Father's DAy 2014

Father’s Day Today, let us honor the Father of all Fathers, Our heavenly Father, Almighty God, who loves unconditionally all of his children. Our Father God’s love for us in infinite and full of compassion, mercy and most of all forgiveness. For parents and children who are estranged from each other they need to reach out to each other to seek/give forgiveness just as Christ taught us in the parable of the Good Shepherd. In it God as the Good Shepherd would leave the flock to seek out the lost sheep and return it to the flock. With God as our Father, we are all, every person on this planet, brothers and sisters and we are also brothers and sisters to Jesus Christ, the son of God our father. On this Father’s day when most children seek to find a special gift for their earthly fathers we need to explore what gift we are going to offer to our Heavenly Father. For children who have two fathers which in my mind this is a double blessing for them but, sadly some children have never known their earthly father because of their passing before they had a chance to know them or through divorce or other circumstances. Our Father in heaven is a loving, caring, compassionate and merciful father, not the God of vengeance of the Old Testament and Christ proclaimed that while He was here on earth. Now is the time for each and every one of us, to acknowledge that we are all brothers and sisters with the same heavenly father and for us to begin to act with the same compassion and love toward each other that Christ exhibited while he was on earth to all He encountered. On this Father’s day let us make a gift to God that will be truly pleasing to Him and take action in keeping with how we as brothers and sisters and children of our Father God Almighty should be acting. Let us begin to make the changes in this world that will bring about a time of brotherhood, justice, compassion and equality for every child of God and our brothers and sisters in Christ not for just a few chosen by one group or another because they feel comfortable with them but for ALL. When Christ taught us to pray He said; “When you pray, say, Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed is your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on this earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive our trespassers and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from all evil” In the liturgy of the Eucharist the priest continues this prayer with these words before the congregation responds “For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever” “Deliver us Lord from every evil, and grant us the peace in our day. In your mercy keep us free from sin and protect us from all anxiety as we wait in joyful hope for the coming of our savior Jesus Christ” and then we acknowledge “For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. AMEN

Trinity Sunday Reflection

Reflection for Trinity Sunday 2014 Trinity Sunday 2014 A Reflection based on Readings from Exodus, 43, Daniel 3, Corinthians 13, John 3 By Rev. Fr. Bob Johnnene OFD Mission Sts. Sergius and Bacchus/ Franciscans of Divine Mercy An All Inclusive and Welcoming Old Catholic Parish and Ministry Of the Independent Catholic Church of the Americas Link to Mission Web Site: www.missionstsergius.org Link to Franciscans of Divine Mercy Web Site: www.franciscansdivinemercy.org Link to all Fr. Bob’s REFLECTIONS TV Shows http://www.youtube.com/user/RevBobJohn Link to St. Joseph Cupertino Parish: http://stjosephcupertino.com/index.html Link to Franciscans of Divine Mercy Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/FranciscansDivineMercy?fref=ts Link to the Independent Catholic Church of the Americas http://www.iccamericas.org Email Address: Divinemercyparish@msn.com In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, with these words almost every Christian denomination begins prayers. It is an acknowledgement of the triune nature of Almighty God. In the first reading from Exodus we read where God himself proclaimed to Moses the following; “"The LORD, the LORD, a merciful and gracious God, slow to anger and rich in kindness and fidelity." The Responsorial Psalm for this Sunday comes from the book of Daniel and is the ultimate praise prayer that we should profess every day and one which we Franciscans do say at least twice a day in keeping with the fact that St. Francis himself prayed it often throughout the day. It is simple and yet very powerful. “Glory and praise forever! Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of our fathers, praiseworthy and exalted above all forever; And blessed is your holy and glorious name, praiseworthy and exalted above all for all age, Blessed are you in the temple of your holy glory, praiseworthy and glorious above all forever. Glory and praise forever! Blessed are you on the throne of your kingdom, praiseworthy and exalted above all forever. Glory and praise forever! Blessed are you who look into the depths from your throne upon the cherubim, praiseworthy and exalted above all forever. Glory and praise forever!” The second reading informs us on how we should live with one another and again it is a message of extending love like that Christ exhibited to all we meet especially our family, friends and members of our Faith Community. The reading tells us to; “Encourage one another, agree with one another, live in peace, and the God of love and peace will be with you. Greet one another with a holy kiss.” The reading ends with a prayer that we say several times as we celebrate the Mass but is actually the words of St. Paul to the church of Corinth letting them know that God is one, three expressions or hypostases; Father is the Creator of all things, The Son is the human manifestation of God made man, and the Holy Spirit is the enlightener. “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.” The fourth Lateran Council declared the following; "it is the Father who generates, the Son who is begotten, and the Holy Spirit who proceeds") and in their relations with one another, they are stated to be one in all else, co-equal, co-eternal and consubstantial meaning, (of one being" in that the Son is "generated" ("born" or "begotten") "before all ages" or "eternally" of the Father's own being, from which the Spirit also eternally "proceeds." and "each is God, whole and entire". This belief is the central mystery of most Christian Faiths. Accordingly, the whole work of creation and grace is seen as a single operation common to all three divine persons, in which each shows forth what is proper to him in the Trinity, so that all things are "from the Father", "through the Son" and "in the Holy Spirit". The Gospel begins by reminding us of how much God and His beloved son loves us when it says; “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.” St. John then goes on to remind us that God is not interested in being a God of condemnation; “God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.” It is, I believe, very appropriate this year Trinity Sunday celebrating the 3 distinct separate manifestations of Almighty God yet the unity of them happens to fall this year on Father’s Day since Christ called God His Father. He even told us that when we pray, say; “Our Father who art in heaven” God exists as three persons but is one God, meaning that God the Son and God the Holy Spirit have exactly the same nature or being as God the Father in every way. Whatever attributes and power God the Father has, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit have as well. "Thus, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit are also eternal, omnipresent, omnipotent, infinitely wise, infinitely holy, infinitely loving, and omniscient." All 3 personas of God are the same and therefore the great power and force that is God is LOVE. Pope Benedict summed it up for us in his first encyclical DEUS CARITAS EST which means, God is Love. To sum up, if we are to become Christ like or God like, we need to work hard on being more loving and accepting of everyone, even those who don’t always treat us well. That is very difficult, but remember, as he hung on the Cross Christ called out “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do”. To be forgiving of those who have done harm to us is the ultimate way of expressing Love but it is extremely difficult and requires us to be reject the normal human reaction to retaliate. I find that I need to constantly implore the Paraclete to give me the strength and inspiration to be able to become more loving in my relationships with those who do not always treat me well. And since God is generous and loving I find that somehow I am able to forgive and be cordial to those who have hurt me. Whether we pray to God in the name of Adonai, Yahweh, El-Olam, Jesus or The Paraclete (Holy Spirit) we are praying to the one and only God. The same God that Abraham, Isaac, Moses, King David, Jacob, Mohammad, the Apostles and all the Saints prayed too. All this Sunday’s readings honoring the Blessed Trinity of God; the Father, the Son and The Holy Spirit proclaim one extremely important message to us and it is; “we need to burn into our memory and hold it fast since it sums up the most important thing we need to know about God. God is a God of LOVE, MERCY, and COMPASSION. In essence, God is consummate LOVE. Therefore, let us establish a line of communication with God and let us try to have more love for all those we encounter. Just possibly, if we can achieve that goal it will start spreading like a virus that invades people turning hearts of stone into hearts filled with compassion, mercy and the desire for a world without war, hunger, poverty, homelessness and prejudice. Let us pray; Morning Prayer of St. Francis Almighty, most holy most high and supreme God, all good, supreme good, totally good, You Who alone are good, may we give back to you all praise, all glory, all grace, all honor, all blessing, and all good. So be it, so be it. AMEN

Reflection For September 13, 2009

Reasons to Love The Lord, Our God
A Reflection for the 24th Sunday of Ordinary Time 2009
Based on readings from Isaiah 50:5-9, James 2:14-18, Mark 8:27-35
By Rev. Robert Johnnene OFD
Mission Sts. Sergius & Bacchus/ Franciscans of Divine Mercy
Reformed Catholic Church of New England
www.missionstsergius.org


“The Lord has opened my ear. For my part, I made no resistance, neither did I turn away. I offered my back to those who struck me, my cheeks to those who tore at my beard; I did not cover my face against insult and spittle.” (Isaiah 50:5-9)
These words from the book of Isaiah foretold how Jesus Christ would be treated and how Jesus would react to the ridicule and ultimate sacrifice He would endure.
These words also should remind us that we might have to endure taunts and even rejection because of our love for God and because the way of Christ is not the way of today‘s society.
Christ taught compassion, love, mercy, and forgiveness. These are qualities that are in short supply in today’s world.
“What does it profit, my brethren, if a man says he has faith but has not works? Can his faith save him? If a brother or sister is ill clad and in lack of daily food, and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and filled," without giving them the things needed for the body, what does it profit?
So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead. But some one will say, "You have faith and I have works." Show me your faith apart from your works, and I by my works will show you my faith.” (James 2:14-18)
These words of James, the brother of Christ and head of the church at Jerusalem, explain how we need to act in order to proclaim our faith. In no uncertain words they say that we live our faith by our actions.
This has been the theme of the last few weeks and a constant theme of Christ’s teachings.
Many people proclaim to be followers of Jesus Christ, but they have blinders on towards the suffering and pain that exists all around them. If they are aware of it, they seem to have no desire to put an end to it.
Our nations leaders who for the most part claim to be Christians are engaged in discussions to make our health plans more affordable and the best in the world for all people regardless of their income yet they resist because of what it might cost or because of their party affiliations.
What happened to the idea of “Government for the people”
So many people give lip service but somehow little is really done to bring and end to homelessness, poverty, affordable medical assistance for the poor and seniors on low fixed incomes and affordable quality education for every person.
The Government can find trillions to explore space, wage wars, give tax breaks and incentives to the rich and corporations that pay their executives exorbitant salaries, often a thousand time greater than the average worker receives.
"If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it; and whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it.” (Mark 8)
These words of Christ tell us that to become followers of Christ, we must be willing to endure the crosses we are given. We must deny ourselves things that are considered luxuries so we can care for the needs of those who are poor, ill and unable to care for themselves without help.
Every day I pray to God asking him to provide me with the tools to do His work here on earth and be able to bring comfort and the sacraments to those who cannot get to church or have been told they were not wanted.
I try to spread The Good News of God’s everlasting compassion, infinite love and mercy for all His children.
God always hears our prayers, but He only answer us with what is best for us and at the appropriate time. When people who are sick, need a job or desire to sell their house or some other need ask God’s help, He hears them, but always gives them what is best for them.
Sometimes he calls the sick person home to him as the best way of ending their suffering.
It leaves us feeling sad, lonely, and sometimes angry but we need to realize that God did what was best for them. That is what it means to deny ourselves. We must accept God’s will in our lives, just as Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane pleaded “Lord remove this cup from me, but not my will, but yours be done”
Maybe if we make that prayer the qualification of all our petitions to God we will not be dissatisfied with God‘s answers to our prayers. I have found that when God deems it right He provides those things I need. My favorite poem FOOTSTEPS reminds us how God sometimes carries us when we thought He had abandoned us. God never leaves us but we often leave God out of our lives. I have learned that God needs to be a major part of our life and in a perfect world God is the center of our life.
We cannot allow ourselves to give up on God, worshiping Him and asking Him to be with us just because some have told us we are unwanted, or others try to claim that God is a myth, and still others who are supposed to represent Him have committed heinous crimes. We need to put our trust in God and love Him with all our being. Jesus instructed us with these words; “LOVE THE LORD, YOUR GOD, WITH ALL YOUR HEART, MIND, SOUL AND BODY AND LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOU LOVE YOURSELF” (Mark 12:30) Christ also said “LOVE ONE ANOTHER AS I HAVE LOVED YOU” God loved us so much He was willing to die so that our sins could be forgiven and we could attain everlasting life with Him forever. AMEN



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Loving is Caring for ALL
A Reflection for the 23rd Sunday of Ordinary Time
By Rev. Bob Johnnene OFD
Mission Saints Sergius and Bacchus/Franciscans of Divine Mercy
www.missionstsaergius.org

“Avoid getting into debt, except the debt of mutual love. If you love your fellow men you have carried out your obligations. All the commandments are summed up in this single command: You must love your neighbor as yourself. Love is the one thing that cannot hurt your neighbor; that is why it is the answer to every one of the commandments”. (Romans 13:8 – 10)
There are two passages from the Readings for this Sunday that should guide us in how, we who profess to be followers of Jesus Christ, should be judging people and making our choices about who we associate with, not only to those we meet and encounter each and every day of our life, but those who we elect into government positions where they will have the power and opportunity to make necessary changes that would help those who most need help.
In Romans 13:8-10 Paul exhorts us to refrain from getting into debt which most of us are unable to live by because of the exorbitant cost of everyday needs which can be directly connected to a couple of factors that our governing leaders could control.
One reason is the trillions of dollars spent in fighting a war against a country that did not attack us instead of putting our military might seeking the people responsible who did. This war has drained our economy and the social programs that could help the poor, disabled and aged to maintain a constant quality of live they experienced ten years ago, provide quality affordable health care for all our citizens from birth to death. Guaranteed affordable quality education to every child and guaranteed College education to those who desired it.
Over 4000 families who have lost sons, daughters, Mothers and Fathers waging this war and the resulting damage has been tremendous financial strain for years to come to all of them. Thos who returned physically or mentally disabled have received minimal assistance especially those suffering from PTSD from the trauma of the war and the horrors they experienced. Another causality of the deficit has been educational support to our returning veterans and affordable college educations for the poor and middle income families.
Another source of our fiscal difficulties and resulting debt every family, except those whose income is over $250,000 a year are the exorbitant profits some corporation have extracted and Golden Parachutes that some companies CEO’s have received due to higher than necessary prices charged for everyday necessities like Gas for transportation, fuel to heat homes and run factories that create the goods we need.
The failure of our Government leaders has resulted in high unemployment because of jobs going to countries that pay lower wages just so the corporations can achieve higher profits at the expense of the workers in this country. THIS IS NOT SHOWING LOVE FOR OUR FELLOW CITIZENS BECAUSE THESE THINGS HAVE HURT THE MAJORITY SEVERELY.
We also need to evaluate those who claim to be leaders of faith communities. Any faith community that turns a child of God away because of race, marital status or sexual orientation is not living the example Christ gave us. Jesus neither rejected nor turned away anyone who came to Him. He welcomed those that Jewish laws forbid Jews to mingle with. He lived by extending a welcome and showing love to ALL.
The Gospel for Sunday tells us that “, if two of you on earth agree to ask anything at all, it will be granted to you by my Father in heaven” yet we find ourselves constantly separating ourselves because of petty and self-serving desires that have little or nothing to do with Christ’s teachings and way of life. Just imagine if all the Christian denominations who claim to be followers of Christ were to join together with one common goal, to make this world a better place for ALL God’s children and not just the select few how much better everyone of earth would be. If Christ is with us as He tells us in the Gospel “For where two or three meet in my name, I shall be there with them.” (Matthew 18:15 – 20) there is now power or force that could overcome us. The time is NOW for us to gather together as ONE VOICE, ONE CHURCH, ONE BROTHERHOOD IN CHRIST to bring about a time of BROTHERHOOD AND TRUE LOVE that cannot hurt your neighbor. AMEN

We Are Called to Sanctification

A Reflection for the Second Sunday of Lent

Based on 1 Thess. 4. 1-17, 2 Timothy 1:8-10, Matthew 17:1 – 9

By Rev. Robert Johnnene OFA

Mission Sts. Sergius and Bacchus

www.missionstsergius.org

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EverlastingLoveOfChristMinistry


God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto sanctification: in Christ Jesus our Lord. (I Thess. 4. 1-17 )

We are called to a life of sanctification according to the reading today from Paul’s letter to the people of Thessalonica after his departure in 51 or 52 A.D.
If we are called to a life of sanctification then we need to diligently work toward that goal.

A life of sanctification means to live in God, meaning to live as Jesus instructed us, in other words to abhor degradation, hatred, violence, prejudice and war.
The only war we should be carrying out is the war against Satan and the minions of Satan.

Looking around the world today we see the fruits of Satan’s temptations all around us. We even see it in the actions of some who claim to represent Jesus Christ.
We see it in those who minds are closed to exploring the truth and those who accept everything that is fed to them by individuals who are paid to disseminate, sometimes inaccurate, information in order to sell a product, a candidate or a special interest point of view.

Jesus said; “Seek and you will find” To seek means to explore, to open ourselves up and reflect on the historical truths, to investigate all claims that people make including claims made by those who say they are teachers of God’s word.

Holy Scripture MUST be taken in light of the times and customs in which it was written. Those who wrote the Scriptures, although under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, did so within the understanding and customs of their times. This must be taken into account when interpreting and using Scripture, especially when dealing with many contemporary issues.

We need to ask ourselves, for example, if Jesus were on earth today what role would He give to women in the church today. It is very clear to me, considering how much respect He had for the woman who faithfully followed him and their prominence in His ministry, that women would have had a much more prominent role in ministry today.

The fact is that in the early early church, they did, we have reference to Phoebe and other women and the qualities a woman deacon should possess written in Paul's Epistles. We know that women had a place in ministering the Eucharist and in leading liturgies, so why are they relegated in this modern world to lesser roles?
You and I have been called by God, to live a life that reflects the teachings of Jesus.

The prime teaching of Christ could not be any clearer. LOVE ONE ANOTHER AS I HAVE LOVED YOU.

When you love someone, you do not, under any circumstances, want to be the cause of pain and suffering. When you love someone, you try to shield them from harm. You gently advise them of their mistakes and guide them. If necessary you try to obtain healing for them. That is Love. Last Thursday we celebrated St. Valentine’s Day, a day set aside to honor those we love. But like most things, that day has become more of a commercial venture and less about love.

If today, we had more love for all God’s creatures and children the world would not be in the mess it is in.
You and I are being called to actively live a life of sanctity, a life that reflects to all we encounter God’s infinite love. We are being called to do all within our power to bring about a change in the attitudes that are causing so much pain and suffering in this world. Every tiny thing we do that makes progress toward this call from God to a life of sanctity will bring us a deeper love for God and God will love us more and live within us thereby giving us the strength we need to continue His work here on earth.

Paul begins his second letter to Timothy with these words, “For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline. Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord or of me His prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God, who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity, but now has been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, for which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle and a teacher”. (2 Timothy 1:8-10)

We must always keep in mind the revelation that is found in all the accounts of the transfiguration from God “This is my Son, the Beloved; he enjoys my favor. Listen to him.” (Matthew 17:5)

I will end this reflection with the admission that to live a life of sanctity is not easy and to be afraid that we will not measure up to it is natural. Mother Teresa of Calcutta even had her doubts or “dark moments” as she called them but if we have faith and trust in God we can endure. Keep in mind what Christ told his apostles after God spoke on that mountain top; “Stand up,’ he said ‘do not be afraid.”. Matthew 17:7


Our message today is the knowledge that God is there for us and hears our cry and will give us the strength to endure if we but seek Him and His truth. Let us continue to prepare ourselves for the resurrection of our last days by living a life of Faith, Trust, and Godly Love for all God’s children here on earth. AMEN

On Prudence and Mutual Charity

Be Prudent and Have Mutual Charity
Reflection for the Sunday within Octave of Ascension
By Rev. Robert Johnnene OFA
Mission Saints Sergius and Bacchus, Holliston MA.
www.missionstsergius.org
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EverlastingLoveOfChristMinistry


“Dearly beloved, be prudent and watch in prayers. But before all things have a constant mutual charity among yourselves: for charity covers a multitude of sins. Using hospitality one towards another, without murmuring: as every man hath received grace, ministering the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. If any man speaks, let him speak, as the words of God: if any minister, let him do it, as of the power which God administered: that in all things God may be honored through Jesus Christ our Lord;”
These words from the First Epistle of Peter, chapter 4 verses 7-11 clearly outline how we, as Followers of Jesus Christ, should be living our daily lives. Notice that the first item on the list is to be prudent. According to the dictionary prudence is wisdom in the way of caution and provision; having discretion; being careful in the decisions you make. "Prudence is principally in reference to actions to be done, and due means, order, seasons, and method of doing or not doing." Sir M. Hale. "Prudence supposes the value of the end to be assumed, and refers only to the adaptation of the means. It is the relation of right means for given ends." Whewell.
The second instruction is to have mutual charity. Let us examine exactly what that means in our daily living. Charity is being kind to all persons regardless of their nationality, sex, sexual orientation or religious affiliation and not being resentful or mean towards them and certainly not inflicting anyone with pain or injury as a result of our actions. Charity means being tolerant of the differences that make up the human condition and not being prejudice towards anyone.
Charity means being compassionate and forgiving just as Jesus was toward those who crucified Him. Charity is being generous toward the poor and less fortunate and contributing to the support of your church by tithing with financial assistance or time. Charity means having sympathy for others who are suffering from afflictions like AIDS, cancer, or the loss of a dear one. Charity is being considerate of the needs of others and sometimes having to put the needs of others before your personal gratification.
In short, we are called to look out for each other as we are all children of God and brothers and sisters of Jesus Christ and therefore we need to look upon every human being in that way.
The Gospel is the promise that Christ gave to the Apostles before He ascended back to the Father. “At that time, Jesus said to His disciples: When the Paraclete cometh, whom I will send you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeded from the Father, He shall give testimony of Me: and you shall give testimony because you are with Me from the beginning. These things I have spoken to you, that you may not be scandalized. They will put you out of the synagogues: yes, the hour comes, that whosoever kills you will think that he does a service to God. And these things will they do to you, because they have not known the Father, nor Me. But these things I have told you, that, when the hour shall come, you may remember that I told you of them. (John 15:26-16:4)
There are some who claim that the promise of the coming of the Holy Spirit and the actual descending of the Spirit upon the apostles means that only those who were in the upper room received the Holy Spirit and it is passed on only to those who have been consecrated and ordained as presbyters. That is so very wrong for all who have been Baptized and Confirmed receive the gifts of the Spirit according to God’s desire. The Holy Spirit works within all in differing ways and is not the exclusive property of a few. Throughout the history of the church God has chosen to enlighten individuals with His insights and direct them to bring His message to all who would listen. The Holy Spirit is called the enlightener of God and does not always open the hearts and minds of the hierarchy but to simple peasants or a humble friar like St. Francis inspiring them to change the wrong direction that the church seems to be headed and back to the truthful teachings of God as proclaimed by Christ. The Church has so often in the past, and I believe currently, diverted from God’s plan in order to gain power, wealth and prestige for the hierarch of the church and to exert control over the minds of people in order to achieve there political and financial gain. Church history is very clear on that.
Over the past centuries the church has modified or changed things that existed for a millennium in order to achieve the above stated goals. They even have changed historical facts in order to do this. As believer in Almighty God and the teachings Christ gave us in word and deed, we need to practice the message of today’s Epistle and call upon the Holy Spirit to inspire us to knowing the truth and we need to be more mindful of how we relate to others each and every day.
In this coming week as we prepare to celebrate the decent of The Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and disciples and thereby the entire Universal Church and by our Baptism and Confirmation each of us I offer this prayer which asks the Holy Spirit to enlighten us and assist us in becoming a better follower of Christ and have a deeper love and greater service to Almighty God.


Prayer to the Holy Spirit
By Father Robert Johnnene OFA

O Most Holy Spirit, merciful Comforter; Come, I beseech You, and take up abode in my heart.
Let my weaknesses be penetrated with your strength, so that I may always do what is right and just.
Fill my heart with charity toward all I encounter.
Enlighten me in my ignorance, advise me in my doubts.
Purify and cleanse me of all sin and sanctify my soul protecting and shielding me from all the temptations that plague me.
Make me truly humble that I may be pleasing to Almighty God.
Instill within me an honest respect of Almighty God and all of his creations.
Assist me to be an instrument of God's Word to all I encounter.
Give unto me the gift of Wisdom to know and live according to God’s will.
By your generous bestowing of your gifts, help me to live a holy life and grow in the everlasting love of Christ so that I may join with all the heavenly elect when my days here on earth are ended.
I ask this through Jesus Christ, my redeemer and savior, who lives, and reigns with you and our creator Almighty God as one triune God, now and forever.
AMEN

All Good Comes From God, 4th Sunday of Easter Reflection

All Good Comes From God
Fourth Sunday After Easter Reflection by Reverend Robert Johnnene OFA, Mission Saints Sergius and Bacchus
www.missionstsergius.org
The message found in all the readings for the fourth Sunday in Lent say one thing, God’s unending love for His children. This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be Glad. As the Introit for this Sunday proclaims “Sing to the Lord a new song, alleluia, for the Lord hath done wonderful things, alleluia; He hath revealed His justice in the sight of the Gentiles, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia. (Ps. 97. 1)” “His right hand and His holy arm have gotten Him the victory. V.: Glory be to the Father, Sing to the Lord a new song, alleluia” “O God, who makes the faithful of one mind and will: grant to Your people the love that you command without limit and infinitely and the desire to live according to Your will” that amid the changes of the world, our hearts may there be fixed where true joys are to be found, in You of Father. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, who lives, and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. AMEN
Today’s Lesson is from the Epistle of Blessed James the Apostle Chapter 1. verses 17-21 which has the primary message of “Receiving with meekness the word of truth which is able to save our souls” Almighty God, as James reminds us in the Epistle is the light of truth that opens the door and wipes away the darkness. He reminds us that all things and every perfect gift is from heaven above, coming from the Father. God begot us by the word of truth that we might be some part in His nature. We are called to live our lives in accordance with the way Christ, the beloved son of the Father, lived His life. We should not turn anyone away for any reason, just as Christ did not turn anyone away but welcomed all. Christ drove the evil forces from within people who came to Him filled with the spirit of evil. The Epistle further tells us “Let every man be swift to hear but slow to speak and slow to anger. The anger of man works not in accord with the justice of God. Therefore, with meekness receive the word, which is able to save your souls”.
Over and over the teachings of the Apostles as written in Holy Scripture proclaim the Good News of Salvation through Jesus Christ. Over and over we are told of the infinite mercy and love of God for all His children. We are reminded again and again that all good comes from God. The sad part is that we mere humans often take God’s good gifts and turn them into something bad.
The Gospel reading from John chapter 16, verses 5 through 14 carry the message that “Our Lord will send from heaven to His Church the Spirit of truth. The Holy Ghost will unite all hearts, will teach them all the truth.”. Here we have the promise from Christ that even though He would be returning to the Father, “But now I am going to Him who sent Me; and none of you asks Me, Where are You going?' But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you. And He, when He comes, will teach the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment; concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me; and concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father and you no longer see Me; and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged. I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you.”
Christ has told us that through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit we will learn the truth concerning sin and righteousness. Sin is not trusting and believing in God. We are told that only the ruler of this world, the only true ruler, Almighty God makes all judgments, not mere mortal men. In other words and human who claims to make judgments against someone, saying they are condemned to hell, is speaking out of turn and therefore is sinning. Our God is merciful and more than willing to forgive anyone for their transgressions if they but ask Him.
God’s goodness, love, mercy and compassion is unlimited, unconditional and infinite for all who come to Him. He trusts us to do the right thing; He has instructed us on how to live through the example set by Christ and in Christ’s teachings. The mercy, love, and compassion of Almighty God is unending and extends to all who believe in Almighty God The Father, The Son Jesus Christ our redeemer and savior, and The Holy Spirit the enlightener. To believe is to trust totally in Him, to honor Him with prayer, good works of charity, compassion, and forgiveness of the wrongs others commit against us, and love toward all of God’s children regardless of their race or sexual orientation. We especially have to extend love and forgiveness to all those who hurt us by their actions and words and we need to pray for them. Christ forgave those who crucified Him as he hung from the cross with these words; “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do”. Again, by His example Christ taught us what we need to do.
God is good! All things created by God are good! We have the goodness of God instilled within us if we but seek to find it and then live it. We become living, breathing outward sings of Christ, True Christians, by seek the good in others and living in a way that displays our faith in word, deed and action to all we encounter.
By attempting to live in this manner, we become the fulfillment of Christ here on earth and a disciple in this age proclaiming clearly to all this message , “ our hearts are fixed where true joys are to be found, in You Father” found in the Introit and opening prayer of today’s liturgy.
AMEN

Second Sunday After Easter Reflection
Readings: Psalm 32, 1 Peter 2:21-25, Luke 24:35, John 10:11-16,
By Rev. Robert Johnnene OFA
Mission Saints Sergius and Bacchus
www.missionstsergius.org
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EverlastingLoveOfChristMinistry

Misericordia Domini plena est terra, alleluia: verbo Domini coeli firmati sunt, alleluia, alleluia. -- Exsultate, justi, in Domino: rectos decet collaudatio. V.: Gloria Patri . . . - Misericordia Domini plena est terra . . . The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord, alleluia: by the word of the Lord were the heavens made, alleluia, alleluia. -- (Ps. 32. 1). Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous: praise is comely for the upright. V.: Glory to the Father . . . -- The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.
These words from Psalm 32 open the liturgy for this Sunday and everything in the liturgy points up the Goodness of God.
God’s goodness is everywhere and Jesus in His ministry exemplified the Goodness of the Lord in word and deed.
The Gospel for this Sunday is one of my favorite images of Christ, that of The Good Shepherd.

At that time Jesus said to the Pharisees: I am the good Shepherd. The good Shepherd gives his life for his sheep. But the hireling, and those that are not shepherds, whose own the sheep are not, seeing the wolf coming leaves the sheep and flees: and the wolf catches and scatters the sheep: the hireling fled, because he is a hireling, and he has no care for the sheep. I am the good Shepherd: and I know Mine, and Mine know Me, as the Father knows Me, and I know the Father: and I lay down My life for My sheep. Other sheep I have that are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear My voice, and there shall be but one fold and one shepherd.
The picture of the Good Shepherd carrying the sheep on His shoulders is very appropriate since if we trust and believe in Christ He, more often than not carries us through the difficult times in our life. The poem, FOOTSTEPS clearly says this.
One night a man had a dream. He dreamed He was walking along the beach with the LORD. Across the sky flashed scenes from His life. For each scene He noticed two sets of footprints in the sand. One belonging to Him and the other to the LORD.
When the last scene of His life flashed before Him, He looked back at the footprints in the sand. He noticed that many times along the path of His life there was only one set of footprints. He also noticed that it happened at the very lowest and saddest times of His life.
This really bothered Him and He questioned the LORD about it. LORD you said that once I decided to follow you, you'd walk with me all the way. But I have noticed that during the most troublesome times in my life there is only one set of footprints. I don't understand why when I needed you most you would leave me.
The LORD replied, my precious, precious child, I Love you and I would never leave you! During your times of trial and suffering when you see only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you.
Recently I received a message from a person saying “Try as I might to believe in the goodness and mercy of Almighty God I fear death because I am afraid that even though I has asked forgiveness for my sins I am not sure that they have been forgiven and that when I die I will end up in hell as the priest preached so often.”
My heart became filled with sadness that this person heard the part about Hell and damnation but had totally missed the parts of the teachings of Christ about forgiveness. Throughout the entire public life of Christ as related in the Gospels and the Epistles the message of forgiveness is one of the strongest ones in scripture. Christ forgave the woman caught in adultery, Forgave the thief while He himself was dying, forgave those who nailed him to the Cross, and even told his apostles and affirmed to those who follow in their footsteps as ordained servants “Whose sins you shall forgive they are forgiven”.
Last Sunday was Divine Mercy Sunday and celebrated and was specially instituted to highlight the truth that God’s mercy is forever and unlimited for all those who seek it out. This Sunday the theme continues proclaiming The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord. God is not a vengeful God, for if He was he most certainly would have repeated one of the events found in the old testament writings and destroyed this planet many times over since the time of Christ.
God is merciful, just, fair, patient, and loves every one of His children. His patience if like His love unlimited. He keeps waiting for us to get His message and to begin to live in accordance with what Jesus, His beloved son, taught us. “Love one another as I have loved you”
Today’s Epistle spells it out clearly “Dearly beloved, Christ suffered for you in just this way, leaving you an example, that you should follow in His footstep. He, who did no wrong, neither was deceit was found in His mouth. When He was insulted, He returned no insult. When He was made to suffer, He threatened not, but delivered Himself up to the one who judges justly. In His own body He brought your sins to the cross, so that all of us, dead to sin, could live in accord with God’s will. By His wounds you were healed. For you were as sheep going astray: but you are now returned to the Shepherd the guardian of your souls.
Christ is the Good Shepherd, He guards us and watches over us and when we go astray He comes after us to lead us back to the fold. When you hear His calling you, do not turn a deaf ear or allow others to entice you to ignore the call or delude you into believing that you are not really wanted and are only going to get punished if you heed the call. Christ came to save everyone, not just those good little sheep who never stray from the flock, but all God’s children. He especially has a fondness for those who are less than perfect and know it but want to become a part of the flock.
“Do not be afraid, for I am with you always” believe these words of Christ, do not run away from Him but run toward His open arms and if need be, let Him carry you through the difficulties of your life. Embrace Him and keep Him close to you always. He is there waiting to hear from you and willing to listen and lead you back onto a safe pasture where you can partake of all God’s blessings and gifts.
God did not want to make your life journey difficult. He only asks that you respect His creation and all His children. As the Gospel proclaims “Other sheep I have that are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear My voice, and there shall be but one fold and one shepherd”. We are the voice of the Lord, let us not silence it by prejudice, bigotry, anger, hatred, revenge and greed but shout out the message of Christ for all to hear that Almighty God is a God of compassion, mercy, forgiveness and love and wants all to live in peace and harmony with each other. AMEN

A Reflection on Trusing in God

My Hope Is In God My Savior
A message of Faith, Hope Trust and Love
A reflection for Quinquagesima Sunday
By Rev. Robert Johnnene OFa
Mission Saints Sergius and Bacchus
www.missionstsergius.org
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EverlastingLoveOfChristMinistry
1 Corinthians 13:1-13, Luke 18:31-43, Psalms 30, 76, 99, 118

How appropriate it is that the Sunday following the day set aside to hone lovers and love the message we hear from the readings is one of affirmation and an example of how trusting and loving God can bring untold peace and miracles. In Paul’s letter to the Corinthians we hear Paul explain that without love all things are useless. “If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, and always perseveres. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child; I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”
In his letter he also tells us what true love is and what it is not. We are told that a person who is in love is patient, kind, considerate, does not give in the envy or become boastful, is never rude or self-seeking and never gives in to anger and hatred or hold grudges against those who they perceive have done them wrong. In order to comply with all this we face an awesome task, especially in a world that praises wealth, power and fame. Paul goes on to tell su that prophecies and speaking in tongues and even those who claim to have great knowledge will all cease when the promised kingdom of God arrives.
The Introit Psalm and the Gospel back up the affirmation of Paul’s message with proof that by putting all our trust and faith in God and Loving God with our entire being miracles can and do happen. When we call upon the Lord He hears us and He always answers us even if the answer is not what we were seeking but it is the answer that is best for us according to God. This is where the trust has to be, that God’s will is what is best. This also is another difficult thing for us, especially for those who are used to getting their own way, to accept. “O LORD my God, I called to you for help and you healed me. O LORD, you brought me up from the grave; you spared me from going down into the pit. Sing to the LORD, you saints of his; praise his holy name. For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning. (Psalm 30: 2-5)
In this same passage we are reminded that God’s anger at us because we have failed to live according to His desires, lasts only but a brief moment for His love for us far outweighs His anger. This was the lesson of the story of the Prodigal Son. The father will always forgive. With complete trust and faith in God our sadness and tears will be wiped away just as the rainbow follows the storm.
The Gospel story is a perfect example of having faith and trust even when all those around you are trying to dissuade you and call you away from having faith in God and do not want to hear you talk about God. “He called out, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" Those who led the way rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!" “What do you want me to do for you? Lord, I want to see, he replied. Jesus said to him, Receive your sight; your faith has healed you. Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus, praising God. When all the people saw it, they also praised God” (Luke 18: 38-43). “Your Faith has healed you” said Christ. There is a lesson to be learned in those words also, Christ said “Your Faith” He did not say the faith of others. True Christ also told us “Where ever two or three are gathered in my name so too am I in their midst”
Every day I receive requests for prayers for peoples intentions, healing or a special request that a person has to make to God and I always offer up my prayers for that person. I believe that the person who has asked for the prayers needs to pray even harder than I and give themselves over to having complete trust and faith in God healing them just as the blind man did.
On Wednesday we begin the season of Lent and it is a wonderful time for us to take inventory of our relationship with Almighty God and how we live out our daily lives with trust, faith and most of all love of Almighty God. Over the last few weeks I have reflected on ways that we show our love and trust in God by our actions. Today’s readings tell us the things we cannot have in our lives if we truly love God. Anger, greed, jealousy, pride, envy, discrimination, gossip, and being self-serving have no place in our lives if we are to truly follow the path of Christ.
To live in this manner is extremely difficult in this modern world but then neither was it easy for Christ to endure the way of the Cross and Calvary in order for us to be able to gain the promise of everlasting life and forgiveness of our sins.
We have choices in almost every thing we do, we can choose to try to live a life in accord with the teachings of Christ or we can pick and choose those things that are comfortable for us to do and reject the ones that might cause us some difficulty. What we choose and what our rewards will be depends solely on us. We can travel the smooth and easy road or take the more difficult but shorter road to our eternal reward. The choice is ours. In order to be able to travel the more difficult road we need to put our trust and faith in God and to continually talk to God with the knowledge that with Him we have the best friend in the world and He will give us the means to overcome the difficulties if we truly want to serve Him faithfully.
Let us give ourselves over to Him completely with boundless confidence in Him, since God is our Father and loves us more than any other person. Let us pray;
Father, into your hands I commend my soul, for I so need to surrender myself unto you and trust in and have faith in you in all things. Let your will be done in me always and lead me in your ways so that I may serve you in all things. Almighty God, Grant unto me your gifts of forgiveness to all who have harmed me, compassion toward all those in need, acceptance of all your children, and mercy and charity toward all I encounter. I ask this in the name of your beloved son, Jesus Christ, my redeemer and savior who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit as one God now and forever. AMEN

A Valentine Reflection

Love Is Patient and Kind
A Reflection for Saint Valentines Day
By Rev. Robert Johnnene OFA
Mission Saints Sergius and Bacchus
www.missionstsergius.org
http://gropups.yahoo.com/group/EverlastingLoveOfChristMinistry

Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud (1 Corinthians 13:4)
February 14th had been celebrated by the church for centuries as the day to honor the three Saint Valentine’s but in 1969 it was removed from the church official calendar but is extremely popular as a commercial holiday set aside to give special recognition to your loved ones. According to history St. Valentine was a priest in the Roman Empire who helped hide and save persecuted Christians during the reign of Claudius II, was thrown in jail and later beheaded on Feb. 14. There is supposed to be another St. Valentine who was the Catholic bishop of Terni and was also beheaded during the reign of Claudius II. According to some historians there was a third St. Valentine who secretly married couples when marriage was forbidden in Africa and was later beheaded. The one common factor for all the St. Valentines is that they lost their heads over love. Possibly that explains why so many men and women seem to loose their heads when they think they are in love.
There was also a conventional belief in Europe during the middle Ages that birds chose their partners in the middle of February. Thus the day was dedicated to love, and people observed it by writing love letters and sending small gifts to their beloved. Legend has it that Charles, duke of Orleans, sent the first real Valentine card to his wife in 1415, when he was imprisoned in the Tower of London. (He, however, was not beheaded, and died a half-century later of old age.)
These words from Paul’s letter to the Corinthians sums up what love really is “Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud” It is not the sexual or physical attraction that counts, but the deeper spiritual actions one puts forth toward others. Mother Teresa put it nicely when she would tell people “Give your hands to serve and your hearts to love.'' - Mother Teresa
Christ, himself, told us that love was the greatest commandment, Love of God and Love of your neighbor. Today the word love is far too often confused with sex and nothing could be further from the truth. When two people are deeply in love, yes sex is a means of sharing and expressing that love and in the case of heterosexual couples of creating a physical expression of their love in children. But for true love to blossom and bloom there has to be understanding, honesty, trust cooperation and devotion. Both parties have to be willing to give 100% of themselves to the other.
Galatians 5:22 reminds us that love is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit and therefore it is a special gift that comes from Almighty God “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness”, (Galatians 5:22) and like all gifts from God it should not be taken lightly but appreciated and used in accordance with God’s intentions. Take special not of the gifts that follow love and its placement as the first gift.
On Saint Valentines day (even though the Roman church no longer celebrates it as a feast day) let us show our love for God’s children by doing more than sending a special greeting to a few friends and lovers, but put into actions that show all our love for God and for all God’s children by voicing our indignation for the actions of governments and individuals who promote hatred, bigotry, discrimination and violence. Let’s speak out in favor of funding for quality affordable health care for all, adequate affordable housing, affordable quality education for every child. “The Lord is waiting for you to come to him so he can show you his love and compassion. For the Lord is a faithful God. Blessed are those who seek his help”. (Isaiah 30:17-19)
“But love your enemies, do well to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. (Luke 6:35) these words from Luke even advise us to love our enemies and one way to show that love is to pray for them. Pray that God will open their hearts to find solutions to the things that have caused the discord.
I close this reflection for Valentines Day with this prayer from 2 Thessalonians 2 : 16-17 “May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.” AMEN
May Almighty God’s love overflow within your hearts and out on to all those with whom you come in contact with.
Have a Blessed St. Valentines Day.

Sexagesima Sunday Reflection, Let Your Light Shine Forth

Let Your Light Show Forth
A Reflection for Sexagesima Sunday
By Rev. Robert Johnnene OFA
Mission Saints Sergius and Bacchus
www.missionstsergius.org
http://groups.yahoo.com/EverlastingLoveOfChristMinistry

"No one lights a lamp and hides it in a jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, he puts it on a stand, so that those who come in can see the light.” (Luke 8:16)
These words are from the last line of the Gospel of Luke’s reading for Sexagesima Sunday and I have chosen them because they inform us that we should never hide our faith and be ashamed of believing in God.
They follow the parable story of the farmer who sowed his seed which represented the word of God that has been sown to us through Holy Scripture. Christ explained the parable in this way; “The seed is the word of God. Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. Those on the rock are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away. The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life's worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature. But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop”.(Luke 8:11-15)
Most of us have heard the gospel and scripture stories all our lives, some have been read the Bible stories from the time they were little children which means we have heard the inspired word of God as given to the prophets and the disciples but what have we done with it?
During this time of the liturgical year when we are preparing ourselves for the season of lent and taking inventory of our spiritual live we need to examine which of the people Christ describes we are.
Are we the seeds that fell along the path but allowed Satan to trample upon them and harden our hearts against God because of the actions of people who are supposed to represent God here on earth but in reality are doing the work of Satan?
Are we like the seeds that fell upon the rocks who have heard the word but claim the Holy Scripture is just a lot of myths and fables and has nothing to do with God or how we should act and live our lives and even go so far as to say there is no God but that we are all masters of our own destiny?
Possibly we are among those who are like the seeds that have fallen on thorns, we believed when we were young but because of the difficulties we had to face or our need to follow a road that gives us more pleasure, fame and riches have let our faith die.
Hopefully, we are among the people who like the seeds that fell on fertile soil and have been nourished through prayer, the sacraments and by our living according the Christ’s teachings by being kind, generous, loving, merciful and welcoming to all of God’s children.
If you believe that you belong to the latter group, be sure not to be boastful about it, instead take heed from the words of the Epistle for this Sunday; “My power is strongest when you are weak. So if Christ keeps giving me his power, I will gladly brag about how weak I am. Yes, I am glad to be weak or insulted or mistreated or to have troubles and sufferings, if it is for Christ” (2 Corinthians 12:9-10)
Paul acknowledges that it is Christ that provides us with the strength to live our lives in a way that is pleasing to Almighty God and it is when we recognize that we can only follow Christ by admitting our weaknesses and attempting to overcome them that God sends us the ability to do so.
The one common denominator of almost all the saints, and certainly those who are revered among the greatest saints, is their admitting how sinful they were and their constant imploring God for forgiveness and strength to overcome their weaknesses. Why should we be any different than they? Morning and night and during the day I often turn to God and pray for the ability to resist the temptations that plague me. I pray for guidance and direction in my ministry. I plead for the means to proclaim God’s infinite mercy and love for all His children and to not give in to the thoughts that I am failing God because of the limitations I have.
Like any journey we travel on we encounter many different roads. Some are lined with the beauty of God’s creation with verdant fields or lush foliage, others are filled with pot holes and detours and we struggle to reach out destination.
The destination we are aiming for is everlasting life with Almighty God the Father, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, Our beloved mother Mary and all the angels, saints and heavenly elect. During the time of inventory before the season of lent let us take a good inventory of our life and where we are in the journey and then make the necessary plans to follow a road that is most desirable and will bring us to the promises of Christ.
AMEN

A Twenty First Century Saiont

A 21st Century Saint
A Reflection of Franciscan Priest and Martyr Mychal Judge OFM
By Rev. Robert Johnnene OFA
Mission Saints Sergius and Bacchus
www.missionstsergius.org

On September 11, 2001 a son of Saint Francis paid the ultimate sacrifice while doing the job that he believed Christ called him to do. Fr. Mychal Judge OFM was the chaplain of the New York City Fire Department and had answered to call when extremist militants destroyed the World Trade Center and claimed the lives of over 3000 American citizens. There are many people who feel that, just a Christ died in order to save the all people and and so many martyrs died believing and living according to the teachings of Christ, Fr. Mychal also died believing that hwat he was doing was what Christ would have done. Michael Ford, in his FR. MUCHAL JUDGE, AN AMERICAN HERO, writes some of Fr. Michal’s words which are words we should all live by and use often.
Fr. Mychal has often said “Is there so much love in the world that we can afford to discriminate against any kind of love”? When asked why he was a priest and how he viewed his life he responded "The life I have is not what I planned on, but I had no idea what life I'd have. You just don't know, so you just go and take one day at a time. I don't get into tomorrow because God hasn't created it yet. So I live in today as best I can for the glory of God and His people." Describing his day he said I start the day with this prayer, 'Lord, show me, take me, mold me, fashion me, show me what You want, take me where you want me to go, let me meet who You want me to meet, tell me what to say and keep me out of Your way.'Many believe that Fr. Mychal should be declared a saint but that is unlikely to ever happen if the Church of Rome continues to proclaim their current teachings. Through the centuries they have almost successfully buried many saints from the the early church history from common knowledge for the same reasons that they will probably never canonize Fr. Mychal.
The reason, he like Saints Sergius, Bacchus, Polyeuct, and Nearchus, and so many others was an openly gay man.
The saints I mention above all have dates assigned to them on the Roman calendar but most people have never heard of them.
Nearly 3,000 participated in his funeral Mass Sept. 15. He is buried in the friars' plot of Holy Sepulchre Cemetery, Totowa, N.J.
I would like to suggest that you visit a web site dedicated to Fr. Mychal where so many more inspiring stories about the brother of St. Francis who lived a saintly life can be found at: www.SaintMychal.com and also plan to see the wonderful documentary about his life entitles SAINT OF 9/11.

Hve Faith, Love and Trust in God

Have Faith, Love and Trust In God
A Reflection for the Fourth Sunday After Epiphany
Readings: Romans 13:8-10, Matthew 8:23-27,
By Rev. Robert Johnnene OFA
Mission Saints Sergius and Bacchus
www.missionstsergius.org
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EverlastingLoveOfChristMinistry

The readings for this Sunday sum up the basic truths of Christ and God’s desire for the human race. I believe that if we do not start to implement this every day in our lives that the situation the world finds itself in will only get worse. We first need to Love God totally and completely for the day is fast approaching when we will need to answer for the way we lived our life. The Epistle reading clearly states how the writer of the letter to the Romans understood what Jesus taught when He was asked what the greatest commandment was and Christ replied “Love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, mind, soul and body is the first and most important commandment and the second is like unto it, Love your neighbor as yourself” Today we hear the words from the letter to the Faith community of Rome which is very clear and precise; Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law. The commandments, "Do not commit adultery," "Do not murder," "Do not steal," "Do not covet, and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: "Love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. (Romans 13:8-10
“Love is the fulfillment of the law” Love of God and love for all God’s children.” If we love someone we do not go about causing them pain and suffering. When we love someone we attempt to insure that they are comfortable, well fed, healthy, and safe. We do not intentionally place someone we love in the way of danger or somewhere that they are apt to be killed. I will elaborate more on this after I introduce the second part of today’s message, the need to put our complete trust in Almighty God. The second reading is the story of how the disciples and Jesus had gone out on the lake and a sudden storm arose while Jesus was asleep in the bow of the boat. The apostles became very frightened and woke Jesus with these words; "Lord, save us! We're going to drown!" Jesus replied, "You of little faith, why are you so afraid?" Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm. The men were amazed and asked, "What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!" Matthew 13:25-27 The lesson here is one of faith and trust in God. How often have we gone into a panic about something and totally forgotten to turn to God and place the result into His hands?
Granted, the results we desire are not always the results that God will provide, but they are His answer and we have to accept those results as being God’s will. We have to trust that God has a very good reason for things turning out the way they do and if we do trust God we eventually will learn God’s reason. I can testify to that myself. So many times in the past things have happened that I did not understand why and I agonized over what I might have done to cause what I perceived was a negative result. The events usually forced me to make changes in my life that I had not planned on. The strange thing was that each time I found myself being led closer and closer to what eventually became my current life. I must admit I had some help in accepting the changes. When I was in the depths of depression of one of the climatic changes in my life I actually was contemplating ending it all but in a moment of desperation and I must admit anger, I threw open the Bible and it opened to the Book of Job. I read the story of Job and it was like a spotlight was beaming down upon me. I realized that I had spent most of my life searching for fame and fortune I thought important because of the gifts I was blessed with instead of seeking out what it was that God wanted me to do with those gifts.
When I stopped living according to me plans and began to ask God to lead me where He wanted me things became clearer and though not always smooth my road was mapped out for the remaining journey of life.
Each day I awake thankful for another day to try to do God’s will and to proclaim to all that I can of the everlasting mercy and love of God for all His children. God is Love, not vengeance, retaliation, discrimination, hatred, or condemnation. God asks us only to love and trust in Him, to accept His desire for us and to live our life in a manner that does not hurt anyone else.
Today our world is embroiled in conflicts between political parties, nations and even churches. This is not God’s way. Conflict is the domain of Satan and He uses it to tear families, governments and nations apart in order to cause pain and suffering and to attempt to turn people away from God just as he did with Job.
Our country is following in a pattern that has caused the downfall of every great empire and kingdom since the beginning of time. When the great empires tried to force their religious and cultural ideologies on others and expand their land holdings and wealth and domination of other cultures, they eventually came to a crashing demise. That history has been repeated from the Ancient Babolonians, Egyptians, Greeks, Roman, Spanish, English, and French and Prussian empires.
Without respect and love for others there will never be peace. Love has to begin with loving ourselves and loving and accepting the way God created us. We cannot truly love others until we love and accept ourselves.
In order to comply with the teaching of the lesson from scripture this week we need to begin the process by accepting who we are, and then going about and making the best of the gifts we have been given by actively promoting peace and brotherhood in our families, neighborhoods and speaking out against injustices we observe being done to others by our friends, neighbors, government and churches. By doing that we are demonstrating our love of God and the love He has for all His children. We become a beacon of God’s love here on earth to all we encounter.
I end with the words of St. Francis’s Peace Prayer;
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace; where there is hatred, let me sow love; when there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; and where there is sadness, joy.
Grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood, as to understand, to be loved as to love; for it is in giving that we receive, it is in pardoning that we are pardoned, and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. AMEN

Living In Peace and Harmony With All People

Reflection for Third Sunday after Epiphany
Living in Peace, Harmony in Compliance With God’s Will
By Rev. Robert Johnnene OFA
Mission Saints Sergius and Bacchus, Holliston, MA
www.missionstsergius.org
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EverlastingLoveOfChristMinistry

From Romans 12:16-21, Psalm 101:16-17, Matthew 8:1-13,
“Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position, do not be conceited. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay, says the Lord.” On the contrary: "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Romans 16-21)
These powerful words from the Epistle of Paul to the Romans seem to have fallen on the deaf ears of the powerful world leaders if one looks at their actions. Instead of attempting to live in harmony they prefer to cause strife and war. Their actions cause pain and suffering and huge loss of innocent lives.

The same can also be said of some leaders of the Christian churches who it seems would rather exclude whole sections of people because they feel that they do not fit their life style and reject the truth that God creates all things and people for purposes known only to God alone.
It is also clear that many of the hierarchy of churches did not pay attention to the section of the reading that says; “Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody”, for if they did they never would have allowed pedophile priests to continue in positions where they could abuse children by transferring them around.
Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay, says the Lord.” On the contrary: "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” Instead of adhering to this teaching people seem quite willing to live by the adage “Revenge is Sweet”.
The time has come, if we ever hope to actually know a time of peace and brotherhood, for all people, especially those who claim to be followers of Jesus Christ, to stop traveling the road leading to strife and misery, the road that causes suffering and pain to so many parents and children by the loss of their mother, father, sister or brother. We need to stop using bombs and guns to bring about peace and begin using food and medicine, education and diplomacy to promote stability and peace. The road we have traveled is not working, it has not worked in the past and it certainly is not working now.
The time is now for us to be more mindful of the needs of others who have not been as blessed as we have. We need to learn to appreciate the cultural artistic and religious differences of countries and stop trying to make all carbon copies of the US. We need to search for the things we have in common with each other and not focus on the differences; this applies to all the religious denominations that claim to believe in the teachings of Jesus Christ.
All around us we see the glorification of excess. Ads promote treatments not for disease that are killing people like cancer, Parkinson’s, AIDS but for the search for the fountain of youth and beauty or to enhance ones sexual pleasure. Every other advertisement in the papers, television, magazines, radio and now over the internet promotes items that pander to the carnal nature of man or greed. People put themselves in debt to acquire things like 60” flat screen home theater systems so they can impress their neighbors.

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” The final sentence of Paul’s letter to the Romans implores us to not allow ourselves to be overcome by evil but for us to overcome evil by doing good. As we reflect on this reading I suggest that we look within ourselves and seek out the places in our lives where we can make a difference. What can I do to make a change for the good in my personal life, in my families’ lives, in the neighborhood and in the world?
I will close with this prayer:
Almighty and Merciful God instill within me the knowledge and truth of your teachings, guide me in all my actions, thoughts, words and deeds through the gifts of the Holy Spirit to better serve you. Inspire me as to ways that I can make a difference in my own live and in the lives of all those with whom I touch. Help me to better serve you and all your children each and every day. Forgive me for any transgressions I may have committed in though, word, deed or action in the past and lead me on your road to eternal life. I ask this through your beloved son, Jesus Christ, my redeemer and savior who lives with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. AMEN