Fr. John Mary Shares His Homily Meditation Dear Friends, A week ago I shared the passage from the Gospel that was coming to my mind at this point in our country, “Let not your hearts be troubled; have faith in God, have faith also in Me." Since then, I’ve been hearing from a number of people who are anxious and distraught, whose “hearts are troubled”, about the future of our country. My homily last Sunday was about what I sensed the Lord wants to tell us in this situation. I was asked to put it in writing. Here it is, slightly adapted. Has He not told us to TRUST HIM? Has He not told us to OBEY HIM; Has He not told us to WAIT FOR HIM; Has He not told us: DO NOT BE AFRAID. Has He not told us that ALL IS IN HIS HANDS. ALL IS USEFUL TO HIM. HIS PLAN IS INEXORABLE. UNSTOPPABLE. DO NOT BE AFRAID. DO NOT LET YOUR HEARTS BE TROUBLED. He is SILENT, BUT NOT IDLE. He has been preparing us our whole lives for these times. For THESE times. Our missions will be accomplished in THESE times. His Grace will help us in THESE times. He has formed us for THESE times. Forming us in UNSHAKEABLE FAITH. STEEL MUST BE TEMPERED IN ORDER TO BE STRONG. He uses these times, all that we see around us, to temper our Faith, our trust in Him.
The tempering stage is not easy. BUT NECESSARY. He sometimes permits a collapse, in order to rebuild. The times that have been prophesied are in His hands.
He ALONE KNOWS WHEN, HOW, HIS PLAN UNFOLDS. HE reveals to us what is sufficient for us to know in order to cooperate with Him. BUT ALL ELSE HE LEAVES SHROUDED. WHAT WE SEE IS SO LITTLE. He calls us to love and defend our country from the evil that threatens it.
And at the same time to remember that…
HE HAS GIVEN US AN ETERNAL HOMELAND: HIS HEART. What is earthly is temporary. Even the Earthly Paradise was temporary. On Earth and within Time, all things are temporary. They all have a beginning and an end. He calls us not to be alarmed by what we see. Not to let it frighten us.
These are all signs that the awaited time is close. We are held closely in His Arms. Let us not surrender to fear. He understands our anguish. He takes it as a sacrificial offering. But we must look to Him,
not only to solve the situations according to human considerations,
but according to HIS PLAN. If we set aside our ideas, our criteria, our human hopes,
and place HIS WILL as the central Jewel of our treasure, of our Crown,
then we shall banish fear more easily. Even this fear is useful as an offering, for we experience it for the sake of all of His children;
but He shows us what to do with it, how not to give in to it,
FOR THE SAKE OF HIS CHILDREN. TRUST HIM. It is HIS work to fix things. It is OUR work to Trust HIM. He knows how hard this is – to trust Him – when He seems to do nothing,
when nothing seems to change except for the worse, within ourselves and in the world. This is our mission. Our witness. Our great work.
Our martyrdom – a long, extended martyrdom. He SEES and He KNOWS. His Words are TRUTH, and they will be accomplished. All of them. We cannot understand now the reasons for so many “permissions” for evil to act,
to hurt, to destroy. We must make a blind act of Trust and FAITH
that ALL that He does or allows works for the GOOD
– the ETERNAL Good – of all of His children.
The ETERNAL,EVERLASTING GOOD.
Not a temporary, transient, good that has an end, and is imperfect
inasmuch as it operates within the limits and woundedness of time and human constraints. Lift up our eyes to Him. Look at HIM. Leave behind the corruptible to gaze upon the Truth,
the Light that no darkness can overcome
and that will shine for all Eternity over us, around us, within us,
when we return to our Homeland,
HIS HEART. Remember this, HIS HEART IS OUR HOMELAND. We belong there. We were born there. Our earthly life will end there, in His arms. We will wake up to Eternal Life there. We breathe there. We live there. HIS HEART. OUR HOME. Let us give Him our fears, and our tears, and the anguish that racks our hearts.
It is all useful and helpful. He understands. He LOVES YOU. May His Blessing descend upon you, and be sealed in your heart,
that wherever you go, whoever you meet, this blessing will exude and bring Light and Grace
to so many who have chosen to live in darkness out of fear and confusion. Jesus, we trust in You. Come, Lord Jesus AMEN. | 
