Powerful words indeed - And they apply to us all

Today at Holy Mass in the Gospel of St Luke, Jesus tells his disciples something very important…He is telling us the same thing today! - Particularly fully formed Catholics…..”Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more”…..The Catholic Church contains the Fullness of Truth - What does that mean? - It means the Church is PERFECT - The people in it (ME included) are NOT perfect, but what the Church proclaims to be true is PERFECT…..And if we have been fully formed in our Catholic faith - Now before I go on - I will be honest - Many Catholics sadly are not fully formed - There are many reasons for that and God will be the judge (not me) as far as WHY those Catholics are not formed - With that said - We only know what we know…And God will judge us accordingly….Some many read this and disagree….Jesus today in St Luke’s Gospel addresses this idea…..”That servant who knew his master’s will but did not make preparations nor act in accord with his will shall be beaten severely; and the servant who was ignorant of his master’s will but acted in a way deserving of a severe beating shall be beaten only lightly”…That means Catholics who are fully formed (ME) better be VERY careful…Because the standards of judgement will be VERY HIGH……As many of us know…There are three components to a mortal sin: First, the matter must be grave - Second, the person MUST KNOW (have full knowledge) that the matter is grave - Third, knowing what they know (that the matter is grave) - The person commits the action any way….Watching human behavior from afar, we can assess a mortal sin from an objective prospective - But only God knows if the person who commits this sin has "full knowledge" and even knows in their heart what they are doing is "grave matter"…For instance - Do you know if we miss Mass on Sunday (outside of being sick or having to take care of someone who is sick), that is an objective mortal sin - It breaks one of the Ten Commandments - Remember them?….But how many Baptized Catholics do not go to Mass on Sunday? - And how many Baptized Catholics even know that is “grave matter” and a mortal sin?….God will judge that - Not me…But all I am trying to illustrate here is - Not all sins are the same and those who are AWARE and fully formed in the faith have a “high standard” to meet….Not because I said so - Because Jesus said so today in the Gospel…..I have taught the Catholic faith for almost thirty years….As a Catechist, my “job” is simply to educate….I can not control other people’s behavior nor is it my job to “judge” them - Meaning - Its one thing to tell someone something - It another thing for the person to really “HEAR” what you say and fully believe it - Again - God’s job to judge - Not mine…..Is this what we see on some segments of Catholic Social Media? - The comments! - The condemnation! - Do you realize that God will judge us by the same standard we judge others?!? - Let that sink in for a minute!….If we have been blessed to be fully formed in Catholic Truth - Its our “job” as a Catholic to share what we know with the world - And to share it from a place of love in our heart - Willing the good of the person we are trying to educate - Not to “call them names” or beat them down or prove how smart we are!…If people want to ignore what we are teaching - That is their business…Let God be the judge of them - In the meantime….Take the words of Jesus to heart…..Because “words” matter - Especially when God says them!…….”As you enter a house, wish it peace. If the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it; if not, let your peace return to you. Whoever will not receive you or listen to your words—go outside that house or town and shake the dust from your feet. Amen, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town”…The Deposit of Faith is not mine to alter - As Catholics - That goes for the Pope - Cardinals - Bishops - Priests - and Lay Catholics alike…Our job is to “pass on” what the Church perennial teaches and has taught for centuries…..And may God have mercy on us if we knowingly twist or alter a teaching to suit an agenda….Jesus addressed that situation as well - Notice the pattern here? - Jesus has a lot to say on this subject - Do we listen to his words and take them seriously?.........”Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea”…Get the point?

”Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more.”

I attended a Catholic College and every Sunday night at 9:00pm, the oldest Jesuit at my University would preside over a Mass - And believe it or not - The Mass was packed with students!….I grew up Catholic and my parents always took me to Mass - But sadly, even though I attended a Catholic High School, I was not fully formed in the faith…..And while at college, a Catholic College no less, I still was not formed….Yet, I still attended Mass…And, let me just tell you this - Knowing what I know now - I am surprised that God did not strike me dead because I was living at the time in objective mortal sin and was receiving the Blessed Sacrament at that Mass - By the way, so was many other students who attended that Sunday night Mass - How do I know that? - Because I would drink excessively with them often - And getting drunk out of your mind on alcohol is an objective mortal sin!….But here is the point….I did not “think” what I was doing was really that wrong - Believe that or not - Not to make excuses - But the first component of a mortal sin was not met - I did not have “full knowledge” of the grave matter that I was participating in…..Now - Let’s address the Priest who presided over that Mass - Is it his job in his homlies to address the student body and educate them in what the Church teaches? - I think I can say that in all fairness - Should he tell the students that if we are not in the state of grace, meaning have confessed our moral sins to a Priest Sacramentally, we cannot receive the Blessed Sacrament - Should that have been said? - The answer clearly and plainly is YES….It is not “pastoral” to not educate Catholics in what the Church perennially teaches and has ALWAYS taught…People only know what they know and we are not doing anyone any “favors” by not addressing mortal sin……For example, if you were about to drink poison and I knew it was poison - And I did not tell you - How do you think God would judge me? - I let you drink poison and did not warn you!……Have we as a Church forgot the consequence of sin? - Do we even believe in hell? - And that people go to hell….Do we dilute the Gospel and what the Church teaches because we are fearful of what people will say or frankly do not believe it ourselves?……These questions MUST be addressed honestly and by each of us as Catholics…..Giving people a false sense of mercy is not mercy at all….The idea is to call people to conversion - So they experience a “change of heart” and live better lives - Right? - Because we love them - Right?…Remember the words of John the Baptist, the man Jesus called the greatest man born of women…”Repent and Believe in the Gospel”……How can people REPENT if they do not even know what to REPENT from - We only know what we know and if no one tells us….Well - We will simple keeping doing what is objectively wrong in the eyes of God……”Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more” - Powerful words indeed - And they apply to us all….JMJ

“Stay awake! For you do not know when the Son of Man will come”

So lets make sure we are READY

Today at Holy Mass in the Gospel of St Luke, Jesus makes a reference to his disciples about his return in Glory…Words are important - Do we take Jesus words serious?…Notice - Jesus uses the word “prepared” in this text….What do you think that means?…..”And should he come in the second or third watch and find them prepared in this way, blessed are those servants”…As catholics we should always have our “spiritual bags” packed - Meaning - We are living in the state of grace and all our mortal sins are confessed to a priest Sacramentally….There is a great misconception in American Christianity - That includes many Catholics…That we enter heaven on what I call the “I’m a good guy standard”…..Society deems me a “good guy” - So I must be! - So right into heaven I go!…By the way - The Catholic Church NEVER taught that….Do we know our faith?….Its a valid question - Across America you see advertised in parishes, at least where I live, priests holding adult formation classes - This is a good sign…Because if we are honest, we have not done the best of jobs forming our people over the last several decades….That is very clear too…..Ultimately, people only know what they know and God will judge them accordingly - That is not the purpose of this reflection…However, not knowing something that is VERY important has consequences in real time - What I mean by that is - To live a Catholic life is a good life! - To live our marriage as the Church prescribes makes for a good and healthy marriage and family life…Just think about how many Catholic people, who simply do not know what their faith teaches or why it teaches what we profess to believe - They are getting ”swallowed up” in this “culture of death” in which we live in…Jesus is telling us POINT BLANK today…BE READY…..Have we created a “religion” of our own choosing? - That claim is not just for Protestants you know - Catholics can be just as guilty of this kind of behavior….Reality is what it is and we do not determine it - The same goes for consequences….In addition, the same goes for what the Church teaches and always has taught - So I will ask it again - Do we know our faith? - Do we even care? - Why is it important? - Because eternity is forever and Jesus is coming back…Whether we are READY or NOT!

“Be sure of this: if the master of the house had known the hour when the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.”

Have you ever read Saint Faustina Kowalska’s Diary?….Its a classic and a “must read” - In it she writes about Divine Mercy and as we all know, God is merciful because if he was not - Only two people would be in heaven - Jesus & Mary - The rest of us would be in BIG TROUBLE……With that said - Do we take God’s mercy for granted?…In order to receive mercy - First off - We need to give it to others….Second - Do you think Jesus just forgives us without us asking for that forgiveness?….If you do - I got some bad news - The Church is pretty clear about the NEED to confession our sins, at the minimum once a year sacramentally - In fact its a requirement…And if we have a mortal sin that is not not confessed - Well - Make sure you have some “sun block” and a big bottle of it - Because you will need it for all eternity - Just saying - So don’t shoot the messenger! - This is just what the Church teaches…So here is the question - Now that YOU know - If you did not know already - What are you going to do about it?……..If I were honest, which I always try to be - Making a Sacramental Confession is so easy….Priests do not scold you and rarely if ever do they seem even remotely shocked at “whatever sin” you may have committed and confess to them…Its really such an easy process - To confess your sins…And when you do it regularly, you will find you have so much joy and peace deep within your soul….How much is that worth to you? - And Guess what? - Its free!….One of the many messages documented in Saint Faustina Kowalska Diary that we should always remember is the idea that God’s mercy is like that of an ocean and all our sins are equivalent to a grain of sand…What would happen if you throw one grain of sand off a boat into the Pacific Ocean? - Do you think you would be able to find it? - And that is the idea - Its gone! - All we have to do is confess our sins - And they are gone!…..Today in the Gospel of St Luke…Jesus warns us and rightful so…We need to be ready for his return - Because we never know when that day will come….But preparing for his return is a lot easier then we think….One good Sacramental Confession wipes away a lifetime of sins….What do you have to lose? - Maybe better put - Think about what you have to gain?……READY or NOT Jesus is coming - So lets make sure we are READY…JMJ

“Gird your loins and light your lamps and be like servants who await their master’s return from a wedding, ready to open immediately when he comes and knocks”

What’s in your “wallet”?

Today at Holy Mass in the Gospel of St Matthew, Jesus addresses the issue of greed….No one likes to hear about how we are to share with others - About how we are to manage our MONEY and how it should be spent…You want to see people “walk out” of a Catholic Mass…When a good priest gives a homily about sex or money - Just watch what happens….The grumbling of people in the pews, talking under their breath….People writing letters to the bishop….Or….People getting up and walking out of in the middle of Mass…..While everything I just noted sadly can be true at times…That does not change the reality of how God views MONEY and what we are to do with it if we have been blessed to have it…..Today St Matthew addresses this sensitive issue…“There was a rich man whose land produced a bountiful harvest. He asked himself, ‘What shall I do, for I do not have space to store my harvest?’ And he said, ‘This is what I shall do: I shall tear down my barns and build larger ones. There I shall store all my grain and other goods and I shall say to myself, “Now as for you, you have so many good things stored up for many years, rest, eat, drink, be merry!”’ But God said to him, ‘You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you; and the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong?’ Thus will it be for the one who stores up treasure for himself but is not rich in what matters to God”……Our money has no value when we stand before God - And each of us WILL stand before God - Believe it!…..Does this mean we must live in poverty? - NO - As a married man and father of five children, I MUST provide for my wife and children….I will be JUDGED by that standard…I MUST provide a safe place for them to live - Keep them out of the elements - Provide food and clothing - Educate my children…..This all requires MONEY…And living in New Jersey, just ten miles from New York City - Those basic things require a lot of MONEY…..But outside of that…If I have been blessed with MONEY - God asks me to share - Just as he asks YOU to share….What I just told you is not a suggestion either - The Church is VERY clear, and frankly so is the Gospel on this subject…That if we ignore those who are objectively poor and lack basic needs to survive - We will be judged harshly by God….So don’t shot the messenger here!…..As I write this - I can hear it now…..Your a socialist - Or worse - Your a communist…..Both claims are wrong…I am a Catholic - A follower of Jesus Christ - Remember him?….God sees us all as his children…Think of it from God’s point of view…For example - If God the Father had only two sons - One was very rich and the other had many “handicaps”….Speaking from a father’s prospective - Don’t you think that God the Father would want his rich son to help his handicapped son?…How about you as a father?….I have three sons…If one of my sons had “issues” providing for himself - I would want my other two sons to help him…..Makes sense right?….Well, even if you do not agree - That is the Gospel standard - And that is one of the ways we will be judged….So pay attention!…What I just noted is on the “final exam”

“Take care to guard against all greed, for though one may be rich, one’s life does not consist of possessions.”

Have you ever encountered an authentically generous person?…A person who has been gifted with wealth and abundant natural gifts but chooses to live simply and share…Have you ever met such a person?…They are rare sadly but if you have met such a person - My bet is - You remember them…..People I just described are “Billboards” for God - What I mean by that is…You can do all the “talking” you want - Say all the “right” things about the Catholic faith….But compared to a person that lives like I just explained - Your message will not be heard over the witness of a authentically generous Catholic person…..How do we become such a person?….The answer - People like that know who they are to their core - They KNOW they are nothing more then a Child of God and that their material possessions do not “weigh in” to that understanding…Very few people know this - And this is why people are constantly trying to “SHOW” people just how IMPORTANT they are - Just take a look on social media….What that says to me is - They have NO CLUE who they are!….When we are content with just being a Child of God - There is no need to SHOW people anything……….Years ago when I volunteered with Mother Teresa sisters in Manhattan before I was married, next to their convent lived a lawyer….Based upon his address, I assume he made a good deal of money - Its VERY expensive to live in Manhattan….One Sunday I was at the convent and met this gentleman in the kitchen…He told me he lived next door to the sisters and that he practiced Corporate Law in Manhattan…If my memory serves me correctly - I believe he worked at the Google Office in Lower Manhattan at the time, which implies he was a VERY rich man….Every Sunday, this man would mop the floor of the entire first floor of the convent…I met him as he was mopping the kitchen and had no idea that he was a rich Manhattan lawyer - Just a guy mopping the floor….To do that requires humility - This man was not “caught up” in a “false sense” of himself….He was not “trying” to be something he was not…..That is just one example of what I am writing to YOU about….Understanding who YOU are - Determines how you live and how YOU share what God has blessed YOU with….When we have this understanding - We know it is by God’s grace that we are his child and because of that gift - And it is a GIFT - We have been given a GREAT responsibility - So we share with others!….Until we understand that - “The show” marches on! - Trying to impress others - Pretending we are something we are not……When in the end, the only thing that matters is - That we understood our “role” as a Child of God and acted accordingly to our neighbor…“Take care to guard against all greed, for though one may be rich, one’s life does not consist of possessions”……..The “Currency of God” is very different than the “Currency of Mankind” - And time runs out……….What’s in your “wallet”?…..JMJ

‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me. Then the righteous* will answer him and say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?’ And the king will say to them in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.’

”Primacy of Conscience” does not “Trump” Church teaching!

Today at Holy Mass in the Gospel of St Matthew, Jesus and the Pharisees talk politics!…Not in a conventional sense, but the conversation is centered on paying taxes to the state…And when it came to Rome, who was the ruling power at the time Jesus walked the earth…Believe it or not, my guess is, on the issue of the Roman occupation of Israel, Jesus and the Pharisees were on the same page…..Israel because it was a vassal state had to pay taxes to Rome…..So the Pharisees asked Jesus - Should we pay these taxes?…..Clearly Rome was not ruling Israel equitably - So should we just refuse to pay these taxes?….Jesus tells them…."Then repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God”….So yes - The state has authority, even if it is not legitimate, and because it has authority, pay the tax…..But God also has authority - Right?!? - He does not impose “taxes” on us, but he does require us to acknowledge his authority - If we want to end up in heaven that is - Don’t fool yourself into thinking we do not owe God obedience and we still get to spend eternity with him on “our terms” - That is a self depiction at best and a completely incorrect way to approach your Catholic faith….But back to our story from the Gospel…..Clearly both Jesus and the Pharisees wanted Israel to be a free and sovereign nation - So politically, they were on the same page.....The difference - The Pharisees “played the political game” with Rome - An example of this is how they convinced Pontius Pilate to crucify Jesus…….And Jesus “played no games”…….Today we see many Catholics “caught up” in political idolatry - It can be seen all over social media - They “play the political game” - Whether they realize it or not……..The Church is VERY clear in its positions on issues how they relate to society (i.e Abortion, Euthanasia, Same Sex Marriage, the Death Penalty)…Yet, Catholics say one thing about their religion and then contradict their Catholic faith by how they vote or on certain issues, how they support them, which the Church vehemently rejects….How can that be?….In some cases Bishops have made very strong statements on these intrinsically evil actions, such as abortion, same sex marriage, etc…And still Catholics, politically support politicians, who actively oppose the Catholic Church, some even aggressively oppose the Church!…..That is a modern day form of political idolatry, similar to the Pharisees in Jesus’ day, who “played both sides”…..They publicly claimed to be Orthodox Jews, yet they were “politically in bed” with Rome, who was the oppressor of their people…..Do we realize that is going on today? - In plain sight!…..When we ignore Church teaching and elevate political ideology based upon person preference - We become political idolaters violating the First Commandment……While as Americans we all have to “pay our taxes”, no matter who is in power - Whether a Republican or a Democrat - Our first allegiance must be to God and the Catholic Church….Speaking personally, I am Catholic before I am anything else……God - Family - Country…In that order…….That is how it should be - But is it?…..“Political idolatry” violates the First Commandment - Plain and Simple - When we place our “political preferences” above God and His Church - And if we get the First Commandment wrong - We get everything wrong!

"Tell us, then, what is your opinion: Is it lawful to pay the census tax to Caesar or not?" Knowing their malice, Jesus said,"Why are you testing me, you hypocrites? Show me the coin that pays the census tax." Then they handed him the Roman coin. He said to them, "Whose image is this and whose inscription?" They replied, "Caesar's."At that he said to them,"Then repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God."

Could an authentic Catholic - Who publicly believes everything the Church professes to be true ever get elected in America?…..Sadly, I doubt it……Whether its from a lack of formation or frankly out of willful rejection, Catholic politicians in America have historically and currently fail us….Whether its supporting IVF reproductive technology, to “keeping silent” on the issues of same sex marriage, to promoting policies that support usury in business…..Our politicians fail us - Catholic and Non-Catholic alike!…..So what do regular Catholics do? - We “hold our nose” and vote the “lesser of two evils”…Will that ever change? - The answer is probably not - Not until Jesus returns in Glory and then we do not have to worry about “voting”…..In the mean time, we have to stop trying to create a “political utopia” because its never going to happen….Mankind is fallen and frankly has for the most part rejected God and his Church - From the beginning of time!…Until we get the “God part” right - Don’t expect to get the politics part right - Because its not going to happen…Again - In the meantime….Beware of political idolatry!…Its all over Catholic social media…..Catholics “speaking out of both sides of their mouth”!….How do we know we are on the “right side" of things?…The answer - Its easy! - Read the Catechism of the Catholic Church…Everything you need to know is written down! - From how we should view the death penalty, to abortion, to marriage - Its all written down!…..When we ignore or rationalize our political views outside of what is clearly written down by the Church - Like it or not - We are in the wrong before God and His Church!…..The Church is “Our Mother” and needs to help form our political conscience - As all good mothers do - They form us into healthy citizens….”Primacy of Conscience” does not “Trump” Church teaching!…….JMJ

"Then repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God."

Dare to be uncomfortable!

Today at Holy Mass in the Gospel Jesus tells us that if we are faithful to the Truth - If we proclaim it in the public square….If we live it and do not “hedge our bets”….We will be persecuted…Notice the wordsJesus uses…”WHEN” not “if” - “WHEN”……”When they take you before synagogues and before rulers and authorities, do not worry about how or what your defense will be or about what you are to say. For the Holy Spirit will teach you at that moment what you should say”….It is a very human desire to want to be comfortable - To get along with people - To "go along" - We all want this!…We are groomed in America at an early age to succeed in life!…To “get a good job”…To make money….Even in our Catholic schools - This is drilled into our heads!!!!…..The reality is - While we do need to make money to take care of our families - That is NOT what we were created for!….And here is some more reality - Coming from a guy who did “tick” a lot of those "American boxes" and works in Corporate America in finance….To make big money - To get the “big title” - To “succeed”…One MUST “play the game” - Meaning, one MUST “give way” a piece of themselves to the “corporate machine”…..Years ago when I was studying for my Masters in Business (MBA), I was working in consulting and the founder of the company that employed me said something I will never forget - “Success is a choice”…And it is…While one must be smart to succeed - One also has to make certain “choices” that may result in you losing your soul….That is reality!…Why bring all this up?….Jesus warns us today in the Gospel - If we choose to go against the powers of this world..By living a certain way - By speaking a certain way - By embracing the Fullness of our Catholic faith in the Public Square…And by doing so, we threaten the “powers” of this world in a significant way….They are coming for YOU! - That is reality!….Again - Look at the word Jesus chose in St Luke’s Gospel…”WHEN” not “if”…..”WHEN they take you before synagogues and before rulers and authorities”…..Are you ok with that? - Because this is reality!….Far too many Catholics, many of them I went to college with at a Jesuit College, want to have it both ways…We want to have “worldly success” - Have the “big job” - Make the “big money”….And still be a devout Catholic….I can speak for myself after working three decades in Corporate Banking - That is a tough thing to “pull off”….Love of money and the love of God DO NOT MIX - That means we have to make a choice!…..Do we reign in heaven or do we reign here on earth?…And if we choose to “stand up against the powers of this world” in real and significant ways - “THE MAN” is coming for YOU - That is a historical reality…..”Jesus said to his disciples:  “I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before others the Son of Man will acknowledge before the angels of God.But whoever denies me before others will be denied before the angels of God”……Comfort is the enemy of the saints - In many ways its the “ticket” to hell….If you are Catholic - Get used to be uncomfortable!….And your reward in heaven will be great….We cannot have it both ways

“The Spirit of truth will testify to me, says the Lord, and you also will testify”

As Catholics we know many of the stories of the saints - They lived radically and spoke the Truth - Many of them - Only to be killed….And after the fact - Everyone celebrates their life…But how about if you were alive when they were doing what they were doing…Would you be vocal in your support of these men and women? - Putting yourself at risk?…..Its ironic how we love to read about these men and women but want to keep a “safe distance” from them, if we encounter such a person in real life - Whether at work - In our neighborhood - In our schools……..Are you willing to say the uncomfortable thing?…Are you willing to live and go against the tide of society? - And suffer for it?!?….This my friends is the path to heaven…….Many people today look to “celebrity priests”…Now, I am not judging their soul…But if “the world” embraces such a man - How can he possibly by speaking the Gospel?…How can I say that with such certainty? - Because the world HATES the Gospel - Always has and Always will…The great martyr and saint from El Salvador, Oscar Romero said it best……..“The church must suffer for speaking the truth, for pointing out sin, for uprooting sin. No one wants to have a sore spot touched, and therefore a society with so many sores twitches when someone has the courage to touch it and say: “You have to treat that. You have to get rid of that. Believe in Christ. Be converted.”…..And Bishops, Priests and Lay Catholics, who do this as St Oscar Romero rightfully pointed out, are for the most part despised by society!…….That is reality!…..More times then not - Good Bishops, Good Priests and solid Lay Catholics are relegated to “the corner” - Not because they are “bad” - But because they live and speak the Truth…And the Truth makes people uncomfortable!…….As Catholics, the way I see it…We have one task…And the the Servant of God, Fr John Hardon SJ tells us what that task is…..We are to - Know the Truth - Speak the Truth - Live the Truth - And when necessary - Suffer for the Truth…Its the last part that separates the “sheep” from the “goats”…Because people like “their stuff” - Especially Americans!…They want to be “comfortable”…..Dare to be uncomfortable!….When we stand before God, he will not ask us to show him our “awards” and college degrees…My bet is - He was ask us to show him our wounds - And our scars….And when we do show him - They will be healed…In the mean time, while we still have breath in our lungs….Dare to be uncomfortable!…..JMJ

“May the eyes of your hearts be enlightened, that you may know what is the hope that belongs to his call, what are the riches of glory in his inheritance among the holy ones, and what is the surpassing greatness of his power for us who believe, in accord with the exercise of his great might, which he worked in Christ, raising him from the dead and seating him at his right hand in the heavens, far above every principality, authority, power, and dominion, and every name that is named
not only in this age but also in the one to come”

“Do not be afraid. You are worth more than many sparrows”

Today at Holy Mass we hear in the Gospel of St Luke sobering words from Jesus….He warns us…Then he encourages us….”I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body but after that can do no more. I shall show you whom to fear. Be afraid of the one who after killing has the power to cast into Gehenna; yes, I tell you, be afraid of that one. Are not five sparrows sold for two small coins? Yet not one of them has escaped the notice of God. Even the hairs of your head have all been counted. Do not be afraid. You are worth more than many sparrows”….Fear is arguably the devil’s greatest tool…It limits us from becoming the person we all were called to be….The devil knows this, so he “plays his best card” - And he “plays it” well…..Most of the thoughts that cross our mind, the thoughts that scare us - never happen!!!!…..This is why we as Catholics should do our best to live in the present moment….And also abandon ourselves to Divine Providence…..Easy words to say - Right?!?…..As a married man, my wife and I are open to life…God has blessed us with five children - We have never used contraception in our marriage and have done our very best to honor our marriage vow to be “fruitful”…..When a married couple is open to life - Trusting in Divine Providence becomes very real….Such a couple feels the lack of control they have over their marriage and children when we live this way - And that is a blessing!!!! - Jesus “meets” us in “that space”!….How will I afford to take care of these children? - How will I educate them? - What if I lose my job?….We have no answers for those question and must leave them to God…And when we give God “that control” - God gives us grace, which leads to peace….Again, the devil does not want us to have this peace…Most especially have God’s grace - So he bombards us with fear!…..Each day at Mass we hear in the words of Scripture read very important life giving instructions - Do we listen? - I mean really listen?….Do the words of Christ go in “one ear and out the other”?…I ask these questions because Jesus did not say things to “hear himself talk” - He is instructing us how to live…Being Catholic is not some “academic pursuit”…Its an encounter with a living person - Its a way of life…And that person is Jesus Christ - Who is real!…Who said many very important things - Practical things, which anyone can understand…The question then becomes - Do we believe him?…And if we say we do - How do we “put flesh” around those ideas put forth by Christ in the Gospel?…Because in the end when we stand before God - We will not be asked - What did you believe? - We will be asked - What did you do?…There is a big difference between those two concepts….No matter who you are - We have been given everything we need to live as Christ called us to live - To conquer our fear - To become a saint - You heard me right - A saint!…We were all called to become saints…. So - “Do not be afraid. You are worth more than many sparrows”….Strive to live as you were called to be….Faith over Fear!

“May your kindness, LORD, be upon us; who have put our hope in you”

Faith over Fear…..Easy to say right?….But how do we develop that kind of faith?….Its easy - We pray - We fast - We live Sacramentally….And slowly - Our faith grows……”And the apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith.” The Lord replied, “If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you would say to [this] mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you”…We hear these words read to us at Mass - But do we really believe them?…Are they just words?…..The saints take Jesus at his word - We must learn to do the same………My wife gave birth to five children…All of which were born through what is called in common medical parlance C-Sections (Cesarean section -  is a major surgical procedure used to deliver one or more babies through incisions made in the mother's abdomen and uterus.)….My wife suffered from a medical condition where she had low progesterone levels and as a result - In addition to the five children she gave birth too via C-Sections, because of that condition, we lost three additional children to miscarriages….Throughout it all - My wife endured!!!!…I would go into the operating room with my wife for each of the children who were born….And if I were to be objective and honest, my wife seemed to me to be fearless!!! - Expect when the anesthesiologist had to inject her with a needle through her back, into her spinal column, before the operation began to extract the children from her abdomen and uterus - My wife Sabryna was terrified of that needle!!!!…Yet, she trusted God - We continued to be open to life and are still open to life!!! - And as a result - God gave us five beautiful children…..Faith over Fear!!!!….The devil will “throw” everything at you! - Everything!!!….We must live our life grounded in God….Firmly planted in our Catholic faith!…There is no better place to be - No safer place to be….How do I know this? - Because Jesus said so!……“Do not be afraid. You are worth more than many sparrows”……JMJ

We can do the same - What stands in our way?

Today at Holy Mass we hear in the first reading St Paul telling the people of Ephesians, as he tells us…..”He chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and without blemish before him”…Some many hear this and think that God only “choses” a select few, the saints….But that is simply not true!…Each and every person conceived in the womb of a woman was “chosen” from the beginning of time and has a purpose in God’s divine plan…How much through our limited human mind we miss!….We get distracted and miss “the trees amongst the forrest” - And that is one of the devils greatest accomplishments - To distract us from our eternal purpose…To be holy - To return our soul back to God the way he gave it to us when we were conceived in our mother’s womb….Due to our fallen nature, which we all possess…We need help to achieve our potential…Again, in our hubris we disregard this help - Tragically!…The help provided to us is found in Our Lady and in the Sacraments….The Sacraments restore us to from original sin at Baptism, feed us on the Body and Blood of Christ in the Eucharist, and forgive our sins when we fall (and we ALL fall) in the Sacrament of Reconciliation….As for Our Lady - Like all good Mothers - When we are devoted to her in praying the Rosary every day, she teaches us and gives us grace to be more like her son…..If we all just embraced this simple “formula”!!!!…And it really is that simple….And not get distracted or discouraged…..And persevere!…We will become who we were born to be….Why do we “settle”for lesser things?…..Why do we trade comfort for greatness?……Our vision must be made clear and only prayer, fasting and the Sacraments can give us this vision…To see what is real - God is real - And you were made for something more! 

“In all wisdom and insight, he has made known to us the mystery of his will in accord with his favor that he set forth in him as a plan for the fullness of times, to sum up all things in Christ, in heaven and on earth”

God sends us saints to remind us…To show us what regular people can do - If we only trust God!….We are not convinced that God can do more with our life then we can - So we “trade in” greatness for comfort…….Fr Louis was a simple Franciscan Priest, who served the majority of his religious life at The Church of St. Anthony of Padua located near the Holland Tunnel in Lower Manhattan…Fr Louis was in many ways very average…He was not particularly brilliant - He spoke with a common New York dialect, indicating he was born from a common family…But Fr Louis was special…What made him special?…He encountered a saint…When Mother Teresa opened the first Hospice in America for men with AIDS in Manhattan, Fr Louis walked from The Church of St. Anthony to see what was going on - There he met Mother Teresa…..She ask Fr Louis to “take care” of her sisters….And that is what Fr Louis did…For decades, he would walk with his religious habit on, through very aggressive anti-Catholic neighborhoods and serve Mass for the sisters, hear confessions and help the sisters care for these men who were dying of AIDS…I know this to be true because I knew Fr Louis and always wondered why this old Italian Priest would come to the convent on his “spare time” to help out…And one day he told me why - Because Mother Teresa asked him too…And he kept his promise - For decades!…..And this is why Fr Louis was GREAT…He was faithful to his word….A simple man who was transformed into a GREAT man…..We can do the same - What stands in our way?……..JMJ

“Sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done wondrous deeds; His right hand has won victory for him, his holy arm”