Those who pray - Those are the ones who will stay

Today at Holy Mass in the Gospel of St Luke, Jesus instructs his friends…He also instructs us…..Why?…Because we are his friends too….”Jesus told his disciples a parable about the necessity for them to pray always without becoming weary”……..Why is daily prayer important?….Why are the Sacraments important?……Because everything comes down to grace….We are far too confident in our own strengthen and will-power to do what Christ asks of us…..Never underestimate the pull of sin….NEVER…..The devil roams the earth constantly looking for an opportunity to strike….I can hear it now - Those reading this reflection…Your crazy - Oh really! - Look around - How is the world doing?……Staying connected to Christ through prayer and the Sacraments is vital…Mother Teresa understood this…This is how she put it…….“When you look at the inner workings of electrical things, you often see small and big wires, new and old, cheap and expensive, all lined up. Until the current passes through them there will be no light. That wire is you and me. The current is God. We have the power to let the current passthrough us, use us, produce the light of the world. Or we can refuse to be used and allow darkness to spread”……Sadly, far too many are not convinced of this reality….Jesus tells us point blank in Scripture….”Without me - You can do nothing”…If our life is not animated with the grace of God - There is no way we can do God’s will…Never mind live out our vocations, whether you are a Bishop, a Priest, in the married state or single…..You disagree still?……Jesus ends the Gospel today from St Luke with this statement…….”But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”…..It all comes down to grace, which comes to us through daily prayer and living a Sacramental life…Those who pray - Stay!…And those who don’t - They drift away

“The word of God is living and effective, discerning reflections and thoughts of the heart”

Successful people look for trends that proved to be effective…What do I mean by that?….In Business School, a student is made to read case studies, to break down how businesses both succeeded and failed…To pinpoint trends...We as Catholics, if we are thinking properly, should do the same thing….Over the course of 2000 years, the Catholic Church provides for us the lives of the saints…These are our “case studies”….Men and women who point to Christ…They “made it happen”…They “did it right”…..But how did they do it?….What was their “secret”…..If you read the lives of the saints…You will notice certain patterns that overlap….These trends / behaviors should not only be noticed by us today, but put into practice….Know why?…Because they work!….One of the common practices of the saints is making a daily Holy Hour - Praying silently before the Blessed Sacrament…This practice is a saint-maker for sure!….Now, being that most of us reading this reflection are not monks…We live in the world and have bills to pay, children to raise, etc…We may not have the time to sit before the Blessed Sacrament every day…But can you do it for one hour per week?…….For the last, 18 years that has been my practice…This started before I was married, when I would do a Holy Hour with Mother Teresa sisters in New York City every Saturday afternoon…Now as a married man, I do 30 minutes at 5:00am both Saturday and Sunday morning before my children get up…My wife then goes at 5:30am…..Why do I do that?…Because if I want to be the husband and father I am called to be - If I want to live out my Catholic faith as Jesus has asked me too - I need grace!!!!….And guess what?…Doing a Holy Hour each week makes that happen…..The saints show us the way - I highly recommend reading about their lives….And following their lead…..Circling back to the words of Jesus…”Without me - You can do nothing”…I will say it again - Most people don’t take that statement to heart……I can’t speak for “most people” - I can only speak for myself…I KNOW I can do NOTHING without God….Therefore I pray daily…Therefore I live a Sacramental life…Therefore I pray the Rosary everyday…And you know what? - Those practices have NEVER failed me….They are the reason why my life has bore “good fruit” - The ONLY reason…..”The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak”…..That is why Jesus today in the Gospel at Mass tells us….”Pray always without becoming weary”….Those who have ears - Let them hear!

“Be persistent whether it is convenient or inconvenient; convince, reprimand, encourage through all patience and teaching”

When Jesus tells us something in Scripture - Do we believe him?…Jesus is constantly instructing us…Why?….Because he loves us…He wants us to succeed….So how do we succeed as Catholics?…Why must pray daily?……Like an athlete that trains daily, a Catholic must pray daily…..We must also live a Sacramental life…..There is a fancy Catholic word for the Eucharist…The word is “viaticum”, which is translated to mean “food for the journey”…....When we receive the Blessed Sacrament in the state of grace (i.e. we make frequent monthly confessions with a Priest)…...We are fully animated by the life of Christ - Did you just catch that!…The grace of God FULLY animates our very life!…....When we pray the Rosary daily - Our Lady not only instructs us as we meditate on the Scripture, but opens our mind to the treasures of heaven…...When we sit before the Blessed Sacrament in silence, God fills us with his peace, instructs us and empowers us to “go forth” and proclaim the gospel with our very lives - Both in word and in deed……Whoever has ears to hear - Let them hear!…I am giving you the answers to the “exam”….This was and is “the secret” of every saint over the course of the last 2000 years……So how does “all this” impact us today? - We either commit to these practices or we do not…..The proof is in the “pudding” my friends - Know why?…..”Because without me - You can do NOTHING”….And those who stay grafted to “the vine” - “Bear fruit” - Its really that simple…….”When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” - When that day does come - And it will - Those people Jesus finds will be the ones who pray - The rest will run away…..Don’t believe me still?…..Remember the words of St Peter….”I will never betray you Lord - I will die for you”…..We all know how that ended……”Cock a Doodle Do!”……Those who pray - Those are the ones who will stay……JMJ

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