“Bear with one another”

Today at Holy Mass we hear in the first reading St Paul talk about Spiritual maturity - What does that mean?…..”And he gave some as Apostles, others as prophets, others as evangelists, others as pastors and teachers, to equip the holy ones for the work of ministry, for building up the Body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of faith and knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the extent of the full stature of Christ”…To be fully spiritually mature means we are in union with Christ - In Catholic theological circles, this is called the unitive way….Few people understand this concept but that does not negate the fact of this idea being a reality….Before we can enter heaven and stand before the beatific vision, we must be made “perfect”….This is the path of sanctification all Catholic SHOULD be cognizant of as we live out our earthly lives and practice our faith….God uses all “things” to make this happen for us - The events of our life (both good and bad); our daily prayer life; the Sacraments; the sacrifices we are required to make in the state of life we were called to (Priest - Married - Single) - All of these things work towards us becoming holy and eventually being able to stand before the beatific vision…..Are you cognizant of this path? - Do we cooperate with God to “get us” where we HAVE to be?…..Because as a good priest told me years ago…”When we die - We do not just float into heaven”……What St Paul is telling the Ephesians today as well as us, is that we must fully cooperate with God for us to “arrive” at the state, in which we will be made “ready” to enter into our eternal home….St Paul also reminds us that not everyone travels this road of sanctification at the same speed….So if you are further ahead of someone else - We must be patient with them - In fact - Its required!…Is this how we view others who may not be “up to speed” yet with God?……”Brothers and sisters: I, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to live in a manner worthy of the call you have received, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another through love, striving to preserve the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace: one Body and one Spirit, as you were also called to the one hope of your call; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all”……Think about how patient Jesus was with his first tweleve disciples - Keep in mind - Jesus knew who he was and he was perfect…Yet he loved his friends as they were and knew in time - “They would get it”…..Is this what we see today on Catholic Social Media?…or…In parish life across America?……God is and has been patient with YOU - Maybe it’s time to be patient with others?…..And maybe - Just maybe - That is part of our “purification process”? - Making us holy….Remember again - We do not get to stand before “The Man” until we are made perfect!

“As Jesus passed by, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the customs post. He said to him, "Follow me." And he got up and followed him. While he was at table in his house, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat with Jesus and his disciples”

Have you ever meant a holy person? - I mean an authentically holy person?….If you have - There is no doubt in my mind - You remember them!….This is why saints and only saints change the world - Their life becomes so “Christ like” that they attract others to them and as a result, many people experience radical transformations because they see for themselves what the Gospel looks like - In real time - Not from a book……………..Years ago when I was the Saturday driver for the Missionaries of Charity, one of the Saturday volunteers in Lower Manhattan was this Advertising Executive who lived in Brooklyn….Liz Donahue was a very attractive woman in her forties….I got the impression that she made a very good living and maybe at one time in her life she “bought in” to the “culture of death” that surrounds us all in America….But every Saturday, Liz would come to the AIDS Hospice and cook for the men….During that time Liz got very friendly with the Superior of the convent - Sister Vinneth….The two of them became authentic friends…I would some times watch them together laughing as they talked in some corner of the kitchen…Seeing Liz Donahue, the beautiful New York City Advertising Executive and Sister Vinneth together was a sight to behold - “On paper” - It made no sense - But in many ways - It made all the sense in the world…Liz recognized authentic holiness in Sister Vinneth, something that was “lacking” in her….During the seven years that was the driver for the Missionaries of Charity in New York City - I have seen this scenario I just wrote about “play out” time and time again with so many different personalities and people of all works of life….Notice, Sister Vinneth did not “push” Liz away because she was “not up to speed” as a Catholic, as Sister was…Sister Vinneth was patient with Liz…As St Paul tells us today at Mass….”Live in a manner worthy of the call you have received, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another through love, striving to preserve the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace: one Body and one Spirit, as you were also called to the one hope of your call; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all”……Is this what we see on Catholic Social Media?….Because if we are not patient with one another - Trust me - God will not be patient with us!…..JMJ

“Bear with one another; forgive each other if one of you has a complaint against another. The Lord has forgiven you; now you must do the same”

”OK GOD”

Today at Holy Mass we are told in the first reading by the Prophet Isaiah something that most Catholics have heard before….”As high as the heavens are above the earth, so high are my ways above your ways and my thoughts above your thoughts”…And while we all heard this statement before - I do not think we understand it - Not in the least bit! - Why? - Because no matter how many times we “HEAR” this read to us at Mass…We still “want what we want” and do not allow ourselves to “SEE” the world through the “lens” that God sees it……We “define” what is just according to “what works” for ME…..Clearly this is not the “calculus” of God…..As we see today in the Gospel…..”Summon the laborers and give them their pay, beginning with the last and ending with the first. When those who had started about five o'clock came, each received the usual daily wage.  So when the first came, they thought that they would receive more, but each of them also got the usual wage.  And on receiving it they grumbled against the landowner, saying, 'These last ones worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us, who bore the day's burden and the heat.' He said to one of them in reply, 'My friend, I am not cheating you.  Did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage? Take what is yours and go.  What if I wish to give this last one the same as you?  Or am I not free to do as I wish with my own money?” - Is this how YOU would have reacted to God if YOU worked all day and “some guy” who did a fraction of what you did got the same pay?….Hmmmmmm!….So the question then becomes…How do we “see” and “hear” as God does?…The answer to that question comes from our interior life….The closer we get to God, the more we “see” and the more we accept…Now there is a word - ACCEPT!!!! - What do I mean by “accept”?…When outcomes do not “go our way” - We simply say.....”OK GOD”….This mindset needs to be apart of our total surrender to God - Trusting him in all things…Fully “digesting” this idea that I just presented cannot be self-manufactured - It will only happen by developing a deep interior life - “Living and breathing” through Sacramental grace, daily prayer and fasting…….“You got this God - YOU know what you are doing”….Once again - Catholics all over the world will hear the first reading today read to them at Mass - ”As high as the heavens are above the earth, so high are my ways above your ways and my thoughts above your thoughts”…And when they get home from Mass and turn on the news - And hear something that “does not fit” into their agenda - They will “RANT” and “RAVE” - I know this to be true - Because I too am one of those people!!!…But I am trying - And I invite you to try too….To say these two simple words…And mean them from the bottom of your heart….”OK GOD”
 

“Open our hearts, O Lord, to listen to the words of your Son”

Everything that happens - EVERYTHING - Both Good and Bad - God allows to happen through his permissive will…One may say - “Why does God allow bad things to happen?….For one - Because God does not interfere with our free will and when humans do bad things, God uses those events for a greater good….But one may then say - So many people suffer!….This is true…..However, God “plays the long game”….His goal is we are fully converted (and that is a long and sometimes painful process) and we arrive in heaven safely…And as many know who are reading this reflection…That “process” is messy! - And only God knows what we “need” and what we must experience to make that happen…….In America since abortion has been legalized, it is estimated that 64 million children have lost their lives….No matter who gets elected - Even with the repeal of the famous court case that started it all - Roe v. Wade - The abortion industry rages on!…..Now stop for a moment - Before you “blow your mind” - Do you actually think God does not see what is going on?….That God will not “step in” and stop this atrocity?…..Clearly, I do not have the mind of God - But there is NO WAY God will permit this holocaust to continue indefinitely - Even if it means dismantling the entire country “brick by brick”….And MAYBE that is what we are seeing before our very eyes today - As we all “WANT what we WANT” politically - God is tearing down what needs to be torn down!…In order to build up something new…….”As high as the heavens are above the earth, so high are my ways above your ways and my thoughts above your thoughts”….Or………How about the big debate in the Catholic Church today in America…The Latin Mass crowd vs the Novus Ordo crowd battle! - Its all over social media…..Many Catholics in America (many are my friends) want the Pope to bring back the Latin Mass in local Parrish across the nation…And frankly it does not look like that is going to happen……The Latin Mass was permitted for a time under the pontificate of Pope Benedict XVI - ("Maybe Just Maybe") - This experience in Parish life will serve as a bench mark to “elevate” the current Novus Ordo Mass, bringing it closer in line to how the Mass was intended as the Vatican II documents state very clearly…..We are one Church and there must only be one Mass!….So maybe God is “stepping in” - In a way we do not understand…..Patience obtains all things….God knows what he is doing - Maybe its time to say once again……”OK GOD”…..JMJ

"The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out at dawn to hire laborers for his vineyard.  After agreeing with them for the usual daily wage, he sent them into his vineyard. Going out about nine o'clock, the landowner saw others standing idle in the marketplace, and he said to them, 'You too go into my vineyard, and I will give you what is just.'

Do you “know” about Jesus…or….Do you KNOW Jesus?

Today at Holy Mass in the first reading, St Paul in his letter to Corinthians speaks about the need to die to our selves…This is a fundamental concept that every Catholic must FULLY embrace….At the core of Jesus’ message - He shows us that we must “die” in order to rise….Most people will not die like Jesus did…Martyrdom is very rare and frankly is a grace…One does not “will” them self to be a martyr, God gives a select few that grace to carry forth such a radical sacrifice…For the rest of us…We are called to what is referred to by the Church as “White Martyrdom”…….White Martyrdom is when we die to ourself completely by giving our life away in service to others…Most do this in the married state…Where a man and a woman, give themselves to each other completely, are open to life and pour their lives into their children…In doing that, such a couple will find God……This is how the “seeds” of grace take root in us…By emptying our life, we prepare ourselves to receive the Holy Spirit - Because if we are “full of our self”, God cannot “work” with us…..A Priest does this too - By living simply, serving his people tirelessly, sharing his material goods and living a celibate life…..A single person does this too…By using his spare time serving the community, praying daily, and sharing his income with the poor…This is how Catholics die to themself in each state of life…All three of these states of life, if lived in this manner, point to God…..”Someone may say, “How are the dead raised?  With what kind of body will they come back?”You fool! What you sow is not brought to life unless it dies. And what you sow is not the body that is to be but a bare kernel of wheat, perhaps, or of some other kind. So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown corruptible; it is raised incorruptible. It is sown dishonorable; it is raised glorious. It is sown weak; it is raised powerful. It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual one”…..So basically there are only two kinds of people in heaven….”Red Martyrs” and “White Martyrs”…..If you do not “fall” into one of these two buckets, my guess is (And it is my guess - I clearly am not God) - You will not be in heaven…….”Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life? Or what can one give in exchange for his life? For the Son of Man will come with his angels in his Father’s glory, and then he will repay everyone according to his conduct. Amen, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom”…We can read every book ever written about the Catholic faith….We can “go through the motions” and “tick every Catholic box” perfectly! - But if we do not give our life away…We will never know who Jesus Christ is…..Red or White - Pick your “poison”?

“Blessed are they who have kept the word with a generous heart and yield a harvest through perseverance”

I know a very gifted Franciscan Priest whose name is Father Bernard…..Before Father Bernard was ordained, his name in the world was John….John was the oldest of seven boys…His father was a lawyer and John grew up in Connecticut - The eldest son of a privilege Catholic family…John was an exceptional student and went on to Brown University - As most people reading this reflection know - Brown is an Ivy League University and one of the most prestigious colleges in America…After college John took a year off to serve the poor in Appalachia - Again, for those who are reading this reflection and may not know - The Appalachian region of America is arguably the poorest region in all of the United States….John was fresh out of college - He had a brilliant mind - He stood over six feet tall and his body was very strong…John had it ALL! - And he knew it……So one day he was asked to help re-build a porch on an old home for a very poor old man…..And John went to work…And as he was working, he realized he did not know how to build the porch - He “thought” it would be easy - But it turned out to be not so easy…So John was visibly struggling and upset…..As he was struggling, the poor old man from Appalachia watched him and had the biggest smile on his face - While John toiled in frustration!…..Finally after hours of trying to fix the porch and not succeeding, John sees the old man, still with a big smile on his face and John screams at him…..”Why are you smiling!!!!!”….”Can’t you see me trying to HELP build this porch”…..The old man just kept smiling - Finally the man from Appalachia addressed John…..”The reason why I am smiling is I KNOW Jesus”…..John heard this and he only got more enraged…He responded - “I know Jesus too - That is why I here trying to build your porch!!!!!!”……The old poor man, still smiling heard what John said and responded back……”You “know” about Jesus - But you DO NOT KNOW him”…”If you did - You would be smiling too”…..This statement left John speechless - He was stopped dead in his tracks….John told me later that night, after thinking about what that poor man said to him, that it caused him to weep bitterly!……“Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever receives one child such as this in my name receives me”…..Before we can “understand” who Jesus is - Before we can live our Catholic faith as we are called too…We MUST give ourself away!!!!…This is how we “tend the soil” of our soul - So “the good seed” can bear fruit…….We are told in the Gospel today that God “sows seeds” - Some on rocks, some in thorn bushes and some on good soil…..Our job as Catholics really is a simple one….Give your life way in service of others in the way God called you to do it - Priest - Married - Single…Then Pray Daily - Fast Weekly - Live Sacramentally…If you do this - “You will bear fruit that will last” - And save your soul…Whether you live in the Hills of Appalachia or graduate from an Ivy League school - Does not matter!……”But as for the seed that fell on rich soil, they are the ones who, when they have heard the word, embrace it with a generous and good heart, and bear fruit through perseverance”…….Do you “know” about Jesus…or….Do you KNOW Jesus?…….JMJ

Such a witness “hypnotizes” the world….And all it takes is one look

Today at Holy Mass in the first reading, St Paul in his letter to the Corinthians offers us words of encouragement and a reminder…..That Jesus Christ defeated death, mankind’s ancient enemy….And because of that reality - We must rejoice - Because we have been grafted into his life through our Baptism….This means, if we follow Jesus…Notice the word “follow” and not simply “believe”…We too will never die…..I have five children under twelve years old…When they ask me about dying and death I tell them….If you live your Catholic faith and do what Jesus tells you - You never die!….So true….But how easy we forget this….And for this very reason St Paul reminds us today…Paul also tells us something else….That if Jesus did not rise from the dead - Everything we do as Catholics is done in vain….All the prayers - All the rubrics - All the teachings - All the encyclicals - All of it - A complete waste of time.......Its only because Jesus conquered death and rose - That everything we do as Catholics make sense - To us - Now think for a moment of those who see us who are not Catholic….How can a non Catholic understand the sacrifices we make? - How can a non Catholic understand why a Catholic couple would NOT use contraception and have numerous children? - How can the a non Catholic understand why we would share our wealth with the poor?…..The answer - “On Paper” - These actions will NEVER make any sense!!!!! - But the “answer” is not written on paper - Its found in our joy!….People believe what they see - Don’t fool yourself into thinking that you are going to “debate” anyone into the doors of a Catholic Church….What people see in us, who live and breath our Catholic faith is joy!….And everyone wants to be happy….Mother Teresa would tell her sisters - “Joy is the net that will catch many souls”…..There are no joyless saints!…..When the world sees us live sacrificially, as we are called too, and still remain full of joy, which is a fruit of the Holy Spirit - This paradox, will not only cause the secular would to consider the Catholic Church, but make even the hardest of hearted people question their choices….This is reality and this is the ONLY way we evangelize the world effectively…Not with podcasts - Not with sermons - Not with writing books - There is a time and a place for everything - Podcasts, Sermons and Books educate people - And that is a good thing - But the witness of authentic joy converts people!…So are we joy filled?….”If Christ is preached as raised from the dead, how can some among you say there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, then neither has Christ been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then empty too is our preaching; empty, too, your faith”……As Catholics, the “lens” we “see” the world must be through the dying and rising of Jesus Christ - That means we too must die to ourselves - And only then will we rise with him…This is why we have joy - A joy the world cannot take away

“Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth; you have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the Kingdom”

Years ago before I was married, when I would travel to Kolkata India for Advent, I met a young woman who was discerning to become a nun…Nikolina was from Croatia and we would speak about what she was experiencing while in Kolkata serving the poor with the sisters…This particular December, Sister Fredrick MC was in Kolkata from Rome…At the time Sister Fredrick was the oldest living Missionaries of Charity sister….Sister Fredrick was originally from Malta and was a contemporary of Mother Teresa and when Mother died, she was one of the nuns who was considered to replace Mother Teresa as the Superior General of the global order…She was known for being very tough….But at this point in her life, she was very meek and her eyes were very gentle…My friend Nikolina, who was a young girl told me one morning that she had a conversation with Sister Fredrick and just standing in her presence completely overwhelmed her - She began to cry just simply by looking into her face…..I too can understand this reaction….Standing in front of a very holy person, just by looking into their face, can be overwhelming…Such a person “looks through you” - Their eyes are on fire! - Even if their bodies are old….Sister Fredrick greatly impacted Nikolina, not with words - Simply by being who she was created to be - A saint….I think of Nikolina sometimes - I am sure she is a nun somewhere in the world - Praying and serving mankind….Today, we are told in the Gospel from Mass, that a group of woman accompanied Jesus…..”Accompanying him were the Twelve and some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, Joanna, the wife of Herod’s steward Chuza, Susanna, and many others who provided for them out of their resources”….What made these women “give up” their life and follow Christ? - What made Sister Fredrick do the same?….And what about Nikolina?…This I can tell you - People do not give up their life for mere words - Its the witness of the Gospel - A life of service for others seen through the witness of sacrificial love - All “fueled” by daily prayer, fasting and Sacramental grace….This is what “transformed” Sister Fredrick…And this is why Nikolina would cry when she stood before Sister Fredrick - Because Sister Fredrick was a saint - And only saints change the world….We are told in St Luke’s Gospel today that…”Jesus journeyed from one town and village to another, preaching and proclaiming the good news of the Kingdom of God”….Why did people listen to Jesus? - Why do people listen to him today?…..And give up everything to follow him?…..The answer to these questions are not simply found in words and in books - Its the witness of a pure soul - The witness of a Holy Life……….”As he was walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon who is called Peter, and his brother Andrew, casting a net into the sea; they were fishermen. He said to them, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.” At once they left their nets and followed him. He walked along from there and saw two other brothers, James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They were in a boat, with their father Zebedee, mending their nets. He called them, and immediately they left their boat and their father and followed him”…..Such a witness “hypnotizes” the world….And all it takes is one look……JMJ

“The one to whom little is forgiven, loves little”

Today at Holy Mass in the Gospel of St Luke, Jesus is invited to the home of a Pharisee to eat…One can assume that Jesus and this Pharisee were friends…..And while at this meal, a public sinner expresses her humble thanks to Jesus for restoring her back into society as well as forgiving her sins…And the Pharisee has a problem with it…..During the three year ministry of Jesus, he confronts all kinds of people…Many of them public sinners…Tax collectors, prostitutes, etc….And Jesus does not shy away from addressing their sin, but he does not condemn these people - You would think he would - But he does not…The only people, repeatedly throughout the four Gospels that Jesus condemns harshly are the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Scribes…These are the people who “put themselves out there” as being perfect…Not only does Jesus “call them out” - He outright and aggressively scolds them…..This trend, which any objective person can pick up on while reading the Gospels, should stand out for us…..It should also serve as a reminder - And a warning!……When we want to “put others down”….or….. Point out their faults and sins……..Instead, do we sincerely pray for those who have fallen into sin? - Do we fast for the world & the Church?….Hell is FOREVER and if we have the heart of Christ we should not want anyone to go to hell…..And make no mistake - There is a hell and people are there….Ever think when we call people out for their sins - We might find ourselves in hell?…..”“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name? Did we not drive out demons in your name? Did we not do mighty deeds in your name?’ Then I will declare to them solemnly, ‘I never knew you. Depart from me”……Do we presume that we are “holy” because we like the Pharisees do “everything right”?……

“Two people were in debt to a certain creditor; one owed five hundred days’ wages and the other owed fifty. Since they were unable to repay the debt, he forgave it for both. Which of them will love him more?” Simon said in reply, “The one, I suppose, whose larger debt was forgiven.” He said to him, “You have judged rightly.” Then he turned to the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? When I entered your house, you did not give me water for my feet, but she has bathed them with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You did not give me a kiss, but she has not ceased kissing my feet since the time I entered. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she anointed my feet with ointment. So I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven; hence, she has shown great love. But the one to whom little is forgiven, loves little.” He said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” The others at table said to themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?”But he said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

The Pharisee in our story today “thought” he was perfect - And make no mistake - He did “everything right”…But God sees the human heart - He knows all our sins…And when we “put ourselves out there” like we are perfect - This is a great insult to the only one who is perfect - God alone…..When we go to confession frequently, we understand just how flawed we are - Even if what we confess, are not mortal sins….And when the Priest gives us absolution, we feel a sense of relief….This understanding of our own imperfections and the reception of God’s mercy is the only thing that can gives us empathy for public sinners….I am not in any way condoning mortal sin…But “point out” the sins of others does not help the situation one bit….Only the example of a holy life can cause  “public sinners” to confront their sins in a productive manner - Do we give this example to the world around us?…….If we are serious about our Catholic faith - If we have studied it - If we know it….The next step is to internalize it….And live it…..If we are to be a catalyst for change in the world - “Ranting” about the sins of others is not going to make that happen…..However, if you pray and fast for the sins we see in the world - God will transform you….And then and only then will your life impact others…and sinners will “see” them self clearly, maybe for the first time in their entire life - They will “see”

“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest, says the Lord”

Years ago the Missionaries of Charity had a cook out in front of their convent on July 4th in Lower Manhattan….I was helping them out….During this barbecue a man on the street covered in tattoos, with his shirt off approached one of the Missionaries of Charity…When I saw this I said to my self…”Here we go”…So I made my way close to the two of them talking….The man was telling sister that - “He used to be Catholic” - “But now he is a Christian”…Sister Eva listened to this man, giving him one hundred percent of her attention….As I watched this seen, I stood in awe…It was one of the craziest sights I ever saw….This huge guy with no shirt on, covered in tattoos is talking to this little nun on the streets of New York…Finally after this man told sister that - “He was no longer Catholic”…Sister Eva tells the man the following - “You are a Baptized Catholic - Go this instant into our chapel and pray before the Blessed Sacrament"….And do you know what the man did? - He did just what sister told him to do….How do you think it would have gone if I told that man to do what Sister Eva told him?….Something tells me, I would not have gotten the same reaction….Sister Eva had every right to “scold” this man for attending their cook out with no shirt on looking like a crazy person…But that is not what she did…She spoke with him as an equal - She “heard him out”…And the man responded as a result…Do we “judge” people based upon their appearance?…Do we assume people to be great sinners because they do not do what we do?….Only when we understand our own flaws and sins…and then experience God’s mercy will we stop “pointing out” the sins of others…Only when we see Jesus fully present in the Blessed Sacrament will we see him in others - And love Jesus in others….Today in the Gospel…The Pharisee “understood” the law…But had “no idea” who God really was…How about us?…..Do we just “know about God” from a text book?……Even the hardest of people, living in the darkest of places - Even they can “see” the witness of a holy life…As Catholics today, just as the Pharisees in Jesus’ day….We can do “everything right” - And still be wrong…..“The one to whom little is forgiven, loves little”….JMJ

“Two people were in debt to a certain creditor; one owed five hundred days’ wages and the other owed fifty. Since they were unable to repay the debt, he forgave it for both. Which of them will love him more?” Simon said in reply, “The one, I suppose, whose larger debt was forgiven.” He said to him, “You have judged rightly.”

Why? - “Because without me, you can do nothing”

Today at Holy Mass in the first reading we hear St Paul share the words he spoke to the Corinthians many years ago….This reading, as many know, is utilized at many Catholics weddings..Telling us what love is and what love is not…..Do we know what love is today? - The word - Love - Gets thrown around a lot….For those of us who have ever fallen in love - You know that love is a VERY powerful emotion….But is that all love is - An emotion?….Authentic love is a choice….And those who love authentically are willing to suffer for another…Is this the love we see today?…..When a man and a woman get married, clearly they love each other - The emotional side of love is very strong….You see this in all the pictures at the wedding….But life is more then “pictures” posted on social media….And as a couple moves forward in their marriage - LIFE and all that comes with it is hurled at the same couple in those wedding pictures…..Financial issues - Sickness - Job loss - Disappointments of all kinds - Children - Lack of time…..Lack of sleep…No one is “taking pictures” of those moments - When your son vomits at 2:00am in the morning and you have a big meeting at work in only a few hours…..How does a couple LOVE in those moments?….The answer to that question is found in Sacramental grace…One of the biggest mistakes of “modern man” is he “thinks” he does not need God’s grace - HUGE MISTAKE!!!!!….And as a result, when life gets HARD - And it will - Many of these married couples fold - To the tune of 55% of all marriages in America end in divorce…..For those of us who are Catholic and live our lives Sacramentally, we know just how flawed we all are - We also know how grace perfects our broken human nature…..Each of us needs that grace in order to love as St Paul tells us today at Mass…..”If I speak in human and angelic tongues but do not have love, I am a resounding gong or a clashing cymbal. And if I have the gift of prophecy and comprehend all mysteries and all knowledge; if I have all faith so as to move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give away everything I own, and if I hand my body over so that I may boast but do not have love, I gain nothing…….Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, love is not pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things”…….Sacramental marriage works! - It is also a means by which God sanctifies us - Making us holy….Do we view our marriage this way? - As a means to make us holy?…..Frankly, if you do, I am sure you have a great relationship with your wife…But if you do not - Well…Maybe not…..Why do we complicate what is so simple?….Go to Mass every Sunday with your family….Go to Confession monthly - Receive the Blessed Sacrament in the state of grace when you go to Mass - Pray the Rosary every day…So simple!…This is the “recipe” for a good marriage - This is also the “recipe” for a good life…..This is how we come to understand what LOVE truly is…..Its much more then a feeling - Its a decision, which is fortified by grace….And when the world sees such an example of love - It stands in awe - As did the Roman centurion soldier, who fell to his knees after piercing the side of Christ….Sacrificial love is fueled by Sacramental grace…Without that grace - Not going to happen!

“Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life, you have the words of everlasting life”

Catholic couples are called to be open to life…Its part of our wedding vows…..That means a few things…First, if a couple gets married and claims they are… “Not ready for children” - What they really are saying is…”They are NOT ready to be married” - And should not be married - They are making a BIG mistake!….Secondly, a Sacramental marriage does not use contraception…Why?…Because when you use contraception in your marriage, what you are saying with your body is….”I only love you to a point - Not completely”…And that mindset will bleed into other aspects of your marriage and ultimately hurt the marital bond…..Love gives it never takes and couples that use contraception “use” each other…Again, they are doing this whether they realize it or not - And again - That bleeds into other areas of their marriage and breaks the bond down over time……My wife and I have been married for thirteen years…We have never used contraception…We currently have five children….And we lost three as a result of miscarriages….My wife gave birth to all five of our children by means of a cesarean birth (or C-section) - For those who do not know what that is, its a surgical procedure used to deliver a baby through incisions made in the mother's abdomen and uterus…….We lost two children after our third child Matteo was born and when my wife got pregnant again, I had to inject her with progesterone to keep our son Gerard alive…And it worked! - Gerard was born….After Gerard, because my wife had low levels of progesterone in her body, we did not think we could have more children (medically speaking)…But God had another plan…Sabryna (my wife) got pregnant again….And the doctors were very concerned because this was going to be her fifth C-Section and because of her age - There were medical risks…The day of the surgery…The hospital and doctors made us sign all kinds of legal documents, removing any financial consequences from the hospital if the surgery went wrong and something happened to my wife and child….And after all that….Little Maria was born - Our fifth child - Born on October 1 - The Feast Day of St Thérèse of Lisieux - The birth of Maria was the easiest of all our children - Ironically!…In my view, a miracle (with a small “m”)…..I write all this because I want to demonstrate that “LOVE” is a choice - Much more then an “emotion”….True love COSTS us!!!!….I am blessed to have a Catholic wife…I love my wife more today then I did on the day of our wedding thirteen years ago - That is no lie!….I love her more now because I have witnessed with my own two eyes how she has sacrificed for our children and for me…..And without Sacramental grace - None of this would have happened….So you tell me?….What does love look like?….Is it simply a “feeling”? - Is it a “pretty picture” posted on social media?……Catholic marriages work! - They work because God is at the center of them…Why? - “Because without me, you can do nothing”………..JMJ

“Love never fails. If there are prophecies, they will be brought to nothing; if tongues, they will cease; if knowledge, it will be brought to nothing. For we know partially and we prophesy partially, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. When I was a child, I used to talk as a child, think as a child, reason as a child; when I became a man, I put aside childish things. At present we see indistinctly, as in a mirror, but then face to face. At present I know partially; then I shall know fully, as I am fully known. So faith, hope, love remain, these three; but the greatest of these is love”

Once again….This is why - The “last will be first and the first will be last”

Today at Holy Mass the Church commemorates Our Lady of Sorrows….Mary understood so much of what the world did not…and she kept what she understood deep within her heart…..A pure heart “sees” what others do not - Imagine what Mary saw as Jesus was agonizing on the cross for three hours!?!……Outside of the fact that Jesus was her son - Mary understood, unlike anyone else, the gravity of the sin of what mankind was doing - Killing the Son of God…..Yet, she trusted - She remained silent - She remained steadfast……How quick we are to “rant” - To feel despair - To lose sight of hope!……Jesus taught the world for three years in his public ministry and in the last three hours of his life - He continued to teach…One of his last gestures was to give the world his Mother...........…”When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son.” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his home”…..As we all know, Jesus entrusted Mary to St John….Just as the first thirty years of Jesus life were not documented - St John lived with Mary for many years following Jesus’ death up to Mary’s Assumption into heaven…..Just imagine what John learned from her?….I believe its because of those “hidden years”, the time John lived with Mary, we today have the Gospel of St John…John was a mystic and I am sure Our Lady contributed to his spiritual growth, forming John into the man he became - His Gospel is very different then Matthew, Mark and Luke - And I attribute that to living with Our Lady (my humble view - not an official Church view)……What can Mary teach us - The answer - Everything!…..Mary was simple, she lived in “the background” of her son….She did not draw attention to herself - She was obedient - Her faith is unfailing…So much of what we “try” to do as Catholics, even the most gifted of us all, is so limited….If we entrust our “work” to Mary - She will magnify it….Why? - Because her son can not refuse her….Think for a moment of the people in history that Mary appeared too…The children of Fatima - St Juan Diego  - St Bernadette…All extremely simple people - People the world did not “look twice” at - These are “Mary’s people”…..If we want to do great things for God - We too must become simple - Do you aspire to be simple? - “Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven”…..Do you think Jesus was “joking” when he made this statement?…..Mary was and is the “greatest in the kingdom of heaven” because of her childlike simplicity…I believe Mary not only raised Jesus for thirty years but she also “formed” St John after Jesus died…She will “form” us too - But only is we remain simple…and authentically humble….True humility is learned by what we endure - By living…By sacrificing…..Are you willing to endure, patiently and in silence?….This is what Mary did and this is why the “last will be first and the first will be last”

“Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his home”

Our culture celebrates NOISE….Our Lady, “mankinds only boast” was just the opposite…Mary lived in silence - Hidden….Have you ever encountered true Marian Spirituality?….Before I was married I spend the majority of Advent each year (for six straight years) in Kolkata India, serving the poor with Mother Teresa’s sisters….Holy Mass began every morning at 6:00am and my alarm bell was the Muslim call to prayer…The Missionaries of Charity’s convent was located near a Muslim quarter in the city….I would always get to Mass early and sit while the sisters finished up morning prayer….The main chapel in Mother House had no pews, all the nuns sat on the floor - In those morning hours I got a “glimpse” of what (I believe) Our Lady must have been like….Silent - Hidden - Prayerful…..The Holy Spirit in that Chapel in the early morning hours was tangible - The very memory of it literally haunts me to this day!!!….One morning I was asked to find Sr Adriana…..The sisters had something for me to do in a village outside the city…At the time Sr Adriana was the second in charge of the entire global order…Coming from America and working in an International Bank - I assumed this nun would look a certain way - The way I perceived people of power and authority to look…When I was introduced to Sr Adriana, all my preconceived ideas about what she would look like were all wrong….Sr Adriana was an Italian nun with outdated glasses from the 1970s…She had a gentle smile and was very understated….This encounter, as well as my early morning visits to the chapel before Mass in Kolkata with Mother Teresa’s sisters gave me a small indication what Our Lady must have been like in life….Understated - Hidden - Silent…..Is this what you see in all the people we consider to be “important” today - In politics - In society - Even in the Church?……Our Lady was not “in the front” - Just the opposite, she “sat in the back” and allowed Jesus to be upfront…….A good priest once told me how to find Jesus…He said….Jesus is very rarely is found in the front pew of the Church - Instead he is often found in the back pew and it is there that he is alone and broken….If you go to him in the back pew - Jesus will take you by the hand and bring you to the front pew….Once again….This is why - The “last will be first and the first will be last”….JMJ

“Blessed are you, O Virgin Mary; without dying you won the Martyr’s crown beneath the Cross of the Lord”

This will keep you humble and this will also make you holy

Today at Holy Mass we hear in the Gospel of John a sentence that is widely repeated…….”For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life”…….This is not statement I would like to focus upon for this reflection…Its the next sentence…”For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him”…In our heart of hearts, do we share this sentiment? - To NOT condemn but to save?…..Everything Jesus did was focused on saving others…..Jesus had every right to condemn, he was without sin - He was PERFECT - yet that was not his aim…It was to save…..Clearly our world is troubled - Clearing its VERY EASY to see the flaws and sins of others….But how do we save them and more importantly - Are we even interested in saving them?…Because if we are NOT - We do not share the heart of Christ……But let’s circle back - How do we “save others”….The answer is - We can not…..The only thing we can do is cooperate with God’s grace and allow God to save ourself….As far as others, the witness of a holy life is attractive…If we draw closer and closer to God each day, the reflection of Christ in our life will “spark” the Holy Spirit with in the soul of those we encounter each day - From that “spark”, its then up to them - To begin the process of conversion - Which is a daily and ongoing process - I know, because I am still being converted….Stay focused on “Our Job”, which is to save our self - Why? - Because that is a “full time job”….And make no mistake….If you make it your top priority, to become holy - Your example will impact those around you….This is why only saints change the world - The rest of us just make “noise”

“We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you, because by your Cross you have redeemed the world”

For seven years before I was married I was the driver for the Missionaries of Charity every Saturday in Manhattan…I learned more in those seven years then I did in all the years of my schooling….I would always marvel at how people, all kinds of people, would be drawn to the sisters….The rich and the poor alike….Why? - Because a holy life attracts others…..The sisters did not “preach” - They did not write books - They did not have a “podcast”…They lived the Gospel - To this day - I have never seen the Catholic faith lived out in a more profound way then the Missionaries of Charity…Another thing the Missionaries of Charity DID NOT do is condemn others….While Mother Teresa’s sisters were unapologetically Catholic, they loved people as they encountered them - And because people could recognize Christ in them, many converted and experienced a change of heart - Many of those people were hardened sinners…I have seen this with my own eyes time and time again…..St Paul in the second reading today from Mass gives us a glimpse into the Missionaries of Charity’s secret….”Christ Jesus, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross”…Authentic humility witnessed attracts others while arrogance and pride repel others…..You do not have to have a PhD to recognize a sincerely humble soul…And this is what the Missionaries of Charity are - If anything else - Humble…And so was Christ - As St Paul articulated for us today…Here is the question - Are we?….True humility does not condemn, it recognizes who we truly are under all the “noise” - Sinners - In need of a Savior….Does any of us really have a right to condemn anyone?….If this is something you grapple with - Here is a suggestion…Go to confession once a month - And try to go to the same priest each time you do….Even if you live a “good” and “upright” life for the world to “see”….That priest knows your sins - He knows who you really are - A fallen person in need of God’s mercy and grace…This will keep you humble and this will also make you holy……..JMJ

“Because of this, God greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father”

Think what grace can do for you - If you allow it too?

Today at Holy Mass we are given good advice about something that plagues us all - Anger…It is very natural to feel spontaneous anger…It simply makes us human…However, to allow anger to ferment - To “feed into it” - To dwell on it….This behavior is the enemy of our soul - It “chases” God away from us….In the first reading today from the Prophet Sirach. - We are given good advice…Do we “hear” it? - Maybe better put - Do we allow the Holy Spirit “into the places” where we allow anger to ferment into our lives?

“Wrath and anger are hateful things, yet the sinner hugs them tight. The vengeful will suffer the LORD’s vengeance, for he remembers their sins in detail. Forgive your neighbor’s injustice; then when you pray, your own sins will be forgiven. Could anyone nourish anger against another and expect healing from the LORD? Could anyone refuse mercy to another like himself, can he seek pardon for his own sins? If one who is but flesh cherishes wrath, who will forgive his sins? Remember your last days, set enmity aside; remember death and decay, and cease from sin! Think of the commandments, hate not your neighbor; remember the Most High’s covenant, and overlook faults”

Not harboring anger does not “fix” others or the situation…It simply gives the situation over to God….That is a healthy practice that only the humble can do….Pride prevents us from doing this because “WE” want to fix it…And frankly, WE can not…We cannot control other people and many things in life are beyond our grasp…Having the ability to recognize those situations and “give them over to God” - Not only is a healthy practice but an effective one……As Catholics, we must know our limits…God is God - WE are not….We can do “everything right” but the devil knows our weaknesses…And anger is one of mine…..If I do not watch it, even “righteous anger” over an injustice can turn into sinful anger….Notice what the Prophet Sirach said…..”your neighbors injustice” and “overlook faults”…Sirach is not saying what we “see” is good…In fact he is calling it out - However, what Sirach is saying is - Remember, WE are sinners too….That justice belongs to the Lord - Not to us…Its very easy to see our neighbors faults - Its much harder to see our own - Even harder than that - To address our own faults - That requires the Holy Spirit and Sacramental grace……All the “outrage” we see on social media….Is God found in it?….God sees the sin of others MUCH clearer then we do…..Let God be God….He will address what needs to be addressed in his way and in His time…In the mean time - Do not allow your anger to cause you to sin……Let it pass and trust all things will be “settled” in relation to God’s law….In God’s way and in God’s time

“I give you a new commandment, says the Lord: love one another as I have loved you”

To forgive is divine…..God is not asking us to not be human - He is asking us to live by His grace…..The idea behind forgiving our neighbor is to “win our neighbor over”…..That is the hidden power of forgiveness….To forgive does not “fix” the problem - or for that matter “fix” our neighbor…What it does do is allow our neighbor “see” himself clearly for a short instant….We do not “see” ourself as God sees us…..That in and of itself is a mercy because if we did “see” our sins as God sees them, we would probably drop dead on the spot , in reaction to just how pure God is….When your neighbor commits an injustice or sins - Say a prayer asking God for them to see themselves as God sees them….This is how people change…Not by ranting like a lunatic….Sadly, that is my method of addressing such matters, more times then I want to admit….So pray for me…….Think for a moment of Our Lady…She stood at the foot of the Cross…Who had more of a right to rant at the injustice of Jesus being crucified then Mary did?…Yet, she remained silent…Like of Our Lord on the Cross, who suffered there for three long hours......Who had more of a right to scream out the injustice of it all!!!!!…..Jesus did nothing wrong!!!!!……Clearly we are NOT Our Lady and Jesus Christ, who were without sin…..But we are able to cooperate with Sacramental grace…..Only grace can give us the ability to “let hurts go” - To see past injustice and sin…Only grace can allow us to forgive the unforgivable…Only grace can do what no man can do…Like defeat death - Our Lord did the impossible - He defeated death!….If Jesus could do that - Think what grace can do for you - If you allow it too?…….JMJ

Jesus said “I am the vine” - Notice, he did not say - “YOU” are the vine

Today at Holy Mass in the Gospel of St Luke we are given some good advice…Build your life on a “foundation of rock”…..Nothing could be more true…Is this what we see in America today? - In our families? - In our corporations?….Short-term thinking always collapses! - ALWAYS…..Nothing is more solid then God and the teachings of the Catholic Church - Yet both are ignored and the consequences are seen and felt…..Are you aware that 55% of all marriages end in divorce? - That includes Catholics by the way…..Are you also aware that if the couple attends Mass on Sunday - That number reduces to 25%…Simply by attending Mass with your spouse….Let’s go deeper - If married couples do not use contraception and practice NFP - The divorce rate is 3%…..These are not dogmatic statistics - But is real time data….So why would you risk not adhering to these facts?….How many Catholic couples use contraception?….Think of these numbers another way…Would you go into a business and invest, say one million dollars, if your success rate was only 45%? - Speaking personally - I would not!…But if I told you that if you go into “this business” and we have a 97% success rate - Which business would you invest in?….Yet, Americans ignore what I just noted - And FULLY bear the brunt of the consequence for ignoring it - So do their children!…..Facts do not change because we do not “like” them…..We are also told something else in the Gospel today….“A good tree does not bear rotten fruit, nor does a rotten tree bear good fruit”….Pay attention, not to what people say - But by what they do - And also what the fruit of their life produces…..Bishops who are holy have packed seminaries - Priest who are holy have long lines at the confessional in their parishes….Married Couples who are holy are full of joy and are open to life…..Single people who are holy attract others to themselves and live to serve their community…..This is the “measure” we should observe - “Nice words” spoken or "posted" on social media do not “cut it”…..How do I know this? - “For every tree is known by its own fruit. For people do not pick figs from thorn-bushes, nor do they gather grapes from brambles. A good person out of the store of goodness in his heart produces good, but an evil person out of a store of evil produces evil; for from the fullness of the heart the mouth speaks”……Pay attention and keep your eyes open!…..And beware of false prophets!

“Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him”

One of the most important statements, in my humble opinion, made by Jesus Christ in the entire New Testament can be found in John 15……”I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower. He takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit, and every one that does he prunes so that it bears more fruit. You are already pruned because of the word that I spoke to you. Remain in me, as I remain in you. Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing”……..If we take this statement to heart - We are GUARANTEED to “bear fruit” in our life…However, that means we do things according to what the Church teaches - Not our “vision” of the Church - But what the Church actually teaches (i.e. What is written down) - It means we are - Are you ready for this? - OBEDIENT! - Now that is a “BAD WORD” these days - OBEDIENT! …..The Catholic Church is a Divine Institution - That means while it is made up of flawed men - What the Catholic Church teaches is PERFECT - What it also means is - NOTHING mankind can “throw at the church” can destroy it….Look at history objectively - How is the Catholic Church still here?…..The Romans killed every Pope for the first (say) 275 years….Regime after regime has tried to destroy her - THEY ALL FAILED…..Now, how does this apply to us?….When we are obedient to what the Church teaches and live under the authority, which only the Church has because Christ himself gave the Church (that includes the Pope) that authority - We will bear fruit that lasts…For all the people who “follow” various Catholic people on Social Media - This should be the measure that guides you, as far as who you listen too and who you “scroll passed” - No need to comment - Just “scroll” passed!…..Why should you “listen” to what I just noted? - ”Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing”….Speaking personally - I AM NOT INTERESTED in your OPINION….The “collective we” has ABSOLUTELY NO AUTHORITY…..I am however going to listen very closely to the Pope - I am also going to pray and discern very carefully about what he says, even if what he says “does not agree with my view”….Why? - BECAUSE HE HAS AUTHORITY - And I do not……Does the “collective we” “get that”?

“How shall I make a return to the LORD for all the good he has done for me? The cup of salvation I will take up, and I will call upon the name of the LORD”

As Catholics when we go to Mass, as we did today, we hear words read to us in the readings that should guide our lives…These are not just “nice words” - They are instructions and in many cases they are commandments…..Today we hear one of those very important messages….That left by ourselves, “we can do nothing”…Do you believe that? - I mean really believe that?….By what I see on Catholic Social Media - I do not “think” many do - Whether they “realize” it or not…I do not comment much on social media but some of the “posts” I read very much contradict the Gospel message today - Again, whether the people who “post” these comments realize it or not…..We have no authority!!!! - Yet these “self appointed prophets” speak like they do….If we are not living and speaking in union with the Pope and the teachings of the Catholic Church - NOTHING YOU DO WILL BEAR FRUIT THAT WILL LAST…..How do I know that? - Because Jesus tells us this today in the Gospel….Do we realize this as we pontificate our personal nonsense for the world to read?….Jesus said “I am the vine” - Notice, he did not say - “YOU” are the vine….JMJ

That is how you tell and that is how you “see”

Today at Holy Mass In St Luke’s Gospel we are told something rather interesting…"Can a blind person guide a blind person?”……People “see” what they want to see…The same thing goes with hearing…Facts mean nothing to a person who is “dug in” to a lifestyle choice…Facing such a “fact” would mean changing, or worse, facing the reality that they made a horrible mistake or choice…And pride will NEVER allow that to happen for far too many…So they deflect, ignore and self rationalize their life away…This is what makes people “blind”….Reality is going on all around them and they live in this self-created lie….As a measure of self preservation…..This is what we see with many woman who are rabid supports of abortion…I would bet all I have that most of those women had abortions themselves…And they cannot admit what they did was wrong…So “their wound” becomes a means of “lashing out” to all those who are pro-life…Now lets look at the over side of this….Now you have the Pro-Life side….Many sadly “lash back out” at these women….Do you actually “think” you are helping the situation?….That your words are going to change the minds of these pro-choice women?…..Or…Are you just “blind” too to their wounds and to what will help them?……This is why what Jesus tells us today is so interesting….What we “see” and what we do not “see” has everything to do with how clean our heart is…And how do we have a clean heart?….By confessing our sins regularly, living Sacramentally, fasting, and daily prayer…..By living this way…We see….Because we see through the lens of God….And this kind of “sight” has NOTHING to do with how smart you are…Or the university degrees on your wall…..It has everything to do with the purity of your heart……Jesus goes on to say in the Gospel today that before we “take offense” with our neighbor, we address our own “issues”….Interesting…Does that mean we ignore issues that need to be addressed in society? - Of course not…But it does mean we do not attack others - Knowing we are ALL flawed and are in need of God’s grace and mercy….”How can you say to your brother, 'Brother, let me remove that splinter in your eye,'when you do not even notice the wooden beam in your own eye? You hypocrite!  Remove the wooden beam from your eye first; then you will see clearly to remove the splinter in your brother's eye”…….When we attack others because of their sins - What is at the root of this attack?….Do we want to help this person who has made a bad choice?…or…Do we want to “feel better” about ourself?….or….Feel superior to this person?…..Jesus walked among sinners - That did not mean he condoned “bad behavior” - He walked among sinner because he had concerns for them….He wanted to help them…Do we?

“Your word, O Lord, is truth; consecrate us in the truth”

By the grace of God go I….Ever think how your life would be if God did not give you the family you had - The education you have - The opportunities allotted to you….You may be shocked at “just how bad” you would have turned out if those things were not given to you! - Notice the word “given”!……How can a person “see”, as he heard in the Gospel today, if they were never shown how to live?…Notice I used the word “shown” - Why - Because people DO NOT CARE what you have to say - They watch what you do!….Trust me - Any person who “puts themselves out there” as a Catholic is “watched” very closely by family, neighbors and friends….Its what you DO that tells these people what you are all about…..So how do we give “sight” to a world that is blind if our words are ignored?….The ONLY way is to live a holy life - Which means we have to life sacrificially….So many people, many of them Catholic, say they “see”…or…They say they want to “see”…But are NOT willing to make the choices so they CAN “see”….And ALL those choices require DEEP sacrifices…..To have a many children and provide for them….To share your wealth with others….To live a chaste life….To live simply….To give of your time to the poor…..To not “cut corners” in business - To live Sacramentally - To not use contraception…..For every one of “these choices” that we refuse to make - This affects what we “see” and what we do not “see”….When Jesus walked this earth, so many did not “see” him for who he was…Jesus to this very day walks among us - Do you "see" him?…He is fully present in the Blessed Sacrament…How do we as Catholics get the world to “see” Christ?…..I got some news for you - ”Posting” on social media is notho we do it……...”Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it”…Are you willing to “lose your life”? - By giving it away to others?……That is the ONLY way we make the world “see”….The witness of a life lived sacrificially stops traffic!…..Our world needs witness - Not social media warriors…..”Can a blind person guide a blind person? - Will not both fall into a pit?"

“The LORD withholds no good thing from those who walk in sincerity”

Today at Mass the theme of “sight” is brought up again by Jesus…This theme trends throughout the New Testament…..Many claim to “see” in this world….But do they?….Jesus tells us in St Luke’s Gospel…..”Strive to enter through the narrow door, for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter but will not be strong enough. After the master of the house has arisen and locked the door, then will you stand outside knocking and saying, ‘Lord, open the door for us.’ He will say to you in reply, ‘I do not know where you are from”…..Only those who “walk the narrow road” can “see” God - Why is this the case?….Because Jesus walked this road - Its the only “road” he knew!…He still walks it to this today….Are we on that “road” with him? - And how do you know that you are on it or not?…..Those who “give their life way” - They are on that “narrow road” - And those who do not - Are NOT…That is how you tell and that is how you “see”….JMJ

Are those just “words” too?

Today at Holy Mass we hear in the gospel of St Luke what it means to really love….Do we know what love is?…”Love is Love” - Right? - WRONG!!!!…For love to be real it must cost us!…..Jesus tells us today to love our enemies…Hmmmmm! - Interesting - Is this what we see in the “mob” on Catholic Social Media?…….or…….Are the words of Christ just that - Words - Meaningless words?!?….St Paul in the first reading adds to this idea in his letter to the Corinthians……”Knowledge inflates with pride, but love builds up. If anyone supposes he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know. But if one loves God, one is known by him"…….Again…Is this what we see on “Catholic” Social Media?….Brothers “building up” Brothers…….The words of Jesus Christ must be taken seriously if we expect the world to take us seriously as Catholics…This requires grace….It does not matter how “smart” you think you are! - Without grace - We fail…What are you doing to acquire this needed grace?…Do you fast weekly? - Do you pray daily?…..How about going to frequent confession, which holds us accountable when we fail? - It also gives us grace to overcome our weaknesses……Grace is not self manufactured and your “degrees on the wall” mean very little when it comes to living the Gospel…And its in the living out of the Gospel that we are measured in the end…..“To you who hear I say, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. To the person who strikes you on one cheek, offer the other one as well, and from the person who takes your cloak, do not withhold even your tunic. Give to everyone who asks of you, and from the one who takes what is yours do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you. For if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you?”……The “idea” here is that we “win over” our enemy…Not “get the last word in” on a social media thread…or…Win some meaningless debate, which makes us “feel” superior….Jesus does not tell us things in the Gospel to “hear himself talk”!…..How about us?…..Do we “post” on Social Media to hear ourselves talk?…..or……Do we us social media as a means to communicate the Gospel? - As it was written - Not our “version” of it……As Mother Teresa would tell her sisters…”I take Jesus at his word”…..Speaking personally - So do I….I am sure you do as well….This is why we need grace…What are you doing each day to acquire this needed grace?

“Stop judging and you will not be judged. Stop condemning and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven. Give and gifts will be given to you; a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing, will be poured into your lap. For the measure with which you measure will in return be measured out to you.”

Many of the “asks” of the Gospel are impossible if left to our nature gifts and abilities - “The Spirit is willing but the flesh is weak”…Loving our enemies is one of those “asks”….Without Sacramental grace - THERE IS NO WAY that is going to happen!!!….There are many aspects of the Gospel that are like this...This is why everything we do as Catholics (what I call the daily “blocking and tackling”) must be to “tend to the soil” of our soul, building up of our interior life, making room for God to give us this needed grace......Stop trying to “self manufacture” what cannot be manufactured!…..Many “high achieving people” forget this…They rely on their nature gifts and abilities way too much….God can use the simplest of people and many times that is exactly who he uses - Why? - Because humble people are convinced of they are “nothing” without God…..And when we are “empty of self” - God then fills us with Himself…This is the only way we can love our enemies - If we are “full of ourself” - THAT IS NOT GOING TO HAPPEN……Years ago I was laid off from my job at Morgan Stanley….I worked four out of the seven years at Morgan Stanley for my boss Larry - I thought we were good friends…The day I got laid off…Larry did not show up for work - Interesting?!?…And when they laid me off abruptly, he never even reached out to me at home….I was deeply bothered by that…Years later…I was working at another Investment Bank and I heard Larry got laid off…And believe it or not, he reached out to me asking for help to get him a job at my current employer…A part of me wanted to “laugh in his face” and tell him “tough luck”….But instead I saw this an an opportunity to show Larry what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ…So I went out of my way to help him get a job at my bank…Larry did not get the job but he was extremely grateful for all my efforts….And our friendship was restored as a result……”Do to others as you would have them do to you. For if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do the same”…..Words matter - Especially Jesus’ words - Do we take them seriously?..And if we do, the only way we can “live those words out” is by God’s grace…Because “without me, you can do nothing” - Right?!?….Are those just “words” too?……..JMJ

“Rather, love your enemies and do good to them, and lend expecting nothing back; then your reward will be great and you will be children of the Most High, for he himself is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. Be merciful, just as also your Father is merciful”

So how are you doing?

Today at Holy Mass Jesus in the Gospel of St Luke provides us with the measure by which we can evaluate if we are an true follower of the Gospel…The Beatitudes……This is the “Blue Print” to heaven…How do you “measure up”?…..“Blessed are you who are poor, for the Kingdom of God is yours. Blessed are you who are now hungry, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who are now weeping, for you will laugh. Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude and insult you, and denounce your name as evil on account of the Son of Man”…..Jesus then goes on to tell us what it means to fail in our duties to God and neighbor…”But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. But woe to you who are filled now, for you will be hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you will grieve and weep. Woe to you when all speak well of you, for their ancestors treated the false  prophets in this way”…….How many of us view “success” in these terms!?!…..We must choose what “kingdom” we live for - The Kingdom of this earth is diametrically opposed to the Kingdom of heaven…..And there is no sitting on the fence!…..”Polite society” crucified Jesus Christ and we look to “political society” for approval? - WHY?…..As Catholics “our job” is to live in the world but not be of the world….God did not come down from heaven to “accommodate” people…Jesus walked among us to show us a better way - And “the crowd” killed him because they were not “willing to go there” - How about you? - Are you willing to “go there”?….Have people of today changed since the days of Jesus Christ?…What do you think that means for us? - That somehow we can have an easy life and still have God…and get to heaven?….Does not work that way!…..The life of an authentic follower of Jesus Christ is a life of sacrifice…Beware of those who do not live sacrificially - Who do not share - Who have an easy life…..The road to heaven is narrow and the Beatitudes tell us how to walk that road…So how are you doing?

“Rejoice and leap for joy on that day! Behold, your reward will be great in heaven. For their ancestors treated the prophets in the same way”

Is money evil?…..The short answer is no….But if you have been blessed by God to have it - Do you share?….That is what makes money evil - When we have it and do not share it…..If you ever want to see what a person cares the most about - Look at his checkbook…Does he spend his money on himself?…or…Does he spend his money on others?…..If we take the time to read the Social Doctrine of the Catholic Church, many American Catholics just might be shocked…..If you want to do some “homework”…Read Rerum Novarum or Caritas in Veritate…Again, these documents may shock you too…..In my life before I was married, I have traveled extensively throughout the “third world”…I have been to Haiti, Vietnam, Cambodia, South Africa, Paraguay, Brazil, Colombia and India…There are more…You get the point!…I have seen how the majority of the world lives…..Do you somehow think God does not love these people?…..That we in America, who have been blessed, “somehow” are exempt from helping?…..No one ever became poor by sharing….The way I “see it”….As a father of five children…It is my job to provide for my children - Not necessarily giving them what they WANT but providing what they NEED…I must educate them, provide a roof over their head and clothes on their back, feed them….But if I then have extra money, it is my DUTY to help others…Catholics should be detached from material wealth and live simply - Is this what you see? - I ask that because the world is watching?!!?……..And if you do not see it that way…WOE TO YOU!…..Again, do some reading….The Church is very clear in what it teaches about how we are to be good stewards of our wealth….And if you see other Catholics not doing what they are supposed too…Even if those Catholics are among the clergy…THAT IS NOT AN EXCUSE…..WORRY ABOUT YOURSELF….”The last will be first and the first will be last”

“Rejoice and leap for joy! Your reward will be great in heaven”

Today we heard at Mass Jesus teach us abut the Beatitudes…Whenever I hear this Gospel - I always think to myself - How am I doing?….The one Beatitude I have the most trouble with is…”Blessed are the meek”…I am not meek sadly - I have a big loud mouth!…And that needs to change!!!!! - St Joseph (the saint I was named after) did not say one word throughout the entire Bible and he is arguably the Church’s greatest saint…..I need grace and beg God for that grace - So pray for me!….The life of a Catholic must be a life of contradiction…..And if your life is “like everyone else” - Stop and think long and hard….Those who have been given much - Much will be expected……And as Baptized Catholics, we have been given the Fullness of Truth - That means we have “full knowledge” as to what is right and wrong……”But if that servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed in coming,’ and begins to beat the menservants and the maidservants, to eat and drink and get drunk, then that servant’s master will come on an unexpected day and at an unknown hour and will punish him severely and assign him a place with the unfaithful. That servant who knew his master’s will but did not make preparations nor act in accord with his will shall be beaten severely; and the servant who was ignorant of his master’s will but acted in a way deserving of a severe beating shall be beaten only lightly. Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more”……So how are you doing?…..JMJ

God is not found in noise and “all that glitters is not gold”

Today the Universal Church commemorates the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary…..This moment in time marks the beginning, in many ways, of God’s plan to save mankind….Mary was born without the smallest hint of original sin….Her heart mirrors PERFECTLY the heart of her son…..And Mary’s fiat - Her YES - To give birth to Jesus Christ echoes to this vey day……As the world was blinded by material pursuits, God choose a simple girl, someone no one even looked twice at, to be the Mother of God…..This all happened in plain sight of the rich and powerful - And they did not even think to look twice at Mary - They still don’t….Yet God through this common girl brought his son into the world…..In many ways this is how the Kingdom of heaven “operates”…It operates quietly, in plain sight, but sadly not noticed by most….The Kingdom of God does not shout - It does not have too…In the first reading today at Mass, the Prophet Micah, who pre-dates the birth of Mary tells us….”You, Bethlehem-Ephrathah, too small to be among the clans of Judah, From you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel; Whose origin is from of old, from ancient times. (Therefore the Lord will give them up, until the time when she who is to give birth has borne, And the rest of his brethren shall return to the children of Israel.) He shall stand firm and shepherd his flock by the strength of the LORD, in the majestic name of the LORD, his God; And they shall remain, for now his greatness shall reach to the ends of the earth; he shall be peace”……Our world today is “searching” for God…Consciously or unconsciously - But searching none the less…..God is not found in the “shouts” - Or in the “noise” of we all surround ourselves with….God is found in the small and in the simple….In the women in the last pew of a church at Daily Mass….In the smile of a child…..In the family enjoying a Sunday afternoon in the park….We are looking for God in the wrong places!…..God choose Mary and for the most part - No one noticed….To this day, nothing has changed…..If we are to find God, we must make time for silence…To listen to the ever-small voice in our hearts….Its there we find Him….And if we want to keep Him - We must follow a “different path” from those who embrace “the noise”…..To this very day, Jesus comes to us under the guise of simple bread…He is very vulnerable in that humble state - Yet he comes to us anyway….This happens in plan sight and “the world” still does not notice….As the plan of salvation progresses forward!…..The purity of our heart determines what we “see” and don’t “see”…..Intellectually knowing something and seeing something are two very different things!

“Blessed are you, holy Virgin Mary, deserving of all praise; from you rose the sun of justice, Christ our God”

For those who work in “Corporate America”, we know how the powerful of this world “operate”….Only those with the “best” resumes get hired…”Money moves the dial” - And the “big show” of material wealth is the measure of a person's value…God however “operates” completely in a different way!….God choose Mary and Joseph to raise the Son of God…..They were “nobodies” in the eyes of the world!…Yet this is who God chose…All this happened in plain sight and for the most part - No one noticed!……Years ago I used to get my shirts for work dry cleaned professionally….On Saturday I would drop off and pick up my shirts…..In the window of the dry cleaner I would always see this Hispanic woman working quietly…She probably took the bus into town because clearly she could not afford to live where the dry cleaner was located…This is the woman who did all the work and no one gave her a second look!….Sometimes when I saw this woman, who clearly was very poor I would think to myself of Mary….Our Lady too was invisible - She was always in the “background”…Yet Mary - This ”invisible woman” changed the world with her YES!!!!….Do we “notice” those who society disregards?….Do we evaluate people based upon the standards of the materialistic world?……Mary and Joseph as the world frantically “raged” - Very quietly raised the Son of God!….”The Word became Flesh and dwelt among us” - And again - No one noticed….To this very day, Jesus Christ is not found and WILL NOT be found in NOISE…..If you ever go into a chapel where the Blessed Sacrament is exposed…Something my wife and I do regularly, you will find that many of the people who are sitting in that chapel too are “nobodies”….People the world could “care less about”….But these are “God’s people”…And these are the people God works through - Quietly

"Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her. She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins"

Today the world rages on!……People will “chase after money”…..Argue over non-sense!…Concern themselves with superficial ideologies that will amount to nothing!….As all this happens, the Catholic Church commemorates the birthday of the most significant woman who ever was born - And most people have no clue!…..How ironic……”Go out and stand on the mountain before the LORD; the LORD will pass by. There was a strong and violent wind rending the mountains and crushing rocks before the LORD—but the LORD was not in the wind; after the wind, an earthquake—but the LORD was not in the earthquake; after the earthquake, fire—but the LORD was not in the fire; after the fire, a light silent sound”……God stands before us to this very day - We find Him in the Blessed Sacrament - But if our hearts are not clean - We will not see him there….How many people take for granted the gift of the Blessed Sacrament? - How many people walk by a Catholic Church in big cites all over the world and do not even give the Church a “second glance”?…..Years ago, I was helping two nuns set up for a Holy Hour in a Church in New York City…..When the Blessed Sacrament was exposed on the altar and the doors of the Church were opened….I looked at all the people walk by on the street - Only three of us were in the Church - me and the two nuns…I thought to myself….The Savior of the world is in this Church and all these people are “blind” to Him - They could care less!…..So it was on the day Mary was born - And so it is to this day….”Blessed are the pure of heart for they shall see God”…..God is not found in noise and “all that glitters is not gold”…….JMJ

Worry about yourself! - That is a “full time job”

Today at Holy Mass in the Gospel of St Luke we hear about how the “scribes and the Pharisees watched him closely”…..Jesus taught before their eyes and clearly, at the minimum, they understood what this man said and did “cut people to the heart”…That did not matter!….They wanted to trap him!…..Do we give people “credit when credit is due” them?……..Social Media is filled with “short clips”….That includes Catholics Social Media…Many make a “living” out of “tearing down” Bishops and the Pope…”Sound bites” are extracted, without giving any context and agendas are broadcasted to the world….Why do we want to teardown?……The answer can only be found in our own hearts - Search for the answer - WHY!?!….Today in the Gospel Jesus knew he was being “watched”…He knew that if he helped this poor man on the Sabbath, that he would be criticized….And he helped him anyway!….Think for a moment of our Pope…He is no “dummy”…He knows that every single word he says is going to be dissected all over the world…Yet, he still gives of himself to the press and the throngs of people who hang on his every word…Speaking personally, I would not be as gracious!……Maybe that is why I am not the Pope!…..Upon reflection on the Gospel reading today - I thought to myself - Do I do what the scribes and the Pharisees do?….Do I “watch people closely” on social media - Looking for them to “slip up”?….And if they do - Do I pray for them? - Or - Do I criticize them? - Or, worse yet - Do I criticize them for money!…..We are all apart of the Body of Christ and if one of our members sins, this affects the entire body….How can we help each other?…First off, by not “jumping on top of the pile” in the social media “scrum” - By attacking others…Secondly, when we see this behavior - Do we pray for those who do “pile on”? - They may "think" they are “doing good” - May the Lord “open their eyes”!….Because healthy people do not behave in this manner…Listen, I am far from perfect - “I get it” - But to obsess about the sins of others 24/7…Something is wrong there - Look deep within your heart and address what is wrong - Take it to Jesus Sacramentally…..In this Gospel story today…Are we like Jesus? - Who helps a man, even when he knows he is going to be attacked?…Or…Are we like the scribes and the Pharisees, who find fault because Jesus did not do his “good deed” the way they wanted him too?……As I tell my children when they fight with one another and then tell me “who did what” and who should be blamed and who should get in trouble….I tell them this - Worry about yourself! - That is a “full time job”!

“My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord; I know them, and they follow me”

I go to confession two times a month….There is a parish behind my office in Manhattan where I attend daily Mass and they offer confession three days a week during my lunch hour - Thanks be to God!…One of the sins I find myself confessing over and over again is the sin of the Pharisees….I find myself saying this phrase, both with my words but also in my heart very often…”Those People!”….I think to myself….”Those people are so stupid”…Or….”Those people need to stay away from me”…..What I am actually doing when I say that, whether I admit it or not is…”I am better then “those people”….And that my friends is a sin!….And that is why I confess this over and over again - Asking God to heal me……Before I enter the confessional and I examine my conscience…This passage from scripture often comes to my mind……”He then addressed this parable to those who were convinced of their own righteousness and despised everyone else. “Two people went up to the temple area to pray; one was a Pharisee and the other was a tax collector. The Pharisee took up his position and spoke this prayer to himself, ‘O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity—greedy, dishonest, adulterous—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week, and I pay tithes on my whole income.’ But the tax collector stood off at a distance and would not even raise his eyes to heaven but beat his breast and prayed, ‘O God, be merciful to me a sinner. ’I tell you, the latter went home justified, not the former; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted”…….Once I am finished with confession and the Priest absolves me, I realize I owe others the same mercy as I was just given…But sadly I fall back into the same “trap”…Over and over again…So I ask all those who read this reflection to pray for me!…..Intellectual, I know all the good we do is the result of God’s grace…Everything is a grace!….But being Catholic is not an “intellectual pursuit” - Its a way of life - Its an encounter with a person - Jesus Christ!…..”Knowing something” and “doing something” are two very different things - This is why we need to ask God for grace….And we get that grace by living Sacramentally, praying daily and fasting weekly……A little bit of mercy goes a long way….So….. “Be merciful just as your heaven Father is merciful”

“Your boasting is not appropriate. Do you not know that a little yeast leavens all the dough? Clear out the old yeast, so that you may become a fresh batch of dough, inasmuch as you are unleavened”

Today in Luke’s Gospel from Mass we see another example of Jesus doing something good and the scribes and the Pharisees unfairly criticizing him…People love to criticize others…I do it to sadly - I too am in great need of God’s grace and mercy - So pray for me!…But do you ever notice?…That we mostly criticize people who “do not have their act together”….This makes us “feel good” about ourself - RIGHT?!?….Or…We we do this to “validate” OUR self - OUR agenda….Makes us “feel good” - RIGHT!?!…..This is an illness!!!! - And I speak for myself - I needed to be cured - Do you?…..God sees everything!!! - He knows how we “operate”….Ask God to help you see yourself as He sees you….No one is perfect!….Once again….I am the father of five children under twelve years old…..When they fight with one another and then tell me “who did what” and who should be blamed and who should get in trouble….I tell them this - Worry about yourself! - That is a “full time job”!……….JMJ