Listen, it’s up to you……What is your focus?……What is the goal of your life?…….Is the “Kingdom of God at hand” for you?

Today at Holy Mass, the Gospel of St Mark begins with this sentence….”After John had been arrested, Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the Gospel of God: “This is the time of fulfillment. The Kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the Gospel”…Think about that statement for a moment…Jesus was just a “regular guy” and he is saying that people need to repent - And now! - Because God is coming……How would you react to such a statement?….His peers probably thought Jesus to be crazy…But history has perfect vision when looking back in hindsight…Clearly Jesus was on to something….His life ushered in a new era to humanity…But again, his message was probably thought to be crazy…Mark’s gospel goes on - As Jesus said what he said - He sees a few guys who take what he said seriously….’As he passed by the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting their nets into the sea; they were fishermen. Jesus said to them, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Then they left their nets and followed him”…What made these men different then the rest of the people who heard the same message?….”The Kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the Gospel”…..It had to be their hearts and their life's focus - Simon (soon to be Peter) and his brother Andrew “were in the world but not of the world” as we as Catholics are to live today…As working men they saw how the “world operates” as we do today….And while they had to work in this world, they did not embrace the “ways of the world”…..That is why they took to heart what Jesus said and the rest of the crowd did not……What is the focus of your life?…..What do you prioritize?…..If we focus on worldly things, we will always “miss” the message of Christ….The same message that came out of Jesus's mouth 2000 years ago is spoken today….And most miss it…Because our hearts are far from God…Our hearts are focused on “things”…..If we are to follow the example of Simon and Andrew we must redirect our life’s focus….While we have our day to day responsibilities, our view of the world should be seen through the lens of our Catholic faith…We are here on this earth for such a short period of time - Then we are gone!…..If our focus is on the material, we will always miss the spiritual….We will even think the words of Jesus are “crazy”….”The Kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the Gospel”

“In times past, God spoke in partial and various ways to our ancestors through the prophets; in these last days, he spoke to us through the Son”

I work at a bank and when you listen to what many people who have similar jobs as I do have to say, you quickly understand that their priority is not God or heaven…Their concerns rest on what town they live in, the car they drive, telling everyone where they went on vacation, their corporate title…While we all need to work in this life to provide for ourselves and our family….That is not why God gave us life, to prioritize on social status and "things" thinking somehow they will make us "happy"…..And when our focus is on those "things", as many in the corporate world do…They will sooner or later be betrayed when sickness or the death of a loved one comes knocking at their door…..So how do we re-focus?….We must have courage to walk against the grain of society…”To be different”…How do we get this courage?…..Well, this comes from the Holy Spirit and in order to allow the Holy Spirit to enter our life, we first must have an authentic encounter with God…Far too many view God as just a word - God is not real - Therefore their focus is on the material as opposed to the spiritual…And like the people of Jesus’s day…When Jesus said to them….”The Kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the Gospel”……They too think that message is crazy…Until they get sick and death becomes a reality….But in the meantime - How do we encounter the Lord?……………Most times people need to feel just how vulnerable they are….The myth that “we are in control” is just that - A myth!….And when life presents moments of just how vulnerable we are…Its in those moments that God speaks to us the loudest…Its then up to us to respond and consider a change or we simply just continue “the charade” and march on……..A priest once told a story about visiting a man in the hospital who was close to death….This man was a powerful man during the Mexican Revolution at the turn of the 20th century…He was responsible for the death of many and had killed others with his own hands…The doctor taking care of this man knew full well who he was and also knew he was near death, so he called for a priest…This priest when he arrived and showed himself to the man was greeted with curses…The man shouted, “Get out of my room”…The priest did not know what to say, so he prayed to the Holy Spirit for words…This is what the priest said to this man: “I have seen many things in my life but the one thing I never saw was a man go to hell right before my eyes. So I am going to sit here and not say a word and just watch you die”…The man in bed understood “tough words” like that because that was the kind of man he was…So as the priest sat there…The dying man in time came around…He opened up…Believe it or not, he went to Confession with the priest after 60 years of being away from the Church and died shortly there after……So here is the question - Why do we have to live our life “in the dark”, as so many do until the moment of death?….And keep this in mind - "The story" does not always end this way…Some go down to the grave with “fists clenched” and refuse the Lord’s invitation to life - As if “they are in control” - A sad end indeed!…Jesus came to give us life and give it to us in abundance - In the here and now!……Jesus takes nothing from us - He only gives…Why not live such a life now?

”The Kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the Gospel”

Jesus Christ was a real person and his message is the same today as it was 2000 years ago…Just like in the gospel story today…Some people were receptive to his message and most were not…They thought Jesus probably was crazy…But sadly in the end - Who is the crazy one?….Humanity continues to live like it never will die…We live on “our terms” come hell or high water…As if we can somehow “cheat death”….When clearly there is another way - A better way - A way to live with peace in your heart and deep joy within your soul…..Some say, "I believe in God and “one day” I will change"…Well, that one day is today!…..We are one Sacramental Confession away from that one day…….We “try” everything else to make us happy…Why not “try” going to Confession with a Catholic Priest?…Do you somehow think the priest has not heard the “things” that you have done?……I got news for you…Priests have heard it all - And they do not judge people…This is the encounter I am talking about….This is why Simon and Andrew “heard” what Jesus said and did not think he was crazy…Its because their focus was not on this world…It was on God…..Listen, it’s up to you……What is your focus?……What is the goal of your life?…….Is the “Kingdom of God at hand” for you?