“Sacraments are like hoses. They are the channels of the living water of God's grace. Our faith is like opening the faucet. We can open it a lot, a little, or not at all.”

In the life of the body a man is sometimes sick, and unless he takes medicine, he will die. Even so in the spiritual life a man is sick on account of sin. For that reason he needs medicine so that he may be restored to health; and this grace is bestowed in the Sacrament of Penance. - St. Thomas Aquinas: (1225 – 1274: was an Italian Dominican friar, Catholic priest, and Doctor of the Church.)

Gospel Text: (MT 8:1-4)

When Jesus came down from the mountain, great crowds followed him.

And then a leper approached, did him homage, and said,

"Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean."

He stretched out his hand, touched him, and said,

"I will do it. Be made clean."

His leprosy was cleansed immediately.

Then Jesus said to him, "See that you tell no one,

but go show yourself to the priest,

and offer the gift that Moses prescribed;

that will be proof for them."

In today’s gospel Jesus cures a person with leprosy.  We might think, “Well, that has nothing to do with me.  I don’t have leprosy.”

Think for a moment…  What is eating away at our society?  What are the cures?

At Mass we bring up bread and wine.  We ask the Holy Spirit to come upon this bread and wine and transform it into the Body and Blood of Christ.  This bread and wine represent all of us present.  We ask the Holy Spirit to come upon us and transform us more and more into the likeness of Christ.  Then, nourished by Word and Sacrament, we who were once part of the problem are sent forth to be part of the cure.  The Body of Christ is one powerful body of healers!

“If I were not a Catholic, and were looking for the true Church in the world today, I would look for the one Church which did not get along well with the world; in other words, I would look for the Church which the world hated.”

“How many times do we hear: 'Come on, you Christians, be a little bit more normal, like other people, be reasonable!' This is real snake charmer's talk: 'Come on, just be like this, okay? A little bit more normal, don't be so rigid ...' But behind it is this: 'Don't come here with your stories, that God became man!' The Incarnation of the Word, that is the scandal behind all of this! We can do all the social work we want, and they will say: 'How great the Church is, it does such good social work." But if we say that we are doing it because those people are the flesh of Christ, then comes the scandal. And that is the truth, that is the revelation of Jesus: that presence of Jesus incarnate.” ― Pope Francis, Encountering Truth: Meeting God in the Everyday

Gospel Text: (MT 16:13-19)

When Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi

he asked his disciples,

"Who do people say that the Son of Man is?"

They replied, "Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah,

still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets."

He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"

Simon Peter said in reply,

"You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."

Jesus said to him in reply, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah.

For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father.

And so I say to you, you are Peter,

and upon this rock I will build my Church,

and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.

I will give you the keys to the Kingdom of heaven.

Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven;

and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."

Today we celebrate two great men of the Church, Saints Peter and Paul. Two ordinary men, one a fisherman and the other a Pharisee and a tentmaker. Two ordinary men who recognized that God had called them to be something greater than they thought themselves to be. Two ordinary men who had courage to speak the truth that was spoken to them through Christ. They endured suffering through many hardships and trials for their words and actions and yet they kept on believing in the truth that dwelt in their hearts.

As with their Lord, these two men came to what seemed to be shameful deaths. Unfortunately, unlike their Lord, there was no report of Peter or Paul rising from the dead. They were simply failures. That’s surely how they were sized up by many around them, both in the Roman Empire and perhaps even among some members of the Church. What kind of foundation had they laid for the Church?

Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither was the Roman Church, the church that spread from that city throughout the world. Twenty centuries later, the Church certainly is universal, with more than one billion members across the globe. But are we really any holier than those first members of the Church? Are we willing to put our lives or even our names on the line for Christ?

Our spiritual lives are never a “done deal.” They are always under construction. The Mass we share in is a continual source of strength for us, as each week we struggle to be faithful disciples of Jesus. Each day is a building block of faith, in which, by our daily sacrifices, we build up others as well as our own spiritual lives.

“The choices we make about the lives we live determine the kinds of legacies we leave.”

“Our days are numbered. One of the primary goals in our lives should be to prepare for our last day. The legacy we leave is not just in our possessions, but in the quality of our lives. What preparations should we be making now? The greatest waste in all of our earth, which cannot be recycled or reclaimed, is our waste of the time that God has given us each day.” ― Bill Graham: (1931 – 1991: was a German-American impresario and rock concert promoter from the 1960s until his death in 1991 in a helicopter crash.)

Gospel Text: (MT 7:15-20)

Jesus said to his disciples:

"Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing,

but underneath are ravenous wolves.

By their fruits you will know them.

Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?

Just so, every good tree bears good fruit,

and a rotten tree bears bad fruit.

A good tree cannot bear bad fruit,

nor can a rotten tree bear good fruit.

Every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down

and thrown into the fire.

So by their fruits you will know them."

We live in a world of contradictions. Lots of people today say one thing but mean another. It is easy to be victims of so-called religious leaders who show compassion but have hidden agenda; they know and say the right words, like a performance they do.

But as much as we need to be wary of false prophets and others who use religion to advance their selfish intentions, we do have to reflect on how we should live our Christian faith.

A leader I knew and respected told me that the worst thing you could do to a person is to make him/her believe that you care for him/her, when indeed you do not. A so-called leader by name could do that, but a true leader strives to make a genuine connection with others, know them well and see where they are coming from.

Jesus lived and taught the people in the way he wanted us to live. He made efforts to know his followers, to know their dreams and their fears. He connected with those he met, sinners and true followers. He did this out of his love for people. It is this kind of love he urges us to live.

There are no prerequisites to the following of Christ: it is free of hypocrisy and of trappings. All we have to do is to love Christ and allow ourselves to be loved by him: no pre­conditions or pretenses needed.

On the straight and narrow path, there are simply no corners to be cut.

Sometimes the right path is not the easiest one but that does not mean that it is the path to avoid, only that doing the right thing can be difficult. It requires less effort to steal from your neighbor than to get a job and work to earn what you want but that doesn't mean that you steal from your neighbors just because it is easier. When you work hard and sacrifice to reach your goals and stay on the right path the sense of accomplishment and pride that you will find at the end of this path can not be achieved if you chose an easier path just to avoid hardship. It is human nature to value something more when it required an effort from you to get, and when you choose the right path even though it is harder you will appreciate where you end up even more……..

Gospel Text: (MT 7:6, 12-14)

Jesus said to his disciples:

"Do not give what is holy to dogs, or throw your pearls before swine,

lest they trample them underfoot, and turn and tear you to pieces.

"Do to others whatever you would have them do to you.

This is the Law and the Prophets.

"Enter through the narrow gate;

for the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction,

and those who enter through it are many.

How narrow the gate and constricted the road that leads to life.

And those who find it are few."

Jesus urges us “to enter through the narrow gate.” He calls us to strive continually to live the life to which he calls us, a life that entails dying. Dying to self and rising to life in Christ. The process leads to life just as Jesus’ dying on the cross lead to the resurrection. Modeling our lives on Jesus entails carrying His cross. Entering the city through this “narrow gate” leads to safety, to protection, to peace — indeed, to life.

The words that many will try to enter and fail are troubling. What percentage? How many? Nowadays, we like exact statistics. Jesus doesn't say, but we get the impression that it will be more than a few. The possibility of failure is very real. Who will fail? Probably, people who don't take him seriously; people who don't try hard enough; people who love something more than they love Jesus. In other word, sadly, lots of people will fail.

Dear Jesus, your words are troubling to me. I see how often I fail in what I know I should be doing for you. I see that I cannot reliably guide myself in this matter. Send your Holy Spirit to help me open my eyes to see if I am falling short.

Help me to enter by the narrow gate.

“We are all inclined to judge ourselves by our ideals; others by their acts.”

A man does not mind being blamed for his faults, and being punished for them, and he patiently suffers much for the sake of them; but he becomes impatient if he is required to give them up. - JOHANN WOLFGANG VON GOETHE: (1749 – 1832: was a German writer and statesman)

Gospel Text: (MT 7:1-5)

Jesus said to his disciples:

"Stop judging, that you may not be judged.

For as you judge, so will you be judged,

and the measure with which you measure will be measured out to you.

Why do you notice the splinter in your brother's eye,

but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own eye?

How can you say to your brother,

'Let me remove that splinter from your eye,'

while the wooden beam is in your eye?

You hypocrite, remove the wooden beam from your eye first;

then you will see clearly

to remove the splinter from your brother's eye."

All of us somehow pass judgments on others, whether verbalized or simply in our minds. We are fond of comparing people with ourselves and with others.

In the Gospel reading Jesus tells us not to make judgments on others; and, if we do, to be ready to be judged in the same measure we judge others.

As a matter of right only God may judge other people. In God's greatness and goodness, He forgives if we ask for His forgiveness, rather than judges.

In the Gospel story about the woman caught in adultery, the Jewish leaders wanted to see what Jesus would do.  Rather than judge and punish her, Jesus wisely says, "Let anyone among you who has no sin be the first to throw a stone at her." One by one the accusers went away, starting with the elders. (Jn 8:1- 11)

It takes personal good will, effort and prayer to avoid making hasty  judgments on others.  Let us look  at the example of Jesus who  inspires  us with  his wisdom and mercy, who shows love and kindness to all.

“We must be willing to fall flat on our faces. Fearlessly putting ourselves out there is simply a required part of the process. At the very least, it results in the gift of humility and, at best, the triumph of our human spirit.”

I have had numerous conversations with friends and professional acquaintances over the years on the subject of openly sharing our Catholic faith. I am always a little surprised at how often many of them express strong reluctance to being open about their beliefs. The reasons given have included, “I don’t want to offend anyone.” “We could never do that at […]

Gospel Text: (MT 10:26-33)

Jesus said to the Twelve:

"Fear no one.

Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed,

nor secret that will not be known.

What I say to you in the darkness, speak in the light;

what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops.

And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul;

rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy

both soul and body in Gehenna.

Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin?

Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father's knowledge.

Even all the hairs of your head are counted.

So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

Everyone who acknowledges me before others

I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father.

But whoever denies me before others,

I will deny before my heavenly Father."

Self-preservation is a good instinct. Without it, we would have no natural defenses to predators or enemies. Self-care is a good thing. Without it, we risk squandering the gifts of life God has given us. However, in a world in which there is little transcendent reality - little attention to reality beyond the day to day battle for survival - self becomes the ultimate concern. The ultimate imbalance in life is to see everything and everyone in relation what is best for me. Fear of losing oneself - or any part oneself - can lead one to wake up in the morning and go through the entire day wrapped up in self.

How do I look? How am I coming across? How is this a slight to me? How can I win here? I'm not going to be the one to give in here. I really need to score here. I deserve a little attention that I'm not getting. What about me? Nobody's paying attention to my needs here. They're not going to get the best of me. Watch me manipulate my way around this. It's either him/her or me. I can't do that; I need to take care of myself. I'm already over-committed. I can only do so much. I don't have time. I have my priorities. I have my boundaries. You can't let people take advantage of you. I'm not my brother/sister's keeper. 

This is not a happy way of life. Can this be what Jesus meant when he said, "If you try to save your life, you will lose it"?

When Jesus says, "Don't be afraid," he is telling us that we can place our lives in his hands. He is telling us that he has already taken care of the ultimate "self-preservation." No one can ever take that away. We will live forever. We are only here on this earth, in this life, for a brief time. In helping us keep our ultimate goal and meaning in perspective, Jesus is empowering us with great freedom. Our hearts need not be occupied with ourselves. If we are liberated from this debilitating self-pre-occupation, we are freed to give our lives away, in great and heroic acts of love and service.

Imagine how different our lives could be, if in the face of self-centering fear, we would pause and say, "Courage my soul; I don't need that fear; be brave; be free; trust in Jesus' care." Imagine if I "tuned out" or "turned off" the inner voice of self-absorption, and became absorbed in the needs of others today. Can this be what Jesus meant when he said, "If you lose your life for my sake, you will find it"?