We have to “make room” for the Holy Sprit in our lives before we can be filled by it…The more we “pour out” our life, the more God can fill us with himself…The closer we are to God in union with him…The more he can use us…Ultimately satisfying the deepest need that exists within us all…That is how the “calculus of God” works

Today at Holy Mass we hear in the Gospel of St John how a woman “wastes” costly perfume by pouring it on the feet of Jesus and drying his feet with her hair…”Mary took a liter of costly perfumed oil made from genuine aromatic nard and anointed the feet of Jesus and dried them with her hair; the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil”……Scripture tells us that this perfume was worth an entire years wages….This was an extravagant gift…And “people being people” - They complained and grumbled about what Mary had done….Why would Mary do this?….Was this simply an over reaction or frankly a waste?……Mary understood who was standing in front of her…Jesus is God and when one steps back and thinks about what Christ endured and sacrificed for us, no gift is too extravagant….A life lived for God and others is not only a beautiful way to live but it is the only way to live…Its time to pay it forward!…But before that happens, we must come to “see” as Mary did…She did not give ”what was left over”, she gave everything she had…And so must we

“I believe that I shall see the bounty of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait for the LORD with courage; be stouthearted, and wait for the LORD.”

Far too many people view a life dedicated to God as “a waste”…I have even heard this among Catholics…They “think” somehow a person, whether a nun, a priest or frankly a pious lay person is “missing out”….Nothing could be further from the truth!…..Deep within each person is a desire for God…Until we satisfy this “thirst” for God, which is in each and everyone of us…We will NEVER be fully satisfied….The closer one unites himself / herself to God, the more fulfilled that person will be…Still don’t believe me?…….I have communicated in the past in these reflections that I did not get married until I was 43 years old….In my early twenties, I fully committed myself to living a Catholic life and being that I was single, that meant no sex before marriage….Finding a woman who saw the world like I did was no small task but God is faithful and he brought me my wife, whom I view to this very day as a treasure!…So back to my story…I remember when I turned forty I was still single and was at a childhood friend’s home celebrating his fortieth birthday.…I was siting next to his sister, who was trying to convince me that the life I had chosen was “a waste”…She was not trying to be mean, she was sincerely concerned for me….”Joe - You are missing out”…..Looking back on that conversation, I say to myself…”Missing out on what?”…..Now I do not want to throw stones at my friend’s sister, she meant well, however she simply does not understand nor has she encountered the Lord in a meaningful way….I think I can say that because if she did, she would not had said what she said…..Each of us was were created by God, to live for God and be with God for all eternity….The closer we get to God, the more fulfilled we will be….I have seen this in real time…Trust me!…If you have ever met a sincerely holy person in your life…Yes - Such people do exist - You will see what I am talking about….They are the most joyful, fulfilled people that walk this earth…Why would you not want that for yourself?…It is within your grasp!…This is why the example of Mary “wasting” all her expense perfume to anoint the feet of Jesus was not a “waste”…A life fully committed to the Lord, whether one is single, married or a consecrated religious is the best life one can lead - And you can led it!…Don’t believe the hype!….Jesus tells us point blank - “A thief comes only to steal and slaughter and destroy; I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly”……Still don’t believe me? - Look for yourself…Seeing is believing

“I have grasped you by the hand; I formed you, and set you as a covenant of the people, a light for the nations, To open the eyes of the blind, to bring out prisoners from confinement, and from the dungeon, those who live in darkness.”

Today St John tells us in the Gospel from Mass about how a simple woman gave an extraordinary gift to God…We too can give such a gift - By giving of our very life, lived out in service to God and others….Each of us, believe it or not is called to “pour ourselves out”…This idea goes completely against the message of our materialistic and consumer culture, which “programs us” from the time we are young until the time we die….The more we “empty ourself” for God and others, the more room we make for the Holy Spirit to dwell within us…..Catholics pray novenas to the Holy Spirit and Christians call on the Holy Spirit…This is all well and good, but what we sometimes forget is, we have to “make room” for the Holy Sprit in our lives before we can be filled by it…The more we “pour out” our life, the more God can fill us with himself…The closer we are to God in union with him…The more he can use us…Ultimately satisfying the deepest need that exists within us all…That is how the “calculus of God” works

Dare to be great and God will accomplish great things through you….But only if we empty ourself and drink of the bitter cup…”The Cross” stares us in the face…”Stare it down” and march forward!

Today is Palm Sunday, Holy Week begins…We read in the Gospel from St Luke how Jesus is abandoned, tried by a kangaroo court, convicted and killed…In reading this narrative this morning, one can see human nature on full display…In 2000 years nothing has changed…But what also has not changed is the path laid out for us by the man who showed us the way…We must embrace the Cross!…There is no other way…And if we do, our life will speak…This is within the grasp of each of us…The second readings at Mass from St Paul also lays out the “blueprint”, which must propel us forward…

“Christ Jesus, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Because of this, God greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

If you are not familiar with this passage…Read it again!…..This is who Jesus was, summed up in a few lines…And this is who we must become….Simple…Humble….Obedient….And a servant to all…This is the Cross…This is the path to life. In reading the Gospel today, something about St Peter also jumped out at me…I love St Peter, he is a strong man, he puts his “foot in his mouth” a lot…But he has the best of intentions…He also admits when he is wrong and never quits!…There is an exchange between St Peter and Jesus that I want to bring to your attention....……"Simon, Simon, behold Satan has demanded to sift all of you like wheat, but I have prayed that your own faith may not fail; and once you have turned back, you must strengthen your brothers." He said to him, "Lord, I am prepared to go to prison and to die with you." But he replied, "I tell you, Peter, before the cock crows this day, you will deny three times that you know me”……..St Peter had the best of intentions, but his big mistake was relied upon his own strengthen…A lesson is to be learned here for all of us!…We must rely on grace and not on our self…..And when we do….Great things will happen…Great things!…As we all know…St Peter fails Jesus, but that was not the end of the story…St Peter repents…And he fulfills what he was called to do from the very beginning…”Once you have turned back, you must strengthen your brothers”

“I will proclaim your name to my brethren; in the midst of the assembly I will praise you: "You who fear the LORD, praise him; all you descendants of Jacob, give glory to him; revere him, all you descendants of Israel!"

Holy Week has begun…Jesus enters Jerusalem as a king and he exits as a criminal…A great lesson can be learned from this week…..The week begins with cheers…”Hosanna”…And the week ends with “Crucify him”…..What can we learn from this?…..We must live for an audience of one!…..The only opinion that matters is God’s opinion….This brings us right back to St Paul in the second reading from Mass….When we embrace “the Cross”…No other opinion matters…And when we do that…..We will accomplish the task at hand……

“The Lord GOD has given me a well-trained tongue, that I might know how to speak to the weary a word that will rouse them. Morning after morning he opens my ear that I may hear; and I have not rebelled, have not turned back. I gave my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who plucked my beard; my face I did not shield from buffets and spitting. The Lord GOD is my help, therefore I am not disgraced; I have set my face like flint, knowing that I shall not be put to shame.”

Dare to be great and God will accomplish great things through you….But only if we empty ourself and drink of the bitter cup…”The Cross” stares us in the face…”Stare it down” and march forward!

”In Essentials Unity, In Non-Essentials Liberty, In All Things Charity”

Today at Holy Mass in the first reading we hear from the Prophet Ezekiel. We are told of a time when a man brings everyone together…One mind…One heart….One family…Reading this passage brought me such joy because our world today is so divided…Only in God can such unity exist among diversity….

“Thus says the Lord GOD: I will take the children of Israel from among the nations to which they have come, and gather them from all sides to bring them back to their land. I will make them one nation upon the land, in the mountains of Israel, and there shall be one prince for them all. Never again shall they be two nations, and never again shall they be divided into two kingdoms. No longer shall they defile themselves with their idols, their abominations, and all their transgressions. I will deliver them from all their sins of apostasy, and cleanse them so that they may be my people and I may be their God. My servant David shall be prince over them, and there shall be one shepherd for them all; they shall live by my statutes and carefully observe my decrees. They shall live on the land that I gave to my servant Jacob, the land where their fathers lived; they shall live on it forever, they, and their children, and their children’s children, with my servant David their prince forever. I will make with them a covenant of peace; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them, and I will multiply them, and put my sanctuary among them forever. My dwelling shall be with them; I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Thus the nations shall know that it is I, the LORD, who make Israel holy, when my sanctuary shall be set up among them forever.”

“Cast away from you all the crimes you have committed, says the LORD, and make for yourselves a new heart and a new spirit.”

Each of us were created in a unique and unrepeatable way….However, what we have in common is we were all created by God - Our common Father…There is nothing wrong with being “different” but when we forget that we were created by God, for God and to be with God for all eternity - Something breaks deep within the individual as well as in society…That is the source of all our division!….A lot of “lip service” is given to the word “tolerance” today…But in the end it is just “lip service”….Our world pretends to respect differences - A lot of virtue signaling is projected but under it is hatred and power driven authoritarianism….A dictatorship of relativism prevails today and secular humanism is the new religion of our age…….At the heart of this “new religion” and the “god” it created is a new “commandment”….“There is no objective right and wrong”…And because this dogma exists, there is no unity…..In Catholic teaching, there is an understanding that all of us are different, yet we were all made by the same God….This is the only way to navigate the issue of societal fragmentation, which we face today as a people…”In Essentials Unity, In Non-Essentials Liberty, In All Things Charity”…Our world today has forget “the essentials”…And that is why we are fragmented….But fear not…..The man whom the Prophet Ezekiel told us about in the first reading from Mass today has come and walked the earth…The “seeds” of unity have been planted deep within the soil….One day from those seeds, we will see the fruit promised to us…Until that day, we must hold fast to a rock solid foundation and build upon it....From that foundation true tolerance and unity will flourish…Because without a strong foundation, a structure will collapse but as long as we build upon a solid foundation, our “House” will remain…..”In Essentials Unity, In Non-Essentials Liberty, In All Things Charity”

“Hear the word of the LORD, O nations, proclaim it on distant isles, and say: He who scattered Israel, now gathers them together, he guards them as a shepherd his flock.”

God is very real…And if we care to “look”…We will see just how real he is

Today at Holy Mass we hear in the Gospel of St John the words of Jesus spoken to those who do not believe in him….Let’s examine those words for a moment…”If I do not perform my Father's works, do not believe me; but if I perform them, even if you do not believe me, believe the works, so that you may realize and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father”….Even the greatest miracles witnessed by humanity can not change the human heart…And if you want to look at 2000 years of Catholic history…If we look at the lives of the saints and all the countless miracles that have occurred in real time…Mankind still persists in turning his back on God and the Church….Jesus addresses this reality when addressing the Pharisees today in the Gospel…He is basically saying to them…”Look what I have done - You don’t like what I say - OK - Simply look at my actions”…But they want none of it!…Why?…Because they do not want to change…….”Nice words” cannot change people - Miracles witnessed cannot change people….Only we can change ourself with the help of grace, which is always there…..When we stand before God and He shows us our life…We will see very clearly all the opportunities he presented to us….Its for us to seize these opportunities now!….Because they are there!…Leave nothing on the table!

“Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life; you have the words of everlasting life”

Some times when God presents us with something to do, we hesitate but then we are given another opportunity to “turn back” and take care of what we neglected to do…We see this in St Peter..He denies our Lord only to come through in the end…God works through our mistakes and allows us to reflect on them…Second chances always present themselves…Its for us to seize them!…..Years ago I was serving with Mother Teresa’s sisters in the Home for the Dying and Destitute in Kolkata…A man came in from the street…..He was emaciated......He looked like someone who just got out of a concentration camp…..His skin was full of dry scales because of his time on the street….And his feet were especially in bad shape…When men like that came into the home, Mother Teresa’s sisters would put oil on their skin…One of the nuns asked me to do that to this man…This man was filthy!!!!!…And I did not want to do it…While I do not speak Bengali, the language of Kolkata, this man could see very clearly that I did not want to help him…But he continued to ask me with gestures…He was in great discomfort…After refusing to help him, I changed my mind and placed the oil on his feet…When I did that the man began to cry…And I felt deeply ashamed of myself…Looking back…The Lord gave me a second chance…He did not “give up on me”…And when the second chance came around, I took it…I invite you to do the same…God never gives up on us!

“In my distress I called upon the LORD and cried out to my God; From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry to him reached his ears”

St John reminds us in his Gospel today that we need to stop looking for “miracles”….Miracles don’t change hearts…We change our own heart by choice - One step at a time - One choice at a time…We must make this choice - And know this - This "choice" presents itself each and everyday…..God did not leave us orphans!…He gives us everything we need…He presents us with opportunities each and everyday.......Take them!…Putting one foot in front of the other will get us to our desired destination…But it’s up to us to take the required steps - No one can do that for you!…..God is very real…And if we care to “look”…We will see just how real he is

Do we really believe that Jesus is God?….An authentic encounter with Christ changes a person…How could it not?

Today at Holy Mass we hear in the Gospel of St John how Jesus drops the “bomb” on the Pharisees…He tells them straight out..He is God…And they go ballistic….."Amen, amen, I say to you, before Abraham came to be, I AM." So they picked up stones to throw at him; but Jesus hid and went out of the temple area”….Clearly the Pharisees did not believe the claim that Jesus was God…But here is the question for all of us to ponder today - Do we?…This is a rather shocking question to ask, but let me expand upon what I am getting at…If we truly believe that Jesus was God…That this man died and rose from the dead…Last time I checked no one else has done that!…If we believe that….Then wouldn’t that have to mean we have to believe EVERYTHING he said and then try our very best to do it?….If we are thinking in a linear and logical way…That is the only conclusion we could arrive at….Ultimately, we can give “lip-service” to the fact that Jesus was God and that he rose from the dead…But if we do not listen to what he said and taught, do we really believe it?…..So this is the point I am getting at…..Our life…The choices we make…How we treat people…What we value…What we do with our money…What we do with out time…All these outcomes address the question I asked today……Do we really believe that Jesus is God?…Because if we did, our life would be radically different.....Think about it

“If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.”

There is something about a person who lived a “wild life” who then encounters the Lord and radically changes course…If I were to be honest…These are my favorite people…They have a deep insight into life….They did not “learn” the faith from a text book…They graduated from the “school of hard knocks”….Many famous saints were people like that…St Paul…Mary Magdalene…..St Charles de Foucauld….Servant of God Jacques Fesch…..These people interest me…How does a person change like that?….I mean, these people really changed…Something radical happened to them….Let me try to explain what happened…They encounter Jesus Christ - For real!….Far too many people give lip service to “Jesus”…Jesus Christ was the most radical person who ever walked the face of the earth!…And when people encounter him…I mean for real!…They too become radical…These are “my people”….I am not interested in “Luke-warm” Catholicism…In fact, it nauseates me!…Many years ago before I was married I served at an AIDS Hospice in NYC run by Mother Teresa’s sisters…..One given Saturday, Earl was siting in the living room…Earl was an alcoholic who lived on the streets…He had enough…Earl had HIV…He told me for years he lived on Chinese food and vodka….Now Earl want to “get right” with God…And for years he did…He lived in the hospice…Stayed sober…Would help the sisters with their work…He rebuilt his life…..Guys like Earl are my favorite…They show just how real an encounter with Jesus Christ is - They give witness to the fact that “god” is not simply a word - But a person!….Most people cannot wrap their arms around going from one extreme to another….But people like Earl can….People like that will “walk through fire” for others…Because they know what it means to be down…This is why Mary Magdalene was one of the only ones who stayed at the foot of the cross when Jesus was in need…She understood “something” that the others did not….And this is why Jesus when he resurrected from the dead appeared to Mary Magdalene first…Think about that…The God of the Universe after rising from the dead appears first to a woman Scripture says was “possessed by seven demons”…..There is a special place in Jesus’s heart for people like Earl…For people like Mary Magdalen….If I had to gather a group of people…People who would “radically” change the world…These are the people I would pick….Because these people don’t give “lip-service” to their Catholic faith….They are not “half-in”….Are we one of those people?…..Do we really believe that Jesus is God?…Because if we did, our life would be radically different.....Think about it

“Look to the LORD in his strength; seek to serve him constantly. Recall the wondrous deeds that he has wrought, his portents, and the judgments he has uttered.”

Today in the Gospel of St John Jesus rocks the world of the Pharisees..He tells them point blank that he is God…Jesus also tells us the same thing….How do we react?…Is your life radically changed by this statement?…That a mere man, taught the world about what it means to live and when he was crushed because of what he taught, he rose from the dead….I can’t speak for you - But this is “my guy”….Dr Peter Kreeft is a famous Philosophy professor who teaches at Boston College…Dr Kreeft was been on my radio show…He is a convert to the Catholic faith…In one of his books entitled “Jesus Shock” this is what he wrote….”Those who meet Jesus always experience either joy or its opposites, either foretastes of Heaven or foretastes of Hell. Not everyone who meets Jesus is pleased, and not everyone is happy, but everyone is shocked”…..Do we really believe that Jesus is God?….An authentic encounter with Christ changes a person…How could it not?

Then the eyes of the blind will see….The deaf will hear…And the lame will walk….Only by our witness will this come to be

Today at Holy Mass we hear in the Gospel of St John some very powerful claims made by Jesus to his accusers….."If you were Abraham's children, you would be doing the works of Abraham. But now you are trying to kill me”….."If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and am here; I did not come on my own, but he sent me”….How easy we can “get lost” and be deceived by the devil…These men were standing face to face with God!…And not only did they not recognize him, they were trying to kill him…..They were throughly convinced that they were right in having Jesus put to death in the name of “god”….How we can get so lost!….The first mistake human beings make is they think they are somehow "above" not being fooled…..The second mistake is, people believe the devil is not real - I got news for you - The devil is very real!…The devil is smarter than you…Stronger than you and the devil knows all your weaknesses - Every single one of them!…And if you do not bind yourself thorough Sacramental grace to God - The devil will exploit those weaknesses…Oh, I can hear it now…Your crazy!…Really?….Look around - Why is it some of the “smartest people” somehow can get “lost” in “this” or “that”…Make huge illogical mistakes - Big mistakes that lead to their lives crashing down - We see this all the time….The Pharisees were highly educated and frankly were looking down at Jesus…”Who are you! - You are an uneducated carpenter! - Who are you to tell me about God!”….Yes - These men were smart but they like everyone else, they had many weaknesses…Their biggest weakness was pride - The “queen of all the vices”…And here comes the devil…Give the devil a small opening, and he will exploit it….This is why as Catholics it is vital to always be in the state of grace…What does that mean?…We confess our sins regularly, most especially our mortal sins and receive Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament every Sunday….Being in the state of grace “arms” us against the temptations of the devil…It fortifies our will….It gives us “eyes to see” the pitfalls in life, which so many fall into….I don’t care where you went to school…What you got on your SAT Test…How high your IQ is....What you do for work…How big your house is….How much money you have in the bank…The devil sees right through you!…..And if you are not in the state of grace, you are vulnerable…Don’t believe me?…How could the Pharisees, highly educated men, who prayed everyday, who read the scriptures daily and knew all the ancient writings of the Torah like the back of their hand…How could men like that not see God standing right in from of their face?…Answer that….Not only did they not see Jesus, they killed him…Just think for a moment what we do not see?

“Blessed are they who have kept the word with a generous heart and yield a harvest through perseverance.”

There is a famous painting of a young Joan of Arc…She is in a garden and she is looking intently at “something”, which no one can see….For those who may not know - Joan of Arc lead the French army at the age of 17 to victory over the English Army - This is a historical fact…But Joan of Arc is also a canonized Catholic saint…What did Joan “see” in that painting that no one else saw?…This is question we must ask ourself….What is it that we do not see because we are not in the state of grace?…..Today there are many behaviors that are viewed as very acceptable in our society…So much so, we do not even blink at them anymore…However, in the eyes of God those behaviors are an abomination….So many people are trying to influence the culture…I am one of those people…But ultimately, no one can “open the eyes” of a person….We must pray that people see themselves as God sees them - warts and all!….This is what we must pray for…..Before Jesus Christ returns, he will give the world every chance to turn to him and repent…Why?…Because God’s mercy is endless…Many Catholic mystics have written about a period of time before Jesus returns where people will have what is called an illumination of conscience…..What does that mean?….It means we will see our sins as God sees them…And then we will make a clear choice - To change or continue down the wrong road, which leads to destruction…Allow me to give you an example of being blind - A personal example….As a young man, I did not “see” drinking alcohol in excess as something that was wrong….I was not “hurting anyone”….But when a person drinks excessively and losses control of his reason…That is a objective mortal sin…..I clearly did not “see” it that way…But over time as I developed my prayer life….Continued to go to confession regularly and receive the Blessed Sacrament in the state of grace…My eyes were opened…I still enjoy a few drinks and there is nothing sinful about that…But I now do not abuse alcohol…Why?…Because my eyes were opened…This is just one example of how we can be blind and do not see what God sees……In Holy Scripture there is story after story about how the “blind” regain their sight…How about us?….What is it that we do not see?

"If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."

Today St John in the Gospel gives us an example of how highly educated people were blind to God…..Our world today is no different…We are distracted by “this or that”…”Noise” fills our day…God is the friend of silence…Its in silence that we hear the ever small voice of God…And when we hear that voice, we must respond….The minute you “think” you can’t be “fooled”, that is the minute the devil “got ya”…..Our world needs to acquire “eyes to see”…And this is something that only God can do…But what can we do?….We can give a witness to the world by living a holy life….When the world encounters such a person, it stops people in their tracks…They are in a way stunned - I know this because I have been “stunned” by the witness of holy men and women in my life…..An example of a holy life is a way of “holding up a mirror” to the world and allowing them to “see” clearly who they really are and what they are doing…..This is our job as Catholics…To give a witness....But remember this - A holy life can not be “self manufactured" - You can't "muscle your way to being holy"…A holy life is simply the “fruit” bore from a deep interior life - We have to "work at it" daily utilizing the "tools" given to us by the Church…This is something each of us can do…Its the only thing we can do….Then the eyes of the blind will see….The deaf will hear…And the lame will walk….Only by our witness will this come to be

“I never knew you. Depart from me”………I NEVER want to hear those words! - And this drives me….Allow it to drive you too!.....Allow your life to speak…An authentic life speaks

Today at Holy Mass we hear in the Gospel of St John how the aggressive dialog between Jesus and the Pharisee continues…..”You belong to this world, but I do not belong to this world”…What did Jesus mean by this statement?…Was he simply highlighting the fact that he was God and they were not?…I believe there is something much deeper here…Something for us to reflect upon in the here and now…..As Catholics we have been taught that we are to be “in the world but not of the world”…..We are to live as a “nation set apart” while at the same time walk among men…We are to be a “light on a hill”…..Do we do this?…..Jesus was an example - Are we?…This means we do not “go along to get along”…..It also means we do not hid from the world either…..When one makes a decision to live in this manner, life will not be easy…This is why “the crowd” does not follow the “narrow road”…But make no mistake about it…”The gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction, and those who enter through it are many. How narrow the gate and constricted the road that leads to life.”…This is what Jesus is highlighting to the Pharisees today in the Gospel…Faithful Catholics must serve the world by giving an example to the world….This example is fueled by prayer and Sacramental grace - Such a life can not be “self-manufactured”….And only our example will speak to a weary world…Are we “different” from the crowd?…The answer to that question will be addressed by the choices we make…Who we marry?…What we do with our money?….What we prioritize with and for our children?…And these actions speak to the world in a way words never will….Ultimately, our time here on earth is short…We are just “passing through”….Does your life serve as a light to others?…Are you in the world but not of the world?…Don’t answer - Let your life answer for you

“The one who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, because I always do what is pleasing to him. Because he spoke this way, many came to believe in him.”

I went to a Jesuit University and frankly the people I met there were some of the greatest people I have ever met in my life…That clearly was the result of their families…How they were raised…One of my roommates was the son of a lawyer from New York….Sean my friend was one of the most generous people I have ever met in my enter life….He probably does not know this but I often marveled at just how generous he was……While he came from a privileged home, his parents had five children and his father, a successful attorney was a devout Catholic…I remember having to pick Sean up for a wedding we were attending in Washington DC…His family home was on the beach by the ocean…As I was driving to his house I was waiting to see a huge and elaborate home…But when I arrived their I saw that his home was very modest…Clearly, that was a decision made by his parents…They made a choice…They used their wealth to have many children and lived generously towards others - Clearly, that is why Sean was who he was…I was fully aware that my friend’s father was a successful attorney and when I saw for myself his modest home…I was very impressed…More so then if his home was huge and elaborate…This example “spoke to me”….And this is why I highlight it….This is how Catholics are to live…Oh, we can “talk a good game” in the pews and on our podcasts and social media feeds…But when the “rubber meets the road”…How do we live?…Are we generous?….What do we prioritize?…..The answer to these questions “speak to the world” one way or another….And frankly, people are not fooled for one minute!…..Do you really believe what you claim to believe?…If you do, then show me! - That is what the world says to us…And this is also what Jesus challenges us with today - Show me!…To be very honest with you, this is one of the things that drives me….If I say I believe in my Catholics faith, then well - I need to live it….For me, its all or nothing!

“O LORD, hear my prayer, and let my cry come to you. Hide not your face from me in the day of my distress. Incline your ear to me; in the day when I call, answer me speedily.”

Today at Mass, Jesus confronts the Pharisees once again…Notice Jesus is not “shy” about telling it like it is…..He tells the Pharisees...…”Where I am going you cannot come”……The Pharisees made their choice…And frankly so did Jesus…And as we all know…Choices have consequences…..How we live, not what we say or claim to believe will define us in the here and now and also in the end - This is our “witness to the world” - For better or worse….There is passage in the Scripture that terrifies me….I think about it often when I “go to far” or I do not live up to the great gift of my Catholic faith that was given to me…Allow me to share it with you….“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name? Did we not drive out demons in your name? Did we not do mighty deeds in your name?’ Then I will declare to them solemnly, ‘I never knew you. Depart from me”…I NEVER want to hear those words! - And this drives me….Allow it to drive you too!.....Allow your life to speak…An authentic life speaks

Many times we must come to “end of ourself” before we can begin….How do I know this with certainty?…. “Because I know where I came from and where I am going”

Today at Holy Mass we hear in the Gospel of St John how the confrontations between Jesus and the Pharisees are getting more intense…His passion and death is drawing near……”Jesus spoke to them, saying, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." So the Pharisees said to him, "You testify on your own behalf, so your testimony cannot be verified." Jesus answered and said to them, "Even if I do testify on my own behalf, my testimony can be verified, because I know where I came from and where I am going.”………This is an interesting comment made by Jesus, he is implying that because the Pharisees do not acknowledge him as the Messiah, they lack an understanding of their own identity…Jesus tells them point blank…”I know where I came from and where I am going”…..This crisis in identity plagues mankind to this very day in varying degrees…..When we do not acknowledge God, we lose sight of our true identity…And this “confusion” of who we really are manifests itself in many ways across our society…..While each of us is born very unique, we are all the same at our core….We were created by God to love him, to serve him and to be with him for all eternity…Each and every person, bar-none, shares this common bond…When this reality is ignored or outright rejected - Humanity suffers from an “identity crisis”…A vacuum is created and like all vacuums, the “space” must be filled with “something”…Our world today is filled with people trying to “fill a hole” within themselves that can only be filled with God - Attempting to fill that “hole” with “something” that ultimately never will satisfy and leads to a dead-end….This is why Jesus addresses the Pharisees in the manner that he did…He calls them out…"I know who I am” - Do you?”

"The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. In verdant pastures he gives me repose; Beside restful waters he leads me; he refreshes my soul."

I am in my mid-fifties….And like all people at this age there have been many chapters in my life….I have friends who are very religious and I also have friends who are not religious at all…..When I was younger, many of my friends chased after women - A lot of them!….And some of my friends had many girlfriends….They would use women and “throw them aside” for another one and this pattern continued over and over again….A few of my friends never left this practice and those who did have found themselves all alone….What they “thought” would satisfy them never did…They went from woman to woman, only to never be able to “satisfy a thirst” they had within themselves…This is just one example of trying to “fill the God-hole” with something that cannot fill it…I have seen this play out in real time with people I know in my life…Allow me to illustrate another example….Mainstream America has normalized homosexual behavior…..We can call it whatever we want….But the behavior itself is not natural, our bodies say otherwise and there is no scientific evidence that exists that proves “you were born this way”….I invite you to search for it…And you will find it does not exist…Why do I bring this up?…I was watching an interview with a middle-aged man who lived an active lifestyle as a homosexual for decades…This man basically said that no matter how much sex he had, the lifestyle never really satisfied him deep down…And now that he was around sixty years old, his gay-lifestyle lead to a “dead end”…His words not mine……So what is the point I am trying to make here?…I just noted two examples of lifestyles that try to “fill the God hole” within the human person and both lifestyles come up empty….The sooner in life we “figure out” that we were created by God…That God loves us…And that God created us for himself…The better your life will be….This reality applies to everyone!….For people who read this and do not “buy-in” to what I just wrote…Just wait and look around you….Old age is around the corner!….And for those who ignore and deny this reality, which I just stated….The good news is - God does not give up you….However, when you follow a "dead-end” for years and years, you usually end up alone…And God will uses this time in a persons life when they are all alone to “figure things out” before its too late - You hope!….As Jesus clearly told the Pharisees today in the Gospel…"I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life”……One way or the other our world will “come to grips with this reality” and the sooner we do, the better.

“He guides me in right paths for his name’s sake. Even though I walk in the dark valley I fear no evil; for you are at my side with your rod and your staff that give me courage.”

Today in the Gospel Jesus confronts the Pharisees head on….We can view this confrontation in many ways…One of the ways we can view it is to apply it personally to ourselves…Do we embrace our true identity as a child of God?….There are no substitutes that can satisfy the human heart…Sure, we can “run away” all we want…Chase after “things” all we want…But in the end we will be confronted with ourself….We will reach a “dead-end”…..I have found in my own experience of chasing after “things” early on in my life that that those "things" were simply substitutes for God, when I came to the end of myself and admitted it, it was then that God looked me square in the face and told me point blank…”Joe - Now we can begin”…..This is reality!…Many times we must come to “end of ourself” before we can begin….How do I know this with certainty?…. “Because I know where I came from and where I am going”

“I am doing something new! Now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? In the desert I make a way, in the wasteland, rivers.”…Be faithful in small things…From small things, big things materialize

Today at Holy Mass we hear in the first reading from the Prophet Isaiah something that is very noteworthy…..”Remember not the events of the past, the things of long ago consider not; see, I am doing something new! Now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? In the desert I make a way, in the wasteland, rivers.”………Many people will read this and say…”No way - Can’t happen - You can’t teach an old dog new tricks”…Today, the Prophet Isaiah tells us something very different….Why is that? - Because God can do anything!!!!…..If you are a student of history and you study the lives of the saints, you will notice that whenever there is a deep cultural need in a particular place or time - God “raises up” men and women who fight against all odds to meet that need…Whether it was St Francis, St Dominic, St Ignatius of Loyola, or Mother Teresa…God works through the saints to address the needs of our world - He has not left us orphans…This is why Isaiah wrote what he wrote….Just when we think all is lost…”A flower grows through the cracks of the sidewalk”….But who are these “saints”?…We seem to forget that they were really no different than you or me when you come right down to it…They were imperfect people and had flaws just like us…What made them different?…They encountered the living God and they surrendered their will radically to God….A person who does that embodies the very words of Isaiah from Mass today…..”I make a way, in the wasteland, rivers.”…….Bishop Robert Barron who is an American Thomistic scholar once said something about the saints I will always remember…..”To become a saint, one must WILL IT”…..The human will is much stronger then the human mind and the human body…If you will something, with all your strength and all your soul….Most especially if you give God permission to work through you, who ever you are - No matter what gifts you have or do not have - God will accomplish through you what the world deems impossible!…This is what the saints understand - If you do not believe me - Just read about them and you too will see the very pattern I am noting now in this reflection…The saints know God to be the God of the impossible!…This is why Moses lead his people straight to the banks of a raging river…He knew God would make a way through the water - And God did!….This is why Mother Teresa and her sisters marched into the middle of war in Lebanon to rescue handicapped children - And nothing happened to them….This is why St Francis traveled to the leader of the Muslim nation in North Africa to confront him and nothing happened to him……It all comes down to our will - As Bishop Baron rightly said…..WILL IT…And it will be done!

“Although they go forth weeping, carrying the seed to be sown, They shall come back rejoicing, carrying their sheaves.”

Looking back at the time I would go to Kolkata, I think to myself - Why did God call me to go there?…In a million years I would have never thought that I would travel to such a far corner of the world…Looking back, the driving reason I think is this……My former pastor at St Michael’s in Lyndhurst New Jersey (Fr Stanley Kostrzomb - May he now rest in peace) took great interest in my trips to India and offered to sponsor a parish there, to become a “Sister Parish” to St Michaels…Keep in mind, St Michael’s Parish was not a wealthy parish, most of the families are blue collar workers….Fr Stanley could have used the money he collected for this Indian parish for St Mike’s needs…But that is not what he did…..So at Fr Stanley’s direction, I linked him up with a poor parish in Kolkata that Mother Teresa’s sisters brought me to on the outskirts of city…This parish was in great need and the people were very poor….Each week their Sunday collection was around $10 US dollars collected from around 500 people….Through this “bridge” between Fr Stanley and this Indian Parish around $40,000US dollars was provided for the needs of the people….In a million years the priest in India who served at the parish Fr Stanley helped would not have imagined that such a large sum of money would be provided - All from a small “poor box” in the back of St Michaels…But God did the impossible…Looking back, this is why I believe God brought me to India …Once again the words of the Prophet Isaiah echo throughout time - And those words ring true once again!….”I am doing something new! Now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? In the desert I make a way, in the wasteland, rivers.”….We must be willing to be a “fool” for God…If we allow God to use us…If we do as Bishop Baron said…If we “WILL IT”….We must come to understand that God can do more with your life then you can!……On his death bed, only after roughly twenty years of religious life…St Francis looked up at his brothers and said…”Up until now, we have done nothing - Let us begin again!”…And St Francis's prophetic words rang true - Eight hundred years later, “the seed” that St Francis planted is still bearing fruit through the religious order he founded (The Franciscans)….We must be willing to be such “a seed” - Giving God permission…I stand behind what I am about to say…If we give God permission - If we “WILL IT”….We will shake the foundations of the world - That means YOU!…..God uses the smallest of “seeds” continually to accomplish his will on the earth…God does this “right under the nose” of the world……Just when the world “gives up” on itself…God jumps in and does the impossible….Our time is now! - To allow God to do “the impossible” through us…… “Now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? In the desert I make a way, in the wasteland, rivers.”

“I consider everything as a loss because of the supreme good of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have accepted the loss of all things and I consider them so much rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having any righteousness of my own based on the law but that which comes through faith in Christ”

The Prophet Isaiah reminds us - God is at work…But God does not act on his own - God works through the hands of his people - You and Me!…….Mother Teresa when asked about her work and the founding of her religious community (The Missionaries of Charity)….This is what she said: “If I had not picked up that first person from the gutters, I never would have picked up the remaining 42,000. We all have to start somewhere.” ……We must be willing to be a “fool” for Christ…..God uses such people, who dare to do the impossible and many times to the amazement of the world - The impossible happens! - “I am doing something new! Now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? In the desert I make a way, in the wasteland, rivers.”…Be faithful in small things…From small things, big things materialize

"Never before has anyone spoken like this man”……So the Pharisees answered them, "Have you also been deceived?…Don’t be deceived!

Today at Holy Mass we hear in the Gospel of St John how the voices calling for Jesus death are getting louder…His passion is approaching and as it does, the crowd is divided…Some are convinced that this man is the Christ and others are not…..”Some in the crowd who heard these words of Jesus said, "This is truly the Prophet." Others said, "This is the Christ." But others said, "The Christ will not come from Galilee, will he? Does not Scripture say that the Christ will be of David's family and come from Bethlehem, the village where David lived?" So a division occurred in the crowd because of him. Some of them even wanted to arrest him, but no one laid hands on him.”…..Jesus very clearly said that he was the Way…the Truth…and the Life - So why would Jesus’s words and life’s example divide the crowd?….Many today would think and say this is impossible…How can the this be?…..Scripture gives us the answer……“Do not think that I have come to bring peace upon the earth. I have come to bring not peace but the sword. For I have come to set a man ‘against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and one’s enemies will be those of his household”…When the Truth is spoken boldly and clearly, it always divides…..How many times have you heard stories when a priest gives an homily about abortion at a Sunday Mass, some of the laity in the pews write letters to the Bishop complaining….How can this be - But it happens……How many people leave the Catholic Church and go to different Protestant Churches, because they got divorced and then remarried outside the Catholic Church without exploring the annulment of their former marriage (which in many cases was not Sacramental in the first place)….To this day, the Truth divides….At the heart of the matter…What kind of Christ are you looking for?…..Have we created what I like to call “The Hippie Jesus”, who sings kumbaya and lets us “make up the rules” as we go along….Trust me when I tell you, that is not who Jesus is…..The Truth is not ours to change or alter….Nor are the words of Christ or the one Church he founded…That is why the Truth divides and this is why we must make a choice…..When the gospel message is “watered-down” both inside and outside the Catholic Church, the Holy Spirit is not empowered to penetrate the hearts of men…I can only speak for myself - “Tell me like it is” - I am not interested in “lukewarm” Catholicism and I got news for you, nor was Jesus Christ…But don’t take my words for is....This is what Jesus had to say on the matter, ”I know your works; I know that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either cold or hot. So, because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth”……Does that sound like the words of “Hippie Jesus”?…The Truth divides - Choose your side

“Blessed are they who have kept the word with a generous heart and yield a harvest through perseverance.”

Catholic saints point to Christ, they give us an example to follow…One of my hero’s of the faith is a bishop who was executed in El Salvador in 1980. His name is St Oscar Romero….I read a book about him entitled the The Violence of Love, which pulled from his many radio addresses and speeches to his nation, which at the time was going through a civl war….Oscar Romero was a lion!…..He spoke boldly and he spoke clearly…And this is why the Oligarchs killed him….This is one of the many things St Oscar Romero said about how the Church should live out its mandate to proclaim the Truth to a broken world….”A church that doesn't provoke any crisis, a gospel that doesn't unsettle, a word of God that doesn't get under anyone's skin, a word of God that doesn't touch the real sin of the society in which it is being proclaimed -- what gospel is that? Very nice, pious considerations that don't bother anyone, that's the way many would like preaching to be. Those preachers who avoid every thorny matter so as not to be harassed, so as not to have conflicts and difficulties, do not light up the world they live in.”…To live out this mandate is to follow the example of Jesus Christ himself, who as we all know was killed for doing exactly what St Oscar Romero said we must do!….This is the Church I am interested in…This is a “muscular” Church - This is the Church of Jesus Christ, who was the Lion of Judah!…..When the Gospel is “watered down” - The message of Christ is lost…….My office in New York City is near Fordham University and I go to daily Mass on my lunch hour…Recently, I went to Mass and a transgender male, believe it or not was sitting right in front of me…He was a man dressed as a woman, this reality was very clear to everyone….Interestingly enough, when it came time to received the Blessed Sacrament, this man got on the communion line and when he reached the priest, he did not receive the Eucharist, he simply asked for a blessing, which the priest rightly gave to him…..So here is the point I want to drive home to all who are right now reading this reflection…….How did this man (a transgender male) know enough that he could not receive the Blessed Sacrament outside the state of grace and some of the highest levels of Catholic clerics in the Church will tell you otherwise?…Some even preach this practice - I frankly do not know what is worse - Not accepting Church teaching or manipulating that teaching by “side stepping” it…For those who pay attention to Catholic Social Media, a divided as been created in recent years..Who goes to the Latin Mass and who goes to the Novus Ordo Mass…Speaking personally, I ignore these arguments on Social Media entirely because both forms of Mass are permitted by the Church…With that said…I “divide” the Church into two very different camps…And this “dividing line” is what I look for in clerics and where I attend Mass with my family…..Do you believe that in order to receive Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament one must be in the state of grace?…This is an unchangeable teaching of the Church…And clerics who do not believe this or “side-step” this teaching, I stay far away from…Just like in the time of Jesus, the Truth once again divides!

The guards answered, "Never before has anyone spoken like this man." So the Pharisees answered them, "Have you also been deceived?

St John today at Mass tells us something that remains true to this very day…The Truth divides - It always has and always will…..”Our truth” does not change “THE TRUTH”…..A friend of mine told me a story once…His teenage son had a curfew on the weekends….He had to be home by 11:00pm..So one night his son was late, so the kid devised a plan…He would turn back his watch 15 minutes and tell his Dad that he was “on time” and show him his wrist watch to prove it…So when he arrived home late his father was waiting for him….His dad approached him and ask, “Why are you late?”…The son pointed to his watch and said…”Dad, I am not late look at my watch - I am on time”…..His father looked at his son and replied…..”Look at my wrist watch son, it says you are late and the time on my watch is the only time that matters!”……When Jesus was born, time was divided (BC / AD)…And to this very day the message of Christ divides the world…"Never before has anyone spoken like this man.”……So the Pharisees answered them, "Have you also been deceived?…Don’t be deceived!

“When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth”?….Look to the Cross - There you will find the Church…And there you will find Christ…No Cross - No Christ!

Today at Holy Mass we hear in the Gospel of St John that the religious authorities were plotting to kill Jesus…He could no longer walk freely amongst the people….”But when his brothers had gone up to the feast, he himself also went up, not openly but as it were in secret”….The rejection of Christ is the rejection of Truth itself…This rejection is very much alive today….What would happen if you spoke freely about your Catholic faith in your office…”I believe marriage is between a one man and one woman”…..”I do not believe in contraception, it violates my marriage vows”….What would happen if you make these claims in “polite company”?…..To this very day, Jesus can not “walk among the people”…He is rejected…..Interestingly enough, St John tells us in the Gospel today that some of the inhabitants of Jerusalem questioned Jesus’s divinity because they “knew where he was from”….Jesus did not “measure up” to the image of who God would look like, act like and be like……..Jesus said very clearly before his death - ”But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”….When Jesus returns will we even recognize him?….Better put - Will the world accept him, as he is, not as we want him to be?…….In many ways Jesus walks among us today…Where ever the Truth is spoken - Christ is there….And when the Truth is rejected, Jesus is rejected….The passion of our Lord continues to this very day and the world wants no part of it…..If we recall, very few people remained at the foot of the Cross - Just a small hand-full…It is for us to remain…..To recognize Christ “in the crowd”…To cling to the cross…..To drink of “the bitter cup”……..When we embrace the Truth, we embrace the Cross…No Cross - No Christ!

“He watches over all his bones; not one of them shall be broken. The LORD redeems the lives of his servants; no one incurs guilt who takes refuge in him.”

The words of the Prophet Isaiah are read every Good Friday…Powerful words….Is this the Christ we accept?….

”Who would believe what we have heard? To whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? He grew up like a sapling before him, like a shoot from the parched earth; He had no majestic bearing to catch our eye, no beauty to draw us to him. He was spurned and avoided by men, a man of suffering, knowing pain, Like one from whom you turn your face, spurned, and we held him in no esteem. Yet it was our pain that he bore, our sufferings he endured. We thought of him as stricken, struck down by God and afflicted, But he was pierced for our sins, crushed for our iniquity. He bore the punishment that makes us whole, by his wounds we were healed. We had all gone astray like sheep, all following our own way; But the LORD laid upon him the guilt of us all. Though harshly treated, he submitted and did not open his mouth; Like a lamb led to slaughter or a sheep silent before shearers, he did not open his mouth. Seized and condemned, he was taken away. Who would have thought any more of his destiny? For he was cut off from the land of the living struck for the sins of his people. He was given a grave among the wicked, a burial place with evildoers, Though he had done no wrong, nor was deceit found in his mouth”

Is this the Christ we think about when we imagine him returning again?….The world rejects the Cross and in its rejection we reject the Lord……Years ago a Eucharist procession marched through the streets of New York City…A poor man living in old apartment building was looking outside his window while the rest of New York went about its business, ignoring Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, fully present in the streets…Somehow this man in the window “saw” something the rest of New York did not….What allowed him to recognize Jesus?……In many ways this man was as “invisible” to the world as was the Blessed Sacrament……What made this man “see”?…….If we do not embrace the Cross, we too will not recognize the Lord…..As Catholics we must not “go along to get along” - Because if we do, we will not see Jesus either…We will not see him in the Blessed Sacrament nor will we accept him on his terms, which are the only terms that matter…..This is why the people of Jerusalem did not recognize Christ….They wanted nothing to do with the Cross….No Cross - No Christ!…..This is why the man in the window of New York City “saw” something the rest of New York seemed to miss

“One does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.”

Today in the Gospel from Mass, St John tells us how right up until the end of Jesus’s life, people questioned him…They did not want to believe their very eyes nor could they see what was right in front of them….How about us?….Do we accept God on his terms?…..This is the question for today - Something to ponder…..In the present moment, Jesus can be found in the Blessed Sacrament - For those who have eyes to see….How can we come to understand this mystery?…..We must embrace the Cross….In doing so, our eyes will open…..The “road to heaven” goes by way of The Via Dolorosa….There are no short-cuts - When we “sanitize” Christianity, we remove Christ from the Cross….. “When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth”?….Look to the Cross - There you will find the Church…And there you will find Christ…..No Cross - No Christ!

We all know how that turned out for Adam and Eve…What makes us “think” we are any different?

Today at Holy Mass in the Gospel of St John Jesus addresses his own people who have rejected him…These are the same people who “say” they believe in God….But somehow they do to “see” God who was standing right in front of their face…..”You search the Scriptures, because you think you have eternal life through them; even they testify on my behalf. But you do not want to come to me to have life”……Humanity has a way of accepting things on its own terms…This pervasive way we look at "things" is directly opposed to Christ’s message…..This why ten people can read something and have ten different interpretations…We see things through our own personal lens and experience…..There is danger in that because in viewing life in that manner, objective truth is lost…And when objective truth is disregarded, God is disregard because God is Truth…..Jesus today in the Gospel brings up to his people how “for a while” they liked what John the Baptist had to say…But as time wore on, John the Baptist was eliminated by the state because he challenged what they held up to be most important - Their Power!….This is why the First Commandment is to love God above all things….Idols do not come to us in the form of a “golden calf” like in the Old Testament….Idols take on all forms of “things” that are given pride and place over God…..Ultimately, the idols we hold up over the one true God enslave us…Yet humanity somehow believes the lie that God in his infinite goodness is the one who enslaves us - Who “holds us back” from the “good life”……Once again - The whisper of the ancient serpent can be heard in the garden….”God knows that when you eat it your eyes will be opened and you will be like God”……."Did God really say”…….”You certainly will not die”…..We all know how that turned out for Adam and Eve…What makes us “think” we are any different?

“They forgot the God who had saved them, who had done great deeds in Egypt, Wondrous deeds in the land of Ham, terrible things at the Red Sea.”

As Catholics we are to accept the Truth in season and out of season….As we all know, the world is fickle, we however are called to be consistent and steadfast in our Catholic faith…But are we?….When we view our social media feeds each day we see how Catholics mix their politics with their religion….Catholic politicians who “claim” they are "devout Catholics" yet support abortion…..Catholics politicians who are “conservative” politically and support the death penalty……Catholic politicians who are indifferent to same sex marriage…..All of these real life actions witness to what the readings today at Mass address…We create idols - And place those idols over God - And in the process we rationalize our behavior in the name of “this or that”….Humanity can do this almost subconsciously…This is why Jesus tells his people today in the Gospel…”For if you had believed Moses, you would have believed me, because he wrote about me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?”…But the people were blind to their behavior yet they professed with their mouth a belief in the one true God….So the question to consider today is - What do we hold up over God?….Have we created numerous “golden calves”, which we value more than God himself?…A good way to evaluate this objectively is to take a good look at your check book…What do you spend your money on?….This will tell you very clearly who and what is most important in your life…..In doing this I am not asking you to give all your money away…What I am asking you to do is honestly evaluate what you spend your money on….In doing so you will get a very clear picture of what is most important in our life…This is where the “rubber meets the road”!…..Jesus calls the people out today in the Gospel….”I came in the name of my Father, but you do not accept me; yet if another comes in his own name, you will accept him. How can you believe, when you accept praise from one another and do not seek the praise that comes from the only God?”….Is Jesus also calling us out as well?

“Our fathers made a calf in Horeb and adored a molten image; They exchanged their glory for the image of a grass-eating bullock.”

Lent is a time to evaluate the “things” that have a hold on our life….If we are honest with ourself, there are many “things” that enslave us…..Humanity has the wrong idea about the message of Christ and what true freedom is all about….The Gospel message is all about freedom, yet humanity “thinks” the words of Christ and his Church are about enslavement…..It’s the exact opposite!….When we place “things” or behaviors above God, they rule our life and in turn we become slaves to those things……Jesus came to free us from sin and in turn free us from slavery….Still don’t believe me?…..Would you agree that taking on massive amounts of debt is a form a slavery?…Would you agree with that statement?….Why do we do it?…Is it to “create” an image of ourself, pretending to be something we are not?…Sounds a little like a “golden calf” to me……Is it possible we are listening to the whisper of the ancient serpent, who comes to us in his many disguises?….We all know how that turned out for Adam and Eve…What makes us “think” we are any different?

"Make straight the way for the Lord”…..What is in “the way”?….Identify “the what” and remove it…Then you will “hear” and then you will “see”

Today at Holy Mass we hear from the Gospel of St John….St John was special and I always pay particular attention to what he writes…St John was not like the other disciples…He was a mystic, which means he saw things that others did not see…How?….His heart was pure!…This should be our one and only goal - To purify our hearts…”Blessed are the pure of heart, for they shall see”…….Today St John tells us how Jesus begins to prepare his friends for his death….And what is to come following his death….”Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes in the one who sent me has eternal life and will not come to condemnation, but has passed from death to life"…Just a quick aside…Whenever Jesus in Scripture begins a statement with “Amen, amen” - Pay attention - He is about to “drop a bomb” on you!……”Whoever hears my word” - Interesting? - Do we “hear” the words of Christ - I mean really hear them?……Because if we did, we would act upon them - We would live differently - Right?…….Like St John, who “saw” what others did not see…We too must “hear” what others do not hear….This is evident by the way Catholics are called to live - Are we like “everyone else”?…It all comes down to our heart - Is our heart pure?….So I guess the question is - How can we purify our heart in a world that “pulls us” in a direction away from God?…Only through Sacramental grace can we purify our heart - You can not “study” your way to a pure heart…..This is how we “hear” and this is how we “see”….Can the blind lead the blind?….This is what we “see” today…The blind are leading the blind!

“Can a mother forget her infant, be without tenderness for the child of her womb? Even should she forget, I will never forget you.”

Edith Stein was a German intellectual….She grow up in a Jewish home and at a young age she gave up her belief in God….She put all her faith in her studies….Two events changed that…One night she had nothing to do and she picked up a book on the life of St Teresa of Avila….She read the entire book in one sitting…After she was finished all she could say is…”This is the Truth”…How can a person with Edith’s background come to such a conclusion?…The second event - Edith one day walked into a Catholic Church and watched a poor uneducated woman pray in front of the Blessed Sacrament - The sight of this person impacted her deeply….Shortly there after, Edith made the decision to become a Catholic….Not only a Catholic…But Edith become a Carmelite nun…And ultimately she gave up her life for her people during the Nazi occupation of Europe…..The world knows her today as Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross….And this what she said about finding God…About “seeing” and “hearing” him….."Anyone who seeks truth seeks God, whether or not he realizes it. - My longing for truth was a single prayer.”…This is how a former Jewish girl turned atheist became Catholic…Edith was a seeker of Truth…Are you?….Anyone who seeks the Truth with a pure heart will always end up in the same place…..It’s not about “my truth” - Whatever that means!….This "idea" spoken today - “My truth” - Gets in the way of us finding God…”My way” is a stumbling block……”Truth Seekers” find God…Why?…Because God is Truth - Not “my truth" - But the Truth!...What gets in your way in your search for Truth? - Only you can answer that…But know this…Diplomas on the wall will not give you the needed insight to “see” and “hear” what is most essential in this life….…Jesus today tells us the following in the Gospel at Mass…."I cannot do anything on my own; I judge as I hear, and my judgment is just, because I do not seek my own will but the will of the one who sent me”…..Is “our will” an obstacle?….Maybe its time to “bend our will” and my bet is - If you do - You will “hear” and you will “see”…..If God can work in a ex-Jewish intellectual turned atheist like Edith Stein - He can work in us…Why is this important?……What we “see” and “hear” is how we live…And how we live is how we die.

“Do not be amazed at this, because the hour is coming in which all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and will come out, those who have done good deeds to the resurrection of life, but those who have done wicked deeds to the resurrection of condemnation.”

Today in the Gospel from Mass, Jesus instructs us by telling us how his friends will “hear” what needs to be heard in order to find the road to eternal life…What gets in our way of us “hearing” what is needed to be heard?…..An open heart that seeks the Truth will always find it….All roads lead to Rome!……The great John the Baptist put it this way…."Make straight the way for the Lord.”…..What is in the way?….Identify “the what” and remove it…Then you will “hear” and then you will “see”