Our greatest “argument” is our joy!

Today at Holy Mass we hear Jesus in the Gospel of St Luke address the people of his day who reject him….."Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how many times I yearned to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you were unwilling! Behold, your house will be abandoned. But I tell you, you will not see me until the time comes when you say, Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.”….I want to focus this reflection upon the words “unwilling” and “joy”….We must choose God…Its entirely up to us…God gives us free will and what we do with it is again up to us…..The answers to the problems we face collectively in the world today can in many ways so easily be resolved…But we want NO part of the resolution…The answer to our problems will not be resolved by throwing more money at these problems….Found in political ideology or in voting for a political strong man….The answer to the worlds problems comes down to bending our will to God….And as the Gospel today tells us…The people of Jerusalem were “unwilling” - As they are today - Why?……To break it down in practical terms - We do not believe in what Jesus is “selling”…..We “think” God takes from us and does not give….We believe no matter what we do, we all go to heaven no matter what…We believe there is no sin….There is really no accountability….Ultimately, we believe the lie of the ancient serpent, who is very real and is still hypnotizing the world with his lies…..As Catholics, what can we do to open the eyes of the world?……Can we argue the world into the doors of the Church?….Can we read and recite dogma after dogma in an attempt to convince an unbelieving world?…….The answers to those questions is an emphatic - NO….So what must we do? - The world must see our joy……The closer one gets to God, the more joy that person receives…..And joy is infectious!……The average Catholic in the pews across America does not have to memorize chapter and verse from ancient books…Our Catholic faith, boiled down in its simplest form gives us everything we need - The result will be a pure heart - Which in turn will bring us joy….The world today lacks this joy and no matter who you are…We all want this joy….This is something only God can give….But don’t take my word for it…..This is what Jesus had to say about this subject……”I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete.”….The joy that Christ gives confounds the world! - Its our best argument

“I will speak my thanks earnestly to the LORD, and in the midst of the throng I will praise him, For he stood at the right hand of the poor man, to save him from those who would condemn his soul”

I am an educated man…..I co-host a radio show for a Catholic Network in Connecticut and as a result I have spoken with the most profound Catholic thinkers across America…And I have done this for years now…I have read their books….And I have done this day in and day out…While I have grown as a Catholic as well as a person due to these conversations…....Can I say with honestly that any of these books or conversations has moved me to my very core?…The answer would be NO - I will share with you an experience I had that once did…It had nothing to do with books or esoteric conversations with Catholic intellectuals….In fact, it was just the opposite…..Before I was married I traveled to Haiti on a humanitarian trip…..I went down there with two Americans and stayed in Port au prince, the capital of Haiti and one of the poorest cities in the world…Mother Teresa’s sisters provided us with a place to stay…..Next to the Missionaries of Charity Convent was a Catholic grammar school….And on this particular day that I was there, the school had a Mass and all the children attended…....There were hundreds of them……The Mass was about to begin and I sat amongst these very poor children….To say I “stuck out” is an understatement…When the Mass began and the old organ began to play - These children, some of the poorest children in the world - They began to sing with such joy at the top of their lungs…..As I looked infront of me, there was a Statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus with his arms extended….Looking at that statue and hearing the collective joyful voices of these children was completely overwhelming - I literally could have fell over!…...All I could think to myself was - These our God’s people!!!!…...I thought that in the most profound way and believed it deeper than words could explain, both now as I write this reflection and as this event was happening in real time……The joy of those children and the sound of their voices was more profound then all the books I have read cross my entire life…...More profound then all the conversations I helped facilitate with Catholic intellectuals on my radio show combined…..The witness of purity and the sound and sight of authentic joy…..This is how we must evangelize the world…..”Joy is the net that will catch many souls”….Mother Teresa always would say that…And do you know what? - She was right.

“For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor present things, nor future things, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord”

Today at Mass Jesus addresses those who reject him….They are “unwilling” to accept what he has presenting to them…..What a pity and what a huge mistake…..The people of Jesus’ day are no different then the people today in many ways…Searching for “something”…..And then we Catholics come along - And post our memes and pictures on social media…We speak of Christ in our streets…We argue…..We debate…And guess what?…..The world is still “unwilling” to conform to the will of God…..How about we try something different?…How about we show the world just how much joy one can have by being close to God…And I am not talking about fleeting joy either - But joy that lasts and can endure anything the world can “throw at it”....….When Catholics start showing the world this kind of joy…Trust me - People will “think twice” and heads will turn…Why?….Because everyone wants this kind of joy and do you know what? - This kind of JOY is not more sale!…Only God can give us this joy…..And this joy is ours for the taking!…..This is how we convince the world - Our greatest “argument” is our joy!…………………….JMJ

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