Is Love really Love? - You tell me - Or would you rather I lie to you?

Today at Holy Mass we hear in the Acts of the Apostles how St Paul is about to leave what is now modern day Turkey (Ephesus) and is headed for Jerusalem…St Paul is an amazing historic figure for a number of reasons….The one aspect of his personality I want to focus on today in this reflection was how he did not hesitate to tell the truth…Even if it meant he would be persecuted……”But now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem. What will happen to me there I do not know, except that in one city after another the Holy Spirit has been warning me that imprisonment and hardships await me”….This is a very rare quality in a person because all people have an innate desire to belong….And to boldly state the Truth is not always welcomed by the “crowd”….St Paul did not shrink from this task…Why bring this up?….This is what the Catholic Church (i.e. each of us) are also called to do…..How can our people know what the Church teaches if the Truth is not clearly and boldly proclaimed - From pulpits, in our schools and in our homes….If a person says they love me…Well, that implies they will tell me the Truth - Right?….If I watch a person drink poison, which in time will kill them…If I say I love them, don’t you think it’s my duty to tell them that what they are drinking is poison?….What prevents us from doing this?…..We all want to be “invited to the barbecue”…We go along to get along….We want to be included…All these qualities are very human…But as St Paul tells us…Catholics have been given a great responsibility, one in which the Lord will hold us accountable for…That is…..To know the Truth…To speak the Truth…To live the Truth….and……To suffer for the Truth (if required)…..No one likes to hear that…But that my friends is the Truth…St Paul today tells us this point blank….”And so I solemnly declare to you this day that I am not responsible for the blood of any of you, for I did not shrink from proclaiming to you the entire plan of God”……So it must be with us…And if that means we are not “invited to the barbecue” so be it……When you love someone you tell them the truth…”A false sense of compassion” is not love - In essence its cowardice……If I am drinking poison, do me a favor - Please tell me its poison!……The Catholic Church must be bold and clear

“A bountiful rain you showered down, O God, upon your inheritance; you restored the land when it languished; Your flock settled in it; in your goodness, O God, you provided it for the needy”

Looking back at your life…Can you remember a person of authority, who told you something you did not want to hear, but what they said in time not only came to pass but was proved to be 100 percent accurate?….I think we all can recall such a person, be it our father, a wise teacher, a police officer or a priest…..Our world today dismisses what the Catholic Church says and teaches…..However, if we were to look deeper into the reasons behind what the Church teaches and also look at the historical outcomes of governments and people who ignored what the Church has taught for centuries, we just might be surprised at what we discover…….Allow me to tell a quick story…..A friend of mine was about to get married in the Catholic Church….He was having sex with his soon to be wife and both of them were not living as Catholics on many fronts (not just in the bedroom)…They went to a priest and requested to be married in the Catholic Church…The priest told them that because they were not living as Catholics and based upon their lifestyle, they clearly did not believe what the Church teaches and because of that he could not marry them……Some who are reading this may be scandalized!…But my story is not finished…..So my friend and his soon to be wife got married anyway…They found a priest who chose to ignore what they were doing and they were married…Fast forward seven years…Everything the first priest told my friend not only proved to be true…….But my friend was now in the middle of a messy divorce….And here is the irony of my story…..Because my friend’s first marriage was not Sacramental, which means a married couple did not intended to live up to their vows….And for all those “Catholic-haters” out there…Annulments are not bought and sold, nor is the process an easy one…However, when a couple never intended (or were not fully aware) of what the Church CLEARLY teaches as to what a Catholic marriage is intended to be…Then after a period of thorough investigation, an annulment can be granted…Back to my friend and the story…The first priest who told him that he was not ready to get married - My friend asked this same priest to give a documented witness for his annulment process, which he did…..What is the moral of my story?…..Everything the Church said proved to be true - And everything my friend ignored, came back to bite him….Here is the good news…My friend is now a devout Catholic…He learned something as a result of this “wrong turn” in his life…Why bring this up?…..This is just one simple real time example of why the Church and regular everyday Catholics must know and speak the Truth….Consequences in life can be very real......The Catholic Church must be bold and clear…..This many not “win” you over some but one thing is for sure….A true friend tells a person who they love the truth - Why? - Because they love them!….And if we claim to love others, that means we want what is best for them…..As parents who love their children, we know from experience there are certain choices that have very predictable outcomes…So it is with Objective Truth…The Truth does not change because “we” don’t care to hear it...And real love does not “shy away” from speaking the Truth

"I will ask the Father and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always"

Today in the Gospel from Mass, Jesus echoes what St Paul spoke about in the first read….“I revealed your name to those whom you gave me out of the world. They belonged to you, and you gave them to me……..because the words you gave to me I have given to them”……A grave responsibility has been given to the Catholic Church…Just as God will hold ME responsible for how I form my children, which by the way was part of my marriage vows…God will also hold those in the Catholic Church responsible for how they “passed on” the deposit of faith, which can not and does not change!….Remember these words…….”Those who have been given much - MUCH will be expected….How blessed we are to have been born Catholic…However, because our faith was a gift, God will expect a “dividend” back from his “investment” in us….St Paul also tells us in scripture…..Love is kind…Love is patient……It does not envy…..It does not boast……It is not proud….We all know the rest…Not speaking about what many today claim to be the “Inconvenient Truth” and calling this love was not apart of St Paul’s famous proclamation….Is Love really Love? - You tell me - Or would you rather I lie to you?