”May it be done to me according to your word”…..At the statement of Mary the gates of hell trembled!….And when we say that statement to this very day….The gates of hell tremble once again!

Today at Holy Mass we hear from the Gospel of St Luke….Mary is presented with the impossible……”Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus”…….As we all know, Mary was a virgin and having a baby as a virgin simply does not make any sense - Right?!?…..The angel Gabriel addresses that claim……"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”….So here is the question…Do you really believe nothing is impossible for God? - Do we put God in a box, thinking he operates like we do?…….God can do anything…More importantly, God can use YOU to do the impossible….Our job is to respond like Mary did - With absolute trust…..Recognizing that without God we can do nothing but with God all things are possible

“Mary said, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word."

Those who know about Mother Teresa may not know that before she founded the Missionaries of Charity, Mother Teresa was a high school principal in an elite school for all girls in Kolkata…She served in that school for 20 years until God called her to work for the poorest of the poor in the streets…If you read about Mother Teresa's life, she would say that if she did not pick up the first person she saw in gutter, the work that God called her to do would not have happened…It began with helping that first person……All good things start small…….On one of my trips to Kolkata I visited a Leper Colony that Mother Teresa founded on the outskirts of Kolkata - The Leper Colony is still there to this day…Before Mother Teresa founded this home for lepers, people who contracted this disease literally were expelled from the city, young and old alike, left to die along the railroad tracks…No joke…So when Mother Teresa heard about the plight of those people, she went to help them with one other nun…..And under a tree, she began to distribute food and clothing…..Over time people heard about what this brave nun was doing and donations started to come in…All by the way unsolicited…Money just kept coming in…..Why do I tell you this story?…When I visited this leper colony and was told how it started and how the project grew…All I could think to myself is HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN!….How could this huge village start from two nuns giving out food and clothing from under a tree…They did not even ask for money, yet people just donated tons of money…And with the funds, they gave the lepers of Kolkata dignity, a safe place to live, they created jobs for them so they could support their families…I simply could not believe how this could happen…Literally out of no where……….As I read the gospel this morning hearing what St Gabriel said…..”For nothing will be impossible for God”…This story came to my mind…..The Missionaries of Charity serve all over the world…..Feeding and caring for thousands upon thousands of people a day…I know because I have seen this with my own eyes…Did you know that the Missionaries of Charity NEVER solicit money - Never have…That all the donations they get come in unsolicited - To this very day…..As a person who works in corporate America and has an MBA - Tell Mother Teresa “business model” to Harvard School of Business…Allow me to “pitch it” right now….We are going to have 5000 nuns and around 100,000 lay volunteers all over the world….We are going to feed hundreds of thousand of people a day…..Without asking for one penny…And all the money we need is going to come in to address what we have to do without us asking for it….That is what Mother Teresa’s “business model” looks like - No joke - And it works - To this day!….If I was to “pitch” that business model to a bank asking for a loan - What do you think the loan officer would say - Allow me to translate - BEAT IT!……Yet, this is how the Missionaries of Charity operate around the world…..How you may ask yourself?……..”For nothing will be impossible for God”

"He shall receive a blessing from the LORD, a reward from God his savior. Such is the race that seeks for him, that seeks the face of the God of Jacob."

Today we read in the gospel about the impossible…A virgin gives birth to a child…Many people in the world say - Whatever!….Did not happen!…..Or…….People read this story and say, “God can’t work the impossible in my life”…….This is what I say to all the nay-sayers - WRONG! - God can do all things!…..I have found as a father of five that when we trust in God - With a radical trust - And we do our part - God can and does do the impossible…..We just need to learn to trust him…What prevents us from this kind of trust is we do not want to “give up control”…..This mindset limits us because we are all limited…We need to remind ourself God is limitless…..When we give up control and “step out into the deep”…God steps in…..God waits for us in “that space”……As he did with Our Lady….Mary gives us the example…..She was human, just like you and I - She was confused and afraid, just like we are at times……"How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?”…But Mary “stepped past” her fears and put her hand into the hand of God and NEVER looked back….This is what we must do as well…..Step out into the deep!……”May it be done to me according to your word”…..At the statement of Mary the gates of hell trembled!….And when we say that statement to this very day….The gates of hell tremble once again!

Work with God not against him….”He has your back” - As the saying goes in my part of New Jersey….He is creating a master piece and that master piece is YOU!!!

Today at Holy Mass we hear from the Gospel of St Luke…..The text tells us about the birth of John the Baptist…How his parents, Zechariah and Elizabeth always wanted a child and could not conceive one…..At that time and in the culture in which Zechariah and Elizabeth lived, there was a stigma attached to not being able to have children…Therefore Zechariah and Elizabeth had to live with a certain amount of shame…..Then out of nowhere, in her old age Elizabeth gets pregnant…This is what she says…."So has the Lord done for me at a time when he has seen fit to take away my disgrace before others”……..Why did Elizabeth have to suffer unjustly for so long?…..This is a question we all can relate too…..God uses suffering more times then not to form us…Its in times when we “go without”, its in those times that God develops within us so many virtues…And that is the name of the game…To allow God to mold us….Create us to be an instrument of use for the Kingdom of God…Speaking from personal experience…That can be a painful process….But know this….I have learned to trust the process!……And God is not done with me yet…Nor is he done with YOU…He loves us too much to leave us as we are

“For you are my hope, O LORD; my trust, O God, from my youth. On you I depend from birth; from my mother's womb you are my strength”

Years ago a friend of mine who was a priest would ask my wife and I to give talks to young married couples about to stand before God and be joined together as husband and wife…The first thing I would ask these young men and women is this……”What is the goal of your marriage?”…..Many of these couples were in their twenties and they would just look at me not knowing what to say…I would ask it again, because in many cases I knew what they were thinking……The goal of many American marriages is to live a comfortable life and retire after years of marriage with money in the bank staring at the ocean…While there is nothing wrong with being comfortable…That is not the goal of a Catholic marriage…The answer I was looking for was first for the young man to stand up and say…”My goal is to get my wife and children to heaven”…Next I wanted to hear his soon to be wife say…”My goal is to get my husband to heaven and my children as well”….BOOM!!!!…That is the answer!…And that is no small task in this day and age…Why bring this up now?…..In order for God to form us into the people we need to be….There needs to be changes made and sometimes those changes can be painful…Trust me…..I am speaking from first hand experience here…But it is within those times that God forms us…..As Catholics we have all the “tools” to make this happen!……You see at the root of the problem, many in the world today do not view life as God views it….God only wants one thing - You in heaven!…..And many times because we have free will, we make choices that keep us from being the people we were born to be - A holy people…God will always respect our free will…However, God loves us too much to leave us in a condition, which prevents his grace from penetrating our hearts…So what does God do?…..He presents us with situations, which cause us to question our current state, with the goal of drawing us towards heavenly things….When a young man discerns the priesthood or the married life, the best thing I heard about the discernment process is this…Follow your peace…God will not give you true peace if you choose something that keeps you from himself…So what does that mean for us now?…We must follow our hearts - Easier said than done - Right! - But we must do it…If we follow our heart, we will be given true peace and that is where we need to be!…….There really is one goal in life…To allow God to sanctity us so we can enter heaven…..Think about this for a second…Most people want to “do good” in the world…..The closer we get to God on this earth, the more good we can do…First within our families then in the world around us…I wrote this yesterday in the morning reflection…A holy life is a powerful life!….However, to get to where we have to be can be a struggle….But God is the master builder…He knows what he is doing…Trust him!…..”He takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit, and every one that does he prunes so that it bears more fruit”……Just as a father when he looks at his 13 year old son…He knows how the “finished product” will look…God does the same thing with us…He is infinitely patient…His mercy is beyond all telling…And his grace is there for us to sustain us through it all!……Work with God, do not work against him….”He has your back” - As the saying goes in my part of New Jersey….He is creating a master piece and that master piece is YOU!!!

“O God, you have taught me from my youth, and till the present I proclaim your wondrous deeds”

The gospel today tells us about how it took along time for John the Baptist to be born….And once he was born…John lived in the desert…Only to be formed for a longer period of time…Until the time was right!…John the Baptist was the precursor to Christ…And as with everything in life - All good things take time…God formed John the Baptist to be the man he needed him to be…And John cooperated with the hand of God in that process of formation…And look at the impact John had on the world….So it can be with us as well…We need to learn to cooperate with God….We are ALL the work of his hands….So if I was to ask you…Why were you born?…What is your purpose?……Like I would ask young Catholic couples about to get married…What is the purpose of your marriage?……This is what I want to hear….”My purpose is to allow God to form me to be the person I was born to be….And in doing so by my life's example, I will bring those around me to want and see the same thing for themselves”….This is what John the Baptist did….”I am not worthy to stoop and loosen the thongs of his sandals. I have baptized you with water; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit”…..Work with God not against him….”He has your back” - As the saying goes in my part of New Jersey….He is creating a master piece and that master piece is YOU!!!

Remember, we are all “Practicing Catholics”, which implies we need to “practice” because “practice makes perfect”

Today at Holy Mass we hear from the Gospel of St Matthew…The text today focuses on St Joseph, the foster father of Jesus and the husband of Mary….Joseph was a “regular guy”. However Joseph’s faith was iron-clad….He took God at his word….And was obedient even when things did not make sense…Joseph played the “long-game”…Even when he could not “see” the end result….Joseph trusted that God could and that God’s plan was far greater than his own…."Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her. She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins”……..So the question is…How do we acquire faith like St Joseph?…Like anything else, we work at it!……The term “Practicing-Catholic” should tell us everything we need to know…When we “practice” at something, this implies we are not perfect…No one is perfect - That is why we practice…..The more we purify our hearts, through the Sacramental life, through daily prayer, through weekly fasting, through living a sacrificial life serving our families…God will give us grace…And the result of that grace will strengthen our faith…The problem is…We sell ourselves too short!…..We are ALL capable of accomplishing things that are far beyond our wildest imagination!…..We simply must put our hand into the hand of God and never look back!…..Because God sees the entire picture, we do not….In order to trust in this manner requires us to “practice” our Catholic faith….And as any athlete knows…………..”Practice makes Perfect”

“When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his wife into his home”

All great things start small…A priest told me once, “Joe - Every great business at one time started out in a garage”……If we use this analogy, we can say the same thing about ourselves….We are all a work in progress - When God looks at us, he sees nothing but potential…..We are the ones that sell ourselves short and believe the lie of the evil one - “You can’t do that!”……Tell the devil to go to hell!…….Before we can believe in ourselves the way that God does, we must allow “the seed” of faith to germinate and grow……That is really our one and only job - To do all the things to make our faith grow….Simple things that really do not take too much time…Pray the Rosary every day, Go to a Sacramental Confession once a month….Let me stop there…Do you really think that what you have done in your life God has not heard or seen before?…Do you really think the priest hearing confession has never heard sins like yours before?….Time to get over it and take the step!…….Let me continue…Receive the Blessed Sacrament in the state of grace weekly…Fast on Friday…..Siting before the Blessed Sacrament once a week in silence for 15 minutes……If we do these simple things that cost nothing, in time….The “seed” of faith placed in us at baptism will GROW!!!…That is all we have to do and God will do the rest…..The "fruit" that will come from those activities are limitless!!!…Don’t believe me?…Look at St Joseph…He was just a “regular guy”…Look at what God accomplished through him….Please allow me tell you about another "regular person" who let God work through them……Many years ago I found myself on a connecting flight from New Delhi to Kolkata…It was a small commercial flight leaving at night…Most of the people on the plane were locals from the West Bengal State of India…By this time I was a seasoned traveller through this part of the world, so I could identify by sight what people from Eastern India looked like and the language they spoke….Interestingly enough on the plane sitting directly behind me was an Afro-American woman with a Southern accent…We were the only two Americans on the plane and as you could imagine, we both “stuck-out” like sore thumbs….So I started talking to this woman….....”What are you doing here?”- I asked her…So she told me her story…She said she was from Houston Texas and her son died when he was a small child and the death of her son propelled her to fund and establish a school in Eastern India for poor children…She was on her way to visit the school…….Once again, I thought to myself…How brave this woman was - Her story left me speechless!…Traveling all by herself to a far corner of the world - She was not a young woman either!…Why bring this encounter up?……If you asked this lady, say thirty years ago - In your life you will establish a school and help thousands of children do you think she would have believed you? - Probably not…I got news for you! - If we trust God and allow our faith to grow - YOU may do even greater things than that!…….Scripture tells us…..“If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you”…..When we read that statement from the Bible we say to ourselves…..”Whatever! - That can’t be real”…..Tell that to the woman sitting next to me on the plane, that channeled the grief of losing a child into helping thousands of children and establishing a school against all odds! - She was just a “regular person”……God can do so much more with your life than you can do with it!….If only we allow the ever “small seed” of faith placed in us to grow

“Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will raise up a righteous shoot to David”

Today the gospel from Mass highlights the life of St Joseph….”A regular guy”……In St Joseph there was a complete submission to God’s messenger and a total acceptance of the will of God….Like with all things…”Rome was not built in a day”…St Joseph can serve as a model for us…..Remember, we are all “Practicing Catholics", which implies we need to “practice” because “practice makes perfect”

This is how we transform the world……..One “pure drop of water” can do more then 1000 graduates from Harvard or Yale…If you are who you were meant to be, you will set the world on fire!

Today at Holy Mass we hear from the Gospel of St Matthew…In this text Matthew writes about the genealogy of Jesus…He notes…”the total number of generations from Abraham to David is fourteen generations; from David to the Babylonian exile, fourteen generations; from the Babylonian exile to the Christ, fourteen generations”…….While Jesus was God, he was also “fully man”, born into a family, like all of us…And as with every family, there are all kinds of people in it…Saints and sinners alike…I read a commentary this morning about this particular Gospel from a Trappist Monk…This is what he said….”God creates and transforms from what he already created, he does not contradict himself, nor does he scrap everything at a troubled moment in order to start again “from scratch”. His Son is born within time from a race of saints, sinners, ruffians, exiles, wisemen, poets, quarrelers”……..As it is with all of our families - What can we learn from this reality?…That God works with and uses everyday and normal people…God can transform a person into his instrument, which will produce an enormous amount of good in the world…I don’t think we believe that! - Why?…….Because we allow the world to “label us”…To “limit” us…And we believe the lie too!……All you have to do is read the lives of the saints…They were no different then you….The Council of Vatican II wrote about what is commonly referred to in Catholic circles as the universal call to holiness…..That means, not just the clergy can become holy…Holiness is for everyone and it is possible…We have been given as Catholics all the tools we need by the Catholic Church to become a holy people…And sadly, most people do not utilize these tools nor do we prioritize this goal - To become holy…..I will publicly state this right now…There is no greater goal to strive for on this earth than to become a holy person….There is no greater achievement!…..Why?……Because one “pure drop of water” can do more than 1000 graduates from Harvard or Yale……God can transform the ordinary into the extraordinary…Why should we settle for the ordinary?

“O Wisdom of our God Most High, guiding creation with power and love: come to teach us the path of knowledge!”

If you have ever met someone who was truly holy, you will remember that person for the rest of your life…I have been blessed to have encountered many holy people…Most of them were nuns…But I have also met many selfless “regular people”, like you and me, who have witnessed these holy nuns and in turn gave their lives to serving their fellow men and women…There is power contained in a holy life - Such a witness is contagious - Saints make other saints!….When a person sees for themself what holiness really looks like…A person will want that “something” and ask, "Why can't I be like that too?"……..When I was going to India to serve with Mother Teresa’s sisters every December I met a lot of interesting people from around the world…One of those people was a retired nurse from Bologna, Italy named Teresa…Teresa never married and when she retired in her fifties she traveled to Kolkata to meet Mother Teresa….When she met Mother Teresa, Mother Teresa told Teresa from Italy, we need you to stay in Kolkata!….How does one respond to such a bold request from a world famous saint?….So Teresa, the retired nurse from Bologna, Italy spent 30 years of her retirement (spending 8 months of each year) in Kolkata India serving along side Mother Teresa’s sisters…I met Teresa when she was very old…..One year we both rented rooms in a Church not far from the Missionaries of Charity Convent …..Mass was always at 6:00am…At 5:00am, I would smell Teresa making Italian coffee before Mass..She was an old woman at this point - I always admired how brave she was - She traveled to India all alone…..Teresa, the simple retired nurse encountered Mother Teresa…And that one encounter propelled her to become a holy person…Because saints make other saints!…The last year I was in India and saw Teresa we were both working at the Home for the Dying and the Destitute…One morning, a poor street woman came into the home ready to have a baby - The woman was heavily pregnant….Teresa the nurse from Bologna Italy, who was almost 80 years old delivered the baby all by herself - No doctor needed!…… This story is another example of God taking an “average person” and transforming them into something they never thought possible…..Because to become holy is possible…Its the greatest thing you can do while you walk this earth….It is something we were ALL created to become - A holy people!……This is how we transform the world……..One “pure drop of water” can do more then 1000 graduates from Harvard or Yale…If you are who you were meant to be, you will set the world on fire!

“Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever”

Today’s gospel from Mass tells us a little bit about the family of Jesus…How his family was far from perfect….Just like all of our families…However from that very “normal” family came the savior of the world…Now, none of us are called to save the world - That job has been taken, however, each of us are called to become holy and a holy life is within the grasp of every person - We each have something very special to do!.....…Like anything else in life, you have to really want it!…You need to make it your life’s priority…And if you make this decision….If you strive to follow the Carpenter from Nazareth with reckless abandon…Trust me when I tell you this….Your life’s example will set the world around you on fire!…Don’t believe me?…Just ask a simple retired nurse from Bologna Italy….One encounter with a holy person changed the direction of her life forever…She was transformed…And the rest is history….This is how we transform the world……..One “pure drop of water” can do more then 1000 graduates from Harvard or Yale…If you are who you were meant to be, you will set the world on fire!

“I will turn darkness into light before them, and make crooked ways straight. These are my promises: I made them, I will not forsake them.”

Today at Holy Mass we hear from the gospel of St Matthew…..In the text the teachers of the law question Jesus…..“By what authority are you doing these things?….These men do not honor the Truth…They honor power…Not unlike the men and women of today…..”Playing politics” results in everyone losing…Yet, short term thinking continues to win the day….Building a life upon Truth requires a number of things….For one, it requires sacrifice and secondly, it requires something which was discussed in today’s gospel…....”By what authority are you doing these things?”…….We hear statements made today by very powerful people…”This is my truth”….”That is your truth”…..How can there be a subjective truth?…A life lived under the yoke of God is far better then a life lived under the yoke of power brokers of this earth, no matter what the political stripe they claim to be…Yet, mankind is not convinced…We continue to “play politics” and disregard the laws of God - To our own detriment….All because we do not want to “bend our knee”…All because of our pride...All because we will not acknowledge that there is only one authority - God

“Your ways, O LORD, make known to me; teach me your paths, Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my savior”

There is an old saying…”A man can not lead if a man does not know how to serve”…..When a person acknowledges God and that God gave him his position of authority, then and only then will that man treat the people under him rightly….Without the grace of God and without God has the center of any power structure…In time, that power structure will eventually only serve a select few and disregard the needs of the masses…..History shows us this, yet mankind refuses to “see” it….All because mankind refuses to “bend its knee” to the God who loves him more then anyone could or ever will….......Years ago I used to volunteer with the Missionaries of Charity at an AIDS hospice on Saturdays in Lower Manhattan…The men who lived there were taken care of but as with any home, there were rules…No drinking or drugs, there was a curfew…..very basic things were asked of the men living there and if they followed the rules, they had a good life - Yet some men just could not or would not do it…Why?…..Because to accept rules means to accept authority and some people would rather "cut off their nose in spite of their face" before they accept someone telling them what to do…..There was this one man living in the house for a few months named Leroy…Leroy had AIDS and was a drug addict…For a time he was doing so good and before he was fully recovered from his addiction he asked to leave the home…The sister who was the superior at the time literally begged Leroy to stay - She knew he was not ready to leave yet - But Leroy was not having it, he wanted to do things his way…So Leroy left…Within three months we heard from the other men still living in the hospice that Leroy was found died in the Bronx…..Why tell you this story?.....All you have to do is look around and you do not have to look very far - How is “our way” working out?…..Jesus tells us in Scripture that I came to give you life and give it abundantly - That is in the here and now!…Yet we are not convinced!….We would rather “play politics”…….We want to "do it our way" - Be damned the consequences or the personal costs.....It all comes down to the word authority - Do we acknowledge God as having it? - Or do we live in denial?…....At the end of the day - We cannot “save ourselves” nor do we go to heaven on “our terms”……..There is a deep cost to pay for denying God’s authority, at the end of our life and in the here and now as well…That is reality and reality does not change based upon - “My Truth”

“Good and upright is the LORD; thus he shows sinners the way. He guides the humble to justice, he teaches the humble his way.”

Today in the gospel from Mass Jesus’s authority was questioned…And ironically enough, Jesus’s authority is still questioned to this very day…..Mankind doubles-down and triples down on choices lived outside of God’s law…Only to reap the consequences…And then mankind doubles and triples down again!…..Jesus tells us very clearly….”My yoke is easy and my burden is light, learn from me for I am meek and humble of heart”….....Still not convinced?….God is our Father and God loves us…..A good father will never tell his children something that will hurt them…..We need to understand and more importantly feel the depths of God’s love for us - Love changes everything - Not words but love put into action…If only we give God a chance, then maybe just maybe will we understand - The will of God was given to us for our own good…….In the mean time, God does not give up on us…Why? - Because he loves us….. “I will lay waste mountains and hills, all their undergrowth I will dry up; I will turn the rivers into marshes, and the marshes I will dry up. I will lead the blind on a way they do not know; by paths they do not know I will guide them. I will turn darkness into light before them, and make crooked ways straight. These are my promises: I made them, I will not forsake them.”

Any more questions out there?…..Its really plain and simple…….Jesus was a carpenter not a physicist….We need to stop making things that are not complicated so complicated

Today at Holy Mass we hear from the gospel of St Luke…The people are coming to John the Baptist and asking him for advice….“What should we do?”…What John tells them frankly is very practical, its not some esoteric soap-box litany of “things to do”…..“Whoever has two cloaks should share with the person who has none. And whoever has food should do likewise. ”Even tax collectors came to be baptized and they said to him, “Teacher, what should we do?” He answered them, “Stop collecting more than what is prescribed. “Soldiers also asked him, “And what is it that we should do?” He told them, “Do not practice extortion, do not falsely accuse anyone, and be satisfied with your wages”….And so it is to this very day 2000 years later….Doing the work of the Lord is written on the hearts of all men - Its very practical and frankly in many ways its straight up and down common sense…Yet - We still inquire, like the people who approached John the Baptist - “What should we do?”…Is it that we truly do not know what to do?…..Or….Is it we know what to do and do not want to do it?….We need to stop making things so complicated…Jesus was a carpenter and his first disciples were fishermen…..What they taught was not “rocket-science”……It all boils down to this - We are to love God above all things and love our neighbor as ourself……And Jesus because he knows we are all flawed, gives us a Church, which gives us the Sacraments to help us to do the one thing he asks of us…..Anymore questions?

“Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God.”

I do not pay attention too much to Catholic Social Media even though I have a radio show, which airs primarily throughout Connecticut…Why you may ask?…Because many of the people heavy involved in Catholic Social Media, while in most cases these men and women are highly educated and very smart...…I find they focus on things that frankly would take care of themselves if their primary focus was to communicate First Principals….What do I mean by First Principals?……..Go to a Sacramental Confession once a month…Pray the Rosary with your family each day…..Fast every week……Make it a practice to go to Eucharistic Adoration on a weekly basis…Go to Mass daily (if you can) and Always receive the Eucharist in the state of grace…..These are First Principals….Anyone can do them…And if we do them, everything else will fall into place….Why is that?…Because in doing these things, we will be given grace and everything relies upon grace…Also, in doing these things the Holy Spirit will dwell within our soul…And when the Holy Spirit finds a home within our soul we are given certain gifts…What are those gifts?……Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel, Fortitude, Knowledge, Piety, and Fear of the Lord…….Once we have these gifts…Everything will take care of itself…Speaking personally, my faith is grounded in First Principals……Its not complicated…I try to keep it very simple…Why?…Because Jesus was not complicated…Jesus was a “blue-collar guy”…..He said things clearly and as Catholics we have everything written down, if we ever have any doubt about what the Church teaches and why it teaches what it teaches…Frankly, the rest is up to us….So, stick with First Principals…….And if you do, I will bet the question asked today by the people to John the Baptist….“What should we do?”…..Will no long be asked…Why?…Because the answer as far as “What should we do?” - Is written on the hearts of all men

“Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”

John the Baptist was a rough and tumble kind of guy…Like Jesus, he told it like it is…..The message of Salvation is very plain and very simple…You do not have to have a PhD to understand it, so in my opinion we should stop making things that are not complicated so complicated……We are to love God above all things and love our neighbor as ourself……And if we ground our Catholic faith in First Principals, we will execute on that one and only thing Jesus asks of us….Any more questions out there?…..Its really plain and simple…….Jesus was a carpenter not a physicist….We need to stop making things that are not complicated so complicated

”It takes us to first recognize our own poverty before we can recognize Jesus’s divinity”

Today at Holy Mass we hear from the gospel of St Matthew…Jesus friends ask him a question….”Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?" He said in reply, "Elijah will indeed come and restore all things; but I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him”….As many know, Elijah was a great prophet. Scripture tells us……”There appeared the prophet Elijah whose words were as a flaming furnace. Their staff of bread he shattered, in his zeal he reduced them to straits; By the Lord's word he shut up the heavens and three times brought down fire”…….Yet, according to Jesus told to us at Mass today, “They did nor recognize him”…..Early this week on the Feast Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe, I wrote about how God works through little children and the “invisible segments of society” more times then not…Here again Jesus tells us…A great message was given to the people and they did not hear it…….So it is today as it was 2000 years ago - Not much has changed…..The message of Salvation is being proclaimed today at every Mass offered all over the world….We are given the privilege of receiving the Blessed Sacrament into our very body….We are given the opportunity to have our sins forgiven in the Sacrament of Reconciliation…Yet, as it was in the time of Elijah……”The people did not recognize him”

“Lord, make us turn to you; let us see your face and we shall be saved”

How can we recognize Christ in our world today?…..A question often asked by many…More time then not, it takes us to first recognize our own poverty before we can recognize Jesus’s divinity…That is a lofty statement - I am going to say it again…..”It takes us to first recognize our own poverty before we can recognize Jesus’s divinity”…Let me try to explain it…..Being citizens of America for the most part all our basic needs at met….We all eat well, we have a roof over our head, cloths on our back……In many cases we have deposable income……We are in good health…All these things are good, however in having them the way we do in abundance, we can “think” we do not need God….Sometimes it takes an event to make us feel utterly powerless - Its then, in such a moment like that will we be open to really “listen” to what God is trying to tell us…..While we all want to achieve some level of material comfort, being too comfortable in this life can be a distraction for us when it comes to “seeing and hearing” God in the hear and now……Having money is not a sin…I will admit to you right now…My wife and I are professional people and we are hardly poor…I would be lying to you if I told you otherwise…However, my wife and I have five children…We use the material gifts given to us and share them with our family and put them at the service of the world…......This is what the Social Compendium of the Catholic Church says about wealth….”Wealth is considered a gift from God that should be used responsibly and shared with those in need, meaning that accumulating excessive wealth while others lack basic necessities is morally wrong; individuals have a duty to use their wealth to benefit society and not just hoard it for personal gain”….As an American , hearing this is challenging because our culture is so driven by material goals and achievements - Its pounded into our heads as children - “Get a good job and make tons of money!”…What the Church is teaching us in this document is the following…Money is not a bad thing…We are to work hard and reach our potential and that may mean a significant amount of material success will be gained…However, what the Church is also telling us is….If we are gifted with material wealth, its for us to use that wealth for the benefit of the Kingdom of God…..Why?….Because if we look to “build heaven on earth”, we will get distracted and not look to God…We will “think” we do not need him…..Also, our true home is heaven….And if we try to find “heaven on earth” not only will we always be disappointed because nothing fully satisfies us materially speaking in the here and now no matter how good it is, but if we live for material gain, we will ultimately find ourselves constantly violating the first and second commandments…To love God above all things and love your neighbor as yourself

“To whom much is given, much will be required”

Today at Mass Jesus tells his friends that a message was given to the world and the world did not hear it….As Catholics, everything we need to hear is written down very clearly for us…Its for us to read it and put it into practice…So here is the final question - Why do we ignore what is told to us? - The answer can be found in this statement - Because we “think” we do not need God…We get distracted by our creature comforts more often then not…Only and until we recognize our own poverty before God, even if we are blessed with material wealth, will we have “eyes to see” and “hears to hear”….As Catholics, wealth is seen as a stewardship, meaning individuals are entrusted with managing their riches for the good of others, not just themselves…….I can hear it now…”Your a communist Joe”!….....No - I’m a Catholic - And "My kingdom is not of this world"…"To whom much is given, much will be required”

This is the task at hand….“If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts”

Today at Holy Mass we hear in the gospel of St Matthew how Jesus tells the crowd that no matter who God sends to the people, they simply do not want to hear it….."To what shall I compare this generation? It is like children who sit in marketplaces and call to one another, 'We played the flute for you, but you did not dance, we sang a dirge but you did not mourn.' For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they said, 'He is possessed by a demon.' The Son of Man came eating and drinking and they said, 'Look, he is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.' But wisdom is vindicated by her works”……What should this tell us?….The problem is not the message or even the messenger…The problem seems to be the hardness of our hearts…….Mankind just does not want to hear it because mankind does not want to change…..We would rather wallow in your own misery than admit we were wrong and work to make a change….This my friends is a BIG problem as well as a BIG obstacle to overcome…..In order for us to enter heaven, we must “get past” this mindset….As life moves on many things begin to “breakdown”…Our bodies become weaker…Our mind is not as sharp…Our career prospects are not as numerous…As we see and feel our own mortality we should reflect more upon how our time here on earth really does end!…But life does not have “end” with our mortal death…But that outcome is entirely up to us!…..We must make a choice and no choice is a choice…We will surely die one day and getting into heaven is not a “given”…Its a choice, a daily one and that choice begins now……“If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts”

“The Lord will come; go out to meet him! He is the prince of peace”

The human mind is a funny thing….On paper something can be perfectly logical, like a mathematical solution, yet the human mind will look at the solution and swear up and down that the right answer is not the right answer…Even at the cost of personal pain and hardship as a result of questioning the right answer……As I have stated before in these reflections…”You tell a tree by the fruit it bears” and if the world was perfectly logical and open to correction, the world would make the necessary changes to “bear fruit”…But that is not how it works sadly…..The good news is God does not give up on us…God knows us better then we know ourselves and as a result, he puts in front of us people and situations in life to help us to “see”….That is what life really is all about…We are all on a journey back to God but in order to get to our final destination, we must be purified….We can resist that “process” and most do to a certain degree…But as we get older we “should” start to see that the “process” is for our own good…But as with all things, “the process” of us “figuring it out” comes to an end when we die…..When we face God and we all will - God will show us how he continuously reached a hand out to us throughout our entire life…God does that in so many different ways…But then it is up to us to reach a hand back!…If we choose not to - How can we expect to enter the Kingdom of Heaven?…….Life around us changes all the time and we must change as well…..St Paul tell us in Scripture….”When I was a child, I used to talk as a child, think as a child, reason as a child; when I became a man, I put aside childish things”…In telling us that, St Paul is implying we must constantly “evolve”…Only to become the people God created us to be, a holy people, ready to enter the Kingdom of God……..This “process” applies to all of us…I distinctly remember when Pope John Paul II died…He was completely broken and old…This man at one time was athletic, a great communicator and had a brilliant mind - He had it all!…Then age set in and God slowly “took everything away”…Some may say that was unfortunate…And from a worldly prospective it was sad to see…But if we "look underneath the surface"…God was “stripping away” all Pope John Paul’s gifts for a reason….Leaving him with nothing more than God himself….This is how it all began and how it all ends for all of us - For the great and the small of the world alike…To view life in this manner and accept it…To accept what God gives and takes away…All of which is apart of the sanctification process….Whether we accept this reality or not is up to us…Not accepting it however does not change it - Get that though your head!…In not accepting it we just become bitter…But if we accept the “process of sanctification”, when presented to us through the events and outcomes of life…Life is so much more enjoyable - We have peace - We have a purpose - And we see clearly our destination in the distance…All this requires us to overcome our greatest obstacle…The hardness of our hearts….Remember what Jesus said in the gospel today at Mass….”Wisdom is vindicated by her works”……The outcomes of our choices in the here and now should tell us “what works and what does not work”…Its then up to us to be honest with ourselves and make changes

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

Today in St Matthew’s Gospel Jesus addresses the crowd who rejects him…..His statement gets “underneath” all the excuses the people give for not listening to God…A good priest once told me something I will never for get…He said, “Joe, many people will tell you all the reasons why they do not like the Catholic Church, why they will never go back to Church or why they will never be Catholic…But under all those reasons…There is one big reason and that reason is not communicated……And that obstacle to God is very real, very personal and many times very painful…..This is our task as Catholics, to help the world “get over” that one big “obstacle”, which keeps them from God…How do we do this?…….We do this by our witness not by our words…And in order to give such a witness, we must strive to become a holy people…This is the task at hand….“If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts”

Its the small things in life that make life beautiful…And more times then not, God speaks to us through the small things….Do you notice the small things?

Today the Universal Church celebrates the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe…For those who are not familiar….In December of 1531, Mary appeared to a man named Juan Diego, a Mexican Indian requesting that a Church be built…When Juan Diego brought this message to his bishop, the bishop was not convinced….Until Juan Diego returned with his cloak full of roses, which do not grow in December and when those same roses dropped from his cloak, Our Lady’s image appeared on the cloak miraculously…This same cloak with the image of Mary can be viewed to this day in the Cathedral, which was built as Our Lady requested in Mexico City…That same Church is visited by more people throughout the world, only second to St Peter’s Basilica in Rome….Why is all this important?……The message Juan Diego brought to the bishop was something most if not all of us would not believe if he told it to us in real time as it happened…Yet, what was asked by Our Lady, that a church be built happened!….What can we learn from this?…God’s ways are not our ways!…With that said and something to keep in mind…Mankind can not thwart the plans of God!…Oh, how we think we can…But its like trying to hold back the ocean….Those who fight against God are fighting a losing battle, both in the world and within themselves…In the Book of Revelation, which was written by St John - When Mary gave birth to the Child Jesus - This is what John wrote….”Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: “Now have salvation and power come, and the Kingdom of our God and the authority of his Anointed”…..The world 2000 years ago saw a child born in a barn - But God in heaven saw something else…What do you see?……I will tell you what I see - What is to be revealed will be like nothing the world has ever seen!….”A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars”

“The angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin’s name was Mary”

The “language of God” is very different then the language of man…..What do I mean by that?….God uses events and people that the world seems to always miss….The message of Our Lady of Guadalupe was given to a poor Mexican Indian…..St Peter was the first Pope and he was a humble fisherman….The children of Fatima were poor peasants……To name a few examples…..And lastly Jesus, the King of King was born in a barn to humble parents…It always seems that while the world is looking for “extravagant signs”…God sends us messages and messengers, who are far from extravagant…And because they are not “flashy” we ignore them or miss the message….So the question is…How can we become receptive to the messages of God?……The answer to that question does not come from a persons resume or intellect…It comes from the purity of heart of that individual…Our Lady spoke to the children of Fatima and gave them one of the most important messages since the birth of Christ…Would you give such a message to children?…I will answer that question for you - I would not….And a better question…Would you have believed the children of Fatima in real time if they told you they saw and spoke with “a beautiful lady”?…Again, I will answer for you - I probably would not have believed them…So how do we purify our hearts?……Jesus instructs us in Scripture….”Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven”…Jesus did not say, the people who graduate from Harvard will enter the Kingdom of God..He said we must become like children, who have pure and trusting hearts…The world has a way to make our hearts jaded and cynical…We all have “seen too much”…We have been disappointed by people…We have been hurt…..While this is true…Only God can heal our hearts and keep them pure…Only God!……Our world today thirsts for sophistication….God thirsts for us to remain pure, like a child…To look with wonder at everyday things and events….To trust…My youngest child is three years old…When I pick Maria up from Pre-K3, when she sees me, she runs with open arms directly at me…When I pick her up, Maria always places her face up against my cheek and keeps it there….Maria is so precious and so pure - Its tangible…..This is how we must strive to be….A person who is a “pure drop of water in the world” can do more than 100 people with Ivy league degrees!….God continues to “write his story” with and through the small and the pure of heart in the world…..And if we do not look with “eyes wide open”, we will miss it

“The LORD will possess Judah as his portion in the holy land, and he will again choose Jerusalem. Silence, all mankind, in the presence of the LORD! For he stirs forth from his holy dwelling”

The Feast of Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe should be a reminder to us of what God values….God is not interested in our resume…He is interested in our heart…We must learn to value the “things of God”…Because the “things of God” are very different from what are valuable to the world…..Why is this important?…Because if we do not value what is important to God, we will miss his message of Salvation…We will miss the guidance God provides to us day in and day out…..Only when our hearts become “childlike” will we “hear” this message…Like my three year old daughter Maria….Who is so pure of heart and trusting….When she presses her cheek up against my face…As her Dad, I get a small taste of heaven here on earth each and everyday…..Its the small things in life that make life beautiful…And more times then not, God speaks to us through the small things….Do you notice the small things?

Its either one or the other my friends…The burden of sin or the burden of God’s will…..There is no escaping this choice…So choose well - A lot depends on your choice

Today at Holy Mass we hear from St Matthew’s gospel…The text is very short but there are many layers to explore within it…..”Jesus said to the crowds: "Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light”……First question - Do you believe that the “yoke” of Christ is “easy and light”?….Let's be honest - Most do not…....Oh,how humanity gives lip service to God when it comes to doing what the Church says…We somehow “think” its too much…”It can’t be done”…."Its not practical!"....Or we tell ourself…..If we attempt to do it, we will be “missing out” and will lead an incomplete life…….Nothing could be further from the truth!…God came to give us life and give it abundantly - That is in the here and now!……When we come of age, we all make a choice and with that choice comes a “burden” - No getting around this reality!….If we choose the will of God, yes, there is a burden laid upon our shoulders…But with that burden comes deep peace and joy….If we choose to ignore the will of God…Some tell themselves that they will have it easier…Actually, the very opposite happens…Life becomes harder…..The burden of sin and death is infinitely heavier then the burden of the cross because with each choice we make there are consequences - No getting around it…..This is why Jesus tells us today…..”For my yoke is easy, and my burden light”…..Its either one or the other…The burden of sin or the burden of God’s will…..There is no escaping this choice and no choice in and of itself is a choice…..Life with God is so much better then life without God

“Behold, the Lord comes to save his people; blessed are those prepared to meet him.”

Words - Words - Words…So easily said…People need to see for themselves the truth of the Gospel…..Whenever I have a conversation with someone who “does not believe in God” or denies the Truth contained in the Catholic Church…I always point to this statement……….”You tell a tree by the fruit it bears”…When we look closely at the lives of people who follow the will of God and do not just give “lip service” to their Catholic faith…You will find they are joyful people, at peace with the world and with themselves, have stable marriages, they are self-disciplined, they are not enslaved by vices or debt…..Just open your eyes and take a good look……Now juxtapose that to the lives of people you know personally or who are apart of the mainstream culture who chose a lifestyle, which opposes God’s will….Again, just open your eyes and take a good sober look……The outcome of the comparison should be obvious….But because the outcome of that comparison is so glaring…Mankind chooses not to “look” because if we did look and self-reflect, that would mean we would have to change….And there are many reasons why we do not want to change…The first of which is our pride………Many years ago I knew a man named Michael who had a long standing extra-marital affair…..After many years he came to terms with the pain he caused his wife and son and reconciled with the Church…I got to know Michael as he was healing…..I watched how God slowly healed his relationship with his wife…How God began working in Michael’s life…..Now Michael is faithful Catholic…His marriage overtime has healed….His son who was leading a bad life too has also started to pursue the Lord…..All because Michael was willing to acknowledge his mistake, ask God to forgive him and rely on God’s grace through daily prayer and the Sacraments to improve his marriage….As a result, Michael’s life has drastically improved - Its as clear as the nose on your face!……Michael like many today could have given “lip service” to God (and to himself) and continued down the road he was on…..Lying to himself - ”I’m doing just fine”……Instead, he was sick and tired of living the life he was living…He saw with his own two eyes the “good life”, which is living in the state of grace and pursuing God's will……But here is the catch - There is always a catch…We cannot have it “both ways” - Far too many think we can…We cannot have God in our life and continue to pursue a life of sin….We must make a choice……Michael did and today Michael is a new man…His marriage is healed and he is thriving - Its as clear as the nose on your face!

"Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light”

Today in the gospel, Jesus is telling us something that is universally true, no matter who we are….Life with God is infinitely better than life without God…The devil tries to tell humanity otherwise - And far too many believe the lie - And make no mistake - It is a lie!….The question is for all those reading this today - Do you believe me?….If you don’t, this is what I have to say to you - ”You tell a tree by the fruit it bears”…All you have to do is take a good sober look…..Living in and through the will of God works…Such a life brings deep peace and it brings joy…..Still don’t believe me?….Why don’t you take another look?….If you do, maybe just maybe you will then “take the first step” and make a change?……..Its either one or the other my friends…The burden of sin or the burden of God’s will…..There is no escaping this choice…So choose well - A lot depends on your choice

Are you willing to leave the 99 to chase after the one who is lost?…..There is a cost - Be willing to pay it

Today at Holy Mass we hear from St Matthew’s Gospel…Jesus tells his friends something that sounds very good on paper and most would agree with it but when it translates into real time, the “good” people who are “left” behind usually get upset….We see this today in the Church….”If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray, will he not leave the ninety-nine in the hills and go in search of the stray? And if he finds it, amen, I say to you, he rejoices more over it than over the ninety-nine that did not stray. In just the same way, it is not the will of your heavenly Father that one of these little ones be lost”…The Pontificate of Pope Francis has been very controversial…..We can disagree with his methods and style (I will publicly admit I do at times) but at the heart of his pontificate, whenever I read this text from St Matthew’s Gospel I think of Pope Francis…Many traditional Catholics have a big problem with Pope Francis….And frankly, I will also publicly admit, I believe they do not understand him (He can be hard to read)……..The root of this misunderstanding comes from how Pope Francis “reaches his hands out” to those on the margins of society, public sinners far from God…I will admit that I too question is approach at times as far as how he “reaches out”…However, I do believe that Pope Francis in his heart, he is trying to help the lost……And he is more than willing to leave the “99 in the hills” to go after the “one stray”…….We can agree to disagree with how he sometimes does this, but we too should be willing to do the same…..The 99 already “get it”…However, the one lost in “the wilderness” needs someone to “go the extra yard” to bring them back home…That can be a messy process…Did not Jesus do the same?…Jesus ate with public sinners as the “respectable people” spoke badly about him…Jesus approached the woman at the well who was in an adulterous relationship - I am sure that did not go over too well either with the “respectable people” ……In following Jesus's instructions in the gospel today correctly, we must never water down the fullness of Church Teaching…Why?…Because we have no authority to do so…..However, we must ALWAYS be willing to “step out of our comfortable little box” and reach a hand to the “black sheep” who has gone astray…...Let the “respectable people” talk trash!….Jesus had a heart for sinners because he came to save sinners…And so must we…...Why?…..Because we ourselves are sinners too!

“The day of the Lord is near; Behold, he comes to save us”

Having a big family with many children close in age can be challenging, especially when you take them to Mass….My wife and I do our best…..Once in awhile we get invited to event where many traditional (some call them orthodox) Catholics gather and usually there is a Mass along with the event…We have taken our family to these kinds of gatherings from time to time and when our kids (we have five, all of which are under 10 years old) act up, I will tell you, the looks my wife and I get from some of these “traditional” Catholics is far from being charitable…..When this happens, I take it in stride and offer it up…However, what consoles me is I think to myself of how Jesus would be so happy that my family is at Mass, even when the kids misbehave…..As for the people who have a problem with kids at Mass misbehaving…It seems to me, they are “missing it”…….Jesus was willing to jump into the “mix” of life…And so must we…That can be very messy…Why?…Because life is messy…..As Jesus taught his friend’s today…We must be willing to “leave the 99 to go after the one”….In doing that, the 99 may get upset…Why?.....Because to do that "things get very messy" - The “respectable” crowd may question your actions and challenge your motives…..My advice today to you is - Let them talk their trash!…..Like Jesus, who came for sinners, so must we…A father loves all his children, the good and the bad alike…And if we do not pursue the lost, how will they ever find there way back home?

“They shall exult before the LORD, for he comes; for he comes to rule the earth. He shall rule the world with justice and the peoples with his constancy”

In St Matthew’s gospel today, Jesus was trying to teach his friends that we must hate the sin but love the sinner…And to love the sinner may mean we have to leave the “respectable” crowd in order to reach a loving hand to the one who is lost…..In doing so, many people will not understand….Many will challenge your actions…And many will even speak badly of you…In response to those negative outcomes…..Jesus tells us very clearly in the Beatitudes (which are the “blue print” to get us to heaven) how we are to think and to accept the "cost" of discipleship.......….”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 leave the 99 to chase after the one who is lost?…..There is a cost - Be willing to pay it

What is holding you back?…..”For nothing is impossible with God”

Today the Universal Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception…..Mary was conceived free from sin unlike us because she was called to bear the son of God…..Jesus who also was pure could not come from something that was stained by sin - Think about it…Therefore God preserved Mary from original sin by the merits of his son…..William Wordsworth called Mary “our tainted natures solitary boast”…..For this reason she is mankind’s hope that one day we to will ascend into heaven body & soul….In the mean time Mary intercedes for us with her son…..Because no one knows the son as does the Mother….Mary is our Mother too…Jesus gave her to us from the Cross…”When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son.” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his home”…..The most direct path to Jesus is through Mary….As all good mothers…She takes us my the hand and shows us the way to her beloved son….”His mother said to the servers, “Do whatever he tells you”……That could be the best advice ever given…“Do whatever he tells you”

“The LORD has made his salvation known: in the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice. He has remembered his kindness and his faithfulness toward the house of Israel”

Today at Holy Mass we hear from St Luke the story of the Annunciation……"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”…..When we read scripture its very easy to forget that Mary was a historical figure as well as a biblical figure…....That means she was as real as we are……And Scripture today tells us she was afraid at what was being asked of her by God…That is a very human response….Following the Lord is not an easy task at times…God asks us to do things that appear to be impossible throughout the Gospel…However, God knows us better then we know ourself…….He knows what we are capable of - If only we trust him…This is why the archangel Gabriel says to Mary, “Do not be afraid”……Have you ever been faced with something that you think to be impossible?……..Well, it does not get more impossible than a virgin to have a child…But again, the angel addresses that in the gospel today as well….”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”……Do you think God’s hand only reaches out to Mary and not to you as well?…God can do the impossible for you too - If you only give him your YES as Mary did……As Catholics when we get married we are called to be open to life…That means never using contraception…..To say that you never use contraception in this day and age is thought to be crazy…But this is what the church teaches and inorder for your marriage to be Sacramental, which means God’s grace is acting in and through it, a Catholic couple must always be open to life never to use contraception…..Now don’t shoot the messenger…I am not making this up…I am only telling you what the Church teaches….My wife and I have been married for 11 years…We have never used contraception…..My wife has given birth to 5 children….What people may not know is, we have also conceived and lost 3 children as well…..I have not told many people this but two months ago, my wife Sabryna was pregnant again for the eighth time……For just one week, we thought we were going to have another baby….How I found out was, I found my wife crying on our bed…She was terrified because she has had 5 c-sections and after the last child the doctor told us that having another baby could be hazardous to my wife’s health…..After she and I spoke, we called our doctor….My wife’s body does not produce enough progesterone naturally and that is why we lost two other children in the past….The doctor immediately prescribed progesterone shots to help keep the baby alive in her womb……….We only went through one cycle of the shots before we lost the child…Our third child lost over the course of eleven years of marriage…..For one week, we anticipated another baby coming into our home…..Why tell you this?…Because my wife while open to life (and still is) was terrified when she thought she was having another child because she was told after five c-sections her life would be in danger…Yet, she trusted God and still does!…Why?…..Because God always takes care of his children and God does not give us something to do that cannot be done, if we trust him - Take that to the bank!….”For nothing is impossible with God”.

“Hail, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women”

Scripture tells us that Mary was afraid….But she got beyond her fear and put her hand into the hand of God….We must do the same…..Following God is not always easy….But I am fully convinced its the only way to live…A life filled with God’s grace can do all things….As married couples we need God’s grace and God will never let us down……..But we need to learn to trust him….As St Luke’s gospel today tells us…Mary said yes to the angel even though she was afraid……”Mary said, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word." Then the angel departed from her”…..As children of Mary we too must learn to trust and be open to God with a true and clean heart - And if we do, the “Holy Spirit will come upon you” too……What is holding you back?…..”For nothing is impossible with God”

Are we prepared?……Ready or not……Here I come

Today at Holy Mass we hear in the Gospel of St Luke a prophetic statement…..Jesus, the savior of the world is coming……But before he comes…..St Luke gives us a quote from the Old Testament from the Book of Isaiah….”A voice of one crying out in the desert: “Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths. Every valley shall be filled and every mountain and hill shall be made low. The winding roads shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth, and all flesh shall see the salvation of God”…As we all know, those were the words of John the Baptist but those words echo throughout history to this day…Advent is a time to prepare…To prepare ourselves for the coming of the Christ Child…..Christmas commemorates each year the brith of Jesus…But one day…A day we do not know when…Jesus will return….Because of that…We must prepare

“Although they go forth weeping, carrying the seed to be sown, They shall come back rejoicing, carrying their sheaves”

All human beings die, this is reality…Each of us however were not born to die…We were born to live……Jesus on the other hand was born to die…That was his purpose…He was born to humble parents, to be raised to manhood only to die and his death changed the world forever….When someone dies, the people who love that person always mourn…..And when Jesus died, even his closet friends did not understand…Jesus told them time and time again that he would rise from the dead in three days…But his friends heard the words but did not understand….The only person I think who did understand was his Mother….In Mel Gibson’s film the Passion of the Christ as Jesus was being murdered, the film shows how his friends were in a state of panic, some were mourning and others were terrified….There was one scene that I thought was rather interesting…..St Veronica, as we all know is the person noted in Scripture who wiped the face of Christ as he carried his cross……In Gibson’s film, Veronica was perfectly at peace almost like she knew the outcome of Jesus rising from the dead before it happened…In fact, she even was courageous in the face of all the madness going on around her…….Mel Gibson in this film gave St Veronica an insight the first disciples did not have….Veronica knew who Jesus really was, that he was God and that death had no power over him….Why bring this up?…Because today we hear the words from St John the Baptist……He tells us to prepare for the coming of Christ…..St Veronica was prepared - Are we prepared?…..Or maybe a better question is…..How do we prepare?….The Season of Advent gives Catholics roughly 30 days to pray, fast and give alms in order to prepare our hearts for the birth of Christ…Advent is also a time to make a good Sacramental Confession….This is how we prepare for the coming of God…St Veronica in the film was at peace as the world around her was crumbling…The only way to acquire peace in such circumstances is if our hearts are “right with God”…..Only grace can give us that kind of “unshakeable peace” when we are living through the “storms of life” and when we face death, our death or the death of a loved one

“Those who sow in tears shall reap rejoicing”

Today in the second reading from Mass…St Paul to reminds us about this theme of preparation….”I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work in you will continue to complete it until the day of Christ Jesus”……Paul in making this statement to his friends is encouraging them….As my father would always say to me…”Joe - Straight ahead”…..At our Baptism, the seed of faith was implanted into our hearts……It is now for us to nurture that seed and if we do, it will grow…..“The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that a person took and sowed 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”…..Like St Veronica in Mel Gibson’s movie The Passion of the Christ…She understood what was going on around her, even when everyone else was panicking…St Veronica had "vision" - She understood that Jesus was born to die, so that we can one day live forever…….“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith also in me. In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If there were not, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back again and take you to myself, so that where I am you also may be. Where I am going you know the way”……Are we prepared?……Ready or not……Here I come