Author Topic: Forgive So We Can Live and Let Live (Read 1782399 times)

cassini · « **Reply #25 on:** December 20, 2023, 06:52:00 AM »

Dear Friends in the Lord, I wish you all a joyful Christmas and a spiritually profitable 2024. I will remember you in the celebration of the Holy Mass this Christmas and may the Prince of Peace bestow His peace on you, a peace that the world can’t give.

Sincerely in Christ, Fr. Sean

Prayer at the Crib

Lord Jesus, You left Your throne and glory in Heaven and came to earth to become a little baby, born in a stable and lay in a manger with no pillow for Your Sacred Head. The only heating on that cold winter’s night to help Mary keep You warm was the breath of the animals. The people in the Inn had no room for You.

You came to bring us joy, to lead us through the darkness of pain, failure, and even death itself. You are our light leading us through life. You offer us life that never ends. I want to welcome You into my heart as Mary and Joseph welcomed You on that first Christmas night. I love You, Lord Jesus and I know that You love me. I offer this prayer to our Heavenly Father through You, Infant Jesus, by the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Infant Jesus, bless my family and the families of all whose paths I cross each day. Amen.
Infant Jesus, pray for all infants, those born and unborn. Amen.
Holy Mary, Virgin and Mother of Jesus, Pray for my mother and all mothers. Amen
St. Joseph, foster father of Jesus, pray for my father and all fathers. Amen.
Mary and Joseph, pray for all couples married in the Lord. Amen

A Christmas Love Story: The “M” in Christmas (Anon)
Each December, I vowed to make Christmas a calm and peaceful experience. I had cut back on nonessential obligations - extensive card writing, endless baking, decorating, and even overspending. Yet still, I found myself exhausted, unable to appreciate the precious family moments, and of course, the true meaning of Christmas.
My son, Nicholas, was in kindergarten that year. It was an exciting season for a six year old. For weeks, he'd been memorizing songs for his school's "Winter Pageant." I didn't have the heart to tell him I'd be working the night of the production. Unwilling to miss his shining moment, I spoke with his teacher. She assured me there'd be a dress rehearsal the morning of the presentation. All parents unable to attend that evening were welcome to come then. Fortunately, Nicholas seemed happy with the compromise. So, the morning of the dress rehearsal, I filed in ten minutes early, found a spot on the cafeteria floor and sat down. Around the room, I saw several other parents quietly scampering to their seats. As I waited, the students were led into the room. Each class, accompanied by their teacher, sat cross-legged on the floor. Then, each group, one by one, rose to perform their song.
Because the public school system had long stopped referring to the holiday as "Christmas," I didn't expect anything other than fun, commercial entertainment - songs of reindeer, Santa Claus, snowflakes and good cheer. So, when my son's class rose to sing, "Christmas Love," I was slightly taken aback by its bold title. Nicholas was aglow, as were all of his classmates, adorned in fuzzy mittens, red sweaters, and bright snow-caps upon their heads.
Those in my son’s grade in the front row- centre stage - held up large letters, one by one, to spell out the title of the song they would sing.
The first child held up C is for Christmas … the 2nd H is for Happy, and on and on until we noticed a small, quiet, girl in the front row holding the letter "M" upside down - totally unaware that her letter "M" appeared as a "W".
The audience of 1st through 6th graders snickered at the child’s one mistake. But she had no idea they were laughing at her, so she stood tall, proudly holding her "W".
Although many teachers tried to shush the children, the laughter continued until the last letter was raised, and we all saw it together. A hush came over the audience and eyes began to widen.
In that instant, we understood the reason we were there, why we celebrated the holiday in the first place, why even in the chaos, there was a purpose for our festivities.
For when the last letter was held high, the message read loud and clear: C H R I S T W A S L O V E
And, I believe, He was, is, and will be God’s love for us – He is Immanuel, God-with-us, present in His Holy Church, and uniquely so in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, until the end of the world! Jesus uses everything to get His Message across. Have you received it?

Nollaig Shonna Dhaoibh Go Leir!

TheRealMcCoy · « **Reply #26 on:** December 20, 2023, 07:18:31 AM »

Quote from: Patriley on September 14, 2023, 09:13:54 AM

What about family abuse and being abused as a child by your parent. How can the example of the monk be applied to that situation? Children aren't capable of removing themselves from abusive situations or defending themselves. So how do you approach forgiveness when you were mistreated as a child?

I am old and speak from experience. Both of my parents are passed. One died with conditional last rites, having lived in dubious circuмstances, and the other died in a state of witchcraft. I won't go into detail as to what kind of parents they were but you can guess.

Despite my childhood circuмstances, the only thought in my mind when they each passed was pity for their eternity. And I am no saintly person either. But their death made me fear my own judgment even more.

Meditate for one single minute on the eternity of your abusers and see how you feel about it then. I believe it will change your perspective.

cassini · « **Reply #27 on:** December 27, 2023, 12:27:56 PM »

Fr Sean again:
The Holy Family: God’s Blessing on Family Life

Back in the 1980’ A Catholic educator, Dolores Curran, released a study on family strengths (Traits of a Healthy Family) in which she identified the following characteristics of a healthy family: The members “communicate and listen to each other; affirm and support one another; teach respect for others; develop a sense of trust in one another; know how to play and enjoy good humour; have a sense of shared responsibility; teach the difference between right and wrong; develop family traditions; enjoy balanced interaction with each other; value service to others; foster communication; share leisure time; and admit failings while seeking help for problems.” A healthy Christian family places at the top of this list faith in Christ Jesus present in His Church where the family members adore and worship Him. The family is the first school of life for the child where the husband and wife model by their example and teach the children how to become well-adjusted and how to be a close-knit community in order to lead a physically and spiritually productive life.

To celebrate the gift of the Holy Family, Jesus Church calls us to reflect this Sunday on God’s Word from Genesis (15:1-6; 21:1-3), Psalm 105 (1-9), Hebrews (11:8-19,) and St. Luke (2:22-40). The main focus in each of these lections is faith in God which is the key to all healthy relationships, especially within the family. Sadly, broken families are more prevalent today than the normal traditional family of husband and wife and children united with one another. The family is the basic cell of both society and the Church. When the cell is diseased the body suffers. Children are left to raise themselves and suffer the consequences of a lack of well-adjusted models of what it means to be a joyful man or woman. This should raise the Church’s consciousness of the need to promote faith in God and receptivity to the Holy Spirit on the part of families. How does the Church do this? By bringing Jesus to them.

Mary and Joseph were privileged to meet Jesus in the flesh. Mary was highly privileged to carry Him in her womb. Joseph was so privileged to be Jesus’ foster-father. You and I aren’t so privileged to be able to physically, emotionally share Jesus’ company as the Apostles were. However we’re privileged to know that Jesus has made it possible for us to be in His company in and through His Church. He assured us of His presence when He said, “Know that I am with you always, until the end of the world!” (Mt 28:20) St. Paul reminds us that having faith in Jesus’s presence in His Church mustn’t depend on what we see with our senses. The Holy Spirit informs us through Paul that in our journey with Jesus here on earth, “We walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Cor 5:7). This calls for humility because walking by faith requires us to rely on Jesus to show us the way rather than trying to figure out our own way. Our ego moves us toward doing things our own way rather than God’s way. Even as adults we’re like rebellious children wanting to do things our own way. Putting faith in Jesus and His teaching requires humility, which is the realization and admission that we don’t know what’s best for us in the long term, and we don’t know the true way to live and achieve happiness, and therefore we need someone to guide us, like a seeing-eye dog guiding a physically blind person. The person has to trust the dog’s movements rather than relying on his or her own sense of direction.

This faith is exhibited in Abraham. God began forming His family by calling Abraham as their first father. He responded to God’s call by faith, not by sight. “Abraham put his faith in the Lord, who credited it to him as an act of righteousness” (Gen 15:6). The author of Hebrews explains, “By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance; he went out, not knowing where he was to go … ” (Heb 11:8). He trusted in God to lead him. Mary walked by faith and not by sight when she accepted the angel’s message from God that she was to be the mother of Jesus while remaining a virgin. Her response, “Let it be done to me as you have said” (Lk 1:38), reflects her faith not her sight. She acted on faith because she could neither see nor understand what was being asked of her. Her faith enabled her to put her trust in what was beyond her senses to observe.

Faith unites us with God who calls us to look beyond what we can see or understand. Faith connects us to God while our senses connect us to earth. This is why the Psalmist proclaimed, “Glory in God’s holy Name; Rejoice, O hearts that seek the Lord! Look to the Lord in His strength; constantly seek His face... He, the Lord, is our God; throughout the earth His judgments prevail. He remembers forever His covenant which He entered into with Abraham…” (Ps 105:3-9). Joseph’s faith in God enabled him to look beyond Mary pregnant by someone other than him. His faith overrode his senses. Mary and Joseph’s faith helped them to trust in God despite what they heard Simeon say about the infant Jesus in the Temple: “Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be contradicted – and you yourself a sword shall pierce ...” (Lk 2:34-35). Jesus’ faith in His Father enabled Him to look beyond His terrible death when He cried out, “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” (Mt 27:46), only to trust Himself to His Father with the words, “Into Your hands, O God, I commend my spirit” (Lk 23:46).

Genuine faith is not easy because we tend to rely so much on our senses. This is why we constantly need the Holy Spirit to guide us and strengthen our faith. If we don’t see beyond what we observe we miss the bigger picture and the riches it contains. This is why people of faith are so resilient, hopeful, and loving. It’s supernatural faith, a gift from God that enables us to see Jesus in His Church’s Sacraments, and in a special and most loving way in the Holy Mass. It’s walking by faith in Jesus that husbands and wives and children develop and sustain the traits of a spiritually healthy family where the husband and wife in their love for one another model for the children the relationship wherein God created man and woman to complement one another and in which to procreate and raise children. They cannot do this without God. What we observe with our senses on earth isn’t enough to achieve what God created us to be. As you enter 2024 may the Holy Family be the model for your family with Christ Jesus being the centre of your attention and trust. (fr sean)

cassini · « **Reply #28 on:** December 27, 2023, 12:34:34 PM »

'You and I aren’t so privileged to be able to physically, emotionally share Jesus’ company as the Apostles were' writes Fr Sean.

Can you imagine if we were alive at the time and place Jesus chose to enter the Earth.
Would we have recognised Him for what He was? I know we think we would, so what an experience it would have been. What would we have asked Him? What's Heaven like? Will we meet our loved ones in heaven again?What would you have asked Jesus?

cassini · « **Reply #29 on:** January 04, 2024, 05:49:49 AM »

Fr Sean again:
Jesus’ Baptism: Come to the Water!

This Sunday Jesus’ Church commemorates His Baptism. St. Mark gives us an account of the event. “It happened in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized in the Jordan by John. On coming up out of the water He saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit, like a dove, descending upon Him. And a voice came from the heavens, ‘You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased’” (Mk 1:7-11). John was calling everyone to receive a water baptism of repentance for their sins. Jesus, who was pure, came forward to receive John’s baptism to which He would add the Holy Spirit making Baptism not only a sign of repentance but also a sign of forgiveness. To be baptized is to be cleansed of all sin and be restored to the likeness of God, which was lost by Adam and Eve. Jesus made Baptism a crucial sacrament for entry into Heaven. He clearly stated its necessity when He said: “I solemnly assure you, no one can enter into God’s Kingdom without being born of water and the Holy Spirit” (Jn 3:5). This is why the Sacrament of Baptism is the door to entering Jesus’ Church, the visible sign of His Kingdom on earth.

God prepared His people for this sacrament in the Old Testament. He revealed through Isaiah, “Thus says the Lord: All you who are thirsty, come to the water … come to me heedfully, listen, that you may have life …. Seek the Lord while He may be found, call Him while He is near. Let the scoundrel forsake his way, and the wicked man his thoughts; let him turn to the Lord for mercy; to our God who is generous in forgiving!” (Is 55:1-11). Every man, woman, and child, beginning in the womb, thirsts for God either consciously or unconsciously. As God’s creation our soul yearns to be with Him as our Creator. No creature is competent or secure without instructions from the Creator. Machines come with manuals written by those who built them filled with instructions as to how to use them properly and effectively. So also with us as humans, we need God’s instructions as to how to life joyfully and effectively. God urges everyone to “seek the Lord where He may be found.” He urges the scoundrel and the wicked man, those who treat others harshly and have no moral principles, to change their ways and thoughts, turning instead “to the Lord for mercy.” That means the sinful creature must stop following his or her own evil ways and thoughts and embrace God’s ways and thoughts if he or she wants to enter Heaven.

John’s water baptism marked the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry. John, whose ministry was to prepare the way for Jesus’ coming, on seeing Him at the Jordan, now introduced Him publicly, “Behold! There is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (Jn 1:29). John, at that moment probably remembered the twelfth Psalm, “God indeed is my Saviour; I am confident and unafraid. My strength and my courage is the Lord, and He has been my Saviour … Give thanks to the Lord, acclaim His Name, among the nations make known His deeds … Sing praise to the Lord for His glorious achievement … Great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel” (Ps 12: 2-6). Baptism enables each of us to make these words of the Psalmist our own. Because the day you and I were baptized was the day that Jesus became our Saviour by bring us to His Heavenly Father to adopt us making us members of His Family, the Church on earth, the souls in Purgatory, and the saints in Heaven, through the power of the Holy Spirit. That was the day when God made us confident and unafraid by making Himself the source of our strength and courage. That was the day God made it possible for us to live in such a way that His words to Jesus would be His words to us when we met Him at the moment of death: “You are my beloved son/daughter; with you I am well pleased.”

How do we prepare ourselves in hopes of hearing these words the day we die? St. John answers our question by telling us to be receptive to God’s love. “For the love of God is this, that we keep His Commandments. And His Commandments are not burdensome, for whoever is begotten by God conquers the world. And the victory that conquers the world is our faith. Who indeed is the victor over the world but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God” (1 Jn 5:1-9). To beget is to bring into existence. In Baptism God brought you and me into existence as His gifted children. He has given us the Commandants, not as rules to limit or restrict our freedom, but as essential ways that free us to love Him and our neighbour. These instructions show us how to embrace what is real, true, good, and beautiful so that we can be more fully human and fully alive.

Sadly, in too many instances parents and even some clergy treat Baptism as no more than empty ritual, completely missing the loving action of God putting His stamp on the child or adult. Baptism transforms the person from being a child of the world doomed to eternal misery to being a child of God blessed with the hope of eternal happiness and the means to achieve it. Parents and Godparents who request their child’s Baptism need a deep catechesis to understand its implications. Why? Because the first question the Church asks of the parents of the child is: What do you ask of God’s Church for your child? If they answer, “Baptism,” the priest or deacon reminds them of their responsibility: “You are accepting the responsibility of training your child in the practice of the Faith. It will be your duty to bring him/her to keep God’s Commandments as Christ taught us, by loving God and our neighbour. Do you clearly understand what you are undertaking?” The expected answer from the parents in the presence of God and His Church is, “We do.” Since this is a promise made to God and His Church, God will hold parents and Godparents accountable for carrying out that promise.

If people are just going through the motions and saying what they are supposed to say without meaning it in their hearts they are committing a serious sin. Therefore an evangelical and catechetical preparation of parents and Godparents is essential so that they fully understand the seriousness of what God calls for in the Sacrament. I believe that one of the great opportunities for evangelizing parents, Godparents, whole families to learn how awesome and miraculous the love God makes visible in the Baptism is, and how the Church is necessary for fruitful and joyful living in which God unites us with Himself, is missed because of a lack of preparation. Every Sacrament has its own specific faith requirement. Therefore people requesting the reception of a Sacrament need to be made aware of the faith that is required of them for its proper celebration. Grace builds on nature and if nature isn't prepared grace can’t help the individual.

As you reflect on Jesus’ Baptism remember your own Baptism and what God did for you that day. If you died today, would the Lord be able to say to you, “You are my believed child; I am well pleased with you?” May 2024 be a spiritually productive year for you as God’s obedient child. (fr sean)

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Author Topic: Forgive So We Can Live and Let Live (Read 1782399 times)

cassini

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