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WOF Radio > Sermons > Sermon Archive for 2011 > Sermon 550 : What Do You Want? : 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Current rating: 4.2 (34 ratings)

Sermon 550 : What Do You Want? : 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time

7/24/2011

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God says to Solomon in our first reading, "Ask for anything, and I will give it to you." What would you say if you heard that invitation? Solomon asks for wisdom and not for wealth or power or victory. Find out why that answer is so pleasing to God.

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Comments

Veronica

Always two thumbs up for you, Father!, God Bless you always!!

7/22/2011 2:50:28 PM

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Faithraiser.Net

I felt inspired having listened to your sermon for this week's Gospel Readings. Once again, I got a headstart of what to listen to from the homily by our own pastor.

What do I want? The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit namely wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord.

7/22/2011 7:53:23 PM

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Fr. Michael Quaicoe

Thank you, Fr. Robert, for this week's message. It really is profound! God bless you.

7/23/2011 8:34:49 AM

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William Stanus

Wow...thanks so much for this message. God bless!!!

7/24/2011 4:17:47 PM

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Diana

Your words are an immediate and direct answer to my prayers.

God Bless you always.

7/25/2011 8:29:01 AM

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Kathy

Diana, like you, this sermon was an immediate and direct answer to my prayers. How awesome is our God, His ways,His timing, His Community!
God Speed!

7/26/2011 9:42:27 AM

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Karen Genest

As my husband and I enter into another transition in our lives, we find wisdom in your words, Father Barron, and in the words of the scriptures. Thank you for another "five star" homily.

7/27/2011 11:16:02 AM

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Chesire11

I have been pondering the question, “What do you want?” since listening to this sermon on my way to work yesterday. Setting aside the myriad intercessory prayers for divine assistance to help my loved ones and me through the immediate crises of daily life, what would I ask of God for myself? Where do I most need His help? I thought of so many personal flaws and weaknesses, of the periods of spiritual dryness I have experienced, of my lack of spiritual fortitude, of my proclivities to sin… I thought about all of my brokenness. I thought of asking to understand Him better, for greater patience and acceptance of His Will, for wisdom, resources and resolve to transform my many impulses to do good works from well-meaning daydreams into fruitful enterprise. The more I thought about it, the more I realized it was something more than any of those things that I need. I considered asking to feel God’s presence in my heart. I read about people experiencing God’s presence when they pray or kneel in adoration before the real presence, but it is something I have never experienced. Perhaps it is egocentrism that is in the way, but it is often difficult for me to connect with other people, and I can feel such dreadful isolation. To relate to God, who can be so much more remote than my fellow man, feels an almost hopeless challenge.
Finally, I realized in a simple prayer, what it is I would ask for myself, if God were to grant my desire. I would pray to be freed from the prison of my self, to understand that “my life is not about me,” to place my heart where it belongs, to become the man I was created to be but fall so far short of attaining.
“Lord, please be the center of me.”

8/3/2011 2:43:05 AM

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Kathy

Dear Chesire 11, after reading your deep sharing, I thought of the comment left by "Anonymous" on "Loop of Grace", and the references of the I and the Thou made there. God Speed!

8/3/2011 12:19:43 PM

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Kathy

Your forthright sharing, and ending prayer made me wonder if you are involved ina particular ministry...God Speed!

8/9/2011 11:29:33 AM

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Chesire11

Thank you for yur kind words, Kathy. The ministry in which I am immersed is that of learning the faith better that I might better communicate it to my son and daughter and occasionally posting my thoughts here at WoF. I do think that, seeing what Father Barron and the WoF team have been able to do to help people like me, I would like to someday be able to make my own conribution, though I have no idea what form that contribution might someday take.

I'll just have to trust in the Holy Spirit to guide me and hope that when the time comes, I recognize where He leads.

God Speed to you as well!

8/10/2011 1:11:56 AM

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Anonymous

I have just discovered you Fr Barron and I am so very grateful for all your work. I am a new convert about 5 years ago and have a lot to catch up on. I loved it when I heard you say in this sermon 550 : What Do You Want? : 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time, I think back to when I was a child and the answer was to be loved!! Sadly the lack of unconditional love in the current culture has driven many including myself to pursue temporary pleasures that pass away.

I recently listened to your lecture called Spirituality in the Marketplace: Lecture 5- The Seven Great Virtues, which can be found in this link if anyone else is interested. http://www.wordonfire.org/WOF-Radio/Lectures/Spirituality-in-the-Marketplace-Lecture-5-The-Se.aspx Truly I never heard such an absolutely remarkably clear and understandable explanation such as yours on this topic. I loved listening to it, just a fantastic description of the cardinal and theological virtues. I enjoyed it so much I even typed it out.

Listening today to this present sermon I goggled the words catechism and wisdom. I see wisdom is the first of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. I also noticed this section is preceded by the cardinal and theological virtues. http://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p3s1c1a7.htm Which brings me to my reflection of today’s sermon. I’ve shared in the two following sermons on this website that most of my life was rather wrestles and irritable. But what I didn’t know, consciously that is, that we are made to be loved and return this love. After all God is love. To live the life of God we must love. But how does one love if they have not been loved. All this searching for love manifests itself in pursuits of wealth, fame and self glory. But St Irenaeus says the glory of God is man fully alive. So how does one become fully alive and love if they have not been loved? Certainly this love must be a gift. I understand I can’t not take a gift or it is no longer called a gift. But if I am too busy searching in all the wrong places for what I want (which was love) and my full attention is skewed on the things that pass away in this life. Then one would not recognize the gift of love that does not exist as a material possession but rather it is an exchange I suppose of mutual self-giving. That means I suppose I must open myself to receive this gift.

I am not sure where I am going with this other than I enjoyed your lecture on the seven great virtues and think that fits nicely into this sermon but I could be completely off in left field. I think part of a good foundation for opening to “receive” certainly begins in the practice of the cardinal virtues. I loved your closing remarks in that lecture which I typed out in point form as follows: “God – that is the ultimate goal of the spiritual life – to live the life of God – allow these great virtues to structure you – justice, prudence, temperance, courage - and then allow those to be caught on fire – by the invasion of faith hope and love - with that the spiritual life comes to its full expression – with that you live the life of God”

Thanks for allowing me to think out loud on your beautiful and marvellous website.

8/16/2011 3:54:45 PM

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Kathy

Anonymous, your words, "I realize I can't not take a gift or it is no longer a gift," woke me from that wordly dream that somehow I must EARN that gift; that through worldly eyes, I must DESERVE that gift; that negativity where-in UNCONDITIONAL must hold some hidden conditions. Thank-you so much for your open commentary. God Speed!

8/17/2011 11:56:08 AM

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