THE GLORIFIED JESUS PRAYS FOR HIS DISCIPLES..........

In the Gospel Prclamation for this Tuesday of the 7th Week of Easter, John 17:1-11a; the Risen Jesus prays for His Disciples, before Ascending, that they, meaning we - will affirm and embrace the glory of God He has shared from time immemorial and shares anew in the glorification of the Paschal Mystery. In this gospel passage Jesus distinguishes between His true Disciples who are in the world, and those who are more, if not merely, of the world. The worldly we tend to think of as being powerful, affluent, persons of privilege, who are often irreligious, unbelievers, even secular humanists. Yet not all in what Jesus refers to as those, "of the world" versus, "in the world", are just unbaptized or non-believers, but sadly include a high number of persons who profess to be Catholic-Christians, but seldom practice or witness to their Faith. In the USA, practicing, witnessing, Catholics are the largest Christian denomination. But by far the second largest catergory of American Christians are non-practicing, Christmas & Easter, or special occasion only Catholics ! These minimalist Catholic-Christians proudly proclaim themselves Catholic, yet hardly mirror the values and way of life that denotes discipleship as a Catholic-Christian believer. They suscribe to the magic view of Faith and Church, rather than enter into the sacred mysteries of God's Word and the Eucharist, much less the prayer, worship, and ministry that defines the life of authentically faithful Catholic-Christians. The institutional Church bears rresponsibility in part for the backsliding, by not challenging people enough to fulfill their baptismal obligations to be present and participating members of the Community of Believers, at Sunday Mass and in the spiritual, prayerful, catechetical, ministerial, and social activities of the Church. But non-practicing parents and families, are also to blame for not only failing to maintain the rquirements of discipleship, but setting a bad example of dismissive indifference for their children. If we as Catholic-Christian Disciples are unwilling to honor our Initiation into the Life of Christ and the Church while living in this temporal world, how will we be able to dwell in God's eternal Kingdom ? Worldly lives that are too busy or otherwise prioritized to have time for God and the Church are much too busy and off the rails. What we are graced to share as Church is the greatest gift ever bestowed on humankind, the promise of Eternal Life in God's Kingdom. If you are a Catholic-Christian then you have to practice what you profess and by doing so give homage to Jesus the Christ God's Co-Eternal, Glorified Son ? How are you serving / witnessing to the Glory of God today, this week, throughout this year ?? In The Spirit Of True Faith, Fidelity, Fellowship, And Friendship, As Catholic-Christian Disciples, Fr. Troy