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US Franciscan News

CTC No. 54 (09.2019)

CTC No. 54 (09.2019)

by | Nov 4, 2019 | 0 Comments

This edition No. 54 of “Communion and Communication” is devoted to high-lighting the opportunities given to our Communities, thanks to our belonging to a Federation/ Association. Many years have passed since the promulgation of the Apostolic Constitution Sponsa...

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Fraternitas 11.2019 (No. 271)

Fraternitas 11.2019 (No. 271)

by | Oct 31, 2019 | 0 Comments

The November 2019 edition of ‘Fraternitas’ is now online and can be downloaded in several languages. PDF:  English – Español – Italiano  – Deutsch – Français – Hrvatski – Polski – Português DOC:  English – Español – Italiano  – Deutsch...

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Fraternal Meeting of Franciscans at the Amazonian Synod

Fraternal Meeting of Franciscans at the Amazonian Synod

by | Oct 29, 2019 | 0 Comments

The brothers and sisters of the Franciscan Family who participated in the Synod for the Amazon region gathered in the Generalate of the Friars Minor in Rome for a time of fraternity. On 24th October the group went to the Church of Santa Maria Mediatrice where they...

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JPIC Newsletter: CONTACT (07-09.2019)

JPIC Newsletter: CONTACT (07-09.2019)

by | Oct 8, 2019 | 0 Comments

Peace and all Good! We present you the recent edition of JPIC Newsletter “CONTACT” (July – September 2019) The “CONTACT”is an open space where you can share stories and information on your JPIC ministry. You can send your stories to pax@ofm.org English – CONTACT...

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Fraternitas 10.2019 (No. 270)

Fraternitas 10.2019 (No. 270)

by | Sep 30, 2019 | 0 Comments

The October 2019 edition of ‘Fraternitas’ is now online and can be downloaded in several languages. PDF:  English – Español – Italiano  – Français – Hrvatski – Polski – Português DOC:  English – Español – Italiano...

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US Franciscan News

CTC No. 54 (09.2019)

CTC No. 54 (09.2019)

by | Nov 4, 2019 | 0 Comments

This edition No. 54 of “Communion and Communication” is devoted to high-lighting the opportunities given to our Communities, thanks to our belonging to a Federation/ Association. Many years have passed since the promulgation of the Apostolic Constitution Sponsa...

read more
Fraternitas 11.2019 (No. 271)

Fraternitas 11.2019 (No. 271)

by | Oct 31, 2019 | 0 Comments

The November 2019 edition of ‘Fraternitas’ is now online and can be downloaded in several languages. PDF:  English – Español – Italiano  – Deutsch – Français – Hrvatski – Polski – Português DOC:  English – Español – Italiano  – Deutsch...

read more
Fraternal Meeting of Franciscans at the Amazonian Synod

Fraternal Meeting of Franciscans at the Amazonian Synod

by | Oct 29, 2019 | 0 Comments

The brothers and sisters of the Franciscan Family who participated in the Synod for the Amazon region gathered in the Generalate of the Friars Minor in Rome for a time of fraternity. On 24th October the group went to the Church of Santa Maria Mediatrice where they...

read more

Recent #FriarFriday Reflections

Recent #FriarFriday Reflections

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Franciscan Friars of St. John the Baptist Province

1 hour ago

Franciscan Friars of St. John the Baptist Province

Eleven novices from the Order of Friars Minor reached a joyous milestone in their formation as friars when they received the Franciscan habit and cord at the Rite of Investiture.
https://franciscan.org/2019/11/…
Photo: Vocation Director Tim Lamb with novice Joshua Richter ... See MoreSee Less

Eleven novices from the Order of Friars Minor reached a joyous milestone in their formation as friars when they received the Franciscan habit and cord at the Rite of Investiture. https://www.franciscan.org/2019/11/15/habit-is-a-sign-of-commitment/ Photo: Vocation Director Tim Lamb with novice Joshua Richter
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Franciscan Friars of the Sacred Heart Province

4 hours ago

Franciscan Friars of the Sacred Heart Province

Homily for the 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Time is an important part of any consideration in our personal reality. Clocks are usually present on our walls, many of us wear a watch on our wrist, and our cell phones are always keeping us aware of the time. Each of us schedules appointments with doctors. Children and parents are mindful of when the school bus will be passing. Even here at the convent, our days revolve around a schedule that includes prayer times and meal times and meeting times. So when the prophet calls out to us in the first reading that the Day of the Lord is coming and when Jesus tells the crowd that the Temple will someday be destroyed, the very natural question arises, “When?” When will the Day of the Lord be upon us? When will this happen?

Neither the prophet nor Jesus answers the question. The question simply hangs there and, for some, seems to bring about a fearful reaction. However, very rarely do we stop to consider the reason why there is no answer to the question, for the fact of the matter is that, with anything that has to do with God, time is not part of the equation. God simply is. While it is difficult for our human minds to grasp, God has no past and no future. God simply exists in the present, in the here and now. God is so immense that human history, the present and the future are all part of God’s present. Time as we humans experience it is completely absent in God’s realm. That is why we end most of our prayers with the words, “forever and ever. Amen.”

The tension that our concept of time causes makes it difficult for us to read and almost impossible to comprehend the apocalyptic literature of the Scriptures. Apocalyptic literature concerns itself with what we call “the End Times.” What we fail to understand is that the “End Times” began when Jesus returned to his Father. We live in the “End Times.” So all of our questions about “how long” and “when” and even “where” are really irrelevant. Hard as it may be to fathom, all we need to be concerned with is “Now.”

The Day of the Lord, an expression that figures prominently in the Scriptures especially in apocalyptic literature, must be understood as the day of fulfillment of all of God’s promises and the realization of the destiny of the world. It is the time when justice will be realized, when the scales of righteousness will be balanced, when the good will be rewarded and the evil punished. Initially, Israel believed that this would be a day of vindication for them; however the prophets are quite clear that Israel will also have to answer for its sins of injustice. Images that describe this reality usually involve conflagration, spontaneous combustion, which burns even the stubble and the chaff; at the same time the total opposite for the just – healing rays from the sun of justice. In his well-known Christmas hymn “Hark, the Herald Angels Sing,” Charles Wesley applied these words to the birth of Christ: Risen with healing in his wings, light and life to all he brings. Hail, the Sun of Righteousness! Hail, the heaven-born Prince of Peace!

The Gospel is read properly if we keep certain things in mind: first, the Gospel of Luke was written some twenty years after the Temple was destroyed. Thus the events that Jesus “foretells” in today’s reading have already occurred for Luke’s first readers. Second, throughout his Gospel Luke presents Jesus as a “prophet mighty in word and deed”, particularly a healing prophet who preaches repentance and leads those whose lives have lost cultural meaning back to the proper purpose and direction in life. Third, Mediterranean culture, the culture of Jesus, is basically and primarily present-oriented. We are taught to pray “Give us today our daily bread” without concern for tomorrow. Fourth, the people of the Mediterranean world believed that only God knows the distant future and the distant past.

So what are we to take away from the readings for this Sunday? Only this: God’s promises will one day be fulfilled. As we wait for that day, we are constantly reminded that we are called to place our hope in God’s promises and to assume an attitude of being ready. It makes no difference when it will happen. We simply believe that God will prevail and that the Sun of Justice will rise for those who place their trust in God.

Fr. Lawrence Jagdfeld, O.F.M. ... See MoreSee Less

Homily for the 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time Time is an important part of any consideration in our personal reality. Clocks are usually present on our walls, many of us wear a watch on our wrist, and our cell phones are always keeping us aware of the time. Each of us schedules appointments with doctors. Children and parents are mindful of when the school bus will be passing. Even here at the convent, our days revolve around a schedule that includes prayer times and meal times and meeting times. So when the prophet calls out to us in the first reading that the Day of the Lord is coming and when Jesus tells the crowd that the Temple will someday be destroyed, the very natural question arises, “When?” When will the Day of the Lord be upon us? When will this happen? Neither the prophet nor Jesus answers the question. The question simply hangs there and, for some, seems to bring about a fearful reaction. However, very rarely do we stop to consider the reason why there is no answer to the question, for the fact of the matter is that, with anything that has to do with God, time is not part of the equation. God simply is. While it is difficult for our human minds to grasp, God has no past and no future. God simply exists in the present, in the here and now. God is so immense that human history, the present and the future are all part of God’s present. Time as we humans experience it is completely absent in God’s realm. That is why we end most of our prayers with the words, “forever and ever. Amen.” The tension that our concept of time causes makes it difficult for us to read and almost impossible to comprehend the apocalyptic literature of the Scriptures. Apocalyptic literature concerns itself with what we call “the End Times.” What we fail to understand is that the “End Times” began when Jesus returned to his Father. We live in the “End Times.” So all of our questions about “how long” and “when” and even “where” are really irrelevant. Hard as it may be to fathom, all we need to be concerned with is “Now.” The Day of the Lord, an expression that figures prominently in the Scriptures especially in apocalyptic literature, must be understood as the day of fulfillment of all of God’s promises and the realization of the destiny of the world. It is the time when justice will be realized, when the scales of righteousness will be balanced, when the good will be rewarded and the evil punished. Initially, Israel believed that this would be a day of vindication for them; however the prophets are quite clear that Israel will also have to answer for its sins of injustice. Images that describe this reality usually involve conflagration, spontaneous combustion, which burns even the stubble and the chaff; at the same time the total opposite for the just – healing rays from the sun of justice. In his well-known Christmas hymn “Hark, the Herald Angels Sing,” Charles Wesley applied these words to the birth of Christ: Risen with healing in his wings, light and life to all he brings. Hail, the Sun of Righteousness! Hail, the heaven-born Prince of Peace! The Gospel is read properly if we keep certain things in mind: first, the Gospel of Luke was written some twenty years after the Temple was destroyed. Thus the events that Jesus “foretells” in today’s reading have already occurred for Luke’s first readers. Second, throughout his Gospel Luke presents Jesus as a “prophet mighty in word and deed”, particularly a healing prophet who preaches repentance and leads those whose lives have lost cultural meaning back to the proper purpose and direction in life. Third, Mediterranean culture, the culture of Jesus, is basically and primarily present-oriented. We are taught to pray “Give us today our daily bread” without concern for tomorrow. Fourth, the people of the Mediterranean world believed that only God knows the distant future and the distant past. So what are we to take away from the readings for this Sunday? Only this: God’s promises will one day be fulfilled. As we wait for that day, we are constantly reminded that we are called to place our hope in God’s promises and to assume an attitude of being ready. It makes no difference when it will happen. We simply believe that God will prevail and that the Sun of Justice will rise for those who place their trust in God. Fr. Lawrence Jagdfeld, O.F.M.
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Southwest Franciscans

7 hours ago

Southwest Franciscans

Our Church liturgical year is ending. Next week we celebrate “Christ the King” – Cristo Rey… the Reign of Christ. And hopefully our spiritual lives are built around and centered in Christ.

The Christ we celebrate next week is “gigantic!” The Cosmic Christ, the Universal Christ, the Word that permeates the Gospels. The Christ we proclaim in our name: Christian.

This Sunday’s Gospel ends with a wonderful reflection:
‘…but not a hair on your head will be destroyed.
By your perseverance you will secure your lives.’
By your endurance you will secure your lives.

Merriam-Webster gives us these two definitions:

Perseverance = the continued effort to do or achieve something despite difficulties, failure, or opposition

Endurance = the ability to sustain a prolonged stressful effort or activity

Those of us Christians who do our best to uphold the dignity of each person we meet, to stand up for justice when we see oppression, and to embrace the Beauty in creation—we need the awareness of the grace of perseverance and endurance.

We never have to persevere or endure alone. Perhaps it feels like that often, yet with daily prayer and community involvement, our gentle God reminds us that we are not alone and together we can make a difference in the world.

Take a walk in the autumn colors and seasonal cold. Listen and look carefully to Christ alive in our world!.... Start now to pray routinely every day (jumpstart Advent that begins in two weeks)…. Borrow or buy a spiritual based book that isn’t ho-hum, but challenging…. Keep a sense of humor, and do your best to ‘secure your lives” in perseverance and endurance. ... See MoreSee Less

Our Church liturgical year is ending. Next week we celebrate “Christ the King” – Cristo Rey… the Reign of Christ. And hopefully our spiritual lives are built around and centered in Christ. The Christ we celebrate next week is “gigantic!” The Cosmic Christ, the Universal Christ, the Word that permeates the Gospels. The Christ we proclaim in our name: Christian. This Sunday’s Gospel ends with a wonderful reflection: ‘…but not a hair on your head will be destroyed. By your perseverance you will secure your lives.’ By your endurance you will secure your lives. Merriam-Webster gives us these two definitions: Perseverance = the continued effort to do or achieve something despite difficulties, failure, or opposition Endurance = the ability to sustain a prolonged stressful effort or activity Those of us Christians who do our best to uphold the dignity of each person we meet, to stand up for justice when we see oppression, and to embrace the Beauty in creation—we need the awareness of the grace of perseverance and endurance. We never have to persevere or endure alone. Perhaps it feels like that often, yet with daily prayer and community involvement, our gentle God reminds us that we are not alone and together we can make a difference in the world. Take a walk in the autumn colors and seasonal cold. Listen and look carefully to Christ alive in our world!.... Start now to pray routinely every day (jumpstart Advent that begins in two weeks)…. Borrow or buy a spiritual based book that isn’t ho-hum, but challenging…. Keep a sense of humor, and do your best to ‘secure your lives” in perseverance and endurance.
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Franciscan Monastery

8 hours ago

Franciscan Monastery

While on pilgrimage, you’ll have opportunities to sit and reflect on Scripture and its meaning in your life. At the Mount of Beatitudes, walk the grounds, take a deep breath, and enjoy the beauty. (📷: teiu.neiconi on Instagram) ... See MoreSee Less

While on pilgrimage, you’ll have opportunities to sit and reflect on Scripture and its meaning in your life. At the Mount of Beatitudes, walk the grounds, take a deep breath, and enjoy the beauty. (📷: teiu.neiconi on Instagram)
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Southwest Franciscans shared a post.

1 day ago

Southwest Franciscans

... See MoreSee Less

Image attachment
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👏👏👏👏👏

Franciscan Monastery

1 day ago

Franciscan Monastery

Furry friends love visiting the Monastery, too! Grab your leash and take a peaceful walk through our gardens. (📷: lievthebrooklandpup on Instagram) ... See MoreSee Less

Furry friends love visiting the Monastery, too! Grab your leash and take a peaceful walk through our gardens. (📷: lievthebrooklandpup on Instagram)
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Franciscan Monastery

2 days ago

Franciscan Monastery

The Franciscan Monastery is the #HolyLand friars’ U.S. home, dedicated to supporting the 800-year mission of the Franciscan Friars in the Holy Land through pilgrimage, education, vocations, and financial support. #NationalPhilanthropyDay ... See MoreSee Less

The Franciscan Monastery is the #HolyLand friars’ U.S. home, dedicated to supporting the 800-year mission of the Franciscan Friars in the Holy Land through pilgrimage, education, vocations, and financial support. #NationalPhilanthropyDay
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Southwest Franciscans

2 days ago

Southwest Franciscans

Somebody pinch us, it seems like a dream. Fr. Jack Clark Robinson's new book- Franciscan Friars Coast to Coast- is now available for purchase! Thank you Arcadia Publishing!

His book can be purchased online at www.arcadiapublishing.com or at a local bookstore near you. ... See MoreSee Less

Somebody pinch us, it seems like a dream. Fr. Jack Clark Robinsons new book- Franciscan Friars Coast to Coast- is now available for purchase! Thank you Arcadia Publishing! His book can be purchased online at www.arcadiapublishing.com or at a local bookstore near you.Image attachment
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Congratulations Fr. Jack. We will be looking for it at our "holy Holy" store as my Mother-in-law called it and then come to you for an autograph. John & Nancy

Hearty congratulations on this newest accomplishment. I’ll look for it.

Wow!!!! This is wonderful!!!!Congratulations!!!!!❤️

Where ? 🙏I don’t know where you found the time to accomplish this congratulations and much success

How exciting ,,🤗

Congrats and blessings!!!!

Congratulations, Jack!

Congratulations father jack !!

Congratulations, Jack!!

Congratulations

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Franciscan Friars of St. John the Baptist Province

2 days ago

Franciscan Friars of St. John the Baptist Province

Pet Blessings at St. Clement Elementary. Photos by Fr. Frank Jasper, OFM
See more photos at: https://flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/… ... See MoreSee Less

Pet Blessings at St. Clement Elementary. Photos by Fr. Frank Jasper, OFM See more photos at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/135334894@N06/albums/72157711741783108Image attachmentImage attachment+1Image attachment
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Franciscan Monastery updated their cover photo.

2 days ago

Franciscan Monastery

In the season of giving, please consider giving back this holiday with a donation to the Franciscan Monastery. Your generosity not only supports Christians here in Washington, D.C., but also in the Holy Land! ... See MoreSee Less

In the season of giving, please consider giving back this holiday with a donation to the Franciscan Monastery. Your generosity not only supports Christians here in Washington, D.C., but also in the Holy Land!
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Franciscan Friars of St. John the Baptist Province

1 hour ago

Franciscan Friars of St. John the Baptist Province

Eleven novices from the Order of Friars Minor reached a joyous milestone in their formation as friars when they received the Franciscan habit and cord at the Rite of Investiture.
https://franciscan.org/2019/11/…
Photo: Vocation Director Tim Lamb with novice Joshua Richter ... See MoreSee Less

Eleven novices from the Order of Friars Minor reached a joyous milestone in their formation as friars when they received the Franciscan habit and cord at the Rite of Investiture. https://www.franciscan.org/2019/11/15/habit-is-a-sign-of-commitment/ Photo: Vocation Director Tim Lamb with novice Joshua Richter
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Congratulations!

Franciscan Friars of the Sacred Heart Province

4 hours ago

Franciscan Friars of the Sacred Heart Province

Homily for the 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Time is an important part of any consideration in our personal reality. Clocks are usually present on our walls, many of us wear a watch on our wrist, and our cell phones are always keeping us aware of the time. Each of us schedules appointments with doctors. Children and parents are mindful of when the school bus will be passing. Even here at the convent, our days revolve around a schedule that includes prayer times and meal times and meeting times. So when the prophet calls out to us in the first reading that the Day of the Lord is coming and when Jesus tells the crowd that the Temple will someday be destroyed, the very natural question arises, “When?” When will the Day of the Lord be upon us? When will this happen?

Neither the prophet nor Jesus answers the question. The question simply hangs there and, for some, seems to bring about a fearful reaction. However, very rarely do we stop to consider the reason why there is no answer to the question, for the fact of the matter is that, with anything that has to do with God, time is not part of the equation. God simply is. While it is difficult for our human minds to grasp, God has no past and no future. God simply exists in the present, in the here and now. God is so immense that human history, the present and the future are all part of God’s present. Time as we humans experience it is completely absent in God’s realm. That is why we end most of our prayers with the words, “forever and ever. Amen.”

The tension that our concept of time causes makes it difficult for us to read and almost impossible to comprehend the apocalyptic literature of the Scriptures. Apocalyptic literature concerns itself with what we call “the End Times.” What we fail to understand is that the “End Times” began when Jesus returned to his Father. We live in the “End Times.” So all of our questions about “how long” and “when” and even “where” are really irrelevant. Hard as it may be to fathom, all we need to be concerned with is “Now.”

The Day of the Lord, an expression that figures prominently in the Scriptures especially in apocalyptic literature, must be understood as the day of fulfillment of all of God’s promises and the realization of the destiny of the world. It is the time when justice will be realized, when the scales of righteousness will be balanced, when the good will be rewarded and the evil punished. Initially, Israel believed that this would be a day of vindication for them; however the prophets are quite clear that Israel will also have to answer for its sins of injustice. Images that describe this reality usually involve conflagration, spontaneous combustion, which burns even the stubble and the chaff; at the same time the total opposite for the just – healing rays from the sun of justice. In his well-known Christmas hymn “Hark, the Herald Angels Sing,” Charles Wesley applied these words to the birth of Christ: Risen with healing in his wings, light and life to all he brings. Hail, the Sun of Righteousness! Hail, the heaven-born Prince of Peace!

The Gospel is read properly if we keep certain things in mind: first, the Gospel of Luke was written some twenty years after the Temple was destroyed. Thus the events that Jesus “foretells” in today’s reading have already occurred for Luke’s first readers. Second, throughout his Gospel Luke presents Jesus as a “prophet mighty in word and deed”, particularly a healing prophet who preaches repentance and leads those whose lives have lost cultural meaning back to the proper purpose and direction in life. Third, Mediterranean culture, the culture of Jesus, is basically and primarily present-oriented. We are taught to pray “Give us today our daily bread” without concern for tomorrow. Fourth, the people of the Mediterranean world believed that only God knows the distant future and the distant past.

So what are we to take away from the readings for this Sunday? Only this: God’s promises will one day be fulfilled. As we wait for that day, we are constantly reminded that we are called to place our hope in God’s promises and to assume an attitude of being ready. It makes no difference when it will happen. We simply believe that God will prevail and that the Sun of Justice will rise for those who place their trust in God.

Fr. Lawrence Jagdfeld, O.F.M. ... See MoreSee Less

Homily for the 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time Time is an important part of any consideration in our personal reality. Clocks are usually present on our walls, many of us wear a watch on our wrist, and our cell phones are always keeping us aware of the time. Each of us schedules appointments with doctors. Children and parents are mindful of when the school bus will be passing. Even here at the convent, our days revolve around a schedule that includes prayer times and meal times and meeting times. So when the prophet calls out to us in the first reading that the Day of the Lord is coming and when Jesus tells the crowd that the Temple will someday be destroyed, the very natural question arises, “When?” When will the Day of the Lord be upon us? When will this happen? Neither the prophet nor Jesus answers the question. The question simply hangs there and, for some, seems to bring about a fearful reaction. However, very rarely do we stop to consider the reason why there is no answer to the question, for the fact of the matter is that, with anything that has to do with God, time is not part of the equation. God simply is. While it is difficult for our human minds to grasp, God has no past and no future. God simply exists in the present, in the here and now. God is so immense that human history, the present and the future are all part of God’s present. Time as we humans experience it is completely absent in God’s realm. That is why we end most of our prayers with the words, “forever and ever. Amen.” The tension that our concept of time causes makes it difficult for us to read and almost impossible to comprehend the apocalyptic literature of the Scriptures. Apocalyptic literature concerns itself with what we call “the End Times.” What we fail to understand is that the “End Times” began when Jesus returned to his Father. We live in the “End Times.” So all of our questions about “how long” and “when” and even “where” are really irrelevant. Hard as it may be to fathom, all we need to be concerned with is “Now.” The Day of the Lord, an expression that figures prominently in the Scriptures especially in apocalyptic literature, must be understood as the day of fulfillment of all of God’s promises and the realization of the destiny of the world. It is the time when justice will be realized, when the scales of righteousness will be balanced, when the good will be rewarded and the evil punished. Initially, Israel believed that this would be a day of vindication for them; however the prophets are quite clear that Israel will also have to answer for its sins of injustice. Images that describe this reality usually involve conflagration, spontaneous combustion, which burns even the stubble and the chaff; at the same time the total opposite for the just – healing rays from the sun of justice. In his well-known Christmas hymn “Hark, the Herald Angels Sing,” Charles Wesley applied these words to the birth of Christ: Risen with healing in his wings, light and life to all he brings. Hail, the Sun of Righteousness! Hail, the heaven-born Prince of Peace! The Gospel is read properly if we keep certain things in mind: first, the Gospel of Luke was written some twenty years after the Temple was destroyed. Thus the events that Jesus “foretells” in today’s reading have already occurred for Luke’s first readers. Second, throughout his Gospel Luke presents Jesus as a “prophet mighty in word and deed”, particularly a healing prophet who preaches repentance and leads those whose lives have lost cultural meaning back to the proper purpose and direction in life. Third, Mediterranean culture, the culture of Jesus, is basically and primarily present-oriented. We are taught to pray “Give us today our daily bread” without concern for tomorrow. Fourth, the people of the Mediterranean world believed that only God knows the distant future and the distant past. So what are we to take away from the readings for this Sunday? Only this: God’s promises will one day be fulfilled. As we wait for that day, we are constantly reminded that we are called to place our hope in God’s promises and to assume an attitude of being ready. It makes no difference when it will happen. We simply believe that God will prevail and that the Sun of Justice will rise for those who place their trust in God. Fr. Lawrence Jagdfeld, O.F.M.
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Southwest Franciscans

7 hours ago

Southwest Franciscans

Our Church liturgical year is ending. Next week we celebrate “Christ the King” – Cristo Rey… the Reign of Christ. And hopefully our spiritual lives are built around and centered in Christ.

The Christ we celebrate next week is “gigantic!” The Cosmic Christ, the Universal Christ, the Word that permeates the Gospels. The Christ we proclaim in our name: Christian.

This Sunday’s Gospel ends with a wonderful reflection:
‘…but not a hair on your head will be destroyed.
By your perseverance you will secure your lives.’
By your endurance you will secure your lives.

Merriam-Webster gives us these two definitions:

Perseverance = the continued effort to do or achieve something despite difficulties, failure, or opposition

Endurance = the ability to sustain a prolonged stressful effort or activity

Those of us Christians who do our best to uphold the dignity of each person we meet, to stand up for justice when we see oppression, and to embrace the Beauty in creation—we need the awareness of the grace of perseverance and endurance.

We never have to persevere or endure alone. Perhaps it feels like that often, yet with daily prayer and community involvement, our gentle God reminds us that we are not alone and together we can make a difference in the world.

Take a walk in the autumn colors and seasonal cold. Listen and look carefully to Christ alive in our world!.... Start now to pray routinely every day (jumpstart Advent that begins in two weeks)…. Borrow or buy a spiritual based book that isn’t ho-hum, but challenging…. Keep a sense of humor, and do your best to ‘secure your lives” in perseverance and endurance. ... See MoreSee Less

Our Church liturgical year is ending. Next week we celebrate “Christ the King” – Cristo Rey… the Reign of Christ. And hopefully our spiritual lives are built around and centered in Christ. The Christ we celebrate next week is “gigantic!” The Cosmic Christ, the Universal Christ, the Word that permeates the Gospels. The Christ we proclaim in our name: Christian. This Sunday’s Gospel ends with a wonderful reflection: ‘…but not a hair on your head will be destroyed. By your perseverance you will secure your lives.’ By your endurance you will secure your lives. Merriam-Webster gives us these two definitions: Perseverance = the continued effort to do or achieve something despite difficulties, failure, or opposition Endurance = the ability to sustain a prolonged stressful effort or activity Those of us Christians who do our best to uphold the dignity of each person we meet, to stand up for justice when we see oppression, and to embrace the Beauty in creation—we need the awareness of the grace of perseverance and endurance. We never have to persevere or endure alone. Perhaps it feels like that often, yet with daily prayer and community involvement, our gentle God reminds us that we are not alone and together we can make a difference in the world. Take a walk in the autumn colors and seasonal cold. Listen and look carefully to Christ alive in our world!.... Start now to pray routinely every day (jumpstart Advent that begins in two weeks)…. Borrow or buy a spiritual based book that isn’t ho-hum, but challenging…. Keep a sense of humor, and do your best to ‘secure your lives” in perseverance and endurance.
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Franciscan Monastery

8 hours ago

Franciscan Monastery

While on pilgrimage, you’ll have opportunities to sit and reflect on Scripture and its meaning in your life. At the Mount of Beatitudes, walk the grounds, take a deep breath, and enjoy the beauty. (📷: teiu.neiconi on Instagram) ... See MoreSee Less

While on pilgrimage, you’ll have opportunities to sit and reflect on Scripture and its meaning in your life. At the Mount of Beatitudes, walk the grounds, take a deep breath, and enjoy the beauty. (📷: teiu.neiconi on Instagram)
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👏👏👏👏👏

Franciscan Monastery

1 day ago

Franciscan Monastery

Furry friends love visiting the Monastery, too! Grab your leash and take a peaceful walk through our gardens. (📷: lievthebrooklandpup on Instagram) ... See MoreSee Less

Furry friends love visiting the Monastery, too! Grab your leash and take a peaceful walk through our gardens. (📷: lievthebrooklandpup on Instagram)
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