Are we listening to the whispers spoken in the silence? - And how do we respond?

Today at Holy Mass we hear in the first reading from the Book of Samuel about young Samuel the prophet, how he was called by God in the night and interestingly enough, he did not recognize the voice….Why? - Why did he not know God’s voice?…..It was not until he responded to that voice with this statement that his “eyes” and “ears” were opened….“Speak, for your servant is listening”….Was it because Samuel’s heart was not open that he did not recognize God? - Was it because he did not have the mind and heart of a humble servant that he did not recognize the voice of God?…..These are question we need to address….God’s voice is all around us…He speaks to us through all our decisions - Through our life - Not to mention in the words of Holy Scripture we “hear” at Mass ….With that being said - Do we “hear” him?……..Unlike the voices of our modern day - God speaks in a whisper…More times then not, we must create quiet time for ourselves to hear the voice of God and if we do, particularly if we sit before the Blessed Sacrament in silence, we will hear his voice…But what else “gets in the way” of us not hearing God’s voice?…..The answer - Our sin and Our pride…..Sin prevents us from “seeing”  and “hearing” - It blinds us and makes us deaf!………This is why there are many references of “blindness” noted in the pages of the New Testament…..When we frequent the Sacrament of Reconciliation often, we “clear a path” for grace to penetrate deeply with our our soul - This permits us to “see” the world as God would like us to “see” - But what prevents us from going to a Catholic Priest to confess our sins? - The answer - Could it be our pride?…..Notice again from the reading today at Mass…Young Samuel the prophet did not recognize the voice of God at first…Its was not until he took upon himself the mindset of a servant……‘Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening”…In essence, Samuel humbled himself and as a result he understood who was calling him - The same will happen to us today…If we clear away our sin Sacramentally, humble ourself and take upon our self the heart of a servant…We too we recognize God’s voice just as Samuel did…And then we must respond

“Samuel grew up, and the LORD was with him, not permitting any word of his to be without effect. Thus all Israel from Dan to Beersheba came to know that Samuel was an accredited prophet of the LORD”

Do we pray before we make big decisions? - If we don’t, we should…Spending time before the Blessed Sacrament in silence is very important…My wife and I both spend one hour each week in the earlier morning hours before our children get up in front of the exposed Eucharist….…A friend of mine who is a Carmelite Priest once told me….. “Joe - “Adoration is like radiation. - The time spent before Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament changes us because Jesus radiates his love upon us, even if we do not notice it. Just like when we sit down the beach on a sunny day, our skin changes color and becomes tan - So it is when we sit before Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament - His love radiates upon us, which in time transforms us”….This is reality - Siting before Jesus in Adoration is what I call a “saint maker”….Many saints prescribed to this practice daily (Mother Teresa; Fulton Sheen - To name two), therefore we too should follow suit….Allow me to share with you one time I distinctly heard God’s voice while siting in Adoration…It was a year before I was going to get married…..I was siting before the Blessed Sacrament and heard a voice very distinctly tell me to buy a house…I had the money, but at the time so many things were going on, I was unsure if buying a house was the right thing to do…So as the voice instructed, I bought a house - Looking back - This was a very good decision….Just as Samuel today heard a voice…We too will hear Jesus speak to us in a whisper if we make time each week to sit before him…..As Mother Teresa would always say…….“The time you spend with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament is the best time you will spend on earth. Each moment that you spend with Jesus will deepen your union with Him and make your soul everlastingly more glorious and beautiful in Heaven, and will help bring about everlasting peace on earth.”……Make the time - “Clear a path” - Quiet down - And you will hear God’s voice too

“Sacrifice or oblation you wished not, but ears open to obedience you gave me. Burnt offerings or sin-offerings you sought not; then said I, “Behold I come.”

Today at Mass we hear how young Samuel the Prophet had to discern how to hear the voice of God….Just as Samuel had to learn to “hear”, so must we….God is constantly speaking to us…But our society can not hear him because of all the “noise”…And don’t think for a moment the devil is not aware of this - ”Noise” - Sadly a lot of this “noise” is self created and frankly unnecessary…….If we address the “root causes” for our lack of hearing - And make time to sit before Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament - We surely will hear his voice….And once we hear that voice - We must act upon it…….Once Samuel “figured it out” he responded rightly - “Speak, for your servant is listening”……How about us? - Are we listening to the whispers spoken in the silence? - And how do we respond?……..JMJ

“If today you hear his voice harden not your hearts”

Today at Holy Mass we hear in the Gospel of St Mark when Jesus taught in the synagogue, the people were astonished and recognized his authority…….Let’s explore this idea….How could this be?…Jesus was an uneducated person with no standing in his community, yet people understood “something special” was being said by this man……”Jesus came to Capernaum with his followers, and on the sabbath he entered the synagogue and taught. The people were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes…..Within the human heart there is a thirst for God…Every soul has this thirst…We are born with it….And when we hear something that rings true, we know it - Even when we reject God - There is something about the Truth when spoken, it “registers” deep within the human heart…Remember, even King Herod liked to hear John the Baptist speak - Clearly Herod was own the “wrong side of things” but yet he still liked to hear what John the Baptist had to say…Why? - Because again, the Truth resonates deep within everyone…..Now for the problem - When we reject God - When we do not bend our knee to his holy will or the Church he founded, we have to “fill” that “need” within our heart with “something else”…That “something else” becomes a de-facto “god” - Whether its the environment; our political identity, animal rights, various social justice causes..the list goes on….In all these “things” we are creating a “god” to replace the real God and in many cases, we do not even realize we are doing this….This is why people become irrational in their political views, their lifestyle and their choices…Why? - Because to question the “identity” they created - To question the “de-facto god” they created is to question their very self - And they are not willing to do that….Why? - Because to do that would mean they would have to change and they simply are not willing to do that….All this being said - When the Truth is spoken as it was during Jesus day, the people understood something special was said…To same goes for today - The “Hound of Heaven” continues to “bark” at those who have created false “gods”….In time, many will “come to the end of themselves” and realize what they have created to be important, their “de-facto god”, was nothing more then a idol….At that point, a choice has to be made - Pray the world makes the right choice when that moment comes - And trust me - That Moment will come!

“Receive the word of God, not as the word of men, but as it truly is, the word of God.”

When holy people speak and you are in their presence, you can hear a pin drop, all eyes and ears are on that person…..I have watch video’s of when Mother Teresa would address heads of state at the height of her fame…Many of these men lived lives far from God, yet when Mother Teresa spoke, they were “all ears”….This is an example of we call in theological circles - “Deep calling out to deep”………I can remember doing a reading at a secular wedding for a friend……Many of the people in attendance at the wedding were fall away Catholics or frankly did not give God a second thought when it came to how they lived their lives…….But these people knew me and knew how I lived as a Catholic…..…I say that because when I read one of the Psalms at the wedding ceremony, every eye and ear was focused on me…I could feel it and see it in their faces….In some of the people in attendance at that wedding, there was a “look” on their face that said “everything” - They understood what was read to them in the Psalm, even though they rejected the words with and by the actions of their life….Take note - This is why Catholics must live in the world among people…Our lives must be “that sign” to an unbelieving world…With the hope when secular people see our lives, they second guess their own and in turn experience a change of heart…God is always calling - Its up to us to listen and respond….Be “that sign”…..And leave the rest to God.

“He raises the needy from the dust; from the dung heap he lifts up the poor, To seat them with nobles and make a glorious throne their heritage”

Today St Mark at Mass tells us about how the people of Jesus’ day recognized him and what he said as being special….How about us?…When we hear the gospel read at Mass - How do we feel? - More importantly, does the Gospel cause us to second guess our choices and actions?….That is the purpose of the Word of God - It is not only there to instruct us but it should be used as a catalyst for change within our lives….The words of Jesus Christ are to be lived - They are not just “pretty words” spoken……This is why God calls us to not just “believe” in him, but to follow him - That is what a disciple is - A follower…..There is a big difference between just hearing the Truth and putting the Truth into practice…As Catholics, if we do not live the Truth we should not expect the world to take us seriously….Before we “change” the world, we must “change” ourself…..Actions speak louder then words and even when the world comprehends something Truthful in your words, that will not necessarily translate into the change we want to see around us in our families, community and nation - The secular world must “see” our words lived out in real time….…And just as the people of Jesus’ day reacted with astonishment - The people of today will do the same - Some may even experience a change of heart……. “If today you hear his voice harden not your hearts”……….JMJ

Only if we pray without ceasing will we persevere

Today at Holy Mass we hear in the Gospel of St Mark how Jesus called his first disciples…These men were “nothing special” as defined by the world…But clearly Jesus saw beyond appearances….He saw the human heart….He saw what they would become and there willingness to become what God created them to be…..That is why they were chosen……”As he passed by the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting their nets into the sea; they were fishermen. Jesus said to them, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Then they left their nets and followed him. He walked along a little farther and saw James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They too were in a boat mending their nets. Then he called them. So they left their father Zebedee in the boat along with the hired men and followed him”….One could read this passage from St Mark and think…….”How could these working men give up everything and follow Christ”……That sounds hard…But in actuality, it was only the beginning….As we all know, as Jesus preached and taught his people, the powerful of his society wanted to kill him….How much harder was it for his disciples to keep following him when times got rough - And they got very rough!…..This should be a reminder to us….Our conversion to Christ is on going…There are many layers to it and Jesus with each layer draws us deeper into himself…..In the beginning of a person’s conversion, everything is new and exciting…But as time goes on and life with its demands push us, we must deepen our commitment to Christ, relying on grace, prayer and the Sacraments…As Catholics, we are called to know the Truth - Speak the Truth - Live the truth - And suffer for the Truth…We are to do this in season and out of season…When its convenient and inconvenient………And with each YES we give to God and as we cooperate with his Holy will, we progress in the process of sanctification, which is a slow and daily grind……Each of us have “caverns” within us that we are not aware of and God reveals the depths of those caverns to us as we mature in our Catholic faith….The process of becoming a holy people is just that - A process…With each YES - With each trial - With each step…We become the people we were born to be ………So - “Keep stepping” - And Keep saying “YES”!

“The Kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the Gospel”

As Catholics its vital that we pray continuously for the grace of perseverance……God plays the “long game” but frankly so does the devil…It can be very easy to commit to God when times are good - But what happens when sacrifices are put before you?….When the crowd turns against you?…..When you are excluded?….When you are mocked?…..Its at those times we must pray all the more…Trusting like a “blind man” that God’s grace will be sufficient….Because its in those moments that its very easy to give up and trust me - Those moment will come…..The devil is fully aware of all our weaknesses and each and every person has them……This is why we must live a Sacramental life, pray daily and fast weekly…The minute you think you can live as a Catholic, grounded in your own gifts and strength is the minute that the devil knows he has you!…..St Paul tells us…..“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. Therefore, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and constraints, for the sake of Christ; for when I am weak, then I am strong”…..This idea defies our American sensibilities of rugged individualism…This idea must be shed and we must abandon ourselves fully into the hands of God….We hesitate to do this because we believe “we” can do it on our own….Get this through your head - “We” can do NOTHING without God’s grace!…And if we want to persevere in our Catholic faith, we must not trust in our self but in God’s grace alone…..Jesus tells the world….”I tell you, he will see to it that justice is done for them speedily. But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”……….Pray and fast for perseverance!…….”For if these things are done when the wood is green what will happen when it is dry?”

“O LORD, I am your servant; I am your servant, the son of your handmaid; you have loosed my bonds.”

Today at Mass, St Mark tells us how Jesus chose his first disciples….The word disciple means “follower”…..And when you get right down to it…Jesus is not looking for “believers” - He is looking for “followers”….He is looking for people who will live their lives in and through their Catholic faith…Do we view every aspect of out life through our Catholic faith? - Because this is the “kind of person” Jesus is looking for….And in order to do that, we must rely on God’s grace…If you “think” you are going to “stand tall” as a Catholic in this pagan world without utilizing the Sacraments, daily prayer and weekly fasting - You have another thing coming! - You will “fold like a cheap suit”! - The world will eat you alive!…However - As St Paul instructs us…..”For our struggle is not with flesh and blood but with the principalities, with the powers, with the world rulers of this present darkness, with the evil spirits in the heavens. Therefore, put on the armor of God, that you may be able to resist on the evil day and, having done everything, to hold your ground. So stand fast with your loins girded in truth, clothed with righteousness as a breastplate, and your feet shod in readiness for the gospel of peace”….Only then we you persevere and withstand the “storm”…..Our “YES” must be made everyday to God - And with each “YES” - God draws us deeper…..When we pray the only prayer Jesus gave to us - The Our Father - And we say with our lips…”Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven” - Do we realize fully what we are saying?”…….When the son of man returns - Will he find faith on earth?…..Only if we pray without ceasing will we persevere………………JMJ

Only those who are humble will “see”

Today the Universal Church celebrates the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord…..Our baptism grafts us into the life of God….St John Paul II when asked by a report what was the greatest event of his life stated it was when he was baptized…Do we view our baptism this way or do we take it for granted?….......”Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now; for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness”…….By allowing John to baptize him, Jesus shows us the way forward is through humility….John realized straight way he had no business baptizing the son of God…But as we see in Scripture, Jesus allowed it…..This exchange between John the Baptist and Christ should teach us something very important - That in order to approach God properly, we too must acknowledge the creature / creator relationship as John did…So the question is - Do we?….Do we humble ourselves before God and his Church….Or….. Do we in a de-facto manner make ourselves out to be God and do as we please..…….Jesus tell us…….”Amen, I say to you, among those born of women there has been none greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he”…….And just as John the Baptist was great among men, he realized his insignificance when it came to God......Today in the Gospel, Jesus exhibited for us great humility……How about us?…..When we approach the Blessed Sacrament at Mass, do we realize who we are standing before?……As John the Baptist rightful stated….“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”….Why do you think John the Baptist recognized Jesus for who he truly was and the people of his day did not?….The answer should be obvious…John was humble - Therefore he was given eyes to “see”

“The heavens were opened and the voice of the Father thundered: This is my beloved Son, listen to him”

Mother Teresa would often say……”I can understand Jesus majesty but I can never comprehend his humility”…..Humility is the foundational virtue for all the virtues…There are no humble people in hell just as there are no proud people in heaven…..Humility is simply understanding who we truly are in relationship to God….As St Francis prayed often before the Cross of San Damiano saying…....”Who are you Lord and who am I”…….When I pray before the Blessed Sacrament in Adoration, I often contemplate the humility of our God, who makes himself so vulnerable and small to this very day, taking the form of mere bread….He even permits the world to disregard him and sadly in some cases receive him at Mass unworthily…….Jesus is “hidden” under the appearance of bread and wine and only when we approach the Blessed Sacrament in the state of grace - Is when we “see” him…..One day Jesus will return to us in glory at the second coming…..…No one knows that day…….The secular world and frankly even the best of us can take the return of Christ for granted...….I think that is the case because, even the best of us take for granted the humility of Christ…But one day he will return and when he does we will see him as he truly is…..”Then I saw the heavens opened, and there was a white horse; its rider was [called] “Faithful and True.” He judges and wages war in righteousness. His eyes were [like] a fiery flame, and on his head were many diadems. He had a name inscribed that no one knows except himself. He wore a cloak that had been dipped in blood, and his name was called the Word of God. The armies of heaven followed him, mounted on white horses and wearing clean white linen. Out of his mouth came a sharp sword to strike the nations. He will rule them with an iron rod, and he himself will tread out in the wine press the wine of the fury and wrath of God the almighty. He has a name written on his cloak and on his thigh, “King of kings and Lord of lords”……Until that day, Jesus is cloaked in humility….Knowing this - Let us give thanks and praise that the God of the Universe allows us to approach him…….Not only approach him, but consume him in the Blessed Sacarment

“Give to the LORD, you sons of God, give to the LORD glory and praise, Give to the LORD the glory due his name; adore the LORD in holy attire”

Today the universal Church rightly brings to our attention the importance of the Baptism of our Lord…..This day should serve as a reminder to us of the importance of our own baptism and also our need to cleave to the Church…..Jesus gave us the Catholic Church and gave it authority to administer the Sacraments….Why?…Because all of us, even the greatest among us are a fallen and are susceptible to sin…..And our Baptism is the first installment into the life of grace, which we need in order to live as Christ commands us….Do we take this reality for granted?….Do we dismiss our baptism and the baptism of our children as some meaningless “ritual” as opposed to the life giving gift it truly is?………Only those who are humble understand this great mystery - That God Almighty, came down from heaven and made himself “small” so we can one day have eternal life….Again, only the humble can understand this reality…..Why? - Because humility is truth, without it, we are blind and will never see the greatest of God….God remains to this day “hidden” to the eyes of the world……….Only those who are humble will “see”………JMJ

Are you convinced? - Be convinced - Because this is how we bear fruit for the Kingdom of God

Today at Holy Mass we hear in the Gospel of John one of the most important sentences in the entire Bible……This sentence should serve as a “blue print” for our spiritual life…..”He must increase; I must decrease”……..As Catholics we should not try to “add on” jesus to our life - In fact, Its the exact opposite - We have to subtract “the self”, pouring our life out for others, which in turn allows the Holy Spirit to fill us…This process can be accomplished whether you are a priest, you are married or live in the single state of life….Our world rails against living a sacrificial life - This is why the world does not know Christ…..By living a sacrificial life and by being open to whatever God puts in front of us - This is how we live out our vocation….Most times, for those who embrace this model of living, this way of life goes unnoticed….We die to our self in the little moments of life…Caring for the children, Cooking dinner, Mowing the lawn, Working hard to provide a living for your family, Saving money for the education of your children…These things go unnoticed by the world…But in doing these “little” things consistently, we slowing but surely die to our self….As we live sacrificially, the “cup of our life” becomes empty…When its empty, God fills it - But how?….Through daily prayer - Weekly fasting, Frequent Sacramental confession, Frequent reception of the Blessed Sacrament at Mass…In doing those things, the Holy Spirit has room in our life to animate us…As St Paul tells us…..”Yet I live, no longer I, but Christ lives in me; insofar as I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God who has loved me and given himself up for me”…This can not happen if we are “full of ourself”….The cup must become empty before it is filled…This is why what John the Baptist said is so important…..”He must increase; I must decrease”…..By ourselves we can do nothing - Once we are truly convinced of that reality and begin the process described above in this reflection - That is when you will do everything - Even the impossible - All in the name of Christ, by and through the power of the Holy Spirit.

“The people who sit in darkness have seen a great light, on those dwelling in a land overshadowed by death light has arisen.”

Its very easy to read something in the Bible and “miss” the importance of it…This is why Catholics need to see our faith lived out in real time…This concept given to us by John the Baptist will not be fully comprehended until we see it lived out…For me, I saw this in the time before I was married serving for seven years with Mother Teresa’s sisters…..I was their driver in Manhattan every Saturday…I served with them in New York, San Francisco, Haiti and India…Over that seven year period, the sisters showed me how John the Baptist’s words - ”He must increase; I must decrease” - will bear fruit for the Kingdom of God…..The Missionaries of Charity, when they make their final vows, give all to God….They live in poverty….They wash their cloths by hand…They sleep in a common room….They take bucket showers……They only go home to their family once every ten years….That is how they “decrease”….I watched this play out before my eyes for seven years……..What else do they do?…..They pray each and every day….Morning reflection, Daily Mass, Daily Holy Hour, Daily Rosary, Angelus, Liturgy of the hours…That is how they allow God to “increase” in their lives….Again, I watched this happen in real time…What I also saw is the fruit of this life style…Mother Teresa’s sisters are holy woman - Period Full Stop!…If you ever encountered them, you will know exactly what I am talking about….And because they are holy, they bear fruit for the Kingdom of God….Again, I have watched this with my own eyes…..How their lives greatly impacted others and the world around them……So here is the question - If this “model” of living works for the Missionaries of Charity….Why would it not work for us?….When we encounter a holy person, we can too easily dismiss that person as being some kind of anomaly…The saints are no different then us when you come right down to it……They were “regular people”….The difference however between the saints and the “average guy” in the pews of our Churches is - They take what John the Baptist said serious……”He must increase; I must decrease”…….Just as Mother Teresa’s sisters do…That is what makes them saints……How about us?….We can do this too, if we make becoming holy a priority…..The closer we grow to God, the more he can use us…This should be the goal of every Catholic throughout the entire world…Nothing should be valued more then our own sanctification….And John the Baptist tells us how to do it……”He must increase; I must decrease”

“The Lord takes delight in his people.”

There are many things told to us in the pages of Scripture…Today, in my humble opinion, what is told to us by John the Baptist at Mass could be one of the most important singular statements made that we will ever hear……Did we catch it?…Did what John say, go in one ear and out the other?…….In order for the Holy Spirit to really work in our life we must “decrease” and when we do, we allow Jesus to increase……..We saw just how effective this model of living was in the life of John the Baptist…We can also see this model of living play out in the lives of countless saints over the course of 2000 years - Just pick up a book and read about them……..So here is the question - Why not us then?….Life is about choices and its through our choices that we “speak” to the world - By and through our life’s witness….But here is the “deal” as we say in New Jersey - We can not give what we do not have…And before we receive “the gift”, we must be “emptied of self”, to make room for it….....John the Baptist enlightens us once again - ”A voice of one crying out in the desert:‘ Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.”….So get out of your own way and make room for God!…God can do more with your life then you can - First we must be convinced of that, and when we are convinced - We will make “room” and not before - No need to “add on”, its more important to “subtract”……..”He must increase; I must decrease”…….Because without me, you can do nothing - Are you convinced? - Be convinced - Because this is how we bear fruit for the Kingdom of God………………..JMJ

“Be made clean!”

Today we hear at Holy Mass in the Gospel of St Luke how Jesus cures a Leper….Jesus has compassion for this man and after the man approaches Christ and asks to be made clean…Jesus does as he requested….The Leper in this story clearly understood that something was wrong with him…That he had a disease…That no one other then Jesus Christ could address that disease……Now let’s apply this idea to us….We are sinners…No matter who you are…Even the best of us are sinners…We are born with original sin and we live our life with human weakness, which leaves us vulnerable to sin….Jesus who is God knew this…So what did he do?….He established a Church….We forget far too easily that Jesus did not write a book…The bible as we know it came 400 years after the death of Christ…Jesus established a Church…Which he gave authority to forgive sins…..So why do we not take advantage of this gift?…Like the leper in today’s story…..We can not cleanse our self…..This is the mistake of modern man….He carries the burden of sin upon his shoulders, not knowing what to do with it…..The only solution to “that problem” we all have is allowing Christ through the Sacrament of Reconciliation to absolve that sin……..“Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean.” Jesus stretched out his hand, touched him, and said, “I do will it.  Be made clean.” .......American Christianity is under the delusion that once we proclaim Christ “Our Lord and Savior” that somehow every sin we ever committed or will ever commit is automatically wiped away……This is a delusion…Its only through the Sacraments, first Baptism and then through frequent Confessions with a priest that we are absolved from sins…..This is also how we grow in virtue and open our soul up to the grace of the Blessed Sacrament received at Mass…..Because all of us are sinners, we should NEVER underestimate the pull of sin and the depth of our fallen nature…This is why we MUST cleave to Christ and his Church…..Just as the leper was cleaned today in the Gospel of St Matthew……We too can be cleansed...…..”And the leprosy left him immediately”…..What a gift - Why not take full advantage of it?!?

“Jesus proclaimed the Gospel of the Kingdom and cured every disease among the people.”

By my office building in Manhattan there is a Catholic Church where I go to daily Mass on my lunch hour…I also go to Confession there two times every month…..At my job I work with a good friend of mine who happens to be a fallen away Catholic…..Robert is his name……Robert is a good man who reads Scripture and believes in Christ, however, because he is away from the Catholic Church, he does not receive the benefit of the Sacraments…..Just a few days ago, I went to Confession after Mass and headed back to my office…Robert was there when I returned and I wanted to tell him just how good it feels after one confesses their sins Sacramentally, how the grace of the Sacrament is tangibly felt….This is not some “psychological delusion” as many today “think”……While I wanted to share concept with Robert, I felt he probably would not receive it well, so the Holy Spirit direct me not to say anything…But the sentiment was there and still is there for Robert and the entire world to experience the peace and joy of resting in Christ after confessing their sins….Siting at my desk, I thought to myself - How blessed I am to be Catholic!……What a gift it is to be Catholic in this world……Does the reader of this reflection feel the same way?……And if you do not - Maybe its because you are carrying a burden, like the leper was in today’s Gospel story by St Matthew…My bet is, if you are freed of that burden, through the Sacrament of reconciliation, you would think differently about your Catholic faith…..Going to Confession with a priest is a direct encounter with Christ himself….Our Protestant brothers and sisters always talk about their -  “Personal relationship with Jesus Christ” - Well - It does not get any more person then being freed of your sins…Its time to really “get personal”! ……- Don’t you tink?!?..……“Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean.”  Jesus stretched out his hand, touched him, and said, “I do will it.  Be made clean.” ….What is stopping you? - “Be made clean”!

“He has granted peace in your borders; with the best of wheat he fills you. He sends forth his command to the earth; swiftly runs his word!”

Today St Matthew at Mass tells us a story that the people of his day could relate too….The story about a leper….In our modern world, there are no lepers walking around New York City, however, there are many who do not know the healing power of Christ….This is a tragedy!…..As I walk to my office, as I will do soon today, I see so many faces on the sidewalks of New York City…So many people, carrying so many burdens……As I see this sight, I often think of the words of Christ……..”As he drew near, he saw the city and wept over it, saying, “If this day you only knew what makes for peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes”….How can we as Catholics convince people of the great gift of our Catholic faith?…How can we convince the world that they are one Sacramental Confession away from peace?…..The only way to communicate this gift is by living our faith…People need to see in real time your peace and joy…And when they ask you….How do you do it?….Your response should be - I am a practicing Catholic….Seeing is believing - We will never argue anyone into the doors of the Catholic Church…But if people “see” the very thing every person on earth longs for - Authentic joy and peace - Maybe the world will second guess choices made and change their mind…..Each and everyone of us, like the leper today in St Matthew Gospel wants to - “Be made Clean”…However, there is only one way to accomplish that desire….The world must “see” for itself the fruit of what it means to be Catholic….St John tells us what that means….”Whoever possesses the Son has life; whoever does not possess the Son of God does not have life”…..Far too many people are walking around “dead on their feet”….Only Christ can give them life - But if the world does not “see” Christ in us - How will they believe in the only cure for their “condition”……..Our life must “speak” of that cure…..“Be made clean!”………….JMJ 

”For whoever is begotten by God conquers the world. And the victory that conquers the world is our faith”

Today we hear from St John in the first reading from Holy Mass…He talks to us about being obedient…Clearly something the world has problems embracing….We are convinced we “know better”…This was the sin of Adam and Eve…God told them not to eat from the Tree of Knowledge - What did that tree signify?…..God by making that statement to Adam & Eve was telling them, you can have everything I created in the Garden of Eden, but I determine what is good and what is evil - You do not!….And Adam and Eve could not accept that…And nor can we today sadly…St John today at Mass tells us this mentality must stop…That we cannot claim to love God with our words when our actions rebel against the Natural Law and the Teachings of the one Church Jesus founded - The Catholic Church….”In this way we know that we love the children of God when we love God and obey his commandments.”…St John also goes on in this passage…He tells us that we must love our brother…But who is our brother? - The answer - Everyone!…But how can we do this?……If we do not love God and if we do not embrace a life of prayer, fasting and Sacramental living…We will never be able to love our neighbor as our self…Why is that?…Because in order to do this, we need God’s grace….This is the “missing link” today in our “modern” secular culture….We all fall short of loving our neighbor as a result of human weakness and our fallen nature….This is why human beings need God…We are his creation and without him, we are in essence “incomplete” - Our world today in its hubris is not convinced of this reality…..As Catholics, if we can see Jesus fully present in the Blessed Sacrament, we will surely be able to see him in our neighbor….And in doing so, we will love our neighbor as our self…..This kind of love is outside of our grasp without God’s grace…But is this too difficult?…St John answers that question for us as well……”And his commandments are not burdensome”…Nothing asked of us by Christ or the Catholic Church is impossible as many people sadly believe…The important thing to remember is - Doing what is asked of us as Catholics is only possible by God’s grace…Outside of that grace - Yes - Its impossible - So what should that tell us…Live in a state of grace and all things will be possible for you!

“The Lord has sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor and to proclaim liberty to captives.”

How can a Catholic live a chaste life before he or she is married?…How can a priest live a celibate life?…..Many today do not think such a way of living is possible, given our human nature…But that mentality is incorrect - How do I know this?…Because before I was married, from the age of around 28 to 43, I lived a caste life….Even when I met my wife at the age of 42, we did not engage in sexual intercourse until we were married…How is that possible one many ask? - The answer - God’s grace!…..In my twenties when I decided to take my Catholic faith seriously, I tried to “self manufacture” a chaste life, relying upon my own power and will…And I failed….It was not until one period of intense fasting during Lent that God gave me the grace to live a chaste life…..In trying to achieve this on my own and failing - God showed me just how grace can work when we opens our soul up to it - He also showed me just how weak I am without that grace….So the question is for those reading this reflection - Do we open our soul to grace?…One may ask - How do we do this? - The answer - Frequent Sacramental Confessions…Reception of the Blessed Sacrament - Daily if possible….Daily Prayer…Weekly Fasting…..God can not work in our life if we do not cooperate with him….But if we do cooperate him, all things are possible when it comes to living out our Catholic faith, no matter what vocation we have…..We must do our part, so God can do his part.

“For whoever is begotten by God conquers the world.  And the victory that conquers the world is our faith.”

St John today tells us how to be authentic people…We can not claim to be Catholic and hate others…We can not claim to be Catholic and disregard what the Church teaches us….We can not claim to be Catholic and not accept the Pope and his teachings……But how can we do all these things?….They sound to difficult - Right?……Everything we do comes down to grace….Never think for a moment that you can live as a Catholic without God’s grace…The second you “think” its all about you, is the very moment everything will come crashing down…..”Pride goes before disaster, and a haughty spirit before a fall”……Live in and by God’s grace - Trust in grace implicitly!……….Because if we say one thing and do another - “The world” will take note - And so will God………….”For whoever is begotten by God conquers the world. And the victory that conquers the world is our faith”………JMJ