Time to “put down the glass and reach for the jug”…..No risk - No reward…..Remember that

Today at Holy Mass in the first reading we hear from the Book of Genesis how God told Abram (Soon to be called Abraham - Father of a Nation) to leave his land and go to a strange place and start over….At the time Abram was 75 years old and had no children…Can you imagine?…..Starting over completely at 75 years old!?!…..”Abram went as the LORD directed him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he left Haran”…….Abraham’s willingness to trust God radically is simply amazing!….How many people would pack up everything with no plan at 75 years old?….The answer - Not many….”The LORD said to Abram: "Go forth from the land of your kinsfolk and from your father's house to a land that I will show you”…..Sometimes when we pray in silence, when we expose our soul to God and allow his grace to encounter us through the Sacraments, what we hear may sound illogical to secular minds…..Remember - God’s ways are not our ways…What holds back? - In one word - FEAR - We are afraid…This is something ALL of us must overcome…..God will NEVER let YOU down!!!…..Many of the paths we are ALL called to walk in this life many not make sense as we walk them but if we have faith and trust in the one who called us, we can guarantee our efforts will not be in vain….So in our Scripture passage today from Mass - God calls a 75 year old man to be “The Father of a Nation” - And Abraham responds to the call - How about you? - What is God calling you to do?…Don’t think for a second God does not have something for you to do…Does that “something” scare you?….Does it “fit in” with your current plans?…………”After he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch.” Simon said in reply, “Master, we have worked hard all night and have caught nothing, but at your command I will lower the nets.” When they had done this, they caught a great number of fish and their nets were tearing. They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come to help them. They came and filled both boats so that they were in danger of sinking. When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at the knees of Jesus and said, “Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.” For astonishment at the catch of fish they had made seized him and all those with him, and likewise James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners of Simon. Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men”…….No risk - No reward…..Remember that

“The word of God is living and effective, able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart”

Many people have a false impression of men and women who have entered religious life…When you take the time to get to know some of these people, you will be shocked at who they once were before they became nuns or priests and why or how God called them - But God calls who he calls and I got news for you - He calls us ALL in one way or another - Its then up to us to respond….I will share with you one such story……A young French girl came from a very wealthy family…She was the only child and had a very strong calling to become a nun…She wanted to enter Mother Teresa’s religious order…..So at the age of sixteen, she tells her parents…..”In two years I am going to leave you - You should adopt other children”….Now being a parent myself, if a sixteen year old tells me something like that I would take it with a grain of salt…But this young girl was dead serious and she did exactly what she said…At eighteen, she left her home to become a nun…..How can someone so young know so clearly that God wants her to leave a very comfortable life?…To leave her family!….And to live an austere life serving the poor in far away countries?…….How? - Because God is VERY real - That is how….And God has “something” for each of us to do….Do we make time in silence to hear his voice?…..Do we live in “constant noise”, which distracts us?…..I personally believe when we stand before God, our enter life will be brought in front of our eyes - All the good we did and all the bad…But I also believe God will show us what we COULD have done….If only we trusted him……I can only speak for myself - When that moment comes for me - I want God to say these words to me……‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities. Come, share your master’s joy”……Fear comes from the devil…NEVER be afraid to follow where God calls you to walk - He will provide all the grace YOU need to get the job done!…Don’t believe me?…..Ask a 75 year old fatherless man named Abraham….."I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you. All the communities of the earth shall find blessing in you”…….Don’t settle! - You were not made for comfort - You were made for GREATNESS - Embrace what is YOURS!

“Blessed the nation whose God is the LORD, the people he has chosen for his own inheritance”

Today we hear the story of Abraham at Mass recorded in the Book of Genesis…….We are reminded once again of how God uses regular people to accomplish extraordinary things….So the question we must ask ourself is - What is God calling YOU to do?……And are we afraid to do it?….What is holding YOU back?…..If we study history, you will find those who were the true innovators, the ones who forged new paths…Never listened to the “status quo”…They “heard another voice” within themselves and they pursued that “voice” relentlessly…This is how we must approach our Catholic faith…..Jesus is “that voice” and he tells us point blank…If we “adhere to the vine” our lives will produce “lasting fruit”……Time to “put down the glass and reach for the jug”…..No risk - No reward…..Remember that