Sunday Sermon, April 17 -- Hearing the Voice of the Shepherd, and the Call to Celibacy

Sermon for the 4th Sunday of Easter - April 17, 2016 -- Given by Father Ryan Erlenbush at Corpus Christi Parish, Great Falls, Montana.

"My sheep hear my voice, I know them and they follow me."

A note prior to the sermon discusses the recent Exhortation written by Pope Francis (what the Pope himself actually says is important to focus on, rather than what the media focuses on).

Sermon: Hearing the voice of Jesus in my heart requires hearing his voice in the magisterium of the Church, following his voice by living a moral life, and listening for his voice in daily prayer. We then consider the call to the priesthood and the religious life, specifically the vocation to celibacy which is the happiest life this side of heaven.

Daily Mass Homilies, April 4 - 16 (Father Ryan Erlenbush, Corpus Christi Parish)

Homilies from daily Masses at Corpus Christ in Great Falls, Montana. April 4 through April 16.
The Annunciation, St Vincent Ferrer, Ad Orientem, Catholic Schools, St Giuseppe Moscati, St Hermenegild, St Benezet, The Eucharist, Our Lady

Easter and Ad Orientem

Pope Francis celebrating Mass ad orientem

“Five times does the priest turn round towards the people, to denote that our Lord manifested Himself five times on the day of His Resurrection.” (Saint Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica III, q.83, a.5, ad 6)

Commenting on the rites of the Mass, the Angelic Doctor provides a spiritual interpretation of the priest’s turning to face the people at certain moments of the Mass. In order to “turn to face the people” at certain moments, it is clear that the priest must not always be “facing the people” – that is, the spiritual commentary presupposes the practice of ad orientem worship (when the priest faces in the same direction of the people for certain portions of the Mass, most notably, the Eucharistic Prayer).

While any season of the Liturgical year is a fine time to re-introduce the practice of ad orientem, Easter Season is a particularly fitting time.

“My sheep hear my voice and no one shall pluck them out of my hand” does not mean “Once saved, always saved”

4^th Sunday of Easter

John 20:27-30

My sheep hear my voice. And I know them: and they follow me. And I give them life everlasting: and they shall not perish for ever. And no man shall pluck them out of my hand.

John 10:27-28 is a classic text used by Evangelical Protestants to promote the “once saved, always saved” heretical doctrine of grace. Their argument runs like this: “If you are Jesus’ sheep, then you will hear his voice and be saved and never fall away. Therefore, if you hear his voice and believe, you are his sheep and will certainly be saved – once you are saved, you will always be saved. However, if you fall away after apparently believing for some time, it is clear that you never really were one of the sheep in the first place.”

But Jesus didn’t say that “my sheep will never fall away,” he only said no one shall pluck them out of my hand – and this makes all the difference!

Correcting a Common Misinterpretation of Last Sunday's Gospel: St. Peter DID NOT Sin When He Returned to Fishing

3^rd Sunday of Easter, Year C

John 21:1-19

There were together: Simon Peter and Thomas, who is called Didymus, and Nathanael, who was of Cana of Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee and two others of his disciples. Simon Peter saith to them: I go a fishing. They say to him: We also come with thee.

It is astonishing how popular an errant interpretation of a biblical passage can become. Said by some priest somewhere, it will be picked up by many more and soon becomes the standard interpretation of a given text. Such is the case with John 21:2-3, when St. Peter and the other Apostles return to the practice of fishing after our Lord’s Resurrection. Although many a Catholic heard last weekend that Peter and the others were “backsliding” by returning to fishing, the Catholic read of this Gospel has always maintained that the Apostles not only did not sin, but in fact are praiseworthy in their fishing trip.

Considering first the commentatorial tradition of the Fathers and Doctors of the Church, we will then look to the Gospel text itself and see that St Peter and the other Apostles did nothing wrong when they went fishing perhaps two weeks after our Lord had risen from the dead.

The end of NTM blog

Dear Readers,

After five years, we must sadly announce the end of the New Theological Movement Blog. Unfortunately, it is simply too difficult for me to keep up with writing for the blog in the midst of the demands of parish life.

I sincerely hope that some of the articles over the years have been helpful to at least a few. For any theological errors or lack of charity, I beg your pardon and your prayers.

The previous articles will remain posted, and the blog will remain up - but there will be no new posts.

For a regular update of my daily and Sunday homilies please click [here]!

Peace and good, 
Oremus pro invicem,

Fr Ryan Erlenbush

Sunday Sermon, November 23 - The Last Judgment as the Church's Vindication

Sermon for Christ the King, given at Corpus Christi Church, Great Falls, MT.