TAKE UP THY CROSS, THE SAVIOUR SAID

A HYMN FOR THE 9TH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

by Charles W. Everest, 1833

Take up thy cross, the Saviour said,
If thou wouldst My disciple be;
Deny thyself, the world forsake,
And humbly follow after Me.

Take up thy cross, let not its weight
Fill thy weak spirit with alarm;
His strength shall bear thy spirit up,
And brace thy heart and nerve thine arm.

Take up thy cross, nor heed the shame,
Nor let thy foolish pride rebel;
Thy Lord for thee the cross endured,
And saved thy soul from death and hell.

Take up thy cross then in His strength,
And calmly sin’s wild deluge brave,
’Twill guide thee to a better home,
It points to glory o’er the grave.

Take up thy cross and follow Christ,
Nor think til death to lay it down;
For only those who bear the cross
May hope to wear the glorious crown.

To Thee, great Lord, the One in Three,
All praise forevermore ascend:
O grant us in our home to see
The heavenly life that knows no end.

A MAN OF HIS WORD

A REFLECTION FOR THE 9TH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

I happened to find myself watching an old episode of Little House on the Prairie the other day.  “Pa” was buying a couple of horses, anticipating a good harvest on the family farm.  There was no contract, no lawyers involved, no signed agreements, just a handshake and off he went with the two horses.  Unfortunately, they had a hailstorm that night, and lost the wheat.  The next day he returned the horses.  “A man can’t buy what he can’t afford.”  And that was that.

These were different times from today, apparently.  It was a time when you didn’t need to lock the door at night, when a man’s word was his bond, and no one would even think of dishonoring his name by going back on his word.  A promise made was a promise kept.  How sadly different is today’s world.

Have you ever heard the expression, “First you’re a liar, then you’re a cheat, and then you’re a thief?”  The path to crime inevitably begins with tiny steps, but a broken promise is often the very first step of all.  It’s not really a lie if you intended to keep the promise.  But the failure to keep that promise turns you into a kind of liar, doesn’t it?  At least, in the eyes of the person you promised.  If we have a real and valid reason for not living up to our word, we have to take great care to make sure we explain it carefully to that person.  If he’s reasonable, he’ll accept your explanation and you can come to some kind of alternative agreement.  If not, though, it is up to you to make some kind of reparation for the harm done.

A good example is when you end up washing dishes in the restaurant to pay for the meal you find out too late you can’t afford.  But if the owner of the restaurant just kicks you out for not paying, you should still make sure you save up enough money to come back later and pay your bill.  Reparation is what is due in justice to someone you have somehow injured (physically, financially, socially, spiritually or any other way).  And if you don’t make that reparation, then you’re probably either a liar, a cheat, or a thief.  Either way, it’s not going to look good on your soul’s resumé when it comes time to apply for the kingdom of heaven.

Most of all, let’s make sure we never break our promises to God.  It might be a silent resolution to say an extra Rosary, or perhaps it was a solemn vow made before God to be faithful unto death to our wife or husband; no matter, your word is your bond, is it not?  To keep your word, and to be seen to keep it, is to shine as a beacon of truth to your fellow-man.  Let the strength of your character be an inspiration to others, so that they who see you pass by may say to each other, “There goes an honorable man.  There goes a man of his word.”

THE GREATEST IN HEAVEN

A SERMON FOR FIRST COMMUNION SUNDAY

If you don’t mind, I’d like to speak first to our first communicants today.  To you who are receiving Jesus today for the very first time.  It’s an important day for you, like Christmas or a birthday.  But Christmas comes every year.  And every year you have another birthday.  But you can only receive your First Communion once.  Today then is a very very special day in your life.  One that you will never have again. 

And why, do you think, we make such a big fuss of making your First Communion?  Because of what Communion is.  For the very first time, you’ll be receiving the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus himself.  You know who Jesus is.  He’s the Son of God.  He is God.  You know that he created us out of nothing, you know that we must know him, love him, and serve him in this world, so that we can be happy with him forever in the next, after we die.  And you all know by now, I hope, exactly what it means to love and serve God.  Jesus himself told us what it means, so let’s listen to his exact words—it’s a good reminder for us as we receive him today in Holy Communion, and start this path of loving and serving him.  He said: “If you love me, you’ll keep my commandments.”

You’ve learned the Ten Commandments.  You know what they command you to do and what not to do.  Now comes the hard part, when you’ve got to obey those commandments.  If you do obey, the reward is huge: you’ll go to heaven one day.  If you refuse to obey, the punishment is also very great, and you don’t need me to tell you what it is.  But it’s something you have to remember now, as you pass from being innocent little children, and slowly start to become grown-ups.  Because now, you know the difference between right and wrong, and you have to choose very carefully every time you want to do something or say something or even think something—whether it’s a good thing to do, or say or think; or whether it’s a bad thing that will make God displeased with you.  So choose wisely from now on. 

Always remember that God loves you very much, so try to love him as much as you can in return.  Just as you love your mom and dad because they love you, you should love God too.  Because he’s your Father in heaven, that’s the prayer, isn’t it, that we say all the time, “Our Father, who art in heaven.” And he loves us just as much—more than even our own mom and dad.  Don’t ever do anything that will make him disappointed in you.

 So you be thinking about that for a few minutes while I talk to your moms and dads and the other moms and dads in church today.  Because what I’ve just told you is something they learned when they made their First Communion, and unfortunately that was a long time ago and some of them might have forgotten.  So today is a good time to remind them of these very basic truths which they need to save their souls just like you do.

You grown ups are very fortunate today to be able to witness the First Communion of these innocent children.  It’s a great and wonderful milestone in their lives, and one which marks the passage from innocence to responsibility, from the angelic sinlessness of their early childhood to a far more difficult state where they will have to choose for themselves between good and evil.  As parents and grandparents, you will continue to guide them in their choices, and bring them through that difficult time of adolescence and on to adulthood where, hopefully, they will do a better job than any of us have of leading godly and upright lives.

Let’s remember what our Lord said when they asked him who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.  The Gospel tell us that “Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, and said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.  Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”  We have here an example of God’s little children as they come to our Lord at the communion rail.  They are naturally humble, naturally innocent.  Our job as parents and teachers is not to make them grow up to be more like us.  Our job is to become more like them.  Let’s never forget that. 

When Adam and Eve bit the apple, they became aware of the difference between good and evil.  Our own awareness of this difference stems from the time we reached the age of reason, which these children today have proved they have done.  From that moment on, we are on ‘the path’.  The path that we can either climb up, or slip down.  Since we reached the age of reason, we have all done some good things that merited God’s grace and a heavenly reward.  But we’ve also done a barrel full of bad things, which deserve an altogether different kind of reward.  It’s been a difficult path for all of us, so by all means let’s do our best to guide these children so they don’t make the same mistakes.  Your guidance is essential in their lives, and a humble acknowledgment of your own spiritual status goes a long way in allowing them to do good and avoid sin.  If you’re a saint, then pull them up after you.  If you’re a sinner, then push them up from behind.  Let them learn from your good example, and let them learn from your mistakes.  Meanwhile, we ourselves must learn from their example of innocence, their absence of guile, their sincerity and sense of justice.  Most of all, copy the complete love and trust they have for you, by having the same for God. 

Today, children, is a great day in your lives.  Stay as innocent and pleasing to God as you are today, listen to your parents and grandparents, your teachers, and all the grown-ups you know. Pray hard for them that they make God as happy as you do, as you worthily receive in your bodies and souls this morning the most blessed Sacrament of the Altar, the real presence of God himself.