Grace is the “missing link”…It completes us…Without it we are lost….The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak

Today at Holy Mass St Matthew in his Gospel warns the people of God….”Brother will hand over brother to death, and the father his child; children will rise up against parents and have them put to death. You will be hated by all because of my name, but whoever endures to the end will be saved”…..If we are honest and we look in a sober and objective manner at history, we will find that just about every mass slaughter of human beings was more times than not “legal” in the eyes of the state and deemed “justified” by the masses whether by direct consent or indifference…Its very easy to look back in hindsight and criticize the perpetrators of these historic crimes after the fact….But again, if we are honest…These same crimes are taking place RIGHT NOW in many parts of the world…And NO ONE cares…..How about in America?…..Do you think God’s eyes are closed to the millions upon millions of babies in the womb that have been and are currently slaughtered…..And once again….NO ONE cares…..St Matthew tells us something in his Gospel today that we should all take to heart…..”Amen, I say to you, you will not finish the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes”…That “one day” when the Son of Man returns, could even be today - What do I know - Its going to happen!.......Jesus Christ will return - Take that one to the bank!…..Do you ever think about that?…..Mankind seems to “think” that somehow we will be able to “justify” our behavior to God and He will just be like.....…..”Oh-well” - “Its all-good”….......When we pray the Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary, the first decade to meditate upon is the Resurrection of Christ……Jesus Christ is the ONLY human being to rise from the dead…And He told us….Point Blank - “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age”….”The Man” is coming back!……Are we ready?

"Behold, I am sending you like sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and simple as doves”

No one said being a follower of Christ would be easy…..It never was and it never will be….St Matthew emphasizes today in the Gospel that…”Whoever endures to the end will be saved”…..Take a good look around……We are currently living in a Post-Christian Society…..So many have “given up” on the teachings of Christ and live according to the standards of our current age…So the question today is - How do we endure?…..And the answer - Through grace…..Everyone in life has limits…I do not care how “tough” you think you are…..I do not care how “smart” you think you are….Every single human being has their limits - We can ALL be broken!…And for those of us who have “been around” for some time…We know that life is hard…..So again - How do we endure?…And again, the answer - Grace!…..This is the mistake of those who abandon the Catholic Church - Why is that a mistake?…Because we ALL need the grace of the Sacraments!!!…We need that grace in our marriages…We need that grace to live as God calls us to live day to day…We need that grace to endure life’s trials…And we need that grace to persevere in the faith…..Just as God “plays the long game”…So does the devil…He waits patiently for us to take our faith for granted…And then slowing the door opens more and more…And before you know it - We start “doing things” we should not be doing....…And slowing we “drift away” from the Lord…..This is why we need to stay vigilant…This is why we need to fast and pray…This is why we need to go to Monthly Confession with a Priest…This is why we need to receive the Blessed Sacrament…Again - Why?…Because we need GRACE!…..In the Catechism of the Catholic Church, grace is defined as a “participation in the life of God, a free and undeserved gift that enables individuals to respond to God's call and become children of God, sharing in the divine nature and eternal life. It's a supernatural gift that transforms and elevates human nature, allowing one to participate in God's own life and work towards sanctification”……..Notice the words…Grace “elevates human nature”……That is how my friends we endure to the end…That is how we persevere…..The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak…..That is why Jesus gave us a Church…..That is why Jesus gave us his Mother……..And that is how we access GRACE.....Not to utilize these “tools” to receive that grace is not a wise decision to make - The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak

“But beware of men, for they will hand you over to courts and scourge you in their synagogues, and you will be led before governors and kings for my sake as a witness before them and the pagans”

We are reminded today at Mass that Jesus did not say following him would be easy….However, if we use the “tools” which are available to us, not only will we be able to do EVERYTHING Christ asked of us as Catholics…But we too will “conquer the world”…To think that somehow we can follow Christ resting solely upon our own natural gifts and strengthen is simply a fools errand……Jesus Christ one day is going to return…He tells us so himself…He also said this….”I tell you, he will see to it that justice is done for them speedily. But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”……Grace is the “missing link”…It completes us…Without it we are lost….The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak