Today at Holy Mass we hear in the first reading from the Prophet Amos that God will “raise up the fallen hut of David; I will wall up its breaches, raise up its ruins, and rebuild it as in the days of old, that they may conquer what is left of Edom and all the nations that shall bear my name, say I, the LORD, who will do this”……Today in the United States of America where I am writing this reflection we are celebrating 250 years as an independent nation….,Our nation was founded upon God and sadly, 250 years later, we have drift very far from the Lord…We exterminate children in the womb up until birth, we legalized same sex marriage coast to coast, our economy no longer works for the weak and vulnerable……Yet many people today we utter the words - “God Bless America”…..If God is just, which we know he is, how can God “bless” America as we stand right now?…..Making this statement does not imply I do not love this country - In fact, I love so much I must state the obvious….America has turned its back on God and because of that our society is in ruin…But today in the first reading at Mass, we are reminded….God will “raise up the fallen hut of David; I will wall up its breaches, raise up its ruins, and rebuild it as in the days of old”….Only God can fix America and our nation will not be “fixed” until we return to God - Sadly, many people strongly disagree with this statement - They believe we can “vote our way” to better nation - That is not going to happen!……….Over and over again the pattern of “exodus and return” to God appears throughout the pages of history as well as throughout the pages of the Old Testament…God will use “hardship” to “open the eyes” of our nation…..Just as the Israelites forgot God over and over again…God remained faithful….He continued to pursue his people…And he will continue to pursue America….The time will come again when Americans will “hear and see” - But for now, we have become “blind and deaf” to the Lord - And because of that - God will reach his hand down and save us from our very self - That help will come in the form of hardship!….In what form will this “hardship” come upon America? - Only God knows the answer to that question - But make no mistake - Its coming…And through it - The “eyes of the blind will see again”
“I will plant them upon their own ground; never again shall they be plucked From the land I have given them, say I, the LORD, your God”
St Matthew tells us…..“Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. But it did not collapse; it had been set solidly on rock. And everyone who listens to these words of mine but does not act on them will be like a fool who built his house on sand. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. And it collapsed and was completely ruined”…This statement applies to nations, communities, marriages and individual people…..But here is the question - Do we believe it? - Our actions tell the world if we do believe it or not…….I firmly believe in Sacramental marriage - So much so, I do not believe “civil marriage” lived outside the Church should even exist - Why? - Because it does not work!…..And the divorce rates support my claim…..God made marriage a Sacrament because married couples need sanctifying grace to have a good marriage - Why? - Because life is hard! - And no matter who you are, you need God’s grace to thrive - And God because he loves us is willing to give us this grace - But we must cooperate with him in order to receive it….Pope John Paul II made this statement about the importance of strong marriages and how they impact society……”As the family goes, so goes the nation and so goes the whole world in which we live”…..A marriage built upon God sacramentally will thrive!…Healthy marriage produce healthy people…..And at the root of many of America’s problems is the reality that family life has been destroyed!….We must restore the family by returning to God….This is the ONLY way America will return to its former self….How can God bless a nation that murders is children in the womb?!!?….Think about it…Do you “think” God is blind to what we have done to the innocent?……”Return, O Israel, to the Lord your God, for you have stumbled because of your iniquity. Take words with you and return to the Lord; say to him, 'Take away all iniquity; accept that which is good.”…….When America “fixes” the family - We in turn will fix the nation - And not before!
“My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord; I know them, and they follow me”
Today at Mass the prophet Amos reassures us that God will restore the nation…..When and how will this happen?….I wish I could say for sure but I do know it will happen! - Why am I so confident? - Because God said so!…In the meantime, how should Catholics respond?….By living our faith boldly!…Pray the rosary everyday - Go to a Sacramental Confession once a month with a Priest - Go to Mass with your family every week…..This is how God changes us! - And this is how Catholics will change America……The time of ‘lukewarm” Catholicism is over!!!…..The Servant of God Fr John Harden tells us…"Ordinary bishops, ordinary priests, ordinary religious, ordinary fathers and mothers, ordinary Catholics will not even survive the massive revolution through which the Church is going in our day. We need heroic Catholics, sanctified by the Holy Spirit, to restore even sanity in the modern world.”….We were not created to be “ordinary”…..What keeps us from being the Catholics we need to be?…..Comfort! - Dare to be uncomfortable! - Dare to be Catholic!…..JMJ
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