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how many father makes mints and this is
ascension presents so I've taken a crack
at trying to write lately these days so
I've written or contributed to a couple
different books um there's one called
don't be afraid to say yes to God
basically it's a collection of some
sayings from Pope Francis and I wrote a
little stuff contributed to that by the
word among us press I also wrote a book
called Mead for love that's up by
Ignatius press it's about the Catholic
Church and same-sex attraction and I've
contributed to a couple of a couple of
other different books which is like well
whatever you know because well no not
whatever you work hard at it but I
wouldn't probably don't know is that I
also have an autobiography but it's not
a biography that I'm not quite as proud
of and so do you years ago Archbishop
Fulton sheen he pointed out the
autobiography that I've written in the
autobiography that you've written and
and this is it this is written books but
this is the autobiography this is the
story of my life right here and
unfortunately I've written this story
and I'm guessing you've written this
story that when I when I look at this I
see yep that's me I wrote that for
example when I look at Jesus in the
crown with it wearing a crown of thorns
I I realized that I wrote that every
time that I've chosen myself my pride
wanted to be said above others one
placing myself before God wanting to be
unnoticed want to be recognized and I
crowns Jesus with a crown of thorns he's
the one who's the king and I've I wrote
this as often as I see the the beaten
lips of Christ and His people punched
him I think of all the times that I
either you know sneered my lips at
somebody looking at them with less than
honor less with less than dignity he
just kind of looked at them with
contempt there all the times that I
think of Christ I imagine him getting
punched in the face and him biting
through his tongue you think of all the
times that I've said things against
other people that never needed to be
said all the gossip that I've that I've
uh turd
the times I may have taken the
of the Lord in vain in Christ's Heath
going through his tongue as someone
punches him I did that I did that I
wrote that in here as his hands are
nailed to the cross that's every time
that I or maybe you have reached out to
take something that didn't belong to me
that's part of my story as Jesus his
arms are dislocated on the cross I think
of all the times that I I turned away
from someone else when I was asked to
carry their burden asked to help them
and I just said no now I have other
things to do and I see that in his
shoulders dislocated let me see the the
the spit dripping off of his head people
spat upon I mean I think of all the
people all the times I may have have
heard of someone else's plight but I've
chosen to treat them not as a child of
God but as less than someone I would
even spit on I did that I wrote that
into this story I think of Jesus's feet
nailed to the cross and all the times
when I said no I'm gonna do I'm gonna go
where I want to go I'm gonna do what I
want to do I'm gonna walk where I want
to walk in and in that I nailed Christ's
feet to the cross I think of Jesus
stripped naked on the cross because we
know of this right we know that the loin
cloth that Jesus has on that's not
that's not historically accurate that's
for our sake not for his that's uh he
was stripped naked on the cross all the
times when you're I've looked at someone
else with lust and just taken with our
eyes or maybe even with our actions I I
wrote that into this that's my
autobiography that's part of my story so
this is my autobiography and this is
your autobiography and I hold up this
you know autobiography it's a sign of my
shame it's it really is it's a sign of
my shame this is what I'm ashamed of
because I did this but God did something
so amazing like Jesus is something so
amazing that he was able to transform
the sign of our shame to become a symbol
of our hope that's what something father
Dave Ivanka once said
that Jesus was able to transform the
sign of our shame into the symbol of our
hope that my autobiography your
autobiography that is so so embarrassing
it's so um it I don't want it to mean I
don't want this to be my life but what
Jesus has done
uncle Fridays and Holy Saturday and
Easter Sundays he transformed all these
signs of my shame all these signs of my
sin all these signs in my weakness and
he transformed it into a sign of our
hope that we recognize that yes I've
done all those things but none of those
things could stop his unstoppable love
none of those things could stop his
unstoppable love for me or for you so I
look at this as hangs in my in my
bedroom I look at it all the time and I
walk by it all the time and I and I say
that's a son in my shame but it's a
symbol of my hope it's a symbol of your
hope this is my autobiography this is
your autobiography but through the love
of God the unstoppable love of God he is
the shame Bearer and he's transformed
the sign of my shame and your shame to
become the symbol of our hope and I hate
it
but I love it because I need it
something to reflect on this holy week
as we pray with Jesus and his way of the
Cross as he walked with Jesus as he
transforms our shameful autobiography
into his glorious story
we're almost at ascension presents my
name's father Mike god bless
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you