”I am the gate……A thief comes only to steal and slaughter and destroy; I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly”

Today at Holy Mass we hear from the Gospel of St John….Jesus says a lot here to ponder…So let’s begin…."When the Advocate comes whom I will send you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, he will testify to me”……Jesus VERY CLEARLY is drawing a parallel between the TRUTH and himself…We can not separate the Truth and Christ…They are one and the same…Many would agree with that statement - But I am going to tell you what people do often “think” - Whether they say it out loud or not…They try to separate Christ from the one Church he founded…That is also impossible!…Jesus is the head the Catholic Church is the body…The two cannot be separated…..We hear it all the time….”I follow Jesus, I don’t need to be apart of the Catholic Church”….Big mistake! - Why you may ask?…Because we are ALL flawed and we ALL need the Sacraments, which in effect serves as the “medicine” for the world…If you tell me you have cancer and are just going to take some “vitamins and herbs” to treat your cancer - I am going to tell you point blank you are making a BIG mistake!….Without the grace of the Sacraments we are not “plugged” into the life of Christ and due to human weakness - This "model" of living leaves a person VERY vulnerable to sin….The Sacraments strengthen our will and gives us “clear vision” in a world that is confused and wounded……..What else does Jesus tell us today in the Gospel?….."I have told you this so that you may not fall away. They will expel you from the synagogues; in fact, the hour is coming when everyone who kills you will think he is offering worship to God”……Let’s break that statement down…….Just because you are “sincere” does not mean you are right…….Many of the most horrific crimes committed in history were perpetrated by sincere people - Convinced they were RIGHT while they murdered and destroyed the lives of millions…..My response to anyone who says to me…”But Joe - You seem convinced in your world view?.......My response to such a statement is the following…..”My confidence does not rest in me - In fact I have NO confidence in my own ability to be “good” - ZERO! - My confidence rests in Christ alone. I am FULLY aware of who I am and what I am capable of as a fallen and sinful man…ALL my confidence is in Christ, the only man who rose from the dead….And that one man gave us one Church, which provides us with the “medicine” to defeat our fallen nature, which is sin. That “medicine” comes in the form of the Sacraments”….Those who have ears, let them hear!

“The Spirit of truth will testify to me, says the Lord, and you also will testify”

If you are going to take a plane to Chicago and at the airport you need to enter the plane at Gate 43…But when you get to gate 43 there is an A and B door - Door A goes to Chicago and Door B goes to Cleveland…If you mistakenly board the plane through Door B and you sincerely believe you are going to Chicago - That does not change the fact you are headed to Cleveland!…..When the pilot of the plane announces you will soon be landing in Cleveland, it does not matter how sincere you were when you walked through Door B…You are not landing in Chicago!…You will soon be in Cleveland!…..Why tell this little story?…There are many sincere people out there….They believe “this and that”….How do we know that we have grounded our life upon what is correct?…..To begin….Do we spend time in silence?….Silence is the language of God - If we spend time in silence, we will hear his voice…….And for those baptized Catholics out there - When was the last time you went to a Sacramental Confession? - Which purifies your soul and in turn clears your mind - Giving you "eyes to see"……Jesus Christ is the Truth - He said so himself…And the one Church he established is not something we “keep on the side” when we need it…Its the hospital for poor sinners - I being at the front of that line!…To think you do not need the Sacraments is a fools errand - Sorry, I am going to tell it like it is!…….So what does Jesus tell us about that…”Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him”….It does not get any clearer then that……When we die, we will not stand before “a god”, which we have “constructed” based upon our own “likes and dislikes”…We will stand before the one and only God…..No matter how “sincere” we may be…We can not change who God is…Its time to take a good and hard look….What will that take?…..I can’t answer that for you…I can only say this…Time does run out!

“I have told you this so that when their hour comes you may remember that I told you."

Today Jesus in the Gospel makes a strong statement - “The Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, he will testify to me”…Our world today has “convinced” itself that there are many versions of the truth…You can have a “truth” and I can have my “truth”…And both are “good” and both are “equal”….Jesus in the Gospel says otherwise….The Truth is like math….There is a distinct answer to a math problem - 2+2 is ALWAYS 4 - Its not 5…..Jesus is not a “custom”….Nor is the Church he founded….Jesus founded a Church because its the means of salvation for the world - Its where we are Baptized…Its where we are forgiven our sins when we fall…Its where we are fortified by the Blessed Sacrament, which is “food for the journey” back to God the Father….Our sincerity does not change reality - There is “one boat off the island”….And time does run out……”I am the gate……A thief comes only to steal and slaughter and destroy; I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly”