Standing With Jesus

    Today the Catholic Church is continually under attack. People say that we are Homophobic, that we reject women's rights, the whole notion that the Catholic Church is totally against sex because it is evil. People go after our priests and say that all the men that serve our church are child predators and they go after all the things that are thrown out into the media and run with that. The government laughs at the fact that we believe that all people deserve an equal chance to live on this earth and that they are not just an unwanted pet that is to be put down. We are being challenged about our beliefs on chastity by a entire world that has no real idea of what chastity actually is. (For those who want to learn more about the teachings on homosexuality and sex and itself check out "Theology of the Body" by Pope John Paul 2. Also in light of the government killing our children, there is no human who has the choice to end a life in a just manner. And for our men in black, yes, there have been some really evil and awful men, but "Let he who has not sinned cast the first stone." For women priests, we are not holding you back from any rights, just check out the 2000 year old history of Saints we have and just see how many of them are women!)

    I do not write this today to complain, but in light of what Jesus Christ tells us today in the Gospel. Today I feel the encouragement of being apart of the true Church in which God Himself came down and created through His Son! I have a courage about me, that speaks out against injustice that is presented upon the church. The government will take my money and make it even more difficult for me to live everyday, but I do not have a problem with that since God has always provided for me in my life. I do have an issue when the government begins to go against my faith and my religion which has been around a heck of a lot longer than the USA! So today in the Gospel we come to the line where Jesus lays it all out there for us to digest and to absorb into our hearts and our minds and our souls.

"Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not 

gather with me scatters." 

    These words are so powerful! Think about all those people in this world who do not agree with what Jesus teaches. Those who pick and choose which teachings of the church to follow, those who persecute our faith, those who go to Mass on Christmas and Easter. All these people who left for one reason or another or who are just "Too busy" for God. The point that I am making today is that, Jesus did not say; "If you are with me 20% or 30% of the time you will be good." No he said "If you are not with me you are against me." People this is HUGE! If you are against any teaching of Jesus or His Church you are against God! This is not to scare you, but I am pretty sure that at the time of Jesus' return, or your time in front of God, I am sure they are going to look at your track record. My point is again that with God, you need to be with Him 100% or you are totally against everything God has told us. There is no in between!

    I pray today that we live by the words Christ spoke to us and that we come to a realization that Jesus spoke only truth. Times are tough right now, but who can you trust more? The government who is continually cheating you out of more and more of your American rights and money, or the chruch that is the reason for college, hospitals, feeding the majority of the hungry in the world and peace movements? I leave you with these words... "Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters."