Its really that simply - Just “knock on the door” and “the door” will open

Today at Holy Mass we hear in the Gospel of St Matthew something that should give us hope…All we have to do is ask God to come into our life - And he will - Its as simple as that……..“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened”…St Matthew in this Gospel commentary portrays God as a father who gives freely to his children….A being a father myself of five children I can relate…..God loves us so why would he not come to us if we only ask him……As Americans a deep streak of individualism runs through our veins….We want to do things our way - We do not nee any help - We “get it” and no one else does…..I have heard it all before!……Yet, within each of us, in every cell of our body, is a longing for God…A life lived without God is incomplete, no matter who you are…..How do we rectify this longing? - First, we must acknowledge it!…..Human pride masks our deep desire for God - We do this by chasing after “stuff”….We try to fill the void with “something” else only to come up short each and every time - So first, before we ask God to come into our life - We have to first acknowledge our need for God….What else must we do?….Well - St Matthew tells us today in the Gospel - We have to simply ask God to enter our life…This required humility - May people will never do this because of their pride and as we say in New Jersey - By not asking God to come into our life - “We cut off our nose in spite of our face” - The only loser in that proposition is you sadly……The world today asks the question - Where is God? - To address this question directly - God is everywhere - God is in YOU!…….All we have to do is “knock” and the “door will be open” - Its really that simple

“Because of your kindness and your truth; for you have made great above all things your name and your promise. When I called, you answered me; you built up strength within me”

I have heard secular people say…How am I to pray?…..The answer to that question is simple - Speak to God as you would a good friend…Praying does not have to be complicated…And the best prayer outside of going to Mass is to simply sit in silence before the Blessed Sacrament…Anyone can do this - Which means you do not have to be Catholic…And if you are Catholic and are not practicing your faith for “whatever reason” or you are Catholic and not living in the state of grace - Sitting in silence before Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament is a good place to start!……Jesus knows each of us better then anyone else does - In fact - Jesus knows us better than we know our very self…And if you make it a practice to sit before Christ in silence infront of the Blessed Sacrament - God will speak to you in a way only you can understand…..This practice of making a weekly Holy Hour needs to be made more pervasive across the Universal Church…..Not everyone has the time to make a Holy Hour everyday, especially married couples with children - But I believe everyone can make a Holy Hour once a week…My wife and I do it and have five children under eleven years old - If we can do it - So can you - Make the time!…….This is what Mother Teresa said about making a Holy Hour…….”Perpetual adoration is the most beautiful thing you could ever think of doing. People are hungry for God. Imagine for a moment that we are living in Jesus’ time and He has invited us to visit with Him and spend some quiet time getting to know Him better. Being aware who He was, we would be humbled and honored by such an invitation. The good news is that Jesus is here with us TODAY – body, blood, soul and divinity – in the Holy Eucharist”………I am of the opinion that Eucharistic Adoration is the answer to the many problems in the Universal Church today…..Both the clergy and the laity alike will “find” the answers to these problems by sitting in silence before Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament…Again, circling back to Mother Teresa - A journalist once asked her - “What is your secret?”….Mother Teresa responded - “I pray”…Its really that simple…….“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened”….Why do we make what is simple so complicated?

“The LORD will complete what he has done for me; your kindness, O LORD, endures forever; forsake not the work of your hands”

Today at Mass St Matthew tells us - Finding God is easy…All we have to do is ask and approach God just as we are - And he will respond…Now as far as Catholics are concerned - Let’s face it - We all need help to become transformed, to become the people we were born to be - None of us are perfect - Right?!? - All the more reason we should approach God….Remember, Jesus did not come for the righteous, he came for sinners……And if you are in an “irregular situation” - If you are “caught up” in lifestyle that took you away from God - A good start to “get back on the road” to God is to simply sit before the Blessed Sacrament in silence - Do this each week and watch what happens…..The answer to so many of the problems we face are not as complicated as we make them out to be…..Stick to “First Principals” - Learn to walk before you attempt to run…..Make time each week to spend an hour with Jesus in silence - If you do, you will feel his peace in the very room when the Blessed Sacrament is exposed on the altar - And before you know it - The peace only God can give us, which the world can not take away will enter you!……”Invest in yourself” - Commit to a weekly Holy Hour…….Its really that simply - Just “knock on the door” and “the door” will open……………..JMJ