No one ever got anything done by “playing it safe”

Today at Holy Mass in the Gospel of St Luke, Jesus addresses his friends and tells them not to be afraid….Again this is a constant message communicated throughout the entire Gospel…Yet - We are afraid!…..Jesus also tells the disciples to be bold!…."There is nothing concealed that will not be revealed, nor secret that will not be known. Therefore whatever you have said in the darkness will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered behind closed doors will be proclaimed on the housetops. I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body but after that can do no more. I shall show you whom to fear. Be afraid of the one who after killing has the power to cast into Gehenna; yes, I tell you, be afraid of that one. Are not five sparrows sold for two small coins? Yet not one of them has escaped the notice of God. Even the hairs of your head have all been counted. Do not be afraid. You are worth more than many sparrows”…….What are we so afraid of?……And why is the gospel message presented in an ambiguous manner?……Jesus was perfectly clear - You always knew where he stood - Right? - So why is the gospel message in some segments of the Church not presented in the same manner, both from the pulpit and from the pews?…..Jesus said this - So pay attention!….”Let your ‘Yes’ mean ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No’ mean ‘No.’ Anything more is from the evil one”….....Did you catch that?…..A gospel message that is ambiguous is not from God and if it not from God - Guess where it comes from?…..Our world today needs a clear message…Not some “wishy-washy” lukewarm gospel…..Do you know what Jesus had to say about that?…..“I know your works; I know that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either cold or hot. So, because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth”…......Today the Universal Church commemorates the life of the great St Ignatius of Antioch, who was a bishop in the 2nd century in what is now modern day Syria….As Ignatius was taken by armed guards to Rome to be killed we are told he “unambiguously proclaimed the apostolic faith”……That is why “ST” is before his name and people are still talking about him some 1900 years later…..There was nothing “wishy-washy” about Ignatius…..And there should be nothing “wishy-washy” about us Catholics in the years 2025…....Know why? - Because there was nothing “wishy-washy” about Jesus…..”Let your ‘Yes’ mean ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No’ mean ‘No”….Know why?……….”Anything more is from the evil one”

“Jesus began to speak, first to his disciples, "Beware of the leaven–that is, the hypocrisy–of the Pharisees”

If we as Catholics heard from the pulpit - You pick the state in America - A bold and unadulterated gospel preached to us - Would we listen?…....Would we “storm out” of the Church?…Say a homily was focused on abortion….Say a homily was focused the sin of same sex marriage - How Catholics can not support it….Say a homily was focused on the use of contraception - How it is a sin - And how the use of contraception violates our marriage vows of being open to life as Catholics….Just to name few topics…How would we respond?…..The Catholic Church contains the fullness of Truth…Yet - The “collective we” (i.e. Catholics across the board) are afraid to speak the Truth in its fullness…….This is a dire mistake!….Allow me to let the readers of this reflection in on a "little secret"......No one is interested in a water-down Gospel - Such a Gospel bears no fruit….How are our people going to know how to live and thrive if they are not formed in the faith properly?…….The Truth, in its fullness must be communicated clearly both at home and from the pulpit….If we “write things down” as a Church and then ignore them or “tip-toe" around what we write down as dogma and unchangeable Church teaching - If we are like that - We are like a “toothless lion”…..And no one will listen to us nor will they respect us - Conversely, if we are bold…And speak the Truth clearly and boldly…We may “make some waves”…But in time…We will attract others to our “little flock”…Know why?…Because the world “thirsts” for the Truth…Its written on every human heart - Its time to believe it - I mean REALLY BELIEVE IT!…Be bold…The Truth is like a lion….Let it loose - It will defend itself.

"There is nothing concealed that will not be revealed, nor secret that will not be known”

Today at Mass we hear Jesus in the Gospel tell his friends to be bold…..Being bold is essential and should be fundamental to every Baptized Catholic…..How is the world going to know the Truth if we are afraid to speak it in a full throated manner?……There is way too much ambiguity out there and the devil thrives in shadows when messages are not clearly presented……..There is no “siting on the fence” anymore…Are we “all in”?…..Jesus Christ was a revolutionary - Do you think of him in that manner? - As a revolutionary - Because that is what he was….This simple uneducated carpenter from a remote and unknown village turned the entire world upside down!….What makes you think YOU can’t turn the world upside down by simply following Jesus’s lead?….…..Burn the boats!…..Burn the bridges! - Its time to mean what we say we believe - Come hell or high water!…..No one ever got anything done by “playing it safe”........JMJ

https://www.holywaterbooks.com/catholic-men-will-save-america.html