It’s still the answer!

Today at Holy Mass in the Gospel of St Luke on the Feast Day of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary…Our Lord instructs the disciples how to pray…He gives them the one and only prayer he ever communicated…The Our Father….Jesus as we know is God - He never wrote a book - He engaged with the public in active ministry for only three years….He was a uneducated man, who worked with his hands…All that being said…As Catholics today - Why do we complicate things!!!!….All the debates on social media…All the controversy amongst this “group” and that “group”….Its really so simple!!!…Go to Mass Weekly - Go to Confession Monthly - Pray the Rosary Daily….So Simple…Do not concern yourself with “things” you have no control over…You have control over only one thing - YOURSELF - And if you faithfully took up the three practices I just noted - You may not live perfectly - No one does - But you will undoubtedly not be lost! - As so many today are!…These three simple practices will keep you on “the narrow road” which leads to heaven…Again - Why is this so hard?!?….All the nonsense on Catholic Social Media - And that is what it is - NONSENSE!…..Jesus who was God only gave the disciples one prayer!…..He founded one Church….What is so hard about that?….The problem is not the Church - The problem is within the human heart…The problem is YOU and ME….This is why we must be faithful in really only three things……Go to Mass Weekly - Go to Confession Monthly - Pray the Rosary Daily…And in time - If we persevere in those three simple things - God will perfect us…..Why do we have to make what is so easy - So hard…Its really not that complicated!

“Father, hallowed be your name, your Kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread and forgive us our sins for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us, and do not subject us to the final test”

Today being the Feast Day of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary…I would be remiss if I did not write about the importance of this prayer…Mary asked the world to pray the Rosary everyday for peace at Fatima…Now for the million dollar question - Do we do what she asked us to do?…It literally takes 15 minutes to pray the Rosary….And in that 15 minutes, you are reminded of so much….And if you pray that Rosary with your spouse and children - Just 15 minutes out of your day - Your family life will improve dramatically!…Yet our world ignores just about everything that is good for it - Persists in nonsense and then wonders why the outcomes are not good….If we “plant dandelions” we should not expect an oak tree to grow….Its really that simple - But people do not like simple…And the cycle continues - and continues - and continues - There is “nothing knew under the sun”……I carry my Rosary in my pocket everywhere I go…As I walk to my office each day in New York City - I actually hold my Rosary in my hand…….Just holding my Rosary gives me strength!……So many people today are looking for answers - And the answers are staring us right in the face - Sadly - People seem to not be interesting in them….As I tell my children all the time….”No one can help you unless you help yourself”…Not even God can help you if you do not cooperate with him!…..It’s really so simple!…….Go to Mass Weekly - Go to Confession Monthly - Pray the Rosary Daily…..There it is - THE ANSWER….Take it or leave it - And if you leave it - That does not change what it is - Its still the answer!…..JMJ

“Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples."

Do not get distracted!

Today at Holy Mass in the first reading we hear from St Paul’s mouth how he changed from a man who was convinced that he must persecute Christians to a man on fire for Christ and the Catholic faith…..”And I was unknown personally to the churches of Judea that are in Christ; they only kept hearing that “the one who once was persecuting us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.” So they glorified God because of me”……What made Paul change? - Well, as we all know God radically reached a hand to Paul as he traveled to Damascus and he “fell off his horse” - This is the important part! - So pay attention! - Then Paul RESPONDED to God - HE RESPONDED!!…Does God not do the same to us?…..Every single person on this earth was made by God for a greater purpose! - Not one person is excluded….And instead, most people get distracted from that purpose - That is what the devil does - He distracts us from our purpose and he does this masterfully!…..The difference between St Paul and most of the people in the world is - St Paul did not get distracted - And nor should we - But how? - How do we not get distracted!?! - Because frankly the “best of us do” - Don’t think because you have university degrees - A high paying job - And “brains in your head” that the devil cannot distract YOU - Because if I were honest - “That group” of people are the easiest to get distracted!…..So how do we stay focused and not get distracted? - Live Sacramentally - Its not rocket science!!…Pray the Rosary daily - Its not rocket science!!…..Grace perfects human nature and when we live by grace - We “see” the world clearly - AS IT IS!…But we are also given fortitude - The human will is easily weakened - We get distracted!….Grace fortifies the human will…Our problem - Most especially people who are "high achieving" and have a lot of “stuff” - We are way too confident in our own abilities - This mindset MUST be discarded - No matter who you are or what gifts you possess…When we are too over confident in our own abilities - The devil KNOWS and he has us right where he wants us!….We must look to God as a helpless child….In need of everything! - And when we do this - God will sustain us and in turn we will not get distracted…God will show us our purpose and give us the grace to fulfill it…This is how we become saints…And each and every person was born to become a saint…This “luxury” is not just for people like St Paul……The great French novelist Leon Bloy famously said……“The only real sadness, the only real failure, the only great tragedy in life, is not to become a saint”…..Each of us were born for this…Do not miss the opportunity….And do not get distracted!

“Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her.”

Recently the American Catholic Church celebrated the Beatification of Fulton Sheen…Fulton Sheen was born with amazing gifts - He was brilliant - A great communicator - A Bishop of the Catholic Church…But frankly there are many people who are equally as gifted - What set Fulton Sheen apart? - The answer was - He was a man of deep prayer - Again - Its not Rocket Science!!…Each morning, Fulton Sheen would sit for one hour before the Blessed Sacrament….Sheen called this his “Hour of Power”…..And as the saying goes…”We know them by their fruits”…..If this worked for Sheen - Why would it not work for us?….Being a married man with five children - It would be very hard to spend one hour each day before the Blessed Sacrament…My wife and I have to take care of our home, work and care for our children…But on the weekend….We do spend an hour in Eucharist Adoration….My wife and I go 30 minutes both on Saturday and Sunday - We make the time!…..Why? - Because it’s important!……..A reporter once asked Mother Teresa what was her secret - She responded very simply - “I pray”……Many years ago a friend of mine from New York asked me to deliver a few things to one of the original sisters of the Missionaries of Charity, who was living in Kolkata at the time - Sister Ancy was one of the first 50 nuns to join the order and she knew Mother Teresa personally…When I met Sister Ancy in 2009, she was the Superior General of the Contemplative wing of the Missionaries of Charity….Sister Ancy had seen a lot in her many years in religious life and speaking with her was a privilege in my ways as I see it…When I met her she told me something I will never forget….”Joe - Prayer is the answer to EVERYTHING”…..To the secular mind - That statement is utterly ridiculous!…But I have found that Sister Ancy was RIGHT…She understood what Fulton Sheen understood….Siting before the Blessed Sacrament is in deed an “HOUR OF POWER”….Prayerful people do not get distracted and prayerful people ultimately fulfill God’s purpose - They get transformed in time - They become saints…Maybe not canonized saints - But saints none the less…..Do not get distracted!…..JMJ

O LORD, you have probed me and you know me; you know when I sit and when I stand; you understand my thoughts from afar. My journeys and my rest you scrutinize, with all my ways you are familiar.
R. Guide me, Lord, along the everlasting way.
Truly you have formed my inmost being; you knit me in my mother’s womb. I give you thanks that I am fearfully, wonderfully made; wonderful are your works.
R. Guide me, Lord, along the everlasting way.
My soul also you knew full well; nor was my frame unknown to you When I was made in secret, when I was fashioned in the depths of the earth.
R. Guide me, Lord, along the everlasting way.

For your reward will be great in heaven

Today at Holy Mass we hear in the Gospel of St Luke a story we all know - The story of the Good Samaritan……In order to fully appreciate the brilliance of this story - One must understand a bit of history…..Samaritans were the enemy!….They were viewed as “unclean” by the Jewish people…They were pagan and did not respect or acknowledge the God of Abraham…Now, we have in this Gospel today a “scholar of the law” testing Jesus….So Jesus addresses the test head on!….With a thought provoking story, that only a Jew would truly understand….He tells of two very “righteous people” (A priest and a Levite) who see a man beaten on the side of the road and do nothing to help him….And then he tells about a Samaritan - The enemy!!! - The worst of the worst - This is the guy that helps the man half dead…..Not by his words - But with his very hands and at a monetary cost to him….Why would the Samaritan do this? - Helping a Jew, a person who hates him!?!…The answer is - The Samaritan knows what it means to suffer….He can empathize with the man beat on the side of the road - That is why he helped him…His care for his fellow man was not some “academic concept”…or….even a religious requirement…He felt compelled to help this man because he KNEW what it meant to suffer!!!! - And the Priest and the Levite did not…They read the Jewish Law…They “knew” what the Law of Moses required of them “on paper”…But they lacked a “lived experience” - Maybe because they led too comfortable of a life……This is a great lesson for us……As Catholics, we can never understand what the Church teaches us merely by “reading the books” - We have to live it…And to live the Gospel means YOU WILL SUFFER in this life - There is no way around that reality…And it is through that suffering, that we will empathize with others who suffer…Not because our religion tells us too but because we have “been there” ourselves!!!…Maybe this is why God the Father allowed his only begotten son to walk among us as a “regular man”? - And suffer the death he did - You think?……”Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered; and when he was made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him”……Jesus “gets it” - Not just because he is God - But because he “lived it”….And so must we - We must “live it” - That means we too will suffer

“I give you a new commandment: love one another as I have loved you”

Sometimes people surprise you….Its not always the person you “think” is going to “come through” that in the end does…That is the story we heard today about the Good Samaritan….The Samaritan man was supposed to be the “villain” but in the end - He is the hero…And the two men who were supposed to “come through”, the Priest and the Levite, they become the villain……..Sometimes that is the way it goes - So maybe we should not be so quick to “write people off”…….What is the characteristic that will make us be the “hero” and not the “villain” when we are faced with a similar situation that the Good Samaritan faced today?….Its our willingness to suffer - To be uncomfortable for the sake of the Gospel….This is an important aspect of “carrying our cross” that needs to be highlighted - Because if we are not willing to suffer for others - Frankly, we do not live as we ought and therefore do not love God like we say….."If anyone says, 'I love God,' but hates his brother, he is a liar; for whoever does not love a brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen”…….How do we tell when someone is the “real deal”?…..Do not listen to what they say - Watch what they do!…Pay particular attention to how they spend their money…And what they do with their time…..This is where the “rubber meets the road”….Its easy to “say things” but when those “things” you say “cost you” - That is the measure we should pay attention too…And when you see that quality in a person - That person is worth listening too…..Fr Donald Haggerty is a priest who serves at St Patrick’s Cathedral in Manhattan…He is a very learned man, a moral theologian educated in Rome, and the author of many books….Why do I mention Fr Don in this refection? - Not because of his “credentials” - But because of the “little things he does” to serve the poor….In his “spare time” outside of his responsibilities as a Parish priest in the biggest and most well known Cathedral in America - Fr Don serves the poor of New York City relentlessly…I know this not because he told me - But because I have seen him do it with my own two eyes!!!…Before I was married on Wednesdays I would assist Mother Teresa’s sisters give out meals to the poor who lived in tenements above storefronts in Chinatown in New York City…It was an eye opening experience to see with my own two eyes how some people live in one of the wealthiest cities in America - In roach infested closets!!!!….And guess who would also help on those Wednesday missions? - Fr Don Haggerty…What Fr Don has done to assist the poor of New York City above and beyond his duties as a priest could fill volumes and volumes of books - And not a single soul knows about it - Its not mentioned in the Parish bulletin St Patricks…..Not mentioned on social media nor in the newspaper….All done on Fr Don’s personal time at “no cost”….

“A man fell victim to robbers as he went down from Jerusalem to Jericho. They stripped and beat him and went off leaving him half-dead. A priest happened to be going down that road, but when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side. Likewise a Levite came to the place, and when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side. But a Samaritan traveler who came upon him was moved with compassion at the sight. He approached the victim, poured oil and wine over his wounds and bandaged them. Then he lifted him up on his own animal, took him to an inn, and cared for him. The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper with the instruction, ‘Take care of him. If you spend more than what I have given you, I shall repay you on my way back.’ Which of these three, in your opinion, was neighbor to the robbers’ victim?” He answered, “The one who treated him with mercy.” Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”

In order to “see” God in our neighbor, especially our neighbor who is suffering - We must strive to purify our hearts - That is only accomplished when we live Sacramentally - Why? - Because only God thorough his Church can forgive our sins and “feed” us with the very “Body and Blood” of His Son in the Blessed Sacrament…But there is more too it….When we suffer because of our faith - Because we are willing to “do the right thing” at a personal cost - When we live this way…We are quick to help others - Why? - Because we have “been there” - We know how it feels to suffer - We accept this as being apart of being Catholic!…..“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”……Be willing to “pay the price” and never “count the cost” - For your reward will be great in heaven…..JMJ

“You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” He replied to him, “You have answered correctly; do this and you will live.”

“Faith without works is dead”

Today at Holy Mass in the Gospel of St Matthew we are told that the measure by which we will be judged will not be what we believe - Our eternal salvation will be evaluated by what we DO……..”Therefore, I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that will produce its fruit”…What we DO for the Kingdom of God is a “fruit” of our interior life…If we have a deep interior life, what we DO for God’s Kingdom will come very naturally…..It will feel as natural as breathing!……As a Catholic, EVERYTHING depends upon our interior life….And really that is our only job - To develop our interior life…The fruit will then just happen!…..St Matthew tells us in very clear terms today…Those who do not “bear fruit” will not enter God’s Kingdom…..To be very honest - How can the human mind possibly “gloss over” these words?….It could not be any clearer!!!……Have we created our “own God” and our own “idea” of heaven?...Over and over again, Jesus tells us…”Faith without works is dead”…Focus on your interior life - If you do - The “fruit” will come without you even realizing it…..”He said, “This is how it is with the kingdom of God; it is as if a man were to scatter seed on the land and would sleep and rise night and day and the seed would sprout and grow, he knows not how. Of its own accord the land yields fruit, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. And when the grain is ripe, he wields the sickle at once, for the harvest has come”…Notice the “seed” grows and “he knows not how”?…..If your interior life is deep - “The seed” will grow and bear fruit - And if it is not - It won’t……Staying “connected to the vine” is how we bear fruit!

“I have chosen you from the world, says the Lord, to go and bear fruit that will remain”

If you look at the various Catholic religious orders on the internet - Each one posts their daily schedule…And if you look at the schedule of these men and women - You will notice that a good deal of their time is spent in prayer and at Mass each day….Why?…..Because if they are not praying - If they are not fasting - If they are not receiving the Blessed Sacrament at Mass…..Their religious order will NOT “bear fruit”….The same goes for a Diocesan Priest - A Diocesan Priest prays daily the Liturgy of the Hours and presides over the Mass….This keeps him “bearing fruit”…..How about us? - Married and Lay Catholics - The Church at the bear minimum requires us to go to Mass on Sunday and to receive the Blessed Sacrament in the state of grace - The Church also requires Lay Catholics to go to confession with a Priest once a year - And that is the bear minimum!!!!…..How are we too “bear fruit” for God if we do not do the “bear minimum”? - The answer is - We are not…..Jesus today at Mass in the Gospel of St Matthew is very clear…He tells us what is required of us to get into heaven….That we must “bear fruit”…..And the Church is fully aware of this “requirement” - So the Church, in her wisdom, provides us with the “tools” we need……Daily Mass - The Rosary - Sacramental Confession - Eucharistic Adoration - Weekly Fasting…Reading Holy Scripture….These practices develop our interior life and if we make these practices apart of our life - We will UNDOUBTEDLY bear fruit for the Kingdom of God…And if we don’t - WELL - We won’t!…..And if we don’t - Jesus tells us today that the story does not end well for us….

"Hear another parable. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard, put a hedge around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a tower.  Then he leased it to tenants and went on a journey. When vintage time drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants to obtain his produce.  But the tenants seized the servants and one they beat, another they killed, and a third they stoned.  Again he sent other servants, more numerous than the first ones, but they treated them in the same way.  Finally, he sent his son to them, thinking, 'They will respect my son.' But when the tenants saw the son, they said to one another, 'This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and acquire his inheritance.' They seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him.  What will the owner of the vineyard do to those tenants when he comes?" They answered him, "He will put those wretched men to a wretched death and lease his vineyard to other tenants who will give him the produce at the proper times."  Jesus said to them, "Did you never read in the Scriptures: The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; by the Lord has this been done, and it is wonderful in our eyes? Therefore, I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that will produce its fruit."

Staying “connected to the vine” is how we bear fruit!….And its vital that we “bear fruit”…Because - “Faith without works is dead”….JMJ

“I have chosen you from the world, says the Lord, to go and bear fruit that will remain”

We teach our children not by what we say - But by what we do

Today at Holy Mass we are told in the Gospel of St Luke that the first disciples were given power…But is it the kind of “power” the secular world craves?...or….Even perceives?…..”Behold, I have given you the power ‘to tread upon serpents’ and scorpions and upon the full force of the enemy and nothing will harm you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice because the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice because your names are written in heaven”…..When a Catholic lives in the state of grace….When they are living as the Church says - Confessing their sins regularly - And receiving the Blessed Sacrament every Sunday….Such a person receives power!…There are seven gifts of the Holy Spirit…And a person living in the state of grace receives those gifts - This is a promise made by God!…Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel, Fortitude, Knowledge, Piety, and Fear of God…..These gifts are a “fruit” of living in the state of grace…..Why is this so important?…Because without this “power”…or…Maybe a better word for it is GRACE….A person CANNOT live as Jesus Christ request us to live….This is where our Protestant brothers and sisters get it WRONG!!!….You can read the Bible all day long - Memorize it for that matter! - That is all well and good - But the “trick” is to LIVE what is in the Bible…And without this “power” St Luke talks about today - THAT IS NOT GOING TO HAPPEN!…Why?…Because the human will is weakened by original sin….This is why it is VITAL that we live in the state of grace…..When a person lives their life without this grace…(i.e. Does not live Sacramentally) - Their life is impacted in every way….It effects their marriage - It effects all their choices…It effects the habits they develop…It effects how they spend their money and their time…..Without this Sacramental grace - Frankly - The devil bulldozes people! - Does not matter “how smart” you are - Does not matter how much money you have….YOU become your worst enemy!…All because you do not have this “power” St Luke tells us about today in his Gospel….As Americans - We prioritize many things for our children - We want them to get a good education - Play sports - Get a good job…But do we value that they live in the state of grace? - That our children live Sacramentally?….I got news for you - There is NOTHING more important to teach your children then that - And they learn it from watching us - Their parents!…Don’t think for a moment your children will live Sacramentally, if we as their parents do not - Not going to happen…And that will effect them - Effect every decision they make - Who they marry - How they live their life - And ultimately where they “end up” after this life ends…You cannot live as Jesus asks of us without Sacramental grace - IMPOSSIBLE! - That is where the “power” comes from - From the SACRAMENTS!.......God is not concerned with what you know - He is however concerned with what you DO and whether or not we live the Gospel - And you need “power” to live the Gospel

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

The secular world today is fixated on sex…And because of that, secular people can not imagine a Catholic Priest really lives a celibate life…If you have this conversation, which I have, with worldly people - They absolutely do not “buy it”….What these people to not realize it…Grace is real and grace gives a priest the “power” to live a celibate life - Without that grace  - Not going to happen!….Jesus today in the Gospel talks about giving his disciples power….”Behold, I have given you the power ‘to tread upon serpents’ and scorpions and upon the full force of the enemy and nothing will harm you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice because the spirits are subject to you”……Have you in your life experienced this power from living Sacramentally?…..If you are married and live your marriage vows as the Church requests that you do - Then you know what I am writing about…..Marriage is NOT meant to be lived outside of Sacramental grace and the current America divorce statistics back up what I am stating…..To have a good and lasting marriage - A couple MUST rely on Sacramental grace…This is VITAL….And sadly very few people do this….How can I make this claim?….Do you use contraception in your marriage?…If you do - You are breaking your vow to God on your wedding day to be “fruitful”…Do you confess your sins to a Catholic Priest at the minimum once a year? - If you do not - You are not living in the state of grace - Do you go to Mass weekly with your family? - If you do not you are not living in the state of grace - In fact, you are living in objective mortal sin…..These factors effect the kind of marriage you will have….And many (too many) Catholic Americans ignore everything I just stated…But ignoring the Truth does not change the outcome of choices made…Jesus founded a Church and gave us the Sacraments because we NEED them…And to live without Sacramental grace is a HUGE mistake….If you love your children - And I am sure you do!!!! - Teach them what I just reflected upon…..And…. We teach our children not by what we say - But by what we do…..JMJ

“Blessed are the eyes that see what you see. For I say to you, many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it.”

God knows what he is doing…..Do we?

Today at Holy Mass in the first reading we hear God address Job….Job was complaining to God…As if God “does not know what he is doing”…Everybody is an expert - Right? - Sounds familiar?!?…….God sets Job “straight”…….

”The LORD addressed Job out of the storm and said: Have you ever in your lifetime commanded the morning and shown the dawn its place. For taking hold of the ends of the earth, till the wicked are shaken from its surface? The earth is changed as is clay by the seal, and dyed as though it were a garment; But from the wicked the light is withheld, and the arm of pride is shattered. Have you entered into the sources of the sea, or walked about in the depths of the abyss? Have the gates of death been shown to you, or have you seen the gates of darkness? Have you comprehended the breadth of the earth? Tell me, if you know all: Which is the way to the dwelling place of light, and where is the abode of darkness, That you may take them to their boundaries and set them on their homeward paths? 

God has a plan and he sees what we do not…Yet - The “collective we”…You and I - Question God constantly!!!!…We complain….We are critical…We rebel….Now just imagine when you stand before the Lord…Because one day each of us will - And challenge him on…. The use of contraception in marriage…or….The need to live Sacramentally…or...The right of a woman to abort their child…or…On the “legal” use of the death penalty by the state….How do you think God is going to react?….Before you respond - ”Think” long and hard!……..God created the Pacific Ocean!….God created the Himalayan Mountains!…..God created Great Barrier Reef in Australia!…And “we” are going to have a debate with him!…..The very notion of such a conversation is utterly ridiculous!!!!!!…But that is EXACTLY what we do (in essence) when we rebel against the Natural law, the Ten Commandments and the perennial teachings of the Catholic Church - which are written on every human heart….And sadly, we pay a deep price for doing it in the here and now!….Yet, human beings keep rebelling! - And keep suffering the consequences!….Job in our story today from Mass suffered a lot and complains to God…But Job finally “gets it”……”Then Job answered the LORD and said: Behold, I am of little account; what can I answer you? I put my hand over my mouth. Though I have spoken once, I will not do so again; though twice, I will do so no more”…How about us?…Life is so much easier when we listen to God...But here is the hard part…We have to also learn to accept the “hard things” in life…Even the tragedies….To do that takes grace!!!….And we must pray, fast and live Sacramentally to receive that grace…But when we come to “that place” in our spiritual life, when we accept "all things" as if they come from the Hand of God (because they do - the bad things happen through God’s permissive will)…..Its then we really advance (at light speed) in sanctity…God uses everything for our greater good…The goal is not to “be comfortable” here on earth (The mistake of most people) - The goal is sanctification - To be holy - To be fully conformed to the will of God…That is how we get into heaven!…..Most people have no idea about that reality - And it is reality! - We do not just “float” into heaven on “our terms” when we die - Because we were “a good guy” - Whatever that means?!?….And both the good and the difficult experiences of life get us to “that place” - Making us a holy people - Setting us about for God!……..God knows what he is doing…Do we?

“Bless the LORD, all you angels, you ministers, who do his will”

In 2020 I watched my father slowly die from Parkinson Disease…For two years it was a slow and painful process - To watch and most of all for my father, who had to endure it…We took care of Dad in our home…As the COVID crisis raged across the world - For almost two full years, my father was bed ridden….And my mother and an aide we hired took care of him….My parents were married for 52 years…The witness of their marriage and how my mother cared for my father for those two years was possibly the greatest act of love I have ever witnessed - It taught me what sacrifice means - What marriage is - What authentic love looks like….My dad lived a very good life - He had 82 good years before Parkinson got the best of him!….He also had a deep Catholic faith - And was a sincerely joyful person his entire life, who made a deep impact on the lives of many people (including me and my brother)…..And Dad suffered like a dog for two whole years before he died at 84 years old….The interesting thing was - He accepted it - No joke - He really did - For the most part, he rarely complained…He simply accepted his suffering…And he died in his own home, next to his wife of 52 years!…..Like Job today, who also suffered…He too accepted it…After God had to “set him straight”….”Then Job answered the LORD and said: Behold, I am of little account; what can I answer you? I put my hand over my mouth. Though I have spoken once, I will not do so again; though twice, I will do so no more”……As Catholics, when we come to the point and truly understand (not just intellectually) - That everything that happens to us - Both the good and the bad - Work towards our sanctification…When we “get to that place” - Which is a grace - You cannot “self manufacture this “mindset”…When we fully grasp this concept….Its then we grow close to God very rapidly….God knows what he is doing…..Do we?…….JMJ

“O LORD, you have probed me and you know me; you know when I sit and when I stand; you understand my thoughts from afar. My journeys and my rest you scrutinize, with all my ways you are familiar”

Are we ready?

Today at Holy Mass we hear Jesus say in the Gospel of St Luke…….”The Kingdom of God is at hand”……Does that mean God is going to snap his fingers and “fix” everything right NOW?…..That God is going to “snatch us all up” to heaven NOW?….Does not seem to be the case - So what does that mean?…It means that the victory has been won - Jesus rose from the dead - He conquered death….The devil is on “his last legs”….As far as when Jesus returns to the earth in glory - Not our business - No one knows the day or the hour - “Our job” is to live the Gospel because we will die and face judgement - Believe it!…..I think people, including Catholics take our individual judgement way to lightly…Jesus’s words (not my words) are very exacting….He very clearly lays out what is expected of us….Now we all fall short - I “get it” - But when we do - Do we confess our sins?…..The Church is VERY clear on that point…..And we will not be judged on “our terms” - The “I’m a good guy” standard like many think is not going to "cut it"…..Jesus goes on in Luke’s Gospel today at Mass… - “Addressing those who do not listen to the Gospel…..Whatever town you enter and they do not receive you, go out into the streets and say, ‘The dust of your town that clings to our feet, even that we shake off against you.’ Yet know this: the Kingdom of God is at hand. I tell you,  it will be more tolerable for Sodom on that day than for that town”…..Do you “think” Jesus was speaking “figuratively” here? - Does not appear so to me…..Our world only knows what it knows - I say that because - If we are a formed Catholic - Then we KNOW! - That means we have been given a GREAT responsibility…..The standard in which we will be judged will be MUCH HIGHER then those who do not know or are not formed…..

“But if that servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed in coming,’ and begins to beat the menservants and the maidservants, to eat and drink and get drunk, then that servant’s master will come on an unexpected day and at an unknown hour and will punish him severely and assign him a place with the unfaithful. That servant who knew his master’s will but did not make preparations nor act in accord with his will shall be beaten severely; and the servant who was ignorant of his master’s will but acted in a way deserving of a severe beating shall be beaten only lightly. Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more"

We have two choices here….Ignore what Jesus says…or…Take what he says serious….Ultimately, if we believe that Jesus rose from the dead, which most people do believe…Then we have to believe everything he says - RIGHT?!?…..Today Jesus tells us……”The Kingdom of God is at hand”……One day we will stand before God - Each and everyone of us!….And God is not interested in your resume…..That is a “big day” - And its coming sooner then you realize….The “party ends” when we take our last breath

“The Kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the Gospel”

People always “think” they have time to “get right” with God…..But in most cases…We die as we live….Very few people have “St Paul style conversions”…..And when we die - We do not die on our terms - With that said - We will not be judged on “our terms” either…..On the morning of September 11th, I took the train to New York City very early…My train let me off at the stop under the World Trade Center Towers around 7:00am in the morning…I got to my office and one hour later, a plane hit the buildings….The difference of one hour could have meant my life!….Now think about all the men who went to work that day…It was a beautiful September morning in New York City - I remember it like it was yesterday…Many of the men who died were EXTREMELY wealthy!…Bankers, lawyers, Stock Traders…These men had wonderful lives - Their families lived BIG….All that came to an end in a matter of minutes!….For the people who died that day - No one saw it coming either - It was just another day living the “good life”….And for everyone that died - Each of them stood before the Lord - And they were judged…As we will be judged - As I will be judged!…This idea that “the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand” presented to us today in the Gospel is REAL…Why? - Because the “party” ends…You will die and you will be judged - Like it or not….We never know the day or the hour - Are we ready?……JMJ

“The Kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the Gospel”