”Don’t tell me what to do”……Fair enough - I won’t have too

Today at Holy Mass we hear in the Gospel of St Matthew Jesus tell his first disciples that they have authority…Why do they have authority? - Because he gave it to them and Jesus is God…That should be enough for the world to hear - But sadly its not…..People hate the word - “Authority”….”Don’t tell me what to do!”…We see this today in our politics….The minute a politician tries to lay down a law that will help alleviate chaos and crime…People call him / her a "fascist"…Even if that law will benefit the very people that hate the politician…Even when the law will keep them safe - Something that should be so basic to comprehend…..The same goes for the Catholic Church….Jesus gave St Peter and the first bishops authority…But don’t take my word for it….Let’s hear what the Gospel today had to say about this “dirty word” - Authority - “Amen, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven”…..While the Catholic Church is made up of men, some saints and some sinners…The teachings of the Church are timeless…..In so many instances, if we were to take the time and read what the Popes have wrote, they were centuries ahead of what the “modern world” deemed acceptable - Things like slavery, usury, etc……But then we circle back to human nature and hear once again…”Don’t tell me what to do”…..Ok - Fine - God does not impose his will on people - God proposes…..God is also a gentleman…If we ask God to “leave the room”…He does….But with all choices made - There are consequences…..Time and time again…..The Catholic Church has proposed a “better way” forward…..And for those who have “eyes to see”….That way “bears fruit” - What does that mean? - It works!……Sadly, I can hear it now……”Don’t tell me what to do”….Trust me, I won’t and nor will the Church…..The Catholic Church proposes - It does not impose…..But know this….Like a father who has “been around the block” a time or two…When his 16 year old son wants to drive the family car drunk…..The father knows the outcome before it happens…Why?….Because the father has “seen” this story before play out……”What has been, that will be; what has been done, that will be done. Nothing is new under the sun! Even the thing of which we say, See, this is new has already existed in the ages that preceded us”…….Jesus Christ gave authority to the Catholic Church….Why does the Church have authority?…Because Jesus rose from the dead and is God….When YOU rise from the dead - I’m all ears…Until then….I’m sticking with being Catholic

“For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them."

Would we rather suffer than be told what to do?…That is the big underlining question humanity must ask itself when it comes to accepting or rejecting legitimate authority…All parents see this in their children…As a father of five…How many times a day do I say to my children…”Listen to me”…Yet they “think” they “know better”…….I have told my one son who is nine years old a million times - “Frank - I will only tell you things that will help you - I am always on your side”….Yet - Frank wants to do it “his way”…..Are adults any different today?……Watching humanity double and triple down on behaviors that destroy themselves and each other is one of the saddest sights to behold…..Years ago when I was volunteering with Mother Teresa’s sisters in Lower Manhattan….A man by the name of Earl came to live in the shelter run by the nuns…Earl was a good guy…He was an alcoholic and acquired AIDS from living on the street for years…..One day, Earl came into the shelter drunk…I knew he was drunk and did not say anything to the sisters…But the Superior knew immediately, so she asked Earl to leave the shelter for the night…There were rules to live there and one of them was no drugs or alcohol…Now does that make Mother Teresa’s sisters “fascists”?….Does it make them “mean”?….Clearly there has to be rules in a shelter to keep order - Right?…So Earl left for the night…And he came back the next day and the sisters allowed him back in….And Earl because he was “at a place” in his life where he was open to God, lived in the shelter for years and thrived! He got his life back together and eventually got his own apartment in Brooklyn…..The same goes with us…We can ignore the authority of God and his Church all we want…That does not change reality nor does it change the consequences of our choices and our actions……God’s way works! - Its time tested…When we put God first, everything else falls into place in life…..Don’t believe me?….What can I say? - Other than - I wish you well - And I wish you “luck”…..A baseball game is not a game without a foul pole and sidelines…”The rules” make it a game….Without "the rules”, baseball turns into something its not - The same goes for a good life……That makes tons of sense Joe - But I can still hear it now once again - ”Don’t tell me what to do”……Fair enough - I won’t have too - Life is our greatest teacher and it will “teach us”, whether we like it or not……There is a better way!

“God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, And entreating to us the message of reconciliation”

Today in the Gospel, Jesus gives authority to this Church….Why is he able to do that?…Because Jesus is God…..The world can reject that reality all it wants but at the end of the day…We all die - And when we die - We stand in front of the one man who can help us - Jesus Christ…And here is the good news…Like a good father - Jesus instructs us through his Church, giving us a way forward, teaching us a way to live that will only benefit us….Making us thrive!…Bring us internal peace and joy in the here and now…..Why would someone not want that?…..I can hear it now once again….”Don’t tell me what to do”……Fair enough - I won’t have too