Dare to be uncomfortable!

Today at Holy Mass in the Gospel Jesus tells us that if we are faithful to the Truth - If we proclaim it in the public square….If we live it and do not “hedge our bets”….We will be persecuted…Notice the wordsJesus uses…”WHEN” not “if” - “WHEN”……”When they take you before synagogues and before rulers and authorities, do not worry about how or what your defense will be or about what you are to say. For the Holy Spirit will teach you at that moment what you should say”….It is a very human desire to want to be comfortable - To get along with people - To "go along" - We all want this!…We are groomed in America at an early age to succeed in life!…To “get a good job”…To make money….Even in our Catholic schools - This is drilled into our heads!!!!…..The reality is - While we do need to make money to take care of our families - That is NOT what we were created for!….And here is some more reality - Coming from a guy who did “tick” a lot of those "American boxes" and works in Corporate America in finance….To make big money - To get the “big title” - To “succeed”…One MUST “play the game” - Meaning, one MUST “give way” a piece of themselves to the “corporate machine”…..Years ago when I was studying for my Masters in Business (MBA), I was working in consulting and the founder of the company that employed me said something I will never forget - “Success is a choice”…And it is…While one must be smart to succeed - One also has to make certain “choices” that may result in you losing your soul….That is reality!…Why bring all this up?….Jesus warns us today in the Gospel - If we choose to go against the powers of this world..By living a certain way - By speaking a certain way - By embracing the Fullness of our Catholic faith in the Public Square…And by doing so, we threaten the “powers” of this world in a significant way….They are coming for YOU! - That is reality!….Again - Look at the word Jesus chose in St Luke’s Gospel…”WHEN” not “if”…..”WHEN they take you before synagogues and before rulers and authorities”…..Are you ok with that? - Because this is reality!….Far too many Catholics, many of them I went to college with at a Jesuit College, want to have it both ways…We want to have “worldly success” - Have the “big job” - Make the “big money”….And still be a devout Catholic….I can speak for myself after working three decades in Corporate Banking - That is a tough thing to “pull off”….Love of money and the love of God DO NOT MIX - That means we have to make a choice!…..Do we reign in heaven or do we reign here on earth?…And if we choose to “stand up against the powers of this world” in real and significant ways - “THE MAN” is coming for YOU - That is a historical reality…..”Jesus said to his disciples:  “I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before others the Son of Man will acknowledge before the angels of God.But whoever denies me before others will be denied before the angels of God”……Comfort is the enemy of the saints - In many ways its the “ticket” to hell….If you are Catholic - Get used to be uncomfortable!….And your reward in heaven will be great….We cannot have it both ways

“The Spirit of truth will testify to me, says the Lord, and you also will testify”

As Catholics we know many of the stories of the saints - They lived radically and spoke the Truth - Many of them - Only to be killed….And after the fact - Everyone celebrates their life…But how about if you were alive when they were doing what they were doing…Would you be vocal in your support of these men and women? - Putting yourself at risk?…..Its ironic how we love to read about these men and women but want to keep a “safe distance” from them, if we encounter such a person in real life - Whether at work - In our neighborhood - In our schools……..Are you willing to say the uncomfortable thing?…Are you willing to live and go against the tide of society? - And suffer for it?!?….This my friends is the path to heaven…….Many people today look to “celebrity priests”…Now, I am not judging their soul…But if “the world” embraces such a man - How can he possibly by speaking the Gospel?…How can I say that with such certainty? - Because the world HATES the Gospel - Always has and Always will…The great martyr and saint from El Salvador, Oscar Romero said it best……..“The church must suffer for speaking the truth, for pointing out sin, for uprooting sin. No one wants to have a sore spot touched, and therefore a society with so many sores twitches when someone has the courage to touch it and say: “You have to treat that. You have to get rid of that. Believe in Christ. Be converted.”…..And Bishops, Priests and Lay Catholics, who do this as St Oscar Romero rightfully pointed out, are for the most part despised by society!…….That is reality!…..More times then not - Good Bishops, Good Priests and solid Lay Catholics are relegated to “the corner” - Not because they are “bad” - But because they live and speak the Truth…And the Truth makes people uncomfortable!…….As Catholics, the way I see it…We have one task…And the the Servant of God, Fr John Hardon SJ tells us what that task is…..We are to - Know the Truth - Speak the Truth - Live the Truth - And when necessary - Suffer for the Truth…Its the last part that separates the “sheep” from the “goats”…Because people like “their stuff” - Especially Americans!…They want to be “comfortable”…..Dare to be uncomfortable!….When we stand before God, he will not ask us to show him our “awards” and college degrees…My bet is - He was ask us to show him our wounds - And our scars….And when we do show him - They will be healed…In the mean time, while we still have breath in our lungs….Dare to be uncomfortable!…..JMJ

“May the eyes of your hearts be enlightened, that you may know what is the hope that belongs to his call, what are the riches of glory in his inheritance among the holy ones, and what is the surpassing greatness of his power for us who believe, in accord with the exercise of his great might, which he worked in Christ, raising him from the dead and seating him at his right hand in the heavens, far above every principality, authority, power, and dominion, and every name that is named
not only in this age but also in the one to come”