Friday, June 24, 2016
Saturday, June 18, 2016
Reflection for Father's Day 2016
Father’s Day, June 19th
2016
12th Sunday of
Ordinary time
By
Rev. Robert Johnnene OFJ
Mission
Saints Sergius & Bacchus
Franciscans of Joy of the Gospel
Independent
Catholic Church of the Americas
“With God as our father,
brothers all are we. Let us work with each other for perfect harmony”
These words from the song LET THERE BE PEACE ON EARTH are full of intense
meaning for each and every one of us if we take a good look at what they are
acknowledging.
On this Father’s day most children seek to
find a special gift for their earthly fathers.
Some children have two fathers and in my
mind this could be a double blessing for them and unfortunately some children
have never known their earthly father because of their passing before they had
a chance to know them or through divorce or other circumstances.
My father was called home to God in 1976
at the age of 76 but I still have times when I want to talk with him and times
when I feel his presence or hear his words.
As a father of three and a grandfather of
2 I know how much I love my children and grandchildren and I am but a mere
mortal man, how much more does our Heavenly Father love each and every one of
us?
For parents and children who are estranged
from each other they need to reach out to each other to seek/give forgiveness
just as Christ taught us in the parable of the Good Shepherd.
In it God as the Good Shepherd would leave
the flock to seek out the lost sheep and return it to the flock.
With God as our Father, we are all, every
person on this planet, brothers and sisters and we are also brothers and
sisters to Jesus Christ, the son of God our father.
Why is it then that we have so much
trouble getting along with each other and why do we try to exclude some of our
brothers and sisters from giving their heavenly father the worship and praise
He deserves just because they are a different race or religion or have a sexual
orientation toward a member of the same sex or because they are divorced.
Why is it that we do not look out for the
well being of those brothers and sisters who are not as well of as we are or
are in need of special attention because of physical or mental or medical
reasons?
The father in the story of the Prodigal
Son was willing to overlook his son’s transgressions and welcome him back with
a feast and a joyous celebration which is how our heavenly father will welcome
every one who returns to Him.
Our Father in heaven is a loving, caring,
compassionate and merciful father, not the God of vengeance of the Old
Testament and Christ proclaimed that while He was here on earth.
Now is the time for each and every one of
us, to acknowledge that we are all brothers and sisters with the same heavenly
father and for us to begin to act with the same compassion and love toward each
other that Christ exhibited while he was on earth to all He encountered.
It is time for us to speak up against
injustice, bigotry, violence, discrimination, war and poverty and to make a
gift that is truly meaningful to our heavenly father, God Almighty.
In today’s Gospel from Luke Christ asks
the apostles who people think he is “Once
when Jesus was praying in private and his disciples were with him, he asked
them, “Who do the crowds say I am? They replied, “Some say John the Baptist;
others say Elijah; and still others, that one of the prophets of long ago has
come back to life.But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Peter
answered, “God’s Messiah.” Jesus
strictly warned them not to tell this to anyone. And he said, “The Son of Man
must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and
the teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised
to life.” Then he said to them all:
“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross
daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but
whoever loses their life for me will save it.”
The Gospel story demonstrates how God’s
infinite mercy and love was so strong that even though he knew what he would
have to endure for us, he was willing to suffer the ignominious death on the
cross in addition to being rejected, beaten, insulted and abandoned just so we
could have everlasting life and forgiveness of our sins.
Christ instructed us in His sermon on the
mount found in Matthew 5: 3-12 how we are to live our lives.
Blessed are the poor in
spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are they who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall possess
the earth. Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for justice, for they shall
be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful,
for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure of heart, for they shall see
God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for
they shall be called sons of God.
Blessed are they who suffer persecution for justice sake, for theirs is
the kingdom of heaven.
God is our heavenly Father, and is the
most compassionate and loving father that ever existed. God is the consummate
of all Love. Deus Caritas Est, God is Love.
As our Father let us acknowledge him and
thank him for all he has given us, let us, on this Father’s day; give God the
best gift of all, ourselves.
We can do that by living in accord with
how Christ taught us and by serving not only God, but all God’s children.
We can make sure that we actively do
things that will help the poor, sick, aged, homeless, and unemployed. We can
stop being negative and condemning and discriminating against people who are
not exactly like us.
The best way for us to be blessed is to
put the seven practices of charity toward our neighbor into action.
They are based on Christ’s prophecy of the
Last Judgment, which will determine each person’s final destiny and they are; Feed the hungry, Give drink to the
thirsty, clothe the naked, Shelter the homeless, Visit the sick, Visit those in
prison, and Bury the dead. “Then the King will say to those at his
right hand, ’Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you
from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was
thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was
naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and
you came to me” (Matthew 25:34)
In the second reading for this Sunday from Paul’s letter to the Galatians 3:26-29 we hear Paul say “So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”
Christ came to earth to
suffer the indignities of human existence for every human being on the face of
the earth because the Fater of all things, Almighty God, loves us
unconditionally and infinitely with the ultimate Mercy which Pope Francis made
aware to us by dedicating this year as the Jubilee Year of Mercy.
On this Father’s day let us
make a gift to God that will be truly pleasing to Him.
Let us reach out to those
who are in need, being abused, homeless, hungry or sick and extend The Fathers
love to them by giving them some comfort.
Let us make the changes in
this world that will bring about a time of brotherhood, justice, compassion and
equality for every child of God and our ALL our brothers and sisters in Christ
not just the few chosen by one group or another because they feel comfortable
with them but for ALL of God’s children.
When Christ taught us to
pray He said; “When you pray, say, Our
Father, who art in heaven, hallowed is your name. Your kingdom come, your will
be done, on this earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we
forgive our trespassers and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from all
evil”
In the liturgy of the
Eucharist the priest continues this prayer with these words; “For yours is the kingdom and the power and
the glory forever and ever” “Deliver us Lord from every evil, and grant us the
peace in our day. In your mercy keep us free from sin and protect us from all
anxiety as we wait in joyful hope for the coming of our savior Jesus Christ” and
then all acknowledge “For yours is the
kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever.
God is Father of all of the
human race and as such we need to honor and recognize him and give him thanks
and praise on this Father’s Day. AMEN
Friday, June 17, 2016
Friday, June 10, 2016
Friday, June 3, 2016
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)