Sunday Advent Reflection
November 30, 2014 by
This first Advent Sunday we reflect on the coming of Christ in our world and on His second coming at the end of our own lives and at the end time.
So Advent is God coming to us and our coming to Him.
I sit in the chapel looking out toward White Pine Road and imagine in my mind two groups of people marching
toward each other on the road.
One group is Christ and all our beloved dead who already made it to the other side and our group, the Church, going toward Christ and His group.
Along the way we we get distracted with events, parties, sports, shopping and leave the road for a time.
We are called back this Advent to get serious about the journey.
What doesn’t help us, give it away, for in the end we will have to give it all away. But we give it away only for the great prize – peace and final bliss forever.
Let us pray for each other this Advent.
So Advent is God coming to us and our coming to Him.
I sit in the chapel looking out toward White Pine Road and imagine in my mind two groups of people marching
toward each other on the road.
One group is Christ and all our beloved dead who already made it to the other side and our group, the Church, going toward Christ and His group.
Along the way we we get distracted with events, parties, sports, shopping and leave the road for a time.
We are called back this Advent to get serious about the journey.
What doesn’t help us, give it away, for in the end we will have to give it all away. But we give it away only for the great prize – peace and final bliss forever.
Let us pray for each other this Advent.
Advent Day 1 – Our Tainted Offering
November 30, 2014 by
By Father Robert Baron
Advent Day 1 – Our Tainted Offering
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We all know that Lent is a penitential season, a time when Christians get in touch with their sins. But Advent has a penitential dimension, too. It is the season in which we prepare for the coming of the Savior, and we don’t need a Savior unless we’re deeply convinced there is something to be saved from.
Our first reading at Mass today, from the end of the book of the prophet Isaiah, affirms this with a whole series of images describing our sinful condition. For example, we hear this wonderful and terrible line: “All our good deeds are like polluted rags; we have all withered like leaves, and our guilt carries us away like the wind.” When we have become deeply aware of our sin, we know that we can cling to nothing in ourselves, that everything we offer is, to some degree, tainted and impure. We can’t show our cultural, professional, and personal accomplishments to God as though they are enough to save us. But the moment we realize that fact, we move into the Advent spirit, desperately craving a Savior. We become ready for the last image from today’s reading: “Yet, O Lord, you are our father; we are the clay and you are the potter: we are all the work of your hands.” Today, let us prepare ourselves for the potter to come. |
1st Sunday in Advent
November 30, 2014 by
WATCH AND PRAY
(A biblical reflection on THE FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT [Year B], 30 November 2014)
Gospel Reading: Mark 13:33-37
First Reading: Isaiah 63:16-17,19;64:1,3-8; Psalms: Psalm 80:2-3,15-16,18-19; Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 1:3-9
The Scripture Text“Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time will come. It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his servants in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to be on the watch. Watch therefore – for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or in the morning – lest he come suddenly and find you asleep. And what I say to you I say to all: Watch.” (Mark 13:33-37 RSV)
Once upon a time, God, the infinite, eternal and all powerful One, came down to meet us on the dusty roads of human life. In the flesh of Jesus Christ, God walked with us through our light and darkness, our joys and sorrows, our solitude and relationships. Scripture writers called it the “fullness of time”. Things would never be the same again.
In Jesus Christ, God spoke to us in the human language that we can understand. His life warmly portrays God’s love and concern for us. And yet the story is not complete. The journey stretches on until we fully share in Christ’s glorification. That will be at the completion of life’s journey. For the moment we are a people on the way.
Advent is a time of waiting and watching. It is a very special time for Christians. It opens the Church’s year by picking up the theme of our journey towards Christ who is coming back to meet us. We are not like wandering nomads who have no sure purpose or definite direction. We have the pilgrim’s destiny with God. We travel forward on a road of unknown length until Christ will come again.
The focus of the first Sunday of Advent is on the Second Coming of Christ. The parable of the doorkeeper speaks of the master who will come back to the servants. The message for the servants is twofold: “Be on your guard and stay awake” …… watch and pray.One task of the doorkeeper’s employment is to keep out unwanted visitors and intruders. Here the parable is a moral warning not to open up our doors to the ways of sin. Each passing day we are to watch with the vigilant eye of the sentry to prevent any intrusions of the enemy.
The unexamined life is a city with no sentries on its walls. Anybody who is serious about living a spiritual life is advised to undertake a daily reflection on our situation. This means more than counting up the number of our faults. It involves an honesty about what motivates us in the things we do.
We are sometimes surprised when we recognize that some exemplary deeds are done out of very subtle, selfish motivation. We may be doing the right things only to be praised or at least recognized as virtuous, to impress others, or as part of a self-seeking bargain with God. In daily reflection we guard against the intrusions of selfishness in our motivation.
The second task to the doorkeeper is to open up promptly to all who have the right to enter. Applied to the spiritual life, this means a spirit of prayerfulness or sensitivity to God. The sensitive soul is awake with all the longing of the lover for the approaching footsteps of the beloved. But what is He line, this God-who-comes? In today’s first reading Isaiah uses three very appealing names for God … our Father, our Redeemer and the potter.
God is the Father who has created us with the potential to share in the divine life. God is the Redeemer who continues to pay the price of liberating us from slavery to incomplete forms of life. He offers us life to the full. And God is the potter who is ever crafting our lives anew. The present clay may be messy and, in our view, without meaningful form or beauty. But the divine craftsman can mould and fashion an amazing masterpiece in the twinkling of an eye.The God who is coming back the road to meet us wants to lift us up as His children, wants to liberate us and fashion us anew.
Do not think of the Second Coming as so distant and unknown as to be irrelevant to the hurly-burly of today’s living. If we are spiritually vigilant and alert then the future will draw us forward towards God. Our hope will energize us by supporting us when we are weak and encouraging us to persevere.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, we believe that our lives are on a journey towards our heavenly Father who is reaching back to us this day and every day. So, we will be on our guard lest the ways of sin enslave our thoughts. We will also watch in prayer, be vigilant and alert to the daily visitations of the Holy Spirit to our souls. Praised be the name of the Holy Trinity, Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Jakarta, 27 November 2014
A Christian Pilgrim
Advent – Sunday November 30,2014
November 28, 2014 by
Here are some brief notes for a Advent reflection from Father Raymond Brown
A Coming Christ in Advent
Cheat Sheets of Notes
Saint Matthew account of the genealogy of Jesus contains the
essential theology of the
Old Testament
New Testament
for the whole Church
- Orthodox
- roman Catholic
- Protestant
Brown says Ulrich Zwingli preached it back in the time of the Reformation.
It is the idea of Salvation by Grace.
The genealogy of Jesus is lopsided
-
Abraham begets Isaac
-
No mention of Ishmael who is a victim here
-
Isaac begets Jacob- not a word about Esau-whom Jacob stole his birthright.
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Jacob begets Judah -why is Judah mentioned and not the good and extraordinary Joseph.
Matthew shows God does not necessarily select the most deserving person. It is Salvation by Grace.
Thanksgiving Day 2014 November 27
November 27, 2014 by
Thanksgiving Proclamation
Issued by President George Washington on October 3, 1789
By the President of the United States of America, a Proclamation
Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor; and-Whereas both Houses of Congress have, by their joint committee, requested me “to recommend to the people of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness:”
Now, therefore, I do recommend and assign Thursday, the 26th day of November next, to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be; that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this country previous to their becoming a nation; for the signal and manifold mercies and the favor, able interpositions of His providence in the course and conclusion of the late war; for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty which we have since enjoyed; for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national one now lately instituted; for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed, and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and, in general, for all the great and various favors which He has been pleased to confer upon us. And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations, and beseech Him to pardon our national and other transgressions; to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually; to render our National Government a blessing to all the people by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed; to protect and guide all sovereigns and nations (especially such as have shown kindness to us), and to bless them with good governments, peace, and concord; to promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and us; and, generally, to grant unto all mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as He alone knows to be best.
– George Washington
Tuesday November 25- Sister Donna’s Milestone Celebration
November 26, 2014 by
Our Sister Donna celebrated twenty-five years as a Poor Clare in our Monastery.
The Celebration was simple but elegant and she chose to celebrate it with just her family of Sisters here.
Friar John Franles OFM from Brant Beach, NJ was the celebrant and joined us for our Dinner and the unwrapping of Sister Donna’s gifts. Father John gave Sister Donna a whimsical snowman which all the Sisters enjoyed seeing.
Sister Donna chose Paul’s letter to the Colossians about practical suggestions on how to live a Christian life and the passage from the Gospel of John about God is love.
Our Sister Etta was the cook and the meal was very delicious.
Many more years as a Poor Clare , Sister Donna.
Giving Thanks
November 24, 2014 by
So much to give thanks to the Lord.
We give thanks always to God
for the
God of Justice
who gives us
what we deserve
We give thanks to
the God of Mercy
who gives us
what we don’t deserve
and to
the god of Love
who gives us
more than we deserve.
Happy Thanksgiving.
Sunday, 23 November 2014 A biblical reflection on the SOLEMNITY OF CHRIST THE KING
November 23, 2014 by
JESUS CHRIST: OUR SHEPHERD AND OUR KING
(A biblical reflection on the SOLEMNITY OF CHRIST THE KING – Sunday, 23 November 2014
Gospel Reading: Matthew 25:31-46
First Reading: Ezekiel 34:11-12,15-17; Psalms: Psalm 23:1-3,5-6; Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 15:20-26,28
The Scripture Text“When the Son of man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. Before Him will be gathered all the nations, and He will separate them one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and He will place the sheep at His right hand, but the goats at the left. Then the King will say to those at His right hand, ‘Come, O blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave Me food, I was thirsty and you gave Me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed Me, I was naked and you clothed Me, I was sick and you visited Me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see Thee a stranger and welcome Thee, or naked and clothe Thee? And when did we see Thee sick or in prison and visit Thee? And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’ Then He will say to those at His left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and you gave Me no food, I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome Me, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’ Then they also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see Thee hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to Thee? Then He will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it not to one of the least of these, you did it not to Me.’ And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” (Matthew 25:31-46 RSV)
What does a shepherd have in common with a king? Very little, it would seem. One is a poor, solitary country herdsman, and the other a powerful national ruler. These occupations come together, however, in two of the greatest figures in the Bible. First, there is David, the humble shepherd who was plucked from his sheepfold and anointed to rule as king over Israel. Then, there is Jesus, King of kings and Lord of lords, who called Himself “the good shepherd” (John 10:11).Before we celebrate Jesus as the sovereign King enthroned at the right hand of the Father. We also look forward to His further glorification after the Last Judgment. At that time, people from every nation under heaven will acknowledge His sovereignty and rejoice in His power. Jesus’ Kingdom has no end! The whole world will be silent before Him and His judgments. He is the magnificent, unequivocal king of glory and ruler of all creation!
Yet even in His role as king, Jesus tends His flock as a shepherd (Matthew 25:32). This is just what God promised ages earlier: “I Myself will be the shepherd of My sheep” (Ezekiel 34:15). Jesus, our compassionate shepherd king, does not want to see His sheep left unattended or in need. He Himself wants to bind up our wounds and lead us gently to His home.
Jesus’ roles as a king ruling with great authority and a shepherd filled with gentle compassion are not contradictions or mutually exclusive. They are one and the same thing! Jesus is King precisely because He rules with compassion. It is His very compassion and mercy that make Him King and ruler of all creation. There is no other who compares to Him, and no other who deserves our worship. Given these characteristics of Christ the King, what else can we do but bow down before Him? What else can we do but let Him lead us with His rod and His staff? Let us gratefully declare with David, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want”!
Prayer: Lord Jesus, I adore You as my King! I am thankful that You protect me, care for me, and hear me when I call You. Grant me Your goodness and mercy all the days of my life. May I dwell with You in Your Kingdom forever! Amen.
Bandung, West Java, 21 November 2014
A Christian Pilgrim
Holy Name Postulants Visit the Monastery November 17 Monday
November 19, 2014 by
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The Holy Name Postulants and their Director , Friar Ron Pecci OFM,
visited our Monastery November 17, 2014.
The Friars came for the Eucharistic Liturgy, dinner and after, the sharing of their vocation stories.
Fria Ron took the picture and that is why he is not in it.
May God give these young mean joy and perseverance in their vocation.
