“For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him” - It does not get any clearer than that!

Today at Holy Mass in the second readings St Paul tells us something we should all pay particular attention too…”Therefore, whoever thinks he is standing secure should take care not to fall”……This is coming from one of the greatest saints, who lived an extremely holy and devoted life - So we should take note!…..No matter who you are, we must always remember that temptation is very real…”The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak”….Most people have the best of intentions, however intentions do not get the job done!…So the question is - How do we remain consistent and “adhere to the vine”?…The answer comes from living a Sacramental life…Far too many people disregard the efficacy of the Sacraments…They “think” they can “make it on their own”….You hear things like…”I don’t need the Catholic Church”….”It’s just about me and Jesus”….”I don’t need to confess my sins to a Priest”…….Again, the best of intentions could be behind these statements….However, once again - ”The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak”….This is why we must “plug into” the grace of God through the Sacraments……I call it the “one-two punch” - Going to a Sacramental Confession once a month and receiving the Blessed Sacrament in the state of grace every Sunday at Mass…When we do these two very simple things…We “plug into” God’s grace…This does not mean you will be perfect…But it does mean your human nature will be tamed by grace and you will have “eyes to see” many of the "pitfalls" in life and not succumb to them….Again, far too many people over-estimate their own self-reliance, will power and natural gifts…St Paul today at Mass reminds us…….”Therefore, whoever thinks he is standing secure should take care not to fall”……Pride comes before the fall…..This is why we must “put on the armor of God”….This “armor” is available to us in the Sacraments and daily prayer.

“Repent, says the Lord; the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Many Christians claim to believe “everything in the Bible”….Ok…If that is the case, let’s start with this statement from Jesus himself………”Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him”……It does not get any clearer than that…”You will have no life within you” - If you do not “eat my flesh”!….Outside of getting hit over the head with a baseball bat, it could not be any clearer!!…..Over the years Catholics have seen many “celebrity priests” fall….Men who for a time spoke the bold truth only to “get caught up” in celebrity and fall from grace, some even leaving the priesthood…One can ask themselves how that can happen?…These men were highly educated…All of them were well formed in Catholic doctrine…..I can tell you how right now…I would bet the reason why they “fell away” was because they “disconnected” from God’s grace - They stopped going to confession monthly - Which leads to “slacking off” of their daily prayer - Which leads to “closing the flood gates of grace” when they received the Blessed Sacrament…..Living a holy life and doing God’s will can not be achieved without Sacramental grace - Why?….Because our human nature is prone to sin - Does not matter who you are!…This is why Jesus gave us a Church and this is why we were also given the Sacraments…..Its really that simple…..When a Catholic commits a grave sin….More times than not…That person was not “keeping up” with their daily prayer life…They were not fasting weekly (On Fridays)…They were not going to regular Confession…They were not receiving the Blessed Sacrament in the state of grace…They were not praying the Rosary daily…..These activities do not make us “superman”…But they do help us to live out God’s will and be faithful to whatever state in life we are called too - Whether the married life or consecrated religious life…The great St Paul warning us today at Mass…We should all take note of his words.

“For three years now I have come in search of fruit on this fig tree but have found none. So cut it down. Why should it exhaust the soil?’ He said to him in reply, ‘Sir, leave it for this year also, and I shall cultivate the ground around it and fertilize it; it may bear fruit in the future. If not you can cut it down.”

St Paul today at Mass reminds us about human weakness..How we must not only be vigilant but also rely on Sacramental grace and daily prayer, which enables us to live out our Baptism calling……You really do not have to look far, to validate what I just stated in this reflection….People like to “throw stones” at the Catholics…However, when the Catholic faithful, pray the Rosary every day, go to monthly Confession and receive the Blessed Sacrament in the state of grace - And many do for the record!…From the Pope down to the lady who cleans the toilets in the parish hall….These people “somehow” seem to stay out of trouble…Ask yourself why?…Is it that they are “strong”?….They have super human will-power?....Were they born that way with a "special gift"?….NO! - The reason why comes to us from the very words of Jesus himself…..”Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him” - It does not get any clearer than that!