“THE SECOND WEEK OF ADVENT”

 

Here we are in the Second Week of Advent, discerning the Second Coming of Our Lord Jesus Christ. I have to say that the first week flew by and now we are settling in for the remaining three. The Word of God is being revealed to us through Isaiah and we are asked to slow down, to remove ourselves from the day to day motions of the world and really concentrate on where we are in this season; as a Church and as individuals.

 

The Advent Wreath serves as a tool in this process and can really enrich our journey through this season. As we light a new candle each week, a special significance comes with it; not only for that season or for that week but something that can be carried throughout the year.  Last week it was Faith and Hope.  These words define who we are as Christians. We are told to have faith that Christ will come again, to have faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, and to give everything over to Jesus. We are taught to release our troubles, to let go of our burdens, and to dry our tears. If we are indeed a faith-filled community, then we must do this. Know that Christ is our companion and our guide throughout this life of ours. It is a shared relationship. He feels what we feel and he understands when we hurt.  By embracing our faith, we are able to become closer to Jesus. By practicing our faith, we are able to develop and strengthen our relationship more than it is now. The more we do these things, the more we are able to understand the world that we live in.

 

We can relate to the Prophet Isaiah. Isaiah, living in a world gone mad, was called to the Prophetic Office. He rose up and challenged all those before him to reform their lives, rebuild their relationship with God, and then offered a vision of salvation that would not be realized until over 700 years later through the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Through Isaiah, the stage was being set for the coming of Our Lord Jesus Christ.  Today, The Season of advent calls us to the same task. We must challenge ourselves to reform our lives, rebuild our relationship with God, and have the faith and fortitude that vision of salvation we have through Our Lord Jesus Christ.

Now, this past Sunday the second candle of lit. We are further called to repentance and acknowledgement of our past sins. We are challenged to better ourselves and to conduct ourselves as Christians possessing the keys to eternal life. We are the keepers of the Living Word and must act accordingly. We are warned that we do not know when our savior will return but we must remain ever vigilant.

 

In Paul’s Letter to the Corinthians, he described the Crucifixion as “a stumbling block to the Jews and an absurdity to the Gentiles. Yet, we hold that special truth so close and dear to our hearts. This season asks us to hold it so much closer and tighter. We are asked to embrace it. Inside our hearts, we have a longing. That longing is Christ calling to us. We might be restless or we might be frustrated. We might be overwhelmed or underwater.  We must turn to Christ and acknowledge what we already know: that he is God and that we are his children. From there, we need to slowly build everything around that simple understanding and everything else will fall into place.



Spending a great Saturday home with the family. There is definitely a different feeling in the air with the Vigil of Advent upon us. I am truely moved spiritually. I feel myself exhailing and smiling.

I just finished my English and Spanish Posts below. I am looking forward to Evening Prayer tonight and recall what Jesus said: "When you pray, go into your inner room and close the door....

Can't wait until I close the door..............................

 

LA TEMPORADA DE ADVIENTO Y PARA QUÉ DEBE DECIR A USTED

Hoy en día, la Iglesia comenzó un nuevo año litúrgico. Con esto, ahora entramos en la temporada de Adviento. El Adviento es un tiempo de preparación y reflexión. Tenemos el desafío de examinarnos a nosotros mismos y preguntarnos si estamos realmente preparados para la venida de nuestro Salvador Jesucristo. Se nos anima a leer las Escrituras y orar en silencio con nosotros mismos.

Hay un gran silencio asociado con la temporada. Un maravilloso silencio. Cierro los ojos e imaginar la oscuridad. Yo estoy fuera. Nieve cubre el suelo y el frío es todo penetrante que me pongo. No hay ningún lugar para ir. Todas las casas a la vista son oscuros y poco acogedor. ¿Cuántas personas se encuentran en esta posición? Solo y perdido en el mundo de hoy deambulan por la vida con una desesperación que es inimaginable. ¿Dónde está su comodidad? ¿Dónde está la alegría? ¿Dónde estaba su Acción de Gracias? El mundo puede ser un lugar muy grande, cruel cuando alguien se encuentra solo.

A lo lejos hay una luz brillante. Es una luz acogedora que viene de lo alto de una colina. De lo que se refiere calor que derrite el alma. Esto atrae a muchos hacia él con su poder amoroso, llamando a los que se esconden en la oscuridad para llegar a ella, a abandonar todas sus preocupaciones mundanas y que se celebrará en un abrazo amoroso. Hay alegría total y absoluta.
Esta es la Iglesia. Esta es nuestra fe. Esto es lo que creemos y profesamos. Para muchos, la Iglesia es la que ayuda a seguir adelante en sus vidas. Para otros, es su familia. Y aún para otros, es su casa.

El tiempo de Adviento ha comenzado. No podemos mirar hacia la Navidad con expectativa y anticipación cuando lo que tenemos ante nosotros es de treinta días a partir de una temporada que ha sido creada sólo para eso: un tiempo para explorar nuestra relación con Cristo y como El nos influye cada día. Es la temporada para prepararnos para Su Segunda Venida eventual cuando Él estará de nuevo con nosotros en toda Su Gloria y Triunfo. Y con esta temporada viene actos de caridad y amor que definen nuestra fe. A través de toda esta preparación y todos estos actos, nuestra relación con nuestro Salvador se transforma. Como en cualquier relación, cuando se trabaja en él, se desarrolla y se pone mejor. Pregúntate a ti mismo: ¿Cómo es mi relación con Cristo? ¿Cómo puedo hacerlo mejor? ¿Qué más puedo hacer por Cristo? "



 

THE SEASON OF ADVENT AND WHAT IT SHOULD MEAN TO YOU

 

Today, the Church began a new liturgical year. With this, we now enter the Season of Advent. Advent is a time of preparation and reflection. We are challenged to examine ourselves and ask ourselves if we are truly ready for the coming of Our Savior Jesus Christ. We are encouraged to read scripture and to pray quietly to ourselves.

 There is a great silence associate with this season. A Wonderful Silence. I close my eyes and imagine darkness. I am outside. Snow blankets the ground and the cold is penetrating everything that I wear. There is no place to go. All the houses within sight are dark and unwelcoming. How many people find themselves in this position? Alone and lost in the world today they wander through their lives with a hopelessness that is unimaginable. Where is their comfort? Where is their joy? Where was their Thanksgiving? The world can be a large, cruel place when someone finds themselves alone.

 

In the distance there is a bright shining light. It is a welcoming light coming from the top of a hill. From it comes warmth that melts the soul. It draws many towards it with its loving power, calling those hiding in the darkness to come to it; to abandon all their worldly cares and to be held in a loving embrace. There is complete and utter joy.This is the Church. This is Our Faith. This is what we believe and profess. To many, the Church is that which keeps them going in their lives. To others, it is their family. And still to others, it is their home.

 The Season of Advent has begun. We cannot look towards Christmas with expectation and anticipation when what we have before us is thirty days of a season that has been created just for that: a time to explore our relationship with Christ and how He influences us every day. It is season to prepare ourselves for His eventual Second Coming when He will be with us again in all His Glory and Triumph. And with this season comes acts of charity and love which define our faith. Through all this preparation and all these acts, our relationship with our Savior is transformed. As with any relationship, when you work on it, it develops and gets better. Ask yourself: “How is my relationship with Christ? How can I make it better? What more can I do for Christ?”

 

 





tu fe te ha salvado

En nuestra vida habrá momentos en los que todo se pondrá a prueba y se enfrentó con las cosas que nos desafían espiritual, mental y físicamente. Es una expectativa. Nadie está exento de esto. Esto representa una realidad que es inevitable. Como cristianos, tenemos que hacernos una pregunta: "¿Cómo se supone que vamos a abordar estos obstáculos que fácilmente podría poner a prueba nuestra fe en Jesús y nos llevan lejos de él?"

Debemos tomar nuestras respuestas a lo que las Sagradas Escrituras nos dicen y lo que muchos de nuestros hermanos y hermanas que nos hizo cuando se enfrentaron a las pruebas y tribulaciones. Es tan fácil descartar ellos y otras personas en momentos de crisis cuando la cosa natural que hacer es centrarse sólo en nosotros mismos. Esto es un error terrible y podría conducir a consequinces inimaginables. Nadie está realmente sola, y sólo cuando ellos quieren ser. El cristianismo es una comunidad, una familia que está unida por Jesucristo. Vivir en esta realidad, existe la expectativa de amor, apoyo y consuelo en la comunidad. También hay un amor incondicional que DEBE ser dada a todos los que residen en la comunidad.

Muchas veces, la sociedad nos enseña que cada individuo se eleva y cae sobre la base de sus méritos propios y faltas. Dios nos enseña que esto no es cierto. Sí, todos somos responsables de nuestras propias acciones, pero una vez que hay un RECONOCIMIENTO de un pecado o de crisis, la curación y la ayuda viene de Dios y la comunidad, no de una persona. Dios llamó al pueblo judío de regreso a la fe y la curación no individualmente, sino como una comunidad. Fue a través de la comunidad que la sanidad y reconciliación era posible. Es responsabilidad de la persona a responder, pero es gracias al apoyo de los muchos que todos recibimos nuestra fuerza. Es por eso que Jesús realizó milagros: no sólo para la persona que recibe el milagro, sino para que la comunidad pudiera testigo y por lo tanto tienen su fe fortalecida también. Es un acto colectivo.

A través del movimiento de la comunidad todo va hacia adelante con todo un objetivo común se logra. Nadie está solo. De pie solo y sentirse solo debilita el cuerpo vivo de Cristo aquí en la tierra. Cuando actuamos de forma individual, no podemos olvidarnos de la colectividad de nuestra naturaleza. Las acciones individuales afectan al conjunto como acciones del conjunto afectan al individuo. Es por eso que debemos mantener a Cristo en el centro de todos nuestros pensamientos y acciones. Debemos permanecer desinteresados en nuestra naturaleza.
Mientras estamos desinteresados, podemos encontrar a Cristo egoísta y desarrollar nuestra propia relación que a continuación se fortalecerá la fe de los demás.

Diácono Tom

 

         YOUR FAITH HAS SAVED YOU

     

 

 

In our lives there will be times when we all will be tested and confronted with things that will challenge us spiritually, mentally, and physically. It is an expectation. Nobody is exempt from this. This represents a reality which is unavoidable. As Christians, we need to ask ourselves a question: “How are we supposed to approach these obstacles that could easily test our faith in Jesus and lead us away from him?”

We should take our answers from what the Sacred Scriptures tell us and what so many of our brothers and sisters before us did when they faced trials and tribulations. It is so easy to dismiss them and other individuals in times of crisis when the natural thing to do is only focus on ourselves. This is a terrible mistake and could lead to unimaginable consequinces. No one is ever really alone; only when they want to be. Christianity is a community; an extended family that is bound together by Jesus Christ. Living in this reality, there is an expectation of love, support, and consolation in the community. There is also an unconditional love that mustbe given to all who reside in the community.

Too many times, society teaches us that each individual rises and falls based on his or her own merit and faults. God teaches us that this is not true. Yes, we are all responsible for our own actions but once there is an acknowlegement of a sin or of crisis, healing and help comes from God and the community; not from one person. God called the Jewish people back to faith and healing not individually but as a community. It was through the community that healing and reconcilliation was possible. It is the responsibility of the individual to respond but it is through the support of the many that we all receive our strength. This is why Jesus performed miracles: not only for the individual receiving the miracle but so that the community could wintess it and thus have their faith strengthened also. It is a collective act.

Through the movement of the community all going forward with a common goal everything is achieved. No one stands alone. Standing alone and feeling alone weakens the Living Body of Christ here on this earth. When we act individually,we cannot forget the collectivity of our nature. Individual actions affect the whole as actions of the whole affect the individual. That is why we must keep Christ central in all of our thoughts and actions. We must remain selfless in our nature.

As long as we are selfless, we can then encounter Christ selfishly and develop our own relationship which will then strengthen the faith of others.

 

Deacon Tom

WE ARE SLAVES TO CHRIST

Christ suffered so that we might be saved. Christ was crucified so that we could achieve eternal life. We live our lives by his example. As Christians, suffering is an obligation and a way of life. When we suffer, we become more like Christ and are able to understand our faith more fully. We are taught to look to Christ as an example and follow him as disciples. We are his disciples now in all our actions and thoughts.

Christ became a slave for our salvation and the salvation of the world. If Christ became a servant and we are his disciples then we are also servants. Christ is the king of slaves. We must act as slaves and serve the world in his name. Through us the world must see Christ. All we want and desire must come last and what people need is first. Acts of charity and good strengthen our faith. As Christian we must love to do these things. If we all do what we want to last and everyone else is first then Christ becomes the light of the world and saves us all.
We all want something better in our lives.

 

We all want to change our lives and be happy. We must remember to pray for this, but we need to  accept the bad things from God in our lives and celebrate what we suffer on his behalf. Good things happen when we suffer. We know ourselves when we suffer. We understand ourselves when we suffer. After darkness there is always light.
To enjoy the light we have to experience darkness. For light, we must first know the darkness. We should not fear the dark, because we are following the light. Light is Christ. If we understand this, then we can celebrate Christ's suffering and know that we will not suffer forever. We become stronger in our faith only when we suffer as Christ.

God sent his only son to suffer for us and then rose to perfection. He will always do the same for us because He loves us. We will always be protected, loved and saved. So go to him and become his slave.

 DEACON TOM

“MY SOUL PROCLAIMS THE GREATNESS OF THE LORD

August 15^th was truly a great day indeed.  Gathering in Christian Fellowship to celebrate such a glorious solemnity dedicated to Mary the Mother of God who ascended into heaven body and soul to join her beloved son Our Lord Jesus Christ is reason enough to be elated. This is a dogma of our faith; something that we must believe in and profess in our daily lives. The Holy Family Serves as an example as to how we should conduct ourselves in our own families and relationships while Mary herself is an example of how we should love one another with the same love she had for her son Jesus Christ. Mary’s love for her son is perfect in nature. It unites the divine to the human and the human to the divine. We are encouraged to meditate on the relationship between Mary and Jesus; contemplating on how we should approach our own relationships with family, friends, and even those who we meet casually as we go about our daily activities.

 

The foundation of our faith is love and the love that God has for us as his children. Without love we have no faith and with no faith it is impossible to believe in or walk with god. Mary is our greatest intercessor and the greatest expression of Jesus’ love for us. She continues up until this present day to appear to us; bringing messages of love, prayer, and an urgent appeal for all of us to come back to the faith. She constantly speaks of Jesus’ love for us and his plans for the salvation of the world.

 

Reflect on what the Archangel Gabriel said to Mary when he first appeared to her:

 

“HAIL, FAVORED ONE, THE LORD IS WITH THEE….”

 

An archangel, the Messenger of God, addressing a woman such as Mary in that manner? The word “HAIL” itself commands a large amount of respect, honor, and dignity that the one saying the words is giving to the receiver. The individual saying the word is indicating that he or she is sub-servant to the person they are speaking to. In other words, Gabriel has indicated that he is below Mary in stature, rank, honor, greatness, and holiness. Saying that she is with god and favored also shows that Mary is in a perpetual State of Grace because she is already in possession of it and that she is also walking with God as mentioned by the angel. This wasn’t something that was earned. It was given freely by God to Mary and now she would maintain this State of Grace because she will be with the Christ from that point forward through his death and resurrection. Soon afterwards, she would join him once again.

 

When Mary visits her cousin Elizabeth, the Gospel of Luke tells us that Elizabeth was “filled with the Holy Spirit” and began to speak. Being filled with the Holy Spirit and being compelled to speak indicates that it is God talking and not the person. So god spoke through Elizabeth:

 

“BLESSED ARE YOU AMONG WOMEN…”

 

God just elevated Mary above all women on the Earth. Elizabeth goes on further to call Mary,

 

“THE MOTHER OF MY LORD”

 

God himself, through Elizabeth, just called Mary the mother of God.

 

Mary the proclaims in a State of Grace and walking with God that all generations will call her blessed.

 

These are things that we must reflect on and contemplate. By the command of God and the angels we have been told to elevated Mary to a position of reverence, stature, and authority within our faith lives.

 

Ask Mary to intercede for us and have her Beloved Son enter our body, hearts, minds, and souls for our salvation and the salvation of the whole world.

 

Deacon Tom

BEARING FRUIT

In Ezekiel, The imagery put forth is at once beautiful and challenging to our faith. God emphasizes once again that He would take the smallest, most insignificant sprout from a great tree and raise it up to unprecedented heights. This will be placed on a high mountain for Israel. And from it will come fruit. Here we have a vision of Jesus Christ. Israel signifies all of us. We are the birds and the trees. Christ is the greatest of them all and his shadow will cover the entire earth. He will offer comfort, solace, and instruction. 

Through our own Salvation Story we recognize this. With Jesus Christ, all is opposite. The large tree dies. A small tree becomes much stronger. The weak are lifted up. All people are important.

   When we read Sacred Scripture, we must realize that everything leads to Jesus Christ. Our confidence is build with Jesus Christ at the top of mountain. It is the desire of God to make this so. With Jesus Christ, all is opposite. The large tree dies. A small tree becomes much stronger. The weak become strong. All people are important. This is the Christian theme and the road to salvation. Christ calls us in our weakened, sinful state and it is from there that he molds us into a new being. We are a constant work in progress that will never be complete until that fateful day when we are finally taken from this earth and are completely renewed in Jesus Christ.

When we find Christ and respond to his call for us to love him, it is a natural reaction to look at everything in a different way. This includes judging our own actions and the actions of others through a paradigm of expectation that, in the end, no one can ever live up to. We are corrupt by our very nature and struggle with our humanity every day. This struggle is not unique with each individual but it is a shared struggle with successes and failures which will encompass our entire lives. The failures must be recognized as much as the successes but with the intent to improve on them and shape them into perfection; a perfection that will not be achieved in this lifetime. It is about the journey and where we are going. From failures come wisdom and understanding that cannot be achieved any other way. We all must look towards the mountaintop for guidance because that is why it is there. If we were perfect or had that capability to make ourselves perfect then there would be no need to look to the epoch of our faith for guidance. We are not Christ and we are far from Christ-like even though there might be those who think differently. They are called hypocrites.

When we see the light on the mountain, we want to climb it. As Christians, we want to go with the Lord. It is a battle between body and soul. He is our father. Our hearts belong to Him. It is our reality.  Our soul longs to be one with our creator as Paul mentions in the reading today: 

“Yet we are courageous,
and we would rather leave the body and go home to the Lord.
Therefore, we aspire to please him,
whether we are at home or away.”

Yet we are here amidst His creation. We are asked to enjoy it in all of its wonder and beauty but with the realization that there is more to our existence than this life alone. If we don’t, we risk the danger becoming lost while trying to climb the mountain. This must be our constant theme and constant understanding of our faith.

When we remain diligent we can find ourselves becoming stronger in our own formation. Through prayer and an active faith-life we are capable of bearing our own fruit; providing shelter and nourishment for those around us. We become exemplars of Christ; providing solace, comfort, and instruction for others who are climbing that mountain beside us. Together we achieve insurmountable greatness through our Creator and Lord. 

DISCIPLINE

A friend of mine handed me a book telling me that it would be a good book for someone within the Concord Community to read. Being in between books myself, I decided to give it a chance. Seventeen pages into it, a simple quote from the Bible stood out. It was from Timothy (4:7):

“Train yourself for devotion.”

I thought: “What a powerful statement.” It serves as a warning and words of encouragement. Paul then went on to compare the benefits of spiritual training and physical training. Each has a singular purpose: one to improve the performance of the physical body and one to improve the performance of the spiritual body in relation to God. Each can take a lot of dedication and hard work. With focus and endurance, one can witness the betterment in these areas. Regarding the physical training: the body will improve and the outcome is self-evident both in appearance and capability. In the spiritual sense, other things will happen.

The purpose here is to write about Spiritual Training. With it, our relationship with God will improve and the understanding of our faith will deepen. How are we to know our faith if we do not practice it? Familiarity comes with repetition. Knowledge deepens when we seek it. Wisdom is only revealed to those who strive for it (“For to men she is an unfailing treasure; those who gain this treasure win the friendship of God, to whom the gifts they have from discipline commend them”-Wis 4:14).

Training is not always easy. It is very hard to enjoy it, yet as improvements are revealed throught it, so will appreciation and dedication. Think about this: Are we the same as when we first came back to the Church? I would have to say obviously not. This in itself is because of training. We saw the improvements in ourselves as we committed ourselves more and more to knowing God. The challenge now is not to be satisfied with the small betterment while ignoring what we can truly gain. The book gave a perfect example:

“Jascha Heifit, the greatest violinist of this century, began playing the violin at the age of three and early began to practice four hours a day until his death at the age of 75-when he had long been the greatest in the world-some 102,000 hours of practice.”

WOW! So, with that example, we must reflect on what could we all accomplish if we just listen to what God wants us to do: walk with Jesus, live our lives according to His teachings, and learn to understand about our faith. Knowledge comes through seeking, understanding through learning, and finally Wisdom through a full awareness of each. From the small amount we each do, we have already witnessed tremendous results. So, why not more?