Fr. Simon's sermon for the 10th Sunday in Ordinary Time (June 8, 2008) focuses upon God speaking to us thru both "public revelation" as well as "private revelations" such as from the mystic Mariana Torres from Ecuador who (400 years ago, in 1611) had visions of the moral decay of society, particularly that within the Roman Catholic Church, during the 20th century.  Why don't we hear God speaking?

Topics Presented 

	Why did God ask Abraham to count the stars during broad day light?
	Visions in 1611 of mystic, Mother Mariana de Jesus Torres, of Quito, Ecuador.
	Vision of Pope Leo XIII (1810-1903) 20th century would be the devil’s own century.
	The visions of Pope Benedict XV (1854-1922) often called The Prophet of Peace.
	Pius XI (1857-1939) and Pius XII (1876-1958) on nationalism, socialism & nazism.
	Paul VI (1897-1987) warnings relative to his "Humanae Vitae" encyclical of 1968.

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	1st Reading
	Psalm
	2nd Reading
	Gospel
	Written Transcript of Homily
	Footnotes

We have a lot of different people in this church, don’t we? 

I’m going to preach about all three of the readings. 

And I have a little cold, so with any luck, I may give a shorter sermon. 

But I’m not making any promises. 

We have some Filipinos in this Church, don’t we? 

Who is A Filipino here? Let’s see the hands.  Why not? 

What, are you ashamed of being a Filipino? 

Let me see your hands. Okay. 

We have some.... I think we have a Romanian or two, don’t we? 

Oh, there, okay. 

Okay, Lord knows we’ve got Irishman. 

Alright.... he’s actually lived in Ireland for ten years. 

That explains a lot, doesn’t it? 

We’ve got Cubans, Lord knows we’ve got Cubans. 

There we go. 

We’ve got Italians. 

We’ve got Germans. 

This used to be a German parish, right? 

Show Germans, Gala; Gala! 

I could go on and go to the point of being irritating. 

But, I want to draw your attention to the second reading. 

Brothers and sisters, Abraham believed, hoping against hope, that he would become the father of many nations. 

Well, what do you know. 

At least in the spiritual sense.... 

Ahhh– I mean, we have Jews in our congregation, too, who are believers. 

Genetically, and certainly spiritually, we are the children of Abraham. 

Are we not? 

Well about 4,000 years ago, God said to Abraham, who was well past his prime, "You will become the father of many nations. Thus, shall your descendants be." 

Now St. Paul was talking about a wonderful story in Genesis. 

In which God says, "Go out and count the stars if you can. Your descendants will be more than the stars." 

Well, the catch there is... "go out and count the stars if you can." 

And if you look at the text, in his context, it is during the day. 

Abraham is told to go out and count the stars when it is broad daylight. 

Now you and I would look up and say to God, "There are no stars." 

He’d say "Yes there are, you just can’t see them." 

So Abraham was asked to live in faith. 

And what He said has come to pass. 

Look around you, your participation in this congregation is proof that God spoke to Abraham. 

God speaks. 

Now, I wanna bring up some things, that first of all, I want to caution you. 

I want to talk about the prophetic gift. 

Before I launch you in on it, I want to caution you. 

Because, you see, in the Church, and I’m sure you’ve read in Rev. Know-It-All, there is public and private revelation. 

The scriptures and the teaching authority of the Church, those are public revelations. 

What God has spoken publicly to the Church, and which we must believe as Christians and as Catholics, is well documented. 

But very frequently the Lord speaks to people. 

But those are private 

But those are private revelations. 

And God has told us, in His Word, that our prophesying is imperfect and our knowledge is imperfect. 

In other words, when someone has a vision or gets a word from God, part of that will be God, and part of it will be the visionary. 

I often tell you this that God moved powerfully in my life when I went to Fatima by accident. 

I went there just as a tourist, but left as a pilgrim. 

God spoke to me powerfully there; it was a very amazing experience. 

So, I’m pretty big on Fatima. 

Now in the middle of the vision, when the sun is falling, and people are screaming "It’s the end of the world" --- Lucia, who became Sister Lucia, she was the oldest of the children, I think she was about ten, she stood up and said, "It’s the end of the world." 

Well, she was wrong. 

Well, that means Fatima is ridiculous? 

No, it means that part of it is God and part of it is the visionary. 

You see what I mean? 

When you deal with private revelation, you always have to strain out what comes from God and what comes for the visionary. 

And when you hear that, you say, well why bother with private revelation? 

Because God wants to refresh and renew His word. 

He is never going to tell us anything that He hasn’t already told us. 

He’s just applying it and renewing it, and reminding us of what He said. 

Remember His promise about the Holy Spirit was that the Holy Spirit would remind us of what He has said. 

So, all that said, when people hear about a private revelation, you know "The Blessed Mother has appeared on a screen door in Wisconsin" and "It’s the end of the world" people get all nervous. 

I remember... I’ll never forget in the year 2000... made me crazy. 

I was in a very Guatemalan parish, very traditional, simple people with an honest faith. 

But there was a rumor, I think it was on the internet in Spanish, that the prophesied "three days of dankness" were to come upon the world. 

And I didn’t know the internet back then, I didn’t even know how to turn on my computer. 

And I certainly wasn’t going on the internet in Spanish. 

Well all these people, I didn’t understand, but I was suddenly getting a great.... 

In the last month of 1999, people were getting me to bless candles like crazy! 

I wondered... what’s this? 

And someone said, "Oh, on the internet, they said if you don’t have blessed candles, you’re gonna be in real trouble." 

Good Lord.... 

Don’t get nervous! 

I mean, take, if you take what I say with a grain of salt, please take private revelation with a grain of salt. 

Nonetheless, it’s alive and well in the Church. 

So, this is all just a preface to some of the things that I want to say. 

God made a promise to Abraham. 

And we who are here in this Church are the fulfillment and the expression of God’s promise. 

Now, speaking of Sister Lucia, well.... 

Have you really looked at some of the things that were said at Fatima? 

They really are kind of amazing! 

These little Portuguese kids, who I’m sure the younger ones didn’t know how to read or write. 

I don’t know if Lucia did. 

They were not up on world events... 

But, they talked very knowingly of the First World War and of its imminent end. 

But, reminding people that if they did not repent, God would bring a worse war. 

And they spoke about great sign in the sky, that would presage the war. 

Well, it was a very unusual event, I think it was in 1938 or maybe early 1939, the Aurora Borealis was seen throughout Europe and Sister Lucia from her convent said: "That’s it!  The next war’s beginning." 

And two weeks later, Hitler marched into Austria. 

So, so those visions, those prophetic words were interesting. 

I want to draw your attention, though. 

This is a real risky sermon, I... somebody’s going to report me for this, I’m sure. 

There is.... and again, let me look at my watch. 

Okay, I got a look at the watch, this shouldn’t be too long. 

I wonder if any of you have heard of Mother Mariana de Jesus Torres. 

Well, there doesn’t seem to be a nod of acquaintance on your faces. 

She was a mystic in 1611. 

That’s 400 years ago. 

1611 in Quito, Ecuador. 

And, she had a series of visions, in which our Blessed Mother and the Lord spoke to her. 

Now, I would urge you to go to this web site, keeping in mind, this is a private revelation, and it isn’t going to be 100%. 

But, it’s almost creepy. 

This is 400 years ago. 

Our Lady prophesied that in the end of the 19th century, and especially in the 20th century, Satan would reign almost completely. 

In other words, a nun, 400 years ago, began to talk about our times. 

And, you know... she’s sitting there, chatting with the Blessed Mother and the Lord about the 20th century.

The Queen of Heaven told Mother Mariana that the battle would reach its most acute stage because of various unfaithful religious - people who are in the business of religion. 

Under the appearance of virtue and bad spirited zeal, they would turn upon religion. Who would nourish them at her breasts. 

During this time, she continued, the sacrament of Extreme Unction [aka Last Rites and/or now commonly called the Anointing of the Sick] will be little esteemed. 

Many people will die without receiving it. 

Either because of the negligence of their families or false sentimentality. 

Well, the Anointing of the Sick - that’s a nice thing but, not that important. 

Those of you who are as old as I can remember the longing that we had... to make sure we had the sacrament, and we’re reconciled to God before our death. 

That was the meaning of that sacrament then. 

Though, it always was also recognized as a prayer of healing. 

They will rebel against the Spirit of the Catholic Church, impeled by the malice of the devil. 

Many souls will be deprived of innumerable graces, consolations and the strength they need to make the great leap from time to eternity. 

As for the sacrament of matrimony, which symbolizes the union of Christ and His Church, it will be attacked, and profaned in the fullest sense of the word. 

Those who are in power, are you listening, did you read the newspaper all week? 

Those who are in power will enact iniquitous laws with the objective doing away with this sacrament. 

You’ve been following the news, haven’t you? 

The attack on the sacramental nature of marriage? 

Well this is 1611 she’s talking about this! 

This is gonna happen in the 20th century! 

Although, we’re in the 21st. 

And we’re reaping the whirlwind. 

They’ll make it easy for everyone to live in sin. 

Encouraging the procreation of illegitimate children born without the blessing of God. 

The Christian spirit will rapidly decay. 

Extinguishing the precious light of faith. 

Until it reaches the point were there will be an almost total and general corruption of customs. 

Well... isn’t this interesting? 

This is 400 years ago. 

If in 1900 you said these things, well people are gonna forget about Extreme Unction, they’re gonna forget about marriage, they’re gonna forget about these things. 

And could you imagine 30 years ago Mayor Richard Daley marching in the gay parade? 

I mean, what has happened? 

Well, this is a nun talking about this 400 years ago! 

The affects of secular education will increase! 

A judge in California is trying to make it illegal to home school. 

The affects of secular education will increase. 

Which will be one reason for the lack of priestly and religious vocations. 

The sacrament of Holy Orders will be ridiculed! 

Think about that.... 

Once it was considered a great honor to have someone in your family volunteer to be a priest or a nun. 

Now, if someone volunteers to become a priest or a nun, chances are Grandma will try to discourage them. 

The demon will try to persecute the ministers of the Lord. 

In every possible way! 

And he will labor with cruel and subtle astuteness, to deviate them from the spirit of their vocation, corrupting many of them. 

Now she’s talking about the priests. 

The devil will labor to deviate priests from the spirit of their vocation - corrupting many of them. 

These corrupted priests, who will scandalize the Christian people, will incite the hatred of bad Christians and the enemies of the Church. 

To fall upon priests. 

The superior triumph of Satan will bring an enormous suffering to the good pastors of the Church. 

This was 400 years ago! 

This was said to be happening in the 20th century, well golly. 

Moreover, in these unhappy times, there will be unbridled luxury. 

If you grew up in the old country, did you ever think you’d be here, driving an SUV with a cell phone, and have a few televisions in your house? 

Those of you who endured the Second World War, and its aftermath.... 

Or the takeover of Cuba and the times of Castro.... 

Did you ever think you’d take it for granted? 

That well, that you’d have to eat less instead of more? 

Unbridled luxury, which acting thus to snare the rest into sin, will concur innumerable frivolous souls who will be lost. 

Innocence! 

Innocence... will almost no longer be found in children. 

Innocence... will almost no longer be found in children, nor modesty in women. 

In this supreme moment of need of the Church, those who need to speak, will fall silent. 

This is 400 years ago! 

Innocence lost in children! 

Do you not marvel at the sexualization of children? 

You see proactive ads.... that employ children! 

Women, oh well that horse was out of the barn years ago. 

During this time, the secular clergy, that’s me, I’m not in the religious order. 

The secular clergy will leave much to be desired, because priests will become careless in their sacred duties, lacking the divine compass they will stray from the road traced by God, for the priestly ministry. 

They will become attached to wealth and riches --- which they will unduly strive to attain. 

Ohhh how the Church will suffer during this dark night. 

Lacking a Father to guide them with paternal love, gentleness, strength, wisdom and prudence. 

Many priests will lose their spirit, placing their souls in great danger. 

This will mark the arrival of my hour. 

That was 400 years ago. 

A little woman in Quito, Ecuador, in a little convent, claimed to speak to the Blessed Mother and to our Lord about our distant future. 

It’d be like my prophesying about the 25th century, in the year 2500. 

Do you remember when we were kids, we’d read in the newspapers, those things about what life would be like in... 1998? 

Remember that no one was going to walk, it’d all be moving sidewalks. 

And we’d have our own personal flying cars.... 

It didn’t happen, did it? 

This did. 

Now, my point isn’t simply to bring this to your attention, though I would encourage you to go home and Google search Mother Mariana de Jesus Torres. 

Or just Mother Mariana Ecuador. 

It will unglue you. 

Like I said, it’s kind of creepy, isn’t it? 

Well, my point isn’t to bring these up. 

My point is to remind you, and to remind myself, that God speaks. 

And if God says --- it will happen. 

Now there are a lots of people who claims to be speaking for God who are not. 

So how can we tell? 

Well God has given us something called the Magisterium, the teaching authority of the Church. 

If you look at the popes of the 20th century, they have been amazing men. 

Benedict the 15th --- not the 16th, our current pope --- but Benedict the 15th, he was called The Prophet of Peace. 

After the First World War he begged people to have peace without recrimination. 

Because he knew that if recriminations, he asked for a peace without victors. 

They laughed at him. 

We’re so far from the First World War, but do you understand what happened then? 

People were looking forward to the war! 

Can you believe that? 

They were looking forward to the war... 

Because it would prove that our nation was the greatest, the spirit of nationalism. 

Well the popes decried the spirit of nationalism. 

Religion had been relegated to the sidelines by the French Revolution, the Enlightenment, the wars of religion. 

Europeans didn’t want anymore of that. 

But the pope said if you go this way, if you go with the nationalism and socialism, there will be far worse wars than ever the wars of religion were. 

They warned about the slaughter... of the 20th century.

Leo the 13th at the end of the 19th century had a vision that God said to him that the 20th century would be the devil’s own century. 

Pius the 11th decried nationalism and socialism. 

Pius the 12th, despite what you might have heard, he wrote an encyclical in German “Mit Brennender Sorge” decrying Nazism. 

And, he was the lone voice at that time in Europe, criticizing Hitler and taking him seriously. 

Everybody thought Adolph Hitler was just a 9-day wonder. 

They didn’t realize the suffering he’d bring to the world. 

As Pius the 12th did.... 

As did Benedict the 15th... 

These things are amazing --- that God speaks through His Church! 

And you know what our attitude is? 

Well, what do the popes know! 

Paul the 6th, and his encyclical "Humanae Vitae" which we don’t like to talk about --- because it’s none of my gosh darn business! 

I'm watching myself since I'm in the pulpit.... 

It's none of my gosh darn business... 

"Humanae Vitae" which talked about the dangers and evils of artificial birth control. 

He said that it would bring about the degradation of women! 

A degradation of sexuality! 

And a proliferation of divorce! 

Well golly, 40 years after... 

But, what do the popes have to say... they don’t know anything! 

I could go on, and on and on. 

God has spoken to his people. 

Now the reading... in the first reading... from Micah... 

In their affliction, people will say "let us know, let us strive to know the Lord" --- in their affliction. 

You see, God speaks to you in times of peace. 

And because we do not listen.... 

He allows affliction --- that we may hear Him in the time of affliction. 

But God gives an opportunity to you to hear Him in peace... 

Before you are forced to hear Him in affliction. 

You know, they talk about the ten deadly plagues of Egypt. 

Well, there was only one deadly plague... 

Nine were shots, shots across the bow... 

God warns us. 

In His mercy, He warns us... and He warns us. 

And, we ignore Him. 

In the Gospel, Jesus passed on and He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the customs post. 

He was a tax collector. 

He said: "Follow me." 

And for this, Jesus was criticized. 

And He said: "The well do not need a doctor, but the sick do." 

What was Matthew's sin? 

He was a tax collector. 

Well, I know you may get mad at tax collectors. 

But, the ones we deal with now are nothing like the ones we dealt with then. 

Because, you see, in the Roman system they would auction off the tax post. 

So, if you collected more money --- you got to keep it. 

And so a tax collector might say to some poor widow: "Well, you’ve got ten children, why don’t you sell two of them as slaves?  That way you can pay your tax assessment." 

They sold their fellow countrymen into slavery. 

They were hated. 

They were excommunicated from the synagogue. 

But think about Matthew... 

Matthew was a Jew, and he was asked to believe this great invisible reality. 

And he gave up on the power of God and the reality of his faith. 

He gave himself to something that he could touch, and see, and feel, and hear. 

The clink of coin --- there is nothing more real than money. 

There is NOTHING more REAL than MONEY ! ! ! 

You can hold it in your hand. 

If you have enough of it --- people are impressed. 

They greet you warmly. 

Money is real...... 

I heard God called an invisible friend or an imaginary friend for grown ups. 

Remember Abraham who went out and he was told by God:  "Count the stars if you can" --- "But there are no stars!" --- "Yes there are stars!" 

And the invisible world that we are asked to live in. 

Not simply to believe that it exists... 

But we are asked, as Catholic-Christians, to live in an unseen world. 

It is more real because, all that you have, all that you see, is being swept away. 

And the world that is invisible... 

The world that the established order does not believe exists.... 

It remains forever. 

The love of God and the truth of the Gospel remains forever. 

The grass withers, the flesh fades. 

But the Word of the Lord endures forever. 

When we lay hold of things that we think are real, what we posses, whom we control, our money, our well being, our fashions, these things are real, I can touch them. 

They are real only temporarily. 

The love of God is eternal and unchanging. 

If you lay hold of it, you have something that no one and nothing can take from you. 

This is a world that Sister Mariana said, it is very difficult to be a believer. 

But the truth of the unseen world is no less true, for it being difficult. 

I’m almost done, you’ve been very patient. 

Thank God I had a cold, or I’d be going on until one o'clock. 

There is a saying, that he is a fool... who does not give away what he cannot keep. 

In order to possess what he cannot lose. 

He is a fool ---who does not give away what he cannot keep. 

In order to possess what he cannot lose. 

All that you think you possess... 

All that you think is so real --- you will lose! 

If not by the circumstances of life, then by the inevitability of death. 

The relationships, the  possessions, the pleasures, the vices.... 

You will lose them all. 

You cannot keep them. 

But the love of God which is gained by taking our eyes off those things that seem so real, cannot be taken from you by anyone. 

He is a fool who will not give away what he cannot keep, in order to gain what he cannot lose. 

It seems so invisible, the reality of God. 

God seems so distant. 

We’re being asked to believe in a world that unless we’re great mystics we cannot see. 

Though we can sense it in our hearts, we cannot touch it with our hands. 

I think of the story of a little boy, who was sent to a bible camp in summer by his parents. 

They thought a little religion would be a good thing. 

Just a little --- don’t want to make anyone into a fanatic. 

And they were not believers, but the camp was good for him they thought. 

And he came home and asked his mother: "‘Momma. If God is real, why can’t I see Him?" 

And she was fixing dinner or something, and she said, "I’m busy, go ask your father." 

And there sat papa in the front room with the channel changer. 

He said: "Papa, if God is real, why can’t I see Him?" 

And papa said: "I’m busy, go ask your mother." 

Well, he was out fishing one morning, one beautiful morning. 

His grandpa took him up to Wisconsin, to the pine forests, the lakes. 

It was a beautiful morning, with the sun just beginning to rise and the fog coming off the lake. 

The sweet smell of the pine forest. 

The water was like glass. 

And this little boy sat in the boat with his fishing pole and his grandfather. 

And he said: "Grandpa, if God is so real, why can’t I see Him?" 

And the grandfather is very quiet... 

He then he looked at his grandson and said: "You know, as the time goes on and I get older.... God is just about all I can see." 

God... is all in all. 

And if we allow the Holy Spirit to open the eyes of our heart... 

We hear Him speaking. 

And we see Him moving. 

Wonderful old song..... 

Turn your eyes upon Jesus, 

Look full into His wonderful face. 

The things of this earth will strangely grow dim, 

In the light of His Glory and Grace. 

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. 

Amen.