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
No comments:
Post a Comment