Because the road to life is “narrow” and “the gate” is wide that leads to destruction

Today at Holy Mass we hear in the first reading from the Book of Kings that the Assyrian Army was on the verge of destroying Jerusalem…And as one could imagine, the people were terrified….Interestingly enough, God spares the city against all odds……”For out of Jerusalem shall come a remnant, and from Mount Zion, survivors”…..Jesus Christ who came from the line of David, is that “remnant” and modern day Catholics are apart of that “remnant as well…..When we look at the world today, geopolitically speaking, things are changing - Power is shifting constantly - Even in within the walls of the Church - As Pope Paul VI said in 1972….”From some fissure the smoke of Satan has entered the temple of God”…What did Pope Paul VI mean by that? - Simply put, a “worldly spirit” has entered the Church - A spirit that complies to a degree with secular culture - A “spirit” that attempts to appease society as opposed to lifting society up - A “spirit” that fears “offending”  - A “spirit” that does not clearly call our people to “Repent and Believe the Gospel” as the great John the Baptists famously cried out……Now do not get me wrong - This is not the enter Catholic Church but make no mistake about it - Such a “spirit” exists to this day and Pope Paul VI, who was declared a saint called it out correctly…But notice the message from the first reading today at Mass when Jerusalem was on the verge of being destroyed by pagan invaders……”For out of Jerusalem shall come a remnant, and from Mount Zion, survivors”….The Truth cannot be destroyed - Nor can the Church!…There is an old saying - “Man plans and God laughs” - God ALWAYS makes a way for the “remnant” - Even to this very day - And within the the walls of the Catholic Church, the remnant exists!!!……..St Matthew in the Gospel today at Mass addresses this same idea from the first reading - This idea of the “remnant”, those who remain faithful - St Matthew even tells us how we are to be apart of this “remnant”…..“Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction, and those who enter through it are many. How narrow the gate and constricted the road that leads to life. And those who find it are few”……One of the greatest deceptions of the devil, over the course of the last hundred years, was the idea that we can get to heaven on “our terms”, that being a “good guy” gets us into the Kingdom of God and the secular world determines this “Good Guy Standard”….This was one of the greatest deceptions ever put forth by the devil…Our world today does not believe in sin, it does not believe in the devil, it does not believe in hell and it does not believe in judgement - Yet everyone is going to heaven!….I will say it again - This was maybe the devil’s greatest deception EVER!…….Today at Mass. we are told something completely different - We are told of a “remnant”, which is a small group of people who survive a great trial - We are also told of entering through a “narrow gate”, which leads to heaven…..Do we still believe the lie told to the world by the devil? - That the door is wide, not narrow that leads to eternal life?…….Be apart of the “remnant”, it exists, you just have to search it out - Its there waiting for you!

“I am the light of the world, says the Lord; whoever follows me will have the light of life”

Pope Benedict XVI famously stated that - “Having a clear Faith, based on the Creed of the Church, is often labeled today as a fundamentalism. Whereas, relativism, which is letting oneself be tossed and 'swept along by every wind of teaching', looks like the only attitude acceptable to today's standards. We are moving towards a dictatorship of relativism which does not recognize anything as certain and which has as its highest goal one's own ego and one's own desires. However, we have a different goal: the Son of God, true man. He is the measure of true humanism. Being an 'Adult' means having a faith which does not follow the waves of today's fashions or the latest novelties”…….Is this the “kind of faith” we aspire to have? - Maybe a better question would be - Does our life mirror “that kind of faith”…To live in this manner WILL make you DIFFERENT - So again, another question is - Are YOU willing to be different?…..I remember when I was having my fifth child…I was fifty-one years old…My wife was about to have her fifth cesarean birth, which for those who do not know is the delivery of a baby through surgical incisions made in the belly and uterus…..And people thought we were CRAZY - My boss at work thought I was CRAZY - The doctors and nurses at the hospital thought we were CRAZY…And to make matters worse in the “eyes of the world”, we were having our fifth child during the COVD epidemic……Yet, my little Maria was born on the Feast Day of St Therese of Lisieux (October 1st) - A beautiful baby girl, who is now about to turn five years old…My wife and I love her beyond all telling!…A few more questions to ponder - Is being open to life in a marriage CRAZY? - Is welcoming children into the world CRAZY? - Many people today will tell you YES…But ask yourself honestly - Who is the crazy one?…To be authentically Catholic is to live radically…How do I know this? - Because Jesus was a radical! - And if we are to follow him, we too will live our lives “against the grain” (in a sense) of society….That does not make you CRAZY - It simply makes you Catholic!

“God upholds his city for ever…….Great is the LORD and wholly to be praised in the city of our God. His holy mountain, fairest of heights, is the joy of all the earth”

Today at Mass we are told a message that contradicts a mainstream idea that American Christianity has embraced - That the door to heaven is open wide!…..Jesus tells us otherwise today…..”Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction, and those who enter through it are many”…..So you do you “believe”?…….The human mind, no matter how “smart” we “think” we are can rationalize away just about anything……Look around the world today, some of the most horrific crimes committed are not only rationalized away, by very intelligent people, but in some countries even are made legal - Take abortion as an example…Its very easy to forget that - “God’s ways are not our ways”…God views the world very differently then human being do - And if we want to go to heaven, which I would like to think everyone does - We have to do things God’s way……Right? - That seems to make sense and is logical - Right?!? - Sadly, many people today continue however - “To hear what their itchy ears want to hear”…..To be authentically Catholic does not make you a “fundamentalist” - It simply makes you part of the “remnant” - And only the “remnant” will enter eternal life….How do I know this? - Because the road to life is “narrow” and “the gate” is wide that leads to destruction…………..JMJ