Live for an audience of one…..Only one “Thumbs Up” matters

Today at Holy Mass St Paul once again addresses the Corinthians….He tells them to live for an “audience of one”….That no other opinion matters except God’s opinion - Is this how we live?….Social Media is all about “self affirmation”…..Finding people who “LIKE” us, agree with us and in turn make us feel important….The entire world can be against you and if God is for you - That is the ONLY thing that matters!….”Therefore, do not make any judgment before the appointed time, until the Lord comes, for he will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will manifest the motives of our hearts, and then everyone will receive praise from God”…..Every word that comes out of our mouth - Every action performed….Everything we fail to do…God sees!….God also knows the intentions behind everything we do…Why do we contribute to Catholic Social Media?….God knows why and that is all the matters…The same goes for “assuming bad intentions” about others….That is not our job nor do we know the hearts of others…Our “job” is to worry about our intentions - Ensuring they are pure - Repenting when they are not - Persevering even when no one cares to listen…..And if everyone is listening - Not letting it “get to our head”…….Is this what we do? - Because this is what we should be doing…..And God knows our heart, even if others do not……Jesus was a man who was deeply misunderstood - Even by his closest friends…As Catholics, if we are following Christ the way we are all called too, we also will be misunderstood…..Are you willing to be misunderstood?……Live for an audience of one…..Only one “Thumbs Up” matters

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

Are you willing to leave the ninety-nine in search of the one?…..Jesus did this time and time again…..Mother Teresa established the first Hospice for men who had full blown HIV in the world in New York City…At the time, AIDS was a death sentence….No one wanted to go near these men…Gay men infected with AIDS were modern day lepers…Mother Teresa saw past the judgments of the world and took these men in - For years these men died under the care of the Missionaries of Charity…Many of them came to Christ as a result - Many were Baptized as well….While the world “judged”, the Missionaries of Charity “rolled up” their sleeves and simply loved these men - They did not affirm bad behavior - They simply cared for men who needed care - They let their actions do the talking!…..I served in this home for seven years and I have witnessed miracles (with a lower case “m”)…Hardened men - Public sinners - Outcasts - People the world ignored…I witnessed many of these men convert and request to be Baptized - In fact, I am the God-Father to one of them who read at my Wedding Mass…..How did this happen?…..In that Hospice run by Mother Teresa - There was no judgment…Only love out into action…People do not care what you know until they know how much you care….The best “sermon” is to go out of your way and feed a hungry family…An empty stomach has no “ears”!

“The salvation of the just is from the LORD; he is their refuge in time of distress. And the LORD helps them and delivers them; he delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in him”

Today St Paul, a great man by every measure, tells his friends not to judge him - That only God can judge him…..The same goes for us….God knows our intentions and what is in our heart…."There is nothing concealed that will not be revealed, nor secret that will not be known. Therefore whatever you have spoken in the darkness will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in private rooms will be proclaimed from the housetops”…Before we hit the “send” button on our computer - Do we think of the words we are about to “post”?….St Paul reminds us today…Live for an audience of one - Only God’s opinion matters!……”It does not concern me in the least that I be judged by you or any human tribunal; I do not even pass judgment on myself; I am not conscious of anything against me, but I do not thereby stand acquitted; the one who judges me is the Lord”…..When a person lives as St Paul instructs us today - There is great freedom - There is also great power found in living in this manner as well…..Catholics should not belong to “any camps”…..Do you “identify” as a Republican? - Do you “identify” as a conservative? - Do you “identify” as a nationalist - Do you “identify” as a “TRAD”? - Do you “identify” as a “Progressive Catholic”?……”Therefore, do not make any judgment before the appointed time, until the Lord comes, for he will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will manifest the motives of our hearts, and then everyone will receive praise from God”…….Live for an audience of one…..Only one “Thumbs Up” matters….JMJ

”For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in the eyes of God”

Today at Holy Mass in the first readings St Paul in his letter to the Corinthian people tells them about true wisdom….Wisdom is one of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit……It is very different from raw analytical intelligence…A person can be off the charts brilliant and lack wisdom…Wisdom is a gift……Paul tells the people of his day and also tells us……”Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you considers himself wise in this age, let him become a fool, so as to become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in the eyes of God, for it is written: God catches the wise in their own ruses, and again: The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain”…….Have you ever spoken to a very worldly person about your Catholic faith? - The life decisions you make - Such a person thinks Catholics are completely crazy….We make absolutely no sense to them….Yet today, the great St Paul tells us that “the wisdom of this world is foolishness”…..Tell that to a Wall Street Banker!…..When Jesus Christ returns, and he will, the power structures of the world will be turned completely upside-down!!!….The very thought should terrify us in more ways than we even realize!…..Think for a moment of Jesus’ teaching in the Beatitudes….Blessed are the meek….Blessed are the poor in spirit…Is he crazy? - The answer is NO…And when Jesus returns, those who are not meek and those who are not “poor in spirit” and those who are not peace makers will be in BIG trouble…..As Catholics, we must aspire to live by the wisdom of God as opposed to the wisdom of the world…We must be willing to be a “fool for Christ”…Our life should be viewed as a contradiction to the secular world around us…People should look at you and your life and say…How do you do it! - Are you CRAZY?….And our answer to them should then be - I am a disciple of Jesus Christ - The man who conquered death….The very idea of conquering death is “foolish” - Right?!?…But it happened…..So much for being “foolish”

“Come after me, says the Lord, and I will make you fishers of men”

Growing up I knew a man by the name of Patrick Fahey…..Patrick had eight children…If you did not know Patrick, you probably would have thought he was crazy person…He rode his bike to the store, he never owned a car….He was always happy, in fact, I never saw him without a smile on his face…And Patrick’s life was far from easy…He was not a rich man, far from it, and for the most part his children were not “choir boys” - I know, I was friends with them!…But Patrick was always smiling….Over the years Patrick became very well known in our town….Everyone knew him because Patrick spoke with everyone..He worked as a crossing guard well into his eighties and rode his bike to work everyday (rain or shine)…When he died, many people came to his funeral, I being one of them…..This “fool for Christ” taught us all…Just being living and smiling

“He shall receive a blessing from the LORD, a reward from God his savior. Such is the race that seeks for him, that seeks the face of the God of Jacob”

As many know, St Paul was a sophisticated man…Educated and a leader amongst the Jews…Once he encounter Jesus on the road to Damascus, his life changed…I am sure many of St Paul’s “old friends” thought him to be crazy…..In many ways, the measure of our life as Catholics should be the same…If we are just like the rest for the world, we surely are not following Jesus Christ…..Secular people should look at our life and think we are CRAZY….Because our choices contradict the “wisdom” of this world…Catholics do not use contraception - Catholics forgive - Catholics have many children - Catholics are faithful to their spouses….Catholics are kind to all….All these traits will make secular people think you are a fool….So be it - Be a fool for Christ….Do not seek to blend in - But instead “stand out”…..Our life as Catholics should make absolutely no sense to the secular world….No sense at all….If you find yourself in that “bucket” - Blessed are you - For the Kingdom of God is at hand……”For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in the eyes of God”….JMJ

“In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity” - Words to live by

Today at Holy Mass St Paul addresses the Corinthians…The Church is divided into factions - Sound familiar?…Paul attempts to reason with the various factions…..Today our Church in many ways is no different….Look at Catholic Social Media….How can this be?….Each of us should be on guard for this very real danger…..St Augustine addressed the same issue Paul addressed today… “In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity”…..Is this what you see on Catholic social media?……The Sacraments should unite us all…Why? - Because we ALL need them…..When we go to Mass - Do we hear the words of the Creed, which we all recite before we receive the Blessed Sacrament?….”I believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible. I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages. God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father; through him all things were made. For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven, and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate, he suffered death and was buried, and rose again on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead and his kingdom will have no end. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets. I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church. I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come”…..If you believe all the words of the Creed, and are in the state of grace - You are free to receive the Blessed Sacrament…But if you do not believe these words - You should not receive the Eucharist….And pray and reflect as to what your “issue” is……We do not get to personally define what the Church is…The Catholic Church belongs to Jesus Christ…We are just members…The Deposit of Faith is not to be “manipulated” like lawyers manipulate words in corporate board rooms…The Deposit of Faith is actually very simple and easy to understand - Sadly, we make what is simple complex…..Sadly, when I “scroll” through the many voices on Catholic Social Media, what I see is described today by St Paul to the letter!…..And St Paul gives us the answer to this current dilemma………”What is Apollos, after all, and what is Paul? Ministers through whom you became believers, just as the Lord assigned each one. I planted, Apollos watered, but God caused the growth. Therefore, neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who causes the growth. He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive wages in proportion to his labor. For we are God’s co-workers;  you are God’s field, God’s building”……Pray for the Church - Pray and Fast for her…That we all may be one!

“The Lord sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor and to proclaim liberty to captives”

Before I was married, I served with Mother Teresa’s sisters in Manhattan for seven years…I was their driver on Saturday….The Missionaries of Charity are many things - One of those things, they are fiercely obedient - To the Church - To what the Church teaches in the Catechism - To their superiors…..Over the years I got to be good friends with many of the sisters…I remember what Sister Vineeth told me about the call to prayer..”When the bell rings for prayer - The bell is the voice of God - You drop everything”…..Is this how we approach what the Church teaches?….The Catechism of the Catholic Church, if you ever take the time to read it is very clear….For the life of me I do not know how there can be so much confusion in the Church - Yet there is - And I know why?….Because of our fallen human nature….This is why we must all fast regularly and pray daily…This is why we must go to confession monthly and receive the Blessed Sacrament often…..Simply reading the Catechism will not bring unity in the Church - Only Grace can do this…And we must avail ourselves to this Grace…So our “eyes can see” - And our “ears can hear”

“Blessed the nation whose God is the LORD, the people he has chosen for his own inheritance. From heaven the LORD looks down; he sees all mankind”

Today at Mass we hear how St Paul tries to bring unity amongst the believers….Arguably one of the biggest scandals to ever rock the Christian faithful, are the many divisions that have been created…From the Protestant Reformation - To Martin Luther - To the many “camps” within the Catholic Church today….SCANDAL!!!…There is no such thing as “Conservative Catholics” - “Liberal Catholics” - “Progressive Catholics” - “Traditional Catholics”…….And any Christian denomination outside of the Catholic Church was created by “man” and has absolutely no authority - NONE!….Jesus Christ was one man - Who created one Church…"And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it”…..But knowing humanity as Jesus did and does to this day, he understands what happens to us….We make complicated what is so simple!…More reason why we need to pray and fast….And to live Sacramentally….Without grace - We fail….Its that simple!…….One of the last prayers Jesus prayed before he was killed addresses unity within the family of believers…."I pray not only for these, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, so that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us, that the world may believe that you sent me”…..Is the division we see today in the Church - The Church’s problem? - Or is the problem within us?……“In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity” - Words to live by….JMJ

If we fall short - Which I do - Maybe its time reflect - And Repent

Today at Holy Mass in the Gospel of St Luke we hear about Jesus healing a man in the synagogue who was possessed by “the spirit of an unclean demon”…..As Jesus was helping this man the demon cried out - What he said was interesting - So take note - “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!”…How is it that the demon knows EXACTLY who Jesus was and even the twelve disciples were still unsure?…..This should make us pause - The reality of evil in the world is just that - Reality…The devil is REAL and is a highly intelligent being….Infinitely more intelligent then human beings….The devil knows all our weaknesses and we ALL have weakness….Its only when we humble ourselves before Christ and his Church that we are protected and out of satan’s reach…..St Paul warns us as well…..”Finally, draw your strength from the Lord and from his mighty power. Put on the armor of God so that you may be able to stand firm against the tactics of the devil”….The older I get and the more I “see” just how significant St Paul’s warning is to all of humanity…..Sanctifying grace gives us “eyes to see”…..The secular world, in its hubris, is getting “eaten alive” by the traps and tricks of the devil….Most do not even realize what is happening as their life spirals out of control…..How many people in our nation are living in the state of grace?….Think about that for a moment…What does living in the state of grace mean?….Going to confession with a priest (at the minimum as required by the Church) once a calendar year and receiving the Blessed Sacrament once a week…How many Americans are actually doing this?….Why is this important? - Because if you are not living in the state of grace - The devil will eat you alive!!!!!……Your will to resist temptation - will not be fortified.....Your sight will be dulled - And when this happens - You become your worst enemy…………”Can a blind person guide a blind person? Will not both fall into a pit?”…..This is what we “see” all around us today……The “blind leading the blind”

“Now the natural man does not accept what pertains to the Spirit of God, for to him it is foolishness, and he cannot understand it, because it is judged spiritually”

Sacramental grace elevates our human nature - It perfects it…..Without Sacramental grace, human beings do “stupid things” - Why? - Because of our fallen nature…This is why Jesus established a Church and this is why EVERYONE needs to live Sacramentally…The Sacraments are the “medicine” for the world……At most parishes in America, confession is available for one hour each week on Saturday….And if you go to some of these parishes that keep this schedule, you will find that very few go to confession regularly…How can we as Catholics not be regularly going to confession!!!!!…..Being Catholic is not rocket science….Go to confession once a month - Go to Mass once a week - Pray the Rosary every day…Is this so hard?!?….This costs you NOTHING - Its FREE….And if you do this - You surely are on the road to heaven….I am involved in Catholic social media…I co-host a radio show in the New York Metropolitan area….Being that I am involved in social media, I talk to many different people - I also see what others comment and post on social media….To be very honest with you - Some of the comments I read and and hear lack so much charity I can’t even believe a person can even “think” that God would approve of the content - Never mind “think” the comments are even remotely “Catholic”….Why bring this up?…Do we examine our conscience every night before we go to bed? - As the Church recommends…..Do we go to confession regularly (at least once a month) with a good priest?….Trust me - I am far from perfect and I have said some very uncharitable things in my day - Publicly I might add - But I do strive to improve - How about you?….I have confessed my comments more than a few times to a priest - How about you?……”Can a blind person guide a blind person? Will not both fall into a pit?”…..Only by living an active Sacramental life does one “see” - And more importantly live as Jesus requires us to live as Catholics….Because without that grace, we do not even realize just how “off” we actually are.

“Similarly, no one knows what pertains to God except the Spirit of God. We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God”

Today Jesus addresses a man who is spiritually ill…..If you think about it - We are ALL spiritually ill…We are ALL sinners….And because of that we must “work on ourselves” in order to grow in sanctification…..How do we do that? - Daily prayer; Weekly fasting, Monthly Confession and reception of the Blessed Sacrament…..Getting back to the man in the Gospel today…..This man that Jesus helped was possessed by a demon….And the demon knew exactly who Jesus was…How about the rest of the people in the synagogue?…..They clearly had NO CLUE who Jesus was…..Eyes to see and hears to hear only come to us when we live in the state of grace….Without the grace of God - The human condition frankly is lost….You cannot “read” your way to Divine grace…And its not “rocket science” to obtain it…It requires a humble and teachable spirit…..”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”…..How do you “measure up” to the Beatitudes?…Jesus taught “blessed are the meek”…Is this what we see on social media?…..If we fall short - Which I do - Maybe its time reflect - And Repent…..JMJ

”Because without me you can do nothing!”

Today at Holy Mass we hear in the Gospel of St Luke how Jesus returns to his home town and the people reject him….In his return, he reads a prophetic statement in the synagogue, written by the Prophet Isaiah…Keep this in mind, these were pious Jewish, they were fully versed in the law of Moses and what the Prophet Isaiah had taught…Yet they did not “see” what was standing right before their very eyes!…..”The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord”…….Who do you think Jesus was referring too when he mentions “bringing glad tidings to the poor”?….Was it the material poor of his day?…..”For you know the gracious act of our Lord Jesus Christ, that for your sake he became poor although he was rich, so that by his poverty you might become rich”……..”The poor” he is addressing is YOU and ME - Its all of humanity!!!….And to live without God makes us “poor” - No matter who you are or how many “gifts” you “think” you possess!….Humanity is not convinced of its own poverty - That without the grace of God we can do nothing!…This is why God the Father sent his son to the human race - To restore what was broken - What is broken? - YOU and ME!….The minute you think you have “everything together” is the minute the devil will strike!….Mankind was made to live Sacramentally - Why? - Because humanity is “poor” - We are all “sick”…And the Sacraments are “the medicine” for the world…This is why it is ESSENTIAL to live Sacramentally - This is why Jesus established a Church, which is the “field hospital” for the entire world…Sadly, the secular world does not believe itself to be “sick” and in need of “this divine medicine”….Understand something right now - There is no way you can live as Jesus Christ asks us to live without Sacramental grace!!!! - NO WAY - NOT A CHANCE - EVEN ON YOUR BEST DAY!……Do you view yourself as “poor”?….Jesus tells us in St John’s Gospel…"I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing”…..This one sentence is arguably one of the most important sentences in the entire Bible…..”Because without me you can do nothing!”

“I did not come with sublimity of words or of wisdom. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified”

Our world has an “authority” problem…We do not like to be told what to do….Not even by God….Jesus Christ gave authority to Peter, who was the first Pope and that same authority rests in the Church and the Pope today……And when we do things “God’s way”, we bear fruit….Jesus was a carpenter and one day he literally told Peter how to fish….Peter could have said to his friend, “Listen, you are a carpenter and I am a fisherman - I know what I am doing!”…But that is not what happened…..”Getting into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, he asked him to put out a short distance from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat. After he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch.” Simon said in reply, “Master, we have worked hard all night and have caught nothing, but at your command I will lower the nets.” When they had done this, they caught a great number of fish and their nets were tearing. They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come to help them. They came and filled both boats so that they were in danger of sinking. When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at the knees of Jesus and said, “Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man”….Peter did not “understand” how he caught all those fish, in many ways, catching all those fish “made no sense” - But it happened….I often reflect on this story….We do not have to “understand” everything - That is our “problem” - We “think we know everything”….Our role is to obey!…You say “lower your nets” - That is exactly what I am going to do - Lower the nets!….Live your Catholic faith knowing that you are a poor sinner….Let’s not “pretend” that we “see” - Because we do not….Allow God to sanctify you through obedience….Speaking personally - When things do not go the way “I planned” and I get frustrated - I am learning to say - “OK God”……We do not know the mind of God - And we have no authority!!!!….Maybe its time to simply do as St Peter did…..“Master, we have worked hard all night and have caught nothing, but at your command I will lower the nets”…..Why? - ”Because without me you can do nothing!”

“I came to you in weakness and fear and much trembling, and my message and my proclamation were not with persuasive words of wisdom, but with a demonstration of spirit and power, so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom but on the power of God”

Today in the Gospel, Jesus addresses his people - Keeping in mind - These were very “religious” people…Yet they did not “see” God, who was standing right in front of them….So many today claim to “see”….”They know everything!”….The reality of the matter is - We are all poor sinners….We are all in need of grace….How do we get this grace?…..Frequent Confession (once a month) - Pray the Rosary Daily - Receive the Blessed Sacrament in the state of grace as often as one can…..Stop “thinking” that you know the mind of God - Because YOU do not…Are you open to the Holy Spirit? - Throughout the two thousand year history of the Church, God has “surprised” the faithful many times…We see this in the life of the many saints, who did not always “conform” to what people wanted to see and hear….Yet, these saints changed the world and impacted the Church…..In St Luke’s Gospel today, Jesus addresses the people of his home town - And they reject him….”They knew it all”….Do we do the same thing?……“Amen, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own native place. Indeed, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah when the sky was closed for three and a half years and a severe famine spread over the entire land. It was to none of these that Elijah was sent, but only to a widow in Zarephath in the land of Sidon. Again, there were many lepers in Israel during the time of Elisha the prophet; yet not one of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.” When the people in the synagogue heard this, they were all filled with fury. They rose up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town had been built, to hurl him down headlong”….I got some “news” for you - You do not know the mind of God…..”Because without me you can do nothing!”……..JMJ

Are you willing to be “last” in order to be first?

Today at Holy Mass Jesus tells his friends that he will suffer and die…and be raised on the third day…..Stop and think about that for a moment…If someone seriously said that to you right now - How would you react?….Yes, Jesus performed many miracles - Yes, Jesus spoke with authority and great wisdom…..But now he welcomes death and will come back to life!!!!!…..Jesus Christ was the world’s GREATEST revolutionary…..Not just by what he said - But by what he did……Was it because the twelve disciples recognized the revolutionary spirit in Jesus that they believed him?….Let’s be honest - The twelve disciples were utterly confused - Many times I will add…Jesus was a mystery to them…Yet they followed him anyway and all but St John gave their life for Christ…No one gives their life away for a lie….So what “pulled them” towards such a radical commitment?….The Truth is within each human soul - We all have a natural pull towards it and when it is spoken, even if we have committed our life in the opposite direction, when the Truth is spoken or seen we recognize it…This is why King Herod, the man who murdered John the Baptist liked to listen to what John had to say….If this is true, and it is, what keeps the world from following Christ today?……We get our answer from St Peter today in the Gospel……”Then Peter took Jesus aside and began to rebuke him, "God forbid, Lord! No such thing shall ever happen to you”…Peter was a good man - But he did not want to suffer - And neither do we!……Just as each of us have the indelible mark of God implanted within our heart as a result of our Baptism - We reject suffering and tend to want to be comfortable…..Jesus knowing this very human quality addresses it in his exchange with St Peter today….."Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.  For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it”…This is the ONLY path to heaven….Do not be deceived - or deceive yourself….Only by and through grace can we live in this manner…..This is why Jesus established a Church and if we live outside the state of Sacramental grace - We will “chase” after comfort and reject the Cross….”The Spirit is willing but the flesh is weak”….To deny ones self is an act of the will….And grace fortifies the human will, perfects our broken human nature and allows us to share in the divine life…..One last thing - There is no such thing as “cheap grace”

“May the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ enlighten the eyes of our hearts, that we may know what is the hope that belongs to our call”

Married Catholics are called to be open to life - That means no contraception….And that usually means, barring some natural medical physical impediment on the part of one of the spouses, the couple will have numerous children…..My wife and I committed our marriage to life and have given birth to eight children, three died in my wife’s womb and we are currently rising five - Thanks be to God!….The world sees the pictures on social media….But do people realize just how hard it is to raise numerous children in this world?….The pictures on social media do not tell that story….The sleepless nights - The house that is always a mess - Homework to be done after a hard days work….Running around all day Saturday like a mad man….I could go on and on….This is why secular married couples, who have money I will add, are not interested in such a life…..But this is exactly why Pope Paul VI wrote in 1968, at the height of the Sexual Revolution, the famous encyclical Humanae Vitae…..When a couple is open to life and has many children, they naturally “die to themself” and in doing so God animates their life in a very real and powerful way - Caring for their many children sanctifies them…..The Church in her wisdom “baked this in” to the vocation of marriage….We can not claim to follow Christ and live a selfish life….Whether a Bishop, a Priest, a married couple or single Catholic….If we are not committed to a life lived for others, pouring our life out daily, we are simply deceiving our self into thinking that we are authentic disciples of Jesus Christ…Being Catholic is not an “academic pursuit” as if we are studying the natural sciences…Catholicism is a lifestyle…..”Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.  For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it”…These are the words of Jesus Christ - Not some University professor!!!!…..Do we understand what those words that means!?! - More importantly are we living those words out daily?!?…The road to eternal life is narrow - So get on that narrow road!…..And do not be deceived…..Does not matter your vocation…..Whether a Bishop, a Priest, a married couple or single…God called you to “give your life way”….Hear “the call” - And get to it!

“Do not conform yourselves to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect”

Today St Peter and Jesus have a conversation in the Gospel….And the conversation is rather shocking….On the surface, many people could say that Peter was just being a “good friend” to Jesus…..Jesus tells him he will be murdered by an angry crowd and Peter being his friend says…"God forbid, Lord! No such thing shall ever happen to you”….Makes sense - Right?!?…..Not to God….."Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle to me. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do”…..Sadly, human suffering is apart of every human life….And if we choose to follow Jesus Christ as a Catholic, our life will not be easy - Let’s just be honest…But if we choose to follow Christ, we get much more then “comfort”…We get deep peace and lasting joy - “The pearl of great price”…And we cannot have it both ways - "You cannot serve God and mammon" - So don’t be deceived or deceive your self…..”Everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands for the sake of my name will receive a hundred times more, and will inherit eternal life…….But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first”…..Are you willing to be “last” in order to be first?…..JMJ

”Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own”

Today the Universal Church commemorates the Passion of Saint John the Baptist……John was a man cloaked in Truth…He lived an austere life of prayer and fasting, which prepared him to accomplish his task…What was his task?….To be a living witness of the Truth….The Servant of God Fr John Hardon put it best…”A Catholic must know the Truth; Speak the Truth; Live the Truth and be willing to suffer for the Truth”…..Each of us fall somewhere within that statement….But to fully embody what Fr Hardon stated, we too must be like John the Baptist, a people of deep prayer and fasting…Many people “talk a good game”….They know what the Church teaches and some even have the courage to speak it - But are you willing to suffer for it?….What if it meant taking your livelihood? - Reducing you to poverty…..What if it meant you becoming an outcast?……What if it meant going to prison?….And what if you were called to pay the ultimate sacrifice and give your life for the Truth - Would you do it?….The answer to all those questions, if we were honest is, we do not know how we would react if such choices were presented to us - Once again - People “talk a good game”….But one thing I do know, if you do not live as John the Baptist lived, steeped in prayer and fasting - There is NO WAY you will suffer for the Truth when “push comes to shove”…….Its very easy to “go along to get along”……And part of the problem is, far too many take this road….The road of being viewed as “respectable”….Was Jesus viewed as “respectable” by the status quo of his day?……We can all talk a BIG GAME but…"Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head”……The Church in her wisdom today honors John the Baptist rightfully - But how will we personally honor John’s life?….Let’s start by detaching from the world…We do that by fasting regularly….Do we pray the Rosary every day?…Do we pray with our spouse and children each day?….Do we make time to sit before the Blessed Sacrament?…Do we live Sacramentally?…..This is what we can learn from John the Baptist….Before we claim we too would die for Christ - As St Peter did the night before Jesus would be crucified…….."Even though I should have to die with you, I will not deny you" - Let’s start with dying to ourself first….Because without daily prayer and fasting, history will repeat itself once again….."Cock-a-doodle-doo"

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven”

As a Catholic there are certain jobs we can not take - Even if we are qualified for them…I learned that early on in my working career after I graduated with my Master in Business (MBA)…Some jobs require a person to deceive others for money and if you are not willing to do this - YOU ARE OUT…This is reality and this also means making less money in this world - This means watching your peers “pass you by”…This means being viewed by some to not be successful….….Growing up in New Jersey one of my childhood friend’s father embodied such a man - A man of God in many ways - A man steeped in prayer and the Word of God…Richard Williams was a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, the The Wharton School, the world's oldest and one of the most prestigious collegiate business schools to be exact…Believe it or not, he was also a two time All American Soccer goalie!….During his early twenties Rich gave his life to Christ and moved to Iceland with his wife because at the time Iceland had one of the lowest percentage of Christians in the world…..Rich and his wife Pat lived there as missionaries for ten years …When he came back to America, he took a job teaching English as a second language in Paterson New Jersey, for those who know New Jersey, Paterson is a very poor city….The William’s family never owned a home, they rented, they were not poor but clearly they were not a family of means…..Richard Williams had it all!!!!…He was brilliant, a great athlete, strong physically and handsome…Men like this with Ivy League degrees run companies…Not Rich - He used his talents to serve the poor of Paterson….Not to long ago Richard Williams died and I attended his funeral..At the service I reconnected with old friends and I recall hearing someone say…”I never knew Rich went to the University of Pennsylvania - He never told me that”….That statement did not surprise me in the least, knowing Rich as I did…..Think now for a moment about the choice John the Baptist made to live as he did - John could have had a very different life - I am sure he was very gifted…Instead, “John wore clothing made of camel’s hair and had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey”…..John the Baptist made a choice…..So did Richard Williams…..Each of us too must make a choice…..To know the Truth; Speak the Truth; Live the Truth and be willing to suffer for the Truth”…..And Talk is cheap......And this is why only saints change the world….Saints do their “talking” with their lives

“Rather, God chose the foolish of the world to shame the wise, and God chose the weak of the world to shame the strong, and God chose the lowly and despised of the world, those who count for nothing, to reduce to nothing those who are something, so that no human being might boast before God”

Why is John the Baptist so important for the Catholic Church to honor him the way it does today?…..For many reasons….Jesus himself said…”Amen, I say to you, among those born of women there has been none greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he”…..John the Baptist prepared the world for the coming of Jesus Christ….He was a great prophet…He was fearless…We heard about John’s life today at Mass, read to us in the Gospel - But do we somehow think we are not to do the same thing as John?…Each Baptized Catholic is called to live and speak prophetically - We accomplish this task by living Sacramentally, praying daily and fasting regularly - If we DO NOT do those things - We will not accomplish what each of us was born to do!…To be a prophet simply means you are a person steeped in Truth and your life bears witness to the Truth…We may not be called to give our physical life as John the Baptist did, but I think its safe to say that Catholics are also not meant to “go along to get along” in our culture today….Do we “stand out” or do “we go along”?….John the Baptist “stood out” and it cost him his head - Literally!….”Standing out” will cost YOU something too - Don’t think for a moment that it won’t........”Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own”……JMJ