Don’t miss the opportunity!

Today at Holy Mass we here in the first readings from St John……..”Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we shall be has not yet been revealed. We do know that when it is revealed we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Everyone who has this hope based on him makes himself pure, as he is pure”……..Each and every one of us is a work in progress….Do we view our life through the lens of the sanctification process? - Because that is what life is all about - A process for us to be sanctified…..Do we realize that nothing impure enters the gates of heaven?…This is why St John, the beloved disciple tells us very clearly….”Everyone who has this hope based on him makes himself pure, as he is pure”….Are we doing the “heavy lifting” now while we are still on earth?…..Mankind must cooperate with God in order to be saved……God gives us the grace, if we allow him to…..This process of sanctification can not be accomplished on our own…Our fallen nature will not allow it - This is why we must utilize the tools given to us…..Daily Prayer, weekly fasting & frequent reception of the Sacraments (Eucharist & Confession)…This is how we slowing become who we were born to be…Again as St John tells us…..”What we shall be has not yet been revealed. We do know that when it is revealed we shall be like him”…….This is the one and only purpose to life - To strive to become holy - To allow God to make us that way through our cooperation……Nothing else matters - Nothing else will be remembered - Nothing else will be left standing….Nothing but the holy people of God - Make sure we become one! 

“The Word of God became flesh and dwelt among us. To those who accepted him he gave power to become the children of God.”

The closer we grow to God the more we as Catholics will be receptive to the Holy Spirit…We will view life as a “teaching mechanism”….Moving, shifting, changing and accepting all things that happen, both good and bad, as if they come from the hand of God himself - Because they do  - All for the purposes of sanctification…..Our minds and hearts need to be transformed to this process………The Church mandates that every Catholic goes to a Sacramental Confession once a year…This is stated very clearly in the Catechism of the Catholic Church…However, the saints strongly encourage us to participate in frequent confession (Once a month) - Who are those saints?…….Pope John Paul II; Padre Pio & Fulton Sheen….Why would we go to confession once a month, even if we have not committed any mortal sins?…With each confession not only are we forgiven of all our venial sins, but we received Sacramental Grace to overcome those sins we confessed and in time we will stop committing them…This is how we grow in virtue and this is how we cooperate with God in the process of our sanctification…..Remember what St John told us today?…..”Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we shall be has not yet been revealed. We do know that when it is revealed we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Everyone who has this hope based on him makes himself pure, as he is pure”……Going to a Sacramental Confession and receiving the Blessed Sacrament in the state of grace is vital………Are we doing this?……We can not self-manufacture a holy life….Only by and through God’s grace can we become pure - As St John rightful tells us….Americans for the most part have a distorted view of our purpose here on earth and of heaven….While we are still living, we chase after things that in many case do not matter and when our life is over, we believe that we all go into heaven no matter what - On our own terms…This my friends is a lie “sold” to us from the devil himself….We MUST cooperate with God in order to become the people we were ALL meant to be.

“You know that he was revealed to take away sins, and in him there is no sin”

Today at Mass we hear the words of St John who give us our “marching orders” as Catholics - To make it a priority to aspire to become pure - Dare I say holy!….The closer we get to God - The more God can use us…..Everyone wants to make an impact - Just scroll through any social media platform….But are we focusing on the areas that can make the biggest impact? - One that will last?…..Our time on this earth is so short - Let us focus on Building the Kingdom of God…..We do that by prioritizing our own sanctification process…..God is not concerned with all your diplomas, the money you have in the bank or the house you live in…He is concerned about the salvation of your soul and its our job to allow God to transform us - Transformation does not happen magically…We have to take part in the process - Are we doing this?…Is this our priority?…..Our life goes by in a flash - Before we know it - Our youth is gone and we are old….Allow God to make you who you were born to be - A saint - Don’t miss the opportunity!

“As for you, the anointing that you received from him remains in you, so that you do not need anyone to teach you.”

Today at Holy Mass we hear in the first reading from St John…..John’s writings are not straight forward……He is a mystic….One cannot read John’s Gospel like the other Gospels because John was not like the other three Gospel writers…He was the closest disciple to Jesus Christ and something else to keep in mind…John lived with the Mother of God for years after the death of Christ…That time living with Our Lady had to have left a deep impact on him…That is why he is different and that is why we must pay extra attention to what he has to say…..…….”Let what you heard from the beginning remain in you. If what you heard from the beginning remains in you, then you will remain in the Son and in the Father. And this is the promise that he made us: eternal life. I write you these things about those who would deceive you. As for you, the anointing that you received from him remains in you, so that you do not need anyone to teach you. But his anointing teaches you about everything and is true and not false; just as it taught you, remain in him”……….When one is living in the state of grace, one receives the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit (wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord)…..As I read this passage of John, the line that jumped out at me the most was this…..”so that you do not need anyone to teach you”…….This is a direct reference to two of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, which are wisdom and knowledge….The secular world defines wisdom and knowledge very differently…One can have a very high aptitude and incredible analytical intelligence and still lack authentic wisdom and knowledge - The kind that St John eludes to here in his Gospel…….The Holy Spirit enlightens the mind….A secular person reading this “thinks” such a statement is crazy…..But Sacramental grace is real and so is the Holy Spirit…This is why John says…”you do not need anyone to teach you”…..The problem is…Are we living in the state of grace?…..There is only one way to do this…..Go to Confession frequently, which opens up our soul to receive grace - So that grace floods our soul when we received the Blessed Sacrament at Mass…..As Catholics - Are we doing this?…….Do you realize that someone could go to Mass everyday of his life - If that person does not got to Confession, the grace of the Sacrament WILL NOT penetrate their soul - Do you understand this?….St John tells us today……”His anointing teaches you about everything and is true and not false; just as it taught you, remain in him”…….The last part of this sentence is so very important - Did you catch it?……..”Remain in him”

“He said: “I am the voice of one crying out in the desert, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord”

For those who have studied advanced mathematics, one knows that there comes a point when studying just does not cut it…You either have a mind for math or you don’t…..I have taken three semesters of advanced mathematics in college and there came a point when my mind simply could not grasp the topics any more….Understanding math and having an analytical mind is a gift - And like all gifts, it can’t be self manufactured no matter how hard you try….Such a person who has this kind of mind sees a math problem three dimensionally as opposed to the person who does not have the gift - they see the math problem two dimensionally…Why do I bring this up?….The kind of knowledge St John is referencing here in his Gospel is “three dimensional” - It is a gift of the Holy Spirit…And this gift is only received by living a Sacramental life….This is why there are many brilliant theologians who get it all wrong…...They get it wrong because they are “thinking” two dimensionally……As Catholics we have to understand this….True knowledge - True wisdom - What we “see” - What we “hear”….....All this comes from the Holy Spirit….It has nothing to do with raw analytical intelligence……And anyone can posses this gift - But only if we live Sacramentally.

“I baptize with water; but there is one among you whom you do not recognize, the one who is coming after me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to untie.”

St John today at Mass tells us all something that can easily be missed…Or maybe even dismissed by those who believe themselves to be sophisticated by modern standards…..The knowledge John talks about does not come from books….And its this knowledge that not only saves our soul but guides our decisions and also determines what we see and don’t see in the world around us…..For example……Freemasonry, which is an ancient organization committed against the Catholic Church….They uses the symbol of the eye in a triangle…This is a direct reference to what St John tells us today - But a mockery of it - Seeing in and through the Holy Spirit…Freemasons claim that they are the ones “that see”….This is how the devil operates - He attempts to mock God ever so slightly and twists the truth in such a way that people get fooled……..But God will not be mocked and nor can God be fooled…….And if we do as St John says today….We too will not be fooled….”As for you, the anointing that you received from him remains in you, so that you do not need anyone to teach you”……………JMJ

Trust the plan - We don’t have to “see” where we are going - We just have to keep going!

Today the Universal Church commemorates the Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God……We are told in the Gospel today that at the birth of Jesus, Mary…..”kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart…..While Mary was born pure…She did not understand everything…But Mary trusted……And make no mistake about it….The life of the Holy family was not easy…..They were refugees in Egypt and once they settled in Nazareth - They lived what we would call a “blue collar” existence - I am sure money was “tight” but they had each other - The entire time, Mary trusted and took life as it came to her…..She did not have to understand everything - She simply trusted…..Today begins a New Year…No one knows what this year will bring to us…But like Our Mother Mary, we must trust….That God in his infinite wisdom and providence will continue to fulfill his plan of salvation for the world - His way not our way…..This morning I was scrolling through the news….Our world is in so much chaos….I thought to myself…When is Christ going to return?…..Only God knows - But in the mean time - I must trust in God’s plan…Come “hell or high water”…..Nothing that happens is out of the control of God….And all things work towards a great good, even when we can not see it…….In the Book of Isaiah we read that…”I will lead the blind on a way they do not know by paths they do not know I will guide them. I will turn darkness into light before them, and make crooked ways straight. These are my promises: I made them, I will not forsake them”…Whenever I think all is lost, that the world is hopeless, I always think of this line from Isaiah, the great prophet of the Old Testament…Nothing broken cannot be fixed by God….And frankly only God can fix it….Again, it comes down to trust….As Mary our mother trusted, so must we….God has a plan and we are simply just a small part of that plan…That means we cannot “fix” the mess we see around us…But it does mean we have something to do - We don’t “get off the hook so easy” as we say in New Jersey…We each have something to do - Something that God will use for the great good…That means YOU & ME!….But the “heavy lifting” belongs to God…And like Our Lady in today’s Gospel written by St Luke…She simply did her part……and “kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart”……Our Lady was not the solution - And she knew it……She gave birth to the solution…..and committed her life to it……..How about us?…Let’s simply do our best and do our part.

“In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets; in these last days, he has spoken to us through the Son”

When one reads history, patterns emerge….We see how God works in and through the actions of mankind but as events take place, we can not see as God sees, especially in real time….When the will of mankind refuses to bend - God permits events to “help us out” - To bend our will….Why? - Because God loves us ands while we at times may be “uncomfortable” or thing don’t go as we would like or planned - God is working on us…Shaping us…Transforming us…..That is how we become a Holy People…..As students of history, we may look at what is happening to Western Civilization right now…How it is being literally dismantled by its ruling class….Under the guise of “climate change”, which has become a false religion to some and to others, its simply a tool to grab power….In the process our cities are falling apart……..the middle class is disappearing…..all of this is being done intentionally and is happening right before our eyes….How can God work out his plan through all this?…….Just as the Jewish people of the Old Testament suffered, it was through that suffering, that miraculously their eyes were opened once again to God…Maybe - Just Maybe…..Because we are a “stiff-necked people”….God in his infinite mercy is allowing all we see to happen - Which in turn will “open the eyes of the blind” once again and turn hearts back to God…..Speaking personally, that is what I think is happening…But as it’s happening, I often think to myself…”But why do “I” have to suffer God?”….”I get it”…..But do I “get it”?…….In my hubris, I forget that I too am a work in progress…God is shaping me and my family as well….And he uses many “tools” to do it…..Being “comfortable” is not always part of the equation sadly - Why? - Because we are a “stiff necked people”…This is how we must think and in doing so, we can have peace even amongst chaos….That everything we see around us is working towards a great good…That heaven is our true home….That God allows everything we see to happen to “open the eyes of the blind” - For their own good…Why?….Because heaven is forever but so is hell…..And God does not want anyone in hell….But when his people don’t listen to him and we create our own hell here on earth…God has to step in…..Let us trust him as our heavenly Mother trusted him.

“As proof that you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!” So you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son then also an heir, through God.”

Today in the Gospel of St Luke read to us at Mass…We hear that Our Lady did not understand everything, she simply trusted in the one that did…And so must we - That is my “take away” from the Gospel today…..We don’t have to “see” everything In front of us…We simply have to take one step at a time - As may father would say to me often - “Straight ahead”…..Years ago, I would help a friend of mine who was blind go to our Saturday Bible Study at our church……Jim taught me a lot…He would place his hand upon my shoulder and walk behind me…He never knew where we were going - He simply trusted me - That I would get him to his seat….Many times as I was guiding Jim to his seat - I thought to myself - This is how I must be…I don’t realize just “how blind” I am……..I MUST simply trust in God - Who is the only one we “sees” and simply place my hand on His shoulder and allow Him to guide me to where I need to go…Jim would do this with such peace of mind…I always marveled at his courage and trust…..Being that today is the first day of the year…Maybe a good prayer for today could be….”God - Help me to trust you…Thy will be done! - You know the way - I do not”….That prayer sounds crazy in a way…but if we say it from the heart….A huge weight will be lifted…..And like my old friend Jim - “We will find our seat” despite being blind….Trust the plan - We don’t have to “see” where we are going - We just have to keep going!………….JMJ

Catholics have been given everything……The “food is on the table - Its time to eat”……The train leaves with you or without you

Today at Holy Mass we hear in the first reading as well as in the Gospel from St John….John, the beloved disciple has a lot to say!…..…In the first reading John warns his people and us…He tells them that….. “Just as you heard that the antichrist was coming, so now many antichrists have appeared”…Yet he ends his message with….”I write to you not because you do not know the truth but because you do, and because every lie is alien to the truth”….The Truth is written on every human heart - And we ALL hear it…….Yet……We disregard it - Or ignore it - Or pretend to not hear it…..Catholics must be different!….The great Fr John Harden SJ, who was declared a Servant of God by the Church said it best….Catholics must know the Truth, Speak the Truth, Live the Truth & Suffer for the Truth…..Is this what is happening from our pulpits and pews across America?……….It appears to me, we are unwilling to do this…..Again, St John tells us……”I write to you not because you do not know the truth but because you do” - So what are we going to do about it, as we like to say in New Jersey!…….St John goes on in the Gospel today….”From his fullness we have all received, grace in place of grace, because while the law was given through Moses, grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.”……….We have been given everything we need as Catholics…..By living a Sacramental life, through daily prayer and weekly fasting…And of course living a sacrificial life…By doing those things - We receive “grace in place of grace”…And as St Paul wrote so eloquently……“My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness. I will rather boast most gladly of my weaknesses, in order that the power of Christ may dwell with me.”…I got some news for you…If Catholic don’t start standing up in America, no one will…Why?…Because we have been given the most - Do you understand that!…We have Jesus Christ fully present in the Sacraments….If we don’t utilize this great gift - Shame on us!

“The Word of God became flesh and dwelt among us. To those who accepted him he gave power to become the children of God”

Catholics are called to be salt and light of the world - But are we?…..Jesus Christ was a Jewish man who altered not only time but the human race as we know it today….He forged a new path forward….The old ceased to be at his birth and something new began!…Catholics are the chosen people - Sorry if that “hurts your ears”…We have been given the fullness of Truth and Jesus Christ himself, who founded a new Church, the only Church!…Again - Sorry if that “hurts your ears”!…..Salvation is found through Jesus Christ and the Sacraments contained within the one Church Jesus founded…So don’t shoot the messenger here - Read the Catechism - It says so!……So what are we doing about it?……I grew up in a town in New Jersey near an Orthodox Jewish Community…I have nothing but respect for Orthodox Jews…On my radio show I state this publicly constantly…They raise beautiful families, they educate their children in their faith (you will NEVER see an Orthodox Jewish child in a public school), they create strong communities living by the principals of localism (Subsidiarity - Which is also taught in the Catholic Church - We for the most part ignore this teaching while our Jewish brothers and sisters are smart enough to live by it)…All these things I just noted are happening in real time - And the Orthodox Jewish community thrives in a crazy world….How about us Catholics?…..Do we live like everyone else? - Like our pagan neighbors? - Sorry if the word pagan “hurts your ears” but that is what they are…..Catholics have been given EVERYTHING and we do not use it….We have Jesus Christ fully present in the Eucharist - Our Jewish brothers and sisters do not have Jesus and they out do us every day of the week and twice on Tuesday for the most part!…….This reality needs to change and fast…..When I look around, I see nothing but people getting “eaten alive” by bad choices and by a world that has lied to them….And we have believed all the lies and then some and we allow our children to do the same!…Don’t you think enough is enough?…..How about we try something new?……It’s time to be Catholic…Not in name - But for real!

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came to be through him, and without him nothing came to be. What came to be through him was life, and this life was the light of the human race; the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”

Today St John tells us many things…And all of what he said is true….So what are you going to do about it!?!……Catholics need to “get off the bench” and “get in the game”….Our world is falling apart - America is too!…The Catholic Church has the “best story in town” yet the world sees something else….Lukewarm Catholicism is nauseating!…I can say that because I am Catholic and because its true…..The people who live around us are not going to commit their life to weak men and platitudes spoken but not lived out…Again, sorry if I “hurt your ears”….Its time to “stand up” and be Catholic…..What did Jesus have to say about this?…….”So, because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. For you say, ‘I am rich and affluent and have no need of anything,’ and yet do not realize that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. I advise you to buy from me gold refined by fire* so that you may be rich, and white garments to put on so that your shameful nakedness may not be exposed, and buy ointment to smear on your eyes so that you may see. Those whom I love, I reprove and chastise. Be earnest, therefore, and repent Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, [then] I will enter his house and dine with him, and he with me”………Catholics have been given everything……The “food is on the table - Its time to eat”……The train leaves with you or without you………..JMJ

Maybe that dream is not a dream after all

Today at Holy Mass in the first reading St John draws a line in the sand….He discusses how “the things” of this world are passing and that attachment to those “things” lead to distancing ones self from God….”Do not love the world or the things of the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, sensual lust, enticement for the eyes, and a pretentious life, is not from the Father but is from the world. Yet the world and its enticement are passing away. But whoever does the will of God remains forever.”…….This statement by St John goes against just about every one of our American sensibilities…..It brings to the forefront of our mind what is truly important and what gets disregarded….While we live in this world, clearly we need certain material things to provide for our family…But materialism, which is so pervasive in American culture leads one to forget what is most important….All the “things” we have will not comfort us when we are alone on our death bed….Only a life detached from materialism can lead us to where we want to go….And only God can give us what the world can never give us - Which is peace, lasting joy and eternal life

“A holy day has dawned upon us. Come, you nations, and adore the Lord. Today a great light has come upon the earth.”

For seven years I worked for Morgan Stanley, which is one of the largest Investment Banks in the world….While I was not an executive, I dealt with on a daily basis many people who were…These individuals made ridiculous sums of money….They are the people young American high achievers aspire to be…..During the time that I work with these people, I noticed that many of them were not very happy….Let me put it this way, on my free time, these were not the people I would want to spend time with…..Could it be that the “American dream”, which we pump into our children’s heads is not a “dream” after all?….Clearly, we need to earn a living in this life but if making tons of money makes a person miserable, the question becomes - Is it worth it?…..Back to my time working at Morgan Stanley…On my floor there was this old woman who cleaned the floor…She always pushed around a big garbage can and on that can she taped a picture of the Holy family, Jesus, Mary and Joseph, so as she pushed the can, she could always see this holy image as she worked…I bring this woman up because she was always smiling…She always seemed happy and when you greeted her, she always returned the greeting with joy…..This woman made a fraction of what the people I worked with made and yet, she was infinitely happier and so much more pleasant to be around…How can that be?…..There is a great paradox to living a Catholic life….To the world a Catholic lifestyle does not make sense…..I can remember when I had my fifth child at the age of 51 years old…My boss who made hundreds of thousands of dollars a year said to me - “Joe - You are crazy”…..Is it so crazy to have children?…..Or……Is it crazy to allow material things to dominate our life?……..Life is all about choices…..And with all choices made there are consequences, both in the here and now and when we die and face the Lord……As a middle aged man, I can say I have learned a “few things” in my life time…One of those “things” is - You can not have it both ways - Meaning, if we choose the things of the world, we lose God in the process……Jesus puts it this way……“No one can serve two masters. He will either hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon”…......This statement is unquestionably true…..Interestingly enough - What is commonly called “Americanism” in academic circles, which prioritizes material success as the primarily goal in life and should be “the dream” of all is in direct conflict with the words of Christ - Hmmmmm - Were we sold a lie?.......….Working hard and living up to our potential is what everyone should hope to achieve, I sure do, but if that means losing our relationship with God - Is it worth it?….Speaking personally, I have never met an eighty-five year old man who showed me a picture of his car….Eight-five year old men, seem to always show you pictures of their grand-kids and do so with a huge smile……Catholics need to strive to be "in the world" but not be "of the world"…As St John tells us today…......…”The world and its enticement are passing away”……..Don’t sell yourself short and don’t sell your soul for something that will leave you all alone in the end….....Why? - Because - “Whoever does the will of God remains forever.”…You can’t have it both ways…Don’t believe the lie

“Say among the nations: The LORD is king. He has made the world firm, not to be moved; he governs the peoples with equity”

Today at Mass St John tells it like it is….."The love of money is the root of all evil”…....Now don’t get me wrong - We need a certain amount of money to provide for our family…Is that what we do or are we “building our castle” here on earth and in doing so, “thinking” we can still have God and heaven in the process?…..This idea, which is associated with what is referred to as Americanism, is in direct conflict with Catholic Social Teaching….Are we familiar with Catholic Social Teaching?……Have we “twisted” our belief system to live like our pagan neighbors as opposed to living for God and working daily to build his Kingdom on earth?……Do we believe in the “prosperity gospel” as opposed to the Gospel of Jesus Christ?……All valid questions - And all these questions are addressed by St John today at Mass………..”Do not love the world or the things of the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him” - Hmmmm - Does not sound like the American Dream I was taught?….....Maybe that dream is not a dream after all…………..JMJ

That is how we “see” like Simeon…..”so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”

Today at Holy Mass we hear in the Gospel of St Luke the story of Christ being presented in the temple…As many know, this is the fourth decade of the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary, which is prayed every Monday and Saturday….For the purposes of this reflection I want to focus on the character of Simeon in this story….....How did Simeon know want he knew?…….”Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. This man was righteous and devout, awaiting the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he should not see death before he had seen the Christ of the Lord. He came in the Spirit into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus to perform the custom of the law in regard to him, he took him into his arms and blessed God, saying: "Lord, now let your servant go in peace; your word has been fulfilled: my own eyes have seen the salvation which you prepared in the sight of every people, a light to reveal you to the nations and the glory of your people Israel." The child's father and mother were amazed at what was said about him; and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, "Behold, this child is destined for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be contradicted (and you yourself a sword will pierce) so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”…….Scripture tells us that Simeon prayed day and night in the temple along with Anna…..That is how Simeon “saw” what he saw…....He was a man of prayer……When a Catholic prays and utilizes the Sacraments - We “see”…..The Sacrament of Reconciliation “clears away” the sins, which fog our vision….And when we receive the Blessed Sacrament in the state of grace - The life of Christ penetrates deeply into our soul…Such a person sees what the world does not….....Sin blinds our eyes…....And only the Sacraments can remove sin from our life and allow us to see….....Why else did Simeon see?….He was a man of deep prayer…....Time spent mediating on the life of Christ when praying the Rosary and time spent before the exposed Blessed Sacrament in silence again opens our mind and heart to receive grace, which in turn effects what we “see” in the world….So many today in our society disregard time spent in prayer, as well as disregard living a Sacramental life…..As a result, the world is blind and walks around wounded and lost….And what does Scripture tells us about this predicament?…….”They are blind guides [of the blind]. If a blind person leads a blind person, both will fall into a pit.”……This is why a life of prayer is so important….Like Simeon, we too can “see” but that kind of vision only comes from a pure heart....…”Blessed are the pure of heart for they shall see God”…..That is how we “see” like Simeon and avoid falling into “the pit.”

“Whoever says he is in the light, yet hates his brother, is still in the darkness. Whoever loves his brother remains in the light, and there is nothing in him to cause a fall. Whoever hates his brother is in darkness; he walks in darkness and does not know where he is going because the darkness has blinded his eyes”

When Mother Teresa was at the height of her fame, a report asked her point blank - “What is your secret?”….Mother Teresa responded - “I pray”…......When you get right down to it, it’s really that simple!….Praying is not saying a few words right before you go to bed…Its opening yourself up to the divine…Its about “clearing away” sin Sacramentally and allowing the very Body and Blood of Jesus Christ to nourish our soul…....Its about quieting down our mind and mediating on the words of Scripture, its about silencing our mind and standing before Jesus himself in the Blessed Sacrament, where in the silence, God will speak to us in a whisper that only the human heart can hear…...This is prayer and this is how we “see”……How else can we enhance our prayer life?…..Jesus gives us the answer in Scripture….By Fasting!…..Fasting sharpens our prayer life….It makes us rely of Christ in a real and tangible way……It builds self disciple….In other words - Fasting is vital…Its not just for Advent and Lent…If we are serious about growing closer to Christ, prayer and fasting are tools we should incorporate into our life…Again, this is how one “sees’ as one should….This is how we avoid the many traps of the evil one….This is how God can use us…And this is how we get to heaven.

“The way we may be sure that we know Jesus is to keep his commandments. Whoever says, "I know him," but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps his word, the love of God is truly perfected in him. This is the way we may know that we are in union with him: whoever claims to abide in him ought to walk just as he walked.”

Today we hear about Simeon in St Luke’s Gospel at Mass…Simeon was a man of prayer and as a result, when Christ was carried into the Temple by his Mother, Simeon saw Jesus for who he really was….Why did the rest of the people in the Temple not see what Simeon saw? - Ask yourself that…Simeon saw because he was a man of deep prayer…This man should be used as an example for all Catholics…Catholics MUST be people of prayer….The closer we get to God, the more Jesus can use us in the world…..However, we can not give what we do not have….Our job is to “prepare the vessel”, which is our soul…We do that through living a Sacramental life, daily prayers and weekly fasting - We also do this by living a sacrificial life…By doing those things consistently, we in essence “empty ourself”, which in turn allows God to fill us with his very life - The Holy Spirit!…This is the “blue print” - And ANYONE can do this from the great of the world to the small of the world - From the Pope to the old lady in the last pew in your Church…And by doing this, we grow in holiness - We cooperate with Christ, who desires to sanctify us….…Is this your goal? - To become holy? - If not it should be - Why is that important? - That is how we “see” like Simeon…..”so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”……JMJ

The family that prays together - Stays together.....That is not just a “catchy phrase” - Its the Truth

Today the Universal Church commemorates the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph…..The family is the smallest cell of every society….And in America, the family is clearly under attack. More than half of American marriages end in divorce, which produces disorder across our society….What is driving this problem?…..Marriage was established by God and marriage is a Sacrament….Why is it a Sacrament?…The answer - To lived married life and meet the demands of self-sacrifical love, which is required by both the man and the woman is difficult….This is why God instituted marriage to be a Sacrament and this is the greatest mistake of our society - God is not the center of our marriages….And when God is not the center of a marriage, selfishness is not far behind, which ultimately erodes a marriage……Sacramental grace elevates human nature….And this grace is essential for a marriage to thrive…..What we see today in our children is a bi-product of Godless marriages….Children lost, wounded and broken - To see this one does not have to look far…The answer to all we see - A God centered marriage - Why? - Because God centered marriages work!…….The family that prays together stays together - But it’s not just about “staying together” - Its about thriving!….Do we know what marriage is all about?…How do we define what love is?….There is the key question - Love is self-sacrifical…And God’s grace helps us to live this way….To view love or marriage any other way is a dangerous proposition….But don’t take my words for it - Look at the statistics - In fact - Just look out your front door….Many people talk about “fixing America” - Well, that “fix begins and ends” with God and family…..God strengthens family life and strong families produce a strong nation - There is the answer to many of America problems in a “nut-shell”……Invite God into your marriage and watch how it is transformed.

“Put on, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another, if one has a grievance against another; as the Lord has forgiven you, so must you also do. And over all these put on love, that is, the bond of perfection.”

How does one invite God into their marriage?…Let’s start slow….How about going to Mass together for starters?…..And every night pray one decade of the Rosary together….Putting into practice what I just suggested takes such a small amount of time and in doing this, we allow God to work!…In time, eyes will open and grace will build upon grace…..How much time do we invest in going to the gym, wasting time scrolling on social media, or time spent watching the television?….Going to Mass takes one hour per week and praying one decade of the Rosary with your spouse takes five minutes per day….God is not an ogre, he will not “throw you in the deep end of the pool” if you take me up on this offer…Start off slow and allow God to work - And then YOU will see…Marriage is a Sacrament and when Americans start treating it as such is when America will be transformed and not before….How can a nation vote properly when it does not even know how many genders there are - Let’s be honest…..When our families are healthy our nation will follow - “Voting harder” will not cut it!

“God sets a father in honor over his children; a mother’s authority he confirms over her sons. Whoever honors his father atones for sins, and preserves himself from them. When he prays, he is heard; he stores up riches who reveres his mother. Whoever honors his father is gladdened by children, and, when he prays, is heard. Whoever reveres his father will live a long life; he who obeys his father brings comfort to his mother”

The Universal Church today honors the Holy Family for a reason….Because family life is vital - Everyone comes from a family, whether you are a surgeon or you sweep the streets and healthy families usually produce healthy people….Is this happening today? - Let’s be honest….Solutions to problems do not “fall from the sky” and like everything else, having a strong marriage takes work….This all begins with inviting God into our marriages…..Love gives it does not take and if we want to love sacrificially, we need God’s grace…For those who have ears - Let them hear…..Marriage is a Sacrament for a reason……Love is not a word - Its an action and authentic love gives all and in turn humanity thrives…We can’t “vote” our problems away - Most of our problems can be solved around the kitchen table….Everything begins and ends with the family and fighting for your family begins with an invitation to God - Allow him in the “front door”….The family that prays together - Stays together.....That is not a just a “catchy phrase” - Its the Truth…………….JMJ