“Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it”

Today in the first reading from Mass taken from the Book of Kings….Elisha is confronted by the Prophet Elijah….And Elisha is faced with a choice to make - Continue with his life as it is - Or give up everything radically and follow God….In many ways, we are ALL faced with the same choice….A “lukewarm” spirit does not bear fruit…Nor will it sustain us on our journey back to God…….”Elijah set out, and came upon Elisha, son of Shaphat, as he was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen; he was following the twelfth. Elijah went over to him and threw his cloak over him. Elisha left the oxen, ran after Elijah, and said, "Please, let me kiss my father and mother goodbye, and I will follow you." Elijah answered, "Go back!  Have I done anything to you?" Elisha left him and, taking the yoke of oxen, slaughtered them; he used the plowing equipment for fuel to boil their flesh, and gave it to his people to eat. Then he left and followed Elijah as his attendant”……Notice, not only did Elisha follow Elijah, but he destroyed the means of his old life as a farmer - So there would be not turning back!…….God is looking for us to radically follow him too…..And in order to do that, we must make sacrifices - As Elisha did….To follow God means we have to “give something up”…..Don’t for a second “think” we can have “the world” and God at the same time…”The world” and God are at odds with each other - Always have and always will be until the return of Christ…..What have you “given up” for your Catholic faith?….How has your life changed since you decided to practice your faith?…..The answers to these questions should be very obvious to the reader of this reflection…And if they are not - One must reconsider their commitment to the Lord….Jesus is look for followers and there is a big difference between a “believer” and a follower….And in order to follow - We must be ALL IN!

“Incline my heart, O God, to your decrees; and favor me with your law”

When a man gets married - In many ways - He gives up control of his life…Everything he has is now shared with his wife….And if two people are Catholic and live their marriage as the Church requires us to, they will not use contraception and as a result, their marriage will bear many children…By living this way, the couple “gives up control” of their life…They rely on God - To give them children - And to help them to provide for those children….And this is “scary” - Let’s face it!…But in living this way - The Catholic couple live “radically”…And in doing so, their faith will grow! - They will see God’s hand in their marriage and in their daily life - In ways that would NEVER happen if that couple used contraception……This is just one example of being “all in” for God - Not “hedging our bets”…..And if we want to “bear fruit that lasts” for the Kingdom of God….We have to be ALL IN!…..This is why Jesus tells us in Scripture……”I know your works; I know that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either cold or hot. So, because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. For you say, ‘I am rich and affluent and have no need of anything, and yet do not realize that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. I advise you to buy from me gold refined by fire so that you may be rich, and white garments to put on so that your shameful nakedness may not be exposed, and buy ointment to smear on your eyes so that you may see. Those whom I love, I reprove and chastise. Be earnest, therefore, and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, then I will enter his house and dine with him, and he with me”…This is the “kind of Catholic” I want to be!…..This is the “kind of Parish” I am interested in attending…….This is the “kind of clergy” I will follow to the ends of the earth!….…And this is the “kind of person” Jesus called ALL of us to be!…..Be bold - Be Catholic!

“Let your 'Yes' mean 'Yes,' and your 'No' mean 'No.' Anything more is from the Evil One"

Today me a reminded - God is not looking for a people who are half-hearted….Just like a good marriage - The couple has to be 100% committed to each other - God expects the same….And when we are living this way - Our lives will bear fruit….We will become the people we were born to be…But to live in this manner requires sacrifice - We will not be “like the rest of the world” - Some may even think we are “odd” - So be it!….But this is the choice before us all………Each Baptized Catholic is “called out” by God - Each Baptized Catholic is special - Each Baptized Catholic is chosen!…The question then becomes - Are we living this way?….Catholics cannot be “like everyone else” - We must lead the way forward - And trust me - If you radically follow the Gospel - You will indeed lead the way!….Just look to how the saints impacted the world around them….But to be a saint requires a herculean act of the will - It always requires radical surrender……Burn the bridges and sink the boat! - There is no turning back!…This is the attitude we need to have - This is what Elisha did in the first reading today at Mass…And this is what we are ALL called to do as well……..”Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever does not take up his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me”…………”Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it”….JMJ

That is how we love

Today the Universal Church commemorates the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus……There are a lot of “voices” out there on Social Media commenting on what it means to be Catholic - At the foundation of every voice - There must be on thing - LOVE…Today’s Solemnity personifies this foundational pillar of Catholicism…..LOVE!……St Paul clearly articulates this message when he wrote…..”If I speak in human and angelic tongues but do not have love, I am a resounding gong or a clashing cymbal. And if I have the gift of prophecy and comprehend all mysteries and all knowledge; if I have all faith so as to move mountains but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give away everything I own, and if I hand my body over so that I may boast but do not have love, I gain nothing”…This means we can do  and say everything “right” and still be WRONG - If what we are doing and saying does not come from a place of love….Today at Holy Mass in the second reading, St John also echoes the words of St Paul in a most direct manner……”Let us love one another, because love is of God; everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God. Whoever is without love does not know God, for God is love”…….How are we to love others as we are called too? - Let’s go even further - How are we too love our enemies?….The answer is YOU CANNOT! - Without God’s grace!…This is what the world is missing….Before we can love others properly, we first have to love God…When we can see Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament and when we consume the Eucharist in the state of grace - We are given the grace to love others…Without that grace - Without living Sacramentally….Dare I say - There is NO WAY “that kind of love” is going to happen!…..Never mind loving our enemies - How about loving those closest to us - Our wives - Our children…How are we going to love properly with the aide of the Sacraments?…Not going to happen!…This is why Jesus established a Church…This is why he gave us his very Body and Blood to “nourish” us as we journey through life….To be Catholic means we must love EVERYONE - A herculean task! - But God gave us the means to live in this manner through his Church…….One must keep in mind - Love is a choice, its not a “feeling” and to “choose” to love each day as Jesus loves is a “supernatural” action - More reason why we NEED to live Sacramentally - Because the Sacraments are not “man-made” but come from the hand of God - They elevate our human nature and enable us to love in a supernatural way…..Don’t think for a second YOU can love in the manner Jesus called YOU too outside the grace of God! - Not going to happen!

“Take my yoke upon you, says the Lord; and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart”

Mother Teresa once said…”For love to be real, it must hurt”….As a husband and father of five children, I have come to understand what love really is….The sacrifices a mother and father make for their children run VERY deep…Its through those sacrifices that married couples “die to their self” and in turn find God…This is the “formula” - And this is why marriage is a vocation……Our world does not understand what it means to live sacrificially and that is one of the reasons why “the world” can not “see” God in others…..We are told today in the Gospel at Mass - ”I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to little ones”…..We will never “find” God if you do not “die” to our self!….This is why living sacrificially is mandatory for EVERY Catholic….My wife and I live in a small house - We both work VERY hard to educate our children - We do not go on the vacations we want - We do not drive the cars we want - We do not buy “fancy cloths”…EVERYTHING we do - We do for our children….This is the “road” God has chosen for us to enter heaven - And my wife and I walk that road each and every day…How about you?…..What is the road God chose for you to die to your self?….Whatever it is - Embrace it!….And in doing so, we will ALL understand what it means to love - In the truest sense!!! - And in the end arrive safely in heaven

"Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest”

Today Catholics all over the world will mediate upon the Sacred Heart of Jesus….A heart that loves in a way no human being can fully comprehend!…..The closer we get to Christ, the more we will “see” God in our neighbor….Our hearts must be made pure - And we do that by frequent Sacramental Confessions and reception of the Blessed Sacrament in the state of grace - Its these two practices that allow us to “see” and transform our “hearts of stone into hearts of flesh”…..The word “love” gets “thrown around” a lot these days - But if we really knew what love was - Maybe we would not use the word so casually….Jesus showed us on the Cross what real love is - He died a brutal death for the ungodly……Picture the worst sinner - The worst crime you EVER seen broadcast on the news - Jesus died for that man! - “For Christ, while we were still helpless, yet died at the appointed time for the ungodly. Indeed, only with difficulty does one die for a just person, though perhaps for a good person one might even find courage to die. But God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us”….Clearly, to love in this manner is “supernatural” - So how can we do it? - By means of the Sacraments - That is the ONLY WAY!……The Catholic Church is not just a human institution - It was divinely created and is divinely sustained to this very day…Human beings can not self manufacture grace and without grace - We cannot love as we are called to love by Christ………We find God when we come to “the end of our self” - Jesus is waiting there for us - And when we get to “that place” - When the “cup of self” is empty - Jesus then “fills the cup” with his Holy Spirit…..That is how we love! - Because love is not just a word or even a feeling - It’s an action!………”It is in giving that one receives, it is in self-forgetting that one finds” - That is how we love…….JMJ

”I must decrease and He must increase” - This is how we do it!

Today at Holy Mass we hear in the first readings about how the early disciples prepared themselves to bring the Gospel to others….Do we somehow think that this method is outdated? - That “the times” have changed?…..What worked then - Will work now!…….”While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” Then, completing their fasting and prayer, they laid hands on them and sent them off”…..If we do not make a priority of developing a deep interior life - Everything we do for God will be done in vain! - And fasting is a big part of this process - Do we fast regularly?……This practice of fasting seems to have been forgotten in many Catholic circles…Fasting is not just for Lent….The Church asks us to fast every Friday…..How about for Advent? - Do you fast to prepare for the Christmas Season?……If we are serious about being the people we were born to be - Saints! - We should incorporate fasting into our weekly spiritual regiment…..The closer we get to God, the more he can use us……Fasting is also a good way to break sinful habits - Again, its another “tool” Mother Church gives to us - The question is - Are we utilizing everything we have been given?

"I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter into the Kingdom of heaven”

How does one become holy?…..A good question and something each Catholic should think about…..A holy life can not be self manufactured….God is holy and in order for us to become Christ-like, we must continuously “make room” for the Holy Spirit in our life….This involves a number of practices - Living for others is something every Catholic should be doing - Whether a Priest, a married person or living in the single state…The more you “give away” your life in service to others - The more God will fill you with his Holy Spirit….Fasting is also apart of this process - Fasting helps us to “detach” from the things of this world and in turn we focus more upon God…….The more we empty ourself, the more God will fill us - Remember this “formula”!……..Years ago when I was in my twenties I was struggling with chastity….I was not married and wanted to live as a practicing Catholic….I spent two Lenten Seasons in a row of intense fasting to overcome sinful behavior…Finally, I went to a retreat and was given the grace of chastity….Following that retreat, what seemed impossible became possible and as a result I was chaste for roughly 15 years until I met my wife and got married…..This taught me something very important - Grace is REAL!…And how through fasting, we can overcome sinful behavior…..Fasting is a VERY important spiritual expertise that every Catholic should be utilizing - This is why the Church in her wisdom calls all Catholics to fast every Friday…..”Mother Church” knows what she is doing! - Are we listening to “Our Mother”?

“The LORD has made his salvation known: in the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice. He has remembered his kindness and his faithfulness toward the house of Israel”

Today at Mass we hear how God prepared St Paul to go forth and proclaim the Gospel…Think about this herculean task given to St Paul - There would have been NO WAY he could have accomplished what was achieved through his ministry without a deep interior life…Now think about YOUR own life - How do you expect to be the person God called you to be without developing an interior life? - As Catholics, we must prioritize our time and when we make God a priority - Everything else in our life will fall into its proper place….Some may claim - “I have no time”…..Jesus tells us otherwise…..”Seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you besides”……Maybe its time to “Make Time”?………The closer we get to God - The more effective disciples we will become…………….”Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes in me will do the works that I do, and will do greater ones than these, because I am going to the Father. And whatever you ask in my name, I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything of me in my name, I will do it”…….Fasting and Daily Prayer may not “change” the world but it surely will change YOU - And in turn - YOU will change the world………”I must decrease and He must increase” - This is how we do it!………JMJ

Words matter and so does obedience

Today at Holy Mass in the Gospel of St Matthew Jesus once again tells the people something that may seem strange….He tells them that he has not come to abolish the law, but at the same time, Jesus was very critical of the teachers of the law…..Some may find this confusing….Jesus did not have a problem necessarily about what the teachers of the law were teaching, he did however have a problem with their internal disposition, which lacked love…..We can say “everything right” and still be wrong in the eyes of God if we do come from a place of love….”Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter will pass from the law, until all things have taken place. Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do so will be called least in the Kingdom of heaven. But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments will be called greatest in the Kingdom of heaven”…….Sadly, segments of the Catholic Church, as well as Protestants in America try to manipulate this Gospel…..There really is no wiggle room!…..The words of Jesus are very clear and if we are to follow him, me must take his words very seriously - Do we?…..Some try to separate Jesus from the Church he founded….”I do not have to listen to Church teaching - All I have to do is believe in Jesus”…..Well - That is incorrect! - One cannot separate “the head from the body” just as one cannot separate Christ from the one Church he founded…..The teachings of the Catholic Church are an extension of Christ - And when we live our lives through the lens of these teachings, we will grow closer to God - But the teachings themselves can become an idol, and if we are not careful - That can happen - And this is what happened to the Pharisees in Jesus day - As Catholics the dogmas and teachings of Mother Church are simply “tools” which point our life to God - They keep us in the state of grace as well as keep us safe…….However, if we focus too much on them, we can easy forget why we follow these teachings and in turn forget about God in the process - This is what the Pharisees did…St Paul reminds us of this “trap” set by the devil…..”If I speak in human and angelic tongues but do not have love, I am a resounding gong or a clashing cymbal. And if I have the gift of prophecy and comprehend all mysteries and all knowledge; if I have all faith so as to move mountains but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give away everything I own, and if I hand my body over so that I may boast but do not have love, I gain nothing”…..The law of God is important, we as Catholics must follow it, but we are not saved by the law, we are saved by a person - Jesus Christ

“Teach me your paths, my God, and guide me in your truth”

In the Catholic Church in America “tribes” have been established - “I am an a conservative Catholic” - “I am a progressive Catholic” - I am a Novus Ordo Catholic” - I am a Traditional Catholic…What is all that!?!…..There are no tribes in the Catholic Church! - This is all created by man and St Paul warns us about this as well……”What is Apollos, after all, and what is Paul? Ministers through whom you became believers, just as the Lord assigned each one. I planted, Apollos watered, but God caused the growth. Therefore, neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who causes the growth. The one who plants and the one who waters are equal, and each will receive wages in proportion to his labor”……In my view, the problem with all these “camps” and “tribes” within the Church today is - We do not want to be told what to do! - At the root of this problem, there is a lack of obedience and a lack of recognition of true authority, which rests with the Pope - Everything that the Catholic Church teaches is written down in the catechism - Just read it!…And when the pope says something - Do not just “dismiss it” - Obey it!…Why? - Because God gave him authority and trust me - If the pope speaks from a personal prospective and is wrong, God himself in time will correct the mistake…In the mean time, we should be obedient to the Pope’s authority and Trust in God’s providence……Obedience is a virtue that seems to be forgotten these days…Our Lady and St Joseph could teach us a great deal about what it means to be obedient when we see nothing but darkness and confusion in front of our eyes!….Mary and Joseph trusted God - Even when the requests seemed to “not make sense” - And guess what? - In time, everything God asked of them not only “made sense” but changed the course of history!….So STOP creating “tribes” and “camps” within the walls of the Catholic Church!…There is only “one camp” - Only one Church - And only one God…..I am not a “conservative” Catholic or a “progressive” Catholic or a “traditional” catholic or a “Novus Ordo” Catholic…I am simply Catholic

“You will show me the path to life, fullness of joys in your presence, the delights at your right hand forever”

Today in the Gospel, Jesus “throws a curve ball” at us….By the way - Jesus does this often - “Throw curve balls” - Do we pay attention when that happens?….Jesus tells us that we CANNOT ignore the law - Some people will say - ”I just need to believe in Jesus” - But when one looks objectively closer at that “camp”, their life choices seem to contradict that statement of “belief”, due to the fact they do not live through the lens of the perennial teachings of the Catholic Church…..How can we say we “believe” in God - If we do not listen to what God taught us through his Church?…..Jesus is NOT looking for people to just “believe in him” - Jesus is looking for people to FOLLOW him! - There is a big difference between the two “camps”……It all comes down to obedience - Have we surrendered our will to God? - Have we bent our knee fully to the Lord?…..When we pray the Lords Prayer - The one and only prayer in the entire Bible that Jesus taught us - When we say that prayer - Do we listen to the words that come out of our own mouth?…..”Thy will be done”…..RIGHT?!? - Jesus DID NOT say - “Our will be done”.....Words matter and so does obedience……..JMJ

What is preventing us from being that light? - What is in the way?

Today at Holy Mass in the Gospel of St Matthew Jesus addresses his disciples…His words apply to this very day - They apply to us! - You and me!……..“You are the salt of the earth. But if salt loses its taste, with what can it be seasoned? It is no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. You are the light of the world. A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket; it is set on a lamp-stand, where it gives light to all in the house. Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father”…….Do we live differently? - Are we like everyone else?……As Catholics we can not do what Jesus said today if we live like everyone else….What prevents people from being “different”? - From doing what Jesus requests of us today?…..At the root of our choices, I believe it comes down to - Are we living for the Kingdom of God or the Kingdom of this world?…Because if you live for the Kingdom of God, there will be sacrifices that need to be made - We can not serve God and mammon and in making these sacrifices, we lose “something” - We lose “comforts” that the world can give us….In order to be “the salt of the earth” and the “light of the world” we must live the Beatitudes - We must follow the teachings of the Church - We must follow the Ten Commandments…..All these things are rejected by the world but these are the very things that make us “stand out” - They make us authentically Catholic - They make us “shine”…..Notice what Jesus says…..”If salt loses its taste, with what can it be seasoned”……”Salt loses its tase” when we choose to live outside the state of grace - “Our light” comes from God and when we are “plugged in” to God through Sacramental living, daily prayer and fasting - We “shine” bright!…But when we “unplug” from the source of all goodness - God himself - We can do nothing!!! - The “light” goes out…..Catholics must NOT stoop down to the standards of the world  - We are to propose, by our living example, a “different path” to others - One that points to God…That means we must carry our cross and stay “plugged in”…..”A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket”……The world around us, whether they realize it or not, “thirsts” for this light - So shine bright!

“Let your light shine before others. That they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father”

Before I was married I was the Saturday driver for Mother Teresa’s sisters in New York City…I would always marvel at how the sisters would impact any room they were in, just by their mere presence…Whether it is in poverty stricken city housing projects, handing out food to the homeless or simply talking to people on the street - There was “something” about them - Their joy - It could not be mistaken or ignored!…..This witness is “the witness” our world needs today and it is available to all of us to give it!…..If we give God permission to enter our life and “make room” for the Holy Spirit….The witness of Mother Teresa’s sisters in the darkness of places was a sight to behold!….I found it to be amazing how secular people, many of whom were hostile to the Catholic Church would become “disarmed” immediately when they saw the nuns….Crowds would literally part when the sisters walked into the room!….This is an example of what St Matthew tells us today in the Gospel…..”A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket; it is set on a lamp-stand, where it gives light to all in the house. Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father”…This is our task as Catholics and each of us is capable, in our own way to do this!….Catholics must be unabashedly Catholic in the Public Square!…..A water-down version of Catholicism does not change the world - The world needs to see “the real deal”

“Know that the LORD does wonders for his faithful one; the LORD will hear me when I call upon him”

Today Jesus tells us in the Gospel what we are to do and how we are to do it….We are to be living witnesses of light to the world….No one cares “what we know” or how many books we have read…No one cares about all the diplomas that hang on our wall…….No one cares that we can speak eloquently…But I will tell you this - When the unbelieving world “sees” for itself authentic Catholicism lived out boldly in real time - The world stops in its tracks!!!!…How do I know this? - I drove Mother Teresa’s sisters for seven years in New York City…I have seen with my own two eyes how “light” can pierce the darkest of places!……What is preventing us from being that light? - What is in the way?…..JMJ

“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land”

Today at Holy Mass we hear in the Gospel of St Matthew Jesus giving is disciples the “blue print” on how to get to heaven…..The Beatitudes are the “golden standard” of what a Christian is supposed to look like - I have meditated upon this “list” of Christian attributes many times - And each time I think to myself - I have  some “work to do” - How about you?……“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land. Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven. Thus they persecuted the prophets who were before you”……How does a person do this? - The last time I checked - “The world” does not exactly “Bless the Meek”….So how does one acquire these virtues? - The answer is we can not self manufacture such a life - To live the Beatitudes is to live by grace! - This is why one cannot simply “read” their way into heaven - We can read the Bible all day long - We can study the lives of the saints until we are blue in the face - All this is good! - But it still will not transform our life….The only way for transformation to occur is to live Sacramentally!….Confess your sins regularly with an open and transparent heart & receive the Blessed Sacrament in the state of grace - If you do that and add daily prayer and weekly fasting…We are on our way! - God will slowly change us - Even the “worst of us! - Into a holy people…….”I will sprinkle clean water over you to make you clean; from all your impurities and from all your idols I will cleanse you. I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put my spirit within you so that you walk in my statutes, observe my ordinances, and keep them”…….Only God can do this - We can not - This is why being Catholic is essential…Because only the Catholic Church gives us the Sacraments, which are not of this earth! - The Sacraments are divinely manifested through the authority given by Jesus to Catholic Priests….Those who have ears - Let them hear!…..There is NO WAY you are going to live the Beatitudes without the assistance of Sacramental grace and living the beatitudes are essential when it comes to arriving safely in heaven - If you doubt my claim - Do a little “experiment” - The next time someone “wrongs you” see how you react - Are you meek? - Now think to yourself - How can one be meek in such a situation? - The answer - Sacramental Grace!

“Rejoice and be glad; for your reward will be great in heaven”

If you ever have met an authentically holy person - Trust me - You will remember it!…There is something about a person who is very close to God that makes you stop in your tracks!…..This is why only saints change the world - The Catholic faith, as far as what is taught and what is written down is perfect! - The words are flawless on the written page! - But notice, the teachings of the Church, more times then not have not converted the world…People could read the many dogmas and cannons and agree with them all day - But that does not make people change…On the other hand, when you meet a person that is transformed by grace and LIVES the teachings of the Church - That person literally “stops traffic”…..This must be the goal of every Baptized Catholic - To become a saint - To be transformed…This is the ONLY way the world will change!….How do we do this?….Again - The Church tells us……Live Sacramentally, pray daily, fast weekly…Its that simple and with each passing day - God will transform us, drawing us closer to himself….And as this transformation takes place, the world around us will take notice….When a person is close to God - People are “drawn” to such a person - Notice, this phenomenon repeats itself time and time again with many of the saints, that is why many of these saints start religious orders - People want to “be like them” - They want be be near them!….Our world today has trivialized heaven and hell….People live like they are never going to die and “believe” that no matter what they do - They go straight to heaven - I got news for you - Nothing could be further from the Truth…..This is why we as Catholics must be a “light to the nations”…Catholics have been given so much - Are we using the gifts given to us by Jesus - He gave us a Church - He gave us His Mother - He gave us the Sacraments…What else do we need!?!….WE can tell the world “all day long” about God but if the world does not “see” God in us - All our words are said in vain…When Jesus tells us - “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land” - He meant it…So are YOU aspiring to be “meek”? - How many “meek” people do YOU know? - Maybe that is the problem - “Meek” people are nowhere to be found? - Think about it

“When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain, and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him.  He began to teach them…..”

The Beatitudes are a very important teaching - They are something each of us should think long and hard about - Why? - Because this is the standard by which God “evaluates” his people….Notice how very different the standard of God is from the world - When was the last time someone was rewarded for being “meek” in this world! - But in the eyes of God, being meek is essential…..As Catholics, we are to live in the world but not be of the world…That means we live according to a different standard - Is this what we are doing?….If we are not living to the standards set by God himself - How are we to expect the unbelieving world to take us seriously - Because they simply will not!…However, when the unbelieving world encounters a person fully transformed and is animated by divine grace - Something happens - Hearts change - People reevaluate life choices - Conversions happen - People request to be Baptized - Not because of “nice words” read from a page - But from the witness of a holy life….People believe what they see!…That is why Jesus told us with absolute certainty - “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land”……..JMJ

”Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you”

Today the Universal Church commemorates The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, which is commonly known as the Feast of Corpus Christi…….Why are we Catholic? - Well, there are a number of reasons, but today one of the biggest reasons is highlighted for us by the Church…To be Catholic means we are a Sacramental people - Jesus through the Consecrated Host is fully present: Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity for us…..At each Mass a miracle takes places! - Do you ever think about that? - We are transported to the foot of the Cross two thousand years ago and mere bread is transformed into the flesh of God through the consecrated hands of a Priest!…..And if we choose not to consume that “Flesh” in the state of grace, which means we have confessed all our mortal sins - We have NO LIFE WITHIN US - Have you ever thought about those words because they are not my words but the words of Christ……..“Jesus said to the Jewish crowds: "I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world. "The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?"  Jesus said to them, "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.  Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day.  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”……….The above passage is taken from St John’s Gospel and is read to us at Holy Mass today…..These words are very clear - “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 means every human life, was created to be grafted into the life of God and through the Blessed Sacrament - The Eucharist is literally the “nourishment”,  which not only animates our life but sustains us on our journey back to God…Without this “heavenly Food” - To put it frankly, we live at a great disadvantage in this world….Not only will we not receive the NEEDED grace to live a life that mirrors the Gospel but a void is created within our soul….Something is missing! - And sadly, usually when a void is created, human beings fill that void with nonsense! - We chase after “stuff” that we “think” can fill the void - Which we find out in time, the “stuff” we seek leaves us all the more empty…..To be Catholic is to live as God called the human race to be! - Every human soul was born to be Catholic! - How can I state that with such certainty? - Because Jesus said so - “Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you”…..So stay in the “Barque of Saint Peter” and let the stormy seas of the world around us rage!…..We were given what we need to “get to the other side” - The Body and Blood of God himself!

“I am the living bread that came down from heaven, says the Lord; whoever eats this bread will live forever”

The Church tells us that we are to remain chaste before we get married - How many people do this? - Maybe a better question is - How many people think this is even possible?!?….Let’s take a moment, in a very real and concrete way, and address those questions - Without Sacramental grace - Such a life is NOT possible….To live a chaste life is very difficult, but if we develop a daily prayer life, fast regularly and live a Sacramental life - Our human nature is elevated!….I bring this example up to make a point…..To do what the Catholic Church asks of us is IMPOSSIBLE, if we rely solely on our own strength - But here is “the deal” - We do not have to rely on our own strength - We were given the Blessed Sacrament, which is “food for the journey”…And if we receive the Eucharist in the state of grace - We are enabled to live a chaste life  - Whether a Priest, a married couple or a single person…..Jesus tells us….”Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him” - And Jesus does not lie!

“Because the loaf of bread is one, we, though many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf”

Today as the Catholic Church around the world celebrates the great Feast of Corpus Christi, each of us should take a moment to give thanks for what we have received from the hands of the Lord himself - His very Flesh and Blood!…Let’s face it - Living in the world is hard - And trying our very best to live as Jesus asked of us is even harder!!! - But we should not fear the world or give into despair!…..Jesus gave us “food for the journey”…Just as he gave the Israelites manna (bread from heaven) as they crossed the desert, He too gives us “nourishment” to sustain us for our journey back to him as well….Its up to us to “take advantage” of this great gift….Because I got news for you - If you “think” you can live the Gospel message and not live a Sacramental life - You are only fooling yourself…”The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak”…However, through Sacramental grace - “I have the strength for everything through him who empowers me”…….For those who have ears - Let them hear!…..”Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you”…….JMJ