Today at Holy Mass we hear in the first reading from the Book of Ezekiel a story about how from the temple fresh water flows, which “empties into the sea, the salt waters, which it makes fresh. Wherever the river flows, every sort of living creature that can multiply shall live”….How true and so it is when we as Catholics live in the state of grace……Without grace we are in essence dead!…..Yet how many in the world make it a priority to live in a state of grace?…..Grace is given to us through the Sacraments of the Catholic Church…It involves going to confession frequently and receiving the Blessed Sacrament….The method by which we receive this grace is so simple and available to everyone…..As we hear in the first reading….”Fresh water makes the salt water livable”….In the Gospel of St John, the same message is repeated….”Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you”…It could not be stated any clearer…..But do we believe this and take this message to heart? - Because if we did we would follow the “simple formula” - Frequent Sacramental Confession (once a month) and Frequent reception of the Blessed Sacrament at Mass….This is the “fresh water” which comes from the side of the Temple…..”For wherever this water comes the sea shall be made fresh”….For those who have ears let them hear.
“A clean heart create for me, O God; give me back the joy of your salvation”
As a co-host of a Catholic Radio show in the New York Metropolitan Area, I keep up with many different voices in Catholic Social Media…And if you follow these rather prominent men and women, you will find a lot of differing opinions and debates about many different topics…..Sadly I feel many of these topics, while important, can become a distraction to what is most important….We as Catholics have a tendency to complicate our faith…Jesus was a carpenter, a simple man and the Church he founded is not something that only the elite of the world can understand - In fact, being Catholic is rather simple…..If we stick to the basics, what I call “First Principals” - Everything else will fall into place….Pray the Rosary every day - Go to a Sacramental Confession once a month - Receive the Blessed Sacrament in the state of Grace on Sunday…These are “First Principals”……And if we are faithful to these “First Principals” we will undoubtedly make it to heaven…..So why all the debates?
“For they shall be watered by the flow from the sanctuary……Their fruit shall serve for food, and their leaves for medicine"
Today at Mass the first reading offers us a simple message…That without the “living waters” from the Temple - Life as we know it can not exist….A life of grace is vital for us to “see” the world as it truly is and thrive…And that is the problem - Our world today lives outside of this life-giving grace…Society “thinks” it can thrive without God - A fool’s errand for sure!…..This is why Catholics must give witness to how Sacramental grace impacts a human life…And our witness, we will show the world - By our joy and by our peace - By the way we conduct our family life - By the way we treat our neighbors…..Only through our witness, the by-product of grace, will the unbelieving world come to believe that the fullness of Truth is contained in the Catholic Church……We will never argue anyone into the doors of the Catholic Church, no matter how good the argument…And there is no such thing as “cheap grace”…Grace is a gift and Grace is given freely through the Sacraments of the Church…Its really that simple - Don’t make what is simple complicated!…….JMJ
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