Fr Ronan Murphy who is currently on sabbatical from his New Jersey Parish in the US was celebrant of the 10.00am Mass in the Johnstown Cabinteely Parish in the Archdiocese of Dublin on the Feast of the Holy Family.
Fr Ronan’s sermon was refreshingly orthodox and faithful to the Magisterium, the teaching authority of the Catholic Church. Sadly this kind of sermon is now a very rare event in churches throughout the Island of Ireland.
I have reported on aspects of the content of the sermon below with relevant quotes
Fr Ronan told the congregation that the key to sanctity is the conformity of will to God’s holy will in everything, in accordance with our state of life. He addressed the young people in the congregation and challenged them to live in obedience to their parents in the same way that Jesus lived in submission to His parents fulfilling the 4th commandment perfectly, “Thou shalt honour your father and mother.”
Addressing married couples, Fr Ronan posed the question,
“are you fulfilling the holy will of God as revealed through the Church with regard to the Sacrament of Marriage, which is to grow in mutual love and to be always open to the procreation of children- meaning no contraception in any shape or form. According to St Augustine, Fr Ronan said ‘God’s will is not simply the begetting of your children, but receiving them lovingly, nourishing them humanely and educating them religiously in the truths of the Catholic Faith and in Christian Values’.”
Fr Ronan went on to say,
“there are many different kinds of Herods in the world today, who are once again seeking to kill the child, not just physically through abortion, but morally and spiritually as well”. He challenged the congregation saying that we need Josephs and Marys to rise up and take their children to a place of refuge where they can grow into men and women in love with Jesus. He told parents that they have been specially chosen to be responsible for their children. Parents he said, “have been given the grace to disciple their children for Jesus in a way no one else can and that the question is not who is best qualified to do the job it is who is best “call-ified”, the one who is called has the grace, they have the anointing from God to do the job. This he said is why the church has always taught that parents are the primary educators and disciplers of their children”.
Parents he said, “
remember you cooperated with God in bringing your children into this world but now you have a greater responsibility, which is to cooperate with God in bringing your children into His world”.
