I Trust in You

Today the Universal Church commemorates Divine Mercy Sunday…..This is a relatively new devotion, which came out of the papacy of Pope John Paul II, however, this devotion is of infinite importance….Jesus Christ wishes for the salvation of every soul…..We however in order to enter into eternal life must cooperate with God’s grace…Divine Mercy Sunday is a day to mediate upon, as well as take advantage of God’s mercy…….”Do I find pleasure in the death of the wicked—oracle of the Lord GOD? Do I not rejoice when they turn from their evil way and live?”….Before Jesus Christ returns in his glory, he will give the world every opportunity to take advantage of his infinite mercy before the world faces his judgment….I believe this devotion, which was given to the Universal Church and the world following the bloodiest century (the 19th century) mankind ever experienced is a “signpost” - Divine Mercy Sunday is in a sense a beginning of something new - Its a “door” into what I believe is a time of preparation for mankind - Jesus Christ will return!!!! - Take advantage of His mercy!

“You believe in me, Thomas, because you have seen me, says the Lord; blessed are they who have not seen me, but still believe!”

How we see the world and our individual life experiences, both the good and the bad, determines most times the road forward most of us choose - That is how it “works” for most people……If we view our life as a means to an end…A path to the eternal - Our choices will be different then those who simply ground their existence upon the here and now….No matter who we are, no matter how gifted, we all suffer - And its how we view the moments of suffering that in many ways matter the most….The unbelieving world rejects suffering - Has no answer for it - A Catholic uses suffering when it comes as a means of sanctification - A Catholic does not turn from God when he suffers, he embraces God, knowing God allowed suffering to enter the world as a “means to an end” - To work as a “tool” for our sanctification……Today in the second reading at Holy Mass, St Peter addresses this subject with the first believers...…..”Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who in his great mercy gave us a new birth to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you who by the power of God are safeguarded through faith, to a salvation that is ready to be revealed in the final time. In this you rejoice, although now for a little while you may have to suffer through various trials, so that the genuineness of your faith, more precious than gold that is perishable even though tested by fire, may prove to be for praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Although you have not seen him you love him; even though you do not see him now yet believe in him, you rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy, as you attain the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls”….Divine Mercy Sunday is a reminder for us - That no matter what we may be enduring, God is merciful - That no matter what trial the world is engulfed in - There is a purpose! - God’s hand is on it and will use even the worst of events for his greater glory - This mindset many times only comes to us “in time” and through grace……………….When I was twenty-two years old, at arguably the lowest point of my life, I opened my heart to the reality of God and my Catholic faith….During that time of great trial in my life, I made a life long decision - The best decision of my lifetime to date! - To embrace my Catholic faith fully - For over three decades now I have not turned back and I can say that the suffering I endured that “got me to that point” was worth it - If it was not for the suffering I endured, I would not have become the person I am today - This was a great mercy but a painful lesson to learn…..The Parable of the Prodigal Son is a story of great mercy - A young man squandered everything that was given to him only to find out that his choices and “great ideas” all led to dead-ends…..And when the Prodigal Son came to his senses, his Father was waiting for him, to welcome him back home…..This is what Divine Mercy Sunday is all about - God waits for us! - He gives us a “second chance” - Why? - Because God’s mercy is endless!…..If only we take his hand……Sadly, before that happens, due to our fallen nature and human pride, we have to come to the “end of ourself”, like the Prodigal son - The Prodigal son’s story is a common story we all share….We have to see for ourself that all our “good ideas” lead to “dead ends” as long as we keep God out of our choices….But through it all - God is patient and God waits for us - Like all good Fathers wait for their sons…..Love can not be forced upon anyone, and nor can mercy for that matter….Love is a choice and mercy must be requested - Its an act of the will - Our “knee” must bend to it and embrace it fully….Today the Universal Church offers both - Love and Mercy

“You expired, Jesus, but the source of life gushed forth for souls, and the ocean of mercy opened up for the whole world. O Fount of Life, unfathomable Divine Mercy, envelop the whole world and empty yourself out upon us………….O Blood and Water, which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a fountain of Mercy for us, I trust in you!”……JMJ

”Follow me, and let the dead bury their dead”

 Today at Holy Mass we hear in the first reading read from the Book of Acts how Peter and John are once again in trouble with the Jewish religious leaders….A miracle took place and the people were amazed by it….The religious leaders also acknowledge the miracle but look past it…..They were more concerned with their position and power….”Observing the boldness of Peter and John and perceiving them to be uneducated, ordinary men, the leaders, elders, and scribes were amazed, and they recognized them as the companions of Jesus. Then when they saw the man who had been cured standing there with them, they could say nothing in reply. So they ordered them to leave the Sanhedrin, and conferred with one another, saying, “What are we to do with these men? Everyone living in Jerusalem knows that a remarkable sign was done through them, and we cannot deny it”…Any objective honest person would have been convinced that Peter and John were apart of something “special”….But the Sanhedrin ignored what frankly could not be ignored!….And they payed a heavy price……The life and death of Jesus brought about a change, this is undeniable….God had made a covenant with the Jewish people and he fulfilled that convent right before their eyes…Keep in mind - Jesus was a Jew - Jospeh was a Jew - Mary was a Jew….All the earlier disciples of Jesus were for the most part Jews…Yet ironically, the Jewish elite, the educated religious class were not interested in how God manifested himself in the fulfillment of the Davidic Covenant…One would think the Sanhedrin would be the first ones “on board”….But as we know that was not the case….Today’s reading gives us a look into the hearts of men - How men can portray themselves to be “religious” but in actuality, their hearts were far from God………God is not interested in our “outward appearances”…..God weighs the human heart  - This is how we will be judged……….“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You pay tithes* of mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier things of the law: judgment and mercy and fidelity. [But] these you should have done, without neglecting the others. Blind guides, who strain out the gnat and swallow the camel! “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. “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You are like whitewashed tombs, which appear beautiful on the outside, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and every kind of filth. Even so, on the outside you appear righteous, but inside you are filled with hypocrisy and evildoing. “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the memorials of the righteous, and you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have joined them in shedding the prophets’ blood”…….As Catholics, we must always be aware of our interior disposition - We can say “all the right things” and still not be “right” with God….Its not what we do that matters as much as how we do it…..Is love at the center of what we do? - Do we embrace Truth, when it is convenient or inconvenient? - Do we see God in our neighbor and as a result love our neighbor?……Today we hear about the Sanhedrin, who were highly educated, which means they should have known better!….The Sanhedrin saw the miracle performed by Peter and John and dismissed it……The Sanhedrin “talked a good game” but their hearts were far from God…….How about us?…..Do we simply just talk? - Say all the right things - Are our hearts far from God?

“Open to me the gates of justice; I will enter them and give thanks to the LORD. This is the gate of the LORD; the just shall enter it”

How do we assess authentic faith?…..The Catholic church possess the fullness of the Truth - There is no debate about that…But do we as Catholics utilize everything that was given to us?…I have been Catholic my enter life…In that time I have encountered the “lukewarm” as well as those who were “on fire” with their faith….How can we tell the difference?……How can we separate the “sheep” from the “goats”?……..It all comes down to the Cross…..To be Catholic means you not only accept the reality of the Cross but you carry it as well…..When a deeply sacrificial lifestyle is observed - Whether it is a priest, a married couple or a non-married person - There authentic faith is found! - It is found in those who embrace their Cross and live sacrificially for others - Its there that we will find authentic Catholicism and no where else….Let’s take a moment and ponder the Church at its very beginning - When we do this we find  Jesus, Mary and Joseph - These were simple and humble people….The Holy family lived for God, each other and others - They lived sacrificially - Putting God first above all things…..This is how we know we found the “real deal”, both two thousand years ago and today as well……Are we as Catholics willing to be uncomfortable? - Are we as Catholics willing to forego the “things of this world” for the Kingdom of God?…..And when the unbelieving world “sees” with its own two eyes a sacrificial people - Trust Me!!! - They are suddenly “struck by lightning” and “miraculously” the unbelieving world is “all ears” - They begin to “hear” what is spoken from the pulpits of our Churches….But that will not happen, unless we as Catholics live sacrificially and put God above all things and in turn love our neighbor as ourself….That is how the world discerns the “real deal”

“My strength and my courage is the LORD, and he has been my savior. The joyful shout of victory in the tents of the just”

Today in the Book of Acts, we heard at Mass when confronted with persecution, Peter and John were not concerned….They spoke the Truth and placed the Truth above comfort - Above social status - Above even their personal safety…How about us?……”So they called them back and ordered them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. Peter and John, however, said to them in reply, “Whether it is right in the sight of God for us to obey you rather than God, you be the judges. It is impossible for us not to speak about what we have seen and heard”……Have we as Catholics become like everyone else? - Part of the “status-quo”….Do we “go along to get along”?…..Comfort is the enemy of the Cross!……The power of our Catholic witness is not in what we say - The power of our Catholic witness rests in our Cross and how we carry it…..People believe what they see - “Nice words” will never convince an unbelieving world to suddenly change, never mind sacrifice comfort for a Church that claims to posses the fullness of Truth - If we say we believe in God and possess the fullness of Truth, which by the way we do! - Then we have to show it by the way we live - And we show it as Catholics by living sacrificially….“Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head” - What is good for the master is good for his servants!…………………….”Follow me, and let the dead bury their dead”……..JMJ

What beautiful words they are

Today at Holy Mass we hear in the Gospel of St John how the first apostles thought since Jesus was dead, the “mission” also died with him…How wrong they were!….The first apostles were fishermen so that is what they went back too - Fishing - And while they were fishing, St John sees Jesus on the shore…..”So the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord." When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he tucked in his garment, for he was lightly clad, and jumped into the sea”…….Not too long ago, St Peter betrayed Jesus and here he is rushing to greet the Risen Lord…..You would think Peter after betraying God, would have run in the opposite direction…..This moment tells us so much about the character of St Peter -  This moment tells us, in my opinion, about the greatness of St Peter - That “greatness” was grounded in his humility!……From the very beginning, when Adam and Eve betrayed God and ate of the Tree of Knowledge in the Garden of Eden - What did they do? - They hid - Not Peter! - He did the exact opposite of Adam and Eve - St Peter ran towards Christ after he betrayed him…This is the lesson for all of us today…..Each and everyone of us is a sinner - And because that is reality - We must confront our sins - We do that by “running to Jesus” as St Peter did, not away from him  - And we do that by confessing our sins Sacramentally….Its when we confront our sins “head on” that we like St Peter encounter the Risen Lord……Our world today does the exact opposite - It “glosses” over sins - Makes excuses for sins - “Rationalizes” sins away - But our sins don’t go away!…..Only Jesus Christ can forgive sins and when you go to Confession with a Catholic Priest, you encounter Christ himself!….Our world today is so weighed-down by guilt and shame - And those wounds caused by sins are then projected onto others…….Jesus walked the earth for one reason only - “To take away the sins of the world”…But for that to happen, we must Sacramentally confess!….Sins do not “magically” go away - In fact, its just the opposite, sins and the wounds caused by sins fester - Time does not heal our wounds caused by sins…..There is only one cure! - One Sacramental Confession can wipe away a lifetime of sins!…..And this is why St Peter was so great - He confronted his sins and because of that God forgave him and as a result the fisherman who the world once knew became a saint…..”Bless me Father for I have sinned!” - A “new chapter” of life awaits us….But it will not “magically”happen - We have to confront our sins as St Peter did - Running way does not make our sins go away!

"His mercy endures forever.”…..Let those who fear the LORD say, "His mercy endures forever"

People talk about “change” all the time - But does anything really change?….People seem to repeat the same mistakes over and over again…This is why living Sacramentally is so vital….When we regularly confess our sins, not only are we forgiven, but we are given grace to overcome our sins in time…This is how we grow in virtue and this is how we also grow in sanctity…..And as a result of going to Confession regularly, when Catholics then receive the Blessed Sacrament in the state of grace - God then “rains down” grace into our soul….This is not “rocket science” - This is “Catholicism 101” - But is this happening?…..The lines for Holy Communion at Mass seem to be much longer than the lines for Confession…Maybe that needs to change?….A little bit of preparation goes a long way…When we prepare our soul to receive the Blessed Sacrament each week at Mass - We will notice the difference! - So will our family and the world around us notice the difference - That is how “real change” happens!….Catholics can not give to others what they do not have and if we are not living in the state of grace - We will not benefit from receiving the Blessed Sacrament at Mass - It cannot be written any clearer than that - Is this perennial Catholic teaching being taught in our homes, in our schools and from the pulpits of our Churches?…..If not, maybe it needs to be!

“The stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. By the LORD has this been done; it is wonderful in our eyes. This is the day the LORD has made; let us be glad and rejoice in it”

Today at Mass we heard in the Gospel how St Peter confronts Jesus after he betrayed him….Think about it - St Peter betrayed God! - That is a big-time sin! - But St Peter did not let that reality prevent him from reconciling himself to the man he betrayed…..How about us?……Each of us are sinners - Do we have the humility to confront the man we too have betrayed?…..This is how we are healed and this is how we are propelled forward…..For God’s grace to manifest in our life, we have to “clear away” the obstacles that “get in the way” of that grace….This begins with these words - “Bless me Father for I have sinned”…..What beautiful words they are…….JMJ

Those who have been given much - Much is expected!

Today at Holy Mass we hear a passage from the Acts of Apostles…Peter once again addresses the Jews…..In doing so he states the following…..”Now I know, brothers and sisters, that you acted out of ignorance, just as your leaders did; but God has thus brought to fulfillment what he had announced beforehand through the mouth of all the prophets, that his Christ would suffer”…..To sin mortally requires three components: The sin must be grave in nature - The person must be fully aware the sin is grave in nature -The person with full knowledge and consent commits the sin…..Peter tells the crowd that they “acted out of ignorance”….Peter’s words echo some of the last words of Jesus from the Cross - “Forgive them Father - They know not what they do”…….How many people today, who reject our Catholic faith - “Know not what they do?”…And how blessed we are to have been born into the Catholic Church as a result of family ties, education or cultural norms…….Therefore, those of us who have been “give much” - Much will be required!……

What does the the Catechism of the Catholic Church tell us pertaining to this idea about ignorance of Truth?

”Baptism is birth into the new life in Christ. In accordance with the Lord's will, it is necessary for salvation, as is the Church herself, which we enter by Baptism” (1277)……”Basing itself on Scripture and Tradition, the Council teaches that the Church, a pilgrim now on earth, is necessary for salvation: the one Christ is the mediator and the way of salvation; he is present to us in his body which is the Church. He himself explicitly asserted the necessity of faith and Baptism, and thereby affirmed at the same time the necessity of the Church which men enter through Baptism as through a door. Hence they could not be saved who, knowing that the Catholic Church was founded as necessary by God through Christ, would refuse either to enter it or to remain in it.  This affirmation is not aimed at those who, through no fault of their own, do not know Christ and his Church. Those who, through no fault of their own, do not know the Gospel of Christ or his Church, but who nevertheless seek God with a sincere heart, and, moved by grace, try in their actions to do his will as they know it through the dictates of their conscience - those too may achieve eternal salvation. "Although in ways known to himself God can lead those who, through no fault of their own, are ignorant of the Gospel, to that faith without which it is impossible to please him, the Church still has the obligation and also the sacred right to evangelize all men." (CCC 846-848)

What does all this mean? - It means in order to be saved we must be Baptized….What else does the Catechism tells us? - That we are also saved by means of the Catholic Church - Why?….Because even after Baptism, we still sin and it is through the Church and the Sacrament of Reconciliation that we are forgiven - We also receive the Blessed Sacrament by means of the Catholic Church, which is heavenly food (i.e. food for the journey), which enables us to live as God’s Holy Will demands of us…..But here is the interesting part and how this teaching from the Catechism relates to the first reading from Acts today at Mass…..If a person, “Through no fault of their own” - Is not Catholic, God will judge that soul and “those too may achieve eternal salvation” - Did you “catch that”?!?…..Today we heard at Mass St Peter tell the Jews that they killed Jesus out of ignorance….Jesus from the Cross says the same thing…..What is our response to secular people we encounter each day? - Do we judge them? - People only know what they are taught - As Catholics, like St Peter, we must be bold and clear in our teaching of the faith…That is “our job” as Catholics! - Why? - Because those who have been given much, much will be expected!

“You have made him little less than the angels, and crowned him with glory and honor. You have given him rule over the works of your hands, putting all things under his feet”

Are you aware that one mortal sin can result in a soul going to hell?……How are we forming our people? - Do our Catholic schools teach the fullness of the faith? - Do Catholic parents prioritize modeling and teaching the Catholic faith to their children?……Once again - People only know what they know!….How can “our people” live as God called them to live if they were not taught the fullness Truth!….Our Church is called to be bold, as were the first apostles in the Book of Acts…..Our job as Catholics is not to “be like everyone else” in society but to be “salt and light” to the world…..“No one who lights a lamp conceals it with a vessel or sets it under a bed; rather, he places it on a lamp-stand so that those who enter may see the light”……The word “Catholic” means “Universal” - That means the doors of the Church are open to everyone! - However, if we want to be “in communion”, notice the word “communion” with the Church, we must know and do our very best to live all the teachings as taught by the Church for two thousand years….That means - We can not receive the Blessed Sacrament on Sunday if we only accept “some” of the teaching…But before that happens, the faithful must be properly instructed…..That means - The Church must speak boldly and clearly…..Catholics today are not doing people any “favors” by “watering” down Church teachings…..Jesus himself was very clear on this matter…..“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”…..”Lukewarm” Catholicism does not work!…..When we adhere to the “vine”, we will “bear fruit” - Jesus assures us of this - So be not afraid! - Be Bold and Be Catholic!

“In your offspring all the families of the earth shall be blessed”

Today at Mass we hear in the first reading St Peter addressing the crowd…Peter tells it like it is!….He tells the crowd that it was their actions that resulted in the death of Jesus…But he also tells them that they acted in ignorance….But through his instruction, they now “know” the fullness of the Truth…What else does St Peter tell the crowd?…”Repent, therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be wiped away”…..This same “mission” laid out by St Peter has not changed in two thousand years! - Repent and Believe in the Gospel……….Our “job” as Catholics is to: Know the Truth - Speak the Truth - Live the Truth - And when called too - Suffer for the Truth……Is this your mission?….”The Truth” will set the world free, but if the world does not know the Truth - How will it ever be free?…That task falls to us as Catholics - The Church is an extension of Jesus Christ himself and we possess as Catholics the fullness of Truth…So what does that imply?…….Those who have been given much - Much is expected!…..JMJ 

”With that their eyes were opened and they recognized him”

Today at Holy Mass we hear in the Gospel of St Luke the story of the men walking on the road of Emmaus…During their walk they encounter a man they did not recognize who turned out to be the Resurrected Christ…..At the end of the day, these two men had supper with Jesus and it was when he “broke the bread” that their eyes were opened…What was it about the “bread” in the hands of Christ that made them “see”? - What is it about the bread consecrated in the hands of a Catholic priest?……This is the “key” to our Catholic faith!!!…..It’s not enough to intellectually understand that the Eucharist is the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Christ - We must believe it as a tangible reality! - When this is the case - Our world view changes and so does our life…..I find something else also very interesting in this Gospel passage from St Luke today…As these two men walked with Jesus on the road to Emmaus, even when they did not recognize Christ physical, they “felt something” when they were in his presence…….“Were not our hearts burning within us while he spoke to us on the way and opened the Scriptures to us?”…..Let’s explore this idea…..There was “something” about this man - Now let’s be honest, when we talk to people, on any given day, usually our “hearts do not burn” - Right?…So clearly, Jesus made an impression on these two men on the road….And he will do the same thing today!!……This is why Eucharistic Adoration needs to be utilized in every Catholic Church….It does not matter if you even believe in God - Whether you are a practicing Catholic or not - When you sit in silence in front of the Blessed Sacrament - “Your hearts will burn!!!” - This should tell us all something very important….For one, God is real……Secondly, He loves everyone! - Not just the “perfect people” - But everyone!!….And lastly, if we make the time each week to sit in front of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, in silence, God will “speak” to us in a language “we only understand”……As Catholics we do not know what is in the hearts of other people - Their hurts - Their deep disappointments - Their weaknesses - But God does!!!…..We can not “convince” people with mere words that the Catholic faith contains the fullness of Truth - But God can!…This is why Eucharistic Adoration is so important!….Again, a person does not have to be Catholic to simply sit in front of the Consecrated Host in silence - And if a person does, as we read in the Gospel today from St Luke - “Their hearts will burn”…..In many Catholic diocese across America, as well as in many parishes, there are all kinds of “programs” - Programs to get people into the pews…..The only “program” that is needed is Jesus! - Establish Eucharistic Adoration at your parish - If you can, do it perpetually - And watch what happens! 

“When all the people saw him walking and praising God, they recognized him as the one who used to sit begging at the Beautiful Gate of the temple, and they were filled with amazement and astonishment at what had happened to him”

Before I was married I was the Saturday driver for Mother Teresa’s sisters in Manhattan for seven years…During that time, I learned a lot!….The convent I served at was a hospice for men who acquired the AIDS virus…When the men came to live in the hospice, there were a few rules….One of the rules was they attend morning Mass…Most of the men where not Catholic and if they were Catholic, the large majority of them were not in the state of grace - So while they could attend Mass, they could not receive the Blessed Sacrament - Did you “catch” that?…..Is this perennial teaching of the Church proclaimed from the pulpits in our parishes across the world? - But I am digressing - Back to the my story……Another requirement for living in the hospice was the men had to sit in silence with the sisters for a Holy Hour each day……I have watched this process repeat itself for seven years!…I have seen “harden men” - Men who were in jail - Men who live horrible lives!!!…I watched them change right before me eyes….Some of them even would request to be baptized…..Why did this happen? - For one, these men experienced love - The sisters cared for them in ways many of these guys never experienced in their enter life - As Catholics, do we love “our neighbor” in this way? - Clearly we can not “change the mind” of our neighbor - But we can love him / her in tangible ways - Do we do this?…Again I am digressing - Back to the story….What else made these men living in the AIDS hospice change? - By sitting in silence each day for one hour in front of the Blessed Sacrament, God “spoke” to their hearts, in ways no one could!!!….This is the “secret” to evangelization - Let Jesus do it!….Our job as Catholics is to love people and when “our neighbor” learns to trust us as a result of the love we show them, we can then encourage our neighbor, Catholic or not, to sit in silence in front of the Blessed Sacrament….God will do the rest!

“And it happened that, while he was with them at table, he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them……With that their eyes were opened and they recognized him”

Today in the Gospel from Mass, we hear the story of two men on the Road to Emmaus who “did not get it”….Jesus was walking right beside them and they could not recognize him…What made these men “see”?….St Luke tells us that it was not until Jesus “broke the bread” and they consumed it that they were able to “see”….Interesting!?! - Why should we “think” anything has changed today?…..As Catholics, if we are in the state of grace and consume the Blessed Sacrament, we too will “see”…Also, even if a Catholic is not in the state of grace, their hearts will still “burn” if they sit in front of the Blessed Sacrament in silence - The passage from St Luke’s Gospel tells us this very clearly………..Today, in Catholic circles, the word “accompaniment” gets “throw around” a lot…We hear its “pastoral” to “accompany” others - Well, that is true - But indirectly encouraging our brethren who are not in state of grace to consume the Eucharist or worse - To ignore when our brethren are living in objective mortal sin and “turning a blind eye” when they consume the Blessed Sacrament at Mass - This is not “accompaniment!!!!!”….Authentic Catholic accompaniment is what Mother Teresa’s sisters did for the men who lived in their AIDS Hospice…The sisters loved them and sat with them in front of the Blessed Sacrament…And in time, God’s time - God “spoke” to those men - A language only they could understand…And in turn, many of those men were transformed…That is the definition of “accompaniment” from a Catholic prospective - And it works!…….”With that their eyes were opened and they recognized him”…..JMJ

No need to re-invent the wheel - The “wheel” works just fine as it is

Today at Holy Mass we hear in the first reading a passage from the Acts of the Apostles…….The Acts of the Apostles should serve as a “benchmark” for the Catholic Church…..Jesus’s newly formed Church was on fire! - The zeal for the Lord rested on the original twelve - And the newly baptized faithful were all in!….Are we all in?…..Does the Catholic Church today look like the Church from the Book of Acts?……Interestingly enough, when preaching to the people, St Peter echoes the words of John the Baptist…..”Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and they asked Peter and the other Apostles, “What are we to do, my brothers?” Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit”…Notice when asked by the crowd - “What are we to do?” - Peter tells them the “formula for salvation” - “Repent and be baptized - and will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit”…..And that “formula” has not changed in two thousand years to this very day….The question is - Is this the “blue-print” we use when preaching to our people?…..Reading the Gospel is great but if we do not repent first of our sins - We will never understand the message of the Gospel…..St Peter “gets it” - Do we today?……Catholics must understand that if we do not regularly confess our sins Sacramentally, not only will we not be open to the Holy Spirit, but the grace of the Blessed Sacrament when consumed at Mass will not penetrate our hearts…Is this message preached from the pulpit? - Is this message taught in our homes and schools?……Its about going back to “basics” and what is documented in the Acts of the Apostles “lays it all out”  clearly for us…..Follow the “blue print!” - Its not about “re-creating the wheel” - Its about “painting by numbers”…..Everything we need to know as Catholics is writing down! - Repent and Believe the Gospel

“Upright is the word of the LORD, and all his works are trustworthy. He loves justice and right; of the kindness of the LORD the earth is full”

Because we are human and born with a fallen nature - We do not “see” clearly…Even the best of us - Catholic teaching tells us we live “behind the veil”, meaning we can not see God as he truly is - Heaven and Earth is currently separated by a “veil”…..Notice in the Gospel today from Mass, Mary Magdalene, a person who followed Jesus and who knew him personally - When Jesus was resurrected, Mary Magdalene could not recognize him - How is that possible? - This illustrates what I am writing about in this reflection - Mary Magdalene’s “vision” was impaired because she was “behind the veil”……”When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus there, but did not know it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?” She thought it was the gardener and said to him, “Sir, if you carried him away, tell me where you laid him, and I will take him.” Jesus said to her, “Mary!”….We too live “behind the veil” and because of that, our “vision” of God, as well as our understanding of God is impaired as well….However, as we grow in sanctity, the “veil” gets thinner and thinner….And our understanding deepens - And our vision becomes clearer…….For years I serviced with the Missionaries of Charity as their driver in Manhattan before I was married…Over the years, I noticed that when a sister died of natural causes, Mother Teresa’s sisters would have a Funeral Mass and when the Mass was over, go right back to work - The mourning period was so short - So I asked the sisters one day about it…..The answer I got I thought was interesting…..”Joe - Death is simply like going from “one room to another room in a house” ”…..I never thought of death in this manner - The “transition” between life and death for Mother Teresa’s sister was seamless! - Maybe I never thought of death in that way is because I simply was not as close to God as the sisters were…For them, the “veil” between heaven and earth is much “thinner” then the “veil” was for me….This should tell us something - Not only does death not have the final word - But the closer we get to God on this “side of eternity”, living in union with his Holy Will, the easier the transition to eternal life will be for us as well - Like going from “one room of the house to another room.” - Seamless and Simple!

“Our soul waits for the LORD, who is our help and our shield. May your kindness, O LORD, be upon us who have put our hope in you”

Today at Mass, when asked by the crowd what they should do in order to follow Jesus, St Peter tells them clearly as documented in the Book of Acts…”Repent and be Baptized - And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit”……Pope John Paul II, who arguably was the most significant man of the twentieth century - When asked what was the most important event of his life - His response may surprise you - The Pope said - “The day I was Baptized”….How would we answer that question? - What is the most significant event of your life?……As Catholics, our job is to “remove” all the obstacles that get in the way of the Holy Spirit….In essence, we need to “get out of our own way”…And our Baptism is the first step in that process….Next, we must go to Confession frequently and regularly - The saints recommend going once a month - By doing that we “remove” sin from obstructing Divine Grace, which continuously falls upon us….Lastly, when we are “all cleaned up” from sins, which are forgiven Sacramentally - When we receive the Eucharist at Sunday Mass, we will be fortified and strengthened to live as a Catholic is called to live…..There is the “blue print!” - And its not some esoteric concept for the few to understand…Is this what we are doing? - Is this what is taught in our homes and in our schools? - Is this preached from our pulpits?….Why asked those questions? - Because this is what St Peter did as noted in the Acts of the Apostles…Does the Catholic Church today resemble the first believers as documented in the Book of Acts?…..Repent and Believe the Gospel!…..Notice the word “Repent” comes before “Believe” - That is an important observation because that is how “it works”…..Follow the “blue-print!” - No need to re-invent the wheel - The “wheel” works just fine as it is…………JMJ

Don’t be deceived - More importantly - Don’t deceive yourself!

Today at Holy Mass St Peter proclaims to the Jewish people that Jesus was the man he said he was - Jesus Christ, a man who spoke words no one ever heard before rose from the dead!!!…Peter witnessed this - And the crowd would not believe it….Has anything changed today?….”On the day of Pentecost, Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice, and proclaimed: “You who are Jews, indeed all of you staying in Jerusalem. Let this be known to you, and listen to my words. “You who are children of Israel, hear these words. Jesus the Nazorean was a man commended to you by God with mighty deeds, wonders, and signs, which God worked through him in your midst, as you yourselves know. This man, delivered up by the set plan and foreknowledge of God, you killed, using lawless men to crucify him. But God raised him up, releasing him from the throes of death, because it was impossible for him to be held by it”……What keeps people from believing real time events that occur right before their eyes?……If Jesus was to return today - Now that everyone has a camera on their I-phones - And recorded Jesus descending from the sky - Would the world believe? - Would the world change?…..My guess is NO - I state that because belief in Christ requires a willingness to change - It requires to acknowledge we made mistakes - That we are sinners and we have sinned….That we were wrong about many things…..And the world is not willing to do this - Even if they saw with their own eyes a miracle - Even if they saw Christ’s return!…..This is why the key to believing - The key to being a practicing Catholic - Is simply a humble spirit….Humility is the foundation for all the virtues - Humility allows us to recognize Truth - Its our pride that leaves us “in the dark”….Pride twists Truth into self serving agendas and ideologies - Even within the walls of the Church….We see this in our American political system too….Words like “Justice”….“Equity”…..“Democracy”…..“Freedom”…….All great “words” - Concepts all people want - Right?…But behind these words are self-serving men with self-serving agendas - And the masses get lost in the “fog”…..This is why the crowd did not believe the words of St Peter….Their ideology was challenged by Peter so it did not matter “what they saw” with their own eyes - The many miracles and even the fact that Jesus rose from the dead - If it meant “changing their mind” or “changing their life - They were out! - They were not having it!…..Sound familiar?

“Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.”

If one has a logical, objective and linear mind, when you observe how people of the world view ideologies and the politicians that spew rhetoric around those ideologies - An objective and logical person will lose his or her mind!….How people will denial reality - For example - The reality that they cannot offer food!!!!! - And yet. embrace an ideology, politician or political party that lies to them consistently while robbing them blind - Only because they will not change…They would rather suffer then change!…This is the sad story of man kind…And we see this on full display in the readings today at Mass……”The chief priests assembled with the elders and took counsel; then they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers, telling them, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came by night and stole him while we were asleep. ’And if this gets to the ears of the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” The soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story has circulated among the Jews to the present day”…When one, as an objective observer of human behavior, watches mankind repeat the same mistakes over and over again, one may want to literally scream!!!!…When we get to “that place of frustration” - We must turn it over to God - Because only God can address certain realities - And history shows that God does in fact - FIX - What mankind can not FIX……God plays the “lone game”…..And in time, God’s time not our time, all things work towards a greater good……..This is why as Catholics, we must unite ourself with the Lord and the Church - Not some political ideology - The closer we get to God, the more He can use us - The way He wants to use us, which may be very different from what we “think” we are meant to do…..Only saints change the world - Not politicians - Not the ruling class - Not titians of industry…All those people “change” the world on a temporary basis…But saints leave a lasting imprint and are the catalyst for lasting change…This is why we as Catholics need to ask Our Lady to make us saints…Not for the purposes of becoming remembered…But because the closer we get to God, the more God can use us - For His Glory and the good of the world…Is your priority to become a saint?

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

Today, the day after Easter Sunday, the readings at Mass point to how mankind even when presented with tangible realities, still refuses to believe….Human beings many times would rather suffer and delude themselves then believe their very own eyes!….Again - Sound familiar?……The good news it - Jesus Christ meets us exactly as we are - We are sinners and Jesus loves us - He encounters us we are! - But then he asks us to change….People who are open to change, no matter what the change find God and the people who are not, frankly will never find God…..The world does not “revolve around us” nor do we determine reality on “our terms”…And the simple fact of the matter is - God is reality! - And to deny God - Is to deny reality!!…..One day, no one knows when, Jesus Christ will return again - And when he does return, He will turn the world upside-down!…..Literally upside-down!!! - That day will be a wonderful day for some and a terrible day for others - That is reality…….”As he drew near, he saw the city and wept over it, saying, “If this day you only knew what makes for peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes. For the days are coming upon you when your enemies will raise a palisade against you; they will encircle you and hem you in on all sides. They will smash you to the ground and your children within you, and they will not leave one stone upon another within you because you did not recognize the time of your visitation”…Salvation is found through Jesus Christ…Jesus Christ was one man - The only man to ever rise from the dead - Did you “Catch That?” - He also founded one Church - The Catholic Church…..We will not find salvation on “Our Terms” - Does the world fully understand that reality?………“God greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord”…..What we “see” and believe has very little to do with our eyes and ears when you get right down to it - Seeing and hearing has everything to do with our will - As St Paul tells us….”We hear what our itchy ears want to hear” - “For the time will come when people will not tolerate sound doctrine but, following their own desires and insatiable curiosity, will accumulate teachers and will stop listening to the truth and will be diverted to myths. But you, be self-possessed in all circumstances; put up with hardship; perform the work of an evangelist; fulfill your ministry”.……Don’t be deceived - More importantly - Don’t deceive yourself!…..JMJ