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The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ

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Fr. Joseph Gifford, Associate Pastor June 23, 2019

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so I have a friend he's about my age and he's a deacon for the Diocese of st. cloud about a year ago he told me he did not know how to swim I was baffled how can you live in the Land of 10,000 lakes and not know how to swim this is what I was thinking in the inside but I didn't want him to feel bad and so is very sympathetic and I told him hey I grew up swimming I'd had a lot of swimming lessons I swim in high school and I was a life 4 years and so I told him how about I teach you to spend some time and he jumped at the chance so we went to the lake and I taught him the basics how to float how to keep your head above water how to cup your hands the right way how to move your arms efficiently how to take so that way if ever he needed to he be able to swim and hopefully get back to shore and so as the day went on he was a boy to move from being stuck on the shore too clinging for dear life to the dock to being able to swim about 10 feet out from the dock that's the first example second example in aviation Pilots have a saying the slave of the compass has the freedom of the Skies this means that when a pilot gets very disoriented which happens very easily not knowing which way is up which way is down how high he is in altitude or how low or which way is north or south he can trust his instruments instead of his too often Pilots haven't done that and it has had disastrous results but the tools are there thank you guidance so that way when he flies he's not wandering around aimlessly but he's free to go wherever he wants so what do these two things have in common my buddy learning how to swim entrusting the compass to have the freedom disguise one word freedom is not the man who knows how to swim more free but no one who doesn't is it free having to sit on the dock and watching your friends and family play in the water is it free to wander around aimlessly in the skies potentially having an accident or is it free to be able to go and do something intentionally to be able to go wherever you want to be able to do something good this is the classic definition of freedom to be able to do the good to my friends who now can swim and hopefully through practice discipline and further guidance will be able to not only swim a little bit from the dock but actually become proficient in swim across the is that not more free now these days there's a common saying going around you do you I hear that all the time you do you and this can be good to be bad sadly today more often than not it is used to say oh you do whatever you want regardless good or bad as long as it doesn't affect me we're fine this is the type of that modern society wants us to buy into up until about a hundred years ago we had this classical understanding of Freedom as the ability to do what is right but these days it is turned to be able to do whatever you want whether that's good for you or bad this is very problematic because too often we as Fallen human beings will choose what is bad for us and weather or not that affects other people we know but here's the kicker we are all parts of society whatever we do good or bad will affect the people around us a good example of this I have another friend not the not the ones learning how to swim but a different one key what is kind of messing around with some friends someone kind of told him this you do you sort of thing and he use that to justify really stupid idea and ended up tearing his Achilles ankle is kill teal and that one stupid decision not only affected him for months but affected all of us where around him how to charity we cared for him we helped him Getaround get meals get to the doctor is one bad choice affected not only himself but everyone around him how true is this then in the spiritual life for all of us gathered here as the body of Christ when we fall when we make one bad choice whether public Orange record of a room with no one around this still affects everyone around us for when we make a bad choice and we make Choice again and again and again it becomes a bad habit actually creates a negative disposition within ourselves but when we make a good choice and make that same good choice again and one more time again and continue to do it we create a good habit virtue in our lives and as we know being around someone with a negative disposition can greatly affect us the being around someone who is happy living a virtuous life in with a positive disposition can lift us up can brighten our day so as we leave in community we should be wanting each other to be the best version of themselves this is the true I love you doing you this is you doing you in the whites of true freedom the freedom to be able to do what is right be able to do what is good for me and for you for when we do what is right when we grow in virtue we become the best version of ourselves we find truest fulfillment in this Society in a sentence has it right we find fulfillment in you doing you but it has to be done with true freedom in mind we find the perfect example the perfect man Jesus Christ our Lord and savior who both God and man was one he was able to can instantly make the right choice to become the virtuous man and thus to become the most free man Christ doing himself Christ being himself and we find this emits most perfect moment and fulfillment there on the cross where he chose to give of himself entirely out of his truest freedom because he thought it was the greatest good not only for himself but for each one of us his body we see it not only as an example but we participate in it every time we come to this altar every time that we receive the Eucharist for just like my friend when he continues to practice swimming or the pilot who continually trust the instruments there's a capacity there that grows the capacity to swim further the capacity of trust it's whatever we make a good decision every time that we come to this Altar and receive the Eucharist our capacity for God grows our capacity for the good grows God not only does good all the time but he is goodness itself and so when we choose him we choose what is good and so when we choose to receive the body blood soul and Divinity of Christ we choose what is good and we grow in our ability to then do the good the Eucharist helps you do you

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