Don't Fall Asleep At The Wheel

Jesus said to his disciples:

"Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy  

from carousing and drunkenness and the anxieties of daily life, and that day catch you by surprise like a trap. For that day will assault everyone who lives on the face of the earth. Be vigilant at all times and pray that you have the strength to escape the tribulations that are imminent and to stand before the Son of Man."

The human mind needs sleep.  Your brain will tell you when it has had enough.  You will lose your edge, you may daydream a bit and you just will not be alert.  

I had a job once working third shift, midnight to nine in the morning. Working third shift is not for sissies, I can tell you that.  During the day you are trying to sleep while the world works. Where I lived the noises of everyday life included gardeners with lawn mowers and leaf blowers doing their work almost every day of the week. This coupled with the sun which does not change its schedule for you does make sleeping a challenge.  If you were to have seen me during those nine months that I endured the torture, you would have seen a man who needed some real sleep.  Once. after my shift, I picked up my wife and we went to our favorite restaurant.  On the way there we encountered a stop light.  I stopped the car.  My brain which was in driving mode said, "Oh good, we've stopped."  I promptly fell asleep and my foot slipped off of the brake and we began to creep through the intersection.  I felt the motion and immediately awoke from my three-second slumber and re-applied the brake.  I was now awake, but only slightly alert.  We got to the restaurant safely and I had scrambled eggs, hashbrowns, and toast and four cups of coffee, black, to fortify myself to drive me and my wife back home. 

When we take on too much activity and do not get the rest we need we get drowsy.  It's nature's way of saying that something is wrong. Today Jesus tells us to not allow the cares of the world make us drowsy because we must stay alert and be ready the return of the Lord.   If we allow ourselves to fall into the traps that the world sets for us and we get all wrapped up in attaining temporal things, we will lose our focus on the kingdom of heaven and we will become drowsy when it comes to our salvation and will not ready for Jesus to return. 

This must be an important concept because Jesus returns to it several times in the Gospel accounts.  So, for this first week of advent let our watchwords be "Be sober and alert Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour."

Please remember to pray for your dear departed friends and relatives who may be at this very moment in Purgatory.  You can help them by prayer and sacrifice for them.  It takes about fifteen minutes to pray the rosary for them and you are going to Mass and communion anyway, can't you offer these things for their good?

Listen To The Call !

As Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers,
Simon who is called Peter, and his brother Andrew,
casting a net into the sea; they were fishermen.
He said to them,
"Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men."
At once they left their nets and followed him.
He walked along from there and saw two other brothers,
James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John.
They were in a boat, with their father Zebedee, mending their nets.
He called them, and immediately they left their boat and their father
and followed him.

Today is the feast of St. Andrew the Apostle. He was Peter's older brother and very close to Jesus.  He was called from his vocation as a fisherman to become a fisher of men. He went on to teach and preach in the Black Sea area including Georgia and Romania. He was martyred by being crucified on an "X" shaped cross, the exact date is not known but it is believed he died in the mid to late first century AD. 

I have always found it amazing that when the apostles were called, that they dropped everything and followed Jesus. You have to wonder as well why Jesus picked these twelve very ordinary men?  Today we advertise an open position and collect resumes, interview acceptable candidates once, twice, and maybe even three times. We meet with our supervisors and discuss the applicants and decide on the one that absolutely most closely fits the position. This is not how Jesus operated. You would think that he would have scoured the temple and picked the wisest of the teachers and rabbis that he could find there.  But no, he picked fisherman and even a tax collector and he picked one man that he knew would betray him. He started with a team that was first of all pious.  They would have been men that followed their religion.  They would have been trained by their fathers in the ways of Yahweh and the Law.  But formal training, the kind that the leaders of the temple would have had, would not be for them.  So, Jesus would have a team of men with what we might term as an eighth-grade education, they would know just enough to keep themselves out of trouble.  Jesus was starting with a blank canvas and through the next three years what beautiful works he would make of these twelve ordinary people of the earth.  One canvas, no less beautiful than the others, would become torn when he betrayed the Lord, but even this was planned for and expected. 

We too are called by Jesus and once again he could have chosen another, wiser, smarter, better-looking person than you or I but he didn't.  Just as He did with the twelve he chose us because of who we are and not because of what we know or who we knew or what levels of education we had.  Some of us would be better schooled than others, but some of the others would have gifts and talents that could not be acquired in any school and He would use them too.  Our calling to be a fisher of men has been issued just as it was to the first twelve.  We must open our ears to hear the call.  We must also train our hearing to drown out the siren call of sin which could drive us into the rocks and sink us.  We must open our hearts to the call of the Lord.  There is no purpose on earth greater than to be a disciple of Jesus and to work for the kingdom.  There is no job that pays better or has better benefits or a better retirement plan!  We can start small.  Small is okay because being kind to another sometimes is the way people are led to Christ.  Preach with your actions before you preach using words.  Be of good cheer in all of the circumstances you find yourself in, as hard as that is to do, remembering that the things of this world are passing and temporary while our place in heaven will be forever. 

To Do Today:  Pray for the poor souls in Purgatory. 

A Lesson in Public Relations ?

Jesus said to the crowd: "They will seize and persecute you, they will hand you over to the synagogues and to prisons, and they will have you led before kings and governors because of my name. It will lead to your giving testimony. Remember, you are not to prepare your defense beforehand, for I myself shall give you a wisdom in speaking that all your adversaries will be powerless to resist or refute. You will even be handed over by parents, brothers, relatives, and friends, and they will put some of you to death. You will be hated by all because of my name, but not a hair on your head will be destroyed. By your perseverance, you will secure your lives."

Okay, I have to say that if I were an average Hebrew and was standing in the crowd that was listening to this talk that Jesus was giving, I might be tempted to continue to look for my messiah elsewhere.  I mean, just listen to what He says.  He says that they will seize you and persecute you, take you to court and even your parents, friends, and relatives will turn you over to the authorities and you will be hated by all because you believe in Jesus.  Where do I sign up?  

Look at today's world and this is what Christians face every day.  In the East our brothers and sisters, Catholics and Protestants alike have endured years of persecution due to the madness of ISIS.  In the United States, we watched during the Obama years as our religious freedoms were eroded and laws and regulations were passed that were completely contrary to Christian teaching and morals.  I include in this abortion under the guise of woman's health, mandatory provision of contraception under the HHS mandate, and the debasement of marriage with the adoption of same-sex marriage and the marginalizing of Christians nationwide. In Canada, a Catholic bishop was taken to court for preaching against same-sex unions under a commonwealth hate law. So, the law was being honed and shaped to disenfranchise and silence Christians and to make null and void the morals we have been living under for centuries. We should expect nothing less.

Our founder came into the world and teaching with authority He scared the powers that ruled His time. The chief priest knew that the Romans had a dim view of a coming Messiah and to protect themselves they had to distance themselves from any of these street preachers that might anger the Romans.  It never occurred to them that one day the real Messiah might appear as promised.  Thus, when Jesus appeared on the scene there was only one road that he could be placed on and that road led to the Cross and Calvary. 

Today, in the United States we are getting a short respite from the evils perpetrated during the Obama years.  But we must remember that it is only a respite and that the hatred of Christian values remains just below the surface and is ready to erupt again once the conditions are ripe for it to do so. We must be ready to bear our burdens cheerfully.  We must trust in the Lord to fill us believers with wisdom that will counteract the evil teachings of the enemy and we must remain strong in our faith and attract as many people as we can to become one with us.  Let our cry be, "This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad."  Let our cry be heard in a cheerful voice even as we carry our crosses.  Remember the promise of the Lord, "Be thou faithful unto death and I will give thee the crown of life." 

Please remember the poor souls in Purgatory today. Challenge yourself to take two minutes to pray for your friends and relatives that might be there.  Please say a special prayer for the soul that has been there the longest and has no one to pray for him or her.  

Do Nor Be Deceived About The End of the World ! ! !

Then they asked him, "Teacher, when will this happen?  And what sign will there be when all these things are about to happen?"
He answered,

"See that you not be deceived, for many will come in my name, saying, 'I am he,' and 'The time has come.'  Do not follow them!
When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified; for such things must happen first, but it will not immediately be the end."  Then he said to them,

"Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.
There will be powerful earthquakes, famines, and plagues
from place to place; and awesome sights and mighty signs will come from the sky."

In this last week of the church year, we are reminded that one day all of the things that we are familiar with, all of the things of this world will end. Jesus tells us that there are those out in the world that do not have our best interests at heart and who will attempt to tear us away from Him.  They will spend their lives proving that the time set for the end by God is now and many of them will say that they know this to be true because they are God or that they are Jesus in the flesh. Do not believe them even if the display signs and wonders. We must not allow them to drive us out of our flock for what awaits those that leave the side of the Good Shepherd is spiritual death. 

But how will we know what is true?  How will we know who to follow?  How can we keep ourselves safe from being drawn away from Jesus by a false prophet who seems to be mighty in words and deeds?  We have been given our anchor, our solid rock.  We have the Catholic Church. The Church operates under the protection of the Holy Spirit. She holds the keys to the kingdom of God and where Peter is, there is the Church.  But doesn't the Bible say that the Church will be the home of the antichrist?  No, it doesn't.  As a matter of fact, it says the exact opposite, Jesus Himself founded the Church and said that the gates of hell will never prevail against her.  But how do we know where the "real Church" is?  Where there is Peter, there you will find the Church. Listen to what she says, listen to her through the Pope and the Magisterium. It is through Rome you will get the truth about the end times and nowhere else. 

The Poor Souls have the assurance of heaven and that fills them with a joy that is greater than anything we can experience here on earth.  But they still have to make amends and purify themselves before they can see God face to face. They cannot do a thing to help themselves and they depend on us to pray and sacrifice for them. Please, pray for the mothers and fathers and sisters and brothers who are in this place. They will be forever grateful.  Rember too, that as they are now you may one day be. 

The King Comes In All of His Glory!

Today is the Feast of Christ the King and it marks the last Sunday of the Church Year.  Next week we begin anew with Advent as we begin our wait for Christmas when we celebrate the birth of a baby. But today we study the end of things. Much has been written about the end times and this blog entry is not going to prophesy when the end shall come, that I leave to God who alone knows the day and the hour.  I do, however, make use of the scriptures to show just what will happen on that day. 

Jesus, Himself, tells us exactly what will happen.  He will come in all of His glory and He will gather the nations together.  We will be separated, the sheep from the goats, and he will address each of the groups separately. 

To the sheep:

'Come, you who are blessed by my Father.
Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 

For I was hungry and you gave me food,
I was thirsty and you gave me drink,
a stranger and you welcomed me,
naked and you clothed me,
ill and you cared for me,
in prison and you visited me.'

The sheep will be amazed, they could not remember when they had done all of these things.  To them the King will say:

'Amen, I say to you, whatever you did
for one of the least brothers of mine, you did for me.'

To the Goats:

'Depart from me, you accursed,
into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
For I was hungry and you gave me no food,
I was thirsty and you gave me no drink,
a stranger and you gave me no welcome,
naked and you gave me no clothing,
ill and in prison, and you did not care for me.'

The goats will be puzzled and will wrack their brains trying to remember when they had seen Jesus in need. To them the King will say:

'Amen, I say to you,
what you did not do for one of these least ones,
you did not do for me.'

The sheep will go to heaven and the goats will go to hell. 

There are those in this world that believe that just believing in Jesus and saying the sinner's prayer will forever protect them from losing their salvation. The scriptures, specifically the reading from Matthew that we have above tears down this comforting but dangerously erroneous belief.  To believe in Jesus and to make Him your personal Lord and Savior is absolutely required and is a wonderful first step.  But to believe in Jesus is just not enough.  The devil believes in Jesus as do all of the devil's demons. We have to believe in Jesus and do the work that needs to be done.  The work is described in Matthew as helping those that need help.  To believe and not do will not get us anywhere.

Each of us needs to develop a sensitivity to the state of the people around us, those that live in our cities and towns that are in need and we need to address those needs as if we were doing them for Jesus Himself.  Can you imagine what the world would be like today if all of God's people did the work of Christ?  It boggles my mind why Christianity has not had more of an impact on the problems that have plagued us over the years. As this church year ends with this sobering Gospel reading, let us begin today to look for ways to improve the lives of those who have less than us.  Let us remember that the face of Jesus is in the face of the person that is in need. 

The month of November is the month we remember those that have gone before us.  Some of those who have died recently have ended up in purgatory and they need our help.  Please, pray for the poor souls.  They will remember your efforts on their behalf for all eternity.  

Death - The Final Frontier

DEATH is the ultimate truth for all living things in this place we call home.  For human beings, at one point in time, sperm met egg and life was created.  That point of time is the start of our relationship with God. In the future, we will take a final breath and our life will be claimed by death as the result of our forefather's original sin. But, does death bring the finality of absolute nothingness that we mortals fear?  I think not.  In the act of procreation, man and woman create more than just a physical body, they, through God, infuse forever this new creature with a soul that can never die. Our souls are meant for eternity and not for mortality.  Our souls are that which make us who we are and they are never, ever, satisfied until they can behold the Face of God.  That is why heaven is so wonderful, God is there, we can see Him and that is why hell is so awful because God is not there and forever we are restrained in our bondage and we can never see God.

From the time of Moses, it was known that the dead shall not be dead forever but rather that they shall rise on the last day and be resurrected and will attain a glorified and immortal body that will never see sickness or pain or decay.  The first of these bodies was that of Christ who defeated death and the second was Mary His mother who would be assumed into heaven to await the last days when all of us will arise and no decay or corruption shall be able to touch us again. 

Can I ask you today to please say a rosary for the Poor Souls in Purgatory?  They need our prayers.

Thanks...For Nothing!

Brothers and sisters:                                                                 Grace to you and peace from God our Father
and the Lord Jesus Christ.
I give thanks to my God always on your account
for the grace of God bestowed on you in Christ Jesus,
that in him you were enriched in every way,
with all discourse and all knowledge,
as the testimony to Christ was confirmed among you,
so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift
as you wait for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ.
He will keep you firm to the end,
irreproachable on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.
God is faithful, and by him, you were called to fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Happy Thanksgiving Day to all!  Today is the day many families will gather and continue the traditions that make our families what they are.  Typical disasters will befall us.  Turkeys will tumble on the floor. ovens will burn rolls, bread will fail to rise, and at least one of the children will be in a bad mood.  Some turkeys will be cooked with the plastic bags of giblets and "gravy" still inside the bird.  In man caves, nationwide men will gather and speak knowledgeably about college teams they know nothing about as their eyes and spirits feast on multiple games of football displayed on huge television screens, while they consume nacho chips, cheese, and beer at near world record rates while waiting to be called to dinner.  Then, finally, dinner is served and everyone comes to the table as the perfectly roasted turkey is brought to the table and everyone is served their preferred meat, white, dark, or drumstick.  Before a bite is taken, the founder of the feast leads the assembled in a short prayer of thanksgiving to God for the warmth, food, and companionship of this day. All too soon, the meal ends and the last piece of pumpkin pie finds its way into Uncle George's ample belly and everyone adjourns to the living room as their spirits enter the world of the turkey food coma. 

Today, in the United States we take a moment to look at ourselves and what we have been given by our Almighty Father in heaven.  No matter who we are, no matter how humble of a dwelling we have, God has given us an abundance. Today we take time to thank Him for all he has given to us.  I recommend we also thank God for the things He has NOT given us.  There are gifts we truly would love to have in addition to what we have already. Sometimes these gifts do not seem to come our way no matter how hard we try to acquire them.  If this is the case then we must include on this day of thanksgiving, thanks for the things that God in His wisdom has withheld from us.  God our Father knows us better than we know ourselves.  He loves us more than we could love ourselves in a million years. He truly knows what is best for us.  If we are truly thankful on this day,  then we should thank God for everything.  We should thank Him for what we have, those we love, for our country, for our faith, and for His sending His Son to save us from our sins.  We should also say, "Thank you, Father, for the things that in your wisdom you have withheld from me.  I know you do this out of love for me and your wisdom will assure me of a happy life here on earth and eternity with you in heaven." 

God bless and keep you on this Thanksgiving Day! 

Please do not forget the poor souls in Purgatory on this Thanksgiving day.  Please spend a moment or two in prayer for them.  Pray for your family and friends that might be there, even if they are not, they prayers are not wasted.  Pray especially for the forgotten soul who has been there the longest and has no one to pray for him or her.  Please remember: As they are one day you might be.