How God Desires Us 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

Sunday Jan. 22, 2017 Homily

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

2nd Ordinary Sunday 2017

Feast of Epiphany 2017

Annual Fund Drrive Update

December Mission/OFM Finance Report/2017 Fund Drive Update

New Balance 10/31/2016         $336.74

INCOME

DONATIONS                                   1462.

NEW BALANCE                                             $1798.74

EXPENSES                                       $744.97

NEW BALANCE AS OF 12/31/2016      $1053.77

We thank Tanya D., Betty R., Landon M., Mary Jane B., Blake D., Eric S., Albert M. Peter M., Chris D., Tara S., Rachel L., Connie H. for their generous donations.

To date we have raised $1462 of the 2017 goal of $5575. which means we still need $4113 to insure we will be able to meet all our financial obligations for the fiscal year 2017.

Please consider making a donation by using the either PAYPAL DONATION buttons found on our web sites www.missionstsergius.org  &

www.orderfranciscansofmercy.org

or by sending your donation directly to our Mission Bank : Mission Sts. Sergius & Bacchus, C/O Middlesex Savings Bank,  830 Washington Street Holliston, MA 01746

God bless you and keep you, AMEN