We will learn the hard way!

Today at Holy Mass we hear in the first readings from the Book of Chronicles how the kings of Judah forgot about God - And because of that - Their society began to break done…Sound familiar? - If it does not - Just look out your window!…..”After the death of Jehoiada, the princes of Judah came and paid homage to King Joash, and the king then listened to them. They forsook the temple of the LORD, the God of their fathers, and began to serve the sacred poles and the idols; and because of this crime of theirs, wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem. Although prophets were sent to them to convert them to the LORD, the people would not listen to their warnings. Then the Spirit of God possessed Zechariah, son of Jehoiada the priest. He took his stand above the people and said to them: "God says, 'Why are you transgressing the LORD's commands, so that you cannot prosper? Because you have abandoned the LORD, he has abandoned you’”…………Being on the “side of God”, or phrasing it in Catholic terms, living in a state of grace is not some “magical” pill that makes you (or a nation for that matter) prosper - However, when we “turn our back to God”, no matter who we are from the President of the United States to the person who sweeps the street - When we deliberately turn from God - Something within us “breaks”….And then life begins to unwind and fall apart - Why is what I just noted reality? - Because each of us comes from God and God’s “DNA” is in each and every cell of our body….The human person is not complete without God….Many secular people today will deny this reality but the outcome and consequences of that denial “speak volumes” - Again, I invite the reader of this reflection to simply “look out their window” - How are we doing as a nation?…..America makes a bold claim - “One Nation Under God”…..But is America really a Christian nation? - We abort our children up and until the moment of birth - We promote same sex marriage - We have participated in and have financially support unjust wars around the globe for decades that have killed millions…How can we as a nation possible say we are - “One Nation Under God”?…Now, that does not mean America does not have many devout Christians in it - But clearly our ruling class, based upon the policies they govern us by is not “on the side of God” - That claim in my view cannot be disputed…..And if God is just, which he is, how can he not “deal” with America on our own terms! - The very thought frankly is terrifying!!!!

"I have made a covenant with my chosen one, I have sworn to David my servant: Forever will I confirm your posterity and establish your throne for all generations."

There is something about living in the state of grace that makes a person come alive!!!…Jesus very clearly in the Gospel of St John tells us…..“Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you”…That is a very clear statement with no ambiguity!….If we are not consuming Christ in the Blessed Sacrament in the state of grace - WE HAVE NO LIFE WITHIN US - Did you catch that!!!!!…That implies that the entire world is meant to be grafted into the Catholic Church…Again, why? - Because we NEED to live Sacramentally….Why? - Because we are ALL sinners and if we do not reconcile our sins through confession with a priest and if we do not consume the Body and Blood of Christ to sustain us as we journey back to God - The likelihood that we will live as Jesus commands us - Did you catch that? - COMMANDS US! - Is slim to none - In other words - Don’t bet on it!…..Many Christian believe all we have to do, to get to heaven, is “Believe in Jesus”…That is flawed understanding of the Gospel…Jesus is not looking for “believers” - He is looking for followers!…And if you “think” you are going to follow Jesus Christ without Sacramental grace - I have a bridge to sell you in Brooklyn!….Human beings, no matter how gifted, cannot self manufacture grace and what Jesus asks of ALL of us is frankly very difficult - Let’s be honest!….That is why he established a Church and that is why he gave us his very Body and Blood to consume at Mass….Those who have ears - Let them hear!……”For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him. Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died, whoever eats this bread will live forever”……It does not get any clearer than that!

"Forever I will maintain my kindness toward him, and my covenant with him stands firm. I will make his posterity endure forever and his throne as the days of heaven"

Today at Mass in the first reading we hear a story about the Israelites…Its a story that is repeated throughout the Old Testament….Exodus & Return - Exodus & Return - Exodus & Return!…..Every time the Jewish people turned their back on God, their society fell apart…This trend of Exodus & Return is also common throughout history…..When God is the priority of a society, everything else in life seems to fall into its proper place and when God is discarded, everything falls apart…In the Gospel today from Mass, St Matthew also calls us to face this reality……”Seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you besides”……The mistakes of history will ALWAYS repeat themselves unless we learn from those mistakes…For as “smart” and “advanced” of a nation America is - Ask yourself this - Have we learned from the many examples of history what happens when a nation abandons God?…..Now let’s be clear - There are two ways to learn - The “easy way” or the “hard way”…It looks like America has made its choice - And like nations, empires and kingdoms before us - We will learn the hard way!………JMJ

“In God We Trust” - Are these just words? - Or do we believe them?

Today at Holy Mass in the Gospel of St Matthew Jesus tells us something most people do not want to accept…..“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and decay destroy, and thieves break in and steal. But store up treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor decay destroys, nor thieves break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be”…How we all (myself included) like to “hedge our bets”…..We trust in our bank accounts and jobs and do not fully trust God will provide…..Yes - We all have to work…..Yes - Money is required to buy the necessities of life - All that is one hundred percent true!…But do we trust God will provide the necessities of life for us?….And when we lack trust - Human nature “kicks in” - And we take matters into our own hands - And God is quickly forgotten…….Jesus tells us something in Scripture - Do you believe him? - “If God so clothes the grass of the field, which grows today and is thrown into the oven tomorrow, will he not much more provide for you, O you of little faith? So do not worry and say, ‘What are we to eat?’ or ‘What are we to drink?’ or ‘What are we to wear? All these things the pagans seek. Your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom [of God] and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you besides”…….Our actions will tell the world if we believe these words of Jesus or not - How we live - What we prioritize - How we spend our time and money….This tells the world around us if we believe in these words or not…..Being Catholic boils down to this - We either strive to build a “kingdom” in one of two places…If our “kingdom” is here on earth - All our choices will be geared towards that choice….But if our Kingdom is in heaven - Our life will look completely different…We can not have it both ways! - And many people today “tell themself” that they can - That is a self-rationalization…..”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”……God did not create us to be “comfortable” - He created us to become a Holy People….Was John the Baptist “comfortable”?……Was St Joseph and Mary “comfortable”?….Was Jesus “comfortable”?....”Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has no where to rest his head” - Why do we “think” our life should be any different?

“The lamp of the body is the eye. If your eye is sound, your whole body will be filled with light; but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be in darkness. And if the light in you is darkness, how great will the darkness be”

When Mother Teresa was coming towards the end of her life she was asked by a reporter if she thought the Missionaries of Charity would continue after her death - This is what she said…”If the sisters do two things, the society will continue on…..”Center their life upon the Blessed Sacrament and hold fast to their vow of poverty”……In hearing that statement one may understand why she said the part about the Blessed Sacrament but why is living their vow of poverty so important? - A very interesting statement…Mother Teresa understood human nature and because she did, she knew that money corrupts just as power corrupts……When we become “too comfortable”, we easily forget God - But when we “feel” our mortality as a result of “lacking something material” - We cling to God…..This trend can be seen in history as well as in the lives of people we know today….And if you ask me, this is one of the driving problems with the Church today - Particularly in America - We are FAR TOO comfortable and as a result, the Church in some circles has become “lukewarm”…Conversely, look at the Catholic Church in Africa - Just the opposite is happening…The African Catholic Church is very poor - But it is thriving!…..This is just one example, and there are many, which proves the point Mother Teresa made to that reporter……Before Pope Benedict XVI became the Pope, he made a prediction about the future of the Church…….”From the crisis of today the Church of tomorrow will emerge -- a Church that has lost much. She will become small and will have to start afresh more or less from the beginning. She will no longer be able to inhabit many of the edifices she built in prosperity. As the number of her adherents diminishes, so it will lose many of her social privileges........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.”…….The same “crisis” that Pope Benedict speaks of in the Church has also affected American Catholic families - We are far too comfortable! - And because of that, we have become “lukewarm”…..It’s simply human nature - And being keenly aware of our human nature is the first step to overcoming it with the help of God’s grace.

“Blessed are the poor in spirit; for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven”

Today in the Gospel, Jesus tells us all another “hard truth”….”For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be”……We cannot have it both ways!…..And if we try to have it both ways - The only people we are fooling is ourself!…At the root of this choice we ALL must make is a lack of trust…We ALL want to be in control of our present and our future but we fail to realize that “control” is a fallacy!…..When we learn to give up control and allow God to lead our life - Our trust in him will grow as we see how God ALWAYS provides for our needs….We have to stop “hedging our bets”…Its time to “burn the boats” and live radical lives of trust in the Lord……”Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you besides”…Do you believe that? - I mean REALLY believe that?!?…Because if you do and if you live those words - Your life will radiate Christ the world….And if you do not - Your life will not - Its that simple….When we ALL stand before God to be judged after we die, our money is no good! - The “currency of God” is an all together different currency then the US dollar - And God does not “negotiate” - He is perfectly merciful and perfectly just…….Printed on the US dollar are these words - “In God We Trust” - Are these just words? - Or do we believe them?…..JMJ

Jesus prayed - And because of that - Jesus stayed!

Today at Holy Mass in the Gospel of St Matthew, Jesus gives us the Lord’s Prayer - Interestingly enough, this is the only prayer that Jesus gave to his disciples….And it says everything we need to know….“In praying, do not babble like the pagans, who think that they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them. Your Father knows what you need before you ask him. “This is how you are to pray: ‘Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.’ “If you forgive others their transgressions, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your transgressions”…For those of us who pray the Rosary everyday, the words of this prayer come out of our mouth very easily, but do we stop and think about what we are saying?…..This prayer is a radical statement! - And if lived out - Its that much more radical!……I sometimes think we make our Catholic faith to complicated - Jesus was a simple man who walked among very simple people…The Catholic faith is not some esoteric creed, which only can be understood by elites - Its simple! - So stick to the basics……..We can dissect the Lord’s Prayer all day - I will leave that to the reader of the reflection to do - My suggestion today is this - When you pray your Rosary and recite the Lord’s Prayer - Think about the words you are saying…..Ponder these words - And then make the words become reality……Mere words spoken can not save us - Jesus echoes this message….”Do not babble like the pagans, who think that they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them” - Did you catch that? - So slow down and listen to the words you are saying!

“All who worship graven things are put to shame, who glory in the things of nought; all gods are prostrate before him”

Do we pray everyday?…I am not talking about reciting a “wish list” to God either…God is not a “candy machine”, where we “put a coin” in “the machine” and a “treat” comes out…..Prayer changes us and this is why we must develop a daily prayer life…From our interior life, everything will flow and without a deep interior life, our faith will grow weak…….Over the years my wife and I have developed a daily prayer life as a married couple….We both get up very early each morning before our five children…..I read scripture and my wife prays the Rosary, the Divine Mercy Chaplet and meditates silently in front of a Crucifix….For the most part, both of us go to daily Mass…And as a family at the end of the day, we Pray the Rosary, a Novena to St Joseph and a prayer for our nation each night before bed…..On the weekend, we both do a Holy Hour in front of the Blessed Sacrament and of course we go to Mass together as a family each Sunday….From our prayer life, everything flows - Including this reflection that you are reading right now………Now, each family is different and so are we different as individuals - That reality implies that my prayer life may not be for you…However, we ALL need to develop a daily prayer life if we want to “stay connected” to the Lord…..As Jesus tells us very clearly…….“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 every one 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”…Its through our prayer life that Jesus “shapes us”….This takes time and it also takes our consent…We do not “magically” become the people God called us to be over night - And we do not “magically” float into heaven

“Then Elisha, filled with the twofold portion of his spirit, wrought many marvels by his mere word. During his lifetime he feared no one, nor was any man able to intimidate his will. Nothing was beyond his power; beneath him flesh was brought back into life. In life he performed wonders, and after death, marvelous deeds”

Today Jesus in the Gospel teaches us how to pray….Simple - Right?!?…..But do we make it simple and do we pray daily?……For a moment, let’s think about Jesus and the twelve apostles the night before Jesus was crucified in the Garden of Gethsemane….Jesus was fully aware of what he had to do - He was about to die a horrendous death for the sins of mankind! - So what does he do? - He prays….What do the twelve apostles do? - Because they too had a herculean task ahead of them - They were tasked with bringing the Gospel to every corner of the world……So what do they do on the night before their friend Jesus was about to be killed? - They slept! - And what happened? - They ran away……What can we today learn from this scene in the Garden of Gethsemane? - Jesus Prayed - Jesus Stayed!….And if we “stay connected” to God through our daily prayer - We too will stay!…..The next time you pray the Sorrowful mysteries of the Rosary and you mediate on the first mystery - The Agony in the Garden - Mediate on what I just told you…….Jesus prayed - And because of that - Jesus stayed!…………………..JMJ

Its time to “put up or shut up”….Go big or go home!

Today at Holy Mass Jesus instructs his friends about the importance of prayer, fasting and alms giving…As a Catholic when one hears these three practices, we immediately think of Lent…But prayer, fasting and alms giving are not just for Lent…If we maintain a disciplined regiment of these three “tools” given to us by the Church, God will grow very close to us……Just as an athlete works-out, runs, practices his skills each and every day - Catholics must do the same - This is how we become a Holy People and anyone can do this - This is not for the “select few” - And if we do these three things, we too will become holy and impact the world….It all comes down to this question - What your priorities are?…What is more important then becoming holy to you? - I for one cannot think of anything…Heaven is forever and we want as many people to enter heaven as possible….The world needs to “see” Catholics as a people set apart - This is how we make a difference - Nothing we can say will change people - Only the Holy Spirit acting through our witness can spark transformation…And today Jesus tells us how we become “that kind of person” - A Holy People!………..Pray daily, Fasting weekly and give alms continually……As Mother Teresa would always say…”If you cannot feed one hundred people - Feed one”!

“Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him and we will come to him”

God sees the “little things” - The “things” the world does not notice or even cares about…….Mother Teresa’s sisters work day in and day out doing those “little things” - I know this because I was their driver in New York City for seven years on Saturdays before I was married…The sisters feed the poorest of the poor in places the world has given up on or forgotten completely…But what about us? - We are not priests or nuns - What can we do?….This is what we can do - Care for your children - Be open to life in your marriage - Care for our elderly parents - Give of our time to serve our community…These are “small things” that “the world” pays very little attention too - But in the eyes of God - These “small things” are very important…And when we as Catholics do small acts of charity consistently - Believe it or not, many people in our immediate circle around us (family, friends, neighbors, and co-workers) will stop and take notice - Why? - Because these “small things” are signs that God is real and that he is acting through us!…..St James tells us in Scripture - “Faith without works is dead”….And if we build our interior life through daily prayer, weekly fasting and living a Sacramental life - The “works” of our faith will flow naturally from our deep interior life….Without those practices - We will have no works!…..And without “works of faith” - One can objectively question if we are just giving “lip-service” to God - God then becomes simply “a word” we take for granted - But as we ALL know because we are Catholic! - God is more then “a word” - God is a person and if we believe in him like we claim to believe in him - We will do the necessary practices (prayer, fasting and alms giving) to manifest God’s work in tangible ways in our daily life…Talk is cheap - But actions speak  - And they speak loudly!

“Then he picked up Elijah’s mantle that had fallen from him, and went back and stood at the bank of the Jordan. Wielding the mantle that had fallen from Elijah, Elisha struck the water in his turn and said, “Where is the LORD, the God of Elijah?” When Elisha struck the water it divided and he crossed over”

Every year when Lent rolls around Catholics around the world start thinking about  - “What they are going to give up?” - The practices of prayer, fasting and alms giving are preached from pulpits around the world to prepare us for Easter…What I am proposing today is - Why should these three evangelical practices just be for Lent?…..We need to get serious as Catholics! - Is becoming holy a priority? - If not, it should be - The closer we get to God, the more God can use us and he will use us if we give him permission! - This is what the world “thirsts” for!……”Normal people” can do extraordinary things if we give God permission….So what is holding YOU back?…..Prayer, fasting and alms giving are not just for Lent….Catholics must take “the business” of becoming holy serious - If we do - The secular world will take what we say seriously and if we do not, frankly we will be ignored…Its time to “put up or shut up”….Go big or go home!……JMJ

To love supernaturally requires supernatural means!

Today at Holy Mass in the Gospel of St Matthew Jesus drops another “bomb”…He tells us we must Love our enemies…How is this even humanly possible?!?….To answer that question in a few words - Its is not possible - Without the help of grace…..Love is not a feeing - Its a choice - We choose to love…But let’s be honest, none of us are perfect and some people make it very hard for us to love them - But that reality does not excuse us from the task!…..The “secret” to loving our enemies is being able to see God in them…..As we all know, each person was a child of God - Intellectually we can know that, but “intellectually” we can not “see” this reality…So how can we gain this sight?……If we can see Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament - We surely will be able to see God in our neighbors, even in our enemies!…But how do we “see” Jesus in the Eucharist? - Is this for the “select few”?…..In order to “see” Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, we must purify our heart by means of a Sacramental Confession….Sin impedes our spiritual vision…Once we “clear away” our sins, which can ONLY be done Sacramentally, we re-gain our sight….Then when we are ‘fed” through the hands of a Priest the Body of Christ, we will not only see God in our enemies but will be given the grace to love our enemies as well…To do what Jesus tells us to do today in the Gospel is simply not possible relying solely on our human faculties….To love your enemies requires a supernatural grace - And that is what Jesus provides for us through his Church…This is why the Catholic Church is “the boat” which the world needs to stay in, in order to arrive safely at our heaven home……..Human beings are not equipped to love as God requires us to love without the grace of the Sacraments and that is ONLY obtained in the Catholic Church….Those who have ears let them hear.

"You have heard that it was said, You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your heavenly Father, for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what recompense will you have? Do not the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brothers only, what is unusual about that? Do not the pagans do the same? So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect"

Years ago a priest from New York City told me a story that relates to this Gospel today from St Matthew…..This priest was living in a very poor section of New York City and this young Irish woman would come to the door of the rectory begging for food….The woman was homeless and a drug addict….The priest assumed because the woman was Irish and knew to come to the door of a rectory that she was probably Catholic…Clearly this woman was not born homeless and a drug addict..”Something” happened in her life - Something probably horrible!!! - That caused her to make very bad decisions…The Priest said to me when she would come to the door begging, looking horrendous - He would envision her on the day of her First Communion, when she was innocent and a child….That is why he always greeted her with a smile, gave her food and never judged her….Is this how we “see” other people? - As children of God? - No matter how they live or what bad choices they may have made?…..This “kind of vision” only comes from a pure heart and we can only acquire purity of heart Sacramental……Those who have ears let them hear!….Because to “see” in this manner is not human - Its supernatural…And that is what the grace of the Sacraments does for us - It elevates our human nature and this is the only way we can love as Jesus requires us to love!

“I give you a new commandment; love one another as I have loved you”

For all of us who are Catholic and attend Mass, we hear Jesus make statements that no person has ever made before - Love your enemies! - What kind of crazy person would say such a thing?!?….God’s ways are not our ways! - The world will always be “at odds” with the ways of God - This is why we ALL must make a choice….Following Jesus means we are “not of the world” - That means our life will be lived very differently from secular society - And some people will never understand us - But that is ok - Why? - Because “some people” as a result of our Catholic witness will question their life choices - Some many even be transformed - And that is what it is all about - Transforming the world!……Only a radical love can transform others and to love in this manner requires sacrifice and this is what the secular world refuses to do - Sacrifice!……But Catholics must be “different”….Why? - Because Jesus was “different”….”The Lord GOD opened my ear; I did not refuse, did not turn away. I gave my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who tore out my beard; My face I did not hide from insults and spitting. The Lord GOD is my help, therefore I am not disgraced; Therefore I have set my face like flint, knowing that I shall not be put to shame”……Do you “think” you can “love” like Jesus loved without the help of the Sacraments? - If you do - “Think” again!…To love supernaturally requires supernatural means!……JMJ

We cannot have it both ways!

Today at Holy Mass in the Gospel of St Matthew, Jesus teaches us about turning the other cheek….To a person “of the world” - This teaching is absolutely ridiculous!…..Tell a Fortune 500 CEO he should “turn the other cheek”…Tell the President of a G7 nation to “turn the other cheek”…They would laugh in your face!…..This teaching today divides the world into two camps….”The City of God” & “The City of Man”…..If we live in ”The City of God”  - We look to heaven - Material gain is not our first priority….Our first priority is that we stay in the state of Sacramental Grace - That we live by the Ten Commandments and the Beatitudes…..Living in this manner looks very different from those who live in “The City of Man”…..Why does Jesus’ teaching divide? - Because each of us must make a choice in this life and “no choice” is in fact a choice….We must conscientiously choose “The City of God” over “The City of Man”….Some Christian circles believe we can “have it both ways”…We can prescribe to “The City of Man”, reap all the benefits, live in a machiavellian manner and at the end of life arrive safely in “The City of God” - This is a self manufactured fantasy!……But lets look even deeper - Why does Jesus ask us to “turn the other cheek” and not seek revenge from others that harm us? - Because in doing so, we can potentially shame our opponent and in doing so they may repent and turn their life around towards God……To put it bluntly - If we do not “find God” in this life - WE LOSE!…It does not matter how “good” of a life you have - When we die, it ends, and eternity lasts forever!!!!….And if by God’s grace we have found the Risen Lord, its then “our job” to show people the way forward by our life’s example….And when we “turn the other cheek”, we show those who live in “The City of God” - That what we “see” around us is not only temporary, but there is something far greater on the horizon - That “something” is God himself……..Not a bad trade off - Right?!?….But we cannot have it “both ways” - So turn the other cheek!

“A lamp to my feet is your word, a light to my path”

I have worked for almost thirty years at an International Bank….Corporate America is a rough place to work!…Over the years I have met many unsavory characters….And in the course of working all these years, I have learned many things about human nature - One of them is, when people “do you wrong” - It many not be worth “going to war” with them….What I mean by that is, sometimes its much better to “let the little things go” when someone does you wrong - Because in taking that approach, you maintain the relationship, which down the road you will need in order to do your job - “Proving you are right” - Even when you are right - Can come at a great cost….In the beginning of my banking career, I would “fight every battle” and in the end, I was always the loser, even when I “won the small battles”…..As the old saying goes - “You can win the battle but lose the war”…..Clearly when Jesus taught his first disciples about turning the other cheek, he did not ask them to be “door mats” for people to take advantage of…But what he did ask them to do, is to not participate in the same “dirty game” of an “eye for an eye” that secular world plays each day competing for material gain, power and status…..Ask your self this - Is it worth it? - To fight tooth and nail for “crumbs” and “dust”?…….Instead Jesus teaches us a better way….So as the secular world around us fights and claws for “scraps” - Catholics should live by a different code!….”Taste and see the goodness of the Lord”…..”For my yoke is easy, and my burden light”

"You have heard that it was said, An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. But I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil. When someone strikes you on your right cheek, turn the other one to him as well. If anyone wants to go to law with you over your tunic, hand him your cloak as well. Should anyone press you into service for one mile, go with him for two miles”

Today in the Gospel, Jesus once again proposes a revolutionary way forward….To be an authentic follower of Christ should be obvious to all who witness your life - No words are necessary! - Your life’s witness will speak volumes if you live as Jesus teaches us today…”Turning the other check”….Why can I state that with such certainty? - Because “the world” does not operate like that!……To be Catholic means we are to be “a light on a hill” and this teaching today is one of those ways we can be that “light” to others……”Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father”……Each and every person we see around us lives in one of two places - “The City of Man” or “The City of God”…..And its our daily choices that determine which “city” we live in…..We cannot have it both ways!………..JMJ

The harvest is STILL abundant - Remember that!

Today at Holy Mass in the Gospel of St Matthew, we are told that Jesus saw the sins of mankind…Imagine what Jesus saw????!!!! - Keeping in mind the purity of his Sacred Heart - The very thought is terrifying! - Yet he willing sacrificed and died for us…He also set up a structure, a Church, for us to receive what we ALL need - Sacramental grace….”At the sight of the crowds, Jesus’ heart was moved with pity for them because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest”…….Again, because Jesus is God, he sees what we do not - Notice he stated - “The harvest is abundant” - When you look at the nightly news - Do you have the same sentiment?….When you walk down the main streets of the major cities of the world - Do you say to yourself? - “The harvest is abundant” - Probably not!  - But Jesus does - Why? - Because Jesus “sees” our potential…..Within each soul there is the “spark of God” - If we only saw what Jesus sees!….The closer we get to God, the more we will “see” too - “Blessed are the pure of heart, for they will see God”…God can turn great sinners into saints - God has done this for two thousand years……And only saints change the world - Only the example of saints, animated by the Holy Spirit can move souls - Transform societies - And chart new paths forward…..”Then he summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits to drive them out and to cure every disease and every illness”……..This mandate is not “man-made”, the Catholic Church, while made up of men is divinely inspired - It is also divinely driven and fueled….This is why the world is powerless against it…And if we bind ourself to Mother Church, by living in the state of grace - We too will change the world!

“The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe in the Gospel”

I work in New York City and after getting off the bus in the morning, I walk roughly a mile to my office….As I walk, I pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet for everyone who comes across my path….And during that walk, I see so many souls in the state of distress! - Both rich and poor alike…..Many times I think of how God must mourn due to the “poverty of spirit” that walks across my path each day in New York City….Many times I think of the words of Jesus during my daily walks…..”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”…….To this very day, the Lord walks in our midst - We each are given a chance to open our hearts to God - To say YES - To begin the journey of transformation that is grounded in daily prayer, fasting and Sacramental living….Each soul has this opportunity! - No one is “so lost” that they cannot “be raised from the living-dead”……This is why “the harvest is abundant”

“As you go, make this proclamation: ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, drive out demons. Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give”

Today in St Matthew Gospel, Jesus gives the twelve disciples their “marching orders” - Guess what? - We too are given the same “marching orders” - Each Baptized Catholic is “called” by name - We each have something to do!…..I believe when we stand before God at the time of our judgement - God will show us not only all the good we have done, as well as our sins - But God will also show us what we could have done - If we trusted in him more….Think about that for a moment…….How are we using the talents we have been given?…..When we read about the lives of the saints, you will find that God called a very diverse “motley crew”!….To this very day, God is calling men and women to holy lives - This is the greatest thing one can do - Become a saint….Because only saints change the world - Is this your priority? - To become a saint?…….. The harvest is STILL abundant - Remember that!……..JMJ