“Take Your Meds!”
Father Peter Fitzgibbons
August 25th & 26th, 2018
Scripture: Matthew 16: 13-20
13 When Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi* he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” 14 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist,* others Elijah, still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter said in reply, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” 17 Jesus said to him in reply, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood* has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father. 18 And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church,*and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. 19 I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven.* Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” 20 Then he strictly ordered his disciples to tell no one that he was the Messiah.
Recently, I met a man who was admitted to the VA Hospital. When he arrived, escorted by VA security guards, he was in very bad shape…a real mess and almost out of his mind. After a while, he was able to calm down and admitted that he had stopped taking his medications because he thought he was well.
God has also given us a prescription…prayer and penance…and it is up to us to use it. A lot of people turn to God when they are in pain, feel bad, or have nowhere else to go. We must avoid doing what the VA patient did and continue to take our medication by growing closer to Him, even when we feel better.
We cannot rely on past good deeds. The Lord tells us to take up our crosses each day (Luke 9:23). We may not like the remedy; perhaps it’s inconvenient or not what we desire. But, time and time again we have learned, sometimes the hard way, that God ALWAYS knows what is best for us. As Mary said at the wedding in Cana, “Do whatever he tells you” (John 2:5).
We learned in Catechism classes that sin is an offense against God and results in our estrangement from Him. Sin marks and disfigures our soul and psyche; it also distorts our faculties.
Matthew 18: 7-9
7 Woe to the world because of things that cause sin! Such things must come, but woe to the one through whom they come! 8 If your hand or foot causes you to sin,* cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter into life maimed or crippled than with two hands or two feet to be thrown into eternal fire. 9 And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into fiery Gehenna.
We can reestablish our bond with God and restore the beauty of our souls through the Sacraments. Through them, we are unblemished by the stain of sin, and we become more holy, brighter, and wiser. Holiness leads to increased knowledge. This is not for our benefit, but so that we can be a conduit of God’s love and help lead others to Him. People need God’s love. We don’t need a new, expensive program or study group. Through acts of love and mercy, we will lead people to Him.
We are all sinners. If we try to lead a holy life and grow closer to God, we realize how our sins affect Him. As our love for Him grows, so does our desire to repent for our sins AND for the sins of others.
Think about it….When you love someone, it hurts you when people disrespect them. So, you try to show your loved-one even more love to atone for those who hurt them. We can, and should, do the same for God. Love is not about feeling good about yourself; it’s about making others feel better.
We are supposed to let the Sacraments change us. Instead, we keep trying to change ourselves into what WE desire. However, when we try to go it alone, we become angry and bitter because we don’t have God at the center of our lives. The image we try to project to others, if not from God, is a sham and will not last. Pity those who walk away from the Catholic Church for they have walked away from the source of peace. You probably know a few..how is it working for them?
There is so much evil in the world…and there always has been. From the beginning, we have been in a constant battle with demonic forces that are trying to prevent us from leading others to Christ. To deal with scandal in the Church, we need to practice the teachings of Christ as well as do some housecleaning. There have always been bad priests, nuns, bishops, and popes. In spite of them, the Church has survived for over 2,000 years. So, we do NOT need to reinvent the wheel. Instead, we need to do what Christ has taught us. It works every time; but, it doesn’t work when not used.
How will you apply this message to your life? Will you rely on the sacraments of prayer and penance to grow ever closer to God? Will you be a conduit for His love and share it with others so that they can be lead to Christ?