Today at Holy Mass in the first reading the Prophet Ezekiel addresses the remnant of Israel….God is faithful and He promises to purify his people once again…..But how?….We read in the Gospel today how God sent is prophets to the Israelites and they ignored them - How will he purify these “stiff-necked people”?……The answer to the question comes to us in the Old Testament, which is in many ways a historical account of the Jewish people….Its the story of Exodus and Return - Exodus and Return - Exodus and Return…..Every time God’s chosen people forget where they came from - Their lives fall apart - And it is through their suffering and hardships that God once again forms their heart…..”For I will take you away from among the nations, gather you from all the foreign lands, and bring you back to your own land. I will sprinkle clean water upon you to cleanse you from all your impurities, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. I will give you a new heart and place a new spirit within you, taking from your bodies your stony hearts and giving you natural hearts. I will put my spirit within you and make you live by my statutes, careful to observe my decrees. You shall live in the land I gave your ancestors; you shall be my people, and I will be your God”…….When we look today at Europe, Canada and America - We see a similar pattern emerging…A people that once adhered to the ways of God have forget where they came from - And Western Civilization is falling apart….But God understands human nature better then we do!…It will be through hardships that these once faithful nations will regain their identity once again…..A great lesson should be vetted from both history and what we see currently in America in real time - How human nature is so easily distracted and enticed to walk away from God…..This is why as Catholics we MUST cling to the Sacraments and daily prayer…Never for a moment think you cannot fall away - Never for a moment should you think you are “so strong” as not to be tempted and fall into sin….The devil is very real - But so is grace!
“A clean heart create for me, O God, and a steadfast spirit renew within me. Cast me not out from your presence, and your Holy Spirit take not from me”
For many years before I was married I lead a Bible Study in the parish I grew up in…..Many of the men who would attend that Bible Study became good friends of mine over the years and attended the study faithfully…Recently I ran into one of those men….Michael had a good job at a bank and was a faithful Catholic - I always saw him at Mass on Sunday and he faithfully came every morning to the Bible Study on Saturday for many years….I saw Michael at the grocery store recently and innocently asked him about St Mary’s, which was my old parish where I grew up in….And he told me he no longer attends Church….I was literally shocked!!!…Here was a man who was faithful Catholic - How can that happen!…..But it happens!…..The same thing happened to a woman I went to college with…Kelly grew up in a good Catholic home near Philadelphia…After college, she served the poor in New York City with Mother Teresa’s sisters….And sadly during that time, her older brother died tragically at work…And Kelly was deeply effected by her brother’s death - It effected her relationship with God and her view of the Catholic Church…..These two stories are so sad but these were people who I would have NEVER thought would turn way from the Church - And they did - These two accounts should serve as a reminder….”The Spirit is willing but the flesh is weak”…Stay close to God Sacramentally - Fast weekly - Pray Daily….”The devil prowls the earth seeking the ruin of souls” - Don’t let him get yours! - “Put on the armor of God”
“For you are not pleased with sacrifices; should I offer a burnt offering, you would not accept it. My sacrifice, O God, is a contrite spirit; a heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn”
Today the readings at Mass tell us how even in the face of rejection - God is faithful to his people - That there will always be a remnant and that God will “purify” his people once again….When we study Salvation history, we can clearly see trends emerging…We see that throughout the Old Testament but also when we read about European history - Even in American history we see this same trend - Exodus and Return - Exodus and Return - Exodus and Return…But through it all - God is always at work! - Even when we “think” the darkness of the culture of death has won the day…..And once again, as St John tells us in his Gospel…”A light shines in the darkness and the darkness can not overcome it”….A remnant will rise from the ashes once again….Count on it….JMJ
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