We don’t “set the world on fire” by being comfortable…..…..”A church that suffers no persecution but enjoys the privileges and support of the things of the earth - beware!”

Today at Holy Mass we hear in the Gospel of St Mark how Jesus sent his friends out two but two into a hostile world…..The gospel today tells us something interesting that many people may have glossed over…..”And gave them authority over unclean spirits”…There is that “dirty” word again….”Authority”…That means the first followers of Jesus, who were the first priests had the very authority of Jesus Christ himself….He gave them that authority…Not my opinion, just read the text….The Gospel today also says something interesting, which gets at the heart of what John the Baptist preached and what was the driving purpose as to why Jesus walked this earth….”So they went off and preached repentance”……At the heart of the Gospel message of Jesus Christ is a clarion call for us all to repent!…Any message, coming from within the Church or outside of it that does not fully embrace this call to repentance is simply wasting its time…Before we can “believe” we first have to repent…..Our hearts will not be open to the message of the Gospel if we firmly grasp our sins…And yes we ALL SIN…This is why Jesus today sent his friends out two but two and “gave them authority over unclean spirits”…..This authority rest with the Catholic Church to this day by means of apostolic succession …Only God can forgive sins…I may “talk a good game” but I am a sinner…And so are you…And we ALL need a means by which to be forgiven…When we embrace this gift given to us by Jesus and His Church we become free

“The Twelve drove out many demons, and they anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them”

In my spiritual reading this morning I came across something that caught my eye…It was written by a French Carthusian monk (Dom Augustin Gillerand 1945)…This is what he wrote….”It is within the scope of God’s plan that we should come up against evil in this world, and have to fight a way for ourselves through it. Our Lord could have captivated the minds and hearts of the whole world by a single sermon, but he did not. Alone, with a few faithful disciples, he lived in the midst of constant hostility. It is so in the whole history of humanity”……The world is not having it - But that does not mean we “go along to get along”….Heaven is our home and we are mere pilgrims who must do exactly what Jesus and his 12 friends did…Confront the world by our life’s witness not go along with it…..Here are the words of another saint and hero of mine….St Oscar Romero (1980), a priest who spoke up in the face of evil….”A church that doesn't provoke any crises, a gospel that doesn't unsettle, a word of God that doesn't get under anyone’s skin, a word of God that doesn't touch the real sin of the society in which it is being proclaimed — what gospel is that?”……Today we hear in the Gospel of St Mark that Jesus sent his friend out two by to cast out “unclean spirits”….That was not done by “appeasing” the unclean spirits…It was done by confronting them - By bolding and clearly proclaiming the Truth in love…Years ago a friend of mine was about to get married…….He was not living a Sacramental life and wanted to get married in the Catholic Church…So when he was going through the process of speaking to the priest who was going to marry him…The priest flat out told my friend, that he was making a huge mistake and should not get married….My friend ignored the priest and seven years later got divorced….That priest was a brave man to say what he knew to be right…And we need more priests like that…We also need more lay Catholics in the pews like that as well…We need to address the world boldly…..That is what Jesus did…Not “go along” to “get along”….As St Oscar Romero rightful said……”A word of God that doesn't touch the real sin of the society in which it is being proclaimed — What gospel is that?”

“The Kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the Gospel”

Today we hear at Mass how bold and brave the first 12 friends of Jesus were…..”He instructed them to take nothing for the journey but a walking stick – no food, no sack, no money in their belts. They were, however, to wear sandals but not a second tunic. He said to them, “Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave from there. Whatever place does not welcome you or listen to you, leave there and shake the dust off your feet in testimony against them”…….Jesus Christ was the greatest revolutionary the world has ever seen or will ever see….If we today fully embrace his words and use the tools the Catholic Church gives to us we too will set the world on fire!…That is not an empty claim either….We all have been shown what to do by word and example…Its now simply a matter of doing it - Having the will do live it, fueled by Sacramental grace, daily prayer and weekly fasting - Come hell or high water!…..For those who know me I will tell you a secret…Lukewarm Catholicism nauseates me!….For me is ALL OR NOTHING!….Interestingly enough, lukewarm Catholicism nauseated Jesus too……..“I know your works; I know that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either cold or hot. So, because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth”…….We don’t “set the world on fire” by being comfortable…..…..”A church that suffers no persecution but enjoys the privileges and support of the things of the earth - beware!”