You will be shocked at just how many “ripples” in the water you make

Today at Holy Mass in the first reading, St Paul instructs his friends….”For you know how one must imitate us. For we did not act in a disorderly way among you, nor did we eat food received free from anyone. On the contrary, in toil and drudgery, night and day we worked, so as not to burden any of you. Not that we do not have the right. Rather, we wanted to present ourselves as a model for you, so that you might imitate us”…People believe what they see…You can say everything right and if people do not see God in you - They will NOT believe a word you say….How do we project Christ then to others? - The answer to that question centers itself upon our interior life…Change comes from the inside out…Before we “change the world” - We must first change ourself - And that takes time, sacrifice and effort….God’s grace works in us when we permit it too….We must fully cooperate with God….And then God will slowly change us…And then those around us will be impacted by what they see - And then they will listen to your words….The witness of sacrificial love is a powerful witness…This was what “changed” Dismas, who is known in Catholic circles as “the good thief”…..I would bet that Dismiss was a “hard man”….He had “been around the block” as we say in New Jersey….Do you “think” Christ words “changed” him - My bet is, it was not Christ words that did it - It was Christ actions….Even the hardest of hearts recognize authentic sacrificial love…And this is what separates the “sheep” from the “goats”….”Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it”…To live in this manner requires a deep interior life…Build your life from the inside out…..Remember - People believe what they see

“Whoever keeps the word of Christ, the love of God is truly perfected in him”

We all know that Jesus gave his life for the sins of the world…He sacrificed everything…What about us?….What have we sacrificed in our life and why did we do it?….A man and a woman who marry and are open to life speak “loudly” to the secular unbelieving world around them….As we all know, our world today is not open to life…Most people use contraception and seeing large families today is very rare….But when people do see a large family - They do not have to be a biblical scholar to understand that a deep sacrifice was made by that couple……And when a Catholic married couple live and sacrifice in the manner that the Church asks them too - They grow close to God….Before God can “fill us” with his Holy Spirit - We must first willing empty ourself - We do that by loving the way Jesus loved - Sacrificially….Years ago I saw a Catholic couple at Mass who had many children…..The husband looked like he was “rolled down a hill”…..And his wife was heavily pregnant - They both looked so tired!!!!…The sight of that couple and their many children to this very day is burned into my mind…They never said one word to me, yet, their witness “spoke very loudly”….If Catholics want to “change the world” and convince others that what the Church teaches is true - People MUST see the witness of sacrificial love by the way we live and the choices we make…This goes for Bishops, Priests and Lay Catholics in the pews….No one will believe a single word you say, unless they see a life of sacrifice, lived out in real time for others by us….Jesus as we all know - “Became poor so we can one day become rich”….This is what “changed” Dismas on the cross next to Jesus….Dismiss “saw” the Truth and what he saw changed him

“Whoever keeps the word of Christ, the love of God is truly perfected in him”

Today St Paul tells us, as he did his friends two thousand years ago….Actions speak louder then words…..And if we want our actions to be Christ-like, then we MUST work on our interior life, making it our number one priority…Do you pray every day?….Do you fast every week?….Do you make time to sit before the Blessed Sacrament in silence each week?…Do you do to Confession once a month?…Do you pray the Rosary every day?…Do you receive the Blessed Sacrament as frequently as possible at Mass in the state of grace?…What we do with our time and money tells the world what we are all about…If we really want to impact the world around us - Then we will prioritize the “things of heaven”….Saints are not made in one day - And only saints change the world……One stone thrown into a still pond makes many ripples in the water….Cooperate with God and become that stone and allow God to “throw you” into that pond….You will be shocked at just how many “ripples” in the water you make…JMJ