It’s not about what you say - It what you do that counts!

Today at Holy Mass in the Gospel of St Luke Jesus tells us point blank - Are we listening?…..Its not what you “believe” that matters….Its not what you read that matters…Its not what you know that matters - Its WHAT YOU DO!……”He replied, “Rather, blessed are those
who hear the word of God and observe it”…..Now if you have ever been around Protestants - As I have - One of the things they get right….Protestants will say - “All of us are sinners and we cannot live up to the laws of God” - And they are completely right! - However - This is what they get WRONG - Without Sacramental grace - Not only will you NEVER live up to the laws of God - You can NEVER do what Jesus commanded us to do - And that is problematic - Why? - Jesus tells us today……We are held to the standards of the law and MUST observe it - And without Sacramental grace - That is not going to happen!….Our world today does not “get that”….And if in fairness, I were to be honest, for two thousand years - Most people did not “get it” either…..Living Sacramentally is not an option!!!! - Its a requirement - Why? - Because our human nature is fallen and grace elevates our human nature…Jesus did us “a favor” by establishing a Church…Because its only through the Catholic Church that we can confess our sins and get fed by the Body, Blood, Soul, & Divinity of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament…Do you understand what I am telling YOU? - This is NEEDED - Its not an OPTION……..Because if you want to “observe” the word of God, as Jesus requires us to do, as we heard today at Mass - You MUST live Sacramentally - And frankly - No matter what state in life you are living in (Priest - Married - Single) - You will FAIL in living as God asks us to live if Sacramental grace is not the bedrock of your life…I will repeat it again…….Its not what you “believe” that matters….Its not what you read that matters…Its not what you know that matters - Its WHAT YOU DO!….Jesus is not looking for believers - He is looking for followers - There is a big difference between the two

“You descendants of Abraham, his servants, sons of Jacob, his chosen ones! He, the LORD, is our God; throughout the earth his judgments prevail”

I am a co-host of a Catholic radio show in the New York City Metropolitan Area - I only state that because - Like me, there are many people who are attempting to evangelize the culture - And God Bless them all!…But how do we succeed in this venture?….Is simply “posting” something on X or Facebook going to make that happen?….or…Hosting a podcast?…..The answer is NO…People need to see YOU live as a Catholic…As Jesus told his disciples today at Mass……”Rather, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it”…..And to do this, requires us to live sacrificially…..Sacrificial love witnessed “moves the dial”…..Once again - There is a lot of people out there “going a lot of talking” - My suggestion, when evaluating “who to listen to” is this - Before you listen to someone - Watch what they do first….Now does that mean a person has to be perfect for you to listen to them - Absolutely not - But it does mean that an authentic Catholic whether a Bishop; Priest; married or single will live sacrificially - If you watch them - That will be clear as day whether they live sacrificially or they do not - Trust me! - They will “pay” a personal cost to live that way for others…….My old town doctor when I would go for my yearly physical told me that his father had a standard for politicians he voted for…..Ask the politician two questions:…How much is the price of a gallon of milk? - If the politician did not know this personally - That means he is disconnected from the needs of the “average person”…The second question….How much money each year do you donate to the poor out of your own pocket?…..It’s one thing to “allocate” tax dollars to the poor - Its another thing all together when you give YOUR money to someone in need….Why is this a good standard to observe in the American political class?…Jesus give us the answer….“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also”….Now if you are “trying” to change the culture as a Catholic evangelist…And your life does not reflect to the world around you sacrificial love for others - As we say in New Jersey - “Keep walking and stop talking!”…..You will not succeed at impacting anyone - In fact - You can “post” Catholic quotes - Memes - You Tube clips on social media all day! - You can host podcast after podcast….And frankly - No one will be impacted - Not a soul!…However - If you do what Jesus says today in the Gospel…”Hear the word of God and observe it” - And that will undoubtedly entail living sacrificially - The world will take notice - And your impact will be significant - Trust me!……People, even simple people, know the “real deal” when they SEE it - The “hearing” part comes after the “seeing” part! - And ONLY those who live Sacramentally will make those DEEP sacrificial gestures in life for others - Why? - Because without grace - We can do nothing! - Its not about what you say - It what you do that counts!…..JMJ

“Look to the LORD in his strength; seek to serve him constantly. Recall the wondrous deeds that he has wrought, his portents, and the judgments he has uttered”