God speaks a language only we can and will understand…..If you have not heard his voice yet…Just wait…He knows how to “get your attention” when no one else can

Today at Holy Mass we hear in the Gospel of St John a universal truth, which is lived out to this very day…”And this is the verdict, that the light came into the world, but people preferred darkness to light, because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come toward the light, so that his works might not be exposed. But whoever lives the truth comes to the light, so that his works may be clearly seen as done in God”…..We only know what we know however, our heart if it desires what is pure will always find God……When reading the lives of the saints, we find people of all backgrounds, some with no formal religious training, yet they found God…How did this happen?…Because their hearts were pure and their desire for the Truth propelled them forward…..What propels you forward?…..There is really no such thing as “My Truth”…..”Our Truth” dies with us…”The Truth” lives forever….In the first reading from Mass today, we hear in the Acts of the Apostles that the disciples of Jesus were thrown in jail…Yet, the prison doors could not stop these men from still proclaiming the Truth…."We found the jail securely locked and the guards stationed outside the doors, but when we opened them, we found no one inside” - “The men whom you put in prison are in the temple area and are teaching the people”…The Truth is written on every human heart…There is nothing mankind can do to stop what is written on the human heart…..And those who remove the obstacles within themselves always arrive at the same place…This is why the Catholic Church will be the last institution standing upon the earth…..Because it was founded by God himself…And it contains the fullness of Truth….The more we purify our heart, the clearer our vision will be.

“Look to him that you may be radiant with joy, and your faces may not blush with shame. When the poor one called out, the LORD heard, and from all his distress he saved him.”

Many times over the course of a human life, it takes an event that stops a person from all their self created distractions…It could be an illness…It could be the death of a loved one…It could be financial hardship…..Whether we realize it or not, there are many “idols” in our life - Many of them we self-manufacture…Its not until these “things” are taken from us, that we see who we truly are and then we can and will make a choice to which direction we go……This is why many times, it takes a person to come to “the end of themselves” before their journey to God begins….But make no mistake, if this has not happened to you yet, it will….Whether its when you are sick with a terminal illness or frankly you loss interest in all the “things” you pursue…Its then we must and will make a choice…”The heart does not rest, until it rests in thee”…Nothing can bring us lasting and true fulfillment in this world the way God can and does….And God in his infinite goodness will show you this - If it has not happened…Just wait - It will…….Phillip was one of the men who lived at the AIDS Hospice run by Mother Teresa’s sisters where I used to volunteer at before I was married in New York City…Phillip was a cocaine addict and lived a terrible life….He found himself with no place to live, no money and sick with a terminal disease…..Over time, after praying before the Blessed Sacrament, Phillip requested to be Baptized….Think about for a minute what it took for Phillip to arrive at this decision?……He finally came to the end of all his self rationalizations and he was left staring the Truth square in the face….What about us?…..God works through our life…What we may “think” is a bad thing could very well be the tool, which causes us to re-think decisions made and re-calibrate our priorities….God looks at our life differently then we do…The goal of life is to be sanctified and arrive in heaven - Nothing even is a close second….Sadly our world does not view life through that lens…Because of that, God allows events and people to cross our path…To wake us up….Why?…Because God loves us….What we may think is important to us now, may mean very little to God….What is important is our eternal soul and God will do everything he can to “wake us up” to that reality…Its for us to realize it…Make no mistake about it - God is at work right now…The question is - What will it take for humanity to “see”?

“The Lord hears the cry of the poor”

Today in the Gospel, St John tells us that those who live the Truth will always find God….Do we live the Truth?….What have we self-created that “gets in the way” of God?…..The reality is this - God sees everything and God loves us - And because he loves us, he removes the many idols and obstacles we create that blind us to his Truth and prevent us from progressing in the sanctification of our soul…God is the “master builder” and even the person who you may think is the most hopeless is right now being “worked on” by God….God works through our life and the events that take place in our life…Only God knows what will and can “wake us up”…God speaks a language only we can and will understand…..If you have not heard his voice yet…Just wait…He knows how to “get your attention” when no one else can

"In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity”

Today at Holy Mass we hear in the first reading from the Acts of the Apostles that the Church that Jesus founded was united…. “The community of believers was of one heart and mind”….Hearing this is encouraging….Today far too many Catholics have far too many “ideas” that differ from not only each other but from Church teaching, as well as from the legitimate authority which rests in Rome…Why?….Two things come to mind…One - We “think” we know better…… Two - We have not subjected our will to God fully yet because we do not trust him…….The Church because it was founded by Christ has authority and when you get right down to it, the Church because it was founded by the only person who has risen from the dead to date (i.e. Jesus who is God) is the only institution with legitimate authority on the earth…Again - Far too many people “think” they know better…Ok - Here is a reality check for those who do not recognize the authority and teaching of the Catholic Church…If we are fortunate to make in to heaven and I sure hope I "make it in"…Just as this reading tells us today at Mass…......”The community of believers was of one heart and mind”…In heaven, everyone will be on the same page - God’s page…That means we have to allow God to form us now and we do that by submitting our will …Now there is a “bad word”…”Submitting” ourself to Church teaching and God's authority….Gosh did I just commit a sin in the eyes of the world!……Again, only one man rose from the dead and that man founded one Church - The Catholic Church…When YOU rise from the dead and start a Church - I am all ears - Until then….I am going to submit to the one Church founded by God.

“And he has made the world firm, not to be moved. Your throne stands firm from of old; from everlasting you are, O LORD”

The driving reason why there is so much division in the world today is because we have forgotten that God is the source and summit of human existence…He is creator, we are creation - Period-Full Stop!…..While each of us is born unique, we all have in common a creator…Only with this mindset can we rid the world of division and strife…In Catholic teaching there is a saying…."In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity”…For example, I do not have to “like” the Pope…But I do have to recognize his authority - Why? - Because it comes from God!……One of the most orderly organizations I have ever witnessed with my own two eyes are the Missionaries of Charity founded by Mother Teresa…One of the reasons for that is, the sisters take a vow of obedience and take that vow very seriously…Today, the word “obedience” is another “bad” word” - Just like “submit”…But I digress.....For an institution or any organization for that matter to run well, the people in it must be obedient to legitimate authority….And today that is lacking from family life all the way up to the Presidency as well as in the Catholic Church….One Saturday afternoon, I was helping the Missionaries of Charity sisters in New York in their convent and the 2:00pm bell rang for prayer in the middle of our work…All of a sudden - Everything stopped! - And all the sisters went into the chapel….After the Holy Hour I asked the superior of the house about how everything stopped so suddenly when it came time to pray…This is what Sister said to me and I will always remember it…...”The sound of the bell is the voice of God”….And she meant it!…..Why bring this story up?…Do we view Church teaching as the “Voice of God”…Do we “think” we know better?….Do we honor legitimate authority within the Church?…Even if you do not “like” the Priest, Bishop, Cardinal or Pope?…Again, do you "think" you know better?…..Ultimately, it all comes down to obedience and our will ....…It also comes down to Trust in God and his plan for us and the world…..God works even through “bad” people and “bad ideas”…… And if you disagree with me, remember what we were told in the first reading today at Mass…..“The community of believers was of one heart and mind”…That atmosphere the first Catholics experienced was a foretaste of heaven and if you want to get into heaven…Start allowing God to form you now!…Because in heaven everyone will be of “one heart and one mind”…And guess what….Our “standard” will not be "the standard”….So get over it! 

“Your decrees are worthy of trust indeed: holiness befits your house, O LORD, for length of days.”

Today we are reminded at Mass about how wonderful things work when everyone is on the same page…..When it comes to being Catholic, its all written down…All we have to do is read it…But in order to submit our will to Church Teaching, the Natural Law and God’s Truth we must pray……We must also rely on Sacramental grace and fasting when there is a difficult teaching that we struggle with to accept…And when we do all those things, God will give us the grace we need - He will enlighten our minds with his Truth….Jesus was perfectly obedient to God the Father…Our Lady was also perfectly obedient….What about us?….Is this a virtue we disregard and if we do, sadly we do so at a personal cost…..The theme song of hell is “I did it my way”….In heaven everyone will be of one mind and one heart…And that “standard” will not be set by us….."In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity”

If we say we “seek what is above” as many do…Let your "Yes be Yes and your No be No"….And let the chips fall where they may

Today at Holy Mass we hear St John tell us in his Gospel that a prominent leader of the people came to see Jesus at night to ask him questions…Why would such a man come to Jesus at night?…Is it because he heard the Truth in what Christ was saying but would not “put down the things of this world” for that Truth?….Is it because he liked his “comfortable life” more than the Truth?..….”There was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. He came to Jesus at night and said to him, "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God, for no one can do these signs that you are doing unless God is with him." Jesus answered and said to him, "Amen, amen, I say to you, unless one is born from above, he cannot see the Kingdom of God”…….What is most important to us is never what we say - Its the choices we make and how we live…This is what “speaks” to the world…..Catholics can not compartmentalize their life….We are to be “in the world but not of it”…..And our friend Nicodemus in the Gospel today seems to want to have it both ways…He acknowledges Jesus but does so in secret….He does not want to “pay the price” for his belief in God’s Truth…..The reality is this - There will always be a price to be paid if we follow God and his Truth…And we must be willing to pay it…..Going along to get along is not the path to eternal life

“If then you were raised with Christ, seek what is above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.”

I have heard it said - “Christianity in America is a mile wide and an inch deep”….Its very easy to say we believe in Jesus Christ, but what if your beliefs resulted in the lose of your comfort…Would you still profess publicly your belief in God?….What is your position on same sex marriage?….Do you support abortion?……Just to name two touch points of contention in our society today....Would if these two unchangeable Catholic teachings resulted in you losing everything - How would you react?…….In many countries in the world today, being a Christian may mean the loss of your life……The question we must ask ourselves is…What is most important to you?…Before you answer…..Think long and hard……..When Christ returns - And make no mistake - He will one day return…The power structures of the world will flip…So much of what God values, the world could care less about…Well - When Jesus returns, where will we “stand” on the values of God?…..This past weekend I went to sit before the Blessed Sacrament in the early morning hours before my children woke up….During my time there, a poor middle aged Spanish woman came into the chapel….She looked like someone mainstream America would hire to clean their home…The woman greeted me with a big smile, placed a veil over your head and prayed with such devotion in front of the Blessed Sacrament…..This woman in the world is to most people “completely invisible”…But to God, not only is she seen but deeply valued…..So the question is - Do we view the world as God does?…Do we value what God values?….And does our life’s witness demonstrate those values?……We can not have it both ways and when we chose God there will usually be a cost…..Are we wiling to pay it?…..When love demands of us…Do we “turn away”?…Do we embrace the cost? - Come what may!

“Blessed are all who take refuge in the Lord.”

Today St John reminds us that if we profess to follow Christ with our lips, we must do so in the light and not like Nicodemus who came to Jesus at night, so no one would know…..Jesus tells us in Scripture…”Everyone who acknowledges me before others I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father. But whoever denies me before others, I will deny before my heavenly Father”…..This does not necessarily imply what we say…”Talk is cheap”…..How we live gives the answer….One day, could even be today, Jesus will return….On that day there will be no “faking it”….If we say we “seek what is above” as many do…Let your Yes be Yes and your No be No….And let the chips fall where they may

God never says…”I told you so”….We must give freely what has been given to us

Today is Divine Mercy Sunday……How we all are in need of God’s mercy…And here is the good news…Its always available…God’s mercy is inexhaustible…How different Jesus is from us…..How he has every right to be mad at us…But that is not how he thinks or works….This morning I read something from a nun (Sister Faustina Maria Pia SV), this is what sister had to say about God’s mercy………”The full story of our past is only revealed when imbued with his mercy, and this is what makes the very things that are most difficult in our history have tremendous value”…..God wastes nothing and many times God draws with crooked lines …Today in the Gospel from Mass St John tells us the disciples were afraid, they were locked away in a room…They betrayed God and now the powers of the state were closing in on them….And here comes Jesus……”On the evening of that first day of the week, when the doors were locked, where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you”…Think for a moment what Jesus could have said….”I told you so!”….”Why did you run away!”…No - That is not what he said…This is what he said.........…”Peace be with you”…….Never be afraid to approach Jesus Christ with ANYTHING….His love for us is greater than death itself!

“The stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. By the LORD has this been done; it is wonderful in our eyes. This is the day the LORD has made; let us be glad and rejoice in it”

Many years ago after my four disasters years away at college, there was one event that deeply disturbed me…While I confessed it already…It still disturbed me…So I went to confession again and confessed the same thing…This priest was a Franciscan and could tell that this event still bothered me….So after I was done confessing my terrible sin…The priest did something that I always remember…He took me by the hand and asked me to pray the Our Father prayer with him…As opposed to me praying it by myself as penance after I left the confessional…..Looking back at this…The priest was assuring me that God had forgiven me……Why tell you this story?…..Our sins once confessed are lost in the ocean of God’s mercy…Just as a grain of sand can no longer be found if thrown from a plane into the middle of the Pacific Ocean….And so it is with our past sins when confessed to a Catholic Priest…..Jesus does not say to us…”I told you so!”…Instead, when we are troubled and come to him, he tells us.........…”Peace be with you”

“I was hard pressed and was falling, but the LORD helped me. My strength and my courage is the LORD, and he has been my savior. The joyful shout of victory in the tents of the just”

Today one week after Easter Sunday the Universal Catholic Church celebrates once again…We celebrate God’s mercy…..Our world today does not embrace mercy……..We see on social media so many looking to revenge……Mercy is the exact opposite of revenge…..Even justice, which is warranted when a crime is committed must always be tempered with mercy…..For those who read what I just wrote and disagree…This is what I ask you to think about…Imagine if God deals with you through the lens of strict justice - Imagine that for a minute! - Something tells me, none of us will fare too well…..Many times, we must experience mercy ourself - To know what it feels like - When we knew deep down that we did not deserve to be treated with mercy, when “the punishment did not meet the crime”…When we were “let off the hook” instead of having “the book thrown at us”…When we experience that kind of undeserved mercy…Its then and only then, when we are willing to be instruments of mercy to others…..God never says…”I told you so”….We must give freely what has been given to us

Why not me - Why not YOU!…..It all comes down to our will…Its not about your resume…Resumes are a dime a dozen and a subway token gets you to the Bronx - On a good day!…“Put out into deep water” and Dare to be great!

Today at Holy Mass we hear in the first reading something I believe to be very encouraging…..”Observing the boldness of Peter and John and perceiving them to be uneducated, ordinary men, the leaders, elders, and scribes were amazed, and they recognized them as the companions of Jesus.”…..In our hyper competitive resume driven world this sentence is a complete and utter contradiction................... ”uneducated” - ”ordinary men”…......These are the people God chose to baptize and bring the message of salvation into the entire world….A herculean task….An he used ”uneducated” - ”ordinary men”!……..I will speak for myself, if I was tasked with what was asked by God, that is not who I would have chosen……But God uses such men so the world can see clearly that it was his hand, not the men who accomplished the desired outcome…Time and time again you see this pattern in Holy Scripture…God choses the “ordinary”……Speaking for myself, this gives me great consolation because I am as ordinary as it comes…..Each of us were born for something more….We all far too often measure our worth by the standards of the world…Where people are literally “bought and sold” in the market place of labor……In the eyes of God, these measures mean very little…..God sees in each soul what he or see is capable of accomplishing - If we only trust him….If we were only willing to “go into the deep”….There lies our greatness…Yes - GREATNESS…..Even the “ordinary” are called to be great.

“Open to me the gates of justice; I will enter them and give thanks to the LORD. This is the gate of the LORD; the just shall enter it. I will give thanks to you, for you have answered me and have been my savior.”

Tomorrow is Divine Mercy Sunday….This feast day on the universal Catholic calendar was born from the diary of a 20th century Polish nun with a fourth grade education….Sister Faustina Kowalska was a mystic who heard the literal voice of Jesus Christ and wrote what he told her in her diary….What she wrote inspired a Pope to create a Feast Day and the Divine Mercy devotion spread throughout the entire world…..All from a woman with a fourth grade education!……Once again, God uses the ordinary to do the extraordinary….Have you ever thought to yourself, what God could do through you?…If you surrendered your will to him - If you trusted him radically……..Time and time again in the lives of the saints we see ordinary people do extraordinary things….What keeps us from being one those people?….Why not us?…….Its all about our will…..Our will gets in the way - We must learn to “bend it” until it breaks!….Our greatness is not found on our resume - Its found in our willingness to allow God to work in and through us….Do we really believe God is real?….Do we really believe in what he says?……Step back for one minute and think about how an uneducated carpenter, who taught in a far corner of the world for just three years could possibly have created a Church that has last for 2000 years touching billions upon billons of lives…..Think about who this carpenter picked to be his first priests and bishops….How is all that possible!!!!…It’s possible because God is real…And everything he said is true….So the question today for us to ponder - Knowing what I just wrote - What are we going to do about it!……If we only saw what God can do through us!…Once again, ordinary people…Our head would spin off our neck!…Dare to be great!

“Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his mercy endures forever. My strength and my courage is the LORD, and he has been my savior. The joyful shout of victory in the tents of the just”

Today at Mass we are reminded that God does not see the world as we do…God sees the human heart…He sees our potential…..If only we had faith…If only we trusted in his words to us!……God cannot be put in a “box”….God has no limits…..That means God can do more with your life than you can….No matter who you are…..Please pray about what I just wrote…And ask your self - Why not me - Why not YOU!…..It all comes down to our will…Its not about your resume…Resumes are a dime a dozen and a subway token gets you to the Bronx - On a good day!…“Put out into deep water” and Dare to be great!

Just think about that…In 15 minutes, your entire life could change!

Today at Holy Mass we hear in the Gospel of St John how the disciples after Jesus death gave up…They went back to what they knew how to do, which was fish…”Simon Peter said to them, "I am going fishing. "They said to him, "We also will come with you”……While they gave up, Jesus did not give up on them…While they were at sea, Jesus appears to them…When Peter sees the risen Lord he immediately jumps into the sea and swims towards him…”So the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord." When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he tucked in his garment, for he was lightly clad, and jumped into the sea”…This is what makes St Peter great…Not that he jumped into the sea…Its because not to long ago, he denied Jesus three times…Most people when they fall from grace hid…They avoid the person that they harmed…Not Peter!…He immediate addresses Jesus face to face and reconciles with him…This requires a great amount of humility…It also requires a person to be grounded deeply in self knowledge of knowing who they really are…..No masks…No self rationalizations…This is why the Lord chose Peter to be the first Pope….And Peter proves with his life that the Lord made a good choice…How about us?….When we make a mistake…Do we face up to it?…The only way to heal a wound is to seek out the required medicine…Our wounds caused by sin do not heal with time (That is the lie we tell ourself) - They fester……Our wounds only heal when we bring them to the Divine Physician…Just as Peter did….Peter denied Jesus three times…And Jesus asked him afterward three times this question…“Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.”…Under all the excuses…Under all the self rationalizations…There is one wound…And only you know what it is…Bring it to Christ in the Sacrament of Reconciliation…And He will heal it…And then and only then will you be free….And then and only then will all the excuses wash away

"Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his mercy endures forever. Let the house of Israel say, "His mercy endures forever." Let those who fear the LORD say, "His mercy endures forever."

Yesterday at the Church behind my office where I attend Mass in Manhattan on my lunch hour there was a picture of a woman near one of the side chapels. The picture caught my eye and after Mass I went over by it to see what it was all about….This woman had just gotten Baptized and came into full communion into the Catholic Church in March of 2025 and in April 2025 she died….I thought to myself, this lady just “stole heaven”, as did the good thief at Jesus's side when he was crucified…..A life time away from God and his Church came down to one decision one month before her death……Why bring this up?…Why wait to be healed one month before you die!…..Never put off addressing the wounds caused by sin….Remember our friend St Peter today in the Gospel…He “screwed up big time”…He denied God in his most needed hour…But that did not make Peter “run away” or “hid”…Instead, he immediately confronted Jesus and reconciled with him…A great lesson can be learned from what St Peter did…This is what made him GREAT…And this is what will make you GREAT….Don’t wait…Address what needs to be addressed….You just might be surprised how good you begin to feel once you do!

“The stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. By the LORD has this been done; it is wonderful in our eyes. This is the day the LORD has made; let us be glad and rejoice in it.”

Today Jesus in St John’s Gospel returns to his friends after his death..They needed some encouragement...But he also needed to address some “unfinished business” with St Peter…Peter sinned against God and needed to be reconciled to the very thing he denied - God himself…So Jesus being a good friend gave him the opportunity to do so…And Peter made the opportunity count…We are given the same opportunity….To reconcile our sins in the Sacrament of Reconciliation….I work in New York City and in the city, there are many Catholic Churches…I have been going to daily Mass in the city for years…Every time I walk out of Mass onto the busy streets of Manhattan, I think to myself…Look at all these people…So many of them, rich and poor alike are so burdened…If only they took 15 minutes of their day and unloaded what burdens them in the Sacramental of Reconciliation….Their entire life would change…Just think about that…In 15 minutes, your entire life could change!

What we “see” is how we live and what we “hear” is how we believe

Today at Holy Mass we hear in the Gospel of St Luke that Jesus appears to his friends after his death….Even after all he had done while he walked the earth, they still needed convincing…This is a reminder to us all…Of just how weak our humanity really is…These men seen with their own eyes Jesus’s miracles, they saw the crowds and yet they were unsure of the message…..This is why we must rely upon the Holy Spirit and Sacramental grace…..This is the fuel, which propels us forward and it also gives us insight into what we are to do….Notice again the words of Christ to his friends…”He said to them, "These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the law of Moses and in the prophets and psalms must be fulfilled." Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.”…..Why did they not understand when he first spoke to them?…Why did Jesus have to “open their minds to understand?”……Then ask yourself - Are we any different today?….Reading the Scripture and / or reading about our Catholic faith is not an academic pursuit…We can have all the “answers”, get a “perfect score on the test” and still not understand….This is why we must ground our faith in Sacramental grace, daily prayer and weekly fasting…Its in these practices that our minds too will be “opened”

“Repent, therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be wiped away, and that the Lord may grant you times of refreshment and send you the Christ already appointed for you”

When a father speaks to his teenage son, he speaks to him from a point of experience…While the father can not see into the future, he does have a deeper understanding of behaviors, outcomes and actions then his son does…I would think every one would agree with that statement….Well, the same goes for God the Father in relation to us, his children….God speaks to us through his church….Far too many try to separate Jesus from the one Church he founded, the Catholic Church…We “twist”, "rationalize" and "compartmentalize" Church teaching…Many times this is done frankly because like the first disciples, we do not open ourselves up to the Holy Spirit…And as we saw today…Jesus had to “open their minds to understand”……..Think for a moment about how you viewed certain social issues as a young adult - How have your views changed now that you have your own children?……Did the Truth somehow change or did you change?…..Far too many Catholics do not believe that the Church contains the fullness of the Truth…While the people in the Church are flawed, even the best of us are sinners, the Church is perfect…Stop right here - I bet I just lost people…But that will not stop me from saying the Truth…The Church is perfect! - We are the ones who are not…Therefore we have to allow the Holy Spirit to form us…To “open our minds” so we can grow in both wisdom and knowledge…Like all good mothers who form their children, we too need to be formed but inorder for that to happen, we must first bend our will….Easily said - But difficult to do….When God is no longer just a “word”…When we experience his mercy….And know we are loved…Only then will we bend our will…And only then will our minds be “opened”...A person does not bend their will because of a "book" - They conform their will because of love

“You are the children of the prophets and of the covenant that God made with your ancestors when he said to Abraham, In your offspring all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

Today we hear at Mass how the disciples need some “extra help” to understand what Jesus wanted from them…We are no different…..Our world today undervalues grace, particular Sacramental grace…..When we live outside of Sacramental grace, our minds close to the world of God…..Grace “colors” our vision, it allows us to see past the sorrows of this world and grounds us in God’s love…It helps us to not only “see” what is important but it enables us to prioritize what is important and then in turn execute on those same priorities in day to day life…All this does not happen if we “cannot see”….And only through grace will we see….Jesus today in the Gospel had to “open the mind” of his friends…Are we any different?…..What we “see” is how we live and what we “hear” is how we believe

Silence is the “language of God”….And in the silence God will speak to you in a language only you will understand…And then you will “see”

Today at Holy Mass we hear in the Gospel from St Luke the story of the two men who encounter Jesus on the road to Emmaus…There is so much in this Gospel reading to unpack….These two men were clearly believers in God…We would call them today “good guys”….They clearly recognized that Jesus came from God, spoke the Truth and did good things while we was alive…However, with all that being said notice when Christ walked next to them on the road......They did not recognize him…..”Jesus himself drew near and walked with them, but their eyes were prevented from recognizing him”……Again, the theme of sight is brought to our attention in Holy Scripture…..Why couldn’t these “good men” see who was walking next to them?……This is the question we must ask ourselves today…....What prevents us from “seeing” and also “hearing” God?….Do we take the words of Jesus seriously?…..Interestingly enough, as Jesus walked with these guys on the road, they stopped to get something to eat and it was not until Jesus “broke the bread” that their eyes were open….”And it happened that, while he was with them at table, he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them. With that their eyes were opened and they recognized him”…...This was the turning point for these guys and it is also the turning point for the faithful today….Until we recognize Jesus fully present, Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity in the Blessed Sacrament in many ways, like these two men on the road to Emmaus we too are blind….Once a Christian grasps this mystery, everything changes - Everything!…We must seek to understand deep within our heart just how present Jesus is today in the Consecrated Host.

“He remembers forever his covenant which he made binding for a thousand generations-- Which he entered into with Abraham and by his oath to Isaac.”

The Church teaches us that in order to receive the Blessed Sacrament, one must be in the state of grace…What does that mean?…That means all of our mortal sins have been confessed to a priest Sacramentally. Why is this important?…For many reasons, but for the purposes of this reflection, it’s important because if we receive the Blessed Sacrament outside of the state of grace, God’s Holy Spirit does not penetrate our soul….This is why someone can say that they have been going to Church for 40 years and they “get nothing out of it”….The “game changer” is when we receive the Eucharist in the state of grace!……..Before I was married, every Saturday I would volunteer at an AIDS hospice in Lower Manhattan run by Mother Teresa's sisters….The men who were staying there had acquired AIDS by every means one can imagine…Needless to say, not all of them were Catholic and if they were, most of them were not in the state of grace…Therefore at Mass every morning, while all the guys attended, they did not receive the Blessed Sacrament….In the afternoons starting at 2:00pm, the sisters had a Holy Hour for themselves and the men in the hospice…..This is where the Blessed Sacrament was exposed on the altar in the chapel for one hour and we would all sit in front of Jesus in silence…Why is this important?…This is where grace would “seep” into the men…During this quiet time before Christ in the Consecrated Host, the men, whether they realized it or not would begin to encounter grace….And in time, believe it or not, most of these guys, who by the way lead absolutely crazy lives, some would request to be baptized….Why bring this up?….If you do not believe that Jesus is fully present in the Blessed Sacrament…Or you are reluctant to go to a Priest and participate in a Sacramental Confession…Make some time each week and sit in silence before the exposed Blessed Sacrament….During that time…God will speak to you in a “language you understand”…And in time…… Like the two men on the road to Emmaus, and the men in the AIDS hospice in New York City......Your eyes will open and you will “see”!

“Christ indeed from death is risen, our new life obtaining. Have mercy, victor King, ever reigning!”

Today at Mass we hear the story about two good guys who on the road met Jesus Christ…While there is no dispute about the fact that these guys believed in God, there was something clearly missing….And they discovered what was missing in the “breaking of the bread”…..We too must discover what is missing within our own hearts….Do we see Jesus fully present in the Blessed Sacrament? And if we do not, what are we doing to remedy this situation?…..The encounter with Christ on the road to Emmaus is symbolic of many today who still do not fully see God but thirst too…..A heart which is true and sincerely desires God will always find him - Remember that!….This is why we need to make room for silence in our life….Silence is the “language of God”….And in the silence God will speak to you in a language only you will understand…And then you will “see”

”Your sins are forgiven, Go in Peace”…Once the “walls fall” to the ground…Then and only then will we “hear” and truly believe

Today at Holy Mass we hear in the first reading from the Acts of the Apostles how Peter “steps up” and fills the role as leader of this new fledgling Church that Jesus founded….”Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is made to you and to your children and to all those far off, whomever the Lord our God will call”………Notice how Peter tells the people they must repent first before they are baptized….Both John the Baptist and Jesus said the exact same thing in the exact same order…Before the grace of God can truly penetrate our soul, we must repent…..Our sins act like a wall when it comes to God’s grace entering into our soul and transforming us into the people we were born to be…..While it is important “to believe”, far too many are reluctant to repent…..One Sacramental Confession opens the door wide to God’s grace…The humble fisherman, who the world today knows as St St Peter is slowly becoming who he was born to be…We will read about his transformation in the days to come in the readings at the Mass…Just as Peter allowed God to work in his life…If we do the same...We too will be transformed

“Our soul waits for the LORD, who is our help and our shield. May your kindness, O LORD, be upon us who have put our hope in you.”

I can remember my first “Adult Sacramental Confession”, I just returned from college…My life was a mess…I graduated college in four years but in many ways instead of maturing, I regressed…This is not an uncommon story among many American young men and women who go away to college and are way too immature to make adult decisions with all the freedom staring them in the face…Anyway, I returned home and began re-building my life one step at a time….I remember it was Saturday and my parish Church was empty…..I sat alone in front of the Blessed Sacrament which was in the Tabernacle…I knew enough to go to God at this moment in my life and for that I thank my parents and all the people who formed me through my Catholic education up and until this point in my life…As I sat before the Blessed Sacrament, a wave of sadness came over me…I can not put it into words or explain it properly…But it was a tidal wave of deep sadness as a result of all the wrong decisions I had made…And I wept bitterly…Very possibly more than I ever wept before or have since…Following that moment, I went to confession…And from there I believe my journey began and still moves forward to this very day…..Why share this with you?….Because just as St Peter tells the people of Israel - I am telling you - First we must repent before we truly begin to believe….The “walls” must be broken down!…And that is why Jesus instituted a Church, which gives us the Sacraments….Some many be reading this now and are saying to themselves…”I do not need to confess my sins to a Priest”…..With all due respect, I disagree with that sentiment…….Something happens internally to a person when a Priest absolves them from a life time of sin…Something much more profound happens, which we can not self-manufacture - (Then if you “Ask God” privately too forgive you).....Not only are you forgiven, but you are given the grace of the Sacrament, which is empowering and propels you forward……St Peter was transformed and look at what God did with and through this simple man…Just think what he could do with you?

“Christ indeed from death is risen, our new life obtaining. Have mercy, victor King, ever reigning!”

We are reminded today at Mass that we all are in need of forgiveness…We are told over and over again in the pages of Holy Scripture - Repent & Believe the Gospel…..The order of that process is important and that is what St Peter tells us today…..We must “break down the walls”, which keep us from God…Those walls begin to crumble with these words…”Bless me Father - Its been "XX" since my last Confession….And those walls collapse entirely with these words said from the mouth of a Catholic Priest…”Your sins are forgiven, Go in Peace”…Once the “walls fall” to the ground…Then and only then will we “hear” and truly believe

Stop fighting against what can not be conquered - You can not win - And as the old saying goes - If you can’t beat them - Join them

Today at Holy Mass, the day after Easter Sunday, we hear in the Gospel of St Matthew how the powerful are faced with a problem….The tomb is empty - What will the people believe?…Or better put - How is this going to affect me?…..”While they were going, some of the guard went into the city and told the chief priests all that had happened. The chief priests assembled with the elders and took counsel; then they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers, telling them, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came by night and stole him while we were asleep.’ And if this gets to the ears of the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” The soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story has circulated among the Jews to the present day.”…….The Truth is like the ocean, it can not be stopped by man….No matter how hard mankind tries to manipulate the flow of the ocean, when the ocean wants to breach the shores, it simply breaks through all barriers….The same goes for the Truth…Mankind can try all sorts of “tricks” to hid, distort or alter the Truth….In time, all these man-made “masks” come off.....The Truth is like the ocean - Nothing can stop it when it wants to breach the “shores of man”

“Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.”

There is an old saying…”Man plans and God laughs”…..Humanity will not admit that God has “all the cards”, we keep “scheming”, thinking we can “outsmart” the one who created us….This frankly is a waste of time….In time, all things are and will be revealed….The only people we are fooling is our self……Two thousand years later after Jesus Christ’s death, 1.3 billion Baptized Catholics walk the face of the earth….Powerful Kingdoms, Wealthy Empires, and evil men for centuries all have tried to topple what an uneducated man from a far corner of the world established…The more the powers of each passing century try to thwart the Catholic Church…The more it goes on and on and on….Even when times of corruption exist and have existed with the Church….A period of renewal is brought forth…A saint rises up…And the Church continues on and on and on…For all the nay-sayers out there - Please explain this to me - How can this be if not for the hand of God?….Jesus, the only man up and until this very day has risen from the dead tells us: “And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”…..Yet this reality, which has proven itself to be true for centuries is still denied by the human mind, simply because mankind does not want to “bend a knee” to God……Name me one empire that last lasted as long as the Catholic Church?…Name me one business that has lasted as long as the Catholic Church?…Name me one rich and powerful family that has out lasted the Catholic Church?…..You cannot because they do not exist!…..While men make up the institution of the Church there is something divine at work, which can not be stopped by mankind…When it is all said and done…The Catholic Church will be the last institution standing on the face of the earth…Write what I just said down!…..Its time to face the facts and stare reality in the eyes…..Man has his “hour” - But God will have his Day…Get on board the “barque of Peter”…When the “floods subside and the winds die down”…It will be the only thing left standing!

“Keep me, O God, for in you I take refuge; I say to the LORD, “My Lord are you.” O LORD, my allotted portion and my cup, you it is who hold fast my lot.”

Today at Holy Mass we are told how the powerful attempt to “hid” from the people the news that Jesus rose from the dead….As the saying goes…"You can run but you cannot hid”…The Truth is like the ocean, when it wants to move, nothing can stop it - So get out of the way!…..Jesus Christ did not write a book, he established a Church….And through the Sacraments, we are given everything we need to journey through this life and arrive safely in our true and only home - Heaven….There is nothing which has or can destroy what God himself has established…..We are again told in scripture in the Book of Acts….”So now I tell you, have nothing to do with these men, and let them go. For if this endeavor or this activity is of human origin, it will destroy itself. But if it comes from God, you will not be able to destroy them; you may even find yourselves fighting against God”….Stop fighting against what can not be conquered - You can not win - And as the old saying goes - If you can’t beat them - Join them

"The Door is open…Its called Jesus Christ”…..”Easter is intended to show us the radiant light that streams from this door”…To ignore this light is simply a tragedy!

No matter who you are, we all have a concern about death…Because we all will die….What will happen to us when we die?….Whether you live in a penthouse apartment in New York City or a hut in Kenya…We all have the same concern…Today, Easter Sunday addresses this concern - There is an answer and the answer has a name - Jesus Christ. However, while Jesus provides humanity with “a way out” of the dilemma, which plagues us all…The pathway to that door is rejected outright, to this very day….Jesus was a man that spoke in clear and unambiguous terms…He told us point blank what is required to “walk through the door”, which leads to life. For some today, all around the world, rich and poor a like, they will celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus Christ…The man who provided humanity with the only way to defeat the ancient foe - Death…..And then there are some…Who still refuse his invitation…..Pope Benedict XVI tells us…..”Death is no longer a house with no exits, a place of no return…The bolts of death’s dungeon, of the world’s dungeon, are wrenched off, the ramparts are thrown down, the gates are torn from their hinges”……Mankind can travel to the moon and back yet many still refuse to “walk through the door” that leads to life….There is only one door……And not to walk through it is simply a tragedy!

“The stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. By the LORD has this been done; it is wonderful in our eyes.”

In 2008 Pope Benedict XVI came to the United States and celebrated the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass at Yankee Stadium in New York City. In order to attend the Mass, one had to get a ticket, which were not for sale. The tickets were given out through the various religious orders and local parishes of New York City, which enabled the rich and the poor alike to attend the Mass. I was fortunate to get two tickets and I took my mother to Yankee Stadium to see the pope. At that time I was working at Morgan Stanley, which is an Investment Bank. My boss was a San Francisco attorney who was extremely gifted and very wealthy. She heard at work that I had tickets to see the pope and I assumed she also heard that the tickets to see him were not for sale and very difficult to acquire. So one day she approached me privately and asked, “Joe - How did you get a ticket?”….She was basically shocked how I could have “pulled that off” because she knew that the tickets were not for sale, even to the very rich and powerful of New York City…Why bring this up today?…..This is how the entrance into heaven will work….The “tickets” are not for sale…”Your money is no good there”…But here is the good news….Jesus Christ provides us with the only “key” to the one door that leads to life and its free!….By and through the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, the “doors” to heaven are open….Why would you not want to enter that “door”?

“Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early in the morning, while it was still dark, and saw the stone removed from the tomb.”

For many around the world today, there will be a great celebration….Jesus Christ has risen from the dead…Death no longer has power over mankind…..You would think such an “offer” would be celebrated by everyone and for millions around the world, it is just that, a celebration…But for some, it’s “just another day”….What a tragedy!……“The Door is open…Its called Jesus Christ”…..”Easter is intended to show us the radiant light that streams from this door”…To ignore this light is simply a tragedy!

We too today wait with Mary….The task has not changed nor has Mary…..She who was conceived without sin continues to help those who sin…She points the way

Today on Holy Saturday there is no Mass…The world awaits Easter Sunday…However, 2000 years ago what was thought for a moment to be the answer, was crushed…All of Jesus's friends in the end abandoned him…Mostly out of fear and those who saw the miracles and heard the words spoken have once again given up hope…Accept for one person….Mary…..Tradition holds that Holy Saturday is dedicated to Mary because while everyone gave up hope that Jesus would indeed rise from the dead, Mary did not……She took Jesus at his word - And so should we.....Remember, this woman bore Christ in her womb…A woman who did not know a man…Mary understood in a infinitely deeper way that Jesus would indeed rise…She stood fearlessly at the foot of the cross while the rest ran away and she stood firm on this day, Holy Saturday, grounded in faith that the words of Christ would ring true..... "On the third day I will rise"......….For this and many more reasons, we honor Mary. Jesus himself gave her to us through St John…..

”Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary of Magdala. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son.” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his home”

The most direct way to approach Jesus is through his Mother because no one knew Christ better than her…And to this very day, that reality is just that reality….When we sit at the feet of Mary, she teaches us about her son and when we pray through her intercession, she delivers our prayers to her son in a way that we can not…Why?…Because Mary was pure and without sin….She had to be pure…Why?…Because how could Jesus who was sinless come from the body of a woman who was a sinner?…God spared Mary of the mark of Adam and preserved her for the purpose to bring the son of Man into the world...This is why Mary is called the "New Eve" and through her, the "New Adam", Jesus redeemed the world

So today the world is still and it waits…But it waits with Our Lady…Who in the early Church consoled the first disciples who were tasked with bringing the faith to the enter world….We too today wait with Mary….The task has not changed nor has Mary…..She who was conceived without sin continues to help those who sin…She points the way

So many today say…”Jesus understands” - Sure - He understands - But do we understand? - This man will return again!

Today is Good Friday….This morning when reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah, which will be read today at the 3:00pm service around the world - The Celebration of the Lord’s Passion…The 3:00pm hour is referred in Catholic circles as - “The Hour of Mercy”…Jesus was not shown mercy…But we were by what he suffered….When reading this passage…Its striking to me that it was written hundreds of years before Christ was even born…..Yet…It is like it was written after Jesus lived and died…Its so accurate its almost frightening:

“See, my servant shall prosper, he shall be raised high and greatly exalted. Even as many were amazed at him-- so marred was his look beyond human semblance and his appearance beyond that of the sons of man - so shall he startle many nations, because of him kings shall stand speechless; for those who have not been told shall see, those who have not heard shall ponder it. Who would believe what we have heard? To whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? He grew up like a sapling before him, like a shoot from the parched earth; there was in him no stately bearing to make us look at him, nor appearance that would attract us to him. He was spurned and avoided by people, a man of suffering, accustomed to infirmity, one of those from whom people hide their faces, spurned, and we held him in no esteem. Yet it was our infirmities that he bore, our sufferings that he endured, while we thought of him as stricken, as one smitten by God and afflicted. But he was pierced for our offenses, crushed for our sins; upon him was the chastisement that makes us whole, by his stripes we were healed. We had all gone astray like sheep, each following his own way; but the LORD laid upon him the guilt of us all. Though he was harshly treated, he submitted and opened not his mouth; like a lamb led to the slaughter or a sheep before the shearers, he was silent and opened not his mouth. Oppressed and condemned, he was taken away, and who would have thought any more of his destiny? When he was cut off from the land of the living, and smitten for the sin of his people, a grave was assigned him among the wicked and a burial place with evildoers, though he had done no wrong nor spoken any falsehood. But the LORD was pleased to crush him in infirmity. If he gives his life as an offering for sin, he shall see his descendants in a long life, and the will of the LORD shall be accomplished through him. Because of his affliction he shall see the light in fullness of days; through his suffering, my servant shall justify many, and their guilt he shall bear. Therefore I will give him his portion among the great, and he shall divide the spoils with the mighty, because he surrendered himself to death and was counted among the wicked; and he shall take away the sins of many and win pardon for their offenses.”

In the history of mankind many men have done “good things”….Many have died unjustly…Many more will…How could this one man…Uneducated, born in a remote corner of the world somehow shape the thinking of the entire world as a result of what he said and did?….Ask yourself that……Its because he was God…And that means everything he said and did was true….Think about that?…..One day this Man, as he said will return….If we are honest, that thought brings with it joy but also terror……Is the world ready for the return of Christ?…There will be no “hiding”…No self-rationalizing...We either believe Jesus is God or we don’t…..Its really that simple and our lives give the answer…For those who want proof….If you care to read and look for proof, there is so much evidence that this “Man” was not just “your average guy”….But even if all the evidence is read…That does not change people….But make no mistake - We are asked to change by this “Man”.

Today marks the day time splits in two…Even for those who do not believe…Every time you write the date on a check, you indirectly acknowledge the birth of Christ…And when this “Man” returns as he said he would…Will He recognize the world?…So many today say…”Jesus understands” - Sure - He understands - But do we understand - This man will return again!

The “Breaking of the Bread” and humble service go hand in hand….God is fully present in both actions….Found in the ordinary, which transforms into the extraordinary

Today is Holy Thursday and tonight at Mass we commemorate the founding of the Catholic Priesthood……You will notice that Jesus commemorates this very important day with an act of humble service…”Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and dry them with the towel around his waist”…..This act clearly was symbolic and meant to teach us all - That in order to love God, we must love others, by how we live….There are many things to note about the importance of this event…Allow me to bring up a few…While Jesus us trying to teach Peter and the rest about what it means to serve others, as well as show them that in the “Breaking of the Bread” we are all fortified to live the life of the Gospel…His 12 friends were absolutely clueless!……”Peter said to him, “You will never wash my feet.” Jesus answered him, “Unless I wash you, you will have no inheritance with me.”……Why do I bring this up? - To throw stones at these men? - NO…..I bring this up because Jesus knew that they would eventually “get it”…He was patient with them…A lesson for us all….We must be patient with each other….Getting back to the washing of the feet….A very common act, no fanfare, yet so important….This morning I read a reflection from one of my heroes…Fr Walter Ciszek SJ…He was a Jesuit priest who spent 20 + years in prison in the former Soviet Union….This is what Fr Ciszek said about what it means to be a priest and what to means to live out our Catholic faith in real time….”There were no startling conversations, no miracles performed, no sensational prayer sessions testifying to the work of the Holy Spirit, no pomp, no splendor in our religious services”……What Fr Ciszek is trying to teach us is…God is found in the ordinary….Like how Jesus washed the feet of his friends…God is found in humble service - This is the root of what it means to be Catholic, whether one is a priest or sitting in the pews - We learn this at Mass this evening….We “eat the Bread of Life”…And then we are fortified to “go forth” to serve each other….As Fr Ciszek put it…..”no pomp, no splendor”….But through the giving of our self to each other in humble service….Like the first disciples…Our eyes open…Eventually!

“This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes.”

How do we find God?…A question asked for centuries…How do we see Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament…Another very good question…..A person could be a stone cold atheist who honestly with an open heart is searching for the Truth…That person will find God…Another way…When we extend a hand to serve others….That same person, a stone cold atheist, when he or she extends a hand to help others - Something will happen deep inside of them...Because when we serve the broken, the poor and the lost…We serve Jesus himself…When we do that consistently…Our eyes open……India is a very complex country…The last time I checked, two of the top five richest people in the world are from India…And while that is true, a large percentage of the population live in dire poverty…..One given day while I was in Kolkata, the sisters were taking handicapped children to a Science Museum in the city…This was a place that only the rich would or could go…But Mother Teresa's sisters give these handicapped children the best they can and so that day we took them to a place only the elite of Kolkata got to enjoy…So picture this: A group of Catholic nuns in a city comprised of mostly Hindu and Muslim people with a bunch of American, Canadian, South American and European volunteers in addition to around 50 severely handicapped children, all coming from the bottom rung of Indian society - We are all together on a line with the wealthy and elite of the city….I was tasked to carry this 12 year old boy…His body was twisted...As I carried this kid I watched the eyes of “polite society” look at us in absolute disbelief - Stunned!…..As Fr Ciszek said…..”no pomp, no splendor in our religious services”….But while there was no pomp and no splendor in what we did that day…I know this..Jesus was with us on that line!…..And his Holy Spirit could tangibly be felt by everyone who saw what was going on….Jesus was a regular man - A carpenter…He walked among us and still walks among us…If you sincerely want to find God….Serve others….And you surely will find him!

“I give you a new commandment, says the Lord: love one another as I have loved you.”

Tonight at Mass we will witness not only the founding of the Catholic Priesthood but an act of humble service, the washing of the feet of 12 men in front of the altar….This gesture, while symbolic serves as a reminder to us all…..Our faith is not an “academic pursuit”…Its to be lived out in the ordinary day to day lives of our families and neighbors….To do this we must be fortified by the “Breaking of Beard”…Something else we will witness tonight at Mass…Because with the founding of the Catholic Priesthood, comes with it the ability for us to consume Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament….And when we consume the Eucharist in a state of grace…Our eyes open and our hands become instruments of God, quick to serve a broken world….As Fr Ciszak went on to say in the reflection I read this morning….”It did not make getting up in the morning to face another day of rough and wind-whipped work any easier, or the work itself any less exhausting, but it added a dimension of expiation and sacrifice to our lives beyond the sheer necessity of survival and enduring one more day…It added a Sacramental element to the labor and sufferings of the day”……The “Breaking of the Bread” and humble service go hand in hand….God is fully present in both actions….Found in the ordinary, which transforms into the extraordinary

We do not have to have all the answers - But know this - God has the answers….Stay the course - Full Steam Ahead

Today at Holy Mass we hear in the Gospel of St Matthew that the hour of Jesus’s betrayal is drawing near…..”One of the Twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, "What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you?" They paid him thirty pieces of silver, and from that time on he looked for an opportunity to hand him over.”……What drove Judas to do what he did?….That is the question I want to explore…..Judas saw all the miracles, he witnessed the crowds…How could he do what he did?…..To answer this question, I think we have to get some historical context first….The Jewish people at the time when Jesus walked among them were under the yoke of the Roman Empire….People were looking for a King to free them from Roman occupation….Then here comes this Carpenter from Nazareth….People liked what he had to say…He spoke Truth to power…He was fearless…But the problem was, he did not “fit the mold” of the King they were looking for…Jesus said very clearly…”My Kingdom is not of this world”…The Jewish people were looking for a King to wield a sword not to enter Jerusalem on a humble donkey…I believe this reality was at the heart of Judas’s betrayal…It was not the fact that he did not like Jesus…He simply lost faith in Jesus’s method of freeing the Jewish people…..Now the question for us to answer…How about us? - Do we trust in the method laid out for us by Christ? ….Jesus did not write a book, he founded a Church….And the Church, while each and every member in it is flawed, the teachings of the Church are perfect…Let’s stop right there…Do you believe what I just said?….If you don’t….Pray!!!….Jesus tells us….”Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.”…..God loves us and He will never refuse us this request…Simply ask in the words you know - Praying does not have to be fancy - Talk to God like you would a friend……..God will show you that the fullness of Truth is found in the one Church that Jesus founded…..God’s ways are not our ways…I say that because to the secular mind, the teachings of the Catholic Church do not make sense…..And this is why we must ask the Lord to provide us with grace.

“For your sake I bear insult, and shame covers my face. I have become an outcast to my brothers, a stranger to my mother's sons, because zeal for your house consumes me, and the insults of those who blaspheme you fall upon me.”

This may sound strange to some but one of the greatest revelations of my enter life can be boiled down to this sentence…”My way does not work”…..Allow me to explain…I tried to live life under “my terms” as a young man…And it did not work…In my early twenties, by God’s grace I “put down” doing it “my way” and slowing the Lord took me by the hand and showed me “his way”…I am still on that journey……I have also come to understand the wisdom contained in Catholic teaching….Think about this for a moment…For 2000 years Catholic teaching has withstood the test of time….A life built upon it is a life that not only bears fruit but one that will last for the long haul….But this is a grace to believe that…How does one receive such a grace?…..”Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you”……..I remember the day of my wedding - September 8th - The Feast Day of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary…Here I am 43 years old, I am not a rich man and I am about to get married…I was fully committed to living a Catholic life and that meant being open to life, which means not using contraception…..Let’s stop right here….People reading this right now are saying - You are crazy!……No - Remember what I just wrote….Believing and living as a Catholic is a grace….Allow me to continue….As I sat in the back of the Church…I thought to myself…How am I going to do this?….Fast forward, I now have five children…My wife and I lost three children due to mis-carriages…We live in a small house…I drive a 21 year old car…..But through it all….My family wants for nothing!…All my children go to Catholic school…They are happy and everything they need has been provided by God - Everything!…..Now if you were to “calculate” how this “makes sense”…You will not get your answer…But if you rely on God and his grace….It not only works out but it makes perfect sense!…Everything comes down to grace…We must ask for it…God is Our Father and like all good fathers, he loves us and will always provide…We must learn to “trust the process”….God did not write a book, he established a Church…We can not separate Jesus, the head from the Church, which is the body…To believe that once again is a grace…Ask for it - And it will be given to you!

“For the LORD hears the poor and his own who are in bonds he spurns not"

Today in the Gospel read at Mass, we hear how Judas gave up on Jesus…How he “thought” there was a better way…That the “method” that Jesus proposed would not work…..In many ways, we all are no different…God’s way is the only way but that way many times “does not make sense”….Its in those moments, when we grope in darkness, that we must believe all the more…….We do not have to have all the answers - But know this - God has the answers….Stay the course - Full Steam Ahead