”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

We must learn to “get out of our own way"!

Today at Holy Mass in the first reading St Paul gives a message to the Corinthians who I am sure were impressed by the words of St Paul…Paul assures them that his words have nothing to do with “human eloquence” but are rooted in the the Cross of Christ…What does that mean?….As human beings, even the best of human beings, we can NEVER understand the depths of the love of Jesus Christ, who was PERFECT in every way and who lowered himself to live the life of a poor man and to die as brutally as he did for the life of the world…..No one baring his Holy Mother can understand this great mystery….But Paul knew enough to know that there is GREAT POWER in sacrifice….And St Paul “tapped in” to that power by living sacrificially…..As Catholics we can “tap in” to that power too……..Remember this - God can not “fill us” with his LIFE if we are full of ourselves!….The “cup” MUST become empty in order for “milk” to be poured into it….What does this mean?…It means we as Catholics MUST live sacrificial lives…When we willing give our life away….The power of the Holy Spirit WILL animate our life…..How do we do this?….Give of your time to others - Share your wealth and live simply - Have many children - Fast regularly…All these practices detach us from the world and allow the grace of the Sacraments to penetrate deeply into our soul…This is the POWER that St Paul is telling the Corinthians about today….If you have ever been in the presence of a very holy person and that person was addressing a room of people, you will notice how the crowd seems almost mesmerized by the words of such a person….St Luke tells us about this phenomena - “Jesus then went down to Capernaum, a town of Galilee. He taught them on the sabbath, and they were astonished at his teaching because he spoke with authority”……..If we want to make the Catholic faith known to the world…We MUST allow the Holy Spirit into our lives…That is where the POWER comes from……For that to happen - We must first become empty vessels

“Where is the wise one? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made the wisdom of the world foolish?”

If you are interested in seeing what I just described above - “Google” when Mother Teresa addressed President Bill Clinton and his Vice President Al Gore and spoke about abortion at the American National Prayer Breakfast in 1994…..The people in the room were “mesmerized” by the words of Mother Teresa….Why? - Many of these people were pro-abortion advocates - How could Mother Teresa’s words impact them?…….For the very reason St Paul spoke about today in his message to the Corinthians….”Brothers and sisters: Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the Gospel, and not with the wisdom of human eloquence, so that the cross of Christ might not be emptied of its meaning. The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God”…Holy people stop traffic!…..They are impossible to ignore…..What keeps us all from becoming holy?…We are not willing to “empty the cup” of our lives, so God can pour his Holy Spirit into us…..Mother Teresa was willing to “go there” - And that is where her POWER came from…..Jesus “shocked people”…..Story after story in the New Testament tell us how Jesus “broke down established social barriers”…As Catholics we too can have such an impact…We must be willing to “go there”……John the Baptist said it best…”He must increase; I must decrease”…Are you willing to “go there”?

“For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength”

Today St Paul is addressing a crowd of people that placed great importance on human wisdom…The Corinthian culture was grounded in the achievements of Ancient Greece…St Paul, who was an educated man did not “hang his hat” on his cultivated intelligence, he relied on the Holy Spirit to work through him to effectively address the sophisticated Corinthians….Paul possessed the Holy Spirit because like other saints, Paul recklessly emptied himself, allowing God to animate his heart and soul…Paul did not “hold back”….Sadly most people do - And when we “hold back”, we sell ourselves short…..God has so much to give to us but in order for us to receive it - We must learn to “get out of our own way”!…..JMJ

“Stay awake!”…Why?…..”For you do not know on which day your Lord will come”

Today at Holy Mass in the Gospel of St Matthew, the message is VERY clear…..“Stay awake!”…Why?…..”For you do not know on which day your Lord will come”……Again, why must we be so vigilant of that day?…Because on the day of the Lord’s return - He will judge the world - That means he will judge each of us!…..I believe a driving reason why people do not think about the importance of “Staying Awake” is - We no longer need a “savior”…Let me re-phrase that…For many - We need God only when “things go bad” in our life…And as soon as they normalize - We forget God again and go about our business and “do our thing”…..Americans no longer fear hell because the devil has convinced our people that there is no such thing as sin…..”You do you”….”It’s all good”….”I am a good person”…These are the phrases and slogans we hear today that are promoted in the culture…But I can assure you - These are not the standards that God will judge the world…Even many who “know” that Christ will return…They “block out” of their mind, rationalizing away bad choices to avoid changing their life….This is why St Matthew warns us today…..“Stay awake!”…..If we were to step back and contemplate the patience of God the Father, we would all fall on our knees in thanksgiving!!!!….The patience of God is beyond human understanding….With that said…Time does run out…Always be prepared - Have your “house in order” - Living in the state of grace is not an option……Jesus Christ will one day return….."Stand erect and raise your heads because your redemption is at hand”……When that day comes….The current -  ”You do You” - slogan of today will not carry too much weight.

“Who, then, is the faithful and prudent servant, whom the master has put in charge of his household to distribute to them their food at the proper time?”

According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, every Baptized Catholic must go to a Sacramental Confession at least once in a calendar year (Canon 989 and CCC 1457). Why is going to confession important?…Because if we do not “clear away” our sins (most especially our mortal sins), even if we go to Mass and receive the Blessed Sacrament, the Eucharist will not effectively animate our life…In fact, if we receive the Blessed Sacrament outside of the state of grace, that is a mortal sin as defined by the Church and Scripture….Now….Let’s look at some recent statistics…..According to the Pew Research Center……23% of US Catholics go to confession at least once a year……47% of Catholics say they never go to confession…..Among weekly Mass attendees, 53% go to confession at least once a year……Let’s break these statistics down further….Roughly 29% of U.S. Catholics go to Mass at least once a week………And approximately 20% of the American population is Catholic…..Let’s now draw some conclusions based upon our data….One in five Americans are Catholic….Of that twenty percent of America, roughly only one in three attend Mass on Sunday and of this group, half go to confession once a year…..That reality should terrify us!!!…How can we possible be ready for the Lord’s return looking at these numbers?….Not to mention, when a person lives outside the state of grace - They are blinded by sin and their will is not fortified to resist sin…That is also noted in the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC 405 & CCC 406)….To live outside of grace, a person is at a HUGE disadvantage in life and based upon this data, most of America, even Baptized Catholics live in this disadvantage state….So today the message of the Gospel of St Matthew SHOULD serve as a warning….“Stay awake!”…Why?…..”For you do not know on which day your Lord will come”

“But if that wicked servant says to himself, ‘My master is long delayed,’ and begins to beat his fellow servants, and eat and drink with drunkards, the servant’s master will come on an unexpected day and at an unknown hour and will punish him severely and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.”

The statistics I noted above, I did not make up!…With that said, what is the Church doing about addressing this?…As a father of five children, if my children were in mortal danger, I would “drop everything” and do whatever I could to save them…Is this the mentality among the “remnant” today?….Think about for a moment the lengthens by which Jesus Christ went out of his way to save us from our sins - Do we view humanity, as disillusioned as it currently is in the same way?…..”As he drew near, he saw the city and wept over it, saying, “If this day you only knew what makes for peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes. For the days are coming upon you when your enemies will raise a palisade against you; they will encircle you and hem you in on all sides. They will smash you to the ground and your children within you, and they will not leave one stone upon another within you because you did not recognize the time of your visitation”

“Stay awake!”…Why?…..”For you do not know on which day your Lord will come”…..JMJ

You will be shocked at just how many “ripples” in the water you make

Today at Holy Mass in the first reading, St Paul instructs his friends….”For you know how one must imitate us. For we did not act in a disorderly way among you, nor did we eat food received free from anyone. On the contrary, in toil and drudgery, night and day we worked, so as not to burden any of you. Not that we do not have the right. Rather, we wanted to present ourselves as a model for you, so that you might imitate us”…People believe what they see…You can say everything right and if people do not see God in you - They will NOT believe a word you say….How do we project Christ then to others? - The answer to that question centers itself upon our interior life…Change comes from the inside out…Before we “change the world” - We must first change ourself - And that takes time, sacrifice and effort….God’s grace works in us when we permit it too….We must fully cooperate with God….And then God will slowly change us…And then those around us will be impacted by what they see - And then they will listen to your words….The witness of sacrificial love is a powerful witness…This was what “changed” Dismas, who is known in Catholic circles as “the good thief”…..I would bet that Dismiss was a “hard man”….He had “been around the block” as we say in New Jersey….Do you “think” Christ words “changed” him - My bet is, it was not Christ words that did it - It was Christ actions….Even the hardest of hearts recognize authentic sacrificial love…And this is what separates the “sheep” from the “goats”….”Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it”…To live in this manner requires a deep interior life…Build your life from the inside out…..Remember - People believe what they see

“Whoever keeps the word of Christ, the love of God is truly perfected in him”

We all know that Jesus gave his life for the sins of the world…He sacrificed everything…What about us?….What have we sacrificed in our life and why did we do it?….A man and a woman who marry and are open to life speak “loudly” to the secular unbelieving world around them….As we all know, our world today is not open to life…Most people use contraception and seeing large families today is very rare….But when people do see a large family - They do not have to be a biblical scholar to understand that a deep sacrifice was made by that couple……And when a Catholic married couple live and sacrifice in the manner that the Church asks them too - They grow close to God….Before God can “fill us” with his Holy Spirit - We must first willing empty ourself - We do that by loving the way Jesus loved - Sacrificially….Years ago I saw a Catholic couple at Mass who had many children…..The husband looked like he was “rolled down a hill”…..And his wife was heavily pregnant - They both looked so tired!!!!…The sight of that couple and their many children to this very day is burned into my mind…They never said one word to me, yet, their witness “spoke very loudly”….If Catholics want to “change the world” and convince others that what the Church teaches is true - People MUST see the witness of sacrificial love by the way we live and the choices we make…This goes for Bishops, Priests and Lay Catholics in the pews….No one will believe a single word you say, unless they see a life of sacrifice, lived out in real time for others by us….Jesus as we all know - “Became poor so we can one day become rich”….This is what “changed” Dismas on the cross next to Jesus….Dismiss “saw” the Truth and what he saw changed him

“Whoever keeps the word of Christ, the love of God is truly perfected in him”

Today St Paul tells us, as he did his friends two thousand years ago….Actions speak louder then words…..And if we want our actions to be Christ-like, then we MUST work on our interior life, making it our number one priority…Do you pray every day?….Do you fast every week?….Do you make time to sit before the Blessed Sacrament in silence each week?…Do you do to Confession once a month?…Do you pray the Rosary every day?…Do you receive the Blessed Sacrament as frequently as possible at Mass in the state of grace?…What we do with our time and money tells the world what we are all about…If we really want to impact the world around us - Then we will prioritize the “things of heaven”….Saints are not made in one day - And only saints change the world……One stone thrown into a still pond makes many ripples in the water….Cooperate with God and become that stone and allow God to “throw you” into that pond….You will be shocked at just how many “ripples” in the water you make…JMJ

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

Today at Holy Mass in the first reading St Paul instructs his friends…..Do not get distracted…”We ask you, brothers and sisters, with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our assembling with him, not to be shaken out of your minds suddenly, or to be alarmed either by a “spirit,” or by an oral statement, or by a letter allegedly from us to the effect that the day of the Lord is at hand. Let no one deceive you in any way. To this end he has also called you through our Gospel to possess the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold fast to the traditions that you were taught, either by an oral statement or by a letter of ours”…How easy it is to “get lost” in the “things” of this world…..While we as Catholics are called to live in the world - We are also called to not be “of the world” - What does that mean? - It means we are not “attached” to “things”….Clearly we need “things” to live - We need a home to keep the rain off our heads - We need a car to get around - We need cloths on our backs to keep us warm…But even the simplest of “things” can become distractions…This is why fasting weekly is essential….It not only sharpens our prayer life but it also serves as a reminder that material things are nothing more then “things”…..The same goes for ideologies and politics…How easy we can fall into the trap of forming our identity around “causes” and forget the Gospel Message in the process….The devil is very smart….And small temptations lead to big sins - Our world today takes this reality for granted and gets “swallowed up alive” as a result…..Only grace fortifies the human will - Only grace gives us “eyes to see” - Only grace elevates our human nature to live as Jesus asked of us to live in the Gospel…..This requires constant vigilance….When we “unplug” from God, we are easily fooled - Most of all, we “fool” ourselves……And the minute you “think” you could never be fooled - Is the very minute the devil smiles and knows he has you right where he wants you.

“The word of God is living and effective, able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart”

Over the years my wife and I incorporated weekly fasting into our routine…..On Wednesdays I fast for the Church - On Thursdays I fast for my family - On Friday I fast because Jesus suffered and died……Fasting is a forgotten practice of our Catholic faith that must again be utilized….A friend of mine told me this story about fasting from sleep….My friend John was a very intelligent young man…He came from a devout Catholic home and when he went to college, he lost his faith…When his father heard about this, he was deeply troubled…Instead of lecturing John - His father woke up in the middle of every night, got down on his knees and prayed for his son…John knew this was going on and as time went by - God’s grace once again came into John’s heart…Not only did he return to the faith, John founded a Catholic apostolate called the “Blue Collar Catholic” that utilized both radio and television - John is now a man of deep faith and is known all over the state of Alabama as well as America….Getting back to my wife and I and our weekly fasts….For a time I would go “crazy” when I saw liturgical abuses in the Church…The news of these abuses would “steal my peace”…So I decided to channel all my frustrations into my Wednesday fast….And in time I no longer got as aggravated with things I had no control over, I also did not lose my peace over liturgical abuses I heard / read about in the news….Striving to be “detached” from material things and events we have no control over is very important….These things “get in the way” of our relationship with God….And the devil knows how to “push our buttons”….Many times we do not even realize just how far we are from God when we are fixated on “things”

“Blind Pharisee, cleanse first the inside of the cup, so that the outside also may be clean”

Today St Paul reminds us - Focus!!!! - As Catholics living in the world, we know just how hectic life can become…We are pulled in many different directions, we have responsibilities to take care of, we must work to pay the bills…I “get it”….As all this goes on, the devil prowls and plots!…The devil knows us better then we know our selves…This is why we MUST make time for daily prayer…This is why we must fast each week to learn the virtue of detachment…This is why we MUST live in the state of grace by living Sacramentally……….”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”…..The “battle” is VERY real and it rages all around us - Most of all - It rages within our own hearts….”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