Homily for Sunday December 31, 2017 Holy Family Feast

Feast of Holy Family 2017

A Reflection by Rev. Bob Johnnene OFM

Mission Sts. Sergius & Bacchus/ Franciscans of Mercy/Divine Mercy Parish

Reformed Catholic Church

Hopkinton/Upton MA

www.missionstsergius.org

WWW.Orderfranciscansofmercy.org

The Gospel from Luke tell us the following; “Joseph and Mary, in the company of Jesus, go as pilgrims to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover” (Lk 2:41-52).

In his homily for the feast of The Holy Family Father Thomas Rosica, CSB of Toronto begins this way; “In the afterglow of Christmas, the Church celebrates the feast of the Holy Family. This weekend we are invited to reflect on the gift and mystery of life and the blessing of family life in particular.”

In Luke's Gospel scene of the Presentation of the Child Jesus in the Temple in Jerusalem, we encounter four individuals who embrace the new life of Jesus held in their arms: the elderly and faithful Simeon, the old, wise prophetess Anna, and the young couple, Mary and Joseph, who in faithful obedience offer their child to the Lord. Simeon's beautiful prayer "Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel" (Luke 2:29-32). 

The whole scene of the Presentation and the carefully chosen words of Simeon's prayer raise several questions for us and I believe them to be these; how are we, as followers of Christ’s teachings living those teachings?  How do we treat those children of God that we encounter daily on our life journeyespecially those often refered too as “Street People” or “Beggers”?

Do we discriminate against some of God’s children because we feel they do not conform to our way of life, are a different color, race, nationality or sexual orientation than we are?

The gospel of Matthew 2: which we hear today tells of St. Joseph’s complete trust in Almighty God and is but another lesson for us to put our complete trust in God for all things. 

The word made flesh, the light of the world, was Jesus Christ and he made it quite clear as to how we should live our lives in order to please the Father/Creator who sent him.

Pope Francis in his homily on the feast of the Holy Family had this reminder to all of us; “How important it is for our families to journey together towards a single goal!  We know that we have a road to travel together; a road along which we encounter difficulties but also enjoy moments of joy and consolation.  And on this pilgrimage of life we also share in moments of prayer”

In my life, my mother and father taught me to always say “Good Night and God bless You” The Pope went further reminding us that we need; “To bless them, that is, to entrust them to the Lord, just like Elkanah and Anna, Joseph and Mary, so that God can be their protection and support throughout the day.”.

The Gospel from Like 2: verse 51 ends telling us; “At the end of that pilgrimage, Jesus returned to Nazareth and was obedient to his parents. Returning home, Jesus surely remained close to them, as a sign of his complete affection and obedience. 

Christ taught us who our neighbor was when he told the parable of THE GOOD SAMARATON.  Our neighbor is everyone on the planet regardless of race, nationality, sexual orientation, married or single. 

If we are to be true followers of Christ we need to treat all people alike and treat them with dignity and respect. We need to stop aggression and greed.  We need to put an end to poverty and care for the sick, aged, and poor.  We need to educate all the children of the world and proclaim and acknowledge God by what ever name.  Every person in this world is a part of the Family of God.

The Holy Family is the example of how families should be.  Mary was the Theotokos, (God bearer)

Joseph the descendant of David and earthly foster father of the Christ child was a faithful follower of the Jewish faith and a firm believer in the creator/God and accepted God’s will even though he knew he might be scorned for having “sired” a child without being married to Mary. 

Joseph heeded the messengers of God who came to him twice without question but with faith.

As the words in that wonderful Sister Sledge song WE ARE FAMILY say; “We are family I got all my sisters and brothers with me.  We are family …. Have faith in you and the things you do.  You won't go wrong.

On this feast of the Holy Family let us realize that we, every man, woman and child on the face of the earth is a part of the family of God. 

Let us strive to live together in harmony and peace.  Let us seek ways to end injustice, poverty, homelessness, addiction, war and begin to care for one another as Christ cared for all He encountered.

AMEN

2018 Holy Family

Christmas 2017

A Christmas Prayer

A Christmas Prayer

by Robert Louis Stevenson

 Loving Father, help us remember the birth of Jesus, that we may share in the song of the angels, the gladness of the shepherds, and worship of the wise men. Close the door of hate and open the door of love all over the world. Let kindness come with every gift and good desires with every greeting.  Deliver us from evil by the blessing which Christ brings, and teach us to be merry with clear hearts. May the Christmas morning make us happy to be thy children, and Christmas evening bring us to our beds with grateful thoughts, forgiving and forgiven, for Jesus' sake.    Amen.

 

Have a truly blessed Christmas, may the Christ Child bring you comfort, peace and love this Christmas and for many years to come.

Fr. Bob

New Pastoral Letter

4th Sunday of Advent 2017

A Pastoral Letter to all Christians

Gaudete Sunday 2017

Gaudete Sunday 2017

2nd Sunday of Advent 2017

1st Sunday of Advent 2017

Christ the King 2017 Homily

Reflection For The Feast Of Christ The King

November 26, 2017

By Rev. Robert Johnnene OFM

Mission Sts. Sergius & Bacchus/ Order Franciscans of Mercy

www.missionstsergius.org

www.franciscansdivinemercy.org

Divinemercyparish@msn.com

 

Psalm 23 reads as follows;

The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want; he makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters; he restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anointed my head with oil, my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

The words of this Psalm acknowledge God as the loving God who watches over us and cares for us as a good Shepherd cares for His flock. Since Christ, the only begotten Son of God, was given dominion over all the earth by the Father we acknowledged Christ as the heavenly King.

 

Christ himself declared that He was the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end and as such the human embodiment of the Father.  

 

A king, more precisely a good king, is concerned about the safety and welfare of every one of his subjects and so it is with Jesus Christ who told us how a good shepherd, which is exactly what a king is supposed to be to his people, would go seeking a lost sheep in order not to lose even one.

 

The kingdom that Christ reigns over is not of this world, but is the everlasting kingdom to which we are called after living in this material world. The kingdom is a spiritual kingdom where peace and harmony and elation of being with the angels and saints and most especially the Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, abounds.

 

As King, Christ has the ultimate say on who will and will not be welcomed into this kingdom. 

In the Gospel Of Matthew 25:31-46 we read, “When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit on the throne of his glory:  And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats: And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say to them on his right hand, Come, you blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:  For I was an hungered, and you gave me meat: I was thirsty, and you gave me drink: I was a stranger, and you took me in: Naked, and you clothed me: I was sick, and you visited me: I was in prison, and you came to me”.

This only strengthens the concept that Christ is the power through which we gain eternal life in the paradise that is the Kingdom of Heaven.  

 

Christ gave us two simple Commandments to live by as found in Matthew 22: 38-39 “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”, and in His Sermon on the Mount (the Beatitudes) tells us the way to treat our fellow human brothers and Sisters here on earth.  Matthew 5:19 instructs us on how we gain entrance to the Kingdom for which Christ is king; “Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”

In Matthew 25:34-43 Christ also reminds us of how we need to live in order to gain eternal life with God and the heavenly elect; “I was hungry, and you gave me food to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me drink; I was a stranger, and you took me in; naked, and you clothed me; I was sick, and you visited me; I was in prison, and you came to me”. The group on the right asked God; “Lord, when did we see you hungry, and feed you; or thirsty, and give you a drink?  When did we see you as a stranger, and take you in; or naked, and clothe you? When did we see you sick, or in prison, and come to you?”   God replied; “I tell you, whatever you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.”
Next week we enter a time of preparing to celebrate the birth of Christ, the season of Advent.

This is a time for us to make an evaluation of how well we are living our daily lives to prepare ourselves for the Kingdom of Christ, heaven.   Have we been mindful of the needs of others, are we caring and accepting of all of God’s children, not just those we consider acceptable because they conform to our way of thinking, but ALL?

Have we discriminated against others because of Race, creed, marital condition, sexual orientation or political party? Are we charitable toward those who are in need?

Christ gave us the example of how we should lead our lives. He never rejected anyone who came to Him and neither should we.  In this time where people are thinking of giving gifts to their family and friends let us acknowledge the gifts God, our father, has given us. Let us use them to the benefit of all God’s children, especially those who have not been as blessed as we have been, and not hoard them for ourselves.

By doing this we can not only show our love and respect for the King of Kings and Lord of Lords but we will build up a treasures in heaven for ourselves so that we will be greeted with “Well done, my good and faithful servant.”          AMEN

Video for Christ the King Feast

33rd Ordinary Sunday 2017

Reflecting on god and Life

Reflecting on 83 years

A reflection for Sunday November 12, 2017

By Rev. Fr. Bob Johnnene OFM

Mission Saints Sergius & Bacchus/ Order Franciscans of Mercy

www.missionstsergius.org

www.orderfranciscansofmercy.org

Divinemercyparish@msn.com

This coming Thursday November 16^th, I enter my 83^rd year of life.

As I look back and count the numerous blessings that God has bestowed upon me I realize how truly blessed God has been too me.

Today’s first reading from Wisdom, chapter 6 tells us; “Wisdom is radiant and unfading, and she is easily discerned by those who love her, and is found by those who seek her. She hastens to make herself known to those who desire her. He who rises early to seek her will have no difficulty, for he will find her sitting at his gates. To fix one's thought on her is perfect understanding, and he who is vigilant on her account will soon be free from care, because she goes about seeking those worthy of her, and she graciously appears to them in their paths, and meets them in every thought.”

Throughout my entire life I have attempted, by asking God in prayer, to gain the wisdom and knowledge I needed to know God’s will for me, and I still continue to seek that gift from God in spite of realizing that he has provided me the insight as I traveled my highway of life.

To begin with, when I came into this world, according to my mother, there were serious doubts I would actually make it,  since she had lost two other children before and even when I was born, I was dehydrated to such a degree that the first 6 months were questionable, but since then I have been blessed with relatively good health and blessed by God to overcome, so far, the four cancers I had.

My most difficult thing today is the effect on my body of the Accute Stenosis which makes walking or standing for long times painful and stressful.

I was blessed to have parents and family that exposed me to the arts especially music and theater, and who traveled.

I was at the 1939 World’s fair, saw the original production of THE KING AND I with Gertrude Lawrence.

By my 13^th year I had traveled and visited 44 of the contiguous states.

I received an excellent education from devoted nuns and priests and eventually entered the seminary in my junior year of High School.

I was on the verge of being ordained a Josephite priest in 1957 when they recommended that I take some time off to be sure of my vocation, so, I followed my second love, Theater.

I never became famous, but I did get to work with people like Julie Andrews, Liza Minnelli, Hal Prince, Carol Burnett, Elizabeth Montgomery and got to write, produce and direct a show that was on Broadway.

It was during this time that I met the woman who would become my wife and the mother of my three children.

God always kept me centered whenever I was thinking the gifts He gave me were my own talents and He did something to get me back on track.

The desire to serve as a religious was never too far from me and I kept up on my theology, the changes of Vatican 2, while teaching in Catholic Schools often serving as a Director of Religious Education.

Sometimes when the rug was dragged out from under me and  I became very upset and depressed God would save me from doing something drastic and lift me up.

On one of those occasions when I was at the bottom, I tossed open the Bible and read the page that it opened to and there was an answer. It was in the book of Job.

I realized that if we keep our trust and faith in God and not give up and blame Him, He will lead us to where He wants us, and He did.

I prayed the following prayer; “God, what is it you want from me? I am not good on subtle hints God, I need you to push me, no shove me where it is you want me” and he led me back to teaching and parish ministry eventually being ordained a Deacon in 1980.

In 1986 Cardinal Roger Mahoney founded a ministry within the Diocesan offices to the GLBTQI community and Divorced Catholics and began working with it as well as my teaching & parish ministry.

In 2001, at age 67, I decided it was time to retire and move back to Massachusetts to be near my family.

I returned home to Massachusetts finding that there was not much being done in ministry to the LGBTQI and Divorced Catholics community in New England and so I felt inspired to found one.

 After my mother was called home to the Lord in 1987 I had been submitting application too various religious orders but always received rejections because; “You are over our age limit for admission” or some other excuse but I continued my quest.

I began Mission Saints Sergius & Bacchus in 2002 without any church sponsorship after discovering the Saints while on a retreat and felt it was God’s who was inspiring me to do so.

Much to my surprise, I received a letter from the Servant Franciscans of the Immaculata which since has become the Franciscans of the Annunciation of the Infinite Love of God. They had reviewed my records and transcripts, conferred with my references and decided that I was worthy to be a member of their order and to be ordained a priest.

On 8/15/2003^, the feast of the Assumption of Our Blessed Lady, I was ordained and now I am in my 15^th year, the 6^th year of the REFLECTIONS TV show.

As a child, I often visited the Franciscan church here in Boston. I even remember a Franciscan Priest Fr. Fulgence, guided me when I had serious doubt and questions about God’s will for me.

Now here I am, entering my 83rd year of life, realizing that everything in my life had been a part of God’s plan, that I probably would not have the faith in God that I have now if I was ordained back in 1957.

I realize that my entire life before my ordination in 2003, was God’s way of giving me the wisdom I would need to be a good servant to His children.

I pray that whatever time God has left for me on this earthly plane, I totally give myself over to serving him and those children He places in my path.

This Thursday as I begin another year of life I pray that in some way, with the continued help and Wisdom of Almighty God through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit I may be able inspire, all those who have felt rejected unwanted and alienated from God and the Church by the dictates of mere men who are prone to make mistakes, back into the Mystical Body of Christ the Church.

I enter my Autumn days of life with prayers asking forgiveness for the mistakes I have made along the highway of life and Pray that anyone I may have hurt along my life’s journey will forgive and pray for me.

May God’s wisdom continue to guide me in all I do so that I serve God with my entire being. Please Pray for me.  Amen.

32 Sunday of Ordinary time 2017

31st Ordinary Sunday 2017

30th Ordinary Sunday Oct 29 2017

29th Ordinary Sunday 2017

28th Ordinary Sunday 2017

27th Ordinary Sunday 2017

Homily for Sundy October 1, 2017

Acclaim Jesus as Lord

A Reflection for the Twenty Sixth Sunday of Ordinary Time

October 1, 2017

By Rev. Robert Johnnene OFM

Mission Sts. Sergius & Bacchus? Order Franciscans of Mercy

www.missionstsergius.org

In the first reading for this Sunday we hear Ezekiel telling us “When the sinner renounces sin to become law-abiding and honest, he deserves to live. He has chosen to renounce all his previous sins; he shall certainly live; he shall not die”  (Ezekiel 18:28)  What a wonderful affirmation for us, to know that we are guarantied forgiveness of our transgressions, which as humans we are bound to commit, if we but ask God for forgiveness.

In Paul’s letter to the people of Philippi Paul tells us that LOVE is what binds us together as Christians. “ if love can persuade at all, or the Spirit that we have in common, or any tenderness and sympathy, then be united in your convictions and united in your love, with a common purpose and a common mind.”  Paul goes on to say; “Always consider the other person to be better than yourself, So that nobody thinks of his own interests first but everybody thinks of other people’s interests instead. In your minds you must be the same as Christ Jesus.” … “Being as all men are, he was humbler yet, even to accepting death, death on a cross. But God raised him high and gave him the name which is above all other names so that all beings in the heavens, on earth and in the underworld, should bend the knee at the name of Jesus and that every tongue should acclaim Jesus Christ as Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:1 – 11)

In Paul’s letter we are advised to emulate Christ and be considerate of others and not just of ourselves. Paul goes on to describe how Jesus, even though he was divine, humbled himself and took on human attributes even to the point of accepting the ignominious death of a criminal on the cross just so we could have complete forgiveness of our sins and have everlasting life in the hereafter with His Father , himself and all the heavenly elect.

The Gospel reading ends with Christ telling the chief priests and the elders that; “I tell you solemnly, tax collectors and prostitutes are making their way into the kingdom of God before you”. .. “John came to you, a pattern of true righteousness, but you did not believe him, and yet the tax collectors and prostitutes did” (Matthew 21:28 – 32)

The lessons to be learned from these readings, I believe, is that no person will be denied acceptance and the promise of everlasting life if they repent for their sins and seek God.

Seeking God means to live our life in a manner that extends love to ALL those we come in contact with and being considerate of their needs rather than our own self interests.

In these days of turmoil in our world and financial turmoil in our country it would be very easy to forget about others and only look after our own self interest. If this is the road we choose to travel, we become no better than the Chief Priests and the elders who professed to be servants of God yet rejected God’s messengers John the Baptist and Jesus Himself.

Sometimes I feel that some of our professed Christian leaders have followed the same path as the Chief Priests and Elders in that they have failed to live in a manner consistent with Christ’s teachings and example. They promote things that will insure them popularity and financial security and power rather than a spirit of welcoming and Love for ALL God’s Children.

This past week I have been given a great opportunity to witness and put into action Christ’s teachings. I will not go into details but I tried to comfort and put at peace a grandmother whose grandchild had been murdered.  I was also blessed to be able to assist a man who has suffered the loss of much of his muscles and has difficulty eating by preparing food in a way that he could swallow it and would gain nourishment. I considered this opportunity a gift from God because it brought home to me the knowledge of how many blessings I have been given throughout my life.

The key to receiving God’s blessings, I believe, is to be willing to accept all that God sends you without grumbling and willingly as Christ did and to put your entire life in God’s hands.

We need to open ourselves up to God’s will and stop trying to analyze God’s intent. God has a reason for all that He has done. God creates people as they are for a reason and it is not our place to reject any of God’s children or to deny them the same rights and privileges as every other citizen. We need to have compassion for those who are sick and the poor and do all in our power to ease their suffering so that they will know that someone cares for them and by that action we can bring them to know of God’s infinite love.

By living our life for others and not ourselves we then “Become united in our love” not only for God but for all God’s children and in so doing we “acclaim Jesus Christ as Lord, to the glory of God the Father”

Let us go forth proclaiming our love of God through our actions and by exhibiting God’s love by our love toward all God’s children we encounter in our daily lives. Let us be more aware of the needs of others so that we become less self centered and more generous toward those who God has given to us for that purpose.  AMEN

26th Ordinary Sunday 1012017

REFLECTIONS Video for 9/24/2017

REFLECTIONS video for 9/24/2017

Homily for Sunday Sept. 24, 2017

Seek the Lord for True Peace

A Reflection for the Twenty Fifth Sunday or Ordinary Time

September 24^th, 2017

By Rev. Robert Johnnene OFM

Mission Sts. Sergius & Bacchus/Order Franciscans of Mercy

www.missionstsergius.org

www.orderfranciscansofmercy.org

“Seek the Lord while he is still to be found, call to him while he is still near” these words taken from the first reading from the book of Isaiah 55:6-9 should be a wakeup call for us even in this the twenty-first century. 

The second reading for this Sunday from Paul’s letter to the Philippians 1:20-27 has some wise words of advice for us also when he tells people to; “Avoid anything in your everyday lives that would be unworthy of the gospel of Christ”

This week’s gospel story is a very familiar one of the landowner who hires laborers at various times of day offering to pay them the same amount as those who were hired at the beginning of the day. At the end of the day when the laborers were being paid many complained that those hired at the last hour of the day received the same amount as those hired in the morning as being unfair Jesus answered them with this statement; “My friend, I am not being unjust to you; did we not agree on one denarius? Take your earnings and go. I choose to pay the last comer as much as I pay you. Have I no right to do what I like with my own? Why be envious because I am generous?” Thus the last will be first, and the first, last.”

The lesson for us is quite simple, it does not matter when we decide to live according to Christ’s teachings, nor does it matter at what hour of our lives we call upon God to be with us, God will accept us with love and forgiveness and welcome us into the heavenly kingdom.

The only requirement that is needed to receive the same reward as those who have labored faithfully from the beginning is desire to be a true follower of Christ and then for us to actually live according to Christ’s teachings.

To live as Christ taught means to have compassion for the sick, poor, aged and reach out to help them. We need to be fair and honest in all our personal and business dealings.  We must speak out against injustice and demand equality for everyone.

Our world is facing many challenges and has far too often rejected many of these principals.  Wars are being waged unjustly and with tragic results.  Some nations seek to dominate others and greed and materialism have replaced compassion and justice.

In the United States, our government is proposing laws that will give tax breaks to the super rich while also advocating cuts in programs that help the poor, elderly and sick have bare minimum quality of life.

Seniors on fixed incomes buying power has lost more than 50% in the last 10 years while the percentage or millionaires have increased greatly.

The government has cut the food stamp allocation claiming the cost of living has gone down while every food item in the stores has gone up by more than 10%.

To be a true follower of Christ one must always be aware of the needs of those less fortunate and make sure they are cared for adequately.

A True follower of Christ would welcome all who came to seek God with open arms and not reject them or drive them away.  A Person who loves God would love all God’s children as God and Christ love.  No follower of Christ would cause any child harm or abuse them. The aged and sick would be cared for and receive affordable quality medical and dental care.

If we are to “Seek the Lord while he is still to be found, call to him while he is still near” we need to heed Christ’s teachings and insure that we do all in our power to make the adjustments in our society that are needed so that we, as a nation, can live up to the motto “One Nation, under God, with liberty and justice FOR ALL” and truly be a country that lives and practices what our founding fathers envisioned when they wrote these words in the Declaration of Independence “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness” and in the Constitution of our country; “We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America”

Let us all pray that those who claim to be followers of Christ, and those who worship the one God, creator of all, will reflect on the teachings  of Christ, Buddha, Mohammad, Gandhi, and all those who have advocated peace, brotherhood, mercy, compassion and love over injustice, war, poverty and dissention. Let us “Seek the Lord while he is still to be found, call to him while he is still near” AMEN   

25th Ordinary Sunday 2017

Homily for Sunday Sept. 17th

A Reflection On Forgiveness

For 24^th Sunday of Ordinary Time 2017

September 17, 2017

By Rev. Robert Johnnene OFM

Mission Saints Sergius & Bacchus/ Order Franciscans of Mercy

www.orderfranciscansofmercy.org

www.missionstsergius.org

“Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times? Jesus answered, "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times”

These words from the Gospel of Matthew 18:21 tell us that we are obliged to forgive others for any indiscretions they commit against us. There is no doubt in my mind of how difficult that can be. It is not easy to forgive a person for even one transgression against us, let alone seven or seventy times seven times.

If we think about it though we need to think about how many times we commit sins and expect God to forgive us. What if he forgave us only once and when we, because of our human weakness commit the same sin again, God said: “I have already forgiven you once you went back and made the same mistake so I guess there is no hope for you”
This would never happen of course, because God is an everlasting and infinitely merciful and loving God who understands our human weaknesses and will forgive us if we are truly sorry and show some intent to try to not return to the same indiscretion.

How many times have you broken a friendship or held anger within you because of something that another did against you which made you upset and angry and when they asked forgiveness you were unwilling to forgive them?

I know of a case where an adult daughter is unwilling to forgive her father for divorcing the mother and leaving her. She was devoted to her father and was said to be his shadow as if attached to him. When in his company she was never more than a foot away from her dad. When the parents separated she was very hurt and felt that the father left her, which was not the case in any way. That all happened when she was 6.

Today she is a brilliant successful lawyer and yet she will not call her father “dad or father” but refers to him by his first name. On many occasions the father has apologized and told her how much he loves her and is proud of her achievements in spite of the fact that he was not there for much of her youth. The young lady has, according to others, actually torn up birthday and Christmas cards which included money or checks without even opening them.

This is not the way God wants us to act. The father can understand the daughter’s anger over feeling that the father had abandoned her, which was not the case since gifts and other messages were always being transmitted to her. The father always made sure that the children, (there were also two sons in this family) received presents on their birthdays and other occasions and when in the area would visit them.

This kind of anger is not in keeping with what Christ has instructed us, but can be harmful to the health of an individual. I know of another case where a person held anger over things that had happened to them in their youth inside them and the anger ate away at them making them sick much of their life. They held on to the negative things that happened to them and tended to forget all the wonderful things.

God’s promises are forever. God promises us that we will have salvation and eternal life with Him in these words found in Deuteronomy 6:2 “If you fear the Lord your God all the days of your life and if you keep all his laws and commandments which I lay on you, you will have a long life”.

We have been given many ways to show our love and devotion to God, The rules of the Old covenant were clarified for us by Jesus Christ.

Christ affirmed this when he responded to the scribe who asked him what the greatest commandments were and after being told “The scribe said to him, ‘well spoken, Master; what you have said is true: that there is but one God and there is no other. To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself, is far more important than any holocaust or sacrifice.’ Jesus, seeing how wisely he had spoken, said, ‘You are not far from the kingdom of God’. And after that no one dared to question him anymore. (Mark 12:33-34)

If we can learn to forgive those who have caused us pain and anguish or worse and strive to the best of our human ability to live our lives daily exhibiting love, compassion and forgiveness to all we encounter as we travel the road of life God promises to extend His infinite mercy and love and forgiveness to us for our transgression and moments of weakness with these words; “Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed. “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.” (Matthew 18:33-35)

24th Ordinary Sunday 2017

22nd Sunday of Ordinary Time 2017

21st Ordinary Sunday 2017

20th Ordinary Sunday 2017 Aug. 20th

August 13th & 15th Anniversary Homily

With Faith All things are possible

 A Reflection for Sunday, August 13, 2017

By Rev. Fr. Bob Johnnene OFM

Mission Sts. Sergius and Bacchus/ Franciscans of Mercy

Mission Web Site: www.missionstsergius.org

Franciscans of Mercy Web Site: www.ordeerfranciscansofmercy.org

Fr. Bob’s REFLECTIONS TV Shows http://www.youtube.com/user/RevBobJohn

Email Address: Divinemercyparish@msn.com

In his first encyclical, “Light of Faith” (Lumen Fidei), Pope Francis calls our Catholic faith a light “capable of illuminating every aspect of human existence.” Faith serves as a light for our journey and gives us a firm foundation for our lives. It transforms and unites us.

The pope begins the encyclical with these words; “Faith is born of an encounter with the living God who calls us and reveals his love, a love upon which we can lean for security and for building our lives. The word which God speaks to us in Jesus is not simply one word among many, but his eternal Word. Christian faith is thus faith in a perfect love, in its decisive power, in its ability to transform the world”.
In the Gospel of ’ Matthew chapter 14 verses 22 – 33 we read he story of how Peter, when he saw Christ walking on the water toward them in the midst of a raging storm, called out to Christ. “Lord,’ he said ‘if it is you, tell me to come to you across the water.’ ‘Come’ said Jesus. Then Peter got out of the boat and started walking towards Jesus across the water, but as soon as he felt the force of the wind, he took fright and began to sink. ‘Lord! Save me!’ he cried. Jesus put out his hand at once and held him. ‘Man of little faith,’ he said ‘why did you doubt?’ And as they got into the boat the wind dropped. The men in the boat bowed down before him and said, ‘Truly, you are the Son of God.

This story is very important to us because it is a very strong reminder that if we give ourselves over totally to having faith and trust in Almighty God, all things are possible if what we are seeking is God’s will.

Giving of myself over to God’s will was the reason I accepted the offer to be ordained a priest 15 years ago this coming Tuesday.

August 15^th is the 15th anniversary of my ordination as a priest and the 37th anniversary of my ordination as a deacon.

As I reflect on my feelings and the blessed opportunity and great challenge Almighty God has bestowed upon me I realize how truly blessed I have been.

“Your are a priest forever like Melchizedek of Old”, with these words a person goes from being a simple follower of Jesus Christ to an individual whose live is now dedicated completely to the service God and His children here on earth.

As such, you have the awesome responsibility of shepherding all God’s children. You become the hands, feet, mouth, heart and human voice of Almighty God here on earth.

Your duty is to give solace and comfort to those in pain and always affirm God’s infinite love, mercy and forgiveness to all His children.

You need to always be uplifting and positive toward all even when you yourself do not feel that well.

These responsibilities are to be extended to every child of God that you encounter as you travel along your road of life.

As a priest and especially a Franciscan you need to stop thinking about yourself and focus on the needs of God’s children all over the globe, especially those who feel unwanted, rejected and in need of comfort and affirmation.

In a world that appears to be increasingly more self-centered and absorbed in the material things of life and less interested in the needs of others preferring instead violence to settle disputes and differences instead of common sense, it is deeply disturbing and often seems to overwhelm you.

My heart becomes heavy when I see and hear of children of God being turned away from participating in a faith community or  being denied God’s gift to us, in the Eucharist,  because they are divorced or have been created by Almighty God with a same sex orientation.

Sadness fills me when I see dedicated men and women being denied the opportunity to serve God because they are married or worse still, just because their gender is female.

I ask myself why a person who is dedicated and has the necessary education and training and believes God is calling them to serve, be refused because of their marital state or sexual orientation.  

If they are willing to live their life in a way that would not bring dishonor to Almighty God they should be welcomed with thanks for their commitment.

It saddens me and has caused much pain and suffering that some called to priesthood and the hierarchy forgot their duty and responsibility to God and failed to live their vows and damaged the trust of many.

Good and faithful priests have been hurt by their actions and God’s children have become disillusioned because of the great sin they committed against the most vulnerable of God’s children.

All the titles and wealth of the world cannot raise a person any higher in the eyes of God than being a good and faithful humble servant as a simple priest.

We need to care for God‘s people as Christ would have cared for them. At times this can become overwhelming especially when you are handicapped by a lack or resources.

So many are hurting and I want to do so much more than I am doing and wonder if I am failing God or if my efforts are being lost because of my limitations.

I find it strange that when God has chosen to communicate with us here on earth either as himself or in the person of our Blessed mother He rarely made himself known to the rich and powerful but choose the poorest of His Children loved Him deeply and who have put their complete faith and trust in Him.   

St. Francis was a soldier, St. Joan a simple maiden, Juan Diego a peasant Indian, Padre Pio a simple priest, St. Bernadette a simple school girl. None of these were the hierarchy of the church. When they proclaimed what God directed them to do, they were ridiculed, scorned, persecuted and in some cases put to death. 

One has to wonder why God did not go directly to the hierarchy. Could it be that with their lofty titles and grandiose life styles they may have lost sight of God’s intent? Could it be that they chose to use their positions of power to decipher the word of God to suite their own self-interests consider themselves above God??

I have pondered this often and I believe that this may well be the case.

To have been called by God to be a priest is a tremendous and overwhelming responsibility which I pray constantly asking God to provide me with His gifts and the strength and faith I need to live up to His calling.

I am sure that God called me for a special mission this late in my life.

I find His choice of me to be surprising and heady and it has been filled with many roadblocks which I accepted and many have overcome because of His hearing my prayers.

In spite of the fact that some of my family, friends and neighbors have rejected me because I rejected the rules that have nothing to do with Christ’s teachings and the early church but followed the path I felt Christ would have paved.

I am constantly asking Almighty God to inspire me and guide me so that I may only bring honor and Glory to Him.

I pray constantly that I can make a difference in the lives of those who God has placed on my path and bring a closer relationship with Almighty God into their lives. That is my only desire and prayer.

When, in 2001 at age 66, I received the acceptance into the Franciscans and not just as a deacon, which I had been ordained in 1980, but as a priest. I accepted the call with the full knowledge that my life, as I had lived it and known, was over and I was to begin a new life, whose only purpose was to serve God with complete and total being.

I ask God to constantly lead me to where He wants me to go.

I trust He will provide me the strength, health, wisdom, means and courage to accept all that I need to do.

During this week of my Anniversary I implore each of you to pray for me and the ministry asking God to provide me with the tools necessary to reach out to all those whom this ministry is intended to reach and guide me by the gifts of The Holy Spirit to always know His will and to accept and do His will for as long as He chooses to allow me to be His humble and simple servant. 

I have faith that God will continue to provide me with the strength and the resources I need to do His will until he calls me home to my heavenly home. AMEN

19th Ordinary Sunday 2017

Review of Dignity USA 2017 Conference

17th Ordinary Sunday 2017

16th Ordinary Sunday 2017

16th Ordinary Sunday 2017

15th Ordinary Sunday 2017

14th Ordinary Sunday 2017

13th Ordinary Sunday July 2 4 2017

12th Sunday Ordinary Time 2017

Homily for Corpus Christi

Corpus Christi, The Body of Christ

A Reflection by

By Rev. Bob Johnnene OFM

Mission Sts. Sergius and Bacchus/ Franciscans of Mercy

Link to Mission Web Site: www.missionstsergius.org

Link to Franciscans of Mercy Web Site: www.orderfranciscansofmercy.org

Email Address: Divinemercyparish@msn.com

 

The feast of Corpus Christi has very special significance in the Church. 

In honoring the Eucharist, especially following the celebrations of the Ascension and the Trinity the universal church proclaims one of the basic beliefs of the Catholic faith, that in the Eucharist or Holy Communion as some refer to it, we are receiving the body and blood of Jesus Christ.

The feast of Corpus Christi is one of the most exalted mysteries of the Catholic faith, since for sublimity and incomprehensibility to mortal man; it yields nothing to the allied mysteries of the Trinity and Incarnation and is often one that is challenged by other Christian denominations along with the other two mysteries.

It is one of the mysteries that require you to have complete faith and trust in God.

Recently Pope Francis had this to say about the Eucharist in his reflection on the Seven Sacraments; “First, the Eucharist affects the way we see others. In his life, Christ manifested his love by being with people, and by sharing their desires and problems. So too the Eucharist brings us together with others – young and old, poor and affluent, neighbors and visitors. The Eucharist calls us to see all of them as our brothers and sisters, and to see in them the face of Christ.
Second, in the Eucharist we experience the forgiveness of God and the call to forgive. We celebrate the Eucharist not because we are worthy, but because we recognize our need for God’s mercy, incarnate in Jesus Christ. In the Eucharist, we renew the gift of the Body and Blood of Christ for the remission of sins, and our hearts are enlarged to receive and show mercy.
Third, in the Eucharistic celebration, we are nourished as the Christian community by Christ’s Word and Life. It is from the Eucharist that the Church receives continually her identity and mission. It is in our celebration that Christ fills us with his grace, so that our lives may be consonant with our worship of God in the Liturgy. Let us live the Eucharist in a spirit of faith and prayer, with the certainty that the Lord will bring to fulfillment all that he has promised”.  On Thursday, the feast of Corpus Christi in many countries especially Italy the Pope said this regarding the Eucharist; “To live the experience of faith means to let the Lord nourish us and to build our existence not on material goods, but on the reality, that does not perish: the gifts of God, his word and his body, The Body of Christ is the bread of the end times, capable of giving life, and eternal life, because the substance is this bread of love.”

Because Holy Thursday is linked so closely with the final days of Christ’s earthly life and therefore often with sadness it was very appropriate that we celebrate the gift of that day to us of Christ’s body and blood on a separate day to honor the Corpus Christi. 

The Eucharist is often called “The Bread of Life” because of the promise by Christ that; “He that eats of My Flesh, and drinks of My Blood, lives in Me, and I in him” which is found in John 6:54.  

The words found in John 6 are a clear explanation of why we celebrate the feast of Corpus Christi as a separate joyful feast and one that is affirming and welcoming and clearly shows Almighty God’s infinite and everlasting love for us. 

In the Eucharist, we have been given Christ as a companion to us for as long as we live and through partaking of this bread of life we receive the strength to overcome the daily temptations that plague us. The Body of Christ is a sustaining strength for us and therefore a life-giving source.

Paul’s letter to the Hebrews 9:11-15 proclaims the following; “the blood of Christ, who offered himself as the perfect sacrifice to God through the eternal Spirit, can purify our inner self from dead actions so that we do our service to the living God. When we receive the Eucharist, no matter if we receive it as just the bread or in the bread and wine, we receive the Body and Blood of Christ which will nourish us and assist us to reject temptations.

If only we all could have the kind of love and devotion and belief young children have when they receive their First Communion every time we receive the Eucharist.   I feel that as adults, we become complacent and receive the Eucharist more out of habit rather than recognizing what a wonderful gift God has given us in the Eucharist. If we approached the table with more faith and devotion when we receive the Eucharist we might receive and appreciate the gift Christ left us and be more open and willing to live our lives as He instructed us.   We might become more concerned for the wellbeing of all the people of this world and be more active in speaking up against injustice, poverty, war and genocide. We might have to courage and strength to fight for fairness and equal rights for all people regardless of their race, nationality, creed or sexual orientation.   

Prayer

O God, who in a wonderful Sacrament has left unto us the memorial of Your Passion; grant, we beseech You, that we may so venerate the sacred mysteries of Your Body and Blood as to experience continually, within ourselves, the fruit of Your Redemption.   O Lord Jesus Christ, in the Most Blessed Sacrament be praised, adored and loved, with grateful affection, at every moment, in all the tabernacles of the world, and by all who receive you into their bodies and souls, even to the end of time!  O Sacrament most holy! O Sacrament divine! All praise and all thanksgiving be every moment Thine!   We ask this in the name of our redeemer and Savior, Jesus Christ, Who lives and reigns with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. AMEN

Corpus Christi 2017 June 18th

Homily for Trinity Sunday

Trinity Sunday 2017

Sunday June 11, 2017

A Reflection based on Readings from

Exodus, 43, Daniel 3, Corinthians 13, John 3

By Rev. Fr. Bob Johnnene OFM

 Mission Sts. Sergius & Bacchus/ Franciscans of Mercy

www.orderfranciscansofmercy.org

www.missionstsergius.org

Divinemercyparish@msn.com

 

 

The readings for this Sunday the feast of the Blessed Trinity of God Father, the Son and The Holy Spirit proclaim one important message that we need to burn into our memory and hold fast to since it sums up the most important thing we need to know about God.

Our God is a God of LOVE, MERCY, and COMPASSION.

In essence, God is LOVE consummate. In the first reading from Exodus we read where God himself proclaimed to Moses the following; “"The LORD, the LORD, a merciful and gracious God, slow to anger and rich in kindness and fidelity." The Responsorial Psalm for this Sunday comes from the book of Daniel and is the ultimate praise prayer that we should profess every day and one which we Franciscans do say at least twice a day in keeping with the fact that St. Francis himself prayed it often throughout the day. It is simple and yet very powerful.  “Glory and praise forever! 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 for all age, Blessed are you in the temple of your holy glory, praiseworthy and glorious above all forever. Glory and praise forever! Blessed are you on the throne of your kingdom, praiseworthy and exalted above all forever. Glory and praise forever! Blessed are you who look into the depths from your throne upon the cherubim, praiseworthy and exalted above all forever. Glory and praise forever!”

The second reading informs us on how we should live with one another and again it is a message of extending love like that Christ exhibited to all we meet especially our family, friends and members of our Faith Community.  The reading tells us to; “Encourage one another, agree with one another, live in peace, and the God of love and peace will be with you. Greet one another with a holy kiss.” The reading ends with a prayer that we say several times as we celebrate the Mass.   “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.”

The Gospel begins by reminding us of how much God and His beloved son loves us when it says; “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.” St. John then goes on to remind us that God is not interested in being a God of condemnation; “God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.”  

It is, I believe, very appropriate the this year Trinity Sunday that celebrates the 3 distinct separate manifestations of Almighty God  yet the unity of them happens to fall this year on Father’s Day since Christ called God His Father.  He even told us that when we pray, say; “Our Father who art in heaven”

God exists as three persons but is one God, meaning that God the Son and God the Holy Spirit have exactly the same nature or being as God the Father in every way. Whatever attributes and power God the Father has, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit have as well. "Thus, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit are also eternal, omnipresent, omnipotent, infinitely wise, infinitely holy, infinitely loving, and omniscient." All this means that since all the attributes of God are Consubstantial meaning "of one being" in that the Son is "generated" ("born" or "begotten") "before all ages" or "eternally" of the Father's own being, from which the Spirit also eternally "proceeds.". All 3 personas of God are the same and therefore the great power and force that is God is LOVE.

To sum up, if we are to become Christ like or God like, we need to work hard on being more loving and accepting of everyone, even those who don’t always treat us well.

That is very difficult, but remember, as he hung on the Cross Christ called out “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do”. To be forgiving of those who have done harm to us is the ultimate way of expressing Love but it is extremely difficult and requires us to be reject the normal human reaction to retaliate. I find that I need to constantly implore the Paraclete to give me the strength and inspiration to be able to become more loving in my relationships with those who do not always treat me well. And since God is generous and loving I find that somehow I am able to forgive and be cordial to those who have hurt me.

Whether we pray to God in the name of Adonai, Yahweh, El-Olam, Jesus or The Paraclete (Holy Spirit) we are praying to the one and only God. The same God that Abraham, Isaac, Moses, King David, Jacob, Mohammad, the Apostles and all the Saints prayed too.

In short, let us establish a line of communication with God and let us try to have more love for all those we encounter. Just possibly, if we can achieve that it will start spreading like a virus that invades people turning their hearts of stone into hearts filled with compassion, mercy and the desire for a world without war, hunger, poverty, homelessness and prejudice.      AMEN