Today at Holy Mass in the Gospel of St John Jesus gives us the “key” to how we are to live out our Catholic faith but also how we will enter heaven……”This is why the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down on my own”…The path to eternal life is self sacrificial…Do not let anyone tell you otherwise!…..As Catholics we are all called to lay down our lives for others - First our family and then our neighbors…The more we empty ourself - The more the Holy Spirit fills us…This is the “calculus” of God….Jesus showed us the way…..However, we resist this path….Our human nature, self preservation and the desire to be comfortable seems to always get in the way…This is why we must rely on Sacramental grace….Because to live in a self-sacrificial manner is not “natural” - Our human nature rebels against it….Only when we immerse our lives in daily prayer, fasting and the Sacraments can we live such a life…..This is the mistake of our Protestant brothers and sisters - They believe they do not need the Sacraments - How mistaken they are!….This is also the mistake of the secular unbelieving world - And if you doubt what I am saying - Simply look out your window! - Our world is selfish to its core!….And this is why Jesus walked among us two thousand years ago - He taught us by his example to be people for others but he also understood that by our own strength, we could not live in this manner - So he formed a Church, which give us the Sacraments…..The more clearly we “see” Christ in the Eucharist, the more we will see him in our family and neighbors - And the clearer we see Jesus in others - The more we will serve them, even if that service means we have less for ourselves…This my friends is the path to heaven - For those who have ears - Let them hear!
“Send forth your light and your fidelity; they shall lead me on And bring me to your holy mountain, to your dwelling-place”
Our modern world needs to see Catholics - From our Bishops and Priests, to married couples, to non-married people - All of us!!! - Must live sacrificially!….Why would I make such a claim?….For one, its the path to heaven…But secondly, no one will believe we are serious about what we “say” we believe as Catholics if they do not see for themselves that we have “skin in the game”….That means we give of ourself until it hurts…That is what real love is - Giving of self……Growing up in my hometown there was a large family that I was close with…The Fahey family had eight children…I knew three of the boys well and later in life I got to know the father…..Patrick was from Ireland and worked simple jobs…He never had a car…He road his bike everywhere…He always had a smile on his face and was the full of authentic joy….And to me, he was a great example of what a Catholic was to be like…..I got to know Patrick at a Bible Study in my parish - I would pick him up at his home every Saturday morning for years….The example of his life was powerful, and I am sure I am not the only person in my hometown to say that about him…Patrick was uneducated man who emptied himself out - First to his family and then to others…He worked into his eighties as a crossing guard and I can still see him talking to everyone who came across his path with a smile on his face…..To me, knowing Patrick was a blessing - His life’s example resinated with me more then any “sermon” or book I read…..As Catholics, when we live deeply sacrificial lives, trust me, people will stop and be amazed! - People will also listen to what you say because of what they “see” - And as a result of your witness, people will know that Jesus is real….They will not know this simply by us telling them Jesus is real - The world needs to “see” Christ in us - And that only happens when we live sacrificially.
“I am the good shepherd, and I know mine and mine know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I will lay down my life for the sheep”
Today at Mass Jesus tells us how we are to tell if a “shepherd” is good or if he is an imposture……How do we tell? - The shepherd lays down his life for his sheep - That is how we tell….The same standard applies today….When a father and mother have many children and are open to life in their marriage - We see “the shepherd laying down his life for his sheep”……When we see Bishops speaking the Truth to power at the risk of their very life - We see “the shepherd laying down his life for his sheep”…..When we see Priests living simply and assisting the poor at a great personal cost to themselves - We see “the shepherd laying down his life for his sheep”…..This is the ONLY way the unbelieving world will believe we as Catholics are for real!!!!…..It does not matter what we say - It only matters how we live and if we are not living sacrificially - No one will believe we are for real…..”A hired man, who is not a shepherd and whose sheep are not his own, sees a wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away, and the wolf catches and scatters them”…..The world is watching - And people know the “real deal” when they see it - They also can “smell a fake” from a mile away……"It is in dying to ourselves that we are born to eternal life" - This is the path to eternal life - The only path……JMJ
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