We are told that God is the potter and we are the clay….Is the God we worship self created?…..We need to let God be God - He “gets it” - He also “gets you”

Today at Holy Mass we are told in the Gospel of St Luke about how Jesus was invited to a dinner at the home of one of the scholars of the law….Luke tells us….”And the people there were observing him carefully”…When I read this line, I thought to myself…Where these people interested in what Jesus had to say or where they just looking for a reason to “cut him down”?…….Where they open to the Truth or were they so “dug in” to their own ideologies that they needed to justify themselves by finding fault in a man who had no faults……If you think as I do that was the case…Do we do the same thing?…..Are we looking for faults in Bishops, Priests and Lay Catholics to justify not going to Church?….To not practice our faith?……The Catholic Church like everything else is full of both saints and sinners….There is no such thing as a “perfect parish” or a perfect Catholic…I will say this….While each of us are flawed, the Church itself and what it teaches is flawless…..And because the Church is the very thing that gives us Sacramental grace…With each passing year, we too grow closer and closer to Christ……A very wise priest once told me…..People who oppose the Catholic Church have “many issues” they claim keep with from going to Mass…But here is the interesting part…This holy priest then said…All the “issues” communicated are not the reason why fall away Catholics do not attend Mass…Under all those “issues” usually is one big issue…And its personal…..An unresolved hurt or sin that needs to be attended too………No one can help us if we are unwilling to help ourself…..The Catholic Church is not a museum for saints…Its an hospital for sinners….And Sacramental grace is the “divine medicine” for the world…..Jesus tells us point blank……“Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink”…….We are healed through the Sacrament of Reconciliation and we are “fed” by the Blessed Sacrament….This is why Jesus founded a Church…….Reality does not change because we do not want to accept it.

“God gives a home to the forsaken; he leads forth prisoners to prosperity”

The human mind can convince itself of many things…Think about some of the most horrible crimes ever committed by man…Many of those atrocities committed where not only legal and established by written laws but human being “convinced themselves” that what they were doing was right…..Catholic teaching tells us and frankly you do not have to look far to see what the Church states is true….That sin “dulls the intellect”…..Don’t believe me?….Listen to the news........When we live a Sacramental life we “see” the world with the help of grace…This informs our decisions and leads to better outcomes in life……..Years ago a friend of mine who left the Catholic Church and attended a non-denomination Church invited me to a Bible Study….I accept his invitation not to leave the Catholic Church but to educate many people who have “issues with the Catholic Church”….What I found is, people have many misconceptions about what the Catholic Church actually teaches…And I was going to address this at this Bible Study…..I will share with you one of my experiences there…There was this man named Bill who believed as many Protestants believe that we are “Once saved - Always Saved”…I told Bill that is not what was taught by Jesus himself nor is that written in the Bible…Remember - Protestants believe “Everything written in the Bible” - Right?…So I said to Bill, next week I will come to this Bible Study with verses from the very Bible "in your hand" that refute this notion of “Once saved - Always Saved”…So that is what I did…I came back the next week with a single sheet of page and written on it, front to back, were verses from the Bible that refute this false notion of “Once saved - Always Saved”…And when I put the sheet of paper in front of Bill…He pushed it aside and would not read it…I told him, “Bill - What is on this page comes from the very Bible that is in your hand”…And he still would not read it…..Why tell this story…..Are we honest with ourself?…..Is our “issue” not with the Catholic Church but with something much deeper within ourself?….Today in the Gospel from Mass Jesus is invited to the home of a scholar of the law and St Luke tells us…”And the people there were observing him “carefully”…Maybe instead of “watching” Jesus, looking for inconsistencies and faults, the people would be better served to listen to him with an open and objective heart…..What do you think?

“Take my yoke upon you, says the Lord, and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart”

Today we are told in St Luke Gospel about how some of the leading members of society, who heard about the wisdom and miracles of Christ wanted to “see for themselves” what he had to say over dinner….Instead of listening with an open heart…They were critical of him, wanting to find fault in what he said to justify their lifestyle……We as Catholic must always be aware of this temptation…..Its very easy to do the same thing…..A “teachable spirit” allows God to form and mold us into who we were born to be…And that process is not always easy…But it is necessary…..We are told that God is the potter and we are the clay….Is the God we worship self created?…..We need to let God be God - He “gets it” - He also “gets you”….JMJ

This is how the “deaf” hear and the “blind” will see…And this is how we arrive at our “final destination”…..By the way - What I just wrote is on the “final exam”

Today at Holy Mass in the Gospel of St Matthew, Jesus tells us a story about three men who were given talents….."A man going on a journey called in his servants and entrusted his possessions to them. To one he gave five talents; to another, two; to a third, one - to each according to his ability”……It is so easy to lose prospective regarding just how blessed we are in relation to the rest of the world living here in America…..With that said - Do we realize that one phone call from a doctor about our health can change our entire life?…...One natural disaster can change our life in a heart beat?…..One unforeseen family tragedy can change our life for ever!…..What should this reality tell us if we ponder it?……We have no control - None! - And everything we have is a gift from God - Everything and Every moment!….Now, back to our story today from the Gospel…St Matthew tells us that the three men who were given talents by the King were expected to use them…..Were they to use them just to benefit themselves?…..Or…… Were they to acknowledge the gift from the King and take responsibility to steward their talents to build the Kingdom of God? - Some many say after reading this - Why should I do that?….."I worked hard for everything I have - Its mine!".....Well, that is true - However, what if that "talent" you have is taken away just as easily as it was given to you - In a heart beat!?…..Should we not acknowledge reality? - Because it is reality - Everything we have is a gift……How easy it is to hear the words of Christ and not take him at his word…..Mother Teresa would always say….....”I take Jesus at his word”….Don’t you think that is a good idea?…..The man rose from the dead! - That is pretty impressive - Right?…….Take Jesus at his word…………”For to everyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich; but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away”

“I give you a new commandment: love one another as I have loved you”

Gratitude! - This cannot be learned by reading a book….We must experience life and it is through those experiences, both good and bad that we are formed as Children of God………….God teaches us through life’s experiences, I think most people would agree with that statement…However, just like the parable told to us in the Bible today at Mass, once we are “gifted” with something taught to us by God - God does expect us to put that knowledge to work…..And if we choose not to - There are consequences - Am I off base here?……………My parents went to Mass every Sunday but I would not classify them as “Holy-Rollers”….....However, I watched with my own two eyes how both my mother and father made deep sacrifices for me and my brother…..They did not have to say a word, their example said it all…....Why bring this up?…....Because example is everything and to give a solid Catholic witness, one must rely on God’s grace to give such an example…....Due to our fallen nature, human beings tend to gravitate towards being selfish….That is everyone, it comes natural to all of humanity - Bar-none!…This is why we need God’s grace - And in order to receive it, we must avail ourselves to it…………Grace opens our eyes to reality, it strengthens our will and it also enables us to do what we could not do without it - If you take one thing from this reflection - Take that statement to the bank!…….When the world witnesses the “gift of self” by the Catholic faithful, even the hardest of hearts are impacted….If we take our faith seriously and many reading this reflection today do - Then we must strive to give our self away - First in our family and then to the world!…It is in the “gift of self” that we not only become Christ-like, but we transform the world around us………Conversely, we can be “the smartest person in the room”…....Say “all the right things”….....Write books……And if the world does not witness the “gift of self” from us, everything we do, to a larger degree will have very little impact…..Jesus gave us the example…That is why God permitted him to die the way he did on the Cross…....Christ poured out every ounce of blood he had for mankind…..This was to teach us - Go and do likewise!……This is how we “wake up” the world - The only way by the way! - And only by the example of giving ourself away will Catholics transform the world

“His master said to him, '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”

Today once again Jesus in the Gospel of St Matthew teaches us about what it means to use our talents to build the Kingdom of God on earth…..This is on the “final exam” - So it is in our own interest to pay attention to the message - Don’t you think?……….When we read the Gospels, Jesus tells us many things - We should step back and ask ourselves - Do we take what this man says literally?……Because here is “the deal”….If you believe that Jesus Christ is God and rose from the dead - Then one has to believe EVERYTHING else the man said - Again, step back for a moment and think about what I just wrote - And if we believe what Jesus said, that implies we have something to do - We have a “task at hand” - That we must cooperate with God’s grace and that cooperation enables us to be sanctified - And that is how we arrive at our “final destination” - Right? - I like to think I am being very linear and logical here - Don’t you agree?……......….”For to everyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich; but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away”…….The most powerful statement the world has ever processed or for that matter “sees” and “hears” is the witness of “the total gift of self”….This is how the “deaf” hear and the “blind” will see…And this is how we arrive at our “final destination”…..By the way - What I just wrote is on the “final exam”……….JMJ

To speak the Truth is the greatest revolutionary act one can commit - Its time to make a commitment - “They will fight against you, but not prevail over you, for I am with you to deliver you, says the LORD”

Today at Holy Mass we hear in the first reading from the Prophet Jeremiah…..Prophets are merely men who speak the Truth…By our Baptism, each Catholic is called to be a prophet both in word and deed…..”The word of the LORD came to me thus: Gird your loins; stand up and tell them all that I command you”……To speak the Truth is a revolutionary act…And we need more clear voices in our world to speak as well as do what Jeremiah asked of his people....…”To stand up”…….Interestingly enough, we are told by the prophet in order to do this we must “gird our loins”…What does that mean?…..I will put it in “New Jersey terms” - “Buckle up - Your in for a rough ride”…..The world does not want to hear it - It did not want to hear it at the time of Christ and to this day nothing has changed…..Jeremiah understood that and because he did, he tells us….”Be not crushed on their account, as though I would leave you crushed before them; For it is I this day who have made you a fortified city, A pillar of iron, a wall of brass, against the whole land: Against Judah's kings and princes, against its priests and people. They will fight against you, but not prevail over you, for I am with you to deliver you, says the LORD”…....So here is today's question….Do we believe that?….What are we afraid of?……In order to speak the Truth, first off, we must know it….That requires us to objectively read both history, as well as the teachings of the Catholic Church…..The Truth is like math - It does not change - We are the ones that must change…..Second - Once we know the Truth, in order to live it and speak it we need grace…..To be such a person who lives and speaks against the secular world will bring with it hardship….And only grace can sustains us….As Jeremiah told us today in the first reading from Mass……”For it is I this day who have made you a fortified city, A pillar of iron, a wall of brass, against the whole land”…....One man who possesses the Truth and is grounded in grace can stand up against the entire world…..The Truth is like a lion, all you have to do is let it go - It will defend itself…Our world today needs men, particularly Catholic men who boldly speak the Truth, without compromise…To speak the Truth in all its fullness…..So many today in our world have built their life upon the “shifting sands” of this secular age only to watch their lives and the lives of their loved ones crumble in time….How can the world thrive if men do not know how to live anymore?…….Are we willing to “pay the price” for living and speaking the Truth? - This is where the rubber meets the road - This is what it means to be Catholic…..This is what Jesus did…And this is what we are called to do as well…Don’t think for a moment somehow we are exempt……It all comes down to this question - Where is your Kingdom? - Here on earth or in heaven?…..God did not create us to be comfortable - He created us for himself…So - “Gird your loins; stand up and tell them all that I command you”

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven”

Life is all about choices…We make them everyday and its by our choices that we will be defined and remembered……When Christ went into the desert to fast, the devil confronted Jesus and tempted him three times…He offered Jesus the entire world - Think about that for a moment!!!…..How would you respond to such a request?…..I go to daily Mass in New York City everyday near my office building…There is a gentleman, whom I work with who over the years I became friends with and also goes to daily Mass…Michael is a Senior Director of Finance…He is divorced and has five kids…He told me the other day he is getting remarried and his second wife is not Catholic, so he has to “figure out” how to make this work…..First off - Are you in the state of grace to be receiving the Blessed Sacrament at this point - I am not judging him but let’s be real - Being divorced with five children and going to Mass and receiving the Eucharist with a girlfriend sounds pretty “fishy” - Right?….Back to my story…I told Michael I know a good priest in New York who is a moral theologian, who studied in Rome - Trying to “give him the hint”…When I mentioned this priests name, Michael said he knew him and “can’t stand that guy” - “He is too rigid”…Let me stop right there - This is not what we are told today at Mass, which commemorates the Passion of John the Baptist who died for speaking the Truth - Telling King Herod he can’t marry his brother’s wife…..Clearly, my friend Michael is living a delusion - Is he listening to what is read at Mass each day?…..Why bring this story up?… Michael like many in America is “culturally” Catholic, his life does not comport with the teachings of Christ nor does it comport with the teachings of the Church….Now I can hear it from the many who are reading this reflection right now - You are judging him - No I am not…I am stating the obvious……When we live in this manner, not only are we fooling ourself but we are not benefiting from the grace of the Sacrament which we are unworthily receiving…..Cultural Catholicism needs to end!……There was nothing “cultural” about the life of John the Baptist…We do not determine Truth - We must embrace it as it is….To think we are following Christ on “our terms” is a delusion….And such a path leads to destruction…..Are we willing to pay the price as Catholics in the world today?……To think we can “have our cake and eat it too” is a delusion - Straight up!…….I am not picking on Michael, I am still his friend and will continue to be his friend…Yesterday after Mass I was on the line for Confession in the back of the Church…Michael and I usually walk back to our office building together and this practice will most certainly continue…But yesterday was an exception, as he was leaving the Church, he waved to me as I was waiting on the line to confess my sins………Cultural Catholicism needs to end!….And the only way it will end is with these words - “Bless me Father for I have sinned”

“For you are my hope, O LORD; my trust, O God, from my youth. On you I depend from birth; from my mother's womb you are my strength”

Today the Universal Church commemorates the death of John the Baptist…John was a “voice crying out in the wilderness”…..Our world today needs such voices….However, to be such a person requires grace….To think we can do this on our own is a self delusion…..God in his goodness gives us what we need…He gives this to us when we avail ourselves to His grace….Through daily prayer, fasting and the Sacraments …..Our Church today needs prophetic voices - What stops that from happening?…….Once again, the words of the Prophet Jeremiah echo through the ages….”Gird your loins; stand up and tell them all that I command you”…..To speak the Truth is the greatest revolutionary act one can commit - Its time to make a commitment - “They will fight against you, but not prevail over you, for I am with you to deliver you, says the LORD”…….JMJ

Don’t give up on people or the world - Fast and Pray

Today at Holy Mass the Universal Church commemorates the Feast day of St Augustine, who was a Bishop and is a Doctor of the Church…All saints are special and unique, they show us that human beings can overcome their very self, allowing God to transform them into his very hands and feet to serve mankind…St Augustine was a brilliant man….and like many who have been given gifts that the world values, Augustine went astray…He lived a very worldly life - Made money and even fathered a child out of wedlock…..But as time went on, his restless heart continued to remain unsatisfied….Augustine had everything a person could want, but felt empty…Through the prayers of his mother (St Monica) and the brilliance of another saint (St Ambrose)….Augustine “figured out” what was missing in his life…Pope Francis wrote this about Augustine….”It was restlessness in his heart, which brought him to understand that the remote God he was seeking was the God who is close to every human being, the God close to our heart who is more inward than even our innermost self”……While most people today (this includes me) are not as intellectually gifted as St Augustine was….We are all looking for rest for our restless heart….This desire cuts across all of mankind…Mankind is search for “that something” in all the wrong places….All of these searches are de-facto searches for God….Nothing can truly satisfy the human heart until it rests in its maker…We were all made by God and until we rest in him, we will have no peace….What gets in the way of that peace?…Many times it’s our pride……How do we overcome our pride?….That is for each of us to answer…..But if the brilliant Augustine, who was also a great sinner and achieved great accomplishments in the world could overcome his pride - So can we

“Night and day we pray beyond measure to see you in person and to remedy the deficiencies of your faith”

Yesterday I spoke to a friend who is struggling with depression….This gentleman had a tough life, he came from a broken home and as a result he was always angry, lashing out on the world…Like St Augustine, my friend was given a strong mind but because of his “issues” he has always had trouble with people and at work….Fast forward into his fifties and nothing has changed…I spoke with him yesterday on the phone and as he told me his troubles and his struggles with depression, I thought to myself…If only he would reach a hand to God…If only!…I even suggested going to Eucharistic Adoration…I told him its a great source of peace….And its not an overtly confrontational encounter with the Catholic Church….He listened to me respectfully but I could tell he had no interest….To watch a friend suffer is difficult….When the answers to our problems can be addressed in many cases so easily….What can make people “see” through “the fog” of their own pain, bad decisions and depression?…..When words fail, all we can do is pray and fast for our friends, family and the world…This is what St Augustine's mother St Monica did for him for almost 20 years before her son “came around”…..And this is what Catholics must do more of - Do we fast for the world and the Church each week?…..Currently my eldest son is having some difficulty with his behavior in the house…I have told him over and over to stop acting out…The bad behavior has not stopped…So now I am trying something new…I told him every Thursday we are going to fast together, you pick one thing to fast from and I will fast for you…..Last Thursday, my son Frank told me he forgot to fast…But I did not forget…I will continue to fast for my son because I love him….And in time God’s grace will help him because God loves Frank more then I do!……Love is patient…Love is kind…It does not envy….. It does not boast….It is not proud…It does not dishonor others…It is not self-seeking…It is not easily angered…It keeps no record of wrongs…..Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the Truth…It always protects - Always trusts - Always hopes - And always perseveres.

“Now may God himself, our Father, and our Lord Jesus direct our way to you, and may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, just as we have for you, so as to strengthen your hearts, to be blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his holy ones. Amen”

Saints were all sinners who “figured it out”….St Augustine was no exception….And it took him almost twenty years of bad behavior before he “figured it out”….And it was through the prayers and example of his Mother (St Monica) that Augustine finally “saw” the very thing he was running away from, was the only thing that could help him - God himself……..We can not make people “see” or do anything…But we can fast and pray for them….Fasting is a POWERFUL resource we as Catholics need to utilize more of…We also must persevere in our prayers and fasting - Change takes time and God’s ways are not our ways nor is our timetable always God’s timetable….Like St Monica did…It took a long time for Augustine her son to come around - almost twenty years…But when he “came around” - Look at what God accomplished through him!….So it is today…Some of the greatest saints were the greatest of sinners - Don’t give up on people or the world - Fast and Pray……………JMJ

For me, its all or nothing

Today at Holy Mass in the first reading from a Letter to the Thessalonians, St Paul attempts to inform his friends about how to properly guide others in their Catholic faith….”You recall, brothers and sisters, our toil and drudgery. Working night and day in order not to burden any of you, we proclaimed to you the Gospel of God. You are witnesses, and so is God, how devoutly and justly and blamelessly we behaved toward you believers. As you know, we treated each one of you as a father treats his children, exhorting and encouraging you and insisting that you walk in a manner worthy of the God who calls you into his Kingdom and glory. And for this reason we too give thanks to God unceasingly, that, in receiving the word of God from hearing us, you received it not as the word of men, but as it truly is, the word of God, which is now at work in you who believe.”……….On Thursdays Catholics pray the Luminous Mysteries of the Rosary…Meditating on how Christ proclaimed the Kingdom of God to others….St Paul took note and followed this very model…..The Gospel can ONLY be transmitted first by developing our interior life - Then by how we live and witness the Gospel to the world - And only then by our words….Catholics in the Church today should take note as St Paul did and told us today at Mass…..This is how Jesus did it and this is what St Paul was tell his friends in Thessalonia to do as well……When we follow this model, our work will bear fruit…The lives of the saints prove this to be true time and time again…..Authenticity sells!….People can tell a fake from a mile away…However, even those with the hardest hearts can perceive the Holy Spirit at work when they witness with their two eyes the model laid out for us today….Before Catholics can transform the world, we must be transformed ourself first…..And trust me…When the world encounters such an individual, they are left dumbstruck - Speechless!….This is the only way we will impact society my friends as Catholics…So let’s get to work

“Whoever keeps the word of Christ, the love of God is truly perfected in him”

I have been Catholic my entire life…I have seen the faith lived out well and I have also seen it lived in a lukewarm manner….In my fifty-five years of living, I have never seen it lived out better then Mother Teresa’s sisters - The Missionaries of Charity…Now there are many good religious orders and many solid priests and bishops out there - Don’t get me wrong……I can only speak for myself and my personal experience…The Missionaries of Charity have it “dialed in” and because of that they are very effective in transmitting the faith…So let’s look at what they do…..First off, the order is deeply grounded in prayer and the Blessed Sacrament as the source and center of their life…Hours are spent each day in prayer…..This is where all their strengthen comes from and this is how the Holy Spirit works through them…So let’s take note!……Secondly, they live a life of deep sacrifice…They live in poverty…They wash their own cloths by hand (even in New York City), they take bucket showers, they only go back home to their families once every ten years (You heard that right)….They fast……Why is this important? - God meets us in sacrifice and when we live sacrificial lives, we leave room for the Holy Spirit to enter into our soul…This is also why these nuns are very effective….Third, their life is deeply Sacramental……Mass everyday, Regular Confessions and Spiritual direction from solid priests….Fourth, the order tolerates no nonsense…You are either “all in” or you are out - And I am all about that model….I am not interested in worldly clergy (Priests, Brothers, Bishops or Nuns)…..Why list this all out?….I received an MBA many years ago and in Business School we were made to read case studies to break down how successful businesses achieved their success…The same should go for us Catholics when we look at the saints and religious people who were effective at what they did and do…They are the “case studies” for Catholics…They “got it right”…And this is why I just noted a brief list of just some of what the Missionaries of Charity do…..Why?…....Because they are effective!…And if we want to be effective too, we need to take note and do the same within our own state of life as Lay Catholics to the degree its possible - And its more possible then you think!….That is the formula for transmitting the Gospel - First develop our interior life through daily prayer, fasting and the Sacraments - Then give witness of the Catholic faith with our life by living sacrificially - And then use our words to transmit Gospel Truth - In that order!...…For those who have ears - Let them hear…I am giving you the “answers to the exam” here…This is how we “make dean’s list”…And this is how we set the world on fire in the process!

“Whoever keeps the word of Christ, the love of God is truly perfected in him”

Today St Paul tells us in the first reading from Mass how we are to transmit the Gospel….As I always tell my children - There are no short cuts!….The example of a holy person is like a lightening bolt crashing down to the earth…I know this because I have seen it with my own two eyes….Our world today thinks that such a person is somehow “not real”…Or even worse….That a holy life is out of reach…Nothing could be further for the truth!….However, if we want to live such a life, there are certain things we must do and there are no short cuts!….And the saints show us the way…..If we are honest with ourself and were to read the lives of the saints, you will find that there are many similarities in the way they lived their lives across the centuries…...While each saint is different, they all follow the same basic “blue print”….And like all good students of history, we too can follow that model of success…..And if we choose to get serious and make that happen - God will do amazing things through us…Why?…Because God is real and the tangible evidence of just how real God is can be seen in the witness of the saints……..For me, its all or nothing……..JMJ

America has some of the highest levels of depression recorded in the world - What does that say about the condition of our nation’s collective soul?…..The numbers don’t lie and the consequences are real

Today at Holy Mass in the Gospel of St Matthew, Jesus addresses the scholars of the law…He tells them that they have lost sight of the “trees in the forest”…......”You cleanse the outside of cup and dish, but inside they are full of plunder and self-indulgence”……Is life all about a “show”….Social Media is a good example of this…..Its so easy to “post” pictures and memes…And at the same time forget about our soul, which is the only thing that is eternal…..There is a saying in Corporate America - “Fake it until you make it”…..This is not how it works when it comes to how God views us and the world…....There is nothing that is “performed in darkness that will not be brought to the light”…..Americans like to say…....”Keep it Real”….....Well - There is not better way to “Keep it Real” then to ensure that the condition of our soul is our first priority - Such a person is a visible sign to the world that God is real and that He loves us….Joy and peace are tangibly perceived from such a person, who has his “soul in order”…..This is what Jesus was addressing today…..Its very easy to get “caught up” in what we “see” on the surface of society and of people….God sees passed the surface and what is under the surface is most important - Why is that you may ask? - Because what is under the surface is eternal…Everything else fades away

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

The condition of one’s soul is reflected in how a person lives their life - The choices they make - And everything in life comes down to choices….Just by the way a person addresses another in an elevator can give an indication of the condition of their soul….If our soul is not in order, it is impossible to have peace…It is also a leading indicator as to why there is so much depression in America today…...Why people are taking “prescription medication” to “lift them up” as well as to enable themselves to get to sleep at night…..How is it that the wealthiest nation on the plant has some of the highest levels of depression?…Does that make any sense?…..In many ways it does….We have forgotten that the condition of our soul drives whether we live truly satisfied lives……Jesus addresses the scholars of the law today at Mass saying……..”You cleanse the outside of cup and dish” but you forget what is most important……So much of what we see today all around us is a result of this model of thinking…….This morning while doing my spiritual reading, I read something from the Servant of God Dorthy Day (1980) - This is what she wrote: “I am speaking of heavenly things, but heaven and earth are linked together as the body and soul are linked together”….We can not have a fulfilled life without first caring for our soul….And trust me - It shows…..The condition of our soul is shown in the human eyes, its perceived in the way we greet one another, in the simplest of gestures….When it comes to God, there is no such thing as - “Fake it to you make it”……And when we “fake it”….We lose our peace and joy

“Blind Pharisee, cleanse first the inside of the cup, so that the outside also may be clean”

Today Jesus in the Gospel at Mass is telling us…Pay attention to the most important thing - The condition of your soul….With all things, one must build on a solid foundation…....Whether it is an athlete, a person starting a business or in a human relationship…..When we get “first principals” right - Everything else falls into place…..The same goes for how well we care for our interior life and the condition of our soul….This is why the saints recommend going to a monthly Sacramental Confession with a Priest….Modern Americans love to care for their bodies, which is a good thing…We go to the gym six days a week, we shower each day, etc…All those things are important…But what about the care of our soul?….As we age our bodies begin to break down and eventually we die….Its our soul that lives on….This is reality!…And with that said, because the soul is the only eternal aspect of our person which we possess, don’t you think it’s a good idea to give it priority of place in our life? - To care and nurture it daily?…..…Joy and peace are directly related to the condition of our soul - That too is reality and everyone wants to be happy - But do we care to pursue the only thing that makes for authentic joy and peace?……America has some of the highest levels of depression recorded in the world - What does that say about the condition of our nation’s collective soul?…..The numbers don’t lie and the consequences are real………………JMJ

There will be no witness without a deep interior life…Words don’t cut it…But actions stop the world in its tracks and leave it speechless

Today at Holy Mass we hear in the first reading from St Paul…He is writing a letter to his friends encouraging them….As I read this letter a line jumped out at me….”You know what sort of people we were among you for your sake”…..As we say in New Jersey - “Paul walked the walk”…Not only did St Paul instruct his people in Truth but he lived the Truth….This is the ONLY way the world will second guess its choices and consider embracing the Catholic faith…Let me repeat what I just wrote - This is the ONLY way the world will second guess its choices and consider embracing the Catholic faith!….Words, even if they are well spoken will NEVER accomplish their aim unless our lives are consistent with our words…Now that does not mean Catholics have to be perfect - No one is…But our life must model what the Church teaches….And because the Church is an extension of Christ himself - Our lives will bear fruit…..Remember - “You tell a tree by the fruit it bears”…..This “fruit” will speak to the world - No words necessary…..So here is the question - How do we model such a life?…The answer - You can’t, without GRACE……Everything a Catholic does is rooted from his / her interior life…..From it comes our witness to the world….Without a deep interior life, there will be no witness and our words will not have any impact…..Daily prayer, Weekly fasting, and frequent reception of the Sacraments should not just be utilized by the clergy…Because without those practices, our life will not bear witness to Christ and our words will not have an impact….Its really that simple…Our world today is suffering because of its rejection of the Truth, God and the Sacraments…..Only by our life’s witness will we transmit the Gospel - So its time to get serious…As we again say in New Jersey - Go BIG or Go Home!

“My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord; I know them, and they follow me”

When you “put yourself out there” and the world knows you take your Catholic faith serious - People watch you VERY closely - Trust me about that one!….With that said, my wife and I have been married for 12 years and have five children….My wife is Haitian-American and my children are bi-racial….We belong to a parish that is predominately Polish…When my family walks into Mass on Sunday, all eyes are on us….As we walk to our usual seat, we always sit near this one family…From the looks of them, its a woman who sits with her elderly father and sometimes she is with her son…I would probably guess either she is divorced or her husband wants nothing to do with Mass - I have never seen him with her….When me and my family walk by these people each Sunday, the old man always looks so happy to see us….There is a look of such approval in his face…..No words necessary - Just the sight of my family alone makes that man react in that way….This is just one simple example of how the world will react when they see our Catholic faith lived out in real time…..The mere sight of my family is a sermon - Thanks be to God - And this is the “kind of sermon” our world desperately needs….…But I will tell you this - When the world witnesses the Gospel lived out loud - It surely second guesses choices made - Trust me on that one too - Why? - Because everyone, whether they say it or not wants to be happy - Only God can authentically satisfy the human heart…..So again - How can we create such a witness? - This ONLY happens from a deep interior life…Allow me to illustrate what I mean by an interior life - My wife and I get up very early each day before our children to pray…We go to daily Mass most days and also go twice a month to Confession with a priest…We pray the Rosary every night as a family…We go to Eucharistic Adoration every Saturday and Sunday in the morning before our children get up…...We also both fast weekly……Why tell you all this?…Because without these practices…We would never have had five children and make the necessary sacrifices to provide for our family nor would we be able to live out our Catholic faith the way we both do - Period!….Abraham Lincoln once said: "Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe”….The same model must be utilized by us…If we as Catholics wish to live out our faith in real time because that is the only way to impact the world…We must deepen our interior life…Everything comes from that and without an interior life - There will be no witness

“For our Gospel did not come to you in word alone, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with much conviction”

We hear today at Mass how St Paul attempts to encourage his people…This is something we as Catholics need to take more seriously because everyone needs to be encouraged…And there is no better way to do this then by the way we live our life….An authentic Catholic life tells the world that - YES - It is possible to follow Jesus Christ and thrive….YES - What the Catholic Church teaches not only works in real time but brings great joy…..However, if we think that we can self-manufacture such a witness without a deep interior life - You are deeply mistaken…..When we connect to God, through prayer and the Sacraments our life is “set a blaze”…As the great St John Henry Newman once wrote in his prayer Radiating Christ….

Dear Jesus, help us to spread Your fragrance everywhere we go. Flood our souls with Your Spirit and Life. Penetrate and possess our whole being so utterly that our lives may only be a radiance of Yours. Shine through us and be so in us that every soul we come in contact with may feel Your presence in our souls. Let them look up, and see no longer us, but only Jesus! Stay with us and then we shall begin to shine as You shine, so to shine as to be a light to others. The light, O Jesus, will be all from You; none of it will be ours. It will be You, shining on others through us. Let us thus praise You in the way You love best, by shining on those around us. Let us preach You without preaching, not by words but by example, by the catching force, the sympathetic influence of what we do, the evident fullness of the love our hearts bear for You.

This is how its done….There will be no witness without a deep interior life…Words don’t cut it…But actions stop the world in its tracks and leave it speechless

To be able to “walk the narrow road” we all need assistance - Guess what?…Jesus knew that…And that is why he founded a Church and did not write a book - Its not enough to read “the book”

Today at Holy Mass Jesus tells us in the Gospel of Luke what we must do.....…."Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter but will not be strong enough”…….There is a notion amongst Protestant circles in America that we are “Once Saved, Always Saved”…....What we just read today from Scripture contradicts that false belief - "Your “salvation” can not be lost", Jesus is telling us otherwise…..The same Protestant circles profess that their only source of authority is the Bible…Well - The message from Jesus in Scripture today seems to contradict this model of thinking as well - Is it just me? - Read it for yourself…..While we can not earn heaven, we are saved by both faith and works - The pages of Scripture are very clear about that….Also, our need for sanctifying grace should also be taken into consideration…Due to our fallen human nature, which is tainted by original sin, we need God’s grace in order to live as we were created to be…To think otherwise of a fools errand…Where do we get this grace?…..Daily Prayer, fasting and living a Sacramental life……How can our world believe in Christ and the validity of our Catholic faith if the world does not see it lived out in real time?…..To think we can do this grounded on our own strength and will power again is a fools errand…”The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak”

“I am the way, the truth and the life, says the Lord; no one comes to the Father, except through me”

Why go to a Sacramental Confession once a month if you are not living in mortal sin?…..A good question…..There are circles within the Catholic Church, some who are even priests who do not stress this practice…..... I choose to listen to the saints: Pope John Paul II; Fulton Sheen & Padre Pio….These man preached about the importance of monthly confession…...Why?…..Because this is how we are made accountable for our actions, we are given grace to overcome our faults; and this is how we grow in virtue……To think we will grow in virtue without the help of God is again a fools errand….The “name of the game” is to grow ever closer to God…In doing so, we experience deep joy and peace in the here and now…Not to mention we prepare our soul for our “exit interview” when we leave this earth……I was talking to my wife last night and we were discussing how America has lost its way….Our people have simply forgot how to live well….We have forgotten the basics…..Pay your bills & live within your means, Get married - Stay married, Go to Sunday Mass - I could go on and on…..These are basics for leading a good life….And we have abandoned them….What is missing? - In a word - GRACE….Without God’s grace we are lost - And look around - America at this point in history is truly lost….We must again avail ourselves to God’s grace - Embrace First Principals…And everything will fall into place once again….Jesus tells us point blank in the Gospel today at Mass…"Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter but will not be strong enough”…He is telling us VERY CLEARLY that we are not strong enough on our own to get where we need to go - Just read the words on the page!!!!…I am not making this up - So what must we do?….We need to do as St Paul tells us….”So then, my beloved, obedient as you have always been, not only when I am present but all the more now when I am absent, work out your salvation with fear and trembling. For God is the one who, for his good purpose, works in you both to desire and to work”…..We must cooperate with God - If we do our part, God will do his!

“For steadfast is his kindness toward us, and the fidelity of the LORD endures forever”

Today Jesus at Mass challenges us - As he often does…He tells us very clearly that the path to heaven is not an easy road to walk - Let’s stop right their - Do you believe that?…Because our culture clearly does not - There is this false idea going around that all you have to do is “Believe in Jesus” - And heaven is a lock!…Well - Jesus is telling us today that simply is not the case….So how do we walk this narrow road?…While God opened the gates of heaven to mankind through the sacrifice of his only son, it seems that we have to “do our part too” - Right?…..Its pretty clear to me - And here is the good news - What is asked of us - Is GIVEN to us through GRACE - If we avail ourselves to it…..Pray the Rosary everyday (takes 15 minutes)…Go to Mass every week and receive the Blessed Sacrament in the state of grace (takes 45 minutes per week)….& Go to Confession every month with a Catholic Priest (takes 5 minutes per month)…All those things cost you NOTHING and take a very limited amount of time…..This is how we “stay on the narrow road” that Jesus tells us today we MUST walk - This is not “rocket science”…..He also tells us that many “will not be strong enough”…Take a guess who those “many” are? - You and me - And everyone in between!…That is why we need to embrace Sacramental living - Those who have ears - Let them hear…..”The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak”…..And to be able to “walk the narrow road” we all need assistance - Guess what?…Jesus knew that…And that is why he founded a Church and did not write a book - Its not enough to read “the book”

Sometimes it takes a “profound death” in one’s life to open the door to a new path - A new way to see the world…..Has this happened to you yet? - Don’t worry - It will…And when it does - Use it - Nothing is to be wasted

Today at Holy Mass, Jesus in the Gospel of St Matthew gives his friends their “marching orders”…To follow Christ means that you are to serve others……”The greatest among you must be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted”……What brings someone to this mindset?……That is a good question to explore upon reading this Gospel passage by St Matthew today…....Why is that?….Because to serve others does not come “natural” to us…...Most especially if we are gifted and as Americans, we surely are gifted……Take a walk around Central Park South in New York City, where the wealthy live and socialize…These are the most gifted people in America…Do you see this idea of "serving others" presented to us today by Jesus when you walk around Central Park in Manhattan?…..Sadly, its just the opposite…..That should tell us something…….But I digress….Let’s get back to our question….What brings someone around to this mindset of serving others?……The great Dominican Theologian Fr Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange (1964) gives us some insight into how a person arrives at this place we all need to be…….”The spiritual life does not acquire a definite intensity without a profound death, which God alone can produce in us…..Humility is the basis of the whole spiritual edifice. In order that the structure may be solid and lasting, it is necessary that the foundation be very deep”…….What is Fr Reginald talking about when he says - ”The spiritual life does not acquire a definite intensity without a profound death”……."Death to self" is a very difficult thing to embrace in life….We are clearly not like Jesus Christ, who willingly laid down his life for the world…..Humanity struggles with this idea of “dying to self”…...So how does God help us?…For one, he gives us grace through the Sacraments, prayer and fasting…..But there is also another way - Through suffering we also learn to die to ourself….No one wants to suffer but suffering is apart of every human life…..And if we use the times when we suffer as opportunities to allow God to mold us…We too will experience what Fr Reginald describes as a “profound death” of self…..Many times when you read about the lives of the saints, you will find there was a “turning point” in their life - They experienced a profound suffering (the death of a parent at a young age; a life threatening illness; etc) that God permitted and as a result, these men and women were “forged” as iron ore is molded in fire - This is how the saints become who we know them to be today…....God wastes nothing - Trust him

“You have but one Father in heaven; you have but one master, the Christ”

Billy McGill was a buddy of mine who passed away around 10 years ago….He was born poor in Liverpool England and at 16 years old sailed the oceans of the world as a Merchant Marine…Never to go back to England again…He settled in New Jersey, worked hard and raised a family only to lose his family due to bad behavior….Its at this point that I met Billy…I knew him from daily Mass and we struck up a friendship…Billy had to start all over in his fifties and he built his life up again…And this time around, God was at the foundation…..I saw him a few weeks before he died in the hospital of cancer…When visiting him in the hospital, he told me how he continually prayed the Divine Mercy Chaplet for the man in the hospital bed next to him…He too was dying……..Billy “figured it out”….A “tough nut” to crack for sure….He learned through his suffering to “die to himself”…He became a person for others….Even as he was dying….His thoughts were focused on the man dying next to him and not on himself….This is how God works!…If only we cooperate with him!

“Blessed are you who fear the LORD, who walk in his ways! For you shall eat the fruit of your handiwork; blessed shall you be, and favored”

Today at Mass we are told that being a follower of Christ entails embracing the mindset of service - To be a person for others….There is no getting around this….For some this comes easier then others….No matter - God is our loving Father who helps us every step of the way.......God not only gives us the grace but he also allows the events of life to “mold us” as well…..Nothing is wasted…Sometimes it takes a “profound death” in one’s life to open the door to a new path - A new way to see the world…..Has this happened to you yet? - Don’t worry - It will…And when it does - Use it - Nothing is to be wasted

No politician can “Make America Great” - When we place God first only then will we be able to love our neighbor and only then will America be great - Until then - We get what we get and we will get a lot of it!

Today at Holy Mass in the Gospel of St Matthew…Jesus is asked a very important question.....….”Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?”….And Jesus as always gives a clear and direct answer…..”You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments”……..Let’s break this down…How do we know we put God first?…That’s easy - Take a good look at your checkbook - How we spend our money usually is a good indicator as to what we value most in life……Let’s break down the second commandment - How can we love our neighbor as ourself?….The answer is - YOU CAN”T unless you get the first commandment RIGHT…….This is the problem with our world, our politics and family life………If we cannot see God in our neighbor we most certainly will not “love” the way we are called too…This is an undisputed fact….This relates directly to the reality of the True Presence of Christ found in the Blessed Sacrament…If we can see God in a small piece of Bread consecrated by the hands of Catholic priest - We can most certainly see God in our neighbor…And if we see God in our neighbor, this will effect how we treat him / her……Our secular world disagrees with my thesis…….And as a result, people can’t “get along” with each other…..By placing God first in our life - everything else falls into place

“Teach me your paths, my God, guide me in your truth”

I am the father of five children under the age of eleven years old…My oldest daughter always teases me and says - “I know you love me the most”….When Teresa says that, I tell her I have no favorites…I love all my children the same…..Recently my one son Matteo throw a “curve ball” at me….He asked - “Do you love God more then all of us”…..And my answer was YES…..Some reading this reflection may say that is harsh…But it really is not….Let me explain as I explained to my son Matteo….Its because I love God most that I can love my children properly…I will be very honest, if I was not a practicing Catholic, the likelihood that I would have five children whom I love beyond all telling is slim to none - Just being honest and thank God I am a practicing Catholic - The single best decision of my adult life! - But I digress….Let's get back to Matteo - I also told my son, that I love God even more then my wife Sabryna….Again, putting God before my wife allows me to love my wife properly….That is one of the BIG mistakes that married couples make today - God does not take first place in the home…..Allow me to break it down further - A couple when they get married, get married with the intent to be married for life - No one gets married to get divorced….But sadly divorce is a reality in American today….....We are told in Catholic teaching that to have a strong and thriving marriage - “There are “three people” who enter a marriage: The man - The woman - And God”…..The mistake most people make is, they do not see it that way….Also, because life has many chapters to it and over the years people can change, keeping that in mind, its important that a married couple are always “looking in the same direction” - Not at each other primarily but squarely at God - This “vision” allows the couple to always “be on the same page”, therefore their marriage thrives….Once again, putting God first in our life allows for every aspect of our life to fall into place…..This is reality……And not “believing” in reality does not change reality.

“Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD, his God, Who made heaven and earth, the sea and all that is in them”

Today Jesus at Mass in St Matthew’s Gospel distills the enter Gospel into two sentences: Love God above all things and Love your neighbor as yourself…..As I demonstrated above in this reflection…We CANNOT do the second request without doing the first…..I always say on my radio show….Christianity in America is sadly a mile wide and an inch deep….Printed on our money is the following - “In God We Trust”….Really?!?……If that were true - Our politics would not look the way it does, family life would be restored, our cities would not look like they currently do and our people would not be in debt buying so many things that they simply do not need….It all comes down to putting God first in our life…....And because our society has rejected this notion - American culture is completely out of control and spiraling downward with each passing year…..Some reading this may disagree….Again - Not “believing” in reality does not change reality……No politician can “Make America Great” - When we place God first only then will we be able to love our neighbor and only then will America be great - Until then - We get what we get and we will get a lot of it!

Maybe its time to reconsider that “party invitation”…..Don’t short change yourself

Today at Holy Mass we hear in the Gospel of St Matthew Jesus tell his friends a parable about a King who prepared a huge party….He invited everyone - And no one showed up…..He concludes his story with…”Many are invited, but few are chosen”…When reading this story, one has to ask themselves - If they were objective and honest - Why would people not want to attend this great party?……‘Tell those invited: Behold, I have prepared my banquet, my calves and fattened cattle are killed, and everything is ready; come to the feast. Some ignored the invitation and went away, one to his farm, another to his business”…….If we are honest, we have to conclude that these people in the story simply do not think what is “offered” to them is any good…Because if they did, they would “go to the party” - Right? - Let’s be honest here!……What about today?…….Our world must encounter the Lord….Words will never make such an encounter happen…..And people today will not want to “go to the party” until they encounter the Lord - Period Full Stop!……This is why I promote Eucharistic Adoration all the time…If we take time each week and sit before the Blessed Sacrament in silence, we will encounter Christ…He will speak to us in a “language” only we can understand in the silence……Sadly, some reading this, still don’t believe me….And what a tragedy that is…It simply is a tragedy to behold.

“If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts”

Many in the secular world believe that those who enter religious life somehow could not make it in the real world…They are “running away” from “something”…..While there are some sadly who I believe do enter religious life for the wrong reasons....And are trying to “escape” the world or may even be trying to escape deeper personal issues they many have…And that is a problem - Full stop! - And that needs to be addressed but those individuals are simply not the majority - I am just being honest - So stop reading the New York Times!…...The overwhelming majority of Consecrated Catholic Religious (nuns, priests and brothers) have been called by God and have a true vocation….....”Polite Society” in America not only does not believe this, but has never experienced such an individual…I can only speak for me - I have…..These are the happiest people you will ever meet! - Believe me when I tell you that……..Allow me to give you an example…..I have made two missionary trips to Haiti….Haiti is the poorest country in the western hemisphere and life is hard there for everyone including those serving in the Catholic Church…..On one of my trips to that country I stayed with Mother Teresa’s sisters in Port au Prince. The city is a disaster, almost like a war zone!….Every day I would spend an hour in prayer with the nuns before the Blessed Sacrament…This one particular day I just watched for a time the face of this one older nun….The joy and peace that was on her face as she sat before the Blessed Sacrament was not only completely sincere but I remember it to this very day…It is a rare day that I would see a person like that in the secular world…Keep in mind, these nuns have a very hard life!…On that same trip, the nuns drove me to another one of the homes they run for elderly people who have been abandoned and can not take care of themselves…I was greeted at the gate of the compound by the Superior of the house….She was a small nun originally from the Philippines…The home literally was located in a “war zone” - Gang violence is very common in Haiti, in fact, one could say gangs run the country and are the rule of law……When I entered the gate of the property, this nun had the biggest smile I may have ever seen in my life on her face…….She says to me….”Joe - Welcome to Haiti”…Like I was walking into the Plaza Hotel in Manhattan - She meant every word of it!…I literally almost laughed out loud because the irony of her joy juxtaposed against the harsh conditions of the city was so illogical to my mind…..Once again, we can dismiss these little stories I tell….And as the secular world dismisses them…We simply short change ourselves!…Today the Lord tells us a story about a King who prepares a feast for his people - And no one attends the party…..What a tragedy!…Don't be one of those people and don’t short change yourself!

“Blessed the man who makes the LORD his trust; who turns not to idolatry or to those who stray after falsehood”

Today in the Gospel Jesus tells us something that contradicts our understanding of heaven…......”Many are invited, but few are chosen”….....Now these are not my words so don’’t shoot the messenger!!!…..God loves us and the door to heaven is open to EVERYONE…Like we heard today at Mass about “the party” a King prepared for his people…But no one wanted to attend…Step back and think about that for a second….If our world today rejects God - How can we possibly think we will even want to go to heaven?…..Is it because we have created “heaven” in our own image that we “think” we would want to go there?….Seriously, think about what I just wrote….Maybe its time to reconsider that “party invitation”…..Don’t short change yourself……………….JMJ

How do we prove our love for God?…..Remember…..”Love is not a word - Its an action”

Today at Holy Mass in the Gospel of St Matthew we hear once again a story told by Jesus that does not comport with the logic of the secular world….”Why do you stand here idle all day? They answered, Because no one has hired us. He said to them, You too go into my vineyard. When it was evening the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, Summon the laborers and give them their pay, beginning with the last and ending with the first. When those who had started about five o'clock came, each received the usual daily wage. So when the first came, they thought that they would receive more, but each of them also got the usual wage. And on receiving it they grumbled against the landowner, saying, These last ones worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us, who bore the day's burden and the heat.”……….Clearly this story is an allegory, trying to teach us that some people embrace their role as disciples before others….But notice that God does not show partiality….The goal is to “get it” to “figure it all out” and follow the Lord….And we have our entire lifetime to do so…However, when we stop breathing “the whistle blows”…..In the story today from the Gospel, God gave the group who only worked one hour at the end of the day just as much as the group that worked all day…Why?….”What if I wish to give this last one the same as you? Or am I not free to do as I wish with my own money? Are you envious because I am generous?”…….What can we conclude from this response?…….Heaven is a gift, we can not “earn eternal life”…However, we do have to cooperate with God…Notice both groups of people in the story “went to work in the vineyard”…This implies that we must also work to build the Kingdom of God…Story after story told by Jesus in the Gospel indicates that same thing - We participate in the work of our own salvation……But at the end of the day…Eternal Life is given to us by God himself……What should be taken away from this story today?…..”Faith without works is dead” - St James in Scripture tells us that very clearly…So “get to work” - Its not how we start but how we finish that counts!

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

When Jesus preached to the people of his day, he told many who lived in “polite society” the following…..“Amen, I say to you, tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God before you”…This statement is to serve as a warning to us….Don’t be complacent - Don’t take the gift of your Catholic faith for granted…..We as Catholics have been given a tremendous gift - Do we utilize it?….This is what Jesus is asking of us today……During the seven years I actively served with Mother Teresa’s sisters, I have seen with my own two eyes many people whom they served, who were clearly living on the margins of society experience a change of heart…..Many of these men and women lived very sinful lives only to encounter Jesus Christ through the love Mother Teresa’s sisters showed them and in turn become followers of Christ themselves…Allow me to tell you about one of these men……I as working in San Francisco for a week and flew into the city over the weekend…It was Sunday and Mother Teresa’s sisters run a soup kitchen in the east end of the city by the San Francisco Giants baseball field in an old abandoned firehouse….I arrived early to help the sisters and the line for the soup kitchen was already forming…It was a rough group of men and women on the line…..At the front of the line was this one guy causing trouble with a group of what looked like Mexican migrant workers…The guy was all alone and frankly by his aggressive behavior towards this group of Mexican workers, I was waiting for a fight to break out…And the man starting the trouble was not going to be on the winning end of that fight - That I knew for sure…Just as tensions were about to erupt…A very rough looking guy who was also waiting on the line got between the Mexican workers and this deranged man who was starting the fight and told them in no uncertain terms to - “Cut it out!”….And trust me, he meant it…He told the guys about to fight, “We don’t act like this here”…And again, he meant every word of it…Clearly this man appreciated what Mother Teresa’s sisters did for him…..By the looks of this guy, you would never think he would be impacted by the words of Christ…...He was no “altar boy” - But clearly he was effected by the goodness shown to him by Mother Teresa’s sisters……This is real life example of the words of Jesus when he tells us in Scripture….”Tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God before you”…..Are we impacted by the love of God?…Do we put our faith into action?…..Sometimes it’s the most unlikely people of this world that do….Are we “outdone” by them?

"The Kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out at dawn to hire laborers for his vineyard…….You too go into my vineyard, and I will give you what is just”

Today in the gospel we are reminded that God is generous…But while he is generous, there is something asked of us….We are asked to “work in God’s vineyard”…..While we do not “earn heaven”, we must cooperate with God and allow him to mold us through grace so we can “bear fruit for the Kingdom”…Each person has a different task but make no mistake, we each have something to do…Are we committed to do it?…..Faith without works is dead….My children tell me when they do something wrong and I address their bad behavior - “But I love you Dad”….When they say that I always respond….”Love is not a word - Its an action”……God proved his love for us….He gave his only son to the world and allowed him to be brutally murdered so heaven could be open….How do we prove our love for God?…..Remember…..”Love is not a word - Its an action”……………JMJ

Invest well and place your bets!

Today in the Gospel of St Matthew, we are told something by Jesus that frankly is very difficult to understand, never mind believe……”But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first”…..Our world has a very defined class structure…..Its very hard for a secular person to believe this statement never mind strive to live a humble and austere life according to Gospel values…..Simply put, the “currency” of God is very different from the currency of the world…..Just say today, in the middle of Time Square in New York City, Jesus Christ descends from heaven in plain sight…..And everything he said was true all of sudden was validated in a hot New York minute…How do you think the world would react?……Panic, Fear, Shame….Out right terror would crash down upon the power brokers of the world - “We made the wrong bet”….If not today…But one day…That will be a reality - Take that to the bank…..I have lived a very unique life….For thirteen years I was employed by a Global Investment Bank…I traveled first class all across America and South America….Staying at the best hotels and eating at the finest restaurants…..I have also traveled as a missionary with the Catholic Church…Seeing and living amongst the poorest of the poor in Haiti, Cambodia, & India…..I have also seen with my own two eyes the impact of despotic governments in South Africa & Vietnam……Two very different worlds I have lived, walking among simple people and sophisticated people…..And today Jesus drops a “bomb” on us all…..”But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first”….Can an Investment Bank VP really take that statement seriously?!?……As we get older and experience the many different chapters of our life, we value different things…Life is and becomes fragile…We lose friends and family by means of death….We re-calibrate what we deem as important….I have witnessed with my two eyes some of the most miserable people you could ever imagine walk the face of the earth and some of those people were wealthy beyond all measure or understanding…And I have also witnessed some of the most joyful people you could ever imagine walking around in rags and eating scraps…..Does that make any sense?…..Our Lord gave the world one prayer…Believe it or not…And we all know it….The Our Father…In that prayer Jesus tells us….”Thy Kingdom come, on earth as it is in heaven” - That one line should make us all pause......The short amount of time we spend on this earth is to be a foretaste of heaven….If this is true, how can a person with so much power and wealth be so miserable?…..And how can a person be so poor have so much joy?….Maybe what Jesus tells us today in the Gospel does make sense?……”But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first”…….No one knows the day or the hour that Jesus Christ will return….But know this….One day he will…And when that day comes……The world’s “currency” will not matter - Take that to the bank…In the mean time, no matter where you stand on the “scales” of the world’s class structure - Take a look around……Where there is authentic peace and joy - There is God…And where there is a lack of peace and joy - God is absent from that place or that person…....Invest well and place your bets!………..JMJ

“Jesus Christ became poor although he was rich so that by his poverty you might become rich”