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!