"Christ changed every human being he ever met….. When you touch Him, you touch lightning”

Today at Holy Mass in the first reading from the Book of Maccabees, we hear the saga continue of the people who remain faithful to God…How they fought against all odds against the raw power of the state…..Sound familiar?……… “The officers of the king in charge of enforcing the apostasy came to the city of Modein to organize the sacrifices. Many of Israel joined them, but Mattathias and his sons gathered in a group apart. Then the officers of the king addressed Mattathias: “You are a leader, an honorable and great man in this city, supported by sons and kin. Come now, be the first to obey the king’s command, as all the Gentiles and the men of Judah and those who are left in Jerusalem have done. Then you and your sons shall be numbered among the King’s Friends, and shall be enriched with silver and gold and many gifts.” But Mattathias answered in a loud voice: “Although all the Gentiles in the king’s realm obey him, so that each forsakes the religion of his fathers and consents to the king’s orders, yet I and my sons and my kin will keep to the covenant of our fathers. God forbid that we should forsake the law and the commandments. We will not obey the words of the king nor depart from our religion in the slightest degree.”…………..Catholics are called to be in the world but not of it…That means we are to live amongst the masses…Not separate ourselves like the Amish or Mennonites….However, just like the Amish and Mennonite communities in America, who live very differently from the rest of society….We Catholics are to do the same - We are not to be like everyone else…That is the problem, are like “everyone else”!……Catholics are to be a “light on a hill” for their neighbor not live just like they do…..Far too many Catholics use contraception in their marriages, get divorced, lend money at high interest rates, ignore the poor, do not fast, do not pray daily - Some don't even go to Mass on Sunday........To list a few of the ways we are like everyone else…….Our lives are lived for the most part exactly like our pagan neighbors…Instead of being the example for the world - We are apart of the world…This needs to change…But how?….We must encounter Christ - This is the only argument that will “change our mind”…..There is a certain “shock” when one encounters the living God….The great philosopher and professor at Boston College Peter Kreeft in his book "Jesus Shock" put it this way…."Christ changed every human being he ever met. In fact, He changed history, splitting it open like a coconut and inserting eternity into the split between B.C. and A.D." and "If anyone claims to have met Him without being changed, he has not met Him at all. When you touch Him, you touch lightning”…….I like this description of what Kreeft calls “Jesus shock”….”When you touch Him, you touch lightning”….And when we have an authentic encounter with Jesus, we too are transformed into a version of that “lightening”…..Catholics are to live as a people “set apart” and not to be like everyone else….That is how the “lightening” strikes home!

“If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.”

Have you ever been shocked by witnessing holiness in action?…….I have……My first trip to Kolkata to serve with Mother Teresa’s sisters was one of those moments for me…I will share a shocking encounter I had with you now on that trip….My first day in the city I was on the public bus sitting next to an America young woman from Georgia….Sarah had been in the city for many months, she and I were on our way to the first home that Mother Teresa founded…The home took care of people found on the street who were about to die…...As I sat on the bus that day headed to that home, I was very nervous…I did not know what I was going to see….Just as we were about to walk into the home.....…Sarah saw a street woman she knew…The woman was very old and was so filthy words can not do justice to describe to the reader of this reflection just how dirty she was….Her one breast was exposed, her cloths looked like they were on her body for weeks on end, her hair was matted…I could go on and on…When Sarah saw her, a big smile came across her face and she hugged this woman like she was her own mother…….Sarah was not faking it at all either, she meant every bit of that huge…When I saw this, I literally almost fell over!…That is an example of what Dr Peter Kreeft calls “Jesus shock”…..Our world today has a very “lukewarm” understanding of who Jesus Christ was and is….Jesus Christ was a tornado!…..The greatest revolutionary to have ever walked the planet!…..And when we meet “this man” - We change - Such an encounter can not be ignored!…..Saints make other saints - How you say?…Because a holy life is attractive - Why? - Because God is attractive……..There is nothing “fake” about it.

“As Jesus drew near Jerusalem, he saw the city and wept over it, saying, “If this day you only knew what makes for peace–but now it is hidden from your eyes”

Today at Mass we heard in the first reading how a family would not “go along to get along” in a society that was radically opposed to their religion - How about us?…Are we willing to “stand apart”?….And if we are - How do we do it?…The answer to that question is, you can not be “different” from the crowd unless you allow God’s grace to transform you, to strengthen your will, to fortify your resolve…Only by means of Sacramental grace, daily prayer and fasting can that happen….Catholics must be a people who live among “the people”….....We must be salt and light to the world around us - Now for the “catch” - I am from New Jersey - There is always a “catch” - That is not going to happen without God’s grace!….If we rely upon our own strength, we will get “swept away” by society and the culture - And live like everyone else….However, if we do as St Paul says…..”Draw your strength from the Lord and from his mighty power. Put on the armor of God so that you may be able to stand firm against the tactics of the devil”….We too will “shock” the world around us….A holy life can not be ignored - It changes hearts and minds….."Christ changed every human being he ever met….. When you touch Him, you touch lightning”…………..JMJ

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