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

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

Shout to God with Joy to our Loving God

Shout with joy to God
A reflection for the Third Sunday after Easter
By Rev. Robert Johnnene OFA
Mission Saints Sergius and Bacchus
www.missionstsergius.org
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EverlastingLoveOfChristMinistry

There undeniable message that is proclaimed over and over again in scripture is that God’s love is everlasting, unconditional, and for all people.
This Sunday’s readings bring this teaching out with crystal clarity beginning with the Introit of the mass.
“Shout with joy to God, all the earth, alleluia: sing a psalm to His Name, alleluia: give glory to His praise, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia. -- (Ps. 65. 3) , What a wonderful reminder these words are to us of how we, as followers of Jesus Christ, should be acting, not only this day but every day of our lives, giving praise and glory to God for all He gives us if we but seek him out.

The Collect of the mass also has an important message to us, for it reminds us that Christ came not for the pious and holy but for those who may have gone astray, felt rejected or were told that they were not acceptable to God.
“O God, who to those that go astray did show the light of Your truth, that they may return to the path of justice: grant that all who are enrolled in the Christian faith, may both spurn all that is hostile to that name, and follow after what is fitting to it. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit as one God, now and forever AMEN".
Today’s Epistle, which some attribute to St. Peter, gives us further advice on how to conduct ourselves and live out the message of Jesus Christ.
"Be you subject therefore to every human creature for God's sake: whether it be a king or the governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of the good: for so is the will of God, that by doing well you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men: as free persons, and not by making liberty a cloak for malice, but as the servants of God. Honor all men: love the brotherhood: fear God."
The last words from the Epistle reading might need an explanation as to the meaning of the phrase “Fear God”. To Fear God does not mean the kind of fear one might have of a major disaster or event in their life or the fear some have of heights or flying or the fear a child has of the boogey man but it means to hold God in esteem, awe and respect. Christ proclaimed clearly that His Father, Almighty God, was not a person to be feared but a person to love, respect and to trust.
The part about honoring all men simple means to have respect for all people, men and women, regardless of their race or creed or sexual orientation. By honoring some one does not mean giving them rewards or undeserved praise for their existence but it means not to defame them or ridicule them or cause them suffering or pain.
“Love the brotherhood” is repeating what we find in the Gospel of John 15 which is the preceding chapter to today’s Gospel; “Love one another as I have loved you, there is no greater love than this”
The part that particularly struck me in the epistle for this Sunday was the words; “not as making liberty a cloak for malice but as the servants of God”. “Making Liberty a cloak for malice” stuck a note in light of how today we use the phrase liberty so loosely to justify many actions that are totally opposite the teachings of Christ.
Why is it that we, humans who profess to be believers in the message of Jesus Christ, seem to find ways of not loving each other? We decide that because a person speaks a different language has a different ethnic background, possesses a same sex orientation that they do not deserve the same kind of love that Jesus gave to all that he encountered. How do we justify this kind of action? Where in scripture do we find validation for our actions?
The kind of love the Christ preached and that the Scriptures proclaim is unselfish, kind, merciful, forgiving and not judgmental. “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you.” (John 14:27) It is clear in this quote, that Jesus wants us know that the perceptions of the world are not the perceptions of God. He implores us in John 15:7 “If you live in me and my words remain in you, you may ask what you want and it will be done for you”
When you love someone, you do not, under any circumstances, want to be the cause of pain and suffering. When you love someone, you try to shield them from harm. You gently advise them of their mistakes and guide them. If necessary you try to obtain healing for them. That is Love.
If today, we had more love for all God’s creatures and children the world would not be in the mess it is.
We who call ourselves Christians are being called to actively live God’s love. We are being called to do all within our power to bring about a change in the attitudes that are causing so much pain and suffering in this world. Every tiny thing we do that makes progress in this call from God will bring us a deeper love for God and God will love us more and live within us giving us the strength we need to continue His work here on earth.
Today’s Gospel is from John 16 verses 16 to 22 and it also sends a confirmation of the above readings concerning how we are to live our lives as Christians but it also lets us know that Christ foresaw the confusion the we today might have because even those who had been with him during His life journey to the cross did not understand the meaning of everything He said.
"At that time Jesus said to His disciples: A little while, and now you shall not see me: and again a little while, and you shall see me: because I go to the Father.
Then some of His disciples said one to another: What is this that He is saying to us: A little while, and you shall not see me: and again a little while, and you shall see me, and, because I go to the Father? They said “What is this that He says, a little while?” We do not know what He is speaking about. Jesus knowing that they had a mind to ask Him, He said to them: Why do you inquire among yourselves, because I said: a little while, and you shall not see Me: and again a little while, and you shall see Me? Amen, amen, I say to you, that you shall lament and weep, but the world shall rejoice: and you shall be made sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy. A woman, when she is in labor, hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but when she has brought forth the child, she remembers nothing of the anguish, for joy that a child is born into the world. So also you will indeed have sorrow: but I will see you again and your heart shall rejoice: and your joy no man shall take from you." John 16:16-22

Here Christ was clearly predicting the sorrow that they all would have at his passion and death on the cross, but that they would rejoice when he appeared to them after his conquering death and sin and rising from the tomb three days after His death. This passage from John’s Gospel is from a chapter telling of the events of Christ’s life that preceded Christ Passion and Resurrection on Easter.

A deeper message from this Gospel reading is how, if we truly believe in Jesus Christ and are truly Christians in every sense of the teachings of Christ, the joy and peace we will find cannot and will not be able to be taken away from us by any proclamations of mere human individuals. Just because a person is a minister, rabbi, priest, Bishop, Cardinal or the Pope they are first and foremost human and therefore imperfect.

You and I are being called to actively live God’s love. We are being called to do all within our power to bring about a change in the attitudes that are causing so much pain and suffering in this world. Every tiny thing we do that makes even the slightest progress in this call from God will bring us a deeper love for God and in return God will love us more and live within us giving us the strength we need to continue His work here on earth.

We live in troubled times. We hear many versions of how life is going to change for us by doing one thing or another. Politicians will be promoting their agendas over the next months all claiming to improve our lives. Television networks are all vying for our eyes claiming to be the #1 network that gives us the best news and entertainment. Advertisers tell us our lives will improve by using their product. The truth is the only way our lives will ever change is if we change them within our selves. Our lives and the world condition will only change when we begin to make a serious examination of our behavior and how closely it and our lives are being lived in relationship to Christ’s teachings. The challenge is ours alone. We should not be seeking to be the top gun but must be willing to be the humble servant just as Jesus was when he washed the feet of His apostles.
We need to become a servant of God, serving our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ and working to harvest peace among all God’s children.

We have Christ’s challenge to us to Love one another as He loved us. Let us answer it by changing our faults into virtues and live in accordance with the will of God and pleasing to Him by the way we are living.

Do not let the whims of mere men with their natural human weaknesses cause you to stray away from the love of God or from the worship and praise of God or receiving the Sacraments and Gifts of God because they have told you that you are not worthy but truly believe the promises of God as proclaimed by our savior and redeemer Jesus Christ. "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6)

May Almighty God give us the Wisdom to know and live according to the truth of Christ’s teachings and not the proclamations and ignorance of foolish mere mortals.
May The Almighty and merciful God grant us patience, compassion, forgiveness, and courage to live according to his way so that we will be welcomed into His Kingdom with open and loving arms as depicted in the image of Christ toward the children, which we are in the eyes of God, His Children. AMEN.

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

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

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

Divine Mercy/Quasimodo/2nd Sunday of EasterReflection

Divine Mercy Sunday/Low Sunday/Quasimodo Sunday/2nd Sunday of Easter
From Readings: Peter 2:2, 1 John 8:4-10, John 20:19-31, Acts 3:12-16, Psalm 118, Revelations 1:9-11,
By Rev. Robert Johnnene OFA
Mission Saints Sergius and Bacchus
A Franciscans of the Annunciation Ministry
www.missionstsergius.org
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EverlastingLoveOfChristMinistry


Quasimodo geneti infants, alleluia rationabiles sine dolo lac concupiscite: Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia. Exsultate Deo adjutori nostro: jubilate Deo Jacob. (As newborn babies, Alleluia. Desire you the rational milk without guile: Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia. Rejoice unto God our helper; Sing aloud unto the God of Jacob) these are the opening words of both the traditional pre Vatican liturgy and the New Mass for this Sunday.
It is a beautiful simile for the grace and love of God. Milk without guile, meaning without cunning, craftiness or deceit. A milk that is sweet and nourishing and with which a new born can grow healthy and strong.
That is what the grace of God can do for those who seek it out.

The Novus Ordo liturgy for this Sunday is dedicated to the Divine Mercy of Almighty God. The image of Divine Mercy shows Christ glorified with rainbow rays emanating from His Sacred Heart and His hand raised in blessing. It is a graphic picture of how God’s heart is filled with love and mercy for all of His children with no exception.

I grew up with the image of a vengeful God who weighed my good and bad deeds and always seemed ready to condemn me to the fires of Hell if I but made one small mistake. I lived in fear as a young man that I would die and go to hell because I masturbated or told a lie. It never dawned on me that as a mere human I would always be found wanting and never become perfect because only God is perfect.
The God proclaimed by Christ in Scripture a God of infinite mercy, love, forgiveness and generosity somehow did not sink in possibly because all the preachers ranted hellfire and damnation instead of mercy and love.

It wasn’t until I began to really study scripture and take my courses in Theology that I began to see a God who shattered all the laws and ideas of not only mere mortals but of the Jewish tradition that He grew up with.
Christ introduced a new path to follow, a path of forgiveness, mercy, compassion, understanding, love and of grace. The path to God was one of caring for our brothers and sisters, of being the Good Samaritan to those we found in need. God’s Grace is given freely to us all we are required to do is turn to Him and request it and try to live as Christ instructed us.
It is truly appropriate that the Sunday after Easter be dedicated to the Divine Mercy of God through Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

God is "the God of all grace". Throughout all the New Testament we find affirming words concerning God’s grace. “But Jesus said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. (2 Corinthians 12:19) and “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—(Ephesians 2:8) and “But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. (Ephesians 4:7) “But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." (James 4:6)

Let us not be like the Apostle Thomas in today’s Gospel and the two men on the road to Emmaus who did not recognize God until he broke the bread. Don’t wait to believe in Him until he shows us His wounds or performs a miracle for us. "We have seen the Lord!" But he said to them, "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it." John 20:25
Let us rather proclaim the words of Thomas out of faith and trust in God. “Thomas said to him, "My Lord and my God!" Then Jesus told him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." John 20:28-29
The Grace of God is freely given, there is nothing we can do to make God love us more, and nothing we can do to make God love us less. It means that we, who as most humans, are sinners but through the Divine mercy and Love of Almighty God are invited to take our place at the table in God's family. We gain that place at table by praying to God for His mercy and forgiveness which He also gives freely and by loving one another as God Himself loves us, unconditionally and with forgiveness and compassion for all God’s children regardless of their race, creed, sexual orientation of marital status. AMEN

Easter Reflection

Be Not Afraid, He is Risen
An Easter Reflection by Rev. Robert Johnnene OFA
Mission Saints Sergius and Bacchus
www.missionstsergius.org
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EverlastingLoveOfChristMinistry

Alleluia, Alleluia “This is the Day the Lord has made; Let us rejoice and be glad” (Psalm 118:24). “Do not be Afraid, You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth who was crucified, He is not here, He has risen” (Mark 16:6). “Why do you search for the living among the Dead” (Luke24: 5 ) “He is not here, He has been raised, exactly as He had promised” (Matthew 28:6). “Rabbouni (Hebrew for teacher) ….I have seen the Lord” (John20:18).
These words taken from the four gospels telling of the Resurrection of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ should have special meaning for us and fill us with hope and trust in God.
The first phrase, one that I especially love and keep deep in my heart, is “Do Not Be Afraid” simply put, if you have faith in God and the truly believe the promises of Jesus Christ, there is nothing in life that you need to be afraid of. By placing your trust in the will of God and believing that everything in life has a God given purpose, even the dissention that causes separation, bickering, and the power seeking of all those who profess to be followers of Christ. In these days where division seems to be all around us in government and even faith communities we need to seek out what the root cause of it is. At the heart of most of the discourse is the desire for power, control and most of all, MONEY.
How foolish are we mere mortals, we allow our pride, greed and envy to cloud our eyes so that we forget the message proclaimed by Jesus through His resurrection. The message that with God, all things can be conquered, even death. We also seem to conveniently forget what Christ has taught us by His life, words and deeds. “Love one another as I have loved You” Christ proved His love for us in the ultimate way, by willingly accepting death, not just any death, but the ignominious death of crucifixion. What greater love can a person have but to be willing to give up their own life for another.
Christ not only conquered death, he conquered our sins because by His overcoming death and with His resurrection he brought us forgiveness for our weaknesses and gained for us the promise of everlasting life.
Jesus came to us from Almighty God to be a “Rabbouni” teacher to us. He came to teach us the way to our own salvation and glory. The sad thing is, all too often, we are either not willing to truly hear the teachings of Christ or if we do hear them we choose not to follow them because they are inconvenient for us. All the proclamations of Halleluiah, all the prayers, all the ceremonial trappings and fancy vestments are for naught if we do not follow them through with actions. If we do not assist the poor and needy, speak out against injustice and discrimination and share our gifts with those who are less fortunate. We need to affirm, as Mary Magdalene did when she proclaimed “Rabbouni” that Jesus was the teacher and we learned His lessons and follow them.
Jesus was, is still, and always will be the head of the church. He is still directing those who believe through the Holy Spirit, “the giver of life who proceeds from the Father and the son. With the Father and the son, is worshiped and glorified. He has spoken through the prophets.” (Nicene Creed) He speaks to each and every one of us who desire to know His truth and seek it out. He does not just speak to the hierarchy but to all who, through Baptism, have been called to “priesthood” not just those who have been consecrated as “Presbyters”. Each and every person who has been born again in Baptism need to open their own hearts and minds to listen for the voice of God speaking within us and judge how what we are feeling and hearing complies with what Christ taught us in not only His words but by His actions.
We need to acknowledge Christ by seeking the truth as found in His teachings. We need to act in our daily lives in the manner that Jesus instructed us.
“Why do you search for the living (Jesus) among the dead? “He has been raised, exactly as He promised”
Jesus is alive; he is alive in the hearts and souls of all those who have been reborn through Baptism and who faithfully live according to His instructions. Christ is alive in every person who partakes of the “living Bread” he gave us in the Eucharist.
He gave himself to us, died for us and rose from the dead to conquer forever death from sin. Jesus taught us the way in order for us to know how to carry on His work here on earth while he and the Father watch over us. On this Easter day, we need to believe and accept God’s will as taught by Christ in words, deed and actions and emulate them in our life.
On this glorious day when we celebrate the resurrection of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Let each of us who believe in Him and accept the call to “Come Follow Me” (Luke 18:22) work together to bring all who believe in the message and teachings of Christ together. Each and every one of us needs to make a concerted effort to repair the breaches that have torn us apart into separate factions, usually over some man made regulations that were instituted for the purpose of gaining control, power or political gain and which have nothing to do with God‘s will.
There is only one God. There was only one Jesus Christ. Christ, though His Apostles established one church, one faith. It was not until that church, for political gain under Constantine, began to selectively pick and choose the teaching that fit their agenda and objectives that separation began and culminated when one Bishop decided that He, and only He was infallible and those who were supposed to be his equals were now subservient to him.
Every Baptized Christian is called to be His servants, His disciples. All of us are called to live our faith and the teachings of Christ in our thoughts, words, and actions and not just by giving lip service.
We need to not only talk the talk but we need to Walk the walk.
Those of us who have been called to be shepherds and presbyters of His flock need find ways to work together with one voice just as Jesus spoke with one voice. We need to stop the name calling and jockeying for power and financial gain and come together in unity with one message, the message that Christ claimed was the two greatest commandments, “Love the Lord, your God, with your whole heart, mind, soul and body and the second is like unto it, Love your neighbor as you love yourself”
By living that way when we proclaim Easter Sunday morning, “Alleluia, Alleluia, This is the Day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be Glad, Jesus Christ has risen, Jesus is alive. Alleluia, Alleluia.” we are saying that Jesus lives today in each of us and we are carrying out His way each and every day.
Let us pray; “Give praise to the Lord, for He is good: for His mercy endures for ever. Alleluia, Alleluia. Send down Your spirit of love upon us and through your goodness make us of one mind who you have bless with the Paschal Sacrament. All glory honor and praise be yours, now and forever. AMEN.

Good Friday Reflection

By the Cross, Christ Redeemed the Whole World
A Reflection for Good Friday by Rev. Robert Johnnene OFA
Mission Saints Sergius and Bacchus
www.missionstsergius.org
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EverlastingLoveOfChristMinistry

“We Adore you, O Christ, and we bless you, because by your Holy Cross you have redeemed the World” these words we say during the Stations of the Cross are a powerful affirmation of what this entire Lenten season, especially what we commemorate on Good Friday, is all about. Without Christ’s death, we would not have the gift of redemption. When Jesus went to the cross, he did so willingly. He knew that he was taking all the sins of the world with him. That by the shedding of His blood, Christ made peace by reconciling everything with God according to Saint Paul. By Christ’s death, a new light was brought to all men.
By his death, Christ asks us to emulate him and willingly pick up the crosses we are burdened with and to follow him. In today’s society there are many crosses being offered for us to take up. Can we carry the cross of speaking out against injustice even though it may bring us scorn and reproach by friends and family? Can we speak out against acts of discrimination and bigotry even though by doing so we may find ourselves in the minority? Can we have the courage to speak out against Government leaders who are insolent and refuse to serve the will of the majority of people they are supposed to represent? Do we have what it takes to allow ourselves to be stripped of all our pretensions and allow the world to see our true selves? Can we give of ourselves enough to be of assistance to those who are not able to provide the basic necessities of life for themselves?
All these are things that require us to give of ourselves and deny ourselves of being comfortable.

By Christ’s offering himself up as the sacrificial lamb on the cross we have been given the promise of Salvation, peace, compassion, love and triumph. Without the cross, the tree that gave us the promise of everlasting life, we would still be floundering around in the darkness of sin and confusion.
The Cross becomes a symbol of triumph, the triumph of Christ over the power of evil. The completion of the mission to overcome the forces of evil is now in our ballpark. Are we up to the challenge?
The triumph of Christ is not something of the past, it is a living thing. It is something we are called to live every day. When we are faced with oppression, illness, rejection, alienation we need to recall that all these were faced by Jesus Christ. By his life and death, Christ made holy every aspect of the human experience. We need to look upon our lives and live them with that in mind. Our lives are holy, they are holy if we are willing to work hard to live by the example Christ gave us.
Christ spoke out against injustice, so must we. Christ welcomed the outcast, so must we. Christ challenged the rules of the High Priests and the Sanhedrin and government of his day, so must we. When our government is wrong and creates laws that are oppressive, we need to speak out loudly against them. When our government our Religious leaders insist on mandating anything that is contradictory to the teaching and example that Christ gave us we need to be willing to challenge them as Christ did. By living in this way we sanctify Christ’s passion and relive it daily by our willingness to take up our crosses and carry them willingly.
The cross is a symbol of Christ’s triumph and this Paschal Season is our liturgical means of participating in Christ’s gift of redemption. Our challenge is to live it every day of every year.
On Good Friday we celebrate the love of God; a love so great it allows us, even urges us to be co-workers in Christ’s great act of love by sacrificing Himself on the cross for us.
Let us then celebrate Christ’s willingness to suffer the indignities of the passion and a criminal’s death on the cross, which brought us the forgiveness of our sins and our salvation and make it ours by being faithful to Him and living daily carrying our crosses proudly for all the world to see. AMEN

Passover Fulfilled In Christ

This is My Body, This is My Blood
A Reflection for Holy Thursday
By Rev. Robert Johnnene OFA
Mission Saints Sergius and Bacchus
www.missionstsergius.org


For more than 3000 years, the Jewish people have celebrated a Seder which is called Pesakh, Pesach, Pesah), or Festival of Unleavened Bread in remembrance of the exodus from Egypt. The Exodus includes the deliverance from slavery in Egypt as well as the covenant between God and His people at Sinai. Jesus and His followers, like faithful Jewish person gathered together to fulfill their obligation of celebrating the memorial of the feast of Passover. The word for memorial in Hebrew is Zikkaron and in Greek is ( anamnesis) meaning a liturgical celebration that celebrates and re-presents past mysteries of salvation.
If you remember the story, Moses told his people to sacrifice an unblemished young lamb and slaughter it and spread the blood on the doorposts and lintels of their homes, in that way the angel of Death that would sweep through Egypt would spare all those within.
The Jewish people were told to remember this passing on the fourteenth day of the first month of their calendar year. (This year 2007, the Passover began at sundown Monday April 2) This memorial celebration is what Jesus and His followers were celebrating.
The Passover “Haggadah” or telling is broken into 15 divisions or order of the Seder.
The Passover celebration today is a celebration of all the deliverances God has provided and Jews still look for the final deliverance and exodus of the coming of the Messiah.
Christians see Christ as the person who fulfilled all things that the prophets foretold the Messiah. Even the title “Christ” means the anointed one, which is what Messiah means in Hebrew.
Christ told us he came to bring us a new covenant, Christ became the sacrificial Lamb, It was His blood that set us free from the bondage of sin. Even the words that Jesus spoke and we proclaim at every liturgy of the Eucharist “ Blessed are you O Lord our God, king of the universe, who brings forth bread from the earth” in Hebrew (Barukh ata Adonay, Elohenu, melekh ha olam, Ha motzi lechem min ha aretz) are the words Jesus spoke. When Jesus took the bread, blessed it, broke it and gave it to His apostles saying, “This is my Body, take and eat” and the wine “This is my Blood, the Blood of the new covenant, it will be shed for you and for all so that sins may be forgiven. Do this is remembrance of me” He became the sacrificial lamb of the Passover.
Every time we partake in the Eucharistic Celebration we are reliving the Passover Celebration, we are carrying out the command of Jesus Christ that we celebrate the memorial feast “The memorial feast of our redemption”, we recall the memory of Jesus Christ, His suffering, death and resurrection. It is most unfortunate that our English language does not really convey very well the true biblical meaning of memorial (anamnesis {GREEK} and Zikkaron {Hebrew}.
Like the Jewish people today who faithfully follow the old covenant made by Moses with God. We, who believe Christ to be the promised one of the prophets, by our participating in the Eucharistic Liturgy, personally die and rise with Christ and we become redeemed together with Him.
By understanding the Passover, we better can understand the beautiful and fulfilling mystery of our faith and of the Eucharistic celebration. Let us work together to realize that as true believers of Christ we need to honor and respect the traditions of the faith that gave us our redeemer and savior Jesus Christ.
PRAYER:
Blessed are you, O Lord God, king of the universe, who has redeemed us from the land of bondage to sin and brought us to freedom and salvation by your willingness to become the sacrificial lamb of the new covenant. Unite your brothers and sisters of all nations on this earth your Almighty Father created together in love and unity so that we can gather as one family giving Almighty God and you thanksgiving and praise. AMEN

Renew Yourself, Prepare for Final Days of Holy Week

Renewed In Christ
A Reflection on the Paschal Triduum by Rev. Robert Johnnene OFA
Mission Saints Sergius and Bacchus
www.missionstsergius.org
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EverlastingLoveOfChristMinistry


Beginning Thursday of this week the Universal church will celebrate three days of reflection, prayer, and thanksgiving as they pay honor and tribute to Holy Thursday, Good Friday and the Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday. The focus meaning of these three days is all about renewal.
It affords us an opportunity to renew ourselves, our commitment, and our faith in Almighty God.
On Holy Thursday we recall the old and the new. The Old Covenant made with Moses and the New covenant Jesus gave us when He instituted the Eucharist. In the Liturgy the events of that Passover meal Christ and the apostles celebrated are reenacted. During the day all the priests of a diocese gather together to renew their vows of service, the sacred oils used in the Sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation and in healing the sick are blessed for the coming year, and the old ones are burned symbolizing again renewal.
At the Mass of The Lords Supper the celebrant, representing Christ, washes the feet of twelve persons just as Jesus washed the feet of the Apostles. This act signified that Jesus came to, as he said, “If, I, therefore, the master and teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash one another’s feet. I have given you a model to follow, so that as I have done for you, you should also do” (John 13:14-15)
After the liturgy of the Eucharist, the consecrated Eucharist are carried to a place of repose where through the evening the faithful take time to adore Christ present in the Eucharist. The Altar is then stripped, just as Christ was stripped of His garments, and left bare and empty.
On Good Friday, we recall The Lord’s Passion and Death at about three o’clock in keeping with the time Jesus is believed to have died. In many churches and countries the time between twelve and three is set aside for people to walk the Stations of the Cross. At the Good Friday service the Passion is proclaimed, many times with members of the faithful taking part as the voices of the crowd, the narrator, and Christ. After the passion is proclaimed there is veneration of the cross where the faithful approach the cross with the figure of Christ upon it and usually kiss one of the wounds. Many believe that they are kissing the wound that they believe their sins caused Jesus to receive.
The cross is venerated because, it through it the sins of all died on the cross with Jesus, by that act of Jesus giving over of himself we were renewed and given a chance to live a life given over to God and obtain the renewing grace of forgiveness for our sins and the promise of everlasting life with Almighty God when our earthly days are ended.
On Holy Saturday this entire renewal process is brought to fulfillment. The evening vigil liturgy is a powerful and moving living liturgy that renews all. The Liturgy begins in a darkened place, just as the tomb of Christ was dark. The liturgy begins with the blessing of the New fire, representing Christ as the Light of the World, the glory of Christ’s and the New hope Christ brought into the world.
From the new fire The Easter Candle is Blessed and lit and from it all those attending light their individual candles indicating that Jesus brought the light of truth into their lives.
Following the proclamation of the word, the candidates to be received into the faith community are renewed in Baptism and all the faithful renew their Baptismal vows. With this the entire faithful have renewed their lives in Christ.
On Easter Sunday morning, we rejoice in our renewal and the renewal Christ brought to all people with his resurrection.
The message for is is, with Christ, all people have a future, all people of the world have the opportunity to share in everlasting life with God and all the Elect. Christ came to bring salvation to all of God’s children. Just as Christ did not discriminate in who he received into His company, the gift of renewal and salvation earned by Christ was for every human being on the face of the earth.
As true followers of Christ we do not have any justification for deciding who will and who will not be welcome in the presence of God.
As we journey through this most sacrad and wondrous week let us rejoice and be glad, that through Christ, we have been given a total and complete renewal of our lives.
Let us rejoice and give thanks to God for giving us His only begotten son as the sacrificial lamb to renew us.
On Easter morning let us rejoice and be glad and proclaim joyously that Christ has risen. For Easter is the remembrance of God’s giving us the opportunity to completely renew ourselves into persons who respect the diversity and uniqueness of God’s creatures and people who foster and promote the message of love that Christ brought to us. “Love one another as I have loved you” these words of Christ should echo in our minds and heart, for Christ showed us how much he loved us by being willing to suffer and die the ignominious deat on the cross just so we could have the promise of forgiveness and everlasting life with God. The coming days are truly, the days of the Lord.
Let us rejoice and be glad. Let us shout our HOSANNAH, HOSANNAH TO THE SON OF DAVID, HOSANNAH TO CHRIST OUR REDEEMER AND SAVIOR. THROUGH YOU WE HAVE BEEN RENEWED.
LET US GO FORWARD FROM THIS DAY ONWARD WITH THE VOW TO LOVE AND SERVE GOD AND EACH OTHER. AMEN

Hosanna In The Highest
A Reflection for Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion
Based on the readings for the Tridentine and Novus Ordo Traditions
Matt: 21:1-9, Matthew 26 & 27 (Passion of Our Lord); Isaiah 50:4 – 7, Philippians 2:5-11, Luke 22:14 - 23:56 (Passion of Our Lord)
By Fr. Robert Johnnene OFA
Mission Sts. Sergius and Bacchus

“Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord, the King of Israel” (Matthew 21:9) shouted the people lining the road into Jerusalem. This joyful reception by the Jewish people to Jesus entrance into Jerusalem, riding on a donkey, could compare to the accolades and reception that the winners of the World Series or the Super Bowl experience on return to their respective cities. They are received as conquering heroes and indeed Jesus was just that kind of hero and still is to those of us who believe in Him and accept Him as the only begotten son of God.
It can be assumed that many of those same people who were shouting Hosanna, four days later would be in the crowds shouting, “Crucify Him, Crucify Him” because he did not meet their expectations of Him or because they succumbed to greed and accepted bribes from the powers of the temple elite.
We have seen in our lives just such a turn around by a super hero of the World Series who deserts the team he played with that won the series and goes over to an opposing team because they offered him a huge sum of money that the deep pocket owner could afford and who places winning over all at any price. When the player returns to his former team he is no longer cheered but booed and treated with contempt.
In the past few years we have seen a great deal of publicity about the newly discovered Gospel of Judas, the supposed discovery of the tomb of Jesus and a resurgence of publicity about THE DIVINCI CODE and HOLY BLOOD, HOLY GRAIL, THE LOST GOSPELS and other “New discoveries that call into question the basis of Christianity.
The speculation, by some, is that these new revelations might change our beliefs.
I do not know how our beliefs or the truth of Jesus teachings could be changed by the supposed revelations.
The truth is, Jesus Christ lived, Christ died, Christ was resurrected, and Christ came to save all people of the world, not a select few and during His life He broke all the rules and regulations of the Jewish faith and did not discriminate against anyone.
If anything, these discoveries should only serve to strengthen our faith and belief. They change nothing about the main facts. All of them and numerous non-religious historical documents acknowledge that Jesus was real. All of them affirm that he gave us a new covenant, “LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH YOUR WHOLE HEART, MIND, SOUL AND BODY AND LOVE ONE ANOTHER AS I HAVE LOVED YOU”
The “Gnostic Gospels” as they are called are all based on writings of the early Christians; and in most cases, they support and have much of the same information as we find in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, which we were raised on.
The Gnostic Gospels, as the lost Gospels are called, proclaimed that salvation could be achieved by knowledge.
That statement is true, we need to have Knowledge of who God is, Knowledge of how we can serve God, Knowledge of God’s intent; all of these are necessary in order for us to faithfully serve God.
They do not disagree with what is found in the Gospels we know as far as the events of the final days of Christ.
Did not Jesus Himself say, “Seek and you will find, Knock and it will be opened to you, Ask and you shall receive” none of these “recent” findings change a thing.
The Passion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, according to the versions being read today by either Matthew or Luke, opened the road to everlasting salvation for us.
Even if the most recent finding “The Gospel of Judas” has any truth, it affirms that Jesus had to die in order for our salvation to be assured. In it, it is purported to state, “For you will sacrifice the man that clothes me." By that, scholars familiar with Gnostic thinking said, “Jesus meant that by helping him get rid of his physical flesh, Judas will act to liberate the true spiritual self or divine being within Jesus.”
In many western churches today the Passion of the final days of Christ’s life are read according to Matthew and Luke which detail the last hours of Christ on earth as will Paul’s letter to the Philippians. Matthew and Luke’s Gospels begins with the celebration of Passover and the creation of the Eucharist, The agony in the garden and Christ’s saying, “Father if it is possible, let this cup pass from me, nevereless, not as I will, but as you will” which I say every day as part of my prayers, “Not my will but your will be done Lord”.
The readings continue by detailing the betrayal by Judas, the trials, the way of the cross and the crucifixion and ends with the burial of Christ.
Paul’s letter explains the reasons for all this and who Christ was and says a lot that we need to think about in the face of all the recent supposed contradictions.
Jesus Christ, although he shared God’s nature, did not try to seize equality with God for himself; but he emptied himself and took on the form of a slave, by becoming a human man – not in appearance only, because he humbled himself by accepting death – even death on a cross. For this, God has raised him high, and given him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bend, in heaven, on earth, and under the earth, and every tongue will proclaim “Jesus Christ is Lord”, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2)
During this final week of Lent and this week which celebrates the Jewish freedom from bondage from the Egyptians, and especially as we go through Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday, let us reflect on how we live and practice our faith every day.
During this Christian Passion Week and the Holy Jewish week of Passover, let us find ways to put an end to the dissentions and petty jurisdictional and control for power and profit that have separated the followers of Jesus Christ into many churches instead on the One Holy Catholic (Universal) Apostolic Church we profess in the creed.
The time for us is now to be faithful to God and our faith and not allow ourselves to be swayed away by supposed “New Truths”. Let us work together to find ways to come together as the family of Christ and children of God and gather together as one family of faith in Christ. Let us begin living the message of Jesus Christ by our actions, thoughts, words and deeds. Let us be completely and very faithful to Almighty God and His beloved son Jesus Christ and forever and always proclaim loudly,
“HOSANNA, HOSANNA, TO THE SON OF DAVID, HOSANNA! BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD! HOSANNA IN THE HIGHEST!”

AMEN

Feast Day Reflection

Reflection for the Feast of Annunciation
And
The Founding of the Franciscans of the Annunciation
By Rev. Robert Johnnene OFA
Mission Saints Sergius and Bacchus
www.missionstsergius.org
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EverlastingLoveOfChristMinistry

“Hail Mary! Full of grace” “The Lord is with you”, how wonderful it would be to have that affirmation given to us. Wouldn’t it be great if an angel of the Lord came down and announced to us the greeting that was given to the Our Blessed Mother Mary, the mother of Christ.
There is no question that it would be wonderful to hear but we have to ask ourselves, are we worthy of hearing that message? Have we actually lived by the teachings of Almighty God as found in the commandments and especially in the teachings of Christ?
Do we love God above all things? Do we love our neighbor as we love ourselves and see in every human being, Jesus Christ? Do we practice the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy and the Beatitudes?
The Angel Gabriel appeared to Mary as she was engaged in her daily practice of prayer. Mary lived fully in accordance with the Jewish faith and was prayerful and totally committed to Almighty God and living according to the teachings and beliefs of her Jewish faith.
When the angel made His announcement to Mary her first reaction was “How can this be?”
With these words, Here I am Lord, May it be done to me according to your word! She freely accepted God’s will for her even though she knew that, as an unmarried woman found with child she could be stoned to death. Do we have that kind of faith and trust in accepting God’s will for us?
In order to have that kind of faith we have to give ourselves over completely to God’s will for us and accept it. If God willed that we be born with an orientation toward a member of the same sex, we have to accept that and live our lives in accordance with that and not use it as an excuse to separate ourselves from God because others say that it is our choice and not God’s plan and therefore we are sinners.
Do we listen when God does choose to speak to us in our hearts or do we pass it off as an illusion or a dream and not discern what God is trying to tell us?
It was not until I stopped demanding to always do things my way and to begin to ask God what it was he wanted from me that I began to find true peace within my self and in my heart and mind.
A year ago the original Franciscan order to which I had become incardinated was disbanded over some dissention and I wondered what the reason was and where I might go to follow what I felt sure was a mission God wanted me to do. As it turned out one of the Bishops who had been a member of the original order also wondered and somehow a prayer I wrote during this time of discernment led him to feel that it was where God wanted us and he founded the Franciscans of the Annunciation of the Infinite Love of God. The Infinite love of God is the prime message of the Annunciation to Our Blessed Mother Mary. God so loved the world that He choose to send His only begotten son to earth in human form to teach us the truth. The truth is that God always loves us, even when we try to ignore Him and go our own way. God does not give up on us. All He demands of us is that we acknowledge Him and attempt, with the help of His Divine Mercy and the Holy Spirit, to live our lives in a manner that is not harmful to ourselves or others.
Since only God is perfect, He knows that our human condition is far from perfect. He respects and loves us as we struggle with the difficulties of daily life.
God choose Mary to be the mother of His only begotten son because she lived her life in total accordance with His laws as they had been handed down through Jewish tradition and loved and worshiped the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
Jesus told us that He came to earth on behalf of His Father to bring a new covenant.
Mary accepted God’s will even though she new that in doing so she could be stoned to death and as Jesus began His ministry Mary followed Jesus even to the wrenching pain of watching her son suffer and die a horrible death nailed to a wooden cross.
She was there when he arose and when the Holy Spirit came down on the apostles. She was the First and most loyal of all the disciples. She truly showed us the way to follow Christ.
During these final two weeks of Lent, let us make a concerted effort to change ourselves into dedicated and true followers of Christ and devoted children of Almighty God by totally giving our lives over to the will of God and accepting His will for us just as Mary did. Let us be more tolerant of the diversity of God’s creation especially in our neighbors. Let us practice the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy and live the Beatitudes each and every day by being more mindful of the need of sufferings of others and reach out to them as the Good Samaritan did for the man beaten on the side of the road.
By living this way we may not become true saints but it is just possible we will, one day, hear the voice of an angel speaking to us saying “God loves you for being His good and faithful servant and is welcoming you home to His loving arms.
AMEN

Passion Sunday Reflection

“By Christ’s deeds the Lord has shown himself great”
A Reflection for Passion Sunday
Based on Readings from: John 8:48-59, Hebrews 9:11-15, Psalm 125, Philippians 3:8-14, John 8:1-11
By Rev. Robert Johnnene OFA
Mission Saints Sergius and Bacchus
www.missionstsergius.org
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EverlastingLoveOfChristMinistry


I have chosen words from the title of the psalm used in today’s liturgy of the Novus Ordo rite or new rite in the western churches since it compliments all the readings used by the Universal church for Passion Sunday.
The Gospel of John 8:1-11 is the story of the woman about to be stoned because she was caught in adultery and how Jesus responded to those who were about to stone her. Jesus said to them “If there is one of you who have not sinned, let him be the first to throw a stone at her”. With those words Jesus broke with the teachings of the old covenant for Christ came into this world as the mediator of a new covenant or agreement between God and us.
In the Gospel of John 8:48-59 we find Christ being accused of sinning and having a demon in Him because he had broken with the traditional practices of the Jewish faith to which Jesus replied; “"I don't have a demon in me. I honor my Father, and you refuse to honor me. I don't want honor for myself. But there is one who wants me to be honored, and he is also the one who judges. I tell you for certain that if you obey my words, you will never die." "If I honored myself, it would mean nothing. My Father is the one who honors me. You claim that he is your God, even though you don't really know him. If I said I didn't know him, I would be a liar, just like all of you. But I know him, and I do what he says.”
Notice the words of Christ; “You claim that he is your God, even though you don't really know him”. Today everywhere we hear preachers claiming to know God and Christ and yet they go about shouting condemnation and hell fire and damnation and claim that they are preaching the teachings of Christ, yet, the Gospel story of the woman caught in adultery is an example of how Christ preached mercy and forgiveness.
The opening words of Paul’s Letter to the Hebrews 9:11 explain this very well; “Christ came as the high priest of the good things that are now here….. He freed us from sin forever. He did this by offering his own blood instead of the blood of goats and bulls.” (The Law of Moses prescribed that people who become unclean were not fit to worship God. Yet they would be considered clean, if they are sprinkled with the blood of goats and bulls and with the ashes of a sacrificed calf.) Paul continues with the following explanation; “But Christ was sinless, and he offered himself as an eternal and spiritual sacrifice to God. That's why his blood is much more powerful and makes our consciences clear……. Now he brings his chosen ones a new agreement with its guarantee of God's eternal blessings!”
Paul’s letter to the Philippians 3:8 opening words sum it all up, at least for me they do, “I believe nothing can happen that will outweigh the supreme advantage of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord”. Paul goes on to say how he he no longer is seeking the perfection that comes from the law but the perfection that comes through faith in Jesus Christ and Almighty God. He also acknowledges that perfection only comes when we have been received into the eternal promise of Christ. “I am far from thinking that I have already won. All I can say is that I forget the past and I strain ahead for what is still to come; I am racing for the finish, for is the prize to which God calls us upwards to receive in Christ.”
I believe that it is not our duty or obligation to place condemnation on any of God’s children but that we should teach the words of Christ and instruct God’s children on the way they have been called by God to live their lives. We most certainly should never think that God has made a mistake in creating someone in a certain way or refuse to allow one of God’s children from participating in the worship and reception of the graces of the sacraments for when we do so we are acting like those who wanted to stone the woman caught in adultery.

The next two weeks are some of the most holy and humbling times within the liturgical calendar. They are a time when we examine ourselves deeply and make our list of strengths and weaknesses within our living the teachings of God as given us through Christ. They are a time when we are reminded of how much Christ was willing to suffer for our sake and a time to ask ourselves how much we are willing to suffer in order to achieve the promise of Eternal life with God.
Christ did not go through all He endured for just a few individuals who perceive that they are holier than others but for ALL of the children of God, every individual on the face of the earth.
Let each of us, over the next two weeks, think about how Christ came to earth and by His words and deeds the Lord has shown himself great and given us the way, the truth and the light which will lead us to the Father, our creator, and everlasting life with Him, our redeemer Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit and Christ’s and our heavenly mother Mary and all the heavenly elect.
Use this time to improve your relationship with Almighty God and with your brothers and sisters in Christ by working harder to live a life that reflects the teachings of Christ.
That is our way of passing over to the promised land of Almighty God. AMEN

Judge Not, lest you be judged/A reflection for the fourth Sunday of Lent

Fourth Sunday of Lent Reflection
Based on the Gospel of Luke 15:1-32
By Rev. Robert Johnnene OFA
Mission Saints Sergius and Bacchus
www.missionstsergius.org
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EverlastingLoveOfChristMinistry


The reading for the fourth Sunday of Lent being used by some of the western Catholic churches is one that gives two very important messages to us concerning Christ’s purpose and message from His Father, Almighty God. The first message is to be found in the opening passage of the reading. “The tax collectors and the sinners, meanwhile, were all seeking his company to hear what he had to say, and the Pharisees and the scribes complained. ‘This man’ they said ‘welcomes sinners and eats with them.” Here is quite clear who Christ wanted to speak to and who he thought He did not have to be concerned over what they thought. The Jewish leaders were concerned that Christ freely welcomed the sinners that they had cast out into His presence and even went further sitting down to break bread with them. Christ’s actions in doing this were completely opposite what the laws of the Jewish faith called for and were part of the reason they used to crucify Christ when they brought Him to trial.
Today, we find the Roman and other Christian churches acting in the same way as the scribes and Pharisees. They are rejecting people because they have been divorced or because God created with a sexual orientation towards people of their own sex and condemning them just as the Scribes and Pharisees did to those who they considered unclean.
If it was good enough for Christ to sit down and eat with those rejected by the Jewish religious leaders of the time why is it not good enough for us to minister to those people the others have rejected? Are not all the world’s people children of God? Are we not, as ordained ministers of God, called to act as Christ did and be His instrument here on earth? We need to follow the teachings of Christ and do as He stated in Matthew 9:13 “For I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.”
The same teaching can be found in Mark 2:17 “I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.” and again in John 12:47 “I will not judge those who hear me but don’t obey me, for I have come to save the world and not to judge it”. It is not our place make judgments against God’s children, that is God’s exclusive domain, but we are here to teach and council and lead all toward God. We are here to proclaim the teachings of Christ and of salvation to everyone especially those who have been rejected just as the Scribes and Pharisees did to those Christ choose teach.

The Gospel then relates the parable of the two sons whose father divided their inheritance. The one son went and squandered his, just as so many of us squander the gifts God has given us, and then returned to be feasted and welcomed with celebration. He approaches his father with these words; “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I no longer deserve to be called your son.” But the father said to his servants, “Quick! Bring out the best robe and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the calf we have been fattening, and kill it; we are going to have a feast, a celebration, because this son of mine was dead and has come back to life; he was lost and is found.”
Could this message be any clearer? God will rejoice and welcome everyone no matter what they may have done wrong, with open arms if they but ask His forgiveness.
So many people today are like the other son who remained with his father and tended the fathers business. The faithful son became upset and angry that the father welcomed this wayward son with such rejoicing and confronted his father to which the father replied; “My son, you are with me always and all I have is yours. But it was only right we should celebrate and rejoice, because your brother here was dead and has come to life; he was lost and is found.”
The message of this Gospel is very clear, Almighty God does not reject anyone who desire to be with Him and asks Him for forgiveness for any sin they may have committed. Neither should any church that proclaims to adhere to the teachings of Christ reject anyone who desire to be active within the church and partake of the graces of the Sacraments.
" He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." (John 8:7 ) These words need to resound in our hearts and minds at all times when we decide that we are in a position of making judgments against someone. There is not a person on earth or in heaven for that matter, except of course Jesus, Almighty God and Our Beloved Mother Mary, who did not commit a sin. If the truth be told and according to the writing we have from many who became saints, they all admitted they were sinners. St. Paul, the greatest of Evangelists, persecuted and ordered Followers of Christ to be killed before he saw the light of Christ’s truth. St. Ignatius, St. Francis of Assisi and even Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta spoke of their sinfulness.
God rejects no one who returns to Him. God loves all His children, He loves them as He created them and only asks that they respect themselves and others and return their love to Him.
When churches, that claim to teach and follow the message of Christ, drive people away by their rules and regulations and reject people because they mad a mistake and got divorced but still want to love and serve God they are not fulfilling Christ’s teachings.
When Churches inflict pain and suffering by allowing their ministers to abuse children and still remain in service to the church, They have failed God.
When churches would rather spend billions on fancy garments and elaborate buildings than feed the poor and care for the needy and sick, they are not following the teachings of Christ that they proclaim from their pulpits and therefore they are like the Scribes and Pharisees who Christ said this about in Matthew 23:15 - 33.
“ For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted. "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men's faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.
"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.
"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.
"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men's bones and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.
"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous. And you say, 'If we had lived in the days of our forefathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.' So you testify against yourselves that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets. Fill up, then, the measure of the sin of your forefathers! "You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell? Therefore I am sending you prophets and wise men and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify; others you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town. And so upon you will come all the righteous blood that has been shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. (this last line might give you pause to think about the fate of Pope John Paul 1)
During this fourth week of Lent let us meditate and reflect on how we are doing in serving Almighty God and Christ teachings and if we are guilty of acting like the Scribes and Pharisees or are we being true to the teachings of Christ.
May Almighty God, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, open our heart, mind, and eyes to His truth and assist us in living according to His will. AMEN

On Our Journey With Christ, a reflection for the third Sunday of Lent

On Our Journey With Christ
A Reflection on the third Sunday of Lent
Readings: Ephesians 5:1-9, Luke 11: 14-28
By Rev. Robert Johnnene OFA
Mission Sts. Sergius and Bacchus

www.missionstsergius.org
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EverlastingLoveOfChristMinistry


For the remaining 28 days of lent until the glorious feast celebrating the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, I thought I would reflect on what this period of the church season means and what we, as followers of Jesus Christ, should be concentrating on to prepare ourselves for the Pascal Mystery we celebrate on Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday the eve of the Easter Celebration.
Just what exactly, is the message of the all the gospels used by the universal church during Lent, beyond the story of the events leading up to Christ’s passion, death and resurrection?
The first one is of acceptance, accepting Jesus Christ as the promised messiah , the redeemer, the son of God who became man to bring us a new covenant or way of life.
As we have heard in the gospels, not all were ready to accept that and many who did, did so only after witnessing a major miracle like the one described in the Gospel of today where Christ cast out the evil spirit from the man who was mute. (Luke 11:14-28)
Our challenge is to believe and accept Jesus Christ as the son of God and the one sent to save us and open up the gates of heaven to us because of our faith and trust and love of Almighty God, the Creator and Father of us all.

This is a difficult thing for many to do, especially since today we have so many secular distractions. The truth of the Gospels seems to be always challenged and brought into question. Just this last week a major television network and all the news papers and tV stations told the story of the supposed remains of Jesus being found and those supposedly of His child and wife. The evidence presented was sparse and highly questionable and not conclusive but it still seemed to convince some that it was factual and therefore opened them to question all that our religion teaches.

In today’s world, many question the will of God, question why, if God is a God of mercy there is so much suffering in the world. I do not have an answer that will satisfy most but I believe that just as God had a reason for creating everything and that everything that he created was good; I have to believe that He has a reason for the suffering. Some theologians will tell you that it is to allow us to experience a small portion of the suffering that Jesus endured and that may be true but, I believe that it is to give us an opportunity to take action to ease that suffering and bring comfort to those who are suffering, just as Jesus brought comfort to those who believed and followed Him and taught us in the Sermon on The Mount.

The one message that is as clear as crystal is we need to have total and complete trust in God and to practice what Christ called THE GREAT COMMANDMENT. “Love God with all your heart, mind, soul and body and to love your neighbor as you love yourself.”
Another message is, Christ came for ALL people not just the Jews but for all of the children of God. Just as Christ did not discriminate or abide by all the rules of Jewish tradition and laws which it prescribed when He spoke with women who were not relatives, an ate with those who were considered unclean by the priests of His time.
If we truly accept Christ and want to follow Him we must not discriminate against anyone because of their marital status or sexual orientation and since Christ even spoke with those who were not followers of Judaism, we also need to be open to discussion with those who follow other religions beliefs and traditions.

God sent His only son to us to clarify the message of salvation. To let us know that the promise of eternal salvation is for every living person on the face of the earth. That message is one of hope, peace, love, compassion, mercy and forgiveness.

In the time of Christ, just as today, there were those who felt threatened by this message of hope. If people believed this message of Christ, those in positions of power would not be able to yield the control over them through threats and intimidation. Today we still see threats and intimidation being used to enforce rules that have been put in place by infallible humans, for no other purpose but to maintain power and prestige.

These rules hurt and cause people pain and to become disenfranchised and question religious teachings because what they see the preachers of Christ’s message doing are contradictory to what Jesus taught by His words and actions.
Our lesson is to listen to your heart, listen to what Jesus taught and labor hard to put Christ’s teachings into action in our every day life.

Make Lent a time of doing, not a time of giving up something but a time to put into practice the Corporal Works of Mercy; To feed the hungry; To give drink to the thirsty; To clothe the naked; To harbor the homeless; To visit the sick; To ransom the captive; To bury the dead.” And the spiritual works of mercy; “To instruct the uninformed; To counsel the uncertain; To caution sinners; To bear wrongs patiently; To forgive offences willingly; To comfort the afflicted; To pray for the living and the dead.”
In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus gave us an indication of how people will react if we live by His teachings.
"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. The Sermon on the Mount closes with this statement, “For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.” That to me indicates that we have to become more trusting, more faithful, more merciful and less judgmental and narrow minded that those who profess to be the anointed ones of discerning God’s will.
In today’s reading from Paul’s letter to the Ephesians we are told “ Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children of God, live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God”.

The Holy Spirit is alive and well, the Spirit is attempting to open the hearts and a mind of all believers to God’s will and direct us to the promised kingdom. We need to open ourselves to listening to the Spirit as it talks to us.
These are some of the thoughts I have as I enter the final days of preparation for the Paschal Banquet and the celebration of our salvation in Christ Jesus. AMEN

Suggested Meditation For Second Week Of Lent

Reflection On The Our Father for Lent
By Rev. Robert Johnnene OFA
Mission Saints Sergius and Bacchus
www.missionstsergius.org
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EverlastingLoveOfChristMinistry

My suggested focus meditation point for the second week of Lent is found in the Gospel of Matthew 6: 7-15 where Jesus teaches the Apostles how to pray and then gives them the prayer we know as THE OUR FATHER. His first instruction is on how we should pray at all times, Jesus tells us “ In your prayers do not babble as the pagans do, for they think that by using many words they will make themselves heard. Do not be like them; your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
In this first part of the reading Jesus is telling us not to rattle off our prayers in a hurry and to actually take time to think about what we are saying. Prayer is not just a recitation of the words but is a conversation with Almighty God, Christ or Our Blessed mother. We are talking with them as though they were there in the room with us. This applies to all prayer especially the great prayer, the Mass. Christ reminds us that God knows what is in our hearts and our minds even before we speak them. The purpose of praying is not the words but in centering ourselves to and with God. I often tell people that taking time alone with God and talking to him as though He were sitting opposite them is a calming and centering exercise and it brings us closer to God.
By taking the time to actually focus on what we are saying and to speak the words that come from our inner being we enter into a reverent communication with Almighty God.
Jesus then goes on to teach us words that we should use when we pray which we now know as THE OUR FATHER.
"This, then, is how you should pray: 'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.
In this simple prayer we sum up all our beliefs and our wishes. Christ reminds us again, in no uncertain terms, on what our request to God depends when he said; For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
Therefore, when we pray the Our Father, we are acknowledging many of our beliefs as Christians because we concede:
1. God is our Father, in other words, like our paternal father whose seed brought us into being, God brought us and all things into being by willing them into existence.
2. We affirm that the name of Almighty God is Holy and needs to be revered above all persons and things.
3.. We are acknowledging that the kingdom of heaven is something to come and is not to be found in this mortal world.
4. We acknowledge that we agree that God’s will must be done in all things, not only in heaven but here on earth. God’s will, not our own desire and will. This is often very difficult for us to embrace and it is also one way that we so often find ourselves in troubling by insisting on getting our own way in spite of all other things.
5. We next go on to ask God to provide us with our daily necessities of life. The key in this part of the prayer is ‘DAILY NECESSITIES’. when we ask to win the lottery or get a flat screen TV or new car God may not consider them to be necessary for our existence and if fact, God may see that in getting them we would be endangering our eternal salvation.
6. In asking God to forgive us our debts we are asking Him for forgiveness of the things we might have done that separated us from Him and put us in debt to God. What we need to remember is that we also need to be willing to forgive those who have hurt us. That is a very important part of this prayer. If we are unwilling to forgive others how can we expect God to forgive us. Christ even reiterates this when He cautions “For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”
7. Finally, we then plead with God to not put us in a position of being tempted by the guiles of Satan, but to deliver us from all evils, those imposed upon us by others and those which come out of our own selfishness, greed, anger, prejudices and stubbornness.

When Christ repeated the caution a second time about forgiving others He did so, I am sure, because He knew how difficult it was going to be for us mortals. One of the most difficult things for people is to admit they are wrong. It is even more difficult to go to someone you have done wrong to and ask for their forgiveness and even more difficult to forgive someone who has wronged you. Many people just cannot admit to another they are wrong. We see this daily on the news and TV. Even when faced with overwhelming evidence that a decision one made was wrong, some people cannot admit it.

During this time of preparation for the Paschal Banquet, we might want to reflect on how we pray and whether or not we are doing all that we can to reach out to those we might have wronged and seek their forgiveness and even more especially have we forgiven those that have hurt us and extended to them the love of Christ.
I have suggested this meditation for the second week of Lent because it may require some time for us to digest. Lent is a time of cleansing and purification as we evaluate ourselves in preparation to follow Christ along the Via Dolorosa on the way to Calvary and on to His glorious Resurrection on Easter morning which provided us the promise of Eternal Life with God and all the heavenly elect. Amen

Pleasing God, A Reflection for the Second Sunday Of Lent

Pleasing God by the way we live
Second Sunday of Lent Reflection
By Rev. Robert Johnnene OFA
Mission Saints Sergius and Bacchus
www.missionstsergius.org
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EverlastingLoveOfChristMinistry

The readings for the second Sunday of lent have two important messages for us to contemplate. The first is from Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians (1 Thessalonians 4:1-7) and it is one that many who make judgments against people of the GLBT community use to condemn them. The use Paul’s words; . “It is God's will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality” as if they outlaw sexual activity completely but if you read them carefully you will notice Paul says “avoid sexual immorality” and in that phrase is the complicating factor. Exactly what is sexual immorality? In the next few lines Paul provides the answer and fully explains what he is referring to; “that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God; and that in this matter no one should wrong his brother or take advantage of him.”.
Paul tells us that we need to control our urges, we need to have respect for our own bodies as well as those of others. We should resist the urge to have sexual encounters for the sole purpose of the pleasure we obtain like the heathens who considered some people to be their property and therefore could be used and abused as they whished because they did not know or respect God and therefore God’s children which includes every living human being on the planet. Since we, as humans, are made in the image and likeness of God our bodies are, as Paul explains in the passage, “Holy and honorable”. Paul further tells us that we should never wrong our brothers and sisters in Christ or take advantage of them. I wonder how those who abused children and those who rape individuals can justify their actions, especially those who took vows to serve God as His representative here on earth and live lives of chastity and obedience to God’s will.
The bottom line for us in this particular lesson from scripture is that we need to use the gift of sex in a manner that is consistent with the designs of Almighty God, as an expression of committed love for our chosen partner and that we need to respect that partner and always treat them as an equal.
The second reading is from Matthew 17: 1-9 and is the telling of Our Blessed Lords transfiguration. “After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus. Peter said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah." While he was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!" When the disciples heard this, they fell facedown to the ground, terrified. 7But Jesus came and touched them. "Get up," he said. "Don't be afraid." When they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus. As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus instructed them, "Don't tell anyone what you have seen, until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead”
I believe that the most important part of this teaching is found in these words; "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!" “Listen to Him” Throughout all of the New Testament Scriptures we have the words spoken by Christ recorded, in some Bibles the words which are ascribed to Christ are printed in a contrasting color to set them aside from the words of the story being told by the author. Some of the words are those which should give us comfort like, “Your faith has saved you”, which means we need to believe and trust in God. How about “Let those without sin cast the first stone”? Here Christ is clearly indicating that there is not one person on the face of this earth who is without sin and therefore not one person who is in a position to cast judgment on another. So where do all those self righteous people who condemn people for being divorced or being created by God with a same sex orientation get their right to judge?
There are norms of decency and there are proper ways for people to live their live and those have also been told to us in Jesus own words. Christ summed up everything when he was asked what the greatest commandments were and He responded “ Love the Lord, your God, with your whole hear, mind, soul and body and the second is like unto it, Love your neighbor as you love yourself” In the sermon on the mount and the parable of the Good Samaritan, Jesus instructed us as to how we love our neighbor.
One of the exercises I like to do is to go through the New Testament and every time I come across something the is referred as the words spoken by Christ, I highlight them. I think that if we believe in Christ, and Almighty God then we need to take the words spoken by God at the transfiguration "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!" and seek out exactly what Christ had to tell us and then go forth and attempt ,with the best of our human ability, to live in that way.
Let us remember the promise made by Christ found in John 5: 22-24 The Father doesn't judge anyone, but he has made his Son the judge of everyone. The Father wants all people to honor the Son as much as they honor him. When anyone refuses to honor the Son, it is the same as refusing to honor the Father who sent him. I tell you for certain that everyone who hears my message and has faith in the one who sent me has eternal life and will never be condemned. They have already gone from death to life.”
Let us give glory, honor and praise to Almighty God by living our lives in a decent and respectful way every day. Let us have respect for our own bodies and those of all our brothers and sisters in Christ. Let us respect the rights of every human being to have freedom, justice and equality. Let us respect the life God gives us and all humans. Let us not treat others in any way that we ourselves would not want to be treated. Let us not deny any person the right to share their love for another in a committed relationship. Let us respect the rights of individuals to own property and not go about envying them that right or taking it away from them. Let us make a concerted effort, beginning today, to live our life in such a way that we give testimony to all that we encounter every day are followers of Jesus Christ and love the Lord, Our God, with our whole hearts, minds, bodies and souls. This would truly be a wonderful way to actively participate in the Paschal mystery and the Glory of Easter.
Amen

Something To Meditate Over

cSomething to think about during this Lent
A Reflection by Rev. Robert Johnnene OFA
Mission Saints Sergius and Bacchus
www.MissionStSergius.org
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EverlastingLoveOfChristMinistry
Taken from Daniel 3: 26-90
(This passage is missing from most Translations of the Bible, Possibly because it is considered a Psalm/Prayer. They are translated from the Greek form of the Book of Daniel and originally were composed in Hebrew or Aramaic and few original transcripts are available.)

During this Lenten season I would like to put forth this reading from the Book of Daniel, which I think might be worth reflecting over as we look into our hearts and souls in order to find ways to bring ourselves closer to Almighty God. In these days of unrest and turmoil in the world it can provide us with a focus point to think about as we go about our daily lives and Lenten preparation.
Some consider this passage as a prophetic warning for our current time in history. Some consider the reading to be just another bible story to let us know how merciful Almighty God is to those who trust in Him. What ever your take on the readings is, it is an excellent source of meditation for us during Lent.
The similarities to what is happening in the Middle East and what happened in the time of Daniel are very similar considering where things are happening. (The king of Babylon which was in Persia and is now the countries of Iran, Iraq , Syria)
The passage begins with:
“O Lord, the God of our fathers, blessed are you and praiseworthy and glorious forever is your name.” The first thing being doing here is acknowledging that God is first and foremost, worthy of our acknowledging Him as we begin and end each day.
For you are just in all you have done, all your deeds are faultless, all your ways right and your judgments proper. This passage lets God know that we accept all his actions from the creation of the earth to the judgments imposed upon us and difficulties that we have to endure.
“You have executed proper judgments in all you have brought upon us and upon Jerusalem ( often thought to represent the kingdom of God the entire world) , the Holy City of our Fathers. By a proper judgment you have done all this because of our sins.”Here we affirm to God that we recognize that we are sinners and often times fail to live according to God’s will. “For we have sinned and transgressed by departing from you and we have done every kind of evil. Your commandments and teachings we have not heeded or observed nor have you done as you ordered us to do for our own good. You have handed us over to our enemies who are lawless and hateful rebels. You have given us over to an unjust king, the worst in all the world.”This is the part which could be considered prophetic. Even though this prayer was said by Daniel’s companions Shadrach, Meshach, Azariah, and Abednego while imprisoned by King Nebuchadnezzar .
They began with a plea to Almighty God, a plea that possibly we need to begin to ask God to bring about in this time. “For your names sake, do not deliver us up forever or make void your promise. Do not take away your mercy from us. Receive us with a contrite heart and humble spirit. Those who trust in you cannot be put to shame and so we follow you with our whole heart and fear you and pray to you. Do not let us be put to shame but deal with us in your unending kindness and great mercy. Deliver us by your wonders and bring glory to your name O Lord. Let all know that you alone are the Lord God, glorious over all the world.”The passage then goes on to tell how they were thrown into the furnace and how the flames rose forty nine cubits (1078 inches) above the furnace ( ( one cubit is about 22 inches) but an angel of the Lord came down and made the flames cool and the three were not harmed.
When considering the possibility of this passage as being prophetic to today, the flames could well represent the fire being cast down in the form if rockets upon the people of Israel and of Lebanon and Gaza and the firearms and weapons being used against innocent children and our own sons and daughters.
I suggest that possibly we might want to consider praying the prayer of the three young men when cast into the furnace. “Almighty and Merciful God, For your names sake, do not deliver us up forever or make void your promise to our Fathers. Do not take away your mercy from us. Receive us with a contrite heart and humble spirit. Those who trust in you cannot be put to shame and so we follow you with our whole heart and fear you and pray to you. Do not let us be put to shame but deal with us in your unending kindness and great mercy. Deliver us by your wonders and bring glory to your name O Lord. Let all know that you alone are the Lord God, glorious over all the world. AMEN”Upon being delivered they then began to praise God with a prayer that all priests and religious who pray the Liturgy of the Hours proclaim which begins thus; “Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of our fathers, praiseworthy and exalted above all forever; And blessed is your holy and glorious name, praiseworthy and exalted above all forever.”The prayer then continues giving praise for all things that exist individually followed by “praiseworthy and exalted above all forever”
How often do we acknowledge all that God has created? How often do we take the time to thank God for all He has given us? How often do we appreciate the gifts God has bestowed upon us and not just turn to Him when we are seeking something? God does indeed hear all our prayers, requests, petitions and does answer them, but He does so in His time and with what He thinks will be best for us.
Let us contemplate on this and let us examine our relationship with Him on a daily basis not only during this Lenten season but every day of the year.
Where do we need to make changes in our lives in order to strengthen our relationship with God? Do we need to become more trusting of His will and not always ask Him to bend to our will?
I leave the answers to these questions to you and God for I am not the one to make that judgement.
I pray that Almighty God, through the gifts of the Holy Spirit will inspire us and lead each of us into a closer and more trusting relationship with Almighty God.
The following The Canticle of Creatures by Saint Francis seems to be a shortened version of the prayer found in Daniel 3: 52-90 and might serve as one of your daily prayers.
The Canticle of Creatures
By Saint Francis

Most High, all-powerful, good Lord, Yours are the praises, the glory, and the honor, and all blessing, To You alone, Most High, do they belong, and no human is worthy to mention Your name. Praised be You, my Lord, with all Your creatures, especially Sir Brother Sun, Who is the day and through whom You give us light. And he is beautiful and radiant with great splendor; and bears a likeness or You, Most High One.
Praised be You, my Lord, through Sister Moon and the stars, in heaven You formed them clear and precious and beautiful.
Praised be You, my Lord, through Brother Wind, and through the air, cloudy and serene, and every kind of weather, through whom You give sustenance to Your creatures.
Praised be You, my Lord, through Sister Water, who is very useful and humble and precious and chaste. Praised be You, my Lord, through Brother Fire, through whom You light the night, and he is beautiful and playful and robust and strong.
Praised be You, my Lord, through our Sister Mother Earth, who sustains and governs us, and who produces various fruits with colored flowers and herbs.
Praised be You, my Lord, through those who give pardon for your Love, and bear infirmity and tribulation. Blessed are those who endure in peace for by You, Most High, shall they be crowned.
Praised be You, my Lord, through our Sister Bodily Death, from whom no one living can escape. Woe to those who die in mortal sin.
Blessed are those whom death will find in Your most holy will, for the second death shall do them no harm. Praise and bless my Lord and give Him thanks and serve Him with great humility. AMEN