“On that day you will not question me about anything”

Today at Holy Mass Jesus in the Gospel of St John does not parse words…To live as a Catholic in an unbelieving world is difficult……Do we accept that? - Or do we think we can live like everyone else and still enter the Kingdom of Heaven?…..”Jesus said to his disciples:  "Amen, amen, I say to you, you will weep and mourn, while the world rejoices; you will grieve, but your grief will become joy. When a woman is in labor, she is in anguish because her hour has arrived; but when she has given birth to a child, she no longer remembers the pain because of her joy that a child has been born into the world. So you also are now in anguish. But I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you. On that day you will not question me about anything”……..American Christianity is sadly a mile wide and an inch thick!…..We sanitize our faith, removing the reality of the Cross….But as all adults know - Reality is Reality!…No Cross - No Crown…..To deceive ourself and think we somehow can part take in the secular world, experiencing all the ideologies and activities, which contradict the laws of God and still “somehow” arrive in heaven is one of the greatest lies ever “pull off” by the devil himself…..To be Catholic is to be different - We are to live in the world but not be of the world….To “think” otherwise is simply an illusion…..In the meantime, feeling the full weight of our Cross, Christ himself gives us his peace and joy…..”For my yoke is easy, and my burden light”…..When we are tempted to live as the world lives we must make a choice - We can not have God and the world at the same time….Its a trade off - But for many who have experienced the “things of the world”, they know that the joys of the world are fleeting and the joy of living in God’s will is deep and lasting…..Again, it’s a trade off - We can not have both!……”I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. Choose life, then, that you and your descendants may live”…Choose well - Choose Life!

“Christ had to suffer and to rise from the dead, and so enter into his glory”

How does one find a good spouse?….A question asked by many…..God forms us when we are single and living a chaste life….Many people “think” when they get married all of sudden they are going to live a virtuous life…The reality is - We learn to live a virtuous life before we get married…..I married later in life…In college I did not practice my faith and learned the hard way that the world’s way does not work!….From the age of around 27 years old until I was married at 43 years old…I lived a chaste life as a single Catholic man….I made that decision and it turned out to be one of the best decisions of my life….I was given the grace of chastity as a result of intense fasting, Sacramental living and daily prayer…..And in those many years before I met my wife, which for the record were difficult years, God formed me!….And when I did find the woman I was to marry - I was ready!…..We must be willing to ”pick up our Cross”……………Its under the weight of our Cross that God forms us into the people we are called to be - And that does not happen over night!….That same “process” must be applied as we prepare to stand before God when we die at our individual judgement…The process of sanctification is just that - A life long process! - We as Catholics must learn to “trust the plan” - Doing things God’s way - All day everyday!….And over the course of our life as a Catholic, all the trials, successes, failures, etc…All those events will form us…Again, if we “opt out” of God’s plan, we slow down our sanctification process, we could even cut it off all together!….A very wise Priest once said to me, “Joe, we do not just float into heaven” - Far too many people “think” that but that is a lie from the evil one!…We must be fully sanctified before we stand before the beatific vision and enter into eternal life…..And for most of us - That is a process - Learn to trust the process!

“He brings people under us; nations under our feet. He chooses for us our inheritance, the glory of Jacob, whom he loves”

Today at Mass we are reminded - Life is hard!…..Even when we do “everything right” - Life is still hard…..People have a way of glossing over suffering but suffering is apart of every human life….As my father would always tell me - “Joe - No one goes through this life unscathed”…As Catholics, while we do not look for suffering, when it comes our way, we can use it….We must learn to understand that suffering forms us…The world rejects suffering but only Jesus Christ and the Catholic Church gives meaning to suffering….This is why to be Catholic is the most realistic thing you can do - Why? - Because no matter who you are - You will experience suffering and being Catholic helps you to navigate that suffering in a way that no other religion or worldly ideology can……The path to heaven is narrow and to walk that path requires us to bear the full weight of the Cross…And as we walk under our Cross, God teaches us to be like his son - He also gives us the grace to carry what is asked of us to carry……”No trial has come to you but what is human. God is faithful and will not let you be tried beyond your strength; but with the trial he will also provide a way out, so that you may be able to bear it”……So let us not “sugarcoat” our Catholic faith….Let us bear our share of hardships and trials…Because on the day of our judgement - And God willing we all enter into eternal life - “On that day you will not question me about anything”………JMJ