Author Topic: Forgive So We Can Live and Let Live (Read 1781370 times)

cassini · « **Reply #80 on:** November 28, 2024, 06:21:05 AM »

Fr Sean again.
Advent: God Fulfils His Promise

The word ‘promise’ literally means to ‘put forth or to send forth.’ The Oxford Dictionary defines promise as “a declaration or assurance that one will do something or that a particular thing will happen.” Promises always imply fulfilment. We should never make a promise that we can’t or don’t intend to fulfil. To do so is to be deceitful and untrustworthy. One of the things that makes God stand out is His total trustworthiness. He always fulfils His promises. This is why it is reasonable to have faith in what God says and does. Not to have faith in Him is irrational.

Since every human being has the use of reason, why do so many not believe in Him? It has to be that they don’t know Him. A person who doesn’t know God and His promises doesn’t know what gives man and woman life, meaning, purpose, power, identity, salvation from sin, and a bright future in which to hope. St. Philip Neri noted that “He who wishes for anything but Christ, doesn’t know what he wishes; he who asks for anything but Christ, doesn’t know what he is asking; he who works, and not for Christ, doesn’t know what he is doing.” Knowing God and His promises informs us what we should wish for, ask for, and work for and that He will deliver on all three beyond our wildest imagination.

God informed His people through Jeremiah that, “The days are coming when I will fulfil the promise I have made to the House of Israel ...I will raise up a just shoot; he shall do what is right and just in the land” (Jer 33:14-16). What is “right and just” for every human being? The priest gives us the answer in the Preface of each Holy Mass, “It is truly right and just, our duty and our salvation, always and everywhere to give You thanks, holy Father, Lord of heaven and earth, through Christ our Lord.” Doing what’s right and acting justly is all about worshipping and thanking God.

The “shoot” God promised was none other than His Word that became incarnate in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary, namely the Person of Jesus Christ. Jesus in turn founded His Church on Peter as His instrument through which He would show and enable all peoples until the end of time how to be “right and just” in God’s eyes. Thus Advent, meaning the “Coming” is the time Jesus’ Church devotes to contemplating the impact of Jesus’ birth, His presence in His Church, and His promise to return as Judge of the living and the dead. It marks the beginning of another liturgical year during which Jesus continues to offer salvation through His Church to those willing to repent and do what’s right and just. It’s time for us to ask: “Am I wishing, asking, or working for something or someone that’s not of God? Do I truly believe that God means what He says and says what He means? Do I pay close attention to Jesus’ promises in the Beatitudes (Matthew 5) and what I must do if I want to be blessed? Just as God is faithful to His promises to me, am I faithful to my promises to Him?”

Advent is a time of prayer, repentance, contemplation, and worship in which the Holy Spirit purifies our mind and heart to more fully recognize Jesus as the fulfilment of God’s promise to love us and give us a joyful life that will last forever. To benefit from Jesus’ birth, His presence in His Church, and be prepared for His second coming as our just Judge, we must pray daily with the Psalmist, “Your ways, O Lord, make known to me; teach me Your paths, guide me in Your truth and teach me, for You are God my saviour, and for You I wait all the day. Good and upright is the Lord; thus He shows sinners the way. He guides the humble to justice, and teaches the humble His way” (Ps 25:4-5, 8-9). Since Jesus is “the way,” and His way is the “Way of the Cross,” which He taught His Apostles and they handed on to His Church, this Way is the only way to Heaven. He informs us that, “No one comes to the Father except through me” (Jn 14:6). Jesus is the only one who can make God’s ways known to mankind and guide us in His truth. “He alone shows sinners the way and guides the humble to justice” (Ps 25:8). The way to Heaven isn’t the so-called “Synodal way.” Jesus doesn’t need to listen to us because He knows us better than we know ourselves since He created each of us. But we need to listen to Him on a daily basis because we need Him to guide “our feet into the way of peace” (Lk 1:79) each day.

This is a time during which God is reminding us that the world is Satan’s kingdom still, and he tries to lull our minds and hearts into believing we can find hope, faith, joy, love, and peace independently of Jesus Christ and His Church. This is why at the beginning of Advent Jesus urges us: “Be on your guard lest your spirits become drowsy from carousing and drunkenness and the anxieties of daily life, and that day catch you by surprise like a trap … Be vigilant at all times and pray that you have the strength to escape the tribulations that are imminent and to stand before the Son of Man (Lk 21:25-36). The “great day” for each of us is when we face God’s judgment. The Holy Spirit tells us, “Conduct yourselves to please God” (1 Thess 3:12-4:2). When we do, Jesus assuages our fear of suffering and death when He ordered his listeners to, “Stand erect and raise your heads because your redemption is close at hand.”

Jesus’ Church uses the Advent Wreath to symbolize what we should be meditating on during these weeks before Christmas. The wreath, a circle of green palms with four candles, three purple and one pink, symbolizes that life is continuous, reminding us of eternity. A purple candle is lit on the 1st and 2nd Sundays, the pink candle on the 3rd Sunday, and the 3rd purple candle on the 4th Sunday. Purple symbolizes our recognizing of Jesus’ sovereignty – King of kings. Purple also symbolizes repentance and our need for forgiveness and commitment to do what’s right and just. Pink symbolizes joy at Jesus’ coming to save us. In the centre a white candle is sometimes lit on Christmas Eve symbolizing Jesus’ birth to be the Light of the World. The candle lit on the first Sunday is called the “Prophet’s candle” symbolizing the Hope that God’s promises will be fulfilled. The second candle is called the “Bethlehem candle” symbolizing Faith in the fulfilment of God’s promises in the Incarnation of His Son. The pink candle is called the “Shepherd’s candle” symbolizing Joy at Jesus’ birth. The fourth candle is called the “Angel’s candle” symbolizing the Peace that only Jesus can give and the world can’t.

This Sunday light the first candle on your Advent wreath and ask the Prophets, those who attested to the fulfilment of God’s promises, to intercede for you that during this holy season of Advent you may be made worthy of the promises of Christ! (fr sean)

cassini · « **Reply #81 on:** December 04, 2024, 12:04:40 PM »

Fr Sean again.
Time to Discern What Is of Value to You

God creates every human being to be a steward of the earth which He created for man’s use and benefit. Every man and woman is called by God to, “Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth and conquer it. Be masters of the fish of the sea, the birds of heaven and all living animals on earth” (Gen 1:26-28). That means that each of us must take what God gives us and use it to glorify and serve Him through our use of what He has given us. Thus He commissions us to “be fruitful.” As stewards of God’s creation we’re primarily managers of what He has given us for the benefit of all. For that purpose He has given each of us gifts to be used for the common good. The common good is the perfection of humanity through using our will to freely choose God’s will in all things. To make sure that we manage what God has given us fruitfully we must be in constant touch with Him in order to be faithful and productive. To ignore the earth’s Creator leads us to think we’re the creators and view ourselves as gods acting as if we have carte blanche to do whatever we want without any accountability. The notion that we’re our own god, self-created, masters of the world, so prominent in today’s world, is one of the deadly effects of Original sin, that blind us to injustices of all kinds. Therefore we need, periodically, to re-evaluate our values and recognize that God has come on earth in human form reminding us that He is the Creator and that we are accountable to Him for our stewardship.

Jesus’ Church calls us as we begin this second week of Advent to reflect on the role God has given to us as the stewards of the world. The Holy Spirit encourages us in the words of St. Paul (Phil 1:4-6, 8-11): “I am confident of this, that the One who began a good work in you will continue to complete it until the Day of Christ Jesus … May your love increase ever more and more in knowledge and every kind of perception, to discern what is of value, so that you may be pure and blameless in the Day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness, that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God.” Advent is a time to “discern what is of value to us so that we don’t waste and desecrate what God has given us by using it for our own self-gratification. When we’re bad stewards we bring sorrow and distress to the world as is evident today in advocating the killing of the innocent in the womb and those who suffer physically or mentally. God wants us to “take off your dress of sorrow and distress and put on the beauty of the glory of God forever, and wrap the cloak of the integrity of God around you” (Baruch 5:1-2) by being good stewards who enhance the dignity and sanctity of human life in each of its developmental stages.

How do we discern what’s of value to us? What we spend our money on tells us a lot about our values. Our life centres around four main areas of involvement, namely God/Religion, Marriage/Family, Work/Career, and Leisure. Identify the three important things that you value most in each of these areas of your life. In each category rank the three values from 1 to 3 in order of importance. These constitute your core value system which directs your thinking, feeling and acting, both unconsciously and consciously. Are these the values that you want to live by and be known for or do you want to change them? Which of these values would you say that you would definitely die for? Remember that a real value is one that you would die for. If you discern that you have a value you wouldn’t publicly stand up for and be willing to die for, then it’s not a real value for you. It’s only superficial. Are these values that you have discerned real values for you that enable you to be a good steward in the eyes of God?

Good values must reflect God because only He is good (Mk 10:18), and all goodness comes from Him. So for something to be good it must lead to God. If it doesn’t, then the fact is that it isn’t good and what’s not good is evil. That’s the reality. As God’s stewards our actions must reflect His Spirit in order for them to have a good effect on the world. This is why we must always recognize and honour the fact that “The Lord has done great things for us; we are glad indeed … Those that sow in tears will sing when they reap” (Ps 126:1-6) and “the Lord is leading Israel (His stewards) in joy by the light of His glory, with His mercy and justice for company6” (Baruch 5:1-9).

As stewards of the earth, God has given us the Ten Commandments and the Beatitudes to teach us the difference between good and bad values. Our problem is that we too often choose what looks good but turns out to be bad because we view it through the lens of the world rather than through the eyes of Jesus Christ. As stewards, we have the capacity to use the resources available to us either constructively or destructively. It was with this in mind that St. John the Baptizer “went through the whole region of the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins … A voice of one crying out in the desert: Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight His paths” (Lk 3:1-6). Bad stewardship and wrong values can only be overcome and replaced through repentance and forgiveness. God made this possible through Jesus for whose coming John prepared the people.

Jesus came to show and teach us how to live fruitful lives through being constructive in all our thoughts, words and actions through possessing and upholding the Christian values He taught, namely freedom, justice, peace, and love. We learn about these in the Gospels and His Church’s teaching. These values lead us to be fruitful stewards, giving glory to God in all we say and do. God sent His Son, the Word Incarnate, as the perfect human being. Why? Baruch tells us: “God means to show your splendour to every nation under heaven, since the name God gives you forever will be, ‘Peace through justice, and honour through devotedness” (Bar 5:4). Justice means that we live the values of Christianity by doing what’s right according to Jesus’ teaching. Hence we need to discern whether our values are such that they sustain our relationships with God, others, and ourselves. Good stewardship is living justly. Justice brings us a peace and assurance from God that can’t be provided by New Age therapy, mindfulness, yoga, Reiki or any other worldly pagan programme. This peace and assurance comes from God alone. “Peace I bequeath to you, my own peace I give you, a peace the world cannot give, this is my gift to you” (Jn 14:27).

To experience this peace we must “Make ready the way of the Lord. Clear Him a straight path” (Lk 3:4). So let us take the time to discern what is of value to us, repent of our selfish values and seek forgiveness so that the Lord who began this great work of redemption and salvation in us the day we were baptized can bring it to completion the day we die. This is our challenge this 2nd week of Advent. (fr sean)

cassini · « **Reply #82 on:** December 12, 2024, 05:21:54 AM »

Fr Sean again.
What Should I Do?

Morality is distinguished from all other behavioral sciences such as psychology, sociology, anthropology, etc. because it alone prescribes or judges what we should or ought to do. The others describe what and why we do what we do. Morality asks and answers three basic questions: What kind of person should I be? What kind of action should I do? What kind of relationships or communities should I build? The reasonable answers provided by morality to these questions are: 1. You should be a person of good character. 2. You should do right actions. 3. You should build just relationships and just communities! Christian morality, based on God’s revelation and affirmed by reason, tells us the truth about what constitutes good character, right action, and just relationships. It’s important for us to examine what kind of character we’re building, what kind of actions we’re performing, and what kind of relationships and communities we’re building.

The question of what we should do is one we need to continually ask ourselves and answer as we live our daily lives. This is why we need an objective standard of morality as a measuring rod. What we do flows from our character, our sense of right and wrong, and the kind of relationships and communities we’re in. Our actions in turn affect our character and our relationships either positively or negatively. They’re all inter-related. As we continue our Advent preparation for the celebration of the sacred occasion of Christ Jesus’ birth and the cosmic event of His Second Coming, what should we be doing?

There is a marvelous scene in the Gospel according to St. Luke (3:10-18) which helps us answer the question of what we should be doing as preparation for celebrating Jesus’ birth, His sacramental presence now in His Church, and His second coming. John the Baptizer was preaching repentance of sin to the crowds. Their spiritual hunger drove them to seek out John’s guidance. The lies, deception, insincerity, violence, political intrigue, and materialism offered by false prophets have left them confused about what they should be doing. So, they’re curious to hear what John has to tell them. They want to know what they should be doing in order to find happiness and joy in their lives.

John gave them a lesson on moral living. He told them that, “Whoever has two cloaks should share with the person who has none. And whoever has food should do likewise.” To be moral we must practice charity by developing the virtue of generosity. Our Christian morality tells us we should practice a spirit of poverty by sharing our time, talent, and treasure with others who are less fortunate and voiceless. Jesus teaches that, “Whatever you give to these the least of my brothers and sisters you give to me” (Mt 25:40). Jesus cautions us that “the measure you use to give to others will in turn be used to measure back to you” (Lk 6:38). Paradoxically, you will only get what you give. We receive only in proportion to what we give. If we give our all we’ll receive God’s all, which far outweighs our all. There are no misers in Heaven.

John told the tax collectors that they must, “Stop collecting more than what is prescribed.” He tells them to practice the virtue of honesty. We must be truthful in our dealings with others. There are no dishonest people in Heaven.

John told the soldiers that they must, “not practice extortion, (or) falsely accuse anyone, and be satisfied with your wages.” We must practice the virtue of justice and not abuse our authority or power for our own gain at the expense of others well-being. We must be fair, truthful and grateful in our attitude. There are no greedy people or liars or ungrateful people in Heaven.

John’s morality is clear, simple, and direct. If we want to be Jesus’ disciples our conduct should be studded with charity, honesty, justice, truthfulness and gratitude. These virtues dispose us to the peace Jesus brought into the world and promised to all men and women of goodwill. This is a peace the world cannot give because it supports the opposite of these virtues. All human beings crave the peace Jesus offers but many deprive themselves of it because they choose vices instead of virtues and so do what they should not do. It was the absence of this peace in their hearts that drove the crowds out into the desert in hopes that John would show them how to possess it. He did so by telling them that Christ, the Prince of Peace, was coming and would give them His peace if they embraced Him as their Messiah and Savior and did what he asked.

What should we do to receive Jesus’ peace? We should be charitable, practice poverty, be honest, tell the truth, and be just in carrying out our obligations in our relationship with God, ourselves, and with one another. The result will be that, “God will rejoice over you with gladness, and renew you in His love” (Zeph 3:14-18). Knowing Jesus as the giver of the peace we crave and knowing what we must do to receive it motivates us to “Rejoice in the Lord always … our kindness should be known to all. The Lord is near. Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus” (Phil 4:4-7). So let us rejoice because now we know what we should do to have peace of mind, heart and soul. So, without further delay, let’s do it! (fr sean)

The 7 Ups for Advent
1. Wake Up !! Decide to have a good day. "This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." Psalm 118:24
2. Dress Up !! The best way to dress up is to put on a smile. It is the most inexpensive way to improve your looks. "The Lord doesn’t look at the things man looks at. Man looks at outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." 1st Samuel 16:7
3. Hush Up!! Learn to listen. God gave us two ears and one mouth, so He means for us to spend twice as much time twice as talking. "He who guards his lips guards his soul." Proverbs 13:3
4. Stand Up!! … for what you believe in. Stand for something or you’ll fall for anything. "Let us not be weary in doing good; for at the proper time, we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good..." Galatians 6:9-10
5. Look Up !! … to the Lord. "I can do everything through Christ who strengthens me". Philippians 4:13
6. Reach Up !! .. . . for something higher. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not unto your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge Him, and He will direct your path." Proverbs 3:5-6

7. Lift Up !! … your prayers. "Don’t worry about anything; instead PRAY ABOUT EVERYTHING." Philippians 4:6

Prayer for the Week

God indeed is my savior; I am confident and unafraid. My strength and my courage is the Lord, and He has been my Savior. I thank You Lord, I acclaim Your Name; I will make Your actions known to everyone I meet. I will proclaim how exalted is Your Name. I will sing praise to You Lord for Your glorious achievement. I want this to be known throughout the land. I will shout with joy, for You are in our midst, O Lord, Holy God. Christ has died, Christ has risen, Christ is present in His Word and Sacrament in His Church, Christ will come again. Amen. (Based on Is. 12:2-6)

Viva Cristo Rey · « **Reply #83 on:** December 12, 2024, 03:28:24 PM »

Thank you, Father Sean.

cassini · « **Reply #84 on:** December 18, 2024, 12:01:47 PM »

Fr Sean again.
See the Face of God in the Manger

To prepare us for the awesomeness of Christmas Jesus’ Church proclaims the beautiful story of two women who played a key role in God’s plan to save mankind from sinfulness. On this last Sunday before Christmas we read about these two women in St. Luke’s Gospel (1:39-45). After the angel Gabriel announced that the virgin Mary was called by God to enable His Word to become flesh, she left Nazareth to visit Elizabeth knowing that both were pregnant in a most mysterious and miraculous manner. All she knows is that the angel spoke about things that were naturally impossible. The angel assured her that God can do all things and she placed all her trust in Him. Therefore, she willingly said “Yes” to God’s request. Mary believed that God was all-good and wouldn’t ask her to do anything that would cause her disgrace or failure.

Pregnant with the Christ-child, Mary set out alone to visit Elizabeth and her husband, Zechariah. Imagine the thoughts that went through her mind! Elizabeth was past childbearing age and she and Zachariah had resigned themselves to being childless. But while carrying out his priestly duties, an angel appeared to Zechariah with the news that Elizabeth would give birth to their child. He was dumbfounded. Was this a cruel joke? Well, as the angel said to Mary, he found out that “Nothing is impossible with God.” Have you ever tried to imagine what that meeting of these two women must have been like? Elizabeth, though elderly, was six months into her pregnancy while Mary, newly married to Joseph but not yet living together, was pregnant through the Holy Spirit.

God chose these two Jєωιѕн women through whom He would change the course of history. John would become known as the “Baptizer,” preaching a baptism of water calling for repentance for sin in preparation for Jesus Christ who would actually make forgiveness of sin possible for those who repented. God chose the Jews as His people to bring His blessings to all people. This mission was epitomized in John who announced that the Messiah had come to redeem and save “all the nations.” Through Mary God fulfilled His promise of a Messiah in the Incarnation of His Word in her womb. In Mary, Jєωιѕн faith in God reached perfection in her unconditional “Yes” to welcome His Word as Savior of the world.

What do Mary and Elizabeth teach us? First of all, both women lived their faith. Elizabeth’s words of praise for Mary, “How does this happen to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? Blessed is she who believed that the Lord’s promises to her would be fulfilled” reflects her deep faith in the Lord’s promises in the Old Testament. She was “filled with the Holy Spirit” who enabled her to recognize Jesus’ presence in Mary’s womb. This was the same Spirit that empowered Mary to be the Mother of Jesus. The Holy Spirit brings people to Jesus, never just to Himself. Jesus explained the role of the Holy Spirit: “But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My Name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have told you” (Jn 14:26). St. John teaches us that, “This is how we can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that recognizes that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God” (1 Jn 4:2-3, 16).

The faith of these two women wasn’t just adhering to a set of Jєωιѕн beliefs. They demonstrated their faith through cooperating with God when He asked them to participate in a unique way in His plan to save mankind from self-destruction. Both of them challenge you and me to live the faith we say we have through seeking to do God’s will for us. It’s easy to say “I believe” until God asks me to do something that brings us discomfort. It’s easy to talk about faith in God but it isn’t easy to put all our trust in God. We need His Spirit to do so. The Spirit brings us to Jesus and Jesus brings us to His Father who has adopted us as His children and protects us from all our enemies. Both Mary and Elizabeth said “Yes” to the Holy Spirit and were able to put their faith in Jesus who had not yet been born. They were women filled with the Holy Spirit who united them with Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

The Holy Spirit calls us to Jesus even while we are still in the womb. Listen to Elizabeth upon Mary’s arrival: “For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy.” God’s plan of salvation, through His Word-made-flesh in Mary’s womb, blesses all pregnancies from the moment of conception. Every baby is a sign of God’s hope for mankind. The womb is the locus for God’s greatest creativity.

What is God teaching us here? Here we see that life in the womb is human, a person, directly created by God and very much aware of God’s presence, even in this physically undeveloped stage. How do we know this? John, as a sixth-month old fetus, was aware of the presence of the God-man even as a fetus in Mary’s womb. Here God reveals that human life and personhood begin at conception. Abortion breaks God’s 5th Commandment, namely “Thou shalt do no murder” and destroys His new hope for mankind.

When Elizabeth identified Mary as “blessed among women,” she was speaking a truth that we all need to embrace. That truth is that God blesses all those who say “yes” to Him by embracing Jesus and bringing Him to others as faithful members of His Church carrying out the Spiritual and Corporal Works of Mercy. The Psalmist’s prayer, “Let us see Your face and we shall be saved” (Ps 80:2-19) was fulfilled when Jesus was born. In blessing Mary for allowing her womb to be the first sanctuary for His Son, God was blessing all men and women who allow Christ to be born through them as they live their masculinity and femininity to the fullest by being life-givers in accord with their abilities. In Jesus’ birth God showed us His Face that radiates Faith, Hope, and Love. God’s love shone perfectly in Jesus but His love also shines forth in the face of every infant.

As Advent ends, Christmas begins. Christmas is the celebration of God’s act of love in letting us see His face in human form through Jesus’ entry into our world where He joins us in the Sacraments of His Church, especially in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. In Jesus God blessed humanity by giving all men and women hope of eternal happiness through the grace of repentance and the gift of forgiveness. Christmas is a time when we remember how blessed we are despite our total unworthiness. God has sanctified us, thereby making us worthy of respect and protection – something that too many in our culture seem to have forgotten. Christmas isn’t a time to be merry. It’s not a time primarily for giving. Rather, it’s a time to remember. True giving flows from the memory that God has given us the gift of Himself by showing us His face in the Baby Jesus born in a humble cave because the world had no room for Him. It’s a time to remember that without Jesus we’re hopeless. Therefore, it’s a time of joy as we remember that God has come among us as one of us “in all things but sin.” Knowing that God blesses us with His presence, we’re equipped and encouraged to bless others with our presence. So when you view the Crib in your church and in your home see the Face of God in the Holy Child who radiates freedom, justice, love, hope, and peace. He is God’s present of Himself to you, so make your presence your present to those around you this Christmas. Jesus is Immanuel, God-with-us.

My prayer for you this Christmas is:

May you have Christ in your heart.
May you have Health in your body, mind, and soul.
May you Reap the reward of your labors.
May you Inform the world about the Lord.
May you Seek the truth.
May you Treat others well.
May you Mind what is precious.
May you Ask for God’s guidance.
May you Sow what you would be proud to reap.

Nollaig Shona agus Ath Bhlian Faoi Mhaise Dhaoibh Go Leir.

Fr. Sean

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Author Topic: Forgive So We Can Live and Let Live (Read 1781370 times)

cassini

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Viva Cristo Rey

Re: Forgive So We Can Live and Let Live

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