We are an Easter people - Look to the East and never lose sight of what is to come…And make no mistake…One day Christ will come again

Today at Holy Mass we are remind in the first readings that something better is to come…How we can forget that reality…Our world is plagued with confusion and strife….Its so easy to get "caught up" in what we see around us and throw up our hands……The Prophet Isaiah at Mass reminds us to look forward…”I am about to create new heavens and a new earth; The things of the past shall not be remembered or come to mind. Instead, there shall always be rejoicing and happiness in what I create; For I create Jerusalem to be a joy and its people to be a delight; I will rejoice in Jerusalem and exult in my people. No longer shall the sound of weeping be heard there, or the sound of crying”……We are currently in the middle of our Lent journey….Easter is close but we have a way to go…..So it is with our journey back to God…..No one knows when Jesus will return again…But we must never lose sight of the fact that he will indeed return…..In the midst of the chaos of our days…Do we forget that Jesus will one day return?……Until then, it’s for us to persevere….We must never forget the words of Jesus as he ascended into heaven….“All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”….The best is yet to come!

“Seek good and not evil so that you may live, and the LORD will be with you.”

A friend of mine who is a priest once told me…When we stand before God, he will ask us…”Where are your children”…..This statement is kind of strange coming from a celibate priest who did not have a wife or kids…But Fr George was trying to teaching me something deeper…As Catholics we are all called to bear witness to the life of Christ and his Gospel by our very lives…A life committed to this pursuit will produce “spiritual children”….What do I mean by that?….The example of a holy life points to God and when we study the lives of the saints…We see their lives served as a light to others…Their example “sparked” others to follow their example…This is why many saints founded religious orders - People were drawn to the saints because they saw Christ in them and in turn they too embraced the gospel…This is what my friend Fr George was trying to teach me when he said…God will ask us….”Where are your children?”…..Striving to get to heaven is not just about you…Its about bringing as many people with you as possible….And let’s not forget, the world is "not having it"!….We live in a fallen world and there are many “bumps” along the road to heaven…This is why we must remember the words of the Prophet Isaiah read to us as Mass….”I am about to create new heavens and a new earth; The things of the past shall not be remembered or come to mind”…One day all the “craziness” we see around us will end….But until then, we must not lose focus…There is work to be done!

“For his anger lasts but a moment; a lifetime, his good will. At nightfall, weeping enters in, but with the dawn, rejoicing.”

How easy it is to forget…To get lost in “the fog”…To see only the darkness of the world around us…Jesus never lost sight of what he was called to do…Nor must we….There is work to be done and if we do not do it, who will?….As Catholics we have been given the fullness of the faith…We have everything we need to “get the job done”….The question is - Are we utilizing what was given to us?….Are we focused and do we prioritize the needs at hand?…..As my friend Fr George would tell me…..When you stand before God, one of the things he will ask you is…..”Where are your children?”…..If we allow God to transform us into who we were created to be, not only will we arrive in our heavenly home but we will bring a multiple of people with us…..In the mean time - Focus on the task at hand….The fruit of our life will naturally flow from our interior life, rooted in Sacramental grace, daily prayer and weekly fasting….Never get ‘blogged down” by the darkness around us - It will one day “pass away”…..We are an Easter people - Look to the East and never lose sight of what is to come…And make no mistake…One day Christ will come again