Archived-Canberra Sermon - The Road to Hell

The following Midnight Mass takes place during the month of June 2013, and was presided of by Bishop Lupo

For the complete liturgy of the mass, please refer to Archived-Midnight Mass - Canberra Rite

First Reading

The Book of First Sanguinara, Chapter 3, commencing from verse 3.

By chance, he walked through a street and heard the sounds of life in a garden. He leaped over the wall, and he stumbled across a youth and a young woman beneath an apple tree. They were naked, and they were having sexual intercourse . When they saw the Monachus, they cried out. They each tried to hide their nakedness, and mistaking the Monachus for a holy man, begged him to have mercy upon them, and they asked him to tell them what penance they should perform. Moreover, each blamed the other for leading them into sin.

The Monachus told them to stand, and spoke firmly to them, saying, “You are sinners, and if I were to expose you to your families, you would die.” They begged him all the more to keep their secret, and cursed each other, and the Monachus saw that they were not ashamed of their sin, only that they were afraid of being found out.

He said to them, “Your parents shall not know, but you shall follow me and understand the depths of your sin.” And then he said, “The desires that lead you into sin shall leave you, and you may choose to die and place yourselves on the mercy of God, or you can follow and be slaves forever to a greater desire. You may know greater pleasures than your bodies can supply.” Then, he made each of them kneel, and gave each the Dark Gift, Adira first and then Gilad. They rejoiced, and followed him.

Second Reading

The Book of the Eschaton, Chapter 4, verse 16.

“And the ones who are freed, they are the Sanctified, and they shall be freed, and they shall be taken into Hell, because they are Damned, and there they shall be kings, and administer the torments of Damnation upon the guilty and the ignorant forever, and rejoice in it.”

The Homily

The road to Hell is paved with good intentions.

That is the saying. Originating from the kine Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, France, circa 1150, the proverb takes on a special meaning in our circumstances.

This month, we celebrate Saint Radczik, the patron saint of the Inquisition. Truly, we have a great deal to reflect upon when we consider the works of Saint Radczik. Many of us of the Grandeur, tend to slip into a superiority of ourselves. We know what God has called us to be, we know what we must do, and we know how to do it. Surely, we who following in the footsteps of the Dark Prophet are closer to God and somehow more worthy? We ostracize those that fall short. We delight in punishing the wicked, and judge the incomplete. We criticise and rebuke those who fail to meet our standards.

And that, my brethren, is the trap. Our standards. Our beliefs.

Saint Radczik was a scholar, an expert in the ways of the Heretic. He knew, what we all tend to forget. That each and every one of us is a sinner.

We... Are... Damned.

Our indiscretions and failures set us apart. God, in his infinite wisdom, chose us because of these failings. He made us like this, to play our part in his plan. He made Saint Adira and Saint Gilad the lustful, deceitful, cowardly and imperfect. And yet, as we saw in the first reading, through the First Saint the Monachus, God’s will was done.

So how was the sinful act of Saint Monachus within God’s plan? It was the intent.

The way to hell is paved with good intentions.

Saint Monachus bestowed the Dark Gift not to increase his own station, to dominate underlings in some temporal game, or to create his own cult of personality. No, Saint Monachus embraced the first of the Dark Apostles, so that they would “be slaves forever to a greater desire.” The intent was to do God’s will, to serve his purposes.

Think about that for a minute.

Isn’t it freeing? So incredible, that not in spite of, but because of our sinful natures God chose us. He chose us to indulge in our natures. To indulge in our natures for his purpose.
I am no better than any one of the unbelievers that forsake our purpose, save for one thing. I do God’s work, and I am free because of it.

Saint Amoniel revealed to the Centurion just how free we are. We are freed, and taken into Hell to be Kings. We will rejoice in our purpose, and punish the guilty and the ignorant forever.

So you see, our way to hell is paved... with good intentions.

Intercessions

A Prayer for the Kindred who are absent this night.
God, who by the holy blood of the Christ made clear the vision of the Centurion, grant to us the clarity of vision that we may see and accept our place in your almighty plan.

Amen

A Prayer for those who guide us.
Almighty Father, who has chosen and preordained all those that would rule for your glory, grant to our leaders your strength through your Saints. Help them to carry out your works, and ward our city against those that would turn us away.

Amen

A Prayer for our new arrivals.
Lord, we give you thanks for your un-knowable plan and those that would play their part in it. We welcome our new brothers and sisters, and through Saint Monachus we ask for the wisdom to bring our community together, so that we might all better serve your works.

Amen