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Rev.
Fr. Leonard Goffine's
The Church's Year
FIRST SUNDAY
AFTER EPIPHANY
In the Introit of the Mass
of this day the Church exhorts us to a joyous adoration of Christ
by the following words:
INTROIT
Upon a high throne I saw a man sitting, whom a multitude of angels
adore singing together: behold Him the name of whose empire is to
eternity (Is. 6). Sing joyfully to God, all the earth: serve the
Lord with gladness (Ps. 99:2). Glory be to the Father.
COLLECT
Attend, O Lord, we beseech Thee, of Thy heavenly mercy, to the desires
of Thy suppliant people; and grant that they may both perceive what
they ought to do, and may have strength to fulfill the same. Through
our Lord.
EPISTLE
(Rom. 12:1-5). Brethren, I beseech you by the mercy of God, that
you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, pleasing unto
God, your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world,
but be reformed in the newness of your mind: that you may prove
what is the good, and the acceptable, and the perfect will of God.
For I say, by the grace that is given me, to all that are among
you, not to be more wise than it behooveth to be wise, but to be
wise unto sobriety: and according as God hath divided to every one
the measure of faith. For as in one body we have many members, but
all the members have not the same office: so we, being many, are
one body in Christ, and every one members one of another in Christ
Jesus our Lord.
EXPLANATION
The apostle entreats, even conjures us by all the mercies we
have received to bring to God a living sacrifice; namely, the mortification
of our carnal desires, and the practice of every virtue, a holy,
pure and immaculate sacrifice agreeable to God, intended for His
glory alone; not a dead sacrifice as the Jews offered by killing
animals, nor an unholy one as the Gentiles offered by polluting
their bodies. This living, holy, God-pleasing sacrifice should be
the offering of our body; but this does not exclude the sacrifice
of our spirit, because all our actions, the corporal as well as
spiritual, should be directed to God, the end for which we were
created. The sacrifice of the spirit is made when we overcome pride,
anger, impatience, etc., and by avoiding willful distractions during
prayer and divine worship. Like David we should have a contrite
and humble heart to present to the Lord; this is a most pleasing
sacrifice in His eyes, one which He will never despise. Thus we
render a reasonable service, and are, as St. Peter says (I Pet 2:9),
a kingly priesthood, because we govern, like kings, our evil inclinations,
and offer with body and soul a continual sacrifice to God. The apostle
further exhorts us not to become like the world, that is, not to
follow the corrupt manners and principles of the children of the
world; not to desire those things at which the world aims; not to
love that which the world loves; not to act as the world acts; but
rather seek constantly to change our evil disposition, by combating
our corrupt and evil inclinations and by practicing virtue instead.
We must cease to be the old worldly man, and become a new heavenly
man; to be such, we must
carefully seek to know in all things what is pleasing to God, and
therefore perfect and good. This is the necessary science to which
St. Paul alludes, when he says that we should not wish to know more
than is proper. All worldly arts and sciences will not help us to
gain heaven, if we do not endeavor to learn thoroughly that which
faith teaches, and what God demands. Even if we have made great
progress in this holy science we should not presume to think more
of ourselves than what we really are, nor violate charity by contempt
of others less instructed, for God gives to every one, in some measure,
the gift of faith. This gift of faith we should use in order to
continually glorify the body of Christ, His Church, Whose members
we are, and enable us to lead such a life that others, being edified,
may be brought into the true fold.
ASPIRATION
Grant, O Jesus, that by mortification, humility, and contrition,
I may offer my body and my soul as a living, holy, and pleasing
sacrifice to Thee, and that I may never defile them by impurities.
GOSPEL
(Lk. 2:42-52). And when Jesus was twelve years old, they going
up into Jerusalem according to the custom of the feast, and having
fulfilled the days, when they returned, the child Jesus remained
in Jerusalem; and his parents knew it not. And thinking that he
was in the company, they came a day's journey, and sought him among
their kinsfolks and acquaintance. And not finding him, they returned
into Jerusalem, seeking him. And it came to pass, that after three
days they found him in the temple sitting in the midst of the doctors,
hearing them and asking them questions. And all that heard him were
astonished at his wisdom and his answers. And seeing him, they wondered.
And his mother said to him: Son, why hast thou done so to us? behold,
thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing. And he said to them:
How is it that you sought me? did ye not know that I must be about
my Father's business? And they understood not the word that he spoke
unto them. And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth; and
was subject to them. And his mother kept all these words in her
heart. And Jesus advanced in wisdom, and age, and grace with God
and men.
Why did
our Savior go with His parents to Jerusalem to the temple?
Because God commanded (Deut.
16:16) that all the male Israelites should appear, three times a
year on certain festivals, and offer sacrifice to Him in the temple;
Jesus fulfilled this commandment to set us an example
that we, according to the will of the holy Catholic Church, should
willingly and devoutly be present at the services of the Church
on Sundays and holydays of obligation. Neither the distance from
the church nor the difficulties of the way should prevent our attendance,
since Jesus did not shun a three days' journey to the temple.
Why does
the gospel say according to the custom of the feast?
That we may understand, that
like Mary and Joseph, we should be punctual in observing the ecclesiastical
festivals and holy usages, and like true Catholics, should observe
them. Parents should require their children at an early age to take
part in prayer, attend church and school, and see that they conduct
themselves quietly and reverently while there. Mary and Joseph took
the holy Child Jesus with them to the temple.
Why did
the child Jesus remain in Jerusalem?
Because of His love of prayer
and communion with His Heavenly Father, and to show, even then,
some rays of His divinity, by which to make known that He had come
for the glory of His Father, and to procure our salvation. The glory
of God and the salvation of our souls should be our chief object
in life.
Why did
Mary and Joseph search so diligently for Jesus?
Because they were fearful
lest they should lose Him Whom they loved so exceedingly. We should
learn from this, how careful we should be not to lose Jesus by sin,
or having lost Him, how anxiously we should seek by penance to find
Him. The parents of Jesus, by their diligent search and inquiries
for the divine Infant, teach and rebuke those parents who care less
for the Christian education of their children than for their temporal
advantages, who pay no attention to the persons with whom their
children associate, nor to the places which they frequent, whether
they learn things that are useful to them, and who for the sake
of some temporal advantage permit their children sinful intimacy
with evil-minded persons. From these parents God will one day demand
the souls of their children with severest justice.
Why was
our Savior found in the temple in the midst of the doctors, hearing
them, and asking them questions?
To teach us that we ought
to seek the knowledge necessary for our salvation, and attend carefully
to the sermons and instructions on Christian doctrine; we should
by no means be ashamed to ask questions of our pastors when we are
in doubt, and should listen to their answers. Was Christ, the Eternal
Wisdom, ashamed to ask questions and to answer? Why should we ignorant
people hesitate? It is much to be regretted that persons who have
many important things concerning their spiritual welfare on their
minds, through pride and false shame, would rather go to perdition
than ask advice, solely for fear of showing their ignorance.
Why did
Mary say: Son, why hast thou done so to us?
These words were forced from
her by pain at the absence of her Son, Whom she loved above all
things, and not by indignation, for He was blameless. Mary's conduct
should teach parents to remember their duty of caring for their
children, and punish them when they do wrong.
INSTRUCTION
ON THE VIRTUE OF OBEDIENCE
He was subject to them
(Lk. 2:51).
From this all Christians
should learn to be obedient to the commandments of God and of the
Church. God has united life or death, blessing or malediction with
obedience or disobedience to His commandments, and the Bible (I
Kings 15:22) shows that obedience pleases God more than sacrifices
or the fat of rams, and that He despises disobedience as He does
witchcraft and idolatry. We must be obedient to the Church, because
Christ Himself with His holy Spirit lives in her, and governs her,
and has said: Who hears not the Church, let him be to thee a heathen
and a publican, therefore, shut out from eternal life. We must be
obedient to our parents, because they are placed over us by God,
and we are indebted to them, under Him, for life and many benefits.
Those children who do not assist their parents when they are old,
poor, and helpless, or are ashamed of them, have reason to be afraid,
since even Christ Jesus, the God-Man, was obedient and subject in
all things to His poor mother, and to a humble mechanic who was
only His foster-father. Cursed be he that honoreth not his father
and mother (Deut. 27:16); how much more cursed those who despise,
deride and abandon their parents? Their eyes will one day be picked
out by ravens (Prov. 30:17). If God commanded obstinate and disobedient
children to be stoned (Dent. 21:20), what do those not deserve who
even strike or abuse their parents?
How did
Jesus advance in age, wisdom and grace?
He showed new effects of
the wisdom and grace with which He was filled, as He advanced in
years, and thus teaches us to progress the more in virtue, and fulfill
the duties of our state in life that we may attain perfection hereafter.
ASPIRATION Most
amiable Jesus! Who in the twelfth year of Thy age, didst permit
Thyself to be found in the temple by Thy parents, and, as an example
for us, wast humbly obedient to them, grant that we may diligently
attend to the important affair of our salvation, willingly carry
the yoke of Thy law from our youth, and be always obedient to the
laws of Thy Church, to our parents, and superiors. Prevent uneducated
youth from growing reckless, and preserve them from a scandalous
life. Give parents wisdom and grace to educate their children according
to Thy will in all virtue. Grant to us all, that we may never lose
Thee by sin, or if we have lost Thee, anxiously to seek Thee, happily
find Thee, and with Thy grace more and more increase in wisdom and
in virtue. Amen.
TRUE
PIETY
They found Him in the
temple (Lk. 2:46).
Many people deceive themselves
in regard to true piety, because their imagination represents it
to them according to the effect produced by their passions or disposition
of mind. He who fasts often and willingly believes that he is pious,
though in his heart he nourishes a secret hatred, and while he fears
to wet the tip of his tongue with wine, even with water, lest he
should not live temperately enough, finds pleasure in detraction
and slander, that unquenchable thirst for the blood of his neighbor.
Another, because he is accustomed daily to recite a long string
of prayers, esteems himself pious, though he gives vent afterwards
to haughty, bitter, offensive language, hurting people at home and
abroad. Another keeps his purse open for the poor, but keeps his
heart ever closed to the love of his enemy, whom he will not forgive;
another forgives his enemy with all his heart, but will not pay
his creditors, until forced by law. All these think themselves pious,
and are perhaps so regarded by the world, but in truth they are
far from being pious. In what then does true piety consist? In the
perfect love of God. This love is called the beautiful love, because
it is the ornament of the soul, and attracts to itself with complacency
the eyes of the Divine Majesty. When it strengthens us to do good,
it is called the strong love; when it causes us to do that good
quickly, carefully, and repeatedly, it is called piety. The ostrich
has wings, it is true, but never uses them to fly; the chickens
fly heavily and not high; but the eagles, the doves, and the swallows,
fly high and swiftly, and do not easily tire. The sinners are but
earthly people, they creep upon the ground; the just, who are still
imperfect, rise, it is true, towards heaven but seldom, and then
but slowly and heavily. But there are some, true, pious souls, who
like the doves and the eagles soar high on strong, swift wings to
God. In a word, piety is nothing else than a certain active, swift
energy of the spirit, with which the strong love in us, or we with
it, performs, as far as it is possible to us, all good. As the strong
love urges us to keep God's commandments, the perfect love, that
is, piety, urges us to keep them carefully and with all possible
zeal.
No one is just or pious who
does not keep all God's commandments without exception; for, to
be just we must possess the strong love, and to be pious we must
possess besides, a certain eagerness to profit by all the occasions
of doing good, that present themselves. Thus St. Francis de Sales
writes in his Philothea, from which it is seen that true
piety consists not in special devotions, or the practice of special
good works, but in the zealous, earnest, continuous obedience to
the commandments and performance of duty for the love of God.
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