1st Sunday of Advent 2017

Christ the King 2017

Christ the King homily

Reflection For The Feast Of Christ The King

November 26, 2017

By Rev. Robert Johnnene OFM

Mission Sts. Sergius & Bacchus/ Order Franciscans of Mercy

www.missionstsergius.org

www.franciscansdivinemercy.org

Divinemercyparish@msn.com

 

Psalm 23 reads as follows;

The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want; he makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters; he restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anointed my head with oil, my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

The words of this Psalm acknowledge God as the loving God who watches over us and cares for us as a good Shepherd cares for His flock. Since Christ, the only begotten Son of God, was given dominion over all the earth by the Father we acknowledged Christ as the heavenly King.

 

Christ himself declared that He was the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end and as such the human embodiment of the Father.  

 

A king, more precisely a good king, is concerned about the safety and welfare of every one of his subjects and so it is with Jesus Christ who told us how a good shepherd, which is exactly what a king is supposed to be to his people, would go seeking a lost sheep in order not to lose even one.

 

The kingdom that Christ reigns over is not of this world, but is the everlasting kingdom to which we are called after living in this material world. The kingdom is a spiritual kingdom where peace and harmony and elation of being with the angels and saints and most especially the Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, abounds.

 

As King, Christ has the ultimate say on who will and will not be welcomed into this kingdom. 

In the Gospel Of Matthew 25:31-46 we read, “When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit on the throne of his glory:  And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats: And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say to them on his right hand, Come, you blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:  For I was an hungered, and you gave me meat: I was thirsty, and you gave me drink: I was a stranger, and you took me in: Naked, and you clothed me: I was sick, and you visited me: I was in prison, and you came to me”.

This only strengthens the concept that Christ is the power through which we gain eternal life in the paradise that is the Kingdom of Heaven.  

 

Christ gave us two simple Commandments to live by as found in Matthew 22: 38-39 “Love the Lord, your God, with your whole heart, mind, soul and body and the second is like unto it, Love your neighbor as you love yourself”, and in His Sermon on the Mount (the Beatitudes) tells us the way to treat our fellow human brothers and Sisters here on earth.  Matthew 5:19 instructs us on how we gain entrance to the Kingdom for which Christ is king; “Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”

In Matthew 25:34-43 Christ also reminds us of how we need to live in order to gain eternal life with God and the heavenly elect; “I was hungry, and you gave me food to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me drink; I was a stranger, and you took me in; naked, and you clothed me; I was sick, and you visited me; I was in prison, and you came to me”. The group on the right asked God; “Lord, when did we see you hungry, and feed you; or thirsty, and give you a drink?  When did we see you as a stranger, and take you in; or naked, and clothe you? When did we see you sick, or in prison, and come to you?”   God replied; “I tell you, whatever you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.”
Next week we enter a time of preparing to celebrate the birth of Christ, the season of Advent.

This is a time for us to make an evaluation of how well we are living our daily lives to prepare ourselves for the Kingdom of Christ, heaven.   Have we been mindful of the needs of others, are we caring and accepting of all of God’s children, not just those we consider acceptable because they conform to our way of thinking, but ALL?

Have we discriminated against others because of Race, creed, marital condition, sexual orientation or political party? Are we charitable toward those who are in need?

Christ gave us the example of how we should lead our lives. He never rejected anyone who came to Him and neither should we.  In this time where people are thinking of giving gifts to their family and friends let us acknowledge the gifts God, our father, has given us. Let us use them to the benefit of all God’s children, especially those who have not been as blessed as we have been, and not hoard them for ourselves.

By doing this we can not only show our love and respect for the King of Kings and Lord of Lords but we will build up a treasures in heaven for ourselves so that we will be greeted with “Well done, my good and faithful servant.”          AMEN

Christ the King 2017

33rd Ordinary Sunday 2017

32 Sunday of Ordinary time 2017

31st Ordinary Sunday 2017

30th Ordinary Sunday Oct 29 2017

29th Ordinary Sunday 2017

28th Ordinary Sunday 2017

26th Ordinary Sunday 1012017

REFLECTIONS video for 9/24/2017

REFLECTIONS video for 9/24/2017

Sunday Sept. 24, 2017 Holily

Seek the Lord for True Peace

A Reflection for the Twenty Fifth Sunday or Ordinary Time

September 24^th, 2017

By Rev. Robert Johnnene OFM

Mission Sts. Sergius & Bacchus/Order Franciscans of Mercy

www.missionstsergius.org

www.orderfranciscansofmercy.org

Divinemercyparish@msn.com  

“Seek the Lord while he is still to be found, call to him while he is still near” these words taken from the first reading from the book of Isaiah 55:6-9 should be a wakeup call for us even in this the twenty-first century. 

The second reading for this Sunday from Paul’s letter to the Philippians 1:20-27 has some wise words of advice for us also when he tells people to; “Avoid anything in your everyday lives that would be unworthy of the gospel of Christ”

This week’s gospel story is a very familiar one of the landowner who hires laborers at various times of day offering to pay them the same amount as those who were hired at the beginning of the day. At the end of the day when the laborers were being paid many complained that those hired at the last hour of the day received the same amount as those hired in the morning as being unfair Jesus answered them with this statement; “My friend, I am not being unjust to you; did we not agree on one denarius? Take your earnings and go. I choose to pay the last comer as much as I pay you. Have I no right to do what I like with my own? Why be envious because I am generous?” Thus the last will be first, and the first, last.”

The lesson for us is quite simple, it does not matter when we decide to live according to Christ’s teachings, nor does it matter at what hour of our lives we call upon God to be with us, God will accept us with love and forgiveness and welcome us into the heavenly kingdom.

The only requirement that is needed to receive the same reward as those who have labored faithfully from the beginning is desire to be a true follower of Christ and then for us to actually live according to Christ’s teachings.

To live as Christ taught means to have compassion for the sick, poor, aged and reach out to help them. We need to be fair and honest in all our personal and business dealings.  We must speak out against injustice and demand equality for everyone.

Our world is facing many challenges and has far too often rejected many of these principals.  Wars are being waged unjustly and with tragic results.  Some nations seek to dominate others and greed and materialism have replaced compassion and justice.

In the United States, our government is proposing laws that will give tax breaks to the super rich while also advocating cuts in programs that help the poor, elderly and sick have bare minimum quality of life.

Seniors on fixed incomes buying power has lost more than 50% in the last 10 years while the percentage or millionaires have increased greatly.

The government has cut the food stamp allocation claiming the cost of living has gone down while every food item in the stores has gone up by more than 10%.

To be a true follower of Christ one must always be aware of the needs of those less fortunate and make sure they are cared for adequately.

A True follower of Christ would welcome all who came to seek God with open arms and not reject them or drive them away.  A Person who loves God would love all God’s children as God and Christ love.  No follower of Christ would cause any child harm or abuse them. The aged and sick would be cared for and receive affordable quality medical and dental care.

If we are to “Seek the Lord while he is still to be found, call to him while he is still near” we need to heed Christ’s teachings and insure that we do all in our power to make the adjustments in our society that are needed so that we, as a nation, can live up to the motto “One Nation, under God, with liberty and justice FOR ALL” and truly be a country that lives and practices what our founding fathers envisioned when they wrote these words in the Declaration of Independence “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness” and in the Constitution of our country; “We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America”

Let us all pray that those who claim to be followers of Christ, and those who worship the one God, creator of all, will reflect on the teachings  of Christ, Buddha, Mohammad, Gandhi, and all those who have advocated peace, brotherhood, mercy, compassion and love over injustice, war, poverty and dissention. Let us “Seek the Lord while he is still to be found, call to him while he is still near” AMEN   

25th Ordinary Sunday 2017

15th Ordinary Sunday 2017

14th Ordinary Sunday 2017

Homily for Corpus Christi

Corpus Christi, The Body of Christ

A Reflection by

By Rev. Bob Johnnene OFM

Mission Sts. Sergius and Bacchus/ Franciscans of Mercy

Link to Mission Web Site: www.missionstsergius.org

Link to Franciscans of Mercy Web Site: www.orderfranciscansofmercy.org

Email Address: Divinemercyparish@msn.com

 

The feast of Corpus Christi has very special significance in the Church. 

In honoring the Eucharist, especially following the celebrations of the Ascension and the Trinity the universal church proclaims one of the basic beliefs of the Catholic faith, that in the Eucharist or Holy Communion as some refer to it, we are receiving the body and blood of Jesus Christ.

The feast of Corpus Christi is one of the most exalted mysteries of the Catholic faith, since for sublimity and incomprehensibility to mortal man; it yields nothing to the allied mysteries of the Trinity and Incarnation and is often one that is challenged by other Christian denominations along with the other two mysteries.

It is one of the mysteries that require you to have complete faith and trust in God.

Recently Pope Francis had this to say about the Eucharist in his reflection on the Seven Sacraments; “First, the Eucharist affects the way we see others. In his life, Christ manifested his love by being with people, and by sharing their desires and problems. So too the Eucharist brings us together with others – young and old, poor and affluent, neighbors and visitors. The Eucharist calls us to see all of them as our brothers and sisters, and to see in them the face of Christ.
Second, in the Eucharist we experience the forgiveness of God and the call to forgive. We celebrate the Eucharist not because we are worthy, but because we recognize our need for God’s mercy, incarnate in Jesus Christ. In the Eucharist, we renew the gift of the Body and Blood of Christ for the remission of sins, and our hearts are enlarged to receive and show mercy.
Third, in the Eucharistic celebration, we are nourished as the Christian community by Christ’s Word and Life. It is from the Eucharist that the Church receives continually her identity and mission. It is in our celebration that Christ fills us with his grace, so that our lives may be consonant with our worship of God in the Liturgy. Let us live the Eucharist in a spirit of faith and prayer, with the certainty that the Lord will bring to fulfillment all that he has promised”.  On Thursday, the feast of Corpus Christi in many countries especially Italy the Pope said this regarding the Eucharist; “To live the experience of faith means to let the Lord nourish us and to build our existence not on material goods, but on the reality, that does not perish: the gifts of God, his word and his body, The Body of Christ is the bread of the end times, capable of giving life, and eternal life, because the substance is this bread of love.”

Because Holy Thursday is linked so closely with the final days of Christ’s earthly life and therefore often with sadness it was very appropriate that we celebrate the gift of that day to us of Christ’s body and blood on a separate day to honor the Corpus Christi. 

The Eucharist is often called “The Bread of Life” because of the promise by Christ that; “He that eats of My Flesh, and drinks of My Blood, lives in Me, and I in him” which is found in John 6:54.  

The words found in John 6 are a clear explanation of why we celebrate the feast of Corpus Christi as a separate joyful feast and one that is affirming and welcoming and clearly shows Almighty God’s infinite and everlasting love for us. 

In the Eucharist, we have been given Christ as a companion to us for as long as we live and through partaking of this bread of life we receive the strength to overcome the daily temptations that plague us. The Body of Christ is a sustaining strength for us and therefore a life-giving source.

Paul’s letter to the Hebrews 9:11-15 proclaims the following; “the blood of Christ, who offered himself as the perfect sacrifice to God through the eternal Spirit, can purify our inner self from dead actions so that we do our service to the living God. When we receive the Eucharist, no matter if we receive it as just the bread or in the bread and wine, we receive the Body and Blood of Christ which will nourish us and assist us to reject temptations.

If only we all could have the kind of love and devotion and belief young children have when they receive their First Communion every time we receive the Eucharist.   I feel that as adults, we become complacent and receive the Eucharist more out of habit rather than recognizing what a wonderful gift God has given us in the Eucharist. If we approached the table with more faith and devotion when we receive the Eucharist we might receive and appreciate the gift Christ left us and be more open and willing to live our lives as He instructed us.   We might become more concerned for the wellbeing of all the people of this world and be more active in speaking up against injustice, poverty, war and genocide. We might have to courage and strength to fight for fairness and equal rights for all people regardless of their race, nationality, creed or sexual orientation.   

Prayer

O God, who in a wonderful Sacrament has left unto us the memorial of Your Passion; grant, we beseech You, that we may so venerate the sacred mysteries of Your Body and Blood as to experience continually, within ourselves, the fruit of Your Redemption.   O Lord Jesus Christ, in the Most Blessed Sacrament be praised, adored and loved, with grateful affection, at every moment, in all the tabernacles of the world, and by all who receive you into their bodies and souls, even to the end of time!  O Sacrament most holy! O Sacrament divine! All praise and all thanksgiving be every moment Thine!   We ask this in the name of our redeemer and Savior, Jesus Christ, Who lives and reigns with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. AMEN

Corpus Christi 2017 June 18th

Pentecost Sunday 2017

7th Easter Sunday&Ascension Thursday

Mother's Day Homily

A Tribute to Our Heavenly Mother and all Mothers

A reflection for Mother’s Day May 14, 2017

By Rev. Robert Johnnene OFM

Mission Sts. Sergius & Bacchus

Order Franciscans of Mercy

www.orderfranciscansofmercy.org

www.missionstsergius.org

TV YouTube Page Link: https://www.youtube.com/user/RevBobJohn

 

 

 

The Mother's Day holiday in the United States, celebrates motherhood generally and the wonderful contributions of all mothers and women to society.

It is the result of a campaign by Anna Marie Jarvis who, following the death of her mother on May 9, 1905, devoted her life to establishing Mother's Day as a national, and later an international, holiday.

Throughout all of history, mothers have played one of the most important roles in society. There is an old adage that “Behind every successful man there is a woman” and this is an adage that holds true almost every time, that woman is usually the man’s mother.

We know from scripture that Jesus’ mother was often in his company and suffered with him because of the rejection and ultimately the crucifixion of her beloved son. With His last breath, Christ symbolically gave His mother to all of us with these words “Woman, behold, your son! Son, Behold, your mother!”(John 19:25-27)

Mary was the catalyst for the first recorded miracle of Jesus at the wedding feast of Cana. Mary and the other women discovered that Christ has risen from the dead. It is Our Blessed Mother that often is the bearer of messages to the world from Her son and Almighty God.

Mary’s appearances at Lourdes, Fatima, Guadalupe, Mejigore, and to Saint Catherine Laboure’ to whom the Blessed Mother displayed herself inside an oval frame, standing upon a globe, wearing many rings of different colors, most of which shone rays of light over the globe and around the margin of the frame appeared the words O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.

Just as Our Heavenly Mother Mary had and still has an important place in the Christian life, so to do all mothers have an important role in the future of society. The mother nourishes the child from inception to adult hood and beyond.  Mothers are the first educators, set the moral guidelines and often teach the first prayers and instill a love and devotion to God.

It was 30 years ago this week, May 5^th 1987, three days before Mother’s Day, that a beautiful woman by the name of Elizabeth was called home to Almighty God. 

She did not become famous, never made headlines, if anything her life was very simple. 

Born in Ireland in 1906 her early years were anything but wonderful. She lived in fear of the British troops who roamed her country.  When she was only 5 years old, she watched in horror as her mother died in childbirth while her father and uncle were arguing, drunk, in an adjoining room. Shortly after that, her father left her with another uncle and aunt while he went off to America in search of a better life. The Aunt, according to the stories told, mistreated little Elizabeth to the point she ran away to another uncle who took her in and lived with along with his young son Willie until 1913, when word came for her to come to America. She remembers arriving at Ellis Island frightened and amazed, as she gazed from the gangplank at the enormous glowing statue of a woman holding a torch on the base of which was inscribed the words “Give me your tired and your poor, your huddled masses yearning to be free”

In 1929, while working in a drug store, a handsome man, Bob, who was working days as a welder and nights as a singer in the Keith Vaudeville Circuit and studying law, spotted her.  

They got married in September 1930 but life was not to be a “Happy Ever After” of the storybooks.  Bob had a drinking problem and it caused many arguments as it often does but Betty had faith and hung in there.

Through all her life’s problems, she never gave up her faith in Almighty God and had a deep devotion to the Blessed Mother Mary. A devotion she passed on to her son, yours truly.

The life of Elizabeth is just a regular life, it is a life that millions of woman happily do every day. They are the woman who we celebrate on Mother’s Day.

My Mother and many other mothers emulate the role Our Blessed Mother gave and they, through the years, followed in Our Lady’s footsteps, giving of themselves for their children and spouses.

I know that Elizabeth is in the company of Our Blessed Mother and our Redeemer Jesus Christ and that Bob my father is serenading Almighty God and all the heavenly elect with his magnificent tenor voice while Elizabeth sits proudly and appreciatively as she did every time he sang.

Since my Mom had two miscarriages before I arrived, she could never understand how anyone could end the gift of life and the opportunity to be a mother.  Women are more compassionate, nurturing and forgiving than most men. If women were given a greater role in the activities of the church, we might not have had the problems we have been facing in recent years.

If women were allowed to be deacons or priests we probably would not have a shortage of priests and the church would be more nurturing towards individuals seeking the love of God.

Mothers are less likely to reject a child because of their sexual orientation.  

In short, on this Mother’s Day we need to celebrate ALL Women, Mothers, Grandmothers, mothers to be, woman who may never be mothers, All Woman, for without woman, there would be no men.

 Without Our Blessed Mother, Jesus would not have been.

This weekend, let us give woman the credit they deserve, let us try to do something special for all woman in our life. Let us make this a celebration for all women for the contributions that they have played in forming not only the Judea/Christian and other Religious faiths but also History in general.

Happy Mother’s Day to all mothers, your children are a gift; never let them feel unloved or unwanted. God created them and gave them to you to cherish. Protect them as best as possible, give them strong love and knowledge of how to love, forgive, and know and serve God.

Love can conquer all adversity as the story of Elizabeth and Bob can illustrate, their love was stronger than any adversity they faced.

Just as God’s love is stronger than any adversity any of us may face. AMEN

Mothers Day 2017

Mothers Day 2017

Good Shepherd Sunday 2017

3rd Sunday of Easter 2017

Divine Mercy Sunday 2017

Palm Sunday Homily

Palm Sunday 2017

April 9, 2017

A Reflection for Palm Sunday by Rev. Robert Johnnene OFM

Mission Sts. Sergius & Bacchus/ Order Franciscans of Mercy, Upton, MA

Based on the Readings from Isaiah 50:4-7, Psalm 22, Philippians 2:6-11,

Mark 14:1-15:47, Mt. 21:1-11

www.missionstsergius.org

http://www.orderfranciscansofmercy.org

 

Today we celebrate Christ’s triumphant entrance into Jerusalem but we must keep in mind it marks the beginning of the week that details the suffering that Christ was willing to endure so we could have forgiveness of our sins and achieve everlasting life with God and all the heavenly elect.

The week highlights what Christ was willing to GIVE UP in order for us to receive forgiveness of our sins.

For this reason throughout all of the history of the church the faithful have been asked to GIVE UP some of the comforts and luxuries that make our lives pleasurable.

As a Franciscan I and the members of our Franciscan Community follow the rule of St. Francis who is most often shown surrounded by animals not just because he respected all of God’s creatures but because they reminded him of Christ’s teaching found in Matthew 6 :26  “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?”

St. Francis saw in animals a vision of the poverty of God, a freedom for life not dependent on possessions, a freedom that lives by giving and receiving, rather than by possessing.

The hallmark of St. Francis’ commitment to life with and for the poor is the practice of voluntary begging. Voluntary begging, for Francis, is the act of intentionally and publically relying on the charity of others for the sake of one’s livelihood and a means of caring for those who are in need because of illness, age, poverty and homelessness.

Item one of the Rule of St. Francis it states “This is the rule and way of living of the brothers: namely to observe the holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, living in obedience, without personal possessions”, and Item 6 it states “The brothers shall appropriate nothing to themselves, neither a house, nor a place, nor anything; but as pilgrims and strangers in this world, in poverty and humility serving God, they shall confidently go seeking for alms. Nor need they be ashamed, for the Lord became poor for us in this world even to giving up His earthly live in order for us to gain forgiveness of our sins and achieve everlasting life with God and all the heavenly elect. .”

On this Palm Sunday and the final week of Lent called Holy Week this reflection will talk about specific ways we can practice self-denial to and in a small way participate in a very small way in the suffering that Christ endured during his week of passion.

It is so easy for us to be attracted to material riches and the creature comforts they often provide but to be true followers of Christ we need to make a categorical decision not to let them become an idol we honor more than we honor God.

When Christ was in the garden of Gethsemane he cried out; “‘Abba (Father)!’ he said ‘Everything is possible for you. Take this cup away from me. But let it be as you, not I, would have it.” These words cried out by Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane should be a constant reminder to us that it is alright to ask God to lift a burden from us.

One curious passage in the Gospel of Mark 14 relates an incident that many choose to overlook and it is just one line long it is part of the story that tells how the disciples and apostles abandoned Christ. “And they all deserted him and ran away. A young man who followed him had nothing on but a linen cloth. They caught hold of him, but he left the cloth in their hands and ran away naked.”  The symbolism here is clear to me that we are naked and exposed by our actions. So many try to hide their dirty laundry with fancy clothes but before God we are all seen naked for exactly who we are.  The Gospel story today is a telling of the entire passion and a different story than the celebration we associate Palm Sunday with the triumphant entry into Jerusalem where we hear the people shouting; “Hosanna! Blesses is He who comes in the name of the Lord, the King of Israel” It can be assumed that many of those same people who were shouting Hosanna, four days later were in the crowds shouting, “Crucify Him” because he did not meet their expectations or because they succumbed to greed and accepted bribes from officials of the temple.

We see cases where it is crystal clear that a bribe influenced someone, a business leader or an elected official to vote a certain way.

Often times, as we have seen in recent events in Washington, the rule or legislation or the vote that occurred because of financial infusion was not in the best interest of the majority but a select minority.

When laws are passed that hurt any part of our population, like the poor, the elderly on low fixed incomes, the homeless, or the quality of public education of our youth we, as followers of Jesus Christ must speak out loudly against such actions.

If we are to call ourselves Christians, or followers of Jesus Christ we are called to care for those in need as Christ stated in the parable found in Matthew 25 verses 35-40

“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me. “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.

 

One way we can overcome this constant temptation to ignore any action that causes anyone suffering, or discrimination is too constantly seek ways to respond to our neighbor's needs and share with them what God, in His generosity, has given to us or allowed us to earn.

Make a donation of the cost of what we gave up during Lent to a charity or your faith community or a ministry that works to assist the poor, sick, elderly and disenfranchised so they can help others as St. Francis instructs in his rule one. mentioned above.
Saint Paul, in Romans 15:25-27 speaks of the collection for the Faith Community of Jerusalem which tells us that even in the early church the work of proclaiming the Good News of Salvation required all the faithful to participate and care for each other. It is no different today.

A Faith Community is only as successful as how many of the community get involved in doing the work of God by providing the means to do it.   

There is no better way for us to show our intercommunion and fellowship with the Body of Christ than to “Do unto others as we would have done unto us.” (John 15:13)

All over the world ministries and churches are having difficulty meeting the basic needs of their faith communities.  Even here in the United States many faith Communities have difficulty because of the move by society to a self-absorbed society only interested in their own comfort and pleasure.

I hear the same story from pastors all over this country how they are struggling and having difficulties because collections and donations have dropped drastically

If everyone reading or listening to this reflection would just give the cost of a daily cup of coffee at Dunkin Donuts or Starbucks for the week to their Church the result would make a huge impact. 

I pray that everyone who this reflection reaches will reflect on their sharing of the gifts God has given to them.

The Church from the earliest times has called on Christ’s followers to give of themselves as Christ was willing to give for us as we will recall in the Gospel of Christ’s passion and as we commemorate this Holy week.

Giving up something does nothing unless it also has a positive result like Christ’s Passion and Death did, giving us the forgiveness of our sins and the promise of everlasting life..  

May Almighty God inspire you during this last week of Lent to be merciful and generous to the needs of our brothers and sisters in Christ and neighbors of the world for it is not what we have given up that will open the gates of heaven, but what we have done to help others.     AMEN

 

Palm Sunday 2017

5th Lenten Sunday 2017

Stations of the Cross 2017