God does the “heavy lifting” - Our job is to “get out of our own way”!

Today at Holy Mass Jesus in St John’s Gospel talks to us about the Holy Spirit…He refers to it as the “Spirit of Truth….Jesus tells us this……”And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always, the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot accept, because it neither sees nor knows him”……To live in the Spirit as a Catholic is not something for a select few people who get canonized - Its simply to live in the state of grace…How does one live in the state of grace?…Simple - Go to Confession regularly, once a month as recommended by the saints and receive the Blessed Sacrament once a week at Mass - Simple!…..But how many Baptized Catholics are doing this?…..The answer to our problems as a Church in so many ways is so simple!!!! - And to live in the state of grace is simple…….Now let’s look closer - Notice what Jesus said….”The Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot accept”…….Why does the world have a problem with God? - Keep this in mind - A person can say they “believe in God” and still be at odds with God and not be in the state of grace - But how? - The answer to this dilemma is - Human Beings want to do things their way - Not God’s way - And that is a dangerous road to walk….Jesus again tells us why in St John’s Gospel….”Whoever has my commandments and observes them is the one who loves me. And whoever loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and reveal myself to him”…..To be a Christian is more then just “believing in God” - We MUST as Jesus tells us - ”Observes” my commandments - That is the person who really loves me……….Love is an action it is not simply a word….To love someone is to “do” for them……If we are not living in the state of Grace willfully - We are not walking on the path that leads to eternal life - Did you just read that?!? - I will state it again! - If we are willfully, in full knowledge, not in the state of grace we will not enter the Kingdom of God!

“I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you. In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me, because I live and you will live”

What is the big deal about confessing your sins to a Priest?….This is a huge obstacle for many people both in the walls of the Catholic Church and outside the walls….God already knows what you did - So why do you have a problem confessing it to a Priest?……For those who do go to Confession regularly, you know that it is a tangible encounter with God…When you leave the Confessional, you feel the Holy Spirit enter your soul in a very real way…..A huge burden is lifted and when we live in this state, we allow the Blessed Sacrament to take root within us when we consume the consecrated Host at Mass - This is how it works! - So simple!…….Confession in the American Catholic Church needs to become what it once was - More available….There was a time when Confessions were heard before every Mass…..In fact, in New York City where I work, to the credit of the clergy, Confession is available just about every day across the enter city……Now sadly at most parishes in America, Confession is made available for only one hour on Saturday……This must change!……To unleash the power of the Holy Spirit - Our people must confess their sins regularly!…..This will open the flood gates of grace - It will turn the “lukewarm” into instruments of the Holy Spirit - And the world will be made anew!

“Then they laid hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit”

The Gospel of John is a very clear account and today we are told that we must not be Catholic in name alone - We must we “doers” of the word by following the commandments of God - In doing that, the Holy Spirit will fall upon us…..Grace is like rain, it falls from the sky - All we have to do is “put down our umbrella” and allow that Grace to pour down upon us…..Its our pride and sin that get in the way of that Grace - And this is why the Catholic faithful MUST go to confession regularly….To think otherwise is simple foolish…..Its time to get back to basics….Being in the state of Grace is mandatory - Its not optional………If we want to really know what it is like to be Catholic, we must live Sacramental lives and live in the state of grace…This is the ONLY way we impact the world around us…..Are we just “ticking boxes” as Catholics? - Do we say empty words and live in opposition to the words we claim to believe?…….Without the Holy Spirit and the grace of the Sacraments - THERE IS NO WAY! - We can observe the commandments of God - “Did you get that?!?” - Its impossible because of our fallen nature as human beings……We can know all the answers to the test and still fail the test - How? - Because being Catholic is not just about knowing “the answers”, its about LIVING the answers!…..And we can not self manufacture Grace…Our “job” is to get the obstacles out of the way, so the Grace of God can flow down upon us and then through us to the world - Simple - Right?!?………God does the “heavy lifting” - Our job is to “get out of our own way”!…….JMJ

We stand in “good company” - The company of the saints - So rejoice

Today at Holy Mass Jesus warns his disciples in the Gospel of St John …."If the world hates you, realize that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, the world would love its own; but because you do not belong to the world, and I have chosen you out of the world, the world hates you. Remember the word I spoke to you, 'No slave is greater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you”…We read this passage over and over again but we resist it…Why? - Because deep down all human beings want to belong…We want to be apart of “the club”….You witness this reality in young children at school in the cafeteria as far as where they sit and eat - The “cliques” they create, belong to and exclude others from joining…..And this reality does not change as we develop into adulthood - It looks different but the concept stays the same….To fully embrace Jesus Christ and the Truth of the Catholic Church will make you an "outlier" in society - There are no two ways about it…..The secular world not only does not embrace the Truth, it out right rejects it…Why? - For one, it isolates a person from the “crowd” and secondly, it usually makes one have less material wealth…..No one “gets paid” in Fortune 500 corporations for being virtuous - Now that does not mean everyone who works at a Fortune 500 company is a “bad person” but it does mean we are not rewarded for embracing the fullness of Truth - And because of that - People reject Truth for material gain and social status - Let’s just be honest…..And this is where the “rubber meets the road” when it comes to being Catholic - This is how you separate the “sheep from the goats”….A Catholic knows who he or she truly is deep down - We are children of God! - The desire for social status and material wealth mean very little - They do not define who a Catholic is - Therefore, Catholics do not “sell their soul” for them….And that too will make you an "outlier" in society….Jesus today warns us of this reality and if we authentically want to follow him - We must embrace this reality - Because it is reality!

“If then you were raised with Christ, seek what is above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God”

I work as a Compliance Officer for a large European Bank…..I am the father of five children and two of my children were born during the COVID global epidemic…..When my fifth children was born, I was fifty-one years old….My fourth child was just born and because of that I waited to tell my manager one month before the birth of my fifth child (Maria)……Now my manager makes a lot of money!…He could afford to have ten children!!!! - Keep this in mind….And when I told him my wife and I were expecting our fifth child and me being fifty-one years old - This was his response, “Joe - YOU ARE CRAZY”…..This is the reaction of the secular world to a Catholic marriage….A marriage that does not use contraception and is open to life - That does not embrace materialism…..As Catholics we must ask ourself - Are we willing to be that "outlier" in society? - Or do we “go along to get along”…..This is in a sense what Jesus warns us about today in St John’s Gospel….."If the world hates you, realize that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, the world would love its own; but because you do not belong to the world, and I have chosen you out of the world”…..Do we want to be apart of “the club” that celebrates secular values, which ultimately destroy us?…Or do we embrace Truth, which leads to authentic peace and joy here on earth and life in heaven for all eternity?….…This is the choice that stand before us……”See, I have today set before you life and good, death and evil. If you obey the commandments of the LORD, your God, which I am giving you today, loving the LORD, your God, and walking in his ways, and keeping his commandments, statutes and ordinances, you will live and grow numerous, and the LORD, your God, will bless you in the land you are entering to possess. If, however, your heart turns away and you do not obey, but are led astray and bow down to other gods and serve them, I tell you today that you will certainly perish; you will not have a long life on the land which you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess”….Many in the world today believe they can have it “both ways” - It does not work that way!…..We can not serve two masters - We will love one and hate the other - Jesus himself tells us that…..Its time to make a choice and pick up our Cross!!! - Its our Cross that leads us to eternal life, not being apart of the “crowd”, which clamors and derides us for embracing the Truth……Choose Life - “Be in the world but not of the world” - And if that means being persecuted - So be it!

“Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands; serve the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful song”

Today St John in the Gospel at Mass communicates an “inconvenient truth” - If we follow Jesus as we were called to as Catholics - The world will reject us….Our people do not like to think about this - In fact, many try to evade this reality as much as they can….While we clearly do not want to be disliked by some segments of society, the reality of the mater is, it cannot be avoided….The world rejects the Truth and if you embrace the Truth - The world will reject YOU!….Are you ok with that?…Because YOU have to be!…Its part of being a disciple - It comes with the “territory” of being a Catholic…..Because of this, Jesus tells us the following…..”Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven. Thus they persecuted the prophets who were before you”………We stand in “good company” - The company of the saints - So rejoice…………JMJ

That “kind of friend” is rare!

Today at Holy Mass we hear Jesus in the Gospel of St John call us his friend…..To have a true friend is a gift…Someone who knows you and loves you as you are, with all your flaws….This is rare indeed to have such a friend….When I was young I had tons of “friends”….But as I got older I soon found out who my true friends were….And those are the people we must stay close too….Jesus tells us today…..”No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. I no longer call you slaves, because a slave does not know what his master is doing. I have called you friends, because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father”….What does it mean to be Jesus’ friend? - Do you view him in this way?…….Because he is our friend, we must learn to trust him explicitly - Even if what he says “does not make sense” - What do I mean by that? - Even if the Gospel message does not comport to the world’s message - Even if the Gospel message is hard - Even if the Gospel message requires sacrifice…We must still trust in Jesus - Why? - Because he is our true friend!……No one is closer to us than he is and every he says to us through Scripture and the Church he found is in our best interest - Do you believe that?!?….Because if you do, you will bend your will until it breaks!…..Why? - Because your best friend told you too!

“It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain”

When everything is going well in life most people will find that all your “friends” are close to you - But let something go wrong - Seriously wrong…You get into financial trouble - You lose your job - You get sick and need assistance…Its at those moments that our true friends emerge - How do we know that these people who stick by us in difficult times are our friends? - Because they sacrifice for us…Whether its their time - Whether its helping us financially - They give of themselves for us by “going out of their way” - And this is how we know they are our true friends…Sadly as you get older you realize few people will do that for you and when you find those who do - Never let those people go!……When I was forty years old one of my high school friends found himself drinking way too much…He had chronic back problems and began drowning his pain with vodka….He would come to my family home drunk out of his mind in the morning - It was a “silent cry” for help…..Both my father and I knew he was drunk….One day, he called me and asked to drive him to a rehabilitation center three hours away - Which I did…..The drive was messy - The effects of his alcoholism were very tangible - He was very close to death…..So I drove him to the rehabilitation center where he stayed for a few months…..From that point forward he gained control of his life again and saved his marriage……I mention this because helping my friend was not something I “wanted to do” but I did it anyway…Why? - Because he was my friend…Helping him “cost” me something - But I did it anyway - Why? - Because he is my friend…And when you do things for people like that - Not only do they remember it - But they know you are a follower of Jesus Christ - Because you put the Gospel into action!…..As Catholics, no one will believe us as far as what we “claim” to believe if we do not sacrifice for others - If our actions do not mirror the Gospel…..The “proof” that we love God is that we love others….Jesus tells us in today’s Gospel….”This I command you: love one another” - Its easy to say the word “love” but its another thing altogether to live out what love truly is….To love is to sacrifice self for others and that sacrifice can come in the form of a heavy personal cost!…This is what Jesus did for all of humanity - He gave his life for us on the Cross…This is what a husband does for his wife and children - This is how they know his love for them is real - And this is how the world will know we are Catholic - In the “cost” we are willing to pay for others…..Mother Teresa would always say - “For love to be real it must hurt” - That means it costs us dearly! - This is how we show the world we are Catholics - We “pay the cost” of love and we “pay” it with joy in our heart!

“I call you my friends, says the Lord, for I have made known to you all that the Father has told me”

Today at Mass Jesus calls us his friend - What kind of friend are you to him?……Do you “stick with him” no matter what?….Do you trust him?…….Are you only “friends” with Jesus when things are going smoothly?……Jesus stands with us when everyone else walks away - That is the kind of friend he is - And trust me - That “kind of friend” is rare!……JMJ

”Joy is the net that will catch many souls”

Today at Holy Mass we hear Jesus in the Gospel of St John mention something that many times gets disassociated with Catholicism by our secular society - The idea of Joy…Do we even know what Joy is? - Joy is not some fleeting moment - Authentic Joy lasts - Its deep - And this “kind of Joy” can only be found in God! - A very controversial statement to make but a true one none-the-less……Think for a moment of the person you know who is the farthest away from God - On that person’s heart - All over their heart - Is God!!! - They just have not given God permission to be who he is to them yet….This is why Catholics must be a light to the nations - We must walk among “the people” and show them what authentic joy is….Joy found in everyday living…..The world thirsts for this joy and sadly is looking in all the wrong places to find it…….Mother Teresa would tell her sisters - “Joy is the net that will catch many souls”……Secular people are not going to pay attention to theological arguments - Even if your arguments are perfectly articulated - But those same secular people will see your joy - And wish they had it deep down!…..This is how we evangelize the world - By our joy!…Jesus today tells his disciples - “I have told you this so that my joy might be in you and your joy might be complete”…….The world simply does not believe this!…..The secular world sincerely thinks being Catholic is the most repressive thing one can be - Nothing could be further from the truth! - But telling someone this will not change their mind - We must show them….There are no saints with sour dispositions! - The saints radiate joy! - And only saints change the world

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

I grow up culturally Catholic - My parents took me to Mass and I attended Catholic high school and college….During that time I met a lot of very “nice people” but really never met anyone sadly that radiated Christ’s joy….Simply by what I experienced as a Catholic in that environment - Nothing about it moved me in a significant way to want to really live as a authentic Catholic - I am just being honest…..Until I met in my twenties the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal - For those who do not know - This religious order began in New York City - And the men who joined it were intelligent, gifted by all messages of the secular world, lived sacrificially and sincerely were joyful people….My encounter with these men in many ways changed my life…Then I met the Sisters of Life - An order of nuns who were also founded in New York City to help women who were experiencing troubled pregnancy - Same thing! - One could say the joy these nuns possessed was almost not of this world - It stopped traffic!…Then I met the Missionaries of Charity - Same thing! - Their joy was so sincere and tangible it could not be questioned…..After “seeing” for myself these men and women, who were living authentic Catholic lives and appeared not only fully content in their vocation but exponentially more joyful then any person I ever met outside the Catholic Church - And that is no exaggeration! - I began to “re-think” my position about the faith - And do you know what else? - I said to myself - Why can’t I have the joy they have too?….And that is the same reaction the world will have if YOU fully embrace YOUR Catholic faith and live it out loud - Because here is “the deal” - People do not care what you know - People care about what they see!……And when secular people, who deep down know they are “missing something” in their life SEE in you authentic joy - They will gravitate to you and in time the Holy Spirit will work in them……A person can not “fake” real joy and the world knows when they see it.

“After this I shall return and rebuild the fallen hut of David; from its ruins I shall rebuild it and raise it up again, so that the rest of humanity may seek out the Lord, even all the Gentiles on whom my name is invoked. Thus says the Lord who accomplishes these things, known from of old”

Today we live in a Post - Christian society…Not only is institutional religion rejected but so is God himself….And because of this, our people are unmoored and searching for “something” to fill the vacuum created by willfully turning from God……In 1969, a German priest made this prophetic statement about the world and the Church….Now some fifty-seven years later, we are beginning to see the start of “something” this Priest predict would happen….In the last few years, people in Europe and America are getting Baptized in record numbers - Why? - This German Priest, who many years later become Pope Benedict XVI told us the answer…….”But when the trial of this sifting is past, a great power will flow from a more spiritualized and simplified Church. Men in a totally planned world will find themselves unspeakably lonely. If they have completely lost sight of God, they will feel the whole horror of their poverty. Then they will discover the little flock of believers as something wholly new. They will discover it as a hope that is meant for them, an answer for which they have always been searching in secret”……No matter who you are - We all want to be happy! - And authentic happiness that lasts CAN NOT be found outside of God…..The world can deny this reality all it wants - But the statistics do not lie - Our world today is more depressed then ever before….And only when the unbelieving world “sees” for itself what Pope Benedict XVI describes as “the little flock of believers” - Those who are fully animated by the living God and rooted in Truth - Only then will the world consider making a change….It all comes down to our joy - Joy is not some esoteric concept - Its something everyone can understand and everyone wishes they had……”Joy is the net that will catch many souls”…….JMJ

”Without me you can do nothing” - Get the Hint?

Today at Holy Mass we hear in the Gospel of St John, in my humble opinion one of the MOST important messages you will hear in the entire Bible……If the Catholic world fully embraced this message, the world would be set ablaze…..But sadly we do not fully embrace it due to our pride…”I know better” - We hear this statement all the time from so many……To address that claim very sharply - NO YOU DO NOT!……Jesus said “I am the vine” - He did NOT say -  “You are the vine”

“Jesus said to his disciples: “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower. He takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit, and everyone that does he prunes so that it bears more fruit. You are already pruned because of the word that I spoke to you. Remain in me, as I remain in you. Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me. 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. Anyone who does not remain in me will be thrown out like a branch and wither; people will gather them and throw them into a fire and they will be burned”

I have been a practicing Catholic for over thirty years and over the course of that time I have learned a “few things”….One of those “things” that I learned, because I have seen this with my own two eyes, is that when religious orders adhere strictly to the teachings of the Church, as they are written - If they live lives of sacrifice - If they develop deep interior lives through hours of daily prayer…When they do all that - They bear a tremendous amount of fruit for the Kingdom of God…The formula works without exception!!!!….I have seen this with many religious orders - To name three: The Missionaries of Charity; The Franciscan Friars of the Renewal & The Sisters of Life……Conversely, religious order that have “relaxed” lifestyles, I will be charitable, their orders get no vocations and die out…Why is that? - Jesus tells us why in the Gospel of St John today….So here is the question - If that “formula” works for religious orders - Why would it not work for Lay Catholics; Bishops and Diocesan priests?…The “problem” is not with Church teaching - The problem is segments of Baptized Catholics do not fully embrace Church teaching - We lack courage! - We do not fully bend our will to God….And because of that - We do not bear the fruit that Jesus promises we would bear…This needs to change!!!!…..Being Catholic is “painting by numbers” - All the teachings of the Church are written down - All we have to do is follow them!!!….Just read what is on the paper - Easy RIGHT?!?……What needs to stop is all our “excuses”……No one has a “better idea” than Jesus Christ and the fullness of Truth contained in the teachings of the Catholic Church.....It’s not “pastoral” to alter doctrine…..Its not “merciful” to conveniently “leave out” segments of doctrine….All we have to do as Catholics is “paint by the numbers”…..And if we do - We will bear fruit - Simple? - RIGHT?….Let’s make it happen!

“Remain in me, as I remain in you, says the Lord”

As a married man for twelve years my wife and I have never used contraception…..As a result we have five children - We also lost three as a result of miscarriages…..Our marriage is stronger today than it was on the day we were married!…I love my wife more today then the day I met her….Why is that? - Because our marriage is Sacramental - Which means God animates it because we allow him into our marriage - God is the center of our marriage and of our individual lives - This is the “secret” to a good marriage……God gave mankind marriage and made it a Sacrament - To view marriage any other way is a HUGE mistake…Why is that? - Because to have a good marriage takes work - It also takes God’s grace…And when we “think” we “know better” than God and do things “our way” - Marriages full apart - Why? - Because to have a strong marriage, one needs grace in that marriage and without that grace, selfishness creeps in and in turn the marital bond slowly is destroyed….That is why marriage is one of the seven Sacraments instituted by the Church…Marriage is a vocation, which leads a man and a woman to God by the death of themself through the service of each other and their children…To understand the institution of marriage any other way is a HUGE MISTAKE - Don’t take my word for it - Look at the divorce numbers for couples involved in secular marriages - What does that tell you?…I will tell you what it tells me - God’s way works!

“Jerusalem, built as a city with compact unity. To it the tribes go up, the tribes of the LORD”

Today at Mass St John tells us something that Jesus said that is SO IMPORTANT!!!!…Clearly everything that Jesus says is important but today we hear something that all Catholics must strive to execute on each and every day……”Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit” - Did you just hear that! - This is the “key” to everything we do as Catholics, no matter what state of life we are called to - Whether a Bishop, a Priest, married or single…..We are NOT “the vine”, which means we do NOT make the rules!….Catholics who fully digest this teaching today set the world on fire and those who do not - Sadly “spin their wheels”……Its time to stop “spinning our wheels”….Being Catholics is easy - Its like when we were children - All we have to do is “paint by the numbers” - And we will bear fruit……Conversely, if we choose to “do it our way” - Jesus tells us the outcome before we make that choice…………….”Without me you can do nothing” - Get the Hint?…………JMJ

“In the world you will have trouble, but take courage, I have conquered the world”

Today at Holy Mass Jesus in the Gospel of St John tells his disciples that evil does exist and the devil is real…Do you believe in the existence of the devil?…..You should…..Because he is very real….”I will no longer speak much with you, for the ruler of the world is coming. He has no power over me, but the world must know that I love the Father and that I do just as the Father has commanded me”…Throughout the pages of Scripture there are numerous references to the devil…Jesus in this exchange with his disciples tells them bluntly…”the ruler of this world is coming”…..What does that tell you?….The biggest mistake people can make is to dismiss the impact the devil has and can have on the world - This is why we must stay close to Christ and his Church…If we live in the state of grace - We will be given “eyes to see”….Grace also strengthens our will to make the right choices…..Far too many people in this world “assume” they are “too smart” to fall….The devil plays the long game…He knows all our weakness and slowly he draws us away from God if we do not prioritize our Catholic faith….Our world today is “under the spell” of the lies of the devil….We have been fooled into thinking “we make the rules” - That God is “whoever we make him out to be”…….Nothing could be further from the Truth…….Jesus today acknowledges that life is hard but if we trust in God, we will be given what we need…….”Jesus said to his disciples: "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid. You heard me tell you, 'I am going away and I will come back to you.' If you loved me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father; for the Father is greater than I”…..Living your life outside of Sacramental grace is a huge mistake - No matter who you are or how gifted you may think you are - At the “end of the day” - Our lives run out - We all die! - And we can not save ourself…..The tangible peace that God gives is better than anything the world can give to us…Even the best material things of this world “get old” in time…But God’s peace endures….However, we must make a choice, we can not have it “both ways”……“No one can serve two masters. He will either hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon”……The devil has laid the world to waste - And only those who live in the state of grace will endure his wrath….So stay close to God and be not afraid.

“Making known to men your might and the glorious splendor of your kingdom. Your kingdom is a kingdom for all ages, and your dominion endures through all generations”

Have you ever come across in your life an effective liar? - Someone who is so good at lying that most people don’t even realize that person is lying…If you have encountered such a person, imagine just how effect the devil is….The devil does not walk the earth with a “red tail and red horns” - The devil is deceptive - His lies are subtle and “go under the radar” of most people, even the smartest of people - And here is the worse part about it - The devil is effective!!!….This is why St Paul tells us…..”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. For our struggle is not with flesh and blood but with the principalities, with the powers, with the world rulers of this present darkness, with the evil spirits in the heavens. 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”………Sacramental grace keep us out of harms way!!!…….If we live in the state of grace we have nothing to fear but without that grace, we will be devoured - The minute you think otherwise is the minute the devil has you right where he wants you!…..Some may read this reflection and laugh - They will “think” they are too smart to be “fooled” - That the devil is not real - That they are too strong… - That they will never fall for the lies of some “red-tailed myth” - If you are “that person” - I am here to tell you - Think twice!……Human beings are no match for the devil without the aide of Jesus Christ!….We are told today at Mass in St John’s Gospel….”Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid” - “For the ruler of the world is coming. He has no power over me”……We are being warned - Heed the warning - Stay close to Christ - Stay in the State of Grace!

“May my mouth speak the praise of the LORD, and may all flesh bless his holy name forever and ever”

Many people today who enjoy music know who the Rolling Stones are - For those who do not, they are a musical group who have been very successful for many years……One of their most popular songs is entitled “Sympathy for the Devil”….This is one of the lyrics from that song….”Please allow me to introduce myself - I’m a man of wealth and taste - I’ve been around for a long, long year - Stole many a man's soul and faith”….Interesting? - Maybe the Rolling Stones read the Gospel of St John too?……..As far as Catholics should be concerned - Have no “Sympathy for the Devil” - Because the devil has no “sympathy” for you!….Stay vigilant and Stay in the state of grace…..”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”……JMJ

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