Because deep down everyone wants to be “good”…Give people a chance.....Sometimes “those people” will surprise you

Today at Holy Mass in the Gospel of St Luke Jesus addresses our self righteousness…We all have it and don’t think for a second you do not…”Look at those people!”……How many times do phrases like that come of our mouth….Jesus had something to say about that…We should all listen - Maybe better put - I should listen…….”Jesus addressed this parable to those who were convinced of their own righteousness and despised everyone else. “Two people went up to the temple area to pray; one was a Pharisee and the other was a tax collector. The Pharisee took up his position and spoke this prayer to himself, ‘O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity — greedy, dishonest, adulterous — or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week, and I pay tithes on my whole income. ’But the tax collector stood off at a distance and would not even raise his eyes to heaven but beat his breast and prayed, ‘O God, be merciful to me a sinner.’ I tell you, the latter went home justified, not the former; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”……….Jesus tells it like it is…We are all flawed…While Objective Truth defines right and wrong…Its our job to worry about our self - And not point out the flaws of others…That does not mean we turn our head to the ills that plague both man and society…But it does mean that we show mercy to others, we try to understand where they are “coming from”, and even if they make a bad choice, we can keep the “lines of communication open” and do our best to give a good example…..I think what Jesus is telling us today in the Gospel is….We are all flawed - You want to impress God - Love God above all things and love your neighbor as your self…That does not mean you condone the sins of your neighbor…But it does mean you do not condemn your neighbor - That is not your job!…We need to worry about our own sanctification first and foremost - That is a “full time job”….And when we do that, our example will speak to the world in ways our words can not…This is how we “change our neighbor”…Not by our words or our condemnation…But by our example

“Be bountiful, O LORD, to Zion in your kindness by rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem; Then shall you be pleased with due sacrifices, burnt offerings and holocausts.”

People sometimes surprise you…We see that in the pages of the New Testament…From St Paul to Mary Magdalene to St Matthew to Zacchaeus the tax collector….The religious leaders of Jesus time were convinced of their righteousness only to shut the door to God himself when he was standing right in front of their face…But the people I just noted above, who were public sinners somehow were open to the Gospel message and once they were “given a chance”, they radically embraced the message of Christ and shook the foundations of the world…People can surprise you when you give them a chance sometimes…This is why we should never “write people off” - Think about it this way - Did Jesus “write you off”?……Give me twelve public sinners who repent of their past life and commit to God any day of the week! - Men and women like that are dangerous because they speak from experience, they have “been around the block” and they know that the devil is real - How do they know? - Because people like that met the devil - And never want to meet him again!……When I would go to India I would meet all kinds of people…On two of my trips to Kolkata there was this Italian woman who lived in Bali and had tattoos all over her body….She was my friend…Karina was a beautiful soul and she was “searching for God” maybe even in ways she did not understand herself…I remember one year when I first arrived to Kolkata with a group of Americans that came over with me…Many of them were devout Catholics, I saw Karina in this local eatery that many of the volunteers socialized at and she came over to sit with us…When the people traveling with me saw her, I could tell they were “put off”…Karina had tattoos up and down her legs and arms…..What these “devout Catholics” did not see is…Karina’s heart - She was a beautiful soul - How quick we are to judge others by their appearance….As I write this another incident like what I just described came to mind…This past year on Mother Teresa’s Feast Day in early September I took my youngest daughter Maria to New York City to a Mass…At the Mass there were many of my friends and the Missionaries of Charity were there in full force…Siting not far from me was this young woman, she was dress very respectfully, with a long conservative dress on, however you could see she had tattoos all over her neck, her arms and legs…The way she was now dressed, indicated to me a radical change took place in her life…That she was once “another person” and now she is “someone else”…How can people change like that?…Only when you give someone a chance do you “invite the possibility” that they can be transformed by God’s love and grace….This begins with a hand of friendship…Sometimes that is all it takes….We all want to be “good”…And when we give people a chance and expose others to God…. First and foremost by our own witness, that’s when hearts change - Lives change and are transformed!….This is what Jesus did…And some times its “those people” who make for the greatest of people!

“For you are not pleased with sacrifices; should I offer a burnt offering, you would not accept it. My sacrifice, O God, is a contrite spirit; a heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn.”

Jesus today in the Gospel asks us to not be so quick to judge people…To take a good look at your own heart first….If we focus our efforts on sanctifying ourselves…Our witness will serve as a powerful remedy to our broken and fallen world….Words and criticism do not “fix people”…A good example fueled by Sacramental grace and daily prayer however “moves mountains”…Never write people off…Give people a chance…And most importantly, give a good example…This is what authentic Christian accompaniment is all about…In Catholic circles these days the word “accompaniment” gets thrown around a lot…..Authentic “accompaniment” is simply friendship minus the judgement…Its not condoning bad behavior - Its using the "vehicle" of friendship to give a "witness" to "saints and sinners" alike in our immediate circles of engagement….Its not about compromise……Authentic “accompaniment” opens doors as opposed to closing them and it allows God to do the “heavy lifting”….Because deep down everyone wants to be “good”…Give people a chance..... Sometimes “those people” will surprise you