Lecturer Report: Aug 2018; Theme: Do we really believe? Referenced to Fr. Ric, and Fr. Anthony Mary’s Sermons from Our Lady of Guardian Angels in Irondale Alabama per EWTN TV network. JMJ

Over the last month or so there has been some great, revealing gospels passages, most recently the 17th & 18th Sundays in Ordinary Time, which Father Ric covered thoroughly in what is known as the 1st and 2nd Bread of Life Discourses. But preceding those gospels on the 16th week, stands out as a call out to all Christians. And prepares us for the Bread of Life discourses. And our response to his question underlies our belief in him. In this Gospel, the scribes ask Jesus for a sign to authenticate the authority to which he has preached, and to explain just who he is. In no uncertain terms, in this Israelite culture always requiring signs from him, he condemns them as an evil, apostate, unfaithful generation, who has renounced or abandoned their true faith in God. And Jesus has asked this same question, since his coming, to every generation, “Exactly who do you say that I am?

After chastising them, he brings up Jonah, and Solomon, which are very familiar figures that they are well aware of in their previous rich history with God, and he ends by saying that he is greater than any of them. But Jesus is also saying that they don’t get it, as he alone is the sign.

Are so many turning away from Jesus in our culture today, because they want a sign from him. A sign from the Lord, something out of the ordinary, beyond normal. Jesus, throughout all the Gospels, in his words and actions he is saying that you will find me in the day-to-day living of your lives. That is where he shows up and desires to accompany each of us, for a personal relationship with him. And that is why we so often miss him. Jesus comes in the ordinary and is not there just to do the spectacular, but to simply walk with us in the day-to-day living of our lives, to accompany and aid us on the pilgrimage of our journey to heaven. He is saying that we have to open our eyes, open our ears to experience him so that our faith may be expanded in and through him, and to know that he is beside us always. He walks with us waiting for us to call on him so that he can embrace us in communion, as one with him. And his call echoes throughout time, to every generation, “Exactly who do you say that I am? A question that presses our faith and request a truthful answer.

In answering Christ’s question, are we “all in Catholics” fully trusting in the Lord according to Scripture and Tradition, and the Catholic precepts as defined by our pope and the magisterium that safeguards the deposit of our infallible professed faith, as it is divinely inspired by God?

There is much evidence we do live in a culture becoming more apostate with each passing day. But that will be addressed on our next talk. But in light of it, we have to ask ourselves, do we, at times cross the narrow line and become tempted by apostacy due to our growing anger of some transgression we believe God, or a member of his church commits against us, or due to mounting doubt that a just God would not allow the world to recede in the darkness of the devil, thereby resulting in the persecution of so many Christians around the world.

Or do we flirt with apostacy in our attitude towards God? Have we become, overtime, what has been called a Cafeteria Catholic, where we rely on our own judgement in choosing what parts of our Catholic faith that we believe in and that which we very much doubt or refuse to believe in,

Why would we do such a thing as this? Could we also be looking for signs, miracles from Jesus, to overcome some crisis in our lives or the lives of those we love. Are we greatly frustrated to the point of despair, that overtime Jesus does not appear to be listening to our prayers of petition? So, for the lack of a sign, a miracle to repair our problems, has our faith gradually diminishes in him, eroding away until the Holy Eucharist becomes little more than an ordinary piece of bread? The Lord, always hears our prayers and only answers them when they are good for us, but sometimes, he answers them in his own time most probably because mankind has so often taken him for granted, as a miracle worker but little more. Our problem can be that Christ hungers for us much more than we hunger for him. He longs to bestow on us his blessing of graces from the practice of the Sacraments and especially in the reception of reconciliation but most significantly in the frequent reception of the Blessed Sacrament, the Holy Eucharists.

We must not grow despondent if the Lord doesn’t answer our prayers. St. Dominic imitated Christ prayer life while on earth. Dominic taught his followers they must pray daily with patience, perseverance and persistence. For God loves those who are persistent in prayer. After all, he usually gets so little notice from us in our daily lives, except at Sunday mass. But when we pray persistently, we grow in the Lord’s graces as we pay homage to him and begin to love him for who he truly is. Thereby in putting him first in our lives, he favors us as a true, authentic disciple and is more apt to grant our petitions for our love, trust and belief in him.

Tragically, as Father Ric has said, it has been estimated that only approximately 25% of regular attending Catholics actually believe in the real presence of Christ’s body and blood, soul and divinity as the spiritual food Christ mercifully gifted to us to nurture and to renew us in him, solely for the gain of our souls. St. Faustina reported how angry Jesus is after all he has done for us, in the name of his father, we profane the Holy Eucharist in doubt or total disbelief, receiving it as just an ordinary pieced of bread, a mere commemorative ritual rather than the Bread of Eternal Life for us to feast upon in strengthening our Christian resolve and which nurtures us to remain strong in Jesus Christ our redeemer. Surely, in Christ’s mind, such a slap in his face is a sign of apostasy. If we fall into this fatal error we are only short changing ourselves of the blessings that we lose as his real presence in Eucharist gives us a little taste of his father’s glorious kingdom to come and provides us with Christian hope, fortitude, joy and peace of mind.

Father Ric asks Do we truly hunger for Jesus Christ to receive the Eucharist and be transformed and take our transformation out into the world and put it into action? Do we truly believe Jesus Christ is the Bread of Life? Do we primarily hunger for anything other than Jesus Christ who is truly present in the Eucharist, Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity? If that is not your hunger, examine your life, examine your family’s life and seek the Lord Jesus to fulfill your heart’s desire, which is to be eternally united in him forever in heaven.

My good brother knights, we gather in Christ’s unity, in his fraternity, and in his merciful charity. Let us pray for the fearless courage to hear his call, and the wisdom, strength, ability, and fortitude to always and everywhere do the will of his Most Benevolent Father. Amen

God is Good

Vivat Jesus

Make No Mistake, I accuse no worthy knight of apostacy. You are centered in Christ and thus, He is centered in you.

.