The closer we grow to God, the more we can be used by God - That is how it works!…….Our greatness rests in our sanctification - Make it your priority - Its time to “get serious” and dare to be great…Our times call for it - That is why you were created

Today at Holy Mass we hear about Moses once again in the Book of Exodus….Moses was a man of prayer…That is how he became the man we read about today…How about us?….Do will pray?…And I am not talking about saying a few words right before you go to bed requesting “this or that”…I am talking about praying - Meditating on the word of God and allowing God to speak to your heart in silence - That is the kind of praying I am talking about….That kind of praying molds a person - It changes them!….But if you are really serious - And I hope that you are…Add fasting into the “mix”….Fasting sharpens our prayer…It is another “tool” in the tool box for Catholics to utilize….And fasting is not just for Lent or Advent….Today in the first reading we hear that Moses fasted for his people and as a result of his fasting, he was able to hear what God told him……And because of that we have the Ten Commandments to this day…..”So Moses stayed there with the LORD for forty days and forty nights, without eating any food or drinking any water, and he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the ten commandments”…...There are many things Our Lord said in Scripture that can easily be forgotten…One of them is how Jesus placed importance on prayer and fasting….Do you have an obstacle in your life that seems impossible to overcome?…..Fasting and Prayer is the answer!…..In order for us to receive grace, we first must make ourselves open to it…..When we become vulnerable, God’s grace sustains us in tangible ways….And when we experience how God “provides” for us when we “go without” - Our faith will grow…..And as our faith grows, so will our Trust in the words of Jesus and the Truths contained in the one Church he founded….That is how we learn to “step out of the boat”….Fast and Pray

“I am the light of the world, says the Lord; whoever follows me will have the light of life”

Every Wednesday and Friday, my wife and I fast…There was a time when I would read about or see with my own two eyes members of the clergy not doing what they were supposed to do - When this would happen I would literally get unhinged - I am Italian from New Jersey - Sadly, that is how we “roll” by nature - But I digress - Back to my story….I would rant and rail against them……So many on social media still do this, in fact, some make a living out of it with huge social media audiences…..But back to my story…..After a while I realized that my "ranting and railing" only made me crazy and accomplished nothing….Sometimes God allows you to “bang your head against the wall” for a time to wake you up…Seeing I was getting “crazy” over the actions of people I had not control over…I began to try a new approach…I now fast for the Universal Church every Wednesday…And as a result, miraculously, I was given peace…Even when I see a priest or bishop say something that frankly they should know not to say or not do something they should be doing - The fasting brought me peace - A tangible grace from God….I am also sure by me fasting on Wednesday, God can take my small sacrifice and use it to renew the Universal Church….Fasting is another one of the ancient practices that I believe Catholics today negligent to utilize…..Everything we need is right at our finger tips…Its simply a matter of reaching into the “tool box” and using what Jesus gave to us….Its all about what I call “First Principles”…Don’t over complicate your Catholic faith - Keep it simple and stick to First Principals…Fasting is an ancient practice used but the saints and the saints show us the way forward!

“Do you believe this?” She said to him, “Yes, Lord…….I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world”

Today in the first reading from Mass, we hear how Moses fasted for his people….If it worked for Moses, why would it not work for us?…..This particular point in history calls for all Catholics to “get serious”….God placed us all in this moment in history because he has something for us to do…But if we are to get that “something” done…We need to prepare and allow God to shape us…To sanctify us…This requires effort on our part…God can do GREAT things in and through us if we allow him to mold our life….Fasting is another “tool” we can use to open our soul up to life transforming grace….Like an athlete who trains his body…Catholics must “train” as well.....Living a Sacramental life…..Daily Prayer…And Weekly Fasting……The closer we grow to God, the more we can be used by God - That is how it works!…….Our greatness rests in our sanctification - Make it your priority - Its time to “get serious” and dare to be great…Our times call for it - That is why you were created