Today at Holy Mass the Universal Church honors St Teresa of Ávila, who is a Doctor of the Church and was a great reformer….If you are a student of history as I am you will notice that whenever the Church grows weak, the Lord rises up saints to renew her…St Teresa of Ávila was one of those saints…I was reading a small portion of some of her writings this morning…She tells her nuns something interesting…..”Thus it is a shame and unfortunate that through our own fault we don’t understand ourselves or know who we are”….How can someone not know who they are?……St Teresa wrote a lot about penetrating into what she called the “interior castle of the soul”….That within each of us there are “caverns”, which we do not know exist - But they are there…The deeper you go…The more you may find the deeper you still have to go…And many do not discover these “caverns” that are within us….What should that tell us today?…..There is so much potential within YOU!……If we "tap into" what God has placed deep within each of us…We will set the world on fire!…..This is what St Teresa did….And 600 years later the world is still talking about her
Tuesday, October 15, 2024
How can someone not know who they are?…..Its our job to discover what is actually already there!
Monday, October 14, 2024
God does not call the qualified, he qualifies the called…..“He raises up the lowly from the dust”…Only to move mountains that the world thought could not be moved
Today the Universal Church commemorates the life of a 3rd century Pope who is a saint…St Callistus was an interesting person who did not take the usual route to the papacy…Callistus was a former slave and when he became pope a man by the name of Hippolytus opposed him because Callistus believed that grave sinners who sought confession and were willing to do penance can be welcomed back into the Church….Hippolytus did not believe so…And as a result….Hippolytus assumed for himself papal privileges and became the first “anti-pope” in Church history…Here is where the story gets interesting…Callistus continued to give a faithful witness to the gospel of Christ even as he was persecuted and his life was taken from him for it….At the sight of Callistus death and the witness of his life, his archenemy Hippolytus not only repented but became a martyr for the faith himself and is now declared a saint as well…Why is this story relevant to us today?…This is the power of a faithful witness….Callistus, the former slave who became pope won over his enemy not by force but by the consistent example of a life dedicated to the gospel…..We will never argue anyone into the Church…However, a life grounded in gospel truth exhibited to the world for all to see “moves mountains”….If we want to see the world change…We first need to change ourself, pick up our cross and follow the carpenter from Nazareth…..No words needed! - Such a life speaks volumes and when it speaks - It speaks loudly!
Sunday, October 13, 2024
”If a blind person leads a blind person, both will fall into a pit.”….For those who have ears - Let them hear…But in the meantime…Do we wish to “see”?
Today at Holy Mass we hear in the first readings from the Book of Wisdom….”I prayed, and prudence was given me; I pleaded, and the spirit of wisdom came to me. I preferred her to scepter and throne”…There is an implication made in that sentence…That wisdom is better than material wealth…Would you agree?…….People say these days…...Common sense is not that common any more…There is a big difference between raw analytical intelligence and wisdom…There are many highly intelligent people, who do not possess any wisdom what so ever and it shows by the outcome of their decisions in real time…Remember, you judge a tree by the fruit it bears…..Wisdom is a gift of the Holy Spirit, which allows us to see as God sees…Ultimately, it is only when we can “see” properly will our decisions lead to positive outcomes…But when we lack wisdom, no matter “how smart we are”….Our lack of clarity when viewing what stares us directly in the face results in us “missing the mark”…So how do we receive this gift of wisdom?…And is this “gift” more valuable than gold?…..Because if we “can’t see”…We will not end up where we want to be
Saturday, October 12, 2024
“Blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it.”
Today at Holy Mass St Paul states something that at the time was revolutionary…And still is revolutionary to this day for that matter……..”For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free person, there is not male and female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”……..Jesus Christ is the common denominator…..Societies have always divided people…By education, economic status, race, etc…However Jesus Christ and through our common Baptism unites us all…All of us are equal in the eyes of God and all of us have something to do….So the question we should ask ourself is this…Do we see and treat all people as equals?
Friday, October 11, 2024
When the Truth becomes a lie, darkness descends upon us and when darkness falls, how very deep will that darkness be?
Today at Holy Mass we hear from the Gospel of St Luke…In this readings Jesus talks about how people are accusing him of being evil…How can that be?….It seems that what was good is being called bad…And what is bad is being called good…Sound familiar?…..”For you say that it is by Beelzebul that I drive out demons. If I, then, drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your own people drive them out?”….We all must make a choice…..And no choice is a default choice…We either choose the Kingdom of God……. And if we make that choice…We must walk the “narrow road” that leads to heaven…The other option is hell and the road to hell is wide……And yes - Hell is real and people go there……We cannot have it both ways…..Far too many people “think” we can have it both ways…But it simply does not work that way….Don’t take my words for it…Jesus is pretty clear on the subject
Thursday, October 10, 2024
“This son of mine was dead, and has come to life again; he was lost, and has been found…..If only we simply “knock on that door”….We are wasting time
Today at Holy Mass hear from the Gospel of St Luke….Jesus says something we have all heard before…..The question is….Do we take for granted the invitation?…Because its real and sincere…..“And I tell you, ask and you will receive; 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”….Have you ever “knocked on that door?…And if you did…What did you expect to “get”?
Wednesday, October 9, 2024
In the silence you will hear his voice and feel his peace…Everyone wants peace - Right?!?...Make the time!
Today at Holy Mass we hear in the gospel of St Luke how Jesus when asked taught his disciples to pray…Its the only prayer Jesus gives us throughout the entire Scripture…..”Father, hallowed be your name, your Kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread and forgive us our sins for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us, and do not subject us to the final test”…..Why should we pray?…Because prayer is the answer to everything but before we pray…Do we know what prayer is?…Is it a request we make before we go to bed asking for something?…Or is it a conversation?…….We speak to God in the silence of our heart and he speaks to us…..Do we make time for God to speak to us in silence?