“Do not be afraid. You are worth more than many sparrows”

Today at Holy Mass we hear in the Gospel of St Luke sobering words from Jesus….He warns us…Then he encourages us….”I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body but after that can do no more. I shall show you whom to fear. Be afraid of the one who after killing has the power to cast into Gehenna; yes, I tell you, be afraid of that one. Are not five sparrows sold for two small coins? Yet not one of them has escaped the notice of God. Even the hairs of your head have all been counted. Do not be afraid. You are worth more than many sparrows”….Fear is arguably the devil’s greatest tool…It limits us from becoming the person we all were called to be….The devil knows this, so he “plays his best card” - And he “plays it” well…..Most of the thoughts that cross our mind, the thoughts that scare us - never happen!!!!…..This is why we as Catholics should do our best to live in the present moment….And also abandon ourselves to Divine Providence…..Easy words to say - Right?!?…..As a married man, my wife and I are open to life…God has blessed us with five children - We have never used contraception in our marriage and have done our very best to honor our marriage vow to be “fruitful”…..When a married couple is open to life - Trusting in Divine Providence becomes very real….Such a couple feels the lack of control they have over their marriage and children when we live this way - And that is a blessing!!!! - Jesus “meets” us in “that space”!….How will I afford to take care of these children? - How will I educate them? - What if I lose my job?….We have no answers for those question and must leave them to God…And when we give God “that control” - God gives us grace, which leads to peace….Again, the devil does not want us to have this peace…Most especially have God’s grace - So he bombards us with fear!…..Each day at Mass we hear in the words of Scripture read very important life giving instructions - Do we listen? - I mean really listen?….Do the words of Christ go in “one ear and out the other”?…I ask these questions because Jesus did not say things to “hear himself talk” - He is instructing us how to live…Being Catholic is not some “academic pursuit”…Its an encounter with a living person - Its a way of life…And that person is Jesus Christ - Who is real!…Who said many very important things - Practical things, which anyone can understand…The question then becomes - Do we believe him?…And if we say we do - How do we “put flesh” around those ideas put forth by Christ in the Gospel?…Because in the end when we stand before God - We will not be asked - What did you believe? - We will be asked - What did you do?…There is a big difference between those two concepts….No matter who you are - We have been given everything we need to live as Christ called us to live - To conquer our fear - To become a saint - You heard me right - A saint!…We were all called to become saints…. So - “Do not be afraid. You are worth more than many sparrows”….Strive to live as you were called to be….Faith over Fear!

“May your kindness, LORD, be upon us; who have put our hope in you”

Faith over Fear…..Easy to say right?….But how do we develop that kind of faith….Its easy - We pray - We fast - We live Sacramentally….And slowly - Our faith grows……”And the apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith.” The Lord replied, “If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you would say to [this] mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you”…We hear these words read to us at Mass - But do we really believe them?…Are they just words?…..The saints take Jesus at his word - We must learn to do the same………My wife gave birth to five children…All of which were born through what is called in common medical parlance C-Sections (Cesarean section -  is a major surgical procedure used to deliver one or more babies through incisions made in the mother's abdomen and uterus.)….My wife suffered from a medical condition where she had low progesterone levels and as a result - In addition to the five children she gave birth too via C-Sections, because of that condition, we lost three additional children to miscarriages….Throughout it all - My wife endured!!!!…I would go into the operating room with my wife for each of the children who were born….And if I were to be objective and honest, my wife seemed to me to be fearless!!! - Expect when the anesthesiologist had to inject her with a needle through her back, into her spinal column, before the operation began to extract the children from her abdomen and uterus - My wife Sabryna was terrified of that needle!!!!…Yet, she trusted God - We continued to be open to life and are still open to life!!! - And as a result - God gave us five beautiful children…..Faith over Fear!!!!….The devil will “throw” everything at you! - Everything!!!….We must live our life grounded in God….Firmly plated in our Catholic faith!…There is no better place to be - No safer place to be….How do I know this? - Because Jesus said so!……“Do not be afraid. You are worth more than many sparrows”……JMJ