Wars and Rumors of Wars

First reading	Romans 10:9-18

Faith comes from what is preached, and what is preached comes from the word of Christ

If your lips confess that Jesus is Lord and if you believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, then you will be saved. By believing from the heart you are made righteous; by confessing with your lips you are saved. When scripture says: those who believe in him will have no cause for shame, it makes no distinction between Jew and Greek: all belong to the same Lord who is rich enough, however many ask his help, for everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

  But they will not ask his help unless they believe in him, and they will not believe in him unless they have heard of him, and they will not hear of him unless they get a preacher, and they will never have a preacher unless one is sent, but as scripture says: The footsteps of those who bring good news are a welcome sound. Not everyone, of course, listens to the Good News. As Isaiah says: Lord, how many believed what we proclaimed? So faith comes from what is preached, and what is preached comes from the word of Christ. Let me put the question: is it possible that they did not hear? Indeed they did; in the words of the psalm, their voice has gone out through all the earth, and their message to the ends of the world.

Today is the memorial for St. Andrew the Apostle.  Our reading states clearly that in order for the world to hear about Jesus, they need to have someone to preach to them.  That is where the Church is running into problems at this time. 

The average age of a priest in the Chicago area is about 62 years. So our priests are getting older and there are fewer of them every year as retirement and death claim them. The Church as we know it is in crisis mode here in the United States.  The devil has managed to employ fifth columnists over the years who have manipulated the wolves in sheep's clothing so as to disseminate them theatre wide so that the maximum number of casualties are created.  His followers have gravitated to positions of power in the Curia where any means were being used to protect members of the clique.  The homosexual agenda was slowly and cunningly brought out in the guise of "inclusiveness" and marriage and the family came under attack from the people who should have been the first to shout loud and long to protect it.  Add to this mix a Pope who, while a humble man, is not much of a leader and you have the Catholic Church today, a Church operating in a crisis mode where the words and works of the good are overshadowed by the deeds of evil that were perpetrated over the years by wolves.  What are we to do?  Do we abandon the Church and join one of the thirty-thousand denominations, each with only a part of the truth and none with the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Christ which is the Eucharist?  Do we give up completely and try to live a spiritual life without the aid of a Christian community, sinking into the "it's just you and me Lord." type of a spirituality? 

Things are looking grim.  Because of the hierarchy's inability to look honestly at what has happened to the Church, the state is going in and taking the very documents that some in the management tiers of the Church tried so very hard to keep secret.  What are we to do? 

DO NOT LOSE HOPE!  What is happening is happening under the control of Jesus, the founder, and owner of the Church.  He will stop at nothing to cleanse the flock of the wolves wearing sheep's clothing. He can use weakness to create strength.  What are we in the pews going to have to do?  We must become more vocal sheep.  We must demand that our bishops turn over all documentation that would help clarify the situation no matter who it points to.  The Church will be purified and the Church will come out of this mess both poorer in money but richer in spirituality.  

PRAY, PRAY, PRAY!  Pray for Holy Father and the Curia that they do what is good for the Church and for the People of God, that is us, the pew dwellers who want nothing more than to have Godly men with no hidden agendas to be in charge of the Church. 

WARS AND RUMORS OF WARS.  Very often people interpret this bit of scripture as referring to nations.  Nation will rise against nation, that is true.  But the wars and rumors of wars we must be aware of is the struggle between the Bride of Christ and the devil, it is a battle for souls.  While the victory of Christ is certain, we must remember our beliefs, we must live them out in spirit and truth and we must help one another and face the front lines where Jesus, our Lord and Savior, stands as a bulwark against the forces that seek our end.  Move forward brothers and sisters and close ranks behind the King of Glory.  All praise and honor to Jesus!  Amen. 

Not A Single Stone Will Be Left On Another...

Gospel	Luke 21:5-11

The destruction of the Temple foretold

When some were talking about the Temple, remarking how it was adorned with fine stonework and votive offerings, Jesus said, ‘All these things you are staring at now – the time will come when not a single stone will be left on another: everything will be destroyed.’ And they put to him this question: ‘Master,’ they said ‘when will this happen, then, and what sign will there be that this is about to take place?’

  ‘Take care not to be deceived,’ he said ‘because many will come using my name and saying, “I am he” and, “The time is near at hand.” Refuse to join them. And when you hear of wars and revolutions, do not be frightened, for this is something that must happen but the end is not so soon.’ Then he said to them, ‘Nation will fight against nation and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes and plagues and famines here and there; there will be fearful sights and great signs from heaven.’

Take a tour of the temple (4 minutes)

The pictures in today's reflection represent what the Temple looked like in the time of Jesus.  It was one of the most beautiful buildings in the world.  It was very substantially built of the finest materials, it was a building the shouted, "Strength" and the Jews of the time were in awe of the complex.  This, of course, was not only because of the beauty and strength of the building but because it was the home of God on earth.  Anyone might go to a synagogue to pray and to learn the scriptures and The Law and to hear preaching from the wise and the learned but only in the Temple could one worship the Lord and offer sacrifices to Him.  It was the center or Jewish life in Israel.  There was a chink in the armor.  If you look at the picture at the top right you will notice a structure with four towers that overlooks the courtyard of the temple.  This is Fortress Antonia and the rampart could easily be willed with archers whose job it would be to quell any riot by quelling the rioters.  The Jews were not pleased with their neighboring building but could do nothing about it.  Imagine the shock that accompanied the words of Jesus when He said that it was all going to be destroyed.  And it was destroyed in the year 70AD when the Romans had had enough of the rebelliousness of their Jewish citizens.  Not a stone was left on a stone, just as Jesus foretold.  It was, in effect, the end of the world for the Jews.  Today, a pagan edifice occupies the space that once was God's home on earth.  The Dome of the Rock is revered by followers of Islam as the place where Mohammed rose to heaven. If the temple, a building so beautiful and so strong can be destroyed, what does that say about our future? 

Jesus tells us to be on our guard and to watch out for those who claim to be Him.  We should not follow these fakers but we should keep our march going in the direction the Catholic Church tells us is the way. We should not be afraid when we hear of wars and rumors of wars and earthquakes and floods and destruction in many places.  The temple of God is also His Bride and Jesus promised us protection until the time of His return.  So, the Church is going through a period that will end in her purification.  The wolves in sheep's clothing will depart and peace will settle over the Church, a peace that is sent by God Himself and we will become more holy and our eyes will see more clearly and the world will hear our voices and our example will attract more and more people to the Catholic Church.  We will wait for the Lord and praise Him every day for the love that He has shown us.  While others quake in fear, we will rest in the oasis of His love.  While others are running to and fro we will sing Psalms and songs of praise.  While others are turning on each other we will offer the Lord sacrifices of our time, out talent, and out treasure and help those who live in fear.

The Church is at a crossroads today. Be patient and know that Jesus has it all under control.  The victory is His and His alone and all will know that Jesus is Lord.  A song of victory for you...

The Day It All Comes Crashing Down !

As the visions during the night continued, I saw
one like a Son of man coming,
on the clouds of heaven;
when he reached the Ancient One
and was presented before him,
the one like a Son of man received dominion, glory, and kingship;
all peoples, nations, and languages serve him.
His dominion is an everlasting dominion
that shall not be taken away,
his kingship shall not be destroyed.

The new Church year is about to begin which means, of course, that the old year is coming to an end.  The end of a year can bring to mind the end of time, the stories we hear about the imminent return of Jesus and the end of all things.  But what is a Catholic view of the end times?  What is it we actually believe will come to pass?   Please read the following with the understanding that Michael the Lesser has no idea then the end of the world is to come. He leaves the timing of the triumphant return of Christ to God the Father who alone knows the exact moment in history when it will happen.  

As I see it, the universe, like the earth has God mandated seasons.  Today, we here on earth are experiencing the winter season, a time when things sleep and gather strength for the spring that fosters growth that is to come.  This cold time is a time of persecution for the Church.  Raise up the Cross of Christ anywhere and you will find thousands who want it tore down. The Church today is undergoing a trial by fire.  The fire she herself has kindled by nurturing the sex scandals of years past.  Yes, some Catholics are leaving the church because they are disgusted with the way the bishops have failed to protect the flock and rather, at least it appears, spent time, talent and treasure protecting themselves.  They have a right to be angry at the leadership but they do not have the right to use this failure to become apostates. In spite of its many issues at the moment, the Catholic Church remains the Church that Christ founded and the one that bears his seal and his guarantee that it will survive until the end of time.  But what is wrong with a Catholic leaving one church for another?  Is this not their right?  The long and short answer is no.  Participating in the carving up of the church into denominations was never the idea of Jesus.  He wanted and continues to want a single unified Church of authentic believers.  But, do not Protestants believe in many of the same things that we do?  Yes, they most certainly do and that is why we call them the separated brother and sisters.  Protestants born into Protestantism bear no sin for being separate from the Church.  But I truly would not forsake the Catholic Church for any denomination.  The first reason, of course, is that I would lose the Eucharist, that meal of unity that unites one Catholic to another and all to Christ.  But, more than that I would not want to chance to be part of a denomination that has refused belief in the authority of the Church.  There are just too many ways for that to end badly for a Christian. 

There was a time when mainstream Protestant denominations and the Catholic Church stood side by side on some very basic doctrines.  For example, and please take note, I am not in the business of judging anybody, I am just pointing out where things have changed between Catholics and Protestants.  First, let us look at marriage.  At one time, marriage was seen to be between a man and a woman and to be a forever thing. That was civilly changed and some denominations allow divorce and remarriage and others allow same-sex marriages where two people of the same sex take wedding vows.  The Catholic Church has not changed her teaching about marriage, it still is a forever sort of thing between a man and a woman.  Same-sex couples will need to look outside of the Catholic Church to celebrate their "nuptials."  On the question of birth control, the Catholic position has not changed.  Every act of intercourse needs to admit the possibility of procreation.  For most Protestant denominations this view is seen as old-fashioned and very inconvenient for their followers so, of course, birth control is left up to the couples and they may choose whatever method that they think suitable.  Abortion is another area where Catholics and Protestants walk different paths.  Where at one time the mainline denominations agreed that abortion was murder and was not allowed, some now say it is not so bad and allow it. The point here is that Protestantism is sinking to become a religion of convenience and social service where rather ironically they are abandoning the Bible for mere human principles and considerations.  Considering that one of the hallmarks of Protestantism is the fallacy of Sola Scriptura this descent in humanism is troubling and is leading them away from their roots and from the teachings of Christ. 

The Catholic Church is not immune to the dangers that are plaguing the Protestants.  We see in our own Church factions in the hierarchy that want to steer the Barque of Peter in new directions where some practices once that were forbidden, such as the communion of divorced and civilly remarried people without the benefit of an annulment of their first marriage.  There is also fermenting thoughts about accommodations to same-sex couples by some of the leaders, but it is unlikely that they will be able to garner support for their ideas.  There also the phenomenon of the cafeteria Catholic who chooses the bits and pieces of Church doctrine that will be believed and leaving the others rules for other Catholics to follow.  There is always the danger that one can let one's religion become a religion of convenience rather than a religion of belief. So, we in the Church will, as our Protestant brothers and sisters see some apostasy creep into certain quarters of our Church but we will prevail because of the promise of Christ that the gates of hell shall not prevail against His Church.  

In spite of some apostasy creeping into the Church, the victory of the Bride of Christ is certain and that victory will be complete.  I think that others who are practicing religions of convenience that embrace secular humanism as their god will experience as the military calls it, "shock and awe" when Christ returns to claim His bride.  What we must do today is to remain faithful to the Church, to Her teachings and we must rally at the foot of the Cross where our Savior died for our sins and we must pray for ourselves and for others that when the Bridegroom comes that He finds us awake and ready to welcome Him.  If we remain faithful to the Church, the light of Christ will not fail to draw people towards it.  Many will be saved through our good example and loyalty.  Many will abandon the empty promises of the "good life" promised by the secular humanists and return to the Church that is One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic. 

Please click here if you would like to see the source document that helped me to clarify my thoughts on this matter. 

Here is a most beautiful song to help your reflections today:

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Remember to pray for the poor souls in Purgatory - Here is why: 

Persecution and Persuasive Perseverance

Today is the Memorial Mass of Saint Andrew Dung-Lac, Priest, and Companions, Martyrs

From Catholic News Service

On June 19, 1988, Pope John Paul II canonized a group of 117 martyrs who died for the Roman Catholic Faith in Vietnam during the nineteenth century. The group was made up of ninety-six Vietnamese, eleven Spaniards, and ten French. Eight of the group were bishops, fifty were priests and fifty-nine were lay Catholics. Some of the priests were Dominicans, others were diocesan priests who belonged to the Paris Mission Society. One such diocesan priest was St. Theophane Venard. (His feast day is November 6.) 

St. Andrew Dung-Lac, who represents this group of heroes, was a Vietnamese diocesan priest. He came from a poor, non-Christian family and was taught by a Christian lay catechist. He worked in the missions with the priests of the Foreign Mission Society of Paris. He was imprisoned and repeatedly tortured during the persecutions of Minh-Meng, the emperor of Vietnam between 1820 and 1840 who was famed for his persecutions of the Christians. Among the many Vietnamese and international martyrs who died alongside St. Andrew Dung-Lac was Saint Peter Thi. 

This feast day and the witnesses of the lives of the martyrs give testament to the sufferings inflicted on the Vietnamese Church, which are among the most terrible in the long history of Christian martyrdom

Persuasive Perseverance - that is one thing that the Catholic Church is known for.  Notice that St. Andrew Dung-Lac was not trained by a nun or a priest but was trained in Christian Doctrine by a lay-person.  He also persevered in the faith in spite of the fact that he was imprisoned and tortured on and off for twenty years.  He retained his faith. How do you do that in the face of ongoing pain and suffering?  It is one thing to believe when all is well and you are well-fed and happy and in no danger of having your door broken down and being carted off to prison for your faith and it is another when persecution happens or life seems to take a turn for the worse.   It is these times we have to prepare for.  They are coming to each of us.  When bad times come, we have to keep our eyes on the prize and to know that all things work for the good for those who believe.  But really, do we mean that good can come out of persecution or a diagnosis of a dread disease or the loss of someone close to us?  How can good come from these things?  I have to answer honestly, I do not know.  No, I don't know.  What I hope to be able to do when and if the time comes is to keep my eyes on the prize, to give a good example to those around me. Nothing shines brighter than a Christian who demonstrates their trust in Jesus at times when all seems lost.  So, prepare today for the evil that might come tomorrow.  Train your eyes to watch for the prize and know that you are not alone in your suffering and pain and that Jesus is by your side offering solace and hope. 

Give a Careful Listen to Home Free by Wayne Watson

Pray for the poor souls today - thank you! 

Thanksgiving - Remembering The Forgotten Holiday

As Jesus continued his journey to Jerusalem,
he traveled through Samaria and Galilee.
As he was entering a village, ten persons with leprosy met him.
They stood at a distance from him and raised their voices, saying,
"Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!"
And when he saw them, he said,
"Go show yourselves to the priests."
As they were going they were cleansed. 
And one of them, realizing he had been healed,
returned, glorifying God in a loud voice;
and he fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him. 
He was a Samaritan.
Jesus said in reply,
"Ten were cleansed, were they not?
Where are the other nine? 
Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?" 
Then he said to him, "Stand up and go;
your faith has saved you."


Happy Thanksgiving!  
Unfortunately, for some people, a quick greeting to friends and family is all of the thought that this holiday will receive as the talk goes to the football schedule, black Friday sales, and everything but thankfulness.  

We in the United States of America have a lot of things to be thankful for even though our government is taking a hiatus from being a government of the people, by the people. and for the people, as both parties man the barricades and block any legislation proposed by the other party.  We have things to be thankful for even though we have a president who thinks that a bunch of women and children looking for a better life pose a threat to the security of the United States.  We also have a president who has expressed admiration and is cultivating a relationship with two of the most ruthless and evil men our times have ever known and by that I mean Fatso Kim and this century's Stalin Vlad the Impaler Putin and who blames the people of Puerto Rico and the people of California for the disasters that they have suffered.  Yes, with all of the nonsense going on today, we still have things to be thankful for.

• This president, for all of his faults and foibles, seems to want to protect our religious freedom.  That is a good thing and we should be thankful for this because our rights as Christians were being eroded by the last administration.
• We can worship however we want to in this country and embrace the Faith of Our Fathers or we can worship no god at all, it is our choice.  Try that in Iran or Iraq. 
• There is abundance and plenty in this country and the vast majority of people have access to good food and clean water and those that don't, well, many of them get extra help during the holiday season.  Hint: Look for ways you can help...there are needy people in your neck of the woods who would be very grateful to you if you could donate something to the local food pantry.
• I can express my feeling about the state of politics in this country without fear that a swat team will not be executing a no-knock warrant for my opinions about the current president and Congress.  Try doing that in Iran and you may just go to jail or even get the death penalty.   No, here I am in more danger of friends not allowing me to express my own opinions rather than the rulers of the land and they are entitled to their opinion too. 
• I have a job, I get paid well for what I do, I like where I work.  
• Looking around my home, I see that I have more material goods than I could ever use and I have the potential for getting more.  

So you get the idea.  Today is a day we set aside for thanks. Many people consider it the day before Black Friday and will spend a lot of time going over the printed ads and going through websites online and let today slip away from them.  The very fact that they have money to spend on Black Friday will not occur to them to be something to be thankful for.  

On this day of thanks, make yourself a gratitude list.  Spend some time reconciling what you have with who gave it to you and who it belongs to.  If you think for a minute that all of your stuff is your stuff, well, you've got it wrong.  None of the things you own are yours.  All of what we have and who we are belong to God our Father.  You can use the things He blesses you with but you will not be able to carry them with you when you leave this world.  So, take time today to be thankful for you have.  Also, thank God for what He has NOT given you.  God knows what is best and what will help you make it to heaven and He gives according to our needs and not necessarily to satisfy our wants. 

So, Happy Thanksgiving.  May God continue to bless you as you go one day at a time through life.  May your eyes be filled with the wonder of His love for you and may you share that love with those around you.  

Don't forget to pray an Our Father, Hail Mary, and a Glory Be for the poor souls in Purgatory>

Striving and Climbing

Gospel	Luke 19:1-10

Salvation comes to the house of Zacchaeus

Jesus entered Jericho and was going through the town when a man whose name was Zacchaeus made his appearance: he was one of the senior tax collectors and a wealthy man. He was anxious to see what kind of man Jesus was, but he was too short and could not see him for the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to catch a glimpse of Jesus who was to pass that way. When Jesus reached the spot he looked up and spoke to him: ‘Zacchaeus, come down. Hurry, because I must stay at your house today.’ And he hurried down and welcomed him joyfully. They all complained when they saw what was happening. ‘He has gone to stay at a sinner’s house’ they said. But Zacchaeus stood his ground and said to the Lord, ‘Look, sir, I am going to give half my property to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody I will pay him back four times the amount.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Today salvation has come to this house because this man too is a son of Abraham; for the Son of Man has come to seek out and save what was lost.’

I love to watch the Olympics.  Many people do. I think that the reason that it is so popular is that we admire people who forsake all other things in the pursuit of a higher goal.  We know that hours upon hours of dedicated time is spent practicing and honing the skills needed to win a medal.  Yet, most of the dedicated athletes come, perform, and go home clutching only the memories of having participated.  Many of those athletes will begin getting ready for the next Olympics four years in the future.  Once again they will deny themselves the pleasures of an ordinary life and take up the training in the hope that they will succeed.  They are willing to go to any lengths to get the prize and they fix the goal in their sight and all of the pain and suffering that their training brings them is seen as a good because just perhaps the next time the athletes of the world gather, they will be good enough to take home the prize. 

Our hero Zacchaeus, was a man that no one looked up to.  I mean that figuratively and factually.  He was celebrated by the majority of the people of Israel as walking, talking, human scum because he worked for the Romans, the occupiers of Israel, and helped them rape the wallets of the hard-working people by collecting taxes for the occupiers. He also was a short man who was used to spending a lot of time missing out on things simply because he was too short to see what was going on. He knew Jesus was coming and he had heard great things about this man.  He wanted to see Him.  Well, as normal, the only things he could see was the behinds of his taller fellow citizens.  He decided to run ahead and he climbed a sycamore tree so he could see Jesus pass. All he wanted to do was to see this man.  He did not expect the Holy Teacher to speak to him, a tax collector so he almost fell out of the tree when Jesus spoke to him and said that He wanted to stay at his house that day.  Zacchaeus immediately came down and passed through the forest of legs and agreed to host Jesus.  He ran ahead and had his servants prepare a party lunch for him, his friends, who were all pretty much in the same business as Zacchaeus, and for Jesus and his disciples. 

I can imagine the joy that Zacchaeus felt as the Holy Teacher reclined at table with him and his friends.  We do not know what Jesus said at the luncheon but we do know the words had to be very powerful indeed!  Zacchaeus, in front of witnesses, repents of his ways and says that he would give half his property to the poor and repay quadruple any person that he had defrauded in the course of his employment.  Jesus must have felt joy when he told  Zacchaeus that salvation had come to his house that very day. 

Jesus does not ask us to do much.  He asks us to forgive the unforgivable, to love the unlovable, to be ethical in a world where ethics is losing its place.  We need to do what needs to be done no matter what.  We have to be willing to go to any lengths to be with Jesus.  We need to climb the tree of life and allow Jesus to call us down because He wants to spend the day with us.  Get climbing young warrior for Jesus is just down the road.  Give a listen to today's song, it seems to fit nicely with the reading. 

The End Times Are Here? Are You Ready?

Jesus said to his disciples:
"In those days after that tribulation
the sun will be darkened,
and the moon will not give its light,
and the stars will be falling from the sky,
and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.

"And then they will see 'the Son of Man coming in the clouds'
with great power and glory,
and then he will send out the angels
and gather his elect from the four winds,
from the end of the earth to the end of the sky.

"Learn a lesson from the fig tree.
When its branch becomes tender and sprouts leaves,
you know that summer is near.
In the same way, when you see these things happening,
know that he is near, at the gates. 
Amen, I say to you,
this generation will not pass away
until all these things have taken place. 
Heaven and earth will pass away,
but my words will not pass away.

"But of that day or hour, no one knows,
neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father."

Back in the late 1960's Bob Dylan wrote us a song that assured all of us that the times were "a changing."  Today one just has to look at the news to see that there are earthquakes, many wildfires, political chaos, with inflation, discord, lack of faith,  with a lot of religious persecution, rejection of morals, and other things that we associate with the end of time.  Can all of these things mean anything else but the imminent return of Jesus?  Well, first let me say that I believe that Jesus is going to return to judge the living and the dead and that His kingdom will have no end.   I also believe that as a Christian, that I will see these things when they happen. I just have to say that I do not think that the time is now.  I really do not know when the return of Jesus will be.  There is no one in heaven or on earth that knows when the end of time will happen. Jesus tells us of that day or hour no one knows, not the angels, nor the Son, but only the Father.

With that being said, we always have to remember that the end times are as near as our next breath. We are not guaranteed to live another minute in this life.  We can be called home to give an account of ourselves at any time.  In this respect, the end IS near because even if we live late into our nineties or even past one hundred when you stack it up against eternity it is almost no time at all. 

Above we see a fallible prediction that man has made of when the end of the world will come.  Remember the Aztec calendar?  It was predicted that the Aztecs knew something that we did not know and that is why they stopped their calendar at a particular date because it was assumed that they knew that no day would follow that last day on their calendar.  Actually, I believe that they got bored with the whole thing and decided that they had a bit of time before the calendar would go out of date so they gave the stone carvers a day or two off. 

When someone tells you that they know the date of the end of the world and that you better get ready for it, well, smile at them, thank them and walk away.  You are not going to convince them that they are wrong.  It appears that they do not know their Bible as good as they think they did.  In the meantime, while we wait, do not waste time.  Remember what Jesus said: "Love one another as I have loved you."  Get on with it - the end of the world is coming! 

Pray for the poor souls in Purgatory this week. 

Always ON, Always CONNECTED - Your Mobile Hot Spot

Gospel	Luke 18:1-8

The parable of the unjust judge

Jesus told his disciples a parable about the need to pray continually and never lose heart. ‘There was a judge in a certain town’ he said ‘who had neither fear of God nor respect for man. In the same town there was a widow who kept on coming to him and saying, “I want justice from you against my enemy!” For a long time he refused, but at last he said to himself, “Maybe I have neither fear of God nor respect for man, but since she keeps pestering me I must give this widow her just rights, or she will persist in coming and worry me to death.”’

  And the Lord said ‘You notice what the unjust judge has to say? Now, will not God see justice done to his chosen who cry to him day and night even when he delays to help them? I promise you, he will see justice done to them, and done speedily. But when the Son of Man comes, will he find any faith on earth?’

We live in a cell phone world.  Whatever we want is available to us with the manipulation of a few buttons we can summon information, order food to be delivered, talk to someone half of a world away, all of these things while playing a game of "Shoot the Bad Guy."  If we forget our precious phone or heaven forbid, break it or lose it, well then we are lost, hopeless, alone, and cut off, truly a caricature of our former powerful self.  How sad that many of us judge our worth based on the power of the phone we carry. 

Regardless the state of your wireless network, you are always connected to God.  He is there with you every moment of every day looking out for you, sending you graces to live life better, waiting to hear from you, not over a smartphone but through prayer.  God will always answer your prayer.  His answer may not always be the one you want to hear, but he will answer.  In God's eyes, you are worth more than all of the gold, silver, and Apple X cell phones in the world.  We know this because He sent His only Son to die for you. 

 As a beloved adopted son or daughter, we have immediate access to the throne of God. He is our Father and He will take care of us and be there for us from the rising of the sun to its setting and all through the hours of the night. He wants us to share our lives with Him, to share our secrets, to share our wants and desires and our fears and troubles.  For this, we need to have faith in Him. 

 According to Steven Curtis Chapman, a great Christian singer, faith is "standing in the pouring rain and knowing that the sun will shine again."  Without faith, we do not pray.  Without prayer, we do not receive.  We demonstrate our faith in the promises of God by our persistence in prayer.  Being persistent shows that we know that a God is there and He is listening.  Whenever you pray, be ready to be overwhelmed with the answer you receive.  Even if God answers "no," the graces you will receive will make you a stronger person and more in love with God than you were before. 

So, if your network indicator says, "no service" or your screen is cracked so bad that when you try to use it your fingers bleed, always remember that you are permanently connected to God and the signal strength is always five bars and He will always respond to you as a loving Father, granting you all that you need to be with Him in his house forever.   

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May I please ask for a favor from you please.  I have a friend who will be undergoing serious surgery on Friday, the day after Thanksgiving Day.  May I ask that you offer a prayer for her and pray also that her family, who is estranged from one another, come together at this time to offer their support and love.  I am not listing her name out of respect for her privacy. Just call her "Michael's friend,"  God will know who you are talking to Him about! 

( Evil + Evil ) / Christ = Love Love = God

First reading	Titus 3:1-7

It was purely by his own compassion that God saved us

Remind your people that it is their duty to be obedient to the officials and representatives of the government; to be ready to do good at every opportunity; not to go slandering other people or picking quarrels, but to be courteous and always polite to all kinds of people. Remember, there was a time when we too were ignorant, disobedient and misled and enslaved by different passions and luxuries; we lived then in wickedness and ill-will, hating each other and hateful ourselves.

  But when the kindness and love of God our Savior for mankind were revealed, it was not because he was concerned with any righteous actions we might have done ourselves; it was for no reason except his own compassion that he saved us, by means of the cleansing water of rebirth and by renewing us with the Holy Spirit which he has so generously poured over us through Jesus Christ our savior. He did this so that we should be justified by his grace, to become heirs looking forward to inheriting eternal life.

Can you imagine that?  Part of being a good Christian is to be a good citizen, to obey the officials and representatives of the government and to be ready to do good at every opportunity.  But what if you have a government that is evil such as the government that afflicted Germany in the first half of the twentieth century?  Do you obey them?  Do you sign up your sons into the youth organization that the government demanded?  Do you enroll your daughters as well into their sorority that promoted evil?  Do you go along with a government that preaches the need to eliminate a people solely because of their religion?  What about in our time.  Do we remain silent while the government mandates birth control, forcing The Sisters of Charity to become a distributor of birth control pills and devices?  Are we expected to agree with the notion of same-sex marriage? Paul, it would seem, has gotten it wrong. But, look at what his people were going through.  They were being rounded up and being tortured and killed for professing the Name of Jesus.  Was he blind, did he not see the evil that the Romans were doing to the Christians?  Of course, he saw what was going on. Yet, he was telling his people that so far as it is possible, obey those that are over you and be a good example as to what a citizen should be.  It was the turn the other cheek principle that we were to use.  We should not return evil for evil but rather show the good that can come out of being a follower of Christ. 

Please remember the Poor Souls in Purgatory today.  Remember that your next breath is not guaranteed and tomorrow might find you in close fellowship with some of those that you arr praying for today!

Duty

Gospel	Luke 17:7-10

You are merely servants

Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Which of you, with a servant plowing or minding sheep, would say to him when he returned from the fields, “Come and have your meal immediately”? Would he not be more likely to say, “Get my supper laid; make yourself tidy and wait on me while I eat and drink. You can eat and drink yourself afterwards”? Must he be grateful to the servant for doing what he was told? So with you: when you have done all you have been told to do, say, “We are merely servants: we have done no more than our duty.

On rare occasions sometimes these reflections write themselves.  Today is such an occasion.  Remember the old song "What So Ever You Do?"  It reminds us that whatever we do for others, we do for Christ. While this is an important lesson for us to learn, it does not need much comment from me.  So do it and that's it. 

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