Utilize the gifts given to you……And “ignore the noise”

Today at Holy Mass in the Gospel of Luke a question is asked of Jesus about the end of time……."Teacher, when will this happen? And what sign will there be when all these things are about to happen?" He answered, "See that you not be deceived, for many will come in my name, saying, 'I am he,' and 'The time has come.' Do not follow them! When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified; for such things must happen first, but it will not immediately be the end." Then he said to them, "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be powerful earthquakes, famines, and plagues from place to place; and awesome sights and mighty signs will come from the sky”…….God’s ways are not our ways…..And only God knows when the “final whistle will blow”…....In the mean time - Are we ready to stand before the Son of Man?…..As I tell my five children all the time when they fight with each other....…”You worry about you”….....What do I mean by that?...…We can not control other people…We can only control our self…...Jesus is the son of God and Jesus founded one church - The Catholic Church….....In that Church we will find everything we need….Ground your life in First Principals - And disregard “all the noise”…...What do I mean by noise?…..Anything that does do come from the pages of Scripture and the Catechism of the Catholic Church is NOISE - Educate yourself in the faith……The Deposit of Faith is not ours - It belongs to God himself…Our job as Catholics is simply to “pass it on”…..Jesus tells us today to expect “noise” - So do not be troubled by it or surprised when you see and hear “the noise”…..As my father would always say to me - “Joe - Straight Ahead”….Ground your life in First Principals…….Rosary every day - Sacramental Confession once a month - Mass every week……As I tell my children - “You worry about you”……and let God be God…..As we say in New Jersey - "He's got this"

“Remain faithful until death, And I will give you the crown of life”

We are reminded in Scripture that Jesus is in control…Even when we think the world is on the brink of collapse…..”He got into a boat and his disciples followed him. Suddenly a violent storm came up on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by waves; but he was asleep. They came and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!” He said to them, “Why are you terrified, O you of little faith?”Then he got up, rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was great calm. The men were amazed and said, “What sort of man is this, whom even the winds and the sea obey?”………How easy we forget this event told to us in the pages of Scripture……It is very human to want to be comfortable - “I get it”…….But when we are too comfortable, most times we do not grow…..I recently read a book about a number of Catholic saints who at one time in their life lived as great sinners…The book was titled Turning Points - Each of us in many ways have a “Turning Point” moment in life………But before that moment comes, we will experience “storms”…....There is a purpose for those storms…Remember, everything is willed by God - What does that mean?…If God did not allow it to happen - It would not happen….Everything we see in this world…Even the worst of evil people and saddest of tragedies….All will work towards a greater good in the end….God gives man free will and man as we know “screws it up” - But God “plays the long game”……We just need to learn to trust God…How do we do that?…Well - Like everything else, trust begins with small things and builds upon itself….I remember my wedding day….Thinking about how my wife and I would be able to afford a big family…....Both of us were open to life, which means we do not and have never used contraception…How are we going to do it I thought? - You see how the devil works? - Fear does not come from God - Never forget that!……Well, 12 years later - Five children later…..and in the process sadly we lost three children to miscarriages…and here we are - We did it!….And who knows, maybe another child is to come in the future - maybe / maybe not - Not up to me!….All the “storms” of life come and go….As my Father would also tell me when I was a boy - “Joe - this too will pass”…But in the process, God uses these “storms” to teach us…To form us…To sanctify us…To make us a holy people.

“Remain faithful until death, And I will give you the crown of life”

Our Lord today in the Gospel at Mass tells his friends - “Don’t worry about all the craziness you see around you”…..He is telling us today the same thing…..Do not put your faith in this world or in men for that matter…Trust in the things that can never change - The things which are eternal….....God is real - Do you believe that?….God created one Church - That is a historical fact!….And everything we need is in that Church - The Catholic Church…..Utilize the gifts given to you……And “ignore the noise”…….………….JMJ

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