"Where sin abounds, grace abounds all the more”

Today at Holy Mass in the first reading St Paul in his letter to the Corinthians warns them….”We hold this treasure in earthen vessels”……Paul knows who he is - A sinner!…..He also knows who God is and just how powerful God is….Why is it important to KNOW that we are ALL sinners? - Because when we forget this reality…The devil creeps into our life - The devil can convince us that all the good we do came from ourselves - God was not the primary driver of that good - When this happens - God slowly is put in the “back seat” - This can happen to ANYONE - And St Paul knows it - Yes - The Great St Paul is telling us this - Are we listening?!?……”Brothers and sisters: We hold this treasure in earthen vessels, that the surpassing power may be of God and not from us. We are afflicted in every way, but not constrained; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our body. For we who live are constantly being given up to death for the sake of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may be manifested in our mortal flesh”……The devil does not come into the “front door” of our life announcing who he is - The devil finds “the cracks” in our life and “slides” in when no one even realizes it…..This is why we must ALWAYS live in the state of grace as a Catholic…Any person who is NOT in the state of grace - Its does not matter who you are - How “smart” you “think” you are - How “holy” you “think” you are - The devil is real and can take you out!…..St Paul tells us how we fight this battle, which is in reality the battle for our eternal soul……”For our struggle is not with flesh and blood but with the principalities, with the powers, with the world rulers of this present darkness, with the evil spirits in the heavens. Therefore, put on the armor of God, that you may be able to resist on the evil day and, having done everything, to hold your ground. So stand fast with your loins girded in truth, clothed with righteousness as a breastplate, and your feet shod in readiness for the gospel of peace. In all circumstances, hold faith as a shield, to quench all [the] flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God”…….How do we put on this “armor” St Paul speaks of?……Pray the Rosary everyday - Go to a Sacramental Confession once every month - Go to Mass and consume the Blessed Sacrament every Sunday….This is something EVERY person can do no matter what state in life you are called to…These three practices cost nothing - They are FREE OF CHARGE…And they will save your soul…..Any person who “thinks” they can self-manufacture a holy life and travel the narrow road to eternal life without those three practices I just noted - In my humble opinion is making a HUGE mistake…Why would I make such a bold claim? - Because “the spirit is willing and the flesh is WEAK”…..Those who have ears - Let them hear!

“I chose you from the world, to go and bear fruit that will last, says the Lord”

How does a person “fall from grace”? - A good question - This happens gradually but it happens….This is why we MUST remain vigilant and NEVER trust solely in “earthen vessels” but put our trust in God…..As Catholics we all know what happened in the 20th century with regard to the crisis of the priesthood, where priests sexually violated young boys in many countries around the world….If we were to step back and think about this objectively - One would say - How could this happen?!?…..One thing I can say with certainty - I would bet those predator priests stopped going to confession - I bet those predator priests were not praying the Rosary daily…..That is what happened!!! - And then the devil gradually crept in!…..Bishop Hugh Doyle famously said, “No one can live continually in sin and continue to say the Rosary. Either he will give up sin or he will give up the holy Rosary”……Any adult, who has lived in this world and has seen how the world “operates” - Who has seen and experienced the limits to their own strength and are honest about those limits knows deep within their heart - God is God and we are not! - All human beings have limits!…Because of this reality - Jesus gave us a Church - He gave us Our Lady - He gave us the Sacraments!!!!!….To not utilizes these gifts is simply FOOLISH!…..The world, the flesh and the devil will grind you into the dust without “the armor” of God….Those who have ears - Let them hear!

“Restore our fortunes, O LORD, like the torrents in the southern desert. Those that sow in tears shall reap rejoicing”

Today the Great St Paul, an extremely gifted and capable man warns us - So don’t think for one second YOU alone can “bear fruit” that lasts in this life without God…..How many people forget this reality, if not outright ignore this warning?!? - The pages of history are full of these people, so are the newspapers we read….Because of this, today at Mass, we are warned……So here is the question - Do we take this warning seriously? - And if we do - What are we doing about it?….Pray the Rosary everyday - Go to a Sacramental Confession once every month - Go to Mass and consume the Blessed Sacrament every Sunday……Put on the “armor of God”…Because the devil prowls the earth like a lion seeking the ruin of souls……..”Where sin abounds, grace abounds all the more”…JMJ

Then “Blessed are you!” - “For your reward will be great in heaven”

Today at Holy Mass we hear in the Gospel of St Matthew the parable of the Sower and the Seed…..We are assured that if we “adhere to the vine - we will bear fruit” - Jesus himself tells us this….So what stops us from doing what Jesus tells us?…St Matthew in this parable today tells us the answer to that question…..”When some tribulation or persecution comes because of the word, he immediately falls away. The seed sown among thorns is the one who hears the word, but then worldly anxiety and the lure of riches choke the word and it bears no fruit”……….The road to Jesus Christ is narrow!!!! - And to walk it means we will “walk against the tide” in this world - Are you willing to walk this path?….This is what St Matthew is attempting to articulate to us…Its easy to accept the word of God when everything is going smoothly - But what happens when we are rejected, even persecuted because of being a Catholic? - What then?…American Christianity tells us we can have both - God and the world - This is a self delusion and a lie!….Jesus himself tells us…..”No one can serve two masters. He will either hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon”…And this is why people “fall away” for God….Jesus again is VERY clear…“Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever does not take up his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me.”…However, after making this statement, Jesus follows up with this - “Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it”….Catholics MUST be willing to “lose their life” for God - Now that does not mean we will die a martyrs death but it does mean we give Jesus all our hopes and dreams - That we bend our will until it breaks - That we surrender our entire life and put it at the service of God - Sadly, when we do this - The secular world will in many ways reject you but here is the “good news” - God will embrace you!…There are only two options - Pick one!…….This is the path to heaven - The “narrow road” - Are we willing to walk it?…..St Matthew today tells us what happens if we chose to walk this “narrow road” - “But the seed sown on rich soil is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold”……Those who have ears - Let them hear!

“Blessed are they who have kept the word with a generous heart and yield a harvest through perseverance”

Most people will tell you, who live their lives through a Catholic lens, that many of the people who once “knew them” before they made this life altering decision think they are crazy! - Some outright reject you…..When a person makes the choice to follow God seriously, sadly, they lose friends - Even members of their family can distance themselves from a serious Catholic….Jesus tells us this in the pages of Scripture…..”Brother will hand over brother to death, and the father his child; children will rise up against parents and have them put to death. You will be hated by all because of my name, but whoever endures to the end will be saved”…..So why should we be surprised when this happens?……..When I returned home from college, I went to a Sacramental Confession and began my life as a practicing Catholic at twenty-two years old - That was over thirty years ago….Before that time I lived a very worldly life and my friends were just like me - Drinking too much alcohol and doing everything that goes along with such a depraved lifestyle….But after my decision to live as a Catholic - Many people, who I was friends with for many years, no longer wanted to be in my company - Some even thought I was crazy…..So when I talk about being rejected because of our Catholic faith - I am speaking from experience!…Everything Jesus warned us about is true!!! - Because it happened to me….But like St Matthew tells us…….”But whoever endures to the end will be saved”……Only by living a life of daily prayer, fasting and frequent reception of the Sacraments will you persevere when “times get tough” - And guess what? - They will get tough!

“Hear the word of the LORD, O nations, proclaim it on distant isles, and say: He who scattered Israel, now gathers them together, he guards them as a shepherd his flock”

Today at Mass we hear a parable many of us have heard time and time again since we were children - And because we know this story - Ask yourself the question - Which “seed” are you?…The one that “bears fruit” or the one that “dies”?…..A good priest once told me - “No one just floats into heaven” - What does that mean? - It means that we ALL must make a deliberate choice to live our Catholic faith seriously….And when we do, we must cling too Christ because the secular world will “attack us” in many ways…..This is why Jesus tells us - The road to heaven is “narrow” - And he was not lying!!!!…..To live as a Catholic boldly in this world in the public square is not an easy thing to do….In fact, when Jesus gave his first disciples the teaching of the Beatitudes, he addressed this idea, which I am attempting to articulate in this reflection…..”Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you [falsely] because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven.  Thus they persecuted the prophets who were before you”…..Are you willing to be persecuted? - Are you willing to be insulted? - Are you willing to be slandered falsely?….If you are - Then “Blessed are you!” - “For your reward will be great in heaven”…..JMJ

Rinse - Wash - Repeat!

Today in the first reading from Holy Mass the Prophet Jeremiah tells the story of how God gave the Israelites everything and they squandered it…Never under estimate your human nature!!!……..The devil prowls the earth seeking the ruin of souls - YOUR SOUL…The devil is smarter then you and knows ALL your weakness…….Why bring this up?…Because no matter who you are - We MUST stay close to Christ and the Sacraments……If we rely on our own gifts and strength, the devil will eventually “find a way” to unsettle us…..This is why Jesus founded a Church - So we can feed on his body and blood - So we can reconcile our sins to God…..Again, we can not self manufacture sanctity….Jeremiah tells us today that the Israelites - ”Dug themselves cisterns, broken cisterns, that hold no water”…This is what we see today across the once Christian West - The secular world putting its trust in men - In politics - In material wealth…All these “things” will fail us!!! - They have failed us!!!!….…History proves this reality time and time again however, human beings never learn the lesson….Only a life grounded in God lasts - Only a life grounded in God bears fruit that will last……The secular world refuses to acknowledge this reality and in doing so, costly mistakes repeat themselves over and over again

“Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth; you have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the Kingdom”

One of the most prophetic statements, for anyone who pays attention to politics in America, comes from the Old Testament and the Book of Samuel….The Jewish people at one time did not have a King - God was their King - They had judges to settle disputes and God’s law was the guiding principal everyone followed - And as a result - The Jewish people thrived…Sadly, as time went on, outside influences corrupted the Israelites and because of this - They drifted from God - And wanted to be like other nations and have a King…The Prophet Samuel tried to warn them - But they did not listen………Today the Catholic warns America of the same forms of corruption….But we as a people do not listen…We vote for abortion on demand - Same Sex Marriage is legal from coast to coast - Forever wars take place no matter who the President is - No fault divorce is common place and memorialized in our laws - Usury is the primary source of American wealth……..How can God bless this nation when we have turned our backs to him? - All the while, the Catholic Church, like the Prophet Samuel, has warned the American people for years!!!…So how will this all end? - The same way it ended for the Israelites…God will cast us out into the “desert” - And through our period of suffering a “remnant” will emerge…..Once again - History repeats itself

“Samuel delivered the message of the LORD in full to those who were asking him for a king. He told them: “The governance of the king who will rule you will be as follows: He will take your sons and assign them to his chariots and horses, and they will run before his chariot. He will appoint from among them his commanders of thousands and of hundreds. He will make them do his plowing and harvesting and produce his weapons of war and chariotry. He will use your daughters as perfumers, cooks, and bakers. He will take your best fields, vineyards, and olive groves, and give them to his servants. He will tithe your crops and grape harvests to give to his officials and his servants. He will take your male and female slaves, as well as your best oxen and donkeys, and use them to do his work. He will also tithe your flocks. As for you, you will become his slaves. On that day you will cry out because of the king whom you have chosen, but the LORD will not answer you on that day.”

Rinse - Wash - Repeat!…………JMJ

Our life “begins” on the “other side” of this change - When we touch “lightning”

Today the Universal Church commemorates the life of Mary Magdalene, who Catholic tradition calls the apostle to the apostles……The life of Mary Magdalene should serve as an example of how Christ can transform a person into a new creation…Scripture tells us that Mary Magdalene was a woman possessed by seven demons…But somehow she was able to change - What about us?…..Nothing is impossible for God and even the worst person we have ever encountered in life can change…But how?….Only God can change people - We “think” we can people and sadly we try to change people all the time - This is a waste of time!…All we as Catholics can do is give a grace filled witness to the world - That witness must be consistent - Day in and Day out - And if we do this - In time - The Holy Spirit works in the hearts of the people close to us - And some of those people, by God’s grace will change, as a result of the Holy Spirit, not us…If you look closely at Catholic social media today, which I do because of my role as a co-host of a Catholic radio show in New York - People are constantly trying to “change others” - I know this because I was one of those people!…But I have learned that changing others is impossible - Our “job” is to change ourself…With that said - The closer we get to Christ, the more others will be attracted to us - And the more we witness a life of holiness - The world around us will be transformed….Mary Magdalene was truly transformed - And as a result her life’s witness shook the foundations of the world….This is the impact of a saint….And each baptized Catholic is called to be saint - Why do we “sell ourselves short”? - Aspiring for material things and achievements that in the end will mean nothing…..Inside of each of us is a saint - It should be our number one priority to become who we were ALL born to be - A saint!

“So whoever is in Christ is a new creation: the old things have passed away; behold, new things have come”

When a man becomes the Pope, he takes a new name - There is great symbolism in that new name - The Pope is now beginning something completely new in his life….The same goes for Catholics when we receive the Sacrament of Confirmation, we take a new name - Why? - Again, because something new is about to begin on our life…..Scripture tells us….”I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh”…..This is a process that does not happen over night - Have we started this much needed process?…..Before we stand before God, our hearts must be purified…This happens as we live now but if we do not complete what needs to be completed, the remaining “work” is done in Purgatory……When I was a young man I was a very different person then who I am now…..The people I lived with in college and were at the time very close to me, seem to me a stranger now….One of my roommates from college recently passed away…I lived with Jude for three years and he was a big part of my young life….Because of his death, a number of people from my university got together to celebrate Jude’s life…..I attended this event with my youngest son Gerard….Seeing and speaking with the people I once knew at this event was a strange experience - We no longer had much in common and frankly I felt like a stranger among people I once knew very well…..This is what happens when we give our life to God - We change!……”So whoever is in Christ is a new creation: the old things have passed away; behold, new things have come”……Our world today lives under a great misconception - We do not just “float” into heaven when we die - We must be transformed and in order to be transformed - We must cooperate with Sacramental grace….God will not force us to change - We must desire it and when we desire it, we must strive each and every day to “carry our cross”, allowing God to work in our life….Mary Magdalene is a great example of this…And if I were to be honest, so am I, while not a saint like Mary Magdalene…God took a “wild young man”, who was always the life of the party, caught up in nothing but himself and God transformed that man - That young man was me!

“I will put my spirit within you so that you walk in my statutes, observe my ordinances, and keep them. You will live in the land I gave to your ancestors; you will be my people, and I will be your God. I will deliver you from all your impurities. I will summon the grain and make it plentiful; I will not send famine against you. I will increase the fruit on your trees and the crops in your fields so that you no longer endure reproach from the nations because of famine. Then you will remember your evil behavior and your deeds that were not good; you will loathe yourselves for your sins and your abominations. Not for your sake do I act—oracle of the Lord GOD. Let this be known to you! Be ashamed and humbled because of your behavior, house of Israel. Thus says the Lord GOD: When I cleanse you of all your guilt, I will resettle the cities and the ruins will be rebuilt. The desolate land will be tilled—once a wasteland in the eyes of every passerby. They will say, “This once-desolate land has become like the garden of Eden. The cities once ruined, laid waste and destroyed, are now resettled and fortified.”

The life of Mary Magdalene should inspire us…..She is an example of the transforming power of God….If we read the lives of the saints, there are many examples similar to Mary Magdalene…The saints are people who encountered the “Living God” and because of that encounter - They radically changed…..If we are honest, that is something we all must experience, an encounter with the “Living God”….Until we know deep within our hearts that God is real - That Jesus is fully present in the Blessed Sacrament - Our Catholic faith in many ways is just about “ticking boxes” - We simply go through the motions…..But when we encounter the Lord - Everything changes….The great Boston College philosopher Peter Kreeft wrote a book entitled “Jesus Shock”, in it this is what he wrote….“If anyone claims to have met Him without being changed, he has not met Him at all. When you touch Him, you touch lightning”….Have you touched “lightning” yet? - That is the question! - Because if you have, you know it - And you are changed as a result…..Mary Magdalene experienced such an encounter with this so-called “lightning” Peter Kreeft wrote about in his book - Have you?…….If you have not changed your life know right now - Something is missing!……Our life “begins” on the “other side” of this change - When we touch “lightning”……..JMJ

Set the world on fire

Today at Holy Mass in the Gospel of St Matthew Jesus asks a question to the crowd that followed him….“Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?”…..He asks the same question today to us…..Jesus established one Church - The Catholic Church…This is an undeniable fact…The Catholic Church existed 400 years before there was even a Bible and when the Bible was put together, it was the Catholic Church who complied it…..But sadly, even within the Catholic Church today people ask the same question that Jesus raised today in the Gospel - “Who are my brothers?”….While everything that the Catholic Church teaches is written down - Very clearly I might add - People within the Church argue and bicker about what is authentic….Funny how the human mind works!…..For purposes of this reflection - I will try to answer this question - “Who are my brothers?”……The Catholic Church contains the fullness of Truth, which means as Catholics we MUST believe everything the Church teaches and live our life through the lens of those teachings…But that is not all - We must also strive to purify our hearts daily because a pure heart is a heart that is full of love of God and love of neighbor….That means if we profess to believe everything that the Church teaches to be the Truth but our hearts are not full of love - Sadly - We are NOT brothers of Jesus Christ…..The same goes if we distort the Truth taught by the Church in the name of “love” - Such an approach also falls short of the question asked by Jesus today - “Who are my brothers?”……..When the secular world witnesses authentic Catholicism - Trust me - Heads are turned and traffic stops!……How do I know this? - Because I have encountered holy people in my life - Specifically speaking, when I worked with Mother Teresa’s nuns actively for seven years in New York, Haiti and India - There I witnessed faith in action - A religious order who believes everything the Church teaches, lives those teachings with their lives and possess love in their heart for both God and neighbor….This is the witness the world needs and this witness addresses the questions asked by Jesus today - “Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?”....There is no Truth without love and so called  “love” falls short if it lacks the fullness of Truth.

“Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him and we will come to him”

The Catholic Church teaches that in order to consume the Blessed Sacrament at Mass, we must be in the state of grace…This teaching is biblical as well as clearly documented in the Catechism…Yet - Somehow, this teaching has become unclear to some….Trying to “side-step” this teaching in the name of being “pastoral” or in the name of “accompaniment” falls short and does not bear fruit for the Kingdom of God - It is also objectively a sin…..We can not call such false practices, (even if they are well-intentioned) love either……If we love someone, we tell them the Truth…That does not mean we are mean-spirited when we tell them the Truth - But if we conveniently “leave parts of the Truth out” or we intentionally speak in ambiguous terms about the Truth - We can not honestly say we love that person….Jesus never did this and nor can we…The voice of the Catholic Church MUST be clear, but it also MUST come from a place of love…God sees the human heart - He knows our intentions…..When the secular world witnesses a Church that embraces the fullness of Truth in love - The world may not agree with us - But trust me - The world will take us seriously!….And in the process, many will experience a change of heart - Because authentic Catholicism sets the world on fire.

“As in the days when you came from the land of Egypt, show us wonderful signs. Who is there like you, the God who removes guilt and pardons sin for the remnant of his inheritance”

Today Jesus challenges us….“Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?”…In our hearts I believe we all know the answer to those questions….The challenge comes more from living out the answers in real time….Such an authentic lifestyle requires grace, which produces courage….An authentic Catholic stands out from the crowd - No words are necessary to tell the world around us that we are Catholic when we are authentically living out our Catholic faith - The secular world knows this with one glance…This is the witness our world needs to see…Its not just a matter of “going to Church on Sunday” - Its what we do the rest of the week…Are all our choices, most especially how we spend our money and what we do in our bedroom - Are these choices guided by Church teaching?…Do we share our resources with the material poor? - Are we open to life from conception to natural death? - Do we use contraception in our marriages?……The answer to these questions tell us a lot - They also tell the world around us a lot…..Our world today will not be transformed by a form of “counterfeit Catholicism”…..People believe what they see….And when they see the “real deal” - They know it…….“Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my heavenly Father is my brother, and sister, and mother”…….These are the people who set the world on fire - And this is what we are called to do - Set the world on fire……..JMJ

No sign is necessary - What is necessary is repentance

Today at Holy Mass in the Gospel of St Matthew, people ask Jesus for a sign…Jesus tells them that no sign will be given - That they have the word of God and the prophets….Notice - This is the same response given by Father Abraham in the story of the rich man and Lazarus…..”Then I beg you, father, send him to my father’s house, for I have five brothers, so that he may warn them, lest they too come to this place of torment. ’But Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the prophets. Let them listen to them.’ He said, ‘Oh no, father Abraham, but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’ Then Abraham said, ‘If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded if someone should rise from the dead.’”……..This message applies to us to this very day as well…People today say they want a “sign” to prove that the Catholic faith is what it says it is……And no sign will be given! - Why? - Because no sign can change our heart…The Truth is the Truth - It stands on its own merit……We either accept it or we do not…. No sign can change us because sadly the secular world does not want to change….To accept Christ and the fullness of the Truth, which is contained in the Catholic Church requires us to have a teachable spirit and a wellness to bend our will to God’s will…No sign can make that happen!….A certain internal disposition must be in place and a willingness to conform our life to the life of Christ….In our Gospel story today, Jesus is asking the crowd to repent - He is asking the world today to do the same thing!…He tells the crowd that…”At the judgment the queen of the south will arise with this generation and condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and there is something greater than Solomon here”…What is this “something” that Jesus refers too?…..It’s his very presence!…..Today we too have his True Presence in the Blessed Sacrament….All we have to do is sit before him and listen in silence…Everything we need to know will be told to us in the silence as we sit before the Blessed Sacrament…..That is why no physical sign is necessary.

“If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts”

On October 13 1917, tens of thousands of people witnessed in Portugal the sun dancing in the sky…This miracle was attributed to Our Lady’s apparition to three peasant children at Fatima….When the sun appeared to moving erratically in the sky and was about the crash to the earth, secular newspapers reported on it - So look it up!….Yet, did the secular world change as a result of this sign?…..Sadly it did not….Let’s take it even further…One of the messages of Fatima was for the world to pray the Rosary daily for peace….Allow me to ask another question…After this “sign”, do all Baptized Catholics today heed the words of Our Lady and pray the Rosary daily?….Sadly they do not…..This is why Jesus in the Gospel told the crowd that “no sign will be given”…..Jesus tells us in the Gospel of John a similar encounter with those who did not believe his words….”So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How long are you going to keep us in suspense?  If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.”Jesus answered them, “I told you and you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name testify to me. But you do not believe, because you are not among my sheep. My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me”……In order to “hear his voice”, we must first repent of our sins…..This is why John the Baptist proclaimed these famous words…”Repent - The kingdom of God is at hand”…The words of Christ will never make sense to us if we first do not repent of our sins - That also goes for the fullness of Truth taught by the Catholic Church….We need to confess our sins!!!!…If we do not, we will never understand the words of Christ…..And no sign can change that….Only a Sacramental Confession can!

“Why do you recite my statutes, and profess my covenant with your mouth, Though you hate discipline and cast my words behind you?”

Today in the Gospel people are looking for a sign from Jesus to prove he is who he says he is…And people today are looking for a sign as well - Thinking that somehow witnessing a miracle will change them - Not going to happen!…..Jesus tells us that he is - The Truth, The Life and The Way - Why do some people believe that and others do not? - It all comes down to acknowledging our sins and repenting before God….If we repent of our faults, weakness and sins…God will give us the grace to believe….Our hearts must be prepared to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit….Our world today refuses to repent - That is the obstacle - Our refusal to REPENT!….And this is why Jesus tells us today in the Gospel the same thing he told the crowds of his day…..“An evil and unfaithful generation seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it except the sign of Jonah the prophet. Just as Jonah was in the belly of the whale three days and three nights, so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights. At the judgment, the men of Nineveh will arise with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and there is something greater than Jonah here. At the judgment the queen of the south will arise with this generation and condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and there is something greater than Solomon here”….Repent and Believe the Gospel - In that order!…..No sign is necessary - What is necessary is repentance……JMJ

Trust the plan and be apart of the solution

Today at Holy Mass in the Gospel of St Matthew we hear the parable about the wheat and the weeds…How God allows the good and the bad to live side by side until the final judgement…..Is this how you or I would react - To allow the bad to live next to the good?…..From a human prospective, this seems unfair….Why? - Because bad people cause us harm and we all want to live comfortable lives…..God sees it another way - Those who choose bad things have free will - They can always change their mind and become good…Also, the “bad fruit” that results from the evil choices of people will be used to further sanctify the good…..God is our Father and will NEVER abandon us…Even as our world appears to have gone mad! - Our Lord stand with us…..In the midst of the darkness of this world, it is very easy to forget that Jesus Christ has already won the final victory….What we see currently is the devil’s last attempts before “the final whistle blows”……Two thousand years ago, when Jesus resurrected from the dead, the period referred to by many today as “the end times” began - We too easily lose sight of this reality….With that said, no one knows when God the Father will send his son back to us…In the meantime, its for us to be patient - To know that God is working to bring about the salvation of the world and each of us has a part to play in God’s plan….St Paul reminds us  - “Where sin abounds - Grace abounds all the more”!......So be patient….Endure what needs to be endured…Everything works towards the Greater Glory of God - Trust the plan!

“Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth; you have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the kingdom”

No one wants to suffer but sadly suffering is apart of every human life…As we go through difficult moments in life, its very hard to see God’s hand at work…But when those tough times are over and we look back - We sometimes see just how God used those hard times to mold us into a different person….A person we were born to be…..The process of sanctification is not a smooth one, there are many “ups and downs” as we all know…..The secular world does not understand this….To many American Christians - All we have to do is “believe” in Jesus and heaven is a guarantee….This has never been a Catholic teaching and is a deception sown into the hearts of many by the evil one…..Before we enter into the beatific vision, we must be made pure….Most of the ‘heavy lifting” of that process should be going own now in our lives….As we live our lives as Catholics, in the state of life God called us too, we should be praying, fasting, and living a Sacramental life - And slowly as we live our faith actively, we die to our self and become a “new creation in Christ”….Again, this is a process , which for most will continue after we die in Purgatory…..Part of that “process” of sanctification is suffering……This is what Mother Teresa had to say about suffering….“Pain and suffering have come into your life, but remember pain, sorrow, suffering are but the kiss of Jesus - a sign that you have come so close to Him that He can kiss you”…What does she mean by that statement?…..That even in our trials and sufferings, God’s hand is forming us….Using the suffering as a “tool” to mold us into something new…No one wants to suffer but when we realize that even in our trials, God is working within us - When we fully digest that reality, we can and will endure whatever we need to endure!….It comes down to trust - Do we trust God? - And know in this life, in time, the hard times will pass - And the good times will come….We just need to learn to trust more, which requires grace….The more we grow in holiness, the more grace fills our life…And the closer we get to God, the more we accept the hard times in life just as easily as we accept the good times - Because everything works for the Glory of God! - Easier said then done - Right?!?….In the meantime, open yourself up to God’s grace - He will help us to “see” his hand, even in the darkest of hours and move us forward to the light of day.

“Brothers and sisters: The Spirit comes to the aid of our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes with inexpressible groanings.  And the one who searches hearts knows what is the intention of the Spirit, because he intercedes for the holy ones according to God's will”

Today we hear a story many of us Catholics have heard before…The parable of the wheat and the weeds…..Life is full of surprises and sometimes “the weeds” in time change into “wheat”….God gives us all free will and we all choose the life we want to lead…But through it all God is continuously trying to “get our attention”….Reaching a hand to us, in the hope we change….For those of us who are “wheat” - Its our job to help the “weeds”….This is what Jesus did - He walked among mankind and did his very best to help us to “see” and to change….Is this what we are doing? - Trying to help our others to “see” that there is a better way to live…God’s plan of salvation is not finished and God asks us all to participate in that plan - We each have something to do to help bring about God’s Kingdom on the earth….Is this how you “see” it as you encounter “the weeds” on the news or even in your family?…..Do we love “the weeds” as Jesus loves them?…Are we actively trying to help “the weeds”?……Jesus very clearly today in the Gospel tells us - “Let them grow together until harvest”…..God is the final judge, not us! - In the meantime, strive to be “wheat” and help those who are “the weeds”…Because a day is coming when “the Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all who cause others to sin and all evildoers. They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears ought to hear”……Trust the plan and be apart of the solution….JMJ

”I must decrease - And He must increase”

Today at Holy Mass we hear in St Matthew Gospel how Jesus withdraw from sight of the Pharisees, due to the fact that they wanted to do him harm…And as he moved to the margins of the city, the people followed him….And St Matthew tells us….”And he cured them all, but he warned them not to make him known”……..Jesus was not “in it” for fame….Everything he did was for the Father….But his compassion for those who suffer was once again brought before our eyes….”He cured them all”……To love someone means you are willing to suffer for them - You see their need and you put upon yourself what ever needs to be done to alleviate that need…..The words of the  Prophet Isaiah come to mind when pondering this idea….”Yet it was our pain that he bore, our sufferings he endured. We thought of him as stricken, struck down by God and afflicted, But he was pierced for our sins, crushed for our iniquity. He bore the punishment that makes us whole, by his wounds we were healed. We had all gone astray like sheep, all following our own way; But the LORD laid upon him the guilt of us all. Though harshly treated, he submitted and did not open his mouth; Like a lamb led to slaughter or a sheep silent before shearers, he did not open his mouth”…..Our world today rejects suffering - Something that is apart of every human life - Jesus Christ and the Catholic Church give meaning to suffering….Our world today says “Love is Love” - But does our world even know what love is? - Love is to suffer for another…To give of yourself at a great cost…This is what Jesus did for all of humanity…But this is also what married love is all about…A man and a woman suffer for each other and their children…They give of their self…This is why marriage needs to be lived Sacramentally…Because without Sacramental grace - That needed “giving of self” does not take place - And selfishness creeps in destroying the love that once was there……..Jesus cured those in the crowd noted today in St Matthew’s gospel because he authentically loved them - And because Jesus loved his people - He payed a deep cost as we all know - He gave his life…..As Catholics today, we may not be asked to literally give our physical life for the faith - But each of us is called to love authentically - And to do that, we must endure suffering for those we say we love…..”Love” is nothing but a mere word unless we are willing to endure suffering for those we “say” we love….This is why “Love is NOT Love” - To contradict the popular saying often repeated in mainstream society…..Love gives of itself completely for the other and in that witness, the world is changed forever, both individually and universally.

“Behold, my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved in whom I delight; I shall place my Spirit upon him, and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles. He will not contend or cry out, nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets. A bruised reed he will not break, a smoldering wick he will not quench, until he brings justice to victory. And in his name the Gentiles will hope”

My wife and I have been married for thirteen years…We have five children born and we lost three to miscarriages…..Our days are very long…Why do we do it?…The answer - Because we love God and love each other!……And because God love us, he shows us through the Sacrament of Marriage how to love authentically…In doing so and living this vocation out, we die to our self, are filled with the Holy Spirit and are sanctified in the process….All part of God’s plan - To prepare us for heaven……..When my youngest daughter Maria was three years old, she had an to have her appendix taken out, which required emergency surgery…She spent five days and nights in the hospital…During that time my wife and I had to stay in the hospital with her…My wife would stay all day and I would take care of the other four children…And at night, I would stay with Maria…This was a very difficult week…Life kept moving along at a hectic pace, and in the meantime, we had to take care of our little Maria…This is just one example of what married life is all about - Making deep sacrifices for others - This is what authentic love is all about too…Its not some “Hollywood movie”, which portrays “love” as some “fairytale”….Love is demanding! - But when we give ourselves to it - We “find out” who we truly are - And we are transformed….The question then becomes - Are we willing to love in this manner?…..Our world today, believe it or not, “thirsts” for sacrificial love - It just does not realize it….When the secular world witnesses “this kind love” - Its stunned!!!! - And many are (and will be) transformed by that witness…This is the task of every Baptized Catholic - To witness sacrificial love….No words necessary - Just action grounded in Sacramental grace….And watch how the world changes!

“You do see, for you behold misery and sorrow, taking them in your hands. On you the unfortunate man depends; of the fatherless you are the helper”

Today we hear in the Gospel how Jesus took the time to cure those who were suffering….His eyes were open to the need of others…..How about us - Do we “see” this need?…..Sometimes it’s easier to “see” the need to help others who are not close to us…Mother Teresa would always say….”Find your own Kolkata - Serve the “poor” in your family”…..As Catholics the closer we get to God, the more our eyes will “see” this great need….First for our spouse and children and then for our neighbors around us….And in order to address this “need”, we must be willing to sacrifice, which entails suffering…This is what the world refuses to do - Suffer for another…But this is the path to eternal life….Some questions to consider - Do we share a portion of our money consistently with the materially poor?….Are we open to life in our marriage, refusing to use contraception, and providing for those children by living simply?…These are just two examples of deep sacrifices we as Catholics are called to make….And when we live in this manner - What do we get in return? - The answer is - We get Jesus Christ!!!!!…..If we want to receive Christ authentically, we must first empty ourselves and God gives us plenty of opportunities to do that each day no matter who we are - Its then up to us to take advantage of those opportunities….”Therefore I will give him his portion among the many, and he shall divide the spoils with the mighty, Because he surrendered himself to death, was counted among the transgressors, Bore the sins of many, and interceded for the transgressors”….As the great John the Baptist said so eloquently….”I must decrease - And He must increase”…….JMJ

”Small things” add up!

Today at Holy Mass in the Gospel of St Matthew, Jesus addresses the “perfect people”….The Pharisees did everything right outwardly but their hearts were cold and hardened…….God sees us as we truly are and when we stand before him after we die, that is exactly how we will all be judged - As we truly are!……Being Catholic is simple not about “ticking boxes”…While we have obligations to meet - Going to Mass on Sunday - Following the Commandments - Going to Confession, etc….If our lives are not full of charity, which simply is another word for love - Everything we do is in vain…St Paul addresses this so well in his Letter to the Corinthians……”If I speak in human and angelic tongues but do not have love, I am a resounding gong or a clashing cymbal. And if I have the gift of prophecy and comprehend all mysteries and all knowledge; if I have all faith so as to move mountains but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give away everything I own, and if I hand my body over so that I may boast but do not have love, I gain nothing”….Ask yourself this question - Is there love in your heart when you speak the Eternal Truths of the Catholic Church?….The Truth should never be used as a weapon or as a means to simply prove how “smart” you are when debating another person…The Truth must always be spoken in love - But it MUST be spoken…..Within the Catholic Church spanning across the world, some of the greatest minds debate, write books, and lecture on all sorts of Theological topics to this very day - And in the right context, there is nothing wrong with that….However, never forget that our Lord was a simple man…He worked with his hands….He was a carpenter…He came from a humble family…He surrounded himself with simple and uneducated people…..One does not have to be a scholar to be Catholic - What is important is our interior disposition - The purity of our hearts…..Everything we do must come from a place of charity….Because without charity we simply are wasting our time……God sees the human heart as it is, not as the world sees it…And its what God sees that matters

“I desire mercy, not sacrifice”

Over the years I have done many things in service of the Church…..I have traveled the world serving the poor before I was married…I have written a book…I currently am a co-host of a Catholic radio program in the New York City Metropolitan Area….I write this blog each day - And while all that is good, I do not want to trivialize these actions…What is most important is how my wife and children view me as a husband and father….Many people may think I am a “holy person” because of the many things I have done and do…But what does my wife think?….How about my children?…..Recently I went to confession and confessed to the priest that when we pray our Family Rosary each night, I can be harsh with my children when they misbehave…….(I have five children under 12 years old)….As I confessed this to the priest he listened quietly and when I was finished he said something that hit me like a tons of bricks!….He said:  “Jesus never yelled at children” - OUCH!!!!……….While its important to pray the Rosary each night as a family and its also important for my children to behave while we pray it - If as their Father I am not being kind and merciful when I address my children - The question then becomes - Is our family Rosary being prayed as Jesus would like us to pray it?……The priest’s words cut me to the bone!…..So does Jesus word’s today in the Gospel……“I desire mercy, not sacrifice”

“My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord; I know them, and they follow me”

Today in the Gospel Jesus teaches his disciples something very important…Outward acts of piety mean very little to God if those actions are not grounded in charity……God is love, he is not a lawyer!…While the Catholic Church possess the fullness of Truth, everything the Church has taught and still teaches must be said in love of God and neighbor…If we as Catholics find ourselves “arguing for the sake of arguing” - Ask yourself this question - Have we become what St Paul warns us about?….”If I speak in human and angelic tongues but do not have love, I am a resounding gong or a clashing cymbal”…..The Truth must ALWAYS be spoken - More importantly - The Truth must be lived out - But its how we speak it and live it that matters most….God sees our hearts…This is why before we “do things” for God, we must first purify our hearts….We do that by living Sacramentally and by praying daily….These “tools” draw us closer to the Lord and in turn we will love more…Then “what we do” will be pleasing to God….”Quantity” is not always Quality…Focus on doing small things with great amounts of love….....”Small things” add up!…JMJ

“Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart”

Today at Holy Mass in St Matthew’s Gospel we hear something that is often quoted…"Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened,
and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light”……Jesus is telling us that when we carry our cross, its far easier than when we carry “the cross of sin” - That “his way” is easy….So here is the question - Do you believe him? - Because the secular world does not……The world believes that to be a Catholic is to be a slave - That God takes from us our freedom…..This idea is just another lie told by the devil, which by the way has been not only universally accepted, but widely successful in destroying countless lives……..Jesus tells us - “I have come to give you life and give it in abundance”…..God only gives, he NEVER takes!……And the burden of sin is infinitely more difficult to bare in one’s life than the “yoke” of Christ…..What the secular world refuses to acknowledger is - Even if you are not a Catholic - Even if you do not believe in God - The yoke of sin affects you!….God’s laws, the Natural Law, the Ten Commandments - These laws apply to you whether you “believe” in them or not!…..And when we turn from God’s law - A great burden is placed upon our shoulders - A burden so much heavier then the “yoke” of Christ…The secular world, for the last two thousand years, lives in denial of this reality…..Each of us has a choice to make - There are two “crosses” to choose from - The Cross of Christ or the cross of sin - And there is NOT a third option! - We must make a choice between only two options….And the “yoke” of Christ is far lighter - So why do we make our life harder than it has to be?…..Choose the lighter burden - And life becomes so much more pleasant - Why? - “For my yoke is easy, and my burden light”…..We are all entitled to our own opinion, but we are not entitled to our own facts - The “yoke” of God is so much easier to carry then the yoke of sin - This is a FACT - Maybe its time to make our life easier as opposed to harder.

“Let this be written for the generation to come, and let his future creatures praise the LORD: "The LORD looked down from his holy height, from heaven he beheld the earth, To hear the groaning of the prisoners, to release those doomed to die"

Life is hard, no matter who you are - We each have our own individual struggles to deal with….But when we live a Sacramental life and allow God’s grace to animate our soul - We not only avoid many of the “potholes” and self-created problems of this world - But we are given a deep peace and a lasting joy…..Sounds like a good deal - Right?….But here is the “deal” - We can not have it both ways - Meaning - We can not “do our own thing” and still have God…We MUST make a choice…..Sin steals our peace and joy - This is reality…….Jesus tell us in Scripture - “Taste and see the goodness of the Lord”…When we experience in real time just how good life is when we live in the state of grace (frequent confession and reception of the Blessed Sacrament), there is nothing the world can give to us that can equal what God gives by living as a practicing Catholic - Sometimes all it takes is for us to “try it our way” and consequentially “taste” the “bad fruit” of our choices - Only then to live as God commands us…When we compare “both lifestyles” - There really is no choice…..God’s way is a far better way to live!!!…..But how do we convince the world of this? - Because the secular world does not believe what I just noted….Words will never convince anyone of the reality I just noted in this reflection….What WILL convince many is a consistent witness of a God directed life - Year in and Year out - There is no argument that is stronger than the world seeing with their own two eyes our joy and peace…Because everyone wants this - No matter who they are…This is how Catholics will change the world - Not by our words or by our arguments - But by our joy!…..Everyone wants to be happy - And it is IMPOSSIBLE to be happy and live a life outside of God’s grace….We are one Sacramental Confession away from that peace and joy - Think about that - A ten minute conversation with a Catholic priest, which costs nothing!!!!!

“Salvation we have not achieved for the earth, the inhabitants of the world cannot bring it forth. But your dead shall live, their corpses shall rise; awake and sing, you who lie in the dust. For your dew is a dew of light, and the land of shades gives birth”

Today we are told something that is often repeated but sadly not believed….Our world today has a twisted idea of what freedom is….We have believed the lie!!!!! - That God takes our freedom away!!! - NOTHING could be further from the Truth!…….The happiest people on earth are not the richest…Money can bring a person comfort but it cannot bring them peace or lasting joy for that matter…..This is why the happiest people on earth are those who live in the state of grace…..And everyone wants to be happy - Right?….So why don’t we do the things that will make us happy?…..Easier said then done…..This is why Catholics must show the world what it means to have lasting joy….The witness of our lives WILL speak to the unbelieving world…This is what Pope Benedict XVI said about this very subject…………”Men in a totally planned world will find themselves unspeakably lonely. If they have completely lost sight of God, they will feel the whole horror of their poverty. Then they will discover the little flock of believers as something wholly new. They will discover it as a hope that is meant for them, an answer for which they have always been searching in secret”…….This is why only saints change the world - And saints don’t change the world with their words - They change it by the witness of their lives……”Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart”…..JMJ

The “currency of heaven” is very different from the “currency of the world”

Today at Holy Mass in the Gospel of St Matthew, Jesus tell us something that on its surface many not make sense to some….“I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to the childlike”…How is it that someone who is highly educated and wise in the ways of the world somehow “miss” what Jesus is saying?….You would think such a person would “get it”…But sadly many people like that do not “get it”…..How we live and the choices we make have a lot to do with what we “see” and “hear”…If your world view is secular and materialism drives your thinking - Just about every that Jesus said will make no sense what-so-ever to you……In fact, such a person would “think” Jesus was simply a fool……We as Catholics must be very careful as to how we we live because secularism can easy “slip” into our life……When we read the Beatitudes, which is the “road map” for Catholics as we journey to heaven - One must conclude that one cannot be secular and embrace the Beatitudes…”Blessed are the meek” - Are you kidding me!....A materialist would think that statement is utterly ridiculous….If we as Catholics “blend into” society, we clearly are not living the Gospel…..Jesus tells us very clearly……”No servant can serve two masters. He will either hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon”…As Americans, these words cut deep into our world view…….Its very easy to “think” we can have both - God and Mammon” - But Jesus addresses this “idea” very directly……”Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of God”…..If we have been blessed with material wealth…The money itself does not make us sinners - Its when we do not share what we have been given that does……A rich man must stay close to the poor and remain humble by living simply….We do that by sharing, first with our family and then with the poor…..Material wealth “clouds” our view of God - Whether we realize it or not….Once again, these words seem hard to accept - Everyone wants to be rich - Right?!?…..There will come a day when the world’s social structure will be turned upside-down……Only those with a pure heart, who see Christ in others choose to share with others - Only those with a pure heart will “see” and hear” the Lord in the here and now - And only those with a pure heart will enter into eternal life.

“Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, you have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the Kingdom”

For almost thirty years I have attended Daily Mass….For a time I traveled all over the United States and South America for work and have attended Mass in all of the places I have traveled…..If you look closing at who is in the pews in any Catholic Church during the work week - You will find without fail some very holy people coming from all walks of life…..Many of these people are completely ignored by the secular / materialistic world…But many of these people are VERY close to God…..We hear about “such people” when we read about St Joseph and Our Lady, when they presented the Child Jesus in the Temple…Scripture tells us about Anna and Simeon, who were very ordinary people, who prayed each and every day in the Temple…When Anna and Simeon saw the Child Jesus they “saw” something no one else saw…Why? - Because they prayed every day and their hearts were pure……To “see” in this manner has nothing to do with our formal education or our analytical aptitude…It has nothing to do with how big our bank account is…It has EVERYTHING to do with how pure our heart becomes…And our hearts can only become pure through Sacramental living, daily prayer and fasting - Are these practices that we prioritize? - Because if they are not - We will NOT “see” and hear” properly……“For although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to the childlike”......The “calculus” of God is very different from the “calculus” of the secular world…And if we want to enter into eternal life - We need to start “seeing” things differently.

“No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him”

Today St Matthew in his Gospel tells us that what we see and hear depends solely upon just how childlike we become…A child is innocent and the only way we can return to innocence is by frequenting the Sacraments - This is why salvation is found through the Catholic Church…The words of Jesus Christ will make no sense to a person who lives their life through a materialistic world view - In fact, such a person will think being Catholic is utterly ridiculous……This is why a concrete choice must be made by every human being…We can not live the Gospel and be “of the world”….There is no sitting on the fence! - In attempting to do so, we only fool ourself…….”For I say to you, many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it”…There will come a day when the power structures of the world will flip!!!! - “The last will be first and the first will be last”……Sounds ridiculous to some - But think again!…God’s ways are not our ways - The “currency of heaven” is very different from the “currency of the world”……..JMJ

We are saved by faith, not by sight

Today at Holy Mass in the Gospel of St Matthew we hear Jesus call people to repentance…These same people saw with their own eyes miracles that Jesus performed and still did not repent…..How can this be!!!….They saw miracles!!!!….This story should make us all pause and ponder how human nature plays out to this very day…It did not matter what these people saw - They were not willing to change their lives and that is what Jesus was calling them to do - So they simply ignored the miracles or worse, acknowledged them as miracles and went on living as they pleased….Now think about all the canonized saints over the past two thousand years…..Most of them have two miracles attributed to their intercession…If people took the time and read about these miracles, any objective person would simply be amazed….Yet, the world has not converted to Catholicism - Once again - HOW can this be!!!….Because people do not want to change their life….There is no doubt in my mind - If Jesus Christ came down from heaven today, in the middle of the day, in Time Square in New York City - And everyone watched him descend from the sky and they recorded the sight and streamed it all over social media….I am convinced that the powerful of the world would try to kill him again!…Why? - Because they do not want to change!……To follow Jesus Christ is not simply to acknowledge him as God - Its to listen to his words, allow his grace to enter into our life and ultimately allow that grace to transform our life….If we are not “all about” that process - Are we really a “Christian”? - Maybe we are in word but clearly we are not in actuality…..The message of John the Baptist is the message of Catholicism…Repent and Believe the Gospel……If we do not repent, we will never be able to change.

“If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts”

How easy it is to forget….How many times in our own life we pray to God for something that seems out of reach….Our mother or father is sick - We lost our job and need another one - A child is diagnosed with a grave illness….And some times when we pray to God for help in these seemingly desperate situations - God answers our prayers…..Our child recovers their health - We get a new job, maybe even a better job! - When this happens - How do we respond to God? - Do we take him for granted?…..Or…..Do we give thanks to God by taking our faith more seriously?….I believe situations like I just described happen to every single person, Catholic or not, over the course of their life…..And when we stand before the Lord after we die at our final judgement - These situations will be brought before our eyes….God will show us the many times he intervened in our life - And some of those times we knew emphatically at the time God did in fact intervene because we begged him too…..And when these images are brought before our eyes when we are judged - The question will be asked of us - “Since I helped you in this manner when you begged me - Why did you not change your life?”…….I believe over the course of every human life - God gives each soul many opportunities to change…..It all comes down to us responding to those opportunities….Because no one just “floats into heaven”….Entering into eternal life requires a transformation…We must make a choice to live as Jesus asked of us and strive to live in that manner every day with the help of God’s grace….God can only help us so much - We also have to help ourself…This begins with saying YES to Christ…By living Sacramentally….And by putting our Catholic faith into practice each and every day…..”Jesus began to reproach the towns where most of his mighty deeds had been done, since they had not repented. “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty deeds done in your midst had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would long ago have repented in sackcloth and ashes”…Miracles happen everyday - But miracles do not change a person - Grace does - And simply acknowledging a miracle does not change our life - And that is exactly what Jesus is trying to do - Change our life…The miracle means nothing unless we are transformed by it.

“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 St Matthew tells us in is Gospel about people who experienced amazing sights - Miracles with a “Capital M” - And yet those sights did not move them to change their life……..Human nature has not changed to this very day, let’s be honest……….Jesus was not some “magician” - Performing “magic” to impress the world….Jesus was a trying to teach us about God’s love for us - He used miracles as a “tool” - But the miracle itself was not what was most important……When we go to Mass, every once in a while we hear a homily that is very powerful - When that happens, we can hear that homily and think to ourself - WOW, that was so true! - But is that the intended reaction the Priest wants from us?…To one degree it is - But ultimately the Priest giving that homily wants us to use his words as a “spark” to transform our life….Witnessing a miracle can not change our life without our consent to change………”Jesus said to him, “Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed”……Plenty of people experience miracles, even today, and they go right on living lives that oppose the Gospel……………Witnessing a miracle will not ”save us” - Only a life transformed by grace will - This begins with our YES to God……..We are saved by faith, not by sight……..JMJ

”Thus, the last will be first, and the first will be last”

Today at Holy Mass we hear in the first reading from the Prophet Isaiah how God evaluates people and achievements very differently then humans do…What we think is a “big deal” means very little to God……”What care I for the number of your sacrifices? says the LORD. I have had enough of whole-burnt rams and fat of fatlings; In the blood of calves, lambs and goats I find no pleasure. When you come in to visit me, who asks these things of you? Trample my courts no more! Bring no more worthless offerings; your incense is loathsome to me”……..In this life it is very easy to “get caught up” in the trappings of materialism and secular achievements…..While we all must live in this world, meaning we all must work, provide for our families, etc…And all that costs money - Trust me - I “get it” - That is not the measure of a man’s worth nor does God evaluate our worth based upon those things….Again - This reality is easily forgotten….We cannot “buy” our way into heaven - God will not ask us for our resume - He will not ask us what university we attended……What he will ask us is - “When I was hungry - Did you feed me?”…..“When I was thirsty - Did you give me a drink?”………..”When I was naked - Did you cloth me?”…..These are the things God is concerned with and this is how we will be evaluated when we stand before him……The Prophet Isaiah goes on in the first reading….”Wash yourselves clean! Put away your misdeeds from before my eyes; cease doing evil; learn to do good. Make justice your aim: redress the wronged, hear the orphan’s plea, defend the widow”….When Jesus returns again, the power structures of the world will flip!…Think about that for a moment - All that the world values will mean NOTHING!!!!……”Thus, the last will be first, and the first will be last”

“Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven”

Before I was married I served with the Missionaries of Charity in India and Haiti….I have witnessed with my own two eyes the faith of the poorest of the poor…Men and women who work for little or no money - People who are disregarded by society - Who are in essence “invisible” - Who mean “nothing”…I have sat with them at Mass…I have seen their faith!!!!….I can recall one Mass I attended in Haiti….I sat among a group of young school children - These boys and girls were very poor…..When the Mass begun the children started to sing all in unison….As I heard their voices, I was overwhelmed - So much so I almost began to cry…..I thought to my self with absolute certainty - “These are God’s people” - There was no question about it!!!!!!!……..But the ironic thing about it - Society at large could care less about these poor children…..This is just one example of the “calculus of God”….And if we want to enter into God’s Kingdom - We must learn to “see” as God sees and “evaluate worth” as God does…..We do that by purifying our hearts…By going to frequent confession and receiving the Blessed Sacrament….We must allow God to sanctify us - Because if we do not give God permission to begin this process of growing in holiness - We will be blind! - And we will evaluate the world on the world’s terms - Not on God’s terms - And that will prove to be fatal…..”This I declare, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does corruption inherit incorruption”…….The day will arrive sooner then we think - When the “small” and child-like of the world will surpass the rich and the powerful….Let us hope we are on the “right side” of things when that day arrives.

“Do not think that I have come to bring peace upon the earth. I have come to bring not peace but the sword”

Today the Prophet Isaiah’s words calls us to repent and see the world as God does…..In order to live in this manner, one must live “differently”…As Catholics, we are called to live amongst the world but we CAN NOT be like the world…We were baptized to be a people “set apart”…To be a light….How can we be a light we when live like the pagan world around us?…..To live “differently” requires us to not “buy in” to materialism….To live humbly and simply - To share….This is the path to heaven and we MUST walk this path….And if we have been given much - Much will be expected!!!!……God is not concerned with our bank account - He is concerned with our heart…Is our heart pure?….Do we guard our soul from the trappings of the world?…..This is what God is concerned about - The question becomes then - Is this our priority?……”Your new moons and festivals I detest; they weigh me down, I tire of the load. When you spread out your hands, I close my eyes to you; Though you pray the more, I will not listen. Your hands are full of blood! Wash yourselves clean!”……….The message is crystal clear - “Thus, the last will be first, and the first will be last”………JMJ

God is full of surprises - Trust him

Today at Holy Mass across all three readings, we are reassured that God’s word will bear fruit…That it will be the answer to the world’s problems….Clearly that is the case - But so many do not agree!!!….How does God reach them? - Or will they be reached?…The human heart can become hard….Just like dry soil, a seed can not penetrate it - Even the best seed….In cases like this, a plow must be used, to break up the soil……To make it receptive to the seed…This is where we are at today….Our world has become hardened to the Word of God - Authentic Catholic teachings is mocked - Thought ridiculous by the mainstream…..How does God “reach a hand” to such a world?…..The answer - “The plow”…..What man cannot do - God can do!…..One of the enemies of the Word of God, believe it or not, is comfort…When a society gets too comfortable - People forget God - Such a society’s faith rests in their bank account and refrigerator full of food…On the other hand - When times are tough - God is at the forefront of our mind!…..Look at what happened to Poland in the 20th century….As a result of World War II and the Russian occupation, roughly around one and four Poles were killed…..Look at what the country produced - One of the greatest Popes in the history of the Church (Pope John Paul II) and the Polish people to this day are strong in their Catholic faith…How did this happen? - This was the fruit of hardship…..So today, ask yourself - How can God reach out to the world? - How can the hearts of mankind be reached?……Only God can do this - And he will do this - Because he loves us!……St Paul addresses today at Mass what we see in the world today - And St Paul is confident that God will “fix” what mankind cannot “fix”....….”I consider that the sufferings of this present time are as nothing compared with the glory to be revealed for us. For creation awaits with eager expectation the revelation of the children of God; for creation was made subject to futility, not of its own accord but because of the one who subjected it, in hope that creation itself would be set free from slavery to corruption and share in the glorious freedom of the children of God.  We know that all creation is groaning in labor pains even until now; and not only that, but we ourselves, who have the first-fruits of the Spirit, we also groan within ourselves as we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies”…..It’s very easy to forget that the battle has already been won when Jesus gave his life for humanity on the Cross - What we “see” now is the devil’s final assault, which will end!!!! - In the mean time, work with all your mind and strength to build the Kingdom of God and trust that Jesus will do the “heavy lifting”!

“Thus have you prepared the land: drenching its furrows, breaking up its clods, Softening it with showers, blessing its yield”

There is an old saying - “The light enters through the wound”…..Many people because of various reasons have hardened their hearts to God and the Catholic Church - They are “unteachable” - No person can reach them….But God can…When we hear conversion stories of the most unlikely of people to the Catholic Church, many times we are amazed….One such person was a man by the name of Bill McGill, who I knew from daily Mass…Billy was a construction worker who migrated from Liverpool England to New York…He was a rough man with many bad habits….It was not until his wife threw him out of his house, when he became destitute and had to start his life all over in his early fifties that Billy became receptive to the Catholic Church and the Word of God…And when his heart was ready - Billy changed and he died a Catholic in the state of grace…..For many this is a similar story…People who adamantly resist God have to “come to the end of themselves” - And “life” has a way of making that happen! - They have to clearly “see” for themself that “their way” does not work….And time and suffering can do that - And all the while, God is patient, waiting for them….…As Catholics, most of us have people in our life (family and friends) who we may feel are “hopeless”….Nothing we say or do can reach them….When dealing with such people, the best thing to do is just pray for them…..God will “speak to them” in a “language they understand”…What is impossible for man is possible for God!

“You have crowned the year with your bounty, and your paths overflow with a rich harvest; The untilled meadows overflow with it, and rejoicing clothes the hills”

Today in the Gospel at Mass Jesus illustrates his teaching with a story about a seed - How the seed does not always find good soil but when it does, it bears a tremendous amount of fruit……We as people cannot see the human heart, therefore sadly we judge people, we “right them off”….Think about for a moment what the early Catholics thought about St Paul before his conversion (when he was Saul) - Paul took part in the murder of St Stephen!!!…And then, soon thereafter, everything changed for Paul on the Road to Damascus….This story is very relatable for many…God can take the “hardest of hearts” and change them into hearts of flesh….In the mean time, we as Catholics must do our part…..By giving the secular world a good example……We cannot save the world - That is Jesus’s job!!!….So be patient and know God is at work……If God can change a murderer named Saul into one of the greatest saints - Think about what he can do for you!……God is full of surprises - Trust him…………..JMJ

“Practice makes Perfect”

Today at Holy Mass St Matthew tells us that everything we do as Catholics, in service of God and neighbor comes from our interior life….Each of us have God given talents, and those talents were given to us to serve God, our neighbor and his Kingdom…But its through prayer, fasting and Sacramental living that those talents “blossom”……Our work, if it does not spring from our interior life is not about God may times, its about self and feeds our ego…This is why it is essential for Catholics, before thinking about doing anything for the Kingdom of God, must first develop their interior life…..Today St Matthew in his Gospel educates us….”What I say to you in the darkness, speak in the light; what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops”…Many time when we sit before the Blessed Sacrament in silence, we hear the “whisper” of God in our hearts…..Praying a Holy Hour each week is in essence a “school” where Catholics are formed….And once we are formed, we are sent!…..But to go forward without prayer is a fools errand…..Abraham Lincoln, who was the sixteenth American President, spoke to this idea…”Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe”…..The more we deepen our interior life, the more our work in service to God and neighbor will be fruitful

“Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?” “Here I am,” I said; “send me!” 

If you take the time and look into the daily structure of Catholic Religious Orders, you will find that each day has designated times for prayer…..Why is that?…Because if a monk, nun, friar or priest does not pray daily - He or she will not be effective…….The same goes for Lay-Catholics…While most of us live in the married state, we must carve out time each day for prayer…If that means getting up early, that is what we must do - If that means going to Mass on our lunch hour at work, that is what we must do…If that means establishing a time at the end of the night for all activity in the house to stop and gather the family to pray the Rosary together, that is what we must do…..Catholics, whether we are consecrated religious or not, must pray!…We must “plug into God” and we do that through daily prayer, fasting and Sacramental living…Mother Teresa illustrates this idea with an analogy……..“Often you can see power lines running alongside the street. Unless current is flowing through them, there is no light. The power line is you and I, the current is God! We have the power to allow the current to flow through us and thus to generate the light of the world: JESUS -  or to refuse to be used and, thus, allow the darkness to spread”…This is the “formula” we must follow…..If every Catholic Priest sat before the Blessed Sacrament for one hour each day - The Church would be renewed!….If every Baptized Catholic went to confession monthly, went to Mass weekly on Sunday as a family and prayed the Rosary daily…The world would be transformed in one day!…So simple - Right?!? - So why do we not do it?

“Your decrees are worthy of trust indeed: holiness befits your house, O LORD, for length of days”

Today we are told in the Gospel that what we hear in the silence of our hearts we are to proclaim - So here is the question - If we do not make time to quiet down and listen to God, how are we to hear his voice?….This is one of the driving problems of our world today - NOISE!…I believe the devil knows this and this is why human being are distracted with all different forms of NOISE….Because as we live amongst this NOISE - We CANNOT hear the voice of God….This is why we MUST make time to sit in silence and listen…….Jesus is very clear - He tells us - “Without me, you can do NOTHING”……Is daily prayer a priority in your life?…Is living sacramentally a priority in your life?….These are questions each Catholic must ask themself…Because if we are not doing the “basics”, we will not accomplish the “goal”, which is to enter into eternal life……God is waiting for us to give him permission to transform our lives - But that transformation does not happen “magically”……Like an athlete who practices day and night for a game - Catholics too must “practice”……..As the old saying goes - “Practice makes Perfect”….JMJ