And without grace - Not going to happen!

Today at Holy Mass Jesus address his disciples in the Gospel of St John…He tells them its not enough to say that we love God - That our love for God is shown if we follow his commandments….“Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words; yet the word you hear is not mine but that of the Father who sent me”…….Words are very easy to say - I tell my five children this all the time….If our actions do not mirror our words - Our words really mean very little….This is one of the complaints people say about many Catholics today - Their lives are just like the pagan world they live among - This must change!….But how do we live the Gospel? - Its impossible right? - WRONG!!! - With God all things are possible….And that is the point - This is why we must avail ourself to grace…Without God’s grace their is NO WAY we are going to live as God called each of us to live…I repeat this over and over again in these daily reflections because its the “missing link” which most people seem to “gloss over”…..Saying “fancy words” does not cut it!…You can memorize the entire Bible and still not live the message contained in the Bible….And it’s how we live that matters!!!….And to live as a Catholic you need grace, which comes from the Sacraments, daily prayer and weekly fasting…..Does our life mirror that of the Beatitudes? - Because that is the model given to us by Jesus - This is the path to heaven…….“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land. Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me”….Do we live in this way? - A better question - Do you think you could live in this way without God’s grace?……Words are cheap - We must live our words! - And that only happens if we avail ourselves to God’s grace - Those who have ears let them hear!

“The Holy Spirit will teach you everything and remind you of all I told you”

How does a Catholic Priest remain chaste? - HOW?!?….How does a married couple remain faithful to each other for fifty + years  - HOW?!?…How does a single person not engage in casual sex before marriage - HOW?!?…..The answer to all those questions comes down to one word - GRACE!…..Grace elevates our fallen human nature….Grace also can not be self-manufactured….Its for us to open ourself up to it and then God “rains down” grace unto our soul….How does this process begin? - The answer - With a Sacramental Confession….Sin “gets in the way” of God’s grace…Even if we go to Mass and receive the Blessed Sacrament…If we are in a state of mortal sin - The grace contained in the Eucharist will not penetrate our soul…….This is why you hear this statement from some Catholics: “I have been going to Mass all my life - I get nothing out of it”……Maybe if such a person saying that statement went to Confession monthly and then received the Blessed Sacrament at Holy Mass their “mind would change” and they would “get something out” of Mass on Sunday - My bet is - They would see a change if they took my advice…….If we are struggling with a sin and can’t seem to over come it - Don’t give up!!!….Fasting is a good tool to open our soul up to God’s grace….In time, when we utilize all the “tools” given to us by the Catholic Church - We surely will not be perfect - But we will find that everything the Lord commanded us is possible - And many of the sins we struggle with in time will be overcome - But this requires effort on our part - We do not become the people God called us to be over night….Is being sanctified your number one priority? - If it is not - It should be…That is what life is all about - To grow closer to God….And if we are not growing closer to God each day - Sadly then, we are growing away from him…..”Strive to enter through the narrow door, for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter but will not be strong enough” - Notice what Jesus told us in that statement…Some will “not be strong enough” - Why do you think Jesus said that? - Because without God’s grace - NONE OF US are strong enough!!!!!….This is why we must live Sacramentally - Strive to enter through the narrow door!!!!!!

“The Holy Spirit will teach you everything and remind you of all I told you”

Today at Holy Mass Jesus tells us something that St James also reminds us of…..”Be doers of the word and not hearers only, deluding yourselves”….Let’s be honest - To live a Catholic life can be challenging - And that is why many people abandon even trying to live as a Catholic…What needs to be emphasized when we teach the Catholic faith to others is - All things are possible with God - But without God - Nothing is possible!….It does not matter how “gifted” you “think” you are…If you “think” you are going to live the Beatitudes, as well as all the commandments of God relying on your own strength and will - You are going to be greatly disappointed - And in the end you may even give up…The “key” to it all is grace….If we live a Sacramental life, pray each day and fast weekly…God will show you just how possible it is to live as a Catholic!….But we have to do our part…Its easy to say words - We hear them all the time - But its hard to live out those words and that is what the unbelieving world needs to see - People need to see a Catholic life lived out in real time - Telling the secular world about what it means to be Catholic will never convince anyone - They need to see it for themself - And without grace - Not going to happen!……..JMJ

Trust the plan!

Today we hear at Holy Mass Jesus in the Gospel of St John that everything he said comes from the Father…That even Jesus did not speak on his own - And he was God - What does that example say to us?!?…..”The words that I speak to you I do not speak on my own. The Father who dwells in me is doing his works”……The Deposit of Faith does not belong to us - Its simply meant to be passed on by us to other as it is…..Even the Pope does not have the authority to alter the eternal teachings contained in the Deposit of Faith….Yet, human nature being what it is - People attempt to do what is impossible both inside and outside the walls of the Church…..If Jesus did not speak on his own - What makes us “think” we can?…..Human beings have a big problem accepting authority….We see this from the very beginning of creation in the story of our first parents Adam and Eve….But accepting authority is a vital aspect of being an authentic Catholic - So is being obedient to that legitimate authority….But again, obedience is a “dirty word” these days…..”Don’t tell me what to do” - “I will live my life on my terms”…These are statements made often in the times we live in and these statements do not lead to heaven - That I can say with certainty…..When we look at the lives of the three most esteemed people in our Catholic Tradition - Jesus, Mary and Joseph…One of the many virtues that all three shared in common was their obedience to God’s will….Each had a different role to play but each of them were obedient, even in the face of great adversity….Again, I will ask the question - How about us? - Are we obedient to the will of God?….When we come to the place in our faith journey when we are utterly convinced that God’s plan for our life is infinitely better then “our plan” - Its at that point that not only will we be given great peace, but we will advance in the spiritual life in ways we never thought possible!…..God can do more with our life than we can! - Don’t believe me? - Read about the lives of the saints - The powerful and wealthy of this life are long forgotten, yet the saints live on in the words and memories of millions of people for centuries…..Only because of their obedience to God did these timeless men and women become saints - Because they believed that God’s way was the best way…How about you?

"Master, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us. "Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you for so long a time and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'?

One of the aspects that make a Catholic marriage Sacramental is that the couple make a vow before God on their wedding day that they will be open to life…That means they will accept children as a fruit of their marriage but it also means that they will not use artificial contraception…..Is this what is happening in our Catholic marriages today? - Because if we use contraception in our marriage - Not only are we breaking one of our marriage vows but our marriage is not being lived out Sacramentally, which means God’d grace is not at the center of our marriage - And when that happens, slowly our relationship with our spouse deteriorates…..But people think they “know better” - So they persist in this secular model of living that has proven not to work - How can I say that with such certainty? - Look at the divorce rates!……An authentic Catholic marriage, which is lived out Sacramentally works! - But our world today is not convinced!……I got marriage at forty-three years old - My wife is ten years younger then I….In ten years we had five chidden - We also lost three children to miscarriages…….And each step of the way - God provided for us - My family has never “wanted” for anything….Again, this is something the secular world does not believe - That God will provide!…….”Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds in the sky; they do not sow or reap, they gather nothing into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are not you more important than they”…….The virtue of obedience is something that must be spoken about more in Catholic circles today….We as a Catholic people must re-learn what it means to “listen” to what God has to say as opposed to “listen” to all the voices in our culture that say the exact opposite to what our Catholic faith has professed to be true for centuries….All we have to do is look around - How are things working out in the world around us? - Maybe its time to “listen” to someone else? - That “someone” is God the Father, who loves us and wants what is best for us….Jesus said, “I am the Truth and the Way”……Whatever you may “think” - The fact is, you DO NOT know “the way” and your “way” is NOT better then God’s “way”……..Maybe its time for a change? - Maybe its time to listen? 

“Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes in me will do the works that I do, and will do greater ones than these, because I am going to the Father”

Today in the Gospel at Mass Jesus is telling the first disciples that the Truth spoken by him is the same Truth spoken by God the Father - But the disciples do not seem to “get it”….They question Jesus and sadly so do we two thousand years later……We are told by Jesus that unless our faith becomes like the faith of a child, we will not enter into the Kingdom of God…Why do you think Jesus said that? - Because a child trusts his Father - A child believes every word a Father says - And a child does what his Father tells him…..Why? - Because a child is utterly convinced that his Father will never tell him anything that will harm him….Is our faith like that of a child?…Do we view the teachings of the Catholic Church in that manner?…..It’s vital that we do!…….”Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you besides”……When we pray the Lord’s Prayer we say “Thy will be done”….Are these just mere words said?…It all comes down to the virtue of obedience…..”When they had departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you. Herod is going to search for the child to destroy him.” Joseph rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed for Egypt. He stayed there until the death of Herod, that what the Lord had said through the prophet might be fulfilled, “Out of Egypt I called my son”……God has a plan - We may not understand “the plan” as it unfolds but if we trust “the plan” - One day we will “see” just how good of a “plan” it was…….Trust the plan!……JMJ

Be not afraid - God goes before us - And God never abandons his own!

Today at Holy Mass we hear in the first reading from the book of Acts how Paul and Barnabus confront the Jewish population who oppose Christ…..Even in the face of great opposition, St Paul did not back down - He was bold and clear…Is this what we see today in the Church?….”On the following sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and with violent abuse contradicted what Paul said. Both Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and said, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken to you first, but since you reject it and condemn yourselves as unworthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles”……..Jesus Christ provided us a path forward - Its the only path forward…”Watering-down” teaching - Compromising our faith in the name of being “politically correct” - Not teaching the Truth in its entry and calling it “pastoral” - All these practices do not help anyone nor do they represent what Catholicism is about…The Truth does not belong to us - Its for us to “pass on” as it is…..And in this reading today, Paul and Barnabus did just that, even in the face of violence….They did not back down, in fact, they doubled down!…..Our people must hear the Truth - How can we live our Catholic faith if we do not know it? - And to know the perennial teachings of the Church, they must be communicated to us clearly and fully…..Our world today needs to be “Baptized” in Truth - And in performing this “Baptism”,  we will sadly make enemies - There is no way around that reality - Can you accept that?………Jesus had enemies - St Paul had enemies - What makes us think we can live our Catholic faith fully and not have enemies!?!………It’s our reluctance to suffer and our desire to be comfortable which holds us back!

For so the Lord has commanded us, I have made you a light to the Gentiles, that you may be an instrument of salvation to the ends of the earth.”

In America same sex marriage has been completely normalized…Not only does the Catholic Church reject this notion of “marriage” but the Church has perennially taught to engage in the homosexual acts is a grave sin…Yet, our culture has embraced this as “norm”…..As Catholics there is no way we can accept same sex marriage as “normal”….Or trivialize homosexual behavior as just another form of affection…How about sex before heterosexual marriage? - This too has been completely normalized - In the eye of God, another mortal sin……How can we as a society “think” that God does not see this?…Do we “think” he is blind to it?…..What is acceptable in the eyes of mankind is in some cases an abomination to God…..And it will be God who judges us when we die and stand before him, not the opinions of mankind or the culture in which we live in…..To be authentically Catholic in many ways is to live counter-culturally - Is this how we live? - Or do you look to “fit-in”?……We as Catholics are to be a guiding light to the nations and if we are “like everyone else” - That light goes out!….In order to live our faith in the public square in a bold and unambiguous manner, one must develop a deep interior life…Prayer, fasting and the Sacraments strengthen our will and resolve…To “think” we are going to “stand down” the world relying solely on our own strength is a fools errand……St Paul instructs us in how we are to live our faith in a hostile world…….”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, and your feet shod in readiness for the gospel of peace. In all circumstances, hold faith as a shield, to quench all [the] flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God”………One man grounded in a Sacramental life can stand down the entire world!…The Truth is like a lion, let it loose, it will defend itself!

“The Jews, however, incited the women of prominence who were worshipers and the leading men of the city, stirred up a persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from their territory. So they shook the dust from their feet in protest against them and went to Iconium. The disciples were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit”

Today at Mass we heard how St Paul boldly professed his faith publicly - He was not afraid to be authentically Catholic in the public square - How about us?….Are we too concerned with the opinion of others?…..The great Jesuit, Fr John Hardon SJ (1914 – 2000), who was declared a Servant of God by the Church made this statement about the state of Catholicism in the 20th century….."Ordinary Catholics will not survive this age, only heroic Catholics will survive!”……Catholics today need to get serious! - The world, the flesh and the devil have “breached the walls” of polite society….If we are not living Sacramentally, praying daily and fasting weekly - There is little to no chance we will “stand tall” in a world, which is so antagonist to us and the Catholic Church….But if we are grounded in grace and stand with God and Our Lady - We have nothing to fear!…….Our witness to the world as Catholics does not rest in our natural gifts - We are each limited as human beings no matter how “gifted” we many “think” we are - Our witness to the world must be rooted firmly in the Holy Spirit…….“Behold, I am sending you like sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and simple as doves. But beware of people, 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”………Be not afraid - God goes before us - And God never abandons his own!…..JMJ

Time to start living like we believe it

Today at Holy Mass we hear Jesus in the Gospel of St John instructing his apostles…..“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith also in me. In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If there were not, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back again and take you to myself, so that where I am you also may be”….How easy it is to forget that Jesus will return for us!…In the midst of the craziness of life…The trials - The battles - The struggle….We forget!!!…..NEVER FORGET - Jesus will return and come back for us - He never forgets his own!….This makes all the trials - The battles & The struggles worth it!…….During this exchange between Jesus and his apostles, St Thomas makes an interesting claim…Keeping in mind that Thomas has seen the miracles with his own eyes - Yet he still makes the following statement…“Master, we do not know where you are going; how can we know the way?”……In response to this question - Jesus tells Thomas - “Where I am going you know the way”………“I am the way and the truth and the life”……..Its appears that St Thomas “got lost” in all the “madness” going on around him - But Jesus, who is ever patient reminds him - And he also reminds us today…”Keep your eyes on me” - Straight ahead!……The line in this Gospel passage that jumped off the page for me is this one - “Where I am going you know the way” - How true this is…..The laws of God are written on every human heart - If we only take the time to turned off all the “noise” around us and listen - If we commit to regular periods of silent prayer each week, we too would hear the ever-present voice of God - And that voice is very clear - “Where I am going you know the way!”……And when we hear God’s voice - It then comes down to executing in our daily life what we hear!…..”Be doers of the word and not hearers only, deluding yourselves”…..Its not enough to just “hear” God’s voice….The path to hell is paved with good intentions….Once we hear God’s voice - Then its up to us to act upon it…..There is only one way forward - How do I know this? - Because “No one comes to the Father except through me”

“Ask of me and I will give you the nations for an inheritance and the ends of the earth for your possession. You shall rule them with an iron rod; you shall shatter them like an earthen dish”

I have actually heard Catholics ask this question - What is the will of God?…How can we ask such a question?!?…Everything the Catholic Church professes to be true is written down in the Catechism - Its perfectly clear…..So where does the confusion come from? - The answer - In our hearts….This is why we must work at purifying our hearts….A pure heart will not only “see” God, but receive the word of God as it is…….Many years ago I attended a retreat the Missionaries of Charity gave for their Lay Co-Workers in New York City…At this retreat were some life-long volunteers and dare I say very holy men and women in attendance, who gave their lives in the serve of the poor….To this day I can not recall what was said at that retreat but I do recall one person…..There was a very simple minded man invited by Mother Teresa’s sisters to attend the retreat - And he was so happy to be there, you could tell - I watched him as we all took a break for lunch - He was so attentive to what was being spoken to him - You could see it in his face!….There was this one conversation where a woman was telling this simple man something about what was said by the priest conducting the retreat - And all this man kept saying repeatedly was…. YES - YES - YES…..The expression on his face I will never forget - He meant every bit of his YES….That was my “take away” from that retreat…The man who was by far the “simplest” - One could even say simple minded - He taught me the most….There was no ambiguity around what he believed…He was not like St Thomas in today’s Gospel saying - “Master, we do not know where you are going; how can we know the way?” - This man knew EXACTLY where he was going…..And this is how we must be - United in one purpose - Anchored in Truth and moving in one direction!…..There is no reason for us to doubt!!! - Jesus is “The Way”

“And now, O kings, give heed; take warning, you rulers of the earth. Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice before him; with trembling rejoice”

Today in the Gospel at Mass Jesus reassures his friends - He also reassures us….He tells them - “Don’t worry..Just follow me”….This same message must resonate with us today - Does it?….Its easy to “get lost in the fog” of doubts…To focus on the “storms” in life….But as Catholics we must always remember - We are an Easter People!….The battle has already been won on Calvary……”I have told you this so that you might have peace in me. In the world you will have trouble, but take courage, I have conquered the world”…We must live this statement and never forget it……Death has been conquered - We have nothing to fear………”But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you besides. Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself”……We know exactly where we are to go - There is nothing “unclear” about it…..Time to start living like we believe it…..JMJ

Are we deluding ourselves?

Today at Holy Mass in the Gospel of St John we are told that the words Jesus spoke and the people that he sends forth to speak in his name are one in the same…..”From now on I am telling you before it happens, so that when it happens you may believe that I AM. Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever receives the one I send receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me”……What should that tell us about the relationship between Christ and the one Church he founded - The Catholic Church?……Jesus who is the only one with real authority (because he is God) bestowed that authority upon the Church….Its impossible to separate Jesus Christ and the Catholic Church…Christ is the head and the Church is the body…Therefore what the Catholic Church proclaims to be true and has taught perennially must be followed by the faithful…..We, the people in the pews, do not have authority to “pick and choose” what to believe and what not to believe….Why? - Because we are not God and God is the only one with authority and he gave that authority to the Church…Its really that simple….And our lack of authority is articulated perfectly by the fact that we all die - We can not save ourself…Only God can save us and if we want to enter into eternal life, we must comport our life to God’s will…..What is commonly known today as “Cafeteria Catholicism” must cease……Its all or nothing!

“Amen, amen, I say to you, no slave is greater than his master nor any messenger greater than the one who sent him”

Excuses…Excuses…Excuse…”In the name of this”…”In the name of that”…..People rationalize away Catholic Teaching…We have heard it all before - This is not “practical” - This is “impossible”……I could go on and on…..Jesus Christ when he gave authority to the apostles and established a Church understood only too well human nature……He also understood what we need.....When we place self created obstacles before God - We limit the amount of grace we receive…..And we all need that grace!!!!…….Unreconciled sin not only prevents us from becoming the people we were born to be but it blinds us - It weakens our will….Just because a teaching of the Church is “hard” does not mean it can not be done - Everything Jesus taught and everything the Church proclaims to be true can be done - But only through grace…This is why we as Catholics must remove every obstacle that gets in the way of that grace - That means frequently going to Confession (one a month)….When we do that we grow in virtue and we also allow the grace from the Blessed Sacrament to penetrate our soul when we receive it at Holy Mass…This is the only way we can live as Jesus asked us too - Why? - Because all of us, every single human being ever to walk this earth has a fallen nature - And because of that reality - Jesus the Divine Physician provided us “the medicine” we need, which is Sacramental Grace - Which in turn elevates our human nature, making the “impossible” possible!…Those who have ears - Let them hear….To live as a Catholic can only be accomplished with the aide of the Sacraments…..We cannot save ourself and we cannot “read” our way into heaven!

“I have found David, my servant; with my holy oil I have anointed him, That my hand may be always with him, and that my arm may make him strong”

Today St John at Mass tells us that those who Jesus gave authority speak for Jesus - That they in essence are one in the same….Many people today say things like: “I believe in Jesus but I do not believe in the Catholic Church”…or….”I just need Jesus, I don’t need to belong to the Catholic Church”……WRONG!…..There is NO WAY a person can do God’s will without the grace of the Sacraments - NO WAY IS IT GOING TO HAPPEN!…..Jesus gave us a Church for a reason - We need to live Sacramentally due to our fallen human nature…..Its not enough to say we “believe in Christ” - We have to live like Christ asked us to live - The process of sanctification can take a life time - It requires daily prayer, weekly fasting and Sacramental living…..Those who have ears let them hear!…..Jesus is not looking for “believers” - He is looking for followers……”Be doers of the word and not hearers only, deluding yourselves”……Are we deluding ourselves?………JMJ

Do what he tells you!

Today at Holy Mass we hear in the Gospel how Jesus, who was the son of God did not speak on his own….Jesus was one with the Father and everything he did was in obedience to the Father….That being said - If obedience was a virtue important to Jesus - How much more does this virtue apply to us?….Let’s be honest - Human beings have an “obedience problem”….You hear it all the time - “Don’t tell me what to do?”……As a Catholics this mindset will never work!……”Whoever rejects me and does not accept my words has something to judge him: the word that I spoke, it will condemn him on the last day, because I did not speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me what to say and speak”…….One of the many great things about being Catholic is, everything the Church professes to believe and teaches is written down…There really is no ambiguity - We are the ones that make the teachings unclear….And God, knowing we “need help” with being obedient - Gives us the Sacraments, which provides us with heavenly grace, strengthens our will and opens our eyes!…..To follow Christ is to be obedient - There is no other way to view our relationship with God, who is the Creator….The world today refuses to accept this reality even in the face of bad choices and the consequences that come with those bad choices….God loves us and wants what is best for us - But people do not believe this!…We want to do it “our way” - Even in the face of horrendous outcomes……The first miracle Jesus performed was at the request of Our Lady at the Wedding Feast of Cana…The wine ran out and the people asked Our Lady for help - So what does Our Lady say to do? - Go to Jesus and - “Do what he tells you!” - Simple Right?!?…….That same “advice” applies to this very day….Life is so much better when we do things God’s way…..But sadly the world is not convinced!…..As Catholics, the Church gives us two thousand years of wisdom wrapped up in its perennial teachings - The Church knows what it is talking about! - And when we live out what the Church tells us - We thrive - In our marriages - In our personal life - Even at the hour of death…..It all comes down to obedience….”Do what he tells you!”

“I am the light of the world, says the Lord; whoever follows me will have the light of life”

I am the father of five children - I tell my children all the time - “I will never tell you anything that will hurt you”…But kids being kids - They want to do things “their way”….Adults are no different….And we need to “get over” this mind set…..God is our loving Father and he too through his Church will never tell us anything that will hurt us - Do we believe this? - We need to be convinced of this reality!…..At the age of twenty-two years old I decided to take my Catholic faith seriously….That single decision was by far the best decision of my life!!!!…Because of that one decision I have everything I have today, more then thirty years later…I have my wife, who I met through the Church…I have five children…I have an education…I have a good job…I have money in the bank…I have no addictions….I have no debilitating vices…..I am physically strong, healthy and self discipled…I could go on and on…All these aspects of my life stem from that one decision to live my life as a Catholic…..Today many parents when raising their children do not prioritize teaching their kids about their Catholic faith…This is a huge mistake!!!….Nothing is more important then passing on your Catholic faith to your children…A child can get a great education, have a wonderful job, become materially rich - And still destroy their life as a result of bad choices!!! - This happens all the time!!!!!…..When we as parents are long gone from this life, the faith we passed on to our children will guide their life - Keeping them safe and allowing them to thrive in all their decisions when we are not there to help them…Nothing is more important then providing a Catholic education and witnessing our Catholic faith to our children! - Do we as parents see it that way? - If not, maybe we need to reassess our priorities…When we put God first in our life, everything else falls into its proper place…This all comes down to the virtue of obedience - “Doing what God tells us!”

“Whoever believes in me believes not only in me but also in the one who sent me, and whoever sees me sees the one who sent me. I came into the world as light, so that everyone who believes in me might not remain in darkness”

Today at Mass Jesus tells us he does everything the Father tells him….Is this our approach to our Catholic faith?…..Being Catholic means we prescribe to everything the Church teaches….We are not to “pick and choose” what to believe and what not to believe…This “Cafeteria Catholicism” needs to end! - Why? - Because it does not work!….When we do things “God’s way” - Things work out….Keep in mind - Sometimes when we do things God’s way, we need to be patient…..God uses “time” to form us - To prepare us for the “next step”….We must learn to “trust the plan”…..God’s plan works!!!!!!….And so does his “timeline”….All things work for the greater good and for our good…The goal is heaven and for us to enter into eternal life, we must be sanctified, and this takes time - Our life and all the events of our life are geared towards that one goal…This is why we must do things “God’s way”…And this is why we must be obedient to God’s will…..There is no other path to heaven!!….Jesus said, “He is The Way” - He did not say - “You are the way”.......Do what he tells you!……JMJ

I am the Truth - He did not say - I am the custom

Today at Holy Mass we hear in the Gospel of St John how Jesus addresses the Jews who opposed him……”So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How long are you going to keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.” Jesus answered them, “I told you and you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name testify to me”…..The Jews simply could not accept that the Messiah would look like a simple carpenter….They were looking for something else even though Jesus spoke like no one ever had and performed miracles right before their eyes…..It did not matter what he said - It did not matter how many miracles Jesus performed…The Jewish people were not having it!….They refused to believe…..Why? - The answer is simple - They were not willing to change….And the same issue applies to the unbelieving world today…Jesus Christ could come down from the sky in the middle of the day in New York City….Every cell phone could record Jesus coming down from heaven and stream the sight on social media to the entire world - And still people would not believe - In fact, my bet is, the powerful of the world would once again plot to kill him!…Why is that? - Because the world refuses to change!…..Jesus is not interested in people simply saying that they “believe in him” - Big deal! - Talk is cheap! - Jesus is asking us to change and “follow him”….Are we willing to change!!!!!?????!!!!!……This is the question……To follow Christ is to grow and if we are not moving forward in our relationship with God, we are sadly going backward…..This is why in order to be a follower of Christ - First we must REPENT - Then we can properly believe - That is the proper order, not the other way around…….We can not follow Christ on “our terms” and we surely do not enter eternal life on “our terms” either - Our world today believes otherwise - A costly mistake….Those who have ears - Let them hear

“My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish. No one can take them out of my hand”

Do you believe in the existence of Absolute Truth…Allow me to give you an example - Two + Two = Four - That is an Absolute Truth…..And if you believe in the existence of Absolute Truth, then you will understand that somethings can never change…It does not matter who you are, how educated you are, or how “important” you think you are - Somethings can never change - Two + Two = Four!….As Catholics this idea of Absolute Truth applies to us…..The teachings of the Catholic Church are timeless….They do not change because we want them too…And for two thousand years, they have proven to work!…..God does not “change” to adapt to the desires of man - Its man who must change and adapt to God - Today our world as this idea backwards……..Allow me to give the reader of this reflection an example……Marriage is a Sacrament - It is between one man and one woman…..Society can pass all the laws it wants - That eternal Truth about marriage can never change…And because it can never change, when society tries to “change it”, there are consequences….The Natural Law is written on every human heart…And when we reject the Natural Law, something inside of us breaks!….Each and every person was made by God and when we willing turn from God, we reap the consequences…We lack peace - We are in a constant state of “searching” - Nothing seems to satisfy us - We lack lasting and deep joy…This is reality…..Human Beings are not at liberty to change what cannot be changed….The more we try, the more chaos grows, both personally and on the societal level……Once we accept reality - And reality is this - God is God and we are not - Once we accept this reality, our lives will improve and until then, they will not

“My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one can take them out of the Father’s hand……The Father and I are one”

Today in the Gospel at Mass Jesus is confronted once again by aggressive people who refuse to believe in him….Sound familiar? - Not too much has changed to this very day…Many people in our world today, whether they know it or not, are trying to be like God…..They are trying to do what cannot be done….Jesus knows full well what is in the hearts of men - What that means is, Jesus knows how we “operate” - And because of that, He is patient - Each of us are given a chance to “figure it all out” - We have our enter life to “figure it all out”…….And what must we come to understand (i.e.“figure out”)? - That the world does not revolve around us - That we are not the arbiters of Truth - That some things cannot change because the Natural Law says so….We can try all we want - That is reality!…..Again, as we live our life and time goes by, God gives us every opportunity to “figure it all out” - But in the end, time does run out - We all die eventually - The “final whistle blows”!….In the meantime, God continues to love us and God plays the “long game” - Meaning, he puts in front of us people, circumstances and events, which are meant for us to reconsider bad choices made….Its then for us to respond - Its then for us to change……Jesus told us very clearly - I am the Truth - He did not say - I am the custom……..JMJ