Trust the plan and be apart of the solution

Today at Holy Mass in the Gospel of St Matthew we hear the parable about the wheat and the weeds…How God allows the good and the bad to live side by side until the final judgement…..Is this how you or I would react - To allow the bad to live next to the good?…..From a human prospective, this seems unfair….Why? - Because bad people cause us harm and we all want to live comfortable lives…..God sees it another way - Those who choose bad things have free will - They can always change their mind and become good…Also, the “bad fruit” that results from the evil choices of people will be used to further sanctify the good…..God is our Father and will NEVER abandon us…Even as our world appears to have gone mad! - Our Lord stand with us…..In the midst of the darkness of this world, it is very easy to forget that Jesus Christ has already won the final victory….What we see currently is the devil’s last attempts before “the final whistle blows”……Two thousand years ago, when Jesus resurrected from the dead, the period referred to by many today as “the end times” began - We too easily lose sight of this reality….With that said, no one knows when God the Father will send his son back to us…In the meantime, its for us to be patient - To know that God is working to bring about the salvation of the world and each of us has a part to play in God’s plan….St Paul reminds us  - “Where sin abounds - Grace abounds all the more”!......So be patient….Endure what needs to be endured…Everything works towards the Greater Glory of God - Trust the plan!

“Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth; you have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the kingdom”

No one wants to suffer but sadly suffering is apart of every human life…As we go through difficult moments in life, its very hard to see God’s hand at work…But when those tough times are over and we look back - We sometimes see just how God used those hard times to mold us into a different person….A person we were born to be…..The process of sanctification is not a smooth one, there are many “ups and downs” as we all know…..The secular world does not understand this….To many American Christians - All we have to do is “believe” in Jesus and heaven is a guarantee….This has never been a Catholic teaching and is a deception sown into the hearts of many by the evil one…..Before we enter into the beatific vision, we must be made pure….Most of the ‘heavy lifting” of that process should be going own now in our lives….As we live our lives as Catholics, in the state of life God called us too, we should be praying, fasting, and living a Sacramental life - And slowly as we live our faith actively, we die to our self and become a “new creation in Christ”….Again, this is a process , which for most will continue after we die in Purgatory…..Part of that “process” of sanctification is suffering……This is what Mother Teresa had to say about suffering….“Pain and suffering have come into your life, but remember pain, sorrow, suffering are but the kiss of Jesus - a sign that you have come so close to Him that He can kiss you”…What does she mean by that statement?…..That even in our trials and sufferings, God’s hand is forming us….Using the suffering as a “tool” to mold us into something new…No one wants to suffer but when we realize that even in our trials, God is working within us - When we fully digest that reality, we can and will endure whatever we need to endure!….It comes down to trust - Do we trust God? - And know in this life, in time, the hard times will pass - And the good times will come….We just need to learn to trust more, which requires grace….The more we grow in holiness, the more grace fills our life…And the closer we get to God, the more we accept the hard times in life just as easily as we accept the good times - Because everything works for the Glory of God! - Easier said then done - Right?!?….In the meantime, open yourself up to God’s grace - He will help us to “see” his hand, even in the darkest of hours and move us forward to the light of day.

“Brothers and sisters: The Spirit comes to the aid of our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes with inexpressible groanings.  And the one who searches hearts knows what is the intention of the Spirit, because he intercedes for the holy ones according to God's will”

Today we hear a story many of us Catholics have heard before…The parable of the wheat and the weeds…..Life is full of surprises and sometimes “the weeds” in time change into “wheat”….God gives us all free will and we all choose the life we want to lead…But through it all God is continuously trying to “get our attention”….Reaching a hand to us, in the hope we change….For those of us who are “wheat” - Its our job to help the “weeds”….This is what Jesus did - He walked among mankind and did his very best to help us to “see” and to change….Is this what we are doing? - Trying to help our others to “see” that there is a better way to live…God’s plan of salvation is not finished and God asks us all to participate in that plan - We each have something to do to help bring about God’s Kingdom on the earth….Is this how you “see” it as you encounter “the weeds” on the news or even in your family?…..Do we love “the weeds” as Jesus loves them?…Are we actively trying to help “the weeds”?……Jesus very clearly today in the Gospel tells us - “Let them grow together until harvest”…..God is the final judge, not us! - In the meantime, strive to be “wheat” and help those who are “the weeds”…Because a day is coming when “the Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all who cause others to sin and all evildoers. They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears ought to hear”……Trust the plan and be apart of the solution….JMJ

”I must decrease - And He must increase”

Today at Holy Mass we hear in St Matthew Gospel how Jesus withdraw from sight of the Pharisees, due to the fact that they wanted to do him harm…And as he moved to the margins of the city, the people followed him….And St Matthew tells us….”And he cured them all, but he warned them not to make him known”……..Jesus was not “in it” for fame….Everything he did was for the Father….But his compassion for those who suffer was once again brought before our eyes….”He cured them all”……To love someone means you are willing to suffer for them - You see their need and you put upon yourself what ever needs to be done to alleviate that need…..The words of the  Prophet Isaiah come to mind when pondering this idea….”Yet it was our pain that he bore, our sufferings he endured. We thought of him as stricken, struck down by God and afflicted, But he was pierced for our sins, crushed for our iniquity. He bore the punishment that makes us whole, by his wounds we were healed. We had all gone astray like sheep, all following our own way; But the LORD laid upon him the guilt of us all. Though harshly treated, he submitted and did not open his mouth; Like a lamb led to slaughter or a sheep silent before shearers, he did not open his mouth”…..Our world today rejects suffering - Something that is apart of every human life - Jesus Christ and the Catholic Church give meaning to suffering….Our world today says “Love is Love” - But does our world even know what love is? - Love is to suffer for another…To give of yourself at a great cost…This is what Jesus did for all of humanity…But this is also what married love is all about…A man and a woman suffer for each other and their children…They give of their self…This is why marriage needs to be lived Sacramentally…Because without Sacramental grace - That needed “giving of self” does not take place - And selfishness creeps in destroying the love that once was there……..Jesus cured those in the crowd noted today in St Matthew’s gospel because he authentically loved them - And because Jesus loved his people - He payed a deep cost as we all know - He gave his life…..As Catholics today, we may not be asked to literally give our physical life for the faith - But each of us is called to love authentically - And to do that, we must endure suffering for those we say we love…..”Love” is nothing but a mere word unless we are willing to endure suffering for those we “say” we love….This is why “Love is NOT Love” - To contradict the popular saying often repeated in mainstream society…..Love gives of itself completely for the other and in that witness, the world is changed forever, both individually and universally.

“Behold, my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved in whom I delight; I shall place my Spirit upon him, and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles. He will not contend or cry out, nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets. A bruised reed he will not break, a smoldering wick he will not quench, until he brings justice to victory. And in his name the Gentiles will hope”

My wife and I have been married for thirteen years…We have five children born and we lost three to miscarriages…..Our days are very long…Why do we do it?…The answer - Because we love God and love each other!……And because God love us, he shows us through the Sacrament of Marriage how to love authentically…In doing so and living this vocation out, we die to our self, are filled with the Holy Spirit and are sanctified in the process….All part of God’s plan - To prepare us for heaven……..When my youngest daughter Maria was three years old, she had an to have her appendix taken out, which required emergency surgery…She spent five days and nights in the hospital…During that time my wife and I had to stay in the hospital with her…My wife would stay all day and I would take care of the other four children…And at night, I would stay with Maria…This was a very difficult week…Life kept moving along at a hectic pace, and in the meantime, we had to take care of our little Maria…This is just one example of what married life is all about - Making deep sacrifices for others - This is what authentic love is all about too…Its not some “Hollywood movie”, which portrays “love” as some “fairytale”….Love is demanding! - But when we give ourselves to it - We “find out” who we truly are - And we are transformed….The question then becomes - Are we willing to love in this manner?…..Our world today, believe it or not, “thirsts” for sacrificial love - It just does not realize it….When the secular world witnesses “this kind love” - Its stunned!!!! - And many are (and will be) transformed by that witness…This is the task of every Baptized Catholic - To witness sacrificial love….No words necessary - Just action grounded in Sacramental grace….And watch how the world changes!

“You do see, for you behold misery and sorrow, taking them in your hands. On you the unfortunate man depends; of the fatherless you are the helper”

Today we hear in the Gospel how Jesus took the time to cure those who were suffering….His eyes were open to the need of others…..How about us - Do we “see” this need?…..Sometimes it’s easier to “see” the need to help others who are not close to us…Mother Teresa would always say….”Find your own Kolkata - Serve the “poor” in your family”…..As Catholics the closer we get to God, the more our eyes will “see” this great need….First for our spouse and children and then for our neighbors around us….And in order to address this “need”, we must be willing to sacrifice, which entails suffering…This is what the world refuses to do - Suffer for another…But this is the path to eternal life….Some questions to consider - Do we share a portion of our money consistently with the materially poor?….Are we open to life in our marriage, refusing to use contraception, and providing for those children by living simply?…These are just two examples of deep sacrifices we as Catholics are called to make….And when we live in this manner - What do we get in return? - The answer is - We get Jesus Christ!!!!!…..If we want to receive Christ authentically, we must first empty ourselves and God gives us plenty of opportunities to do that each day no matter who we are - Its then up to us to take advantage of those opportunities….”Therefore I will give him his portion among the many, and he shall divide the spoils with the mighty, Because he surrendered himself to death, was counted among the transgressors, Bore the sins of many, and interceded for the transgressors”….As the great John the Baptist said so eloquently….”I must decrease - And He must increase”…….JMJ

”Small things” add up!

Today at Holy Mass in the Gospel of St Matthew, Jesus addresses the “perfect people”….The Pharisees did everything right outwardly but their hearts were cold and hardened…….God sees us as we truly are and when we stand before him after we die, that is exactly how we will all be judged - As we truly are!……Being Catholic is simple not about “ticking boxes”…While we have obligations to meet - Going to Mass on Sunday - Following the Commandments - Going to Confession, etc….If our lives are not full of charity, which simply is another word for love - Everything we do is in vain…St Paul addresses this so well in his Letter to the Corinthians……”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”….Ask yourself this question - Is there love in your heart when you speak the Eternal Truths of the Catholic Church?….The Truth should never be used as a weapon or as a means to simply prove how “smart” you are when debating another person…The Truth must always be spoken in love - But it MUST be spoken…..Within the Catholic Church spanning across the world, some of the greatest minds debate, write books, and lecture on all sorts of Theological topics to this very day - And in the right context, there is nothing wrong with that….However, never forget that our Lord was a simple man…He worked with his hands….He was a carpenter…He came from a humble family…He surrounded himself with simple and uneducated people…..One does not have to be a scholar to be Catholic - What is important is our interior disposition - The purity of our hearts…..Everything we do must come from a place of charity….Because without charity we simply are wasting our time……God sees the human heart as it is, not as the world sees it…And its what God sees that matters

“I desire mercy, not sacrifice”

Over the years I have done many things in service of the Church…..I have traveled the world serving the poor before I was married…I have written a book…I currently am a co-host of a Catholic radio program in the New York City Metropolitan Area….I write this blog each day - And while all that is good, I do not want to trivialize these actions…What is most important is how my wife and children view me as a husband and father….Many people may think I am a “holy person” because of the many things I have done and do…But what does my wife think?….How about my children?…..Recently I went to confession and confessed to the priest that when we pray our Family Rosary each night, I can be harsh with my children when they misbehave…….(I have five children under 12 years old)….As I confessed this to the priest he listened quietly and when I was finished he said something that hit me like a tons of bricks!….He said:  “Jesus never yelled at children” - OUCH!!!!……….While its important to pray the Rosary each night as a family and its also important for my children to behave while we pray it - If as their Father I am not being kind and merciful when I address my children - The question then becomes - Is our family Rosary being prayed as Jesus would like us to pray it?……The priest’s words cut me to the bone!…..So does Jesus word’s today in the Gospel……“I desire mercy, not sacrifice”

“My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord; I know them, and they follow me”

Today in the Gospel Jesus teaches his disciples something very important…Outward acts of piety mean very little to God if those actions are not grounded in charity……God is love, he is not a lawyer!…While the Catholic Church possess the fullness of Truth, everything the Church has taught and still teaches must be said in love of God and neighbor…If we as Catholics find ourselves “arguing for the sake of arguing” - Ask yourself this question - Have we become what St Paul warns us about?….”If I speak in human and angelic tongues but do not have love, I am a resounding gong or a clashing cymbal”…..The Truth must ALWAYS be spoken - More importantly - The Truth must be lived out - But its how we speak it and live it that matters most….God sees our hearts…This is why before we “do things” for God, we must first purify our hearts….We do that by living Sacramentally and by praying daily….These “tools” draw us closer to the Lord and in turn we will love more…Then “what we do” will be pleasing to God….”Quantity” is not always Quality…Focus on doing small things with great amounts of love….....”Small things” add up!…JMJ

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

Today at Holy Mass in St Matthew’s Gospel we hear something that is often quoted…"Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened,
and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light”……Jesus is telling us that when we carry our cross, its far easier than when we carry “the cross of sin” - That “his way” is easy….So here is the question - Do you believe him? - Because the secular world does not……The world believes that to be a Catholic is to be a slave - That God takes from us our freedom…..This idea is just another lie told by the devil, which by the way has been not only universally accepted, but widely successful in destroying countless lives……..Jesus tells us - “I have come to give you life and give it in abundance”…..God only gives, he NEVER takes!……And the burden of sin is infinitely more difficult to bare in one’s life than the “yoke” of Christ…..What the secular world refuses to acknowledger is - Even if you are not a Catholic - Even if you do not believe in God - The yoke of sin affects you!….God’s laws, the Natural Law, the Ten Commandments - These laws apply to you whether you “believe” in them or not!…..And when we turn from God’s law - A great burden is placed upon our shoulders - A burden so much heavier then the “yoke” of Christ…The secular world, for the last two thousand years, lives in denial of this reality…..Each of us has a choice to make - There are two “crosses” to choose from - The Cross of Christ or the cross of sin - And there is NOT a third option! - We must make a choice between only two options….And the “yoke” of Christ is far lighter - So why do we make our life harder than it has to be?…..Choose the lighter burden - And life becomes so much more pleasant - Why? - “For my yoke is easy, and my burden light”…..We are all entitled to our own opinion, but we are not entitled to our own facts - The “yoke” of God is so much easier to carry then the yoke of sin - This is a FACT - Maybe its time to make our life easier as opposed to harder.

“Let this be written for the generation to come, and let his future creatures praise the LORD: "The LORD looked down from his holy height, from heaven he beheld the earth, To hear the groaning of the prisoners, to release those doomed to die"

Life is hard, no matter who you are - We each have our own individual struggles to deal with….But when we live a Sacramental life and allow God’s grace to animate our soul - We not only avoid many of the “potholes” and self-created problems of this world - But we are given a deep peace and a lasting joy…..Sounds like a good deal - Right?….But here is the “deal” - We can not have it both ways - Meaning - We can not “do our own thing” and still have God…We MUST make a choice…..Sin steals our peace and joy - This is reality…….Jesus tell us in Scripture - “Taste and see the goodness of the Lord”…When we experience in real time just how good life is when we live in the state of grace (frequent confession and reception of the Blessed Sacrament), there is nothing the world can give to us that can equal what God gives by living as a practicing Catholic - Sometimes all it takes is for us to “try it our way” and consequentially “taste” the “bad fruit” of our choices - Only then to live as God commands us…When we compare “both lifestyles” - There really is no choice…..God’s way is a far better way to live!!!…..But how do we convince the world of this? - Because the secular world does not believe what I just noted….Words will never convince anyone of the reality I just noted in this reflection….What WILL convince many is a consistent witness of a God directed life - Year in and Year out - There is no argument that is stronger than the world seeing with their own two eyes our joy and peace…Because everyone wants this - No matter who they are…This is how Catholics will change the world - Not by our words or by our arguments - But by our joy!…..Everyone wants to be happy - And it is IMPOSSIBLE to be happy and live a life outside of God’s grace….We are one Sacramental Confession away from that peace and joy - Think about that - A ten minute conversation with a Catholic priest, which costs nothing!!!!!

“Salvation we have not achieved for the earth, the inhabitants of the world cannot bring it forth. But your dead shall live, their corpses shall rise; awake and sing, you who lie in the dust. For your dew is a dew of light, and the land of shades gives birth”

Today we are told something that is often repeated but sadly not believed….Our world today has a twisted idea of what freedom is….We have believed the lie!!!!! - That God takes our freedom away!!! - NOTHING could be further from the Truth!…….The happiest people on earth are not the richest…Money can bring a person comfort but it cannot bring them peace or lasting joy for that matter…..This is why the happiest people on earth are those who live in the state of grace…..And everyone wants to be happy - Right?….So why don’t we do the things that will make us happy?…..Easier said then done…..This is why Catholics must show the world what it means to have lasting joy….The witness of our lives WILL speak to the unbelieving world…This is what Pope Benedict XVI said about this very subject…………”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”…….This is why only saints change the world - And saints don’t change the world with their words - They change it by the witness of their lives……”Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart”…..JMJ

The “currency of heaven” is very different from the “currency of the world”

Today at Holy Mass in the Gospel of St Matthew, Jesus tell us something that on its surface many not make sense to some….“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 the childlike”…How is it that someone who is highly educated and wise in the ways of the world somehow “miss” what Jesus is saying?….You would think such a person would “get it”…But sadly many people like that do not “get it”…..How we live and the choices we make have a lot to do with what we “see” and “hear”…If your world view is secular and materialism drives your thinking - Just about every that Jesus said will make no sense what-so-ever to you……In fact, such a person would “think” Jesus was simply a fool……We as Catholics must be very careful as to how we we live because secularism can easy “slip” into our life……When we read the Beatitudes, which is the “road map” for Catholics as we journey to heaven - One must conclude that one cannot be secular and embrace the Beatitudes…”Blessed are the meek” - Are you kidding me!....A materialist would think that statement is utterly ridiculous….If we as Catholics “blend into” society, we clearly are not living the Gospel…..Jesus tells us very clearly……”No servant 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”…As Americans, these words cut deep into our world view…….Its very easy to “think” we can have both - God and Mammon” - But Jesus addresses this “idea” very directly……”Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of God”…..If we have been blessed with material wealth…The money itself does not make us sinners - Its when we do not share what we have been given that does……A rich man must stay close to the poor and remain humble by living simply….We do that by sharing, first with our family and then with the poor…..Material wealth “clouds” our view of God - Whether we realize it or not….Once again, these words seem hard to accept - Everyone wants to be rich - Right?!?…..There will come a day when the world’s social structure will be turned upside-down……Only those with a pure heart, who see Christ in others choose to share with others - Only those with a pure heart will “see” and hear” the Lord in the here and now - And only those with a pure heart will enter into eternal life.

“Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, you have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the Kingdom”

For almost thirty years I have attended Daily Mass….For a time I traveled all over the United States and South America for work and have attended Mass in all of the places I have traveled…..If you look closing at who is in the pews in any Catholic Church during the work week - You will find without fail some very holy people coming from all walks of life…..Many of these people are completely ignored by the secular / materialistic world…But many of these people are VERY close to God…..We hear about “such people” when we read about St Joseph and Our Lady, when they presented the Child Jesus in the Temple…Scripture tells us about Anna and Simeon, who were very ordinary people, who prayed each and every day in the Temple…When Anna and Simeon saw the Child Jesus they “saw” something no one else saw…Why? - Because they prayed every day and their hearts were pure……To “see” in this manner has nothing to do with our formal education or our analytical aptitude…It has nothing to do with how big our bank account is…It has EVERYTHING to do with how pure our heart becomes…And our hearts can only become pure through Sacramental living, daily prayer and fasting - Are these practices that we prioritize? - Because if they are not - We will NOT “see” and hear” properly……“For although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to the childlike”......The “calculus” of God is very different from the “calculus” of the secular world…And if we want to enter into eternal life - We need to start “seeing” things differently.

“No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him”

Today St Matthew in his Gospel tells us that what we see and hear depends solely upon just how childlike we become…A child is innocent and the only way we can return to innocence is by frequenting the Sacraments - This is why salvation is found through the Catholic Church…The words of Jesus Christ will make no sense to a person who lives their life through a materialistic world view - In fact, such a person will think being Catholic is utterly ridiculous……This is why a concrete choice must be made by every human being…We can not live the Gospel and be “of the world”….There is no sitting on the fence! - In attempting to do so, we only fool ourself…….”For I say to you, many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it”…There will come a day when the power structures of the world will flip!!!! - “The last will be first and the first will be last”……Sounds ridiculous to some - But think again!…God’s ways are not our ways - The “currency of heaven” is very different from the “currency of the world”……..JMJ

We are saved by faith, not by sight

Today at Holy Mass in the Gospel of St Matthew we hear Jesus call people to repentance…These same people saw with their own eyes miracles that Jesus performed and still did not repent…..How can this be!!!….They saw miracles!!!!….This story should make us all pause and ponder how human nature plays out to this very day…It did not matter what these people saw - They were not willing to change their lives and that is what Jesus was calling them to do - So they simply ignored the miracles or worse, acknowledged them as miracles and went on living as they pleased….Now think about all the canonized saints over the past two thousand years…..Most of them have two miracles attributed to their intercession…If people took the time and read about these miracles, any objective person would simply be amazed….Yet, the world has not converted to Catholicism - Once again - HOW can this be!!!….Because people do not want to change their life….There is no doubt in my mind - If Jesus Christ came down from heaven today, in the middle of the day, in Time Square in New York City - And everyone watched him descend from the sky and they recorded the sight and streamed it all over social media….I am convinced that the powerful of the world would try to kill him again!…Why? - Because they do not want to change!……To follow Jesus Christ is not simply to acknowledge him as God - Its to listen to his words, allow his grace to enter into our life and ultimately allow that grace to transform our life….If we are not “all about” that process - Are we really a “Christian”? - Maybe we are in word but clearly we are not in actuality…..The message of John the Baptist is the message of Catholicism…Repent and Believe the Gospel……If we do not repent, we will never be able to change.

“If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts”

How easy it is to forget….How many times in our own life we pray to God for something that seems out of reach….Our mother or father is sick - We lost our job and need another one - A child is diagnosed with a grave illness….And some times when we pray to God for help in these seemingly desperate situations - God answers our prayers…..Our child recovers their health - We get a new job, maybe even a better job! - When this happens - How do we respond to God? - Do we take him for granted?…..Or…..Do we give thanks to God by taking our faith more seriously?….I believe situations like I just described happen to every single person, Catholic or not, over the course of their life…..And when we stand before the Lord after we die at our final judgement - These situations will be brought before our eyes….God will show us the many times he intervened in our life - And some of those times we knew emphatically at the time God did in fact intervene because we begged him too…..And when these images are brought before our eyes when we are judged - The question will be asked of us - “Since I helped you in this manner when you begged me - Why did you not change your life?”…….I believe over the course of every human life - God gives each soul many opportunities to change…..It all comes down to us responding to those opportunities….Because no one just “floats into heaven”….Entering into eternal life requires a transformation…We must make a choice to live as Jesus asked of us and strive to live in that manner every day with the help of God’s grace….God can only help us so much - We also have to help ourself…This begins with saying YES to Christ…By living Sacramentally….And by putting our Catholic faith into practice each and every day…..”Jesus began to reproach the towns where most of his mighty deeds had been done, since they had not repented. “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty deeds done in your midst had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would long ago have repented in sackcloth and ashes”…Miracles happen everyday - But miracles do not change a person - Grace does - And simply acknowledging a miracle does not change our life - And that is exactly what Jesus is trying to do - Change our life…The miracle means nothing unless we are transformed by it.

“Great is the LORD and wholly to be praised in the city of our God. His holy mountain, fairest of heights, is the joy of all the earth”

Today St Matthew tells us in is Gospel about people who experienced amazing sights - Miracles with a “Capital M” - And yet those sights did not move them to change their life……..Human nature has not changed to this very day, let’s be honest……….Jesus was not some “magician” - Performing “magic” to impress the world….Jesus was a trying to teach us about God’s love for us - He used miracles as a “tool” - But the miracle itself was not what was most important……When we go to Mass, every once in a while we hear a homily that is very powerful - When that happens, we can hear that homily and think to ourself - WOW, that was so true! - But is that the intended reaction the Priest wants from us?…To one degree it is - But ultimately the Priest giving that homily wants us to use his words as a “spark” to transform our life….Witnessing a miracle can not change our life without our consent to change………”Jesus said to him, “Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed”……Plenty of people experience miracles, even today, and they go right on living lives that oppose the Gospel……………Witnessing a miracle will not ”save us” - Only a life transformed by grace will - This begins with our YES to God……..We are saved by faith, not by sight……..JMJ

”Thus, the last will be first, and the first will be last”

Today at Holy Mass we hear in the first reading from the Prophet Isaiah how God evaluates people and achievements very differently then humans do…What we think is a “big deal” means very little to God……”What care I for the number of your sacrifices? says the LORD. I have had enough of whole-burnt rams and fat of fatlings; In the blood of calves, lambs and goats I find no pleasure. When you come in to visit me, who asks these things of you? Trample my courts no more! Bring no more worthless offerings; your incense is loathsome to me”……..In this life it is very easy to “get caught up” in the trappings of materialism and secular achievements…..While we all must live in this world, meaning we all must work, provide for our families, etc…And all that costs money - Trust me - I “get it” - That is not the measure of a man’s worth nor does God evaluate our worth based upon those things….Again - This reality is easily forgotten….We cannot “buy” our way into heaven - God will not ask us for our resume - He will not ask us what university we attended……What he will ask us is - “When I was hungry - Did you feed me?”…..“When I was thirsty - Did you give me a drink?”………..”When I was naked - Did you cloth me?”…..These are the things God is concerned with and this is how we will be evaluated when we stand before him……The Prophet Isaiah goes on in the first reading….”Wash yourselves clean! Put away your misdeeds from before my eyes; cease doing evil; learn to do good. Make justice your aim: redress the wronged, hear the orphan’s plea, defend the widow”….When Jesus returns again, the power structures of the world will flip!…Think about that for a moment - All that the world values will mean NOTHING!!!!……”Thus, the last will be first, and the first will be last”

“Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven”

Before I was married I served with the Missionaries of Charity in India and Haiti….I have witnessed with my own two eyes the faith of the poorest of the poor…Men and women who work for little or no money - People who are disregarded by society - Who are in essence “invisible” - Who mean “nothing”…I have sat with them at Mass…I have seen their faith!!!!….I can recall one Mass I attended in Haiti….I sat among a group of young school children - These boys and girls were very poor…..When the Mass begun the children started to sing all in unison….As I heard their voices, I was overwhelmed - So much so I almost began to cry…..I thought to my self with absolute certainty - “These are God’s people” - There was no question about it!!!!!!!……..But the ironic thing about it - Society at large could care less about these poor children…..This is just one example of the “calculus of God”….And if we want to enter into God’s Kingdom - We must learn to “see” as God sees and “evaluate worth” as God does…..We do that by purifying our hearts…By going to frequent confession and receiving the Blessed Sacrament….We must allow God to sanctify us - Because if we do not give God permission to begin this process of growing in holiness - We will be blind! - And we will evaluate the world on the world’s terms - Not on God’s terms - And that will prove to be fatal…..”This I declare, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does corruption inherit incorruption”…….The day will arrive sooner then we think - When the “small” and child-like of the world will surpass the rich and the powerful….Let us hope we are on the “right side” of things when that day arrives.

“Do not think that I have come to bring peace upon the earth. I have come to bring not peace but the sword”

Today the Prophet Isaiah’s words calls us to repent and see the world as God does…..In order to live in this manner, one must live “differently”…As Catholics, we are called to live amongst the world but we CAN NOT be like the world…We were baptized to be a people “set apart”…To be a light….How can we be a light we when live like the pagan world around us?…..To live “differently” requires us to not “buy in” to materialism….To live humbly and simply - To share….This is the path to heaven and we MUST walk this path….And if we have been given much - Much will be expected!!!!……God is not concerned with our bank account - He is concerned with our heart…Is our heart pure?….Do we guard our soul from the trappings of the world?…..This is what God is concerned about - The question becomes then - Is this our priority?……”Your new moons and festivals I detest; they weigh me down, I tire of the load. When you spread out your hands, I close my eyes to you; Though you pray the more, I will not listen. Your hands are full of blood! Wash yourselves clean!”……….The message is crystal clear - “Thus, the last will be first, and the first will be last”………JMJ