I have seen that “look” before and it speaks volumes!…..This is the only way we can “conquer the world” and when Catholics live like this - “The Herods” of the world do not stand a chance!

Today at Holy Mass we hear in the Gospel of St Matthew how one of the villains of the New Testament recognizes the “buzz” going on around the life of Jesus…And to justify that “buzz” in his head, Herod has to rationalize it away - In order to make sense of his own life and choices…..”Herod the tetrarch heard of the reputation of Jesus and said to his servants, This man is John the Baptist. He has been raised from the dead; that is why mighty powers are at work in him”….If you study people, simply by observing human behavior…You will notice that in the face of overwhelming evidence of something that contradicts very personal life choices, the human mind has a way to compartmentalize and rationalize away tangible realities…..The impact of Jesus Christ on the people of his day was tangible…And here we have Herod, grasping on to his position and power in an attempt to minimize Jesus’ impact…Sound familiar?…..Human beings have not changed one bit…That is why if you study historic trends, you can almost predict future outcomes…….Why? - Because people have not changed and history repeats itself over and over again!….But that was the very reason why Christ came and walked the earth…To be a catalyst for change…..To demonstrate in word and deed that there is better way to live…..But Herod wanted nothing to do with it…And many today are no different….Notice the choice of words used by St Matthew in his Gospel today……”Mighty powers are at work in him”……The “dynamite” of our Catholic faith is seen in real time in and through the life of the faithfully - In those who take Chirst at his word…..Literally - A holy life lived in full display is more powerful than dynamite!…I have seen this with my own two eyes…..One can not simply walk away from an authentic encounter with Christ - Its to shocking!…..This is what Herod is referring to here…....”Mighty powers are at work in him”………As Catholics today living in the 21st century, we too must live in and through the Holy Spirit….Those same “mighty powers” are available to us…..If only we “put down the cup and reach for the jug”…….Don’t be like Herod and “rationalize” away the tangible reality of God.

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

Our world thirsts for God - But in many ways does not know it and looks for God in all the wrong places….Maybe because the world around us has not encountered holiness….For all those who want to convince people that Catholicism is the one true religion…The only way that will happen is if people see for themselves Christ in YOU - A tall order for sure - But that is the goal and that is within the grasp of every single Baptized Catholic…….The question we must ask ourselves is - How far will you take it!?!…..When I worked with Mother Teresa’s sisters before I was married, I have seen what I would call “Jesus Shock” on the faces of people on the streets of New York when the sisters served the poor in practical and radical ways….”Shock” is a good word to describe what I consistently saw….This kind of witness is what will “Shock” our world back into the pews of the Catholic Church in ways mere words can never accomplish…………..A few years ago it was Thanksgiving and I bought my family to the soup kitchen run by Mother Teresa's sisters in Newark New Jersey….Many people do not know but six days a week, the sisters feed probably close to 150 people a day there…But I digress….If you ever went to one of Mother Teresa’s soup kitchens, as I have in San Francisco, Harlem and Newark New Jersey…You will find that the people showing up to eat are lets just say “a little rough”….That is being kind…Sometimes the people showing up are down right scary…Now on this given Thanksgiving weekend day, the crowd on line to eat was no different….And the reason why I exposed my family to that crowd is, especially my children, they must learn that being Catholic is about DOING - We must live our faith….Anyway, here I am…My wife and I are an interracial couple and we have five young biracial children in tow all under 9 years old in the heart of “the hood”…And we are approaching the food line with some very “rough customers” on it….And when the hungry people on the line see us…What I saw in their faces was what I referred to above in this refection - “Jesus Shock” - So much so, my family parted the crowd as we walked through them like a “hot knife through butter” and everyone just stared at us with the same look on their face…Finally this poor street lady called out to my wife from across the street, the mother of five young children married to this Italian guy - “You go girl”!…..Our world needs to see for itself the radical witness of Jesus Christ lived out loud boldly and without comprise!…..Then let the “Herods” of the world think long and hard about their life choices….Because God is real - Our job as Catholics is to make him real…..And then watch what happens!

“May God have pity on us and bless us; may he let his face shine upon us. So may your way be known upon earth; among all nations, your salvation”

Today St Matthew at Mass tells us about King Herod, the man who murdered John the Baptist and now is second guessing his actions because of the witness of Jesus…..Today our world is filled with many people just like King Herod and we as Catholics come “right up against” them each and everyday…..How do we “get our point” across?…How do we get people to understand?….How do we proclaim our Catholic faith in the public square effectively?…..Because arguments will not do it, nor will preaching…How do we do it?……There is only one way - Radically surrender to God allowing Sacramental grace to penetrate deeply within our soul…And by doing that - What you will see on the faces of those you encounter is “Jesus Shock”….I have seen that “look” before and it speaks volumes!…..This is the only way we can “conquer the world” and when Catholics live like this - “The Herods” of the world do not stand a chance!