Do you believe it? - If you do - You got to live it

Today at Holy Mass in the Gospel we hear St Luke’s version of the Beatitudes….The Beatitudes are the “road map” to heaven….But here is the thing…..They represent everything the world tries to avoid…..What should that tell us?……"Blessed are you who are poor, for the Kingdom of God is yours. Blessed are you who are now hungry, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who are now weeping, for you will laugh. Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude and insult you, and denounce your name as evil on account of the Son of Man”…So here is the question(s)…..Do we really know who this Jesus is?…..And are we really interested in what he is “selling”?……..Who wants to be poor?…….Who wants to be hungry?…..Who wants to weep?…..If we are following Christ as a Catholic, the way we are called to, life here on earth is not going to be easy….That is reality! - But that is not the end of the story

“Rejoice and leap for joy! Your reward will be great in heaven”

We all want our “cake” and be able to eat it to…I am no exception to that mindset…We all want to go to heaven…We all want to have a relationship with Jesus Christ…..We all want peace in our hearts…We all want joy…..These things we all share…But do we want to embrace the things that make for everything I just listed?……A Catholic must come to grips with reality…This life is not “our place”….We are in the world but should never be of the world…That means life is going to be hard!…..Let’s face facts!…To follow Christ is no “cake walk”…..And if it is - Maybe we are doing it wrong……….When I was in graduate school, I had a professor of finance who I was told had 12 children…I attended a Jesuit College for my Masters of Business and I took my one required finance course on Saturday mornings…..This professor when he came to class, driving his old beat up van, looked like he was “rolled down a hill”…....He always looked so tried and his dress shirt was so wrinkled as he stood in front of our class….He probably was wearing the same shirt he wore the day before at work…..This man was highly intelligent…He worked on Wall Street, so I can assume he made a good salary…But clearly to take care of 12 children and a wife costs a lot of money….I also heard he lived in the Bronx…..For those reading this reflection who are not from New York….Rich people who make a lot of money at a bank do not live in the Bronx…But this man did…Why?….He had 12 children to support….Anyway…..One day in class this same man told us while he was married, his wife, a mother of 12 children was diagnosed with cancer….And thankfully she survived……Now….All this happened to a man who from all outward appearances was a good Catholic…And here he was - Every Saturday morning - Working his second job…..After working all week at a bank to support his family….And still…He was joyful and if I were honest, I would have to say, he was a very pleasant person to be around…..Thinking about my old Finance Professor at St Peter’s University I think of what I just read today in St Luke’s Gospel……"Blessed are you who are poor, for the Kingdom of God is yours. Blessed are you who are now hungry, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who are now weeping, for you will laugh”…….Not exactly the life we all dream of is it?…..But here is the “catch” - Remember, there is always a “catch”….."Rejoice and leap for joy on that day! - Behold, your reward will be great in heaven”……We all make a “bet” in life…We either believe what Jesus said or we do not…..And if we claim to believe what Jesus said…We must walk the road he walked…..And if we chose to "walk that road"...Know this - "The Carpenter from Nazareth" walks it with us...Bet on it!

“If you were raised with Christ, seek what is above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Think of what is above, not of what is on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ your life appears, then you too will appear with him in glory”

Today we hear at Mass Jesus telling us what it “really looks like” to follow him - And he does not sugar coat it……..When we read the New Testament, we can clearly see that Jesus “did not fit in” to the power structures of the world - That is why he was killed......How about us?…..Do we “go along to get along”?…..Do we look to “fit in”?…….Jesus told his friends…..”I have told you this so that you might have peace in me. In the world you will have trouble, but take courage, I have conquered the world”……..Who is this Jesus?….……Looks can be deceiving and our world today does a lot of “talking”…..If we met Jesus - I mean the real Jesus - Would we recognize him?….And if we did - Are we interested in what he is “selling”?…..Blessed are you who are poor…..Blessed are you who are now hungry…..Blessed are you who are now weeping……Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude and insult you……..Looks can be deceiving…..”Behold, your reward will be great in heaven” - Do you believe it? - If you do - You got to live it………….JMJ