I AM JUDAS!

I am Judas.

I have walked with Christ. I have lived in Christ. I know of the profound sacrifice of Christ, and yet I wound him so. I sin when I recognize my faults yet turn from him when he offers his mercy and forgiveness.

I am Judas.

I turn him over to his enemies when I deny him daily, in my words, in my actions, and in my cowardice. My cross is laid out before me and I run from it like a frightened child. But that is not true. A child is innocent. I have long since removed the truth of that excuse from my life. I know exactly what I am running from, my salvation, and yet I run.

I am Judas.

I hide in the crowds and watch Him being led from unjust judge to unjust judge. I stand silent as evil men come and testify falsely against him. I know I should cry out, “Foul evil men, don’t you see you persecute your GOD?!” But I don’t. I am a coward in the shadows.

I am Judas.

I run through the streets trying to escape the guilt that floods my very soul with sorrow. I have become evil. The weight of my betrayal becomes too much to bear. God could never forgive me for this transgression. I will surely perish in the fires of hell. There is no hope for me. I am damned.

I am Judas.

I have come to the end. I know my life is forfeit. I can go on no longer. I find a strong and sturdy tree and fasten my noose to its powerful branches. As I slip the rope around my neck the voice of my LORD enters my heart from afar. “Why do you do this thing? Don’t you know that I love you? My mercy endures forever. My heart and My blood are poured out for you. Come and see how much I Love You!” From my tree of death I flee. As I run down the hill I am stopped in my tracks by the site of a familiar face swinging from a tree.

He is Judas.

Oh Judas, Ye of so little faith. Why have you come to this dreadful end? What pain in your heart has led you to this deception? You spent so much time in the loving presence of the Lord. He taught you and loved you. He chose you! Did you not know your sins could be forgiven? You hardened your heart while you were with Him. He knew you would betray him. With this knowledge before Him did he send you away as you all shared the Passover feast? No, He washed your feet. Our Lord confronted your crime and you could have repented. Instead you took your leave like a thief in the night. When you realized that He was to be put to death did you come to Him for mercy? Why did you not call on him or seek out his Holy Mother? She would have taken you to her Son. He loved you Judas, as much as the rest. Why did you compound the sin of betrayal with an even greater one? Oh Judas, your sin was utter despair. When Satan was finished with you he filled your heart with the true knowledge of what you had done to the Son of Man. You showed no remorse to God for your actions, only selfish pride at the shame you would face when others saw you after what you had done. Oh Judas, God had mercy for your soul if only you had accepted it.

I am not Judas.

I hear the words again in my heart from my Lord, “Come quickly, see how much I Love You!” I enter the city but I can find no trace of my Lord. I see a woman weeping bitterly by the roadside. As I approach her I see her veil laid open on her lap. A vision of a man’s face stares up at her from the veil. Bloody and dirty. This man is barely recognizable as a man, and yet my heart recognizes his Divine Face. I kneel down beside her and ask, “Dear sister, where have they taken Our LORD?” She can not muster the strength to lift her head to answer me. With the veil still clutched in her shaking right hand she points to the road leaving Jerusalem. As I look up the street I see what my eyes were too blind to see before, a trail of blood leaving the city, toward the place of the skull. “Come quickly, see how much I Love You!”

I am not Judas!

As I run up the high hill of Golgotha, my legs burn and ache. I feel I can not go on but I could not stop if I wanted to. As I reach the top I see HIM. My Lord lifted up on a cross. The imprint of His love on my heart is the only thing that allows me to recognize Him, so badly beaten. What love do you have for us that you found the strength to get this far. As I stand near the cross I can not bare to look upon you for I know that my sins did this. I fall to my knees, weeping like never before, and bury my face in the ground. In my pain and anguish I hear Your voice, “See how much I LOVE YOU!” I look up to see Your eyes meeting mine. “My name is MERCY, and MY Mercy endures forever” A smile comes over my face and in HIS pain I am sure I see my Lord smile on me. Then He lifts his head to the Father and cries out in a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commend My Spirit.” Before me, my Lord gives His life willingly for all of us. In His death I expect an emptiness and sorrow to fill my heart. I am shocked to find it replaced with a profound surge of joy, for I know now that death can no longer conquer me, for my Lord has set us all free.

I am a sinner, but I have been washed clean by the Blood of the Lamb! His name is MERCY, and His mercy endures forever, and for ALL who hear His voice and answer, "Yes Lord!"

One Truth

Truth is what it is, the Truth. Christ Himself spoke of the Truth when He said, "I AM the Way, the Truth, and the Life; No one comes to the Father but by Me." This is a statement of Fact whether you believe it or not. This truth is objective not subjective. Truth is a Real Person and His name is Jesus Christ. You don't have to believe it but your lack of faith won't make it any less true. Abortion is intrinsically evil. The world will tell you otherwise but that doesn't make it any less true. Christ is Really, Truly, and Substantially Present in the Holy Eucharist. This is an undeniable Truth that is rejected daily by most, including some Catholics.

The point I'm trying to make is that God in His very essence is Truth, Love, Mercy, and Justice. Sin is real and we all commit it. God Loves Each and Every One of US! When we sin we show Him that we don't love Him. He never shows us this in return. His love never wanes and never fails. We must always REMEMBER THIS..........We are all Beloved Sons and Daughters of God the Father. We are Temple's of the Holy Spirit. Sin does not become us. We become sin of our own free will. Christ in His Mercy as Just judge and Redeemer longs to drive sin from our hearts as He drove the merchants and moneychangers from the Temple. He did this when He spread out His arms and died the most horrible death known to man. When we sin we cast that aside for our own selfish wants. Christ never casts us aside. He longs to save us from our own sin, to destroy our death and restore our life. We just have to let Him do it!

Christ's sacrifice of Himself was presented in time on Calvary 2000 years ago. God makes that sacrifice of Christ present on every altar in every Catholic Church through time and space. We are made to be really and truly present at the foot of the cross as real and true as Christ is present in the Eucharist, Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity. Christ's death is not recreated at the Mass, it is re-presented (Made Present). Catholics do not re-sacrifice Jesus. We enter into the sacrifice of Calvary during every Mass. We killed Him with our sins, so we must be sanctified and redeemed by His loving sacrifice. Nowhere in the world is this truly present but in the Catholic Mass! Period! You want a time machine? Go to Mass. It will take you back 2000 years to be present at your redemption. Christ calls you, but will you come?

I think this sums it up pretty clearly.

Think about it. Take it to prayer.

Off to Rome

Well, full time Senator and part time "catholic theologian" Nancy Pelosi is trying to pass the stimulus bill through Congress so she doesn't miss her scheduled trip to Europe. She plans to meet with Pope Benedict during her trip. Hopefully the Holy Father will pass her a copy of the Catechism. This has been a source of acid reflux for me for quite some time now. So called "cafeteria catholics" like Senator Pelosi must be reigned in. I completely understand the Bishops' hesitancy to take the drastic step of refusing Holy Communion at the altar rail, to a point. It seems that we are now being inundated with so called "pro-choice" catholics in the Obama administration. It must stop! These straying "catholics" need two things from us all, prayer and guidance. The Bishops of these particular politicians need to have one on one sessions with them reiterating the teachings of the Church. As far as I know this has happened and for some of them, it has happened several times. By their very own obstinate actions these people have placed themselves outside of communion with the Church. In my humble opinion the next step is obvious and sad. Unity in the Church is not to be achieved by ignoring the problem. By failing to confront this problem the Bishops are allowing scandal in the Church. Pray! Pray! Pray!

Eat My Flesh

Jesus said to the crowds: “I am the bread of life that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my Flesh for the life of the world.”

The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his Flesh to eat?” Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the Flesh of the Son of Man and drink his Blood, you do not have life within you. He who eats my Flesh and drinks my Blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. For my Flesh is true food, and my Blood is true drink. Whoever eats my Flesh and drinks my Blood remains in me and I in him. Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also whoever feeds on me will have life because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died, whoever eats this bread will live forever.”

John 6: 51-58

Who among us has ever known hunger? We live a life of comfort that many in this world do not share. Most people of Christ’s day knew hunger all to well. Bread truly was and is life to those whose next meal is in question. Food sustains us, gives us energy, GIVES US LIFE! Is it a coincidence that Christ would refer to Himself as Bread? There are no coincidences with Christ. How important is Bread? After the Christ’s baptism, He fasted in the desert for forty days.

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And he fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterward he was hungry. And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” But he answered, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’”

Matthew 4: 1-4

The first thing the devil tempts Christ with is bread. Christ was True God, and True Man. He was hungry. Satan says, “If you are really God, save yourself, eat!” Christ in His infinite love doesn’t miss an opportunity to teach us. Bread feeds our body, but it is not all we need. It is not even the most important thing we need. We must live by “every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.”

What is this bread that Christ asks us to partake in? He tells us we must “Eat His Body and Drink His Blood.” Many in this world will tell you that He did not mean His true Body and Blood but merely a sign of them. If Christ meant only a sign of them, why were the Jews listening to Jesus so confused and disturbed by His statement? They knew exactly what He meant, that’s why! No English translation of the Bible is perfect, even the best of them and filled with flaws. Many of you have heard the saying, “The translator is a traitor.” No translation can be perfect. So we must look at the original Greek texts to see what was truly said. Christ leaves no doubt among the gathered crowds by shocking them with His careful choice of words. Christ’s choice of noun is not soma (body) but sarx (meat) and he does not say phago (eat), but trogo (chew). Christ literally tells them they must Chew His Meat. This was shocking to all those gathered. This was so shocking a statement that it even drove some of Christ’s followers away. The Word of God IS shocking! It should be shocking to all of us. It should shock us out of our sinful ways. The Word of God tears us apart so it can rebuild us in the image of Christ. This is why so many in this world reject the Word of God. Those who say they except Christ but deny His presence in the Eucharist DENY HIM! He is there, Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity. For Catholics, this is not a suggestion or a teaching to be accepted or rejected at your leisure. This is the Doctrine of the Faith! This you must believe! For it is Truth indeed. All truth subsists in He who has revealed it! Christ is the Truth. The Word of God is not something but somebody! His name is Jesus Christ! Christ no longer walks the earth but He is physically and spiritually present in every tabernacle, in every Catholic Church and on the altar at every Mass celebrated in the world. EVERY SINGLE DAY! Have Faith! Be Fed! Christ is calling to you. Do you have ears to hear Him?

Why did Christ give us this gift of Himself? Why must we eat His Flesh and drink His Blood? What happens when we do? We must first ask, “What happens when I eat a steak”? Does the steak become part of me or do I become part of the steak? Obviously, the steak becomes part of me? What happens when we eat the Eucharist and drink from the chalice? Do we become Christ? Does Christ become us? Both! Christ enters into us and dwells in us, physically as well as spiritually. The same thing happens to us. We become one with Our Lord, spiritually and physically. We become ONE! If we are one with God, we will begin to live for Him and with Him. We can save ourselves and others. If we are living only spiritually with Christ, He cannot come into us completely. We are called to do all things to perfection. What is perfection? It is completion! If we do not Eat His Body and Drink His Blood, we can never be complete. God has an infinite supply of Grace for all of us, but we have to ask for it. We must put ourselves in a position and a state in life to receive Him as completely as possible. Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity, IN THE EUCHARIST!

“This is MY Body, Which will be given up for YOU!!! Do THIS in memory of ME!”

Hoc Est Corpus Meum

I have always loved this since the moment I saw it. For those of you not fluid in Latin I will translate. Hoc Est Corpus Meum means "This Is My Body". This is a great message for the whole world. You want a miracle? Go to Mass!

Sacrifice of Body and Mind

“I urge you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, your spiritual worship. Do not conform yourselves to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect.”

Romans 12:1-2

Our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit. Through the graces of our baptism, God the Holy Spirit takes up residence in us. We are given to Him as instruments of His will. Set aside by the Sacrament of Baptism as witnesses of the love God has for us all through the profound sacrifice of God’s only Son, Jesus Christ. Called to be witnesses to the world as followers of Christ Jesus. Called as the martyrs to give unconditionally of ourselves for the Glory of God. The word martyr means witness. Those who died for the faith showed profound witness by giving their bodies, like Christ did before them, as sacrifices for the Word of God.

We are called to be martyrs as well. We may never be called to give of ourselves to death but we are called to martyrdom just the same. We are called to die unto ourselves on a daily basis, to offer sacrifices in our daily lives for the Glory of God. We are called to be open to the urgings of the Holy Spirit. We must listen with our hearts and trust that God will show us the way to His will.

“If the world hates you, realize that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, the world would love its own; but because you do not belong to the world, and I have chosen you out of the world, the world hates you. Remember the word I spoke to you, ‘No slave is greater that his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours.

John 15: 18-20

It is easy to conform to this age. Persons who place God above themselves are ridiculed and called names like “Jesus freak” or “Bible thumper”. I say all Glory to God for this wonderful gift for you are being persecuted by the world for the sake of Christ Jesus. Christ tells us that you are either with Him or against Him. He also tells us that the spirit of this world will reject Him and will hate all those who follow Him just as they hated the one sent by God the Father. Christ challenged the authority of the world when He preached to those around Him. He challenges us today. You cannot serve two masters. The master of this world is Satan. He rules with a loveless iron fist of tyranny and sin. He makes us slaves of sin and death abounds. Christ came as a slave, not a master. He came to set captives free from the shackles of Sin and Death wrought by the original sin of Adam and Eve.

Be not conformed to this age for a culture of death abounds in this world. Abortion, artificial contraception, euthanasia, cloning, fetal stem cell research are the norm in this world and are called enlightenment and progress. Call them what they are which is a trampling of God’s will and His mandate to us to be like Christ. Sex and procreation are not privileges or rights as the culture of this world will tell you. These are gifts of God. Sex is a holy act of two souls perfectly united with God to bring forth life into the world. How many Catholics in this world would think to use the Eucharist as an appetizer at a dinner party? Most I hope, would shudder at the thought of defiling Christ’s real and substantial presence in the Eucharist in such a belittling fashion. We must therefore ask, why do we do this with sex? This is a holy act. Sex is the act of two persons giving of themselves wholly to each other in union with the will of God to bring forth the most precious gift of all which is human life. In this day and age this Holy act is belittled to a self-serving action to bring about pleasure to one person. When this act is performed without consenting to a union with God, it is an abomination.

The world as a whole will undoubtedly scoff at this and call it medieval thinking or the ranting of a dimwitted church going dupe. I myself, like these people, were once blind to this profound truth. We must pray that the Holy Spirit will touch the hearts and open the eyes of all who are blind. Many people are blinded and no position in this world makes you immune. Some Priests, Nuns, and, Bishops in the Church will tell you these things are acceptable. If your conscience has no problem with them then go ahead. We must pray for those who lead the flock astray.

All of these words sound easy when I write them but I can tell you that they are not unless you die to yourself and put your complete trust in God. Even the most holy person who ever lived would fall flat on their faces at the thought that their holiness would make them immune from temptation or deception. The saints were humble before God. They understood that left to their own devices or strengths that they would fail every time. It was only in their humility that they died unto themselves and said, “God, without you I can do nothing, but with you guiding my way all things are possible.” Pride is the root of all sin. Satan’s fall was the first sin of pride. Adam and Eve were proud and scoffed at God’s word. Sin and death entered the universe as a result. Be humble before God and ask Him for the strength to do His will and not our own. We are residents of Heaven passing through this world on the way home.

The Blessed Mother of God, the new Eve, is the perfect example of Humility for us to follow. This is why Christ Jesus gave her to us at the foot of the Cross. “Behold your Mother”, he said to St. John who stood in proxy for all mankind that Good Friday. Humility was God’s gift to her and her gift to us. Her will was perfectly united with that of God. We are called to be perfect like this, to give of ourselves perfectly. To die unto ourselves, and say as Christ did in the garden of Gethsemane, “Father not my will but yours be done”. Trust in Mary and she will lead you to her beloved son, Christ Jesus. She who holds great favor with God will bring you to Him and intercede on your behalf. We are all called to be Saints so pray for a humble spirit and pray that your foot may pass unscathed over the traps set before your path by the evil one. Trust in God. He is our refuge and our only Salvation. Be Christ’s disciple, not the world’s.