”So by their fruits you will know them”…….It all comes down to obedience and recognizing authentic authority…….”For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.”

Today at Holy Mass we hear in the first reading a Letter to the Hebrews…In it the author of the letter is explaining what makes for a good high priest…..”No one takes this honor upon himself but only when called by God, just as Aaron was”…….Those who enter religious life have a calling…Jesus himself calls them…Its something deep within their heart…Secular people have a difficult time believing this…But it is true….God calls his priests…Being a priest is not like any other “job”…..And frankly you can tell when a priest has a true vocation……Conversely, you can tell when a priest does not…..There is a old saying…A good priest will save a thousand souls and a bad priest will lose a thousand souls…..But how do we tell who is good and who is bad?…..Two things: The first is this - Do you see joy in that person?…True joy cannot be self manufactured and if someone is “faking" their so called joy - You can tell immediately……The second is obedience - A “dirty word” these days…..A good priest is obedient to the teachings of the Church come hell or high water!……The Deposit of Faith is passed down and the job of the clergy is just that - To pass on the deposit of faith down - Not to twist it…….Clearly, not every Catholic is called to religious life…However, every Catholic by means of their Baptism is called to be faithful - And that means being obedient to the will of God and the teachings of the Church…I know - there is that “dirty” word again - Obedience!……”You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek”……Many Catholics gloss over the fact that Jesus was completely obedient to his Father’s will….”He humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross. Because of this, God greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name”…….And because of that reality, we must be obedient too - I know - There is that “dirty” word again!……Far too many people have a problem with being obedient to a higher power…..And frankly, that is a big problem…..And that problem manifests itself in the Church and in the world…..It all began with our first parents Adam and Eve…God said to them, you can have everything you want in the garden but you cannot eat from the “Tree of Knowledge”…What was God saying to them by that statement?…Let me break it down as only an Italian man from New Jersey can - “I am God, you are not - And because of that, I determine what is right and wrong - And you do not”……I can hear it now - I just lost many who are reading this reflection - I am not selling anything, so let me break it down again as only an Italian man from New Jersey can - “It is what it is - Get over it!”…..God is God and we are not….The temptation of Adam and Eve had nothing to do with an “apple”…It had everything to do with a lie, which was told to Adam and Eve by the devil himself, “You will be like God”…And that is the lie that is believed to this day…“You will be like God”………And that is the lie that needs to be debunked….St. Michael the Archangel addressed this same problem when he faced off with the devil and his minions and this is what he said….”Who is like God”….....So as they say in New Jersey - "Get over it”!

“Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered; and when he was made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him”

What keeps us from being obedient?…Well, it comes down to us thinking we have authority, which implies a form of control….Having control is a myth because we all die, no matter who you are or “think” you are…We all die….We are completely powerless to that fact…And as far as authority goes, only God has authority......People ask me - Why are you Catholic?…Because Jesus founded the Church and he has authority and I do not - How is that for an answer!…I also tell people who question God’s authority - “When you raise yourself from the dead and form a Church, I will join that Church, until then, I am staying right where I am!…..Sadly, human nature being what it is, we hear what our “itchy ears want to hear”…We tell ourself “we are in control” and we disregard authentic authority - Which is God alone……I have taught the Catholic faith for decades now…I have spoken with countless Catholic religious, authors and intellectuals about the Catholic faith on my radio show….And I always say to them all…”Being Catholic is like painting by numbers, its all written down”…Yet some don’t see it that way…..It boggles my mind!……Just read it - I am not telling you “my opinion” - Just read it!....Yet some folks on the “far right” of the Catholic Church to some folks on the “far left" - They somehow cannot “see” what is written on the page as clear as day…At the root of it all, its not their ability to read that is the problem, its their will - They refuse to bend their will…..If I have learned one thing as a Catholic, it is this…”You tell a tree by the fruit it bears”…All good priests, nuns and religious orders who “adhere to the vine” thrive!…..And those who do not, simply wither away and die……Yet, still many are not convinced….Remember what Jesus said…………..”Without me you can do nothing”………….This is why I do not worry about the Catholic Church when I see crazy ideas spoken from clerics and lay Catholics alike…This maxim I just noted is a “self policing mechanism” (”You tell a tree by the fruit it bears”…All good priests, nuns and religious orders who “adhere to the vine” thrive!…..And those who do not, simply wither away and die)…..So what about us?…….Like all things in life, we all make a choice….We need to learn to trust God, who loves us…And God established one Church - The Catholic Church…Why is that?…Because God has authority and we do not - Remember God? - The man who rose from the dead!……For all you readers out there…Did you know that the Bible was not formally written until 400 years after the death of Jesus?…And for 400 years the Catholic faith existed….And if you trace the faith all the way back before the Bible, you will find that it is exactly the same faith as the Catholic Church today….That is a fact - Read the early Church Fathers…..So when someone tells me…"The Catholic Church is wrong - Its not the authentic Church of Christ”…Know what I say…”Who gave you that authority?”…You are just a mortal man and you will die like all men - When you come back from the grave - Then I will join your Church - Until then, I am sticking with the Church founded upon Peter!…”And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”…………..It all comes down to obedience and recognizing authentic authority

“Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.”

In the first reading from Mass today we learned that all priest are called by God - One can not “self manufacture” that “call”…..Its for us to listen to the Lord…While not all of us are called to be priests, by means of our baptism we are all called to “adhere to the vine” and if we do, our lives will “bear good fruit” - Period Full Stop!…That is the means and measure of discerning that is authentic and what is not….And frankly its as clear as the nose on your face if you choose to look…..A good priest will save a thousand souls…..Solid religious orders thrive…A good bishop will inspire numerous vocations….I can go on and on!….How does that happen?….Those who were called by God know that they must be obedient - And those who are obedient bear fruit - And those who are not frankly are “spinning their wheels” and will disappear in time - ”So by their fruits you will know them”…….It all comes down to obedience and recognizing authentic authority…….”For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.”