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March 31, 2007
Of Chocolate Jesus & of Sense and sensibility
Freedom combined with sense makes us considerate of another's ethos, even in art expressions. We are all aware of Prophet Mohammad's depiction and the uproar it caused. Why should Christians not defend what is sacred to them? Why should some croon under an artistic license denigrate the image of the only son of God? In the order of Madonna poised upon a cross for entertainment, the claim of the discovery of Christ's bones (ossuaries)as an archeological evidence, now, the chocolate figure, joins the gallery of shame. All these are a definite attack on the Christian faith and it's time we defend our faith.
Someone said that radical Christianity is a form of fundamentalism and likened it to fundamental Islam. Even if so, radical Christianity is a call to fidelity--fidelity to faith and morals. To love the Lord and neighbor, why, even love one's enemies is what we are called to follow radically. Jesus lived and died and rose for this very same principle. No greater love hath a man than to lay down his life for his friends. We need to be proud of this deep faith in the son of God who loved us and gave himself for us. He did not ask us to kill anyone in God's name, for Christians to be likened to some of the fundamentalists in Islam. But if we loved God radically, our society would not allow for such nonsense--to say no to such aberrations.
Our message is simple. Whatever type of artist one may be, there is no license to offend the religious sense of the people. If it does, it should be abhorred. If one still wants to express anything and everything, we as Christians have the freedom to defend what is sacred to us. As for the chocolate rendition, it's an abomination for God to be caricatured in such an art form. For a true Christian, Easter is about Christ crucified and risen. For the secular, Easter is about chocolate. It's an unholy alliance.
Go and do something else to make a buck or to win popularity, and not through such means that offends our religious sentiments. No, not in God's name again!
The content of expression points to the Savior crucified, the timing of it is the season of lent, when we commemorate the passion, death and resurrection of our Lord and Savior. If one is familiar with the Stations of the Cross, it is station number 10 that has been displayed in this chocolate rendition. To all Christians who love the Lord, its time that we stood up for our convictions and not let the gift of freedom of expression do damage to what is dear to us - our Christian faith. What this type of freedom has done is to come down on Christianity, under the name of separation of church and state, while making it a haven for other religions to express themselves freely. Just look at the public schools and the way they make allowance for other religious celebrations. If freedom of expression allows respect for other religious expressions, then treat Christianity on the same token. Everyone else gets a piggy back ride on the freedom of expression, except Christians. Sadly the founding fathers are not here to vouch for what they had founded this great nation upon, Judaic Christian principles. Try this in any of the countries which are predominately Muslim and there would be zero tolerance. Within countries which allow freedom of speech in paper, but not in practice, this nonsense would be met with resistance or stifled to death. Sadly this happens only in America, where we let others thrive and infringe on our own religious expression.
Should someone think this is an overreaction on the part of Christians, then I would say try ridiculing others' faith and then you will know the truth and see the difference. You will see how tolerant Christians have been, during the tirade of mockery that has been unleashed on us under the name of freedom of expression.
Posted by frleo at 8:58 AM | Comments (0)
March 30, 2007
Prayer Request
We request your prayers for Sherstin Truitt, the daughter of Fr. Truitt of St. Mary's Colorado and her boyfriend James Griggs who are in critical condition. They were en route to the Airport, when their shuttle collided into a stationary snowplow.May the passion of Christ strengthen them as they are undergoing this pain and suffering. Let us pray for their healing and recovery.
The ski shuttle was on the way from Vail to Denver International Airport around 8 a.m. Sunday morning when the driver, Sebastian Lopez, 28, collided with a Colorado Department of Transportation snowplow parked on a portion of the interstate that had been closed so crews could clean up a prior accident. Read More
Posted by frleo at 9:37 AM | Comments (0)
March 19, 2007
St. Joseph the guardian of the Holy Family
Today is March 19, the feast of St. Joseph, the quiet saint who realized the dreams for his family of Nazareth, even though the dreams were not his own. If St. Joseph were to be alive and if he did what he did two thousand years ago, we would be shocked. Who would, when engaged to be married, be content with the fact that her fiance is already pregnant with a child? Who would be willing to give up his dream and embrace children that are not his own. Only a Saint like St. Joseph could have done this.
Given the changes that families have undergone these days from a typical traditional nuclear families, to single-parent family and blended families, there are different situations in our society.
In the context of a blended family, step-dads/foster fathers have their roles in caring for their children. Imagine what they must feel? Can one go on doing God's will in caring for a child that is not their own, regardless of the responses - favorable or unfavorable that may come forth from their children. Can a step-dad give up hope of his love never being returned and say I've had enough and am giving up?
St. Joseph is a model for us all in imitation of the Lord Jesus, whom he cared for though not his own biologically. Joseph was visited in dreams and given assurance by the angel of the Lord (Matthew 1)- another type of annunciation similar to the lines of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
18This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit.
19Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.
20But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.
21She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus,[c] because he will save his people from their sins."
24When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.
25But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.
The movie, "The Nativity Story" beautifully portrayed the vicissitudes that the guardian of the family undertook to protect his wife and the child she bore, the son of God. From searching for a place and finding that there was no room for them in the inn, finds a wayside place to help Mary deliver the boy child - to escaping to Egypt to avoid the wrath of Herod and protect the infant Jesus from harms way, Joseph soars high as a model - of honesty, truthfulness and being honorable, upright, just, faithful and responsible - for all husbands, fathers, step fathers in their role as protectors and guardians of the family entrusted to their care. St. Joseph's only intent was what Luke summarises about the infancy of Jesus: "And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man." Lk 2:52
For more on St. Joseph Read from the Oblates of St. Joseph
Posted by frleo at 11:38 AM | Comments (0)
March 18, 2007
Fourth Sunday in Lent: Jesus the Bread of Life
The history of Isarael as well as our own lives are seen in terms of two things: what is temporal and what is spiritual. Referring to this in today's epistle, St. Paul recalls from the Book of Genesis: there were two children born unto Abraham. One was Ishmael and the other was Isaac. Ishmael, was born in the 'ordinary way,'through a slave. Isaac was born out of the promise that God made to Abraham even in his ripe old age. While making a distinction between the two, St. Paul uses this example to further explain the temporal and spiritual in terms of the earthly Jerusalem and heavenly Jerusalem. In other words, our lives on earth are mundane, earthly while we have an extraordinary dimension to our own lives that we are also citizens of the heavenly Jerusalem.
In our day-to-day living, we are involved with this struggle with the temporal and spiritual, what is of the flesh and therefore subject to doubts, worries, confusion, consternation. What is spiritual supernatural gives us the sense of worth, purpose as the children of God--that nothing can ever happen to us which God cannot contain.
For God is eternal, faithful, merciful and loving. In today’s Gospel we see the propensity of the mercy of our Lord towards the hungry crowd. The Lord provides for their temporal need. And this miracle happens through the generosity of a little boy. How important is the presence and contribution of children in building up the Kingdom of God. During the Tsunami. we had children empty their piggy bank to support the children. Another little boy from Siloam Springs took our brochure and went from door to door and raised $100. Another little girl in Northside Elementary made bows and raised $500 and donated the amount. See what children do in times of need. They can compete with the adults and excel our own generosity.
So, Jesus takes care of the temporal need of the multitude and provides them bread. The crowd wants more temporal bread as we would read the passage of John 6. There was a great following because Jesus was performing miracles.
"I tell you the truth, you are looking for me, not because you saw miraculous signs but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. 27Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. On him God the Father has placed his seal of approval."
Jesus would take a moment to teach them about what is spiritual, what is lasting, what is significant. He is the Bread of Life, Bread from Heaven, the life giving bread. Hise flesh and blood would nourish the soul, just as ordinary food satiates our physical appetite.
48I am the bread of life. 49Your forefathers ate the manna in the desert, yet they died. 50But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which a man may eat and not die. 51I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world."
The miracle of multiplication is a sign of what is to come, that after his ascension and until his second coming, that scores of people will begin to break his body and drink His blood in the Eucharist, doing this in remembrance of Him thereby fulfilling his command.
I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. 55For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. 56Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him.
They were only attentive to the temporal meaning while they lost the spiritual blessings. Here was the son of God among them telling them that he is the bread come down from heaven and their eyes are fixated on the multiplication of loaves.
35And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.
51I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.
53Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.
54Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.
55For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.
56He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.
57As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me.
58This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever.
If these words of from our Lord and Master, then why do we not trust him? Why do we have to rely on the historic man made twists. And yet during the history of Christendom, the followers of Christ have found enough reason to dilute this discourse of Jesus on the bread of life, reducing it to a mere symbol. Many Christian confessions are still divided because of disagreement over the manner in which Jesus is present in the Eucharist bread. Some think, he is physically present, others think he is spiritually present and still others think that he is only symbolically present. How could we have so much of differentiation when our Lord and master having explained to the spiritual significance of the Food of Eternal Life and he is loud and clear.55For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.
And that begs the question of Jesus in the Eucharist, His real presence. We need to believe in what the Lord has told us other than what some people have told us because of their vested interest have interpreted this unto their own advantage. That He is real and that He is present. Is this hard for us to believe? Well in the time of Jesus there were people who found this teaching very hard to believe as well. 60On hearing it, many of his disciples said, "This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?"
Yes we pray in the prayer of humble access: We do not presume to come to this thy table O Lord... Grant us therefore, gracious Lord, so to eat the flesh of thy dear Son Jesus Christ, and to drink his blood, that our sinful bodies may be made clean by his Body, and our souls washed through his most precious Blood, and that we may evermore dwell in him, and he in us.
Its better to err on the right side than otherwise. Its better to believe the words of the Lord than believe the interpretation of men. It is better to believe the words of the apostles who were in close contact with our Lord and the first Christians who were devout followers of Christ and gave their lives in martyrdom for their faith than the words of the so called ministers who bask in the lap of luxuries in God's name. The words of our master is loud and clear: Unless you eat the flesh of the son of man and drink of His blood you will have no life in you.
Remember the post-resurrection scenario, when the doubting Thomas had his own moment about the risen Lord?
John 20.But Thomas said to them, "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it." 26A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" 27Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe." 28Thomas said to him, "My Lord and my God!" 29Then Jesus told him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."
We belong to the group of the Blessed for we believe though we do not see the Lord physically. In today's Eucharist, may we receive the Lord as St.Thomas did, "My Lord and My God". May His presence fulfill you. May His grace be sufficient for you to face the temporality of life, knowing that we serve a risen saviour and have a life beyond this mundane one.
Posted by frleo at 7:32 AM | Comments (0)
March 16, 2007
Faith of our Elders
Just returned from a nursing home after a visit with our dear Mary. Mary moved from PA and was on the look out for a traditional church. All her life, a teacher, Mary is an eloquent speaker rich in vocabulary. I took her Holy Communion today and her faith and reverence truly amazed me. She prayed a beautiful and spontaneous prayer for our church, that we may be reflect the radiance of His mercy and love. We have another chaueffer, Barb who takes a big swing to get two of the elderly ladies to church, Mary being one of them. Now that Mary lives far, Barb would find it hard. But Mary said, I will be in church this Sunday.
Among such faithful, even when you serve one, you serve a thousand. In the sight of the Lord, numbers don't count. That's why he was ready to leave the ninety nine and go in search of the one. Elders like Mary stand to tell us, how they have cruised through life's journey through all struggles while banking on the power of God. Mary may not be a theologian (unlike some of them that are so much messed up with their thinking gone wild and odd), but she knows what sin and grace is. Stooped physically not in faith, she is an epitome what every priest and clergy ought to be. Her reception of Holy Communion, would put any of us to shame: the manner in which the communion service is held or distributed in some of the churches, would make us think that we have lost the sense of the sacred. Gone are the good ol' days when Holy Communion was received kneeling in almost any church. Without ever entering into the debate of transubstantiation, she knew well that it is the real presence of Jesus and Him alone she receives, His precious body and blood. Next time you look at an old timer, thank God for such faithful who have carried their baton of faith so faithfully and now want us to move forward. "Woman, great indeed is thy faith" They certainly are our inspiration even when the professed clergy go nuts.
Posted by frleo at 7:24 PM | Comments (0)
March 13, 2007
I have heard you calling in the night
Just got back from Washington Regional Hospital after visiting and giving Communion to Jean Chase. Last night, in my dream, I received a call from Jean Chase. "When are you going to come and see me?" she said. Immediately she slammed the receiver down.
This morning, I called her home phone. No response. I stopped by her house and rang the door bell. No bark of Phoebe or any answer. I then called her sons, one in Seattle and the other in Rogers and left them messages. In the meantime, my wife tracked her down at Washington Regional and she put me on the phone. I got a busy signal. I tried her a few minutes later and here she was. I told her of my dream. She said, "O my word! Did I do that?" How mysterious the Lord's ways! When we chatted this evening, we both agreed. She said, "Maybe the Lord knew I wanted you to visit me." Anyway, before leaving I told her to stay out of my dream tonight. She smiled so gracefully and said "Just for tonight, I will not"
Posted by frleo at 9:16 PM | Comments (0)
March 9, 2007
Beware of your shepherds
The proponants of loose morality are looking for new hermeneutics to defend their stance.
The Christian church has a deeply flawed understanding of sex that has led to morally groundless objections to masturbation, birth control, abortion and homosexuality, says a leading Canadian Anglican bishop.In particular, the church has been wrong for centuries on the notion that sex exists only for the purpose of procreation, Right Rev. Michael Ingham, bishop of the Greater Vancouver Diocese of New Westminster, told a conference in Ottawa last night.
"Christianity as a religion stands in need of a better theology of sexuality," he said, "a better understanding of the complex role sexuality plays in our human nature and of the purposes of God in creating us as sexual beings."
We need to ask the Holy Spirit to discern who our leaders are. Some of them are wolves in sheep's clothing.
Thanks to watchtowers and defenders like Christopher Johnson, who have been keeping track on such frivolous interpreters of faith and morals.
How important it is to follow Christ and at times be looking for the 'heart of the matter'of God, of course, in our clergy.
In reference to the Canadian Anglican Bishop's remarks above: Again the demarkation between grace and sin, grace and disgrace, virtue and sin seem to be in denial among the proponents of the politically correct clergy who want to go along with the societal take and flow on morality. Whether it has cultural endorsement or not, morality does not depend on majority opinion but fidelity to what the Lord has called us to. How eroded the mind of even some clergy who are supposed to be watchtowers and fail to be watchdogs on faith and morality. That's part of their calling. Sad that there are more Spongian followers than followers of Christ these days even among the shepherds of the flock. Warped consciences. Warped hermeneutics and warped individuals. What a shame! We can only pray the Lord open their hearts and minds and plead for His mercy. As for those who fear the Lord, listen to your heart, listen to your conscience and see if they are in accordance with God's Eternal Word. Ultimately,we can cling only to His everlasting mercy. Good for us to remind ourselves of the concern that Jesus had:
"However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?"(Lk 18:8)
Posted by frleo at 9:09 AM | Comments (0)
March 5, 2007
Three Reliable Anglican Churches & their fidelity to Affirmation of St. Louis
How frustrating it must be for Anglicans looking for a dependable church that is true to orthodoxy in respect to Scripture, tradition and the guidance of the Holy Spirit (Since reasoning seems to have gone berserk from what we have witnessed thus far). For thirty years, we have seen the mainstream church become warped by political correctness, making an unholy alliance with the trends of the society and leaving everything up in the air. The ordination/consecration of women, the shift in theology and worship from theo-centric to an anthropomorphic school of thought, the liberal stance of human life at all its stages (birth even through last moments of life on earth - abortion, pro-choice, euthanasia) and this giving rise to formation of alternative churches that are 'orthodoxy minus homosexuality' while being flamboyant with other liberal stances. And now to add to the confusion, the involvement of the Global South or the Southern cone, etc. Currently, the eyes are on the consequences of the Tanzania Summit.
Liberalism is "in" whether one likes it or not. Things are bound to be this way and their champions have already joined the bandwagon of political correctness, thereby promoting everything that goes against the Christian principle. Some even claim that they have found the Lost Tomb of Jesus and float a theological consideration that would make the sacrifice of the martyrs of Christianity all for nothing. This is not just a societal opinion alone. Included in this liberal quest are some clergy who question the divinity of Christ Himself?
Back to what we have been discussing. There have been several attempts to form federations or alliances of so called traditional Anglicanism, co-mingling of compromises like woman priesthood, prayer book, etc.
What is needed is to go back to the seventies, when God fearing Episcopalians came together at St. Louis and promulgated the basic tenets of Anglican orthodoxy - The Affirmation of Louis and gave birth to Continuing Church movements. Their raison d'etre was to continue in the faith once delivered unto the saints. This could have been a wonderful opportunity for Anglicanism in America, to come together and nurture orthodoxy and fight every heresy. Unfortunately the fragmentation of the continuing churches has resulted in the now continuing Anglican Alphabet soup. Today some have gone to the extent of compromising the very principles upon which the Continuing Church Movement was founded, in an effort to promote unity.
Are there any churches that still hold firm to these Anglican orthodox tenets of Christianity? You may be surprised, whether there are some who recognize it or not and that is part of the Anglican history in the United States. There are three church bodies that are very strong and have been serving the continuing churches in their own right, without ever compromising the principles of the affirmation of St. Louis over three decades, maintaining its integrity and not joining any groups that would jeopardize this integrity. There is the Anglican Catholic Church, The Anglican Province of Christ the King and The United Episcopal Church of North America. What do these three have in common? They all stem from the same line of succession and adhere to the Congress of St. Louis, including the Holy Catholic Church-Anglican Rite, a splinter group of the ACC. Their bishops were consecrated by the very same Most Rev. Albert Chambers.
In 1976, the General Convention of the ECUSA voted to approve the ordination of women to the priesthood and to the episcopate and also provisionally adopted a new and doctrinally controversial Book of Common Prayer, later called the 1979 version. During the following year, 1977, several thousand dissenting clergy and laypersons responded to those actions by meeting in St. Louis, Missouri under the auspices of the Fellowship of Concerned Churchmen and adopted a theological statement, the Affirmation of St. Louis. The Affirmation expressed a determination "to continue in the Catholic Faith, Apostolic Order, Orthodox Worship and Evangelical Witness of the traditional Anglican Church, doing all things necessary for the continuance of the same".
Out of this meeting came a new church with the provisional name of Anglican Church in North America (Episcopal). The first bishop of the church, the Rt. Rev. Charles D. D. Doren, was consecrated by a retired bishop of ECUSA, the Rt. Rev. Albert Chambers, along with a bishop of the Philippine Independent Catholic Church as co-consecrator. Although expected to be the third bishop participating in Doren's consecration, the Rt. Rev. Mark Pae of the Anglican Church of Korea sent a letter of consent instead. Consecrations of bishops normally involve three existing bishops as a guarantee of the candidate's worthiness, but there are many cases in church history of a single consecrator, and these are not considered invalid consecrations for lack of the customary three.
During the process of ratifying the new church's Constitution, disputes developed which split its several dioceses into two American churches and one separate Canadian church. These are the Anglican Catholic Church, the Diocese of Christ the King (later renamed the Anglican Province of Christ the King), and the Anglican Catholic Church of Canada. Several years after this, Bishop Doren and others founded the United Episcopal Church of North America in opposition to the alleged inhospitality of the other jurisdictions towards Low Churchmen. (Wikipedia)
The first Bishop to be consecrated was Bishop Dale Doren (Founder of UECNA). Then followed the consecration of Bishop Mote (Anglican Catholic Church), Bishop Morse (Anglican Province of Christ the King) and Bishop Waterson (who went over to Rome). One thing is certain with each of these three branches: they have been custodians of Anglican orthodoxy in terms of Scripture, tradition and liturgy. We hope that these three will be able to come together offering the Anglicans in USA a stable home for worship.
Currently talks are underway recognizing the mutual intercommunion between Anglican Catholic Church and United Episcopal Church of North America. Both United Episcopal Church of North America and the Holy Catholic Church (Anglican Rite) are already in communion. These churches have withstood the test of time in defense of orthodoxy through thick and thin, continuing in the faith once delivered unto the saints. If you do not have one of these jurisdictions (ACC, APCK, HCC, UECNA) in your area and would like to begin a presence, or if you are looking for a solid base of Anglicanism, call on them: there is still hope within the United States.
Posted by frleo at 10:48 AM | Comments (0)