Through the passion and death of our Lord Jesus Christ, we, who were once far off, now have been drawn back close to God. That is probably the most important thing you will hear and acknowledge in your journey of faith. We now have salvation through God’s Son, and He is our advocate, king, and judge. Through him our sins have been forgiven, and we have the hope of eternal life with Him in heaven.

There is a caution that comes with our first reading though, and it is one that is very relevant to us, especially today when there are so many who are searching for something they often don’t understand, and just as often are being led astray by the superabundance of misinformation and in some cases deliberate deception that exists in all the overwhelming amount of data out there, and that we are constantly pelted with. There is absolutely no shortage of “shepherds” who are more than willing to lead others astray. Sometimes this is done for profit, sometimes to further a personal or ideological agenda, sometimes simply because through their own ignorance, they seek to have others join them in pursuits that deep down they know are wrong and yet are unwilling to change. This all comes to us in many different forms. We sometimes see it from those who preach and are supposed to be trustworthy, or those in authority, or perhaps who hold roles where they are noted public figures in some form, or even just in others around us who seek to have company as they pursue an errant path. Whatever the case, our Lord takes a dim view of those who deliberately lead others on a path away from Him, and toward death. Literally, those are the two options that exist – we choose Him, or we choose eternity without Him – life or death. For the record folks, preachers that drive cars that cost more than the average house and claim it is because God wants them and their followers to be prosperous, politicians who claim to be followers of Christ yet directly contradict His teachings in their voting record and legislative actions, and self-help gurus who tell you it’s all about you and nothing else matters all deliver pretty much the same kind of material – it’s perfect for spreading on a garden to make it grow, but I would not want to bet my salvation on it. When we pass from this life, we will each be judged on our deeds, did we adhere to Christ teachings, or did we decide to go our own way.

I think our Gospel paints the picture of what exists in so many in society today quite poignantly, we are truly like sheep who often wander about lost because we have stopped looking for the light that comes from Jesus Christ. We look to so many other things to find fulfillment and peace, that we completely lose sight of the One who can actually give us just that. This is not by accident either, the enemy is more than happy to use every resource at his disposal to have us do just that, and he uses them well. First, there is our inherent weakness that we carry from original sin that he will try to leverage, there are his followers who come to us veiled as those trying to help but instead try to lead us on a path that directly contradicts the teachings of our Lord, and there are all the subtle worldly tools that he uses so well to distract us from our God. We are taught to pursue worldly wealth, the accumulation of stuff, to focus on our own needs because goodness knows it is being engrained in us that it is all about us (as if we needed any more encouragement to come to that conclusion). We are a society of lost sheep seeking comfort blindly in every avenue the world has to offer as we stumble about through life, and continually miss the entrance to the narrow path leads to life. We will spend hours reading articles and watching videos on self-improvement, new age spirituality, ways to accumulate wealth and satisfaction, various off the wall forms of meditation (by the way, not all meditation is bad, but there are many very misguided forms out there being promoted as well), all of these things are the barrage of distractions meant to keep us from entering that narrow gate. It can sometimes seem a bit hopeless as we walk around aimlessly each day wondering when things will improve, when life will make sense again and the seemingly unstoppable downward spiral that our society seems to be on will level out and there will be a rebounding that will take us back to some semblance of normalcy and rational behavior. The fact is, that while so much of this seems overwhelming at times and makes us want to throw up our hands and wish it would all just go away, that too is by design. Despair is one of the enemies’ greatest weapons and it is one that is being used to great effect today. There is only one solution to any of this, and it is the one that has existed since before the world began – our Lord. The God of the universe, the Prime Mover who created all, the Good Shepherd who still after all that we have done, and all that we have sinned over the millennia, still seeks to have us, His lost flock, come back to Him and spend eternity with Him. That we can take solace in, and find light, hope, fulfillment, and peace in, and stop wandering about like the aimless flock that we so often seem to be. Take comfort in your Shepherd, listen to His call, long for the sound of His voice, and come running when you hear Him. That is the answer we all seek, and that will bring about the change, and the hope, and the peace that we all seek.  

Podcast Link

https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-ypruk-1090782

There is a long history of those whom God has sent being rejected by the people. From the time of Amos in our first reading, to the present day, many people do not want to hear God’s word because it requires them to change, and to embrace what is often a harder road. Our human weakness is always looking for the easy and most pleasurable way to exist, because it has often fully embraced only this world, and does not contemplate the world to come.

Amaziah rejected Amos because he did not want to see his prophecy spread, many of the Jewish leaders rejected Jesus and His teachings for the same reason. Yet in both cases their words were not without effect. The message still comes through, and it bears fruit to those whom it touches. We live in a world where we have free will, and God will not infringe upon that, but it does not mean that He will not tell us of His presence, and of His will. He knows what is best for us, and like any good father, He will instruct us, but then, the decision is up to us. Again, like a good father, with an older child, He will allow us to make our choices and respect our decisions. For every parent there comes a time when they know that they must allow their child to make their own choices about how they live their lives. They don’t stop caring about them, and they will still give their wisdom, but the choice itself belongs to that child. We are all children of God and have our choices to make.

When Jesus sent out His disciples for the first time, He knew that some of what they said would not be accepted, and that they themselves would not always be welcomed. He therefore told them what to do when this occurred, to “shake the dust from their feet in testimony” because they had brought God’s teaching, and it was not always accepted by those they came to. Yet He sent them nonetheless, because He knew that some would accept His word, and through Him the Fathers word.

We’re still called to this same tradition to this day, and the rules have pretty much stayed the same. We are each called to spread God’s word and know going into it that it will not always be accepted, but go and tell those we meet anyway, so that some of them will benefit by accepting God’s word and be drawn to salvation through His Son. We won’t reach everyone we try to, but it should not be for lack of trying on our part. Just as He sent out His disciples, so He sends each one of us. If we reach only one person in all our efforts, that will still be one more precious soul in heaven.

I don’t think that it is a stretch to say, that as a people, we are still very much a rebellious house. We often do not follow the ways of the Lord’s teachings, we question whether He is even real, and we often seem to prefer our own ways to His. Is it any wonder that He finds us to be rebellious and in need of humility?

In Saint Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, he speaks of a thorn that was placed in His side to keep him from becoming overly exultant. He recognized the danger that this posed as well, though the Lord knew of it first and took the step to address it. He of course, knows human nature all too well, and so knew what had to be done to help Saint Paul. When Saint Paul asked him to remove the pain of this thorn in his flesh, our Lord simply told him that His grace was sufficient for him. He did not remove the pain, but used it for the good of Saint Paul, this was done out of love because there was a greater issue at risk than just physical discomfort. I sometimes wonder about the thorns that we sometimes must bear, and how we will go to great lengths to try to remove them if possible, and whether this is wise. It is sometimes a better thing to be brought low and to be shown our true need to rely on the Lord, than to be allowed to continue to wallow in our arrogance.

I see our generation struggle with the sins of arrogance and rebelliousness greatly, and I ask myself, is it any wonder that we sometimes seem so disconnected from our Lord? Jesus himself when faced with his own relatives and those in his hometown could do little to help them because of their lack of faith and belief. How then can we ask at times of trouble, where is the Lord? Why is He not here to help us? We need only look at our own lack of faith and how we prefer our own ways to His to realize why this can sometimes seem like the case. Yet, even then, our Lord does not leave us completely, He still cares for us and guides us, even if we don’t always recognize it right away. He does this because He is a merciful Lord, and He knows our weaknesses, and His forgiveness is without limit. If He gives us a thorn, it is for our own benefit, even if it does not seem like it at the time. He knows what we need long before we do, and His plan for each of us is perfect, there is no need to fear or question. Instead of wasting our time on these foolish pursuits that we have no ability to control, wouldn’t it be wiser to instead focus on the one who does? Trust in our Lord is never outdated, and His lessons are as needed today as they have ever been, perhaps more so. Draw close to Him, and He will draw close to you, and you will know you are never alone.

Podcast Link

https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-y27ja-107d7c7

For our sake, our Lord became poor. He became one of us, in our humble form, so that He might save us. Can you imagine existing in the form of God, and then taking on the humble human form? To take on all the limitations and discomforts of a physical existence after having existed in a glorified form. Yet this is exactly what He did for us, so that we might be saved. This could only happen with an advocate who knows all of our issues, because He was one of us, and can now represent us as High Priest perfectly. This could not have happened without His being one of us, and thereby having that intimate experience of our form.

If we take the time to think about this kind of sacrifice that our Lord made on our behalf, it paints an entirely new picture in terms of our debt, and what should be the actions of our gratitude. At the very least, it should tell us that we can fully rely on our Lords promises and the love that He has for each of us. This was something that I think the woman in the crowd knew innately and because of that, she had the courage to make that amazing leap of faith. She said nothing, yet she told herself that if she but touched the tassel of our Lord’s garment, she would be healed. Think about that – she didn’t ask for anything, she didn’t even think it necessary for Him to lay his hands upon her, as she had doubtlessly heard He had done for others to heal them. She simply took it in faith that by even touching His garment, she could be healed, because she sensed and knew who He was.

This kind of leap of faith is not impossible for us either. It does require us to really delve deep within ourselves and ask the question – what do I really believe? Do I believe that Jesus is God? Do I believe that He loves me? Do I believe that all things are possible for Him? For a lot of us, this can lead to some struggling, because we suffer from what I call “it’s too good to be true syndrome” when it comes to this leap of faith. We’ve learned about our Lord over the years of going to church, and perhaps through formal instruction, and perhaps our own studies. Yet there is still that “what if” that lingers within us and makes us doubt. That is the very essence of original sin. Remember, it was through doubt that Adam and Eve transgressed and allowed the devil to convince them that they should ignore the Lord’s command. This same flaw is the one we still struggle with at times. That is when it is necessary to drop back and spend some time in reflection. I am not talking about a few minutes here and there; I am speaking of some real dedicated time spent in contemplating what we believe. Unlike most things in our instant gratification trained world, we will not be able to take mere moments and come to true faith. It didn’t happen for the prophets, the Saints, and the Church Fathers, and it probably isn’t going to work for us. What all of these folks had in common, was periods of time spent in solitude and reflection. I am not saying we need to trudge off into the desert, but I am saying we need to find someplace of quiet, and preferably solitude, and invest the time to really try to resolve some of our issues. This is also not a one-time thing, it is something we will need to make a practice of, and it is worth it – believe me. To not only resolve things in our own minds, but to establish a real channel of communication with the God of the universe who exists beyond our physical reality, we need to have silence and space where we can hear the quiet voice that He comes to us in. The same voice that spoke within the woman who had the courage and trust to touch the tassel of our Lord’s robe and know that she would be healed by doing so.

Podcast Link

https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-6tcwu-107445c

If you have never been on a small boat in the midst of rough weather, it may be difficult to completely grasp the terror that can come with such a situation. A storm on the water is a truly awesome display of nature, and one that illustrates very clearly how small we are in comparison with the world that God has created around us. He created the world, and nature, and as our first reading from Job tells us, He also set the limits of those creations. So, if we are in fact awed by what he has created, should we not be that much more in awe of the one who created, controlled, and limited their existence?

Our Lord indeed created all things, yet those creations pale in comparison with what He personally did for each one of us with Himself. He suffered and died for each of us, and willingly did so because He loves us. This is the truly awesome work of God. This is what we should look to for inspiration, comfort, and to know how deeply each of us is loved. What is more, there is the foundation of what should be a deep trust that has been laid by our Lords sacrifice for us. Yet, that trust is sometimes difficult to come by. This is the nature of our condition due to the fall, and it is something we all deal with to this day.

The disciples were no different, they too struggled with this, and their faith was sometimes difficult to come by even with Jesus being right there with them. In our Gospel, they are in the same boat with Jesus, and have already seen him perform miracles and healings, yet when confronted with the terror of witnessing the storm in that small boat, they forget all that and are filled with fear. Finally, they call out to our Lord, and He stills the waters and brings calm and peace, they have seen yet again the power of God firsthand, and yet it will not be the last time they look to Jesus for a sign to show that He is God. I think this still happens to all of us all too frequently, we live in fear because we do not trust, we do not accept that our Lord has a plan for each of us, and that while there will be troubles in this life, He has the bigger picture already figured out, so there is no need for worry. Still, we persist, because we cling to our own designs, our own abilities, and our own need for control, all of which is vanity on our part and stems from our lack of trust in Him who gave all for us out of love, and who ultimately is in control of all things.

Think about this for a second, if we didn’t feel the need to have control of much of what is going on around you, most of which is not really in our control anyway, how peaceful would our lives be? How much more could we then focus on what is actually important – loving God and one another. We would know a tranquility that would allow each of us to focus with a clarity that we have never really known and bring to hear all the gifts that God has endowed each of us with and be able to put them to use for the benefit of all, and most importantly for the glory of God. This is something that is not completely beyond our reach, we need to each pray for the grace of trust and reliance, and then let God’s spirit into ourselves. We do this by specifically asking our Lord for this grace, and explicitly telling Him that we welcome Him into our very selves and would like Him to be in charge. Now is the time to start, now is the time to trust, and now is the time to receive this grace and le the one who really can still the waters work in our lives.

Brothers and Sisters – As Saint Paul tells us in our second reading, we will all one day appear before Jesus Christ and be judged. This is an inescapable fact for those all of humankind, for those who believe, for those who are searching, and for those who refuse to believe. One day we will all be accountable. Saint Paul goes further to say, that as we walk in the body, we are away from the Lord, and even goes so far as to say that those who realize this and long for the leaving of the body behind to be with our God are in fact courageous. I think this perspective often eludes many of us, because we are so entrenched in this life, that we forget the true purpose of this physical existence – we forget this is a brief time of testing for something immeasurably greater than what we currently know.

So how do we get from being so focused on this life, to becoming more centric to the eternal life point of view? Like most things, that first step is usually the most difficult. For someone who struggles with belief, there will come a point when a decision must be made, and a leap of faith taken. This can be very difficult, yet thankfully what is so difficult for us sometimes, can be overcome by our Lord’s intervention. What seems sometimes impossible to us, is as effortless for our Lord as the plucking of a branch, and from this branch when immersed in good soil which our Lord will also guide us toward, will come growth. This growth in the spirit and in faith can often take many unusual turns in its process. We simply cannot conceive of the tools and ways that God has at His disposal to accomplish this in even the most seemingly difficult situations and cases. For us it is hard to sometimes fathom how different our perspective is from His, and our ways so limited compared to His. Yet He is the one who can read the mind and heart of even the most seemingly unapproachable of his creations and when the time is right bring them to a whole new direction in life.

When we hear of the parable of the mustard seed, it is often difficult for us to sometimes grasp the physical matter involved and so then suitably compare it to the spiritual purpose behind this parable. It is difficult because we do not live in an agrarian society, and so therefore often cannot fully appreciate what is being said. However, I can tell you that a mustard seed is truly a tiny seed, and that it grows into so large a shrub is a truly remarkable outcome for such a limited beginning. Yet this is so often how it happens for us, the tiniest of seeds of revelation can indeed grow into faith that is substantial and very deeply rooted, and this very often comes to fruition in some of the most seemingly unlikely beginnings. It only seems unlikely to us, because we cannot see the content of the mind and heart the way our Lord can, if that were possible our perspectives too would be radically different, and the seemingly hopeless would appear to us as having the potential for being tremendously fruitful. This would apply when looking at others, but also in the way we look at ourselves. How often have we heard someone say – “Oh I could never be a church goer, not after all the things I have done”. Guess what, we’ve all done things, perhaps those very people who are so seemingly conscious of their faults, feel that way because they are just very attuned to their own shortcomings, and in being so are the very ones that God seeks because He knows that once they make that first leap, the soil that is there is very rich through this self-awareness and will yield a great harvest. God can make some of the most effective tools from the most unlikely sources, He’s proven that time and again – Saint Paul himself would; I suspect heartily agree, and if we are honest with ourselves so would most of us who call ourselves his followers.

Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ. It is no surprise then that our readings focus on sacrifice and blood offerings, both in the Old and New Testament. You see, in the Old Testament, the offerings were frequently by the Levitical Priests, both for their own sins as well as for those of the people. These were animal blood offerings that were made to atone for those sins. The animals sacrificed were those found to be mostly without blemish, yet these offerings were far from perfect, and so they had to be repeated. It was not until Jesus offered himself as a sacrifice for our sake that a truly perfect offering was made, one that would not need to be repeated, because it fulfilled what was needed to truly atone for our sins – past, present, and future.

In our Lord Jesus Christ was found the only truly perfect sacrifice, one who had never known sin, and yet was obedient to the Father to the point of giving Himself up to become the one to take on all the punishment for our sins and who would suffer and die for our sake. He did this out of love for us, and complete love and obedience to the Father. When Jesus proclaimed to His disciples the nature of the sacrifice that He would make, they did not yet fully understand. Nor were they able to grasp Jesus’ words when He explained to them that unless they partook of His body and blood that were about to be sacrificed, they would not have life within them. The effect of His words was so profound and disturbing to many of those gathered there that after His proclamation only the twelve remained out of what had been almost one hundred followers, many of whom had been with him for years. Yet, this is the nature of the Eucharist, and there is no glossing over it. When we receive what still appear to be bread and wine after they have been consecrated, we are actually consuming His precious body and blood, so that we too may have life within us. This was our Lord’s command, that when we gather, we break the bread and pass the cup, and so partake of His offering of Himself, and be filled with His mystical body. You see we already know how to satisfy the food needs of our physical bodies, but that is only a fraction of who we are. The flesh that we are now robed in will pass away, and what will be left is the spirit. This is the lion’s share of what we were created as. Yet it requires care, just like our physical bodies, and if we do not nourish our spirit, we will be weak indeed, and left open to many ailments that plague a weakened spirit. The nourishment that our Lord provides is our defense. It is the best of food to keep us truly strong in Him. It bonds us to Him, because He is then within us, and stays within us to keep us strengthened. We receive life in the spirit through Him, and the graces that come with His presence within our own.

Have you ever walked by your refrigerator and reflexively opened it up, just to look inside to see what is there? You might not even have been particularly hungry when you did this, you just sensed that something was perhaps missing. Perhaps this was due to boredom, or not getting enough of a particular food in your diet, but whatever it was caused you to reach out and look for something to perhaps satisfy a physical craving. It is not so different with our spiritual bodies; they too will let us know when they have needs that are not being met. It is then up to us to meet that need, not with a trip to the fridge, but with the things that draw us near to our Lord to be strengthened. This is often through prayer, through time spent with His word, but it is most definitely satiated with His most precious body and blood in the form of the Eucharist that we still can receive to this day from those to whom the authority to consecrate the bread and the wine into His actual body and blood has been given, just as He commanded. Our Lord knows our needs better than we do ourselves, and He promised to never leave us alone, He loves us and cares for us now just as deeply and intimately as He did when he was here in the flesh, and we can rely on Him just as readily. Look to the Tabernacle and to the Altar, see the precious miracle that takes place at each Mass, and receive what will fulfill you in the most fundamental and needed way possible, the reception of our Lord into your very self.

As a people of faith, I think that we sometimes don’t completely grasp the awesome nature of our heritage. Yes, we know that we are Catholic, and that we are part of the Church that was founded by Jesus and His disciples at the very beginning, but our heritage actually goes back quite a bit further. We descend spiritually from the same people who heard God’s voice from the pillar of fire, who witnessed His saving power at the Red Sea when being pursued by the Egyptians, and who occupy a place with our Lord as a people peculiarly His own.

We are called to be His people in all ways. In our belief and faith in Him, in our following of His commands, and in the commissioned work that He has appointed each of us for. “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations.” This was not just His call to the disciples, but to all of us who follow Him. We are part of a long line of those called to preach His word. To evangelize and to save all of humanity, because they are all His children too, even if they have never heard of Him. What an awesome commission we share, and what an awesome responsibility this is. Every one of us is called to this. Some by serving as his ordained ministers, some as those who teach, some as those who serve in the different ministries within His Church, and some by whom His message is passed on to others by the example they give with the way they live their lives. These are all important and they all serve to bring others closer to God.

We obey our Lord’s commands as He is our Father, and we His sons and daughters. When we pray the Our Father, that is the first proclamation uttered in that prayer, but I think we sometimes don’t fully grasp the intimacy that we are truly a part of. We are also called to cry out to Him as Abba, which is translated “Daddy” – this is a very intimate term, but as His sons and daughters it is very appropriate. It is then equally appropriate that as His sons and daughters our first priority should always be to do our Lord’s bidding and to take on the commission, we have been given with a focus that is an everyday call to place His will ahead of our own. To make sure that we are following His command each in our own way. When we perform an examination of conscience, whether it be a practice we do at the end of each day as we pray, or as part of our going to confession, we should not only think about the areas where we have fallen short, we should be asking ourselves how successful we have been in carrying out God’s commission to us. This is appropriate to a people given such a unique gift. To be able to look forward to an entrance into His kingdom and to spend eternity in a perfect intimacy with Him. In our second reading it tells us that we are co-heirs with Christ if only we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him. This suffering is sometimes a part of the example we are called to give and allow others to benefit from. It can be from our time selflessly given, even when we are already taxed, it can be from the persecution that comes from the conflict that can arise when giving witness to Him, or it can be from our daily placing His command ahead of our own needs and following Him no matter where the path takes us. Yes, this sounds like a great responsibility, but what we receive back is immeasurably greater in value and it will truly wash away all our tears and replace them with joy that will last for all eternity. There is no prospect more precious than that.

Today we celebrate Pentecost Sunday, the day of the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the twelve Disciples, and the beginning of the Church’s mission here on earth. This reception of the Holy Spirit by the gathered twelve was indeed a metamorphosis. It took twelve rugged individualists who were living in fear and transformed them into twelve who sought only to do the will of God and gave no thought whatsoever to their own wellbeing or safety. On this very day, Peter spoke out boldly against those who were gathered and whom they had previously feared would kill them as well. He not only rebuked what they had done to our Lord, but called them to conversion as well, and some three thousand souls were added to their number that day.

The transformation that took place in Jesus’ disciples was profound, and it was this change that He had told them to look forward to receiving right before his ascension back to the Father. There was a collective change of priority that shifted from self to the will of God, and the well-being of His people. The self was no longer their focus, but the expression of agape love, the love that is concerned with the well-being of all, even at the cost of our own time, attention, resources, and comfort. It is the love that surpasses all understanding because it is seen to make no sense to this world. It is not understood by many and mocked by those who refuse to acknowledge the way of God. This way of living and of caring is what we are called to, and if we are also mocked for it, that is to be seen as a privilege. Our Lord told us, that we would be hated for His sake, so to my way of thinking, the more objections and ridicule we encounter at times, perhaps the more effectively we are fulfilling His command.

There is nothing easy about the path that we are called to. Each of us, like the disciples, have things that we will need to resolve in order to be as effective as possible in serving our Lord. Yet we are not without the hope of being able to experience changes within ourselves to allow that to happen. In our second reading, we hear that “To each individual, the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit”. The Spirit can work within us, just as it did within the disciples.

None of us has the foreknowledge of what God’s plan is for us, our task is to simply remain open to whatever His will is. When we pray, we need to pray for the grace of His Spirit to fill us, and so guide us and provide us with the graces we will need to accomplish His will. Our focus, like that of the disciples needs to be on Him, and not so much on ourselves. The interesting thing is that while this would seem very counterintuitive by the world’s standards, and on the surface might seem like we are giving up a lot, it is in fact the complete opposite. It is our natural state to want to serve God, and it is actually the key to peace and happiness, both in this life, and in the life to come.

“ Go into the whole world, and proclaim the gospel to every creature.” That is our mission, given to us by our Lord Himself, and it has not changed. As we celebrate Ascension Sunday, we hear of both our Lord’s ascension back to the Father, but also of the coming gift of the Holy Spirit to be bestowed on us after our Lords Ascension. Our Lord knew we would need this grace in order to carry out the mission that He gave us, as well as to navigate this life in such a manner that we can one day look forward to being with Him in heaven – simply put, there is no other way this can happen. We absolutely NEED the Holy Spirit in our lives to guide us.

It’s no secret that our lives can be a struggle, in particular as we try to conform to God’s teaching in an age that glorifies the rejection of such teaching and delight in the most base and degraded of behaviors. To even understand why so much of what is considered the “norm” today is wrong requires a knowledge of God’s teachings, and to actually reject the allurements that this world presents requires a heart rooted in faith, and the grace of the Holy Spirit within. Our Lord knew this would be so, and because of that, promised that we would not be left alone after He ascended back to the Father, but rather would be given the Holy Spirit to continue to guide us.

We are each granted the grace of the reception of the Spirit through the Sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation. It is then up to us, and to those around us who are charged with guiding us in our formative years to accept that gift, and to live in such a way that it will flourish within us. Such a gift is precious and requires care in order for it to yield the fruits that were foretold. This can only come by increasing and maintaining our knowledge of God through His word, and by the frequent reception of the Sacraments. These are all things we are charged to do for a reason – the maintaining and strengthening of this precious gift that is so centric to our salvation.

It’s important to also understand, that while the Spirit within us is crucial to our own salvation, it is also crucial to our collective participation in Christ’s body, the Church. We cannot function as the living stones with which it is built if we are not solid in our structure. When we do not take maintaining our spiritual life seriously, we not only harm ourselves, we harm the foundation of the structure we are meant to each be a strong part of, in order to support the rest. Our own erosion absolutely can cause the erosion of the faith of others. We may not think that others take notice of our casual approach to our faith, but that is far from true. Whether it be our children, family members, or those who observe us at Church, it does not go un-noticed and we need to be continually on guard against this. We do not want to cause others to stumble. In our first reading, the question was asked – “Lord, when are you going to restore the kingdom of Israel?”. That is the crucial question for each of us, because it refers to when our Lord will come again to judge and bring those who are part of His flock to the heavenly reunion that is where God wants each of us to be. This is not our true life, this is not the life that we need to aspire to and work toward during our brief time here on earth. This is not our home, home is where the heart is, and our hearts when filled with the Spirit will guide us to our true home.

Podcast Link

https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-qjnzr-103926e