God does not want your money nor does he want your “activism”….God wants your sins - Give to him what he wants!

Today at Holy Mass in the Gospel of St Luke, a Pharisee invites Jesus for a meal…..Jesus immediately understands what this man was all about….And he tells him where he needs to grow and what he needs to do…..”The Lord said to him, "Oh you Pharisees! Although you cleanse the outside of the cup and the dish, inside you are filled with plunder and evil. You fools! Did not the maker of the outside also make the inside? But as to what is within, give alms, and behold, everything will be clean for you”…..So the question is for us to ponder today - How do we handle it when we receive constructive criticism?…...When we hear the words of the Gospel read to us at Mass and the words are challenging…Do we consider them as a vehicle for change?….Or……Are they simply dismissed?…...How about when it comes to the perennial teachings of the Church - Do we take them to heart?….Do we aspire to put them into practice?……The Gospel today shows us that Jesus “gets it”….He understands us at our very core…He understands how the human heart works and sees through us……There is no hiding from God…..Therefore what is our response?…Do we hid from him?…..Just as Adam and Eve did in the garden when they “ate of the apple”….Do you recall the story - ”The LORD God then called to the man and asked him: Where are you? He answered, I heard you in the garden; but I was afraid, because I was naked, so I hid”……There is no “getting over” on God….Its time to come clean!…..Listen - We all are sinners and we all have fallen…The sooner we face our faults, the sooner we will overcome them…..We should never be afraid of approaching Jesus with our sins…He is ALWAYS ready to forgive…But we have to “come clean”…and confess…..Write what I said down - Why? - Because it’s important…..If we want to grow in grace, we need to go to the source of all grace…There is nothing that cannot be forgiven that we have done - Nothing!….And with God’s grace, we can and will overcome of faults and weakness…But before that happens - We need to come clean!…..Do not rob yourself of what is rightful yours - God’s mercy and peace - Its there for the taking - So take what is given freely!

“The word of God is living and effective, able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart”

One of the advantages of working in New York City is there are so many Catholic Churches, which means the opportunity for daily Mass is available to all who want to attend…And I for one take full advantage of that gift…..Two weeks ago, I was on the Confession line after Mass on my lunch hour and I struck up a conversation with a woman on the line behind me…Our conversation began with her asking me a question….”Excuse me - I have not been to confession in 50 years - How should I begin the discussion with the priest”……Before I said a word to this woman, I first told her how edified I was by her words and by the witness of her faith….I then proceeded to tell her to speak from her heart and the priest will guide you…..I also told her that I would pray for her, which I did once I walked out of the Confession Box and she was entering into it….As she walked into the Confessional - I gave the woman a “thumbs up” and she smiled….Fast forward to this week….I saw the same woman at daily Mass and when she saw me, she gave me the biggest smile……This is the smile of authentic joy and true peace - PEACE which we ALL can have in our heart….A peace that Jesus is always willing to give us and a peace that ONLY Jesus can give us…..This woman did not go to Confession for 50 years…By the grace of God - She decided to go - The result - The biggest smile you have ever seen on her face….Why not YOU?……Don’t you too want to smile too? - I mean really smile and mean it!

“Not a word nor a discourse whose voice is not heard; Through all the earth their voice resounds, and to the ends of the world, their message”

Today in the Gospel Jesus confronts a man who thinks he can “get over” on God…Jesus sees directly through him….Guess what?…Jesus sees directly through us too…….But here is the good news, Jesus came to help us…..To pretend we have it all together…To hid our sins from Our Lord - Is a complete waste a waste of time - Why? - Because we are not going to “get over” on God - We are simply “getting over” on our self……Jesus understands the human condition….This is why he gave us the Church…This is why he gave us the Sacraments…When we confess our sins regularly and receive the Blessed Sacrament worthily at Mass, we become a “force of nature”…..Our life becomes fully animated with the grace of God……This is how we grow in holiness with each passing day…Never be afraid to approach God in the Sacrament of Reconciliation….God does not want your money nor does he want your “activism”….God wants your sins - Give to him what he wants!………JMJ

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