”I must decrease and He must increase”

Today at Holy Mass we hear in the first reading something from the Book of Wisdom that gives us a window into human nature…..Those who seek power at all costs in this world to this very day ”think” exactly as they did in the time of Christ….The Church and those who are faithful to her should always remember that we live in a hostile world….Jesus tells us this very clearly….“Behold, I am sending you like sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and simple as doves. But beware of people, for they will hand you over to courts and scourge you in their synagogues”…When we are working and living in this chaotic reality, which is the world, its easy to forget the power of God - That Jesus defeated death and that Christ will one day come again…..The reading today reminds us all that the world is a dangerous place but take heart - Christ has conquered death and the darkness of the world will not have the last word…….”The wicked said among themselves, thinking not aright: "Let us beset the just one, because he is obnoxious to us; he sets himself against our doings, Reproaches us for transgressions of the law and charges us with violations of our training. He professes to have knowledge of God and styles himself a child of the LORD. To us he is the censure of our thoughts; merely to see him is a hardship for us, Because his life is not like that of others, and different are his ways. He judges us debased; he holds aloof from our paths as from things impure. He calls blest the destiny of the just and boasts that God is his Father. Let us see whether his words be true; let us find out what will happen to him. For if the just one be the son of God, he will defend him and deliver him from the hand of his foes. With revilement and torture let us put him to the test that we may have proof of his gentleness and try his patience. Let us condemn him to a shameful death; for according to his own words, God will take care of him." These were their thoughts but they erred; for their wickedness blinded them, and they knew not the hidden counsels of God; neither did they count on a recompense of holiness nor discern the innocent souls' reward”.……….Notice the end of this passage…..”but they erred”……Just when evil “thinks” it has the last word, it fails……History proves this to be true time and time again…..God is at work and we must work with him…..The Catholic Church has outlasted the Roman Empire, The French Revolution, The Nazi Third Reich & the Soviet Union - To name just a few of the enemies of the Church…Think about that!!!!!…The world and the devil has thrown everything but the kitchen sink at the Catholic Church - And it is still standing….For those who are objective - That should tell you something…Think long and hard - Jesus Christ is King!

“One does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God”

God plays the “long game”…And because God thinks in those terms, so must we…But if we look at our life, for those who have been around from some time as I have been, you will observe how good behavior in time always wins the day and how bad behavior in time destroys those who prescribe to it….I have life-long friends and outside of going away to college, I returned to my hometown and live to this day amongst many of the people I grew up with…I have watched people I have known my entire life - From grammar school to them being grandparents…Of these people that I see around town, people I have known for decades, there have been many surprises……One stark observation I can make is…….Many of the “bad guys” I grow up with have long fallen away….Their bad behavior caught up with them and when I see them as men in some cases, now in their sixties - They are a shell of who they once were - Some are even dead…….Historically speaking, mankind has not “figured out” what was read to us in the first reading from Mass today…..”These were their thoughts, but they erred; for their wickedness blinded them, and they knew not the hidden counsels of God; neither did they count on a recompense of holiness nor discern the innocent souls' reward”………God always has the last word!…..I have five children and I always tell my kids, as my father always told me - “There are no short cuts in this world”….That also goes for entering into eternal life……Jesus is very clear about this reality….We are instructed as Catholics to “Pick up our Cross”…..That the “road that leads to heaven is narrow”….That Jesus is the only “gatekeeper”….This is told to us by the Church and read to us at Mass - But do we “hear” the words?……How do we stay on the road to heaven?…How do we endure the trials and temptations of life?…..How do we not “get lost” along the way?……Again, for those of us who have lived in this world for many years as I have, we have watched many “good” people we know and love “fall away” - They “get lost” - And in turn pay a huge price!…..So how do we “stay the course”?……The answer comes from Jesus and we have heard it before - But did we really “hear” the words?…….“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”…….To be a Christian means to live and worship as a Catholic…A bold statement for sure but a true one…….While there are many well intentioned Christians in the world who are not Catholic, the words of Jesus contained in the Gospel of John, which I just noted refutes any claim of Christian authority outside the Catholic Church……And if we are not living Sacramentally, which means going to frequent confession and receiving the Blessed Sacrament in the state of grace - If we live outside of the realm of Sacramental grace - To “think” we can “walk the narrow road” laid before us is in my view a fools errand…..Again, circling back to the first reading from the Book of Wisdom proclaimed at Mass today…..”But they erred; for their wickedness blinded them, and they knew not the hidden counsels of God; neither did they count on a recompense of holiness nor discern the innocent souls' reward”…….The unbelieving world does not “get it” sadly……For those who have “eyes to see” - What I just noted is very clear - Again - For those who have eyes to see.

“The LORD confronts the evildoers, to destroy remembrance of them from the earth. When the just cry out, the LORD hears them, and from all their distress he rescues them”

As Catholics, we go to Mass every Sunday and the words of Christ are read to us…This goes on for years and years - But do we “hear” those words? - I mean really “hear” them!…..Mother Teresa would always say - “I take Jesus at his word”……That is coming from a  canonized saint…So the question today is - Do we take Jesus at his word?……Because if we did - Maybe we would live differently - Maybe we would live Sacramentally - Maybe we too would become saints…Isn’t that the goal?  - To become a saint……Jesus walked among men “to take away the sins of the world” - To establish a Church - To show us by his example how to reach eternal life….He could not have done anymore to make is “point” any clearer - So what is the problem? - Where is the confusion?….The problem rests within each of us - This is the greatest enemy we face - Our own will - And this is the enemy we must defeat - Our will must bend until it breaks!….As John the Baptist tells us…”I must decrease and He must increase”….There it is - The answer to the problems that plague mankind…….”I must decrease and He must increase”……..JMJ