Our Lord has just the right “hammer and chisel” for the job!

Today at Holy Mass in the first reading the Prophet Jeremiah addresses the nation of Israel, which was currently in ruin….He equates Israel to clay in a potters hand - Describing how the potter is able to “form” the clay into whatever shape he wants…..”Whenever the object of clay which he was making turned out badly in his hand, he tried again, making of the clay another object of whatever sort he pleased. Then the word of the LORD came to me: Can I not do to you, house of Israel, as this potter has done? says the LORD. Indeed, like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, house of Israel”……Each of us is like this “clay” that Jeremiah describes today - We need to be formed by God - To have a “teachable spirit”…..If we have such an open disposition to the Natural Law, the Ten Commandments and to the teachings of the Catholics Church - God will form us…But if we are rigid in our ways - Full of Pride - Refuse to admit our mistakes - Double down on bad choice….We in turn prolong the process of our formation…..Clay as a substance is easy to form - It is soft and in the hands of a skilled craftsmen can be formed into something very beautiful….Marble on the other hand is hard - It requires a hammer and a chisel to chip away rough edges for it to be formed….This example can be applied to mankind….We can choose to be like clay or we can choose to be like marble…God can work with both - But clay is much easier to form…Marble requires a hammer and chisel, which is a more violent process of forming the marble into something beautiful…So it is in the life of mankind and of nations……..We MUST strive to have a teachable spirit - Strive to be “clay” in the “hands of the master potter”…And he will form us into something beautiful.

“Put not your trust in princes, in the sons of men, in whom there is no salvation. When his spirit departs he returns to his earth; on that day his plans perish”

As a Father of five children, I tell my kids that making mistakes is apart of life - However, those who succeed in life - Learn from their mistakes…I tell my children this constantly!…..All of us make mistakes and sadly some of those mistakes carry with them serious consequences…But if we “own” the mistakes - Ask God to forgive us in the Sacrament of Reconciliation…We can improve as a person and grow in virtue…..Sometimes we need God’s grace to “overcome” our faults - More reason to ask God to Sacramentally forgive us…Its through the Sacraments that we are given grace to overcome our shortcomings and become the people we were born to be!….If you go to Confession with a Priest every month, as the saints recommend, you will find over time the weakness that plague you will slowly disappear….This is how we “change” - Through God’s grace!!!….This is also how God sanctifies us and prepares us to stand before him after we die…..This is why Jesus founded a Church - We ALL need Sacramental grace!!…We are ALL mere “clay” in the “hands of the potter”…And if we do not allow the “potter” to form us - The world, the flesh and the devil will form us…This is why we are called “practicing” Catholics - Because “practice” makes perfect!….Its far better to be “clay” than “marble”….”Clay” is so much easier to “work with”

“Open our heart, O Lord, to listen to the words of your Son”

Today the Prophet Jeremiah addresses the nation of Israel, which was in ruin…He instructs them that God can “fix” what is broken…The same is true today for America….Our nation and people have turned away from God and America is in ruin!….And there are no political solutions in sight…Only God can “fix” America…Here is the “good news” - God will fix America!!!!…Its just a matter of whether we choose to be “clay” or “marble” in the “hands of the Master Craftsman”…As we illustrated above in this reflection…Clay is easy to mold and form - Marble is hard and requires a hammer and chisel….The sooner our people realize that its better to be “clay” then “marble” - The sooner America will return to greatness…..The Prophet Ezekiel offers us hope……”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”…..It currently seems that America has chosen to be “marble” as opposed to being “clay” - God however is no stranger to working with “marble” - Our Lord has just the right “hammer and chisel” for the job!……..JMJ

The Truth is like a Lion, just let it loose and it will defend itself!

Today at Holy Mass we hear in the first reading how Jeremiah was persecuted because he proclaimed the Truth…Has anything changed?…..People do not want to hear it!!!!…Think about when St Stephen was martyred - All he did was speak the Truth…And this was the response of the people………….”When they heard this, they were infuriated, and they ground their teeth at him” - How can that be a person’s response when someone speaks the Truth!?!……St John gives us our answer……”And this is the verdict, that the light came into the world, but people preferred darkness to light, because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come toward the light, so that his works might not be exposed. But whoever lives the truth comes to the light, so that his works may be clearly seen as done in God”…….The word of God is deeply offensive to a person who lives a “worldly life”….To embrace the fullness of our Catholic faith means you will live in deep opposition to the “rulers of this world”…That is reality! - And that will never change until Jesus returns…..Does this reality stop you for speaking the Truth?…Today Jeremiah in the first reading from Mass complains to God - He is suffering and God addresses his complaints…..”If you repent, so that I restore you, in my presence you shall stand; If you bring forth the precious without the vile, you shall be my mouthpiece. Then it shall be they who turn to you, and you shall not turn to them; And I will make you toward this people a solid wall of brass. Though they fight against you, they shall not prevail, For I am with you, to deliver and rescue you, says the LORD. I will free you from the hand of the wicked, and rescue you from the grasp of the violent”……The Servant of God, Fr John Hardon would always say…….”A Catholic must know the Truth - Speak the Truth - Live the Truth - And be willing to suffer for the Truth”….This is reality once again!!! - Are you willing to do this?…..While trials and suffering come with being a practicing Catholic, if we live in the state of grace we too will become…”A solid wall of brass”….as God promised Jeremiah would become…….One man can stand against the entire world if that man is armed with the Truth - How do I know this? - Because this is exactly what Jesus Christ did….One man “stood up” against the enter world - And “that man” is still standing to this very day!

“Rescue me from my enemies, O my God; from my adversaries defend me. Rescue me from evildoers; from bloodthirsty men save me”

The Truth suffers but the Truth ALWAYS prevails in the end…Sometimes we forget this because we do not want to suffer….But suffering is apart of every human life and if we “offer up” our sufferings for the salvation of the world - Our suffering takes on meaning and purpose…..As Catholics we MUST be willing to suffer for living the Truth - Our witness will speak to the unbelieving world….My wife gave birth to five children by means of surgery…For those who do not know, a cesarean birth is a surgical delivery of a baby through incisions in the abdomen and uterus…….It is medically recommend in America that a woman only has three such surgeries because there is a very real threat that the uterus can rupture and cause serious harm to the woman - My wife had five of those surgeries, giving life to our children!!!!…These five surgeries were not easy and my wife suffered greatly but the last one was especially concerning…The hospital made us sign legal documents stating if something goes wrong during the fifth surgery, we can not seek a legal remedy…..And interestingly enough, our fifth child was born with no complications and my wife was perfectly fine - Thanks be to God!…..However, many people thought my wife and I were CRAZY to have a fifth child under the conditions I just described….Since when is having children CRAZY?!? - But this is “the world” we live in and to live as a Catholic, we must be willing to live differently - Even when “the world” “thinks” we are CRAZY!

“But I will sing of your strength and revel at dawn in your mercy; You have been my stronghold, my refuge in the day of distress”

A prophet is someone who speaks the Truth and we are told today that the Prophet Jeremiah was experiencing trouble because he was proclaiming the eternal Truth about God…There is some misconception amongst people today around what a “prophet” actually is - I state that because each and every Baptized Catholic is called to be a prophet…Our “job” as Catholics is to speak the Truth, no matter what the consequences are - Good or Bad - “In Season or Out of Season” - That makes you a Prophet!!!!…And when we do that, we surely will experience trouble as Jeremiah did…..Jesus warns us of this reality but do we take his warning to heart? - More importantly - Do we avoid speaking and living the Truth because we KNOW it will bring trials into our life?…Fr John Hardon was 100% correct!…..”A Catholic must know the Truth - Speak the Truth - Live the Truth - And be willing to suffer for the Truth”…And just as God comforted and defended Jeremiah, he will comfort and defend us!…The Truth is like a Lion, just let it loose and it will defend itself!……..JMJ

Rejecting the doctrine of the Church does not somehow “absolve” us of reality

Today at Holy Mass in the Gospel of St Matthew Jesus explains the Parable of the wheat and the weeds to his disciples…..In the description Jesus mentions two concepts which are completely over looked today….The devil and hell…..Do you believe that the devil exists?…Do you believe that there is a hell and people go there?…..If you ask people today, most do not give these two realities a second thought - That goes for many Catholics as well…..Think about this for a moment - If Jesus came to save mankind - What is he saving us from?….The driving reason people today do not think about the reality of the devil and the possibility of going to hell is, there is no longer a concept of sin, which is commonly accept among the American people…Today we hear people say - “You do You” - That “idea” is a recipe for disaster!!!!…..Objective mortal sin is a reality and WE do not get to define it - God does…The Natural Law is written on every human heart and when we turn from the Natural Law, whether we chose to ignore it or not - There are severe consequences…..Jesus today in the Gospel very clearly tells his disciples that there will come a time when the “weeds” will be separated from the “wheat”……And by what standard will this “separation” be determined? - The answer to that question is - Not by human standards…..There is a steep cost to pay when a person ignores reality…..And to ignore the reality that there is a devil - And that the devil seeks to “trick” us into thinking that he does not exist - That the devil is trying to “trick” us into thinking there is no such thing as sin - That the devil is trying to convince us that everyone goes to heaven and there is no one in hell…..Every single one of those “tricks” is a lie!!!…How do I know this? - Jesus tells us so today in the Gospel of St Matthew….."He who sows good seed is the Son of Man, the field is the world, the good seed the children of the Kingdom. The weeds are the children of the Evil One, and the enemy who sows them is the Devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels. Just as weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his Kingdom all who cause others to sin and all evildoers. They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the Kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears ought to hear”……We do not get to define reality - God is the creator of heaven and earth and God makes the “rules” - Its for us to abide by them!

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

Recently I attended a Catholic funeral for a friend’s father….My childhood friend stated that his father, “Lived his life on his terms”…..How can a person live and die as a practicing Catholic and - “Live on their terms”…Please keep in mind, my friend is a highly educated man, which leads me to conclude that the large majority of American Catholics simply do not know their faith - They have no clue what the Church teaches or they simply are deluding themselves though self rationalizations…..The Church is VERY clear as far as what it teaches - Are we aware of it? - Have we been taught it in school? - Do we teach what the Church proclaims to be true to our children?……How can a people live as Catholics when they have “no clue” what the Church actually teaches?……This is a very serious problem that MUST be addressed directly…People do not “magically” have a good life just as people do not “magically” float into heaven…Jesus is VERY clear and so is the Catholic Church as to what we must do and how we must live in order to enter into eternal life…..And “living on our own terms” is NOT the way to heaven!…..”Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it”…..How can we possibly be “confused” by that statement?!?

“Help us, O God our savior, because of the glory of your name; Deliver us and pardon our sins for your name's sake”

Today Jesus addresses a concept that is often not spoken about - The possibility that some will not enter into eternal life…Recently I read a book about the existence of Hell by Monsignor Charles Pope…In the book Msgr. Charles tells the reader that twenty-one of the thirty-eight parables taught by Jesus Christ deal this this theme of heaven and hell - Yet - We “seem” put this idea out of our mind…..In the book of Proverbs we are told that - "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom”…..To ignore reality does not change it…..God respects our freedom but in choosing the things of the world over the things of God does not somehow “give us a free pass”…..God is our loving Father and he has given us everything we need to walk the narrow road to heaven - Are we utilizing those gifts?…..Make no mistake about it - Just as heaven exists, so does hell and people go to hell, just as people go to heaven….Rejecting the doctrine of the Church does not somehow “absolve” us of reality….JMJ

Give your consent - Realize your potential - And set the world on fire!

Today at Holy Mass in the Gospel of St Matthew Jesus compares the Kingdom of Heaven to a mustard seed that is sown in a field…..”It is the smallest of all the seeds, yet when full-grown it is the largest of plants. It becomes a large bush, and the ‘birds of the sky come and dwell in its branches”….Within each Baptized Catholic is this “seed”….But like all seeds, we must nurture it for it to grow - And if we do not, it will bear no fruit……If one was to step back and objectively ponder the life of Jesus Christ and what he accomplished - It literally will blow your mind…An uneducated carpenter, who lived in a far corner of the Middle East two thousand years ago - This man preached for just three years and was then brutally murdered….After his death, he made such a deep impression upon twelve other uneducated men that they formed a global Church…Now again, step back and think about this - How could that have possibly happened if Jesus was not God….If that historic reality does not point to God - I do not know what does….Think about how global corporations are founded - Think about how many highly educated men and women are involved in establishing this corporations…And most of them, even the most successful of the companies - They do not even last one hundred years….And in the case of Jesus - A man who had no formal education - Who surrounded himself with other uneducated men - He forms a Church that has lasted two thousand years and has spread all over the world….If that does not “blow your mind” - I do not know what will……The parable of the mustard seed is also the story of the Catholic Church - The “seed” was Jesus…..How does this apply to us today? - Well, we were grafted into the life of Christ when we were Baptized…That means if we give God permission and “make room” for the Holy Spirit to animate our life - We too will shake the foundations of the world…What prevents us for this reality? - FEAR!!!….We are afraid, so we “settle” for mediocrity…..Think for a moment about the lives of the saints…The only difference between us and them is - They radically trusted the words of Christ - They took Jesus at his word and lived their lives through those words......The saints radically abandoned their dreams…And look at what happened…Look at the impact of the life St Francis - St Dominic - Mother Teresa…..All these people were in essence “mustard seeds”….And look what happened as a result of their radical trust in the words of Jesus Christ…..I believe when we stand before God, he will show us what we could have done if we trusted him more….Each of us, due to our Baptism has so much potential - Its about time we “tap” into that potential - And shake the foundations of the world!

“The Father willed to give us birth by the word of truth that we may be a kind of first-fruits of his creatures”

When I returned home from college at twenty-two years old, I decided to live my life as a practicing Catholic - To take my faith seriously….And that decision proceeded over the years to guide every decision I made since….And because I said YES to God…Many good things happened…For one I met my wife, who also shared in my Catholic faith….Once we were married we had five children in ten years because we were both open to life and fully believe what the Catholic Church teaches about not using contraception…If I did not make that decision at twenty-two years old - I surely would not be married to my wife nor would I have five beautiful children today….I could go on and on….I am now fifty-six years old…And all the “good things” in my life grew from that one decision I made over thirty years ago - To live as a practicing Catholic…That decision was the “mustard seed”….which “is the smallest of all the seeds, yet when full-grown it is the largest of plants. It becomes a large bush, and the ‘birds of the sky come and dwell in its branches”……”My story” is not finished either!….God continues to form and sanctify my life….The greatest “adventure” one can have is to radically commit one’s life to God….God has taken me all over the world and now I find myself on the radio co-hosting a Catholic radio show…What is next? - Only God knows - But in the meantime I have placed my complete trust in him…..He has taken the “smallest of seeds” and grown it into “the largest of plants” once again!…That “seed” was me!!!!

“The Kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed with three measures of wheat flour until the whole batch was leavened”

Today Jesus teaches us about just how much potential each and every Baptized Catholic has….When we study the lives of the saints, we learn that they were all very different…Some were brilliant - Some were simple minded - Some were rich - Some were poor…But even with all their differences, they all shared one thing in common - Radical Trust in God…..People today do not take Jesus at his word!!!!…If we only did - We would set the world on fire!…..Every Baptized Catholic is in essence a “mustard seed” waiting to grow into a massive tree!!! - What stops us from growing into that “tree”?….Maybe we are not convinced that God can do more with our life then we can - So we “settle” for mediocrity…….DO NOT SETTLE…….We were not born to be comfortable - We were born for greatness…There are no “mediocre” people in heaven and each person who is admitted into heaven was at one time a “small seed”, which over time grew into the “largest of plants”…..This “growth” begins with a commitment - Giving God consent to work in our life…..Never forget - One YES changed the entire world……”Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word”…..Don’t think for one second that your YES will not have an impact…Give your consent - Realize your potential - And set the world on fire!…..JMJ

You have no life within you unless you eat the Flesh of the Son of Man!

Today at Holy Mass we hear in the first reading from the Book of Kings how Solomon asked God for wisdom as opposed to having a long life or acquiring wealth….."Because you have asked for this— not for a long life for yourself, nor for riches, nor for the life of your enemies, but for understanding so that you may know what is right—I do as you requested. I give you a heart so wise and understanding that there has never been anyone like you up to now, and after you there will come no one to equal you”…….If God asked you to wish for something - What would it be?……When a person lives in the State of Grace, the Holy Spirit animates their life….When a person lives in that reality, we are given by God seven gifts: wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord…….These gifts make for a good life - Now that does not mean you will be rich but it does mean you will make good choices, empowered by the Holy Spirit to live out those good choices - And that makes for a good and fruitful life!….How many people today make poor choices? - Even highly intelligent people - They marry the wrong people - They spend their money on ridiculous things - They acquire vices…..All because they are not animated by the Holy Spirit…….We are warned by St Matthew, what we see in “real time” today, right before our very eyes - “If a blind person leads a blind person, both will fall into a pit”…Look at our politicians? - Look at the ruling class in our society? - Look at the heads of industry? - Look at far too many familles?….Are their choices animated by the Holy Spirit? - That is why what they “build” does not last

“The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls. When he finds a pearl of great price, he goes and sells all that he has and buys it”

There is what I call - “An art to living”….This “art” is NOT what is advertised by Hollywood and Corporate America either….I was fortunate to have witnessed this “art” by my parents, who were simple people that built a 50 year stable and fruitful marriage……This “art” today is completely lost and needs desperately to be recovered!…..In America we no longer know how to live!!!!….We chase after material things we cannot afford and acquire them by going into debt - Living in debt is slavery!!!!…..We project an image of our self on social media that has nothing to do with God…..We evaluate ourself based upon the shifting standards of a Godless world, which leaves us empty……We no longer value marriage, children or anything which requires sacrifice…..These reasons and more have left far too many Americans lost and alone - Clinical depression, suicide, and substance abuse are the result…..Why? - Because we no longer know how to live!…..This “art of living”, which I am describing can only be found by a life lived in and through the Holy Spirit…This requires living Sacramentally…..How many Baptized Catholics go to confession regularly?…How many Baptized Catholics receive the Blessed Sacrament on Sunday in the state of grace?…If the majority of Baptized Catholics are not living in the state of grace - How can they possibly live a good life and make good decisions? - Again, the words of St Matthew come to mind - “If a blind person leads a blind person, both will fall into a pit”…..America needs to stop “chasing” lies and start focusing on the fundaments - What I call “First Principals”…When we put God first, everything else in our life falls into place….We are assured of this by Jesus…”Seek first the kingdom [of God] and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you besides”…Its because we no long prioritize the “things of heaven” that America and Americans are lost.

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls. When he finds a pearl of great price, he goes and sells all that he has and buys it"

Today we are told about the importance of wisdom - How King Solomon asked God for wisdom so he could rule his people well….Is this what you see in our ruling class today in America? - When we build our life upon God, our life bears lasting fruit…Conversely, when we build our life on the “shifting sands” of this world - Eventually, everything collapses…..America must re-learn what it means to “live well”…..And that will NEVER happen unless we “invite” God back into our society…..St John in his Gospel tells us very clearly what Jesus told him and the first disciples - “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you”…..How can we as a people possibly “live well” when we no long live Sacramentally?!?….Notice again what St John wrote…..”You do not have life within you”……Every human being was meant to live Sacramentally - How do I know that? - Because Jesus said so - You have no life within you unless you eat the Flesh of the Son of Man!…….JMJ

"Where sin abounds, grace abounds all the more”

Today at Holy Mass in the first reading St Paul in his letter to the Corinthians warns them….”We hold this treasure in earthen vessels”……Paul knows who he is - A sinner!…..He also knows who God is and just how powerful God is….Why is it important to KNOW that we are ALL sinners? - Because when we forget this reality…The devil creeps into our life - The devil can convince us that all the good we do came from ourselves - God was not the primary driver of that good - When this happens - God slowly is put in the “back seat” - This can happen to ANYONE - And St Paul knows it - Yes - The Great St Paul is telling us this - Are we listening?!?……”Brothers and sisters: We hold this treasure in earthen vessels, that the surpassing power may be of God and not from us. We are afflicted in every way, but not constrained; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our body. For we who live are constantly being given up to death for the sake of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may be manifested in our mortal flesh”……The devil does not come into the “front door” of our life announcing who he is - The devil finds “the cracks” in our life and “slides” in when no one even realizes it…..This is why we must ALWAYS live in the state of grace as a Catholic…Any person who is NOT in the state of grace - Its does not matter who you are - How “smart” you “think” you are - How “holy” you “think” you are - The devil is real and can take you out!…..St Paul tells us how we fight this battle, which is in reality the battle for our eternal soul……”For our struggle is not with flesh and blood but with the principalities, with the powers, with the world rulers of this present darkness, with the evil spirits in the heavens. Therefore, put on the armor of God, that you may be able to resist on the evil day and, having done everything, to hold your ground. So stand fast with your loins girded in truth, clothed with righteousness as a breastplate, and your feet shod in readiness for the gospel of peace. In all circumstances, hold faith as a shield, to quench all [the] flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God”…….How do we put on this “armor” St Paul speaks of?……Pray the Rosary everyday - Go to a Sacramental Confession once every month - Go to Mass and consume the Blessed Sacrament every Sunday….This is something EVERY person can do no matter what state in life you are called to…These three practices cost nothing - They are FREE OF CHARGE…And they will save your soul…..Any person who “thinks” they can self-manufacture a holy life and travel the narrow road to eternal life without those three practices I just noted - In my humble opinion is making a HUGE mistake…Why would I make such a bold claim? - Because “the spirit is willing and the flesh is WEAK”…..Those who have ears - Let them hear!

“I chose you from the world, to go and bear fruit that will last, says the Lord”

How does a person “fall from grace”? - A good question - This happens gradually but it happens….This is why we MUST remain vigilant and NEVER trust solely in “earthen vessels” but put our trust in God…..As Catholics we all know what happened in the 20th century with regard to the crisis of the priesthood, where priests sexually violated young boys in many countries around the world….If we were to step back and think about this objectively - One would say - How could this happen?!?…..One thing I can say with certainty - I would bet those predator priests stopped going to confession - I bet those predator priests were not praying the Rosary daily…..That is what happened!!! - And then the devil gradually crept in!…..Bishop Hugh Doyle famously said, “No one can live continually in sin and continue to say the Rosary. Either he will give up sin or he will give up the holy Rosary”……Any adult, who has lived in this world and has seen how the world “operates” - Who has seen and experienced the limits to their own strength and are honest about those limits knows deep within their heart - God is God and we are not! - All human beings have limits!…Because of this reality - Jesus gave us a Church - He gave us Our Lady - He gave us the Sacraments!!!!!….To not utilizes these gifts is simply FOOLISH!…..The world, the flesh and the devil will grind you into the dust without “the armor” of God….Those who have ears - Let them hear!

“Restore our fortunes, O LORD, like the torrents in the southern desert. Those that sow in tears shall reap rejoicing”

Today the Great St Paul, an extremely gifted and capable man warns us - So don’t think for one second YOU alone can “bear fruit” that lasts in this life without God…..How many people forget this reality, if not outright ignore this warning?!? - The pages of history are full of these people, so are the newspapers we read….Because of this, today at Mass, we are warned……So here is the question - Do we take this warning seriously? - And if we do - What are we doing about it?….Pray the Rosary everyday - Go to a Sacramental Confession once every month - Go to Mass and consume the Blessed Sacrament every Sunday……Put on the “armor of God”…Because the devil prowls the earth like a lion seeking the ruin of souls……..”Where sin abounds, grace abounds all the more”…JMJ

Then “Blessed are you!” - “For your reward will be great in heaven”

Today at Holy Mass we hear in the Gospel of St Matthew the parable of the Sower and the Seed…..We are assured that if we “adhere to the vine - we will bear fruit” - Jesus himself tells us this….So what stops us from doing what Jesus tells us?…St Matthew in this parable today tells us the answer to that question…..”When some tribulation or persecution comes because of the word, he immediately falls away. The seed sown among thorns is the one who hears the word, but then worldly anxiety and the lure of riches choke the word and it bears no fruit”……….The road to Jesus Christ is narrow!!!! - And to walk it means we will “walk against the tide” in this world - Are you willing to walk this path?….This is what St Matthew is attempting to articulate to us…Its easy to accept the word of God when everything is going smoothly - But what happens when we are rejected, even persecuted because of being a Catholic? - What then?…American Christianity tells us we can have both - God and the world - This is a self delusion and a lie!….Jesus himself tells us…..”No one can serve two masters. He will either hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon”…And this is why people “fall away” for God….Jesus again is VERY clear…“Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever does not take up his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me.”…However, after making this statement, Jesus follows up with this - “Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it”….Catholics MUST be willing to “lose their life” for God - Now that does not mean we will die a martyrs death but it does mean we give Jesus all our hopes and dreams - That we bend our will until it breaks - That we surrender our entire life and put it at the service of God - Sadly, when we do this - The secular world will in many ways reject you but here is the “good news” - God will embrace you!…There are only two options - Pick one!…….This is the path to heaven - The “narrow road” - Are we willing to walk it?…..St Matthew today tells us what happens if we chose to walk this “narrow road” - “But the seed sown on rich soil is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold”……Those who have ears - Let them hear!

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

Most people will tell you, who live their lives through a Catholic lens, that many of the people who once “knew them” before they made this life altering decision think they are crazy! - Some outright reject you…..When a person makes the choice to follow God seriously, sadly, they lose friends - Even members of their family can distance themselves from a serious Catholic….Jesus tells us this in the pages of Scripture…..”Brother will hand over brother to death, and the father his child; children will rise up against parents and have them put to death. You will be hated by all because of my name, but whoever endures to the end will be saved”…..So why should we be surprised when this happens?……..When I returned home from college, I went to a Sacramental Confession and began my life as a practicing Catholic at twenty-two years old - That was over thirty years ago….Before that time I lived a very worldly life and my friends were just like me - Drinking too much alcohol and doing everything that goes along with such a depraved lifestyle….But after my decision to live as a Catholic - Many people, who I was friends with for many years, no longer wanted to be in my company - Some even thought I was crazy…..So when I talk about being rejected because of our Catholic faith - I am speaking from experience!…Everything Jesus warned us about is true!!! - Because it happened to me….But like St Matthew tells us…….”But whoever endures to the end will be saved”……Only by living a life of daily prayer, fasting and frequent reception of the Sacraments will you persevere when “times get tough” - And guess what? - They will get tough!

“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”

Today at Mass we hear a parable many of us have heard time and time again since we were children - And because we know this story - Ask yourself the question - Which “seed” are you?…The one that “bears fruit” or the one that “dies”?…..A good priest once told me - “No one just floats into heaven” - What does that mean? - It means that we ALL must make a deliberate choice to live our Catholic faith seriously….And when we do, we must cling too Christ because the secular world will “attack us” in many ways…..This is why Jesus tells us - The road to heaven is “narrow” - And he was not lying!!!!…..To live as a Catholic boldly in this world in the public square is not an easy thing to do….In fact, when Jesus gave his first disciples the teaching of the Beatitudes, he addressed this idea, which I am attempting to articulate in this reflection…..”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 be persecuted? - Are you willing to be insulted? - Are you willing to be slandered falsely?….If you are - Then “Blessed are you!” - “For your reward will be great in heaven”…..JMJ