If only we make the time…If only we go to him…..Our God is one of us!…Jesus Christ was a man of the people…..He waits for us in the silence

Today at Holy Mass we hear in the Gospel of St Mark that Jesus’s disciples were trying to keep little children away from him…..”People were bringing children to Jesus that he might touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this he became indignant and said to them, Let the children come to me; do not prevent them”……Maybe the disciple thought they were doing something good…”Why would such an important man like Jesus want to be “bothered” by little children?”…”His time is valuable!”…."What can children bring to this gathering?”……As we can see by the Gospel narrative, Jesus was not having it!…In fact, he was upset that his friends were keeping the children from him…….Again, maybe the disciples thought they were doing something good…Or…Maybe they thought they were “too important” to be bothered with children - That they were somehow “better” than others……Jesus clearly took a different view…..God sent his son into the world as a carpenter for a reason - He could have made him a doctor or a wealthy merchant…Instead, God’s son was a working man….This I believe was done to show us that Jesus was and is relatable - He was and is one of us!…..So the question for today to ponder is…Are we relatable?…Do we as faithful Catholics “think” we are better than others because we “do not sin” like the world sins….If we do think this way, remember this - “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.”……..As faithful Catholics we are called to be salt and light in the world….We are not meant to separate ourselves from others - We must “walk among them”…..Jesus proclaimed the Gospel message by living and working among his people…This is our task as well….People believe what they see….So let them see

“Whoever does not accept the Kingdom of God like a child will not enter it”

My wife gave birth to five children all of which were born by means of a cesarean birth, also known as a C-section…After our first baby was born (Teresa), we did not have a great experience with the doctor, so we asked around to find another….We were told to seek out a doctor by the name of Dr Robert Gallo, which we did…..Dr Gallo was the father of ten children….He was an exceptional surgeon and understood, based upon his life’s example, that “those who have been given much, much will be expected” - The man had ten kids!….The first time I met Dr Gallo was right before my second child Francesco was born…..Dr Gallo was outside the operating room checking up on things - He had his surgical mask on…As he was working, he and I were talking about the Mets and baseball…..To be honest with you, I thought he was a nurse…There was not a pretentious word spoken - Dr Gallo was so down to earth…Once I was told that he was the surgeon, I asked him about my wife…I was very nervous….So I asked him, “Doc, how many times have you done this kind of surgery?”….Dr Gallo responded to me…..”Joe - About 5000”….Again, his response was without pretense and so down to earth….Why tell you this?…It’s very easy to “think” that if you are very gifted in this life (as Dr Gallo was)……. Or if you have wealth….Or if we are very smart…Its very easy to “think” you are better then others……Jesus today shows us in the Gospel that is not the way to “think”….The disciples wanted to keep Jesus apart from others…Jesus was not having it........Jesus was a man of the people….Just as Dr Gallo was….And so must we be

“Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth; you have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the Kingdom”

Today in the Gospel from Mass, Jesus's friends did not want him to be “bothered” by little children…Jesus took a different view - He wants us to “bother” him!…..As we all know, famous and powerful men do not always “have time” for regular people like you and me…Well, it does not get more famous and powerful then God's only son…Jesus ALWAYS has time for us….Nothing is too small or insignificant a concern for us to bring to Jesus Christ…..Our Lord waits for us in the tabernacle…..In the Blessed Sacrament, Jesus once again humbles himself, coming to us under the appearance of mere bread…..If only we make the time…If only we go to him…..Our God is one of us!…Jesus Christ was a man of the people…..He waits for us in the silence