September 3, 2006 Reflection
Living The Word, Not Just Speaking It
Based on Reading: Deuteronomy 4:1-2,6-8; Psalm 15, James 1:17-18, 21-27, Mark 7, 1-8, 14-15, 21-23
Rev. Robert Johnnene OFA
Mission Saints Sergius and Bacchus
www.missionstsergius.org
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EverlastingLoveOfChristMinistry
The readings today are most profound if you actually think about them. In it, Christ is admonishing the hierarchy of the Jewish people for calling attention to the fact that Christ’s apostles were eating without first cleansing their hands as called for in Jewish law. Christ tell them and all who were listening the following; “This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.' You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men. You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to establish your tradition!”
In another reading this week from Matthew 23 we heard Christ saying “The scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the chair of Moses; therefore all that they tell you, do and observe, but do not do according to their deeds; for they say things and do not do them. They tie up heavy burdens and lay them on men's shoulders, but they themselves are unwilling to move them with so much as a finger. But they do all their deeds to be noticed by men; for they broaden their phylacteries and lengthen the tassels of their garments. They love the place of honor at banquets and the chief seats in the synagogues”
If we were to actually think about these readings, both of which we heard this week, and the passages I have chosen that will follow, we might ask ourselves if they do not apply to our religious hierarchy today. We see leaders of the various churches parading around in fancy clothes, being chauffeured in fancy cars and building elaborate palaces they call churches all the while preaching discrimination and rejection and putting up barriers to people hearing the word of God because of some man made rules.
We do not hear too many of them preaching about the injustices being perpetrated by governments against the poor, aged, and the sick but we hear them supporting leaders who use war as a means of settling disputes. Justifying wars that cause many innocent people, children of God, to be killed or maimed.
“But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you shut off the kingdom of heaven from people; for you do not enter in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in. But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut the kingdom of heaven in people's faces. For you neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel across sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves.” (Think about this one in relation to the scandal that has destroyed so many lives by predatory clergy and the exclusion of married priests)
Too many religious organizations seem to be interested in financial interests rather than using their wealth to help those in need or sharing the wealth evenly among poorer ministries.
"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people's bones and all uncleanness. So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness."
We also find something similar in the first reading from the book of Deuteronomy where the Jewish people are being advised by Moses “You shall not add to what I command you nor subtract from it.” Where in the teachings of Christ is it forbidden for women or married persons to be priests and deacons? When did Jesus ever turn anyone away from him? The answer is NEVER!
One of the greatest mistakes people make is that they take only one passage of the Gospels at a time rather that look at the overall message presented by Christ. In doing so they sometimes fail to see the whole message. A message of Mercy, Forgiveness, Compassion, Love, Justice and fairness for all God‘s children.
Christ was sent to be the Light unto the world, a light that would make the will of Almighty God clearer to see and understand. He wanted it to be unburdened by the dictates of men. So why do we continue to make it so difficult for people to know, love and serve Almighty God as we have been directed by Christ?
The letter of James in today’s reading clearly brings home the point that is most important in all these readings “ Be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law of God, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing".
In the Gospel Christ also makes it clear “Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him, since it enters not his heart but his stomach, and is expelled?" (Thus he has declared all foods clean.) And he said, "What comes out of a person is what defiles him. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person."
Looking at Christ’s list of things that defile and comparing them against the way people and leaders of nations and Religious denominations are living today, by seeking the upper hand in all things, gaining profit at the expense of others, desiring material things rather than having compassion for those in need, using deceit and lies to justify war, indulging in indiscriminate sexual behavior rather than committed loving relations, promoting sensuality to sell products to increase the profit margin. One has to ponder where we are headed and how God is looking upon all this and what He might feel is needed to open our eyes and hearts to living according to the teachings His son gave us by words and practice.
I believe the time is now for us to take a good hard look at the way we are living and make a concerted effort to change our ways and begin to live the Gospels not just preach them. AMEN
A mission of the Franciscans of Divine Mercy. We are a welcoming and affirming faith community to all who feel disenfranchised, unwanted, and rejected by Faith Communities. We welcome all persons who believe Christ was the redeemer and savior. The mission pastor is Rev. Robert Johnnene OFD
Friday, September 01, 2006
Living the Word, Not Just Speaking it
September 3, 2006 Reflection
Living The Word, Not Just Speaking It
Based on Reading: Deuteronomy 4:1-2,6-8; Psalm 15, James 1:17-18, 21-27, Mark 7, 1-8, 14-15, 21-23
Rev. Robert Johnnene OFA
Mission Saints Sergius and Bacchus
www.missionstsergius.org
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EverlastingLoveOfChristMinistry
The readings today are most profound if you actually think about them. In it, Christ is admonishing the hierarchy of the Jewish people for calling attention to the fact that Christ’s apostles were eating without first cleansing their hands as called for in Jewish law. Christ tell them and all who were listening the following; “This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.' You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men. You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to establish your tradition!”
In another reading this week from Matthew 23 we heard Christ saying “The scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the chair of Moses; therefore all that they tell you, do and observe, but do not do according to their deeds; for they say things and do not do them. They tie up heavy burdens and lay them on men's shoulders, but they themselves are unwilling to move them with so much as a finger. But they do all their deeds to be noticed by men; for they broaden their phylacteries and lengthen the tassels of their garments. They love the place of honor at banquets and the chief seats in the synagogues”
If we were to actually think about these readings, both of which we heard this week, and the passages I have chosen that will follow, we might ask ourselves if they do not apply to our religious hierarchy today. We see leaders of the various churches parading around in fancy clothes, being chauffeured in fancy cars and building elaborate palaces they call churches all the while preaching discrimination and rejection and putting up barriers to people hearing the word of God because of some man made rules.
We do not hear too many of them preaching about the injustices being perpetrated by governments against the poor, aged, and the sick but we hear them supporting leaders who use war as a means of settling disputes. Justifying wars that cause many innocent people, children of God, to be killed or maimed.
“But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you shut off the kingdom of heaven from people; for you do not enter in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in. But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut the kingdom of heaven in people's faces. For you neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel across sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves.” (Think about this one in relation to the scandal that has destroyed so many lives by predatory clergy and the exclusion of married priests)
Too many religious organizations seem to be interested in financial interests rather than using their wealth to help those in need or sharing the wealth evenly among poorer ministries.
"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people's bones and all uncleanness. So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness."
We also find something similar in the first reading from the book of Deuteronomy where the Jewish people are being advised by Moses “You shall not add to what I command you nor subtract from it.” Where in the teachings of Christ is it forbidden for women or married persons to be priests and deacons? When did Jesus ever turn anyone away from him? The answer is NEVER!
One of the greatest mistakes people make is that they take only one passage of the Gospels at a time rather that look at the overall message presented by Christ. In doing so they sometimes fail to see the whole message. A message of Mercy, Forgiveness, Compassion, Love, Justice and fairness for all God‘s children.
Christ was sent to be the Light unto the world, a light that would make the will of Almighty God clearer to see and understand. He wanted it to be unburdened by the dictates of men. So why do we continue to make it so difficult for people to know, love and serve Almighty God as we have been directed by Christ?
The letter of James in today’s reading clearly brings home the point that is most important in all these readings “ Be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law of God, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing".
In the Gospel Christ also makes it clear “Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him, since it enters not his heart but his stomach, and is expelled?" (Thus he has declared all foods clean.) And he said, "What comes out of a person is what defiles him. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person."
Looking at Christ’s list of things that defile and comparing them against the way people and leaders of nations and Religious denominations are living today, by seeking the upper hand in all things, gaining profit at the expense of others, desiring material things rather than having compassion for those in need, using deceit and lies to justify war, indulging in indiscriminate sexual behavior rather than committed loving relations, promoting sensuality to sell products to increase the profit margin. One has to ponder where we are headed and how God is looking upon all this and what He might feel is needed to open our eyes and hearts to living according to the teachings His son gave us by words and practice.
I believe the time is now for us to take a good hard look at the way we are living and make a concerted effort to change our ways and begin to live the Gospels not just preach them. AMEN
Living The Word, Not Just Speaking It
Based on Reading: Deuteronomy 4:1-2,6-8; Psalm 15, James 1:17-18, 21-27, Mark 7, 1-8, 14-15, 21-23
Rev. Robert Johnnene OFA
Mission Saints Sergius and Bacchus
www.missionstsergius.org
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EverlastingLoveOfChristMinistry
The readings today are most profound if you actually think about them. In it, Christ is admonishing the hierarchy of the Jewish people for calling attention to the fact that Christ’s apostles were eating without first cleansing their hands as called for in Jewish law. Christ tell them and all who were listening the following; “This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.' You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men. You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to establish your tradition!”
In another reading this week from Matthew 23 we heard Christ saying “The scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the chair of Moses; therefore all that they tell you, do and observe, but do not do according to their deeds; for they say things and do not do them. They tie up heavy burdens and lay them on men's shoulders, but they themselves are unwilling to move them with so much as a finger. But they do all their deeds to be noticed by men; for they broaden their phylacteries and lengthen the tassels of their garments. They love the place of honor at banquets and the chief seats in the synagogues”
If we were to actually think about these readings, both of which we heard this week, and the passages I have chosen that will follow, we might ask ourselves if they do not apply to our religious hierarchy today. We see leaders of the various churches parading around in fancy clothes, being chauffeured in fancy cars and building elaborate palaces they call churches all the while preaching discrimination and rejection and putting up barriers to people hearing the word of God because of some man made rules.
We do not hear too many of them preaching about the injustices being perpetrated by governments against the poor, aged, and the sick but we hear them supporting leaders who use war as a means of settling disputes. Justifying wars that cause many innocent people, children of God, to be killed or maimed.
“But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you shut off the kingdom of heaven from people; for you do not enter in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in. But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut the kingdom of heaven in people's faces. For you neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel across sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves.” (Think about this one in relation to the scandal that has destroyed so many lives by predatory clergy and the exclusion of married priests)
Too many religious organizations seem to be interested in financial interests rather than using their wealth to help those in need or sharing the wealth evenly among poorer ministries.
"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people's bones and all uncleanness. So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness."
We also find something similar in the first reading from the book of Deuteronomy where the Jewish people are being advised by Moses “You shall not add to what I command you nor subtract from it.” Where in the teachings of Christ is it forbidden for women or married persons to be priests and deacons? When did Jesus ever turn anyone away from him? The answer is NEVER!
One of the greatest mistakes people make is that they take only one passage of the Gospels at a time rather that look at the overall message presented by Christ. In doing so they sometimes fail to see the whole message. A message of Mercy, Forgiveness, Compassion, Love, Justice and fairness for all God‘s children.
Christ was sent to be the Light unto the world, a light that would make the will of Almighty God clearer to see and understand. He wanted it to be unburdened by the dictates of men. So why do we continue to make it so difficult for people to know, love and serve Almighty God as we have been directed by Christ?
The letter of James in today’s reading clearly brings home the point that is most important in all these readings “ Be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law of God, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing".
In the Gospel Christ also makes it clear “Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him, since it enters not his heart but his stomach, and is expelled?" (Thus he has declared all foods clean.) And he said, "What comes out of a person is what defiles him. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person."
Looking at Christ’s list of things that defile and comparing them against the way people and leaders of nations and Religious denominations are living today, by seeking the upper hand in all things, gaining profit at the expense of others, desiring material things rather than having compassion for those in need, using deceit and lies to justify war, indulging in indiscriminate sexual behavior rather than committed loving relations, promoting sensuality to sell products to increase the profit margin. One has to ponder where we are headed and how God is looking upon all this and what He might feel is needed to open our eyes and hearts to living according to the teachings His son gave us by words and practice.
I believe the time is now for us to take a good hard look at the way we are living and make a concerted effort to change our ways and begin to live the Gospels not just preach them. AMEN
Saturday, August 26, 2006
Do You Serve The Lord?
August 27th Readings Reflection
Do You Serve the Lord?
Joshua 24:1-18, Psalm 34:2-21, Ephesians 5:21-32, John 6:60-69
Mission Saints Sergius and Bacchus
www.missionstsergius.org
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EverlastingLoveOfChristMinistry
"Now therefore fear the LORD and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. Choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD." (Joshua 24:14-15)
Just as Joshua challenged the tribes of Israel as to whom they chose to honor and worship, we today are being given the same challenge. Do we choose to serve those human gods of Greed, power, domination, discrimination, materialism and self-effacement or do we choose to follow the way of the son of god, Jesus Christ.
Do we choose to live our lives according to the way Jesus taught by being forgiving, compassionate, kind and generous to all God’s children most especially those in need?
Throughout all of history, there has been one constant idea; it is that there is a supreme being that governs all. We find it in the histories of the ancient Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, Aztecs, Mayans, Native American Tribes, in fact every known group of people that ever lived on this earth.
The need to recognize that there is a God is one of the natural things we are created with. We seek this supreme power out and, as history has shown, generations have given that power and acknowledgement to the sun, volcano’s, under the names of Ra, Zeus, Apollo, Pele the Goddess of Fire, and hundreds of other names. When Almighty God made himself known with the words “"I am who I am. Here is what you must say to the Israelites. Tell them, 'I am has sent me to you.' " ( Exodus 3:14) we were told who we should give honor, praise and reverence to and whom we should thank for all things.
When Jesus Christ came to being in the form of a man and was transfigured God informed us clearly who Jesus was with these words; “"This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!" (Matthew 17:4-6).
God, has told us to listen to what Jesus was telling us. To listen to the words and teachings of Jesus Christ, not some mere human man, but Jesus the son of Almighty God.
When we read the teachings of Christ, we find clear concise guidelines as to how we are expected to live our lives. These are found in the Beatitudes of the Sermon on the Mount, and in the “GREAT COMMANDMENT”, "The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these." (Mark 12:29-30)
Could Christ’s teachings be any clearer, yet so many try to make this love and service to Almighty God so difficult by injecting a lot of man made things in the way. The have twisted to original writings of the ancient scriptures and the writings of the apostles and early church fathers and in some cases even rejected some of them because they did not “FIT THE POLITICALY CORRECT AGENDA” for the time decisions were made as to what should be included in the canon of the Bible.
People have found passages which referred to a specific kind of sin and twisted it around to use to exclude some individuals from serving God or even to participate in the worship of Almighty God.
When we choose to ignore the teachings of Christ, when we decide what God means and we judge others as outcasts and deny them the opportunity to worship Almighty God and acknowledge Jesus as the son of God and the redeemer and Savior sent by God, then we are not and we cannot claim to be serving God.
Jesus, in the stories of his everyday life, rejected no one, not even those who were to crucify him. Jesus sat and ate with those that Jewish law forbade sharing a meal with. Jesus spoke with women as equals.
If we believe that Almighty God created all things, and we believe that Jesus was the Son of God made man, then we cannot even think about acting like a god and making judgments that are the exclusive property of Almighty God. We can dislike the way another person acts, we can reject their choices as not acceptable, we have the freedom to choose not to associate with some people because they seem to be breaking the commandments of God by lying, cheating, stealing, killing, committing adultery, coveting another’s wife or property and act in an manner that is prescribed by God. But when we decide to discriminate against someone because of the sex, race or the way that they worship God. When we decide that power, money, prestige, fame, greed or sexual gratification are more important to us that living according to God’s way, we are not serving God. We need to remember what we have been instructed “But you, why do you judge your brother? Or you again, why do you regard your brother with contempt? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of God.” (Rom. 14:10) and “Do not judge lest you be judged. For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you.“ (Matthew 7:1-2) as well as “Do not speak against one another, brethren. He who speaks against a brother, or judges his brother, speaks against the law, and judges the law; but if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law, but a judge of it.” (James 4:11) . The law of God is very clear we are not the ones to judge a person because of how things appear “Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment. Our Law does not judge a man, unless it first hears from him and knows what he is doing, does it?” ( John 7:24, 51) but we should judge a person by their deeds. Do they feed the poor? Do they Clothe the Naked? Do they respect and love All of God’s creatures? Do they give shelter to the homeless? Do they give honor, glory and praise to Almighty God, his beloved son Jesus Christ ?
If a person is living a just and good life and respecting the rights and property of all God’s children and creation then we do not have a right to reject them and discredit them because God has created them in a certain way. We do not have a right to deny them the same rights and privileges as every other citizen.
The question poised at the beginning of this reflection was, Do you serve the Lord ? You do if you live in a manner prescribed by Jesus Christ and do not make judgments according to man made decisions but only by the example and teachings given us by Christ. AMEN
Do You Serve the Lord?
Joshua 24:1-18, Psalm 34:2-21, Ephesians 5:21-32, John 6:60-69
Mission Saints Sergius and Bacchus
www.missionstsergius.org
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EverlastingLoveOfChristMinistry
"Now therefore fear the LORD and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. Choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD." (Joshua 24:14-15)
Just as Joshua challenged the tribes of Israel as to whom they chose to honor and worship, we today are being given the same challenge. Do we choose to serve those human gods of Greed, power, domination, discrimination, materialism and self-effacement or do we choose to follow the way of the son of god, Jesus Christ.
Do we choose to live our lives according to the way Jesus taught by being forgiving, compassionate, kind and generous to all God’s children most especially those in need?
Throughout all of history, there has been one constant idea; it is that there is a supreme being that governs all. We find it in the histories of the ancient Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, Aztecs, Mayans, Native American Tribes, in fact every known group of people that ever lived on this earth.
The need to recognize that there is a God is one of the natural things we are created with. We seek this supreme power out and, as history has shown, generations have given that power and acknowledgement to the sun, volcano’s, under the names of Ra, Zeus, Apollo, Pele the Goddess of Fire, and hundreds of other names. When Almighty God made himself known with the words “"I am who I am. Here is what you must say to the Israelites. Tell them, 'I am has sent me to you.' " ( Exodus 3:14) we were told who we should give honor, praise and reverence to and whom we should thank for all things.
When Jesus Christ came to being in the form of a man and was transfigured God informed us clearly who Jesus was with these words; “"This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!" (Matthew 17:4-6).
God, has told us to listen to what Jesus was telling us. To listen to the words and teachings of Jesus Christ, not some mere human man, but Jesus the son of Almighty God.
When we read the teachings of Christ, we find clear concise guidelines as to how we are expected to live our lives. These are found in the Beatitudes of the Sermon on the Mount, and in the “GREAT COMMANDMENT”, "The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these." (Mark 12:29-30)
Could Christ’s teachings be any clearer, yet so many try to make this love and service to Almighty God so difficult by injecting a lot of man made things in the way. The have twisted to original writings of the ancient scriptures and the writings of the apostles and early church fathers and in some cases even rejected some of them because they did not “FIT THE POLITICALY CORRECT AGENDA” for the time decisions were made as to what should be included in the canon of the Bible.
People have found passages which referred to a specific kind of sin and twisted it around to use to exclude some individuals from serving God or even to participate in the worship of Almighty God.
When we choose to ignore the teachings of Christ, when we decide what God means and we judge others as outcasts and deny them the opportunity to worship Almighty God and acknowledge Jesus as the son of God and the redeemer and Savior sent by God, then we are not and we cannot claim to be serving God.
Jesus, in the stories of his everyday life, rejected no one, not even those who were to crucify him. Jesus sat and ate with those that Jewish law forbade sharing a meal with. Jesus spoke with women as equals.
If we believe that Almighty God created all things, and we believe that Jesus was the Son of God made man, then we cannot even think about acting like a god and making judgments that are the exclusive property of Almighty God. We can dislike the way another person acts, we can reject their choices as not acceptable, we have the freedom to choose not to associate with some people because they seem to be breaking the commandments of God by lying, cheating, stealing, killing, committing adultery, coveting another’s wife or property and act in an manner that is prescribed by God. But when we decide to discriminate against someone because of the sex, race or the way that they worship God. When we decide that power, money, prestige, fame, greed or sexual gratification are more important to us that living according to God’s way, we are not serving God. We need to remember what we have been instructed “But you, why do you judge your brother? Or you again, why do you regard your brother with contempt? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of God.” (Rom. 14:10) and “Do not judge lest you be judged. For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you.“ (Matthew 7:1-2) as well as “Do not speak against one another, brethren. He who speaks against a brother, or judges his brother, speaks against the law, and judges the law; but if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law, but a judge of it.” (James 4:11) . The law of God is very clear we are not the ones to judge a person because of how things appear “Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment. Our Law does not judge a man, unless it first hears from him and knows what he is doing, does it?” ( John 7:24, 51) but we should judge a person by their deeds. Do they feed the poor? Do they Clothe the Naked? Do they respect and love All of God’s creatures? Do they give shelter to the homeless? Do they give honor, glory and praise to Almighty God, his beloved son Jesus Christ ?
If a person is living a just and good life and respecting the rights and property of all God’s children and creation then we do not have a right to reject them and discredit them because God has created them in a certain way. We do not have a right to deny them the same rights and privileges as every other citizen.
The question poised at the beginning of this reflection was, Do you serve the Lord ? You do if you live in a manner prescribed by Jesus Christ and do not make judgments according to man made decisions but only by the example and teachings given us by Christ. AMEN
Wednesday, August 23, 2006
Thanking Our Military Personel
Please consider using the link in this message to send a greeting of thanks to our service men and women around the globe.
How AMAZING it would be if we could get everyone we know to send one. If you go to the web site at www.letssaythanks.com you can pick out a thank you card and the Xerox Corporation will print it and it will be sent to a soldier that is currently serving in Iraq. You can’t pick out who gets it, but it will go to some member of the armed services. It is FREE and it only takes a second. Wouldn't it be wonderful if the soldiers received a bunch of these?
How AMAZING it would be if we could get everyone we know to send one. If you go to the web site at www.letssaythanks.com you can pick out a thank you card and the Xerox Corporation will print it and it will be sent to a soldier that is currently serving in Iraq. You can’t pick out who gets it, but it will go to some member of the armed services. It is FREE and it only takes a second. Wouldn't it be wonderful if the soldiers received a bunch of these?
Saturday, August 19, 2006
History of True Christianity
History of Being Truly Catholic
Nearly two thousand years ago, Our Lord Jesus Christ was born on the earth and began to teach a small group of followers about the God that had created the universe and had specifically guided the Israelite people for the nearly two thousand years previous thereto. While Jesus was preaching to the leaders among the Jewish religion, they came to understand that He was claiming to be the Divine Voice that spoke to the Prophet Moses from the burning bush on Mount Sinai. Alarmed by this thought, they first sought to stone Jesus and later they succeeded in gaining the consent of the Roman governor to have Roman soldiers crucify Jesus for the perceived offense of blasphemy. Despite the initial success of the Jewish leaders, Jesus' resurrection three days later caused many Jews and Greeks at that time to become followers of the small group of apostles that Jesus had taught both before and after His Resurrection. This enlarged following of Jesus was called the Church, and within three years was referred to as the Christian Church.
For the nearly 300 years that followed, the members of this Church remained together under the guidance of bishops that had been appointed by the first apostles and their immediate successors, but they had to keep their worship of God hidden from the Roman authorities, praying in secret in the catacomb tombs of major cities, and, when they were occasionally discovered by the state authorities, the public acknowledgment of their faith in Jesus invariably resulted in their death as martyrs for Christianity. When finally the Roman Emperor Constantine decided to abandon the official Roman pagan religion and become a Christian, he ordered an end to the persecution of the members of the Christian Church. This new era of peace allowed Christians to worship openly without fear of persecution, and also enabled Christians throughout the world to exchange their ideas and understandings concerning the teachings that Jesus had given to His apostles.
Within just a few years it became apparent that Christians were divided into two separate groups, one believing that Jesus was indeed the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob that spoke to Moses, and the other group believing that Jesus was not God, but rather, was created by God as the leading angel or spirit in God's creation. The former group, wishing to emphasize that they accepted the full Christian Faith and tradition, began to refer to themselves by the Greek word Catholic (katholikos), that means ``according to the wholeness.'' The other group called themselves Arians, after their leading teacher, the priest Arius, who taught that Jesus was not God. For the next two hundred years that followed, the Catholic Church and the Arian Church vigorously opposed each other's teaching, until finally nearly all Arian Christians came to accept that Jesus was God, and then became members of the Catholic Church. For many years, the Church was at peace, and the full Catholic teaching continued to be acknowledged in the way that Christians prayed around the world.
Around the year 1000, however, Christians suddenly became divided by an extraordinary assertion by one of the bishops, the Pope of Rome, that he was entrusted by God with all power on earth, both concerning matters of religion as well as all matters of the state government. This rather strange mixture of religion and politics was seen to be quite foreign to the original teachings of Jesus by most of the bishops of the Catholic Church at that time, and, therefore, many prominent bishops, such as the Patriarchs of Jerusalem, Antioch, and Constantinople, together with the Pope of Alexandria, charged the Pope of Rome with abandoning the ``wholeness'' of the Catholic Faith, and began to refer to their Churches as the Orthodox Catholic Church, while the Roman Pope referred to his some-what changed ``Catholic'' Churches as the ``Roman'' Catholic Church. For nearly a thousand years now, the Orthodox Catholic Church, often referred to merely as the Orthodox Church, has continued to teach the original unchanged Catholic teachings taught by Jesus to His apostles. In many lands this teaching was persecuted, but it remained the prevailing Christian teaching in the Holy Land, ¦in Syria, and in Greece where the first Christians had taught the Faith that Jesus gave them. Many Christians of Slavic descent, such as those from Ukrainia, Russia, Serbia, and Bulgaria likewise remained faithful to the original Catholic teachings of the Orthodox Church, which is still today the oldest and second largest single grouping of Christians in the world..
About one hundred years ago, when the Roman Pope demanded of those that followed him the further embellished teaching that he was infallible, some of his followers realized the extent of his deviation from original Catholic Christianity, and petitioned the Patriarchs of the Orthodox Church to allow their churches to return to true Catholicism (i.e., Christian wholeness). They also requested that they be allowed to keep the customs and rituals that had been practiced by their Catholic forefathers in times before the Roman Pope separated himself from the Orthodox Church. Permission for this was first granted in 1911, and since that time churches in America, Italy, France, Great Britain, and Yugoslavia have returned to the fullness of the practice of the ancient Catholic Church. Another event has happened somewhat more recently within the Roman Catholic Church to cause some of its followers to question whether or nor their Church had remained truly Catholic. This event was called the Second Vatican Council. While not fully understood at first, the type of changes mandated by this council in 1965 left many Roman Catholics wondering what had happened to their "Catholic'' Faith. The ancient Mass, with its sense of seeking the Holiness of God with its congregation present, had been almost completely lost, and the deep reverence that everyone was inclined to display before the Holy Altar had been replaced with a town-meeting atmosphere.
The Bishops of the Orthodox Church have long hoped that a time would come when Roman Catholics might realize the extent of the departure that their Church has taken from the Catholic Faith, and that it was important not merely to call one's Church ``Catholic,'' but also to practice the Catholic Faith in a manner that remains truly Orthodox in belief and practice. To assist in the return of those who wish to practice this Ancient Catholic Faith, they proceeded to set up a special group of Bishops in 1984 called the Autonomous Metropolitan Orthodox Church of Milan and Aquileia, Western Europe and the Americas. In 1994, this Autonomous Metropolitan Orthodox Church of Western Europe and the Americas had its autonomy further recognized by the Ukrainian Orthodox Patriarchate of Kiev. This grouping of Bishops is especially intended to provide for the return to the fullness of the Catholic Faith for those who wish to keep the ancient Western tradition and practices of their Catholic fore-fathers, together with the Eastern tradition that is practiced throughout the rest of the Church.
Today, in Western Europe, Canada, the Caribbean, and the United States there are available for those who wish to worship according to the fullness of the ancient Catholic belief and tradition, parishes of the Orthodox Church for Christian of the Western tradition. Here the ancient Mass is celebrated just as it had been before the departure of the Roman Pope from the Church's ancient teachings in english. Here the All-Holy Mother of God, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and the Saints are beseeched during the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass to intercede for both the living and the dead. Here the ancient belief that Jesus is God and one of the three Divine Persons of the Holy Trinity is cherished and preached. If you or anyone you know is interested in regaining this access to the ancient Faith as held through many centuries by those from whom they are descended, please contact the local parish or the chancery office whose address and phone number are given below. A Priest will be only too happy to explain these matters of Faith in more detail for you if you wish, and to answer any questions you may have, and to tell you the local Church where you would be welcome to regain the Faith that was once long ago given by Our Lord Jesus Christ to His Apostles. Even if you are merely curious, he will be happy to explain these matters of Faith or to relate them to your own particular religious upbringing and experience. It is important in these times that we seek after the truth that Jesus presented to us, and to keep His Teachings just as Saints throughout the centuries sought to pass on to us, a Faith that is cherished as truly Catholic and necessarily Orthodox, yet lived in the midst of the constantly changing world around us.+
Mission Saint Sergius and Bacchus is a faith community that practices the western Orthodox traditions and welcomes all who wish to live Christ's message. We invite you to visit us at www.missionstsergius.org or on our yahoo group at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EverlastingLoveOfChristMinistry
Nearly two thousand years ago, Our Lord Jesus Christ was born on the earth and began to teach a small group of followers about the God that had created the universe and had specifically guided the Israelite people for the nearly two thousand years previous thereto. While Jesus was preaching to the leaders among the Jewish religion, they came to understand that He was claiming to be the Divine Voice that spoke to the Prophet Moses from the burning bush on Mount Sinai. Alarmed by this thought, they first sought to stone Jesus and later they succeeded in gaining the consent of the Roman governor to have Roman soldiers crucify Jesus for the perceived offense of blasphemy. Despite the initial success of the Jewish leaders, Jesus' resurrection three days later caused many Jews and Greeks at that time to become followers of the small group of apostles that Jesus had taught both before and after His Resurrection. This enlarged following of Jesus was called the Church, and within three years was referred to as the Christian Church.
For the nearly 300 years that followed, the members of this Church remained together under the guidance of bishops that had been appointed by the first apostles and their immediate successors, but they had to keep their worship of God hidden from the Roman authorities, praying in secret in the catacomb tombs of major cities, and, when they were occasionally discovered by the state authorities, the public acknowledgment of their faith in Jesus invariably resulted in their death as martyrs for Christianity. When finally the Roman Emperor Constantine decided to abandon the official Roman pagan religion and become a Christian, he ordered an end to the persecution of the members of the Christian Church. This new era of peace allowed Christians to worship openly without fear of persecution, and also enabled Christians throughout the world to exchange their ideas and understandings concerning the teachings that Jesus had given to His apostles.
Within just a few years it became apparent that Christians were divided into two separate groups, one believing that Jesus was indeed the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob that spoke to Moses, and the other group believing that Jesus was not God, but rather, was created by God as the leading angel or spirit in God's creation. The former group, wishing to emphasize that they accepted the full Christian Faith and tradition, began to refer to themselves by the Greek word Catholic (katholikos), that means ``according to the wholeness.'' The other group called themselves Arians, after their leading teacher, the priest Arius, who taught that Jesus was not God. For the next two hundred years that followed, the Catholic Church and the Arian Church vigorously opposed each other's teaching, until finally nearly all Arian Christians came to accept that Jesus was God, and then became members of the Catholic Church. For many years, the Church was at peace, and the full Catholic teaching continued to be acknowledged in the way that Christians prayed around the world.
Around the year 1000, however, Christians suddenly became divided by an extraordinary assertion by one of the bishops, the Pope of Rome, that he was entrusted by God with all power on earth, both concerning matters of religion as well as all matters of the state government. This rather strange mixture of religion and politics was seen to be quite foreign to the original teachings of Jesus by most of the bishops of the Catholic Church at that time, and, therefore, many prominent bishops, such as the Patriarchs of Jerusalem, Antioch, and Constantinople, together with the Pope of Alexandria, charged the Pope of Rome with abandoning the ``wholeness'' of the Catholic Faith, and began to refer to their Churches as the Orthodox Catholic Church, while the Roman Pope referred to his some-what changed ``Catholic'' Churches as the ``Roman'' Catholic Church. For nearly a thousand years now, the Orthodox Catholic Church, often referred to merely as the Orthodox Church, has continued to teach the original unchanged Catholic teachings taught by Jesus to His apostles. In many lands this teaching was persecuted, but it remained the prevailing Christian teaching in the Holy Land, ¦in Syria, and in Greece where the first Christians had taught the Faith that Jesus gave them. Many Christians of Slavic descent, such as those from Ukrainia, Russia, Serbia, and Bulgaria likewise remained faithful to the original Catholic teachings of the Orthodox Church, which is still today the oldest and second largest single grouping of Christians in the world..
About one hundred years ago, when the Roman Pope demanded of those that followed him the further embellished teaching that he was infallible, some of his followers realized the extent of his deviation from original Catholic Christianity, and petitioned the Patriarchs of the Orthodox Church to allow their churches to return to true Catholicism (i.e., Christian wholeness). They also requested that they be allowed to keep the customs and rituals that had been practiced by their Catholic forefathers in times before the Roman Pope separated himself from the Orthodox Church. Permission for this was first granted in 1911, and since that time churches in America, Italy, France, Great Britain, and Yugoslavia have returned to the fullness of the practice of the ancient Catholic Church. Another event has happened somewhat more recently within the Roman Catholic Church to cause some of its followers to question whether or nor their Church had remained truly Catholic. This event was called the Second Vatican Council. While not fully understood at first, the type of changes mandated by this council in 1965 left many Roman Catholics wondering what had happened to their "Catholic'' Faith. The ancient Mass, with its sense of seeking the Holiness of God with its congregation present, had been almost completely lost, and the deep reverence that everyone was inclined to display before the Holy Altar had been replaced with a town-meeting atmosphere.
The Bishops of the Orthodox Church have long hoped that a time would come when Roman Catholics might realize the extent of the departure that their Church has taken from the Catholic Faith, and that it was important not merely to call one's Church ``Catholic,'' but also to practice the Catholic Faith in a manner that remains truly Orthodox in belief and practice. To assist in the return of those who wish to practice this Ancient Catholic Faith, they proceeded to set up a special group of Bishops in 1984 called the Autonomous Metropolitan Orthodox Church of Milan and Aquileia, Western Europe and the Americas. In 1994, this Autonomous Metropolitan Orthodox Church of Western Europe and the Americas had its autonomy further recognized by the Ukrainian Orthodox Patriarchate of Kiev. This grouping of Bishops is especially intended to provide for the return to the fullness of the Catholic Faith for those who wish to keep the ancient Western tradition and practices of their Catholic fore-fathers, together with the Eastern tradition that is practiced throughout the rest of the Church.
Today, in Western Europe, Canada, the Caribbean, and the United States there are available for those who wish to worship according to the fullness of the ancient Catholic belief and tradition, parishes of the Orthodox Church for Christian of the Western tradition. Here the ancient Mass is celebrated just as it had been before the departure of the Roman Pope from the Church's ancient teachings in english. Here the All-Holy Mother of God, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and the Saints are beseeched during the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass to intercede for both the living and the dead. Here the ancient belief that Jesus is God and one of the three Divine Persons of the Holy Trinity is cherished and preached. If you or anyone you know is interested in regaining this access to the ancient Faith as held through many centuries by those from whom they are descended, please contact the local parish or the chancery office whose address and phone number are given below. A Priest will be only too happy to explain these matters of Faith in more detail for you if you wish, and to answer any questions you may have, and to tell you the local Church where you would be welcome to regain the Faith that was once long ago given by Our Lord Jesus Christ to His Apostles. Even if you are merely curious, he will be happy to explain these matters of Faith or to relate them to your own particular religious upbringing and experience. It is important in these times that we seek after the truth that Jesus presented to us, and to keep His Teachings just as Saints throughout the centuries sought to pass on to us, a Faith that is cherished as truly Catholic and necessarily Orthodox, yet lived in the midst of the constantly changing world around us.+
Mission Saint Sergius and Bacchus is a faith community that practices the western Orthodox traditions and welcomes all who wish to live Christ's message. We invite you to visit us at www.missionstsergius.org or on our yahoo group at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EverlastingLoveOfChristMinistry
August 20th Readings Reflection
August 20th Reflection
Proverbs 9:1-6, Psalm 34:2-7, Ephesians 5:15-20, John 6:51-58
Mission Saints Sergius and Bacchus
www.missionstsergius.org
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EverlastingLoveOfChristMinistry
The gospel reading for this Sunday is a continuation of Last week theme, the promise of Christ that frequent participation in the Eucharist assures closeness with Christ. “I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world. I will raise him on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my bloodremains in me and I in him. Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me.” The first reading from the book of Wisdom should cause us to think how even in the Old Testament the concept of Bread and wine being “Life Giving and Sustaining” was known. It is said that many people were able to live for months with nothing else to eat but bread and wine. Is it any wonder then that Christ chose those fruits of the earth to become His body and blood for us to partake of? The book of Wisdom proclaims, “To the one who lacks understanding, wisdom says, come, eat of my food, and drink of the wine I have mixed! Forsake foolishness that you may live; advance in the way of understanding.”I cannot stress the importance of frequent partaking of the Eucharist, as I commented in last weeks reflection, the Eucharist is like God’s vitamin and energy boost. It gives us greater strength to resist all the temptations that plague us every day. The Eucharist coupled with daily prayer and commitment to serving Almighty God keep us headed on the path to Everlasting Salvation with Christ and the Heavenly Elect.
Today’s Psalm affirms that concept; “I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise shall be ever in my mouth. Glorify the LORD with me; let us together extol his name. I sought the LORD, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears. When the poor one called out, the LORD heard, and from all his distress he saved him.”Paul’s letter to the Ephesians is an exhortation to us and an excellent guide as to how we should live our lives on a daily basis. “Brothers and sisters: Watch carefully how you live, do not be like foolish persons but as wise, making the most of every opportunity to do good, because the days are evil. Do not continue in ignorance, but try to understand what is the will of the Lord. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit,addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and playing to the Lord in your hearts, giving thanks always and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God the Father.”
The exhortation in short is advising us to be careful of partaking in excess of things, that in moderation are good and given us by God to be used for good, but which can lead to a separation from God and cause us to engage in activities that can cause harm to ourselves and to others. The reading refers specifically to getting drunk on wine but the advice also applies to drugs, sex, even work. When we put anything before serving God, we endanger ourselves and our salvation.
I am reminded of the old adage “All work and no play make people very dull persons”. It is also proven harmful to ones health.
In everything we do we need to act moderately, keep all things in balance. Today this is a real challenge because of all the outside pressures placed upon us. If we allow ourselves to overindulge in anything, especially things that make a healthy relationship with God impossible, by diverting our attention to material things we fall prey to the Evil one and jeopardize our relationship with Almighty God.
It is for this very reason that we need to be very focused on making sure that we keep ourselves strengthened and rejuvenated in order to resist the pressures that beset us. We need to place our faith and trust in God that He will provide us with all the basics we need. We can achieve this by making sure that we partake of that food of life given to us by Christ, the Eucharist, and give God some time out of our daily life by offering prayers of thanksgiving for the gifts He has given us and petition Him for our needs.
In short, God must be the center of our personal and family life. As Bishop Fulton J. Sheehan used to say; “The Family that prays together, stays together” Amen
Rev. Robert Johnnene OFA
Proverbs 9:1-6, Psalm 34:2-7, Ephesians 5:15-20, John 6:51-58
Mission Saints Sergius and Bacchus
www.missionstsergius.org
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EverlastingLoveOfChristMinistry
The gospel reading for this Sunday is a continuation of Last week theme, the promise of Christ that frequent participation in the Eucharist assures closeness with Christ. “I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world. I will raise him on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my bloodremains in me and I in him. Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me.” The first reading from the book of Wisdom should cause us to think how even in the Old Testament the concept of Bread and wine being “Life Giving and Sustaining” was known. It is said that many people were able to live for months with nothing else to eat but bread and wine. Is it any wonder then that Christ chose those fruits of the earth to become His body and blood for us to partake of? The book of Wisdom proclaims, “To the one who lacks understanding, wisdom says, come, eat of my food, and drink of the wine I have mixed! Forsake foolishness that you may live; advance in the way of understanding.”I cannot stress the importance of frequent partaking of the Eucharist, as I commented in last weeks reflection, the Eucharist is like God’s vitamin and energy boost. It gives us greater strength to resist all the temptations that plague us every day. The Eucharist coupled with daily prayer and commitment to serving Almighty God keep us headed on the path to Everlasting Salvation with Christ and the Heavenly Elect.
Today’s Psalm affirms that concept; “I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise shall be ever in my mouth. Glorify the LORD with me; let us together extol his name. I sought the LORD, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears. When the poor one called out, the LORD heard, and from all his distress he saved him.”Paul’s letter to the Ephesians is an exhortation to us and an excellent guide as to how we should live our lives on a daily basis. “Brothers and sisters: Watch carefully how you live, do not be like foolish persons but as wise, making the most of every opportunity to do good, because the days are evil. Do not continue in ignorance, but try to understand what is the will of the Lord. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit,addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and playing to the Lord in your hearts, giving thanks always and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God the Father.”
The exhortation in short is advising us to be careful of partaking in excess of things, that in moderation are good and given us by God to be used for good, but which can lead to a separation from God and cause us to engage in activities that can cause harm to ourselves and to others. The reading refers specifically to getting drunk on wine but the advice also applies to drugs, sex, even work. When we put anything before serving God, we endanger ourselves and our salvation.
I am reminded of the old adage “All work and no play make people very dull persons”. It is also proven harmful to ones health.
In everything we do we need to act moderately, keep all things in balance. Today this is a real challenge because of all the outside pressures placed upon us. If we allow ourselves to overindulge in anything, especially things that make a healthy relationship with God impossible, by diverting our attention to material things we fall prey to the Evil one and jeopardize our relationship with Almighty God.
It is for this very reason that we need to be very focused on making sure that we keep ourselves strengthened and rejuvenated in order to resist the pressures that beset us. We need to place our faith and trust in God that He will provide us with all the basics we need. We can achieve this by making sure that we partake of that food of life given to us by Christ, the Eucharist, and give God some time out of our daily life by offering prayers of thanksgiving for the gifts He has given us and petition Him for our needs.
In short, God must be the center of our personal and family life. As Bishop Fulton J. Sheehan used to say; “The Family that prays together, stays together” Amen
Rev. Robert Johnnene OFA
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
The Goodness of God
The Goodness Of God Is Unending
A Reflection On God’s Gifts To Me On The Anniversary Of My Ordination
By Rev. Robert Johnnene OFA
Mission Saints Sergius and Bacchus
www.missionstsergius.org
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EverlastingLoveOfChristMinistry
I thank all who have included me in their prayers on my anniversary and for all the affirming messages I have received from so many. It is heart warming and uplifting to know that your humble attempt to serve Almighty God is being received and making a difference. Your prayers give me sustenance and courage to do my best in the service of God by proclaiming His mercy and love for all people and His desire for them to come home to Him by actively participating in the One Holy Catholic Apostolic Church and claiming their place in the Mystical Body of Christ.
This past weekend has been filled with numerous gifts from God some amazing, others very subtle and still others, the little things we in our busy day to day lives often overlook.
I had made plans to visit the Abbey at Weston Vermont for a weekend retreat in preparation of celebrating my first anniversary as a priest and to ask God’s help and guidance for the coming year. The abbey is the place where God directed me to the icon of Saints Sergius and Bacchus, who I had never heard of before finding it there, even though I have worked and ministered in the church for more than 30 years and thought I knew most saints.
The weekend started off with beautiful cooler weather which made the trip through the country roads most enjoyable. No need for air-conditioning. The country villages glistened with the sunshine bouncing off the various shades of green of the foliage and the white washed steeples of the traditional New England church steeples. Our hostess, as usual, was most gracious and we began the weekend with prayers, a liturgy and then broke bread. The following day began with my celebrating a liturgy in my host’s home as she is legally blind and has arthritis which would prevent her from traveling to the monastery. I then blessed her home and the grounds as well as her sweet friendly four legged companion. We then drove to the peace and quiet of the Benedictine Abbey for contemplation, prayers and a spiritually uplifting and Holy Spirit filled Eucharistic liturgy. It was during some of the quiet times of reflection that I had the opportunity to interact with a newly professed brother of another order, to discover that we lived close to each other, and we planned to come together for prayer regularly. I also was approached by a couple requesting I bless some Rosary Beads they planned to bring to a sick friend. As it turned out they were next door neighbors of a very dear friend in the Berkshires. The liturgy as usual was a wonderful spiritual moment where you felt the everlasting love of God filling the simple chapel.
We traveled back to our hosts home, a 26 acre farm located overlooking the Connecticut river.
With her son and a groundskeeper we shared a wonderful meal and the day ended with evening prayers. The following morning, Sunday, we left for the Abbey and Sunday Liturgy followed a time of reflection and then headed of to the Vermont Country Store to pick up a few things that can only be found there. Back at the hosts home we shared another wonderful dinner and friendly conversation ending with evening prayers. The next day, Monday, was spent walking the grounds and taking in the splendor of Gods gifts, the peach orchard, the gardens of flowers, blueberries, vegetables and all the little creatures of God that inhabit the grounds. I felt like St. Francis as birds came up to eat of the sunflowers and the chipmunks scuttled about while a deer roamed through the trees and wild turkeys gobbled in the grasses while the golden sun provided a comfortable warmth. After another home liturgy it was back to the Abbey for the liturgy in honor of the Assumption of our Blessed Mother.
Just as people were gathering for the liturgy, a woman and her husband, I know it was her husband because of the amazing circumstances, was wheeled into a place near the altar in a wheel chair. I remarked how much she looked like my cousin who has MS. Miracle of Miracles, that is exactly who it was. What a blessing to celebrate the liturgy of the Assumption and the liturgy that coincides with my anniversary of ordination with a family member. She and her husband were there for a weeks retreat before she goes back to her classroom and the wonderful 3rd graders she teaches. God’s love keeps her going even though she has this debilitating disease. She is truly an inspiration to all who know her and I am blessed to have her as a cousin.
I also had the joy of meeting and sharing with members of other religious orders who were also celebrating their ordinations or entrance into religious life. Back at our hostesses home we enjoyed a meal of trout and a ratatouille mad with an assortment of garden vegetables ending the day with evening prayers. Tuesday morning began with the usual Liturgy of the hours followed by a liturgy at our friends home and a breakfast that included apple cider donuts, a New England delicacy. I must say I hated to leave to go home since I find the area to exude God’s goodness and peace. On the way home we gathered some farm fresh vegetables and a strawberry/ rhubarb pie to bring home and keep the memory alive for a bit longer.
I strongly recommend a visit to the Abby if you are ever in the New England area. You will leave changed, you will most definitely feel a closeness to Almighty God and you will be refreshed.
The Weston Priory is located in Weston Vermont off route 100.
The monks produce some of the most beautiful and spiritually uplifting music for use in times of meditation, prayer gatherings, and liturgies. They also have religious items that they craft themselves or from their mission in Latin America.
God has renewed my spirit and my determination to work as diligently as possible in service to Him by proclaiming His everlasting and unlimited goodness, compassion, mercy and love for all of His children with no exceptions.
My prayers are for all to come to the recognition of God’s love for them and pray that the message I am attempting to send in my feeble way continues to reach those who need to hear it. I can only do this with your prayers. I do hope that, if you feel this message is worth hearing you will direct others, especially those you feel might need to have this affirmation, to our ministry.
May God Bless You All.
A simple humble servant of Our Lord Jesus Christ,
Fr. Bob
A Reflection On God’s Gifts To Me On The Anniversary Of My Ordination
By Rev. Robert Johnnene OFA
Mission Saints Sergius and Bacchus
www.missionstsergius.org
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EverlastingLoveOfChristMinistry
I thank all who have included me in their prayers on my anniversary and for all the affirming messages I have received from so many. It is heart warming and uplifting to know that your humble attempt to serve Almighty God is being received and making a difference. Your prayers give me sustenance and courage to do my best in the service of God by proclaiming His mercy and love for all people and His desire for them to come home to Him by actively participating in the One Holy Catholic Apostolic Church and claiming their place in the Mystical Body of Christ.
This past weekend has been filled with numerous gifts from God some amazing, others very subtle and still others, the little things we in our busy day to day lives often overlook.
I had made plans to visit the Abbey at Weston Vermont for a weekend retreat in preparation of celebrating my first anniversary as a priest and to ask God’s help and guidance for the coming year. The abbey is the place where God directed me to the icon of Saints Sergius and Bacchus, who I had never heard of before finding it there, even though I have worked and ministered in the church for more than 30 years and thought I knew most saints.
The weekend started off with beautiful cooler weather which made the trip through the country roads most enjoyable. No need for air-conditioning. The country villages glistened with the sunshine bouncing off the various shades of green of the foliage and the white washed steeples of the traditional New England church steeples. Our hostess, as usual, was most gracious and we began the weekend with prayers, a liturgy and then broke bread. The following day began with my celebrating a liturgy in my host’s home as she is legally blind and has arthritis which would prevent her from traveling to the monastery. I then blessed her home and the grounds as well as her sweet friendly four legged companion. We then drove to the peace and quiet of the Benedictine Abbey for contemplation, prayers and a spiritually uplifting and Holy Spirit filled Eucharistic liturgy. It was during some of the quiet times of reflection that I had the opportunity to interact with a newly professed brother of another order, to discover that we lived close to each other, and we planned to come together for prayer regularly. I also was approached by a couple requesting I bless some Rosary Beads they planned to bring to a sick friend. As it turned out they were next door neighbors of a very dear friend in the Berkshires. The liturgy as usual was a wonderful spiritual moment where you felt the everlasting love of God filling the simple chapel.
We traveled back to our hosts home, a 26 acre farm located overlooking the Connecticut river.
With her son and a groundskeeper we shared a wonderful meal and the day ended with evening prayers. The following morning, Sunday, we left for the Abbey and Sunday Liturgy followed a time of reflection and then headed of to the Vermont Country Store to pick up a few things that can only be found there. Back at the hosts home we shared another wonderful dinner and friendly conversation ending with evening prayers. The next day, Monday, was spent walking the grounds and taking in the splendor of Gods gifts, the peach orchard, the gardens of flowers, blueberries, vegetables and all the little creatures of God that inhabit the grounds. I felt like St. Francis as birds came up to eat of the sunflowers and the chipmunks scuttled about while a deer roamed through the trees and wild turkeys gobbled in the grasses while the golden sun provided a comfortable warmth. After another home liturgy it was back to the Abbey for the liturgy in honor of the Assumption of our Blessed Mother.
Just as people were gathering for the liturgy, a woman and her husband, I know it was her husband because of the amazing circumstances, was wheeled into a place near the altar in a wheel chair. I remarked how much she looked like my cousin who has MS. Miracle of Miracles, that is exactly who it was. What a blessing to celebrate the liturgy of the Assumption and the liturgy that coincides with my anniversary of ordination with a family member. She and her husband were there for a weeks retreat before she goes back to her classroom and the wonderful 3rd graders she teaches. God’s love keeps her going even though she has this debilitating disease. She is truly an inspiration to all who know her and I am blessed to have her as a cousin.
I also had the joy of meeting and sharing with members of other religious orders who were also celebrating their ordinations or entrance into religious life. Back at our hostesses home we enjoyed a meal of trout and a ratatouille mad with an assortment of garden vegetables ending the day with evening prayers. Tuesday morning began with the usual Liturgy of the hours followed by a liturgy at our friends home and a breakfast that included apple cider donuts, a New England delicacy. I must say I hated to leave to go home since I find the area to exude God’s goodness and peace. On the way home we gathered some farm fresh vegetables and a strawberry/ rhubarb pie to bring home and keep the memory alive for a bit longer.
I strongly recommend a visit to the Abby if you are ever in the New England area. You will leave changed, you will most definitely feel a closeness to Almighty God and you will be refreshed.
The Weston Priory is located in Weston Vermont off route 100.
The monks produce some of the most beautiful and spiritually uplifting music for use in times of meditation, prayer gatherings, and liturgies. They also have religious items that they craft themselves or from their mission in Latin America.
God has renewed my spirit and my determination to work as diligently as possible in service to Him by proclaiming His everlasting and unlimited goodness, compassion, mercy and love for all of His children with no exceptions.
My prayers are for all to come to the recognition of God’s love for them and pray that the message I am attempting to send in my feeble way continues to reach those who need to hear it. I can only do this with your prayers. I do hope that, if you feel this message is worth hearing you will direct others, especially those you feel might need to have this affirmation, to our ministry.
May God Bless You All.
A simple humble servant of Our Lord Jesus Christ,
Fr. Bob
Friday, August 11, 2006
August 13th Reflection
I Am the Bread of Life
Reflection for August 13, 2005
Readings: 1 Kings 19:4-8; Psalm 34:2-9; Ephesians 4:30-5:2; John 6:41-51
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EverlastingLoveOfChristMinistry
On Tuesday, I will be celebrating the first anniversary of my ordination which gave me the very special gift to consecrate the bread and wine into the body and blood of Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. This honor from God, of being among the few chosen ones to carry on the instruction to the apostles “As often as you do this you do so in commemoration of me” is both humbling and awe-inspiring.
Because this gift means so much to me I have chosen today, to reflect on that reading from the scripture readings for Sunday, to enumerate on just how special the Eucharist is for sustaining us in our relationship with God and the need for us to avail ourselves of every opportunity to partake of it.
Christ, Himself has said; “I myself am the bread of life, no one who come to me shall ever be hungry” The bread of life is the Eucharist, given to us by Jesus Christ at the Last supper when Christ celebrated the Passover Feast with His apostles. Christ took the bread and with His eyes raised up to heaven blessed it saying, “Blessed are you, Lord God of all creation. Through your goodness, we have this bread to offer which earth has given and human hands have made, it will become for us our bread of life. Blessed be God forever” then He took the cup of wine blessed it saying; “Blessed are Lord God of all creation. Through your goodness, we have this wine to offer, fruit of the vine and the work of human hands. It will become our spiritual drink. Blessed be God forever”
Christ then tells us “This is my Body, This is my Blood, take and eat” If we accept that Christ came to give us a new covenant other than that which God had given to Moses. What better day, than the celebration of the Passing over of the angel of death and the covenant made at the time to Moses, to make know the new covenant.
Today’s gospel continues the story of Christ’s visit to the temple in Capernaum where Jesus had just told the apostles and the crowd “You should not be working for perishable food but for food that remains until life eternal, Food which the Son of Man will give you, it is on Him that God the Father has set His seal”. When asked “What must we do to perform the works of God?” Jesus answered “This is the work of God, have faith in the one He has sent”.
Have faith, in other words believe that Jesus is the Christ, the son of God made man, who came among us to give us the way to gain eternal glory with God. “I myself am the bread of life, no one who come to me shall ever be hungry”. Jesus went on and tells the crowd that even though they have seen all He had done, they still did not believe. Unfortunately, today so many of us still question and have doubts. There are even some who say that This is all a myth conjured up by individuals to achieve power and wealth. Some even claim that there is no God at all. Then, as now, people murmur and say the same things as those recorded in today’s gospel, “HOW CAN HE CLAIM TO HAVE COME DOWN FROM HEAVEN”. To even allow this thought to enter your mind let alone express it indicates that you do not believe that all things are possible with God.
“I am the Living Bread which comes down from heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he will live for ever; and the bread which I shall give for the life of the world is my flesh” (John 6:51) This gift of the Eucharist which Jesus left us is perhaps the most precious gift we could ever have. It is sad that so many choose not to partake of the gift at every opportunity. Christ has promised us “Let me firmly assure you, whoever believes has eternal life”
By participating in the liturgical celebration of the Eucharist we are given that extra boost to be able to ward off the forces of evil that surround us. The Eucharist is like a vitamin from God, which strengthens our defenses and brings us closer to God. Everyone who believes in God and Jesus Christ as the son of God should be able to partake of this God given gift to us.
To deny someone this gift, not because they have committed a grievous sin, but because they have been divorced from an individual who was abusive or a philanderer or because they were created by God with a sexual orientation toward a member of the same sex, is wrong. If anything, these individuals need that extra boost to find God in their hearts and to live a life that is pleasing to Him.
It saddens me that I, at this time, am limited in how many I can share the bread of life with because of not having a permanent chapel or place of worship. But I a humbled to have been chosen as someone who is able to consecrate the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Our Lord, THE BREAD OF LIFE.
I urge all to take advantage of this life-giving gift and to partake of it at every opportunity. It is a very precious gift and one that we should not waist. In these very chaotic times, we need to turn to Almighty God for strength to endure them and to partake of all the channels available to us.
Prayer alone is not enough; we need to live our faith by our actions and fully participate in all the opportunities to strengthen that faith. The Eucharist will give us the endurance to carry on until we are called home to the promise “Let me firmly assure you, whoever believes has eternal life”
AMEN
Rev. Robert Johnnene OFA
Mission Saints Sergius and Bacchus
www.missionstsergius.org
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EverlastingLoveOfChristMinistry
Wednesday, August 09, 2006
Anniversary of Ordination
Reflection on One-Year Anniversary of Ordination
By Rev. Robert Johnnene OFA
Mission Saints Sergius and Bacchus
www.Missionstsergius.org
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EverlastingLoveOfChristMinistry
On the eve of the first anniversary of my ordination as a priest, August 15th, I thought I might reflect back on the past year and on what my feelings are on the blessed opportunity and challenge Almighty God has bestowed upon me.
“Your are a priest forever like Melchizedek of Old”, with these words a person goes from being a simple follower of Jesus Christ to an individual whose live is now dedicated completely to serve God. As His servant you have the awesome responsibility of shepherding all God’s children. As a priest you become the hands, feet, mouth, heart and human voice of Almighty God here on earth. You need to be there to give solace and comfort to those in pain. You need to remember to always affirm God’s love, mercy and forgiveness to all His children. You are called to be uplifting and positive toward all even when you yourself do not feel that good. These responsibilities are not to be limited to just those who are a part of the Faith Community you have been called to serve but to every child of God that you encounter as you go about your daily life. You need to stop thinking about yourself and your desires and focus on the needs of the children of God all over the globe, especially those who feel unwanted, rejected or that are in pain in their hearts or in need of comfort and affirmation.
In a world that appears to be increasingly more self centered and absorbed in the material things of life, less interested in the needs of others. In a world that uses violence to settle disputes and differences instead of common sense, it is deeply disturbing and the challenges seem to overwhelm you.
I have to admit that my heart becomes heavy when I see and hear children of God being turned away from participating in giving God glory and praise with a faith community and being denied God’s gift to us of His body and blood, the bread of life, in the Eucharist because they are divorced or have been created by Almighty God with a same sex orientation.
Sadness fills me when I see dedicated men and women being denied the opportunity to serve God because they are married, or worse still, just because their gender is female.
The priest becomes the human instrument through which Almighty God transforms the simple bread and wine offered by the faithful into the body and blood of Jesus Christ. God does the transubstantiation the priest is the conduit. Why should a person who is dedicated and has the necessary education and training and hears God calling them to serve Him, be refused service to God because of their marital state or sexual orientation just as long as they are willing to live their life in a way that would not dishonor Almighty God. Some who have been allowed to accept the call to the priesthood and some of the hierarchy have forgotten their duty and responsibility to God and have done some serious damage. Many good priests have been hurt by their actions and even more of God’s children have become disillusioned because of what was allowed to happen.
A priest’s first and primary duty and responsibility is to serve God and His children, as servant of the Lord here on earth. By accepting that responsibility we need to put ourselves last before the needs of God’s flock we have been given stewardship of.
All the titles and wealth of the world cannot raise a person any higher in the eyes of God than being a good and faithful humble servant as a priest. We need to care for God‘s people as Christ would have cared for them. At times this can become overwhelming especially when you are handicapped by the resources you have. So much is needed, to do all that is necessary, and I myself find it difficult to solicit funding but rather choose to put my faith in God that He will provide what is needed when it is needed.
I find it strange, when God has chosen to communicate with us here on earth either as himself or in the person of our Blessed mother, that He rarely makes himself known to the ones with titles and in positions of power. Rather He chooses the simple individual, usually among the poorest of His Children, who truly believe and love Him deeply and who have put their faith in Him.
St. Francis was a soldier, St. Joan a simple maiden, Juan Diego a peasant Indian, Padre Pio a simple priest, St. Bernadette a simple school girl. None of these were among the hierarchy. When they went to those in charge telling them what God directed them to do, they were ridiculed, scorned, persecuted and even in some cases put to death.
Why is it that God did not go directly to those in the hierarchy? Could it be that they, with their lofty titles and grandiose life styles have lost sight of God’s original intent? Could it be that they chose to use their positions of power to decipher the word of God to suite their own self interests?
I have pondered this often and I am beginning to believe that this is the case.
To have been called by God to be a priest is a tremendous and overwhelming responsibility which I pray daily I am able to live up to. I am sure that God has called me for a special mission at this late stage of my life. I find His choice of me to be surprising and heady, filled with many roadblocks but I willing to accept His call knowing that if it is His will, He would give me the necessary things to do the task.
This first year has been a most humbling experience. Some of my family and friends and neighbors have become less responsive toward me and a few have even rejected me because I do not tow the accepted rules they believe are from God but actually man made and have nothing to do with the teachings of Christ. At other times the experience has been spiritually uplifting and humbling to know you might have made a tiny difference when you receive notes of thanks for “being there in my time of crisis” and you receive an email that says “Because of your reflections and affirming statement I have gone back to church after many years away”
I am constantly asking Almighty God to inspire me and guide my every action so that I may only bring honor and Glory to Him. I pray constantly that I can make a difference in the lives of those who come to me and bring them into a closer relationship with Almighty God. That is my only desire and prayer.
I recently said in one of my reflections that we have to give ourselves over completely to the will of God subverting our own personal desires and putting our total lives in God’s hands. I believe that this is the only way that we can honestly and fully serve God. Even Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane cried out "Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done.". In this simple plea, Jesus showed us that we should give ourselves over totally to Almighty God and be willing to accept all that he calls us to do in His name even when it is not what you would want to do.
When I was called to be a priest, after many years of desiring to be so called, and believing deep in my heart I was being called, but after being denied so many times because I had been married or because I was too old I began to think it was not God’s will. When, at age 71, I received the acceptance into the Franciscans and was informed that after checking all my credentials and references I would be accepted not as a deacon which I had been ordained as in 1980 but that I would be ordained as a priest. I accepted the call with the full knowledge that my life, as I had lived it and known, was over and I was to begin a new life, whose only purpose was to serve God with complete and total being.
I ask God to constantly lead me to where He wants me to go. I pray he will give me the strength, health, wisdom, means and courage to accept all that I need to do.
During this weekend while I am visiting the Benedictine Monastery in Weston Vermont, implore each of you to pray for the ministry and me that God will provide me with the tools necessary to reach out to all those for whom this ministry is intended to reach and guide me by the gifts of The Holy Spirit to always know His will and to accept and do His will for as long as He chooses to allow me to be His humble and simple servant. AMEN
Rev. Robert Johnnene OFA
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EverlastingLoveOfChristMinistry
www.missionstsergius.org
By Rev. Robert Johnnene OFA
Mission Saints Sergius and Bacchus
www.Missionstsergius.org
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EverlastingLoveOfChristMinistry
On the eve of the first anniversary of my ordination as a priest, August 15th, I thought I might reflect back on the past year and on what my feelings are on the blessed opportunity and challenge Almighty God has bestowed upon me.
“Your are a priest forever like Melchizedek of Old”, with these words a person goes from being a simple follower of Jesus Christ to an individual whose live is now dedicated completely to serve God. As His servant you have the awesome responsibility of shepherding all God’s children. As a priest you become the hands, feet, mouth, heart and human voice of Almighty God here on earth. You need to be there to give solace and comfort to those in pain. You need to remember to always affirm God’s love, mercy and forgiveness to all His children. You are called to be uplifting and positive toward all even when you yourself do not feel that good. These responsibilities are not to be limited to just those who are a part of the Faith Community you have been called to serve but to every child of God that you encounter as you go about your daily life. You need to stop thinking about yourself and your desires and focus on the needs of the children of God all over the globe, especially those who feel unwanted, rejected or that are in pain in their hearts or in need of comfort and affirmation.
In a world that appears to be increasingly more self centered and absorbed in the material things of life, less interested in the needs of others. In a world that uses violence to settle disputes and differences instead of common sense, it is deeply disturbing and the challenges seem to overwhelm you.
I have to admit that my heart becomes heavy when I see and hear children of God being turned away from participating in giving God glory and praise with a faith community and being denied God’s gift to us of His body and blood, the bread of life, in the Eucharist because they are divorced or have been created by Almighty God with a same sex orientation.
Sadness fills me when I see dedicated men and women being denied the opportunity to serve God because they are married, or worse still, just because their gender is female.
The priest becomes the human instrument through which Almighty God transforms the simple bread and wine offered by the faithful into the body and blood of Jesus Christ. God does the transubstantiation the priest is the conduit. Why should a person who is dedicated and has the necessary education and training and hears God calling them to serve Him, be refused service to God because of their marital state or sexual orientation just as long as they are willing to live their life in a way that would not dishonor Almighty God. Some who have been allowed to accept the call to the priesthood and some of the hierarchy have forgotten their duty and responsibility to God and have done some serious damage. Many good priests have been hurt by their actions and even more of God’s children have become disillusioned because of what was allowed to happen.
A priest’s first and primary duty and responsibility is to serve God and His children, as servant of the Lord here on earth. By accepting that responsibility we need to put ourselves last before the needs of God’s flock we have been given stewardship of.
All the titles and wealth of the world cannot raise a person any higher in the eyes of God than being a good and faithful humble servant as a priest. We need to care for God‘s people as Christ would have cared for them. At times this can become overwhelming especially when you are handicapped by the resources you have. So much is needed, to do all that is necessary, and I myself find it difficult to solicit funding but rather choose to put my faith in God that He will provide what is needed when it is needed.
I find it strange, when God has chosen to communicate with us here on earth either as himself or in the person of our Blessed mother, that He rarely makes himself known to the ones with titles and in positions of power. Rather He chooses the simple individual, usually among the poorest of His Children, who truly believe and love Him deeply and who have put their faith in Him.
St. Francis was a soldier, St. Joan a simple maiden, Juan Diego a peasant Indian, Padre Pio a simple priest, St. Bernadette a simple school girl. None of these were among the hierarchy. When they went to those in charge telling them what God directed them to do, they were ridiculed, scorned, persecuted and even in some cases put to death.
Why is it that God did not go directly to those in the hierarchy? Could it be that they, with their lofty titles and grandiose life styles have lost sight of God’s original intent? Could it be that they chose to use their positions of power to decipher the word of God to suite their own self interests?
I have pondered this often and I am beginning to believe that this is the case.
To have been called by God to be a priest is a tremendous and overwhelming responsibility which I pray daily I am able to live up to. I am sure that God has called me for a special mission at this late stage of my life. I find His choice of me to be surprising and heady, filled with many roadblocks but I willing to accept His call knowing that if it is His will, He would give me the necessary things to do the task.
This first year has been a most humbling experience. Some of my family and friends and neighbors have become less responsive toward me and a few have even rejected me because I do not tow the accepted rules they believe are from God but actually man made and have nothing to do with the teachings of Christ. At other times the experience has been spiritually uplifting and humbling to know you might have made a tiny difference when you receive notes of thanks for “being there in my time of crisis” and you receive an email that says “Because of your reflections and affirming statement I have gone back to church after many years away”
I am constantly asking Almighty God to inspire me and guide my every action so that I may only bring honor and Glory to Him. I pray constantly that I can make a difference in the lives of those who come to me and bring them into a closer relationship with Almighty God. That is my only desire and prayer.
I recently said in one of my reflections that we have to give ourselves over completely to the will of God subverting our own personal desires and putting our total lives in God’s hands. I believe that this is the only way that we can honestly and fully serve God. Even Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane cried out "Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done.". In this simple plea, Jesus showed us that we should give ourselves over totally to Almighty God and be willing to accept all that he calls us to do in His name even when it is not what you would want to do.
When I was called to be a priest, after many years of desiring to be so called, and believing deep in my heart I was being called, but after being denied so many times because I had been married or because I was too old I began to think it was not God’s will. When, at age 71, I received the acceptance into the Franciscans and was informed that after checking all my credentials and references I would be accepted not as a deacon which I had been ordained as in 1980 but that I would be ordained as a priest. I accepted the call with the full knowledge that my life, as I had lived it and known, was over and I was to begin a new life, whose only purpose was to serve God with complete and total being.
I ask God to constantly lead me to where He wants me to go. I pray he will give me the strength, health, wisdom, means and courage to accept all that I need to do.
During this weekend while I am visiting the Benedictine Monastery in Weston Vermont, implore each of you to pray for the ministry and me that God will provide me with the tools necessary to reach out to all those for whom this ministry is intended to reach and guide me by the gifts of The Holy Spirit to always know His will and to accept and do His will for as long as He chooses to allow me to be His humble and simple servant. AMEN
Rev. Robert Johnnene OFA
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EverlastingLoveOfChristMinistry
www.missionstsergius.org
Thursday, August 03, 2006
International Peace Prayer
International Prayer For Peace
Submitted by Rev. Robert Johnnene OFA, Mission Saints Sergius and Bacchus
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EverlastingLoveOfChristMinistry
English
May God, who makes peace in God’s high places make peace among us and all the people of Israel, for all the children of Ishmael and all those who live upon this planet, Amen"
Hebrew
Oseh shalom bimromav, hu’yaaseh shalom aleinu --- v'al kol Yisrael,V'al kol Yishmael, V'al kol yoshvei tevel - v'imru Ameyn!
German
Mai Gott, der Frieden in den hohen Plätzen des Gottes Frieden unter uns und allen Leuten von Israel bilden läßt, für alle Kinder von Ishmael und alles die, die nach diesem Planeten leben, amen "
Spanish
Dios de mayo, que hace las paces en los altos lugares del dios hacer las paces entre nosotros y toda la gente de Israel, para todos los niños de Ishmael y todo el los que vivan sobre este planeta, amen "
Greek
Θεός Μάιος, ο οποίος κάνει την ειρήνη στις υψηλές θέσεις του Θεού να κάνει την ειρήνη μεταξύ μας και όλων των πληθυσμών του Ισραήλ, για όλα τα παιδιά Ishmael και όλων εκείνων που ζουν επάνω σε αυτόν τον πλανήτη, Amen "
Japanese
神の高い場所の平和に及びすべてこの惑星に住んでいる人々Ishmael のすべての子供のためのイスラエル共和国の私達そしてすべての人々間の平和を、作らせる5 月の神、アーメン"
Italian
Dio di maggio, che fa la pace negli alti posti del dio fare la pace fra noi e tutta la gente dell'Israele, per tutti i bambini di Ishmael e tutto coloro che vive su questo pianeta, amen "
Korean
신 높은 장소안에 그리고 모든 이 행성에 살는 그들Ishmael의 모든 아이들을 위해 이스라엘의 우리들 그리고 모든 사람사이에, 화해한 5월 신,Amen"
Russian
Бог в мае, который делает мир в местах бога высоких сделать мир среди нас и всех людей Израиля, для всех детей Ishmael и вс те которые живут на этой планете, аминь Portuguese
Deus de maio, que faz a paz em lugares elevados do deus fazer a paz entre nós e todos os povos de Israel, para todas as crianças de Ishmael e todo o aqueles que vivem em cima deste planeta, amen "
Dutch
De God van mei, die vrede in de hoge plaatsen maakt van de God vrede onder ons en alle inwoners van Israël, voor alle kinderen van Ishmael en al degenen maken die op deze planeet, Amen "leven
Monday, July 31, 2006
Reflecting Christ Within You
Mirror Reflections
(Are you a reflection of The Divine and Everlasting Mercy and Love of Christ?)
By Rev. Robert Johnnene OFA
Mission Saints Sergius and Bacchus
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EverlastingLoveOfChristMinistry
www.missionstsergius.org
When you look in the mirror what do you see?
Is the reflection cast back at you sharp and clear?
Are there streaks or dirty spots on the mirror?
Do you see, in your reflection, the infinite and everlasting mercy and love of Christ being cast back at you?
If there are streaks or spots on your reflection ask yourself what is it in me that is causing those distortions.
Possibly they are there because you are not totally open to accepting all of God’s children equally.
They could be caused because you spend too much time thinking about yourself and your needs instead of finding out how you can reach out and help others less fortunate than you.
One thing that can cause dark shadows and streaks on your mirror reflection is a distance you put between you and Almighty God. You believe in God and turn to Him when in need of a special something, but you do not take time out every day to communicate with him as you would with your best friend and give thanks for all he has given you.
Sometimes, just possibly, when you look in the mirror you do not recognize the person staring back at you. You need to ask why do I not recognize that person.
There is of course those times when you can see another figure behind you who seems to be calling to you. That reflection can either be a dark and foreboding presence which should frighten you, or it might be a beautiful luminescent image that seems to glow from within. These reflections are either the power of evil trying to lead you astray, or your guardian angel watching over you to prevent you from succumbing to being less than what God desires of you.
Take a good look at yourself in that mirror, do you reflect the infinite love and mercy of Jesus Christ to yourself and to all you encounter on your life journey ? Doe you live your live in a way that would prompt God to praise you as “My good and faithful servant”? Then your image is crystal clear and exactly what you want to envision when you look in your mirror. What you see in that mirror is what you represent to and how others see you. If you live your life striving always to be kind, generous, thoughtful, forgiving, and not discriminatory of any individual, even those with whom you disagree, you are well on the way to seeing Christ in your reflection and others will see that in you.
If, however, you discriminate because God created someone with a same sex orientation, or someone has been divorced, or worse yet, that an individual is not of the same nationality, race or religious denomination as you, then your reflection is going to be full of blotches, stains and streaks and your image in the mirror needs to be cleaned up.
Jesus Christ did not reject anyone, he called and welcomed all to himself, even those who were sinners so that he could forgive them and encourage them to “Go and Sin No More” He sat at table with all political and religious persons, rejecting no one, teaching them how to attain salvation. Christ endured suffering and even death on the cross in order to free us from the burden of sin and open the gates of heaven to all. His example should have told us that to live as He instructed would not be easy and that we might be ridiculed and rejected and even have to suffer in order to be truthful and live according to God’s will.
Christ and His Almighty Father have even given us a source of strength in the gifts bestowed upon us by the Holy Spirit; Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel, Fortitude, Knowledge, Piety, and Fear of the Lord.
The secret here is, we have to seek them out and we have to ask for them. I have a prayer I say every day seeking these gifts from God through the Holy Spirit. In closing this little food for thought I would like to share it with you. May the reflection you see have few flaws and may Almighty God give you the fortitude to improve your reflection so that in it you see God clearly. AMEN
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 my in my ignorance, advise me in my doubts.
Purify and cleanse me of all sin and sanctify my soul protecting and shielding me from 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
Saturday, July 22, 2006
Prayer For Peace
Peace Prayer
By Father Robert Johnnene OFA
Mission Saints Sergius and Bacchus
www.missionstsergius.org
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EverlastingLoveOfChristMinistry
O Lord Jesus Christ, Prince of peace, we cry out to you to put an end to the strife and destruction that is tearing apart this planet earth which our and your heavenly father, Almighty God, created.
All across this planet innocent men women and children of God are being slaughtered, starving and deprived of the basics of life because of mans determination for power, greed and control.
Even some religious denominations, which proclaim you as the messiah and redeemer, are being torn apart because of discrimination and the need to enforce man made rules created only to insure wealth, power and domination.
We beg you to intervene and send the Holy Spirit down upon all those individuals in positions of power, infusing within their hearts and minds the need to find ways to put to an end this destruction, discrimination, and desire for domination and end the needless suffering and pain being caused by their actions.
We come to you, Lord Jesus, because you have promised us peace with these words; “Peace I leave you, My peace I give unto you” (John 14:27) and we beg you to fulfill the promise of the Angels on the night of your birth “Glory to God in the Highest and Peace to His people on Earth” AMEN
By Father Robert Johnnene OFA
Mission Saints Sergius and Bacchus
www.missionstsergius.org
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EverlastingLoveOfChristMinistry
O Lord Jesus Christ, Prince of peace, we cry out to you to put an end to the strife and destruction that is tearing apart this planet earth which our and your heavenly father, Almighty God, created.
All across this planet innocent men women and children of God are being slaughtered, starving and deprived of the basics of life because of mans determination for power, greed and control.
Even some religious denominations, which proclaim you as the messiah and redeemer, are being torn apart because of discrimination and the need to enforce man made rules created only to insure wealth, power and domination.
We beg you to intervene and send the Holy Spirit down upon all those individuals in positions of power, infusing within their hearts and minds the need to find ways to put to an end this destruction, discrimination, and desire for domination and end the needless suffering and pain being caused by their actions.
We come to you, Lord Jesus, because you have promised us peace with these words; “Peace I leave you, My peace I give unto you” (John 14:27) and we beg you to fulfill the promise of the Angels on the night of your birth “Glory to God in the Highest and Peace to His people on Earth” AMEN
Peace and Oneness Through Christ
Oneness and Peace in Christ
July 23rd Reflection on Ephesians 2:11-19
Ephesians 2: 11-19, One of the readings for Sunday twenty third of July is one of the moat affirming and welcoming passages that a person who might have doubts or questions could reflect on. It begins by reminding people that we were all considered outsiders. Today we find more and more people withdrawing into smaller and smaller groups and differing with others over petty an truly insignificant things. The world is being torn apart because of national differences and religious differences. Churches are being torn apart because of same sex unions, homosexual, woman and married priests, and families are being torn apart because of infidelity. We need to call to mind that remember that this is not something new as Paul reminds us with the following; “Don't forget that you Gentiles used to be outsiders by birth. You were called "the uncircumcised ones" by the Jews, who were proud of their circumcision, even though it affected only their bodies and not their hearts.
This is something that we should keep in mind. Throughout history and in our everyday life, one group or another is or has been looked upon as an outsider by other groups or nations. I believe we all have experienced the feeling of “Not being one of the accepted ones”. Every Day we read about some group or another being excluded because “they are different”. This passages lets us know that the followers of Christ themselves were considered such, and today many still are because they do not conform to the man made rules.
Paul reminds the newly converted of Ephesus that those things only affect the body and not their hearts. It is our hearts and souls, the way we live that determins if we are outsiders or part of the accepted crowd.
The important thing to remember is that, if you totally accept Jesus Christ as your Redeemer and Savior and you live a life according to His teachings, you are not an outsider, at least not in God’s eyes. And isn’t that what really counts?
“But now you belong to Christ Jesus. Though you once were far away from God, now you have been brought near to him because of the blood of Christ.”
“He has broken down the wall of hostility that used to separate us.”
This part of the message is also very enlightening, and important in light of the events taking place in the Middle East. It explains Christ mission here on earth and as followers of Christ we are called to continue His purpose. “His purpose was to make peace between Jews and Gentiles by creating in himself one new person from the two groups.“
I feel that possibly that part of the message might have been left for us to fulfill. In fact I feel certain that it is our responsibility as followers and believers of Jesus message to work toward bring peace to all of God’s children, Muslims, Jew, Arab, Asian, Latino, Gay or straight, man and woman and all Who proclaim to believe in Jesus Christ.
Unfortunately, the next part of the message seems to not have come to fulfillment, “
Now all of us, both Jews and Gentiles, may come to the Father through the same Holy Spirit because of what Christ has done for us.”
The next part of the letter of Paul reminds us that Our Bodies become a Temple for the Lord.
“So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God's holy people. You are members of God's family. We are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself. We who believe are carefully joined together, becoming a holy temple for the Lord. Through him you Gentiles are also joined together as part of this dwelling where God lives by his Spirit.”
If we are temples for the lord, then why do we defile that temple by prejudice, hatred, violence, war, and discrimination. If we are temples of the Lord, why do we allow people to suffer because of poverty, lack of medical attention, loneliness‘, inadequate affordable housing?
If we are truly the temples of God, then we need to be open to all as God is open to all. We need to stop separating ourselves into one of the groups that look upon others as outsiders and start living as one group. We need to come together as one family, the family of Almighty God, brothers and sisters of Jesus Christ. We need to accept the differences that exist in each individual, group, denomination, just as Jesus accepted all different people and groups.
We need to begin to live as Jesus instructed us. Jesus is called; THE PRINCE OF PEACE, we need to work for and in him to achieve that Peace in each of us and between all the various groups, nations, and churches. AMEN
“God's love is everlasting and infinite and His mercy and compassion is unlimited.”
Rev. Robert Francis Johnnene OFA
A Franciscan of the Annunciation MinistryMission St’s. Sergius and BacchusHolliston, Massachusetts E-mail: Mission_St_Sergius@msn.comwww.missionstsergius.orghttp://groups.yahoo.com/group/EverlastingLoveOfChristMinistryhttp://spaces.msn.com/members/Mission-St-Sergiushttp://groups.msn.com/MissionSaintsSergiusandBacchus
Prayer For Persons Living With HIV/AIDS
Prayer for persons living with HIV/AIDS
by Rev. Robert Johnnene OFA
Mission Saints Sergius and Bacchus
Almighty and merciful God bring comfort to my heart and healing to my body that has been ravaged with illness. Help me to accept and bear this illness just as Jesus bore His sufferings for our sake.
May His beloved Mother who watched in horror while He suffered upon the cross for our sake, as my family and friends do now, intercede on my behalf asking Him to relieve me from the weakness and illness that has overtaken me and grant my loved ones the strength to accept God's will and only be filled with love and understanding.
I trust in you and accept your will as just Jesus did.
If it be thy will you wish to bring my time here on this earth to and end and call me home to you, I welcome your will with joy and anticipation so that I may join with the heavenly elect in giving you endless honor and praise.
AMEN
Thursday, June 29, 2006
Prayer For Christian Unity
A Prayer to the The Holy Spirit for Christian Unity
By Rev. Robert Johnnene OFA
Mission Saints Sergius and Bacchus
Holliston, MA
www.missionstsergius.org
Almighty and merciful Father, send the Holy Spirit down upon us and the leaders of all the Christian churches to open their minds and hearts to the truthful teachings of Your Son, Jesus Christ.
Help them to renew and restore the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church which he founded when the Holy Spirit descended on His Apostles that first Pentecost.
By the Holy Spirit gather all who believe the Truth of Jesus Teachings to come together, working together to bring about unity of the Church founded by Christ and the Apostles. Help them to practice respect the dignity of all God’s children throughout the entire world.
Inspire world leaders to find the means of bringing about an end to the horrors of war, poverty, genocide and discrimination and all the other atrocities being committed in the name of God.
Through the Holy Spirit, inspire all people to be more mindful of the needs of others and become more generous toward the poor, aged, and sick.
Open the minds of all to become more tolerant of the differences and diversity created by Almighty God.
Instill deep in our hearts your truth and through the Holy Spirit guide us in our service to you.
We ask this in the name of your beloved Son, Jesus Christ, our redeemer and savior.
AMEN
Rev. Robert Johnnene OFA Mission Sts. Sergius and BacchusEmail: Mission_St_Sergius@msn.comWeb Site: www.missionstsergius.orgYahoo Group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EverlastingLoveOfChristMinistryMSN 360 Blog: http://missionstsergius.org/blog.htmlMSN Group Blog: http://missionstssergiusandbacchus.blogspot.com/
By Rev. Robert Johnnene OFA
Mission Saints Sergius and Bacchus
Holliston, MA
www.missionstsergius.org
Almighty and merciful Father, send the Holy Spirit down upon us and the leaders of all the Christian churches to open their minds and hearts to the truthful teachings of Your Son, Jesus Christ.
Help them to renew and restore the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church which he founded when the Holy Spirit descended on His Apostles that first Pentecost.
By the Holy Spirit gather all who believe the Truth of Jesus Teachings to come together, working together to bring about unity of the Church founded by Christ and the Apostles. Help them to practice respect the dignity of all God’s children throughout the entire world.
Inspire world leaders to find the means of bringing about an end to the horrors of war, poverty, genocide and discrimination and all the other atrocities being committed in the name of God.
Through the Holy Spirit, inspire all people to be more mindful of the needs of others and become more generous toward the poor, aged, and sick.
Open the minds of all to become more tolerant of the differences and diversity created by Almighty God.
Instill deep in our hearts your truth and through the Holy Spirit guide us in our service to you.
We ask this in the name of your beloved Son, Jesus Christ, our redeemer and savior.
AMEN
Rev. Robert Johnnene OFA Mission Sts. Sergius and BacchusEmail: Mission_St_Sergius@msn.comWeb Site: www.missionstsergius.orgYahoo Group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EverlastingLoveOfChristMinistryMSN 360 Blog: http://missionstsergius.org/blog.htmlMSN Group Blog: http://missionstssergiusandbacchus.blogspot.com/
Wednesday, June 28, 2006
Thoughts for Fourth of July Weekend
Since I will be leaving for my week long vacation on Cape Cod on Friday, I am posting my reflection for July Fourth Weekend early.
I wish one and all a blessed and joyous Fourth of July and pray that we all can come together in the Love of Almighty God and Jesus Christ to find and celebrate the things that can bind us together and break down the walls that separate us from within the Mystical Body of Christ.
Equality, Justice, Truth, Happiness, Faith, Generosity
Foundations of Our Fore Fathers and the Teachings of Christ
On this Independence Day weekend I find it especially gratifying and fitting that the readings for this Sunday support and uphold the foundations that this country is founded on.
“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.” (Constitution of the United States)
“We hold these truths to be self-evident that ALL PEOPLE are created equal, that they ARE ENDOWED BY THEIR CREATOR with certain unalienable rights, that among them are LIFE, LIBERTY AND THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS” (Declaration of Independence)
The first reading for Sunday is from the book of Wisdom and it says, “Love Justice, you who judge the earth think of the Lord in Goodness and seek Him in integrity of heart” (Wisdom 1:1) “God does not rejoice in the destruction of the living for God furnished all things that they might have being…ALL the creatures of the world are wholesome” (Wisdom 1:14-15) “Through the envy of the devil death and evil entered the world” (Wisdom 2:24) “It is the wicked, the sons of Satan who with hands and words invited death and destruction considering it a friend” (Wisdom 1:16) We are also told in Wisdom 15 “Justice is undying”.
The truth is that JUSTICE is undying unless the devil has taken control of those humans who are commissioned to uphold it. JUSTICE is the root of all freedom, if there is no JUSTICE there is no true freedom. JUSTICE is undying when it is coupled with a sense of FAITH in a superior being, the creator Almighty God. This nations founding fathers had a deep-rooted sense of faith in God. In the Declaration of Independence, they refer to Him as THE CREATOR and THE SUPREME JUDGE OF THE WORLD. Today we have many people who are attempting to remove any mention of Almighty God from everything in this country; this was not the intent or purpose of our founding Fathers. They had a deep-seated FAITH and BELIEF in the Almighty. That small minority have prevented prayer in the schools, are trying to remove ONE NATION UNDER GOD from the pledge of allegiance, and would deny that our rule of laws were established with the commandments in mind. Sadly, some of these people purport to be religious leaders. Jews, Muslims, and all Christians worship the same God, the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David and Jesus. The readings from the Gospel teach us how FAITH is so powerful. Both the woman who had hemorrhaged for twelve years and the official of the Jewish synagogue, Jairus, had FAITH and TRUST that Jesus could cure them, and He did. Having FAITH can as Jesus tells us in Matthew 17:20 “If you had faith the size of a tiny mustard seed, you would be able to say to that mountain, move!, and it would move”
JUSTICE is undying when it is coupled with HONESTY, TRUST, FAITH and GENEROSITY or compassion and FREEDOM. Allowing ALL people to pursue HAPPINESS by having the same rights and benefits of all other individuals. In order to accomplish this we need to respect and embrace the diversity of God’s creation. Every child of God has been given special gifts and just as the various parts of our body look different and have differing functions they are all part of the same body. So it is with all God’s children, they might look different, may have differing celebrations and customs but they are all our sisters and brothers in Christ.
This past week we all were given a glowing example of how one individual, Warren Buffett, is living out the message in the second reading of Sunday. “The willingness to give should be in accord with ones means, not go beyond them...there should be certain EQUALITY. Your plenty now should supply their needs so that there surplus later might be able to supply your needs, with EQUALITY as a result” (2 Corinthians 8:12-14)
I urge each and every one who reads or hears this message to think about our freedom, think about how they are contributing to the ideals this country was founded on. Are you being GENEROUS, TRUSTING, HONEST, FAITHFUL? Are you working to insure that EVERY citizen is accorder the same rights and privileges as the others? Are you accepting the unique differences of races and beliefs that have melded together to form this more perfect union? As long as each and every person is respecting the RIGHTS of the other, and reaching out to all with the same LOVE that Jesus demonstrated to all He encountered, there is a chance that we might find ways to end the violence, prejudice, hatred, poverty and discrimination that have been injected into this world by Satan to keep us confused and unbalanced and casting doubt on the Love of Almighty God.
I leave on my annual week on Cape Cod with the prayer that Almighty God will send His bountiful blessings upon each and every one of you and that He will inspire the leaders of this nation and the world to find peaceful and compassionate ways to bring about a more perfect world and EQUALITY, JUSTICE, TRUTH, HONESTY, TRUST and HAPPINESS to all God’s children all over the Globe.
AMEN
Rev. Robert Francis Johnnene OFA
Mission Saints. Sergius and Bacchus
Holliston, Massachusetts
E-mail: Mission_St_Sergius@msn.com
www.missionstsergius.orgWe are a Catholic mission of the Franciscans of the Annunciation under the Old Catholic Diocese of New England. We believe that all God's children deserve respect and the same rights and privileges as every other person regardless of their sexual orientation or marital status.
We confer all Sacraments and Holy Unions.
God's love is everlasting and infinite and His mercy and compassion is unlimited.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EverlastingLoveOfChristMinistryhttp://spaces.msn.com/members/Mission-St-Sergiushttp://groups.msn.com/MissionSaintsSergiusandBacchus
I wish one and all a blessed and joyous Fourth of July and pray that we all can come together in the Love of Almighty God and Jesus Christ to find and celebrate the things that can bind us together and break down the walls that separate us from within the Mystical Body of Christ.
Equality, Justice, Truth, Happiness, Faith, Generosity
Foundations of Our Fore Fathers and the Teachings of Christ
On this Independence Day weekend I find it especially gratifying and fitting that the readings for this Sunday support and uphold the foundations that this country is founded on.
“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.” (Constitution of the United States)
“We hold these truths to be self-evident that ALL PEOPLE are created equal, that they ARE ENDOWED BY THEIR CREATOR with certain unalienable rights, that among them are LIFE, LIBERTY AND THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS” (Declaration of Independence)
The first reading for Sunday is from the book of Wisdom and it says, “Love Justice, you who judge the earth think of the Lord in Goodness and seek Him in integrity of heart” (Wisdom 1:1) “God does not rejoice in the destruction of the living for God furnished all things that they might have being…ALL the creatures of the world are wholesome” (Wisdom 1:14-15) “Through the envy of the devil death and evil entered the world” (Wisdom 2:24) “It is the wicked, the sons of Satan who with hands and words invited death and destruction considering it a friend” (Wisdom 1:16) We are also told in Wisdom 15 “Justice is undying”.
The truth is that JUSTICE is undying unless the devil has taken control of those humans who are commissioned to uphold it. JUSTICE is the root of all freedom, if there is no JUSTICE there is no true freedom. JUSTICE is undying when it is coupled with a sense of FAITH in a superior being, the creator Almighty God. This nations founding fathers had a deep-rooted sense of faith in God. In the Declaration of Independence, they refer to Him as THE CREATOR and THE SUPREME JUDGE OF THE WORLD. Today we have many people who are attempting to remove any mention of Almighty God from everything in this country; this was not the intent or purpose of our founding Fathers. They had a deep-seated FAITH and BELIEF in the Almighty. That small minority have prevented prayer in the schools, are trying to remove ONE NATION UNDER GOD from the pledge of allegiance, and would deny that our rule of laws were established with the commandments in mind. Sadly, some of these people purport to be religious leaders. Jews, Muslims, and all Christians worship the same God, the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David and Jesus. The readings from the Gospel teach us how FAITH is so powerful. Both the woman who had hemorrhaged for twelve years and the official of the Jewish synagogue, Jairus, had FAITH and TRUST that Jesus could cure them, and He did. Having FAITH can as Jesus tells us in Matthew 17:20 “If you had faith the size of a tiny mustard seed, you would be able to say to that mountain, move!, and it would move”
JUSTICE is undying when it is coupled with HONESTY, TRUST, FAITH and GENEROSITY or compassion and FREEDOM. Allowing ALL people to pursue HAPPINESS by having the same rights and benefits of all other individuals. In order to accomplish this we need to respect and embrace the diversity of God’s creation. Every child of God has been given special gifts and just as the various parts of our body look different and have differing functions they are all part of the same body. So it is with all God’s children, they might look different, may have differing celebrations and customs but they are all our sisters and brothers in Christ.
This past week we all were given a glowing example of how one individual, Warren Buffett, is living out the message in the second reading of Sunday. “The willingness to give should be in accord with ones means, not go beyond them...there should be certain EQUALITY. Your plenty now should supply their needs so that there surplus later might be able to supply your needs, with EQUALITY as a result” (2 Corinthians 8:12-14)
I urge each and every one who reads or hears this message to think about our freedom, think about how they are contributing to the ideals this country was founded on. Are you being GENEROUS, TRUSTING, HONEST, FAITHFUL? Are you working to insure that EVERY citizen is accorder the same rights and privileges as the others? Are you accepting the unique differences of races and beliefs that have melded together to form this more perfect union? As long as each and every person is respecting the RIGHTS of the other, and reaching out to all with the same LOVE that Jesus demonstrated to all He encountered, there is a chance that we might find ways to end the violence, prejudice, hatred, poverty and discrimination that have been injected into this world by Satan to keep us confused and unbalanced and casting doubt on the Love of Almighty God.
I leave on my annual week on Cape Cod with the prayer that Almighty God will send His bountiful blessings upon each and every one of you and that He will inspire the leaders of this nation and the world to find peaceful and compassionate ways to bring about a more perfect world and EQUALITY, JUSTICE, TRUTH, HONESTY, TRUST and HAPPINESS to all God’s children all over the Globe.
AMEN
Rev. Robert Francis Johnnene OFA
Mission Saints. Sergius and Bacchus
Holliston, Massachusetts
E-mail: Mission_St_Sergius@msn.com
www.missionstsergius.orgWe are a Catholic mission of the Franciscans of the Annunciation under the Old Catholic Diocese of New England. We believe that all God's children deserve respect and the same rights and privileges as every other person regardless of their sexual orientation or marital status.
We confer all Sacraments and Holy Unions.
God's love is everlasting and infinite and His mercy and compassion is unlimited.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EverlastingLoveOfChristMinistryhttp://spaces.msn.com/members/Mission-St-Sergiushttp://groups.msn.com/MissionSaintsSergiusandBacchus
A Fourth of July Reflection
Since I will be leaving for my week long vacation on Cape Cod on Friday, I am posting my reflection for July Fourth Weekend early.
I wish one and all a blessed and joyous Fourth of July and pray that we all can come together in the Love of Almighty God and Jesus Christ to find and celebrate the things that can bind us together and break down the walls that separate us from within the Mystical Body of Christ.
Equality, Justice, Truth, Happiness, Faith, Generosity
Foundations of Our Fore Fathers and the Teachings of Christ
On this Independence Day weekend I find it especially gratifying and fitting that the readings for this Sunday support and uphold the foundations that this country is founded on.
“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.” (Constitution of the United States)
“We hold these truths to be self-evident that ALL PEOPLE are created equal, that they ARE ENDOWED BY THEIR CREATOR with certain unalienable rights, that among them are LIFE, LIBERTY AND THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS” (Declaration of Independence)
The first reading for Sunday is from the book of Wisdom and it says, “Love Justice, you who judge the earth think of the Lord in Goodness and seek Him in integrity of heart” (Wisdom 1:1) “God does not rejoice in the destruction of the living for God furnished all things that they might have being…ALL the creatures of the world are wholesome” (Wisdom 1:14-15) “Through the envy of the devil death and evil entered the world” (Wisdom 2:24) “It is the wicked, the sons of Satan who with hands and words invited death and destruction considering it a friend” (Wisdom 1:16) We are also told in Wisdom 15 “Justice is undying”.
The truth is that JUSTICE is undying unless the devil has taken control of those humans who are commissioned to uphold it. JUSTICE is the root of all freedom, if there is no JUSTICE there is no true freedom. JUSTICE is undying when it is coupled with a sense of FAITH in a superior being, the creator Almighty God. This nations founding fathers had a deep-rooted sense of faith in God. In the Declaration of Independence, they refer to Him as THE CREATOR and THE SUPREME JUDGE OF THE WORLD. Today we have many people who are attempting to remove any mention of Almighty God from everything in this country; this was not the intent or purpose of our founding Fathers. They had a deep-seated FAITH and BELIEF in the Almighty. That small minority have prevented prayer in the schools, are trying to remove ONE NATION UNDER GOD from the pledge of allegiance, and would deny that our rule of laws were established with the commandments in mind. Sadly, some of these people purport to be religious leaders. Jews, Muslims, and all Christians worship the same God, the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David and Jesus. The readings from the Gospel teach us how FAITH is so powerful. Both the woman who had hemorrhaged for twelve years and the official of the Jewish synagogue, Jairus, had FAITH and TRUST that Jesus could cure them, and He did. Having FAITH can as Jesus tells us in Matthew 17:20 “If you had faith the size of a tiny mustard seed, you would be able to say to that mountain, move!, and it would move”
JUSTICE is undying when it is coupled with HONESTY, TRUST, FAITH and GENEROSITY or compassion and FREEDOM. Allowing ALL people to pursue HAPPINESS by having the same rights and benefits of all other individuals. In order to accomplish this we need to respect and embrace the diversity of God’s creation. Every child of God has been given special gifts and just as the various parts of our body look different and have differing functions they are all part of the same body. So it is with all God’s children, they might look different, may have differing celebrations and customs but they are all our sisters and brothers in Christ.
This past week we all were given a glowing example of how one individual, Warren Buffett, is living out the message in the second reading of Sunday. “The willingness to give should be in accord with ones means, not go beyond them...there should be certain EQUALITY. Your plenty now should supply their needs so that there surplus later might be able to supply your needs, with EQUALITY as a result” (2 Corinthians 8:12-14)
I urge each and every one who reads or hears this message to think about our freedom, think about how they are contributing to the ideals this country was founded on. Are you being GENEROUS, TRUSTING, HONEST, FAITHFUL? Are you working to insure that EVERY citizen is accorder the same rights and privileges as the others? Are you accepting the unique differences of races and beliefs that have melded together to form this more perfect union? As long as each and every person is respecting the RIGHTS of the other, and reaching out to all with the same LOVE that Jesus demonstrated to all He encountered, there is a chance that we might find ways to end the violence, prejudice, hatred, poverty and discrimination that have been injected into this world by Satan to keep us confused and unbalanced and casting doubt on the Love of Almighty God.
I leave on my annual week on Cape Cod with the prayer that Almighty God will send His bountiful blessings upon each and every one of you and that He will inspire the leaders of this nation and the world to find peaceful and compassionate ways to bring about a more perfect world and EQUALITY, JUSTICE, TRUTH, HONESTY, TRUST and HAPPINESS to all God’s children all over the Globe.
AMEN
Rev. Robert Francis Johnnene OFA
Mission Saints. Sergius and Bacchus
Holliston, Massachusetts
E-mail: Mission_St_Sergius@msn.com
http://www.blogger.com/We are a Catholic mission of the Franciscans of the Annunciation under the Old Catholic Diocese of New England. We believe that all God's children deserve respect and the same rights and privileges as every other person regardless of their sexual orientation or marital status.
We confer all Sacraments and Holy Unions.
God's love is everlasting and infinite and His mercy and compassion is unlimited.
http://www.blogger.com/http://www.blogger.com/http://www.blogger.com/
I wish one and all a blessed and joyous Fourth of July and pray that we all can come together in the Love of Almighty God and Jesus Christ to find and celebrate the things that can bind us together and break down the walls that separate us from within the Mystical Body of Christ.
Equality, Justice, Truth, Happiness, Faith, Generosity
Foundations of Our Fore Fathers and the Teachings of Christ
On this Independence Day weekend I find it especially gratifying and fitting that the readings for this Sunday support and uphold the foundations that this country is founded on.
“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.” (Constitution of the United States)
“We hold these truths to be self-evident that ALL PEOPLE are created equal, that they ARE ENDOWED BY THEIR CREATOR with certain unalienable rights, that among them are LIFE, LIBERTY AND THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS” (Declaration of Independence)
The first reading for Sunday is from the book of Wisdom and it says, “Love Justice, you who judge the earth think of the Lord in Goodness and seek Him in integrity of heart” (Wisdom 1:1) “God does not rejoice in the destruction of the living for God furnished all things that they might have being…ALL the creatures of the world are wholesome” (Wisdom 1:14-15) “Through the envy of the devil death and evil entered the world” (Wisdom 2:24) “It is the wicked, the sons of Satan who with hands and words invited death and destruction considering it a friend” (Wisdom 1:16) We are also told in Wisdom 15 “Justice is undying”.
The truth is that JUSTICE is undying unless the devil has taken control of those humans who are commissioned to uphold it. JUSTICE is the root of all freedom, if there is no JUSTICE there is no true freedom. JUSTICE is undying when it is coupled with a sense of FAITH in a superior being, the creator Almighty God. This nations founding fathers had a deep-rooted sense of faith in God. In the Declaration of Independence, they refer to Him as THE CREATOR and THE SUPREME JUDGE OF THE WORLD. Today we have many people who are attempting to remove any mention of Almighty God from everything in this country; this was not the intent or purpose of our founding Fathers. They had a deep-seated FAITH and BELIEF in the Almighty. That small minority have prevented prayer in the schools, are trying to remove ONE NATION UNDER GOD from the pledge of allegiance, and would deny that our rule of laws were established with the commandments in mind. Sadly, some of these people purport to be religious leaders. Jews, Muslims, and all Christians worship the same God, the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David and Jesus. The readings from the Gospel teach us how FAITH is so powerful. Both the woman who had hemorrhaged for twelve years and the official of the Jewish synagogue, Jairus, had FAITH and TRUST that Jesus could cure them, and He did. Having FAITH can as Jesus tells us in Matthew 17:20 “If you had faith the size of a tiny mustard seed, you would be able to say to that mountain, move!, and it would move”
JUSTICE is undying when it is coupled with HONESTY, TRUST, FAITH and GENEROSITY or compassion and FREEDOM. Allowing ALL people to pursue HAPPINESS by having the same rights and benefits of all other individuals. In order to accomplish this we need to respect and embrace the diversity of God’s creation. Every child of God has been given special gifts and just as the various parts of our body look different and have differing functions they are all part of the same body. So it is with all God’s children, they might look different, may have differing celebrations and customs but they are all our sisters and brothers in Christ.
This past week we all were given a glowing example of how one individual, Warren Buffett, is living out the message in the second reading of Sunday. “The willingness to give should be in accord with ones means, not go beyond them...there should be certain EQUALITY. Your plenty now should supply their needs so that there surplus later might be able to supply your needs, with EQUALITY as a result” (2 Corinthians 8:12-14)
I urge each and every one who reads or hears this message to think about our freedom, think about how they are contributing to the ideals this country was founded on. Are you being GENEROUS, TRUSTING, HONEST, FAITHFUL? Are you working to insure that EVERY citizen is accorder the same rights and privileges as the others? Are you accepting the unique differences of races and beliefs that have melded together to form this more perfect union? As long as each and every person is respecting the RIGHTS of the other, and reaching out to all with the same LOVE that Jesus demonstrated to all He encountered, there is a chance that we might find ways to end the violence, prejudice, hatred, poverty and discrimination that have been injected into this world by Satan to keep us confused and unbalanced and casting doubt on the Love of Almighty God.
I leave on my annual week on Cape Cod with the prayer that Almighty God will send His bountiful blessings upon each and every one of you and that He will inspire the leaders of this nation and the world to find peaceful and compassionate ways to bring about a more perfect world and EQUALITY, JUSTICE, TRUTH, HONESTY, TRUST and HAPPINESS to all God’s children all over the Globe.
AMEN
Rev. Robert Francis Johnnene OFA
Mission Saints. Sergius and Bacchus
Holliston, Massachusetts
E-mail: Mission_St_Sergius@msn.com
http://www.blogger.com/We are a Catholic mission of the Franciscans of the Annunciation under the Old Catholic Diocese of New England. We believe that all God's children deserve respect and the same rights and privileges as every other person regardless of their sexual orientation or marital status.
We confer all Sacraments and Holy Unions.
God's love is everlasting and infinite and His mercy and compassion is unlimited.
http://www.blogger.com/http://www.blogger.com/http://www.blogger.com/
Sunday, June 25, 2006
Having Faith In God
Reflection for Sunday June 25th
Faith In God
“Who then is this that even the wind and the sea obey?” (Mark 4:41) If the apostles had any doubts about who this Jesus of Nazareth might be, they should have been wiped away when Christ ordered the storm to cease. The readings of today all deal with water, the essence of all live. According to scientists all live evolved from water. Without water human life would cese to exist. The fact that Almighty God have dominion over the water and can call it forth or cause it to cease should strengthen our faith in Almighty God.
Even though scientist have tried to control the weather and bring rain to the parched areas of the earth and divert it from areas that are being flooded because of too much rain, they have had little success. This should tell us that there are some things that man cannot control.
“Why are you terrified, do you not yet have faith?” These words of Jesus are being said to us even today. We go about claiming that we believe and have faith but we are like the apostles, we tend to question God by doubting his will.
I have learned, that everything that happens to us has a reason. Granted, when we are going through it, especially when it is not something that we like, we ask ourselves “Why is this happening to me?” I had that thought more times than I can count, but now, looking back I fully understand why. I had lessons to learn, lessons that I needed to know before I could truly serve God completely. Lessons I had to learn that would make me stronger in my faith. Lessons that better prepared me to deal with life situations I would encounter. Lessons I needed to understand and master before I could answer the call I felt God calling me too from my childhood.
This is not to say that I do not have many more lessons to learn, but now when I encounter something that is not what I would have preferred to happen, I put my trust and faith in God and search for the lesson it is trying to teach me. I Trust that God’s will is what will ultimately be done. In other words I totally place my life in His hands.
The story of Job is one of the strongest lessons I find in scripture, The devil had bet God that he could shatter jobs faith. God told Lucifer to go ahead with the test but the only stipulation was that Satan could not harm Job. As today’s reading from Job tells us, God set limits on Satan, “Thus far shall you come, but no farther” (Job 38:11). Job never gave up hope in the Lord, even when everything he had was taken away. God rewarded Job with the return of everything a thousand fold. So it shall be with us! If we do not give up, if we believe and trust that God will provide for us and will only do what is best for us, we too will be rewarded.
Almighty God is a merciful and forgiving God, His compassion and mercy are unlimited and everlasting. All we need to do is put our faith and trust in Him and live as Christ has requested of us. We need to be conscience of all of His children’s needs, to show them love, compassion, mercy, forgiveness and generosity. We need to “Love one another as I have loved you” by being mindful of how our actions affect others and not allow ourselves to do anything that would bring one of God’s children pain and suffering. This is the message I get from today’s readings. To place out trust and faith not in man, but in God. We need to believe in ourselves and accept ourselves as God created us and make the best of the gifts he has given us in serving Him according to His will. By doing this we show our trust and faith in Him and He will in turn take care of us. AMEN
Rev. Robert Johnnene OFA
Mission Saint Sergius and Bacchus
www.missionstsergius.orghttp://groups.yahoo.com/group/EverlastingLoveOfChristMinistry
http://missionstsergius.org/blog.html
Thursday, June 22, 2006
Reflection on Corpus Christi Feast
Corpus Christi, The Body of Christ
Thoughts and reflections on the feast of Corpus Christi
“Is it not the cup of blessing we bless, a sharing in the blood of Christ? Is not the bread we break a sharing in the Body of Christ? Since there is one bread, we who are many are one body; for we all partake of the one bread.” (Corinthians 10:17)
“The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, "This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me." In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me." For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.” (1 Corinthians 11:23-26)
“Christ will take unto himself only the flesh of those who have received of His flesh”
(From a reflection of Saint Hilary)
“To insure that the memory of so great a gift would abide with us forever; He left His body as food (in the form of bread) and His blood as drink (in the form of wine) for the faithful to consume. ….Could anything be of more intrinsic value? (From Saint Thomas Aquinas’s In Festo Corporis Christi)
The above readings from scripture and from a doctor of the church and a saint, make one thing clear. In the Eucharist (from the Greek eukharistia “giving of thanks,” from eukharistos “grateful,”) we receive the body and blood of Jesus Christ into us and it is assimilated into our bodies for which we are grateful. The bread and wine, have been transubstantiated (changed from mere bread and wine) into the Body and Blood of Christ just as he stated at the Last Supper.
Therefore, just as the food we eat gives us nourishment to our body, and the vitamins we take become a part of our body and they all give us strength and nourishment and assist us in fighting of disease, so too does our partaking of the Eucharist. The Eucharist helps us to fight off the temptations of the evil one as well as assists us in deepening our faith and love of God and fulfilling His teachings by living as He instructed us.
Therefore the Corpus Christi, The Body of Christ, is more than a reference to the human form of Christ, it is also the bread and wine of the Eucharist.
At Baptism we became a part of the Mystical body of Christ, by partaking of the Eucharist we have Christ within us, and we are one in the Spirit and the body of Christ as long as we remain faithful to His teachings.
Since we partake of the one bread of life, the Eucharist we are then a part of the one body of Christ, and the one body of Christ is the Church. Just as the body has many parts (cells, hands, feet, eyes, fingers, etc) so too does the church founded by Christ have many parts. Each of the Apostles founded a church in the areas they ministered to. Each of those churches were faithful to the teachings handed down by Christ to the apostles and their rightful successors but each also had an individuality that was reflective of the customs of the area the church was in.
They communicated with each other as witnessed by the Epistles. They conferred together about matters that concerned the faith and teachings of Christ and a two thirds majority had to agree on any changes.
This, unfortunately ended and the body of the church began to fight with itself. This is sort of like the arm trying to take control of the eye while the toe wants to control the mouth. A rather impossible thing and yet today we live with and we see this fighting for control continuing.
The Body of Christ, the universal Christian Church that accepts and believes Jesus to be the Son of God and the Redeemer, is not buildings, not any one denomination, but it is the Baptized faithful who believe and profess Jesus as the promised of the ages.
I strongly believe that if we continue to attempt to divide the different parts of the One Body of Christ we will never bring about the promise of Christ. If we continue to ignore the one great commandment Christ gave us, Love the Lord, your God, with your whole mind, spirit, body and soul and Love your neighbor as you Love yourself. Love each other as I have loved you.
If we continue to limit the opportunities of God’s children to participate in the Mystical Body of Christ, The Church, and to claim their rightful place within that Body of Christ because of there sexual orientation, marital status, race or any other man made rule that has nothing to do with Christ’s teachings, we cannot claim that we are serving Christ, in fact it would seem that we have been taken advantage of by the evil one to serve his desire to separate God’s children from God.
On this feast celebrating the Body of Christ, Corpus Christi, let us open up our minds and hearts and seek ways to bring together all the parts of the body into a unified cause. Let us stop the heart from trying to take over the duties of the teeth and the big toe from trying to be the nose.
Let us seek ways to find our common truths, the teachings of Jesus Christ, and work together for the reunification and rebuilding of the One Holy Catholic(Universal) Apostolic (derived from the Apostles) Church which Christ established when He gave us the new covenant and gave us His body and Blood in the Eucharist to strengthen us by becoming a part of us and therefore our becoming the actual church and a part of the Body of Christ.
AMEN
We are a Catholic mission of the Franciscans of the Annunciation under the Old Catholic Diocese of New England. We believe that all God's children deserve respect and the same rights and privileges as every other person regardless of their sexual orientation or marital status.
We confer all Sacraments and Holy Unions.
God's love is everlasting and infinite and His mercy and compassion is unlimited.
Rev. Robert Francis Johnnene OFA
Mission St’s. Sergius and Bacchus
Holliston, Massachusetts
E-mail: Mission_St_Sergius@msn.com
www.missionstsergius.orghttp://groups.yahoo.com/group/EverlastingLoveOfChristMinistryhttp://spaces.msn.com/members/Mission-St-Sergiushttp://groups.msn.com/MissionSaintsSergiusandBacchus
Thoughts and reflections on the feast of Corpus Christi
“Is it not the cup of blessing we bless, a sharing in the blood of Christ? Is not the bread we break a sharing in the Body of Christ? Since there is one bread, we who are many are one body; for we all partake of the one bread.” (Corinthians 10:17)
“The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, "This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me." In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me." For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.” (1 Corinthians 11:23-26)
“Christ will take unto himself only the flesh of those who have received of His flesh”
(From a reflection of Saint Hilary)
“To insure that the memory of so great a gift would abide with us forever; He left His body as food (in the form of bread) and His blood as drink (in the form of wine) for the faithful to consume. ….Could anything be of more intrinsic value? (From Saint Thomas Aquinas’s In Festo Corporis Christi)
The above readings from scripture and from a doctor of the church and a saint, make one thing clear. In the Eucharist (from the Greek eukharistia “giving of thanks,” from eukharistos “grateful,”) we receive the body and blood of Jesus Christ into us and it is assimilated into our bodies for which we are grateful. The bread and wine, have been transubstantiated (changed from mere bread and wine) into the Body and Blood of Christ just as he stated at the Last Supper.
Therefore, just as the food we eat gives us nourishment to our body, and the vitamins we take become a part of our body and they all give us strength and nourishment and assist us in fighting of disease, so too does our partaking of the Eucharist. The Eucharist helps us to fight off the temptations of the evil one as well as assists us in deepening our faith and love of God and fulfilling His teachings by living as He instructed us.
Therefore the Corpus Christi, The Body of Christ, is more than a reference to the human form of Christ, it is also the bread and wine of the Eucharist.
At Baptism we became a part of the Mystical body of Christ, by partaking of the Eucharist we have Christ within us, and we are one in the Spirit and the body of Christ as long as we remain faithful to His teachings.
Since we partake of the one bread of life, the Eucharist we are then a part of the one body of Christ, and the one body of Christ is the Church. Just as the body has many parts (cells, hands, feet, eyes, fingers, etc) so too does the church founded by Christ have many parts. Each of the Apostles founded a church in the areas they ministered to. Each of those churches were faithful to the teachings handed down by Christ to the apostles and their rightful successors but each also had an individuality that was reflective of the customs of the area the church was in.
They communicated with each other as witnessed by the Epistles. They conferred together about matters that concerned the faith and teachings of Christ and a two thirds majority had to agree on any changes.
This, unfortunately ended and the body of the church began to fight with itself. This is sort of like the arm trying to take control of the eye while the toe wants to control the mouth. A rather impossible thing and yet today we live with and we see this fighting for control continuing.
The Body of Christ, the universal Christian Church that accepts and believes Jesus to be the Son of God and the Redeemer, is not buildings, not any one denomination, but it is the Baptized faithful who believe and profess Jesus as the promised of the ages.
I strongly believe that if we continue to attempt to divide the different parts of the One Body of Christ we will never bring about the promise of Christ. If we continue to ignore the one great commandment Christ gave us, Love the Lord, your God, with your whole mind, spirit, body and soul and Love your neighbor as you Love yourself. Love each other as I have loved you.
If we continue to limit the opportunities of God’s children to participate in the Mystical Body of Christ, The Church, and to claim their rightful place within that Body of Christ because of there sexual orientation, marital status, race or any other man made rule that has nothing to do with Christ’s teachings, we cannot claim that we are serving Christ, in fact it would seem that we have been taken advantage of by the evil one to serve his desire to separate God’s children from God.
On this feast celebrating the Body of Christ, Corpus Christi, let us open up our minds and hearts and seek ways to bring together all the parts of the body into a unified cause. Let us stop the heart from trying to take over the duties of the teeth and the big toe from trying to be the nose.
Let us seek ways to find our common truths, the teachings of Jesus Christ, and work together for the reunification and rebuilding of the One Holy Catholic(Universal) Apostolic (derived from the Apostles) Church which Christ established when He gave us the new covenant and gave us His body and Blood in the Eucharist to strengthen us by becoming a part of us and therefore our becoming the actual church and a part of the Body of Christ.
AMEN
We are a Catholic mission of the Franciscans of the Annunciation under the Old Catholic Diocese of New England. We believe that all God's children deserve respect and the same rights and privileges as every other person regardless of their sexual orientation or marital status.
We confer all Sacraments and Holy Unions.
God's love is everlasting and infinite and His mercy and compassion is unlimited.
Rev. Robert Francis Johnnene OFA
Mission St’s. Sergius and Bacchus
Holliston, Massachusetts
E-mail: Mission_St_Sergius@msn.com
www.missionstsergius.orghttp://groups.yahoo.com/group/EverlastingLoveOfChristMinistryhttp://spaces.msn.com/members/Mission-St-Sergiushttp://groups.msn.com/MissionSaintsSergiusandBacchus
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