Wed., Dec. 7, 2011
Fr. Anthony Brankin
Gospel: Matt. 28: 11-13 “Take my yoke upon you”
Homily summary (Mass for grammar school children): Today is the feast of St. Ambrose. St. Ambrose was born into a pagan family. Imagine not being brought up in a Catholic home, but a pagan one. The Roman, Greek and Aztec gods were not nice gods. People lived in fear of them. They would pray, “Please don’t hurt me.”
Candor and true purity were virtues that St. Jane de Chantal spoke to her sisters about concerning making preparation for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, Dec. 8. Learn more about this on the website Visitation Spirit by reading “Advent with St. Jane—Day 12 .”
But Ambrose became a Christian. We, like him, pray that Jesus blesses us and helps our families. If we don’t believe in the true God, we will believe in false gods. We will believe all kinds of things, such as in newspapers. Don’t believe them — they don’t know more than we do.
People still talk about St. Ambrose seventeen hundred years later. You must treasure your faith. It is fragile. Go to church. Otherwise you will lose your faith, and lose your soul. Then the world will collapse. You must believe in God; lead a good life. Then you will go to heaven.