humble as we read in the psalm :” A contrite and humble heart God shall not despise” (Psalm 50). God makes the waters of his graces abound and manifest in humble souls; If we listen to the words uttered by Our Lady: “Because he hath regarded the humility of his handmaid…He that is mighty hath done great things to me.” The Lord looking upon my humility and my sense of nothingness, hath bestowed great favor upon me.
The divine invitation is made to all; the nuptials are in Heaven in the Gospel wedding Christ is the Bridegroom and the church is the bride. Let us ask this virtue to Him and recognize as Saint Paul did: “I am what I am By the grace of God”.