Head up - Carry on - Full Steam ahead!

Today at Holy Mass we are told that mankind not only rejected the message of Jesus Christ but if we embrace his message, mankind will reject us too….”Jesus said to his disciples: "Beware of men, for they will hand you over to courts and scourge you in their synagogues, and you will be led before governors and kings for my sake as a witness before them and the pagans. When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say. You will be given at that moment what you are to say. For it will not be you who speak but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. Brother will hand over brother to death, and the father his child; children will rise up against parents and have them put to death. You will be hated by all because of my name, but whoever endures to the end will be saved”….Why such a message the day after Christmas?…..Because Jesus came to the world to being a message - Remember what he said? - "I am the TRUTH" - And from the very beginning, the world rejected that message - And still does…We are reminded of this today - That if we follow Christ, we will be “different” and that the world will reject us too….This reality keeps many from fully embracing their Catholic faith….Within each human being, from the time we are children, there is a deep need to belong…..To follow our Catholic faith, which is aggressively rejected to this very day, will lead many to be repelled from those who live as the Church and Jesus calls us to live…..So what happens? - We “go along to get along”…..We “water-down the gospel”….....We “gloss over” the challenging parts…..We conveniently “leave out” the mention of sin, the devil and hell……..What happens when we do that? - We reject Christ……There is no such thing as being a Catholic without the embrace of the Cross….To think other wise is simply a self-delusion…..Our world desperately needs God and if we want to be a light to the world, we cannot be “like the world”……To be such a person, one must accept the “cost”……Accept it and rejoice.

“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD: the LORD is God and has given us light”

History often repeats itself and one of the mistakes of mankind and of governments that reject God is the attempt to create heaven upon the earth - There is no such thing - Never has and never can be…..In man’s attempt to create heaven on earth - The result is ALWAYS the same - Instead of ‘heaven”, mankind creates his own hell….This is why God inserted himself into the human story….Its not for mankind to “bring God down” to our level - Its for God to “bring mankind up” to his level…But how?……The answer is found in Sacramental grace…..And in bending our knee to the one true God….Grace elevates human nature and allows mankind to live “above his pay grade”….Without grace - It can’t be done!….This grace I speak of can only be found in the one and only Church that the one and only man founded who rose from the dead…..What I just wrote is aggressively rejected by the world and those who embrace a Catholic identity fully have been rejected by societies, governments and individuals for 2000 years….But the “answer” to man’s “problems” boils down to what I just noted - There is only one solution and that solution is not “man-made”….Jesus knew this and that is why he came and walked among us - This is why he founded a Sacramental Church….Catholics MUST be willing to be rejected by the world - Jesus assures us of this reality - “Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you [falsely] because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven. Thus they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”….......So as we say in New Jersey - “Deal with it”…..St John also tells us the same thing…..”And this is the verdict, that the light came into the world, but people preferred darkness to light, because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come toward the light, so that his works might not be exposed. But whoever lives the truth comes to the light, so that his works may be clearly seen as done in God”…….We must be willing to be “that light” - That “light” is only given to us when we empty ourselves and open our hearts to it…..…Be willing to be “that light” for the “some” who accept it and pay whatever price that needs to be paid.

“When they heard this, they were infuriated, and they ground their teeth at him. But he, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked up intently to heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, and he said, "Behold, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God."

Today we are reminded at Mass….God is not promising Catholics a “rose garden” here on earth - So accept that reality and deal with it!….What God is promising Catholics is eternal life…And not if but WHEN the world rejects you - You will still have peace - Peace the world can not take…..This to some people frankly is unacceptable….And they turn from God and their Catholic faith - And that is a tragedy!…..Nothing in life is free and there is no such thing as “heaven on earth" - So get that idea out of your head!….However, the best life one can live DOES NOT look like the life advertised on social media…..Most times the life broadcasted on television is empty - The best life one can have in the short time we have on this earth is to live in the state of grace - Free from mortal sin due to frequent reception of the Sacraments…….This “life” most times will not get you one million “likes” on social media or place your family on the cover of magazines…It will however, bring you peace and deep joy the world can never take from you - The secular world can never understand "such a life" when viewing it from the outside looking in….Following Christ as a Catholic in a dark world has never been easy and it never will be easy…....With that said - Bear your share of hardships for the Gospel - Embrace your Catholic faith fully!….Eternity is forever and more people then you think will be impacted by your example….Its all about a grace driven example - Allow God to work within you - If you allow him too - He surely will work!….…..St Paul said it best………”So do not be ashamed of your testimony to our Lord, nor of me, a prisoner for his sake; but bear your share of hardship for the gospel with the strength that comes from God”…..Head up - Carry on - Full Steam ahead!……..JMJ