Facts do not change because we do not like them….We are all entitled to our opinion, however, we are not entitled to our own facts

Today at Holy Mass we are told in the Gospel of Luke that Jesus, who is God gave his first twelve disciples authority…..He says it very clearly too….”Jesus summoned the Twelve and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them to proclaim the Kingdom of God and to heal the sick”…..What does that mean?….It means that the Church Jesus founded - The one and only Church - The Catholic Church - Has authority….Don’t believe me?….Jesus says it AGAIN in Scripture…..”And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven”….Again, what does that mean?….It means that because Jesus is God…And because God established a Church…What the Church proclaims (i.e “Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven”) bears weight and carries with it the authority of Christ himself…..This authority given to the Catholic Church is outright rejected by so many…..With that said, to ignore reality does not change reality…..Heaven is God’s house and if we want to “get into God’s house” the only way we “get in” is on God’s terms - “Write that one down and save it!”….Just like how it is in your house - "Your house - Your rules" - Right?….It works the same way with God

“The Kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the Gospel”

For those of us who are parents, we know that children do not always listen to what we tell them…Our children “think” they know better…In many ways the Catholic Church is our mother…She wants nothing but the best for us…Yet, we “think” we know better then our mother!…..What we seem to forget, the Catholic Church has been around for 2000 years…It has endured tyrants, wars, hostile empires and scandals that should have destroyed it…But just the opposite happened - Its still around - That should tell you something “right off the bat”….In those 2000 years, the Church has taught, as well as acquired great wisdom and more times than not - In time, Catholic teaching, while rejected has proven not only right but spot on!…Yet the world STILL either ignores or outright rejects Church teaching….Like a child who “holds its breath in the corner”, we are only cutting off our nose to spite our face…”God holds all the cards”….And we do not get into heaven on “our terms”…..And we all die!....And the only authority is Jesus, as we heard today in the Gospel and Jesus gave that authority to the one Church he founded - Again, we heard that in the Gospel!…..To ignore reality does not do us any good……Allow me to give you a good example of what I am talking about from American history

”Joseph Rummel was named by Pius XI as the ninth archbishop of the Archdiocese of New Orleans on March 9, 1935. At the time, New Orleans was rapidly urbanizing as farmers flocked to the city in search of factory jobs. Also, recent European immigrants many of whom were Catholic, were also settling in the city. Over the next thirty years, the Catholic population in the archdiocese would double to over 762,000, and the number of students in Catholic schools grew from fewer than 40,000 to over 85,000. Rummel spent most of his tenure in New Orleans expanding the parochial school system. However, he is perhaps best remembered for his controversial decision to desegregate the archdiocese, including the Catholic schools. All of the Southern states including Louisiana and the city of New Orleans, had been racially segregated by law since Reconstruction ended in the 1870s. Like the rest of the city, parishes and schools within the Archdiocese were also segregated. The community had accepted segregation as a normal part of life. Sadly, no archbishop attempted to desegregate the Archdiocese until the Civil Right Movement began after the end of the Second World War. Once the movement did begin, Rummel embraced the cause of racial equality and white segregationists were outraged. Politicians organized, held public protests, and initiated letter writing campaigns. Parents threatened to transfer their children to public schools or even boycott the entire school year. Rummel issued numerous letters to individual Catholics, pleading for their cooperation and explaining his decision. He even went so far as to threaten opponents of desegregation with excommunication, the most severe censure of the Church. The threats were enough to convince most segregationist Catholics into standing down. Nevertheless, some parishioners continued to organize protests. On April 16, 1962, the Monday before Easter, Rummel excommunicated three local Catholics for defying the authority of the Church and organizing protests against the archdiocese. The first of the three was Judge Leader Perez, 70, who called on Catholics to withhold donations to the Archdiocese and to boycott Sunday church collections. The second was Jackson G. Ricau, 44, political commentator, segregationist writer, and director of the "Citizens Council of South Louisiana". The third was Una Gaillot, 41, mother of two, housewife, and president of "Save Our Nation Inc." The excommunications made national headlines and had the tacit support of Pope John XXIII. Perez and Ricau were reinstated into the Church after public retractions”……(*Wikipedia)

“And as for those who do not welcome you, when you leave that town, shake the dust from your feet in testimony against them……Then they set out and went from village to village proclaiming the good news and curing diseases everywhere”

Why did these two men publicly recant their positions?…Because being Catholic they KNEW that being excommunicated by a Catholic Bishop meant they not only could not receive the Blessed Sacrament here on earth but would not be allowed into heaven when they died…Why?…Because Archbishop Joseph Rummel was given authority - By whom? - Jesus….And the Church still has that same authority today…Those who have ears - Let them hear!……Today at Mass we are reminded of the authority that Jesus gave to his Church….Many will read what was written in the Gospel, which came right out of the mouth of Jesus Christ and flat out ignore it….Many will also ignore the example I just gave in America of a Catholic Bishop, who exercised the authority given to him by Jesus to excommunicate Catholic politicians for publicly defying the laws of God….Here is the bottom line - In the history of mankind, there has been only one man who rose from the dead and that man has authority - That man also established one Church - The Catholic Church…When YOU rise from the dead - I am all ears…Until then - I am staying put………Facts do not change because we do not like them….We are all entitled to our opinion, however, we are not entitled to our own facts……….JMJ