Today at Holy Mass in the Gospel of St Mark Jesus condenses the entire law into two points…Love God above all things and love your neighbor as yourself - Simple - Right?!?…..Sometimes as a Catholic I step back and ask myself - Have we complicated things?…Jesus was a man who worked with his hands - He did not have university degrees nor did the first twelve men who followed him….Yet look at all they accomplished!….When we look at the Church today, we see men who are so educated that sometimes I think they can’t “get out of their own way” - Yet today in the Gospel, Jesus a very simple man breaks down the will of God into two sentences….Have we as Catholics made something that is so simple complicated? - Now I am not questioning the validity of the Catholic Church but what I am stating is - Are we getting “caught up” in the “weeds” and missing the big picture?…..As Catholics, we can argue about so many small elements of dogma and miss what Jesus is teaching us today…..If we stick to what I call First Principals, we will never “get off the road” that leads to heaven - We may fall now and then - But never stray from the road…..What are those “First Principals”?……Pray the Rosary everyday! - Our Lady requested this at Fatima - Why would we not listen to her!……Go to Confession with a Catholic Priest once a month - The saints recommend this practice - Men like Pope John Paul II, Fulton Sheen & Padre Pio - Why would we not listen to the advice of men who did so much to build the kingdom of God?……Lastly, go to Mass and receive the Blessed Sacrament in the state of grace at minimum once a week on Sunday with your family…..These three practices are so simple and free! - Anyone can do them!….And if you make these three practices apart of your life - Your life will change for the better! - So why would you not do them?…..Like Jesus, who was a simple man, we need to make the Catholic faith accessible to all people - Being Catholic is not some esoteric way of life meant for the elite - While there are some elite Catholics, must of us are simple people - So maybe its best to “keep things simple” - That is what Jesus did - Right?!?
“And when Jesus saw that he answered with understanding, he said to him, "You are not far from the Kingdom of God." And no one dared to ask him any more questions”
I co-host a Catholic radio show, for the last five years, in the New York Metropolitan area and due to my role on the show I pay attention to Catholic media….Like anything else in life, some of the voices out there are good and some are not so good….Some shows educate, inform and even entertain - But some look to constantly find fault and argue endlessly - I thought of this reality as I read the first reading today at Mass…St Paul instructs the faithful of his day with these words….”Remind people of these things and charge them before God to stop disputing about words. This serves no useful purpose since it harms those who listen. Be eager to present yourself as acceptable to God, a workman who causes no disgrace, imparting the word of truth without deviation”……For those of us who have large Catholic audiences and voices that are followed by others - Do we take St Paul’s advice?….Its not always what we say that matters - Its how we say it…..And what we say must come from the heart - A place of love…If that is not what we are doing, whether we have a large Catholic platform on the radio or we simply speak about the faith to our neighbor next door from our home - People will not listen to us, if they do not perceive that our words reflect the heart of Christ by the tone and way we say them…Don’t get me wrong - Words matter - So does speaking the Truth boldly and clearly! - But words said in arrogance or in anger will never convince the unbelieving world of anything - Even if you are right!….Our “job”, the way I see it, is to be as simple as possible - Stick to “First Principals” - And speak from the heart…..No matter how big your “audience” is - Be it one person or a million people that listen to you - The world will take note…..Love God above all things and Love your neighbor as your self - Its really that simple!
“Good and upright is the LORD; thus he shows sinners the way. He guides the humble to justice, he teaches the humble his way”
Today both readings at Mass give us some good advice - Do not complicate the Catholic faith - Speak from the heart - Stick to First Principles - And let God do the rest…..Mother Teresa would always say - “Our job is to be faithful not necessarily to be successful” - Sometimes we can lose focus of this concept when we “argue” with others about the Catholic faith…Such arguments many times become more about “us” then about God - “We” want to be right and “win” the argument….Taking that approach when it comes to passing on the faith to others never works….Sometimes saying less is more, especially when we say something from the heart……..People can tell a sincere and loving person from a mile away!….And if we are sincere, clear, and speak the Truth - The world will take note!…Maybe its time to stop trying to “win” arguments and start winning souls for God….Its not simply a matter of what we say - What we say can be one hundred percent true however people will “tune us out” - Its how we say it that matters most and will always win the day!…..Arrogance does not come from God nor does endless arguments…..”And no one dared to ask him any more questions”……….JMJ
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