How far will we go to encounter Christ?….Do you believe that Christ is fully present in the Eucharist?….If you do, there is no obstacle that will get in your way…This is the “key” - And it is also the "door" to the solution

Today at Holy Mass we hear in the Gospel of St Mark a story about a man who was sick……Great crowds prevented him from seeing Jesus, so his friends cut a hole in the roof and lowered him down to Christ…What determination!…What faith!…..”They came bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. Unable to get near Jesus because of the crowd, they opened up the roof above him. After they had broken through, they let down the mat on which the paralytic was lying. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to him, “Child, your sins are forgiven.”………….So the questions today that we should consider after reading this story are…How far will we go to encounter Christ?…..What is keeping you from this encounter?…This man in the story today could not walk, so his friends lowered him down from the roof of a building….What about us?…..Clearly all we have to do is walk through the doors of a Church…Sit with a priest and confess our sins….Or, if you are not ready for that......Sit in front of the Blessed Sacrament in silence…..We have been blessed with our health, not like this man in the gospel story today…Are we talking full advantage of the opportunities given to us by Christ himself?……Because like all opportunities presented to us in this life - There comes a time when they run out…One day our life will end and when that end comes, the “opportunities” end as well…..Make your time on this earth count!….And if you have to “cut a hole in a roof” to encounter Christ - So be it!…Do what ever it takes!

“What we have heard and know, and what our fathers have declared to us, we will declare to the generation to come. The glorious deeds of the LORD and his strength.”

Why are you Catholic?…This is a question we should all ask our self…I can only speak for me….....The driving reason why I am Catholic is because of the Sacraments…..Jesus is fully present in the Blessed Sacrament…..I rely on the grace from the Eucharist…I also know without that grace, I am finished…There is NO WAY I can be who I want to be without it……Because of this reality I do my best to attend Holy Mass everyday….One snowy winter day before work I headed off to Mass….No one showed up that day but me and I saw the priest walking from the rectory seeing if anyone showed up…When he saw that it was only me, he was kind enough to still preside over the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass…..Just me in the pew and the priest at the altar….Why would the priest take the time to preside over a Mass for just one person?…..Because the priest knows the importance of what takes place on the altar…Simple bread is changed into the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of the King of Kings - God himself!…..Do you know that? - I mean really know that! - Be honest…..You see that is the game changer….I often wonder if people know this reality because if they did, the Churches would be packed….This is the encounter we need to desire…Like the man today who cut a hole in a roof to see Jesus, we need to acquire the same determination and desire to see Christ as well…..Why?….Because he is the source of all grace…He is the King of Kings…He is God…..And without him we can do nothing that will last…..Once we know that Jesus is fully present in the Blessed Sacrament, everything changes in how we view our Catholic faith…This is what we all must strive to do….To acquire “sight”…To see with the "eyes" of our soul….This is the greatest revelation of one’s life….More important then anything we can “figure out” in our life time…..How do we acquire this sight?…By listening in the silence - God speaks to us in silence…..We must make time in our week for silent-time spent before Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament….If we make this a practice, our “eyes" will open….This is the game changer!

“Jesus immediately knew in his mind what they were thinking to themselves, so he said, “Why are you thinking such things in your hearts?”

How far will you go to encounter the Lord?….The answer to that question comes down to priorities…If we only knew what went on at the Mass…At a Catholic Mass, we are witnesses to the greatest miracle ever performed and it happens each and everyday….A man takes simple bread and transforms it into God himself!…Do you believe that? - Be honest..If you do not, I invite you to try something….Make it a point to sit before the Blessed Sacrament exposed on the altar in a Catholic Church….Sit there in silence and simply say this prayer…”I don’t believe you are there God, but if you are there can you show me?”…..Do that for five minutes each week for a year…I bet if you do, your “eyes” will open….”Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you”…What is a five minute investment each week?….Not too much to ask - right?…..Think of it this way…A sick man today showed us in the gospel what he was willing to do to get in front of Jesus, he literally cut a whole in a roof…All we have to do is walk through the door of a Church…..The “game changer” is knowing that Jesus is fully present in the Blessed Sacrament - That is why this man in St Mark’s gospel today “went through the roof” and this is why I go to daily Mass…….How far will we go to encounter Christ?….Do you believe that Christ is fully present in the Eucharist?….If you do, there is no obstacle that will get in your way…This is the “key” - And it is also the "door" to the solution

We can not “self manufacture” the life we all want - Don’t believe the lie….“Harden not your hearts” - We need to “plug” into the Life of God because if we do not - The “light” goes out

Today at Holy Mass we hear in the first reading from a Letter to the Hebrews…..”Oh, that today you would hear his voice, “Harden not your hearts”…How easy it is to get cynical….To allow the world to make us hard…We all have “seen too much”…But the Scripture’s today remind us…..Be open….Give people the benefit of the doubt…Be positive…….Be a person of hope……..Its very easy to acquire a hard heart if we only focus on the “things of this world”…..But God did not make us for this world….He created us for “greater things”….The Letter to the Hebrews goes on today…..”Take care, brothers and sisters, that none of you may have an evil and unfaithful heart, so as to forsake the living God. Encourage yourselves daily while it is still “today”…All we have is today, God does not promise us anything more than that…Strive to live in the present…Don’t let thoughts of “what if” that may never happen ruin the present moment……..But how do we do all this?….These things are easy to say - right?…..We do them by and through grace……The grace of God makes us forever young!…..Daily Prayer, Weekly fasting and living a Sacramental life…These things are the “tools” of grace…..Without them, its very easy to allow what we see and experience in the world to make us hard……The first reading today at Mass ends with this…….....”We have become partners of Christ if only we hold the beginning of the reality firm until the end”…..We must persevere until the end…..Our human condition gets tired…We get “bored”….We grow weak with time…But again, the Spirit of God and the grace of the Sacramental life makes the life of a Catholic forever new!….This “life” is shown in our smile…In our eyes…And in our voice…..This is the Life of God, shining in and through us - So “harden not your hearts”

“Jesus preached the Gospel of the Kingdom and cured every disease among the people”

As a married man and a father of five I miss my weekly interactions with Mother Teresa’s sisters in Manhattan…Before I was married I served with them every Saturday for seven years…I was their driver…….My life has changed and my responsibilities as a family man only allows me to go into the city and work with the sisters periodically…So the question is - Why do I miss working with these nuns?…..Part of the reason is their joy…Mother Teresa’s sisters are filled with the Spirit of God…And when one is around a person like that, like Jesus himself, that person “draws you in”….Joy is contagious!.......This past Christmas I took two of my sons into New York to help the sisters prepare for Christmas…..The joy in the eyes of these nuns can not be explained…It defies all worldly logic and reason…They have nothing and frankly their life is not easy…Yet, they could be the happiest people I have ever met…..Our world needs to experience this for itself…This is why saints and only saints change the world - Because they inspire the rest of us to change and become who we were born to be!…..Scripture tells us that Jesus took Peter, James and John up a mountain and he was transformed into what we will all see when we see God face to face in heaven - The “veil was lifted” and they were given clarity into something beyond everyday sight….But once that vision was over, Peter, James and John had to “go back down from the mountain”….They had things to do!…They had responsibilities….This is what happens to me when I go and visit the sisters…Its a “Transfiguration moment”…A moment where I get a “glimpse” of something that the world does not see…I get a small look into the heavenly realm….Something that is hidden but very real…I take those “moments” and “go back down the mountain” back into my "day to day" life……Why do I tell you this?…We all must find “that place” that feeds us…The place that gives us a “glimpse” into heaven…That feeds our soul…..The Mass is also “that place”…If we receive Jesus in the state of grace…After we consume the Blessed Sacrament our soul is filled with God….This is how we remain “new”…This prevents us from becoming hardened by the world……Remember what Psalms 23 tells us in Scripture….”He leads me beside still waters; he restores my soul…….Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff — they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life”……Jesus tells us very clearly in Scripture….”Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you”…..This “life” Jesus speaks of can be evidenced in our voice…In our eyes…In our laughter….All of which is visible in the life of Mother Teresa's sisters - And this can be ours as well……No darkness can take that “light” away - This is “the light” that transforms the world!

“A leper came to him and kneeling down begged him and said, “If you wish, you can make me clean.” Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand, touched the leper, and said to him, “I do will it. Be made clean.”

The first reading from Holy Mass today is a reminder…Its very easy to get hardened by the world…This is why I illustrated the need to encounter the Lord frequently…We have this “encounter” though holy people, like what I do when when I serve with the Missionaries of Charity - Holy people exist - We must make it a point to seek them out!….We have this “encounter” when we go to Mass and receive Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament….Its in those moments that we get a glimpse into heaven - An ever so small glimpse but a glimpse none the less…Its those moments that sustain us - They keep us “young”…They gives us “life” - Our soul gets restored….When we “disconnect” from God, none of what I explained can happen - We can not “self manufacture” this kind of life……When we “disconnect” from God, we get “old” fast and before our time…We become cynical…..The world hardens us…..This is why we need to follow the example of the saints…Peter, James and John were led up a mountain by Jesus and he was transformed before their very eyes!…We too must find “that mountain”…....We must encounter the Lord there and if we do, our hearts will not get hard……..”Encourage yourselves daily while it is still “today”

We can not “self manufacture” the life we all want - Don’t believe the lie……..“Harden not your hearts” - We need to “plug” into the Life of God because if we do not - The “light” goes out

”Because he himself was tested through what he suffered, he is able to help those who are being tested”……We need to get back to First Principles!

Today at Holy Mass we hear in the first reading from a Letter to the Hebrews what the mission of Jesus Christ is all about…..He came and walked among us to “expiate the sins of his people”….This is why God the Father sent his son to us - Period Full Stop!…To forgive our sins…..One would think before we can be forgiven, one has to feel the need to be forgiven…I guess the question today is…Do we?…Do we believe we need a means for our sins to be forgiven?…We are all sinners - right?…No one is perfect - right?…So based upon that reality, Jesus is the guy to help us - right?…..When one does something wrong, say to his brother…The first step is to acknowledge the mistake and then say the words, “I am sorry”…..That simple sentence…”Forgive me, I am sorry” is truly one of the most powerful sentences ever said…Yet, mankind does not want to say it…..The first reading goes on today and says…..”Because he himself was tested through what he suffered, he is able to help those who are being tested”…In order to learn, we first have to admit we made a mistake and then we have to go to the one who can forgive us…This is why our world is “sick” - Its in desperate need of a Physician - And Jesus is that “Divine Physician” - And the Catholic Church is the “hospital”…….This is why Jesus walked among us - Period Full Stop!….One Sacramental Confession can erase a life time of sin…Think about that for a minute

“My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord. I know them, and they follow me”

What is stopping you from going to a Sacramental Confession?…Do you believe it is not necessary?…Do you question the authority of the Church in its ability to forgive the sins of men?…Do you think it won't help?.......Sadly, I can not convince you to go…I wish I could….But I will say this, if you did “give it a try”…I bet your life would change……I bet you would feel a deep peace you have not felt since you were a child......There is great power in making a good Sacramental Confession……I remember when I came back from college and made my first “adult confession”…..It was a first and big step for me in becoming the person I am today……..Everything in my life did not change on that day…But it was a “first step”…And one step leads to the next step…That is how God works…..God does not “throw us into the deep end of the pool”….He guides us one step at a time……Both John the Baptist and Jesus himself told us very clearly what we must do to follow the will of God…So here it is - Plain and simple: “Repent and Believe in the Gospel”…First - Repent…Second - Believe….Not my words, so don’t shoot the messenger…….We are looking for a “sanitized Christianity”…..We are looking for Easter Sunday without Good Friday…..There is no such thing as “cheap grace”……At Sunday Masses all around America, the Holy Communion lines are long, but how about the lines to Confession?…..Confession has been relegated to 30 minutes on a Saturday?…How are we to grow in virtue and receive Our Lord properly on Sunday by neglecting this fundamental aspect of our faith, by going to a Sacramental Confession regularly…..Catholics need to start focusing again in First Principles…It really is not “rocket science”…Daily Rosary, Sacramental Confession once a month, and Holy Mass on Sunday….I will tell you this…If you do those three things…You will not be perfect, you will still sin (Trust me, I am speaking from experience) but you will be “on the road to heaven”…..It’s so simple!….I think we take for granted "thinking" that no matter what we do, we go to heaven…I got news for you, Jesus never said that…Nor did the Catholic Church ever teach that…..Once again, we need to get back to First Principles!

“He approached, grasped her hand, and helped her up……Then the fever left her”

We are reminded today in the first reading from Holy Mass why Jesus walked this earth…To forgive sins…I think all of us who read this reflection today will admit that they are not perfect…And because of that reality, we need a means to “perfect ourselves”…That “means” is found in the Sacraments of the Catholic Church….We make all kinds of excuses….We point to the flaws of the men in the Catholic Church…In the meantime we neglect our own need to grow in grace…Don’t let anyone steal from you, what God himself gave to you……Jesus gave us a “means” to be forgiven…And we all need to be forgiven - Take advantage of this great gift!…..”Because he himself was tested through what he suffered, he is able to help those who are being tested”……We need to get back to First Principles!

”Put on the armor of God”….Only then will you truly “see”

Today at Holy Mass in the Gospel of St Mark Jesus confronts the devil……Do you believe that that devil exists? - Because he does!…”In their synagogue was a man with an unclean spirit; he cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are the Holy One of God!”…..Notice, a few things about this encounter…The people in the synagogue did not recognize the devil…But Jesus could…Also, the devil knew actually who Jesus was……..The devil to this very day lurks in our society and frankly most do not see him…Like the people of Jesus’s day…..The only way to “see” the devil and his minions is to put on “the eyes of God”…How do we put on the eyes of God?……..By drawing close to him…….People today assume that if a person is intelligent or educated, they someone how “get it”…..Nothing could be further for the truth…..Being “smart” has nothing to do with “seeing” the world as God sees it - As the world truly is…..This is why we must strive to draw close to God, through daily prayer, through fasting, through the Sacraments….The spirit of the devil is like a mist…This “mist” seeps under the doorway of a home…This “mist” corrupts our minds and hearts…This “mist” gets into the minds of our children…The spirit of the devil is subtle, patient and plays the long game…..Don’t think for a moment you can defeat the devil without the grace of God…The devil is stronger then you, smarter than you and knows everyone of your weakness…However, when you are in the state of grace, when you stand with Our Lady…The devil flees…….”Children, you are from God and have overcome them, because he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world”…Still don’t think the devil exists?

“Receive the word of God, not as the word of men, but as it truly is, the word of God”

A friend of my family is a priest and is the official exorcist for City of New York…Yes, some priests are exorcists to this very day…..I witnessed with my own eyes a person who because of what their father did to them as a child, had to speak to this exorcist…..This person I know when they were a child because of their father’s affiliation with devil worship consecrated my friend to the devil as a baby…Believe it or not…Just some background on this - A father has authority over his children, this authority is given by God and because of that, this demonic consecration affected my friend into their adult life…My friend's father was deeply involved in Satanic rituals and because of that, my friend suffered many effects….A long story short - My friend asked me to go with them to see this exorcist, who was located in Harlem at the time - So I went……I watched with my own eyes how when this priest would pray over my friend, their body would literally convulse……All the muscles in my friend’s back would tighten up…My friend would speak in a foreign voice, would swear and curse and also speak in the third person - Believe it or not! - I saw this with my own two eyes!…..To be honest with you, I could not believe it as I watched it……This is an overt sign of evil and very real……But evil usually works in the shadows, its subtle, it twists the truth in small and incremental ways until the truth can not be recognized…..Evil hates God and hates YOU…Like in what we heard in the gospel from Mass today…..“What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are the Holy One of God!”……From the beginning, our first parents (Adam and Eve) were confronted by the devil…..They were tricked - Why?…Because they broke from their relationship with God - They were “blind” to the tricks of the devil…….As we all know, all of us our sinners and because of that, we experience human weakness…St Paul tells us in scripture: “Therefore, put on the armor of God, that you may be able to resist on the evil day and, having done everything, to hold your ground. So stand fast with your loins girded in truth, clothed with righteousness as a breastplate”…What St Paul is talking about here is living in the state of grace…We live in the state of grace when we live a Sacramental life……Those close to God can see evil for what it is…Far too many today "think" nothing of many things that are truly evil…Like Adam and Eve, they thought nothing of eating from the apple tree when God told them not too….And look at what happened to them…..”Then God asked: Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I had forbidden you to eat? The man replied, “The woman whom you put here with me—she gave me fruit from the tree, so I ate it.” The LORD God then asked the woman: What is this you have done? The woman answered, “The snake tricked me, so I ate it.”…….That same “snake” is tricking humanity to this very day!……I can hear it now…......”I can’t be tricked”…..”I'm so smart”…....Oh really?!?…..The devil is real………He is smarter then you…He is stronger then you…And he knows all your weakness - And yes you have weaknesses - We all do…And he hates you with a burning passion….So “put on the armor of God” - Only those who are close to God can see the world as it truly is

“They are blind guides…… If a blind person leads a blind person, both will fall into a pit.”

Today Jesus confronts the devil in the gospel….And today we confront him too - Yes, we confront the devil each and everyday…Because the devil is real and so is evil real…..However, the devil is not how Hollywood portrays him to be in movies, with red horns and a tail…The devil is subtle….The devil is cunning….Remember that happened today in the gospel…The people could not see the devil, who was standing right in front of them…But Jesus could…Why could the people not see this evil?…..Because sin blinds us…..And far too many today are blinded by sin…Only a pure heart truly sees…”Blessed are the pure of heart, for they will see God”….How can we navigate this world if we do not see it for what it is?…..Look around - How is our society doing?…Seems to me we have “drank the kool-aid” or better put - We took a big bite out of “the apple” - And the effects are destroying us all….......”Have you eaten from the tree of which I had forbidden you to eat?”……”Put on the armor of God”….Only then will you truly “see”

Listen, it’s up to you……What is your focus?……What is the goal of your life?…….Is the “Kingdom of God at hand” for you?

Today at Holy Mass, the Gospel of St Mark begins with this sentence….”After John had been arrested, Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the Gospel of God: “This is the time of fulfillment. The Kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the Gospel”…Think about that statement for a moment…Jesus was just a “regular guy” and he is saying that people need to repent - And now! - Because God is coming……How would you react to such a statement?….His peers probably thought Jesus to be crazy…But history has perfect vision when looking back in hindsight…Clearly Jesus was on to something….His life ushered in a new era to humanity…But again, his message was probably thought to be crazy…Mark’s gospel goes on - As Jesus said what he said - He sees a few guys who take what he said seriously….’As he passed by the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting their nets into the sea; they were fishermen. Jesus said to them, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Then they left their nets and followed him”…What made these men different then the rest of the people who heard the same message?….”The Kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the Gospel”…..It had to be their hearts and their life's focus - Simon (soon to be Peter) and his brother Andrew “were in the world but not of the world” as we as Catholics are to live today…As working men they saw how the “world operates” as we do today….And while they had to work in this world, they did not embrace the “ways of the world”…..That is why they took to heart what Jesus said and the rest of the crowd did not……What is the focus of your life?…..What do you prioritize?…..If we focus on worldly things, we will always “miss” the message of Christ….The same message that came out of Jesus's mouth 2000 years ago is spoken today….And most miss it…Because our hearts are far from God…Our hearts are focused on “things”…..If we are to follow the example of Simon and Andrew we must redirect our life’s focus….While we have our day to day responsibilities, our view of the world should be seen through the lens of our Catholic faith…We are here on this earth for such a short period of time - Then we are gone!…..If our focus is on the material, we will always miss the spiritual….We will even think the words of Jesus are “crazy”….”The Kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the Gospel”

“In times past, God spoke in partial and various ways to our ancestors through the prophets; in these last days, he spoke to us through the Son”

I work at a bank and when you listen to what many people who have similar jobs as I do have to say, you quickly understand that their priority is not God or heaven…Their concerns rest on what town they live in, the car they drive, telling everyone where they went on vacation, their corporate title…While we all need to work in this life to provide for ourselves and our family….That is not why God gave us life, to prioritize on social status and "things" thinking somehow they will make us "happy"…..And when our focus is on those "things", as many in the corporate world do…They will sooner or later be betrayed when sickness or the death of a loved one comes knocking at their door…..So how do we re-focus?….We must have courage to walk against the grain of society…”To be different”…How do we get this courage?…..Well, this comes from the Holy Spirit and in order to allow the Holy Spirit to enter our life, we first must have an authentic encounter with God…Far too many view God as just a word - God is not real - Therefore their focus is on the material as opposed to the spiritual…And like the people of Jesus’s day…When Jesus said to them….”The Kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the Gospel”……They too think that message is crazy…Until they get sick and death becomes a reality….But in the meantime - How do we encounter the Lord?……………Most times people need to feel just how vulnerable they are….The myth that “we are in control” is just that - A myth!….And when life presents moments of just how vulnerable we are…Its in those moments that God speaks to us the loudest…Its then up to us to respond and consider a change or we simply just continue “the charade” and march on……..A priest once told a story about visiting a man in the hospital who was close to death….This man was a powerful man during the Mexican Revolution at the turn of the 20th century…He was responsible for the death of many and had killed others with his own hands…The doctor taking care of this man knew full well who he was and also knew he was near death, so he called for a priest…This priest when he arrived and showed himself to the man was greeted with curses…The man shouted, “Get out of my room”…The priest did not know what to say, so he prayed to the Holy Spirit for words…This is what the priest said to this man: “I have seen many things in my life but the one thing I never saw was a man go to hell right before my eyes. So I am going to sit here and not say a word and just watch you die”…The man in bed understood “tough words” like that because that was the kind of man he was…So as the priest sat there…The dying man in time came around…He opened up…Believe it or not, he went to Confession with the priest after 60 years of being away from the Church and died shortly there after……So here is the question - Why do we have to live our life “in the dark”, as so many do until the moment of death?….And keep this in mind - "The story" does not always end this way…Some go down to the grave with “fists clenched” and refuse the Lord’s invitation to life - As if “they are in control” - A sad end indeed!…Jesus came to give us life and give it to us in abundance - In the here and now!……Jesus takes nothing from us - He only gives…Why not live such a life now?

”The Kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the Gospel”

Jesus Christ was a real person and his message is the same today as it was 2000 years ago…Just like in the gospel story today…Some people were receptive to his message and most were not…They thought Jesus probably was crazy…But sadly in the end - Who is the crazy one?….Humanity continues to live like it never will die…We live on “our terms” come hell or high water…As if we can somehow “cheat death”….When clearly there is another way - A better way - A way to live with peace in your heart and deep joy within your soul…..Some say, "I believe in God and “one day” I will change"…Well, that one day is today!…..We are one Sacramental Confession away from that one day…….We “try” everything else to make us happy…Why not “try” going to Confession with a Catholic Priest?…Do you somehow think the priest has not heard the “things” that you have done?……I got news for you…Priests have heard it all - And they do not judge people…This is the encounter I am talking about….This is why Simon and Andrew “heard” what Jesus said and did not think he was crazy…Its because their focus was not on this world…It was on God…..Listen, it’s up to you……What is your focus?……What is the goal of your life?…….Is the “Kingdom of God at hand” for you?

“You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased”……I hope to hear those same words one day as well.....Our journey begins at baptism….How it ends is completely up to me and you

Today at Holy Mass the Universal Church commemorates the Baptism of the Lord…Many people may ask - Why did Jesus get baptized by John in the river Jordan?…..Jesus by his baptism made the waters pure for us…We are all born tainted by original sin, our baptism wipes away this sin of our original parents and marks us as children of God….The mark of baptism is indelible, it can not be removed….In addition, the “seeds of grace” from our baptism are forever working within us…But like all “good seeds” they need to be cared for in order to bear fruit.............”The people were filled with expectation, and all were asking in their hearts whether John might be the Christ. John answered them all, saying, “I am baptizing you with water, but one mightier than I is coming. I am not worthy to loosen the thongs of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”…….When we were baptized we became a new creation - Do we view it this way?…Do we take our baptism or the baptism of our children for granted?

“In truth, I see that God shows no partiality. Rather, in every nation whoever fears him and acts uprightly is acceptable to him”

Of all the people born in the 20th century, one of the most noteworthy and most gifted was Pope John Paul II….He was intellectually gifted, an athlete in his youth, was geo-politically astute….He traveled the world and addressed more people then any human being that ever walked the planet…I could go on and on…One more thing….Mikhail Gorbachev, the former President of the Soviet Union said Pope John Paul II was the driving reason why communism and the Soviet Union fell….With all those accomplishments and gifts that Pope John Paul II had…When asked of him by the press, what was the greatest moment of his life….....Get this - This is what he said in an interview…The greatest moment of my life was when I was baptized….Think about that for a moment…We were baptized too and lets be honest, none of us will do what Pope John Paul II did…Yet he values something that we too have experienced, his baptism….So again I ask the question……Do we take our baptism or the baptism of our children for granted?…….Years ago there was a man named Angel who lived in the hospice run by Mother Teresa’s sisters in Lower Manhattan…Angel’s life was a wreck…He had AIDS, he fathered 13 plus children he had very little to no contact with, he had drug and alcohol issues, he had a criminal record…Angel was a wreck!!!….I got to know Angel over the years and as time went on, he requested to be baptized…Because of his behavior, the sisters were hesitant…They wanted to make sure Angel was “all in”…..I would sit with Angel and give him instruction in our Catholic faith on Saturday afternoons….Sadly, Angel continued to be his crazy self and would go in and out of the hospice due to bad behavior….However, he would always come back and apologize and the sisters would let him back in the house and we would all start over again….Finally, as Angel grew more serious about wanting to be baptized and enter the Catholic Church, the sisters approved and Angel was baptized in the chapel of the convent…He was made a “new creation”…..Ironically, soon there after Angel left the hospice in Lower Manhattan and died somewhere in the Bronx…..I personally believe God waited for Angel to be baptized before he passed from this life into the next….God’s ways are a mystery for sure!…Angel had a hard life, he was abandoned by his parents and raised by his poor grandmother…He also made a mess of his life…However, God had mercy on him and so did Mother Teresa’s sisters…Somehow Angel found his way to the sisters by means of him having AIDS…And Angel was baptized…And when he was baptized, he was so happy!……God’s ways are a mystery for sure!……Angel’s baptism really meant something to him…What Angel did not know was his baptism was preparing him for his death, which happened shortly thereafter….Let me ask the question again…..Do we take our baptism or the baptism of our children for granted?…Angel didn’t - Just think what would have happened to him if he had to stand before God without being baptized…One day too, we will stand before God as well.

“The grace of God has appeared, saving all and training us to reject godless ways and worldly desires and to live temperately, justly, and devoutly in this age, as we await the blessed hope, the appearance of the glory of our great God and savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to deliver us from all lawlessness and to cleanse for himself a people as his own, eager to do what is good”

Today in the gospel from Mass, we hear about John baptizing Jesus….”After all the people had been baptized and Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased”……..Jesus came and walked the earth for one reason and one reason only…To open heaven up for us and giving us a vehicle (The Catholic Church, which he founded upon St Peter) by which our sins can be forgiven….Far too many take that gift for granted…..And our baptism is a big part of that gift….Our baptism “begins the journey” back to God….Our baptism is the first installment of the Holy Spirit, which is placed within us…But like all “small seeds”, this gift given to us must be nurtured…That comes down to a choice we each must make….At our baptism we were “wiped clean” from original sin and to commentate the event, the priest places upon the person baptized a white garment…When we die as Catholics, our casket is also covered by a white garment by a priest at the Funeral Mass….These are the words said.....“In the waters of baptism John Doe died with Christ and rose with him to new life. May he now share with Christ eternal glory. (The pall is placed on the coffin as the priest says:) In baptism, John Doe was clothed with Christ. May he know Christ’s victory over sin and death.”..........Our goal should be to return to God the way he created us - Pure and Clean….The ONLY way that can happen is if we avail ourselves to living a Sacramental life…Jesus did not write a book, he created a Church…And that Church is the means or better put “the vehicle” by which we are saved….When Jesus was baptized by John we heard these words read today at Mass…..”And a voice came from heaven, You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased”……I hope to hear those same words one day as well.....Our journey begins at baptism….How it ends is completely up to me and you

Its not as complicated as we make it……”He must increase; I must decrease”

Today at Holy Mass we hear from the Holy Gospel of St John….In the entire bible many important words are written…However, there are some messages that really stand out…..One of those messages ends the gospel reading today at Mass….”He must increase; I must decrease”……..This one sentence provides a key to a holy life…John the Baptist said these words and as many know, God sent John to prepare the world for Christ….Jesus himself said this about John…..”Among those born of women there has been none greater than John the Baptist”…..Therefore, we as Catholics should pay particular attention to the words of John the Baptist…So why is this one sentence I noted so important?…..”He must increase; I must decrease”….Because only God can give us the Holy Spirit….We can not self manufacture it - No matter who you are - No matter how smart - No matter how educated - No matter how gifted….And in order to receive the Holy Spirit, we must make room for it in our hearts…What does that mean?…..There are many “things” that “get in the way” of the Holy Spirit in our life….And the more we “empty” ourselves of those “things” the more God can fill us with himself…John the Baptist “figured it out”…..There is a two fold process in growing in holiness…The first part is detaching ourselves from “things” and many of those “things” are not material in nature (some are)…We create all sorts of “idols” that fill our lives and keep us from God…We need to strive to shed these “things” from our life…Fasting helps us to accomplish this task, so does assisting the poor with our time and resources….. The second step in this process of allowing God to fill us….How do we do that?…Daily prayer, Spiritual reading, Monthly Sacramental Confession, Daily reception of the Blessed Sacrament, Eucharistic Adoration…..A jug of water must first be emptied in order for pure milk to be poured into it…..Not even God can fill a jug with milk that has water in it to the brim…But when we “pour out the water”, the milk will flow into the jug……This is analogous to the Spiritual life……We can not give what we do not have….Before we can receive the Holy Spirit as it was intended to be given to us, there needs to be room within our soul for it…..”He must increase; I must decrease”

“Children, be on your guard against idols”

As many Catholics know St Therese of Liseux was recently proclaimed a Doctor of the Church…She is only one of four women who have this title and as of 2024, the Catholic Church has named only 37 individuals as Doctors of the Church - Based upon that, one can imply what St Therese of Liseux wrote about was and is very significant…Therese wrote only one book, which was autobiographical called The Story of a Soul. The book is a spiritual classic that has been translated into many languages and is read by millions of people worldwide…I have read this book and to be very honest with you, I did not get much out of it, I found it to be to child-like…And that is the point of the book and the root cause of my problem!…Remember what Jesus said…..”I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.”……St Therese nailed it…And I don’t get it! - That is why she is a saint and I am not…She became like a child spiritually and wrote about her “little way”, finding Jesus in every day aspects of life, being completely open, accepting everything with perfect trust, like a child…..How did she do that?….Well, she did what John the Baptist said……”I must decrease”….And in turn, St Therese of Liseux was filled with the Holy Spirit to "the brim"…The saints show us the way - Remember that!….I told this story before but its worth repeating…..Years ago I was at a retreat for all the Lay Associates for the Missionary of Charity in the Bronx….A very holy young priest was giving the retreat….And many of the Lay Associates there were very holy people in their own right…However, the sisters invited this one man from the neighborhood where they live to the retreat…He was a grown man but clearly a little slow mentally….I watched this man very closely because he was so happy to have been invited…At one of the coffee breaks, I was watching him listen to this one person who believed they had “something very important to say”…..I don’t mean to be sarcastic, but this person was going on a rant (as I do) talking to this rather slow man from the Bronx…..The reason why I thought this to be noteworthy is…The man from the Bronx was drinking in every word..His eyes were so focused, he gave his complete attention to this person and all he kept saying was…”Yes - Yes - Yes” - I kid you not - His exact words - Drinking in deeply every word spoken!…..The sight of that man at that moment was the most important thing I got out of the retreat….To me, nothing was said that was more important then how that “slow man” from the Bronx received the word of God - Like a child!…In order to do that we must be empty, like John the Baptist tells us…We must be “child-like” as St Therese of Liseux taught us…And most importantly, we must do as Jesus instructed us…..”Unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven”…..God can not “fill us” with himself if we are “full of ourself”

“No one can receive anything except what has been given from heaven.”

John the Baptist lays out the game plan for us in the gospel today at Mass…..……Our Catholic faith really is not complicated, we make it so…I have often thought about that…Jesus was a carpenter and his first 12 friends were “regular guys”….And far too many today in the Church over complicate things…St Luke in his gospel tells us…”There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her”….Now what did Mary do? - And what is that one thing?….Mary sat at the feet of Jesus, like a child…We need to strive to be “empty” of all our “great ideas” and shed the idols we hold ever so tightly in our life....…And then.... To allow the Holy Spirit to fill us…..This needs to be our singular focus!….We need to learn to “get out of our own way” and make a clear path for the Lord…..Its not as complicated as we make it……”He must increase; I must decrease”