God provides!

Today at Holy Mass in the Gospel of St Mark we are told about how God will provide for us in this age and in the age to come….However, while Jesus tells his disciples that he will provide for them, he does not say that they will not have to live a sacrificial life and even will have to endure persecution - To think we as Catholics will not have to experience the same thing is frankly a self created fantasy!…......"Amen, I say to you, there is no one who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands for my sake and for the sake of the Gospel who will not receive a hundred times more now in this present age: houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and eternal life in the age to come”…….To live in trust is a grace - Catholic families who do not use contraception, religious orders who rely upon donations for their survival, and diocesan priests who trust that the parish bills will get paid from weekly collections understand full well what I am writing about - Such people understand what Divine Providence is all about…The secular world mocks such a way of life - Because “on paper” it does not make sense! - To live in trust, that God will provide to the unbelieving world is simply crazy!….But for those who have taken this “step” in the spiritual life, they know that great peace is found in KNOWING that God ALWAYS provides….As a father of five children under the age of twelve years old, my family has never wanted for anything…I tell me children all the time - “We take care of God by living in his will and God takes care of us” - That is the “calculus” the world can not comprehend but just like how mathematics is exacting in its objective outcome - So is trust in divine providence - God will provide!……Interestingly enough, Jesus ends his commentary today in the Gospel to his disciples by addressing those who live by the world’s standards and who reject the will of God - Those people who seem to “have everything” while the children of God struggle - ”But many that are first will be last, and the last will be first”…..When we stand before God, the power structures of the world will be flipped - The “currency” that the world relies upon will not matter - The only thing that will be of value is the life we led and the good fruit we bore for the Kingdom of God…….Those who have ears - Let them hear!!……We can not “buy” our eternal salvation…..What is of value on earth is an abomination to God - So be “rich” in good works in the here and now - Because an authentic Catholic life pays “dividends” - Believe it!…….In God We Trust - God Provides!

“Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth; you have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the Kingdom”

At the age of fifty-one years old, I had my fifth child…I remember telling my manager at work I was about to have another child…His exact words to me - “Joe, you are crazy”…Secular minded people in our world today do not view life through the lens of faith - Its all about acquiring “stuff” - Most of which we do not need…..A Catholic does not have this world view or at least should not “buy-in” to this mindset….A Catholic only wants what they need - We live for the Kingdom of God - A Catholic shares his gifts, first with his family and then with the community…When we live this way, we find that we always have enough! - And that God ALWAYS provides for what is needed - Also, we are given a deep and lasting peace that the world can never give or take away…..A choice has to be made to live in this manner because we can not have it both ways - We either live according to the standards of the materialistic world or we live according to the standards of the Kingdom of God….And if we choose the Kingdom of God - Our way of life will be “different” from others - And that means some level of persecution will go along with our choice - And Catholics must accept this reality - Its part of “the deal”…..But in the end, remembering the words of Jesus told to us today in the Gospel - ”Many that are first will be last, and the last will be first” - God will reward us - How do I know? - Because Jesus said so….. “There is no one who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands for my sake and for the sake of the Gospel who will not receive a hundred times more now in this present age: houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and eternal life in the age to come”….Believe it! - And if so, we need to live it!

“The LORD has made his salvation known: in the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice. He has remembered his kindness and his faithfulness toward the house of Israel”

Radical trust in God can be difficult - And trusting in this manner is a grace…But for those who live under the care of God’s Providence - They know that grace builds upon grace - God shows us just how much he will care for us when we take each uncertain step in faith…And with each step, our trust grows….Life as a practicing Catholic is not always a “bed of roses”…Its a life of deep sacrifices - Let’s call it what it is - But choosing such a life comes with many advantages that the secular world can not perceive and will never understand….I have lived as a practicing Catholic for over thirty years and I still have many secular friends, who live according to the standards of the world - And I would not trade my life with any of them!….God has been so good to my family and has ALWAYS provided for us - And I KNOW that he will continue to do so……Jesus assures us…..”Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid” - We either believe that or we do not - But before we can experience it - We must “put out into the deep”….”Taste and see the goodness of the Lord” - With each uncertain step, our trust in Divine Providence grows………God provides!…………JMJ