”This man welcomes sinners” - You got that right - He sure does!

Today at Holy Mass we hear in the Gospel of St Luke that Jesus’ message resonated with sinners but not with the established religious leaders (Pharisees) of his time…How could that be?…You would think it would be just the opposite - Right?……”The tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to Jesus, but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying, "This man welcomes sinners and eats with them”………At the root of this observation, one can conclude the sinners understood that they were “off” - Whether they admitted that vocally or not…They knew their faults - Where the Pharisees did not……If you were asked why Jesus came into the world - How would you address that question?……..Jesus came for one reason and one reason only - To free us from our sins - Period! - That is all he is interested in!….And if we do admit those sins or we think we have nothing to be forgiven from - Why would we need Jesus?…….This is why the Catholic Church in her wisdom offers us the Sacrament of Reconciliation….To think we do not need this is to ignore reality - We are all sinners…And thinking (as so many do) that because Jesus died for our sinners, we do not have to face up to our faults - Does nobody any good - Most especially you!…….For example - If you did something to your wife and hurt her feelings - Don’t you think you owe her an apology? - Of course you do!…….Taking for granted that she loves you and thinking to your self that you do not have to face up to the fact that you hurt her feelings does not do your relationship with your wife any good - Right?….Now think about that from God’s prospective…..When one approaches Jesus, through the person of a Catholic Priest (In Persona Christi), not only do we reconcile with God but we are given Sacramental Grace…The second aspect of this gift is not discussed enough….Each time we confess our sins, even if they are small, we are given grace to overcome those sins…And in time, you will notice, those sins disappear from our life all together…This is how we grow in virtue and in time grow in holiness….…Also - Going to Confession regularly provides a vehicle to hold ourselves accountable - Because if you are about to do something wrong, you know that you will have to confess it……The practice of going to Confession regularly has disappeared from the life of far too many American Catholics - A HUGE mistake!…This must return again into mainstream Catholic life…..The great saints tell us this - Padre Pio, Fulton Sheen & Pope John Paul II…….When we get the basics down, we can build a life upon a strong foundation……As a Catholic, going to a Sacramental Confession once a month is a basic……Circle back to today’s Gospel….Those who were closest to Jesus were not those who did not think they had no sin in their life or ignored that sin - It was the public sinners - The people who knew they were flawed, who gravitated to Jesus…Which of the two groups do you fall into?…..I can’t speak for you, but I know what group I fall into…That is why I go to Confession two times a month…..The Catholic faith is all about the basics - Its time to get back to basics again!

“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest, says the Lord”

I have a friend who is a rather famous priest…He helped found a new religious order, he is an author, exorcist, the list goes on and on…..I could go on all day about Fr Glenn Sudano CFR….I have known Fr Glenn for many years…In fact, he is my wife’s Spiritual Director….And because of that, he is very close to our family…..Why mention Fr Glenn?…He told me that when he is New York City…He sometimes finds himself hearing confession at St Patrick’s Cathedral…..If you ever have gone to the midday Mass at St Pat’s during the work week, you will notice that the line for confession always is rather long….Fr Glenn told me how overwhelmed he is sometimes by the humility of the people who come to him for confession - They come from all walks of life…He said their witness strengthens his faith and edifies him as a priest…..People think just the opposite - That a Catholic Priest is somehow going to look down on them because they sinned - Wrong!……….You see - The devil is SMART…….The devil does everything he can to stop us from confessing our sins - He “gets in our head” as we say in New Jersey….And the devil sadly succeeds in far too many cases by preventing us for receiving God’s mercy and peace….When we confess our sins…We “open the doors” to God’s Grace, most especially when we then receive the Blessed Sacrament at Mass on Sunday after confessing our sins….By commiting to this practice, our will is also strengthened by that grace and our vision is restored to face the world……And guess what? - Its free!…..Why would a Catholic not want this?……..What is holding you back?……..Jesus came for sinners - That is the only reason why he came - He came for you!…..Jesus is not shocked by your sins - Nor is the Priest who hears your confession…….And if you doubt what I just wrote….Jesus says it better then I can…..“Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do. I did not come to call the righteous but sinners”……The Doctor is in! - Maybe it’s time to see him?

“The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom should I fear? The LORD is my life's refuge; of whom should I be afraid?”

Today at Mass, St Mark tells us that is was the sinners that wanted to be near Jesus…And Jesus did not cast them away…Just the opposite, he had dinner with them……Being Catholic really is so simple…If we focus on just three things…We will ensure we never “get off the road”, which leads to heaven and grow in holiness each and everyday……One - Pray the Rosary every day - Takes 20 minutes……Two - Go to a Sacramental Confession once a month - Takes 5 minutes and if you “killed someone”, it takes 15 minutes (I am from New Jersey - "Stuff Happens" - I had to throw that in)……Three - Go to Mass every Sunday and receive the Blessed Sacrament in the state of grace - Takes 45 minutes……These three practices - So simple - Cost nothing - Can without a doubt solve just about all the problems we create for ourself in this world……For the life of me - I can’t understand why anyone would not want to help themself and make these three practice apart of their life…….Again - Circle back to today’s Gospel…..”The tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to Jesus, but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying, "This man welcomes sinners and eats with them”….The tax collectors and sinner “get it”…..”This man welcomes sinners” - You got that right - He sure does!……………JMJ

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