This is the 3rd or so time we have attended the Redempterist priest Fr Bernard Teo's sermon at the Sunday Mass. He's a visiting priest from Melbourne who had recently celebrated 31 years as a priest. His sermons are usually long as he's a teacher at the seminary and does lots of writing and teaches on ethical issues effecting society.
Anyway, today's sermon on the letter of St Paul to the Corinthians touches on how we are already holy & saintly people due to our baptism. Baptism is the Holy Spirit transforming us. Then in the same letter of St Paul, he chides these same christians for being sinful. People then, and even now, have not changed....people then take each other to court, take other's wives as their own, the rich indulge in gluttony and get drunk and do not share their food with the poor during the "mass" or fellowship as they call it then. All kinds of wickedness and evilness prevailed amongst the so-called christians then, which is still happening now. So St Paul's letter still applies to us
He touched on how disillussion and angry Catholics are with the disgraceful state of society and even of the priests who sinned against children. He said how many in the flock are falling away because they are disenchanted and disappointed in their priests. He shared with us a letter from a parishioner who has kept in touch with him over the past 25 years. She said that she was shocked with the bad behaviour of her 3 current priests in her parish in USA, but at the same time remember other priests who were explemary in their behaviour. Now that she's much older now, what keeps her in her faith is not the priests, but her believe in the faithfulness of God.
Fr Teo shared that although some priests disappointed him, there are also those who are very generous and charitable. The Church of Christ has gone through even more worse times than now and She still stands the test of time because Christ promises to always be with Her, His bride. Afterall, we don't come to church to worship or see the priests, but to worship our God who promises to be faithful to us always even though we are not always faithful to Him. God's love is bigger than we can ever imagine, and He can love the sinner no matter how bad he is.
So in summary, don't lose faith in your God no matter how bad society has become for God's love in unfathomable.
Love Theresa
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