No need to re-create the wheel

Today at Holy Mass we hear once again from the Acts of the Apostles in the first reading….This book of the bible documents the early Church from its very beginning immediately following the death of Christ - The Church at that time was full of zeal, it was fearless, and bold….This is the model for what the Church should look like - So the question then must be - Is this what we see in the Church today?…..Have we become “measured”, like lawyers, in how we address society?…..Do we preach the fullness of Truth without apologies?….We are told today about St Paul - A man who suffered his fair share of hardships for the faith - And none of what he suffered stopped him!…….”He entered the synagogue, and for three months debated boldly with persuasive arguments about the Kingdom of God”…..There is a cost to be a disciple - Are we willing to pay it?…Do we prefer to be “comfortable” and “go along to get along” like everyone else in society?….This was not the path of St Paul - Nor was it the path of Jesus Christ……Today in the Gospel, Jesus tells us very clearly……”In the world you will have trouble, but take courage, I have conquered the world”……Jesus Christ was the greatest revolutionary that has ever walked the face of the earth and to be Catholic today is in many ways to be a revolutionary…We were not Baptized to be like everyone else! - We were grafted into the life of God for a purpose - And that purpose is to work towards building up the Kingdom of God…..The message has not changed - Nor has the method….If we are not living a revolutionary life - Frankly, we are not living the Gospel......It’s not enough to “believe” the Gospel - We must live it and to live it makes us revolutionaries!

“If then you were raised with Christ, seek what is above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God”

Do we “play it safe”?…What do I mean by that? - Are the choices we make as adults made simply to be comfortable and “go along to get along”?…..Nothing about being Catholic can comport with the idea of “playing it safe”!….For example - When a Catholic couple does not use contraception and has numerous children, trusting in God’s providence - Is that couple “playing it safe”?…..The world will not believe what we claim to be true if it does not see what we claim to be true lived out!…..And that requires us to: “Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch”……I remember the first time I traveled to Kolkata India to serve the poor with Mother Teresa’s sisters…I was attending a parish at the time, which frankly lacked apostolic zeal…When I told the pastor I was headed to Kolkata, his face dropped almost in horror!…….Catholics need to stop “buying in” to the lie of the culture - “Have only two children” - “Ticking the Catholic box” on Sunday - “Keeping our head down” - And living like everyone else around us!….Our world today needs radicals! - Yes - Revolutionary Catholics!….Those who fully believe the words of Christ and look to live those words, without apologies, boldly in the public square….Why is that? - Because the secular world in many ways does not take the Catholic Church seriously - We do a lot of “talking” but frankly our actions are in many segments of the Church “lukewarm”……The unbelieving world is not going to be convinced until it sees us practice what we preach - And that requires a radical response to the Gospel…..“I know your works; I know that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either cold or hot. So, because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth”…Speaking personally, “lukewarm” Catholicism bores me - I am not interested in it - By the way - Nor was Jesus interested in it

“Jesus answered them, “Do you believe now?”

Today at Mass once again we hear of the early Church acting boldly….St Paul was not “playing it safe” - How about us?….Do we live our Catholic faith in the public square?…..Do we make life choices through the lens of the Church’s teachings and the Gospel message?….Because if we do - The world will see very clearly what we are all about - No words will be necessary to “explain” that we are Catholic - Our life’s witness will “scream it”…Why is such a witness necessary today? - Because this is the only “message” that frankly resonates in our secular society - Such a life cannot be “dismissed” so easy!…..Its far to easy to talk - Its time to “put up or shut up”…..Jesus gave us the “blueprint” to follow - Just follow it! - Its been proven to work for two thousand years and if we follow it, it will work once again!…..No need to re-create the wheel……….JMJ