Are we interested in the things that make for peace, most specifically within our self?…..If so - ”Let us then pursue what leads to peace and to building up one another”….Real and lasting peace begins with a choice - Its not found in silly slogans and empty words

Today at Holy Mass we hear in the first reading from the Book of Sirach a call to those who have lost there way…..”To the penitent God provides a way back, he encourages those who are losing hope”…..As long as there is breath in our bodies, there is hope….Lent is approaching, its the time to assess our habits once again….The first readings goes on….”Return to him and give up sin, pray to the LORD and make your offenses few. Turn again to the Most High and away from your sin, hate intensely what he loathes”…….But how do we do this and make Lent meaningful?……Deep within each of us, we know when we are on the “right side of things” or for that matter on the “wrong side of things”……All we have to do is “follow our peace" or our "lack of peace”…..There will be no peace within ourselves until we “return to God”….Why is that?……Because we were all made by God to live for God…All of us are “wired” the same way even though each of us is different….God made us for himself and to deny this reality is to create a form of chaos within ourself…..The first reading from Mass today ends with this……”How great the mercy of the LORD, his forgiveness of those who return to him!”…In our world today, many speak of their desire for peace…Peace begins within ourself and until we find that peace, we cannot give it away…Peace begins and ends with us reconciling with God and his holy will…To attempt to find peace any other way is a total waste of time…By doing so, the only person we fool is our self

“Then I acknowledged my sin to you, my guilt I covered not. I said, "I confess my faults to the LORD," and you took away the guilt of my sin.”

When Jesus walked the earth he addressed his own and for the most part, they did not want to hear it……“Amen, I say to you, tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God before you.”……”Polite society” was not “having it” during Jesus’s day…And frankly things in many ways have not changed…..Are we willing to “go against the tide”…To live "differently"?…….Years ago I remember going to a funeral for a blind man…I drove two of Mother Teresa’s sisters to this Funeral Mass….For those who many not know, the Missionaries of Charity sisters not only serve the poor, they also live in poverty themselves…I remember siting in the back of the Church, looking at the crowd in the Church and then looking at the sisters siting among the people…The nuns with their oversized jackets bought from second hand stores in many ways looked like they lived on the street themselves…..The nuns wore cheap boots and old coats - The sisters you can say “stood out”…..Well - How about us? - Do we stand out?…Or are we like everyone else?……To live our shared Catholic faith means we are to be “in the world but not of the world”……This “side of heaven” is not our home, we are simply passing through as a pilgrim - Do we view life in this way?…..If we do, that means we must live differently but at the same time live among others….Why?….Because a Catholic’s life should be a living sign of the life to come…One of my professors in graduate school had twelve children…The man worked on Wall Street by day and I am sure he made a good wage, however, he had twelve children, so I am sure life was not easy…..I remember seeing him one day before class in the parking garage at St Peter's College in Jersey City…He drove an old van and the class he taught that I attended was held Saturday mornings….The man’s shirt was always wrinkled and I would laugh to myself as he stood in front of our class…He always looked so tired, as if he was “rolled down a hill” - Twelve kids will do that to you!…Clearly, this man’s life could have been different - Like many of his colleagues on Wall Street - Living in a nice house, driving fancy cars, taking great vacations…But my professor was Catholic - Not just in word - He lived his faith - No words necessary!….He was a living sign to me of life to come….To this day I remember him, while many of my other professors I have completely forgotten about…..Again, are we willing to live differently?…..Our first reading today should be a reminder to us…”How great the mercy of the LORD, his forgiveness of those who return to him!”….In order to “return” to God, we must make a decision….And “going along to get along” is not apart of that decision - That I can assure you

“Jesus Christ became poor although he was rich, so that by his poverty you might become rich”

Lent is coming, and we need to start to think about how we can “return” once again to the Lord…No matter who we are, we all fall short….Lent is a good time to assess how we have fallen short and to strive to return once again to God and his Holy will…..This does not happen on its own…Prayer, Fasting and Alms-giving are the tools of Lent….They help us to empty ourself and allow God’s grace to enter into our life….The first reading today at Mass tells us in no uncertain terms………….”Stand firm in the way set before you, in prayer to the Most High God”…..…..Are we interested in the things that make for peace, most specifically within our self?…..If so - ”Let us then pursue what leads to peace and to building up one another”….Real and lasting peace begins with a choice - Its not found in silly slogans and empty words