Today at Holy Mass we hear from the Gospel of St Luke..In the text Jesus chose his 12 apostles….A very big decision to make…Before he makes his choice he spends the night in prayer away from the crowd that was following him…When we have a big choice to make, do we pray before we act?…….Silent prayer before the Blessed Sacrament…….Time spent alone listening to what God “speaks” to us in the silence of our heart is not only a healthy practice but a good and reliable guide, which helps us make better decisions
“In the silence of the heart God speaks. If you face God in prayer and silence, God will speak to you”
Catholics love their “programs”….Parishes all over the America “roll out” new initiatives constantly to “reach out” to their people…While these initiatives are well intentioned, if you ask me many times they are over thought…If you ask me…There is one “program” that needs to be rolled out and that “program” works every time…That program is Jesus himself in the Blessed Sacrament!……Stop with the powerpoint presentations and put Jesus on the altar for the people to sit in silent adoration in front of Our Lord……Let me explain why this “trumps” all our well thought out plans…Because Jesus knows the hearts of us all…No person can read hearts - But God can!…We do not know what really troubles people…What deep wounds they have…Or for that matter how to address those wounds…But Jesus does!…This is why we need to simply put Jesus on the altar…Allow people to sit before him in silence…Jesus will do all the work!…So stop with the power-point presentations and get out of the way!….Even for people who do not believe in God….Even when people do not believe in the True Presence of Christ in the Eucharist…What people will realize when they sit before the Blessed Sacrament is….There is great peace found there!…And EVERYONE is looking for peace!…..That peace is tangible and can be felt viscerally!…..The attraction to this practice will start from there…And from there it will grow…And from there faith will grow…And from there people will be healed…All from simply sitting in front of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament in silence…No powerpoint presentations…No parish initiatives......Let Jesus do the work and get out of their way!
The key to the Catholic faith in my view is simplicity…Getting back to basics….. Not over complicating what is beautiful…People - Especially “real smart people” have a way of over complicating things and in doing so…They “screw everything up”!!!…Keep it simple……Pray the Rosary every day…Go to a Sacramental Confession once a month…Receive the Blessed Sacrament on Sunday….Sit before Jesus in silent adoration weekly…These are simple things to do….Not complex at all…They are FREE and do not take much time…And if we do them……They will change your life and the life of the world around you....…Because God is real….God loves you….So stop with the powerpoint presentations and get out of the way…Let Jesus do the heavy lifting!
“Jesus departed to the mountain to pray, and he spent the night in prayer to God. When day came, he called his disciples to himself”
Getting back to the Gospel today from St Luke…After Jesus picks his first 12 apostles…..He gets to work…Helping people..Healing people…Serving people…That is our job too…But we can not give what we do not have….First we have to be “filled” with the grace of God, which means we have to “make room” for God in our hearts and in our soul….And once we do that…We give away what we receive at no cost…”Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give”….So please no more powerpoint presentations…Keep it simple
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