No need to "reinvent the wheel"…The wheel works just fine

Today at Holy Mass in the first reading, St Paul tells us about his struggles with sin….As we all know…St Paul was a great saint…But that does not mean he was not human…The struggle with sin is very real….It exists in each and every human being…This is why we need Divine Grace…This is why we need to live a Sacramental life…Those who have ears - Let them hear!……But back to St Paul - What does he tell us today at Mass - ”Brothers and sisters: I know that good does not dwell in me, that is, in my flesh. The willing is ready at hand, but doing the good is not. For I do not do the good I want, but I do the evil I do not want. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. So, then, I discover the principle that when I want to do right, evil is at hand. For I take delight in the law of God, in my inner self, but I see in my members another principle at war with the law of my mind, taking me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Miserable one that I am! Who will deliver me from this mortal body? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord”…….Sadly, when most people hear the word grace, they think its some made up crazy religious idea - Or - To some. grace is a natural gift that some people have and some do not......Nothing could be further from the truth - Grace cannot be self manufactured…Grace comes from God and is available to all of us - And it helps us to live as Christ asked us too......Without grace - Guess what? - “Its not going to happen” as we say in New Jersey!……This is how the Catechism of the Catholic Church defines grace….”Grace as "a participation in the life of God," a free and undeserved gift from God that allows individuals to become his children. It is a supernatural gift of the Holy Spirit that justifies and sanctifies a person, cleansing them from sin and enabling them to live in accordance with God's will”…..Notice the word “supernatural”?…..Grace elevates our human nature, which in turn enables us to live out our Catholic faith…I will say it again - Without God’s grace - THERE IS NO WAY!…We can live as Jesus asked us too - Not a chance!…..So what must we do to acquire this grace?…..Like a glass filled with water to the brim, if we want to pour milk into that glass, the water must be poured out…So it is with us - We must “pour out” our very self and “make room” for God’s grace in our life….In addition, we must also live Sacramentally - That is where the “supernatural part” comes into play …..While reading Scripture is important, don’t get me wrong, I read it every morning - It simply is not enough…..Knowing something to be right and doing it are two very different things…Its one thing to be instructed by Scripture, its another thing all together to live out what Holy Scripture tells us…This is where Sacramental grace comes in…..Those who have ears - Let them hear!

“Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth; you have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the Kingdom”

Sins of the flesh have plagued mankind for as long as men and women have walked the earth…Deep within each and every person is the desire to marry….Where a man and a woman become one flesh and have children….God made us this way…However, if this innate desire is not tempered by Divine Grace, we destroy others and ourselves…Don’t believe me? - Just look around and you will not have to look too far either…That is why marriage is a Sacrament - God made it that way…When marriage is lived Sacramentally, God infuses the couple with Divine Grace in order to live out the very real demands of the married state….To attempt to live as a married couple outside of the Sacrament puts a couple at a great disadvantage and divorce statistics support what I just noted….Are you aware that 55% of all marriages end in divorce in America…Now if a couple simply goes to Church together each Sunday - That number drops by 50% - Where you aware of that?…..Also, if a couple does not use contraception and utilizes Natural Family Planning (NFP) as the Catholic Church recommends….Those couples only have a 3% divorce rate - Did you know that as well?…These are not dogmatic statics by the way but sociological data collected in the United States currently…And these FACTS should tell you something - If you have ears to listen….Bottom Line - Grace is real - And each of us needs it!…No matter what state in life you have been called too…Whether a Bishop, a Priest, a married couple or living in the single state….When the Blessed Sacrament is received worthily, as the Church prescribes after we frequent the Sacrament of Reconciliation - We are animated with the very life of God…..And in turn we receive a “supernatural gift of the Holy Spirit” - Once again…Those who have ears - Let them hear

“Teach me wisdom and knowledge, for in your commands I trust”

Today St Paul in the first reading from Mass tells us just how human he is….But notice how the reading ends….”Who will deliver me from this mortal body? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord”…St Paul understood his human weakness and in doing so, he placed his trust in the Lord…And as we all know - St Paul’s life demonstrated both in word and deed that the Lord did not let him down - Nor will the Lord let us down - Believe it!….The beautiful thing about being Catholic is, its all written down….All we have to do is follow the “blue print”…..There is 2000 years of “data” - Lived out in real time by countless saints……The “blue print” works - The rest is up to us…..No need to "reinvent the wheel"….....The wheel works just fine……………JMJ

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