Prepare The Way For Our Lord!
A Reflection for the SecondWeek of Advent
By Rev. Robert Johnnene OFD
Mission Saints Sergius & Bacchus/ Franciscans Divine Mercy
Independent Catholic Church of the Americas
Link to Fr. Bob’s YouTube Page; http://www.youtube.com/user/RevBobJohn
Link to St. Joseph Cupertino Parish: http://stjosephcupertino.com/index.html
Link to Mission Web Site: www.missionstsergius.org
Link to Franciscans of Divine Mercy Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/FranciscansDivineMercy?fref=ts
Link to Franciscans of Divine Mercy Web Site: www.franciscansdivinemercy.org
Link to the Independent Catholic Church of the Americas http://www.iccamericas.org/
This Sunday, in addition to being The second Sunday of Advent for year A is also the Feast day normally honoring Our Blessed Mother Mary under the title of Immaculate Conception. At the end of this week we also have another feast Day honoring Mary under the title of Our Lady of Guadalupe. As Our Lady of Guadalupe, Our Blessed Mother has been made the Patroness of the Americas because she appeared to a Native of South America, Juan Diego whose feast we celebrate on December 13th.
So, in addition to the theme for the Second Sunday of Advent which calls us
to not only preparing to celebrate the birth of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ but also to prepare for the promised second coming of Christ, this coming week is a time to recall the willingness of Mary to believe in the message of the Angel Gabriel and be willing to be the receptacle to bring Our Lord Jesus Christ into this world, in spite of the danger she could be stoned for being an unwed mother.
The Immaculate Conception celebrates Our Lady‘s complete trust in Almighty God. The Christmas we are preparing for is the celebration of God’s greatest gift to humankind, His beloved son Jesus Christ, but it is also a time to reflect on the fact that God decided that Mary would be free of original sin in order to be a pure vessel for Christ to be conceived in by the Holy Spirit and nurtured to human life for nine months.
When the Angel Gabriel, informed her that God had chosen her to bear the promised of the ages with these words "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God.” Luke 1:29-35. Mary asked; “How can this be, for I know not man?. The angel replied;"Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end." The holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God.”
This fulfilled the promise from God when He drove Satan from the Garden of Eden in Genesis 3:14-16 “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel” and in Isaiah 11: 1: “A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse: from his roots a branch will bear fruit.”.
What faith in God Mary must have had to accept this message. After all, the punishment for having a sexual relation without being married was to be stoned to death as an adulteress.
Mary’s response to Gabriel’s message was “Let it be done to me according to God’s will” (Luke 1:38) is a response we might want to consider telling God when we are faced with difficulties.
In our daily live we are often faced with challenges or situations where we have great apprehension and I wonder how many of us respond to them with “Let it be done to me according to God’s will” as Mary did or do we gross and complain because things are difficult.?
The Gospel of this Sunday has the following words “Repent you: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand…Prepare you the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.” (Matthew 3:1-12) The preceding are from Matthew 3:1-12. When you couple them with the following passage from the Gospel of Mark 13: “Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Be on your guard, stay awake, because you never know when the time will come. … he comes unexpectedly, he must not find you asleep. And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake!” They should give us food for thought as we enter the second week of Advent. Those words should also remind us of how Mary answered God’s call to service in spite of the difficulties she might face.
The message for all four weeks of Advent are the same, “We need to be prepared to meet our maker and be ready to answer for how we lived the life God gave us here on earth. We need to be able to make the case to God that we did our human best to live in accord with the teachings we received through Scripture which is the inspired word of God.
Just as Mary and even Juan Diego, trusted in God and accepted the consequences of that acceptance, we also have to be willing to put our trust in God and work diligently to live in accord with the teachings Christ brought us Just as Mary and Juan Diego did.
God will give us what we need to prepare ourselves for the time we come face to face with God just as he gave Juan Diego what he needed to convince the Bishop of the truth of the message Mary brought.
We will need to answer how we conducted our daily lives and how we used the gifts that God gave us each and every day to reflect God to those we met on the road of life. .
Last week we heard the words from Paul’s letter to the Romans where he tells us; “The day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.”
Last week, December 2nd was called CYBER MONDAY because we are told the people of the US spend more on gifts to give on Christmas shopping on the internet.
Sadly, most of those people who were buying things like Electronic gadgets, huge plasma TV’s, and other things that have become status symbols have no idea of the real meaning to Christmas.
Christmas for the majority of people is all about a jolly white haired old man ( NO NOT ME) in a red suit who travels around the globe in a sleigh drawn by eight or nine reindeer distributing presents.
People have forgotten that true meaning of CHRISTMAS is Christ.
Without CHRIST there cannot be a Christmas.
The Mass part is the time when all those who believe in the teachings of Christ, come together to partake in the gift Christ gave us, of himself in the Eucharist. That Mass, whether the vigil mass, the midnight mass of the mass of Christmas day honors the miracle of the Birth of Jesus Christ.
Some years back I remember there were signs and bumper stickers that stated “WITH OUT CHRIST THERE IS NO CHRISTMAS”
What we as Christians and followers of the teachings of Christ should be focusing on during this time of preparation is how well we are actually living THE WORD, The Good News of Salvation found in Holy Scripture.
Do we take time to consider the needs of the poor, sick, aged, homeless and do we extend love to all God’s children regardless of their race, nationality, marital state or sexual orientation.
In this time when the entire world is facing financial crisis one of the hardest hit areas has been Charities and Religious denominations that depend on the generosity of people to accomplish their work and reach out to those who society often is willing to leave behind.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if everyone who was out in the stores spending, according to the published estimates of a few billion dollars, actually made a donation of 10% of what they spent to charitable organizations like food pantries, homeless shelters, orphanages or their Religious denomination so they have the ability to serve those in need in their Faith communities as well as pay the bills associated with maintaining the ministry.
Now is the time for those who have been blessed with more to seriously reach out to those who serve God’s often abandoned and forgotten children and do what ever they can to relieve their pain and suffering.
I know from this ministries own experience how much more we are being called upon to help those in need and how painful it is when we are hampered by a shortage of available funding and supplies.
The gospels of the last two weeks tell us how God will judge us when we are called before Him and that we never know when that time will come.
The season of Advent is dedicated to preparing ourselves for the second coming of Christ when we will be judged on how we lived our lives here on earth as well as preparing to celebrate the birth of Christ.
In this season when we are thinking about giving gifts to our family and friends let us not forget the gift we are going to give to God in thanksgiving for all He has given us.
Just as Mary trusted in the message of the Angel Gabriel, and Juan Diego trusted in Mary’s message to him, we need to put not only our trust in God and the promise of a life beyond this one but we need to give the Christ child a wonderful gift like the Magi because they recognized Jesus to be the promised of the ages.
Let us bring to Christ our gift of compassion and charity to one of the least of God’s children so that when we do have to answer to God for how we lived He will reply to us these words; “'Come my good and faithful servant, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” AMEN
Saturday, December 7, 2013
Saturday, November 9, 2013
Friday, November 1, 2013
Words of Wisdom & Truth for Nov. 3rd Week
Words of Wisdom and Truth
A Reflection for the 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time
By Rev. Bob
Johnnene OFD
Mission Saints
Sergius & Bacchus/ Franciscans Divine Mercy
Independent
Catholic Church of the Americas
Link to Reflections
TV Shows; http://www.youtube.com/user/RevBobJohn
Link to St. Joseph
Cupertino Parish: http://stjosephcupertino.com/index.html
Link to Mission
Web Site: http://www.missionstsergius.org
Link to
Franciscans of Divine Mercy Web Site: http://www.franciscansdivinemercy.org
Link to the
Independent Catholic Church of the Americas http://www.iccamericas.org/
The words from the first reading for the 31st
Sunday of Ordinary Time is from the Book of Wisdom 11:22-12:2 and worth more
than a billion words and sermons.
The reading most certainly should open our hearts and
minds to God’s infinite mercy and love for all His children regardless of their
race, nationality, gender, or religious denomination.
When we take into consideration the other readings for
this Sunday we have not only a message affirming God’s love and mercy for us
all but also advice on how we can and will be welcomed and found pleasing in
God’s eyes.
The reading from the book of Wisdom 11 verses 22
through Wisdom 12:verse 2 says; “Before
the Lord the whole universe is like a grain of dust that tips the scales,or
like a drop of morning dew falling on the ground. Yet you are merciful to all,
because you can do all things and overlook men’s sins so that they can repent. Yes,
you love all that exists; you hold nothing of what you have made in abhorrence,
for had you hated anything, you would not have formed it. And how, had you not willed it, could a
thing persist, how be conserved if not called forth by you? You spare all
things because all things are yours, Lord, lover of life, you whose
imperishable spirit is in all. Little by
little, therefore, you correct those who offend, you admonish and remind them
of how they have sinned, so that they may abstain from evil and trust in you,
Lord.”
When coupled with, are taken into consideration from
St. Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians chapter 1:11-2:2 we become strengthened even
more in the knowledge of God’s love for us; “all
that you have been doing through faith the
name of our Lord Jesus Christ will
be glorified in you and you in him, by the grace of our God and the Lord
Jesus Christ. To turn now to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and how we
shall all be gathered round him: please do not get excited too soon or alarmed
by any prediction or rumor or any letter claiming to come from us, implying
that the Day of the Lord has already arrived.”
So many who claim to be preaching the word of God have
tried to frighten people with the admonition that dooms day is at hand, and
have done so from the earliest days of the church but Christ himself told us; “However, no one knows the day or hour when
these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows. (Mark
13:32)
The message from Sunday’s Gospel is also comforting and
affirming in that it reminds us that Christ did not heed the admonishments of
the Religious of His time. It also makes clear that God and Christ are there
for everyone who believes in them and tries to live in a way that is pleasing
to God according to the teachings that Christ proclaimed.
Unfortunatly there are some who believe that they are the
“chosen ones” because of their position, their wealth or because or their devotional
practices and attendance at church but when they leave the confines of the
church, and sometimes even while there, they do not practice Christian Charity
and often demean others because of how they dress, or the color of their skin
or their nationality.
The Gosple tells us: “When
Jesus reached the spot he looked up and spoke to him: “Zacchaeus come down.
Hurry, because I must stay at your house today.” And Zacchaeus hurried down and
welcomed Christ joyfully. Others complained when they saw what was happening. “He
has gone to stay at a sinner’s house” they said. But Zacchaeus stood his ground
and said to the Lord, “Look, sir, I am going to give half my property to the
poor, and if I have cheated anybody I will pay him back four times the
amount”And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because
this man too is a son of Abraham; for the Son of Man has come to seek out and
save what was lost” (Luke 19:1-10)
We might also take note of what Zacchaeus said to
Christ about giving half of his property to the poor and needy and making right
any injustices or cheating he might have done since it is also one of the major
teachings of Christ, to be mindful of the needs of others and to share our
gifts with those who have not.
Christ has told us time and again that being aware of
others and having compassion and generosity are keys to entering into heaven.
The Seraphic Father of our order, The Franciscan’s of Divine
Mercy and love of God, our official name, knew this message so very well.
St. Francis is known to have said “I acknowledge that all my possessions were
given to me by God, and now here I am ready to give them back to Him”
Everything we have comes from God and therefore we
need to give thanks for the gifts we have received and not hoard them to
ourselves but share then according to our ability.
We need to open our eyes to the needs of others around
us and to put aside our prejudices and self centered interests and open our
hearts to being more receptive to living the great commandment of Christ every
moment of our life here on earth.
“Love the Lord, your God, with your whole heart, mind,
soul and body and love your neighbor as you love yourself” “Love one another as
I have loved you”
Let us go forth from this day forward, putting these
words of Christ into action by being more concerned about the needs of others
especially the poor, sick and aged and seek out every opportunity to share the
gifts that God has given us with others especially the poor, sick, homeless and
aged.
If we do this we will be living the Gospel every day
of our life and by doing so not only be an inspiration to those who we
encounter in our daily life but we will also be opening the door into our
partaking in the everlasting glory in heaven with Almighty God our Father and
creator of all things, His beloved Son, our redeemer and savior Jesus Christ,
the Holy Spirit and all the heavenly elect. May God bless you and keep you, may his light shine upon you and may
you be filled with the comfort and peace that comes from God. AMEN
Saturday, October 12, 2013
With Faith, All Things Are Possible
With Faith, All Things Are Possible
28th Sunday of Ordinary Time
Reflection For Sunday October 13, 2013
Based on readings from: 2 Kings5, Psalm 98, second Timothy 2, Luke 17:11-19
By Rev. Bob Johnnene OFD
Mission Saints Sergius & Bacchus/ Franciscans Divine Mercy
Independent Catholic Church of the Americas
Link to All Reflections TV Shows; http://www.youtube.com/user/RevBobJohn
Link to St. Joseph Cupertino Parish: http://stjosephcupertino.com/index.html
Link to Mission Web Site: www.missionstsergius.org
Link to Franciscans of Divine Mercy Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/FranciscansDivineMercy?fref=ts
Link to Franciscans of Divine Mercy Web Site: www.franciscansdivinemercy.org
Link to the Independent Catholic Church of the Americas http://www.iccamericas.org/
The Good News message for this Sunday is “with faith in God, all things are possible”.
The Gospels tell stories of people being cured because of their faith. In the Gospel from The Gospel from Luke 17:11 – 19 is the story of the healing of lepers and that faith in God was the reason for the cure. As Christ entered one of the villages, ten lepers came to meet him. They stood some way off and called to him, ‘Jesus! Master! Take pity on us.’ When he saw them he said, ‘Go and show yourselves to the priests’. Now as they were going away they were cleansed. Finding himself cured, one of them turned back praising God at the top of his voice and threw himself at the feet of Jesus and thanked him. The man was a Samaritan. These made Jesus say, ‘Were not all ten made clean? The other nine, where are they? It seems that no one has come back to give praise to God, except this foreigner.’ And he said to the man, ‘Stand up and go on your way. Your faith has saved you.”
Why is it that for some it often takes a miracle for some people to believe in God? Why is it that some people only turn to God when there is a problem in their lives?
Far too often in this day and age we only turn to God seeking a favor and but when it is granted, we often forget to thank God and we feel we deserved it.
Today, everywhere we look we find people who are seeking material things,the perfect figure, the perfect home, the classiest car, big fancy houses, the latest electronic gadgets, the latest fashions and ever more money.
Far too few who have been blessed with an abundance of God’s gifts rarely think of sharing those gifts with the less fortunate or if they do so they need to have public recognition for their acts and it is usually a ptiance of what they have received and certainly not 10%.
In the United States alone there are thousands who do not have adequate medical assistance, food or shelter. All over the globe people are suffering because of the few who seek to control the many.
A few years ago, while in Minnesota, I became aware of a program sponsored by the Lutheran Church called HOMELESS AND HUNGRY.
This program’s purpose is to raise awareness of the plight and struggles of the homeless by having people pledge to fast for 24 hours and live on the street in cardboard boxes like the homeless and to beg for food stuffs and money. Every participant pledges $365.00 each which is the cost of feeding one person each day of the year. The money collected that year reached a staggering total of over $75,000 and more than 5000 pounds of food was collected. Those who participated said they never knew how hard it was for the “Street People” and how they were discriminated against. Many described how they were called names and insulted and some actually described how people would cross the street to avoid being near them.
What became clear to me was that we all need to do more to address this despicable condition in the richest country in the world.
For those conditions to exist is a major blemish on the nation as a whole and especially the political leaders rant and rave against spending any tax payer money when ever a program to help those in need is suggested by government.
To have Faith in God is much more than saying prayers and attending church but it is also having our actions reflect the teaachings of Christ to “Love one another as I have loved you” and “Love God with your whole mind, soul, and body and love your neighbor as you love yourself”
In last weeks gospel lesson we learned who our neighbor is and that we should always act like the Good Samaritan of last weeks Gospel and the Samaritan of this weeks gospel who returned to thank God for curing hem.
Part of the message this week is also about putting our full trust in God because when we do anything is possible and as we learned last week, by having faith as small as a mustard seed we could move mountains. Having Faith in God is not just seeking God’s healing when we are sick but believing that it is possible and also doing those things we need to do to keep ourselves and all God’s children in good health.
People can not be healthy if they do not have proper nutrition and medical care.
Our Nation has been blessed with an abundance of God’s gifts but at every opportunity there are people who do everything in their power to remove all mention of God in public places.
The ranks of those who claim there is no God is growing at an alarming rate according to the latest statistics.
Without a living faith, a practiced faith, without believing in a supreme being and a loving and merciful God our nation will continue to experience more and more violence and continue to decay just as every great nation before it that turned away from the basic values found in most religions; peace, brotherhood, compassion, mercy, forgiveness and love for all God’s creation.
As the gospel for today say’s; ‘Were not all ten made clean? The other nine, where are they? It seems that no one has come back to give praise to God, except this foreigner.’ And he said to the man, ‘Stand up and go on your way. Your faith has saved you.”
Without faith, and by that I mean a living faith that is more than words but action in our daily lives, how can we ever expect to be cured of the ills that plague us?
The time is now for us to turn to God and ask God for His healing graces.
Now is the time to begin living our lives in accord with the teachings of Christ and not those imposed by mere humans for the purpose of domination and control.
Only God can judge and determine who is and who is not saved.
We who are Christians have been told how God expects us to live and how to attain everlasting life.
We will be judged on how well we lived that life in not only word but in our deeds.
Now is the time to seek God’s guidance to overcome our weakness.
We need to place our trust and faith in God because when we do, we too will be healed as those in the gospel of today were healed. AMEN
Friday, March 15, 2013
Saturday, February 23, 2013
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