Thursday, May 25, 2017
Friday, May 19, 2017
6th Sunday of Easter Homily
Love of Jesus is love of God, The Father
A reflection for the Sixth Sunday of
Easter 2017
May 21, 2017
Based on Acts 8:5-17, Psalm 66, 1 Peter 3:15-18,
John 14:15-21
By Rev. Robert Johnnene OFM
The reading
also emphasizes that when we live our lives according to the teachings of
Christ we are given the Holy Spirit within us as our counselor and guide.
"If you
love me, you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father, and he will
give you another Counselor to be with you forever the Spirit of truth. The
world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you
know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as
orphans; I will come to you. Before long, the world will not see me anymore,
but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. On that day you will
realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. Whoever has
my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be
loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him." Then
Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, "But, Lord, why do you intend to show
yourself to us and not to the world?" Jesus replied, "If anyone loves
me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him
and make our home with him.
He who does
not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own;
they belong to the Father who sent me. (John 14:15-24)
The reading also
emphasizes that the Holy Spirit cannot be seen but lives within us who accept
Christ and attempt, to the best of our human ability to live our daily lives
with love for all God’s children, with compassion for the sick, aged, lonely,
hungry, homeless and marginalized.
Christ ends the message with
a firm affirmation that “"If anyone loves me,
he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and
make our home with him.”
The questions
we have to ask ourselves are these; “Do we seek our God and take time to
communicate with Him on a daily basis?
Do we take advantage of the gift Christ gave us of His body and blood in
the Eucharist regularly? Do we give back to God a percentage of the gifts He
has given to us by contributing to those who are in need and to support the
work of the church by tithing in time or
a monetary way?
Do we speak
out against injustice, violence, war, poverty and discrimination?
These are the
things that Christ did when He walked this earth and showed us the way to the
Father.
We need to
follow His example if we wish to be welcomed into the Fathers house and claim
the home prepared for us there.
The following is a prayer
to invoke the Holy Spirit to abide within us and to guide and lead us every day
of our life. The more one invokes the
Holy Spirit, the more we feel the Spirit Christ promised working within
us. May Almighty God fill us with the
Spirit and shower us with His infinite mercy and love every day of our
life. AMEN
Prayer to The Holy Spirit
By Father Robert Johnnene OFM
O Most Holy Spirit, merciful Comforter; Come, I
beseech You, and take up abode in my heart.
Let my weaknesses be penetrated with your strength, so that I may always
do what is right and just. Fill my heart
with charity toward all I encounter. Enlighten me in my ignorance, advise me in
my doubts. Purify and cleanse me of all sin and sanctify my soul protecting and
shielding me from the temptations that plague me. Make me truly humble that I may be pleasing
to Almighty God. Instill within me an honest respect of Almighty God and all of
His creations. Assist me to be an instrument of God's Word to all I
encounter. Give unto me the gift of
Wisdom to know and live according to God’s will. By your generous bestowing of your gifts,
help me to live a holy life and grow in the everlasting love of Christ so that
I may join with all the heavenly elect when my days here on earth are
ended. I ask this through Jesus Christ,
my redeemer and savior, who lives, and reigns with you and our creator Almighty
God as one triune God, now and forever. AMEN
Thursday, May 18, 2017
Friday, May 12, 2017
Homily for Mother's Day 2017
A Tribute to Our Heavenly Mother and all Mothers
A reflection for Mother’s Day May 14, 2017
By Rev. Robert Johnnene OFM
Mission Sts. Sergius & Bacchus
Order Franciscans of Mercy
The Mother's Day holiday in
the United States, celebrates motherhood generally and the wonderful
contributions of all mothers and women to society.
It is the result of a
campaign by Anna Marie Jarvis who, following the death of her mother on May 9,
1905, devoted her life to establishing Mother's Day as a national, and later an
international, holiday.
Throughout all of history,
mothers have played one of the most important roles in society. There is an old
adage that “Behind every successful man
there is a woman” and this is an adage that holds true almost every time,
that woman is usually the man’s mother.
We know from scripture
that Jesus’ mother was often in his company and suffered with him because of
the rejection and ultimately the crucifixion of her beloved son. With His last
breath, Christ symbolically gave His mother to all of us with these words “Woman, behold, your son! Son, Behold, your
mother!”(John 19:25-27)
Mary was the catalyst for
the first recorded miracle of Jesus at the wedding feast of Cana. Mary and the
other women discovered that Christ has risen from the dead. It is Our Blessed
Mother that often is the bearer of messages to the world from Her son and
Almighty God.
Mary’s appearances at
Lourdes, Fatima, Guadalupe, Mejigore, and to Saint Catherine Laboure’ to whom
the Blessed Mother displayed herself inside an oval frame, standing upon a
globe, wearing many rings of different colors, most of which shone rays of
light over the globe and around the margin of the frame appeared the words O
Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.
Just as Our Heavenly
Mother Mary had and still has an important place in the Christian life, so to
do all mothers have an important role in the future of society. The mother
nourishes the child from inception to adult hood and beyond. Mothers are the first educators, set the
moral guidelines and often teach the first prayers and instill a love and
devotion to God.
It was 30 years ago this
week, May 5th 1987, three days before Mother’s Day, that a beautiful
woman by the name of Elizabeth was called home to Almighty God.
She did not become famous,
never made headlines, if anything her life was very simple.
Born in Ireland in 1906
her early years were anything but wonderful. She lived in fear of the British
troops who roamed her country. When she
was only 5 years old, she watched in horror as her mother died in childbirth
while her father and uncle were arguing, drunk, in an adjoining room. Shortly
after that, her father left her with another uncle and aunt while he went off
to America in search of a better life. The Aunt, according to the stories told,
mistreated little Elizabeth to the point she ran away to another uncle who took
her in and lived with along with his young son Willie until 1913, when word
came for her to come to America. She remembers arriving at Ellis Island
frightened and amazed, as she gazed from the gangplank at the enormous glowing
statue of a woman holding a torch on the base of which was inscribed the words “Give me your tired and your poor, your
huddled masses yearning to be free”
In 1929, while working in
a drug store, a handsome man, Bob, who was working days as a welder and nights
as a singer in the Keith Vaudeville Circuit and studying law, spotted her.
They got married in
September 1930 but life was not to be a “Happy Ever After” of the
storybooks. Bob had a drinking problem
and it caused many arguments as it often does but Betty had faith and hung in
there.
Through all her life’s
problems, she never gave up her faith in Almighty God and had a deep devotion
to the Blessed Mother Mary. A devotion she passed on to her son, yours truly.
The life of Elizabeth is
just a regular life, it is a life that millions of woman happily do every day.
They are the woman who we celebrate on Mother’s Day.
My Mother and many other
mothers emulate the role Our Blessed Mother gave and they, through the years,
followed in Our Lady’s footsteps, giving of themselves for their children and
spouses.
I know that Elizabeth is
in the company of Our Blessed Mother and our Redeemer Jesus Christ and that Bob
my father is serenading Almighty God and all the heavenly elect with his
magnificent tenor voice while Elizabeth sits proudly and appreciatively as she
did every time he sang.
Since my Mom had two
miscarriages before I arrived, she could never understand how anyone could end
the gift of life and the opportunity to be a mother. Women are more compassionate, nurturing and
forgiving than most men. If women were given a greater role in the activities
of the church, we might not have had the problems we have been facing in recent
years.
If women were allowed to
be deacons or priests we probably would not have a shortage of priests and the
church would be more nurturing towards individuals seeking the love of God.
Mothers are less likely to
reject a child because of their sexual orientation.
In short, on this Mother’s
Day we need to celebrate ALL Women, Mothers, Grandmothers, mothers to be, woman
who may never be mothers, All Woman, for without woman, there would be no men.
Without Our Blessed Mother, Jesus would not
have been.
This weekend, let us give
woman the credit they deserve, let us try to do something special for all woman
in our life. Let us make this a celebration for all women for the contributions
that they have played in forming not only the Judea/Christian and other
Religious faiths but also History in general.
Happy Mother’s Day to all
mothers, your children are a gift; never let them feel unloved or unwanted. God
created them and gave them to you to cherish. Protect them as best as possible,
give them strong love and knowledge of how to love, forgive, and know and serve
God.
Love can conquer all
adversity as the story of Elizabeth and Bob can illustrate, their love was
stronger than any adversity they faced.
Just as God’s love is
stronger than any adversity any of us may face. AMEN
Thursday, May 11, 2017
Thursday, May 4, 2017
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