”Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there also will my servant be”

Today at Holy Mass in the Gospel, St John tells us (arguably) one of the most radical requests made by Jesus Christ to every person who has ever claimed to be a Christian - How does this idea “sit” with us? - “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will preserve it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there also will my servant be. The Father will honor whoever serves me”…Do we take these words serious? - And if we do - How are we living them out?…..Most people live these words out in the married state - They have children and they “pour their life” into their children…In doing so, God pours his life into them…Because its in giving that we receive!….What St John presents to us today is the path to eternal life - Love gives, it never takes…This is the example that Jesus Christ gave to the world…And this is the path each of the baptized must walk…However, due to our fallen human nature, we all (to some degree or another) resist this selfless way of life - And because Jesus understood human nature very well - He gave us the Sacraments, which helps us to embrace a selfless way of living…Without the Sacraments - There is NO WAY a person can live in this manner….Only through God’s grace can a person be transformed into a selfless person - To the degree that St John speaks about today…….In the first reading at Mass, St Paul echoes this same concept...….”Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each must do as already determined, without sadness or compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. Moreover, God is able to make every grace abundant for you, so that in all things, always having all you need, you may have an abundance for every good work”….The happiest people in this world are those who give of themself to others - This is a hard-cold fact!….To be a “giver” is woven into our human DNA - It is written on our hearts…And when we live this way, God pours his Holy Spirit into us, which brings with it peace and joy…..The most miserable people in this world are those who refuse to share - Who deny their very nature - To give of themself to others…..This is what true poverty looks like!

“Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life, says the Lord”

If you asked a group of ten year old children a question - “When you grow up - Do you want to be happy?”…My bet is - Everyone of those children would answer YES….But when we all grow up into adults - We still all want to be happy - But sadly we “chase” after “things” that CANNOT make us happy….Whether we realize it or not…..The path to true, lasting and authentic happiness is told to us today in St John Gospel - By the “giving of your life” to others….To the secular unbelieving world - This idea is pure madness…But for those who have witnessed people who have lived these words - As I have - The reality of authentic joy can not be denied…..For seven years before I was married I was a Lay Co-Worker for the Missionaries of Charity…I served mostly in New York City but also in India, San Francisco and Haiti…In that time I have witnessed the happiest people I have ever met….Keep in mind, I work in banking and have worked with over the years some VERY wealthy people….But the people I served with over the course of those seven years were BY FAR the most happy….Why? - Because giving of our self is “built in” to our DNA and when we live according to the Natural Law, we live in harmony with God who created us……The Missionaries of Charity take a vow of poverty and they live out that vow radically…I state that because they have nothing!…Yet they are BY FAR the happiest people I have ever met….This reality defies everything the secular world tells us - That we must become rich to be happy - To have a lot of “stuff” - This idea is “beaten” into our heads in America…The reality of the matter is - True and lasting happiness is found in “giving your self away” to others….Again, most people do this in the married state - But sadly because of contraception, we “hedge our bets”….This is why marriages that are open to life - That do not use contraception last…Why? - Because the couples that live this way “give themselves away” - And in doing so - They are fulfilled and happy…..What St John tells us today in the Gospel is not only the path to heaven but it is the only way we will find fulfillment here on earth….The secular world disagrees - But the secular world is unhappy - Don’t believe me? - Take a good look around! - Secular people “chase” after “something” they will never find…….Authentic joy is a by-product of a life given away to others…Joy can not be bought - Its not a destination…Joy is a gift from God and we receive that gift when we give our life away.

“Amen, amen, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit”

Today St John tells one of the most radical ideas ever to be communicated to the world…That we must give our life away in order to have a fulfilled life here on earth…Is St John CRAZY?!?….The answer to that question is NO……As Catholics living amongst a secular society, we must demonstrate this radical idea by the way we live…This is how the “sheep” are separated from the “goats” - Not by what Mass you attend (Latin or Novus Ordo) - But I digress - Back to the subject at hand…We can tell people all day and everyday about the Gospel of Jesus Christ  - But if the world around us does not “see” for itself the witness of self giving that St John speaks about today - No one will believe a word you say!….”I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit” - This statement says EVERYTHING we need to know about what it means to be Catholic….Are you a “sheep” or are you a “goat”? - No need to answer - Our life’s witness gives the answer…..”Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there also will my servant be”….JMJ

In order to hear “a whisper” - There must be silence

Today at Holy Mass we hear in the first reading from the Book of Kings how God works - In silence!…God speaks to us in the silence of our hearts and all the “noise” we experience around us is nothing more than a distraction….One of the many cunning “traps” set before us by the devil…To keep us “preoccupied” with nonsense……”Go outside and stand on the mountain before the LORD; the LORD will be passing by……..A strong and heavy wind was rending the mountains and crushing rocks before the LORD—but the LORD was not in the wind.  After the wind there was an earthquake— but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake there was fire—but the LORD was not in the fire.  After the fire there was a tiny whispering sound”…..In order to hear the voice of God, we must cooperate - We must “carve out” time to listen in silence - When we do this, most especially when we sit before the Lord in the Blessed Sacrament in silence, not only will we hear the Lord speak to us in our hearts, but we slowly become transformed….The Eucharist can change the world! - That means it can change us!!!!……All the “noise” we experience today - On Social Media - In Politics - In the main stream news…All the “promises” of proposed “change”…If these activities and voices do not have God at their center - They will amount to NOTHING….It is very easy to get “caught up” in these distractions - And that is why the devil puts them in front of us!….As Catholics we must “put on the armor of God” - We do that by living in the state of grace….We also must pray daily and make time to sit in silence…This is how we “navigate” through the “noise” of this corrupt world…..Without grace, we will not see and hear God - And without God’s grace, we will surely “fall into the traps” set before us by the devil…And the devil is MUCH smarter than YOU are!…He knows all your weaknesses….And the more YOU “think” you cannot be fooled - The easier it is to be fooled…..“Can a blind person guide a blind person? Will not both fall into a pit?”…All over the world and all over the mainstream news we see this occurring - “The blind leading the blind” - Where does it all lead and when will this end?….It ends when we take the time and sit in silence - And “listen” to the voice of God….God will NEVER be found in “nose” - The devil knows this and that is why there is so much “noise” all around us

“I will hear what God proclaims; the LORD — for he proclaims peace”

Each baptized Catholic is called to live in the state of grace…How do we do this?…The saints tell us - By going to a Sacramental Confession frequently (once a month) and by receiving the Blessed Sacrament once a week at Holy Mass…Easy right!……Everything we do requires grace and only God can give us this grace….This is why Jesus established a Church…..If we study the lives of the saints…Certain patterns can be observed…One of those patterns is how many saints would sit before the Blessed Sacrament each day for one hour in silence…This is what Mother Teresa had to say about making a Holy Hour each day…"When the Sisters are exhausted, up to their eyes in work; when all seems to go awry, they spend an hour in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament. This practice has never failed to bear fruit: they experience peace and strength”…While most of us cannot make a Holy Hour each day….We can find the time to make one each week…This is what my wife and I do - And we are VERY busy people - We have five children under twelve years old and we still “find the time” to make a Holy Hour each week….Each Saturday and Sunday, in the morning before the day gets moving, we both sit before the Blessed Sacrament for thirty minutes each…My wife goes first and I watch the children and when she comes home, I go and sit for thirty minutes…Over time, my youngest son Gerard has requested to go with me - How I am certain when Jesus sees Gerard, who is six years old in the Adoration Chapel - How happy Jesus must be in heaven!!!…..The practice of spending time before the Blessed Sacrament is what I call a “saint maker” because many of the saints utilized this practice in their life - And look at what God accomplished through these men and women!!!!……When we sit before Our Lord, when He is exposed in the Blessed Sacrament before our very eyes, God radiates his goodness upon us….We feel his peace - The peace in an Adoration Chapel is tangible!….Take the time - Make the time

“Kindness and truth shall meet; justice and peace shall kiss. Truth shall spring out of the earth, and justice shall look down from heaven”

Today at Mass we are told that God is not found in “noise” but in silence….What are you going to do with this information imparted to you?…..If we “pay attention” to the readings at Mass - We will grow in wisdom and in holiness….God is constantly instructing us - Do we hear him?….And in order to “hear” God requires silence…But as we all know - To create silent time takes effort….God does not “magically” come into our life - We must “make room” for him…And if we take some time each week and sit before the Blessed Sacrament - God will “speak” to you in the silence, in a “language” that only you can understand….Once again, this is what Mother Teresa had to say about the practice of Eucharist Adoration….”Be careful of all that can block that personal contact with the living Jesus. The Devil may try to use the hurts of life, and sometimes our own mistakes—to make you feel it is impossible that Jesus really loves you, is really cleaving to you. This is a danger for all of us. And so sad, because it is completely opposite of what Jesus is really wanting, waiting to tell you. Not only that He loves you, but even more—He longs for you. He misses you when you don’t come close. He thirsts for you. He loves you always, even when you don’t feel worthy. When not accepted by others, even by yourself sometimes—He is the one who always accepts you. My children, you don’t have to be different for Jesus to love you. Only believe—you are precious to Him. Bring all you are suffering to His feet only open your heart to be loved by Him as you are. He will do the rest”……In order to hear “a whisper” - There must be silence….JMJ

"He who laughs last, laughs best”

Today at Holy Mass in the Gospel of St Matthew, the disciples of Jesus are unable to help a young man who was tormented by a demon…..”I brought him to your disciples, but they could not cure him”…Jesus then “steps in” and cures the man…The disciples inquire why they could not drive out the demon and Jesus addresses their concern…”He said to them, “Because of your little faith. Amen, I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you”……Do you believe this? - That if you have faith, “nothing will be impossible for you”?…Clearly all human beings have natural and material limitations…Intellectually - Physically - Financially….And sadly the world defines us by those limitations - God however does not!…And because the world looks at us through the lens of these limitations, most people “buy in” and “settle” for mediocrity…..This is exactly what the devil wants us to do!…….With God all things are possible!!!!!…..Did you know that an American Franciscan cloistered nun (Mother Angelica) founded a global Catholic media network (EWTN)?……She had no experience in the media either…..This is what Mother Angelica had to say about what God accomplished through her…."Unless you are willing to do the ridiculous, God will not do the miraculous”…This is the difference between the saints and those who “settle” for mediocrity…The saints KNOW God can do more with their lives then they can!!! - The saints are honest with themselves about their human limitations but they KNOW God has NO limitations and they put their entire trust in God and not in themselves….What else do the saints do? - They are willing to attempt the impossible and this usually results in people thinking they are “crazy”…To be a “fool for Christ” is a requirement to accomplish the impossible!…..How can a cloistered nun from Ohio, with no media experience establish a Global Media Empire?…..Even the very idea is ridiculous!!!!! - But it happened…Catholics have to start “thinking” BIG!…..Our God is the God of the impossible and if we radically trust him and surrender our will - God will use us to do the impossible too!

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

Eight years ago, at the request of a priest, my brother in law and I started a podcast….We had no experience and no understanding of the technical equipment that such an endeavor would require…Like all things we started small - Live Streaming on Facebook in my basement every Sunday night…The podcast began to grow - And the miraculous began to happen!…..A man who lived in Canada saw us on FaceBook and was so impressed that he drove to New Jersey to meet us…That man for the past six years produces our weekly show and provided all the technical expertise, which we did not have….Now we needed money for equipment - So we did a crowd funding and raised close to three thousand dollars to buy equipment - We did not have to use “one cent” of our own money!…..And only after two years of recording in my basement every Sunday night, we were introduced to a man who founded a Catholic radio station, which steams content across Connecticut, Long Island and Westchester County New York….That man asked us to host an interview show for the station, which he founded….We have been on the radio now for over five years and the show is growing and growing…..How did that happen?!!? - My brother in law and I have no media experience!….When I was a child growing up in New Jersey, if you told me that one day I would be co-hosting a radio show in the New York Metropolitan Area, I would have told you that you were crazy!…But guess what? - It happened! - And the show is getting bigger and bigger with each passing year…Only God knows what is next!….This is just one example of what God can do when you radically trust him and dare to do the impossible!….Father Benedict Groeschel, a very holy priest from Jersey City New Jersey, who one day I believe will be declared a saint by the Church once said….”When God gives you a vision, He isn't looking at your bank account”……Daring to do the impossible requires the courage to do the ridiculous!…And only those who are “fools” in the eyes of the world become saints….Do not be afraid to be a “holy fool” - Because these are the people who change the world!

“For the vision still has its time, presses on to fulfillment, and will not disappoint; If it delays, wait for it, it will surely come, it will not be late. The rash man has no integrity; but the just man, because of his faith, shall live”

Today in the Gospel we are told by Jesus that if we have faith - “Nothing will be impossible for you”…Do not allow the unbelieving world to discourage you!….God the Father created the world from NOTHING and his son Jesus Christ conquered death on the cross! - Amazing!!!!!……Each and every Baptized Catholic, if we only trusted that God can do more with our life then we can would set the world on fire!…..Instead, most people “play it safe” - And nothing gets done!…..Did Jesus “play it safe”? - Did the twelve apostles “play it safe”?…..No one who accomplishes anything significant in this world “plays it safe” - Remember that……Dare to do the ridiculous and God will do the miraculous!……This is the path to a holy life...…Have the courage to allow the secular world to call you a fool…..Be a “fool for Christ” and don’t look back!……There is an old saying in America…."Better the last smile than the first laughter”……."He who laughs last, laughs best”….JMJ

And people know when they see it!

Today at Holy Mass we hear in the Gospel of St Matthew how we are to journey to heaven…..That the way to heaven is to “die to our self”…..Is this what we see in society today?…..This idea of how we are to live as Christians and how we get to heaven has been twisted and manipulated….St Matthew today tells us….“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. What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life? Or what can one give in exchange for his life? For the Son of Man will come with his angels in his Father’s glory, and then he will repay each according to his conduct”…….Do we take Jesus at his word?!?…Because if we did, clearly we would live differently - Right?!?….As Catholics, we hear the words of Christ at Mass read to us and his words are VERY challenging - Do we take these words seriously?!? - Because we should!…..The path to heaven is “giving yourself away” - That is the only path to heaven…Most people do this in the married state….Sacrificial love is the mark of a Catholic….And when the secular world witnesses a Catholic living sacrificially radically for others - Then and only then will “the crowd” take us seriously….Professing a belief in Christ means very little to the unbelieving world if we do not strive to die to our self each day…..Jesus today in the Gospel tells us this VERY clearly…..For the Holy Spirit to animate our life, we MUST make room for it….And if we are “full of our self”, God cannot form us into the people we were born to be…..Having a prayer life is vital - Living a Sacramental life is vital…But actively striving to die to your self each day is vital too!!!….When we do all three of these things - Pray daily - Live Sacramentally - And love sacrificially…Its is then that we will set the world on fire!…This is the path to sanctity and if we want to enter into eternal life…That is the only path we must walk.

“Amen, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his Kingdom”

For love to be real - It must cost us…This is what Mother Teresa would say and anyone who as ever really loved someone knows this is a true statement…Talk to any husband and wife who have children…..All the time spent - All the hard work to provide for the children…This is what love looks like…Love is much more than a “feeling” - Love at its essence is an action!…..As Catholics, if we do not witness this “kind of love”…No one will listen to our words!…It does not matter what you have to say either - How “good” it sounds…Or how right you are….The secular world believes what it sees…And today Jesus tells us what we must do!…..Why was Mother Teresa’s impact so profound?…Because she radically loved the unloveable!….Her actions defied logic for most people!!!….Well - This is what we as Catholics must do today - Beginning with our family….A family that is open to life and has many children loves radically!!!…It tells the world, without saying one word - That “material things” mean nothing to me!!…My children are my wealth!!….How many today are living this way?…..This is why the unbelieving world does not take Catholics seriously in many ways….Trust me - When people see radical sacrificial love witnessed in real time - You do not need an advanced degree to understand what you are seeing…..All the arguments mean nothing! - All the “words” mean nothing! - Unless we as Catholics love sacrificially…..“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”…Jesus tells us this today - Do we take him seriously?

“What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life? Or what can one give in exchange for his life?”

Today in the Gospel at Mass - We are challenged….What is your response?…..Do we walk out of Mass and self evaluate how we are living up to this challenge?….A life well lived speaks volumes!…..Have we as Catholics in America become like “everyone else”?…..Was Jesus like “everyone else”? - Clearly he was not! - And nor should we be like “everyone else”…..The Catholic faith when it is lived out is rather shocking to others - The sight of an authentic Catholic “screams” of sacrificial love - Again, such a sight shocks people!….This is the only way to evangelize the world - Outside of that witness - No one cares! - Trust me - Just another bunch of “fancy” words to be ignored…But when those words are lived out - The world will stop and take notice - Some people may even be transformed..............….”Whoever wishes to save his life will lose it”…………..That is the entire Gospel in one sentence!……A person who “lives out” this sentence is a disciple of Jesus Christ - Such a person means business!……And people know when they see it!…..JMJ

Look to the East - The Kingdom of God is at hand

Today at Holy Mass the universal Church commemorates the Transfiguration of our Lord…Jesus was soon going to endure his passion and in the time that remained, he had to strengthen his men…..So he took Peter, James and John up a mountain and they saw with their own eyes as he truly was….In all his glory….Jesus did this to give his inner circle something to hold on to when times got hard - And they soon would get very hard! - Jesus was about to be brutally murdered….This vision of the Lord transfigured was to “drive” Peter, James and John - To help them to endure - To persevere - And to embrace the herculean task of spreading the gospel to the four corners of the world…..In the second reading today, Peter addresses the crowd telling them about what he saw and heard…..“This is my Son, my beloved, with whom I am well pleased” - We ourselves heard this voice come from heaven while we were with him on the holy mountain. Moreover, we possess the prophetic message that is altogether reliable. You will do well to be attentive to it, as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts”……..Christ will return!……Until that day, we must hold fast to the fullness of Truth……Notice how Jesus did not come to conquer the world, like a military general…He permitted the “weeds and the wheat” to grow together….St Peter acknowledges this reality by telling the crowd to be “attentive” to the “light” - That the world is a “dark place” and will remain a dark place - Only until Jesus returns will the world be fully renewed…That means we cannot “fix” the problems we see around us politically, with violence, or with science…The problems sadly will remain until Jesus returns…Its for us in the mean time to hold fast to the Truth!….To persevere - And to endure…..The world around us today is changing once again - Geopolitical forces are manipulating borders and attempting to manipulate cultures….These things have taken place for centuries and will continue to take place…Its for us to hold on to what we know is true!!!!…..“This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him”….There is only one answer - And that answer is Jesus Christ!….There is only one Church - The Catholic Church….And for those who remain - The Remnant - We must feed on the Flesh of Christ and drink his Blood in the state of grace….This is what will sustain us….The only way we will endure and remain until the end.

“Rise, and do not be afraid.” And when the disciples raised their eyes, they saw no one else but Jesus alone

There are moments in life that a person holds on to - That drives them - That motivates them to carry on….But moments like the ones I am describing are just that - Moments - They are not to last - We are to move on from them and use the memory of them to live our lives well……..The seven years I spent serving with Mother Teresa’s sisters primarily in New York and India formed me….Those years in essence were my “Transfiguration” moments…..In many ways those years formed me to be who God called me to be….A husband - A father of five children - And a Catechist of the Catholic Church….Over those years I saw many things, too many to note in this reflection, that almost “haunt me” to this very day….I was not called by God to stay permanently serving with the Missionaries of Charity - That was not my vocation - I was there to be formed - “To go forth” and take what I learned and apply it in the world around me……Allow me to share one of “those moments”……..During one of my visits to Kolkata, I served at a home for severely handicapped children….On that visit to India I was assisting a young boy named Bernard….Bernard was severely handicapped, both mentally and physically…Bernard and I got to become good friends…He had the biggest smile you could ever imagine and I would always make him laugh - His laugh was infectious!!!!…And when he would laugh - It brought me a tremendous amount of joy….I think of Bernard often - How truly innocent he was!!! -  His memory and his smile almost haunts me!!!!…..One day when I stand before the Lord after my death - I will see Bernard again, I am sure of this…And on that day, Bernard will help me - And our friendship will continue for all eternity…But for now - The memory of Bernard and many memories like it - Drive me forward!!!

“As they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, “Do not tell the vision to anyone until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.”

The Transfiguration is an important event during the three year ministry of Jesus Christ….Everything Jesus did had a purpose - To teach - To lead - And to give an example……Peter, James and John while Jesus was transfigured did not “get it”…..”Then Peter said to Jesus in reply, “Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud cast a shadow over them, then from the cloud came a voice that said,  “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” When the disciples heard this, they fell prostrate and were very much afraid”……Just as Jesus inner circle did not “get it” - There are many moments in our own life that we do not fully understand from the prospective and intent of God and how those moments were meant to sanctify us……God is constantly at work!….Salvation history is still playing out and each of us have a role in God’s plan….We must learn to trust God implicitly!!! - More so then we trust ourself….Just as St Peter instructed the crowd, the readings from Mass today instruct us....…”We possess the prophetic message that is altogether reliable. You will do well to be attentive to it, as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts”……..Look to the East - The Kingdom of God is at hand……..JMJ

”A light shines in the darkness and the darkness cannot overcome it”

Today at Holy Mass we hear in the first reading from the Prophet Jeremiah that although Israel was in ruins, a remnant will survive and carry on…And from that remnant, the people of God will thrive again…”The people that escaped the sword have found favor in the desert. As Israel comes forward to be given his rest, the LORD appears to him from afar: With age-old love I have loved you; so I have kept my mercy toward you. Again I will restore you, and you shall be rebuilt, O virgin Israel; Carrying your festive tambourines, you shall go forth dancing with the merrymakers. Again you shall plant vineyards on the mountains of Samaria; those who plant them shall enjoy the fruits. Yes, a day will come when the watchmen will call out on Mount Ephraim: “Rise up, let us go to Zion, to the LORD, our God.” For thus says the LORD: Shout with joy for Jacob, exult at the head of the nations; proclaim your praise and say: The LORD has delivered his people, the remnant of Israel”……Due to our sinful nature, mankind drifts from God in waves….The Old Testament is filled with stories of how Israel abandoned God, their society falls apart, a person is risen up by God and the people follow that chosen person and society begins anew once again…While this trend repeats itself in the Old Testament over and over again, it also repeats itself to this very day across the world….Even in the Catholic Church….God always rises up saints and it is through saints that the Church is renewed…….This is why there is nothing more important - No personal goal more pressing - No material achievement more impressive - Then to strive and to become a saint….God created each and every person to live a holy life and we all have everything we need to make that happen……St John tells us…..”A light shines in the darkness and the darkness cannot overcome it”…..Society is not renewed by science, politics, or business…Its renewed by saints……God did not leave his people orphans!!…From the wreckage of every society - A “remnant” carries “God’s light” forward!……Pope Benedict XVI spoke about this in 1969……”From the crisis of today the Church of tomorrow will emerge -- a Church that has lost much. She will become small and will have to start afresh more or less from the beginning. She will no longer be able to inhabit many of the edifices she built in prosperity. As the number of her adherents diminishes, so it will lose many of her social privileges. In contrast to an earlier age, it will be seen much more as a voluntary society, entered only by free decision……The real crisis has scarcely begun. We will have to count on terrific upheavals. But I am equally certain about what will remain at the end: not the Church of the political cult, which is dead already, but the Church of faith. It may well no longer be the dominant social power to the extent that she was until recently; but it will enjoy a fresh blossoming and be seen as man's home, where he will find life and hope beyond death”…Once again, a Prophet is risen up by God to address the wreckage of society (Pope Benedict XVI) and a remnant will emerge from the ashes of that wreckage……"Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And you shall renew the face of the earth”….From every broken promise and wrong turn mankind makes - God gathers up the shattered pieces and builds again.

“Hear the word of the LORD, O nations, proclaim it on distant isles, and say: He who scattered Israel, now gathers them together, he guards them as a shepherd his flock”

My great grandmother came from Southern Italy and raised a family in Newark, New Jersey….This woman was a devout Catholic and gave birth to seventeen children, of which twelve lived…..My mother told me she was constantly in church, a woman of GREAT faith - At the end of her life, she went blind but even that did not discourage her!….Her life clearly was not easy but my mother told me she had a wonderful sense of humor and was always joyful…..I never met my great grandmother but I and thankful I have her blood in my veins…..Why do I bring this story up?…..Because even after living a devout Catholic life, giving a tremendous witness, raising twelve children and even more grand-children! - Most of my mother’s family are no longer practicing Catholics…And the family has scattered and fragmented across New Jersey sadly……While most of my mother’s family are “catholic” in name - They clearly “lost something” and do not have the faith of my great grandmother, who gave birth to seventeen children raising them in poverty with a smile on her face!….The only one who has carried on the Catholic faith - To the best of my knowledge is me and my family - I am the “remnant”, which rose up from the ashes on my mother’s family….Now I have five children and a “new story” begins…..God is faithful, even when human beings are not - From the ashes of every ruined society - God renews what was lost…..”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. You will live in the land I gave to your ancestors; you will be my people, and I will be your God”……..Never for a minute doubt God’s fidelity to his people…We are his people and will carry on!

“The LORD shall ransom Jacob, he shall redeem him from the hand of his conqueror. Shouting, they shall mount the heights of Zion, they shall come streaming to the LORD’s blessings”

Today we are reminded in the first reading from Mass that God is faithful….Israel was in ruin but God spared a small group of people, the remnant, to carry on the faith and to rebuild the nation…The same thing will happen to America….America is destroying itself….We have turned our backs to God and the consequences of that decision should be clear to all who have “eyes to see”….But from the wreckage of what America used to be will come a remnant, which will rebuild society again…..Count on that!…..This is how God works and history often repeats itself…..America will not be “fixed” by political means - Nor will technology be the answer to our problems - Saints will rise up and show “the people” a way forward…And something new will begin again……There is nothing so “broken” that can not be “fixed” by God - God has done it before and he will do it again…..”A light shines in the darkness and the darkness cannot overcome it”…..JMJ

Ignoring reality does not change it

Today at Holy Mass in the Gospel of St Matthew Jesus is confronted by the Pharisees and scribes……They criticize him…..”Then his disciples approached and said to him, “Do you know that the Pharisees took offense when they heard what you said?” He said in reply,“Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted. Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. If a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit”……..God created the world and that means the world operates under the Natural Law…A person can deny the Natural Law all they want - Their denial does not and can not change it….And when we choose to ignore the Natural Law - There are consequences…..Jesus seems not to be bothered by the criticism of the Pharisees and scribes….Why? - First and foremost he loves them - But he also knows that their choice to reject God will be “uprooted”…..There is an old saying…”Rotten fruit falls from the tree on its own”……In time, bad choices catch up to us!….This again is the result of the Natural Law written on the hearts of every man….There is no need to seek revenge!…..Bad choices intimately result in bad consequences…This is why we MUST build a life on the one and only solid foundation there is - God - Who is the ”cornerstone”…..St Matthew educates us in this reality….“Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. But it did not collapse; it had been set solidly on rock. And everyone who listens to these words of mine but does not act on them will be like a fool who built his house on sand. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. And it collapsed and was completely ruined”….This is why every marriage MUST be build upon God…This why when Catholic religious orders adhere to “the vine” - They “bear fruit” and get tons of vocations…This is why the Catholic Church has endured the Roman Empire, the Nazi Regime, Communism, and will endure what it currently is being persecuted by in America - Secularism……The Natural Law ALWAYS wins the day - It cannot be defeated - Even if it is ignored, it still applies and the consequences of ignoring the Natural Law are VERY real….In time - “The rotten fruit falls from the tree on its own”

“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.”

In America since abortion was made legal in 1973, it is estimated that roughly 64 million children were murdered…Think about that number for a moment!!!!….Do we somehow think God does not “see” this?…..This reality, no matter what “we” think about it, is an abomination in the eyes of God…..The Sexual Revolution in America has done more harm than an atomic bomb!…..Family life has been fractured - Children grow up without fathers - Men and Women no longer even know how to have healthy relationships…..God gave human beings free will and we freely chose this “mess” we are living in right now…..Many people many read this and disagree…They may believe the Sexual Revolution was a good thing - That abortion is a woman’s right to “choose”…Again - We are free and God does not impose his will upon us - But the Natural Law applies to us whether we acknowledge it or not - And that is what is happening in America - Because of our “choices” - America is breaking apart from within…..When human beings ignore reality - There are consequences…This is what we see today in America - We have deluded ourselves into thinking we are “free” - When in fact we have become slaves to our own passions…Ignoring reality does not change it

The children of your servants shall abide, and their posterity shall continue in your presence, That the name of the LORD may be declared on Zion; and his praise, in Jerusalem, When the peoples gather together and the kingdoms, to serve the LORD.

Today in the Gospel when Jesus is verbally attacked by the Pharisees and scribes he does not seem to be concerned…..Why? - Because Jesus knows that “rotten fruit falls from the tree on its own in time”….How about us? - Do we react the same way when people criticize us harshly because our Catholic faith?…..Sometimes the best way to address mean-spirited criticism is to say nothing…..“Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted” - This is a stone cold fact!…..This is why we MUST build our life upon the only foundation that lasts - God - And when we build our life upon our Catholic faith, we are thinking “long-term”….This does not mean life will be perfect or even easy - But it does mean we will endure “the storm” - We are building something that will stand the test of time…..Ask yourself this question  - How has the Catholic Church for two thousand years outlasted every single one of its enemies who actively attempted to destroy the Church? - In many of these conflicts, violence was used - And yet, the Catholic Church is still standing today…Where is the Roman Empire? - Where is the Nazi Regime? - Where is Stalin?…….Think long and hard about trying to defeat what can not be defeated…You may find yourself fighting against God - And that is a battle you cannot win!!!!…….“Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. But it did not collapse; it had been set solidly on rock”……Ignoring reality does not change it….JMJ