Time and patience always wins the game….Play the long game….The “hare” always runs out of steam…The tortoise always wins!

Today at Holy Mass we hear in the first reading from the Acts of the Apostles about a great teacher, who was not a follower of Jesus but was full of wisdom…His name was Gamaliel…He said something to the men who were trying trying to destroy the Church…His words were ignored then and they are ignored now…However, not listening to what he said does not in any way take away from the accuracy of what he predicted……Gamaliel was Spot On!…..”A Pharisee in the Sanhedrin named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, respected by all the people, stood up, ordered the Apostles to be put outside for a short time, and said to the Sanhedrin, "Fellow children of Israel, be careful what you are about to do to these men. Some time ago, Theudas appeared, claiming to be someone important, and about four hundred men joined him, but he was killed, and all those who were loyal to him were disbanded and came to nothing. After him came Judas the Galilean at the time of the census. He also drew people after him, but he too perished and all who were loyal to him were scattered. 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”….Humanity cannot stop what God created…Its simply impossible!…This is why I never worry about the “politics” that go on within the Catholic Church….Under all the chaos that human beings create due to our fallen nature…The remnant remains and will always remain…..Jesus Christ founded one church and the “gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it”…..That does not mean the “netherworld” won’t try…and keep trying….That does not mean there won’t be setback and problems….But in the end, the “netherworld” will not prevail…Why?…Because God said so…So don’t worry!

“I believe that I shall see the bounty of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait for the LORD with courage; be stouthearted, and wait for the LORD.”

There is an old saying, “Man plans and God laughs”…..When we do not build upon God’s Truth, no matter what we build, it will fall in time…However, when we build upon God’s Truth, be it our marriage, a business, the raising of our children…Our work will not be in vain and it will bear fruit…..Life is a marathon and not a sprint and the tortoise always beats the hare even when the hare runs ahead…the hare eventually stumbles and the tortoise passes him by…..Play the long game and build your life upon God and his Truth found within the Catholic Church….Its a game you can not and will not lose - Two thousand years of history says so……As I write this reflection the Catholic world is waiting to see who will be the next Pope….All the “schemes” are being discussed…All the commentators are expressing their “two cents”….Who will be the next Pope?…..No matter who becomes the Pope…God’s hand will steer the Church…God even works when mankind “screws things up”….He somehow against all odds can use any “screw-up” we can come up with to steer the ship straight in the end…I write this now because many are concerned - Who will be the next Pope? - Do not worry!…..The same goes for our life when we ground it upon God’s Truth - Do not worry!…..God has a plan for our sanctification and everything works towards that end game….We must learn to trust God and trust the process….Jesus tells us very clearly in Holy Scripture…And if the reader of this reflection remembers one thing from what I just wrote today - Remember this…..”I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower. He takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit, and every one that does he prunes so that it bears more fruit. You are already pruned because of the word that I spoke to you. Remain in me, as I remain in you. Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing. Anyone who does not remain in me will be thrown out like a branch and wither; people will gather them and throw them into a fire and they will be burned”……Build your life upon the foundation of God…And it will remain, even when the “winds blow and the earth shakes”…It will remain - That is a promise!

“One does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God”

Today in the first reading from Mass we hear the words from a very wise man…He tells us that what God has created mankind can not destroy….Yet human beings ignore this unshakeable truth and keep trying it “their way”…..God who is a loving father understand this very clearly - He has seen it all!….And when we ignore him, he gives us the “opportunity” to “run out of steam” like a dog running in circles trying to catch his tale…In the end the dog gets tired and stops running…We too must stop running from God….God’s way works!….This is reality!….And to deny reality is simply a waste of time…..History both modern and ancient has proven what I just wrote to be absolutely accurate…The great English intellectual C.S. Lewis put it this way…”A man can no more diminish God's glory by refusing to worship Him than a lunatic can put out the sun by scribbling the word 'darkness' on the walls of his cell”…..Time and patience always wins the game….Play the long game….The “hare” always runs out of steam…The tortoise always wins!