Hearts of stone must be turned into hearts of flesh

Today at Holy Mass we hear in the Gospel of St Mark how Jesus cures a man on the Sabbath who had a withered hand….The Pharisees were furious - How can this be?….Clearly the Pharisees have turned the law into an idol….They lost sight of God, trying to follow the law perfectly……..The devil is very clever how he “works” on our every weakness………How did this happen to these very learned men?….Jesus gives us the answer……”Looking around at them with anger and grieved at their hardness of heart”……..This is why we must confess our sins regularly…When we do, our hearts change and are receptive to God’s grace found in the Eucharist……Its very easy to be convinced of our own righteousness - Telling ourselves  - We are right in what we say and do - And even if that is the case - If we do not speak and act with love in our heart, speaking and living the Truth becomes as St Paul tells us like “Banging Gong”……God is not necessarily impressed with what we do…….God weighs the human heart…..What is most important is to do everything grounded in love - Even the smallest of things performed in love are greater then the “grandest” gesture performed without love……..“Two people went up to the temple area to pray; one was a Pharisee and the other was a tax collector. The Pharisee took up his position and spoke this prayer to himself, ‘O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity—greedy, dishonest, adulterous—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week, and I pay tithes on my whole income.’ But the tax collector stood off at a distance and would not even raise his eyes to heaven but beat his breast and prayed, ‘O God, be merciful to me a sinner.’ I tell you, the latter went home justified, not the former; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted”…….Only by God’s grace can our human hearts change…..Its very easy, as a result of the day to day struggles of life to become hard and callous to the troubles of others around us…..…Only by and through God’s grace are we given “eyes to see”…..Just as we were given the grace to see Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament - He will teach us to see God in others…Again, this type of sight can not be self-manufactured……..”I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put my spirit within you so that you walk in my statutes, observe my ordinances, and keep them”……..What we see and hear depends completely on how pure our heart is - And only God can purify the human heart through Sacramental Grace

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

Once a person has children of their own, everything changes……As a father of five children, I cannot watch children suffer, even those who are not my own - Not even on television!…Now just think about how God feels when he sees people suffer in this world…Keep in mind - All the people of the world are God’s children - What if your child was dying of starvation - Had a medical condition that could be cured but is not because of lack of resources….How would you feel?……God’s heart is so much more sensitive than our hearts because God’s heart is free from sin…Think about how he feels when he sees the world as it suffers!………”At the sight of the crowds, his heart was moved with pity for them because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd”…….If we are to be effective disciples in the world, we must transform our hearts......One can “get everything right” - Say “all the right things” - And still be wrong! - What do I mean?…..If our hearts are “not in the right place” - Our actions will not bear fruit from the Kingdom of God……..When we proclaim to the world in the public square that we are Catholic, believe me, people watch you very closely…..What we do matters!……We can go to Mass every day, pray the Rosary every day, fast weekly, etc…etc…But if we are not kind to our neighbors…If we are not generous…If we are not joyful…All those religious practices will be ignored…….The Gospel must be lived, not “performed” as if it is a show……..We must be transformed from the inside out……People can “smell” a phony from a mile away…..”Authenticity sells” - When the world encounters Catholics with “hearts of flesh” - The world will stop and take note - Then and only then will hearts turn to God…Its not what you say that counts - Its what you do when what you say is grounded in love that “closes the deal” for the world to see…This is how we make “disciples of men”.

“Jesus entered the synagogue. There was a man there who had a withered hand. They watched Jesus closely to see if he would cure him on the sabbath so that they might accuse him”

Today at Mass St Mark tells us that the Pharisees were more concerned that Jesus cured a man on the Sabbath, then they were concerned that a person was suffering and need attention….These men “got lost” in their own belief system….”They lost sight of the trees in the forrest”…….How about us?……Do we aspire to have the heart of Christ?…..Knowing the faith and speaking the Truth is important - But how we speak it may be equally as important…..Jesus gave to us the Beatitudes - These are the “rules of the game”……..In giving us the Beatitudes, Jesus was telling us how we are to follow him….So here is the question - Do we follow him?………”Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” - “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. - “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.” - “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” - “Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.” - “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.” - “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” -  “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” - “Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.” - “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”……..Focus on your heart, make it pure and everything else will follow……….Hearts of stone must be turned into hearts of flesh……………….JMJ

This is how we are sanctified and this is how we sanctify the world

Today at Holy Mass in the first reading the Prophet Samuel was given a message from God.....”I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem,
for I have chosen my king from among his sons”…One of the sons among the many would be anointed….Interestingly enough, the one son who was disregarded was “the one” who was anointed….”Not as man sees does God see, because he sees the appearance but the LORD looks into the heart”…For those who read Scripture, we know that son was David, who goes on to be great in the eye of God and man……Why did everyone disregard David? - The answer - God sees the heart and does not judge by appearance…So the question today is - How do we judge people?…Is it by their social status?…Their wealth?…Their education?….When one reads the Bible, trends begin to form…The same trends are also found in the saints the Lord choose at particular periods of history…Most of these people did not exactly have the “greatest resume” for the role they played…But God saw “something” in them…Something that the world disregarded….The human heart is a mysterious thing….Inside of each of us are what St Teresa of Avila called “caverns”….Within the human soul, there are aspects of our very being that we are not aware of, but God is….And if we entrust our life to God - He we reveal these “caverns” to us….And in doing so, we will do what we never thought possible…This is why we must be convinced that God can do more with our lives then we can…Even the most gifted among us - God can do infinitely more with our gifts, talents and treasure then we can….Sadly - We lack trust!…..We must allow God to reveal to us the aspects of our very being that we do not see, but are there!…That is when we become the people we were born to be…This is how we are sanctified and this is how Catholics will sanctify the world.

“May the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ enlighten the eyes of our hearts, that we may know what is the hope that belongs to our call”

Fear is a tool the devil uses to hold us back……Fear does not come from God…..Our fear limits our potential and it reveals our lack of trust in the God who loves us….Everything Jesus said in the Gospel is true - Everything!….Do we believe him?….Do we rest upon our own human limitations and weakness?….When we allow the grace of God to fill us, all things are possible….As a Catholic, we are instructed to live according to the perennial teachings of the Church…Far too many believe these teachings and dogmas are not “practical” in real life….That the Beatitudes taught to us by Jesus himself are just some “ideal”….Clearly, if we try to live in this manner resting upon our own strengthen, we will fail…However, if we live by and through Sacramental grace, which elevates human nature, we will do everything asked of us by God and more!…Our world does not believe this - Do we believe this?…….To “tap into the “caverns of our soul”, we need to overcome our fear, to rely solely on divine providence and grace….Only then will the impossible become possible…Once again, the saints show us this…Many of these men and women were the most unlikely of people to be “called” by God to accomplish his holy will…But as we heard today in the first reading from Mass……”Not as man sees does God see, because he sees the appearance but the LORD looks into the heart”……Allow God to work in and through you - And you will also do the impossible!

“I have found David, my servant; with my holy oil I have anointed him, That my hand may be always with him, and that my arm may make him strong.”

Today at Mass we hear how the great King David was anointed - From that point on his journey began…..What about us?…..God has made each and every one of us unique - With that said, we each have something to do for God that one else can do - But in order for that “something” to get done, we need to “step outside” ourself…Living in this manner is often uncomfortable, this is why most people do not live like this - They settle for mediocrity - Never Settle!!!!!…….God did not create us to be “comfortable” - He created us for greatness…Our “greatness” is found in God - If we allow him to form us….Throughout the New Testament, Jesus tells his friends time and time again - “Be not afraid”….We are also told the same - “Be not afraid”….........”I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work in you will continue to complete it until the day of Christ Jesus”…..We must learn to trust the Lord implicitly, and when we do, he will transform our minds and hearts…..This is how we are sanctified and this is how we sanctify the world………….JMJ

Christ is King - We are not - Listen to him!

Today at Holy Mass in the first reading we are told something very important……”Obedience is better than sacrifice”……So many people have problems with simple acts of obedience to authority, never mind total obedience to God…There are many reasons for this, which range from childhood wounds to deep seated attachments to sin….But under it all is the human desire to be God - Or at the minimum “play god”….…This was the sin of our first parents Adam and Eve….In our disobedience to God and his Church, we make ourselves out to be God whether we realize it or not….This was a fatal mistake for Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden and it is the same mistake to made by many to this very day……”I will not serve”…..”I will do it my way”……”No one tells me what to do”….These are not the statements of a person who is walking with the Lord…….St Paul reminds us of the example of Christ himself……”Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered; and when he was made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him”……We too must learn to become obedient to Christ and his Church…If we too want to be “made perfect”…..There is only one path to heaven and Jesus showed us this path…He even told us…”I am the way”…That should imply to any clear-eyed objective person that because there is one way to heaven, if we want to go to heaven, we must follow that one path……And that path involves the Cross!…Jesus again tells us…..”Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”………..In order to do as Jesus said - We must be obedient….Our world today gives authority to others and even to ourselves where no authority exists…Jesus Christ has authority because he is God…How do we know this? - Point Blank - He rose from the dead….And because Jesus is God, from his own mouth, he gave authority to the one Church he founded - The Catholic Church……This is why we must be obedient to what Jesus tells us in the Gospel and to what the Catholic Church has taught for 2000 years….If we are not - How can we expect to go to heaven?……Again - There is one path to Heaven…Jesus told us so and he has authority - We do not

“The word of God is living and effective, able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart”

The world is not convinced that the Catholic Church has the authority of Christ…People try to separate the Catholic Church from Christ - This is impossible!….Why? - Human beings hear what their itchy ears want to hear……We want to do what we want to do and then we tell ourselves we are in “good standing with Christ” and one day will enter into eternal life…..This is why the Prophet Samuel tells us today at Mass that……“Does the LORD so delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obedience to the command of the LORD? Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission than the fat of rams. For a sin like divination is rebellion, and presumption is the crime of idolatry. Because you have rejected the command of the LORD, he, too, has rejected you as ruler.”……..Allow me to try to illustrate what Samuel was trying to express in this passage…..This is something to came to me through then Holy Spirit at Mass a few years ago……As a father of five children, all under eleven years old, going to Sunday Mass can be difficult….There are times I can not knee when required because of one of my children needing me….When this has happened, particularly during the consecration of the Eucharist at Mass, I have thought long and hard about the importance of participating at Mass properly and also the importance of me as a Father tending to the needs of my children when they cry….…This is the inspiration that came to me during those difficult moments - While its important to knee during the required periods at Mass, its more important for my will to bend - That the kneeing at Mass is “easy” but bending my will at all times to the Lord, that is the difficult part……..”Obedience is better than sacrifice”…….I like to think Jesus understands that as a father, if one of my small children are crying at Mass, I need take take care of them and at that moment, maybe I can’t knee at Mass….However, what is my “excuse” when I don’t bend my will to one of the hard teachings of the Gospel or the Church?……Its very easy to give an “outward appearance” to the world that we are Catholic……Its something all together different to bend our will completely until it breaks to the teachings of the Church and the demands of the Gospel, especially when no one is looking…..I clearly do not have the mind of God but if I were to bet, God is more concerned with the bending of my will then the bending of my knees when my children need me at Mass….God sees the heart in a way that we do not…He also knows our true intentions…..As Catholics, we must be more concerned with obeying God then about appeasing men…..” Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You cleanse the outside of cup and dish, but inside they are full of plunder and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee, cleanse first the inside of the cup, so that the outside also may be clean”…….It is through our obedience that we will grow closer to God and it is also through our obedience that we will enter into eternal life.

“Why do you recite my statutes, and profess my covenant with your mouth, Though you hate discipline and cast my words behind you?”

Today at Mass we are reminded of the importance of the virtue of Obedience….Outside of Jesus Christ himself, no one was more obedient then Our Lady….She was the Mother of God, yet she was perfectly obedient to her husband, who clearly was beneath her as far as him being a sinner and Our Lady being born immaculate…..Yet Our Lady, as the wife of Joseph, subjected herself to her husband and lived under his authority…..Sadly, our world today rejects this kind of radical obedience shown to us by both Mary and Jesus…Our world can not understand it and refuses to be open to this kind of obedience…What the world also “misses” is “the fruit” of radical obedience….God’s ways are not our ways and for those who trust God implicitly, in time, lasting fruit is produced…This only happens when we are obedient….”Who, though he was in the form of God did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross. Because of this, God greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name”……As Catholics living in the world and witnessing our faith in the public square, we can not lead others if we are not able or willing to serve God in obedience ourselves….Before we can lead, our knee must bend!….Only one voice matters and that voice is not mine…..Christ is King - We are not - Listen to him!……………….JMJ

”I will make you a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth”

Today at Holy Mass we hear from the Book of Isaiah something every Catholics should meditate upon……”I will make you a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.”……..The primary purpose of every human life is to cooperate with God in allowing him to make us holy…..The process of sanctification is not for a “select few” it is for every human soul….Is this your primary desire in life - To become holy? - If not it should be - Why? - For two reasons…The first, nothing unholy enters heaven…American Christians (and that include many Catholics) have a distorted view of heaven - We believe heaven is a “lock” as we say in New Jersey - Meaning - Everyone “gets in” and not only that everyone gets in on their terms…..Jesus never taught this false doctrine nor has the Catholic Church ever taught this….Therefore, as baptized Catholics we should make it our business to work on our personal sanctification daily….Keeping in mind, what we don’t “get done” here on earth, will be made complete in Purgatory…Speaking personally, I want to spend as little time as possible in Purgatory - How about you?…What is the second reason why we should want to become holy?…Because the closer we get to God, the more he can use us to build his Kingdom…..Again, circling back to what the Prophet Isaiah told us at Mass…..The words “I will make you” implies we are a work in progress, we have not achieved our goal yet….It also implies we can not get to our goal, which is to be a holy people, without the help of God…….Notice what else Isaiah says…..He mentions the word “light” and “my salvation”…This “light” does not belong to us, we receive it from God - It cannot be self manufactured - And if we want to receive this “light”,  we must make ourselves available to it……..Also, the word “salvation” is used….Salvation is a gift, it can not be earned - But in order to receive this gift, again, we must cooperate with God’s grace……To become the people we were born to be takes time…So be patient…Not only with others but also with yourself…..The greatest journey one could ever commit themselves to is the journey towards God - The path to holiness is not for the faint of heart, but the road to heaven is in essence a small taste of heaven…….So get on “the road” that leads to eternal life and as your life grows closer to God, your light will shine as a guide for others.

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

How do we become holy?……Before one can live in this manner, a person committed to this goal, must strive to empty themselves….Living a sacrificial life, no matter what state in life you are called to is essential…Why? - Because God can not “fill” us with his life if we are “full of ourselves”!….We empty ourselves by become a person for others, sharing our time, talents and treasures…How else does one become holy?…By living a Sacramental life - Going to Confession at least once a month and receiving the Blessed Sacrament in the state of grace every Sunday and if you can go to Mass every day - Wonderful…How else does one become holy?…By establishing a daily prayer life…How else? - By fasting each week - Fasting Wednesday for the Church and Friday for the world…….If a person commits to these practices…God will do “his part”….And in time, day by day - You will become holy - And God will use you to build his Kingdom upon the earth….When you get right down to it, there really is nothing “special” about a person who is holy…Why do I say that? - Because anyone can do it!…In fact we were all born to be holy!…..God does the “heavy lifting” in making a person holy…Our job is just to cooperate with him…..So make it happen! - Everyone these days has a “bucket list” of things they want to do before they die - Throw the bucket list away! - And strive to become a saint - Make it your one and only goal!

“A man is coming after me who ranks ahead of me because he existed before me.’ I did not know him, but the reason why I came baptizing with water was that he might be made known to Israel”

Today the Prophet Isaiah tells us that God has a purpose for each and everyone of us…Do you have a driving purpose in your life and if you do - What is it?…..No mater who we are - Each of us has “something to do” for God…As many in Catholic circles would describe it -  Each of us has a mission!….I believe when we die and stand in front of God, He will show us our entire life - He will show us both the good and the bad - But he will also show us what we could have done if we trusted him more…I can only speak personally, I want the “could have done” list to be very small!…..As parents of children, we all want our kids to live up to their potential…God too has this same desire for us because we are all his children - That we “live up to our potential” - And what is that? - To become saints…..As Mother Angelica, the foundress of the EWTN Global Catholic Television Network would always say…......”We are all called to be great saints, don't miss the opportunity”…..Only saints change the world…..God can do more with your life than you can - Believe it! - Give him permission and watch what happens……….”I will make you a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth”…………………JMJ

The “deeper the water” - The “bigger the fish”

Today at Holy Mass in the Gospel of St Mark we are told that Jesus ate with sinners…This to a law abiding Jew was a scandal!….Why would you associate with such a person…Jesus gives the answer…….“Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do. I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.”…How easy it is to look down on others…To think for “this reason” or “that reason” you are somehow better then “them”….While choices and actions do have consequences, both good and bad, God does not stop loving us even when we turn from him - How about us? - Are we like God in this way?……In this passage from St Mark, Jesus was willing to bear the shame brought upon him by the “established people” of his day because of his love for the lost….Are we willing to go after the one lost sheep, leaving the 99 who “get it”….And if we do, what happens when the 99 turn on you because you left them?…..This is what Jesus shows us today….His love bears shame, it endures ridicule, it does not concerns itself with being accepted by the crowd…..Again, how about us?…..Love, in order for it to be real must be sacrificial….God in his infinite wisdom gives us opportunities to love in this manner through out our life…When those opportunities present themselves - Do we recognize them? - Do we embrace them? - Or…..Do we turn from them?

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

During the height of the AIDS epidemic, Mother Teresa opened up an AIDS hospice in New York City…At the time, if a person acquired the AIDS virus, that person was a modern day leper…..But Mother Teresa and her sisters did not see it that way….This person was a child of God - A lost soul - Born to be loved and to love in return…..Sadly, the world did not see it that way - Even many Catholics living lives in “the mainstream” probably did not see it that way…These men with AIDS were public sinners! - Keep them away from me!…Maybe some people even thought - “They got what they deserve”!…..This is not how God views such people and because of that, nor should we…..In life people for many different reasons make bad choices…And as we all know, with every choice there are consequences…That being said, God gives us opportunities to “turn things around”, even among those “bad choices”…..This is where Catholics need to come into the picture….Catholics are to be salt and light in this world…We are too walk among the people…And by our example, which is fueled by Sacramental grace and daily prayer, we are to give “the crowd” an example of God’s never failing love - For the “good” and the “bad” alike……….How we are fully equipped to do this? - Because of Sacramental living , which elevate our human nature….Catholics are not to “go off” and live in “the woods” far away from the lost, we are to walk among them…As Jesus shows us today in the Gospel……”While he was at table in his house, many tax collectors and sinners sat with Jesus and his disciples; for there were many who followed him”…….The world today needs to see for itself the Gospel taking the form of “flesh” - What does that mean? - Catholics are meant to radically live the Gospel in the world…This type of witness will impacted even the hardest of hearts and the worst of sins….…One can not self-manufacture this kind of love….…Only Christ can give us this grace if we allow him to and when we are transformed, we are then equipped to give away what we have received…...This is how the lost regain their sight….And this is how we save our soul in the process.

“As he passed by, he saw Levi, son of Alphaeus, sitting at the customs post. Jesus said to him, “Follow me.”

Today at Mass we are told that Jesus broke with Jewish customs to associate with public sinners….He was not concerned with what “the crowd” thought of him - Does our public image drive us to behave in certain ways?…..If we are to live out our Catholic faith, we must be a people set apart in and amongst the world…One match in the darkest of places brings a great amount of light - In fact, the darker the room, the more that one match shines bright!…….Cardinal John Henry Newman (1801-1890) in his poem entitled “Radiating Christ” said it best…..”Dear Jesus, help us to spread Your fragrance everywhere we go. Flood our souls with Your Spirit and Life. Penetrate and possess our whole being so utterly that our lives may only be a radiance of Yours. Shine through us and be so in us that every soul we come in contact with may feel Your presence in our souls. Let them look up, and see no longer us, but only Jesus! Stay with us and then we shall begin to shine as You shine, so to shine as to be a light to others. The light, O Jesus, will be all from You; none of it will be ours. It will be You, shining on others through us. Let us thus praise You in the way You love best, by shining on those around us. Let us preach You without preaching, not by words but by example, by the catching force, the sympathetic influence of what we do, the evident fullness of the love our hearts bear for You.”…….We can not give what we do not have….Catholics were not born to live “comfortable lives”, we were born to give ourselves way….In doing so, we allow Christ to “fill us” with his Spirit and Life…This is how we are effective  as disciples and this is how we reach a hand out to the lost and the wounded of the world….Mere words will never accomplish this, even the most beautiful of words……..Our world does not need another sermon - It needs witnesses…….Catholics must become all things to all people - Yes - That means we must go to the margins of society………..The “deeper the water” - The “bigger the fish”……JMJ

John the Baptist put it best America - ”Repent - The Kingdom of God is at hand!”

Today at Holy Mass we hear in the first reading the Prophet Samuel address his people about a king…Historically speaking, at this point in time the Jewish people have turned from God…Before this period, the Israelites did not have an earthly king - God was their king - They had judges to litigate disputes but God’s laws governed them - That time had passed - And now the Israelites “want to be like other nations” and have a king…Samuel warns them…..He also warns us today…….“The rights of the king who will rule you will be as follows: He will take your sons and assign them to his chariots and horses, and they will run before his chariot. He will also appoint from among them his commanders of groups of a thousand and of a hundred soldiers. He will set them to do his plowing and his harvesting, and to make his implements of war and the equipment of his chariots.  He will use your daughters as ointment makers, as cooks, and as bakers. He will take the best of your fields, vineyards, and olive groves, and give them to his officials. He will tithe your crops and your vineyards, and give the revenue to his eunuchs and his slaves. He will take your male and female servants, as well as your best oxen and your asses, and use them to do his work. He will tithe your flocks and you yourselves will become his slaves”……Any president or elected official that does not place God above himself and his position will ultimately in time turn into a tyrant….The pages of history, as well as the story of the Jewish people in the Old Testament tell us this time and time again…As the old saying goes: “Absolute power corrupts absolutely”…..Powerful human beings who rule over nations try to reshape reality in their hubris - And they always fail in doing so - And in the process, they destroy themselves, their nation and their soul……..Mankind is fallen by nature and without God to temper our life, our passions will get the best of us….Today we see “power drunk” leaders of nations around the world just like the men who the Prophet Samuel warned the people of his day about - Nothing really has changed….Notice how God reacts when Samuel tells him about the people’s request to have an earthly King…….”When Samuel had listened to all the people had to say, he repeated it to the LORD, who then said to him,“Grant their request and appoint a king to rule them.”……….God give us free will and if we “show God the door” - He leaves! - And allows us to experience the consequences of our choice….However, God plays the “long game”…..Its through the suffering, which results in bad choices that many (sadly not all) realize our need for God to animate our life and the life of our nation……Jesus tells us very clearly….“Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you”…….The culture of West has turned its back on God, as did the people of Samuel’s day….We are reaping the consequences of that choice…..When will we turn back? - When will we heed the words of Christ when he tells us - “Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you”? - Its only then that we will experience a change and not before…”Voting harder” is not the answer America!

“A great prophet has arisen in our midst and God has visited his people”

We are currently living in a Post-Christian America…While there are many people in America that believe in God…Our country as a whole votes for abortion up and until the moment of birth, we legalized same-sex marriage, we permit young men and women to medically alter their gender without the permission of their parents, we legally permit no-fault divorce….The list goes on an on…How can we claim to be a Christian nation?…All these abominations have consequences and those consequences are seen right before our eyes….What will get our attention as a nation? - How much more suffering do we as a nation have to endure?….Only God knows this answer…However at this point, no man or woman can “fix America” - Particularly an elected politician - The answer is for our people to turn back to God - Easier said then done!…But God, like all good fathers, has not abandoned his children……He will show us a way forward, which cuts across the human heart…..”I will go before you and level the mountains; Bronze doors I will shatter, iron bars I will snap”…..The pages of human history tell us that God always responds, in time, not our time but God’s time…He usually rises up a saint to meet the challenges of the day….America needs saints!….Catholics must get serious and take their faith seriously!……Our nation needs witnesses not more politicians or political slogans…..People believe what they see…Our people need to see for themselves the “goodness of God” again through saints in real time…That begins with me and you!

“For you are the splendor of their strength, and by your favor our horn is exalted. For to the LORD belongs our shield, and to the Holy One of Israel, our King”

Today at Mass Samuel warns his people about putting their faith in an earthly king - Are we any different today?…..Political idolatry is rampant in America….Far too many have abandoned God and have made politics their god….They blindly follow their political identify anywhere it leads, even when certain ideologies become objectively destructive and in some case outright demonic…Samuel tells his people in the Old Testament what will happen when political idolatry rears its ugly head - And Samuel was spot on!…As Catholics, we must realize that there is no such thing as “heaven on earth” - Politicians that try to reshape reality, attempting to create a utopian existence without God will always fail and in the process become tyrants - Again, any objective student of history can tell you that by simply reading a few books in the public library….     Is God your king? - Do we see our world through the lens of our Catholic faith? - Do we vote according to the lens of our Catholic world view?…..Samuel told his people the end-result of their bad choice….......”When this takes place, you will complain against the king whom you have chosen, but on that day the LORD will not answer you.”…………Many people today speak about being “progressive” - My answer to “that crowd” is simply this - The man who is the “most progressive”, is the one who “sees” the error of his ways and reverse course……........John the Baptist put it best America - ”Repent - The Kingdom of God is at hand!”……..JMJ

God wastes nothing - Not even our suffering

Today at Holy Mass we hear in the first reading in the Book of Samuel how the Philistines defeated the Jewish nation…In this passage two great battles took place and the Israelites lost both of them…After the first defeat, the Jewish people thought if they brought into their camp the Ark of the Covenant, which held the Ten Commandments, they would be victorious….Interestingly enough, the second defeat was worse then the first, even with the Ark of the Covenant leading the charge….The story of the Jewish people in the Old Testament is an account very much like the nations of today, as well as the nations written about in the pages of history…It is a story of “Exodus and Return”…..How the Jews forget about God in their prosperity and because they forget about God, their society falls apart, only for them to experience a time of exile and suffering, followed by a return to God….In this story today, the Jewish people were “up against the wall”…The Philistines were a powerful empire and they thought that if they just brought into their camp the Ark of the Covenant, everything would be well…But as we know from the story today, they still lost the battle…..Why? - God is not interested in “lip service” or a “superficial show” of devotion to him…He is interested in an interior conversion of heart….Just because the Jewish people were carrying the Ark into battle, did not mean their hearts were transformed and focused upon God…..I do not know the mind of God but maybe this is why the Israelites were defeated…They needed to experience suffering, in order to be converted back to the Lord…How about us today?…Our world does not want to hear it!…….God gave us a Church, the Natural Law and the teachings contained in the Gospel…And all of these things are ignored……Society does not want to listen…..So what does God do?…..He allows us to wallow in our own misery - With the hope - And in time - We “figure things out”…..What needs to be figured out? - That human beings were born to be grafted into the life of God - Without God - No matter who we are, our life is not complete…We will never understand ourselves fully without God….And when words do not convince us of this reality - Many times suffering does…..Society today is very similar to the history told to us on the pages of the Old Testament…..Mankind never learns - We continue to experience periods of “Exodus and Return” as did the Jewish people…..God loves us and because he loves us he allows us to suffer when we turn our backs to him - In order for us to “figure it out” - As the great St Augustine once said - “The human heart does not rest until it rests in thee”….God “plays the long game” - He waits for us patiently to “figure it all out”

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

Suffering is apart of every human life, no matter who you are…But the goal of life should be to mitigate that suffering  - Right?!?…If we follow the teachings of Christ, live by and through the Natural Law written on every human heart and abide by the eternal teachings of the Catholic Church - Our life still will not be free from suffering but as Jesus rightful said - ”My yoke is easy and my burden is light” - Our life’s choices will minimize many of the painful experiences our society goes through due to bad choices made…But sadly many today are not convinced……In the New testament Jesus tries to teach us this reality in the story of the Prodigal Son, which documents a cycle of redemption for a man who “left his Father’s house” and wasted his inheritance on a bad life….Only in time to “figure it out” - That his life with his Father was a good life after all…This in many ways is the story of us all…But sadly, for most of us. Words do not convince us of this reality - We have to experience the pain of being “distant from God” - What then convinces us? - Human suffering….The story of Jesus Christ gives humanity meaning to our “eternal dilemma” - How does mankind conquer death and suffering?….These two experiences impact all of us - And without Jesus Christ, who gives meaning to death and suffering, humanity to this very day is lost and scrambling for answers that cannot be found…….The sooner “we” figure this out” the better….Speaking personally - I “figured this out” by the age of twenty-two…I tried to approach life as a young man “my way”, only to “figure out” that “my way” does not work!……But guess what? - God’s way works!…..The Catholic Church has been around for 2000 years - That should tell us something - Its teachings are time tested!…And guess what? - They work!…..Jesus very clearly tells is in the pages of the Gospel of St Matthew….“Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house.  But it did not collapse; it had been set solidly on rock. And everyone who listens to these words of mine but does not act on them will be like a fool who built his house on sand. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. And it collapsed and was completely ruined.”…….Still don’t believe me? - The story of mankind is written and re-written on the pages of history books…Its a story written over and over again - Its the same story too - “Exodus and Return”….The sooner we “figure that out” - The better our life will be!

“If you wish, you can make me clean.”…..Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand, touched the leper, and said to him,  “I do will it. Be made clean.”

Today in the first reading at Mass, we hear how the Jewish people were conquered by a pagan nation…..Many could read this passage from the Book of Samuel and question why God allowed this to happen - But the mind of God is far different from the mind of men - God is interested in our internal salvation not necessarily our comfort or our success here on earth….And many times this is why God permits suffering in our life - Suffering purifies us…Suffering gives us eternal vision…Suffering reminds us of our reliance on God…Suffering teaches us to be humble…I could go on and on…With God nothing is wasted - Not even our suffering…And this is why, if I were to guess, God allowed the Jewish people to be conquered by the Philistines……God works in and through the events of our life…Nothing happens without God permitting it to happen…And many times we will not understand why certain things happen in our life as well as in the many horrible events that take place in the world causing mankind to suffer tremendously - But know this - God is at work!…..Everything works towards the “Greater glory of God”…God gives man free will and because of free will, mankind can and does commit horrible crimes - But know this - God works through those events - Purifying us individually and the nations of the world……”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”…….Humanity needs to learn to “trust the process” - God “plays the long game” - He sees what we do not see….It all comes down to trust and if we are uncomfortable for a period of time - Trust that the periods of suffering that God allows us to experience in our life have a purpose - To purify us - To transform our hearts - To prepare us for eternity with him………”No trial has come to you but what is human. God is faithful and will not let you be tried beyond your strength; but with the trial he will also provide a way out, so that you may be able to bear it”…….God wastes nothing - Not even our suffering………….JMJ