Today at Holy Mass we hear in the Gospel of St Luke that the people of Jesus time thought what he was saying came from the devil….Interesting?!? - And people were convinced of this!!!!….Has anything changed today?….Is America even interested in the Truth?….Even within the pews of many Catholic Parishes….What happens if a Priests speaks about abortion? - The dangers of contraception - How contraception leads to abortion?…What happens if a Priest talks about Sacramental Marriage - The only marriage that God recognizes?….What happens if a Priest takes about sharing our wealth with the poor in accordance with Catholic Social Teaching?…..I will tell you what happens - People write letters to the Bishop and walk out of Mass!!!….And that is in the Catholic Church - Never mind in the Public Square…Jesus tells us today - He warns us…“Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid waste and house will fall against house. And if Satan is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that it is by Beelzebul that I drive out demons. If I, then, drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your own people drive them out? Therefore they will be your judges. But if it is by the finger of God that I drive out demons, then the Kingdom of God has come upon you. When a strong man fully armed guards his palace, his possessions are safe. But when one stronger than he attacks and overcomes him, he takes away the armor on which he relied and distributes the spoils. Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters”…….As Catholics - This goes for ALL Catholics - Bishops - Priests - Lay Catholics…We must speak the Truth in season and out of season - Be damned the consequences!!!!!!….As the saying goes in New Jersey.......”Let the chips fall where they may”…..We must put our faith in God and live for an “audience of ONE”……Pope Benedict XVI identified this problem in the culture and wrote the following…..“The world offers you comfort. But you were not made for comfort. You were made for greatness”…Stop trying to “get an invitation to the party”…..Be a voice of ONE, if you have too, but be that voice!!!….The only fear we must have, when it comes to speaking the Truth is the fear of God - If we do not speak it!……Jesus spoke the Truth and people thought he was demonic - Imagine that?!?…..What happens today when you tell your neighbor that you do not acknowledge same sex marriage as valid?….or…When you tell your “work friends” that there are only two genders - Male and Female - That transgenderism is a psychological disorder - What happens?….Do they think you too are demonic?….If they do - Blessed are you!
“The prince of this world will now be cast out, and when I am lifted up from the earth I will draw all to myself, says the Lord”
Catholic means universal - That means EVERYONE IS WELCOME to the Catholic Church…Anyone can attend Mass - You do not even have to believe in God to attend Mass…The same goes for Eucharistic Adoration - Anyone can sit before the Eucharistic Lord…In fact - I highly recommend such a practice for secular people and non-practicing Catholics….All that being said…That the doors of the Church are open and ALL are welcome! - However - WE CANNOT CONSUME THE BLESSED SACRAMENT IF WE ARE NOT IN THE STATE OF GRACE….This point will never change and NO ONE can change it….It is an eternal and a perpetual teaching of the Catholic Church, which is not only biblical but it is also in the Catechism….Why?….Its not about “earning” the Eucharist, as if we are worth…Its about KNOWING who we stand before - GOD - And because it is GOD and GOD is perfectly pure - We must make ourselves presentable by confessing our mortal sins before we consume him Body: Blood; Soul and Divinity…..When I would volunteer with the Missionaries of Charity in Manhattan before I was married, many of the men they cared for who had AIDS would attend morning Mass - Many of those men were not even Catholic - And if they were not Catholic or were Catholic and did not go to confession…They would not receive the Blessed Sacrament….If these men accept this teaching - Then what is the problem?….The problem is not with the Church - Or the teaching - The problem is within our own hearts!…And if we believe this unchangeable teaching of the Church and are afraid to teach it - Or worse proclaim it at Mass when YOU KNOW that secular people are in attendance at a Mass - Say at an American Wedding or a Funeral Mass….Do you “think” you are doing anyone any favors?……Do you “think” you are being “merciful”?…..Jesus suffered and died because he spoke the Truth…Not a Half-Truth - But the whole Truth!!!…..And today - If we embrace the Truth - We too will be persecuted - In some cases hated - Accept that reality because it is reality!….So be it!!!!…Return love for hate - Be consistent - And be not afraid…Speak the Truth in season and out of season…When I got married I told my wife…”I did not get married to go to hell”…What did I mean by that strong statement?…..As a married Catholic we are called to be “open to life” - That means we CANNOT use contraception - That means we must accept all the sacrifices that go along with having many children…..I will say it again…..”I did not get married to go to hell”…..And true to our wedding vows…My wife and I have ALWAYS been open to life and NEVER have used contraception - Praise God!…..Some claim today to be against abortion - But use contraception….That is a contradiction!!!….Some say they are against abortion and are for the death penalty - That is a contradiction!!!…..Some claim to be against abortion and do not care for the elderly…..That is a contradiction!!!
“Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid waste and house will fall against house. And if Satan is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that it is by Beelzebul that I drive out demons. If I, then, drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your own people drive them out?
JMJ
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