DEACON TOM ANTHONY

Saturday, November 21, 2015







We gather here today to celebrate a most wonderful and glorious event. Coming forward as Christians; brothers and sisters through Our Lord Jesus Christ, we are invited to recognize Our Savior, Lord, and King for who he is: Jesus Christ the King of the Universe. We are called to give him homage. We are called to give him thanks. We are called to love him above all other things. When this happens, we are then open to receive his love and the healing power of our creator in return. The obstacles of sin and rejection are removed. We are healed and forgiven.

Our relationship with Jesus Christ should be simple. It is us who make it so complicated through our denial and focus on the materialistic things of life. We tend to gauge our successes and happiness based on what is acquired and how much we can stimulate our senses through the indulgences of the material; all the while ignoring the foundation of our being: the spiritual. We limit our capabilities by forming obstacles based on wants and needs to be fulfilled for the moment while ignoring the infinite nature of ourselves. This self of ours is to only be fully realized through a direct relationship with God through Jesus Christ. With the presence of the Holy Spirit, which is the Love of God, we become fully united with the Trinity and are ready to live the Christian Experience fully and collectively with God’s Creation. No longer do we remain separate through our own selfishness and disordered desires. We are complete.

Religion comes from the Latin word “relationship.” It is through the way we approach our faith and live our faith that we can more fully experience our lives with God. This relationship with God is the most important relationship in our lives. It is through it that we are capable of fostering all the other relationships we have. When we receive God’s Love we then naturally send it forth from ourselves selflessly and express it through our interactions with God’s Creation. It is not only the human relationships that it affects but also everything else we come in contact with from the smallest particle to the most grandiose mountain. It is all about being connected and knowing that we are connected.  The way we interact will dictate if we can experience the true joy of this life given to us by God.
The first step in all of this is realizing who Jesus Christ is. This cannot be done in a nonchalant manner. It is through him that we approach the Father and receive the Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ is indeed priest, prophet, and king. He is King of the Universe and must be given what is his: our full commitment and love. There can be no compromise in this area. It is through compromise that he is belittled and reduced. That is what Satan wants and this acts brings disorder and chaos; much like we have in society today; a society that has turned its back on God. To bring it back we must embrace Jesus and turn our lives over to him; surrendering to his will and not exercising ours towards sin and temptation.

Christ is King. We are his servants. At the same time, we are his children and will love us as such; lifting us out of that life of servitude and despair into our birthright as Children of God. But first, to recognize ourselves as Children of God, we must first recognize him as our One and Only King. The King of the Universe.

Deacon Tom

No comments:

Post a Comment