Divine Mercy Sunday 2017

Palm Sunday Homily

Palm Sunday 2017

April 9, 2017

A Reflection for Palm Sunday by Rev. Robert Johnnene OFM

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

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

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

www.missionstsergius.org

http://www.orderfranciscansofmercy.org

 

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

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

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

As a Franciscan I and the members of our Franciscan Community follow the rule of St. Francis who is most often shown surrounded by animals not just because he respected all of God’s creatures but because they reminded him of Christ’s teaching found in Matthew 6 :26  “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

Palm Sunday 2017

5th Lenten Sunday 2017

Stations of the Cross 2017

Laetare Sunday Homily 2017

Let God’s Light Illuminate the Dark

A Reflection for the Fourth Sunday of Lent March 26, 2017

By Rev. Robert Johnnene OFM

Mission Saints Sergius & Bacchus/ Order Franciscans of Mercy

Reformed Catholic Church

www.missionstsergius.org

www.orderfranciscansofmercy.org

 

I have  come into this world, so that those without sight may see and those with sight turn blind’. John 9:39

Christ is the light that brings truth and justice to all who believe, Christ came to enlighten us and to teach us the way to seek our happiness here on earth as well as to gain for us Eternal happiness.

 

In Paul's letter to the Ephesians he tells us: “You were darkness once, but now you are light in the Lord; be like children of light, for the effects of the light are seen in complete goodness and right living and truth. Try to discover what the Lord wants of you, having nothing to do with the futile works of darkness but exposing them by contrast. The things which are done in secret are things that it is ashamed even to speak of; but anything exposed by the light will be illuminated and anything illuminated turns into light. That is why it is said: Wake up from your sleep, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” Ephesians 5:8 – 14

 

All around us today we see darkness and it is necessary for us to turn on the light to dispel that darkness. So how do we bring the light of truth into the world? We do it by placing our lives in God's hands and by living according to the way Christ taught us.

First we have to acknowledge that every person on the face of this planet is a child of  God and deserves  respect, dignity, compassion and love. 

I recall a quote of Mother Teresa of Calcutta who said; “God told us, "Love your neighbor as yourself." So first I am to love myself rightly, and then to love my neighbor like that. But how can I love myself unless I accept myself as God has made me?”(St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta)

By accepting our self as God made us and making the best of the gifts God gave us for the benefit of all our brothers and sisters in Christ, we take a huge step toward dispelling the darkness that depresses us and discourages us.

 

The Responsorial Psalm for this Sunday is a prayer attributed to King David.  It is a prayer that, if we say it daily, can remind us of  all God does for us and of how much we need to attempt to return the favor by helping those who are caught in the darkness of discontent, poverty, and illness.  We need to reject the enticement of those who listen to the voice of darkness by seeking only self-glorification, power, money and physical pleasure.

The Lord is my shepherd: I shall lack nothing. He has taken me to green pastures, He has led me to still waters;
He has healed my spirit. He has led me along right paths for his own name’s sake. Even if I walk in the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil, for you are with me: your rod and your staff give me comfort.  You have set a table before me in the sight of my enemies. You have anointed my head with oil, and my cup overflows.
Truly goodness and kindness will follow me all the days of my life. For long years I shall live in the house of the Lord. Psalm 22 (23)

Mother Teresa reminds us: “Words which do not give the light of Christ increase the Darkness”.

In the Chinese Han philosophy the world is divided into two segments,  Yin (Earth) and Yang (Heaven).

Yin is depicted as black or darkness and Yang is depicted by White or light. Many also describe Yin and Yang as being Good and Bad, Day and Night, and all agree that they are in opposition to each other but also they exist in all things, just as the inclination for good and evil exist in every person which may well be that often there is a spot of black in the white and white in the black.

The concept is that people who do not know what bad is cannot know what good is. 

Christ clearly came to enlighten us as to what good is and how we were to act as children of God. Christ came to dispel the darkness.

 

Think about your favorite horror movie and how most evil things that happened did so in the darkness.

 

Safety Officers tell us that having lights around our house at night is a deterrent to thieves. Light dispels darkness and fear and the light Christ brought into the world was a light of truth, justice and God's will for us. 

The Gospel of John 9:1-41 is the story of how Jesus cured the blind man. It is another reminder of how Christ brings light into the world.

A man born blind has lived his entire life in darkness.  The story tells how after Jesus brought sight to the blind man he went to the Synagogue and how the Pharisees claimed Christ was from Satan because he cured the man on the Sabbath “This man cannot be from God: he does not keep the sabbath” when they questioned the man's parents they replied thusly “We know he is our son and we know he was born blind, but we do not know how it is that he can see now, or who opened his eyes. He is old enough: let him speak for himself.’ His parents spoke like this out of fear of the Jews, who had already agreed to expel from the synagogue anyone who should acknowledge Jesus as the Christ.”

In my mind, not much has changed today. There are still people who refuse to acknowledge Christ and some who do select the parts of Christ's teachings that suit their own agenda but reject the most important teaching of Christ “Love one another as I have loved you”.  They do not accept ALL God's children but only those that reflect their skin color, or nationality or social and political orientation.

 

Christ welcomed all who came to Him.  Just as His father will welcome and love ALL His children even those who have wandered away  just like the Prodigal son's father welcomed his son who had strayed away with joy and feasting when he returned humble and sorrowful for his actions. 

God, Our heavenly Father, will always welcome all and forgive all who return to Him with sorrow for their failures.  

When the darkness is dispelled and we walk in the light of Christ, even in the most difficult situations of our life we will be able to find a ray of hope.

The Gospel story ends with these words “I came into this world for judgment, so that those who do not see might see, and those who do see might become blind”

If you were blind you would not be guilty but since you say “We See” Your guilt remains.”

We have been shown the way, the truth and the light through Jesus Christ. This Sunday is Lætare Sunday when the Church interrupts her Lenten mournfulness and instead of purple, rose-colored vestments, flowers adorn the altar and music is often used creating a marked contrast between the other weeks of lent and today.

The word Laetare means “Rejoice” and comes from the Entrance Antiphon for the Mass which is; “Rejoice Jerusalem! Be glad for her, you who love her; rejoice with her, who mourned for her, and you will find contentment at her consoling breasts.”

This Sunday differs from the other Sundays of Lent not only by the brilliant rose vestments and music and even in some cases flowers because it is emblematic of all human life, happiness and joy often  mingled with a certain amount of sadness, just as the Yin and Yang which represent the two forces in the universe, according to a Chinese theory: yin is the passive, negative force, and yang the active, positive force.

I have often said and believed that we can never truly appreciate happiness until we have experienced sadness and the greater our sadness in life so also will be the greater happiness.

The message for this Sunday is one of hope because it speaks of God's truth and the promise of finding truth in the Light of Christ.

As the light of the world, Jesus has come to enlighten people about God and show us the way to gain everlasting life. 

The blind man represents us and Jesus curing the man born blind represents how Jesus Teachings bring the message of God's truth to us and lights our way to salvation if we live our lives in a manner consistent with Christ's teachings.

I close this reflection with the opening prayer for this Sunday: “Gracious Father, whose blessed Son Jesus Christ came down from heaven to be the true bread which gives life to the world: Evermore give us this bread, that he may live in us, and we in him; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.”

The Eucharist we receive is the bread of life because it is the Body and Blood of Christ which provides us with the graces or “Spiritual vitamins” to persevere in our journey of following Christ’s light guiding us in our daily lives.

It is not enough for us to say “I believe” we also need to live our faith by through our daily actions reflecting the teachings of Christ.   AMEN

Laetare Sunday 2017

Stations of the Cross 2017

One Hours Pay

One Hours Pay

If every person who reads our Facebook Pages or receives our weekly TV show REFLECTIONS and Homilies were to commit to sending the ministry what they receive as pay for one hour of work I would not have to constantly be begging every month in the hope we would receive enough to pay the monthly expenses of the ministry.

This past month because we have taken on two more facilities for seniors we have had to purchase complete Altar materials including chalice, paten, Sacramentary, Lectionary, altar cloths and linens, cruets, lavabo dish and the materials for antependium’s for the portable altars. As today March 21, 2017 we do NOT have enough in the Mission Bank to pay April’s bills.

Please consider making a donation of a days pay every week or the cost of a Latte’ or even a special Lenten/Easter donation.

Donating is easy using the DONATE buttons on our Web site www.missionstsergius.org which will bring you to PayPal where you can safely use a credit or debit card to make a secure donation OR you can send a check or money order directly to the Mission Bank account:

MISSIONS SAINTS SERGIUS & BACCHUS,C/O Middlesex Savings Bank,830 Washington Street, Holliston, MA, 01746.

Donations to MISSION SAINTS SERGIUS & BACCHUS are tax-deductible in the USA, Mexico, Spain, France and Germany.

Tax Exempt # 203106639 Expires September 2025.

The mission future depends on you!

Pax et Bonum!

Rev. Bob Johnnene OFJ, Pastor Mission Saints Sergius & Bacchus

  

Homily for Sunday March 19, 2017

Worship In Spirit and Truth

A Reflection for the Third Sunday of lent, March 19, 2017

Based on the readings from: Exodus 17:3-7, Romans 5:1-8, John 4:5-42

By Rev. Fr. Bob Johnnene OFM

Mission Sts. Sergius and Bacchus/ Order Franciscans of Mercy

Reformed Catholic Church

www.orderfranciscansofmercy.org

www.missionstsergius.org

 

This week’s readings have so much for us to reflect upon. Each of the readings has a lesson for us to ponder and if we do so, it will open our hearts and minds so that we too will proclaim, as the Samaritans do in today’s Gospel:“Now we no longer believe because of what you told us; we have heard him ourselves and we know that he really is the savior of the world’.

We hear Christ speaking to us on the pages of the Holy Scriptures written by those who were there at the time and their followers to whom they related them who transcribed them under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.   If our hearts and minds are open to the Holy Spirit speaking within us we can discern God's truth.  We need to listen with open hearts and minds to the Holy Spirit speaking within us today and discern essence of truth we perceive while comparing it with the differing teachings proclaimed by the various Catholic Councils , thereby knowing God’s will for us, in this age and time, through the inspiration of the Spirit.

The Gospel story is filled with lessons, that if we were to compare them against the social and political customs of the Christ's time and today we would realize that Christ broke many taboos of His day. 

 The Gospel begins with Christ breaking tradition and speaking to the Samaritan woman at the well.

This was in total contradiction to Jewish Religious law. Christ tells us that He came to bring a new covenant, in other words Christ proclaimed a new way of being, of relating and experiencing God.   Christ then stayed there for a period of days teaching and at the end of that time the Samaritans came to accept Him as the promised of the ages while the Religious hierarchy rejected and feared Him.

 

Christ is said to have proclaimed; But the hour will come – in fact it is here already – when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth: that is the kind of worshiper the Father wants.  God is spirit, and those who worship must worship in spirit and truth.’(John 4:23)

The hour is now for us to turn to God who created all things, for reasons known to Him alone, and to Christ who is the light come into the world to proclaim God’s truth, and light the way of truth for us, not man’s idea of truth. 

By allowing the Holy Spirit to enlighten us in accord with the traditions and customs of the early church and examining the reasons behind why some rituals and customs were eliminated we might be inspired to review the concept of reviving them in today's world, like the tradition of married priests and woman deacons.

Paul in his letter to the Romans reminds us that “the love of God has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit which has been given us. We were still helpless when at his appointed moment Christ died for sinful men.”

Christ came not for those who lived righteous lives but for those who were sinners to teach them the way, the truth and to be the light that will guide us all to eternal happiness.  Christ suffered and died so that our sinfulness could be forgiven and forgotten.

The Holy Spirit is forever working today just as the Holy Spirit worked on that first Pentecost and in the guiding of the early Fathers of The Church and Patriarchs in the formative years of the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church. 

I often ask God the same question Moses beseeches of God; “Moses appealed to the Lord. “How am I to deal with this people?” (Exodus 17: 4) when I am confronted by individuals who refuse to even consider that those  who do not adhere to a singular concept of worship to Almighty God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are not true Christians. 

I usually ask them if they believe that God created all things and the response is usually “Of course”. 

I then ask them if they believe that everything God created was good, to which I get the same answer.

I then remind them that if God created all people then all people are children of God and, as such, their prayers and their devotions are acceptable to God assuming they are offering them to the God of Isaac, Jacob, Jeremiah, Elijah, Moses, and David.

Jesus Christ came to instruct us on the way to achieve everlasting live with His father.

God himself, as we heard in last week’s Gospel, proclaimed “This is my Son, the Beloved; he enjoys my favor. Listen to him.” (Matthew 17:5)

The people of Samaria listened and believed, the woman at the well believed, Paul tells us “The love of God has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit which has been given us”. (Romans 5: 5). The love of God is the Truth and it is still being poured into our hearts if we but take the time to listen and seek the truth and desire God's infinite love. 

Far too many individuals want everyone and everything to be exactly alike and they leave no room for diversity in celebrations or prayer practices. 

We know for a fact that diversity enriches educational experiences. We learn from experiences, beliefs, and perspectives that are different from ours and these lessons can enrich our spiritual growth.

Diversity challenges stereotyped preconceptions; it encourages critical thinking; and it helps us to develop respect for people of various backgrounds while enriching our liturgical practices and even bringing a deeper relationship in the Eucharistic Liturgy.

The Mass, Eucharistic Liturgy, is the most perfect prayer as it involves a gathering together of a faith community together to worship God,  The Mass begins with our admitting our failures and the seeking God's forgiveness for  our failures, the proclamation of the Word of God and a lesson or reflection on that word, the offerings of the people to Almighty God, proclamation of our faith in God and giving praise to God and is culminated in God giving us His beloved Son in the Eucharist and our being sent forth to live our life in accordance with Christ's teachings.

An example of diversity and how it enriches the Eucharistic liturgy is experienced yearly at the Religious Education Conference in Anaheim CA sponsored by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles, where every day during the three day conference, Masses are celebrated exploring the cultural traditions of Native Americans, African Americans, Latinos, Filipino, Asian, and other groups. 

The vestments, music and prayers reflect the ethnic culture, dress and spirituality of the various ethnic groups.

I have witnessed Eucharistic liturgies where dance was an intricate part of the liturgy.  Jeremiah said that when Christ came “Then young women will dance and be glad. And so will the men, young and old alike. I will turn their sobbing into gladness. I will comfort them. And I will give them joy instead of sorrow”. Jeremiah 31:13)  \

In light of this why shouldn't dance be incorporated into liturgical celebrations if it contributes to the spiritual depth of individuals attending?

All Prayer is communication with God whereby we offer thanks, petition and ourselves.  At the offertory of the Eucharistic Liturgy we offer ourselves and the fruits of our labor to God in return God gives us the Bread of Life, Christ truly present in the Eucharist.  For this we need to rejoice and be glad, even in this time of Lent as we reflect on the passion of Christ and what he was willing to endure on our behalf, we rejoice that God loves us so much He allowed His son to suffer so in order that we could attain Everlasting live or as Paul says: “what  proves that God loves us is that Christ died for us while we were still sinners.”

Let us go forth today with open minds, hearts and souls ready to listen to the Holy Spirit speaking and guiding us on our journey toward God. AMEN

 

3rd Sunday of Lent 2017

Homily for Sunday March 12, 2017

We Are Called to Sanctification

A Reflection for the 2nd Sunday of Lent, March 12, 2017

Genesis 12:1-4, Psalm 33,  2 Timothy 1:8-10, Matthew 17:1 – 9

By Rev. Robert Johnnene OFM

Mission Sts. Sergius & Bacchus/ Order Franciscans of Mercy

www.missionstsergius.org

www.orderfranciscansofmercy.org

 

 

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

We are called to a life of sanctification according to the readings from Paul’s letter to the people of Thessalonica after his departure in 51 or 52 A.D.

If we are called to a life of sanctification then we need to diligently work toward that goal.

A life of sanctification means to live in God, meaning to live as Jesus instructed us, in other words to abhor degradation, hatred, violence, prejudice discrimination, bullying and war and constantly speak out against them.

The only war we should be carrying out is the war against Satan and the minions of Satan.

Looking around the world today we see the fruits of Satan’s temptations all around us. We see it in the actions of some of those who claim to be representatives of Jesus Christ; we see it in our elected officials, in corporate leaders and entertainment personalities.

We see it in those who minds are closed to exploring the truth and those who accept everything that is fed to them on the internet by individuals who are paid to disseminate, often times inaccurate, information in order to sell a product, a candidate or a special interest point of view.

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

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

We need to ask ourselves, for example, if Jesus were on earth today what role He would give to women in the church today.

It is very clear to me, considering how much respect He had for the woman who faithfully followed him and their prominence in His ministry, that woman would have had a much more prominent role in ministry today. 

The fact is that in the early church, they did, we have reference to Phoebe and other women and the qualities a woman deacon should possess written in Paul's Epistles. 

We know that women had a place in ministering the Eucharist and in leading liturgies, so why are they relegated in this modern world to lesser roles?

You and I have been called by God, to live a life that reflects the teachings of Jesus. The prime teaching of Christ could not be any clearer. LOVE ONE ANOTHER AS I HAVE LOVED YOU.

When you love someone, you do not, under any circumstances, want to be the cause of pain and suffering.

When you love someone, you try to shield them from harm. You gently advise them of their mistakes and guide them. If necessary you try to obtain healing for them. That is Love. 

If today, we had more love for all God’s creatures and children the world would not be in the mess it is in.

You and I are being called to actively live a life of sanctity, a life that reflects toward everyone we encounter God’s infinite love.

We are being called to do all within our power to bring about a change in the attitudes that cause so much pain and suffering in this world.

Every tiny thing we do that makes progress toward our call from God to a life of sanctity will bring us closer to God and God will reward us by giving us the strength we need to continue His work here on earth.

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

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

I will end this reflection with the admission that to live a life of sanctity is not easy and to be afraid that we will not measure up to it is natural.

Mother Teresa of Calcutta even had her doubts or “dark moments” as she called them but if we have faith and trust in God we can endure. 

Keep in mind what Christ told his apostles after God spoke on that mountain top; “Stand up,’ he said ‘do not be afraid.”. Matthew 17:7

Our message today is the knowledge that God is there for us and hears our cry and will always give us the strength we need to endure if we constantly seek Him and His truth.

Let us go forth from this moment forward doing all we can preparing ourselves for the resurrection of our final days by living a life of Faith, Trust in God and extending a, Godly Love toward all God’s children we encounter as we travel the highway of life. AMEN

2nd Sunday of Lent 2017

1st Sunday of Lent 2017

8th Ordinary & Ash Wednesday Feb. 26, 2017

8th Ordinary

7th Ordinary Sunday 2017

6th Ordinary SundayFeb. 12, 2017

5th Ordinary Sunday 2017

How We Are Called to Live as Christians

How we live life as Christians

January 29, 2017

By Rev. Robert Johnnene OFM

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

www.orderfranciscansofmercy.org

www.missionstsergius.org

Based on; Zephaniah 2:3 - 3:13, 1 Corinthians 1:26 - 31, Matthew 5:1 - 12

 

This week’s readings are instructions on how to live our life as a true Christian and please God.

By asking ourselves a few questions we can determine if we are truly following God’s will as instructed by Jesus Christ’s.

The first reading from the book of Zephaniah gives a clear instruction on how to live our daily life. “Seek the Lord, all you, the humble of the earth, who obey his commands. Seek integrity, seek humility: you may perhaps find shelter on the day of the anger of the Lord.”  “ They will do no wrong, will tell no lies; and the perjured tongue will no longer be found in their mouths. But they will be able to graze and rest with no one to disturb them”

Paul’s letter to the Corinthians continues the theme by instructing us on who God looks upon as favorable “at the time when you were called: how many of you were wise in the ordinary sense of the word, how many were influential people, or came from noble families? None, God chose what is foolish by human standards, those whom the world thinks common and contemptible; they are the ones that God has chosen”

And the Gospel reading, referred to as the Sermon On The Mount or The Beatitudes spells out for us they way to achieve God’s infinite love and gain everlasting life with Christ in heaven..

According to the dictionary Beatitude means “Heavenly Happiness or Bliss”

Let us examine these Beatitudes one by one and try to decipher what they mean.

“How happy are the poor in spirit; theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”  What exactly does it mean to be “Poor in Spirit”?  It means that we understand our own guilt and helplessness, that we see in its true light the tendency in us to everything evil, in short, it means that we admit our fallibility and our need for God’s help through the Holy Spirit to overcome our weaknesses.

Happy the gentle:  they shall have the earth for their heritage. Being gentle is so often misunderstood as a sign of weakness but in reality being gentle means being agreeable and tolerant. Being a person who is respectful of others.  So often in this modern world of the twenty-first century we see a total lack of tolerance and respect for the concerns and need of others and more self-indulgence.  This is not living the way Christ instructed.

 

Happy those who mourn: they shall be comforted. To mourn is to feel and show sadness because something has been lost or no longer exists.  We mourn the loss of a child, friend relative not only with words but with action.  In Jewish and many other customs when a family is grieving neighbors bring food for the family and try to bring comfort into their lives by doing common tasks in order to allow them to come to grips with their loss.  But we can also mourn the loss human compassion people show by not looking out for the wellbeing of God’s less affluent people and the total lack of concern for the stabilization of our environment.

 

Happy those who hunger and thirst for what is right: they shall be satisfied. To hunger and thirst means to have a craving or a great need or desire for something. There are people who live in many countries including our own that are deprived basic rights every human should be entitled to. Like the right to decent housing, affordable adequate medical care and healthy food to eat.  As long as people ignore these problems they are not living as Christians and they may well not ever be satisfied for it is in caring and giving that happiness is found.

 

Happy the merciful: they shall have mercy shown them.  To be merciful is showing mercy or compassion to the poor, sick, aged and being open and welcoming to all who come with honest desire to worship God.

 

Happy the pure in heart: they shall see God. Being Pure of heart is having pure motive. Our hearts should be characterized by single-mindedness and undivided devotion. William Barclay, the famous Scottish New Testament scholar, says that this verse can be translated in the following way: "Blessed is the man whose motive is always entirely unmixed, for that man shall see God."  Watching the political debates on  morality and the direction our nation should take is fascinating.  I am not entirely sure that the politicians really understand what true morality is and where it comes from and that their motives are pure or just glory and power seeking.

Happy the peacemakers: they shall be called sons of God.  This one is easy, being a peacemaker is a person who brings about peace and reconciliation between others and will do everything in their power to achieve that rather than use force or violence to achieve a goal.  Sadly so many who advocated that goal, like Gandhi, Brother Roger of Taize, and Martin Luther King Jr. who were all killed for advocating peace.

 

Happy those who are persecuted in the cause of right: theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Throughout history people who have tried to advocate what is right and just have all too often been ridiculed and ignored because they were looked upon as being different or in many cases crazy. 

Our society likes to place people in certain niches and when someone does not fit comfortably into the niche others think they should be in they receive scorn.

God created a world of diversity and to try to change that into a world of conformity is to not accept God’s will.
The last paragraph of the Sermon on the Mount sums up what lies in store for those who endure the rejection, scorn, alienation and disenfranchisement and still hold onto their faith in God.  “Happy are you when people abuse you and persecute you and speak all kinds of calumny against you on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven; this is how they persecuted the prophets before you.”  Matthew 5:12

 

Beginning now let’s evaluate ourselves using the Beatitudes, Let us ask ourselves the difficult questions and answer them honestly as if we were facing God and answering him. 

Let’s put into action the changes we need to make to more fully live Christ’s teachings every hour of every day.

Making major changes in our life styles can be difficult especially when those changes do not fit with our current society.

God expects us to speak up loudly when we see injustice, poverty, deceit, corruption, or greed being used to subjugate any of His children and to always Seek integrity, seek humility  (Zephaniah 2:3)      AMEN

4th Sunday Ordinary time 2017

What is the Reformed Catholic Church and their ministries

Homily for Sunday Jan. 22, 2017

How would You Answer Christ‘s Call,

A Reflection for the Third Sunday of Ordinary Time, 2017

January 22, 2017

BY Rev. Robert Johnnene OFM

Mission Sts. Sergius and Bacchus

Order Franciscans of Mercy

Reformed Catholic Church

www.orderfranciscansofmercy.org

www.missionstsergius.org

Based on Readings from Isaiah 8:23 - 9:3, 1 Corinthians 1:10 - 17,& Matthew 4:12 - 23  

 

The Gospel for today is the story of Christ calling the first apostles to follow him and how they dropped everything on the spot to do so.

It had me wonder on how I, or anyone in this the twenty first Century would respond to Christ’s call and what was it about Christ that common men left everything to follow a very poor carpenter.

The same might also be asked about why so many, 5000 in a very short space of time, choose to follow our Seraphic Father Francis of Assisi when many of his towns people considered him crazy, just as many considered Christ crazy.

The Gospel story tells us ;“From that moment, Jesus began his preaching with the message, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is close at hand’.  …‘Follow me and I will make you fishers of men’…

If you lived at that time or in fact even today,and heard someone saying He would make them “Fishers of Men” what would you think?

Probably the same thing that people thought in both Christ’s and Saint Francis time, this person is a lunatic.

One thing I do know is that today, vocations to religious life are way down from when I was a child. In most Catholic families, mothers all prayed that one of their sons might aspire to be called to the priesthood or a daughter to be a nun. Today, sadly, that kind of thinking is the furthest ffrom most parents thinking.

Sadly, even when someone does come forward seeking to be a member of our Franciscan community or feels they are being called by God to be a deacon or a priest, they do not want to put in the time and the effort required in studying that is required in order for them to achieve their perceived vocation.

It is like many things in our society, we seek instant gratification and that is not always the best or even most enjoyable and pleasant.

Repeatedly, week after week through the readings from Holy Scripture we hear how Christ fulfilled all the prophecies that foretold of the coming of the messiah, this week is no different. 

The prophet Isaiah refers to the one to come, Christ, as “a great light” one that will bring those who walk in darkness into the light.”

Christ did indeed bring light into a world full of darkness and gloom, not unlike the world we live in today. 

In order for that light to break through Christ had to take on the pain and suffering of rejection and doubt and ultimately die the ignominious death of a criminal on the cross just so we could achieve the forgiveness of our sins and transgressions and have the opportunity to gain eternal life free of pain and suffering.

Christ began by exhorting all to “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is close at hand”

Today, in a world where there is more emphasis on worldly things and less emphasis on living according to the teachings of Christ and giving God a portion of our daily time, we need to reflect on what Christ brought to us and how he instructed us to live. 

The light that Christ brought wiped away the darkness that enveloped the world by showing us that Love of God and love and respect of each other and all God created was the way to live.

Paul, in his letter to the Corinthians could also be speaking to those of us who live in the world today “I appeal to you, brothers, for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ, to make up the differences between you, and instead of disagreeing among you, to be united again in your belief and practice.”

Over the centuries that divide us from the time of Christ to this twenty first century there have been many changes made to the words of Christ. Man has taken the simple message of Love, charity, Compassion, and forgiveness that Christ preached and added many that have nothing to do with knowing, loving and serving God but a lot to do with control, power, and sadly, greed.

Through the years these manmade rules and regulations have divided the Church that the apostles formed based on the teachings of Christ.

In my opinion events of recent years like speaking out in favor of a return to allowing married priests and the ordination of women as deacons, as they were in the time of Paul is The Holy Spirit attempting to awaken us to greater possibilities of serving God and his ever enlarging flock.

There are so many people who are hearing the call “Follow me and I will make you fishers of people” but are being denied that opportunity because they are married or are women. 

Virtually all Protestant denominations including those that are a part of The One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church like the Anglicans and Lutherans and, reformed Judaism, have women serving as priests, ministers, or rabbis.

The Second Vatican Council's Decree on Ecumenism acknowledges the action of the Holy Spirit in other denominations (Ch. 1, Art. 3); and states "Whatever is wrought by the grace of the Holy Spirit in the hearts of our separated brothers and sisters can contribute to our own edification." (Ch. 1, Art. 4).

It would seem that Catholicism has something to learn in our journey toward true ecumenism.

With so much dissention and strife in this world, with poverty, hunger, and war claiming so many lives we need to return to the ways Christ instructed.

We need to let His light illuminate the road we will travel, and use the truth of His teachings as our roadmap to bringing about a time of brotherly love and Christian unity. 

Only by doing that we will again gather together as one united faith community in service to the  Father, Son and Holy Spirit; and be living out the great commandments proclaimed by Christ “Love the Lord, your God, with your whole heart, mind and soul, and love your neighbor as you love yourself.” 

We begin by accepting ourselves as God made us and accepting the diversity that God created for purposes know to Him alone.

We are all children of God, Jew or Gentile, Greek, Italian, Irish, Spanish or German, all are created by God and are His children, let us respect each other and love each other as Christ instructed.

Let us not shut out the light that Christ brought to the world but let us allow the Holy Spirit, the enlightener, to open us up to think beyond the status quo and realize that Christ challenged the norm of His day so we may well have to challenge the norms of today.

Let us actively seek to find ways to, as St Paul advised to the Corinthians, “make up the differences that separate us”, and seek out a way of unifying the entire Mystical Body of Christ.

 

I close this reflection with the words of Benedict XVI who ended his statement on Ecumenism with these words “May his example (St. Paul’s) be an encouragement for everyone to accept the Word of salvation and to translate it into daily life, in faithful discipleship of Christ." AMEN

3rd Ordinary Sunday Jan 22 2017

Sunday Jan. 15, 2017 Homily

Homily for 2^nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Here I am Lord, I come to do your will!

January 15:2017

By Rev. Robert Johnnene OFM

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

Reformed Catholic Church

www.orderfranciscansofmercy.org

www.missionstsergius.org

 

Sacrifice or offering you wished not but ears open to obedience   Here I am Lord, I have come to do your will. (from Psalm 40)

The question we need to ask ourselves is “Are we serving God and doing his will?”

Psalm 40 which we heard today reminds us that we are called to be servants of God while the gospel tells the story of how John the Baptist reacted when he saw Christ approaching him. The Baptist said: “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. This is he of whom I said, After me comes a man which is preferred before me: for he was before me.” and St. John tells us that he witnessed what occurred with this comment “And I saw, and bore record that this is the Son of God.”

The psalm instructs us to place our trust in God and not in the proud which might very well be considered today to be those who seek after glory, power, fame and wealth.

It is my belief we are being asked, if we so choose, to avoid serving those human gods of Greed, power, domination, discrimination, materialism and self-effacement and serve the son of god, Jesus Christ by living our lives being kind, generous, compassionate and continually speaking out against injustice, hatred, discrimination and bullying.

Are we a person who avoids the poor person begging on the street by walking on the other side, or do we reach down into our pocket and drop a quarter or dollar  or a gift card to Burger King into his hand without being judgmental of why they are on the streets begging?

We are being called to serve God, the same God of Abraham, Moses, Jacob, Isaiah and Mohammed.

 

Throughout history, people have acknowledged that there is a supreme being that governs this planet.

We find it in the histories of the ancient Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, Aztecs, Mayans, Native American Tribes, in fact every known group of people that ever lived on this earth have sought and believed in a supreme power.

We have been blessed through the writings of Holy Scripture to know that supreme power, Almighty God the Father, through his beloved son Jesus the Christ...

The need to recognize a supreme power or God is one of the natural emotions and needs all humans throughout history have had.

When Almighty God made himself known in Exodus 3:verse 14 with the words;“"I am who I am. Here is what you must say to the Israelites. Tell them, 'I am has sent me to you.' " we were told who we should give honor, praise and reverence to and whom we should always try to serve.

When Jesus Christ was transfigured God clearly stated who Jesus was with these words; “"This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!" (Matthew 17:4-6).

God, told us to listen to what Jesus was teaching us.

When we read the teachings of Christ, we find clear concise guidelines on how we are expected to live our lives.

They are found in the lessons of the Sermon on the Mount, and in the “GREAT COMMANDMENT”.

When Jesus was asked what the most important commandments were  He answered;  "Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is like unto it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these." (Mark 12:29-30)

Christ’s teachings could not be any clearer, but human beings continually try to make worshiping God extremely difficult by injecting manmade rules and regulations which prevent peoplefrom giving God the praise, honor and glory due him.

When we decide what God means by twisting them around to fit our personal ideologies and discriminations and using that convoluted translation to deny anyone the opportunity to worship Almighty God, we cannot claim to be serving God or being a follower of Jesus Christ, since Christ rejected no one who came to him, even those that his Jewish faith forbade him from associating with.

Jesus sat and ate with those that Jewish law forbade sharing a meal with. Jesus spoke with women as equals.

If we believe that Almighty God created all things, and we believe that Jesus was the Son of God made man, then we cannot even think about acting like a god and making judgments that are the exclusive property of Almighty God.

We can dislike the way another person acts; we can reject their choices when their actions or choices hurt others or themselves such as drug and alcohol addiction.

We may not appreciate their actions when they invade our space and deny us our freedom or safety.

But when we decide to discriminate against someone because of the color of their skin, nationality, sex, race or their way of worshiping the one God,  we have stepped way beyond our boundaries into an area that is exclusively God‘s domain.

When we decide that power, money, prestige, fame, greed or sexual gratification are more important to us than living according to God’s will, we are not serving God.

We need to remember what Scripture has instructed “But you, why do you judge your brother? Or you again, why do you regard your brother with contempt? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of God.” (Rom. 14:10) and “Do not judge lest you be judged. For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you.“ (Matthew 7:1-2) as well as “Do not speak against one another, brethren. He who speaks against a brother, or judges his brother, speaks against the law, and judges the law; but if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law, but a judge of it.” (James 4:11) .

The law of God is very clear we are not the ones to judge a person because of how things appear “Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment. Our Law does not judge a man, unless it first hears from him and knows what he is doing, does it?” ( John 7:24, 51

The way we need to judge someone is by asking; “Do they feed the poor? Do they clothe the Naked? Do they respect and care for the planet God gave into our care? Do they give shelter to the homeless? Do they give honor, glory and praise to Almighty God by whatever name they worship the Supreme Being?

If a person is living a just and good life and respecting the rights and property of all God’s children and creation then we do not have a right to reject them and discredit them for any reason.

We do not have a right to deny them the same rights and privileges that we enjoy.

The question poised at the beginning of this reflection was, Do you serve the Lord ?

You do if you live as Christ instructed and do not make judgments according to human standards but by living God desire for us by having our actions reflect always the teachings of Christ.

AMEN