And “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven!”

Today at Holy Mass we hear in St John’s Gospel that the debates between Jesus and the religious elite of his day are starting to escalated……”The Jews picked up rocks to stone Jesus. Jesus answered them, “I have shown you many good works from my Father. For which of these are you trying to stone me?”………Why would these men want to kill Jesus? - The answer - They refused to change - Jesus threatened their status and power and they would not tolerate that!……..How about us today? - Are we willing to change? - Are there “things” that we hold out to be more important than our Catholic faith? - Behaviors and ideologies we refuse to “put down”?……As Catholics if we live our faith as the Church clearly lays out - We will have enemies in this world - There is no getting around that reality - Are you “ok” with that?…..Do you have an enemies? - Because if you do not, maybe you are not living as God called you too - Think about it……This world does not and probably will not ever comport with an authentic Catholic world view…We are in a sense “strangers in a strange land”….Our job as Catholics is to “be in the world but not of it” - To be a witness - To show people the way forward by our life’s choices and example…..And in the process expect resistance and to some degree persecution…..How do I know this? - Jesus says so - “Remember the word I spoke to you, ‘No slave is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you”…And when this persecution comes - And it will - Do you accept it? - Do you rail against it? - Do you lash-out against it?…..The Prophet Isaiah tells us how Jesus accepted this persecution for speaking and living the Truth….”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”…….The Catholic Church extends a friendly hand to all - But the sadly reality is - Many will not take that “hand” and some will outright  “slap the hand away”….Our job is to remain steadfast - Anchored in Truth - Confident in the victory, which Christ won on the Cross - Propelled forward by love…..”Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you [falsely] because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven. Thus they persecuted the prophets who were before you”….Are you willing to “drink of the cup of suffering” which the Lord drank? - “No slave is greater than his master”

“In my distress I called upon the LORD and cried out to my God; From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry to him reached his ears”

In the end, the Truth always wins the day!…But before the Truth wins out - The Truth suffers….This is reality and if we are students of history, we can read how this trend repeats itself over and over again…..A few years ago a famous and outspoken priest in America was being persecuted…..Father John was not afraid to speak the Gospel Truth from the pulpit and the everyone seemed to attack him for it….Sadly, this persecution led Fr John to leave the priesthood……When I heard about Fr John leaving his ministry, I was very upset….At the time I was very active with the Missionaries of Charity in New York City and I told what happened to Fr John to a very old and holy nun - Sister Carmel…What she said to me I will always remember……”Fr John in the midst of his persecution should no longer try to defend himself - God will defend him”…Interesting!!!!……….As a man, this is a hard concept to embrace…Men want to “address” issues head on…..But what Sister Carmel said is true…If we are on the side of Truth - In time - God will ALWAYS defend us…We see this again in the life of the saints….Padre Pio during his ministry in Southern Italy, when the news spread about him having the stigmata, some people within the Church thought he was a fraud - And because of this, the Vatican investigated his stigmata - This investigation took ten years and during that time Padre Pio could not preside over the Mass publicly nor could he receive people in the Confessional…Padre Pio did not do anything wrong! - And over that ten years period - He greatly suffered because of his inability to preside over the Mass and hear the Confessions of his people - But he accepted “the cup” of suffering in obedience and in time, the Vatican ruled in his favor….God defended him!….What should that tell us when we live and speak the fullness of Truth in the public square? - God will defend us too!

“My God, my rock of refuge, my shield, the horn of my salvation, my stronghold!”

When we read today’s Gospel from Mass we can easily think that persecution was just reserved for Jesus…That somehow we will not experience any forms of persecution today as Catholics living in the 21st Century….Sadly, times have not changed that much since the days Jesus walked the earth….To this day Catholics around the world are killed for their faith…And in America, even if we are not physically assaulted because of our Catholic faith, persecution takes different forms….We are rejected by some friends and family - We can be ostracized in our community - We many be limited in certain professional fields….We will be insulted privately and publicly - Thought to be “out of touch” with reality….Thought to be “crazy” for following what the Church teaches…..As American Catholics we must accept this as reality - Why? - Because it is reality!…….”Amen, amen, I say to you, no slave is greater than his master nor any messenger greater than the one who sent him”…..When Jesus was confronted by Pontius Pilate…..The exchange between these two men is very telling….Pontius Pilate asks Jesus - If he was a King?….The response Jesus gives to him should be the same response we should give to the world…….“My kingdom does not belong to this world”……So here is the question - Do you live as if your “Kingdom” is of this world? - Because if we do - We will “go along to get along” - And that is not the path that leads to eternal life nor is that the path of Jesus Christ…..So accept whatever persecution that comes as a result of your Catholic faith - And “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven!”…….JMJ

”Blessed are the pure of heart for they shall see God”

Today at Holy Mass Jesus is once again confronted by the religious leaders of his day….Let’s think about this conflict objectively for a moment…The religious leaders were the elite of society - They were highly respected and highly educated….And they are engaged in a  heated debate with an uneducated carpenter - “A Nobody!”…..Think about that for a moment!…..And the Carpenter says this to these elite men…..“If I glorify myself, my glory is worth nothing; but it is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say, ‘He is our God.’ You do not know him, but I know him. And if I should say that I do not know him, I would be like you a liar. But I do know him and I keep his word. Abraham your father rejoiced to see my day; he saw it and was glad”…..This carpenter is telling the religious elite in Jewish society - “You do NOT know who God is!”……That is a shocking statement to hear if you were in the crowd hearing this debate in real time….But it should also lead us to think about what Jesus said today……Do we really know who Gods is? - I mean really!…I state that outside of an academic sense because the Catholic Church contains the fullness of truth…I want to look deeper then just the academic understanding of who God is for the purposes of this reflection - Because to understand who God really is, we must evaluate our understanding from the stand point of the human heart - Because that is all that matters - The human heart!…When we stand before God and are judged at the end of our life, God will “weigh our heart”…..Many people today, both inside and outside the walls of the Catholic Church claim to know who God is - Again, from an academic standpoint, many of these people have “all the right answers” - But is their heart pure? - Is my heart pure?…..What is the condition of our heart?!!?…..If we listen to Catholic Social Media, which I am apart of as a co-host on a radio show in the New York City Metropolitan Area….Listen closely to what is said - And listen to how many things are said - The tone - Are these words reflective of God’s Sacred Heart?………In the Gospel of St Matthew, this idea is addressed….“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name? Did we not drive out demons in your name? Did we not do mighty deeds in your name? ’Then I will declare to them solemnly, ‘I never knew you”……We can boil down “who God is” in one word - Love…If our intentions and life’s example are not mirrors of Love - We are not “of God” - We are a mere shadow of “who God is”….Love is the measure and its the only measure that matters, both now and in the end!

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

The Universal Church proclaimed St Therese of Lisieux, the 19th century French Carmelite nun a Doctor of the Church….St Therese’s “Little Way” revolutionized the thinking of our Catholic faith in many ways….At the heart of what St Therese wrote was this idea…....Doing little things with great amounts of love……If you read the Diary of this young woman, you will find that Therese from the prospective of the world really did not do anything extraordinary…..But it was how she did - “The Little Things” - With her whole entire heart what made Therese extraordinary…..Her “Little Way” is how we know “who God is”…..The measure is not “what we do” - Its “how we do it” and if we do it with love…..That is how we know who God is!….When I was serving as the driver for Mother Teresa’s sisters in Manhattan before I was married, I arrived at their convent one Saturday afternoon….Three of the sisters were headed to a poor woman’s home as I was walking in the door….Sarah, the woman the sisters were going to visit was a poor old woman….The three sisters were going to spend the afternoon cleaning Sarah’s apartment and doing her laundry…..In all my years as a Catholic, that simple act of kindness blew me a way! - I will forever remember it - And if we step back and think about it - No one spoke about it on a Catholic Social Media - No one wrote a book about it - No attention was given to that simple kind gesture at all - But God saw it! - And what the Missionaries of Charity did for Sarah was done with great amounts of love…..People who understand - “Who God is” - Do things like what I just noted the Missionaries of Charity did for Sarah - Often those people are “invisible” to society at large and what they do does not garner any attention because “no one cares”…..So why do people do those “small things?” - Because they see God in their neighbor and they see God in their neighbor because they see God in the Blessed Sacrament…And in order to “see” in this manner - We must purify our heart…..Because true “sight” comes from a pure heart……And God sees our heart - We can not “fool” God…..So if we want to know “who God really is” - We as Catholics must work on purifying our heart….Then we will “see” and then what we do will be pleasing to God.

“Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever keeps my word will never see death”

Today at Mass St John tells us something we should think long and hard about - “Looks can be deceiving”…..The religious leaders of Jesus’ day made themselves out to be close to God - But their hearts were very far from God - And Jesus calls them out!…..”You do not know him”……..So how about us? - Do we know who God is?…..Now I am not talking about measuring how much you know “about God” - You can have “all the answers” and still fail the test!…..I am asking this question from the prospective of the human heart - Do you know who God really is?……The answer to that question is often found in the small gestures…In what we do with our time…..In how we spend our money…In the sacrifices we make…In how we use the gifts given to us in service to our family and the world around us…….Jesus tells us very clearly in the Gospel of St Matthew - “For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be”……The condition of our heart tells the world everything it needs to know……And if we want to know “who God is” - We have to get the “heart-part” of us right before we get the “head part”………”Blessed are the pure of heart for they shall see God”……..JMJ

That’s the goal - The only goal - To become a saint - Don’t miss the opportunity!

Today the Universal Church commemorates the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord….Mary’s YES was the seed of the Church….The YES of a peasant girl changed the world…..”Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word. ”Then the angel departed from her”……God works in and through small things and God also works right before our very eyes in the ordinary - Even to this day…And because we do not look for God in the ordinary most times - We miss him…..It could not get any more ordinary then Mary and Joseph…..Uneducated people - They were are common as common could get….But God used them - And animated their lives to such a degree that the Universal Church to this day holds these two individuals up as the greatest of all the saints…..What should this reality say to us?……Our “greatness” is not found in our achievements…..Americans, especially high achieving Americans have a difficult time comprehending this reality…….Our greatness is found in God and the person who empties himself the most allows God to fill them with his greatness - This is where our impact in the world springs forth from…..God cannot fill us with his very life when we are full of ourself!…And this is what Our Lady was able to do…Mary’s heart was the mirror image of Christ’s heart - It was perfectly pure…While we were no born immaculate as Mary was born - We to have the ability to give an unconditional YES to God - This YES begins the process of “emptying ourself”…As John the Baptist tells us - “I must decrease so He can increase”…..This is the blue print Catholics must follow…..And if we embrace this mindset - We will be lead down roads we never imagined possible! - As Mary was - “How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?” And the angel said to her in reply, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God. And behold, Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren; for nothing will be impossible for God”………….Its our reluctance to embrace the unknown that prevents our growth….What is required is blind trust in God…Its when we walk into the unknown, its there, we find our true self and with it we find eternal life……….Take God’s hand and do not look back!

“The Word of God became flesh and made his dwelling among us; and we saw his glory”

Do we put conditions on our YES to God?….There is the question……As Catholics our YES must be radical - Why? - Because Jesus Christ was radical - He did not “go along to get along”….This is how we are conditioned in America - “To go along to get along”…..This is not the path to eternal life nor will this road lead to “greatness”……………When I was in high school school and college I was a very popular person….One could say I was considered a “cool kid”…I had tons of friends, many of those friends were the most popular amongst our class…..And when I graduated from college, a particular road was laid out for me…And if I took that road - I most probably would be very rich right now…God had a different plan!…..At twenty-two years old, I had my first encounter with God…This encounter resulted from a low point in my life - I was in the process of “digging” myself out of this low point and because I was raised Catholic, I turned to my Catholic faith for help - In that decision, I discovered that God is real…..Each of us comes to this point in our life and when that happens, we have a decision to make - Do we change and pursue God at all costs or do we continue down the “go along to get along” road we were conditioned for as Americans?…….I choose God - And it was the best decision of my life…My YES to God  brought we all over the world - It lead me to my wife - It gave me five children - And God is not done with me yet!…All because I said YES to God and abandoned “the road” I was “supposed” to take as a “cool kid” living in the shadows of New York City…..As Catholics we must be courageous…..We cannot live like everyone else…..And God will give us this courage, if we make ourselves available to him………Catholics must “shed our skin” and walk to the road less traveled!…..God’s plan for our life is infinitely greater than our plan - Most people do not believe that - But for the select few who do - Greatness awaits!…..”“The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you”

“Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus”

The Annunciation, which the Church commemorates today shows us how God works…He takes what is ordinary and makes it extraordinary…….Each human life was created by God for greatness….Maybe not in the way the world defines greatness but if we recklessly abandon our “own plans”, pick up our cross and follow the carpenter from Nazareth, the road we walk upon will end in greatness…How can I say that with such certainty?…..Read the lives of the saints….The saints come to us from the four corners of the earth - Poor, Rich, Smart, Simple - While all the saints are different, they also share many things in common - The first being, their YES was unconditional to God - And because it was - They set the world on fire!…I believe when we stand before God at our individual judgment and God shows us all the good we have done as well as the bad - God will also show us what we could have done if we trusted him more…..As Catholics, our goal should be to live with no regrets! - To become the saints God called us to be - Because each of us were called to be saints and there is no goal in this life more important than that - To become a saint…..But before that happens - Our YES must be radical and unconditional....…”Burn the Boats!” - No Turning Back!…….Live radically and when our day of judgment comes, God will say these words to us…......”Well done good and faithful servant - Share in your masters joy”…..That’s the goal - The only goal - To become a saint - Don’t miss the opportunity!…..JMJ

God or Mammon - Which will it be?

Today at Holy Mass in the Gospel of St John we are told that Jesus once again has a heated exchange with the religious leaders of his day….The Pharisees are baffled by the words of Christ…..They were so convinced that they were right about everything……“I am going away and you will look for me, but you will die in your sin. Where I am going you cannot come”……We cannot save ourself and no man can forgive sins - This only God can do - And God himself gave this authority to the Catholic Church…..”Amen, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven”……This is why our eternal salvation is found in our Baptism and in the Catholic Church - Why? - Because human beings sin! - And only the Catholic Church has the authority given by Jesus himself to forgive sin - One mortal sin is all it takes for a person to lose eternal life and One Sacramental Confession takes away a life time of sin………Circling back to the Pharisees today in St John’s Gospel….Jesus tells them something very important - Why is it important? - Because what Jesus stated applies to this very day - Yet sadly is ignored by so many….”You belong to this world, but I do not belong to this world. That is why I told you that you will die in your sins”…There is no such thing as the “Prosperity Gospel” - One cannot “be of this world” and also belong to Christ - American Christianity in many ways embraces this false teaching of the “Prosperity Gospel”…..The Gospel of Jesus Christ contradicts the “ways of the world”!…Read the Beatitudes - Read the Sermon on the Mount - Do these proclamations sound like something that would be said around corporate board rooms or in the halls of power in governments around the world today? - ”Blessed are the meek” - Are you crazy!!!!!!………As Catholics, we have to be at peace with this reality  - That we are to be in the world but not of the world….To live as a Christian means we too will be a contradiction to those around us - If you are not - Maybe you have to reassess our commitment to Christ and his Church…….The Pharisees today were not willing to live in the manner Jesus spoke about - This is why Jesus told them - “You will die in your sin”…..The only way to heaven is through the Cross!….The only way to heaven is “to lose your life” in order to “gain life” - The only way to heaven is to live sacrificially!….That is the only way!….And those who live worldly lifestyles are not willing to do this - This is why they will die in their sins just as the Pharisees did.

“The seed is the word of God, Christ is the sower; all who come to him will live for ever”

Before Jesus entered Jerusalem, he fasted for forty days in the desert…During that time Jesus was tempted three times…..”Then the devil took him up to a very high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in their magnificence, and he said to him, “All these I shall give to you, if you will prostrate yourself and worship me.” At this, Jesus said to him, “Get away, Satan! It is written: ‘The Lord, your God, shall you worship and him alone shall you serve’ “………It is absolutely impossible to serve God and mammon (i.e. money)…Notice how the devil tempted Jesus - He offered him all the “good things of this world” - Look at our world today - Look at those in the ruling class who are the most gifted - What have they chosen to serve? - Is it God or mammon?……….The “good” things of this world are not sinful in and of themself - However, the good things of this world must be used to serve others and if we do not use them in this manner - They become idols, which replace God, whether we realize it or not…….Today in American elite circles…Those going to the best Universities - Those getting the best jobs…These individuals sadly many times are not having children….They have the resources to raise many children, but chose not too……….My wife graduated from an elite University in America…If she chose too - My wife could have been a very rich woman - Instead, my wife had five children in ten years - That was a choice! - This is a modern day example of what the Pharisees in St John’s Gospel would not do…The Pharisees, as Jesus put it - “Belonged to what is below” - Which means they were “of this world” and would not put aside their status in society to embrace the Christ - This is why they were “blind”  and “deaf” to the Truth………..My wife on the other hand did the exact opposite - She was given a great intellect and could have used her intellect to make a tremendous amount of money in the business world - Instead - She was open to life in our marriage and gave birth to five children……When you get right down to it - Each of us are tempted in a similar manner that Jesus was tempted, during his forty day fast in the desert….”Then the devil took him up to a very high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in their magnificence, and he said to him, “All these I shall give to you, if you will prostrate yourself and worship me”…Its for us to make a choice and don’t deceive your self - We cannot have it both ways - As many today believe we can - You can not serve God and mammon!

“The nations shall revere your name, O LORD, and all the kings of the earth your glory, When the LORD has rebuilt Zion and appeared in his glory; When he has regarded the prayer of the destitute, and not despised their prayer”

Today at Mass Jesus tells the elite of his society, who were convinced of their own righteousness, that they were on the wrong path - And as we all know - The Pharisees did not believe in what Jesus had to say…What prevented them from “hearing”? - The Pharisees liked the “good life” - They used religion to gain status and power in society and in doing so, they lost “sight” of God, even when the Son of God stood right before their eyes…This same thing can happen to us today….As Catholics, if we have been gifted with many things, those gifts are to be used to serve others - First in our family and second in the service of our neighbor…When we do this, our “eyes” open and we can “see” God for who he is…But if we hoard our gifts and do not share, our gifts prevent us from “seeing”…….We all want to live comfortable lives and what Jesus is telling us is - We can! - But in the mean time, we must learn to share…..No one ever became poor by sharing….The devil fools us in many different ways - Idols are created of many things - “All these I shall give to you, if you will prostrate yourself and worship me”…….The path of heaven is a narrow one - Don’t let anyone tell you different - Just as the Pharisees “missed out” - So can we just as easily today………God or Mammon - Which will it be?…..JMJ

God helps those who help themselves - Help yourself and go to Confession

Today at Holy Mass in the Gospel of St John we hear the story about the woman caught in adultery….We all have heard this story before….The woman is condemned to death and Jesus saves her life from an angry mob……“Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her”……Upon hearing this statement, the men who were about to stone the adulterous woman all walk away….Jesus then confronts the woman and tells her that he does not condemn her but then tells her to….”Go, and from now on do not sin any more”….Jesus clearly addresses the sin and asks the woman to address it as well - To change her life…..While we walk this earth, we all make mistakes - All of us - Even the best of us are sinners…..When you get right down to it - All Jesus really wants from us is our sins…And we as Catholics have been given an opportunity to give our sins to Christ through the Sacrament of Reconciliation…Its there that we are not only forgiven but given grace to overcome our sins……The Church must be clear, as Jesus was clear today in the Gospel…Sin causes death and sin destroys lives….The Church must clearly address the sins of our culture - While doing this - The Church must also make it crystal clear that the doors are always open for reconciliation with God…..Sacramental Confession must be made more accessible - One hour on Saturday each week is not enough!……In order to receive the benefits of divine grace, most especially when we receive Jesus at Mass in the Blessed Sacrament, which the Church requires the lay faithful to be in the state of grace - Catholics must confess their sins! - Is this what is happening? - Are the lines to the Confessional long? - If they are not they need to be!

“I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked man, says the Lord, but rather in his conversion, that he may live”

My office in New York City is relatively close to St Patrick’s Cathedral…For a while I would attend Mass at the Cathedral on Friday’s at noon….Before midday Mass, Confession was made available by a priest….I would often go to Confession before the Mass and I would also marvel at how long the confession line was…For as crazy as New York City is - The Confession line was always long and the people who were on that line ranged from businessmen, to blue-collar workers, to tourists, to even priests…When I saw this, I was always deeply edified and impressed….Where my family attends Sunday Mass, the late pastor Fr Stanley Kostrzomb would always make himself available for confession….And the lines were always long as well….This should tell us something - If the Church makes Confession available and preaches the importance of going to confession frequently from the pulpit, the lay-faithful will make frequent confession a practice once again…..In my humble opinion, this needs to happen…..As Catholics we have been given everything, sadly many are not utilizing all the gifts given to us by Jesus himself through the Church….Praying the Rosary everyday and going to Mass on Sunday is very important…But if we are not confessing our sins regularly, once a month as recommended by the saints, we are shortchanging ourselves!…..The doors of our soul must be open for grace to enter! - Frequent Sacramental Confession does just that - It opens the “flood-gates” of grace to enter our soul…Then when we pray the Rosary daily and attend Mass with our family on Sunday - The grace of God floods into our soul and animates our life…..It’s not “rocket-science”….Its time to get back to basics!

“Even though I walk in the dark valley I fear no evil; for you are at my side……Only goodness and kindness follow me all the days of my life; And I shall dwell in the house of the LORD for years to come”

Today in the Gospel from Mass Jesus addressed a mob who wanted to condemn a sinful woman…Jesus tells these men something very interesting….“Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her”…Keep in mind, the men who were condemning this adulterous woman were the “righteous” people of Jesus’ society….Yet Jesus  is “calling them out”….Even the righteous among us are sinners!…..What does that say about us today?….We all are in need of God’s mercy and forgiveness but if we do not ask for it - We do not receive it!….This is why the Catholic Church provides us with the opportunity to go to Confession….But if we as the Lay-Faithful do not utilize this gift - We will not receive God’s mercy and forgiveness….How many people today, this includes many Baptized Catholics take for granted God’s mercy?…..”God understands” - “I don’t have to tell my sins to a Priest”……We have all heard these statements before….And when I hear them I cringe! - Its a tragedy!…….Jesus Christ was sent by God the Father to forgive the sins of the world but we must cooperate with him in order for that mission to be accomplished…..How do we cooperate? - It begins with us individually going to Confession frequently….It begins with these words…”Bless me Father for I have sinned”….Again, its not rocket-science…….We all need God’s grace to overcome our sins and that grace is available to us when we live Sacramentally…..Without Sacramental grace - We remain in our sin and sin results in death…..God helps those who help themselves - Help yourself and go to Confession……JMJ 

“My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness”

Today at Holy Mass in the Gospel of John we hear a familiar story…The story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead…..Lazarus and his two sisters (Mary and Martha) lived in Judea….Jesus was just driven out of Judea under threats of him being killed…So when he decided to go back to Judea to perform the miracle of raising Lazarus from the dead, which this Gospel passage highlights, his disciples stated the following….”“Rabbi, the Jews were just trying to stone you, and you want to go back there?”…….Because the faith of the people was weak, Jesus was determined to go back into harms way, to perform a miracle, which in turn would strengthen the faith of those who had doubts about who he was……This is where St John’s account of this event gets interesting…St Thomas, the man who is remembered for doubting that Jesus rose from the dead…In the face of what seemed as certain death for Jesus and maybe even the disciples by going back to Judea and facing the angry mob says this……”So Thomas, called Didymus, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go to die with him.”……”Big words” indeed - But time proved those words to be very empty when “push came to shove” and Jesus was brutally murdered and the twelve disciples were considered outlaws - Thomas as we know not only abandoned Jesus at the cross but doubted he rose from the dead….Being a good judge of human nature…My bet is - Thomas was what we would call today a “tough guy”….He talked “big” as must “tough guys” do because strong men for the most part are very confident in themselves and in many of life’s situations they feel they are in complete control because they are “tough guys”….I have found in my own life experience that when events evolve into chaos - As many times they do - Its the “tough guys” who are the first to run…Why? - Because they are not used to not being in control and when they sense that something happens that is out of their control - They run!…This is what happened to Thomas…Thomas “talked a big game” because Thomas probably thought he was a “tough guy”….This is why many times its the meek and the weak who come through in the chaotic patches of life - Those who know they are weak always rely on the power of God - They are fully aware of their limitations - And when life spins out of control - Their commitment to trusting God holds fast - But the one who trusts in his own strength - At the sight of chaos - When they feel they have no control - They are the first to run!……..St Paul instructs us in reflecting upon this reality of the human condition…….“My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.” I will rather boast most gladly of my weaknesses, in order that the power of Christ may dwell with me. Therefore, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and constraints, for the sake of Christ; for when I am weak, then I am strong”…….Maybe this is why the only apostle who did not run away when Jesus hung on the cross was John….John was the youngest and probably the weakest - Yet John stayed firm until the end!……..”For when I am weak, then I am strong”

“But you are not in the flesh; on the contrary, you are in the spirit, if only the Spirit of God dwells in you”

Everyone in New York City remembers September 11th when the Trade Centers were hit by airplanes and came crashing down….I work in banking and was six city blocks away to this event as it happened in real time - I watched it up close and in person!….After the second plane hit the Trade Centers, I was working on the 32nd floor of my office building - I saw the plane hit and the flames of the blast - As this happened - My office building shook violently - Keep in mind I was on the 32nd floor of the building, so one could imagine that this event caused the people I worked with to be very concerned - Some begin to cry and panic….As this all unfolded, I ran to the elevator to get out of the building…In the elevator was by boss at the time…His name was Norm and he was a New York City Attorney…Norm made a lot of money and had a big job…While we were in the elevator - Norm was panicking….He even started to cry….I on the other hand was very common…And because Norm was so upset, I did my best to make him relax…..As I read the Gospel account of John today from Mass - How he describes St Thomas talking a “big game” - Only for Thomas in the end to fail Jesus and doubt he rose from the dead - As I reflected on Thomas the “tough guy” - I thought of my old boss Norm…Norm was a “big shot” lawyer…He made tons of money - But when Norm saw all his so-called power, in the face of the chaos of the Trade Centers collapsing could do him no good - Norm lost control……….What is the take-away here? - As Catholics, we must place our complete trust in God….No matter how much we “think” we are in control - The reality is - We have no control what-so-ever!…God is in control and if we trust him - He will give us peace the unbelieving world can not give - No mater what happens! - And when we are firmly grounded in God - We will also find strengthen that we did not realize we had….With God all things are possible!

“I trust in the LORD; my soul trusts in his word. More than sentinels wait for the dawn, let Israel wait for the LORD”

Today at mass we are told that an angry mob wanted to kill Jesus in Judea and as a result Jesus and the twelve apostles were driven out of Judea…But when Jesus heard his friend Lazarus in Judea needed him, he wanted to return, knowing he would face the blood thirsty crowd….St Thomas knew this too - And he immediately “talked a big game”…..“Let us also go to die with him”…..And we all know how things turned out for Thomas when “push came to shove” - When Jesus needed him the most - Thomas ran away - His “big words” turned out to be empty!……”But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nail-marks and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.” Now a week later his disciples were again inside and Thomas was with them. Jesus came, although the doors were locked, and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you”….Jesus taught St Thomas a great lesson - And Thomas responded to that lesson - He learned to trust the Lord more then himself and all his many gifts - And as we know, Thomas did in the end give his life for Christ - And he traveled all the way to India to do it! - Further by land and sea then any of the other twelve apostles….St Thomas turned out to be a true “tough guy” but that did not happen until he learned the lesson of St Paul……“My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness”……..JMJ

Choices have consequence - Choose well

Today at Holy Mass we hear in the Gospel of John that the mob is forming around Jesus!….Jesus has threatened the power base of his society and they are not having it!….And because of the elite of Jesus’ day focused their life choices on power and status, they are unable to “hear” the words of Jesus…God is standing right in front of them and they cannot “see” and “hear” him!…..We see similar events like this play out today….Truth is spoken and when it challenges those who refuse to put down the idols of power and status, they lash-out….We see this in our communities, in our work places and in our politics……..”Some in the crowd who heard these words of Jesus said, "This is truly the Prophet." Others said, "This is the Christ." But others said, "The Christ will not come from Galilee, will he? Does not Scripture say that the Christ will be of David's family and come from Bethlehem, the village where David lived?" So a division occurred in the crowd because of him. Some of them even wanted to arrest him, but no one laid hands on him. So the guards went to the chief priests and Pharisees, who asked them, "Why did you not bring him?" The guards answered, "Never before has anyone spoken like this man." So the Pharisees answered them, "Have you also been deceived? Have any of the authorities or the Pharisees believed in him? But this crowd, which does not know the law, is accursed." Nicodemus, one of their members who had come to him earlier, said to them,  "Does our law condemn a man before it first hears him and finds out what he is doing?" They answered and said to him, "You are not from Galilee also, are you? Look and see that no prophet arises from Galilee”…………Human beings have not changed too much since the time of Jesus Christ……Mankind would rather live a lie then embrace life giving Truth…..We cannot claim to “believe” in God if we do not embrace the Truth in all it fullness - This is a great disconnect, which plays out in our American society……”I believe in abortion - But I also believe in God”…”I believe in same sex marriage - But I also believe in God”……I believe in euthanasia - But I also believe in God”……To make such statements and to convince yourself that somehow you are on the side of God while you actively work against God is not only a delusion but a recipe for disaster…..Jesus Christ said he was the Truth - Not the custom….And while the Truth will set you free - The Truth also divides…It separates the “sheep from the goats”………“I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing! There is a baptism with which I must be baptized, and how great is my anguish until it is accomplished! Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division”…As it is today and how it was in the days that Christ walked the earth - The Truth divides!….We must make a choice and our life speaks of this choice….Are you a “sheep” or a “goat”? - One will live, the other will die - That is the way it is…Choose well - Choose life!

“Blessed are they who have kept the word with a generous heart and yield a harvest through perseverance”

Both inside and outside the walls of the Church, the battle for Truth rages on to this very day!……The Catholic Church is an extension of Jesus Christ and contains the fullness of Truth…In addition, everything the Church claims to be true is written down - So how can there be so much confusion?….Its all written down!!!…..Interestingly enough, when the Truth in all its fullness is proclaimed from the pulpit or for that matter spoken in the public squares of America - Many Catholics and Non-Catholics reject it, sometimes even violently……Why?…Because to embrace the Truth requires sacrifice…And people refuse to sacrifice anything…Jesus was very clear…..“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?”……When I got married to my wife, I was full committed to being open to life…The Catholic Church, as many know, does not permit the use of contraception and part of our wedding vows as Catholics is to be fully open to life….How many Catholic married couples embrace this teaching?…..When I got married, my wife and I were all in!…And as a result my wife gave birth to five children in ten years - We also lost three children as a result of miscarriages in those ten years…Its easy to say with words that we did this as a Catholic married couple but clearly there was a “price to pay”….My wife suffered physically, the financial burden involved in caring for five children…The daily sacrifices of time….The sleepless nights…….To live out what the Church requires of married couples costs!…..So here is the question - Are we willing to “pay the cost”?…….The Truth is so easy to repeat - So easy to read from a book - Its something all together different to live the Truth in real time….But reading about the Truth does not make a person a follower of Christ - To follow Christ we must live the Truth….All our daily choices - In everything we say and do should “scream” to the world around us that we are Catholic….If our life does not communicate that message - Then maybe we need to stop and think - Are we really following Jesus Christ?……Are we willing to “pay the price” of discipleship?

“O LORD, my God, in you I take refuge; save me from all my pursuers and rescue me, Lest I become like the lion's prey, to be torn to pieces, with no one to rescue me”

Today at Mass we hear in the Gospel that many of the power-brokers of Jesus’ day outright rejected him…..Keep in mind…Many of these men claimed to be “religious” - Yet God stood right before them and they could not “see” or “hear” him….This reality should serve as a warning to us today…..The Catholic Church proclaims the fullness of Truth….And God does not force us to believe in him - God simply proposes the Truth to us - Its up to us to accept the Truth…And if we fully accept the Truth - Our life will look differently from the crowd…Are we willing to “look differently” from the crowd?……Far too many Catholics “go along to get along” in our society…We look like everyone else and live like the pagan culture that is all around us - This needs to end!….Catholics must be willing to “pay the price” of living as a Catholic in the public square - Come “hell or high-water”….If we are not willing to “pick up our cross” - How can we possibly think we will spend eternal life with Christ in heaven?……..”Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven”……Choices have consequence - Choose well…….JMJ