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| Praise God from whom all good things come, praise him all creatures here below,Give Glory to God for all He has done for us, Let us Praise God now and always. The Infinite mercy and love of God is for All His children here on Earth regardless of their race, social or political or sexual orientation. |
| This Week's Reflection You are invited to read and meditaate on these reflections and how you are living your life as a gift to God |
| God Love ALL His Children Exactly as HE Created Them and so should WE |
Please consider making a donation of $.10 (Ten Cents) a day to our ministry during this time of economic crisis to allow us to continue
to serve God's children who have sought us out for healing and comfort. Your $36.50 a year will be a great help to meet our expenses
especially if every person who receives our postings were to contribute.
You can donate by using the DONATION BUTTONS found on the various pages of this site or by sending donations directly to the
mission account
Mission Saints Sergius & Bacchus
c/o Middlesex Savings Bank
830 Washington Street
Holliston, MA 01746.
to serve God's children who have sought us out for healing and comfort. Your $36.50 a year will be a great help to meet our expenses
especially if every person who receives our postings were to contribute.
You can donate by using the DONATION BUTTONS found on the various pages of this site or by sending donations directly to the
mission account
Mission Saints Sergius & Bacchus
c/o Middlesex Savings Bank
830 Washington Street
Holliston, MA 01746.
Seeking God, Part Two
A Reflection for the Lenten Season of 2010
By Rev. Bob Johnnene OFD, Mission Saints Sergius & Bacchus/ Franciscans of Divine Mercy
www.missionstsergius.org
As we discussed in Seeking God Part one it appears that throughout all of history humankind has sought after and worshiped a superior being or God. Just as Archeologist have discovered new information that indicates
that humans sought God long before we had records of organized religious beliefs. Throughout history any examples of pagan idol gods have been dug up by archaeologists that showed items like the Sun, moon, fire,
Volcanoes and various animals were worshiped and may be seen in museums today. The apostle Paul said, “they worshipped the creation rather than the Creator” (Rom. 1:25).
Historically it seems that every emerging society has had a sense of a greater being other than themselves. In all know societies throughout history the people worshiped a “greater force” and they had a spiritual
concept. Native Americans refer to “The Great Spirit” who is and was the creator of all and they also believe that there is an “inner Spirit” in every living thing and that it is a part of the Great Spirit so they have
respect for all living things.
If only we could rise to that level of spirituality and faith.
It is understandable how some of the concepts found in various religious writing have come to be. The concept of Hell being one of Brimstone and fire came out of the time in history when volcanoes were far more
prevalent along with earthquakes and whole populations would be wiped out when one occurred.
The idea of heaven being above and hell below may well have come from the fact that things that helped people grow and stay warm ( rain and sun) came from above while the aforementioned earthquakes and volcanoes
caused devastation and hardship.
Surveys have been done among professors and educators and even scientists where the question was asked ““Do you believe in God?” Often the answer is, “Oh, I believe in the existence of God”
But they cannot tell you who and what God is! They cannot tell you what God is like! God is not real to them. In other words, he is a mystery. You will of course have those who will admit they are agnostics—they do not
know “for sure if God ever existed or is”
In ancient Egypt they worshipped the gods Isis and Osiris. The Greeks and Romans anciently had mythological gods such as Jupiter, Hermes, Dionysus, Apollo, Diana and many others. Even wine and sex were
worshiped as Gods or paths toward God. But they did not know, and their peoples do not know today, who and what God is.
Many societies also had a belief in an afterlife and lived their lives preparing for that “afterlife.”
Astrophysicist Robert Jastrow, a self-described agnostic, stated, "The seed of everything that has happened in the Universe was planted in that first instant; every star, every planet and every living creature in the
Universe came into being as a result of events that were set in motion in the moment of the cosmic explosion...The Universe flashed into being, and we cannot find out what caused that to happen."
Steven Weinberg, a Nobel laureate in Physics, said at the moment of this explosion, "the universe was about a hundred thousands million degrees Centigrade...and the universe was filled with light."
The universe has not always existed. It had a start...what caused that? Scientists have no explanation for the sudden explosion of light and matter which we now call THE BIG BANG THEORY.
When we read Genesis 1 : what does it say? “And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light.” In John 1: verses 1 through 4 we read; “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the
Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was nothing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men” and if we look at the words
of Christ found in John 8:12 Jesus spoke to them, saying, "I am the light of the world".
“The Word” in ALL these passages is translated from the Greek logos, which means “spokesman,” “word” or “revelatory thought.” But who or what is this Logos? Verse 14 of John 1 says the following “And the Word (
logos) was made flesh, and dwelt among us”. In John 14:6 it says “Thomas said to him, "Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?" Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the
life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him."
From this and from what we find written in the Gospel of Matthew’s telling of the Baptism of Christ where a voice is heard to proclaim from the heavens, “At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of
God descending like a dove and lighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased." (Matthew 3: 16-17) we might deduce that Jesus Christ was indeed the human
manifestation or (Son of God).
It might well be that the superior force, Great Spirit, supreme power, divine energy, Creator, or God who in the past had only made itself known to humans as a burning bush ( Moses) or a voice from the heavens had
decided to give us poor mortals a human figure to instruct us in what was wanted from us since we tended to need a physical item to have respect and awe for.
I end this section of the series SEEKING GOD, with this statement.
If Jesus was indeed the “Son of God” and was sent from the Creator, Mother/Father ( God) to earth to teach us God’s Will, because God’s past efforts with Abraham, Isaac, Isaiah, Jacob, Moses and the other prophets ,
had not worked too well over time and became corrupted by the priests who were to be the Rabbi‘s or teachers of God‘s will as the words of Jesus warning to them in Matthew 23:15-25; "Woe to you, teachers of the law
and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are. Woe to you, blind guides! You say, 'If anyone swears
by the temple, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.' You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes the gold sacred? You also say, 'If anyone
swears by the altar, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gift on it, he is bound by his oath. You blind men! Which is greater: the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred? Therefore, he who swears by the
altar swears by it and by everything on it. And he who swears by the temple swears by it and by the one who dwells in it. And he who swears by heaven swears by God's throne and by the one who sits on it. Woe to
you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You
should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel. Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of
the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.”
During Lent we are called to give serious consideration to what Jesus Claimed was the greatest commandments and how we, in our daily life, are living in accord with what Christ answered the teacher of the Jewish Law
when asked; “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?" The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one Love the Lord your God with all your heart
and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these." "Well said, teacher," the man replied. "You
are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him. To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all
burnt offerings and sacrifices." When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God." (Mark 12: 28-34)
We would do well this lent to consider how well we love all we encounter. Do we love enough to forgive them for actions they did that upset or hurt us? Do we love unconditionally as Christ did in his public life? Do we
respect ALL of Cod’s creation and not be wasteful and destructive of our planet and the resources the creator God has provided.
It seems to me that if we attempt to live our life with dignity and understanding of the differences created by the Great Spirit, creator God and have compassion, mercy, forgiveness, charity and a spirituality routine to
keep us centered and grounded in what is important in life we are well on the way to finding God.
AMEN
A Reflection for the Lenten Season of 2010
By Rev. Bob Johnnene OFD, Mission Saints Sergius & Bacchus/ Franciscans of Divine Mercy
www.missionstsergius.org
As we discussed in Seeking God Part one it appears that throughout all of history humankind has sought after and worshiped a superior being or God. Just as Archeologist have discovered new information that indicates
that humans sought God long before we had records of organized religious beliefs. Throughout history any examples of pagan idol gods have been dug up by archaeologists that showed items like the Sun, moon, fire,
Volcanoes and various animals were worshiped and may be seen in museums today. The apostle Paul said, “they worshipped the creation rather than the Creator” (Rom. 1:25).
Historically it seems that every emerging society has had a sense of a greater being other than themselves. In all know societies throughout history the people worshiped a “greater force” and they had a spiritual
concept. Native Americans refer to “The Great Spirit” who is and was the creator of all and they also believe that there is an “inner Spirit” in every living thing and that it is a part of the Great Spirit so they have
respect for all living things.
If only we could rise to that level of spirituality and faith.
It is understandable how some of the concepts found in various religious writing have come to be. The concept of Hell being one of Brimstone and fire came out of the time in history when volcanoes were far more
prevalent along with earthquakes and whole populations would be wiped out when one occurred.
The idea of heaven being above and hell below may well have come from the fact that things that helped people grow and stay warm ( rain and sun) came from above while the aforementioned earthquakes and volcanoes
caused devastation and hardship.
Surveys have been done among professors and educators and even scientists where the question was asked ““Do you believe in God?” Often the answer is, “Oh, I believe in the existence of God”
But they cannot tell you who and what God is! They cannot tell you what God is like! God is not real to them. In other words, he is a mystery. You will of course have those who will admit they are agnostics—they do not
know “for sure if God ever existed or is”
In ancient Egypt they worshipped the gods Isis and Osiris. The Greeks and Romans anciently had mythological gods such as Jupiter, Hermes, Dionysus, Apollo, Diana and many others. Even wine and sex were
worshiped as Gods or paths toward God. But they did not know, and their peoples do not know today, who and what God is.
Many societies also had a belief in an afterlife and lived their lives preparing for that “afterlife.”
Astrophysicist Robert Jastrow, a self-described agnostic, stated, "The seed of everything that has happened in the Universe was planted in that first instant; every star, every planet and every living creature in the
Universe came into being as a result of events that were set in motion in the moment of the cosmic explosion...The Universe flashed into being, and we cannot find out what caused that to happen."
Steven Weinberg, a Nobel laureate in Physics, said at the moment of this explosion, "the universe was about a hundred thousands million degrees Centigrade...and the universe was filled with light."
The universe has not always existed. It had a start...what caused that? Scientists have no explanation for the sudden explosion of light and matter which we now call THE BIG BANG THEORY.
When we read Genesis 1 : what does it say? “And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light.” In John 1: verses 1 through 4 we read; “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the
Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was nothing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men” and if we look at the words
of Christ found in John 8:12 Jesus spoke to them, saying, "I am the light of the world".
“The Word” in ALL these passages is translated from the Greek logos, which means “spokesman,” “word” or “revelatory thought.” But who or what is this Logos? Verse 14 of John 1 says the following “And the Word (
logos) was made flesh, and dwelt among us”. In John 14:6 it says “Thomas said to him, "Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?" Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the
life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him."
From this and from what we find written in the Gospel of Matthew’s telling of the Baptism of Christ where a voice is heard to proclaim from the heavens, “At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of
God descending like a dove and lighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased." (Matthew 3: 16-17) we might deduce that Jesus Christ was indeed the human
manifestation or (Son of God).
It might well be that the superior force, Great Spirit, supreme power, divine energy, Creator, or God who in the past had only made itself known to humans as a burning bush ( Moses) or a voice from the heavens had
decided to give us poor mortals a human figure to instruct us in what was wanted from us since we tended to need a physical item to have respect and awe for.
I end this section of the series SEEKING GOD, with this statement.
If Jesus was indeed the “Son of God” and was sent from the Creator, Mother/Father ( God) to earth to teach us God’s Will, because God’s past efforts with Abraham, Isaac, Isaiah, Jacob, Moses and the other prophets ,
had not worked too well over time and became corrupted by the priests who were to be the Rabbi‘s or teachers of God‘s will as the words of Jesus warning to them in Matthew 23:15-25; "Woe to you, teachers of the law
and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are. Woe to you, blind guides! You say, 'If anyone swears
by the temple, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.' You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes the gold sacred? You also say, 'If anyone
swears by the altar, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gift on it, he is bound by his oath. You blind men! Which is greater: the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred? Therefore, he who swears by the
altar swears by it and by everything on it. And he who swears by the temple swears by it and by the one who dwells in it. And he who swears by heaven swears by God's throne and by the one who sits on it. Woe to
you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You
should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel. Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of
the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.”
During Lent we are called to give serious consideration to what Jesus Claimed was the greatest commandments and how we, in our daily life, are living in accord with what Christ answered the teacher of the Jewish Law
when asked; “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?" The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one Love the Lord your God with all your heart
and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these." "Well said, teacher," the man replied. "You
are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him. To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all
burnt offerings and sacrifices." When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God." (Mark 12: 28-34)
We would do well this lent to consider how well we love all we encounter. Do we love enough to forgive them for actions they did that upset or hurt us? Do we love unconditionally as Christ did in his public life? Do we
respect ALL of Cod’s creation and not be wasteful and destructive of our planet and the resources the creator God has provided.
It seems to me that if we attempt to live our life with dignity and understanding of the differences created by the Great Spirit, creator God and have compassion, mercy, forgiveness, charity and a spirituality routine to
keep us centered and grounded in what is important in life we are well on the way to finding God.
AMEN
Seeking God, Part Three
A Reflection for the Lenten Season of 2010
By Rev. Bob Johnnene OFD, Mission Saints Sergius & Bacchus/ Franciscans of Divine Mercy
www.missionstsergius.org
When I taught, one of the subjects I taught was Science. Since the students had already learned about the Atom and its parts , (protons, electrons and neutrons, nucleons and quarks,) I tried
to give them an idea of how God was within us or how we might find God within us.
I had them imagine that we, were the smallest part of an Atom and that our immediate family was the part of an atom that we were within and that the atom we were a part of was our
country. I then had an enlarges view of a small section of our skin projected on the screen and had them guess how many atoms made up that section of skin. The usual answer was between
1000 & 5000.
I kept enlarging the portion of the human body from the section of skin to the finger it came from to the hand etc, etc. until we had the entire human figure. I then superimposed the
universe and the cosmos over the figure ( it took a bit of maneuvering) and suggested that in that view we might well be looking at an image of God because He and the Spirit are in all things
God created.
Now that is a somewhat simplistic image but it helps to get across the concept that we are a part of and therefore responsible for maintaining God’s creation and watching out for each other
because when one part of the body is sick it needs to be made well or, like in the case of cancer, be cut away so that it does not spread to the entire body.
We need to call to mind the words from Isaiah, “To whom, then, will you compare God? What image will you compare him to? ( Isaiah 40:18) and consider how we view God and how we
contribute to God’s plan here on earth.
St. Paul tells us in his letter to the Philippians; “Have this attitude in yourselves, which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as
a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of a human man. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by
becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” (Philippians 2:5-8)
In Genesis God gave humans the task of caring for and dominion over all that he created; “God blessed them; and God said to them, Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it;
and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth." Then God said, "Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the
surface of all the earth, and every tree which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you; and to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the sky and to every thing that moves on the earth
which has life, I have given every green plant for food"; and it was so. God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good”.
That means we have a God given responsibility to take care of this planet and each other. We were not put here to wage wars, covet others property, land or resources but to share what we
have with those who do not.
We, every human on the face of the earth, has a responsibility to every other human because we are all children of God and a part of God’s plan.
YES! We have to acknowledge also that there is another very powerful force that is always trying to interfere with God’s plan and will. The fallen angel Lucifer who we first spoke about in
part one of this series of Reflections.
Lucifer was driven out of heaven on God’s command because he thought he was greater than God.
Satan (Lucifer) even used the concept of having great power and control to tempt Eve and even Christ.
He has succeeded through the ages of corrupting even those who were called to be God’s representatives here on earth by inspiring them to seek wealth and riches and to live in palaces.
There are many instructions on how to live our life found in both the old and the New testaments and some of them can even be found in the Koran and in Buddhist and other religious
beliefs.
Among them are; "Do not covet the silver and gold on them, and do not take it for yourselves, or you will be ensnared by it, for it is detestable to the LORD your God". (Deuteronomy 7:25)
"Therefore since we are God's offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by man's design and skill". (Acts 17:29) "He who conceals his
sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy" (Proverbs 28:13) "This is what the LORD Almighty says: 'Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to
one another". (Zechariah 7:9) and my favorite often referred to as the Sermon on the Mount.
In it Christ preaches about who will be blessed in the eyes of the Father/Mother (God) and who will displease God because they failed to follow the concept of taking care of all God‘s children
no matter who or where they may be.
Here is a segment of that sermon for us to ponder over as we go through our daily Lenten reflection time; "Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those
who mourn, For they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, For they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled. Blessed are the
merciful, For they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are
persecuted for righteousness' sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and
be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
"You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. You are the light of the
world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lamp stand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine
before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven".
I will end this section of the series on Seeking God with the beatitudes for us to determine how well we are “Letting our light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and
glorify your Father in heaven.”.
In the next two segments of the series I will attempt to sum up how we might Seek God and Find the reflection of God within ourselves and how we are doing reflecting God to all we
encounter on our daily journey along the pathway of life which we hope will lead us to everlasting life in the presence of The Trinity, Our Blessed Mother and all those heavenly elect who
have achieved their place in heaven.
AMEN
A Reflection for the Lenten Season of 2010
By Rev. Bob Johnnene OFD, Mission Saints Sergius & Bacchus/ Franciscans of Divine Mercy
www.missionstsergius.org
When I taught, one of the subjects I taught was Science. Since the students had already learned about the Atom and its parts , (protons, electrons and neutrons, nucleons and quarks,) I tried
to give them an idea of how God was within us or how we might find God within us.
I had them imagine that we, were the smallest part of an Atom and that our immediate family was the part of an atom that we were within and that the atom we were a part of was our
country. I then had an enlarges view of a small section of our skin projected on the screen and had them guess how many atoms made up that section of skin. The usual answer was between
1000 & 5000.
I kept enlarging the portion of the human body from the section of skin to the finger it came from to the hand etc, etc. until we had the entire human figure. I then superimposed the
universe and the cosmos over the figure ( it took a bit of maneuvering) and suggested that in that view we might well be looking at an image of God because He and the Spirit are in all things
God created.
Now that is a somewhat simplistic image but it helps to get across the concept that we are a part of and therefore responsible for maintaining God’s creation and watching out for each other
because when one part of the body is sick it needs to be made well or, like in the case of cancer, be cut away so that it does not spread to the entire body.
We need to call to mind the words from Isaiah, “To whom, then, will you compare God? What image will you compare him to? ( Isaiah 40:18) and consider how we view God and how we
contribute to God’s plan here on earth.
St. Paul tells us in his letter to the Philippians; “Have this attitude in yourselves, which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as
a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of a human man. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by
becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” (Philippians 2:5-8)
In Genesis God gave humans the task of caring for and dominion over all that he created; “God blessed them; and God said to them, Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it;
and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth." Then God said, "Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the
surface of all the earth, and every tree which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you; and to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the sky and to every thing that moves on the earth
which has life, I have given every green plant for food"; and it was so. God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good”.
That means we have a God given responsibility to take care of this planet and each other. We were not put here to wage wars, covet others property, land or resources but to share what we
have with those who do not.
We, every human on the face of the earth, has a responsibility to every other human because we are all children of God and a part of God’s plan.
YES! We have to acknowledge also that there is another very powerful force that is always trying to interfere with God’s plan and will. The fallen angel Lucifer who we first spoke about in
part one of this series of Reflections.
Lucifer was driven out of heaven on God’s command because he thought he was greater than God.
Satan (Lucifer) even used the concept of having great power and control to tempt Eve and even Christ.
He has succeeded through the ages of corrupting even those who were called to be God’s representatives here on earth by inspiring them to seek wealth and riches and to live in palaces.
There are many instructions on how to live our life found in both the old and the New testaments and some of them can even be found in the Koran and in Buddhist and other religious
beliefs.
Among them are; "Do not covet the silver and gold on them, and do not take it for yourselves, or you will be ensnared by it, for it is detestable to the LORD your God". (Deuteronomy 7:25)
"Therefore since we are God's offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by man's design and skill". (Acts 17:29) "He who conceals his
sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy" (Proverbs 28:13) "This is what the LORD Almighty says: 'Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to
one another". (Zechariah 7:9) and my favorite often referred to as the Sermon on the Mount.
In it Christ preaches about who will be blessed in the eyes of the Father/Mother (God) and who will displease God because they failed to follow the concept of taking care of all God‘s children
no matter who or where they may be.
Here is a segment of that sermon for us to ponder over as we go through our daily Lenten reflection time; "Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those
who mourn, For they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, For they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled. Blessed are the
merciful, For they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are
persecuted for righteousness' sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and
be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
"You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. You are the light of the
world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lamp stand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine
before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven".
I will end this section of the series on Seeking God with the beatitudes for us to determine how well we are “Letting our light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and
glorify your Father in heaven.”.
In the next two segments of the series I will attempt to sum up how we might Seek God and Find the reflection of God within ourselves and how we are doing reflecting God to all we
encounter on our daily journey along the pathway of life which we hope will lead us to everlasting life in the presence of The Trinity, Our Blessed Mother and all those heavenly elect who
have achieved their place in heaven.
AMEN
Seeking God, Part Four
A Reflection for the Lenten Season of 2010
By Rev. Bob Johnnene OFD, Mission Saints Sergius & Bacchus/ Franciscans of Divine Mercy
www.missionstsergius.org
Before I can sum up this series on Seeking God I feel we have to explore a perception that God and Religion are the same and that since many people have decided that most organized religions seem to do a good job of
“Talking the Talk" but they have not “ Walked the Walk” but instead in many cases have practiced the opposite of what they preached.
One can find God and have a deep sense of faith and spirituality without belonging to one of the organized religions. There are of course benefits to belonging to a group who are living in accord with the will of God and the
teachings of Jesus and other religions teach about living a good life and caring for others.
One huge benefit I find is the Eucharist which has been called “The bread of Life”
If you believe that the bread and wine becomes the body and blood of Jesus Christ then being able to partake of it gives you strength to live a life that follows the teachings of Christ.
Since I am a Christian, I have a strong belief in the basic teaching of Christ and look to the early church for guidance as to what is and what is not in accord with the teachings of Christ.
I also believe that anyone who is a firm believer on the Supreme being we call GOD, and lives their life without hurting others but in a caring and compassionate way is going to be welcomed into the heavenly kingdom.
So many religions trace their roots back to Abraham and believe in the same creator God of Abraham including all Christian denominations, that to condemn them is out of step with the teachings of Christ.
We have to remember that Religion , or I should clarify, organized religions that we know today evolved into what they are for political and financial reasons.
Even the Bible was used for political reason when Constantine decided what books were acceptable for his goals and what books were not. Just think about it, if St. Peter was the head of the church, why was the Gospel
according to St. Peter excluded from the bible. The reason was because it did not fit with what Constantine had in mind. The same is true with many of the other “Lost Books of the Bible”.
God or a belief in God and a devotion to God does not require that one subscribe to one denomination or another.
For me, so many of the Saints of the One Holy Catholic Apostolic Church, like St. Francis, St. Clare, St. Dominic, St. Benedict, St. Maximilian Kolbe, Saint Damien de Veuster the Leper Saint, Mother Therese of Calcutta,
St. Bonaventura, St. Therese of the Child Jesus, St. Joan of Ark, and even holy people like Brother Roger of Taize, Mahatma Gandhi, and people like Bishop Fulton J Sheen, Fr. Mychal F. Judge OFM who died giving the
last rites at the World Trade Center and Cardinal Bernardin who died in 1996 but in his final days wrote a book THE GIFT OF PEACE which begins; “Throughout my spiritual journey I have struggled to become closer to
God" and in which he wrote that “prayer is not a one sided practice rather it requires and involves speaking and listening on both sides” can all be role models for us in our search for God.
God does not require a temple or a grand Basilica. God is not impressed with gold and vestments of silks encrusted with gold and jewels.
Some of the most holy places for me have been out in God’s own back yard, so too speak. The Cathedral of the Pines in Ridge New Hampshire, a pine Grove in Barrie Vermont, On an outcrop overlooking the Pacific Ocean
in Cambria CA, In a Simple log Chapel in Vermont. All these place overwhelmed me with the feeling and presence of God and the Holy Spirit.
As a child I used to go down to the beach across from where I lived to a secluded spot where the waves breaking on the rocks was like music from heaven, even when a storm was raging I felt the power and majesty of God
and was filled with an awareness of his reality.
I find God in the glory of the colors of Autumn leaves, the first blooms of Crocuses bursting through the snow covered ground. I see God in the wonder of a child’s eyes, the glow of achievement in a student who finally
achieved a "B" in a subject they had been struggling to pass. I find God in so many every day things.
When I am overwhelmed by doubts and anxiety over the lack of funding to support the ministry I was sure God wanted me to establish I just say “It is in Your hands God, if this is your will the means will come forth for what
is needed”, and it usually does.
I do not worry over those things I have no control over but I place them in God’s hands.
That is how sure I am that God really does exist.
When my son was battling Cancer, and even before that when He was on dialysis because his kidneys had failed due to a bacterial infection, I place his well-being in God’s hands praying that he be healed. Evidently, God
heard my prayers and those of his grandmother and all the others that prayed for the same thing because he is now happy and well and married to a beautiful and wonderful woman.
Speaking of prayer and God’s presence, we can not do a reflection without addressing God’s answer or sometimes lack of answers to our prayers.
Many people say they do not believe in God because they have never had a prayer they said answered in the way they wanted so they have decided that there really is not God.
The thing is, God answers all prayers. He just doesn’t answer them always in the way we want.
He will, however, answer them in a way that is best for us.
He also will answer them on his time table and not always on ours. God hears and answers all prayers.
One aspect of prayer is that you have to have faith and believe in order for your prayers to be heard. Your prayers have to come from the heart and have sincerity.
Far too often people go through the gestures and words of prayers without contemplating on what they are saying.
I have had priests and whole congregations go through the Rosary like they were in a race to see who could finish the fastest. I have even been at masses where the priest seemed to be in a rush to win a race.
When we are communicating with God it needs to come from within our heart and soul. We need to take our time pondering the words we say and we also, like Cardinal Bernadine said in his book THE GIFT OF PEACE,
"not only say the words but listen for God’s answer within our heart".
I am going to end this part of the reflection series on SEEKING GOD with a prayer I wrote and say daily as part of my morning prayers in which I give myself over to God’s will.
I invite you to add it to your daily prayer routine and see if it makes a difference in your life as I feel it has in mine.
Prayer of Commitment
By Rev. Robert Johnnene OFD, August 1997
Mission Saints Sergius and Bacchus/ Franciscans of Divine Mercy
www.missionstsergius.org
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Divine_Mercy_Franciscans
Almighty God, I give you my hands to do your work;
I give you my feet to go your way;
I give you my eyes to see as you do;
I give you my tongue to speak your words;
I give you my mind that you may think in me;
I give you my spirit that you may pray in me;
Above all, I give you my heart that you may love in and through me all with whom I come in contact with each and every day.
I dedicate myself to doing your will in all things and to becoming an instrument through which you might bring peace and harmony to all your children here on earth.
AMEN
A Reflection for the Lenten Season of 2010
By Rev. Bob Johnnene OFD, Mission Saints Sergius & Bacchus/ Franciscans of Divine Mercy
www.missionstsergius.org
Before I can sum up this series on Seeking God I feel we have to explore a perception that God and Religion are the same and that since many people have decided that most organized religions seem to do a good job of
“Talking the Talk" but they have not “ Walked the Walk” but instead in many cases have practiced the opposite of what they preached.
One can find God and have a deep sense of faith and spirituality without belonging to one of the organized religions. There are of course benefits to belonging to a group who are living in accord with the will of God and the
teachings of Jesus and other religions teach about living a good life and caring for others.
One huge benefit I find is the Eucharist which has been called “The bread of Life”
If you believe that the bread and wine becomes the body and blood of Jesus Christ then being able to partake of it gives you strength to live a life that follows the teachings of Christ.
Since I am a Christian, I have a strong belief in the basic teaching of Christ and look to the early church for guidance as to what is and what is not in accord with the teachings of Christ.
I also believe that anyone who is a firm believer on the Supreme being we call GOD, and lives their life without hurting others but in a caring and compassionate way is going to be welcomed into the heavenly kingdom.
So many religions trace their roots back to Abraham and believe in the same creator God of Abraham including all Christian denominations, that to condemn them is out of step with the teachings of Christ.
We have to remember that Religion , or I should clarify, organized religions that we know today evolved into what they are for political and financial reasons.
Even the Bible was used for political reason when Constantine decided what books were acceptable for his goals and what books were not. Just think about it, if St. Peter was the head of the church, why was the Gospel
according to St. Peter excluded from the bible. The reason was because it did not fit with what Constantine had in mind. The same is true with many of the other “Lost Books of the Bible”.
God or a belief in God and a devotion to God does not require that one subscribe to one denomination or another.
For me, so many of the Saints of the One Holy Catholic Apostolic Church, like St. Francis, St. Clare, St. Dominic, St. Benedict, St. Maximilian Kolbe, Saint Damien de Veuster the Leper Saint, Mother Therese of Calcutta,
St. Bonaventura, St. Therese of the Child Jesus, St. Joan of Ark, and even holy people like Brother Roger of Taize, Mahatma Gandhi, and people like Bishop Fulton J Sheen, Fr. Mychal F. Judge OFM who died giving the
last rites at the World Trade Center and Cardinal Bernardin who died in 1996 but in his final days wrote a book THE GIFT OF PEACE which begins; “Throughout my spiritual journey I have struggled to become closer to
God" and in which he wrote that “prayer is not a one sided practice rather it requires and involves speaking and listening on both sides” can all be role models for us in our search for God.
God does not require a temple or a grand Basilica. God is not impressed with gold and vestments of silks encrusted with gold and jewels.
Some of the most holy places for me have been out in God’s own back yard, so too speak. The Cathedral of the Pines in Ridge New Hampshire, a pine Grove in Barrie Vermont, On an outcrop overlooking the Pacific Ocean
in Cambria CA, In a Simple log Chapel in Vermont. All these place overwhelmed me with the feeling and presence of God and the Holy Spirit.
As a child I used to go down to the beach across from where I lived to a secluded spot where the waves breaking on the rocks was like music from heaven, even when a storm was raging I felt the power and majesty of God
and was filled with an awareness of his reality.
I find God in the glory of the colors of Autumn leaves, the first blooms of Crocuses bursting through the snow covered ground. I see God in the wonder of a child’s eyes, the glow of achievement in a student who finally
achieved a "B" in a subject they had been struggling to pass. I find God in so many every day things.
When I am overwhelmed by doubts and anxiety over the lack of funding to support the ministry I was sure God wanted me to establish I just say “It is in Your hands God, if this is your will the means will come forth for what
is needed”, and it usually does.
I do not worry over those things I have no control over but I place them in God’s hands.
That is how sure I am that God really does exist.
When my son was battling Cancer, and even before that when He was on dialysis because his kidneys had failed due to a bacterial infection, I place his well-being in God’s hands praying that he be healed. Evidently, God
heard my prayers and those of his grandmother and all the others that prayed for the same thing because he is now happy and well and married to a beautiful and wonderful woman.
Speaking of prayer and God’s presence, we can not do a reflection without addressing God’s answer or sometimes lack of answers to our prayers.
Many people say they do not believe in God because they have never had a prayer they said answered in the way they wanted so they have decided that there really is not God.
The thing is, God answers all prayers. He just doesn’t answer them always in the way we want.
He will, however, answer them in a way that is best for us.
He also will answer them on his time table and not always on ours. God hears and answers all prayers.
One aspect of prayer is that you have to have faith and believe in order for your prayers to be heard. Your prayers have to come from the heart and have sincerity.
Far too often people go through the gestures and words of prayers without contemplating on what they are saying.
I have had priests and whole congregations go through the Rosary like they were in a race to see who could finish the fastest. I have even been at masses where the priest seemed to be in a rush to win a race.
When we are communicating with God it needs to come from within our heart and soul. We need to take our time pondering the words we say and we also, like Cardinal Bernadine said in his book THE GIFT OF PEACE,
"not only say the words but listen for God’s answer within our heart".
I am going to end this part of the reflection series on SEEKING GOD with a prayer I wrote and say daily as part of my morning prayers in which I give myself over to God’s will.
I invite you to add it to your daily prayer routine and see if it makes a difference in your life as I feel it has in mine.
Prayer of Commitment
By Rev. Robert Johnnene OFD, August 1997
Mission Saints Sergius and Bacchus/ Franciscans of Divine Mercy
www.missionstsergius.org
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Divine_Mercy_Franciscans
Almighty God, I give you my hands to do your work;
I give you my feet to go your way;
I give you my eyes to see as you do;
I give you my tongue to speak your words;
I give you my mind that you may think in me;
I give you my spirit that you may pray in me;
Above all, I give you my heart that you may love in and through me all with whom I come in contact with each and every day.
I dedicate myself to doing your will in all things and to becoming an instrument through which you might bring peace and harmony to all your children here on earth.
AMEN
Seeking God, Part Five
A Reflection for the Lenten Season of 2010
By Rev. Bob Johnnene OFD, Mission Saints Sergius & Bacchus/ Franciscans of Divine Mercy
www.missionstsergius.org
This series of reflections has been titled SEEKING GOD so I have decided that we really need to determine exactly what seeking means and how one goes about it and what it entails.
According to the Dictionary Seeking is both a transitive verb and an intransitive verb and it means; “1. To go to, to resort to, 2. go in search of, look for, try to discover, 3. To ask for or request or seek advice,
4. To try to acquire or gain, aim for 5. To make an attempt or try, as an intransitive verb it means to make a search or an inquiry.
When the object of the search is God, I would have to say that all the definitions are usable and correct.
Now the question arrives as to how you want to search and how important your search is to you and how much time and effort do you want to put into your search.
I don’t know about you, but when we are talking about finding God and our relationship with God and the end result is everlasting life or damnation, I would say such a search might just be the most
important one any human has ever endeavored upon.
Now every major search and discovery comes with setbacks, dangers, moments of elations and moments of depression. A search for God will only have those things multiplied to a greater extent because
there is one nemesis, Satan, who will do everything in its power from you finding God and gaining God in your life.
That is why I find the book of Job to be my inspiration. As mentioned in an earlier segment, Job never gave in and had faith and trust in God and even after he lost everything, family, health, wealth he
continued to place his faith in God for which he was rewarded 10 fold.
When a person really decides to seek God and claim God as the center of their life, they will certainly be ridiculed and probably be looked upon as a fanatic. They may well loose family and friends who
think that God is not as important as gaining fame, wealth, or other material things.
Seeking God, like prayer, which we discussed in section, four of this series, must be taken seriously and requires you to work on your search every day of your life from the moment you decide to go on
your quest.
All quests are journeys toward a set goal. All Quests require great exertion on the part of the hero and the overcoming of many obstacles. A hero’s initial response may be a rejection of that return, as J.
Campbell describes in THE HERO WITH A THOUSAND FACES
My favorite stories of Quests are Le Morte de Arthur, Don Quixote, The Lord of The Rings, The Wizard of Oz, and the movie series featuring Indiana Jones and his quests.
Therefore, our search for God, if we actually embark on it seriously, will have obstacles to overcome and disappointments and even possibly rejection by family and friends but if we find God, the rewards
are greater than any earthly treasure.
As Matthew 6:19-21 tells us “Don't store up treasures on earth! Moths and rust can destroy them, and thieves can break in and steal them. Instead, store up your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust
cannot destroy them, and thieves cannot break in and steal them. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” and in Luke 12-21 we read; “So is the man who stores up treasure for himself, and is
not rich toward God.”
In Luke 11:19 Christ is said to have told his disciples; “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” In one of the more famous “Gnostic”
Gospels the Coptic Gospel of Thomas which is just a transcript of the secret sayings of Jesus to his apostles. The first saying is; “Whoever finds the interpretation of these sayings will not experience death”
The second saying I found to be so much like that of Luke 11:19 and it is this; “Let him who seeks continue seeking until he finds. When he finds he will become troubled. When he becomes troubled, he will be
astonished and he will rule over all”
Throughout the Coptic Gospel of Thomas one cannot but notice that many of the sayings are exactly like or similar to the sayings of Christ found in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
Saying 3 in the Gospel of Thomas has the following “ Rather, the (Father's) kingdom is within you and it is outside you. When you know yourselves, then you will be known, and you will understand that you are
children of the living Father. But if you do not know yourselves, then you live in poverty, and you are the poverty."
I believe that “Living in poverty and you are in poverty” simply means that until we get to know God and find God within ourselves we will always feel an emptiness within ourselves.
In chapter four of Peace of the Soul by Fulton J Sheen entitled IS GOD HARD TO FIND? There is a quote from the poet Francis Thompson which was based on an idea put forth by Saint Thomas Aquinas
and it goes like this;
O world invisible, we view thee
O world intangible, we touch thee
O world unknowable, we know thee
In apprehensible, we clutch thee.
To which Fulton Sheen follows up with these words; “God is easy to discover in at least a confused and primitive sort of way through every striving and aspiration of our will and our heart” “God is not hard to
find, because He gives himself to us as the Divine Gift. Natural life itself is a gift. The soul has to come into the body from without, directly as a gift from the hands of God”
Throughout all of human existence the human race, according to historians and archaeologists has sought and worshiped a higher power which they often ascribed the title God. Many people have had
things to say and relate about God, here are just a few I found worth pondering in our seeking God Quest.
“I know God will not give me anything I can't handle. I just wish that He didn't trust me so much.” ~Mother Teresa
“Prayer is when you talk to God; meditation is when you listen to God.” ~Diana Robinson
“Every evening I turn my worries over to God. He's going to be up all night anyway.” ~Mary C. Crowley
“God loves each of us as if there were only one of us.” ~St. Augustine
“They say that God is everywhere, and yet we always think of Him as somewhat of a recluse.” ~Emily Dickinson
“What we are is God's gift to us. What we become is our gift to God.” ~Eleanor Powell
“God is not what you imagine or what you think you understand. If you understand you have failed.” ~Saint Augustine
“I don't know if God exists, but it would be better for His reputation if He didn't.” ~Jules Renard
“A man can no more diminish God's glory by refusing to worship Him than a lunatic can put out the sun by scribbling the word, 'darkness' on the walls of his cell.” ~C.S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain
“The feeling remains that God is on the journey, too.” ~Teresa of Avila
“But I always think that the best way to know God is to love many things.” ~Vincent van Gogh,
“People see God every day, they just don't recognize him.” ~Pearl Bailey
“God's gifts put man's best dreams to shame.” ~Elizabeth Barrett Browning
“When we can't piece together the puzzle of our own lives, remember the best view of a puzzle is from above. Let Him help put you together.” ~Amethyst Snow-Rivers
“Some of God's greatest gifts are unanswered prayers.” ~Garth Brooks
“God enters by a private door into each individual.” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Remember this. When people choose to withdraw far from a fire, the fire continues to give warmth, but they grow cold. When people choose to withdraw far from light, the light continues to be bright in
itself but they are in darkness. This is also the case when people withdraw from God.” ~St. Augustine
And one that I find so very, very true and worth thinking about; “Don't look for God where He is needed most; if you didn't bring Him there, He isn't there.” ~Mignon McLaughlin, The Second
Neurotics Notebook, 1966
In the Sixth and final ( sort of but not really because I will continue to try to guide and lead and inspire those who read my humble simple reflections to find God and to know his infinite love and mercy)
installment of this series on Seeking God I will attempt to sum up all that I have written over the last week and hopefully have inspired you to look deeper within yourselves and the universe created by a
power much greater than any human in your quest for finding and securing God in your life and then reflecting God to all those you encounter. AMEN
A Reflection for the Lenten Season of 2010
By Rev. Bob Johnnene OFD, Mission Saints Sergius & Bacchus/ Franciscans of Divine Mercy
www.missionstsergius.org
This series of reflections has been titled SEEKING GOD so I have decided that we really need to determine exactly what seeking means and how one goes about it and what it entails.
According to the Dictionary Seeking is both a transitive verb and an intransitive verb and it means; “1. To go to, to resort to, 2. go in search of, look for, try to discover, 3. To ask for or request or seek advice,
4. To try to acquire or gain, aim for 5. To make an attempt or try, as an intransitive verb it means to make a search or an inquiry.
When the object of the search is God, I would have to say that all the definitions are usable and correct.
Now the question arrives as to how you want to search and how important your search is to you and how much time and effort do you want to put into your search.
I don’t know about you, but when we are talking about finding God and our relationship with God and the end result is everlasting life or damnation, I would say such a search might just be the most
important one any human has ever endeavored upon.
Now every major search and discovery comes with setbacks, dangers, moments of elations and moments of depression. A search for God will only have those things multiplied to a greater extent because
there is one nemesis, Satan, who will do everything in its power from you finding God and gaining God in your life.
That is why I find the book of Job to be my inspiration. As mentioned in an earlier segment, Job never gave in and had faith and trust in God and even after he lost everything, family, health, wealth he
continued to place his faith in God for which he was rewarded 10 fold.
When a person really decides to seek God and claim God as the center of their life, they will certainly be ridiculed and probably be looked upon as a fanatic. They may well loose family and friends who
think that God is not as important as gaining fame, wealth, or other material things.
Seeking God, like prayer, which we discussed in section, four of this series, must be taken seriously and requires you to work on your search every day of your life from the moment you decide to go on
your quest.
All quests are journeys toward a set goal. All Quests require great exertion on the part of the hero and the overcoming of many obstacles. A hero’s initial response may be a rejection of that return, as J.
Campbell describes in THE HERO WITH A THOUSAND FACES
My favorite stories of Quests are Le Morte de Arthur, Don Quixote, The Lord of The Rings, The Wizard of Oz, and the movie series featuring Indiana Jones and his quests.
Therefore, our search for God, if we actually embark on it seriously, will have obstacles to overcome and disappointments and even possibly rejection by family and friends but if we find God, the rewards
are greater than any earthly treasure.
As Matthew 6:19-21 tells us “Don't store up treasures on earth! Moths and rust can destroy them, and thieves can break in and steal them. Instead, store up your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust
cannot destroy them, and thieves cannot break in and steal them. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” and in Luke 12-21 we read; “So is the man who stores up treasure for himself, and is
not rich toward God.”
In Luke 11:19 Christ is said to have told his disciples; “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” In one of the more famous “Gnostic”
Gospels the Coptic Gospel of Thomas which is just a transcript of the secret sayings of Jesus to his apostles. The first saying is; “Whoever finds the interpretation of these sayings will not experience death”
The second saying I found to be so much like that of Luke 11:19 and it is this; “Let him who seeks continue seeking until he finds. When he finds he will become troubled. When he becomes troubled, he will be
astonished and he will rule over all”
Throughout the Coptic Gospel of Thomas one cannot but notice that many of the sayings are exactly like or similar to the sayings of Christ found in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
Saying 3 in the Gospel of Thomas has the following “ Rather, the (Father's) kingdom is within you and it is outside you. When you know yourselves, then you will be known, and you will understand that you are
children of the living Father. But if you do not know yourselves, then you live in poverty, and you are the poverty."
I believe that “Living in poverty and you are in poverty” simply means that until we get to know God and find God within ourselves we will always feel an emptiness within ourselves.
In chapter four of Peace of the Soul by Fulton J Sheen entitled IS GOD HARD TO FIND? There is a quote from the poet Francis Thompson which was based on an idea put forth by Saint Thomas Aquinas
and it goes like this;
O world invisible, we view thee
O world intangible, we touch thee
O world unknowable, we know thee
In apprehensible, we clutch thee.
To which Fulton Sheen follows up with these words; “God is easy to discover in at least a confused and primitive sort of way through every striving and aspiration of our will and our heart” “God is not hard to
find, because He gives himself to us as the Divine Gift. Natural life itself is a gift. The soul has to come into the body from without, directly as a gift from the hands of God”
Throughout all of human existence the human race, according to historians and archaeologists has sought and worshiped a higher power which they often ascribed the title God. Many people have had
things to say and relate about God, here are just a few I found worth pondering in our seeking God Quest.
“I know God will not give me anything I can't handle. I just wish that He didn't trust me so much.” ~Mother Teresa
“Prayer is when you talk to God; meditation is when you listen to God.” ~Diana Robinson
“Every evening I turn my worries over to God. He's going to be up all night anyway.” ~Mary C. Crowley
“God loves each of us as if there were only one of us.” ~St. Augustine
“They say that God is everywhere, and yet we always think of Him as somewhat of a recluse.” ~Emily Dickinson
“What we are is God's gift to us. What we become is our gift to God.” ~Eleanor Powell
“God is not what you imagine or what you think you understand. If you understand you have failed.” ~Saint Augustine
“I don't know if God exists, but it would be better for His reputation if He didn't.” ~Jules Renard
“A man can no more diminish God's glory by refusing to worship Him than a lunatic can put out the sun by scribbling the word, 'darkness' on the walls of his cell.” ~C.S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain
“The feeling remains that God is on the journey, too.” ~Teresa of Avila
“But I always think that the best way to know God is to love many things.” ~Vincent van Gogh,
“People see God every day, they just don't recognize him.” ~Pearl Bailey
“God's gifts put man's best dreams to shame.” ~Elizabeth Barrett Browning
“When we can't piece together the puzzle of our own lives, remember the best view of a puzzle is from above. Let Him help put you together.” ~Amethyst Snow-Rivers
“Some of God's greatest gifts are unanswered prayers.” ~Garth Brooks
“God enters by a private door into each individual.” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Remember this. When people choose to withdraw far from a fire, the fire continues to give warmth, but they grow cold. When people choose to withdraw far from light, the light continues to be bright in
itself but they are in darkness. This is also the case when people withdraw from God.” ~St. Augustine
And one that I find so very, very true and worth thinking about; “Don't look for God where He is needed most; if you didn't bring Him there, He isn't there.” ~Mignon McLaughlin, The Second
Neurotics Notebook, 1966
In the Sixth and final ( sort of but not really because I will continue to try to guide and lead and inspire those who read my humble simple reflections to find God and to know his infinite love and mercy)
installment of this series on Seeking God I will attempt to sum up all that I have written over the last week and hopefully have inspired you to look deeper within yourselves and the universe created by a
power much greater than any human in your quest for finding and securing God in your life and then reflecting God to all those you encounter. AMEN
Seeking God, Part Six
A Reflection for the Lenten Season of 2010
By Rev. Bob Johnnene OFD, Mission Saints Sergius & Bacchus/ Franciscans of Divine Mercy
www.missionstsergius.org
I begin this segment of SEEKING GOD series of reflections with the quote from The Second Neurotic's Notebook, by Mignon McLaughlin, published in 1966 “Don't look for God where He is needed most; if you didn't
bring Him there, He isn't there.”
We began this series with this sentence; “Throughout all of the history of human existence it seems that we humans have sought after and had the need to find that superior thing we often refer to as GOD” and have tried
to provide statements and other materials that substantiate this statement.
One of the points I would like to suggest that those who desire to seek God reflect on is the passage from 1 Corinthians 2: verses 9-12 which says; “However, as it is written: No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has
conceived what God has prepared for those who love him but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except
the man's spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has
freely given us.”
It is this passage that I feel confirms what I have felt for so much of my life, that no human being can claim to know why God has done what he has done. Why God creates some people with disabilities, some with a sexual
orientation toward members of their own sex, or why some have an abundance of God’s gifts and others have constant struggle to just survive.
I also feel compelled to sum up this series paraphrasing a very famous article written by Francis P. Church, in The New York Sun in 1897 entitled YES VIRGINIA, THERE IS A SANTA CLAUSE.
Here is my Paraphrase of that famous article:
Your friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe except what they can see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their minds. All minds,
whether they be adults or children’s, are little. In this great universe of ours, man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect as compared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence capable of
grasping the whole of truth and knowledge.
Yes, there is a God. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy.
Alas! how dreary would be the world if God did not watch over it.
It would be as dreary as if there were no flowers, sunshine or laughter.
There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence.
We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The eternal light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.
Not believe in God! Even if you do not see God what does that prove?
Nobody sees God, but that is no sign that there is no God.
The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see.
Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen in the world like the particles in an Atom.
Only faith, acceptance of Holy Scripture, poetry, love, romance, can push aside that curtain of darkness and rejection and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond. That is God.
No God, Wrong ! We must thank God for He lived before the universe existed and will live after it no longer exists. . A thousand years from now, nay 100 times 10,000 years from now, God will continue to make exist and
all who have believed and accepted God will be joined with God in that place reserved for those who believe.
Carl Gustav Jung said, “The central neurosis of our time is emptiness. All of us have a deep longing for our life to have meaning and depth.” That longing , as we have pointed out in the previous 5 portions of this reflection
series is finding that superior thing that is greater than ourselves and giving it honor or praise.
One thing that is required is Faith and Trust. The dictionary description of faith as;
1 a : allegiance to duty or a person :loyalty. b (1) : fidelity to one's promises
(2) : sincerity of intentions 2 a (1) : belief and trust in and loyalty to God (2) : belief in the traditional doctrines of a religion b (1) : firm belief in something for which there is no proof (2) : complete trust 3 : something that is
believed especially with strong conviction; especially : a system of religious beliefs .
Notice that the first or primary definition is : “allegiance to duty or a person :loyalty” and according to the dictionary allegiance is; “devotion or loyalty to a person, group, or cause” and we all know that devotion is giving
honor and praise to something.
Since the subject of this series has been Seeking God and I believe I have put forth many reasons that we should believe in the existence of God then it follows that we should believe and therefore have devotion to God, by
whatever name called, The Creator, The Supreme Being, Allah, Yahweh, Adonai or Jehovah.
The traditional purpose of Lent is the preparation through prayer, penitence, almsgiving and self denial to prepare ourselves to become a better person and more “God Like” or “Christ Like“ and ready to celebrate the
glory of Easter.
It was in the Passion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, The Son Of God, that Sin was overcome and Forgiveness of our transgressions was achieved along with the possibility of Eternal life with the heavenly elect.
A believe in God is a must for this to be achieved, it does not mean a belief in a particular Religious denomination but a belief in God. If you believe and follow the truths of that belief and give honor, glory and praise to
your God, then you will be among the chosen ones of God.
That is my belief and I hope and pray that this humble series I have tried to put forth which, I pray, was inspired by God through the Holy Spirit, has helped you to find God and to understand why God must be the center of
your life.
When God is at the center of your life, you have the ability to overcome all adversity and to cope with all those daily problems. By believing and talking with God, daily, we gain strength and we begin to reflect God to
others.
I ask God to watch over all who have taken to time to read this series and for those who have not and fill them with the knowledge of His infinite love.
I hope that God will grant me the health, the time and the means to continue to let people know of His divine mercy and Love.
Our ministry is facing challenges due to a financial shortfall but I believe that if it is truly God‘s will the means to continue will come forth in time to meet our responsibilities..
I close with this Prayer;
Prayer for God’s Infinite Love
By Rev. Robert Johnnene OFD, March 24th 2006
Almighty and merciful God, open my mind, my heart, and my soul to your infinite love. Instill within me the knowledge of your truth. Guide me in your ways in all the things I do so that I may be unto others a reflection of
your love towards them.
Allow the light of your truth to flow through me towards all I encounter in order that they may come to know you better. I pray that all those with whom I come in contact with each and every day may be brought into a closer
union with you and enjoy your promise of salvation earned through your beloved son, Jesus Christ, in His passion, death, resurrection and ascension. I humbly ask this in the name of your beloved son, Jesus Christ, who
lives, and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, One God, now and forever unto the ages of ages. AMEN
A Reflection for the Lenten Season of 2010
By Rev. Bob Johnnene OFD, Mission Saints Sergius & Bacchus/ Franciscans of Divine Mercy
www.missionstsergius.org
I begin this segment of SEEKING GOD series of reflections with the quote from The Second Neurotic's Notebook, by Mignon McLaughlin, published in 1966 “Don't look for God where He is needed most; if you didn't
bring Him there, He isn't there.”
We began this series with this sentence; “Throughout all of the history of human existence it seems that we humans have sought after and had the need to find that superior thing we often refer to as GOD” and have tried
to provide statements and other materials that substantiate this statement.
One of the points I would like to suggest that those who desire to seek God reflect on is the passage from 1 Corinthians 2: verses 9-12 which says; “However, as it is written: No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has
conceived what God has prepared for those who love him but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except
the man's spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has
freely given us.”
It is this passage that I feel confirms what I have felt for so much of my life, that no human being can claim to know why God has done what he has done. Why God creates some people with disabilities, some with a sexual
orientation toward members of their own sex, or why some have an abundance of God’s gifts and others have constant struggle to just survive.
I also feel compelled to sum up this series paraphrasing a very famous article written by Francis P. Church, in The New York Sun in 1897 entitled YES VIRGINIA, THERE IS A SANTA CLAUSE.
Here is my Paraphrase of that famous article:
Your friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe except what they can see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their minds. All minds,
whether they be adults or children’s, are little. In this great universe of ours, man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect as compared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence capable of
grasping the whole of truth and knowledge.
Yes, there is a God. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy.
Alas! how dreary would be the world if God did not watch over it.
It would be as dreary as if there were no flowers, sunshine or laughter.
There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence.
We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The eternal light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.
Not believe in God! Even if you do not see God what does that prove?
Nobody sees God, but that is no sign that there is no God.
The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see.
Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen in the world like the particles in an Atom.
Only faith, acceptance of Holy Scripture, poetry, love, romance, can push aside that curtain of darkness and rejection and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond. That is God.
No God, Wrong ! We must thank God for He lived before the universe existed and will live after it no longer exists. . A thousand years from now, nay 100 times 10,000 years from now, God will continue to make exist and
all who have believed and accepted God will be joined with God in that place reserved for those who believe.
Carl Gustav Jung said, “The central neurosis of our time is emptiness. All of us have a deep longing for our life to have meaning and depth.” That longing , as we have pointed out in the previous 5 portions of this reflection
series is finding that superior thing that is greater than ourselves and giving it honor or praise.
One thing that is required is Faith and Trust. The dictionary description of faith as;
1 a : allegiance to duty or a person :loyalty. b (1) : fidelity to one's promises
(2) : sincerity of intentions 2 a (1) : belief and trust in and loyalty to God (2) : belief in the traditional doctrines of a religion b (1) : firm belief in something for which there is no proof (2) : complete trust 3 : something that is
believed especially with strong conviction; especially : a system of religious beliefs .
Notice that the first or primary definition is : “allegiance to duty or a person :loyalty” and according to the dictionary allegiance is; “devotion or loyalty to a person, group, or cause” and we all know that devotion is giving
honor and praise to something.
Since the subject of this series has been Seeking God and I believe I have put forth many reasons that we should believe in the existence of God then it follows that we should believe and therefore have devotion to God, by
whatever name called, The Creator, The Supreme Being, Allah, Yahweh, Adonai or Jehovah.
The traditional purpose of Lent is the preparation through prayer, penitence, almsgiving and self denial to prepare ourselves to become a better person and more “God Like” or “Christ Like“ and ready to celebrate the
glory of Easter.
It was in the Passion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, The Son Of God, that Sin was overcome and Forgiveness of our transgressions was achieved along with the possibility of Eternal life with the heavenly elect.
A believe in God is a must for this to be achieved, it does not mean a belief in a particular Religious denomination but a belief in God. If you believe and follow the truths of that belief and give honor, glory and praise to
your God, then you will be among the chosen ones of God.
That is my belief and I hope and pray that this humble series I have tried to put forth which, I pray, was inspired by God through the Holy Spirit, has helped you to find God and to understand why God must be the center of
your life.
When God is at the center of your life, you have the ability to overcome all adversity and to cope with all those daily problems. By believing and talking with God, daily, we gain strength and we begin to reflect God to
others.
I ask God to watch over all who have taken to time to read this series and for those who have not and fill them with the knowledge of His infinite love.
I hope that God will grant me the health, the time and the means to continue to let people know of His divine mercy and Love.
Our ministry is facing challenges due to a financial shortfall but I believe that if it is truly God‘s will the means to continue will come forth in time to meet our responsibilities..
I close with this Prayer;
Prayer for God’s Infinite Love
By Rev. Robert Johnnene OFD, March 24th 2006
Almighty and merciful God, open my mind, my heart, and my soul to your infinite love. Instill within me the knowledge of your truth. Guide me in your ways in all the things I do so that I may be unto others a reflection of
your love towards them.
Allow the light of your truth to flow through me towards all I encounter in order that they may come to know you better. I pray that all those with whom I come in contact with each and every day may be brought into a closer
union with you and enjoy your promise of salvation earned through your beloved son, Jesus Christ, in His passion, death, resurrection and ascension. I humbly ask this in the name of your beloved son, Jesus Christ, who
lives, and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, One God, now and forever unto the ages of ages. AMEN
| The following six reflections are a series on Seeking God |
Seeking God, Part One
A Reflection for the Lenten Season of 2010
By Rev. Bob Johnnene OFD, Mission Saints Sergius & Bacchus/ Franciscans of Divine Mercy
www.missionstsergius.org
Throughout all of the history of human existence it seems that we humans have sought after and had the need to find that superior thing we often refer to as GOD.
Recently I read an article in Newsweek about a discovery that will most certainly change the way we look at religion and for that matter the history of the world if it proves to be true. Here is an excerpt from that article; “They call it potbelly
hill, after the soft, round contour of this final lookout in southeastern Turkey. To the north are forested mountains. East of the hill lies the biblical plain of Harran, and to the south is the Syrian border, visible 20 miles away, pointing toward
the ancient lands of Mesopotamia and the Fertile Crescent, the region that gave rise to human civilization. And under our feet, according to archeologist Klaus Schmidt, are the stones that mark the spot—the exact spot—where humans began
that ascent. Göbekli Tepe—the name in Turkish for "potbelly hill"—lays art and religion squarely at the start of that journey. Schmidt's thesis is simple and bold: it was the urge to worship that brought mankind together in the very first
urban conglomerations. Schmidt has uncovered what he thinks is definitive proof that a huge ceremonial site flourished here, a "Rome of the Ice Age," as he puts it, where hunter-gatherers met to build a complex religious community. Across
the hill, he has found carved and polished circles of stone, with terrazzo flooring and double benches. All the circles feature massive T-shaped pillars that evoke the monoliths of Easter Island". NEWSWEEK Published Feb 19, 2010
In the Judeo/Christian Old Testament book of Genesis we read “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them". (Genesis 1:27) but it would appear from historical records that in
every human society the people of that society looked for a superior power or being to which they ascribed superior powers. Some worshiped the Sun, others the moon, some the rivers and animals but all had a sense that there was something
greater than themselves.
That something is what I believe we call GOD.
So the question arises, What and where is God?
I would like to suggest that we look within ourselves for that answer and the reason I do so is from the words found in Genesis “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him”.
We know that the words “IMAGE” does not mean the physical image since humans come in all sizes, shapes and color. I believe it means that we were created in God’s spiritual or soul image and that image is one that has compassion, mercy,
forgiveness, charity and most of all LOVE for all that He created.
One of the most wonderful gifts that God has given to us, and it would seem from scripture and other sources to Angels is the ability to make choices.
Besides the common desire to find that superior power mankind has also known of the existence of both Good and Bad. The ancient Chinese refer to it as Yin and Yang. The dark section "yin" would be dark, passive, downward, cold,
contracting, and weak, "yang" would be bright, active, upward, hot, expanding, and strong. They believe that Heaven was created by the concentration of Yang, the force of light, earth was created by the concentration of Yin, the forces of
darkness. Yang stands for peace and serenity; Yin stands for confusion and turmoil. Yang stands for destruction; Yin stands for conservation. Yang brings about disintegration; Yin gives shape to things.
One of the comments I often hear from people is “Why did God allow this to happen if there is such a thing as God?”
I then have to remind them that even God’s messengers the angels have succumbed to the desire to become “God Like” or even greater than God. I suggest that they read Milton’s PARADISE LOST where Milton refers to Satan as being
"brighter once amidst the host of Angels than all the stars in the heavens.” and in Isaiah we read "How you are fallen from heaven, Satan son of Dawn! How you are cut down to the ground, you who laid the nations low! You said in your heart,
I will make myself like the Most High.” (Isaiah 14:12-14)
Even in the book of Genesis, it was not the Apple that Satan tempted Eve with but with “being like unto God” "For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." (Genesis 3:5 )
Now what exactly is wrong with knowing Good and Evil? Are we not supposed to avoid doing evil and seek being good? Yes we are, but it was then next thing that God did not desire for humans to experience and that was what God has, Eternal
and everlasting life. In Genesis 3:22 we read “And the LORD God said, "The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live
forever."
That concept has evolved into stories and beliefs in things like Vampires and zombies and other creatures of the dark world.
In this coming Sunday’s first reading we have the story of Moses and the burning bush where it relates this ; “he said, "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob."
The Psalm for this coming Sunday reminds us of God’s qualities: “who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so
that your youth is renewed like the eagle's. The LORD works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed…The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger
forever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities…so great is his love for those who fear him”
The last line of the section of the psalm used here is often misunderstood. The word “FEAR” does not mean to be afraid of God like we fear heights or some other terrible thing, but it means to be in Awe of God, to respect God, To acknowledge
God.
Paul’s letter to the Corinthians reminds us of the things that people did that caused them to separate themselves from God’s love; “Do not be idolaters, as some of them were…the people sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in
pagan revelry committing sexual immorality,…We should not test the Lord, as some of them did…do not grumble, as some of them did These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the
fulfillment of the ages has come.”
God is all the qualities that the Psalm says and more but besides God there is the powerful force of Evil we call Satan and who Milton and Isaiah refer to as Lucifer that are engaged in a battgle to win our souls.
On of my favorite books of Scripture is the book of Job which begins; “In the land of Uz there lived a man whose name was Job. This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil". (Job 1:1).
The story of the book of Job, at least to me, answers the question why some times bad things happen to good people.
In it Satan appears before God and challenges him on Job’s faith and trust with this challenge; “One day the angels came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came with them. The LORD said to Satan, "Where have you
come from?" Satan answered the LORD, "From roaming through the earth and going back and forth in it." Then the LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and
upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil." "Does Job fear God for nothing?" Satan replied. "Have you not put protection around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and
herds are spread throughout the land. But stretch out your hand and strike down everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face." The LORD said to Satan, "Very well, then, everything he has is in your hands, but on the man
himself do not lay a finger." Then Satan went out from the presence of the LORD.” (Job 1:6-12)
Even Job’s friends taunt him with challenges about where His God is; “Men cry out under a load of oppression; they plead for relief from the arm of the powerful. But no one says, 'Where is God my Maker, who gives songs in the night, who
teaches more to us than to the beasts of the earth and makes us wiser than the birds of the air"? (Job 35: 9-11)
Job did not give in but continued to trust in God even when he had lost all that he possessed including his family but he never looses faith and trust in God in fact he shouts out the following; “Then Job replied to the LORD : "I know that you
can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted. You asked, 'Who is this that obscures my counsel without knowledge?' Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know. You said, 'Listen now, and I will
speak; I will question you, and you shall answer me.' My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes." (Job 42:1-6) Because of his trusting and faith in God “the LORD made
him prosperous again and gave him twice as much as he had before.”
I will end this part of the SEEKING GOD REFLECTION suggesting we focus on these words from Job 42:6 “I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes.”, and ask God to forgive all of us for our failures and doubts and seek enlightenment to
better know, love and serve God in all the days left of this journey on earth and especially this Lenten season where we are supposed to be finding way to improve ourselves to meet our maker.
To be continued later in week. AMEN
A Reflection for the Lenten Season of 2010
By Rev. Bob Johnnene OFD, Mission Saints Sergius & Bacchus/ Franciscans of Divine Mercy
www.missionstsergius.org
Throughout all of the history of human existence it seems that we humans have sought after and had the need to find that superior thing we often refer to as GOD.
Recently I read an article in Newsweek about a discovery that will most certainly change the way we look at religion and for that matter the history of the world if it proves to be true. Here is an excerpt from that article; “They call it potbelly
hill, after the soft, round contour of this final lookout in southeastern Turkey. To the north are forested mountains. East of the hill lies the biblical plain of Harran, and to the south is the Syrian border, visible 20 miles away, pointing toward
the ancient lands of Mesopotamia and the Fertile Crescent, the region that gave rise to human civilization. And under our feet, according to archeologist Klaus Schmidt, are the stones that mark the spot—the exact spot—where humans began
that ascent. Göbekli Tepe—the name in Turkish for "potbelly hill"—lays art and religion squarely at the start of that journey. Schmidt's thesis is simple and bold: it was the urge to worship that brought mankind together in the very first
urban conglomerations. Schmidt has uncovered what he thinks is definitive proof that a huge ceremonial site flourished here, a "Rome of the Ice Age," as he puts it, where hunter-gatherers met to build a complex religious community. Across
the hill, he has found carved and polished circles of stone, with terrazzo flooring and double benches. All the circles feature massive T-shaped pillars that evoke the monoliths of Easter Island". NEWSWEEK Published Feb 19, 2010
In the Judeo/Christian Old Testament book of Genesis we read “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them". (Genesis 1:27) but it would appear from historical records that in
every human society the people of that society looked for a superior power or being to which they ascribed superior powers. Some worshiped the Sun, others the moon, some the rivers and animals but all had a sense that there was something
greater than themselves.
That something is what I believe we call GOD.
So the question arises, What and where is God?
I would like to suggest that we look within ourselves for that answer and the reason I do so is from the words found in Genesis “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him”.
We know that the words “IMAGE” does not mean the physical image since humans come in all sizes, shapes and color. I believe it means that we were created in God’s spiritual or soul image and that image is one that has compassion, mercy,
forgiveness, charity and most of all LOVE for all that He created.
One of the most wonderful gifts that God has given to us, and it would seem from scripture and other sources to Angels is the ability to make choices.
Besides the common desire to find that superior power mankind has also known of the existence of both Good and Bad. The ancient Chinese refer to it as Yin and Yang. The dark section "yin" would be dark, passive, downward, cold,
contracting, and weak, "yang" would be bright, active, upward, hot, expanding, and strong. They believe that Heaven was created by the concentration of Yang, the force of light, earth was created by the concentration of Yin, the forces of
darkness. Yang stands for peace and serenity; Yin stands for confusion and turmoil. Yang stands for destruction; Yin stands for conservation. Yang brings about disintegration; Yin gives shape to things.
One of the comments I often hear from people is “Why did God allow this to happen if there is such a thing as God?”
I then have to remind them that even God’s messengers the angels have succumbed to the desire to become “God Like” or even greater than God. I suggest that they read Milton’s PARADISE LOST where Milton refers to Satan as being
"brighter once amidst the host of Angels than all the stars in the heavens.” and in Isaiah we read "How you are fallen from heaven, Satan son of Dawn! How you are cut down to the ground, you who laid the nations low! You said in your heart,
I will make myself like the Most High.” (Isaiah 14:12-14)
Even in the book of Genesis, it was not the Apple that Satan tempted Eve with but with “being like unto God” "For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." (Genesis 3:5 )
Now what exactly is wrong with knowing Good and Evil? Are we not supposed to avoid doing evil and seek being good? Yes we are, but it was then next thing that God did not desire for humans to experience and that was what God has, Eternal
and everlasting life. In Genesis 3:22 we read “And the LORD God said, "The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live
forever."
That concept has evolved into stories and beliefs in things like Vampires and zombies and other creatures of the dark world.
In this coming Sunday’s first reading we have the story of Moses and the burning bush where it relates this ; “he said, "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob."
The Psalm for this coming Sunday reminds us of God’s qualities: “who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so
that your youth is renewed like the eagle's. The LORD works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed…The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger
forever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities…so great is his love for those who fear him”
The last line of the section of the psalm used here is often misunderstood. The word “FEAR” does not mean to be afraid of God like we fear heights or some other terrible thing, but it means to be in Awe of God, to respect God, To acknowledge
God.
Paul’s letter to the Corinthians reminds us of the things that people did that caused them to separate themselves from God’s love; “Do not be idolaters, as some of them were…the people sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in
pagan revelry committing sexual immorality,…We should not test the Lord, as some of them did…do not grumble, as some of them did These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the
fulfillment of the ages has come.”
God is all the qualities that the Psalm says and more but besides God there is the powerful force of Evil we call Satan and who Milton and Isaiah refer to as Lucifer that are engaged in a battgle to win our souls.
On of my favorite books of Scripture is the book of Job which begins; “In the land of Uz there lived a man whose name was Job. This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil". (Job 1:1).
The story of the book of Job, at least to me, answers the question why some times bad things happen to good people.
In it Satan appears before God and challenges him on Job’s faith and trust with this challenge; “One day the angels came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came with them. The LORD said to Satan, "Where have you
come from?" Satan answered the LORD, "From roaming through the earth and going back and forth in it." Then the LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and
upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil." "Does Job fear God for nothing?" Satan replied. "Have you not put protection around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and
herds are spread throughout the land. But stretch out your hand and strike down everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face." The LORD said to Satan, "Very well, then, everything he has is in your hands, but on the man
himself do not lay a finger." Then Satan went out from the presence of the LORD.” (Job 1:6-12)
Even Job’s friends taunt him with challenges about where His God is; “Men cry out under a load of oppression; they plead for relief from the arm of the powerful. But no one says, 'Where is God my Maker, who gives songs in the night, who
teaches more to us than to the beasts of the earth and makes us wiser than the birds of the air"? (Job 35: 9-11)
Job did not give in but continued to trust in God even when he had lost all that he possessed including his family but he never looses faith and trust in God in fact he shouts out the following; “Then Job replied to the LORD : "I know that you
can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted. You asked, 'Who is this that obscures my counsel without knowledge?' Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know. You said, 'Listen now, and I will
speak; I will question you, and you shall answer me.' My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes." (Job 42:1-6) Because of his trusting and faith in God “the LORD made
him prosperous again and gave him twice as much as he had before.”
I will end this part of the SEEKING GOD REFLECTION suggesting we focus on these words from Job 42:6 “I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes.”, and ask God to forgive all of us for our failures and doubts and seek enlightenment to
better know, love and serve God in all the days left of this journey on earth and especially this Lenten season where we are supposed to be finding way to improve ourselves to meet our maker.
To be continued later in week. AMEN
One God, One Truth, One Faith, One Church
A Reflection on Readings For Sunday July 11, 2010
Based on: Deuteronomy 30:10 – 14, Psalm 68, Colossians 1:15 – 20, Luke 10:25 - 37
By Rev. Robert Johnnene OFD
Mission Sts. Sergius and Bacchus/ Franciscans of Divine Mercy
www.missionstsergius.org
Today’s readings reinforce and repeat the one common theme of Christ’s teachings, and it is, that we must have complete faith and trust in Almighty God. From the first reading taken from the book of
Deuteronomy to the Gospel, the theme is the same and is one we should reflect upon every day of our lives.
“"If only you would heed the voice of the LORD,…. the Word of God is very near to you, it is in your mouth and in your heart for your observance” (Deuteronomy 30:10 – 14)
The word of God and God’s truth can be found naturally within our hearts if we but listen to that inner voice each of us has naturally.
In today’s world there are all kinds of “experts” who try to tell us everything we should be doing from what clothes to wear, what food to eat, how we should think, where to spend our vacation and,
unfortunately, what God is thinking. The best expert however, is the voice of God that speaks within our hearts as the reading from Deuteronomy proclaims.
This Sunday’s second reading is a proclamation affirming that Jesus Christ was and is the son of God sent by the Father to proclaim God’s truth and God‘s will for us very clearly so there is no
confusion or doubt as to how God wants us to live our lives. “He is the image of the unseen God and the first-born of all creation, for in him were created all things in heaven and on earth: everything visible
and everything invisible, Thrones, Dominations, Sovereignties, Powers all things were created through him and for him. Before anything was created, he existed, and he holds all things in unity. Now the Church
is his body, he is its head. As he is the Beginning, he was first to be born from the dead, so that he should be first in every way; because God wanted all perfection to be found in him and all things to be
reconciled through him and for him, everything in heaven and everything on earth, when he made peace by his death on the cross". (Colossians 1:15-20)
The major points of our faith in which we are to adhere are:
1. God did indeed create all things and all people with their color, sexuality and idiosyncrasies and we should not ever presume to know His reason for doing so.
2. Everything was created through God and for God and it is He who holds all things in unity. Meaning that he had a purpose for everything He created and how he created them. This being the case, why
do we ever presume to question why or make judgments on God’s plan?
3. Christ is the head of the church, not some human being. Christ is First in all things. All perfection can be found in Christ’s teachings and His example. Through Christ all things on earth and in the
heavens can be resolved through turning to and living by Christ’s teachings and example.
Sunday’s Gospel then clarifies, very clearly, the basic and fundamental teaching of Christ on how we are to achieve everlasting life and salvation.
“There was a lawyer who, to disconcert Jesus, stood up and said to him, ‘Master, what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ Christ said to him, “What is written in the Law? What do you read there?” The lawyer
replied, “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with your entire mind, and love your neighbors yourself” “Christ replied to him, "You have answered
correctly; do this and you will live."
When pressed by the man as to whom his neighbor was, Christ told the story of the Good Samaritan where a man was robbed and left to die on the side of a road, a priest and a member of the tribe of Levi
passed the person and crossed to the opposite side of the road so not to come near them dying man the story ends in this way “ a Samaritan traveler who came upon him was moved with compassion when he
saw him. He went up and bandaged his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them. He then lifted him on to his own mount, carried him to the
inn and looked after him. Next day, he took out two denarii’s and handed them to the innkeeper. “Look after him,” he said “and on my way back I will make good any extra expense you have.” Jesus asked
“Which of these three, do you think, proved himself a neighbor to the man who fell into the brigands’ hands?” The lawyer replied “The one who took pity on him”. Jesus said to him, “Go, and do the same
yourself” (Luke 10:25 – 37)
There can be no mistaking the message of this passage, it clearly teaches us that every person on the face of the earth is our neighbor regardless of the race, creed, social position or any other factor.
We need to be concerned about every individuals well being and safety.
We need to look out for the needs of every person on the planet. Failure to do say means that we are not following God’s will and what Jesus called the “Great Commandments”
If we are not living up to the “Greatest Commandments” it does not matter how much we pray or how we pray or how many times we attend church; we are not fulfilling the way Christ instructed us to
live a good faithful life in order to attain God’s promise of everlasting life.
The Roman church , in a paper issued in July of 2007 recognized that the Orthodox Churches, The Old Catholic Church and other denominations who can trace their apostolic succession directly back to
the apostles are indeed valid members of the One Holy Catholic Apostolic Church that we proclaim belief in every time we say the Nicene or Apostles Creed.. The papal letter states "Because these
Churches, although separated, have true sacraments and above all -- because of the apostolic succession -- the priesthood and the Eucharist, by means of which they remain linked to us by very close bonds,' they
merit the title of 'particular or local Churches,' and are called sister Churches of the particular Catholic Churches," As far as those denomination that resulted from the Reformation of the 16th century they are
called “ecclesial communities” "it is possible, according to Catholic doctrine, to affirm correctly that the Church of Christ is present and operative in the churches and ecclesial communities not yet fully in
communion with the Catholic Church, on account of the elements of sanctification and truth that are present in them."
As Dominican Father Augustine Di Noia, undersecretary of the doctrinal congregation at that time, clarified in an interview on Vatican Radio: “And even though there are divisions in Christianity that does
not mean that the Church does not exist perfectly. You see it's not that we have to repair or heal the divisions, we do have to seek the unity among all the different Christian communities that Christ willed, but the
fact that not all Churches are in communion with the Holy See of Peter does not mean that the Church is wounded to the effect that it no longer exists in its integrity”
The bottom line and the major message of this weeks readings is that Christ founded one church and instituted the sacraments and gave us the roadmap as to how to achieve the promise of everlasting life
He earned for us through His Life, death and resurrection .
Those who live their lives in accordance with Christ’s teachings and fully partake of the gifts provided through the Universal Church are all members of the Mystical Body of Christ, The Church.
It matters not whether you are attending a Tridentine Liturgy, a Novus Ordo Liturgy or a Lutheran, Anglican, Old Catholic or an Orthodox church.
What matters is that you are living your life as Christ instructed and placing God first and foremost in your life and following Christ’s example by respecting all of God’s children by looking out for
their well being and safety.
A true man of God, Brother Roger of Taize, who was not a Roman Catholic and died the death of a Martyr, said in unison with Mother Teresa of Calcutta; “We are both of us challenged by the suffering of
the modern world. Confronted with all the wounds of humanity, we find the division between Christians unbearable. Are we ready to set aside our separations, freeing ourselves from fear of one another?
When people differ, what use is there in trying to find who was right and who was wrong? In our search for reconciliation, are we ready to learn ways of offering the best of ourselves, of welcoming what
is best in others, loving each other in the way Jesus loves us?"
I implore every one who reads this reflection to go forth, from this day forward, living a live of faith and trust in God and extending love toward all of God’s children.
Even when it is sometimes difficult because of an individuals personality or negativity, I strive to project that love toward all I encounter on my journey down the road of life.
I try to remember that Christ founded only one church and that church, like our body, has many parts but they are all part of the one body. Let us open ourselves to love as Christ loved and treat ALL God’
s children with the respect and love Christ exhibited so that when our time here on this earth is over we will be welcomed into the heavenly kingdom with these words; “Well Done my good and faithful
servant” AMEN
A Reflection on Readings For Sunday July 11, 2010
Based on: Deuteronomy 30:10 – 14, Psalm 68, Colossians 1:15 – 20, Luke 10:25 - 37
By Rev. Robert Johnnene OFD
Mission Sts. Sergius and Bacchus/ Franciscans of Divine Mercy
www.missionstsergius.org
Today’s readings reinforce and repeat the one common theme of Christ’s teachings, and it is, that we must have complete faith and trust in Almighty God. From the first reading taken from the book of
Deuteronomy to the Gospel, the theme is the same and is one we should reflect upon every day of our lives.
“"If only you would heed the voice of the LORD,…. the Word of God is very near to you, it is in your mouth and in your heart for your observance” (Deuteronomy 30:10 – 14)
The word of God and God’s truth can be found naturally within our hearts if we but listen to that inner voice each of us has naturally.
In today’s world there are all kinds of “experts” who try to tell us everything we should be doing from what clothes to wear, what food to eat, how we should think, where to spend our vacation and,
unfortunately, what God is thinking. The best expert however, is the voice of God that speaks within our hearts as the reading from Deuteronomy proclaims.
This Sunday’s second reading is a proclamation affirming that Jesus Christ was and is the son of God sent by the Father to proclaim God’s truth and God‘s will for us very clearly so there is no
confusion or doubt as to how God wants us to live our lives. “He is the image of the unseen God and the first-born of all creation, for in him were created all things in heaven and on earth: everything visible
and everything invisible, Thrones, Dominations, Sovereignties, Powers all things were created through him and for him. Before anything was created, he existed, and he holds all things in unity. Now the Church
is his body, he is its head. As he is the Beginning, he was first to be born from the dead, so that he should be first in every way; because God wanted all perfection to be found in him and all things to be
reconciled through him and for him, everything in heaven and everything on earth, when he made peace by his death on the cross". (Colossians 1:15-20)
The major points of our faith in which we are to adhere are:
1. God did indeed create all things and all people with their color, sexuality and idiosyncrasies and we should not ever presume to know His reason for doing so.
2. Everything was created through God and for God and it is He who holds all things in unity. Meaning that he had a purpose for everything He created and how he created them. This being the case, why
do we ever presume to question why or make judgments on God’s plan?
3. Christ is the head of the church, not some human being. Christ is First in all things. All perfection can be found in Christ’s teachings and His example. Through Christ all things on earth and in the
heavens can be resolved through turning to and living by Christ’s teachings and example.
Sunday’s Gospel then clarifies, very clearly, the basic and fundamental teaching of Christ on how we are to achieve everlasting life and salvation.
“There was a lawyer who, to disconcert Jesus, stood up and said to him, ‘Master, what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ Christ said to him, “What is written in the Law? What do you read there?” The lawyer
replied, “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with your entire mind, and love your neighbors yourself” “Christ replied to him, "You have answered
correctly; do this and you will live."
When pressed by the man as to whom his neighbor was, Christ told the story of the Good Samaritan where a man was robbed and left to die on the side of a road, a priest and a member of the tribe of Levi
passed the person and crossed to the opposite side of the road so not to come near them dying man the story ends in this way “ a Samaritan traveler who came upon him was moved with compassion when he
saw him. He went up and bandaged his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them. He then lifted him on to his own mount, carried him to the
inn and looked after him. Next day, he took out two denarii’s and handed them to the innkeeper. “Look after him,” he said “and on my way back I will make good any extra expense you have.” Jesus asked
“Which of these three, do you think, proved himself a neighbor to the man who fell into the brigands’ hands?” The lawyer replied “The one who took pity on him”. Jesus said to him, “Go, and do the same
yourself” (Luke 10:25 – 37)
There can be no mistaking the message of this passage, it clearly teaches us that every person on the face of the earth is our neighbor regardless of the race, creed, social position or any other factor.
We need to be concerned about every individuals well being and safety.
We need to look out for the needs of every person on the planet. Failure to do say means that we are not following God’s will and what Jesus called the “Great Commandments”
If we are not living up to the “Greatest Commandments” it does not matter how much we pray or how we pray or how many times we attend church; we are not fulfilling the way Christ instructed us to
live a good faithful life in order to attain God’s promise of everlasting life.
The Roman church , in a paper issued in July of 2007 recognized that the Orthodox Churches, The Old Catholic Church and other denominations who can trace their apostolic succession directly back to
the apostles are indeed valid members of the One Holy Catholic Apostolic Church that we proclaim belief in every time we say the Nicene or Apostles Creed.. The papal letter states "Because these
Churches, although separated, have true sacraments and above all -- because of the apostolic succession -- the priesthood and the Eucharist, by means of which they remain linked to us by very close bonds,' they
merit the title of 'particular or local Churches,' and are called sister Churches of the particular Catholic Churches," As far as those denomination that resulted from the Reformation of the 16th century they are
called “ecclesial communities” "it is possible, according to Catholic doctrine, to affirm correctly that the Church of Christ is present and operative in the churches and ecclesial communities not yet fully in
communion with the Catholic Church, on account of the elements of sanctification and truth that are present in them."
As Dominican Father Augustine Di Noia, undersecretary of the doctrinal congregation at that time, clarified in an interview on Vatican Radio: “And even though there are divisions in Christianity that does
not mean that the Church does not exist perfectly. You see it's not that we have to repair or heal the divisions, we do have to seek the unity among all the different Christian communities that Christ willed, but the
fact that not all Churches are in communion with the Holy See of Peter does not mean that the Church is wounded to the effect that it no longer exists in its integrity”
The bottom line and the major message of this weeks readings is that Christ founded one church and instituted the sacraments and gave us the roadmap as to how to achieve the promise of everlasting life
He earned for us through His Life, death and resurrection .
Those who live their lives in accordance with Christ’s teachings and fully partake of the gifts provided through the Universal Church are all members of the Mystical Body of Christ, The Church.
It matters not whether you are attending a Tridentine Liturgy, a Novus Ordo Liturgy or a Lutheran, Anglican, Old Catholic or an Orthodox church.
What matters is that you are living your life as Christ instructed and placing God first and foremost in your life and following Christ’s example by respecting all of God’s children by looking out for
their well being and safety.
A true man of God, Brother Roger of Taize, who was not a Roman Catholic and died the death of a Martyr, said in unison with Mother Teresa of Calcutta; “We are both of us challenged by the suffering of
the modern world. Confronted with all the wounds of humanity, we find the division between Christians unbearable. Are we ready to set aside our separations, freeing ourselves from fear of one another?
When people differ, what use is there in trying to find who was right and who was wrong? In our search for reconciliation, are we ready to learn ways of offering the best of ourselves, of welcoming what
is best in others, loving each other in the way Jesus loves us?"
I implore every one who reads this reflection to go forth, from this day forward, living a live of faith and trust in God and extending love toward all of God’s children.
Even when it is sometimes difficult because of an individuals personality or negativity, I strive to project that love toward all I encounter on my journey down the road of life.
I try to remember that Christ founded only one church and that church, like our body, has many parts but they are all part of the one body. Let us open ourselves to love as Christ loved and treat ALL God’
s children with the respect and love Christ exhibited so that when our time here on this earth is over we will be welcomed into the heavenly kingdom with these words; “Well Done my good and faithful
servant” AMEN
All is Vanity!
A Reflection for Sunday August 1, 2010
By Rev. Robert Johnnene OFD,
Mission Sts. Sergius & Bacchus/ Franciscans of Divine Mercy
www.missionstsergius.org
Vanity of vanities. All is vanity!
These words from the first reading for this Sunday August 1 are worth focusing on to examine exactly what they are telling us.
The reading describes the fatality of acquiring material good, fame and power here on earth at the expense of loosing your eternal life in heaven.
The reading from Ecclesiastes 1:2 - 2:23 is extremely timely and pertinent reading for those of us who live in the United States to consider where the culture of wealth, power, greed and accumulating
material things is most evident.
Everywhere we look today we find advertisements encouraging us to buy the latest electronic gadget or a product that will enhance our sex life and/or make us more appealing to others or induce us to eat
more food than we need and usually loaded with chemicals and calories. Is it any wonder that we have an epidemic of overweight children and adults.
The reading from Colossians 3:1 – 11 which is the second reading for this Sunday tells us “you must look for the things that are in heaven, where Christ is, sitting at God’s right hand. Let your thoughts be on
heavenly things, not on the things that are on the earth” and the Gospel reading from Luke 12:13 - 21 tells the story of the rich man who had an exceptionally good harvest and decided to build bigger barns
in which to store it so he could relax and enjoy a more leisurely life. The gospel ends with words that each of us needs to consider “But God said to him, “Fool! This very night the demand will be made for
your soul; and this hoard of yours, whose will it be then?” So it is when a man stores up treasure for himself in place of making himself rich in the sight of God”.’
When I was growing up, Sunday was a time for family and more importantly attending services at the church or synagogues of the family’s choice to offer praise and thanksgiving to Almighty God for all
he had provided for us and also to seek God’s help in meeting the difficulties of our lives.
People spent their time together as a family, often gathering with Aunts, Uncles, and cousins often at the grandparents or other family members home. Sunday was not a time for shopping but “Family
and God’s Time”
Today, many people are too busy on Sunday or Saturday to set aside time for God and when they do, they want a service that is quick and a preacher whose reflections or homilies are brief and light and
don’t challenge them to think about how well they are living according to God’s will.
I believe that we need to look seriously at the statement found in the Gospel “Fool! This very night a demand will be made for your soul; and this hoard of yours, whose will it belong to then?” So it is when a
man stores up treasure for himself in place of making himself rich in the sight of God”, and think about how we are doing in building up a heavenly treasure.
We need to recall the words from Ecclesiastes 1:2 - 2:23 “For so it is that a man who has labored wisely, and skillfully and successfully to have property and treasures only to leave it all to someone who has not
toiled for it at all. This, too, is vanity and great injustice; for what does he gain for all the toil and strain that he has undergone under the sun? What of all his laborious days, his cares of office, his restless nights?
This, too, is vanity”.
To build up massive wealth and material property and great fame here on earth just so people will remember you and praise you as a fine person and a great individual and to not have built up spiritual
wealth in God’s eyes is the pinnacle of vanity.
God called us to be mindful of our neighbor.
We are supposed to be concerned about the needs of others especially those who are not as well off or in need because of poverty, health issues, age or unemployment.
God did not just mean our immediate family but the entire family of Almighty God, the human race.
God requested that we give 10% of our earnings as an offering back to Him for the gifts He gives us.
That means that a person who earns $500,000 a year should be giving back $50,000 a year to charity be it religious or social. Our Government even allows individuals to deduct from their income for tax
purposes donations to non profit organizations which mean they pay less on taxes just for being generous.
There are some churches that demand their members “tithe” 10% and keep track of it be having envelopes and records of each individuals donation. When members fail to meet their obligation they
have been known to be asked to leave the church unless of course there are circumstances that have prevented them. This ministry begs but does not reject any one who comes to us or seeks our prayers,
a mass or home visits.
Many we visit have fallen on hard times or live on extremely low incomes and are unable to make donations other than the occasional cake or home made jam that they give.
A day has not gone by in the last year when I have not been asked to be of assistance to someone and it has pained me deeply that I am unable to help.
As I try to be a faithful servant of Christ and spread the message of His infinite mercy, love and forgiveness to as many people as possible it seems that every year the task becomes more difficult.
Recently I was informed that the mission vehicle needed a new transmission but I personally can not have it repaired on my limited income of $850 a month and donations have been lacking to cover even
the basic weekly expenses of the ministry due I am certain to the current economic condition.
Even though the reflections and messages are reaching over 1000 through the various internet blogs we have and the direct emails to over 450 a week, our plea for assistance has not brought in even the
average monthly mission expenses of $350.
I probably am guilty of Immense Vanity by thinking that I might be able to make a difference and for that I am truly sorry.
The point I want to bring home is by this reflection is not the needs of this particular ministry but, the needs of the millions in this world that do not have proper medical care, nourishing food or adequate
housing while some people who pay $400 for a haircut.
Some people tell you they cannot attend church or synagogue because they have a golf or soccer game to go to, or they need to go shopping or go to the beach or movies.
It is time we begin to think about our eternal life and the legacy we are building in God’s eyes and seek ways to live in accord with the teachings of Christ by “Loving our neighbor as we love ourselves”
and set aside that portion prescribed by the concept of tithing (literally means a tenth) or our income or by giving of our time and talents to equal a tenth.
There are a number of missions and orphanages in Africa and other countries that are suffering and asking for help daily to combat the ravages of the genocide and AIDS in places that are hostile to
Christians.
There are agencies here in the US that could do so much more if they received the monetary assistance necessary. The opportunities are out there.
Let us bury our Vanity and begin to build a legacy for ourselves in heaven that will last for all eternity.
On August eleventh we celebrate the feast of St. Clare who followed our seraphic father St. Francis in his care of the poor. This month is also the feasts of St. Bernard, St. Maximillian Kolbe who offered
his life in exchange for a young Jewish man in Auschwitz and St. John Vianney who had intense love for the poor and the sick, and most especially, the feast dedicated to Our Blessed Mothers Assumption
which is also the anniversary of my priestly ordination.
I close this reflection by offering the following prayer often attributed to our seraphic father, St. Francis of Assisi.
Prayer of Saint Francis
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace: Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, let me sow pardon; Where their is doubt, let me sow faith;
Where there is despair, let me sow hope; Where there is darkness, let me sow light;
Where there is sadness, let me sow joy.
O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
To be understood , as to understand; To be loved, as to love;
For it is in giving that we receive; It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
And it is in dying, that we are born into eternal life. AMEN
A Reflection for Sunday August 1, 2010
By Rev. Robert Johnnene OFD,
Mission Sts. Sergius & Bacchus/ Franciscans of Divine Mercy
www.missionstsergius.org
Vanity of vanities. All is vanity!
These words from the first reading for this Sunday August 1 are worth focusing on to examine exactly what they are telling us.
The reading describes the fatality of acquiring material good, fame and power here on earth at the expense of loosing your eternal life in heaven.
The reading from Ecclesiastes 1:2 - 2:23 is extremely timely and pertinent reading for those of us who live in the United States to consider where the culture of wealth, power, greed and accumulating
material things is most evident.
Everywhere we look today we find advertisements encouraging us to buy the latest electronic gadget or a product that will enhance our sex life and/or make us more appealing to others or induce us to eat
more food than we need and usually loaded with chemicals and calories. Is it any wonder that we have an epidemic of overweight children and adults.
The reading from Colossians 3:1 – 11 which is the second reading for this Sunday tells us “you must look for the things that are in heaven, where Christ is, sitting at God’s right hand. Let your thoughts be on
heavenly things, not on the things that are on the earth” and the Gospel reading from Luke 12:13 - 21 tells the story of the rich man who had an exceptionally good harvest and decided to build bigger barns
in which to store it so he could relax and enjoy a more leisurely life. The gospel ends with words that each of us needs to consider “But God said to him, “Fool! This very night the demand will be made for
your soul; and this hoard of yours, whose will it be then?” So it is when a man stores up treasure for himself in place of making himself rich in the sight of God”.’
When I was growing up, Sunday was a time for family and more importantly attending services at the church or synagogues of the family’s choice to offer praise and thanksgiving to Almighty God for all
he had provided for us and also to seek God’s help in meeting the difficulties of our lives.
People spent their time together as a family, often gathering with Aunts, Uncles, and cousins often at the grandparents or other family members home. Sunday was not a time for shopping but “Family
and God’s Time”
Today, many people are too busy on Sunday or Saturday to set aside time for God and when they do, they want a service that is quick and a preacher whose reflections or homilies are brief and light and
don’t challenge them to think about how well they are living according to God’s will.
I believe that we need to look seriously at the statement found in the Gospel “Fool! This very night a demand will be made for your soul; and this hoard of yours, whose will it belong to then?” So it is when a
man stores up treasure for himself in place of making himself rich in the sight of God”, and think about how we are doing in building up a heavenly treasure.
We need to recall the words from Ecclesiastes 1:2 - 2:23 “For so it is that a man who has labored wisely, and skillfully and successfully to have property and treasures only to leave it all to someone who has not
toiled for it at all. This, too, is vanity and great injustice; for what does he gain for all the toil and strain that he has undergone under the sun? What of all his laborious days, his cares of office, his restless nights?
This, too, is vanity”.
To build up massive wealth and material property and great fame here on earth just so people will remember you and praise you as a fine person and a great individual and to not have built up spiritual
wealth in God’s eyes is the pinnacle of vanity.
God called us to be mindful of our neighbor.
We are supposed to be concerned about the needs of others especially those who are not as well off or in need because of poverty, health issues, age or unemployment.
God did not just mean our immediate family but the entire family of Almighty God, the human race.
God requested that we give 10% of our earnings as an offering back to Him for the gifts He gives us.
That means that a person who earns $500,000 a year should be giving back $50,000 a year to charity be it religious or social. Our Government even allows individuals to deduct from their income for tax
purposes donations to non profit organizations which mean they pay less on taxes just for being generous.
There are some churches that demand their members “tithe” 10% and keep track of it be having envelopes and records of each individuals donation. When members fail to meet their obligation they
have been known to be asked to leave the church unless of course there are circumstances that have prevented them. This ministry begs but does not reject any one who comes to us or seeks our prayers,
a mass or home visits.
Many we visit have fallen on hard times or live on extremely low incomes and are unable to make donations other than the occasional cake or home made jam that they give.
A day has not gone by in the last year when I have not been asked to be of assistance to someone and it has pained me deeply that I am unable to help.
As I try to be a faithful servant of Christ and spread the message of His infinite mercy, love and forgiveness to as many people as possible it seems that every year the task becomes more difficult.
Recently I was informed that the mission vehicle needed a new transmission but I personally can not have it repaired on my limited income of $850 a month and donations have been lacking to cover even
the basic weekly expenses of the ministry due I am certain to the current economic condition.
Even though the reflections and messages are reaching over 1000 through the various internet blogs we have and the direct emails to over 450 a week, our plea for assistance has not brought in even the
average monthly mission expenses of $350.
I probably am guilty of Immense Vanity by thinking that I might be able to make a difference and for that I am truly sorry.
The point I want to bring home is by this reflection is not the needs of this particular ministry but, the needs of the millions in this world that do not have proper medical care, nourishing food or adequate
housing while some people who pay $400 for a haircut.
Some people tell you they cannot attend church or synagogue because they have a golf or soccer game to go to, or they need to go shopping or go to the beach or movies.
It is time we begin to think about our eternal life and the legacy we are building in God’s eyes and seek ways to live in accord with the teachings of Christ by “Loving our neighbor as we love ourselves”
and set aside that portion prescribed by the concept of tithing (literally means a tenth) or our income or by giving of our time and talents to equal a tenth.
There are a number of missions and orphanages in Africa and other countries that are suffering and asking for help daily to combat the ravages of the genocide and AIDS in places that are hostile to
Christians.
There are agencies here in the US that could do so much more if they received the monetary assistance necessary. The opportunities are out there.
Let us bury our Vanity and begin to build a legacy for ourselves in heaven that will last for all eternity.
On August eleventh we celebrate the feast of St. Clare who followed our seraphic father St. Francis in his care of the poor. This month is also the feasts of St. Bernard, St. Maximillian Kolbe who offered
his life in exchange for a young Jewish man in Auschwitz and St. John Vianney who had intense love for the poor and the sick, and most especially, the feast dedicated to Our Blessed Mothers Assumption
which is also the anniversary of my priestly ordination.
I close this reflection by offering the following prayer often attributed to our seraphic father, St. Francis of Assisi.
Prayer of Saint Francis
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace: Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, let me sow pardon; Where their is doubt, let me sow faith;
Where there is despair, let me sow hope; Where there is darkness, let me sow light;
Where there is sadness, let me sow joy.
O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
To be understood , as to understand; To be loved, as to love;
For it is in giving that we receive; It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
And it is in dying, that we are born into eternal life. AMEN