Living
According to Christ’s Word
By
Rev. Robert Johnnene OFM for Sept. 2, 2018
Throughout all of history we
humans have treated Almighty God as though he were human, and therefore desired
the same things as we human’s desire. Clergy dress in fancy clothes, maintain
homes that the average person cannot afford, Engage in elaborate liturgies with
all the trappings of royalty. Trillions have been spent to build beautiful
palaces as monuments and places of worship to God although Christ did most of
His preaching under the open skies of His Father‘s cathedral. What I believe
God wants, is for us to live our lives with compassion for others, being mindful
of the needs of others and not just our own needs and edification.
In today’s Gospel Jesus
tells us; This people honors me with
their lips but their hearts are far from me.” The same could very well be said of many
so-called Christians today from clergy, government leaders and the average
citizen.
Certainly, we need a place
to gather together safe from the elements of nature, a simple plain building
with the necessary space for people to gather, where we can celebrate our love
and honor Almighty God and partake in the Eucharistic Feast He has given us
through His beloved Son, Jesus Christ. Simple cups just as I am certain Christ
used at the Last Supper, would be proper instead of the golden bejeweled ones
so popular in many churches. Yes, we need to be able to travel to visit His
faithful who are unable to gather at the place of worship, but we do not need
fancy cars only reliable and simple transportation that will get us from one
place to another safely.
Somehow over the 15 years of
my ministry has grown slowly, from nothing to reaching people every week all
over the globe via our TV show and locally more than 200 that I serve with Mass
and Eucharistic visitations without any of the things mentioned above.
I manage to get to visit
those in need who are local, or I counsel them via the telephone or internet.
I have learned that God will
provide what you need just as we are told in Matthew 6:25-27 “Look at the birds of the air; they do not
sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.
Are you not much more valuable than they?” If we were to take all the Gold,
Jewels, let's not forget the Billions of actual cash that religious
denominations have and use it to Feed the hungry, Give drink to the thirsty,
Welcome the stranger Clothe the naked, Visit the sick, Visit the prisoner, Bury
the dead. (Matthew 25:31) what a difference it would make in this world.
If all people who proclaim
they are followers of Christ, or Buddha, or Yahweh, or Muhammad would practice
the basic teachings of their religions faithfully, all of which preach peace
and brotherly love, and find a way to work together toward living in peace many
of the worlds ills would cease to be.
The time has come for us to
realize that we all worshiping the One God and creator of all that is, by whatever
name HE/SHE is called, and that that God desires His children to care for each
other as He cares for them.
If we could just achieve
this we would have no more wars, people would not be dying of Famine and
plague. Our Seraphic Father, Saint Francis, realized how little the riches of
the world meant compared to the riches of eternity. He stripped off all His
fancy clothes and donned the clothes of a peasant. He shared his simple loaf of
bread with the poor on the streets. Mother Theresa realized this. Padre Pio and
Martin De Pores did also, as did many others who tried to show the way and were
rewarded with sainthood but their message seems to have been ignored.
The world has kept on with
their elaborate shows of excess as a means of praising God. For some reason, we
just can not seem to grasp God's wishes and keep allowing our human thinking
and desires to color our way of living the Word of God. Looking at the Christ's
list things that defile and comparing them against the way people, leaders of
nations and Religious denominations are living today, Always seeking the upper
hand and control in all things, seeking to gain profit at the expense of the less
fortunate who barely are able to maintain a decent living, desiring material
trappings rather than having compassion for those in need, using deceit, lies
or religious domination to justify war, indulging in indiscriminate sexual
behavior rather than committed loving relations, promoting sensuality and
narcissism to sell unnecessary products to increase the bottom line and the
profit margin for select individuals.
One has to ponder where we
are headed and how God is looking upon all this and what He might feel is
needed to open our eyes and hearts to begin to live according to His teachings
as proclaimed by His beloved Son, Jesus Christ.
I believe the time is now
for us to take a good hard look at the way we are living and make a concerted
effort to change our ways and begin to live the Gospels not just preach them.
AMEN
