Sunday Sermons from Father Leonard Goffine

Father Leonard Goffiné (pronounced Goof fee nee) (6 December 1648 - 11 August 1719) was a German Catholic priest who wrote devotional texts which remain influential to this day amongst sincere Catholics. Many of the early settlers of the United States brought Goffine's instructions for the Sundays of the Year with them to the United States from the old country. When they were unable to assist at Mass on Sundays or Holydays of Obligation, they would stay at home to pray and keep the these days holy. They would recite the holy Rosary and read the sermon from Goffine for the day. One woman, whose parents and grandparents immigrated to the central part of the United States related the following story. Her family lived on a farm ten miles from the nearest church. On good days they could make the journey by wagon, but even then one of the older girls had to stay home with the babies and care of for them and thus could not assist at Mass. When weather was bad such a journey was impossible, so they would pray at home. She also related that for her first Communion, she went to a relatives house in the town near the church in order to prepare and for Holy Communion. She remarked that they took the dipper out of the water barrel so none of the children would violate the Communion fast, which was absolute at that time. It is with great pleasure that we bring this work back into print for the use of Catholic faithful today. Let us consider this on Advent: "How was Advent formerly observed? Very differently from now. It then commenced with the Feast of St. Martin, and was observed by the faithful like the Forty Days' Fast, with strict penance and devotional exercises, as even now most of the religious communities do to the present day. The Church has forbidden all turbulent amusements, weddings, dancing and concerts, during Advent. Pope Sylverius ordered that those who seldom receive Holy Communion should, at least, do so on every Sunday in Advent. "How should this solemn time be spent by Christians? They should recall, during these four weeks, the four thousand years in which the just under the Old Law expected and desired the promised Redeemer, think of those days of darkness in which nearly all nations were blinded by saran and drawn into the most horrible crimes, then consider their own sins and evil deeds and purify their souls from them by a worthy reception of the Sacraments, so that our Lord may come with His grace to dwell in their hearts and be merciful to them in life and in death. Further, to awaken in the faithful the feelings of repentance so necessary for the reception of the Savior in their hearts, the Church orders that besides the observance of certain fast days, the altar shall be draped in violet, that Mass shall be celebrated in violet vestments, that the organ shall be silent and no Gloria sung. Unjust to themselves, disobedient to the Church and ungrateful, indeed, to God are those Christians who spend this solemn time of grace in sinful amusements without performing any good works, with no longing for Christ's Advent into their hearts." And this on Lent: "Who instituted Lent? According to the fathers of the Church, Justin and Irenaeus, the fast before Easter was instituted and sanctified by Christ Himself; according to the saints Leo and Jerome, the holy apostles ordained it given by Jesus."