"And I tell you, ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you”….When these words come from a witness, only than will they be heard - And not before - Be that witness!

Today at Holy Mass he hear the words of Christ told to us from St Luke……….."And I tell you, ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened…….What keeps us from asking?…….Do we doubt that there is a God who cares for us?…..Do we resist changing? - And if so why?…………At the root of the problem - People think God “takes” from us as opposed to giving to us….We believe somehow, if we follow the will of God, we will be “missing out” in this life…..Nothing could be further from the truth but words will NEVER convince people of what I just wrote…This is why our world needs Catholic witnesses…Have you ever seen such a person?…Now I am not talking about a perfect person because there is no such thing - But a person or a family that authentically lives what the Church teaches - Have you ever seen such a sight for yourself?…..Maybe that was the family you came from….Your neighbors growing up…This is what our world needs to see today because our people have “lost sight” of their identity…..We no longer know who we are anymore and we drift from “thing to thing”…..For people with eyes to see, this is a disturbing sight to behold but sadly “ranting” about it will not solve the problem…..WE must be transformed first!……..WE must make it our number one priority to become “that witness” to a weary and wounded world…All our frustration at what we see must be channeled into living a Sacramental life, fasting weekly for the Church and the world and developing a solid daily prayer life….In doing this, we WILL be transformed and we WILL be that witness…And then the world around us will second guess choices made…They will feel a sense that “something is off”….”Something” has been lost and MUST be found again….Then and only then will our impact as practicing Catholics be felt….And when that happens - Our people will begin once again to feel the need deep within their bones to ”Knock” and guess what will happen next? - “The door will be opened to YOU”

“You were buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead”

“Accompaniment” - This word gets thrown around in Catholic circles a lot these days - But what does it truly mean? - How do we do it properly?….To “accompany” someone as they walk closer to God means we (the person who is doing the accompanying”) has “something” the person walking beside them does not…Let me stop right there - Is this what is happening?…..Holiness can not be self manufactured, which means giving an authentic Catholic witness means we have to strive each day to empty ourself and allow the Holy Spirit to enter into our very life - Is that what we are doing?…..The Holy Spirit enters us through the Sacraments, fasting and daily prayer - Is this what we are doing?…..Then our friendship with others will bear fruit in time….Because your witness, if it is consistent will permit the Holy Spirit to “work” on those around you….We can not give what we do not have - Let me write that again - We can not give what we do not have!…..Posting Catholic memes on social media is not going to “cut the mustard”….The world needs to see for itself Christ in YOU!…And that only happens if we allow God to transform us….I am going to share with you a secret - The witness of an authentic holy person is attractive…How do I know this? - Because I have encountered people like this and this is what inspired me to “chase after” such a life….When we have that “something” - Then and only then can we “accompany” others….Today Jesus tells his friends - “Knock and the door will be opened to you” - Ask yourself this question - Why did the first disciples believe Jesus when he said that? - I will tell you why - Because they SAW with their own two eyes “something different” about Jesus…..What about you? - Are you striving everyday for “that something”?….Our world needs witnesses, not another lecture

“Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples."

Today at Mass we hear Jesus telling his friends as he tells us - “All we have to do is ask and God will respond”…..From the mouth of Jesus Christ, people were attentive to those words - They believed him….How about from our mouth?….Are we believable?……Does our life reflect the life of Christ?…..Jesus was an effective teacher because he “walked the walk”….The saints too were effective - Why? - Because they learned from Jesus and they also “walked the walk”……How about us?….If we want to help others - If we want to “change” what we see around us - We must become that “change” first - And that only happens when allow sanctifying grace to enter our life…”For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened”……How people respond to this claim has everything to do with who says it…….What does your life’s witness “preach” to the world? - We will be remembered not for what we say - But by what we do….."And I tell you, ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you”….When these words come from a witness, only than will they be heard - And not before - Be that witness!