Today at Holy Mass we hear in the Gospel of St John, in my humble opinion one of the MOST important messages you will hear in the entire Bible……If the Catholic world fully embraced this message, the world would be set ablaze…..But sadly we do not fully embrace it due to our pride…”I know better” - We hear this statement all the time from so many……To address that claim very sharply - NO YOU DO NOT!……Jesus said “I am the vine” - He did NOT say - “You are the vine”
“Jesus said to his disciples: “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower. He takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit, and everyone that does he prunes so that it bears more fruit. You are already pruned because of the word that I spoke to you. Remain in me, as I remain in you. Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing. Anyone who does not remain in me will be thrown out like a branch and wither; people will gather them and throw them into a fire and they will be burned”
I have been a practicing Catholic for over thirty years and over the course of that time I have learned a “few things”….One of those “things” that I learned, because I have seen this with my own two eyes, is that when religious orders adhere strictly to the teachings of the Church, as they are written - If they live lives of sacrifice - If they develop deep interior lives through hours of daily prayer…When they do all that - They bear a tremendous amount of fruit for the Kingdom of God…The formula works without exception!!!!….I have seen this with many religious orders - To name three: The Missionaries of Charity; The Franciscan Friars of the Renewal & The Sisters of Life……Conversely, religious order that have “relaxed” lifestyles, I will be charitable, their orders get no vocations and die out…Why is that? - Jesus tells us why in the Gospel of St John today….So here is the question - If that “formula” works for religious orders - Why would it not work for Lay Catholics; Bishops and Diocesan priests?…The “problem” is not with Church teaching - The problem is segments of Baptized Catholics do not fully embrace Church teaching - We lack courage! - We do not fully bend our will to God….And because of that - We do not bear the fruit that Jesus promises we would bear…This needs to change!!!!…..Being Catholic is “painting by numbers” - All the teachings of the Church are written down - All we have to do is follow them!!!….Just read what is on the paper - Easy RIGHT?!?……What needs to stop is all our “excuses”……No one has a “better idea” than Jesus Christ and the fullness of Truth contained in the teachings of the Catholic Church.....It’s not “pastoral” to alter doctrine…..Its not “merciful” to conveniently “leave out” segments of doctrine….All we have to do as Catholics is “paint by the numbers”…..And if we do - We will bear fruit - Simple? - RIGHT?….Let’s make it happen!
“Remain in me, as I remain in you, says the Lord”
As a married man for twelve years my wife and I have never used contraception…..As a result we have five children - We also lost three as a result of miscarriages…..Our marriage is stronger today than it was on the day we were married!…I love my wife more today then the day I met her….Why is that? - Because our marriage is Sacramental - Which means God animates it because we allow him into our marriage - God is the center of our marriage and of our individual lives - This is the “secret” to a good marriage……God gave mankind marriage and made it a Sacrament - To view marriage any other way is a HUGE mistake…Why is that? - Because to have a good marriage takes work - It also takes God’s grace…And when we “think” we “know better” than God and do things “our way” - Marriages full apart - Why? - Because to have a strong marriage, one needs grace in that marriage and without that grace, selfishness creeps in and in turn the marital bond slowly is destroyed….That is why marriage is one of the seven Sacraments instituted by the Church…Marriage is a vocation, which leads a man and a woman to God by the death of themself through the service of each other and their children…To understand the institution of marriage any other way is a HUGE MISTAKE - Don’t take my word for it - Look at the divorce numbers for couples involved in secular marriages - What does that tell you?…I will tell you what it tells me - God’s way works!
“Jerusalem, built as a city with compact unity. To it the tribes go up, the tribes of the LORD”
Today at Mass St John tells us something that Jesus said that is SO IMPORTANT!!!!…Clearly everything that Jesus says is important but today we hear something that all Catholics must strive to execute on each and every day……”Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit” - Did you just hear that! - This is the “key” to everything we do as Catholics, no matter what state of life we are called to - Whether a Bishop, a Priest, married or single…..We are NOT “the vine”, which means we do NOT make the rules!….Catholics who fully digest this teaching today set the world on fire and those who do not - Sadly “spin their wheels”……Its time to stop “spinning our wheels”….Being Catholics is easy - Its like when we were children - All we have to do is “paint by the numbers” - And we will bear fruit……Conversely, if we choose to “do it our way” - Jesus tells us the outcome before we make that choice…………….”Without me you can do nothing” - Get the Hint?…………JMJ
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