January 14, 1900
THE HOMILETIC MONTHLY.
SECOND SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY.
(FEAST OF THE HOLY NAME.)
SHORT HOMILY FOR LOW MASS.
BY THE REV. F. HEFFNER, O. P.
“And Jesus also was invited, and His Disciples, to the marriage.” Jn ii. 2.
At this time the wedding festivities begin again, which are forbidden during the closed time, and it is not without a motive that the Church has the Gospel read to us to-day of the marriage at Cana, at which Jesus was present with His mother and His Disciples, and where He worked His first miracle by changing the water into wine.
The Church wishes to give prospective bridal couples an example of how they should conduct their weddings, and whom they should invite to them. It matters not if the bride and bridegroom have no wine to set before their guests, or that wine should give out; the principal thing upon which the happiness of their whole life depends is, that they should take care that the spiritual wine, I mean the grace of God, is not wanting to them. We will consider this subject further to-day.
As long as the world exists, there has never been such a wedding celebrated as that of to-day in Cana of Galilee; there were present Jesus, the Son of God, and King of Heaven and Earth, Mary, His Virgin Mother, and His Disciples. But still at the wedding was heard the complaint, “They have no more wine.” How did this happen? The bride and groom were, perhaps, poor people, or, perhaps they had not expected so many guests. Be that as it may, they were, at any rate, good, honest, God-fearing people, otherwise Jesus would not have come, with His Mother and His Disciples, and have worked there His first miracle. They were certainly not without spiritual wine, the grace of God; for the Author and Dispenser of all graces sat in their midst and blessed not only the water, which He changed into wine, but He certainly blessed them, that they might have happiness, and grace in their married state.
In these days, dear Christians, a great many weddings are celebrated at which both kinds of wine are wanting; and, again, there are many other weddings at which wine to drink is to be found in plenty, but the grace of God is wanting, which alone is the foundation and support of a happy married life. Many enter into the state of matrimony and are happy and joyous at the wedding, but joy and happiness do not last long; the wine of rejoicing is changed into the water of tribulation. It happens to them as to an inexperienced gardener who sowed and planted between sand and stone; and, therefore, they can say with the prophet Isaias (v. 5): “I had a vineyard, and I planted it with the choicest vines, and I looked that I should bring forth grapes, but it brought forth wild grapes.” This is what a great many married people can say: We hoped in the married state to find the sweet wine of love and happiness, but we find only the sour grapes of troubles and weariness. And why is this? I could give you many reasons, but will content myself simply by saying, the principal reason why there are so many unhappy marriages lies in the fact that the young men and young women, in making their choice, do not consult the will of God and His laws.
He who wishes to be happy in a certain state must have a vocation for the same. Whether he has a vocation for it or not, he cannot find out by merely consulting his relatives, but he must beseech the Lord to give him the right intention and to direct him in making his choice, and he must also ask his parents for their advice. For this reason the wise Solomon says: “House and riches are given by parents: but a prudent wife is properly from the Lord” (Prov. xix. 14). However, nobody will believe this in our days. Instead of asking advice of God, one only considers his passions and temporal interests. Man does not bother himself any more about the law of God, but, instead, is only interested as to whether the person he is about to marry has money or is beautiful. This is why so few married couples are really happy in their state.
What is to be expected from a union which is only contracted out of sensual love is well expressed in the words of the wise King Solomon, who says: “Favor is deceitful, and beauty is vain; the woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised” (Prov. xxxi. 30). That means, virtue and the fear of God adorn the wife, as well as the husband, as an ornament and a praise, and are the foundation of happiness in the married state; beauty and personal grace fade away, like the flowers of the field, cannot, therefore, afford married people lasting happiness. He who is guided in the choice of a wife by appearances and sensual desires alone, and not guided by reason, will find himself bitterly disappointed, for in the same measure as bodily perfection change and fade away the mutual love will grow cold, and at last be turned into indifference. And then there come quarrels, sufferings and troubles, and happiness and peace are soon at an end. Therefore, the angel Raphael said to young Tobias: “For they who in such manner receive matrimony as to shut out God from themselves and from their mind, and to give themselves their lust, as the horse and mule, which have not understanding, over them the devil hath power” (Tobias vi. 17); these will find no happiness and no blessing in their marriage, but on troubles and suffering. Even the pagans knew well that marriages contracted only out of sensual love proved unhappy ones. Olympia, the mother of King Alexander, had a servant maid who was remarkable for her beautiful figure, but was impertinent and wanton. When some one asked for the hand of the beautiful young girl, Olympia made answer: “O unfortunate man, you are marrying with your eyes, and not with your reason.” The same can be said to-day of those who marry only from motives of sensual love, and they can be told in advance that they will not find that happiness which they seek in the married state. Still less happiness is there for those who marry for money, and who do not take into consideration whether they are congenial to one another, or whether, by their virtues and fear of God, they can make each other happy. Because they do not consult with God, the words of the prophet are fulfilled in them: “You have looked for more, and behold, it became less; and you brought it home, and I blowed it away” (Agg. i. 9).
If, then, you are thinking of entering the married state, young men and young women, do not go for advice to human beings alone, but consult God and your parents. Take no account of exterior attractions, beauty or wealth, but seek out a good and virtuous heart, upright and God-fearing! Above all things, be careful to enter the married state with a pure and chaste heart! Then you can invite Jesus to the wedding, and He will come and make you a participant of His blessing. And to you, who have chosen unwisely, and now in your union have nothing but worry and vexation, suffering and tribulations, the best thing I can say to you is, carry your cross patiently, and beseech God that He may grant you his grace, so that your courage may not fail. You may, then, hope to merit heaven in the married state, for “blessed are they that mourn,” our Saviour assures us, “for they shall be comforted” (Matt. v. 5). Amen.
SERMON.
THE GLORY AND THE POWER OF THE HOLY NAME.
He humbled Himself, becoming obedient unto death, even the death of the Cross. For which cause God also hath exalted Him, and hath given Him a name which is above all names.
Phil. ii. 8–9.
Dearly beloved in the Lord! On this Sunday we celebrate in an especial manner the festival in honor of the Holy Name of Jesus, that Name which is, for every Christian, the noblest and dearest, the holiest and the most consoling. By honoring and loving the Name of our Saviour, we show our respect and love for Him who bears this blessed Name. In this sense we honor and praise the names of the Saints whose memory will never die, but will always be honored by God and men; we think with joy of their exalted and heroic virtues, their living and steadfast faith, their self-sacrificing love for their neighbor, their untiring real to help their fellow men to that true happiness and salvation which comes from God alone — yes, truly the names of the Saints, and, above all, that of the Queen of Saints, and the names of all God’s elect, are dear to us, and we pronounce them with reverence and love; indeed, it would be a sin not to do so. But there is a Name which is above all other names, a Name which we must always pronounce with the greatest reverence, with the most blissful happiness and the tenderest love; and that is the Name of Jesus.
And why do we all cherish in our hearts so profound a respect, such love and devotion for this Most Holy Name? First — on account of its glory and excellence, and then (second) because of its wonderful power and abundance of grace.
Let us make this the subject of our meditation in the Name of Jesus: “Who humbled Himself, becoming obedient unto death the death of the Cross. Wherefore God also hath exalted and hath given Him a name which is above every name.”
I. — Beloved in the Lord! No one is able to explain the great mystery revealed on earth by Christ, the Incarnate Son of God. According to the expression of St. Paul, the Apostle, in his letter to the Colossians, this mystery, which the Apostle says is Christ Himself, has been hidden from all eternity in God. When in the fullness of time it was revealed, it received a name which showed us distinctly, in the light of faith, the great and wonderful signification of the Incarnation of the Son of God and our redemption. God, the Eternal Father, wished to choose the name Himself which His well-beloved Son should bear upon earth, and He announced this name to the world by an angel from Heaven. For, commissioned by God, and sent by Him, the archangel Gabriel brought the message to the Blessed Virgin Mary: “Behold, thou wilt conceive in thy womb and bear a Son, and His name shall be called Jesus.” And the angel said to Joseph: “Joseph, Son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a Son, and thou shalt call His name I for He shall save His people from their sins” (Matt. i. 20–21).
And, again, as we have heard on the Feast of the Circumcision of Our Lord: “And after eight days were accomplished that the Child should be circumcised His name was called Jesus, which was called by the angel before He was conceived in the womb” (Luke i. 21).
The name of Jesus, therefore, was not given to our Saviour by man or angel, but by God Himself. This most holy Name was from all eternity hidden with the mystery of the Incarnation in the bosom, in the heart, of the Father, and descended at I same time with the fulfillment of this mystery from Heaven, that we men might express in a worthy manner our respect and gratitude for what the Son of God, in His human nature, out of His incomprehensible love for us, had done and suffered for our salvation. “Thou shalt call His name Jesus, for He shall save His people from their sins” (Matt. i. 21); but not only his chosen people, but all mankind, as the Apostle St. John says, so as to bring together all the dispersed children of God, to be made one here upon earth and one in Heaven. “Jesus Christ,’” says this same Apostle, “is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but, also, for those of the whole world” ([1] John ii. 2) As St. Paul says, Christ Jesus is the only Mediator between God and man. The name of Jesus means, therefore, Saviour, Redeemer and Mediator, and reminds us of all that the Son of God accomplished here upon earth to redeem us and to make us eternally happy. It reminds us of His entire earthly life, from His birth, until His death, of all the steps that He took, of the miracles that He worked, of all the sick that He cured, of all the dead that He raised to life, of the sinners whom He forgave, of the Sacraments which He left in His Church — in a word, of everything which the Incarnate Son of God did, and still does, not only to render us happy here upon earth, but also to make us happy and to bless us for all eternity. The name of Jesus is, therefore. for us the dearest and the most glorious name.
Our Saviour merited this name for Himself. It is the name of honor, which belongs to the Son of God, who died upon the Cross to save the fallen world. This name is the reward, the price of victory, which He received from His Heavenly Father; the praise and the renown which He will receive forevermore from the grateful Christian world. This is taught and proclaimed to us by the great Apostle of the people, in the most thrilling words, when He says of Christ: “He humbled Himself, becoming obedient unto death, even the death of the Cross. Wherefore God also hath exalted Him, and hath given Him a name which is above name, that in the name of Jesus every knee should bow of that are in heaven, on earth and under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that the Lord Jesus Christ is in the glory of God the Father.”
And, behold, as it was said, so it has come to pass. The name of Jesus was placed over the head of the crucified Saviour on Golgotha; Jesus Nazarenus, Rex Judaeorum (Jesus of Nazareth King of the Jews), but now it shines over heaven and earth to the glory of God the Son. All the angels and saints in heaven pronounce this glorious Name with indescribable jubilation and rapture. All the faithful on earth praise the Name of their greatest Benefactor with the most profound reverence and intense gratitude. The suffering souls in purgatory sigh with ardent longings as often as they think of this Holy Name, and their desire is to praise and glorify this Holy Name with all the elect in heaven. Who amongst us would dare to utter this Most Holy Name with indifference or without circumspectness? No, O Jesus, how could we possibly be guilty of such an offense against Thee! With most profound reverence, and ardent love, we will forevermore preserve Thy Glorious Name in our hearts, and give utterance in it with our tongues. And we will also call upon it with the most complete confidence.
II. — For this reason, beloved Christians, listen to a few words on the wonderful power of the Name of Jesus. In the first place it is the Saviour Himself who assures us of the wonderful power of His divine Name, for He says of those who believe in Him: “They shall cast out devils in My Name, they shall speak new tongues, they shall pick up snakes, and if they drink anything poisonous, it shall not harm them. They shall lay their hands upon the sick and heal them.”
Of the power of His Name, Jesus says, further, that every prayer offered up in His Name shall be heard. “Verily, verily, I say unto you,” He says to His Disciples, “if you ask the Father anything in My Name, He will grant your request. Hitherto you have not asked for anything in My Name, but pray, so that you may receive, that your joy may be perfect.”
Holy Scripture and the traditions of our Holy Church teach us the innumerable times that the Lord has kept this His promise and how powerful and full of blessing is His Holy Name.
Peter and John, in the early days of the Church, went up into the Temple to pray. A man who had been lame from his birth was sitting at the door of the Temple, which was called “the beautiful,” and he begged an alms of the Apostles. Peter felt himself possessed of treasures which surpassed all the wealth of this earth, and, fortified by our Saviour’s promises, he spoke to the lame man: “Look at us!” The latter did so, in the hope of receiving something from them. But Peter said to him, “I have neither gold nor silver, but what I have that I will give thee: In the Name of Jesus Christ, the Nazarene, arise and walk!” And the lame man jumped up and went with them into the Temple to praise God.
St. Paul had arrived at Philippi, the capital of Macedonia. He went through the streets of the city toward a house of prayer. On the way he was met by a servant girl, who was possessed by an evil spirit. The Holy Apostle took pity upon the unfortunate girl, and, confiding in the Lord’s promises, said to the evil spirit: “I command thee, in the Name of Jesus Christ, depart out of her!” And the devil immediately departed out of her.
A goblet full of poison was handed to the Apostle St. John; he uttered the Name of Jesus over it, and the poison did not harm him.
Endowed with the power of the Holy Name, the Apostles went out to convert the world. Not only did they work numberless miracles, but, also, those who believed their words performed miracles in the Name of Jesus. At the sound of this Divine Name, the temples of the pagans collapsed. Before it the spirits of darkness fled. Through this victorious Name the teachings of Jesus were disseminated over the face of the earth. In this Name the Church carries on her divine mission every day until the end of the world; in it she teaches, prays, blesses and consecrates. But, my dear Christians, each and every one of us can experience in ourselves the wonderful power and effects of this consoling Name. Yes, O Christian soul, if you call upon the Name of Jesus with devotion, you will most certainly obtain all things necessary for your salvation. This Most Blessed Name will give you advice in difficulties, courage in dangers, fortitude and strength in temptations, perseverance in good, consolation and joy, in trouble and suffering. When the Apostles of the Lord were scourged at Jerusalem, they rejoiced that they were accounted worthy to suffer ignominy for the Name of Jesus.
The more devoutly we reverence and call up the Name of Jesus. the more will our Saviour show a tender and perceptible love toward us. “My Jesus,” says St. Augustine, “so soon as I begin to utter Thy Name, I perceive an unearthly sweetness in my mouth, and an amazing change of heart.” “The Name of Jesus,” says St. Bernard, “is as honey in the mouth, a sweet sound in the ears, and a joy to the heart.” How sweet and consoling is the Name of Jesus, in all the pains and sufferings of this changeable life, but it is sweetest of all at the hour of death. With the Name of Jesus on their lips, the Saints of God breathed forth their souls. Jesus was their last prayer, their last sigh, “Lord Jesus, receive my soul!” This is how St. Stephen prayed when they were stoning him to death, and so he died in the Lord. “Jesus, my love!” sighed the holy martyr Ignatius, Bishop of Antioch, as they led him to his death, to be torn asunder by wild beasts. When they ordered him to deny the Name of Jesus, he replied, quietly and firmly: “I will never cease to utter His Name. And if you could prevent me from pronouncing it with my mouth, you could not efface it from my heart.” Confessing the Most Holy Name of Jesus, and whilst pronouncing the same most fervently, the holy Bishop died the glorious death of martyr.
Grant to us, also, O Jesus, that Thy ever-blessed Name may be to us as long as we live, and especially at the hour of our death, our consolation and our hope, and in heaven our eternal joy and blessedness. Amen.
Rev. H. N., D.D.
About HPRweb.com
Recent Comments