Dear Readers,
My
name is Fr. Franz Devantier of Saint Titus, Independent Old Catholic Church
(IOCC) of Africa, operating in South Africa, and also creator of this blog.
My background was that of a Liberal Catholic
Priest, and a Traditional Catholic Priest in South Africa, and then an
independent Priest in the Catholic tradition. I was incardinated into the
IOCC by Archbishop-Primate Emeritus Maurice McCormick founder of the IOCC of
America.
Primate Archbishop George Le Mesurier, IOCC of
America
Primate Emeritus Archbishop Maurice McCormick, IOCC of America
+++
Primate Emeritus Archbishop Maurice McCormick, IOCC of America
+++
Bishop George Otieno Odhiambo, IOCC of Africa
+++
Father. Franz Devantier, IOCC South Africa
Invocatio:
P.
In nomine Patris, et + Filii et Spiritus
Sancti. Amen. (In the name of the father, and of the Son, + and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. )
Confiteor:
A. O Lord, Thou hast created man to be immortal and made
him to be an image of Thine own eternity; yet often we forget the glory of our
heritage and wander from the path which leads to righteousness. But Thou, O Lord, hast made us for Thyself
and our hearts are ever restless till they find their rest in Thee. Look with the eyes of Thy love upon our
manifold imperfections and pardon all our shortcomings, that we may be filled
with the brightness of the everlasting light and become the unspotted mirror of
Thy power and the image of Thy goodness;
Through Christ Our Lord. Amen.
Absolutio:
P.
Deus Pater, Deus + Filius, Deus
Spiritus Sanctus, vos benedicat, custodiat atque sanctificet; Dominus in
clementia sua respiciat supra vos et misereatur vestri; Dominus vos + absolvet ab omnibus peccatis vestris,
vobisque gratiam det Spiritus Sancti et confirmationem. Amen. (God the
Father, God the + Son, God the Holy
Ghost, bless, preserve and sanctify you; the Lord in His lovingkindness look
down upon you and be gracious unto you; the Lord + absolve you from all your sins and grant you the grace and
comfort of the Holy Spirit. Amen.)
19th
Sunday after Pentecost – 29th September 2013 (Colour of Celebration – Green)
Intent: Tact and
Tolerance. A day of recognition of other
religions.
O God, who meetest every man upon that path by which he
draweth nigh unto thee, grant us such a measure of thy wisdom that by our love
and gentleness the wandering sheep be guided to thy fold; through Christ our
Lord. Amen.
The Mass of this Sunday reminds us that all men are called
to heavenly reward and happiness.
Commemoration
of the Saints, for the coming week
Sunday September 29th
-> The Dedication of St Michael the ArchAngel.
The Basilica was consecrated to St Michael by Boniface II
on the site of the Roman Circus.
Monday September 30th
-> St Jerome, Confessor, Doctor of the Church.
St Jerome, born in Dalmatia, educated in Rome, was soon led
into the gravest disorders. Inspired by
heaven, he was converted and became one of the greatest Doctors of the Latin
Church, especially famous for his translation
(the Vulgate) of the Holy Scriptures.
He retired into a monastery at Bethlehem and died A.D. 420.
Tuesday October 1st
-> Commemoration of St Remigius, Bishop, Confessor.
St Remigius, Bishop of Rheims, in France, converted the
Merovingian King Clovis and the Frankish nation. He died A.D. 534.
Wednesday October
2nd
-> The Holy Guardian Angels.
God’s love for us was not satisfied with giving us His Son,
Jesus, for our Redeemer, and Mary for our Advocate; He has been pleased to give
us also His Angels to be our guardians; “He hath given His Angels charge over
thee; to keep thee in all thy ways” (psalm 90, verse 2). These holy sprits and princes of heaven are
always present with us, and assist us in all our actions. And on this account, out of regard to our
guardian angels, we ought carefully to refrain from every action which can
displease them.
Thursday October
3rd
-> St Teresa of the Child Jesus, Virgin, Doctor of the
Church.
Marie-Francois Martin was born at Alencon of parents most
pious and endowed with a comfortable amount of the goods of this world. At the age of fifteen she entered the Carmel
of Lisieux, living there in holiness and humility. Here whole ambition was to love God perfectly
and to conquer souls for Jesus. She died
in the odour of sanctity, promising to “spend her heaven in doing good upon
earth” (1873 - 1897). His Holiness Pope
Pius XI declared her Blessed on the 29th of April 1923, and
canonized her on the 17th of March 1925.
Friday October 4th
-> St Francis of Assisi, Confessor.
The Seraphic Patriarch of Assisi was a man especially
raised up by God in the Middle Ages with the mission to reconvert the world to
Christ. Francis was born in a stable,
and heralded into the world by angelic song; he commenced his work with twelve
followers, whom he sent two by two to preach the Gospel. He espoused most high Poverty, and received
in his own body the marks of the Sacred Passion on Mount Alvernia. Francis’ message of charity, peace and
justice was herd by men and women of every grade of society, and thousands in consequence desired to leave
all and follow Francis in the footsteps of Jesus Christ. Therefore he founded the Order of Friars
Minor, the Second Order or the Poor Clares, and the Tertiaries or Third Order,
which bear his name. St Francis died
about sunset on Saturday, 3rd October 1226.
Saturday October
5th
-> Commemoration of St Placid and hi Companions,
Martyrs.
St Placid, when four years old, was committed by his father
Tertullus to the care of St Benedict, who sent him later into Sicily. He was murdered with his monks, out of hatred
for the faith, by heathen pirates. A.D. 541.
Announcements:
We are actively recruiting members for Saint Titus,
Ordinary members, members who need baptism and confirmation, and candidate
Priests. If you are interested, then
please contact Fr. Franz devantierf@gmail.com
Special Prayer Requests:
"We know
now that in the last 50 years somewhere between 1.5% and 5% of the Catholic
clergy has been involved in sexual abuse cases", adding that this figure
was comparable with that of other groups and denominations.
Quoted from:
We
can no longer accept the heavy toll that the clergy is exacting on our beloved
and innocent souls who attend organized church’s. The church was supposed to be a place of
safety, not a platform for paedophile’s to operate from, hiding behind their
religious office.
=>
I urge you to pray daily that the sex-offenders in the church will be exposed
and publicly named, shamed, and removed from office; before being handed over
to the authorities.
=>
I urge you to pray daily that if the sex-offenders cannot be routed out of
specific church’s, because the church leadership protects them; that the church
leaders and organizations themselves will be publicly exposed, and the church’s
dissolved. If you know that a church
harbours sex-offenders, then immediately cut all support for that church or
organization. If you were making
financial contributions to such an organization, then channel those finances
towards another religious or charity organization that has a zero tolerance
towards sex-offenders.
=>
I urge you to pray daily that new church’s or religious structures will be
established, in which sex-offenders will not be able to operate. Pray for the establishment of religious organizations
and structures, that will provide safe sanctuaries for our beloved and innocent
souls, the children of the world.
News:
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Sacred References:
Corinthians, chapter 9, verse 19 onwards.
John, chapter 10, verse 7 onwards.
Homily:
This talk today is about Tact and Tolerance.
It is about the recognition of other religions. You see we all know as Christians that there
is only One God, and that Christ Jesus came for everybody on earth. However the right approach is not always to
just condemn or break down the religion of others. Especially because the Christian Church
institution leaves much to be desired in itself. For example we have Catholics and
Protestants, not to mention various brands of Orthodox Christianity. On a regular basis the Protestant churches are
still splintering into more denominations.
So if we are to convey to those souls from other religions that Christ
Jesus is the ultimate Truth, then we need to be tactful and considerate of
their belief system. The great
commission of Christ Jesus is to go into all the world, and win all the souls
of everybody on earth for Christ. Now we
don’t get away with it so easily, yes it applies to all of us, and that means
you and me as well.
There are many beautiful religions in the world, which as
vehicles for spiritual growth for their members are doing an excellent
job. You can compare the job that most
of the world religions are doing, to the Jewish religion. There are a number of rules to adhere to in
the books of law, and in order to get into heaven, you need to be able to
comply with them all. Now some people
have devoted their lives to fulfilling this task, and are fairly successful,
and some are even completely successful, also extremely few in numbers. Now imagine that you are speaking to a spiritual
giant who has made great progress with regards to getting it right from a
spiritual perspective. Now we come
along, potentially spiritual babes by comparison, and try to get this spiritual
giant to stop what they are doing, and to instead focus on the one Truth,
Christ Jesus.
Now remember that people of other religions have spent a
lifetime of practice and study of their specific religion. Their religion has become part of their core
belief system, so you can’t just point them to the ultimate truth, and expect
them to change direction and follow that truth.
You need to use tact and love to achieve the goal. Christ Jesus wants all of mankind to follow
him. You see when sheep of other folds,
or people from other religions hear and understand the voice of Christ Jesus,
then they too will follow Christ Jesus, because Christ Jesus is the one and
only truth. Ultimately we are all
destined to belong to the one and only true religion, and that will be
Christianity. Ok, I agree that the
Christian church has to get its act together.
There is probably much scope within the Church for improvement. For example probably the first thing to do,
is for all the Christians to unite in one Church, and then all the other
religions of the world to unite in that same Christian church as well. That is the way that I see it. So next time you are talking about those
Baptists, or those Methodists, or those Catholics, stop and think about it. We are all Christians, and we believe in the
same God, because there is only one God, and have all atoned for our sins
through the same Christ Jesus.
Let us contemplate on this truth. “And other sheep which are not of this fold; them also I must bring and
they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold and one shepherd”. Let us bring all
mankind to the point with tact and understanding and love and kindness, to the
point where they will be able to hear the voice of Christ Jesus.
So respect other religions, but ultimately you are leading
everybody in the world to this point:
The Believers Prayer – short form
Lord Jesus Christ, thank you for dying
on the cross for my sins.
Please forgive my sins and give me the
gift of eternal life.
I ask you into my life and heart to be
my Lord and Saviour.
Amen.
Does that make sense?
Are you on the same page as me on that one?
So as St Paul explains in the Epistle
reading. Although he did not owe
anything to any man, he became the servant of all men by choice, so that he
could gain the more. So that he could
lead more souls to the redemptive power of Jesus Christ. So that those of other religions would also
get a chance to Atone for their sins. To
the Jews he became as a Jew, in order that he may explain the ultimate Truth
that is Christ Jesus to the Jews, and gain a number of souls for Christ from
the Jews.
For those who lived under the law, he
became as one who lived under the law, so that he could gain the souls of those
who lived under the law for Christ Jesus.
To those who lived without law, he became as one who lived without
law. To the weak, he became as
weak. He became all things for all men,
so that he could give them an opportunity to atone for their sins, and join the
one fold with the one shepherd. Of
course by doing this he was also building up his treasures in heaven, building
a fitting mansion for himself in heaven.
You see ordinary man goes to great
lengths to achieve things in life, or to say it more symbolically; mankind does
all for a corruptible crown. Yet the
crown we are striving for is incorruptible, because in heaven we will take on
our immortal bodies. So should we not
pull out all the stops down here, bring our lower natures under control, so
that we can gain as many souls for Christ Jesus while on this temporal
existence as possible?
Remember that just because you are
sympathetic to other religions, and may even get books on them, and study them,
and talk to people about them etc. It
does not mean that you are then defined by that religion. You still remain a Christian, but because of
your knowledge of other religions, you are able to bring more and more people
from every walk of life, from every religion to “hear the voice of Christ
Jesus”, and atone for their sins, and give their souls into the care of Christ
Jesus. I tell you it is truly exciting
to come to the realization that there is only one way after all to heaven,
except for the minuscule number of exceptions of course; and that is through
Christ Jesus, by atoning for your sins, and following Christ Jesus. Mind blowing to realize that this Truth; was
meant for everybody on earth; and not just for Christians. Daunting to realize that you have also been
commissioned with the task of harvesting Souls from other religions for Christ
Jesus.
Love Rev. Fr. Franz Devantier IOCC.
Church History – Article 14:
A middle way
The English Church was
spiritually revitalized by the reformation.
Initially the Church of England separated from Rome in 1532, under King
Henry VIII (1509 - 1546). The Church of
England was not instantly reformed but developed as a reformed church during
the course of the sixteenth century.
In 1532 the Church of England was
a National Catholic Church without a Pope, but as the century progressed, it
recovered the doctrines of the New Testament and the early church to the extent
that it could be considered as an Evangelical Church. At the same time the Church of England
retained enough of the worship principles of the medieval church, to be called
Catholic.
The religious compromise came
under the rule of Queen Elizabeth I (1558 - 1603). This allowed most English people a lot more
freedom, as long as they conformed to the new Political and Religious
regime. This religious compromise was
called the “Middle way”, or “Via Media”.
This was originally a compromise between the extremes of Romanism and
Puritanism.
The Anglican communion made an
important contribution to the Reformation for a number of reasons. One reason was that it gave impetus to the
rise of English nationalism. Anglicanism
however was not large when compared to the Baptists for example. Anglicanism had a limited ecclesiastical
impact, and only really had a strong following in Britain, and later on in the
British empire, and the commonwealth.
However Anglicanism did spawn the Puritan movement, which had a marked
religious, political and social impact.
The goal of Puritanism was to
purify the Church of England of it “Romish” and “Popish” trappings, which it
did not ultimately achieve. Puritanism
was never a formal ecclesiastical body,
it did however have a profound effect on a number of Christian groups. The Puritan movement also had an effect on
British and American life in general, and ultimately a large part of the
Christian world.
Puritanism was based on Calvinist
theology, and they tried to apply elements from both the Protestant reformers
and the Radical Reformers (Anabaptist theology) to the Church of England. They emphasized restitution like the
Anabaptists. However they were prepared
to work through the established state church, and to use force to achieve their
religious goals, which was unlike the Anabaptists. Anabaptists and Baptists were horrified at how
the Puritans worked through the state churches, and the religious coercion that
resulted.
Without the biggest branch of the
reformation behind them, the Anabaptists and the Baptists, the efforts of the
Puritans were in vain. Eventually the
Puritans joined the English revolution (1642 - 1649), to aid parliament in its
overthrow of Royal Authority. The idea
was to introduce a Puritan state church, which went completely against the
Theology of the Anabaptists and the English Baptists. In 1649 the monarchy was successfully
abolished, but in 1660 the monarchy was restored again. In 1658 with the death of Oliver Cromwell,
came the end of the Puritan Republican experiment.
However that was not the end of
the Puritans, their influence lingered and made an impact on many developments,
including religious changes in a number of British denominations. However the Puritans were leaving for
America. The purpose of the Puritans was
to permeate the landscape of the New World for the next three hundred
years. The Puritan ethic has remained to
the present day, and continues to exert a strong influence. You can say that the Puritans lost in
Britain, but they won in America. The
disciplined form of Puritan Christianity provided a strong basis for the future
expansion of Christianity in the New World.
The Catholic Reformation which
had started before Martin Luther broke with the catholic church was still
on-going. The Catholic reformers were
strengthened by the need to reform the Church from within to avoid Protestant
criticism. The drive for renewal was led
by several reform minded Popes, as well as the “Oratory of Divine Love”. The Oratory of Divine Love was a Catholic
association of Priests and Lay Christians.
However attitudes were hardening on both sides. Protestantism was starting to become more
institutional. The Church of Rome
defined their response to the Protestant threat, by the Roman Inquisition, and
the Council of Trent (1542 - 1563). The
council of Trent set out to clarify doctrines, and to reform administrative
abuses. This led to revitalizing the
spiritual and ecclesiastical life of the Church.
Another factor which helped to
renew the Church and deter Protestantism was the founding of the Society of
Jesus in 1540, also known as the Jesuits.
Ignatius od Layola (1491 - 1556) was responsible for founding the Jesuits.
So with all these movements in
the Church, the Roman Church had started to look as though it would succumb to
the Protestant advance in the mid-sixteenth century. However because of the internal Roman
reformation the Roman church was stronger in 1600, then it had been in 1500.
One of the big reasons for the
revitalization of the Roman Church was its newly inspired emphasis on
missions. Well trained Jesuit evangelist
and organizers gave the edge to the missionary outreaches. As a result a large portion of Southern
Germany and eastern Europe was recaptured for the Church of Rome, in the second
half of the sixteenth century. Also
impressive was the overseas growth of Roman Catholicism in the second half of
the sixteenth century and the seventeenth century.
Inspired by the doctrinal stability
of Trent, and by the successful Jesuit counter attack on Protestantism, the
Roman Church launched a program of missionary expansion in America, Africa, and
Asia. Several million souls were added
to the Roman Communion. Special notice
must be taken of the exceptional work done by the Jesuits in South and East
Asia; especially by Francis Xavier (1506 - 1552), Roberto de Nobili (1577 -
1656), and Matteo Ricci (1552 - 1610).
By contrast the main area of
Protestant expansion in the same period outside of Europe was limited to the
Atlantic Seaboard of North American British Colonies. These Colonies were later to become the
United States of America. Persecution
played a direct role in the expansion of Christianity to British North
America. Many of these early settlers
were fleeing from some form of persecution in Europe. Mainly those who were fleeing from
persecution in Europe were from some form of Radical Protestantism; such as the
Puritans, Independents, Quakers, and Baptists.
In the seventeenth century there were also increasing numbers of
Reformed and Lutheran Christians, who arrived in the New World, who were
fleeing from the oppression of the Roman Catholic Rulers in France, and parts
of Germany.
Christianity had to some extent
suffered a “religious low”, in the seventeenth century. However in the eighteenth century,
Christianity rode on the back of the unexpected and miraculous outbreak of
evangelical revivals we will focus on these revival next week. During this period of history also known as
the “Enlightenment”, many had rationalized the history of Christianity, and
were sceptical that Christianity would be able to recover. Some even said that Christianity was in a
continuous decline, from which there would be no return. However the Faith has the remarkable ability
to periodically reform and renew itself, which was to prove the sceptics wrong
again.
(Next week we look at Revival)
An Anglican Catechism
– Article 14:
Prayer and Worship
=>
What is Prayer?
Prayer
is responding to God, by thought and by deeds, with or without words.
=>
What is Christian Prayer?
Christian
prayer is response to God the Father, through Jesus Christ, in the power of the
Holy Spirit.
=>
What prayer di Christ teach us?
Our
Lord gave us the example of prayer known as the Lord’s Prayer.
=>
Recite the Lord’s Prayer.
Our
father in heaven
Hallowed
be your Name
Your
Kingdom come
Your
will be done
On
earth as in heaven.
Give
us today our daily bread.
Forgive
us our sins
As
we forgive those who sin against us.
Save
us from the time of trial
And
deliver us from evil.
For
the Kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours
Now
and for ever. Amen.
=>
What are the principal kinds of prayer?
The
principal kinds of prayer are adoration, praise, thanksgiving, penitence,
oblation, intercession, petition, meditation and contemplation.
=>
What is adoration?
Adoration
is the lifting up of the heart and mind to God, asking nothing but to enjoy
God’s presence.
=>
Why do we praise God?
We
praise God, not to obtain anything, but because God’s being draws praise from
us.
=>
For what do we offer thanksgiving?
Thanksgiving
is offered to God for all the blessings of this life, for our redemption, and
for whatever draws us closer to God.
=>
What is penitence?
In
penitence, we confess out sins and make restitution where possible, with the
intention to amend our lives.
=>
What is the prayer of oblation?
Oblation
is an offering of ourselves, our lives and labours, in union with Christ, for
the purposes of God.
=>
What are intercession and petition?
Intercession
brings before God the needs of others; in petition, we present our own needs,
that God’s will may be done.
=>
What is corporate worship?
In
corporate worship, we unite ourselves with others to acknowledge the holiness
of God, to hear God’s word, to offer prayer, and to celebrate the sacraments.
=>
What is meditation?
Meditation
is a form of prayer in which we reflect on a portion of Scripture, or some
truth or experience, and ponder it in our hearts.
=>
What is contemplation?
Contemplation
is a form of prayer in which we keep our hearts and minds still and attentive
to God, allowing him to work in us as he will.
(Next
week we will look at Fasting)
Prayer:
Our
Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name: Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth
as it is in heaven. Give us this day our
daily bread. And forgive us our
trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation. But deliver us from evil.
[Protestants
can optionally add: For Thine is the
kingdom, the power and the glory, for ever and ever.]
Amen.
A Meditation for all Humanity, The Great Invocation:
This meditation or prayer refers to the Kingdom of God,
establishing itself on Earth.
(In place of the word “Christ” below, you may be more
comfortable with the term “Lord Maitreya”, “the Imam Mahdi”, “the Bodhisattva”,
“the Messiah”, or etc.)
From the point of Light within the Mind of God
Let Light stream forth into the minds of men.
Let Light descend on Earth.
From the point of Love within the Heart of God
Let Love stream forth into the hearts of men.
May Christ
return to Earth.
From the centre where the Will of God is known
Let purpose guide the little wills of men
The purpose which the Masters know and serve.
From the centre which we call the race of men
Let the Plan of Love and Light work out
And may it seal the door where evil dwells.
Let Light and Love and Power restore the Plan on Earth.
By using the Invocation and encouraging others to use it,
no particular group or organisation is sponsored. It belongs to all humanity.
Benedictio:
P.
Pax Dei, quae exsuperat omnem sensum, custodiat corda vestra et intelligentias
vestras in scientia et amore Dei, et Filii ejus Jesu Christi Domini nostri; Et
benedictio Dei omnipotentis, Patris, + et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti, descendat
super vos, et maneat semper vobiscum.
Amen. (The peace of God, which passeth
all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in the knowledge and love of God
and of his Son, Christ our Lord; and the Blessing of God Almighty, the Father, + the Son and the Holy Ghost, be
amongst you and remain with you always. Amen.
)
Love,
Rev. Fr. Franz Devantier of Saint Titus, IOCC, South Africa,
devantierf@gmail.com
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