Got God? - Get Purpose!

Today at Holy Mass we hear in the Gospel of St Luke how Jesus tells his people why he walked among them…..And what his life’s purpose was grounded upon…."To the other towns also I must proclaim the good news of the Kingdom of God, because for this purpose I have been sent”….Jesus knew who we was - The Son of God…So the question today we will explore is - Do people know today who they are?……We hear in the main stream media phrases today like - How do you identify?….The correct answer is we are children of God…..But this is not how most people “identity” today……And when we “do not know who we are”…We chase after an “identity”…And in that “chase”…We can so easily get lost….We fall into debt….We waste our time….We can even lose our soul…All because we deny reality - And reality does not change because we do not chose to accept it…Each of us are children of God and any other “identity” pursued only leads in time to dissatisfaction……Jesus knew who he was and as Catholics we must ground our identity in the things that last…..In doing so we will live a fulfilled life….Interestingly enough, in the Gospel today, Jesus expels demons from people and even the demons knew who Jesus was…..”And demons also came out from many, shouting, "You are the Son of God." But he rebuked them and did not allow them to speak because they knew that he was the Christ”…….The battle between good and evil rages each and every day all around us….The devil is real - Believe it! - And he is smarter then us all….He knows each and everyone of our weakness….And when you look at the world objectively, you see very clearly how the devil is “playing with people like a cat does a mouse” - “Pushing their buttons”…..All because we “do not know who we are”

“He stood over her, rebuked the fever, and it left her”

Growing older is the great equalizer…..When people are young, healthy and strong…They can so easily “get lost”….Worldly ambition can “cloud” our vision of God and the pursuit of a holy life…….We “think” we will live forever and the “party will never end”…How foolish is this mind set……The party does end and when life is not built upon a “strong foundation” - When the “party ends” - It ends with a crash………………God permits our failures in life in order to “get our attention”……To re-direct our purpose….Years ago I was friends with the CEO of a mid-sized printing company in New Jersey…Armand took his father’s small printing business after he graduated from Fordham University and made millions…He made so much money, he even had his own plane….And one day, his wife died suddenly…That is when I met Armand…He was in crisis - He loved his wife dearly and was lost…..This event, which he believed at the time was the worst thing that ever happened to him, helped him to “see” that the direction and purpose of his life was not where it was supposed to be….He soon began to live a Sacramental life and pray daily….He got involved in charitable organizations, using the fruit of his labor to benefit others…And slowly his life found meaning and purpose….This is how God works sometimes…He uses the events of life to “get our attention”…To re-focus our purpose…To deepen our faith….This process can be painful…But if we “work through it”….....When we come "out of the tunnel", we see the world in a different way….All things that are not of God not only turn to dust but in time will be “take away” from us - Even our very health…..God also knows how to “push our buttons”…To get our attention…He does this to redirect our purpose…..Why?…Because heaven is forever - But so is hell……We are all children of God - Bar None!…And God will do his very best to make the world realize that…But ultimately, its up to us…To “see” reality as it truly is…..To stop chasing the things of this passing world….And to ground our life in the things which are eternal…The great St Augustine who was a brilliant man and very successive in the material things of this world famously said….”The heart does not rest until it rests in thee”……When we know who we truly are - Children of God - Life has purpose…Until then, we “row a boat with just one oar” and fight a battle which we can not win.

“At sunset, all who had people sick with various diseases brought them to him. He laid his hands on each of them and cured them”

Today Jesus at Mass tells us in the Gospel what his purpose was…..To “proclaim the good news of the Kingdom of God”….What is our purpose?…Each of us were born with something to do….If you are an objective observer of history, you will notice that the only people who are remembered for centuries are saints…..A thousand years can go by and people will still be talking about the saints - Like St Augustine or say St Francis - Stop and think about why that is the case?….Its because everything that is not of God fades away - That is reality - And that reality should tell us something….When we ground our life’s purpose in reality…Yes, you heard that right - Reality - That we all are children of God - We find purpose and deep peace………How do you “identify”? - Your gender or your pronounces do not even scratch the surface of that question…Nor does your professional designation, your degrees or your address - Got God? - Get Purpose!…………….JMJ