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