People believe what they see…Let them see!

Today at Holy Mass we hear from the Gospel of St Luke….In this text Jesus talks about the power of a Christian witness….“No one who lights a lamp conceals it with a vessel or sets it under a bed; rather, he places it on a lamp stand so that those who enter may see the light”…People believe what they see…And the witness of a holy life stops traffic!…..This can only happen if we empty our self and in turn are filled by the Holy Spirit…One can not self manufacture a Holy Life, as some believe…..You can not “read” your way to such a life…..Only by a life of sacrifice devoted to the Sacraments, daily prayer and weekly fasting can we give such a witness…This is the formula…The “blue-print” for a holy life…This is in the reach of us all…And if we choose to do this…We will surely be transformed in the process and in turn we will set the world on fire!

“To anyone who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he seems to have will be taken away.”

Americans are raised to be achievers…And what we spend most of our time and money upon should tell us what is most important to us…While education, sports, getting a good job are important…Nothing is more important then your eternal soul and the souls of our children….Sadly, far too many people presume that we just “float into heaven” under what I call the ”I’m a good guy principle”….Let me let you in on a little secret…It does not work that way…We get into heaven by doing the will of God…By “picking up our cross daily”……When a person prioritizes doing the will of God for himself and his family….The impact of such a witness points to God and sparks change within the hearts of everyone who sees such a witness….And our world needs examples, it does not need more sermons

“Refuse no one the good on which he has a claim when it is in your power to do it for him. Say not to your neighbor, “Go, and come again, tomorrow I will give,” when you can give at once”

Watching first hand sacrificial love is powerful…This can and does change hearts…My father died of Parkinson Disease. The last 18 months of his life he was bed-ridden. We took care of my father in our home. We purchased a hospital bed, had a nurse live with us for periods of time and my mother did not leave her husband’s bed-side the entire time….This as you can imagine was very difficult for my father…But he bore his illness with grace…As for mother…Her example to me was the greatest example to watch of my entire life…My Mom showed me - Did not tell me!…She showed me what sacrificial love and marriage is all about…..My mother did this at great personal cost to her self…She was very old as well as she gave of herself both night and day to my father….But in the process of doing this….The greatest lesson of my life was learned by watching her….Such a lesson can not be learned by reading a book….It must be lived…Our world needs witnesses and such a selfless witness can only happen when it is fueled by God’s grace!

“The just one shall live on your holy mountain, O Lord”

Getting back to the gospel today from St Luke at Mass…..Jesus tells us that there is great power in a Christian witness….That the light of God has to be shown to the world and in order to give such a witness, we must live out our Christian calling in the Public Square…This will in turn “make you different”….Remember this..Jesus too was “different”…And Jesus was and is the “light of the world"….Therefore, we too must shine that light through what we do…And make no mistake about it - This will cost us!.....However, if we do not do it - Who will?….But know this…When the world sees such a “light”….The world knows it!…Like a thunderbolt crashing to the ground…This is how we set the world on fire…People believe what they see…Let them see!