Gospel and Sermon Translation

The Gospel According to Saint Luke
At that time, when the days of Mary's purification according to the law of Moses were accomplished, they brought Jesus to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord, as it is written in the law of the Lord: "Every firstborn male shall be consecrated to the Lord." And to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the law of the Lord, a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.

Now there was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon, who was just and God-fearing, waiting for the consolation of Israel. The Holy Spirit was upon him, and it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Christ of the Lord. Led by the Spirit, he went into the temple. And when the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for Him what the custom of the law required, Simeon took the child in his arms, praised God, and said: "Now, Lord, You may let Your servant depart in peace, according to Your word. For my eyes have seen Your salvation, which You have prepared in the sight of all peoples, a light to enlighten the nations and the glory of Your people Israel."

Sermon: The Light of Faith vs. The Darkness of the World
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. To you, my faithful brothers: God gave us eyes to see material things, intelligence to see spiritual things, and faith to see divine things. To see divine things, there is only one way. What is it that we celebrate most today? The entire liturgy speaks of this light. Saint Simeon says, "My eyes have seen Your salvation." The eyes of the soul, illuminated by the light of faith, see salvation. And who is salvation? Salvation is our Lord.

Why is the world doing poorly? Because the world does not want the light of faith. With the light of faith being rejected, they do not see the One who can bring salvation and the remedy for the world. Without the light of faith, the soul remains in the dark and goes blind; and when one blind man leads another, both fall into the pit. The world is blind. The world is guiding other blind people toward perfect confusion and complete disorientation—a "diabolical disorientation," as Sister Lucia of Fatima said.

Our Lord wants us to understand that He is the light of the world. "I am the light of the world," He said. Whoever follows Him will not be lost. But if I do not follow this light, I will remain in darkness. The light shone in the darkness. There was a time when the world was more enlightened than it is now. This light is everything to us, yet it is an "obscure light." It is obscure because we believe and receive the light without seeing its object directly. It sounds paradoxical, but that is how it is. This light gives us knowledge of the depths of God. Faith is to the soul what vision is to the body. Everything the eye sees, faith believes. In heaven, we will see what we believed on earth.

We must not mix our human intelligence into the dogmas of faith to judge them, saying, "God revealed this, but He should have revealed that." When we do this, we become modernists—people who put reason above faith. It is not reason that judges faith; it is faith that judges reason. Let us ask God to increase our faith. Last Sunday, we held a conference on Fɾҽҽmαsσɳɾყ. What is Fɾҽҽmαsσɳɾყ? It is an organization against the Catholic faith that desires to destroy everything built upon it. It is contrary to our Lord. The light shone in the darkness, and Fɾҽҽmαsσɳɾყ repelled it. Those who enter into its spirit and do not repent will go to hell.

The world today is dominated by Fɾҽҽmαsσɳɾყ and the darkness that leads to perdition. Even in hell, there is fire but no light. To be without light is terrifying from a natural perspective, but to have the darkness of the demon in the soul is beyond comprehension. God made us for light because God is light. Lumen de Lumine, as we sing. Without the light of God, one may appear alive but is actually dead, as the Lord says in the Apocalypse.

Regarding our school, it is a surprise—perhaps a miracle—that it still functions. The world wants to kill the Catholic faith. Remember the prophet Elisha: when surrounded by enemies, he told his followers, "Do not be afraid. Those who are with us are more numerous and stronger than those against us." God opened their eyes, and they saw the hills filled with angels. Two-thirds of the angels remained loyal to God, while only one-third fell. The angels of light are stronger than the demons of darkness.

Be careful with universities. Many people enter and lose their faith because these places are often dominated by atheism and Masonic influence. They "fish" for the influential—those with money and education. I have seen this even in my own family; cousins of mine were pursued by them. It is a kingdom of fear and shadows. Even here in Fribourg, they are present. We must pray that the Lord protects us and our school from these influences. Fɾҽҽmαsσɳɾყ will pass away, heaven and earth will pass away, but the words of the Lord will never pass away. Let us hold fast to the immortal God.


Translation by AI