"I have loved you with an everlasting love...And I know the plans I have for you says the Lord"
Jeremiah:29-31
I love Christ the King Sunday. It marks the end of the liturgical year and in one more week we begin anew. We will start Advent next Sunday and begin the New Liturgical year. This marks a time of Hope and anticipation, awaiting the birth of the messiah and keeping our eyes and ears open for His Second Coming and the many miracles that happen around us everyday. Christ's Kingdom reigns within us! Let us reflect on the words of Origen, an early Christen priest and what he has to say about the Kingdom within... The kingdom of God, in the words of our Lord and Savior, does not come for all to see; nor shall they say: Behold, here it is, or behold, there it is, but the kingdom of God is within us, for the word of God is very near, in our mouth and in our heart. Thus it is clear that he who prays for the coming of God’s kingdom prays rightly to have it within himself, that there it may grow and bear fruit and become perfect. For God reigns in each of his holy ones. Anyone who is holy obeys the spiritual laws of God, who dwells in him as in a well-ordered city. The Father is present in the perfect soul, and with him Christ reigns, according to the words: "We shall come to him and make our home with him." Thus the kingdom of God within us, as we continue to make progress, will reach its highest point when the Apostle’s words are fulfilled, and Christ, having subjected all his enemies to himself, will hand over his kingdom to God the Father, that God may be all in all. Therefore, let us pray unceasingly with that disposition of soul which the Word may make divine, saying to our Father who is in heaven: Hallowed by thy name; thy kingdom come. Note this too about the kingdom of God. It is not a sharing of justice with iniquity, nor a society of light with darkness, nor a meeting of Christ with Belial. The kingdom of God cannot exist alongside the reign of sin. Therefore, if we wish God to reign in us, in no way should sin reign in our mortal body; rather we should mortify our members which are upon the earth and bear fruit in the Spirit. There should be in us a kind of spiritual paradise where God may walk and be our sole ruler with his Christ. In us the Lord will sit at the right hand of that spiritual power which we wish to receive. And he will sit there until all his enemies who are within us become his footstool, and every principality, and power in us is cast out. All this can happen in each one of us, and the last enemy, death, can be destroyed; then Christ will say in us: O death, where is your sting? O hell, where is your victory? And so, what is corruptible in us must be clothed in holiness and incorruptibility; and what is mortal must be clothed, now that death has been conquered, in the Father’s immortality. Then God will reign in us, and we shall enjoy even now the blessings of rebirth and resurrection. Let us pray Almighty ever-living God, whose will is to restore all things in your beloved Son, the King of the universe, grant, we pray, that the whole creation, set free from slavery, may render your majesty service and ceaselessly proclaim your praise. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen Second reading Brother's and Sisters, You are God's building... Do you not know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person; for the temple of God, which you are, is holy. 1 Cor 3:9 What an awesome thought! As the church, each of us is a living stone of the one building of God. Lord I offer to you everything within me that is not holy...Any hatred, fear, anger, self loathing etc I give it to you... Clean out anything that does not belong in your holy temple just as you did in the temple of Jerusalem many years ago. Amen When you read these verses what comes to your mind? I'm starting on a new journey today! The journey of consecrated life with the Congregation of Our Lady of the Cenacle. I've been on this road for several years, even before I became Catholic. After my conversion to Christianity in 2012 I had a strong desire to dedicate the rest of my life to God but I didn't know exactly in what way. There are many ways to serve the Kingdom of God, as a priest, religious, missionary, dedicated married and family lifebut for me I believe the Lord is calling me to total dedication to himself and the church through consecrated secular life. I will (God willing) take the vows of Poverty, Chastity and Obedience as religious do, but live it "in the world" My group will be meeting today to officially start my formation as an Auxiliary of the Cenacle. I have no idea how this will turn out or if my call is genuine. These words by Thomas Merton captures my thoughts... My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road, though I may know nothing about it. Therefore will I trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone. My hopes and intentions as I start formation My hope is to have an open mind and heart that will integrate what I am learning into my daily life, so that I may share it with others. I desire to surrender myself more completely to Jesus and to be transformed more closely into his likeness through the spirituality of the Auxiliaries of the Cenacle. |
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I'm not really a writer, but it's on my long list of aspirations to become one. The first on the list is to become a great Saint! My hope is to share knowledge and inspiration as we walk together during our pilgrim journey on earth and guide each other, hand in hand to the gates of Heaven... If you for find this website helpful please consider making a donation today! Archives
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