Today at Holy Mass in the first reading we hear something from Hosea, who is an 8th-century BC prophet in Israel….He tells his people that their leaders are not grounded in God and therefore will not last…And guess what happened? - Exactly what Hosea the prophet predicted……When we build our lives outside of God, they eventually collapse….This goes for individuals, communities and nations…Why is this reality? - Because each of us was made by God and when we turn from God something inside of the human person breaks!….The Natural Law and the commandments of God pertain to ALL human beings whether they acknowledge them or not….Its like gravity - You do not have to “believe” gravity exists but if you jump off the roof of a building, it does not matter what you “believe”, you are going to hit the cement…..Mankind for centuries refuses to acknowledge this reality and that is why history repeats itself over and over again…And that is why people who are close to God, like the Prophet Hosea can “see” what others can not “see”….Its not that Hosea had “special powers” to predict the future……He simply saw the world through the lens of God’s eyes….He understood the human need for God…So when his people turned their back on their Creator, the outcome was easy for him to see - But to the rest of society - They were blind to it…Jesus centuries later echoes this theme……”Turning to the disciples in private he said, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see. 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”…As Catholics, the closer we get to God, the more we will “see” the world as it truly is….Sin, especially mortal sin, blinds humanity - This “lose of sight” is going on to this very day…What society has deemed “acceptable” is an abomination to God…..Abortion, Same sex marriage, Usury - To name just a few common practices of our American society, which many people do not even question anymore - All these things are an abomination to God - But many of our people do not “see” it that way……..“Can a blind person guide a blind person? Will not both fall into a pit?”…..What we “see” as a society many times is indicative of how we live….Think about it….Because in the end when we stand before the Lord and are judged, what we “think” does not matter….Again - “think” about it.
“When Ephraim made many altars to expiate sin, his altars became occasions of sin. Though I write for him my many ordinances, they are considered as a stranger’s. Though they offer sacrifice, immolate flesh and eat it, the LORD is not pleased with them. He shall still remember their guilt and punish their sins; they shall return to Egypt”
The United States Catholic Bishops have made statements about a number of practices that are intrinsically evil, which means they are wrong no matter what….These evils are the following: Abortion; Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide; Torture; Genocide and Murder; Same-Sex Marriage; Slavery and Human Trafficking…How lets look at how many Americans vote, that includes many Catholics…How can we support politicians that openly advocate for abortion, euthanasia and same sex marriage?….These practices are always wrong and are evil - Yet many Americas no longer consider then so…How should Catholics respond? - Can a Catholic in good conscience receive the Blessed Sacrament and still support such practices? - Should the Bishops make a statement about this, which in turn will help form the consciences of our people?…..Jesus gave his authority to the Church - That means what the Church says goes! - Whether we like it or not…We can ignore what Catholic Teaching has proclaimed for centuries all we want - It will be by the standards of God that we are judged when we stand before him after our death….Jesus gave the world one prayer - The Our Father - And in that prayer we say these words…”On earth as it is in heaven”…..That means we must live and structure society in the here and now (on earth) how life will be in heaven….Think about it - How can abortion, euthanasia and same sex marriage be apart of that “equation” - The answer is - It can not!
“Our God is in heaven; whatever he wills, he does. Their idols are silver and gold, the handiwork of men………The house of Israel trusts in the Lord”
Today we hear at Mass how the Prophet Hosea “calls out” the leaders of Israel for turning away from God…And as we know from history, every time the Jewish people turned from God, they were exiled from their land and great hardships were endured by the people….Does this sound familiar? - Because it should - It’s happening today before our very eyes!….America has turned from God…We have made legal what is intrinsically evil in the eyes of God….Do we “think” God does not see this?…..How can God bless the United States when we murder children in the womb right up until birth?….When many states have legalized euthanasia?…..When every state in America has legalized same sex marriage…….How can God “bless” such a country?!?…..Just as the people of Israel learned in the 8th century (which was predicted by the Prophet Hosea), America will learn and we will learn the hard way!….A nation which is not built on a solid foundation will crumble and eventually fall….To borrow the words of John the Baptist…”Repent and Believe the Gospel” - The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand…..JMJ
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