Fleshpots Of Egypt - Bp. Donald Sanborn 07-21-91

SummaryIn this solemn and forceful sermon, Bishop Donald Sanborn reflects on the severe consequences that await those who reject God after receiving His grace and being chosen. Drawing from St. Paul’s epistle, he recounts the repeated sins and apostasies of the ancient Hebrews—despite divine favors—and applies these warnings to the modern crisis in the Church and the moral state of Catholics today. He emphasizes that God gives sufficient grace to all, but draws back some with special graces. However, those given more will be judged more severely if they fall. He condemns impurity, worldliness, human respect, and liturgical irreverence among self-identified traditional Catholics, and calls on the faithful to reject the “flesh pots of Egypt”—a metaphor for sinful comforts and modern moral compromise.Key Quotes“Everyone receives the sufficient grace to save his soul… If you should fall… it is through your own fault.”“Because they had received such great favor from God, He dealt with them severely.”“Jerusalem remained faithless… they were not interested in the kingdom of the next world.”“There remains only a handful of people in the world whose faith… is the same as the Roman Catholic Church for two thousand years.”“If we long for the flesh pots of Egypt… we will be all the more guilty.”“Their end will be the same… and yet they will descend into a worse part of hell because they were given the truth.”“Traditional Catholics should not descend from the splendor of the High Mass into pagan wedding receptions.”Key Points & Takeaways1. God’s Justice is Proportional to His GracesAll receive sufficient grace for salvation.Some receive greater, repeated graces and opportunities due to God’s special love.Greater gifts = greater judgment if rejected.2. The Hebrews as a WarningDespite divine signs and deliverance, they fell into:Gluttony (flesh pots and quail – Num. 11)Idolatry (golden calf – Ex. 32)Impurity with Moabites (Num. 25)Tempting God and murmuringTheir fate was death, divine punishment, and exclusion from the Promised Land.3. Jerusalem’s Fate Foretold by ChristChrist weeps over Jerusalem’s persistent infidelity.Their rejection of the Messiah Himself seals their judgment.In 70 A.D., Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans.4. Modern Parallels: Apostasy TodayOnly a “handful” hold the same faith as the Church of old.The rest, even those claiming to be Catholic, follow a false religion.This is a withdrawal of God’s grace from the world—a chastisement.5. Those Who Remain Must Not PresumeTraditional Catholics are specially graced to persevere.But if they sin, especially by embracing modern standards, they will be judged more harshly.6. Modern Flesh Pots of EgyptBishop Sanborn warns of specific dangers:Impurity and fornication, even among the faithful.Modern dating and courtship practices.Television, movies, and beaches filled with impurity.Immodest clothing, especially at weddings.Rock music, pagan customs at wedding receptions.Disobedience to priests, especially at the altar.Lax attitudes toward the Novus Ordo, annulments, and divorce.7. On Wedding ReceptionsA stunning critique of:Brides defying priests’ dress rules.Priests being forced to use shawls or drapes to cover bridesmaids.Wedding receptions turning into pagan parties after the sacred Mass.8. Annulments and the Novus OrdoNovus Ordo annulments are not recognized.Catholics must not recognize invalid “remarriages” and must act accordingly.9. A Final WarningGod gave more than ever before to us—the Blood of Christ.To persist in sin and worldliness despite this is worse than paganism.Expect greater punishment if we betray the graces given.ConclusionBishop Sanborn’s sermon is a fiery and uncompromising call to traditional Catholics to live up to the extraordinary grace they have received in retaining the true Faith. It is a grave warning: just as God punished the Hebrews for apostasy despite His mercy, He will deal severely with us if we return to the sins of the world. The “flesh pots of Egypt” represent not only impurity, but comfort, worldliness, and compromise. Bishop Sanborn denounces this treachery especially among those who attend the traditional Mass but live like pagans outside of it. This duplicity, he says, will lead them to a deeper place in Hell, for they had the truth and rejected it.Sedevacantist Pre-Vatican II CommentaryThis sermon is a textbook example of true Catholic preaching—clear, doctrinal, moral, uncompromising.True Catholic PerspectiveBishop Sanborn affirms the Catholic doctrine of sufficient grace (cf. Trent, Session VI, Canon 4).He denounces the Novus Ordo sect and its invalid annulments.He reaffirms that grace is lost through mortal sin, and those with greater knowledge bear greater guilt (Luke 12:47–48).Modern Vatican II Counterfeit ReligionThe humanistic optimism of Vatican II (e.g. Gaudium et Spes) is flatly refuted by this sermon’s realism.Modern clergy no longer preach about Hell, sin, or judgment—yet these are central here.Liturgy has become casual, while Bishop Sanborn upholds reverence down to modest wedding attire.Vatican II teaches religious liberty and inclusiveness, but here we are reminded that most souls are lost, and God withdrew His grace because of sin and infidelity.Consistent with Saints and ScriptureThis sermon echoes St. Alphonsus, St. Augustine, St. John Chrysostom, and Our Lady of La Salette who warned of chastisements for apostasy.He rightly compares the faithless Jerusalem to the apostate Church of our time.Final ReflectionThis sermon should awaken any Catholic still attached to worldly pleasures or compromise. It reminds us:That we are few.That we have been chosen.That we must not turn back to Egypt.That we must resist not only error but also immorality, even in “traditional” settings.That we must be vigilant, reverent, modest, pure, and faithful—not for show, but for the love of God.“Jerusalem is each of our souls… if we persist in loving the flesh pots of Egypt, even though we are washed in the Blood of Christ, then we should expect to be punished severely.”Bishop Sanborn is echoing true Catholic Tradition, without dilution, apology, or compromise. This is preaching the modern world desperately needs.