“I am the voice of one crying out in the desert, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord’ ”…Be that “voice of one”…And let come what may

Today at Holy Mass we hear in the Gospel from St John….In the text the religious leaders approach John the Baptist in the desert…The word had spread that John was there…And John the Baptist did not play!…..The conversation went as follows….”Who are you?”……..John said - “I am not the Christ.” So they asked him, “What are you then? Are you Elijah?” And he said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?”…. He answered, “No.” So they said to him, “Who are you, so we can give an answer to those who sent us? What do you have to say for yourself?” He said: “I am the voice of one crying out in the desert, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord’”……….John the Baptist was not having it! - He called it as it is…He prepared the way for Jesus - And so must we….Our Church and our society desperately needs clear voices…..Not telling people the Truth is not being merciful nor can you say that you love someone if you do not tell them the truth…Does a father not tell his children the the truth?……How will they know the truth if a father does not tell his children?….We have a society that does not want to hear it…They do not want to hear it because they do not want to change…And our politicians and many of our religious leaders “tip-toe” around the truth…Why?…They do not want to offend…They do not want to rock the boat….Not John the Baptist - He told it like it is!……“I am the voice of one crying out in the desert, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord’ ”

“In times, past, God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets: in these last days, he has spoken to us through his Son”

I have been a catechist in the Catholic Church for years…I have taught the faith in many different capacities…For a number of years I taught RCIA, which is the program that teaches people who want to enter the Church and be baptized…When I taught this program I taught it directly from the Catechism of the Catholic Church…For those who do not know what the Catechism of the Catholic Church is…It is the book of all the teachings of the Church published in 1992 by Pope John Paul II…Well, that is how I taught it - As it is written…And I was asked to leave the program at this one parish…Why?…Because some of the other instructors did not like what I had to say - Specifically around receiving the Blessed Sacrament in the state of grace, which means if you are in the state of mortal sin, you must go to a Sacramental Confession before you receive the Eucharist…Not my teaching, its a perennial teaching of the Church….However, the other instructors did not want to hear it…Also, they had an issue with the Church’s teaching on contraception…The Church teaches we are to be open to life…They did not like me teaching that either…Again, don’t shoot the messenger - Not my teaching, its the Church’s teaching…..There is a lot “amiss” here and I can talk all day about it…But what is really missing is what Jesus said…”I am the vine and you are the branches, if you remain in me, you will bear fruit and without me you can do nothing”….Some people within the Catholic Church (clergy and laity alike) and outside of it as well ignore that statement - And frankly the outcomes tell us everything we need to know…This is why certain parishes have no one in the pews…Parishes that “adhere to the vine” are packed….People are attracted to the Truth…Not “my truth” - THE TRUTH…Look at the religious orders of monks, priests and nuns that are thriving in America today - What do they all have in common? - They adhere to the teachings of the Church - All of them - These religious orders do not invent ways to be “pastoral” (Whatever that means)…They simply adhere to the Truth as it is….This is what John the Baptist did…..“I am the voice of one crying out in the desert, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord’ ”….And this is what our world needs today….We need courageous men and women who speak and live the Truth….How can our people know what to do, if they are not taught the Truth?…..Before “the truth can set us free”, we need to know what it is….And if you don’t like what you hear…Don’t shoot the messenger!…..A Catholics job is to know the Truth - Speak the Truth - Live the Truth - And suffer for the Truth…..Don’t be surprised when Churches are empty when we as Catholics (clergy and laity alike) “water down” Church teaching to make people “feel comfortable”…Jesus told it like it is - He was perfectly clear!…Its about time we start doing the same…And when that happens, the Churches ironically enough get packed…Why?…Because deep within us, we all want to hear the Truth, we are “hard-wired” for it.

“And now, children, remain in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not be put to shame by him at his coming”

Our world needs men like John the Baptist….This is what Jesus himself said about John the Baptist…”I tell you, among those born of women, no one is greater than John”…And this is what John the Baptist said about Jesus….“I baptize with water; but there is one among you whom you do not recognize, the one who is coming after me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to untie”…..John went on to say….”I must decrease and He must increase”….John gets it!…….We must "remain on the vine"!…The Truth does not belong to us nor is the Truth ours to manipulate…Jesus said very clearly, I am the Truth - And when “we remain on the vine” we will bear much fruit both in our Church and in our nation…..It’s really that simple…….“I am the voice of one crying out in the desert, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord’ ”…Be that “voice of one”…And let come what may