And what a day that will be! - Carry on!

Today the Universal Church offers an Optional Memorial at the Mass to commentate St John Paul II….One can argue that of all the souls that were born into the world in the 20th century…This man had the most profound impact….To give some color around that statement….The former President of the USSR, Mikhail Gorbachev accredited Pope John Paul II for the collapse of the Soviet Union…No small accomplishment and no small compliment from a political adversary no less…..Pope John Paul II was a man gifted beyond all telling…..Brilliant, an athlete, a fantastic communicator…The list of his gifts goes on and on….But what formed this man?…How did he become the man who the world came to know?….By the age of 22, Karol Wojtyla (Pope John Paul II) was orphaned…Both his parents died and his brother who was a medical doctor also died…He watched his country Poland get destroyed right in front of his eyes, first by the Germans and then by the Russians….He was also shot in 1981, just three years after being elected Pope…..Like all saints - Such men are not “born saints”…They are made saints….Karol Wojtyla cooperated with God - And God, who is the “master builder”, crafted a man who in turn shook the foundations of the world…Today in the Gospel of St Luke we are told something by Jesus, something I believe Karol Wojtyla took to heart…The question is - Do we?…..”Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more”…The very fact that most of us were born into the developed world is in of itself a blessing but sadly taken for granted by many reading this reflection….The large majority of the world’s population lives and dies in poverty……Not to mention that most of the people reading this reflection were born Catholic, which means we have the benefit of living a Sacramental life……Now think about this for a moment - When we die, we will stand in front of God along side millions upon millions of people from all over the world who were not given a fraction of what we were given….Allow me to put it this way…If you were God - And looked out upon the sea of humanity at the time of The Last Judgment, most of the people standing before you had nothing….And then you looked to the Catholics, born into comfortable lives in America, Canada, Australia and Europe…How do you think you would respond?…..Would you expect those who had been given the most, would have in turn done the most?…..Seems like a reasonable question right? - Guess what? - We are told today in the Gospel by Jesus that God sees it the same way you would - Let's be honest…..”Much will be required of the person entrusted with much”........So let’s get out there and make it happen!

“Stay awake! For you do not know when the Son of Man will come”

When I would travel to Kolkata, India to serve with Mother Teresa's sisters, I would spend my afternoons working at the first center Mother Teresa founded in the city - The Home for the Dying and the Destitute….Many of the men in that home were found in the gutters and railway stations of the city half died…And thankfully, as a result of the care from the sisters, many of the men got healthy, not all of them died…..A few, as a result of the love shown to them would in turn volunteer their time after they got healthy and some even work for the sisters….Not only were these men I just mentioned physically healed but a spiritual awakening happened to them while living in the home…One such man I got to know over the years…When new patients would come into the Home for the Dying from the street, this Indian man would give them a shower and shave their head with a straight razor…I know this because I would help him on occasion….Watching him use a straight razor was a sight to behold! - But back to the story…This man was just like the very people who were carried into the home at one time - Now healthy - He was giving back….How do you think God will view the actions of this poor man?…..I do not even think he was Catholic!…Now - How do you think God will view someone like me?…..A person given an education, loving parents, a safe pace to live, money in my pocket and a Catholic faith…How do you think God could potentially judge a person like me?…….We are told the answer in the gospel today…..…”That servant who knew his master's will but did not make preparations nor act in accord with his will shall be beaten severely; and the servant who was ignorant of his master's will but acted in a way deserving of a severe beating shall be beaten only lightly”…….Don’t think for a minute I am not aware of the GREAT responsibility laid upon me! - The question I pose today to the reader of this reflection is - Are you?

“Our help is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth”

Once again, Jesus tells us something very important in the Gospel today at Mass - Do we take him seriously? - If not, we should!…..God has given each of us gifts…Some more than others, but each of us has something….What are we doing with those gifts?….Do we use them to serve others?…Or….Do we use them simply to serve our self…This is what St Luke in this Gospel today is calling us to ponder…And why must we think about these questions?…Because God will ask us the same questions when we stand before him……”What did you do with what I gave you Joe!!!!!!”……Like a banker, God not only wants what he gave us back - He wants “interest” on what was “loaned out”…..Viewing our lives through this lens, brings great meaning to life…..We are given a purpose!…….What drives you each day?…..As I stated in the beginning of this reflection, when discussing the life of Karol Wojtyla, the man who became Pope John Paul II and later a canonized saint….Saints are not born saints…They are formed….Forged in the fires of life…What makes them saints is, they allow God into their life radically and the Holy Spirit fills them - And as a result, they are transformed - The rest is history!….Whether we are given tremendous nature gifts as Pope John Paul II was…Or…We were given a small amount of gifts, like the Indian man who worked for the sisters at the Home for the Dying in Kolkata….The goal is the same…We must use what we have been given for the Greater Glory of God….And when we do that - We will one day hear these words……..”Well done, my good and faithful servant. Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities. Come, share your master’s joy”…..And what a day that will be! - Carry on!………..JMJ

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