Bishop Gruss: ‘What is needed now in our own lives and in the life of this country is open heart surgery’

In his homily message, Thursday, August 20, Bishop Robert Gruss shared his insights regarding our society and world and how far we have strayed from God. He suggested that perhaps the chaos of our world today is because we have pushed God out.“He has been rejected,” Bishop Gruss said. “We as a nation, by our words and actions, have been increasingly asking God to leave us alone so we can go our own way and do our own thing. Without the presence of God, chaos takes over; division becomes prominent; and God is silenced.”Yet, in the midst of the darkness, there is always hope, he said. God desires to transform the hearts and spirits of His people.“He will give them a new heart and place in them a new spirit, taking from them their stony hearts,” said Bishop Gruss quoting the prophet Ezekiel. “He will put His spirit within them and make them live a life of obedience.“What is needed now in our own lives and in the life of this country is open heart surgery – the Lord giving us a new heart and place in us a new spirit, taking from us our stony hearts. We all have them in some way if we are honest with ourselves.“God gave us a new heart and a new spirit when he poured out His Spirit upon us in baptism. But he is always seeking to renew and recreate us.”