Do not get distracted!

Today at Holy Mass in the first reading we hear from St Paul’s mouth how he changed from a man who was convinced that he must persecute Christians to a man on fire for Christ and the Catholic faith…..”And I was unknown personally to the churches of Judea that are in Christ; they only kept hearing that “the one who once was persecuting us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.” So they glorified God because of me”……What made Paul change? - Well, as we all know God radically reached a hand to Paul as he traveled to Damascus and he “fell off his horse” - This is the important part! - So pay attention! - Then Paul RESPONDED to God - HE RESPONDED!!…Does God not do the same to us?…..Every single person on this earth was made by God for a greater purpose! - Not one person is excluded….And instead, most people get distracted from that purpose - That is what the devil does - He distracts us from our purpose and he does this masterfully!…..The difference between St Paul and most of the people in the world is - St Paul did not get distracted - And nor should we - But how? - How do we not get distracted!?! - Because frankly the “best of us do” - Don’t think because you have university degrees - A high paying job - And “brains in your head” that the devil cannot distract YOU - Because if I were honest - “That group” of people are the easiest to get distracted!…..So how do we stay focused and not get distracted? - Live Sacramentally - Its not rocket science!!…Pray the Rosary daily - Its not rocket science!!…..Grace perfects human nature and when we live by grace - We “see” the world clearly - AS IT IS!…But we are also given fortitude - The human will is easily weakened - We get distracted!….Grace fortifies the human will…Our problem - Most especially people who are "high achieving" and have a lot of “stuff” - We are way too confident in our own abilities - This mindset MUST be discarded - No matter who you are or what gifts you possess…When we are too over confident in our own abilities - The devil KNOWS and he has us right where he wants us!….We must look to God as a helpless child….In need of everything! - And when we do this - God will sustain us and in turn we will not get distracted…God will show us our purpose and give us the grace to fulfill it…This is how we become saints…And each and every person was born to become a saint…This “luxury” is not just for people like St Paul……The great French novelist Leon Bloy famously said……“The only real sadness, the only real failure, the only great tragedy in life, is not to become a saint”…..Each of us were born for this…Do not miss the opportunity….And do not get distracted!

“Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her.”

Recently the American Catholic Church celebrated the Beatification of Fulton Sheen…Fulton Sheen was born with amazing gifts - He was brilliant - A great communicator - A Bishop of the Catholic Church…But frankly there are many people who are equally as gifted - What set Fulton Sheen apart? - The answer was - He was a man of deep prayer - Again - Its not Rocket Science!!…Each morning, Fulton Sheen would sit for one hour before the Blessed Sacrament….Sheen called this his “Hour of Power”…..And as the saying goes…”We know them by their fruits”…..If this worked for Sheen - Why would it not work for us?….Being a married man with five children - It would be very hard to spend one hour each day before the Blessed sacrament…My wife and I have take care of our home, work and care for our children…But on the weekend….We do spend an hour in Eucharist Adoration….My wife and I go 30 minutes both on Saturday and Sunday - We make the time!…..Why? - Because it’s important!……..A reporter once asked Mother Teresa what was her secret - She responded very simply - “I pray”……Many years ago a friend of mine from New York asked me to deliver a few things to one of the original sisters of the Missionaries of Charity, who was now living in Kolkata - Sister Ancy was one of the first 50 nuns to join the order and she knew Mother Teresa personally…When I met Sister Ancy in 2009, she was the Superior General of the Contemplative wing of the Missionaries of Charity….Sister Ancy had seen a lot in her many years in religious life and speaking with her was a privilege in my ways as I see it…When I met her she told me something I will never forget….”Joe - Prayer is the answer to EVERYTHING”…..To the secular mind - That statement is utterly ridiculous!…But I have found that Sister Ancy was RIGHT…She understood what Fulton Sheen understood….Siting before the Blessed Sacrament is in deed an “HOUR OF POWER”….Prayerful people do not get distracted and prayerful people ultimately fulfill God’s purpose - They get transformed in time - They become saints…Maybe not canonized saints - But saints none the less…..Do not get distracted!…..JMJ

O LORD, you have probed me and you know me; you know when I sit and when I stand; you understand my thoughts from afar. My journeys and my rest you scrutinize, with all my ways you are familiar.
R. Guide me, Lord, along the everlasting way.
Truly you have formed my inmost being; you knit me in my mother’s womb. I give you thanks that I am fearfully, wonderfully made; wonderful are your works.
R. Guide me, Lord, along the everlasting way.
My soul also you knew full well; nor was my frame unknown to you When I was made in secret, when I was fashioned in the depths of the earth.
R. Guide me, Lord, along the everlasting way.