”Yes, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts”…….The question remains….Are we prepared to meet him?

Today at Holy Mass, we hear in the first reading from the Prophet Malachi……..This text tells us how God will send Elijah to prepare the people for God….To say that God needs to “prepare” people implies we are all not ready to stand before the Almighty….Our lives are a work in progress……”For he is like the refiner's fire, or like the fuller's lye. He will sit refining and purifying silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi, Refining them like gold or like silver”…..Habits are hard to break…To break bad habits and acquire virtue takes time and grace……This does not happen overnight…..No one is perfect and the first step towards perfection is admitting our faults and weakness - We all have them!…..This is why going to a Sacramental Confession at least once a month is vital…..In doing so, not only are our sins forgiven but we are given grace to overcome “bad habits” (i.e. our sins), which more times then not, we can not break free from on our own - We need God’s grace!……This is how we grow in virtue…..We need divine assistance - All of us need this assistance!…..The Catholic Church is not a museum for saints, it is hospital for sinners…..Jesus is the divine physician and the Sacraments are the medicine for the world….Malachi the Prophet tells us today…..”Yes, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts”…….Are we prepared to meet him?

“All the paths of the LORD are kindness and constancy toward those who keep his covenant and his decrees”

What keeps us from peace?…Ask yourself this…Why do we fear change and facing our own faults?…..Fear does not come from God and we must recognize this reality…..Christmas is two days away and the greatest gift we can give to Jesus is our sins in a Sacramental Confession…..The last couple of years I would go to St Patrick’s Cathedral in Manhattan to go to Confession before the noon Mass on Fridays (The Cathedral is near my office)…I notice that the same people are always on the line with me…..People struggling to overcome vices and bad habits - As I am - We all have them - And its a process to uproot our “issues” - And the “medicine” we need is God's mercy and grace…This is why Jesus came and walked among us and frankly we ALL need his help to free us from our weakness…Don’t believe me - Look around - How is the world doing without God?…..One of the years I went to India I brought over with me a group of third order Franciscans……A Franciscan priest also came with us…Fr Leo was a great baseball played from Texas in his younger years…Believe it or not, he almost made it to the Major Leagues as a second baseman but something must have happened along the way….He felt “the call” and became a priest…Every night after we would work at the various centers around the city of Kolkata serving the poor, the Missionaries of Charity would end the day by exposing the Blessed Sacrament for a Holy Hour in their convent….Both the nuns and the volunteers would attend this event together - It was some sight to behold - An interesting mix of people……….To the suprise of many people reading this reflection, not all the volunteers were practicing Catholics and some of us were, lets just say “rough around the edges” - But I think that is what made the Holy Hour so great!…..I have met Jews, non-believers, hippies, you-name-it in Kolkata, who came to serve the poor with Mother Teresa’s sisters…..People come from all over the world to help out of the goodness of their heart…Any way back to my story…On this trip, Fr Leo during each night at the Holy Hour would sit in the far corner hearing confessions…It was always interesting to see who would stand up and go to confession…Sometimes you would see a nun, various volunteers, etc…This one time, this girl with long dreadlocks and covered in tattoos gets up abruptly and walks over and sits with Fr Leo and gave her confession….It was an odd sight to see in many ways because this young girl you would have thought would have been the last person to go to confession by the way see looked (A lesson for all of us not to judge people!)….So there you have it - A Franciscan priest, who was an ex-baseball player from Texas, talking to a hippie girl covered in tattoos in a convent of nuns in India…..Only Jesus can bring people together like that…Speaking personally, it was a beautiful sight to see…..I will always remember it

“Lift up your heads and see; your redemption is near at hand”

Today in the first reading the Prophet Malachi is trying to prepare us for the coming of the Lord…Christmas is coming!….Are we prepared? - And I am not talking about buying one last gift….Have we prepared our hearts for the birth of Christ?…..This is why we should consider going to a Sacramental Confession with a Priest - In fact, make it a habit, go to Confession once a month…..Make this Christmas the greatest Christmas you ever had….Give your self the gift of peace……Its free…………..”Refining them like gold or like silver that they may offer due sacrifice to the LORD. Then the sacrifice of Judah and Jerusalem will please the LORD, as in the days of old, as in years gone by”…….Malachi the Prophet tells us today…..”Yes, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts”…….The question remains….Are we prepared to meet him?