Gaudete Sunday Reflection
By Rev. Robert Johnnene OFD  Mission Saints Sergius & Bacchus/
Franciscans of Divine Mercy
www.missionstsergius.org
Based on Readings from: Zephaniah 3:14-18, Philippians' 4:4-7,Luke
3:10-18,    "Shout for joy, daughter of Zion, Israel, shout aloud!
Rejoice, exult with all your heart, daughter of Jerusalem!" these words
from the book of Zephaniah 3:14-18 and the following from St. Paul, in
his letter to the people of Philippi, sends us a very powerful message
on how to live our life when he begins with these words; "I want you
to be happy, always happy in the Lord; I repeat, what I want is your
happiness. Let your tolerance be evident to everyone: the Lord is very
near…..There is no need to worry; but if there is anything you need,
pray for it, asking God for it with prayer and thanksgiving, and that
peace of God, which is so much greater than we can understand, will
guard your hearts and your thoughts, in Christ Jesus."
These messages of hope are the reason this Sunday of Advent is called
Gaudete Sunday, Meaning a Sunday to Rejoice .and the vestments are ROSE
rather than purple.
During this season of advent as we prepare ourselves for the celebration
of the birth of Jesus Christ and the salvation his coming brought to all
of the human race we should reflect on what Paul tell us in his letter
to the Philippians. "Always be full of joy in the Lord. …
Remember, the Lord is coming soon. Do not worry about anything; instead,
pray about everything. …. Now, dear brothers and sisters, one final
thing, fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and
pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent
and worthy of praise."  "Rejoice in the Lord!"
With so many grumbling about one thing or another these days and with
the economy and the world in a state of turmoil and with the daily news
services reporting one horrible event after another it might seem
difficult to REJOICE..  Just the knowledge that so many children of God
around the world are living in poverty, suffering from discrimination,
homeless, and being killed because of the greed and power seeking of
others, we might wonder how we could ever REJOICE IN THE LORD!
It might just be that the cause of all the suffering facing the world
today is that so many have put God totally out of their daily lives and
replaced Him with the desire for fame, fortune, power and just plain
greed.
Many claim that they are too busy to give God a portion of their time
every day or even on Sunday.
They have to work, shop, a game of golf or a sporting event to go to or
some other reason  rather than take an hour of time devoted to Thanking
God and Seeking God's blessings.
If they would just take some time to think they might come to the
realization that all good things came from the creator.  If only they
realize that, just maybe, they might come to the awareness that they
need to thank God for what He has provided them and acknowledge
God's presence in their life.
People are so busy decorating their houses and purchasing gifts in
preparing to celebrate Christmas, Chanukah or Kwanzaa that they focus is
on the commercial aspects of the holidays and people forget what true
meaning of these holidays; REJOICING IN GOD'S GOODNESS AND GIVING
THANKS.
Without God, none of these holidays would exist.
Let's make sure that we have set aside time in these last two weeks
of Advent to thank God for all He has provided us.  Let's plan to
attend a religious ceremony as a part of our celebration plans.  For
those who are Christian, attend church and receive the Eucharist.
The Gospel tells us the way to live with these words; "If anyone has
two tunics he must share with the man who has none, and the one with
something to eat must do the same.' There were tax collectors too
who came for baptism, and these said to him, `Master, what must we
do?' He said to them, `Exact no more than your rate.' Some
soldiers asked him in their turn, `What about us? What must we
do?' He said to them, `No intimidation! No extortion! Be content
with your pay!"
Christmas is the time we set aside to recognize Christ's coming here
in order to teach us the way to happiness and everlasting peace and open
the way for us to achieve eternal salvation.
Let us acknowledge that precious gift from God, the Gift of His beloved
son and make room in our lives every day to "Rejoice in Him"
through prayer and works of charity, compassion and love for ALL
God's children.  Let us strive to live our life every day in a
manner that is in accordance with the way Christ instructed in this
weeks Gospel reading and let us work toward being more considerate,
compassionate, understanding, forgiving and caring person to all we
encounter in our daily life. rather than just concentrating on our own
needs.
What a wonderful way to present our gift to Almighty God in thanksgiving
for all He has done for us. AMEN
All Materials are copywriten (c) Franciscans of Divine Mercy


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Mary, A Lesson on Trusting In God
By Rev. Robert Johnnene OFD,
Mission Saints Sergius and Bacchus/ Franciscans of Divine Mercy
www.missionstsergius.org
Email: Mission_St_Sergius@...   The Feast of The Immaculate
Conception celebrates Our Lady`s complete trust in Almighty God.  We
celebrate God's greatest gift to humankind, His beloved son Jesus
Christ, and the fact that God decided that Mary would be free of
original sin that the rest of humankind is prone to so that she would be
a pure vessel for Christ to be conceived in by the Holy Spirit and
nurtured to human life for nine months.
When the Angel Gabriel, informed her that God had chosen her to bear the
promised of the ages with these words "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have
found favor with God." Luke 1:29-35.  Mary asked; "How can this
be, for I know not man?.  "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found
favor with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son,
and you shall name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of
the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his
father, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his
kingdom there will be no end." The holy Spirit will come upon you, and
the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to
be born will be called holy, the Son of God."
This fulfilled the promise from God when He drove Satan from the Garden
of Eden in Genesis 3:14-16 "And I will put enmity between you and
the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head,
and you will strike his heel" and in Isaiah 11: 1: "A shoot will
come up from the stump of Jesse: from his roots a branch will bear
fruit.".
What faith in God Mary must have had to accept this message.  After all,
the punishment for having a sexual relation without being married was to
be stoned to death as an adulteress.
Mary's response to Gabriel's message was "Let it be done to
me according to God's will" Luke 1:38
In our daily live we are often faced with challenges or situations where
we have great apprehension do we respond to them with "Let it be
done to me according to God's will" as Mary did or do we gross
and complain because things are difficult.?
What went through Our Blessed Mothers mind when Simeon told her "A sword
will pierce your own soul too." Luke 2: 34-35  I think if I had been
told this, I would run away rather than face a future filled with
suffering.
Mary was an example on how we should respond to the challenges God sends
us because, as we have seen from how this story turned out, God will
also give us the tools to deal with the problems he sends.
Mary placed her trust in the message of Gabriel as we should also in our
life. We need to seek God in prayer and putting our trust in God will
for us.
When we we do this we come through our difficulties alright.
Even Jesus, when faced with what was about to happen after His entry
into Jerusalem cried out to God "My Father, if it is not possible for
this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done."
Matthew 26:41-43
On Dec. 8th, 1957 I could not fall asleep because of thoughts flashing
through my mind, I finally got up and wrote down what I was thinking and
went to fall into a peaceful and deep sleep.  Upon awakening the
following day I noticed a paper with writing on it. After reading it I
thought, "My mother will like this" and mailed it off to her.
30 years later, after mom passed on, I found the original paper I had
written that night.  I end this reflection with the words I wrote that
Dec. 8th 1957 which I have called A Sinners Prayer.
A SINNER'S PRAYER
Written in 1957 By Rev. Robert Johnnene OFD   O, Mary Immaculate, virgin
so fair, mother of Our Savior, please hear my prayer.
Intercede, dearest mother, to your heavenly son.
Tell Him I am truly sorry for all the wrongs and sins I have done.
Ask Him to guide me, by the graces and gifts of the Holy Spirit, in all
of my ways
So that I might give Him honor, glory and praise with all the Heavenly
elect when I come to the end of my earthly days.   AMEN



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A Time of Preparing, A Reflection for Second Sunday of Advent 2009
By Rev. Robert Johnnene OFD, Pastor Mission Saints Sergius and Bacchus/
Franciscans of Divine Mercy
www.missionStSergius.org
The day after Thanksgiving is called Black Friday and I personally
believe that it is a very appropriate name but not for the reasons that
it was coined.    I feel it is appropriate because it begins a time when
people are more concerned with the commercial aspects of Christmas
rather than the true meaning of the word.  Christmas is really a
conjunction of  Christ and Mass    The word Christmas comes from
"Cristes Maesse", an early English phrase that means "Mass of Christ and
the word "Mass" in religious usage means a "death sacrifice." The first
recorded celebration of the birth of Christ was  about 200 AD and the
choice of the date was more to placate pagans and have a celebration
that coincided with the Winter Solstice.
Christmas is really the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ who
would become the ultimate and final sacrifice.  What is missing these
days is the reason for Christmas. The birth of Jesus Christ who became
the ultimate sacrifice or "Mass" for the forgiveness of our sins
and to open the doors of heaven to all people.
Today we find most people are centered on shopping for the perfect
Christmas gift, decorating their home with lights and trimming, and
planning parties.  The season of Advent is supposed to be a time when
Christians focus on the promises Christ made to us and examine
themselves as to how they are living in accord with the guidelines
Christ gave us.
The word Advent comes from the Latin "Adventus" which means
coming or arrival.  The Aramaic word is "Marantha" which means
"The Lord Cometh". So, in essence, it means to look forward to
the Coming of our Savior. The word also has roots from the Latin
"Ad" meaning to or toward and "Veni" meaning to come.
The season is one of expectation and anticipation of something that is
to happen in the future.
The Gospel reading for this second Sunday of Advent has the foretelling
words of the Prophet Isaiah "The voice of one crying in the
wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Every
valley shall be filled and every mountain and hill shall be made low,
and the crooked shall become straight, and the rough places shall become
level ways, and all flesh shall see the salvation of God."
The redeemer promised by Isaiah would be one that made all things right
by becoming the ultimate sacrifice for the sins of humans.  Because of
Christ's sacrifice we have the ability to have our sins (mistakes)
forgiven and we have the right to the ultimate gift from God, eternal
life.
My question is; "Are we living our lives "Semper Paratus"
(Always Ready)- the Coast Guard's motto?
When Christ was asked when the He will come to claim His kingdom. His
answer was "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels
in heaven, nor the son, but only the Father" (MATTHEW 24:35-37)
If we never know when we will have to face the Lord isn't it wise to
always be prepared?
All around us today we see the forces of evil using the same tools that
Satan used from the beginning of time to challenge God`s dominion.
Satan tempted Adam and Eve with it "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 3:4-6).    The Devil even tempted Christ "the devil
took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the
world and their glory. And he said to him, "All these I will give you,
if you will fall down and worship me." (MATTHEW 4:8-9)
Satan's tool of temptation is "GREED", The desire for power,
fame, wealth and superiority.
Just this last week we saw two people sneak into a State Dinner so that
they could mingle with the rich and famous and get publicity.
Every ad for Black Friday has featured luxury things that one can have
but no where did I see ads for feeding the poor, sheltering the
homeless, visiting the sick or being a companion to the lonely and aged.
People want to accumulate more wealth, far in excess of what they need
for everyday needs, because it is perceived as success. Even some
Religious Institutions have compromised the basic teachings of Jesus
Christ in order to attain power and wealth.
Children are starving and dying all over the world because of poverty
and wars while millions of food is wasted and thrown in the garbage and
trillions of dollars are spent to wage war.
The time is now for us to begin to place Christ at the center of our
lives, to put the real meaning of Christmas back into the holiday for
without CHRIST there is no Christmas.
Let us truly prepare ourselves by asking God for forgiveness of our
failure to live according to His teachings.  Let us be more mindful of
the needs of others by contributing to charitable organizations and
return a portion of God's gifts to us by supporting ministries that
proclaim Christ's message of infinite and everlasting mercy,
forgiveness and love for all His children. I leave you with the
following prayer.
   An Advent Prayer
Come, long expected Jesus.  Excite in me a wonder at the wisdom and
power of Your Father and ours.  Receive my prayer as a part of my
service of the Lord who enlists me in God's work for justice.
Come, long expected Jesus. Excite in me a joyful response to the
Father's joy.  I seek His will so I can serve Him with gladness and
love.
Come, long expected Jesus. Excite in me the love and peace that is a
rightful gift to bring to the manger of Our Savior.  Raise in me an
honest reverence for God and a honest gratitude for His gift of His son
to the world.
Come, Long expected Jesus.  Fill me with your peace and guide me in my
service to you as I attempt to live according to your teaching.
Come, Long expected Jesus. Strengthen me so that I may be your
instrument of bringing peace and harmony to all I encounter on my daily
journey through life.
I ask these things in your name Jesus as you live and reign with the
Father, Almighty God, and the Holy Spirit as one God, now and forever
unto the ages of ages. AMEN

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Please help us spread the message of God's infinite love for ALL His
children by making a donation to our ministry. You can do so by using
the PAYPAL links on our web site; www.missionstsergius.org or by sending
donations to MISSION STS. SERGIUS 7 BACCHUS
C/O MIDDLESEX SAVINGS BANK
850 WASHINGTON STREET
HOLLISTON, MA 01746
All Materials are copywriten (c) Franciscans of Divine Mercy


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Love The Lord and Each Other

A Reflection for the First Sunday of Advent 2009

Based on readings from : Jeremiah 33:14-16, 1 Thessalonians 3, Psalm 24,
Luke 21

By Rev. Bob Johnnene, Mission Sts Sergius & Bacchus/ Franciscans of
Divine Mercy

http://www.missionstsergius.org <http://www.missionstsergius.org/>



The reading from St. Paul's letter to the people of Thessaloniki is
possibly one of the better instructions we can receive on the first week
of Advent. Advent, a season the church sets aside and suggests we review
our way of life in accord with the instructions Christ gave us to
achieve eternal life. Advent literally means "to come" and is
that time when we prepare to celebrate the birth of our redeemer and
savior Jesus Christ.

In his letter to the church in Thessaloniki, The capital of the area of
Greece known as Macedonia and the second largest city in Greece whose
population was mostly Gentile or non Jews, and accustomed to worshiping
many Gods in the Greek tradition. All Paul's letters need to be
viewed by the customs and time and to whom they were being written and
NOT in a modern interpretation. Gentiles, or non Jews, did not worship
one God or believe in the God of the Old Testament but in various
God's for various purposes. Some of their Religious practices
included excesses in sex and other acts of debauchery.

Paul starts with a blessing prayer; "May the Lord be generous in
increasing your love and make you love one another and the whole human
race as much as we love you. And may he so confirm your hearts in
holiness that you may be blameless in the sight of our God and Father
when our Lord Jesus Christ comes with all his saints."

The greeting Prayer almost directly quotes Christ's reply to the
Question "What is the Greatest Commandment" and Christ responded
LOVE, Love of God and Love of neighbor.

We may well consider using Paul's words as our greeting to those we
meet; "May the Lord be generous in increasing your love and make you
love one another and the whole human race as much as we love you."

In the Gospel reading Jesus tells his disciples "There will be signs
in the sun and moon and stars; on earth nations in agony, bewildered by
the clamor of the ocean and its waves; men dying of fear as they await
what menaces the world, for the powers of heaven will be shaken."
This is a clear reference to the times in life when we face adversity as
well as the time when we will face God to answer for how we lived our
life. Christ continues; "When these things begin to take place,
stand erect, hold your heads high, because your liberation is near at
hand." By liberation Christ means that we will be set free from the
bonds of human bondage and the suffering and pains that go with it and
face our everlasting life of Peace in God's presence if we have
lived in accord with God's teachings and shown our love by being
compassionate and caring for the needs of feelings of all we encounter.

The Gospel also has a warning to us; "Watch yourselves, or your
hearts will be coarsened with debauchery and drunkenness and the cares
of life, and that day will be sprung on you suddenly, like a trap"
When we look around us today we can see how easy it is to be seduced
into being comfortable and to partake of life's pleasures often to
excess. It is so easy to ignore the plight of those less fortunate in
these times where more and more have lost their homes and struggle to
survive. Greed seems to have overtaken common sense and profit and
pleasure seem to be all some are interested in.

The people of Thessaloniki and throughout the Roman empire in the time
of Christ and St. Paul lived much as some are doing today. They lived
for the moment and for pleasure even using brutality and forms of
torture as entertainment. It was these practices that Paul preached
against and it is these same type of practices that we should not allow
to lead us astray today. The Gospel ends with this advice; "Stay
awake, praying at all times for the strength to survive all that is
going to happen, and to stand with confidence before the Son of
Man.". Paul ends his letter with this advice; "Finally,
brothers, we urge you and appeal to you in the Lord Jesus to make more
and more progress in the kind of life that you are meant to live: the
life that God wants, as you learnt from us, and as you are already
living it."

Beginning this Sunday we are being invited to examine how we each are
living in accord with the teachings of Christ. Do we practice the
Beatitudes and the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy? Do we care for
those who are less fortunate than we are? Do we give 10 % of the gifts
God gave us back to God? Do we set aside time each day to communicate
with God? Is God a major part of our daily life? These are the questions
we need to use in our inventory of our life and then we need to make
what ever adjustments are necessary to make certain that we will bring a
gift pleasing to God to the Christ Mass of celebration of Christ's
Birth.

AMEN



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A Prayer Of Thanksgiving
by Rev. Robert Johnnene OFD
Mission Sts. Sergius & Bacchus/ Franciscans of Divine Mercy
Reformed Catholic Church International new England   Almighty and
Merciful God, I thank you for all the many blessings  you have bestowed
upon me each and every day of my life.
I thank you for my family, both personal and religious, my  friends, The
faith community you have brought together, my 75 years of life, all the
students you gave me whom I pray I inspired to love and serve you and
those they met on life's journey.
O Lord, grant me the graces necessary to serve you  and all my brothers
and sisters, wherever they may live or be, as I continue my journey
through life.
Please watch over and protect my loved ones, friends and those brave men
and women who have chosen to defend this country and the freedoms we
enjoy.
Watch over world leaders and inspire them to find ways to solve the
difficulties this world faces with equality and justice.
Send your healing graces upon all those who are suffering illness
especially Cancer, HIV_AIDS, Parkinson's, ALS and other degenerative
illnesses and grant them a multitude of Your blessings and healing if it
be your will.
Guide the leaders of the world and religious faiths in healing the
injustices that have been inflicted upon others so more will reach out
with charity to those in need, not only on Thanksgiving but every day of
the year. You, O Lord, are the source of all things and I give you
thanks in the name of your beloved son, Jesus Christ.   AMEN
    Please help us spread the message of God's infinite love for ALL His
children by making a donation to our ministry. You can do so by using
the PAYPAL links on our web site; www.missionstsergius.org or by sending
donations to MISSION STS. SERGIUS 7 BACCHUS
C/O MIDDLESEX SAVINGS BANK
850 WASHINGTON STREET
HOLLISTON, MA 01746
All Materials are copywriten (c) Franciscans of Divine Mercy


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Calling All Theater People



Yesterday I had the great pleasure to visit with a part of my past and
it awoke a deep desire to save a historic part of American theater. As I
was giving Bishop Mel Borham a tour of our great historic state of
Massachusetts and more explicit the Plymouth area where he saw the
Plymouth Rock the pilgrims supposedly landed on, the replica of the
Mayflower and then I took him to the Priscilla Beach Theater, the oldest
Barn Theater in America where I directed a few shows in the past.

Priscilla Beach Theatre is the oldest barn theater still in operation in
America. Founded by Dr. Franklin Trask in 1937, the theater quickly
became one of the most respected schools of theater training in America.
This innovation of summer stock "in a barn" rapidly flourished
throughout the country. The barn playhouses brought theater into the
hinterlands and provided needed laboratories for both young and
experienced actors to learn and perfect their craft.  In its heyday (in
the 1940s and early 1950s) the complex included dozens of cottages, a
mansion and carriage house, a 200-seat theater, and a 60-seat theater.
As many as 150 actors and actresses were in residence. In 1962, James
Lonigro (a.k.a Geronimo Sands), an accomplished performer of stage,
screen, radio and television, bought the theater from Dr. Trask and has
been its creative force since. PBT has more than 70 years of history
building performers. But more important, PBT builds future leaders.

PBT's top staff is ever concerned with maintaining the atmosphere of
professional theater and creating a disciplined ensemble. This sets the
proper mood for the young artist to combine training and rehearsal with
practical stage experience.   Since 1937, thousands of individuals have
made their theatrical beginnings at Priscilla Beach Theatre among them
Estelle Parsons, Peter Gallagher, Jennifer Coolidge, Jean Seberg,
Katherine Winn (Best Actress, Cannes Film Festival), Andre Bishop
(artistic director of Lincoln Center) Andrew Lack (CEO of Sony music),
Curtis Sliwa (Founder of the Guardian Angels) and Jean E. Porter
attended Priscilla Beach Theatre.  PBT Guest stars include: Gloria
Swanson, Diana Barrymore, Edward Everett Horton, Charlie Ruggles,
Freddie Bartholomew, Martha Graham and Michael Todd, Jr.

In 1976 it was at Priscilla Beach Theater that I directed The Man of
LaMancha which critics acclaimed as "An exciting and enchanting Play
and LaMancha As LaMancha should be".  It was, according to Jim
Lonigro (Geronimo Sands), the most successful production since the
theaters Heydays in the 40's and 50's.  The Man of LaMancha also
was the beginning of SMART, the Southeastern Massachusetts Area Regional
Theater and a program of training for children in the performing arts.
This legacy the Priscilla Beach Theater and Mr. Lonigro has continued
until this day completing the 2009 season only the night before my visit
with an original musical production entitled FACEBOOK THE MUSICAL by the
most recent class of students .

The Barn is not useable because it need a great deal of work to be
functional according the City inspectors which is a sad commentary since
it is a wonderful space for Theater especially Summer Theater.

In our conversation with Jim both Bishop Mel and I had an idea and we
hope that we will be able to garner the support and help of the theater
community and all those who support our ministries and lovers of the
performing arts to get behind.  The restoration of this historic theater
we hope will begin even before a special Liturgy and Prayers service and
blessing of the theater and grounds in the early Spring of 2010.  We
hope the program will bring national attention to this wonderful piece
of American Theater History as we dedicate an area of the grounds to St.
Genesis the patron Saint of Actors.  Success will take an earnest effort
by many to raise the necessary funds to restore and preserve this
wonderful piece of American Theater.  The Theater and performing arts
are an significant part of what makes a nation great and to allow one
part of that history to die because age and the lack of the necessary
funds to repair it are not available would be a crime. Please join in
this effort and tell all your theater and actor friends to get behind it
as well.



Please contact me, Fr. Bob Johnnene OFD at Mission_St_Sergius@...
and Mr. Lonigro (Geronimo Sands) at; www.PriscillaBeachTheater.org to
learn more or to become a part of the planned program in late April or
early May 2010.


Please help us spread the message of God's infinite love for ALL His
children by making a donation to our ministry. You can do so by using
the PAYPAL links on our web site; www.missionstsergius.org or by sending
donations to MISSION STS. SERGIUS 7 BACCHUS
C/O MIDDLESEX SAVINGS BANK
850 WASHINGTON STREET
HOLLISTON, MA 01746
All Materials are copywriten (c) Franciscans of Divine Mercy


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Christus Rex, Christ The King Feast 2009
Readings : Daniel 7:13-14, Apocalypse 1:5-8, Psalm 92:1-2,5, John
18:33-37
By Rev. Robert Johnnene OFD,
Mission Sts. Sergius and Bacchus/ Franciscans of Divine Mercy
www.missionstsergius.org   This Sunday is designated as the feast
honoring Christ under the title of Christ The King. Notice that the
article THE is capitalized to indicate Christ is The King of Kings
meaning Christ as the son of God was the ultimate human ruler.
In the book of Revelation Chapter 17 verse 14 we read the following;
"Together they will go to war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will
defeat them because he is Lord of all lords and King of all kings. And
his called and chosen and faithful ones will be with him." and in
Revelation 19:16 we read "On his robe at his thigh was written this
title: King of all kings and Lord of all lords."   The second
Reading for this Sunday from Apocalypse 1 verses 5-8 says "Jesus
Christ is the First-born from the dead, the Ruler of the kings of the
earth." It then goes on to remind us that Christ and God LOVE US AS
GOD CREATED US with these words; " He loves us and has washed away
our sins with his blood, and made us a line of kings and priests to
serve his God and Father"
We learn from the Gospel Readings that when Christ was asked the
question by Pilate "Are you the King of the Jews" " Jesus
replied, `Mine is not a kingdom of this world; if my kingdom were of
this world, my men would have fought to prevent my being surrendered to
the Jews. But my kingdom is not of this kind.' `… `Yes, I
am a king. I was born for this, I came into the world for this: to bear
witness to the truth; and all who are on the side of truth listen to my
voice."    From Christ own words we learn that Christ came into this
world to proclaim the TRUTH.
Christ came to clear up all the convoluted rules and regulations that
human had imposed upon those who believed in God and Followed the rules
that a human claimed were given by God and then the additions that
others had placed into the regulations of how to be a follower and a
worshiper of Almighty God.
Psalm 92 tells us  "It is wonderful to be grateful and to sing your
praises, LORD Most High! It is wonderful each morning to tell about your
love and at night to announce how faithful you are. … because
everything you do makes me happy, and I sing joyful songs. You do great
things, …. But you will rule over all of us forever, and your
hateful enemies will be scattered and then destroyed.".  The words
of this Psalm acknowledge God as the loving God who watches over us and
cares for us as and all that he does makes us happy.
We acknowledged Christ as the heavenly King, Christ declared that He was
the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end and as such the human
embodiment of the Father.   A king, more precisely a good king.
A Good King  is concerned about the safety and welfare of every one of
his subjects and so it is with Jesus Christ. Christ is called the Good
Shepherd because a good shepherd would go seeking a lost sheep in order
not to loose even one., which is why our ministry does not turn away
anyone who come with sincerity in their heart to know and love God.
The kingdom that Christ reigns over is the everlasting kingdom to which
we are called after living in this material world. A spiritual kingdom
where peace and harmony reign supreme and where there is no poverty,
sickness, discrimination or pain.
In the Gospel of Luke 23:35-43 we are told how Christ was asked by one
of the criminals hanging on the cross beside Him "Are you not the
Christ?' he said….the other spoke up and rebuked him. `Have
you no fear of God at all?' he said. `You and I received  the
same sentence as he did….. But this man has done nothing wrong.
Jesus,' he said `remember me when you come into your kingdom..
Christ replied `today you will be with me in paradise.",  That
passage strengthens the concept that Christ has the power to give us
eternal life in the Kingdom of Heaven.
Christ gave us two simple rules to live by in order to achieve
everlasting life in His kingdom of Heaven; "Love the Lord, your God,
with your whole heart, mind, soul and body and the second is like unto
it, Love your neighbor as you love yourself" in the Beatitudes we
are instructed on how to treat our brothers and Sisters here on earth
Next week we begin the season of Advent. A time  to evaluate how well we
are living our daily lives.
Have we been mindful of others needs?
Are we accepting of all of God's children regardless of their race,
creed, nationality, marital situation or sexual orientation?  Are we
charitable toward those who are in need and do we tithe or give 10% of
our resources back to God in either service or monetary means?  Christ
never rejected anyone who came to Him and neither should we.  In this
time where people are thinking of giving gifts to their family and
friends let us acknowledge the gifts God, has given us and use them to
benefit those who have not been as blessed as we have been.
By doing this we show our love and respect for the King of Kings, Lord
of Lords and we will build up a treasures in heaven so God and Christ
will greet us with these words; "Well done, my good and faithful
servant." AMEN

Please help us spread the message of God's infinite love for ALL His
children by making a donation to our ministry. You can do so by using
the PAYPAL links on our web site; www.missionstsergius.org or by sending
donations to  MISSION STS. SERGIUS 7 BACCHUS
C/O MIDDLESEX SAVINGS BANK
850 WASHINGTON STREET
HOLLISTON, MA 01746
All Materials are copywriten (c) Franciscans of Divine Mercy


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Are You "Semper Paratus" Always Ready?

A Reflection for the 33rd Sunday of Ordinary Time

By Rev. Robert Johnnene OFD

Mission Sts. Sergius & Bacchus/ Franciscans of Divine Mercy

www.missionstsergius.org



The readings for this Sunday remind us that we never know when we will
be called home to the Lord and that we should always be prepared and
ready.  Many people believe that the reading from Paul's letter to
the Thessalonians  was referring to the final days of the world but I
feel that it is referring to the time when God will call us home to
answer for our lives here on earth and how we used the gifts he provided
us with.

"The Day of the Lord is going to come like a thief in the night. It
is when people are saying, `How quiet and peaceful it is' that
the worst suddenly happens…. it is not as if you live in the dark,
my brothers, for that Day to overtake you like a thief. No, you are all
sons of light and sons of the day: we do not belong to the night or to
darkness, so we should not go on sleeping, as everyone else does, but
stay wide awake and sober."

1 Thessalonians 5:1-6

As I go about tending to those who are ill and as I myself advance in
age I often wonder if this persons illness is the illness that will be
the last one on this earth or will the person recover to live and use
their God given gifts in a manner that will reward them when they are
called home with these words from God "Well done, good and faithful
servant; you have shown you can be faithful in small things, I will
trust you with greater; come and join in your master's
happiness." Matthew 25:14-30 I examine my own actions each and every
day to determine if I did all I could do to help those in need of
comfort, spiritual uplifting or just some companionship and
conversation.  Have I shared myself and the gifts God gave me with
others?

During these troubling times with the downturn in the economy, war,
famine, genocide and job and home losses we hear daily of the excesses
that the financial institutions and corporate executives have lavished
upon themselves as rewards in spite of the fact that their greed and
avarice how contributed to our problems.  Some even continue their
excesses in spite of the fact that the taxpayer and the average citizen
is paying for their bailout are suffering because of their greed.  They
certainly have misused the gifts that God has given them and I am
certain that they will be called to answer for their misuse when they
have their judgment day.

The same holds true for those government and church leaders who attempt
to impose their dictates upon others, usually for financial or power
gains, at the cost of many lives and suffering to so many innocent
children and adults. Restrictions and laws that segregate and exclude
some from equal justice are imposed that deprive people of equal rights.

This week's readings should be a wake up call to us.  We need to
acquire the motto "Semper Paratus" as the way of living so that
we will be ready when we are called before God to answer for how we used
the gifts he gave us.

Have we shared our resources with those in need? Have we shown
compassion for the aged and sick? Have we practiced discrimination or
have we shown brotherly love to all God's children?

We have been given the instructions on how we should live this earthly
life by Christ in the Beatitudes He preached in the Sermon on the Mount
and with His parables like the Good Samaritan.

Next week we will be celebrating the holiday of Thanksgiving to
commemorate the first Thanksgiving that the Pilgrims had to thank God
for bringing them to this New Land or as they called it New England and
the harvest they had.  They had a feast and invited the natives of the
area rather than exclude them because it was the natives that taught
them how to survive in this new country.  We, as children of God, need
to embrace the custom of welcoming newcomers who come here seeking a
"better life" than in their birth countries just as the Pilgrims
were welcomed and helped by the Wampanoag Indians of "New
England".

We, who are all brothers and sisters in Christ and Children of God no
matter what religious denomination we belong to, need to work together
striving to  bring about a time when ALL God's children live in a
place where they have adequate food, housing, medical care and
experience justice, peace, and equality.

We need to be able to tell God we used the treasures He gave us well and
they increased in worth because we did not hide them and hoard them for
ourselves but used them to good advantage and shared them with others.
By sharing our gifts we will be assured that when our time here is over
and we are called before God we will hear Him tell us "Well done,
good and faithful servant; you have shown you can be faithful in small
things, I will trust you with greater; come and join in your
master's happiness." AMEN



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

This is a reminder that the Franciscans of Divine mercy have joined with
the Little Brothers and Sisters of Jesus Caritas to offer weekly mass
every Sunday at 6:00 PM at the temporary Church of the Holy Paraclete
located in the Brooklyn Coffee & Tea House 209 Douglas Ave, Providence,
RI.

I invite all who live in the area to join with us in celebrating the
Holy Sacrafice of the Mass and to partake in Eucharist and a time of
social interaction after mass on Sunday's.

I also want to invite all the members of the Franciscans of Divine Mercy
and Mission Saints Sergius & Bacchus to attend a wonderful opportunity
to learn and have social interaction when we have the first THEOLOGY ON
TAP  session on November 16th, ( Fr. Bob's Birthday) at DOWNCITY
RESTURANT 50 Weybosett in Providence, RI.  The Social will begin at 6:30
PM with a 20 -30 minute naritive followed by a Question and answer
session.  Appetizers are being provided by the owners of DOWNCITY
RESTURANT.

Mark you calendars to participate in the Second TAIZE PRAYER SERVICE at
the RIVERSIDE CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH  in Riverside, Rhode Island on
December 10th at 7:00 PM

I plead for you to consider making a donation to us  TO HELP US MAKE THE
REPAIRS TO THE MISSION VEHICLE that we have been told requires about
$800 of work to insure continued operation for the immediate future and
to insure trouble free operation for at least another 20000 miles.
DONATIONS MAY BE MADEeither through the PAYPAL DONATION LINKS on our
mission web site http://www.missionstsergius.org
<http://www.missionstsergius.org/>  OR by sending a check or money
oprder to the Mission at:

MISSION SAINTS SERGIUS & BACCHUS

C/O MIDDLESEX SAVINGS BANK

830 WASHINGTON STREET

HOLLISTON, MA 01746

Fr. Bob visits nursing homes and shut-ins all over New England on a
weekly basis and travels to Rhode Island for liturgies every week and
sometime more frequently while searching for a suitable space to have a
chapel in the Greater Boston/ Metro West region for those who cannot
travel to Rhode Island. We soon hope to announce a Chapel in New
Hampshire where those in that area can attend Mass and participate in
activities.

If you know anyone who would be willing to donate a suitable space have
them contact Fr. Bob either by email: Mission_St_Sergius@...
<mailto:Mission_St_Sergius@...>  OR Postal Mail to: Mission Saints
Sergius & Bacchus, 100 Summer Street #313, Holliston, MA 01746 OR phone
508-429-0992

This weekend I will be in the Lee, Lenoz, Adams area of Massachusetts
before returning on Monday to participate in THEOLOGY ON TAP.

May Almighty God shower you with His infinite love and bring Peace and
contentment to your soul with the knowledge that He loves you as He
created you.

A Humble Servant of Christ,

Fr. Bob Johnnene OFD



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Reflection for the 32nd Sunday of Ordinary Time

Based on Readings from Kings 17:10-16, Psalm 146, Hebrews 9: 24-28, Mark
12:38-44

By Rev. Bob Johnnene OFD

Mission Saints Sergius & Bacchus/ Franciscans of Divine Mercy

www.missionstsergius.org



The themes of the readings for this Sunday are of generosity, trust
keeping Faith Justice but most of all that God will provide if we but
put our faith and trust in Him.

For me, this message is one that I need to hear and take considerable
time to reflect upon in light of the information and events of this past
week.

The first reading tells the story of the widow in the town of Zarephath
to whom Elijah asked for some water and a bit of bread.  The widow
explained that she and her son only had a handful of flour and a tiny
bit of oil with which to bake bread and when that was gone they would
starve. Elijah promised that if she made a cake of bread and brought it
to him she and her son would have enough flour and oil forever.  True to
the promise of Elijah, the flour never went empty nor the oil.  The was
the result of the widow trusting Elijah.

The same is true for us today if we place our complete trust in God and
let him guide and lead us.

For me this teaching is one that, though difficult often to do, I need
to do especially after this last week.

Not only did I receive news that the mission's car needed some major
work to be able to continue to serve the ministry I also received
disturbing information regarding someone I thought was concerned for the
best interest of God and His children only to find that they were only
being self serving, egotistical and interested in power and self glory,
which brings us to the theme of the suggested Alleluia verse,  Gospel
reading, Psalm and the letter to the Hebrews. "Giving of our selves
for the love of God and not for our own self interests, glory, fame or
wealth but for being a true servant of God to all those who are
oppressed, rejected and unwanted."

The Alleluia verse suggested for this week is "Blessed are the poor
in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" and the Gospel
begins with these words; "Beware of the scribes who like to walk
about in long robes, to be greeted obsequiously in the market squares,
to take the front seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at
banquets; these are the men who swallow the property of widows, while
making a show of lengthy prayers. The more severe will be the sentence
they receive."  The Gospel goes on to tell of the poor widow who
gave all she had, a few cents, as a donation to God while the rich and
famous of the time mad a big issue of their large donations.  Christ
told his apostles; "I tell you solemnly, this poor widow has put
more in than all who have contributed to the treasury; for they have all
put in money they had left over, but she from the little she had has put
in everything she possessed, all she had to live on"

When I read of clergy who only are seeking power, wealth fame or glory
or defraud people out of their money or who molest children I recoil and
want to run as far away from them as I can get.

Sadly, I was made aware of just that kind of clerical individual this
week and it troubles me deeply but I am taking the lesson of this weeks
readings to heart and placing my trust in Almighty God and praying that
God will lead me and inspire as to how I should proceed from this point
on in my attempt to be a humble servant of God.

I also am placing my trust in God that he will inspire those people who
would deny others of their rights which according to the Declaration of
Independence "are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable
Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of
Happiness". This means that two people who love each other should be
allowed to marry and have the same legal protections and benefits of
heterosexual married couples.

I also trust that God will provide the means for the repairs to the
mission vehicle if it is His will this ministry is to continue and I
have the ability to travel to all the places we have been going to in
our attempt to serve God's children.   It may well be that God is
telling me to cut back or even retire but I certainly hope and pray that
is not the case as I have no idea what I would do to fill each day.

This ministry has been a blessing to me as it has kept me busy and
filled my days with wondrous moments and such beautiful testaments to
God's infinite love for His children.

We cannot allow a few bad apples to spoil the entire barrel.  There are
more good and honest clergy and people in this world, I am certain, than
the few bad ones that always seem to get the publicity.

Let us be faithful followers of Jesus Christ try to become "Poor in
Spirit" so we can achieve eternal life with God.

Let us be willing to give our last penny or ounce of flour in the
service of God for the well being of our neighbor and those who are less
well off than we.  That is the message and the hope I have for myself
and it is my prayer for all who read my simple reflections or hear them.
May God, through the Holy Spirit, guide us and lead us so that we truly
reflect God's love, compassion and forgiveness.   AMEN





[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

I grieves me that the people of the State of Main have succumbed to the
influx of money from bigoted people and the Mormon and RC and other
right wing churches that have used to Bible to justify their bigotry.
Since it is money that seems to dictate what people of those states
respect, I suggest that all GLBT persons, their family and friends begin
to spend their hard earned money in states and with churches and
companies that respect the civil rights of ALL people.

God creates people with their sexual orientation for reason known to Him
alone and we, mere fallible humans should never question what God does.

When we do we commit the gravest of sins.

All God's creation is good and has a purpose in God's eternal plan
therefore, I have to believe that GLBT person have a place in God's plan
and should not be discriminated against.

Perhaps if the people of the states that have repealed the civil rights
of homosexuals begin to see what the GLBT community contributes to their
well being and how much money they spend to sustain the financial well
being of those states they may change their minds.

In Massachusetts where the right for gay person to marry is legal, the
churches have not collapsed, marriages and families have not imploded,
in fact just the opposite has happened.

The time has come to step up and get involved if you believe in equality
and justice. Don't let any other state make discrimination legal.
The next time it may well be that laws against mixed race marriages will
be re-enacted or the right for women to vote will be repealed.

How about we try to pass a law that will allow us the right to determine
who can marry who.

When any person is denied their civil rights and equality, all of
society is hurt.



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

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All Saints Day 2009

A Reflection by Rev. Bob Johnnene OFD

Mission Saints Sergius & Bacchus/ Franciscans of Divine Mercy

Reformed Catholic Church of New England

Based on the readings from:  Apocalypse 7:2-4, 9-14, 1 John 3:1-3,
Matthew 5:1-12

www.missionstsergius.org



"These are the people who have been through the great persecution,
and they have washed their robes white again in the blood of the
Lamb." These words taken from the book of Revelation or Apocalypse
describe the heavenly elect or Saints. The book begins with a count of
how many are among the heavenly elect. "Then I heard how many were
sealed: a hundred and forty-four thousand, out of all the tribes of
Israel.  After that I saw a huge number, impossible to count, of people
from every nation, race, tribe and language; they were standing in front
of the throne and in front of the Lamb, dressed in white robes and
holding palms in their hands.



St. John, who is purported to be the author of the apocalyptic book of
revelation, used a number that in the time this book was written would
have been considered as beyond imagination.   I consider this to mean
that every person who has died in Christ is a Saint which is why I often
call upon the deceased members of my family who I believe lived
according to God's will to intercede to God on my behalf. It is not
just those whom the church declares as saints because they gave their
life rather than deny Christ like the patron saints of this ministry,
Sergius & Bacchus,  or  declared Saints by the church because their
lives were examples of living according to the teachings of Christ like
St. Francis, Mother Therese of Calcutta, St. Damien of Molokai.  Others
have been declared saints because of there spirituality and dedication
to fulfilling their call as servants of God.

The second reading for All Saints Day comes from the third book of John
chapter 3 in which we read the following; "My dear people, we are
already the children of God but what we are to be in the future has not
yet been revealed; all we know is, that when it is revealed we shall be
like him because we shall see him as he really is. Surely everyone who
entertains this hope must purify himself, must try to be as pure as
Christ.", which tell me that if we try to live our lives in accord
with the teachings of Christ, especially what Jesus called the greatest
commandments; "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart
and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and
first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor
as yourself.  On these two commandments all the Law and the Prophet
depend." (Matthew 22:36-46)

The Gospel reading sums everything up by teaching us how to achieve
becoming one of the heavenly elect. Often referred to as The Sermon on
the Mount it says; "`How happy are the poor in spirit; theirs is
the kingdom of heaven. Happy the gentle: they shall have the earth for
their heritage. Happy those who mourn: they shall be comforted. Happy
those who hunger and thirst for what is right: they shall be satisfied.
Happy the merciful: they shall have mercy shown them. Happy the pure in
heart: they shall see God. Happy the peacemakers: they shall be called
sons of God. Happy those who are persecuted in the cause of right:
theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Happy are you when people abuse you and
persecute you and speak all kinds of calumny against you on my account.
Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven."

On this feast celebrating the lives of those women and men who followed
Christ's teachings, many to the death of their earthly bodies, let
us examine ourselves as to what we have done or are doing to preach
PEACE.

Back in the times of another unpopular war in our nation a group known
as "Hippies" went around shouting "Make Peace and love, not
war" they were treated with scorn by many and labeled "Flower
Children".

What we need to call to mind is that Jesus was also treated in the same
way because He preached a way of life that was not the norm. It is one
thing to give one's life for love of God or to defend your country
but so many today are giving their lives in a war that has been raging
for more than 35 years and is tribal in nature.  As followers of Christ
we need to exert ourselves to bring about peace between all of God's
children.  Not only between nations, but religious denomination,
neighbors, local governing officials and ALL of God's children.

Another issue that we, as a people of God, need to give serious
consideration to is equality and justice and the well being of ALL
God's children and one issue is the current debate on a National
Health Policy.

My question is why should our tax dollars be used to provide a select
few the finest of health coverage when so many who pay into the tax base
are deprived the same kind of health coverage. Where is the justice,
compassion, fairness,  and equality that we as Christians  and followers
of Christ's teachings are supposed to practice?

Many of those who oppose a National health policy do so because they may
loose some of the profits and dividends they receive from owning stock
in Insurance companies. Others oppose simply because their political
party is not in control and they do not want the party in power to be
able to achieve the promises that got them elected by a majority of
citizens.

Again it is all about power, profit and glory and not about what is
right, just, compassionate and fair for ALL people.   As Christians, the
glory we should be seeking is the Glory of God by living the Sermon on
the Mount by caring for the poor, aged and sick.

The Saints who achieved a higher level of spirituality and favor in the
eyes of God did so by giving of themselves often by dying because of
their love of God or, like St. Francis of Assisi, Mother Therese of
Calcutta or St. Damien of Molokai, spent their lives serving those whom
society rejected.
On this feast celebrating All The Saints let us call to mind the words
of Christ, "I want you to show mercy, not offer sacrifices.' For
I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those
who know they are sinners." ( Matthew 9:13) and "`I want you to
show mercy, not offer sacrifices." ( Matthew 12:7) and from the book
of Zechariah 7:9 ""Thus says the LORD of hosts, Render true
judgments, show kindness and mercy to one another"
On this feast commemorating those who achieved the highest level of
spirituality let us commit ourselves to work harder putting into action
the Beatitudes and the Corporal Works of Mercy as we live out our
earthly existence in the hope of attaining eternal life with God and the
Heavenly Elect.  AMEN
Please consider making a donation to assist us to spread the message of
God's infinite love for ALL His children. You can do so by using the
PAYPAL links on our web site; www.missionstsergius.org
All Materials are copywriten (c) Franciscans of Divine Mercy


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Mission Saints Sergius & Bacchus will be celebrating the Liturgy of the
Eucharist at 6:00 PM every Sunday beginning October 18th 2009 at the
temporary location of the Church of the Paraclete (Holy Spirit) 209
Douglas Avenue, Providence, Rhode Island located in the Brooklyn Coffee
& Tea House.

We invite all who are in the area to attend and introduce yourself to
Fr. Bob, Fr. Jakob and theother clergy and mission friends.



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

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God Provides When You Believe & Trust in Him
A Reflection of the Readings for October 25 2009
By Rev. Robert Johnnene OFD
Mission Saints Sergius and Bacchus  Franciscans of Divine Mercy
www.Mission_St_Sergius.org    Today's readings  have one common
theme and it is, if you trust and believe in God with your whole being
He will provide all your needs. at the proper time.  We are also
reminded to be on guard always against the power and temptations of the
evil one.
The Gospel  story tells how having faith in God and believing Jesus is
the son of God who came to earth to proclaim God's infinite love,
mercy  and forgiveness of God and to teach us the path to salvation.
The Gospel of Mark 10: 46-52, tells the story of the blind beggar,
Bartimaeus, who, upon hearing Christ was close cried out for Christ to
heal him. Jesus feeling the man's faith said to Bartimaeus "Go your
way; your faith has made you well."   Immediately the blind beggar
received his sight and followed Jesus faithfully from that day forward.
The message is a simple one and yet so many today seem to look elsewhere
for help in all things.
Our human nature is so fickle that, unless we witness a miracle, we
begin to question the truth of Christ's teachings.
This brings me to the warning issued by St Paul in his epistle. "Put
on the armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of
the devil."
One of the tools the devil uses is to have us question the truth of
Christ teachings and the reality of Almighty God.
We need to be diligent in our quest to attain eternal salvation through
Christ every moment of every day.
Some of those who followed Christ suffered persecutions and death, like
the patron Saints of our ministry Sergius & Bacchus, in the name of
Christ but many others achieved Everlasting glory by living live of
compassion and charity for the poor, aged and sick. The one common
factor of all who achieved sainthood was a deep and abiding faith which
included worship and prayer.
Next Sunday we celebrate the feast of All Saints. All the Saints not
only believed in God and the teachings of Christ but they lived them out
daily in their lives.  God desires us to have that same level of trust
and faith in God. Our road to toward Christ is a lot easier than the
martyrs but more difficult because of our societies focus on self
gratification and achieving wealth and status.
The blind beggar Bartimaeus believed and trusted in God and the ability
of Christ to cure him of his blindness and if we truly believe and have
complete trust and faith in God like Bartimaeus all things are possible.
St. Paul reminds us that we also have to be on guard against the
temptations of Satan to abandon God and seek only pleasure.  The best
armor to protect us from Satan's temptations on our road of life in
these times of self satisfaction and self gratification, is prayer, the
Eucharist, and Faith and trust in God.
God's promised salvation for ALL His children who believe in Him and
seek God's help to live according to the teachings His beloved son
Jesus Christ as given  in the Sermon On The Mount and in the Great
Commandment; "Love the Lord, your God, with your whole heart, mind,
soul and body and love your neighbor as you love yourself"
God is compassionate, merciful, forgiving and more loving than any human
can ever be.
If we trust in God as the beggar in the gospel story did, God will
provide us with what we ask if it is in our best interest and will help
us to achieve everlasting life for all eternity.
The ultimate message to us is; with God, all things are possible,
without God we are helpless and open to attacks from the devil.  Christ
told us; "If you trust me, you are trusting not only me, but also
God who sent me." (John 12:43-45)    Let us go forth today committed
to deepen our trust and faith in God and seek His guidance and strength
to overcome temptations that we are faced with.   Let us be more
generous and compassionate toward those who are not as fortunate as we
are. Let us accept each person we encounter as a brother or sister and
extend to them the love. God gives to us.  Let us always call to mind
the words found in Matthew 7 :1-3 "For in the same way you judge
others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be
measured to you."  I close with this prayer;     Almighty and
merciful God, grant me wisdom and understanding and the courage to live
according to your ways. Endow me with the gifts of your Holy Spirit so
that I will be unto all I encounter a reflection of your beloved son,
Jesus Christ.  Assist me to be less judgmental of others but show the
same compassion and love as Jesus did to all who approached Him. Open my
heart to become more accepting of all and more generous with the gifts
you have provided me with. I ask this in the name of my redeemer and
savior, Jesus Christ who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit
as one God now and forever.     AMEN



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Ut Unum Sint (That All May Be One) A Reflection by Rev. Bob Johnnene OFD
Mission Saints Sergius & Bacchus/ Franciscans of Divine Mercy Reformed
Catholic Church of New England www.missionstsergius.org     Ut unum
sint! The call for Christian unity made by the Second Vatican Ecumenical
Council with such impassioned commitment is more important today than
ever before.  When so many of God`s Children are being denied the
opportunity to worship God because of man made rules that deny them
participation. When the ego`s of some denomination's leaders to
be the BIG CHEESE. prevents unity or denominations refusal to allow all
whom God calls to service be ordained. Causes division and strife, how
can we ever achieve reunification of the One Holy Catholic (Universal)
Apostolic Church?
When Pope John Paul VII wrote his encyclical on May 25th 1995 he began
with this statement; "The courageous witness of so many martyrs of
our century, including members of Churches and Ecclesial Communities not
in full communion with the Roman Catholic Church, gives new vigor to the
Council's call and reminds us of our duty to listen to and put into
practice its exhortation. These brothers and sisters of ours, united in
the selfless offering of their lives for the Kingdom of God, are the
most powerful proof that every factor of division can be transcended and
overcome in the total gift of self for the sake of the Gospel.  Christ
calls all his disciples to unity. My earnest desire is to renew this
call today" He further stated the following;…."believers in
Christ, united in following in the footsteps of the martyrs, cannot
remain divided."
Today there is even more division than existed in 1995 between all the
various Faith communities that profess to believe in the Creed and the
teachings of Jesus Christ and most of it is because of some man made
rule or some other reason that has nothing to do with the TRUTH
proclaimed by Christ that God, Abba is a loving and compassionate God.
Christ called us to be charitable, loving and welcoming to ALL God's
children.
If we whom God has called as his priests and servants cannot get along
and come together in our service to Almighty God how can we ever
convince the laity to live out Christ's teachings fully.
Even in the Independent Catholic Communities that not only believe in
the Creed and the teachings of Christ but believe in ordaining married
persons and women as priests and Same Sex Holy Unions there is division.
There is the RCC, RCCINE, NAOCC, ECC, and so many others that can not
seem to come together.
In the last two weeks the Holy Spirit has led me to find a like minded
community of religious in Providence Rhode Island, The Little Brothers
and Sisters of Jesus Caritas, which was founded by Blessed Charles de
Foucauld, and are a part of the North American Old Catholic Church.
Beginning this past Sunday October 18th  and every Sunday from now on,
All friends and members of the Faith Community of Mission Saints Sergius
& Bacchus who are in the general area of Providence Rhode Island, are
invited to attend The Eucharistic Liturgy at 6:00 PM every at the Church
of the Holy Paraclete ( Church of the Holy Spirit) which is currently
using the Brooklyn Coffee & Tea House at 209 Douglas Avenue for
services.
This past Sunday I spoke with 3 people who had not been to church for 15
to 40 years and "FOUND" this ministry.  They felt the Holy
Spirit alive and well and the Love of Christ being exhibited in an
inclusive and welcoming Faith Community.  One of the individuals had met
Bishop Mel and I at our missions booth at Boston Pride Festival and was
so happy to meet us and celebrate liturgy and partake of the Eucharist
with us.
Bishop Mell Borham of the ORCC-English Rite and I have decided, I am
certain with the inspiration and direction of the Holy Spirit, to work
together with The Little Brothers and Sisters of Jesus Caritas and
combine our ministries in order to better serve God's children in
the New England Area.
Just imagine what miracles could happen if all the jurisdictions  that
have the same mission purpose were to gather together to work in harmony
how the message of the Infinite mercy and Love of God would become more
alive in peoples lives.
Just imagine how powerful a coming together would be.  We would actually
be living the words of the Hymn WE ARE ONE IN THE SPIRIT which
proclaims;
We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord. We are one in the
Spirit, we are one in the Lord. And we pray that all unity may one day
be restored, so they'll know we are Christians by our love, by our love,
We will walk with each other, we will walk hand in hand. We will walk
with each other, we will walk hand in hand. And together we'll spread
the news that God is in our land. We will work with each other, we will
work side by side. We will work with each other, we will work side by
side. And we'll guard each man's dignity and save each man's pride. And
They will know we are Christians by Our Love.
If only we could achieve this goal among all the independent churches
the message of John Paul II encyclical would have made a huge movement
toward fulfillment.  AMEN



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Being True To God as His Servant
A Reflection for the 29th Sunday of Ordinary Time
By Rev. Robert Johnnene OFD
Based on readings from Isaiah 53:10-11, Hebrews 4:14-16, Mark 10: 35-45
Mission Saints Sergius and Bacchus
Reformed Catholic Church of New England
www.missionstsergius.org    "You know that those who are supposed to
rule over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise
authority over them. But it shall not be so among you; but whoever would
be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first
among you must be slave of all. For the Son of man also came not to be
served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."(Mark
10:42-45)
These words from the Gospel of Saint Mark could not be any clearer but
today so many who proclaim that they serve Almighty God do so by trying
to appease and pander to the whims of humans beings and their political
agendas, even so called followers of Jesus Christ.
St. Claude de la Colombriere, who was Canonized on 31 May 1992 by Pope
John Paul II, wrote "Pious Reflections", "Meditations on the Passion",
"Retreat and Spiritual Letters" and was the Spiritual director for
Blessed Margaret Mary to whom Christ gave the instruction to promote
devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
St. Claude was arrested and thrown into prison, denounced as a
conspirator for preaching the way of Christ rather than those of the
king. He wrote: "A strange and unhappy slavery is that of a man who
seeks to please other men. I vow never to do anything nor to leave
anything undone because of what people think. This will set up in me a
great interior peace."
The teachings of Jesus Christ have only show distain for sins of pride
exhibited by the religious leaders of His time. He preached mercy,
compassion and justice for ALL people. Christ was totally aware of the
human condition and our weaknesses.
In the second reading from Hebrews we hear the following words: "For
we have not a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our
weaknesses, but one who, in every respect, has been tempted as we are,
yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of
grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of
need." (Hebrews 4:15-16)
Christ showed us his willingness to forgive our transgressions when He
wrote "Let He who is without sin, cast the first stone" when the
priests and others were about to stone the woman caught in adultery.
Today's Gospel is an instruction to all God`s children,
especially those whom God has called to serve as ministers of the Gospel
and the Eucharist.
We cannot judge who is and who is not worthy of the love of Almighty
God.
We cannot by and allow injustice to be perpetrated against any of
God's children.
We need to be a servant to God's children just as Christ
demonstrated he was a servant when he girded himself and washed the feet
of the Apostles. Christ admonished the priests of His time with these
words; "My house is a house of prayer but you have made it into a
den of thieves" and He took pity on those who the disciples tried to
push away when they sought Healing from Christ and cured them.
We are not called to make judgments as to who gains everlasting life,
that is the domain of Almighty God.
We who God called to serve as His servants on earth are to proclaim the
truth of Christ's teachings and to be there to supply human comfort,
counseling, compassion and direction to those who are attempting to walk
in the footsteps of Christ.
We are called to serve Christ by practicing the virtues of Charity,
Patience, Fortitude, Forgiveness, Mercy and above all to see all we
encounter as a child of God and respect them for how God created them
even though they may be different than we are.
God created all things for a reason, His reason, not ours.
It is our responsibility to discern what He created things for and to
use them properly according to that use.
We need to take care of all That God created. That means we need to
insure that we do not destroy the environment with willful waste of our
resources but use them wisely.
Being a servant of God is not an easy task as Christ let us know when He
said `It is more blessed to give than to receive." (Acts 20:35)
Blessed Charles de Foucald wrote a beautiful prayer entitled: PRAYER OF
ABANDONMENT in which he prayed:
Father, I abandon myself into your hands; do with me what you will.
Whatever you do, I thank you: I am ready for all, I accept all.
Let only your will be done in me, and in all your creatures.
I wish no more than this.
Into your hands I commend my soul; I offer it to you with all the love
of my heart, for I love you, Lord, and so need to give myself, to
surrender myself into your hands, without reserve, and with boundless
confidence, for you are my Father.  AMEN
We, who claim we love God and desire to please Him could all do well if
we abandoned ourselves to serve Him as Blessed Charles did.
In Luke 16 we hear Christ tell us: "No servant can serve two
masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he
will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and
Man.".  Let us vow to serve God as best we can which means to love
one another as Christ loved us.  AMEN


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Mission Sts. Sergius & Bacchus Financial Report for September 2009
YEARLY BALANCE AS OF

August 31, 2009

Negative   $2963.77



Income for September 2009

Personal Donations         $225.00

Wedding Payment             200.00

September Total.      $425.00

NEW YEARLY BALANCE

NEGATIVE         $2538.77



EXPENSES

Gas/Oil/Transportation                   $ 81.01

Auto Insurance                                   58.00

Postage                                               10.00

Office Supplies                                     4.77

Phone/Fax/Cell/DSL33 %                  68.26

Web Site Domain                                15.00

Auto Registration                                50.00

Unity Candle                                        32.95

Altar Wine                                             6.62

Wedding Booklet Printing                 141.49

Total Expenses   $ 468.10

New Balance as of September 31, 2009
Negative   $3006.87    Please consider making a donation to assist us to
spread the message of God's infinite love for ALL His children. You can
do so by using the PAYPAL links on our web site or send donations
directly to the Mission's Bank Account. Send to: Mission Saints Sergious
& Bacchus c/o Middlesex Savings Bank 850 Washington Street Holliston, MA
01746 Mission Web Site: www.missionstsergius.org
All Materials are copywriten (c) Franciscans of Divine Mercy


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You Are One Of A Kind

A Reflection for October 11, 2009

by Rev. Robert Johnnene OFD Mission Sts. Sergius & Bacchus/Franciscans
of Divine Mercy

Reformed Catholic Church New England

www.missionstsergius.org



When I was preaching a sermon on a recent Sunday one of the members of
the Faith Community said to me, "You Are One of a kind" to which
I replied "Is that a good thing or a bad thing", they replied;
"Very Good".

Later I began to ponder on this exchange during the middle of my sermon
which was on God's infinite love for ALL His children. The more I
pondered it the more I came to realize that indeed it is a wonderful
thing that God has created each of us different.

We have unique genes which separates us from each other and from all the
other members of our family. Our children are different from us in some
unique way and not exactly a clone of us.

That is the wonder of God's creation. No two things are exactly
alike and for that reason we need to acknowledge and rejoice in that
difference. This past week I attended a Spiritual Directors Workshop
which centered on the universality of God. It asked us to find God in
all things in the universe.

When we recognize the uniqueness of nature and the universe and the
order of it all we can not but see the power of God.

In the first reading for this Sunday from Wisdom 7:7-11 we read the
following; I prayed, and understanding was given me; I entreated, and
the spirit of Wisdom came to me. I esteemed her more than scepters and
thrones; compared with her, I held riches as nothing. I reckoned no
priceless stone to be her peer, for compared with her, all gold is a
pinch of sand, and beside her silver ranks as mud. I loved her more than
health or beauty, preferred her to the light, since her radiance never
sleeps. In her company all good things came to me, at her hands riches
not to be numbered.

The first Reading from Hebrews 4:12-13 says; The word of God is
something alive and active.

God is alive and in every thing that exists, all things are brought into
existence by and through God and all are different.

Just imagine how dull and uninteresting this world would be if every
person looked and acted exactly like the other, if every flower was the
exactly the same, smelled and looked and the same color. Every day was
exactly like the day before. Think about the film GROUNDHOG DAY were
Phil (Bill Murray) keeps repeating the same thing day after day.

God, in His wisdom knows how bored we humans can get when our lives
become dull.

He also knew that without diversity we would not have developed and
grown as we have but would have remained the same as the day Adam and
Eve were expelled from the garden of Eden for succumbing to the
temptations of Satan.

If every person were a genius in the same field we would not have the
scientific advancements we have achieved. Our world would have remained
as it was 13.7 Billion years ago when God brought it into being.

God gave every person uniqueness and special gifts, as we are reminded
in Romans 12:4-11 "For, as in one body we have many members, but all
the members have not the same office; thus we, [being] many, are one
body in Christ, and each one members one with the other. But having
different gifts, according to the grace which has been given to you"
and again in First Corinthians 12 "Now there are varieties of gifts,
but the same Spirit. And there are varieties of ministries, and the same
Lord. There are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all
things.... and all the members of the body, though they are many, are
one body, so also is Christ."

God, who is perfection, created people different for reasons only He
knows. God had a purpose for all things that he created and continues to
create as this universe expands.

We need to respect not only every human person but all of God's
creation for we are all united together with each other and all that is
a part of the universe. God is found in all things, even those we
consider bad, if we look for God in all things.

We have no right to question God, who is perfection, but we need to be
grateful that God did create us with diversity and difference. We need
to glorify god for the differences He has created and not exclude anyone
because they do not conform to our idea of what people should be.

We need to use God's gifts to lift up those who are disheartened and
always remember the words found in Matthew 7:10-12; "If you, then,
though you are Imperfect, know how to give good gifts to your children,
how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who
ask him!"(Matthew 7:10-12) AMEN




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I just updated our group website! Sign up and check it out at
http://everlastingloveofchristministry.grouply.com/register?r=132009&vt=8771\
2534
.

  If you have already registered, you can login at
http://everlastingloveofchristministry.grouply.com/  .

  Let me know what you think!

  Rev. Bob





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Peace Be With You
A Reflection for the feast of Saint Francis of Assisi
By Rev. Robert Johnnene OFD
Mission Saints Sergius and Bacchus / Franciscans of Divine Mercy
Reformed Catholic Church New England
www.missionstsergius.org
"Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred, let
me sow love."
These words from the peace prayer of Saint Francis could not be more
poignant today than at the time they were first attributed to our
seraphic Father, Saint Francis of Assisi whose feast day is Sunday the
4th of October.
This year we not only honor the Seraphic Father of all Franciscan orders
around the world but the 800th anniversary of the approval of the Rule
of St. Francis by which we all live.
There are Franciscans in the Anglican, Roman, Reformed and Old Catholic
traditions.
While watching the film of the life of Saint Francis I was reminded of a
another film THE GROUND TRUTH which depicts the horrors that our men and
women who fight in wars face on return.
Like the young men and women of today in that film who went off to fight
for their country in the belief that they were doing the right thing
after 9/11, St. Francis had gone off to fight for his state and became
very sick and in that sickness saw a vision of Christ. He came to the
realization that war was not an answer.
Francis came back to denounce all violence and the corrupt and excessive
ways of the world.
He rejected all the fineries and luxuries of the world for the simple
life.  Francis then went on to restore a sense of God's infinite
mercy and love and the message of Christ peace into the world and the
church of his time.  He lived off the generosity of others and on what
he received for his labor, in fact it is a part of his rule that all
Franciscans work for their basic needs and beg for things to continue
their service to Almighty God.
After watching the film on St. Francis I revisited the film THE GROUND
TRUTH, which depicts the effect war has had on the innocent youth of our
nation who volunteered to serve their country in the belief that they
were doing their patriotic duty after the terrible events of 9/11. The
film is told in their words and the words of the parents who lost their
children.  Most of those in the film feel abandoned by their country
especially after their child gave the ultimate sacrifice.
THE GROUND TRUTH, is a film that every person in the world should see.
It will open your mind just a powerfully as the vision of Christ did for
Saint Francis.  The toll of war is one that society lives  with for
centuries to come and if it is not addressed today by all of us it will
continue to take a toll on our children, grandchildren and great
grandchildren.
I am also reminded of the song I used to sing with my students LET THERE
BE PEACE ON EARTH written by Sy Miller and Jill Jackson in 1955 another
time of an uncertain and questionable war.  It has the following words;
"Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me, Let there be
peace on earth, the peace that was meant to be. With God as our Father,
brothers all are we, Let me walk with my brother, in perfect harmony.
Let peace begin with me, let this be the moment now."
I urge everyone, on this feast of St. Francis,  to think seriously about
how war and greed are destroying lives and ask yourselves what you might
be able to do to bring about changes.
Ask yourself if the consequences of war are worth the toll that is
taking on our future generations.
There has got to be a better way as Saint Francis concluded and just
possibly, He and Almighty God are trying to tell us the same thing on
this the day we celebrate his life and the 800th anniversary of the
approval of the Rule All Franciscan orders live by.
Let us all say aloud the words of Christ found in John 14:27, "Peace be
with you .my peace be unto you" (Luke 24:36) and call to mind the
directions given in Psalm 34:14, "Turn from evil and do good; seek
peace and pursue it." And from Jeremiah 28:9 "But the prophet
who prophesies peace will be recognized as one truly sent by the LORD
only if his prediction comes true."
I end with the words from Romans 14:19 "Let us therefore make every
effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification." and the
words of Christ from the sermon on the Mount "Blessed are the
PEACEMAKERS, for they shall be known as the Children of God."
May the spirit of Saint Francis and His desire to bring the peace of
Christ into everyone's heart and soul fill us with that desire and
draw us to action in achieving true and lasting peace among all
God's children.
AMEN



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Honoring the Angels of God

A reflection for the Feast of the Archangels Sept. 29th

By Rev. Robert Johnnene OFD

Mission Saints Sergius and Bacchus/ Franciscans of Divine Mercy

Reformed Catholic Church New England

www.missionstsergius.org <http://www.missionstsergius.org/>

　

On September 29th we celebrate the feast of the Archangels. The best and
most well known of these are Gabriel, Michael, and Raphael and some
people know of Uriel but in reality there are many more Archangels, each
with a specific mission to perform for God. The mission of all angels is
to help you remember your divine identity, or who you are and why you
are here. Angels were created as messengers of God.
Scripture reveals that God created nine orders of angels: Seraphim,
Cherubim, Thrones, Dominations, Principalities, Powers, Virtues,
Archangels, and Angels. Of the nine choirs, the Archangels are probably
best known to us. They are the battlers of the Sons of Darkness,
Lucifer, whose ambitions were a distortion of God's plan, and is known
to us through the various religious teachings as the fallen angel, with
the use of many names, among which are Satan, Belial, Beelzebub and the
Devil.
The most well know of the Archangels are Michael, Gabriel, Raphael,
Urial, and the balance of the seven great archangels are know by the
names of Metatron, Remiel, Sariel, Anael, Raguel and Raziel.

The Archangels were the divine messengers between humans and God. The
Archangels are powerful Beings of Light who are said to assist all to
recognizing habits and beliefs that prevent you from receiving God's
infinite mercy and love.

The gifts most notable of the Archangels are:

Gabriel is the angel of the Incarnation and of Consolation, and so in
Christian Tradition Gabriel is ever the angel of mercy. References to
Gabriel are found in the Old Testament in Daniel 8 and 9 Gabriel is most
often noted as the messenger of the Annunciation where he tells Mary of
the impending birth of Christ. Gabriel is accredited, in myth, as the
angel who selects souls from heaven to be birthed into the material
world and spends the nine months as the child is being developed
informing the new person of what he or she will need to know on Earth,
only to silence the child before birth by pressing his finger onto the
child's lips, thus producing the cleft below a person's nose.

Michael ("Who is as God"): Regardless of which major faith's angelic
beings are being followed, Michael ranks as the highest of the heavenly
host. He is the leader of the celestial armies and is the angel who
fought Satan during the War and enchained the rebel leader. He is
considered to be of the class of seraphim and is also head of other
ranks within the hierarchy. Michael is considered to be the angel of the
burning bush through which God spoke to Moses, and has also appeared in
the book of Daniel, where God calls him as being the highest within the
angelic ranks. It is Michael who weighs the souls on judgment day, after
his battle once more with the forces of evil. He is mentioned as a
protector and the angel who kept Satan from claiming the body of Moses
after the patriarch's death. Michael is venerated by many Latin and
European Nations and is held in esteem by Christians of all
denominations and by the New Ager's.
Urial ("Fire of God") rules Ministration and Peace. His name is
interpreted variously as, "God is My Light"; "God is Light"; "Radiation
of God"; "God is the Radiating Principle of Light", and, "Fire of God."
Urial stands with a fiery sword at the Gate of the Lost Eden. His symbol
is an open hand holding a flame, which he offers as the Flame of Love
towards all souls. In the Book of Enoch Urial was called the Angel who
"watches over thunder and terror" (Enoch 1).

As one of the most faithful and dedicated members of the host, Urial was
also placed in charge of Hades and warned Noah of the impending flood
(although Raphael is credited with teaching the building of the ark),
and attacked Moses for failing to circumcise his son. Accepted as an
archangel by the Church for many centuries, he was finally removed from
the records in 745 CE as the Church became increasingly concerned with
the prominence the public was placing upon angels.

Raphael ("God has healed" or 'the shining one who heals" is
mentioned as being a member of the cherubim, dominations and powers. He
is attributed as the chief of virtues, although that ranking has also
been given to Michael, and also can be considered head of the guardian
angels. His most notable appearance in scripture is his guiding of young
Tobias in the apocryphal book of Tobit where he teaches the lad about
medicine and demon exorcising among other things. In his role as healer,
Raphael eased the pain of Abraham after his circumcision, and is
credited with healing Jacob's thigh after Jacob wrestles with another
angel. Raphael is also considered to be a patron of the sciences,
medicine and teaching .Raphael is often depicted carrying a pilgrim's
staff. Raphael is one of God's most faithful angels. One of the first
angels created by God, through his great contact with the Corporeal
world, Raphael has become increasingly devoted to the human race. He is
declared in the book of Enoch as being "set over all the diseases and
all the wounds of the children of men". It is Raphael's lot to watch
over Man, and safeguard his charges from illness and disease.

Angels are accepted and believed in by almost all religions but
especially Jewish, Christian, and Muslim and Latter Day Saints.

We might consider petitioning Almighty God to send forth His angels to
guide those who accept and believe in Him to inspire the leaders of ALL
faiths to find a way to bring about peace and brotherhood to all nations
and religions.

Friday is the feast which honors our Guardian Angels, those are the
angels who are assigned to watch over each of us as we journey through
this earthly plane daily. Below is a prayer I wrote to Our Guardian
Angels.



Prayer to Guardian Angel

By Rev. Bob Johnnene OFD © 2001



Dear Angel at my side, my good and loyal friend, you have been with me
since the moment I was born. You are my own personal guardian, given to
me by Almighty God as my guide and protector and you will be with me
until the moment I die.

You assisted, in great joy, at my Baptism when I became a part of the
Mystical Body of Christ, a member of the household of God and an heir to
Heaven.

Help me to appreciate these gifts, Help me to realize, as you do, with
every fiber of my being, that to serve Christ is to be like a king.

Help me to steadfastly avoid all evil, to do good and always guard my
soul from all sin and occasions of sin.

Protect me as well from all physical evils as I go about my work and
play.

Help me, when my time comes, to face death bravely, patiently, with
great love of God, knowing that it is only in death that we might come
to Him in heaven.

This I pray so that I may join you and all the angels and saints in
praising Almighty God forever and ever.

Amen



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2 Weeks of Special Feasts to Reflect Upon
Rev. Robert Johnnene OFD
Mission Saints Sergius and Bacchus / Franciscans of Divine Mercy
Reformed Catholic Church New England
www.missionstsergius.org
   The coming two weeks has very special meaning not only to me, our
ministry and the Franciscans of Divine Mercy but to the entire Universal
Church.
Beginning with the feast of the Archangels on the 29th of September and
continuing through October 7th  the church celebrates the lives and
memory of many important saints whose lives  have given us inspiration.
On the various feast days you may want to pray for the intercession of
those honored and reflect on their life and how they lived to serve God
and others and, like the patron saints of our ministry, Saints Sergius
and Bacchus, who were willing to die rather than deny God. I will be
posting special reflections for some of these feasts but I thought a
"heads up" on the forthcoming  two weeks was in order.
September 29th is the feast of all the Archangels those we often hear
about Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, Urial and the others.
On October 1st we celebrate the life of SAINT THERESE OF LISIEUX known
as Therese of the Child Jesus; the Little Flower; the Little Flower of
Jesus. Cured from an illness at age eight when a statue of the Blessed
Virgin Mary smiled at her, she became a Carmelite Nun at age 15. Therese
defined her path to God and holiness as "The Little Way," which
consisted of love and trust in God. This message of trust is one we all
need to take to heart. Since one of my favorite relatives was also a
member of the Carmelite order, I have long had a special devotion to St.
Therese because of my cousin Sister Ann of Jesus who was a Carmelite.
On Friday the 2nd of October we celebrate the feast in honor of Our
Guardian Angels whom God has given the task of watching over us and
guide us if we seek their guidance.
Sunday October 4th is traditionally the Feast of Our seraphic Father,
Saint Francis of Assisi who founded and wrote the rule by which all
Franciscans live. Francis preached the Gospel of love, compassion and
mercy of God and spoke out against the luxurious excesses that many of
the church hierarchy were living. Francis gave up a life of wealth and
prestige for one of poverty and service to the poorest and rejected of
his time.
Sunday the 4th is also designated as Respect For Life Sunday which seeks
to remind all of us that ALL LIFE is precious and a gift from God. All
life, regardless of race, gender, religious affiliation, or sexual
orientation deserves respect.
October 5th is the feast day of Saint Faustina Kowalska who received
from the Lord a message of mercy that she was told to spread throughout
the world. She was asked to become the apostle and secretary of God's
mercy, a model of how to be merciful to others, and an instrument for
reemphasizing God's plan of mercy for the world. Her life was based on
deep humility, purity of intention, and loving obedience to the will of
God in imitation of the virtues of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The message
of the infinite and divine mercy and love of God is now being spread
throughout the world. St. Faustina had a vision of Christ with his arms
outstretched and rays of the colors of the rainbow were radiating from
His Sacred Heart which we now know as the Image of Divine mercy. Our
Franciscan Order is dedicated to the message of Divine Mercy.
Wednesday the 7th is the feast day of the patron saints of our ministry,
Saints Sergius and Bacchus. Saints Sergius and Bacchus were lovers in a
blessed committed relationship who suffered persecution and martyrdom
rather than deny the love of Christ. I will be posting a reflection of
there history and how they became the patrons of our ministry later this
week.  The 7th of October is also the feast honoring Our Blessed Mother
Mary under the title of Our Lady of the Rosary.
   On each of these feast days, you may want to take a moment to reflect
on the saint being honored and offer a prayer of petition asking  them
to intercede on your behalf to Almighty God for your special intentions
and help in living your daily life in accord with God's will as
Christ taught us..
Each of these saints lives is stresses the message of the infinite and
everlasting compassion, love, mercy and forgiveness of Almighty God for
all His children and God's desire for all His children to
participate in and be active participants in His Mystical Body, The
Church, through prayer, the sacraments and living a life that reflects
Christ's message of Love for all people regardless of their sexual
orientation, race, marital status of practice of worship to Him.
May God Bless each and every one of us with the knowledge of His truth
and the courage to live in a way that brings honor and glory to Him.
AMEN


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Doing the Work of The Lord
A Reflection on the Readings for  September 27th 2009
Numbers 11:25-29, Psalm 18, James 5:1-6, Mark 9:38-48
By Rev. Robert Johnnene OFD
Mission Saints Sergius and Bacchus / Franciscans of Divine Mercy
Reformed Catholic Church of New England
www.missionstsergius.org
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EverlastingLoveOfChristMinistry
This Sunday's readings have, it seems to me, a very important
message for all who claim to be Christians and followers of Christ. One
of the most important is found in the message of the Psalm which affirms
the truth about Almighty God.  That truth is that He listens to us and
answers our prayers. If we put our lives in God's hands, He will
protect us and make life safe for us. There is, of course, one condition
and it is, we have to live according to how Christ's instructed us.
"I love you, O LORD, my strength. The LORD is my rock, my fortress
and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my
shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I call to the LORD,
who is worthy of praise, and I am saved from my enemies. For I have kept
the ways of the LORD; I have not done evil by turning from my God."
(Psalm 18)
A second and even more powerful message is that by placing our measure
of success in material things we are leading ourselves to possible
destruction. The message found in James 5 is crystal clear, on several
points.
One concerns how we gain our earthly wealth. If we have accumulated
profit at the expense of others that profit will be like a fire that
consumes you. It also places blame for many of the problems that our
world is facing on those who live for material and financial gain
without concern for those who are in need.
"Now an answer for the rich. Start crying; weep for the miseries
that are coming to you. You stored up as your treasure for the last days
a burning fire. Laborers mowed your fields, and you cheated them –
listen to the wages that you kept back, calling out; realize that the
cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. On
earth you have had a life of comfort and luxury; in the time of
slaughter you went on eating to your heart's content. It was you who
condemned the innocent and killed them". (James 5).
The third message found in this weeks' readings concerns those who
seem to feel that they speak for God and can decide who is worthy to
participate in offering honor, praise and glory. .They firmly believe
that their path is the only path to God and that they can decide who is
worthy and who is not.
In the Gospel reading when the apostles told Jesus that they tried to
stop people who were not of their group from prophesying and performing
miracles in the name of Almighty God Jesus said: "You must not stop
them: no one who works a miracle in my name is likely to speak evil of
me. Anyone who is not against us is for us.  If anyone gives you a cup
of water to drink just because you belong to Christ, then I tell you
solemnly, he will most certainly not lose his reward.' anyone who is
an obstacle to bring down one of these little ones who have faith, would
be better thrown into the sea with a great millstone round his
neck". (Mark 9)
Lastly, the reading from numbers has a very interesting and thought
provoking idea for us to ponder.
It concerns a supposition about what the world would be like if everyone
was given the gift of prophesy by God. "If only the whole people of the
Lord were prophets, and the Lord gave his Spirit to them all!" (Numbers
11)
Imagine if every follower of God had the gift of prophesy. If that were
actually the case, the world might not be so quick to declare war
against other nations. People would be more likely to be concerned about
the needs of the poor, hungry, aged, sick, and more likely to be more
compassionate and less judgmental. People would realize that a pure love
between two people is a good thing not to be disparaged and condemned.
As we contemplate the messages of this week's readings and how well
we are living our daily lives in accord with them let us keep in mind
what the scriptures taught us on what God expects of us.
He put us here to gain the greatest wage and wealth of all, Everlasting
life in His presence.
We have been sent out into the vineyards to be the hands, feet, mouth
and spirit of Almighty God and to actively wage the battle against the
powers of darkness who are attempting to replace His infinite mercy,
love, and compassion with hatred, discrimination, war, violence, greed
and self-gratification.
The following is a prayer I offer each day as I attempt to go about my
daily life humbly serving God as best I can while seeking God's
strength to improve.
O Lord, you are my rock, my fortress and my deliverer in whom I take
refuge.
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
to whom I come in contact with each and every day. I dedicate myself to
doing Your will in all things and to become an instrument through which
You might bring about peace and harmony to all your children here on
earth. AMEN  (Written by Fr. Bob Johnnene OFD in 1991 for a retreat
weekend)


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The Last Shall Be First
Reflection on Readings For Sunday September 20th 2009
Wisdom 2:12-20; James 3:16-18; Psalm 54:3-8; Mark 9:30-37
By Rev. Robert Johnnene OFD
Mission Sts. Sergius & Bacchus/ Franciscans of Divine mercy
www.Missionstsergius.org    This week's readings have a series of
powerful messages for us to consider. They talk about how people who
boast about how great they are, how powerful they are could very well be
in danger in God's design of things. I have chosen a few of the
passages from Sunday's readings for us to reflect upon and consider how
and where we, and those in the public eye, are living them.
"Where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and
every evil practice. But the wisdom that comes from heaven is, first
pure; then peace loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good
fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a
harvest of righteousness". (James 3:16)
Where you have envy and selfish ambition, you find disorder and every
evil practice. Envy and selfish ambition, how often have we and leaders
of corporation, governments and churches followed those goals? How does
the scripture tell us to overcome those evil conditions in our life? By
seeking God's wisdom and live a life that is considerate of others,
full of mercy for those who are suffering because of poverty, illness or
who have hurt us in some way. We are told to seek out peace not
vengeance.
Remember what we are told in Romans 12:18-20; "Dear friends, never
avenge yourselves. Leave that to God. For it is written, "I will take
vengeance; I will repay those who deserve it," says the Lord."
In James 3 we are told "The harvest of Righteousness is sown in
peace by those who make peace"
Since we are in the seasonal time of harvest, possibly we need to work
harder than ever before to harvest peace between those with whom we have
had disagreements. We need to try to find the common ground to settle
the petty differences that have divided all who all claim to worship the
one and same Creator God, The God of Abraham, Isaac, David, Jacob and
the Almighty Father of Jesus Christ.
We have sown the seeds of discontent among the seeds of peace and
goodwill. Now we need to harvest peace and goodwill and leave the
discontent for the weeds to be burned and destroyed.
Mark's gospel tells the story of how the apostles were arguing about
who among them was the greater. Christ knew this, as He knows all of our
thoughts, words and actions, and when they got to where they were to
rest, Christ gathered them together and asked what they were discussing.
When no one answered, Christ sat them down and told them; "Jesus sat
down and called for the Twelve to come to him. Then he said, "If you
want to be first, you must be the very last. You must be the servant of
everyone. Jesus then took a little child and had the child stand among
them. Then he took the child in his arms. He said to them, Anyone who
welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me. And anyone
who welcomes me doesn't welcome only me but also the One who sent me."
Can Christ's message to us be any clearer? If we wish to be a true
leader, the first of firsts among people we need to become a servant to
all. We need to have the innocence of a child that knows no anger or
hatred. Hatred, violence, anger are lessons that are learned and then
nurtured by people with agendas of their own.
Our only agenda in life should be to live, work and think of what
Almighty God wants from us. We need to live our life attempting to
emulate our Redeemer and Savior, Jesus Christ, in all of our daily
lives.
We can begin doing this by examining how we relate to the issues that
our family and the world are facing today. Do we judge people on how
they look, their color, the church they attend, who their partner in
life may be, how much money they have? We should judge them on how they
are respectful of the needs of others, how they are always ready to help
someone in trouble or need, by their love of Almighty God.
We live in troubled times. We hear many versions of how life is going to
change for us by doing one thing or another. Politicians will be
promoting their agendas over the next months all claiming to improve our
lives. Television networks are all vying for our eyes claiming to be the
#1 network that gives us the best news and entertainment. Advertisers
tell us our lives will improve by using their product. The truth is the
only way our lives will ever change is if we change them within our
selves. Our lives and the world condition will only change when we begin
to make a serious examination of our behavior and how closely it and our
lives are being lived in relationship to Christ's teachings. The
challenge is ours alone. We can not be seeking to be the top gun but
must be willing to be the servant.  We need to become a servant of God,
serving our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ and work to harvest
peace among all God's children. May God give us the Wisdom to live
according to His way.  May God grant us patience, compassion,
forgiveness, and courage to live according to his way so that we may be
welcomed into His Kingdom with open and loving arms.     AMEN.


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Reflection for The Exaltation of the Holy Cross

Readings From Numbers 21:4-9, Philippians 2:6-11, John 3:13-17

By Rev. Robert Johnnene OFD

Mission Sts. Sergius & Bacchus/ Franciscans of Divine Mercy

Reformed Catholic Church of New England

www.missionstsergius.org <http://www.missionstsergius.org/>



@

gWe adore you, O Christ, and we praise you, because by your Holy
Cross you have redeemed the worldh

On Monday the universal church celebrates the feast commemorating the
finding of the sacred cross upon which Christ died by Saint Helen about
the year 325-326

According to some records it seems that not only were the High Priests
afraid that someone would steal the body of Christ and claim that he had
risen as He said he would they not only convinced Pontius Pilot to post
guards at the tomb of Christ, but they ordered some temple workers to go
out and bury the cross Christ was crucified on so that no one would ever
find it. These workers did not know which cross of the three they found
was the correct one so they buried them all and then covered them with
mounds of stone. Years later, the emperor Hadrian had a temple built on
the hill of Golgotha to honor Aphrodite. The temple was built over the
place where the crosses had been buried and covered also the place where
Christfs tomb was.

Saint Helen decided that she would undertake a search for the cross
after her son Constantine had related the story of his vision of the
cross which told him to fly it as a sign and he would be successful in
his battle.

Upon her arrival in Jerusalem the venerable Saint Helen had no visible
sign of where to look because the area had the temple built on it. She
instructed that the temple be destroyed especially the statue of
Aphrodite. She then was drawn to the area where the pile of stones were
visible after the destruction of the temple and instructed workers to
dig there. Three crosses were uncovered as well as nails and other items
The excavators also found a tomb which they believed might have been the
actual tomb of Christ, since records indicate that Christ was buried in
a rock sepulcher close to the place of His crucifixion.

St. Helen could not be sure which cross was the true cross but Saint
Marcarius, the Bishop of Jerusalem, suggested that they have a gravely
sick woman brought near to the crosses and hoped that if one of them was
the true cross, the woman would be healed. Upon touching the last of the
three crosses, she was instantly healed. Saint Helen was so overjoyed
she ordered her son to have a church built on the site and a major
section of the cross was placed in a Silver casing and placed in the
church while another section was brought to Constantinople. The cross
remained in the church in Jerusalem until 614 when the Persians
plundered Palestine and took the cross to their own country. In 628 the
Emperor Heraclius recovered the cross and restored it to itfs
rightful place.

Tiny Pieces of the cross have been scraped off from both original pieces
and have been distributed over the years, usually imbedded in a replica
of Christ crucified. The amazing thing is that the original major pieces
have never shrunken in size. I, myself, have had a piece of the cross
imbedded in the crucifix of my rosary beads since they were brought from
Rome for me by my cousin Bishop Minnahan.

As the Gospel reading of John proclaims gGod loved the world so
much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may
not be lost but may have eternal life. For God sent his Son into the
world

not to condemn the world, but so that through him the world might be
saved.fh and the reading from Philippians reminds us that;
gJesus Christfs state was divine, yet he did not cling to his
equality with God but emptied himself to assume the condition of a slave
and became as men are; and being as all men are, he was humbler yet,
even to accepting death, death on a cross.h

Let Us Pray; Through the sign of Your Holy Cross, protect your brothers
and sisters, Lord Jesus Christ, from all the temptations of the evil one
and lead us to a greater love for each other as you loved us.

It was by your cross, O Christ, that you redeemed all mankind from their
sinful ways and opened up the gates of heaven to all who proclaim you.
May we be welcomed into your presence when our time here on earth is
over to join with all the Heavenly elect. AMEN



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Reasons to Love The Lord, Our God
A Reflection for the 24th Sunday of Ordinary Time 2009
Based on readings from  Isaiah 50:5-9, James 2:14-18, Mark 8:27-35
By Rev. Robert Johnnene OFD
Mission Sts. Sergius & Bacchus/ Franciscans of Divine Mercy
Reformed Catholic Church of New England
www.missionstsergius.org
"The Lord has opened my ear.  For my part, I made no resistance,
neither did I turn away. I offered my back to those who struck me, my
cheeks to those who tore at my beard; I did not cover my face against
insult and spittle."  (Isaiah 50:5-9)
These words from the book of Isaiah foretold how Jesus Christ would be
treated and how Jesus would react to the ridicule and ultimate sacrifice
He would endure.
These words also should remind us that we might have to endure taunts
and even rejection because of our love for God and because the way of
Christ is not the way of today`s society.
Christ taught compassion, love, mercy, and forgiveness. These are
qualities that are in short supply in today's world.
"What does it profit, my brethren, if a man says he has faith but
has not works? Can his faith save him? If a brother or sister is ill
clad and in lack of daily food, and one of you says to them, "Go in
peace, be warmed and filled," without giving them the things needed for
the body, what does it profit?
So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead. But some one will say,
"You have faith and I have works." Show me your faith apart from your
works, and I by my works will show you my faith."  (James 2:14-18)
These words of James, the brother of Christ and head of the church at
Jerusalem,  explain how we need to act in order to proclaim our faith.
In no uncertain words they say that we live our faith by our actions.
This has been the theme of the last few weeks and a constant theme of
Christ's teachings.
Many people proclaim to be followers of Jesus Christ, but they have
blinders on towards the suffering and pain that exists all around them.
If they are aware of it, they seem to have no desire to put an end to
it.
Our nations leaders who for the most part claim to be Christians are
engaged in discussions to make our health plans more affordable and the
best in the world for all people regardless of their income yet they
resist because of what it might cost or because of their party
affiliations.
What happened to the idea of "Government for the people"
So many people give lip service  but somehow little is really done to
bring and end to homelessness, poverty, affordable medical assistance
for the poor and seniors on low fixed incomes and affordable quality
education for every person.
The Government can find trillions to explore space, wage wars, give tax
breaks and incentives to the rich and corporations that pay their
executives exorbitant salaries, often a thousand time greater than the
average worker receives.
"If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his
cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it; and
whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it."
(Mark 8)
These words of Christ tell us that to become followers of Christ, we
must be willing to endure the crosses we are given. We must deny
ourselves things that are considered luxuries so we can care for the
needs of those who are poor, ill and unable to care for themselves
without help.
Every day I pray to God asking him to provide me with the tools to do
His work here on earth and be able to bring comfort and the sacraments
to those  who cannot get to church or have been told they were not
wanted.
   I try to spread The Good News of God's everlasting compassion,
infinite love and mercy for all His children.
God always hears our prayers, but He only answer us with what is best
for us and at the appropriate time. When people who are sick, need a job
or desire to sell their house or some other need ask God's help, He
hears them, but always gives them what is best for them.
Sometimes he calls the sick person home to him as the best way of ending
their suffering.
It leaves us feeling sad, lonely, and sometimes angry but we need to
realize that God did what was best for them. That is what it means to
deny ourselves. We must accept God's will in our lives, just as
Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane pleaded "Lord remove this cup
from me, but not my will, but yours be done"
Maybe if we make  that prayer the qualification of all our petitions to
God we will not be dissatisfied with God`s answers to our prayers. I
have found that when God deems it right He provides those things I need.
My favorite poem FOOTSTEPS reminds us how God sometimes carries us when
we thought He had abandoned us.  God never leaves us but we often leave
God out of our lives.  I have learned that God needs to be a major part
of our life and in a perfect world God is the center of our life.
We cannot allow ourselves to give up on God, worshiping Him and asking
Him to be with us just because some have told us we are unwanted, or
others try to claim that God is a myth, and still others who are
supposed to represent Him have committed heinous crimes. We need to put
our trust in God and love Him with all our being.  Jesus instructed  us
with these words; "LOVE THE LORD, YOUR GOD, WITH ALL YOUR HEART,
MIND, SOUL AND BODY AND LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOU LOVE YOURSELF"
(Mark 12:30)   Christ also said "LOVE ONE ANOTHER AS I HAVE LOVED
YOU"  God loved us so much He was willing to die so that our sins
could be forgiven and we could attain everlasting life with Him forever.
AMEN
All Materials are copywriten (c) Franciscans of Divine Mercy


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Being Doers of God's Word
A Reflection for the 23rd Sunday of Ordinary Time
Based on readings from: Isaiah 35:4-7, James 2:1-5, Mark 7:31-37
By Rev. Bob Johnnene OFD
Mission Saints Sergius & Bacchus/ Franciscans of Divine Mercy
Reformed Catholic Church of New England
www.missionstsergiou.org   "My brothers, do not try to combine faith in
Jesus Christ, our glorified Lord, with the making of distinctions
between classes of people. Now suppose a man comes into your synagogue,
beautifully dressed and with a gold ring on, and at the same time a poor
man comes in, in shabby clothes, and you take notice of the well-dressed
man, and say, `Come this way to the best seats'; then you tell
the poor man, `Stand over there' or `You can sit on the
floor by my foot-rest.' Can't you see that you have used two
different standards in your mind, and turned yourselves into judges, and
corrupt judges at that?   Listen, my dear brothers: it was those who are
poor according to the world that God chose, to be rich in faith and to
be the heirs to the kingdom which he promised to those who love
him." This reading from James 2:1-5 for could not be any clearer or
a stronger reminder of how we are called, as Followers of Christ, to
treat all the people we encounter on our journey of life.
We are told quite clearly not to discriminate against anyone.  We are
not do judge anyone as regards to their worship or their coming to seek
God or ask forgiveness.
The only judge of a person in regards to their relationship with
Almighty God is God Himself.
When we make assertions that this one or that one surely belongs  in
Hell we are assuming a power that belongs to God alone. Throughout the
holy scriptures we find a common thread on how to live out our lives
here on earth.  From Jesus commandment to us, "love one another:
just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another." (John
13:34) to those of the readings for this Sunday..
We have been told in the past few weeks that it is how a person lives
out their faith and not how much they say words of prayer that is
important.  We need to put action behind the prayers.  We need to live
so that when we face God He can say to us; "" 'You have done well,
my good and faithful servant!' (Luke 19:17) "You have done well
because "When I was hungry. And you gave me something to eat. When I
was thirsty. you gave me something to drink. When I was a stranger. you
invited me in.  When I needed clothes. you clothed me. When I was sick
you took care of me. and when I was in prison. you came to visit me."
'(MATTHEW 25:35-36)
Matthew 25:40 sums up how we can be real followers of Christ and how we
need to live our lives in order for God to greet us with those words
"Well Done my Good and faithful servant." "Anything you did
for one of the least important of these brothers of mine, you did for
me." (Matthew 25:40 )
We have been called to Feed the hungry, Clothe the naked, Visit those in
Prison, quench the thirst for those who thirst, care for the sick and
aged and not discriminate.  James wrote his letter or epistle to the
people of the faith community of Jerusalem some time before he was
executed in 62 AD.  James if referred to as "The Brother of
Christ".   James was the leader of "Bishop" of the Christian
Community in Jerusalem and was one of the twelve that advised Paul on
Christ's teachings  since Paul never actually knew Christ in person
and all Paul writes about is second hand knowledge from those original
apostles he actually had the opportunity to meet.
Chapter 2 of the first epistle of Peter begins, "Stop being hateful!
Quit trying to fool people, and start being sincere. Don't be jealous or
say cruel things about others.".
In James's first epistle chapter 1 verse 22-27 says: "But prove
yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude
themselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is
like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; and once he has
looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind
of person he was. But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law
of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but
an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does.  If anyone
thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not bridle his tongue but
deceives his own heart, this man's religion is worthless. Pure and
undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit
orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by
the world."
Just imagine how much this world could be changed for the better if each
and every one of us were to live our lives in accord with these
teachings. It is never too late to begin. We all have an opportunity to
make a difference in this world.  Look around and see where you can
begin to serve God by serving others. This, I feel, is the message of
this week and the message of how to live as a follower of Christ.
May God guide us and lead us in our service to Him today and always.
AMEN



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