I despise lukewarm Catholicism…It nauseates me!……For me, it’s all or nothing………How about you?

Today at Holy Mass we hear in the Gospel of St Luke a shocking statement…Is this the Jesus we have all created in our mind?……."I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing! There is a baptism with which I must be baptized, and how great is my anguish until it is accomplished! Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. From now on a household of five will be divided, three against two and two against three; a father will be divided against his son and a son against his father, a mother against her daughter and a daughter against her mother, a mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law”…..These are not the words of some effeminate hippie…Because sadly that is how our culture perceives Christ to be…We even see it in western art - The effeminate Christ…….I got some news for ya….That is not who Jesus was or is…..Jesus Christ was the greatest revolutionary the world has ever seen - Period Full Stop!…His life and words turned the world literally upside down!…..Why is that?…Because Jesus not only spoke the Truth, in its fullness…….He is the Truth…..Our world rejects Truth in so many ways…And this is why Christ “set the world on fire” with his words……And since the Church is an extension of Christ - This is its task to this very day - To set the world on fire……The great saint of the 20th century - St Oscar Romero had this to say about the role of the Catholic Church in the world……………”A church that doesn't provoke any crises, a gospel that doesn't unsettle, a word of God that doesn't get under anyone’s skin, a word of God that doesn't touch the real sin of the society in which it is being proclaimed — what gospel is that?”…..Everyone who reads this statement as well as reads the gospel today should maybe re-think who you “think” Christ was and is…..Not to mention what you “think” the role of the Church is and should be……I will speak for myself…….I have no interest in the “Effeminate Hippie Jesus” - None what so ever! - Do you know why?…Because that is not who Jesus Christ is or was….I also have no interest - None what so ever in a lukewarm Catholic Church……However, my interest is peaked at the words of Christ today….."I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing!”…….As Catholics, we should be a “people of contradiction” to the world…I am not here to “go along to get along” - Take that one to the bank!….I am here to set the world on fire!

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

Are we lukewarm?……Have segments of the Catholic Church gotten too comfortable?……If so, this needs to be remedied and fast!…..Far too many in our world today perceive the Catholic Church as an institution comprised of “old ladies”….Today in the gospel, did the words Christ spoke sound like they came from an “old lady”?…….Catholics need to reassess their faith…If we have truly encountered the Lord, trust me, you will not be lukewarm……The Church must not be afraid to speak the hard Truths of the Gospel…..Jesus was bold and a Church that is not bold frankly would not be recognized by Christ……Too many Catholics are simply afraid…We like our comfortable lives…..And we “blend in” to society………..We have become too “mainstream”….This MUST end!……I want to let you in on a little secret……There is a great “thirst” in the world today for Truth…..I have seen this in people personally……When the Truth, in all its fullness is spoken - There is something in people that makes them respond - Even people who may not be religious…Why?….Because the Truth is written on every human heart…Our world is not interested in a “watered down gospel”……That is for old ladies….Our world “thirsts” for the Truth…..It’s our task as Catholics to deliver it and more importantly - To live it!……Once again, I will quote St Oscar Romero…..”A church that suffers no persecution but enjoys the privileges and support of the things of the earth - beware! - is not the true church of Jesus Christ. A preaching that does not point out sin is not the preaching of the gospel. A preaching that makes sinners feel good, so that they are secured in their sinful state, betrays the gospel's call”……..These are the words of a canonized saint - Not the words of a bunch of “old ladies” playing bingo…..This is the Church of Jesus Christ, I got news for you!…And it’s about time my generation shows the world what it means to be Catholic - To set the world on fire!

“Consider how he endured such opposition from sinners, in order that you may not grow weary and lose heart. In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood”

Today we hear at Mass the words of a true revolutionary….Jesus Christ was a man like no other and his message to this very day confounds the world….How about us?…..Are we “playing it safe”?……Are we “going along to get along”?……These are the question we need to ask ourself today after hearing the words of the Gospel….I can only speak for myself…..I despise lukewarm Catholicism…It nauseates me!……For me, it’s all or nothing………How about you?……………JMJ