Evangelize others to see what is good & pleasing & perfect!
Homily preached September 3, 2023
by Monsignor Michael Deering

Many people are familiar with on-line shopping these days …

You simply “Google” an item that you are looking for on the Computer and in the blink of an eye, you’re presented with countless options to meet your needs.

To help you narrow down your selection, you can read the comments of people who have already purchased the product you’re considering. The “Reviews” might be good or bad … and they often serve to influence your buying decision.

In effect, these “Reviews” are testimonials of those who did what you might do.

We are motivated by testimonials … not only in the things that we buy …

but more importantly in the way that we act and live.

For this reason, I’d like to share two testimonials with you that I‘ve received ...

testimonials that I hope will influence you to do what your Baptism calls you to do … which is to be a disciple of Jesus Christ … by calling people to follow Him.

One woman, a convert to the Catholic faith, told me how she has felt troubled for a long time about the fact that her sister was not validly married in God’s eyes.

And as she saw her sister’s husband, a fallen-away Catholic, getting up in age ...

and suffering from grave sickness ... she was concerned for his soul.

So, just recently she got up the courage to sit down with the sick man,

her brother-in-law, and have a talk with him … one on one.

She said to him … you know, I’ve known you now for some 40 years …

and so I feel I can talk to you about something heavy on my heart ...

and that’s that you’ve been away from God a long time ...

and you need to take action to come back. 

She encouraged him to call his local Priest and set up an appointment to see him.

Well, the man did!         And after being away from the Catholic Church for years,

  he decided to come back home to God and his Church.

How happy for him!      How happy for the entire family of God.

I’m sure you’ve heard the saying: “All Heaven rejoices when one sinner repents!”  

And all this because a woman had the courage to speak the truth ...

to a man who was objectively living apart from God.

This testimonial … is for you!           Do you see yourself doing this?

Do similar conditions exist in your family that need to be repaired ...

     that might actually take place as the result of  your prompting?

Well, you just heard a “Review” from a person, just like you ...

who found the courage to interrupt someone … actually a family member … from living in objective sin ... and getting him to come back to God!       

She did it … and you could do it too!

Are you afraid … afraid of being rejected?

That’s natural … because being rejected is a real possibility.

But that’s where courage comes in … to move you through

the hesitation you might feel ... to sharing the truth with others.       

What’s at stake?          

     Nothing less than Eternal Life for the person you help come back to God!

Jesus asks today,

“What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life?”

Forfeit his life!     Do you understand what Jesus is talking about?

Jesus is not talking about forfeiting a victory after a long game of chess.

Jesus is not talking about forfeiting some property in a bad business deal.

Jesus is talking about forfeiting your life ...

your eternal life of happiness with God in Heaven!

There is nothing ... absolutely nothing ... that can compare with gaining Heaven!

Losing out on Heaven would be the greatest loss ever.

And to think that a person forfeited it ... which means that they gave it away ...

that they gave away their Heaven ... is absolutely horrible!

And yet, these days ... a good many people are doing just that!  

Yeah, many are so darn focused on gaining the things of this world ….

that they don’t give a thought to gaining  Everlasting Life in the next.

So, out of love, we need to interrupt them ... and call them to see what’s coming.

What’s coming is Judgment!          Judgment … by God!

Jesus declares today, that He, ... “the Son of Man will come with his angels,

in his Father’s glory, and then He will repay all according to (their) conduct.

So, do you love your family and friends enough to reach out to them

with the truth that ... remaining in sin will jeopardize their Eternal Life?

Here’s another Testimonial ... from another woman ... who told me ...

that she invited her 43 year old son over for lunch and had a talk with him.

He sensed something was up and he didn’t want to stay … but his mom asked him to just to listen to her and let her say what she wanted to say.     And he did!

And in the most loving and gentle way possible, the mom expressed her concern for the way her son was living … objectively apart from God … by not going to Mass on Sunday … and by having sexual relations outside of marriage.

Three times she told me how thankful she was that her son did listen to her respectfully and hear her out. As she talked, she presented him with a Guide for Examination of Conscience and a listing of the many references in Scripture that speak of fornication as a grave evil that sends souls to the lake of fire in Hell.

The mom told me that he really sweated as she talked ... and he even told her …

“You ambushed me!”        And yet,  he stayed and listened!

Mom and Son went on to have lunch … and as he left, they hugged and

while he originally didn’t want to take the literature with him … he did …

and as he left he indicated that he would see her … at Sunday Mass!

Wow! All that … because a woman was courageous enough to speak the truth!

She told me that she cried for a good while after he left … so relieved was she ...

that she finally got the courage to speak to her Son about reforming his life.

How long did it take for her to actually have that conversation with her son?

Well, that Listing of Scripture references condemning fornication ...

that she gave to her son  … is the List I prepared it for her … at her request …  

3 years ago … and she finally got up the nerve ... to give it to her son!

This testimonial … is for you!           You too can find the courage to interrupt someone in your circle of family or friends… from living in objective sin & calling them to come back to God?

There’s such a great need for this!

Are there members of your family who no longer go to Church?

Are there members of your family who are committing fornication or adultery?

Are there members of your family who are active in the gay lifestyle?

Are there members of your family involved in drugs, drunkenness, pornography? 

Then they need to hear the guidance that St. Paul gives us today in Romans:

“Do not conform yourselves to this age ...

but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern

what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect.”

And where could they better hear that message from … than from you?

Oh, the difference you could make ...

by helping them discern what is the will of God!

It could mean the difference between them meriting Heaven or forfeiting Heaven.

Could you be courageous enough to help their discernment? The answer is yes!

For you received the Gift of Fortitude, which is Courage ...

 on the day of your Confirmation.   So please ... use the gift!

You know ... this is not about us judging souls.

We don’t judge souls … but the Scriptures enable us to judge behavior.

And any behavior that is not good and pleasing and perfect in God’s eyes

will result in souls being eternally separated from Him in Eternal Life!

So, are you just going to let them go?

Or, are you going to help them make the turn toward Heaven?

You’ve just heard the testimonials of two women who have done it

And you can do it too!

The risk of rejection will always be there …

but God expects you to go forward just the same.

Recall from our First reading how Jeremiah lamented over the rejection that he experienced from many of the people as he tried to guide them to God, saying,

    “The word of the Lord has brought me derision and reproach all the day.”

And yet, it’s God’s Holy Spirit in our souls that will empower us ...

to speak of Him to others.

Jeremiah discovers this supernatural impulse at work within him, saying:

“I say to myself, I will not mention Him … but then it becomes like a fire burning in my heart … I grow weary holding it in … I cannot endure it.”

Both of the women who gave me their testimonials used the phrase,

“I remembered what you said …”

How wonderful it is to know that people are listening to God’s word proclaimed at Mass and to the preaching & teaching of God’s Priests, who are calling everyone to take part in the Re-evangelization of the world…beginning with their families.

Re-evangelizing means re-explaining the way of salvation ...

to those who knew it at one time but then took a side-trip away from God.

Your invitation to come back could be the very thing

that moves them to action ... to save their soul!

Please pray for the words and the timing to approach those who are away from God.

Then do it … courageously call ... those away on a side-trip ... to come back!

You can do it!

Imagine what our Church would be like if each one of you brought just one person to God ... or ... back to God ... and the practice of their faith this year!

9 days from now, we’ll begin once again weekly Teaching of the Catholic Faith.      

(formerly referred to as RCIA)      now called OCIA Class ...

   for Order of Christian Initiation of Adults!

See how many non-Catholics or fallen away Catholics you can bring.

Oh, what a happy change you can bring to them ... and to you!

Like a happy on-line shopper, you’ll be able to write a review of your success!

        As the shopping sites say,       “Be the first to write a review.”

Then go and give your testimonial to others ... and continue re-evangelizing!

The result will be truly life-changing ... and eternally rewarding for many …

as they choose to live out the Will of God …

by doing what is Good and Pleasing and Perfect!