Septuagesima Sunday

In the traditional calendar of the Church, yesterday was Septuagesima Sunday, or 70 days before Easter. We went from Christ's birth at Christmas, His childhood, the time of the beginning His public life and miracles to prove His Divinity, and now approach Lent and His Passion and Death.  Three Sundays before Lent we begin to prepare. The altar cloths and the priest's vestments are in violet or purple, the color of penitence. The Gloria is no longer said during Mass, nor are the "alleluias." They will be absent until the vigil of Easter.

We are confronted in the liturgy with our fallen nature and the need for salvation. After Adam and Eve we are condemned to die. The Introit (opening prayer) says "The sorrows of death surrounded me, the sorrow of hell encompassed me: and in my affliction I called upon the Lord, and He heard my voice from His holy Temple" (from Psalm 17). The Collect (prayer) says that we are "justly afflicted for our sins." We ask for forgiveness in the Gradual (from Psalm 9: "for thou has not forsaken them that seek Thee, O Lord.") and the Tract from Psalm 129, "Out of the depths I have cried to Thee, O Lord; Lord, hear my voice." And the Communion verse reads: "Make thy face to shine upon Thy servant, and save me in Thy mercy, from Psalm 30.

In the Epistle read for the Mass, St. Paul tells us (I Corinthians 9: 24-27 and 10: 1-5), that we need to abstain and mortify our bodies. He warns us that though "they that run in the race, all run indeed, but one receiveth the prize," echoed in the Gospel of Matthew, 20:1-16, that "many are called but few are chosen," with the telling of the laborers hired to work in the field, the last hired during the day, receiving the same wages as the first, as they agreed to. The Jews, the chosen people were the first, the Gentiles, the last. St. Gregory says "All men, therefore, are called to work for God's glory and to receive as wages for their labor, the reward of eternal life."

Faith is a  gift from God. We can accept it or reject it. We are thus "called," and can  choose to reject the gift. Our sermon for the day reflected that regarding current "Catholics" in public life. There are those who condemn themselves out of their own mouths. They are apostate. When the former speaker of the house says that she stands with so many Catholics that believe as she does (abortion, birth-control, same-sex marriage, etc.), she will stand with them in a place they do not want to be in eternity. These people continue to give scandal to the Church and its teachings. Even if their bishops do not censure them publicly - and they should - they have excommunicated themselves from Christ.

The Bishops in the United States are finally standing up for the tenets of our religion. A letter was sent to parishes all over the United States to read to congregations. It asks them to protest the health care mandate that Catholic hospitals and institutions must provide in their health insurance plans, abortion, birth-control, etc.  I have seen in some comments today that many parishes did not even mention it. It may be too late. Where have they been for 45 years, while government has been adding immoral laws to be obeyed with little vocal opposition? As I heard from a knowledgeable priest recently, they have been afraid to lose their tax-exempt status. Not too long ago, I read about a parish in front of which, on the public sidewalk, parishioners were handing out pro-life leaflets. They were told by a diocesan lawyer to cease, because the church could lose its tax-exempt status. How cowardly! Money over human life is an abominable choice.

We deserve what is happening to the Church. Be assured, this is persecution and it will accelerate. Our hierarchy has been timid in the extreme in too many cases. Some, in my opinion, do not have the courage of their convictions, besides. Only a few brave bishops and priests have stood up and proclaimed truth vocally, defending God's laws.  I was reminded of a quote from St. Jerome, who in the 4th century,  said something to the effect that the floor of Hell is littered with the skulls of bishops.  Cowardice (at the least) and heresy are not new to the Church. The Holy Spirit will not desert her, and after 2000 years of human weakness in some of its shepherds that is obvious. It has been purged in the past, and from the looks of things a major purge is in the offing. What the government is about is nothing short of persecution, and it may grow to monumental proportions if unchecked. I tremble at what that might mean for the faithful of this country; but, and I agree with a true pastor of his flock, that it might be good for us.

St. Gregory says," In His wisdom, Almighty God preferred rather to bring good out of evil than never allow evil to occur," when speaking of the sin of Adam and Eve.  That is what we must think about now. Evil is occurring that good might come out of it in the end. We are plunged into the depths, but, a note in my missal exhorts: "Let us go and work in the Lord's vineyard, or enter the arena and take up with courage the struggle..." This coming Lent requires much prayer, fasting, sacrifice and receiving the sacraments.