“Remain faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life”

Today we hear at Holy Mass from the Gospel of St Luke…..Jesus tells his friends that following him will not be easy…Jesus does not “sugar-coat” reality…“They will seize and persecute you, they will hand you over to the synagogues and to prisons, and they will have you led before kings and governors because of my name. It will lead to your giving testimony. Remember, you are not to prepare your defense beforehand, for I myself shall give you a wisdom in speaking that all your adversaries will be powerless to resist or refute. You will even be handed over by parents, brothers, relatives, and friends, and they will put some of you to death. You will be hated by all because of my name, but not a hair on your head will be destroyed. By your perseverance you will secure your lives”…We all want to belong…As I say on my radio show all the time…”We all want to get invited to the barbecue”…In our desire to belong, do we give our true self away?….Do we compromise what we know to be true to “get along”…..This is one of the driving factors, which keeps us from becoming the people God called us to be…..At the end of the day, we all have an “audience of one”…And that audience is God alone…..Its God’s opinion of us that matters…Never let “the crowd” steal your soul

“Remain faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life”

I began my career on Wall Street as a Branch Examiner…I would travel around the country and audit the various branches where Financial Brokers sold stocks and bonds to the public…During the audits I conducted I would have to give a presentation to each branch reviewing the various internal and external regulations, which impacted their business…The crowd at my presentations could be very hostile at times…Wall Street brokers are not the most “gentle” of people as you can imagine…This one year during Lent I pinned a cross into the lapel of my suit jacket as an outward sign of the penitential season, which prepares us for Easter Sunday and the Resurrection of Christ…This one presentation I gave was outside of St Louis and when I got up before all the brokers to speak, I felt all eyes upon the cross pinned to my suit jacket…It was hard enough to give that presentation but with that cross pinned on my suit, I felt like it was pinned into my bare flesh!….Why tell you this?…Because the “world” will ALWAYS reject the ways of Christ and the Church…ALWAYS!…Jesus today is warning us ahead of time…So don’t expect anything less!…..In Scripture, after Jesus was killed I always remember the story of Joseph of Arimathea…Joseph was a secret follower of Jesus and very rich…He held social standing and had a lot to lose…After Jesus was murdered he approached Pontius Pilate and requested the body of Jesus so it could be properly buried…He also paid for the burial, giving Christ a tomb for his body to be placed, which was originally intended for himself and his family…This took great courage on the part of Joseph of Arimathea, he had a lot to lose but his love for Christ propelled him to “take the risk”….As followers of Jesus we too must take risks!….The Holy Spirit will help us if we allow it to enter our heart…..I have always found when we enter “the space” of vulnerability…When we "expose ourself" in the name of Jesus Christ…When we have no control…Its there - In “that space” that we encounter the Lord…We must be willing to enter “that space”!

“Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch. Simon said in reply, “Master, we have worked hard all night and have caught nothing, but at your command I will lower the nets.”

Jesus today warns his friends….”In the world you will have trouble”…..We must accept trouble as it comes because it is a reality - It comes with the territory of being a follower of Jesus Christ…We were not born to “get along”…We were born to light the way!…..Before Jesus entered Jerusalem and suffered his passion he fasted for 40 days…During that time the devil tempted him three times….”Then the devil took him up to a very high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in their magnificence, and he said to him, “All these I shall give to you, if you will prostrate yourself and worship me.” At this, Jesus said to him, “Get away, Satan! It is written: ‘The Lord, your God, shall you worship and him alone shall you serve.’” Then the devil left him and, behold, angels came and ministered to him”…..We too must be willing to endure…And make no mistake, we will be tempted too!….But as Jesus today told his friends......”In the world you will have trouble”...…He also told them……”By your perseverance you will secure your lives”…….And when times get tough - Angels will come and minister to you as well……So ”put out into deep water and lower your nets”

“Remain faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life”