Homily of Fr. Michael O’Connor from Mass on February 24, 2024 at Our Lady of the Gulf Catholic Church in Bay St. Louis, MS
Referenced Readings:
Dt 26:16-19
Mt 5:43-48
If you would like to donate to OLG and her livestream ministry, please go to
https://olgchurch.net/give
[Laughter] [Laughter] So we’re we’re reading through The Sermon on the Mount this is Matthew Chapter 5 and as you I hope you know The Sermon on the Mount it’s Matthew Chapter 5 6 and 7 and it is uh it is something that we should all read and be familiar with and
So I would encourage you again today that if you’ve never taken the time to sit and just read the whole thing through that you should do so it’s profoundly challenging and difficult but at the same time it calls us to Perfection and you know there’s one there’s one theory about The Sermon on
The Mount when we feel ourselves being called to Perfection and we recognize we’re never going to be perfect we throw ourselves on God God’s mercy and that’s there’s a there’s a beautiful truth in that okay but at the same time we can’t throw ourselves on
God’s mercy and say that’s all I have to do is throw myself on God’s mercy because I’ll never be perfect because Jesus was serious when he said be perfect I mean the whole un our whole understanding of of of the spiritual journey of the purgative way and the
Illuminative way and the unitive way is that we’re all on this spiritual journey to Perfection and we believe nothing unclean will enter the presence of God so we will be perfect before we stand before the judge uh before we stand Before the Throne of God
And and and we can say thank God for Purgatory right because it is an extension of God’s mercy but nonetheless what is this element of The Sermon on the Mount that we’re hearing about today is to love our enemies it’s easy to love our our family members or some of our family members
Anyway it’s easy to love your children even when they disappoint you or or but but what about your neighbor’s children you know to love your enemies to do good to those who harm you to pray for those who persecute you to pray for them with with feeling and
Emotion W with with with with with TR to extend yourself in some sacrificial or difficult way for people that you find difficult or disagreeable or just plain wrong this is the law of love all of The Commandments in the Old Testament reading today from the book of Deuteronomy we have Moses speaking to
The people right before they entered the promised land and he’s talking about they have to observe with your heart and soul all of these commands and Moses is going through a long list of of commands but all of those commands can be summed up in the two great Commandments right
The two great Commandments we have to be very careful about about compacting the two great Commandments to how I feel and when we’re not sure how to live the two great Commandments we should refer to the laws that God gave us as I have made a habit of saying recently you
Know you don’t lie to people that you love you don’t cheat people that you love be they your friends or your enemies and we are called to love our friends and our enemies and that is at the root of the call to Perfection because God loves us and sent
His son our Lord Jesus Christ as experation for our sins while we were his enemies we had turned our back on him and frankly when he came into the world he came to his own and his own received him not and even all the way to the Cross
Jesus is loving us even to the point of hanging on the cross looking out at the crowd and loving us to the very end and so we are united to Christ through our back baptism we are united to Christ through confirmation we are united to Christ in a particular and
Powerful way through Holy Communion and we are called to love God with all our heart mind soul and strength to love our neighbor as ourself and so my brothers and sisters The Sermon on the Mount and the call the call to love God to love our neighbor and to even love our enemies
23 Comments
Jesus wants us to love our enemies but it's very difficult at times to practice it. It takes a lot of courage but I can only pray and forgive them I pray to Jesus to make my heart like unto His
Amen
My most perfect Lord, I thank You for loving me despite my many sins. I thank You for also calling me to share in the depths of Your love for others. Give me the eyes to see all people as You see them and to love them as You love them. I do love You, Lord. Help me to love You and others more. Jesus, I trust in You.❤
Great sermon and I love the view if the Church, so good to see a Communion rail again!!
Just today I texted my father with whom I have many hurts. Popular psychology teaches us to "discard" difficult people from our lives, even parents. Im not here to judge people who do, there can be many many hurts with our parents and to forgive sometimes requires heroic effort as I think you Fr. Mike had preached in one of the sermons lately. Lord Jesus give us the strenght and love to forgive easier. God bless Fr. Mike
For a long time I didn't understand how I could ever be perfect, as commanded by Jesus. But when I read and studied the Book of James, he wrote that we should make our perseverance perfect. It became apparent that I could choose to live a purgative process on earth as to better prepare myself for the sanctifying grace to be perfect in heaven.
Thank you Fr.Mike for your Guidance and Support
Amen. Thank you Jesus for your blood the ultimate sacrifice even for me. Cleansing, sanctifying, healing saving blood of Jesus. And we are to forgive & to love. Lord in our weakness be our strength ✝️.
Amen. Thank you, Fr. Mike. That does sound like good reading.
Love the sinner and hate the sin. Love makes the world go round, and God is love . Thank you Father Mike
Lord hear my prayers. I trust in you and keep faith even as I struggle to take care of my children. I keep faith because I know you will protect my children. As a single mother things are so hard on me. Both of my sons are special needs I’m overwhelmed. God please hear my prayers. I’m constantly struggling to buy groceries and constantly struggling to pay rent and now that I’m home schooling my sons I’m struggling even more. God hear my prayers. I have faith you will continue to provide.
Lord Jesus give us your heart to love others with.
Thank you Fr. Mike, that was both beautiful and moving. God bless you.
Love your enemy….the hardest test to perfection… But the the one that frees us and brings us into God's Grace and Divinity…. ❤✝️🙏
Beautiful homily Father Mike….
Thank you Father O'Conner. 🙏
i am a grown woman with my own family & still cannot forget being abused when i was a young child. Father i have forgive my abuser but have i really? when i still hold & have from time to time negative thoughts. 🙏➕
Love Your Enemies and Pray for Those who Persecute You: How can I be perfect as Jesus Is? By His grace loving your enemies and praying for those who persecute you just as Jesus did. Jesus gives us the Perfect Example of how to love when He is upon the Cross. The season of Lent reminds us that we are called to Love like that with all our Heart and Soul. Thank You Rev. Mike O'Connor & God Bless! ⛪
Hey Fr. Mike ! I am SO glad you take the time to put your homilies on YouTube. You need to know that there are many Catholics who watch you EVERYDAY, and learn from your message(s). We are better Christians because of YOU. The Church NEEDS more Priests like you. May God richly bless and protect you. Bob in Grand Rapids, MI
It’s hard to love those who hurt you but when one self denies their self and thinks how God still loved us even when we were his enemies then forgiving can become easier with practice of course. At the end of the day it is all about love and hating sin not the person.
There are three things I realize as I watch these videos. One, I severely lack in understanding of anything relating to God. Two, there is nothing I can do (on my own) that will lead me to any understanding. Three, there is nobody I can talk to that will help me achieve any understanding. It is because of these three things that I have been so angry and frustrated lately.
Many blessings to the people who record these homilies from Our Lady of the Gulf Church, you're doing a great service.
“When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will know peace” – Jimi Hendrix