"Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit”……Before “something new” is to begin, something old must die

Today we hear at Holy Mass in the first reading from the Acts of the Apostles about the conversion of St Paul…As we all know the story…Paul was a zealous Jew who was literally “knocked off his horse” and upon hearing the words of Christ radically changed his life….”The reply came, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. Now get up and go into the city and you will be told what you must do”…..This marked “a break” in the life of St Paul….Saul became Paul and something new began…Yesterday the world saw something similar…A man named Robert Prevost was elected Pope, who now will be called Pope Leo XIV….Holy Scripture tells us that when and if we enter heaven…God will give us a new name, a name only he knows…Why?…Something new has begun….If we are thinking logically then, contemplating this idea of a new beginning…One must then conclude that with each new beginning, something old must end…Something must “die”…..In order to live out our Catholic faith, we must in essence “die”…Not physically but the “old man” within us must die and something new must rise from the ashes of that death….Jesus tells us this very clearly in the Gospel of St John…”Amen, amen, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit”……Just a hint for all you aspiring biblical scholars out there reading this reflection…When Jesus begins a sentence with “Amen, Amen”…Pay attention!…He is telling us something very important here - So pay attention!…..We must strive to die to ourself in order for God to “rise up” within us…There is no way around this reality….All “new things” begin with the death of something old….So it is with us as well….As it was with Saul who became St Paul…And as it will be with Robert Prevost who is now Leo XIV

“Immediately things like scales fell from his eyes and he regained his sight. He got up and was baptized, and when he had eaten, he recovered his strength”

Recently I had a conversation with a very holy nun that I have known for many years…Sister asked me about my children….So I told her that everything was going well and that they are getting big…I also told her that my wife and I have very hectic lives and are always very busy…Sister said something interesting that I would like you to think about…She said…”The children will get you to heaven”…What does Sister mean by that?….By my wife and I giving of our self completely to each other and our children, we will in essence “die” to ourself…And in doing so, Jesus will "fill us" with his very life….The world does not view marriage and having many children in this way - But it needs too so desperately!….The married state at its core is a vocation…Its where we “die to self”…Making a total “gift of self” to others…And in doing so, Jesus creates “something new” out of us…We are in essence “born again” into a new creation…Now this does not happen over night but if we “trust the process” God will work within our marriage….And as Sister rightfully said….”The children will get you to heaven”…….”Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit”……Before “something new” is to begin, something old must die

“Now get up and go into the city and you will be told what you must do……The men who were traveling with him stood speechless”

Today at Mass we hear about how Saul became St Paul….Saul changed when he encountered Jesus on the road to Damascus….Some people think that St Paul’s conversion stopped there….Actually, that is where it began!…..Our conversion to Christ is on going…It rests in “dying to ourself” most times in doing “little things" and making "small choices” each and every day….And in so doing, we will be filled with the very life and breath of God…Our world rejects this mindset of “giving yourself away”…..A huge mistake!…This is exactly what needs to be embraced if we are to live out our Catholic faith - For us to be effective and impact the world around us…And God because he knows all things “gives to us” in our life the “vehicle” in which we are to “die to ourself”…The questions for today are: Do you recognize this "vehicle"?...Do you reject this “vehicle”?........Or..... Do you embrace it, knowing God is working in and through it…."Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit”……Before “something new” is to begin, something old must die