”I have always found that mercy bears richer fruits than strict justice”…..A little bit of understanding goes a long way…And when that fails…Pray and Fast

Today at Holy Mass we hear in the Gospel of St Mark how Jesus addresses empty actions of worship…He calls out the Pharisees and beats them at their own game….The Pharisees say they prescribe to all of the traditions of the Jewish people and Jesus points out areas in those same traditions in which they fall short too…Yet they point fingers and are critical of others…So much here to take note of…First…Do we know why we do what we do as Catholics?…Do we perform our religious rituals without thinking about why we do them?….Everything we do as Catholics should point to Christ…If we fast, its to grow closer to God, its not a “personal contest of our strengthen and discipline”…If we pray daily, do we consider the words we say and or do we say the words just to get them over with?…..Second reflection to consider from the Gospel today….The Pharisees were good Jews and that should be something to be proud of…However, like everything one else, they were not perfect…They were sinners…Knowing that, they should have had mercy on others when they failed or fell from grace, just as they sometimes do……..And so must we…..Why?…..Because no one is perfect…That does not mean we condone “bad behavior”…But what it does mean is we do not condemn others who fail because we too fail….Everything we do as Catholics should point our lives towards God and when we see others “not measure up”…What do we do to help them?…Do we pray for them at the very least?…Do we offer a good example to them?…Do we fast for the Church?…..Each and every day we should look at our own actions and examine our thoughts….We can not control other people, but we can control ourself…..And a good example goes a long way…So does prayer and fasting - In fact, daily prayer and fasting helps us to be that “example”

“You have given him rule over the works of your hands, putting all things under his feet.”

My wife and I before we were married were heavily involved in many different Catholic organizations around New York City. Many of the people who also attended these organizations took their faith very seriously….After my wife and I started to have children (we now have five under ten years old) we would sometimes try to attend events or a Mass within those circles in which we attended before we were married….Kids being kids - They sometimes do not behave…Sadly when that happened, we were not always given a “compassionate look” or an understanding word when our children did not behave say at Mass…While I understand that at Mass there should always be a spirit of reverence…It takes time for children to grasp that fact and parents are simply doing their best…..When those “looks” came our way…I have always thought of the words of Jesus himself…”Let the children come to me”…And I also thought to myself how Jesus is smiling down from heaven at the sight of my children attending a solemn Mass even as they made noise…This experience taught me something as well - To be understanding when other people “bother me” or talk during Mass…We all must be patient with each other, even when we “step on each others toes” now and then….This past Sunday I was in the Adoration Chapel near my home….And a young father came in with his two children…The kids were running around and making noise…The Dad kept apologizing to me..,.Clearly the children made it harder for me to pray…However, I told the dad not to worry and tried my best to make him feel comfortable….The whole time I thought to myself, how happy Jesus is for these kids to be here with him!……..While its important to do things the right way….We must always remember we are all human and because of that “stuff happens”…And when it does - “Offer it up”…God uses all things to make us holy - Even the noise at Mass we have to endure…..In fact, when we hear noise at Mass or we see someone unknowingly not “doing what they should be doing” at Mass…Instead of being critical, pray for that person and fast for the Church…..Praying and Fasting go along way and are much more effective when it comes to renewing our Catholic traditions and practices then unkind words and ‘dirty looks”

“Incline my heart, O God, to your decrees; And favor me with your law”

Today in the gospel at Mass, Jesus addresses the importance of knowing why we do what we do as Catholics…But he also teaches us that even the best of us fail and are flawed…Knowing that reality - And it is reality - Its better and more efficacious to bring some mercy and understanding to the situation when others fail - And when we do that, we too grow in the process……Jesus tells us in Scripture……..”The measure with which you measure will be measured out to you” - The very thought of that statement scares the daylights out of me! - Because I fail at this virtue more times then I want to admit and because of that, I bring this sin to the Confessional equally as often - Allowing God to pour down his healing grace upon me…..The great Abraham Lincoln once said….”I have always found that mercy bears richer fruits than strict justice”…..A little bit of understanding goes a long way…And when that fails…Pray and Fast