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

God's Promise Will Give You Strength

God’s Promise Will Give Us Strength
A Reflection on Luke 11: 9-13
By Fr. Robert Johnnene OFA
www.MissionStSergius.org
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EverlastingLoveOfChristMinistry

"So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.
For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.
"Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead?
Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"
To me one of the most heart warming and comforting passages found in scripture has to be Luke 11: verses 9 through 13. In it, we hear Christ promising us that if we go to His Father with sincerity and devotion God will, as any good father would, give us what is best for us. The passage also affirms that God is totally aware of our weaknesses and sinful nature but we know from other scripture readings God has infinite mercy and forgiveness if we acknowledge our sinfulness.
We need to pay special notice that the promise, it is to provide us with the gifts of the Holy Spirit not grant us every desire we have for material or worldly things. “Your Father in heaven gives the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"
The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit are: found in Isaiah (11:1-3) where he is foretelling the qualities of the Messiah.
“But a shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse, and from his roots a bud shall blossom. The spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him: a spirit of wisdom and understanding, a spirit of counsel and of strength, a spirit of knowledge and of fear of the Lord, and his delight shall be the fear of the Lord.”
With the gifts of the Holy Spirit we also gain the 12 Fruits of the Holy Spirit which will grow in our souls the more we turn to God as our source of consolation and strength.
The fruits, we are told, we will grow and be ready to harvest from our faith and trust in God and by living as Jesus instructed us. They are ( 1 ) greater Charity toward all God‘s children regardless of their race or sexual orientation. ( 2 & 3 ) A sense of Joy and inner Peace in our heart and mind. ( 4 )Greater Patience to deal with the everyday problems of life that beset us. ( 5 ) Benignity, which means we will be more disposed to perform acts of kindness toward others without expectation of recompense. ( 6 ) We will be more inclined to act towards others and seek in our friends and others the Goodness of God. ( 7 ) Another benefit is the ability to endure physical and emotional difficulties that can cause us Long-suffering, like sickness or loss of a job, without complaint. ( 8 ) Mildness which will incline us toward seeking peace with others instead of confrontation. ( 9 ) We will grow in our Faith in Almighty God and be better able to abide by His teachings as given by His Son Jesus Christ in His teachings. ( 10 ) We become more inclined toward being Modest instead of boastful in our manner and also we will be less likely to dress in a provocative way. ( 11 ) We gain Continency, which is the ability to exercise self constraint and moderation in our sexual desires. For those who are called to live their life in ( 12 ) Chastity the gifts of the Holy Spirit will provide the fruit of being able to live up to that promise or vow.
I believe that in this time or turmoil and discord in the world, religions, and between the different races in our cities, God is calling us and attempting to awaken us to seek out His promises. In order to do this we need to turn our thoughts inward toward the spiritual things that will last unto the ages of ages and seek less the gratifications of the material world.
We need to be ready to meet our Lord when He comes and as we are told in Mark 13:32 and 33; "But of that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. Take heed, keep on the alert; for you do not know when the appointed time will come.”
Christ came to earth in the form of man to teach us the will of the Father. In the words of Christ found in Luke 5:32 “I have not come to call the righteous to repentance but sinners.” We have Christ’s call to us, Let us answer it by changing our faults into a life that will be in accordance with the will of God and pleasing to Him. Do not let the whims of mere men with their natural human weaknesses cause you to stray away from the love of God because they have told you that you are not worthy but believe the promises of the Father as proclaimed by our savior and redeemer Jesus Christ. "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6) AMEN