That is reality - Authority is reality!

Today at Holy Mass in the Gospel of St Mark we hear how Jesus picked his first apostles……”Jesus went up the mountain and summoned those whom he wanted and they came to him. He appointed Twelve, whom he also named Apostles, that they might be with him and he might send them forth to preach and to have authority to drive out demons: He appointed the Twelve”…….Notice a few things here…First - Before Jesus made this very important decision, he “went up a mountain”, most certainly to pray…Before we make big decisions in life, do we take time to sit before the Blessed Sacrament in silence and pray?……What else do we learn from Jesus’ actions in this Gospel passage?…..St Mark tells is Jesus gave these twelve hand picked men - “Authority”…To do what? - “Drive out demons”…….How can Jesus give these men authority? - The answer - Because he is the only who with authority, he is God….This is a very important concept to grasp as a Christian…Only God has authority and because of that, only God can give that authority away…..In reading this, one can clearly understand the apostolic succession, which is found only in the Catholic Church….Only the Catholic Church has this “authority” Jesus speaks of - Why? - Because Jesus founded only one Church and that line of succession has never been broken to this very day…..But what about the task of “driving out demons”?…..Through our Baptism, each of us are grafted into the life of God - Our “original sin” is washed away…But sadly because of “the wound” passed down to us from our original parents - Adam and Eve - All human beings are flawed and continue to sin…We only overcome this “fatal flaw” sacramentally and by God’s grace….Modern man does not accept this reality and suffers as a result of this denial…Jesus is telling us today that he is giving his own authority to his priests, who in turn can forgive sin…..These priest, to this very day, can do this only by and through the authority given to them…This is why it is imperative that the world turns to the Catholic Church……The Catholic Church is the only place where by human beings can get the “medicine” we all need - And that medicine is Sacramental grace!……Without this “medicine”, we all die…How do I know this? - St John tells us in his Gospel….......“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”…How true this statement is! - And if you don’t believe the words of St John to be true - Just look into the eyes of your pagan neighbors…..Do you see life within their eyes?…..Do you perceive peace in the tone of their voice?…….Without food and water the human body dies - Similarly, without Sacramental grace, the souls dies….This is reality and not “believing” in reality does not change it.

“God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation"

There was a time where before every Mass, priests would hear confessions…..Now sadly, Confession is only heard for one hour a week on Saturday….If we are not receiving the Blessed Sacrament on Sunday in the state of grace, we will not receive the life giving benefits of Sacramental living, which is God’s grace…..This is why frequent Confession must become a norm again in the life of every Catholic…..….Our world today disregards this essential model of living…….We do not emphasize the importance of living sacramental to our children in America anymore - And it shows!…..This is why our culture is “blind” and wounded!…….The problems in America will not be “fixed” from the “top down” - They will only be addressed from the “bottom up”……America’s problem is not a political issue - Its a Godless issue….And only the Catholic Church is equipped to solve this issue - Why? - Because Jesus gave his authority to the Catholic Church…America’s problem is, we deny reality and in turn try to redefine it on our own terms - This did not work for our first parents Adam and Eve and it will not and has not worked for American culture…..Jesus tells us….”For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink”……Only a Catholic priest can give us this “food and drink”….And only a Catholic priest can forgive our sins, which “weigh us down”…..How easy it is to over look what St Mark tells the world today at Mass….”He appointed Twelve, whom he also named Apostles, that they might be with him and he might send them forth to preach  and to have authority to drive out demons”…….Today as it was 2000 years ago, those same “demons” roam the world “seeking the ruin of souls”

“God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation"

Today St Mark reminds us at Mass of the importance of God’s authority….He tells us where that authority rests…He also tells us why we need to live under this authority…..And just as St Mark tells us all this very clearly - The world ignores it!….The reality of God should be so clear……….Our world today “thirsts” for God and does not even know it……..This is why Catholics must witness lives grounded upon the Sacraments….Frequent Confession and Frequent reception of the Blessed Sacrament……..This is how we must live! - And in doing so, the world will “see” for itself the reality found in the words of St John……”Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you”…How can St John say such a statement with certainty? - Because he was given authority!.....And only this who are “appointed” have this authority…..“Amen, amen, I say to you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came [before me] are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate. Whoever enters through me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. A thief comes only to steal and slaughter and destroy; I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly”…….Just as Jesus appointed the first twelve men to be apostles, he appoints priests to this very day and only they have Jesus’ authority - That is reality…The sooner we accept reality, the better off we all shall be……..God’s authority is reality - Deal with it! - Deny it and die - Accept it and live………That is reality - Authority is reality!…….JMJ

“Master, I want to see”

Today at Holy Mass St Mark tells us that people in large numbers were flocking to Jesus……His fame as a result of the many healings he performed was spreading……Were these people only interested in being healed physically or were they interested in what Jesus had to say?….One should consider that question, even today, as we pray for “this or that”….Should we instead pray to be transformed?…..Putting those questions and thoughts aside…St Mark tells us that demons recognized Jesus - Interesting - Do you believe that demons exist?……Jesus tells us that they do exist many times throughout Scripture…”And whenever unclean spirits saw him they would fall down before him and shout, “You are the Son of God.” He warned them sternly not to make him known”………I believe there would be no arguments made about the reality of evil in the world - But many people do not believe that demons are actively working against our interests and the interests of God - Do we believe this? - If not, you should!…..Jesus seems to be able to see these demons - But how about the people in the crowd around him? - Did they see them?…….The same thing happens to this very day…Only when we live in the state of grace - Only when we pray daily and fast weekly - Only when we frequent the Sacraments will we “see” the battle for good and evil that is being waged around us continually….So many Americans have “mainstreamed” objective mortal sin…Our people do not “blink” at these actions any more….The use of contraception - Abortion - No fault divorce - Same Sex Marriage - Usury…To name a few…..Not only have these actions been “mainstreamed” in America but many in our society think nothing is wrong with them…….God however thinks differently!…..But how can we “see” as God sees when it comes to the intrinsic evil that has made its way into our culture?……..Only when we live in the state of grace can we “see”……That is why Jesus saw “unclean spirits” today in the Gospel - The question then becomes - What do we see?

“Our Savior Jesus Christ has destroyed death and brought life to light through the Gospel”

If you have ever gone to a funeral in America, everyone is utterly convinced that the person who died is in heaven…..This includes Catholic funerals…While no one is saying we should condemn people when they die, we should however think long and hard at what the Church has taught for 2000 years and what is required of us as Catholics to make sure we stay in the state of grace…..The Church is very clear - If we commit mortal sin and do not confess it to a priest, we do not go to heaven….Now people “only know what they know”, which is one of the conditions for mortal sin (Full Awareness) - However, just because society “thinks” something is “no big deal”, we as Catholics should not “go along to get along”……The presence of evil is deceptive - The devil does not walk around with a tail and red horns…Evil always presents itself as “a good” - Evil “sneaks” under our front door like a mist, it comes to us through our phones, computer and the television…Are we vigilant?…..The devil is smarter then we are and he plays the long game - The devil also knows all our weakness and each of us have weakness….This is why St Paul tells us…..”Therefore, put on the armor of God, that you may be able to resist on the evil day and, having done everything, to hold your ground. So stand fast with your loins girded in truth, clothed with righteousness as a breastplate, and your feet shod in readiness for the gospel of peace. In all circumstances, hold faith as a shield, to quench all [the] flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God”……But before we defend ourselves and our family from this evil - We first have to “see” it…….And many do not “see”!……..Jesus warns us - “If a blind person leads a blind person, both will fall into a pit”....…This image presented to us by Jesus of “the blind leading the blind” is what we “see” today in real time….Our society is for the most part blind and only when it turns to God will its sight be restored…..Most of our problems today stem from this “blindness”…..And for that very reason, just as Bartimaeus in the Gospel of St Mark asked Jesus - “Master, I want to see.” - We too should do the same - Ask and we will receive!

“For you have rescued me from death, my feet, too, from stumbling; that I may walk before God in the light of the living”

Today at Mass, we are told in the Gospel by Jesus himself that demons are a reality…..Jesus saw these demons because his heart was pure…..How about us?…The world today is “selling” us a very different “narrative” from the one told to us in the Gospel - Do you buy it? - Do you go along to get along?….Catholics are meant to be “salt and light” in this dark world - We are to live among people - Not to conform to this world but strive to conform the world to Christ…Before we do all that, we must “see” properly….Our “spiritual sight” has very little to do with reading books, as many think….…We can read all the right things and still be blind….Our sight rests in the condition of our hearts and only God can sanctify the human heart……What we “see” matters - What we “see” determines not only what you do - It determines ultimately who we are and where we will end up for all eternity……….“Master, I want to see”…….JMJ

Hearts of stone must be turned into hearts of flesh

Today at Holy Mass we hear in the Gospel of St Mark how Jesus cures a man on the Sabbath who had a withered hand….The Pharisees were furious - How can this be?….Clearly the Pharisees have turned the law into an idol….They lost sight of God, trying to follow the law perfectly……..The devil is very clever how he “works” on our every weakness………How did this happen to these very learned men?….Jesus gives us the answer……”Looking around at them with anger and grieved at their hardness of heart”……..This is why we must confess our sins regularly…When we do, our hearts change and are receptive to God’s grace found in the Eucharist……Its very easy to be convinced of our own righteousness - Telling ourselves  - We are right in what we say and do - And even if that is the case - If we do not speak and act with love in our heart, speaking and living the Truth becomes as St Paul tells us like “Banging Gong”……God is not necessarily impressed with what we do…….God weighs the human heart…..What is most important is to do everything grounded in love - Even the smallest of things performed in love are greater then the “grandest” gesture performed without love……..“Two people went up to the temple area to pray; one was a Pharisee and the other was a tax collector. The Pharisee took up his position and spoke this prayer to himself, ‘O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity—greedy, dishonest, adulterous—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week, and I pay tithes on my whole income.’ But the tax collector stood off at a distance and would not even raise his eyes to heaven but beat his breast and prayed, ‘O God, be merciful to me a sinner.’ I tell you, the latter went home justified, not the former; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted”…….Only by God’s grace can our human hearts change…..Its very easy, as a result of the day to day struggles of life to become hard and callous to the troubles of others around us…..…Only by and through God’s grace are we given “eyes to see”…..Just as we were given the grace to see Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament - He will teach us to see God in others…Again, this type of sight can not be self-manufactured……..”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”……..What we see and hear depends completely on how pure our heart is - And only God can purify the human heart through Sacramental Grace

“Jesus preached the Gospel of the Kingdom and cured every disease among the people”

Once a person has children of their own, everything changes……As a father of five children, I cannot watch children suffer, even those who are not my own - Not even on television!…Now just think about how God feels when he sees people suffer in this world…Keep in mind - All the people of the world are God’s children - What if your child was dying of starvation - Had a medical condition that could be cured but is not because of lack of resources….How would you feel?……God’s heart is so much more sensitive than our hearts because God’s heart is free from sin…Think about how he feels when he sees the world as it suffers!………”At the sight of the crowds, his heart was moved with pity for them because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd”…….If we are to be effective disciples in the world, we must transform our hearts......One can “get everything right” - Say “all the right things” - And still be wrong! - What do I mean?…..If our hearts are “not in the right place” - Our actions will not bear fruit from the Kingdom of God……..When we proclaim to the world in the public square that we are Catholic, believe me, people watch you very closely…..What we do matters!……We can go to Mass every day, pray the Rosary every day, fast weekly, etc…etc…But if we are not kind to our neighbors…If we are not generous…If we are not joyful…All those religious practices will be ignored…….The Gospel must be lived, not “performed” as if it is a show……..We must be transformed from the inside out……People can “smell” a phony from a mile away…..”Authenticity sells” - When the world encounters Catholics with “hearts of flesh” - The world will stop and take note - Then and only then will hearts turn to God…Its not what you say that counts - Its what you do when what you say is grounded in love that “closes the deal” for the world to see…This is how we make “disciples of men”.

“Jesus entered the synagogue. There was a man there who had a withered hand. They watched Jesus closely to see if he would cure him on the sabbath so that they might accuse him”

Today at Mass St Mark tells us that the Pharisees were more concerned that Jesus cured a man on the Sabbath, then they were concerned that a person was suffering and need attention….These men “got lost” in their own belief system….”They lost sight of the trees in the forrest”…….How about us?……Do we aspire to have the heart of Christ?…..Knowing the faith and speaking the Truth is important - But how we speak it may be equally as important…..Jesus gave to us the Beatitudes - These are the “rules of the game”……..In giving us the Beatitudes, Jesus was telling us how we are to follow him….So here is the question - Do we follow him?………”Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” - “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. - “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.” - “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” - “Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.” - “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.” - “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” -  “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” - “Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.” - “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”……..Focus on your heart, make it pure and everything else will follow……….Hearts of stone must be turned into hearts of flesh……………….JMJ

This is how we are sanctified and this is how we sanctify the world

Today at Holy Mass in the first reading the Prophet Samuel was given a message from God.....”I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem,
for I have chosen my king from among his sons”…One of the sons among the many would be anointed….Interestingly enough, the one son who was disregarded was “the one” who was anointed….”Not as man sees does God see, because he sees the appearance but the LORD looks into the heart”…For those who read Scripture, we know that son was David, who goes on to be great in the eye of God and man……Why did everyone disregard David? - The answer - God sees the heart and does not judge by appearance…So the question today is - How do we judge people?…Is it by their social status?…Their wealth?…Their education?….When one reads the Bible, trends begin to form…The same trends are also found in the saints the Lord choose at particular periods of history…Most of these people did not exactly have the “greatest resume” for the role they played…But God saw “something” in them…Something that the world disregarded….The human heart is a mysterious thing….Inside of each of us are what St Teresa of Avila called “caverns”….Within the human soul, there are aspects of our very being that we are not aware of, but God is….And if we entrust our life to God - He we reveal these “caverns” to us….And in doing so, we will do what we never thought possible…This is why we must be convinced that God can do more with our lives then we can…Even the most gifted among us - God can do infinitely more with our gifts, talents and treasure then we can….Sadly - We lack trust!…..We must allow God to reveal to us the aspects of our very being that we do not see, but are there!…That is when we become the people we were born to be…This is how we are sanctified and this is how Catholics will sanctify the world.

“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”

Fear is a tool the devil uses to hold us back……Fear does not come from God…..Our fear limits our potential and it reveals our lack of trust in the God who loves us….Everything Jesus said in the Gospel is true - Everything!….Do we believe him?….Do we rest upon our own human limitations and weakness?….When we allow the grace of God to fill us, all things are possible….As a Catholic, we are instructed to live according to the perennial teachings of the Church…Far too many believe these teachings and dogmas are not “practical” in real life….That the Beatitudes taught to us by Jesus himself are just some “ideal”….Clearly, if we try to live in this manner resting upon our own strengthen, we will fail…However, if we live by and through Sacramental grace, which elevates human nature, we will do everything asked of us by God and more!…Our world does not believe this - Do we believe this?…….To “tap into the “caverns of our soul”, we need to overcome our fear, to rely solely on divine providence and grace….Only then will the impossible become possible…Once again, the saints show us this…Many of these men and women were the most unlikely of people to be “called” by God to accomplish his holy will…But as we heard today in the first reading from Mass……”Not as man sees does God see, because he sees the appearance but the LORD looks into the heart”……Allow God to work in and through you - And you will also do the impossible!

“I have found David, my servant; with my holy oil I have anointed him, That my hand may be always with him, and that my arm may make him strong.”

Today at Mass we hear how the great King David was anointed - From that point on his journey began…..What about us?…..God has made each and every one of us unique - With that said, we each have something to do for God that one else can do - But in order for that “something” to get done, we need to “step outside” ourself…Living in this manner is often uncomfortable, this is why most people do not live like this - They settle for mediocrity - Never Settle!!!!!…….God did not create us to be “comfortable” - He created us for greatness…Our “greatness” is found in God - If we allow him to form us….Throughout the New Testament, Jesus tells his friends time and time again - “Be not afraid”….We are also told the same - “Be not afraid”….........”I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work in you will continue to complete it until the day of Christ Jesus”…..We must learn to trust the Lord implicitly, and when we do, he will transform our minds and hearts…..This is how we are sanctified and this is how we sanctify the world………….JMJ

Christ is King - We are not - Listen to him!

Today at Holy Mass in the first reading we are told something very important……”Obedience is better than sacrifice”……So many people have problems with simple acts of obedience to authority, never mind total obedience to God…There are many reasons for this, which range from childhood wounds to deep seated attachments to sin….But under it all is the human desire to be God - Or at the minimum “play god”….…This was the sin of our first parents Adam and Eve….In our disobedience to God and his Church, we make ourselves out to be God whether we realize it or not….This was a fatal mistake for Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden and it is the same mistake to made by many to this very day……”I will not serve”…..”I will do it my way”……”No one tells me what to do”….These are not the statements of a person who is walking with the Lord…….St Paul reminds us of the example of Christ himself……”Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered; and when he was made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him”……We too must learn to become obedient to Christ and his Church…If we too want to be “made perfect”…..There is only one path to heaven and Jesus showed us this path…He even told us…”I am the way”…That should imply to any clear-eyed objective person that because there is one way to heaven, if we want to go to heaven, we must follow that one path……And that path involves the Cross!…Jesus again tells us…..”Then Jesus said to his disciples, “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.”………..In order to do as Jesus said - We must be obedient….Our world today gives authority to others and even to ourselves where no authority exists…Jesus Christ has authority because he is God…How do we know this? - Point Blank - He rose from the dead….And because Jesus is God, from his own mouth, he gave authority to the one Church he founded - The Catholic Church……This is why we must be obedient to what Jesus tells us in the Gospel and to what the Catholic Church has taught for 2000 years….If we are not - How can we expect to go to heaven?……Again - There is one path to Heaven…Jesus told us so and he has authority - We do not

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

The world is not convinced that the Catholic Church has the authority of Christ…People try to separate the Catholic Church from Christ - This is impossible!….Why? - Human beings hear what their itchy ears want to hear……We want to do what we want to do and then we tell ourselves we are in “good standing with Christ” and one day will enter into eternal life…..This is why the Prophet Samuel tells us today at Mass that……“Does the LORD so delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obedience to the command of the LORD? Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission than the fat of rams. For a sin like divination is rebellion, and presumption is the crime of idolatry. Because you have rejected the command of the LORD, he, too, has rejected you as ruler.”……..Allow me to try to illustrate what Samuel was trying to express in this passage…..This is something to came to me through then Holy Spirit at Mass a few years ago……As a father of five children, all under eleven years old, going to Sunday Mass can be difficult….There are times I can not knee when required because of one of my children needing me….When this has happened, particularly during the consecration of the Eucharist at Mass, I have thought long and hard about the importance of participating at Mass properly and also the importance of me as a Father tending to the needs of my children when they cry….…This is the inspiration that came to me during those difficult moments - While its important to knee during the required periods at Mass, its more important for my will to bend - That the kneeing at Mass is “easy” but bending my will at all times to the Lord, that is the difficult part……..”Obedience is better than sacrifice”…….I like to think Jesus understands that as a father, if one of my small children are crying at Mass, I need take take care of them and at that moment, maybe I can’t knee at Mass….However, what is my “excuse” when I don’t bend my will to one of the hard teachings of the Gospel or the Church?……Its very easy to give an “outward appearance” to the world that we are Catholic……Its something all together different to bend our will completely until it breaks to the teachings of the Church and the demands of the Gospel, especially when no one is looking…..I clearly do not have the mind of God but if I were to bet, God is more concerned with the bending of my will then the bending of my knees when my children need me at Mass….God sees the heart in a way that we do not…He also knows our true intentions…..As Catholics, we must be more concerned with obeying God then about appeasing men…..” Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You cleanse the outside of cup and dish, but inside they are full of plunder and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee, cleanse first the inside of the cup, so that the outside also may be clean”…….It is through our obedience that we will grow closer to God and it is also through our obedience that we will enter into eternal life.

“Why do you recite my statutes, and profess my covenant with your mouth, Though you hate discipline and cast my words behind you?”

Today at Mass we are reminded of the importance of the virtue of Obedience….Outside of Jesus Christ himself, no one was more obedient then Our Lady….She was the Mother of God, yet she was perfectly obedient to her husband, who clearly was beneath her as far as him being a sinner and Our Lady being born immaculate…..Yet Our Lady, as the wife of Joseph, subjected herself to her husband and lived under his authority…..Sadly, our world today rejects this kind of radical obedience shown to us by both Mary and Jesus…Our world can not understand it and refuses to be open to this kind of obedience…What the world also “misses” is “the fruit” of radical obedience….God’s ways are not our ways and for those who trust God implicitly, in time, lasting fruit is produced…This only happens when we are obedient….”Who, though he was in the form of God did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross. Because of this, God greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name”……As Catholics living in the world and witnessing our faith in the public square, we can not lead others if we are not able or willing to serve God in obedience ourselves….Before we can lead, our knee must bend!….Only one voice matters and that voice is not mine…..Christ is King - We are not - Listen to him!……………….JMJ

”I will make you a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth”

Today at Holy Mass we hear from the Book of Isaiah something every Catholics should meditate upon……”I will make you a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.”……..The primary purpose of every human life is to cooperate with God in allowing him to make us holy…..The process of sanctification is not for a “select few” it is for every human soul….Is this your primary desire in life - To become holy? - If not it should be - Why? - For two reasons…The first, nothing unholy enters heaven…American Christians (and that include many Catholics) have a distorted view of heaven - We believe heaven is a “lock” as we say in New Jersey - Meaning - Everyone “gets in” and not only that everyone gets in on their terms…..Jesus never taught this false doctrine nor has the Catholic Church ever taught this….Therefore, as baptized Catholics we should make it our business to work on our personal sanctification daily….Keeping in mind, what we don’t “get done” here on earth, will be made complete in Purgatory…Speaking personally, I want to spend as little time as possible in Purgatory - How about you?…What is the second reason why we should want to become holy?…Because the closer we get to God, the more he can use us to build his Kingdom…..Again, circling back to what the Prophet Isaiah told us at Mass…..The words “I will make you” implies we are a work in progress, we have not achieved our goal yet….It also implies we can not get to our goal, which is to be a holy people, without the help of God…….Notice what else Isaiah says…..He mentions the word “light” and “my salvation”…This “light” does not belong to us, we receive it from God - It cannot be self manufactured - And if we want to receive this “light”,  we must make ourselves available to it……..Also, the word “salvation” is used….Salvation is a gift, it can not be earned - But in order to receive this gift, again, we must cooperate with God’s grace……To become the people we were born to be takes time…So be patient…Not only with others but also with yourself…..The greatest journey one could ever commit themselves to is the journey towards God - The path to holiness is not for the faint of heart, but the road to heaven is in essence a small taste of heaven…….So get on “the road” that leads to eternal life and as your life grows closer to God, your light will shine as a guide for others.

“The Word of God became flesh and dwelt among us. To those who accepted him, he gave power to become children of God"

How do we become holy?……Before one can live in this manner, a person committed to this goal, must strive to empty themselves….Living a sacrificial life, no matter what state in life you are called to is essential…Why? - Because God can not “fill” us with his life if we are “full of ourselves”!….We empty ourselves by become a person for others, sharing our time, talents and treasures…How else does one become holy?…By living a Sacramental life - Going to Confession at least once a month and receiving the Blessed Sacrament in the state of grace every Sunday and if you can go to Mass every day - Wonderful…How else does one become holy?…By establishing a daily prayer life…How else? - By fasting each week - Fasting Wednesday for the Church and Friday for the world…….If a person commits to these practices…God will do “his part”….And in time, day by day - You will become holy - And God will use you to build his Kingdom upon the earth….When you get right down to it, there really is nothing “special” about a person who is holy…Why do I say that? - Because anyone can do it!…In fact we were all born to be holy!…..God does the “heavy lifting” in making a person holy…Our job is just to cooperate with him…..So make it happen! - Everyone these days has a “bucket list” of things they want to do before they die - Throw the bucket list away! - And strive to become a saint - Make it your one and only goal!

“A man is coming after me who ranks ahead of me because he existed before me.’ I did not know him, but the reason why I came baptizing with water was that he might be made known to Israel”

Today the Prophet Isaiah tells us that God has a purpose for each and everyone of us…Do you have a driving purpose in your life and if you do - What is it?…..No mater who we are - Each of us has “something to do” for God…As many in Catholic circles would describe it -  Each of us has a mission!….I believe when we die and stand in front of God, He will show us our entire life - He will show us both the good and the bad - But he will also show us what we could have done if we trusted him more…I can only speak personally, I want the “could have done” list to be very small!…..As parents of children, we all want our kids to live up to their potential…God too has this same desire for us because we are all his children - That we “live up to our potential” - And what is that? - To become saints…..As Mother Angelica, the foundress of the EWTN Global Catholic Television Network would always say…......”We are all called to be great saints, don't miss the opportunity”…..Only saints change the world…..God can do more with your life than you can - Believe it! - Give him permission and watch what happens……….”I will make you a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth”…………………JMJ

The “deeper the water” - The “bigger the fish”

Today at Holy Mass in the Gospel of St Mark we are told that Jesus ate with sinners…This to a law abiding Jew was a scandal!….Why would you associate with such a person…Jesus gives the answer…….“Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do. I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.”…How easy it is to look down on others…To think for “this reason” or “that reason” you are somehow better then “them”….While choices and actions do have consequences, both good and bad, God does not stop loving us even when we turn from him - How about us? - Are we like God in this way?……In this passage from St Mark, Jesus was willing to bear the shame brought upon him by the “established people” of his day because of his love for the lost….Are we willing to go after the one lost sheep, leaving the 99 who “get it”….And if we do, what happens when the 99 turn on you because you left them?…..This is what Jesus shows us today….His love bears shame, it endures ridicule, it does not concerns itself with being accepted by the crowd…..Again, how about us?…..Love, in order for it to be real must be sacrificial….God in his infinite wisdom gives us opportunities to love in this manner through out our life…When those opportunities present themselves - Do we recognize them? - Do we embrace them? - Or…..Do we turn from them?

“The Lord sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor and to proclaim liberty to captives”

During the height of the AIDS epidemic, Mother Teresa opened up an AIDS hospice in New York City…At the time, if a person acquired the AIDS virus, that person was a modern day leper…..But Mother Teresa and her sisters did not see it that way….This person was a child of God - A lost soul - Born to be loved and to love in return…..Sadly, the world did not see it that way - Even many Catholics living lives in “the mainstream” probably did not see it that way…These men with AIDS were public sinners! - Keep them away from me!…Maybe some people even thought - “They got what they deserve”!…..This is not how God views such people and because of that, nor should we…..In life people for many different reasons make bad choices…And as we all know, with every choice there are consequences…That being said, God gives us opportunities to “turn things around”, even among those “bad choices”…..This is where Catholics need to come into the picture….Catholics are to be salt and light in this world…We are too walk among the people…And by our example, which is fueled by Sacramental grace and daily prayer, we are to give “the crowd” an example of God’s never failing love - For the “good” and the “bad” alike……….How we are fully equipped to do this? - Because of Sacramental living , which elevate our human nature….Catholics are not to “go off” and live in “the woods” far away from the lost, we are to walk among them…As Jesus shows us today in the Gospel……”While he was at table in his house, many tax collectors and sinners sat with Jesus and his disciples; for there were many who followed him”…….The world today needs to see for itself the Gospel taking the form of “flesh” - What does that mean? - Catholics are meant to radically live the Gospel in the world…This type of witness will impacted even the hardest of hearts and the worst of sins….…One can not self-manufacture this kind of love….…Only Christ can give us this grace if we allow him to and when we are transformed, we are then equipped to give away what we have received…...This is how the lost regain their sight….And this is how we save our soul in the process.

“As he passed by, he saw Levi, son of Alphaeus, sitting at the customs post. Jesus said to him, “Follow me.”

Today at Mass we are told that Jesus broke with Jewish customs to associate with public sinners….He was not concerned with what “the crowd” thought of him - Does our public image drive us to behave in certain ways?…..If we are to live out our Catholic faith, we must be a people set apart in and amongst the world…One match in the darkest of places brings a great amount of light - In fact, the darker the room, the more that one match shines bright!…….Cardinal John Henry Newman (1801-1890) in his poem entitled “Radiating Christ” said it best…..”Dear Jesus, help us to spread Your fragrance everywhere we go. Flood our souls with Your Spirit and Life. Penetrate and possess our whole being so utterly that our lives may only be a radiance of Yours. Shine through us and be so in us that every soul we come in contact with may feel Your presence in our souls. Let them look up, and see no longer us, but only Jesus! Stay with us and then we shall begin to shine as You shine, so to shine as to be a light to others. The light, O Jesus, will be all from You; none of it will be ours. It will be You, shining on others through us. Let us thus praise You in the way You love best, by shining on those around us. Let us preach You without preaching, not by words but by example, by the catching force, the sympathetic influence of what we do, the evident fullness of the love our hearts bear for You.”…….We can not give what we do not have….Catholics were not born to live “comfortable lives”, we were born to give ourselves way….In doing so, we allow Christ to “fill us” with his Spirit and Life…This is how we are effective  as disciples and this is how we reach a hand out to the lost and the wounded of the world….Mere words will never accomplish this, even the most beautiful of words……..Our world does not need another sermon - It needs witnesses…….Catholics must become all things to all people - Yes - That means we must go to the margins of society………..The “deeper the water” - The “bigger the fish”……JMJ