The Temple in Jerusalem as an image of our own soul; it is now the place where God dwells. Yet like those in Jerusalem old old, we divorce ourselves from God through mortal sin and seeking after those things that have nothing to do with the supernatural life. To bring us back into the life of grace, God has sent saints into the world to serve as models of holiness and repentance, including Ss. John Vianney, Lawrence, and Philomena.

In modern parlance, we use the term “chaos” to refer to disorder. Indeed, this is how the ancient Greeks conceived of the universe before the formation of the cosmos, which brought forth order and objective beauty. From this order and beauty that we experience in the world, our minds are elevated quickly to Almighty God, from Whom the goodness of creation flows. We, too, can reflect this order and thereby draw closer to God through the virtue of modesty, which includes regulating our inner tendencies and subduing the chaos in our own souls.

The story of Holy Scripture is the story of how Our Lord wants to save our souls and direct our lives according to His plan. To facilitate the transmission of Scripture’s message, and indeed the Catholic Faith as a whole, God selects certain persons through history to serve as priests and religious in the Church. These designated persons are the ones who keep the Church alive and growing through their dedication, prayer, and sacrifice.

Our Lord came to earth to save mankind from damnation. While Christ is primarily concerns with our souls, He is not indifferent to our physical and psychological maladies. He heals our souls through the seven sacraments. However, He also allows the Church to identify physical things and even words that can help sanctify our souls, which we call sacramentals.

Everything we are has been given to us by God. This extends far beyond our material goods. Our very life, that is, our talents, abilities, qualities, and graces all come from Our Lord. And so when we dispense what God has given to us, we do it not only for the benefit of others, but to ensure our eternal reward with Him in heaven.

We must trust that God will take care of us no matter what during our journey on this earth. Trusting in God’s providence is not always easy, particularly when we know we have to raise a good family and save our souls while confronting an increasingly godless world. But we should never lose that God in Heaven is our Father: capable, loving, and good.

By their fruits you shall know them. This is the criterion given by Our Lord to discern false prophets and others who claim to carry out works or spread messages through divine guidance, yet the results are far from what Scripture and Tradition tell us are good and true. But we also must be on guard against those false prophets that lie within us who continually tempt us to pursue base and false ends under the guise that it would be pleasing to God to do so.

St. Anne is a model for all mothers. She demonstrates what it means to make children into living tabernacles of the Holy Spirit. The degree of dedication it takes a carpenter or other craftsman to build a tabernacle is radically less than the commitment, care, and charity that all mothers are called upon to shape genuinely Catholic children. She is also a model of prayer and a witness to how God works in our lives to form our children with genuine Catholic virtues.

Every day presents an opportunity for us to draw closer to God. In this sermon, we hear a hypothetical tale of a man who commits himself daily to strengthen himself in Christ. It is a reminder that we are called to order our lives well and draw our strength from God to live an authentically Catholic life.

Forgiveness is not a recommendation. Our Lord commands it. We are directed to offer it without regard for the response. As Christians, we are not called upon to forgive in hopes of attaining a reward or another earthly benefit. We forgive because it is what God commands us to do, without regard to any personal benefit.