We teach our children not by what we say - But by what we do

Today at Holy Mass we are told in the Gospel of St Luke that the first disciples were given power…But is it the kind of “power” the secular world craves?...or….Even perceives?…..”Behold, I have given you the power ‘to tread upon serpents’ and scorpions and upon the full force of the enemy and nothing will harm you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice because the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice because your names are written in heaven”…..When a Catholic lives in the state of grace….When they are living as the Church says - Confessing their sins regularly - And receiving the Blessed Sacrament every Sunday….Such a person receives power!…There are seven gifts of the Holy Spirit…And a person living in the state of grace receives those gifts - This is a promise made by God!…Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel, Fortitude, Knowledge, Piety, and Fear of God…..These gifts are a “fruit” of living in the state of grace…..Why is this so important?…Because without this “power”…or…Maybe a better word for it is GRACE….A person CANNOT live as Jesus Christ request us to live….This is where our Protestant brothers and sisters get it WRONG!!!….You can read the Bible all day long - Memorize it for that matter! - That is all well and good - But the “trick” is to LIVE what is in the Bible…And without this “power” St Luke talks about today - THAT IS NOT GOING TO HAPPEN!…Why?…Because the human will is weakened by original sin….This is why it is VITAL that we live in the state of grace…..When a person lives their life without this grace…(i.e. Does not live Sacramentally) - Their life is impacted in every way….It effects their marriage - It effects all their choices…It effects the habits they develop…It effects how they spend their money and their time…..Without this Sacramental grace - Frankly - The devil bulldozes people! - Does not matter “how smart” you are - Does not matter how much money you have….YOU become your worst enemy!…All because you do not have this “power” St Luke tells us about today in his Gospel….As Americans - We prioritize many things for our children - We want them to get a good education - Play sports - Get a good job…But do we value that they live in the state of grace? - That our children live Sacramentally?….I got news for you - There is NOTHING more important to teach your children then that - And they learn it from watching us - Their parents!…Don’t think for a moment your children will live Sacramentally, if we as their parents do not - Not going to happen…And that will effect them - Effect every decision they make - Who they marry - How they live their life - And ultimately where they “end up” after this life ends…You cannot live as Jesus asks of us without Sacramental grace - IMPOSSIBLE! - That is where the “power” comes from - From the SACRAMENTS!.......God is not concerned with what you know - He is however concerned with what you DO and whether or not we live the Gospel - And you need “power” to live the Gospel

“Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, you have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the Kingdom”

The secular world today is fixated on sex…And because of that, secular people can not imagine a Catholic Priest really lives a celibate life…If you have this conversation, which I have, with worldly people - They absolutely do not “buy it”….What these people to not realize it…Grace is real and grace gives a priest the “power” to live a celibate life - Without that grace  - Not going to happen!….Jesus today in the Gospel talks about giving his disciples power….”Behold, I have given you the power ‘to tread upon serpents’ and scorpions and upon the full force of the enemy and nothing will harm you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice because the spirits are subject to you”……Have you in your life experienced this power from living Sacramentally?…..If you are married and live your marriage vows as the Church requests that you do - Then you know what I am writing about…..Marriage is NOT meant to be lived outside of Sacramental grace and the current America divorce statistics back up what I am stating…..To have a good and lasting marriage - A couple MUST rely on Sacramental grace…This is VITAL….And sadly very few people do this….How can I make this claim?….Do you use contraception in your marriage?…If you do - You are breaking your vow to God on your wedding day to be “fruitful”…Do you confess your sins to a Catholic Priest at the minimum once a year? - If you do not - You are not living in the state of grace - Do you go to Mass weekly with your family? - If you do not you are not living in the state of grace - In fact, you are living in objective mortal sin…..These factors effect the kind of marriage you will have….And many (too many) Catholic Americans ignore everything I just stated…But ignoring the Truth does not change the outcome of choices made…Jesus founded a Church and gave us the Sacraments because we NEED them…And to live without Sacramental grace is a HUGE mistake….If you love your children - And I am sure you do!!!! - Teach them what I just reflected upon…..And…. We teach our children not by what we say - But by what we do…..JMJ

“Blessed are the eyes that see what you see. For I say to you, many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it.”