God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked man but rather in his conversion that he may live…The outcome is completely up to us…We can not have it both ways

Today at Holy Mass we hear a passage from St Luke…In it Jesus tells us point blank that he is always their reaching out his hand to us…However, its up to us to take his hand and if we choose not to…We will perish!…This is reality…This is not “Hippie Jesus”…This is the real Jesus talking……“Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were greater sinners than all other Galileans? By no means! But I tell you, if you do not repent, you will all perish as they did!”…….”Americanized Christianity” has twisted the words of Christ…Far too many people “think” we get to heaven on “our terms”…That there is no such thing as mortal sin or hell….That “Jesus understands” when “I do the wrong thing”…..Yes, Jesus does understand very well…He has the holes in his hands to prove it!……When we sin and we all do!….We MUST reconcile with the Father in heaven……Don’t believe anyone who tells you differently!….Yes, God understands the human condition…That is why he sent his son to us….And Jesus also understood the weakness of men and women…That is why he established a Church where we can reconcile our sins and we are fortified by grace through the Blessed Sacrament……..There is no such person as “Hippie Jesus”!…Jesus the man told it like it is…..His hand is extended to each of us…Its for us to reach for it.

“There once was a person who had a fig tree planted in his orchard, and when he came in search of fruit on it but found none, he said to the gardener, ‘For three years now I have come in search of fruit on this fig tree but have found none. So cut it down. Why should it exhaust the soil?’ He said to him in reply, ‘Sir, leave it for this year also, and I shall cultivate the ground around it and fertilize it; it may bear fruit in the future. If not you can cut it down.”

Years ago I remember when Senator Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts was dying…As we all know Ted was a baptized Catholic and raised in a famous American wealthy family…His brother was the president and his other brother was the Attorney General of the United States of America…Ted was also the most powerful Senator in the Democratic Party…As we all know, Ted while he was Catholic did not live a life that witnessed to his Catholic faith…While he was on this earth, he was powerful, rich and influential….Then came the moment we will all face…Ted got sick and was on his death bed…So what does he do?…..He writes a letter to Pope Benedict…Like he was “negotiating a deal”…The Pope graciously extended his prayers to Ted…..Instead of writing this letter…Why not just go to a Sacramental Confession with a local priest?…The letter Ted wrote…What ever was said in it…Does not and can not duplicate a Sacramental Confession nor can such a letter absolve Ted of his sins…Only the Sacrament can…And deep down I think Ted knew that…But he was still “holding on” to a his earthly “perception of power”, which was about to disappear because he was about to die….Why tell this story?…Because no matter who we are….No matter how “powerful”, rich or influential while we are on the earth…We will all face God after our death…And when we face God, there will be no “negotiating”…..God’s rules - God’s terms!…It’s for us to “take his hand” in the here and now….Don’t believe me?….Jesus tells us this point blank today in the gospel….”Those eighteen people who were killed when the tower at Siloam fell on them, do you think they were more guilty than everyone else who lived in Jerusalem? By no means! But I tell you, if you do not repent, you will all perish as they did!”……..God is full of love and mercy….God loves us like no one ever can or will…But we must take his hand when he reaches out to us…We must reconcile our sins with him…Heaven is God’s house and we get into heaven on God’s terms…..Don’t believe what people tell you about this made up person called ““Hippie Jesus”…Jesus was no “Hippie”…He was the son of God, who came to save us from our sins…But in order for him to save us…We must reconcile with him…Take his hand!

“I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked man, says the Lord, but rather in his conversion that he may live”

Today’s gospel from Mass challenges us!…If we read Scripture we will find that many things Jesus said are challenging…And he did not say these words for his own benefit…..He told us these truths for our benefit…However, we were born with free will and we all make choices…..We choose to take the hand of Christ or we choose not to…..Its completely up to us…God gave us free will because love can not be forced upon someone…Love is a choice…And we choose to love God or we choose not to…..Take my advice - Take Jesus's hand!…..The “road to heaven” is narrow but it is filled of peace and joy…..I have come to understand after many years its the only “road worth traveling”…..God is merciful but God is also just…..God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked man but rather in his conversion that he may live…The outcome is completely up to us…We can not have it both ways