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Bishop Barron’s Sunday Sermons - Catholic Preaching and Homilies

The Master Has Need of You

Bishop Barron’s Sunday Sermons - Catholic Preaching and Homilies

Bishop Robert Barron

Spirituality, Christianity, Religion & Spirituality, Religion & Spirituality:christianity

4.84.9K Ratings

🗓️ 11 April 2019

⏱️ 14 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In our Gospel reading for the Palm Sunday procession, Jesus sends his disciples into Jerusalem to prepare for his triumphal entry. They are told to untether a donkey, and if there is any protest from the owner, they are to say simply, “The Master has need of it.” Strictly speaking, God has need of nothing, since he is the unconditioned act of existence. God doesn’t need our praise or our good works or anything. But this phrase signals the wonderful truth that God allows us to cooperate with his grace so that we can participate in the work that he wants to do. He gives us what Aquinas called “the dignity of causality.” We are privileged to be instruments in his hands.

Transcript

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0:00.0

Friends, welcome to Word on Fire Catholic Ministries.

0:04.0

Word on Fire is an apostolate dedicated to the mission of evangelization,

0:09.0

using media both old and new to share the faith on every continent

0:14.0

and to facilitate an encounter with Christ and His Church.

0:18.0

The efforts of Word on Fire engage the culture and bring the transformative

0:22.9

power of God's Word where it is most needed. Today, we invite you to join Bishop Robert Barron

0:29.9

as he preaches the gospel and shares the warmth and light of Christ with each one of us.

0:38.9

Peace be with you and And a blessed Palm Sunday to everybody. You know, I want to focus today on

0:44.5

that little gospel that we read as the procession commences. You know, in Palm Sunday, we process

0:51.9

in with the palm branches. And just before that, a gospel is proclaimed. So usually I've preached on the great passion readings that are given on Palm Sunday. But I was struck, especially this year, by that opening gospel. Many years ago, I saw the mask card of a young man who was about to be ordained to the priesthood.

1:13.7

On the front was a picture I don't remember.

1:16.8

But on the back was a single line.

1:19.9

You know how often you have a little theme or a little motto on the back of the cart.

1:24.3

This was a single line.

1:26.4

The master has need of it. Dot, dot, dot, dot.

1:32.7

The master has need of it. It's a line that can be found in the gospel that we proclaim at the beginning

1:40.3

of mass today before the procession with palms. And you know what the setting is?

1:45.8

It's Jesus' instructions to the disciples whom he's sending to Jerusalem to prepare for his

1:51.6

triumphal entry. They are told to untether a donkey. And if there's any protests from the owner,

1:59.4

it's like stealing someone's car today, so you're just

2:02.4

taking the animal. If the owner protests, they are to say simply, the master has need of it.

2:11.6

Now, I remember this years ago, but I thought, what a wonderful model for a priest on the day of his

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