That is reality - Authority is reality!

Today at Holy Mass in the Gospel of St Mark we hear how Jesus picked his first apostles……”Jesus went up the mountain and summoned those whom he wanted and they came to him. He appointed Twelve, whom he also named Apostles, that they might be with him and he might send them forth to preach and to have authority to drive out demons: He appointed the Twelve”…….Notice a few things here…First - Before Jesus made this very important decision, he “went up a mountain”, most certainly to pray…Before we make big decisions in life, do we take time to sit before the Blessed Sacrament in silence and pray?……What else do we learn from Jesus’ actions in this Gospel passage?…..St Mark tells is Jesus gave these twelve hand picked men - “Authority”…To do what? - “Drive out demons”…….How can Jesus give these men authority? - The answer - Because he is the only who with authority, he is God….This is a very important concept to grasp as a Christian…Only God has authority and because of that, only God can give that authority away…..In reading this, one can clearly understand the apostolic succession, which is found only in the Catholic Church….Only the Catholic Church has this “authority” Jesus speaks of - Why? - Because Jesus founded only one Church and that line of succession has never been broken to this very day…..But what about the task of “driving out demons”?…..Through our Baptism, each of us are grafted into the life of God - Our “original sin” is washed away…But sadly because of “the wound” passed down to us from our original parents - Adam and Eve - All human beings are flawed and continue to sin…We only overcome this “fatal flaw” sacramentally and by God’s grace….Modern man does not accept this reality and suffers as a result of this denial…Jesus is telling us today that he is giving his own authority to his priests, who in turn can forgive sin…..These priest, to this very day, can do this only by and through the authority given to them…This is why it is imperative that the world turns to the Catholic Church……The Catholic Church is the only place where by human beings can get the “medicine” we all need - And that medicine is Sacramental grace!……Without this “medicine”, we all die…How do I know this? - St John tells us in his Gospel….......“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. Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died, whoever eats this bread will live forever”…How true this statement is! - And if you don’t believe the words of St John to be true - Just look into the eyes of your pagan neighbors…..Do you see life within their eyes?…..Do you perceive peace in the tone of their voice?…….Without food and water the human body dies - Similarly, without Sacramental grace, the souls dies….This is reality and not “believing” in reality does not change it.

“God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation"

There was a time where before every Mass, priests would hear confessions…..Now sadly, Confession is only heard for one hour a week on Saturday….If we are not receiving the Blessed Sacrament on Sunday in the state of grace, we will not receive the life giving benefits of Sacramental living, which is God’s grace…..This is why frequent Confession must become a norm again in the life of every Catholic…..….Our world today disregards this essential model of living…….We do not emphasize the importance of living sacramental to our children in America anymore - And it shows!…..This is why our culture is “blind” and wounded!…….The problems in America will not be “fixed” from the “top down” - They will only be addressed from the “bottom up”……America’s problem is not a political issue - Its a Godless issue….And only the Catholic Church is equipped to solve this issue - Why? - Because Jesus gave his authority to the Catholic Church…America’s problem is, we deny reality and in turn try to redefine it on our own terms - This did not work for our first parents Adam and Eve and it will not and has not worked for American culture…..Jesus tells us….”For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink”……Only a Catholic priest can give us this “food and drink”….And only a Catholic priest can forgive our sins, which “weigh us down”…..How easy it is to over look what St Mark tells the world today at Mass….”He appointed Twelve, whom he also named Apostles, that they might be with him and he might send them forth to preach  and to have authority to drive out demons”…….Today as it was 2000 years ago, those same “demons” roam the world “seeking the ruin of souls”

“God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation"

Today St Mark reminds us at Mass of the importance of God’s authority….He tells us where that authority rests…He also tells us why we need to live under this authority…..And just as St Mark tells us all this very clearly - The world ignores it!….The reality of God should be so clear……….Our world today “thirsts” for God and does not even know it……..This is why Catholics must witness lives grounded upon the Sacraments….Frequent Confession and Frequent reception of the Blessed Sacrament……..This is how we must live! - And in doing so, the world will “see” for itself the reality found in the words of St John……”Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you”…How can St John say such a statement with certainty? - Because he was given authority!.....And only this who are “appointed” have this authority…..“Amen, amen, I say to you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came [before me] are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate. Whoever enters through me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. A thief comes only to steal and slaughter and destroy; I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly”…….Just as Jesus appointed the first twelve men to be apostles, he appoints priests to this very day and only they have Jesus’ authority - That is reality…The sooner we accept reality, the better off we all shall be……..God’s authority is reality - Deal with it! - Deny it and die - Accept it and live………That is reality - Authority is reality!…….JMJ