Today at Holy Mass in the first reading the Prophet Isaiah tells us something we should never forget…I say this because I forget it…..We are an Easter people - The victory has been won…But I forget this very important message as I work and live in the fog of sin and misery caused by sin in the world around us…This is why the message of Isaiah is important to hear….”Lo, 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; No longer shall there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, or an old man who does not round out his full lifetime; He dies a mere youth who reaches but a hundred years, and he who fails of a hundred shall be thought accursed. They shall live in the houses they build, and eat the fruit of the vineyards they plant”……We all need reminds of this message…Tangible signs that God is real and that sin does not have the last word…This is why as Catholics we go to confession frequently….This is why we receive the Blessed Sacrament at Mass (every day if possible)…….This is why we pray the Rosary Daily…..This is why we sit before the Blessed Sacrament once a week for a Holy Hour….These are all “reminders”……And this is why we must make a conscience effort to “stay connected” to Christ each day…The world is constantly “pulling us away” from God and the devil if fully aware of this reality….We are only human, no matter who you are!….This is why Sacramental grace and daily prayer is vital….Without these practices, its easy to forget…Its easy to fall into despair….Its easy to a unconsciously create a “gap” between us and God where the devil can get a “foothold” in your life.
“Seek good and not evil so that you may live, and the LORD will be with you”
In my thirties after spending way too many years partying I made a very important decision…..I will not waste my time! - I will spend it with positive people and do positive things…And in making this decision, my life changed…..Every Saturday I would volunteer with the Missionaries of Charity in New York City…In doing so, my prayer life expanded…On my vacations from work I would spend three weeks each year in Kolkata India serving the poor…In doing so my spirits would always be lifted and I would meet the ‘best people” who always were a joy to be around….I also became involved with a Catholic Young Adult Group in New York City and it was there that I met my wife…..As Catholics who live in the world, we must realize that not everyone is going to be “nice”…Not everyone is going to “play by the rules”…This is why what you do on “your time” matters…..Do not waste your time with people and activities that “drain the life out of you”….Reorient your life and how you spend your time and your life will improve drastically…Its very easy to get “sucked into” the “rat race” of a hectic life, which is focused on secular goals and ideologies…We as Catholics must make a conscience effort - To organize our time and surround ourself with positive people….We also must cooperate with God….In doing this, we open up new horizons that we thought were never there or possible…And in the process we become a people of hope for others….God helps those who help themselves!….Help yourself and get involved in the many “reminders” - God is not only very al but is at work in our world today……”The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it”
“I will extol you, O LORD, for you drew me clear and did not let my enemies rejoice over me. O LORD, you brought me up from the nether world; you preserved me from among those going down into the pit”
Today at Mass the Prophet Isaiah tells us that God wins and if we stand with him - We win too….The road to heaven is in a way a small “taste of heaven”….The world looks at practicing Catholics and “thinks” we are crazy…..That we somehow have given up “something” to follow Christ as a Catholic…Nothing could be further from the truth…..God takes nothing from us - God only gives….I can say this will all honesty….The best decision I ever made in my life was at the age of twenty-two years old - When I decided to take my Catholic faith seriously - It was because of that decision that all the good things in my life have taken place….I have my wife because of that decision - I have five children because of that decision…I also have lasting peace and a deep sense of pervasive joy because of that decision….In the mean time - We as Catholics are a people on a pilgrimage - While living on this earth can at times be hard - God walks with us - He also gives us the “tools” we need to “stay the course”…..As my dear Father would always tell me - “Straight ahead”……”The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it”………JMJ
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