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
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. )
16th
Sunday after Pentecost – 8th September 2013 (Colour of Celebration – Green)
Intent: Justice
O God, in whom is no variableness, neither shadow of
turning; we lean upon thy justice as upon a pillar of thy throne; we thank and
bless thee for thy holy law that changeth not and pray for wisdom that under it
we may live according to thy will, who livest and reignest, Father, Son and
Spirit one God for evermore. Amen.
All the faithful in the Catholic Church, assisted by the
grace of God, which they humbly implore, should always seek the perfection of
their souls.
Commemoration
of the Saints, for the coming week
Sunday September
8th
The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
At the time of Mary’s birth the whole world was plunged
into darkness. The heathen nations were
steeped in vice and pride. The Jews,
beloved of God, had strayed from Him.
Everywhere there was sin and gloom, no bright spot on the face of the
earth. But when Mary was born a light
arose amid the darkness; the dawn of the glorious day that was to usher in the
redeemer. So, too, the darkness of the
sinner’s soul is dispersed by Mary’s holy influence. Where the love of her is born in the soul,
all becomes full of light, and Jesus comes to make His habitation there, Mary,
in the first hour of her life, brought more glory to God than all the saints of
the Old Testament. In her were made
perfect the obedience of Abraham, the chastity of Joseph, the patience of Job,
the meekness of Moses, the prudence of Josue.
It is because she is the model and pattern of these and all other
virtues that she can communicate them to us.
Commemoration of St Adrian, Martyr
Saint Adrian suffered martyrdom with twenty five others at
Nicomedia under the emperors Diocletian and Maximian A.D. 303.
Monday September
9th
Commemoration of St Gorgonius, Martyr
At Nicomedia, St Gorgonius, an officer of Diocletian’s
household, converted many servants of the imperial court. His cruel master condemned him and his
companions to the most atrocious death.
A.D. 302.
Tuesday September
10th
St Nicholas of Tolentino, Confessor
From his childhood St Nicholas was a model of virtue and
innocence. He entered the Order of St
Augustine and became a famous preacher.
He died A.D. 1310.
Wednesday
September 11th
Commemoration of SS. Protus and Hycinth, Martyrs
These two brothers were scourged and beheaded at Rome in
the persecution of Valerian and Gallian A.D. 262.
Thursday
September 12th
The most Holy name of Mary
The great victory, which John Sobieski, king of Poland,
gained against the Turks under the walls of Vienna, caused the Pope Innocent XI
to make this Feast obligatory throughout the whole Western Church as a yearly
act of thanksgiving for the deliverance of Christian Europe.
Saturday
September 14th
The Exaltation of the Holy Cross.
Chosroes, King of Persia, carried away the True Cross to
Persia; but Heraclius, Emperor of the east, defeated Chosroes and himself
carried the holy Cross to the Basilica on Calvary A.D. 629.
Announcements:
We are collecting members for Saint Titus, Ordinary
members, members who need baptism and confirmation, and candidate Priests, both
men and woman. We want to provide for
our members, all sorts of services that they may need, such as burial,
marriage, confession, and etc. We are
hoping to attract as many people as possible.
If you are interested, then please contact Fr. Franz devantierf@gmail.com
News:
Join
the Saint Titus
Newsletter
Sacred References:
Galatians, chapter 6, verse 4 onwards
John, chapter 5, verse 25 onwards
Homily:
Today’s homily is really about
Justice, from a spiritual perspective.
Now what we have to remember firstly
is not to confuse atonement for sins or justification by faith, with the
concepts of building up your treasures in heaven.
When a person becomes a Christian,
that is to say when he believes in Christ Jesus, and takes up the offer of
Justification by faith, he is saved, and has the assurance of getting into
heaven. Now in the same way that newborn
babies live on milk, until they are strong enough to eat solid foods or
meat. In the same way newly converted
Christians must live on spiritual milk, until they have grown strong enough to
take in the spiritual meat. When we
speak about spiritual meat, then this is not really suitable for spiritual
babies, although they try to eat it.
When we speak about justice from a spiritual perspective, we are no
longer dealing with spiritual milk which is intended for new converts.
So let’s assume that as a reader, you
have believed in Christ Jesus, and been baptized, and you are what we can say
born again. However you have moved
beyond this point and are able to eat the spiritual meat with the rest of us.
You see God is not mocked, remember
that every law from the Old Testament still stands and is still valid, and
required as well. Christ Jesus brought
the new commandment to us. Now if you
follow the new commandment of love, then all of the laws from the Old Covenant,
from the Old Testament are covered. So
we are not going to get away with anything here. Not one single item of the law has fallen
away, we stand fully responsible for them all.
In fact we stand in the place that countless people have stood before us,
the place where we have to earn our position in Heaven. Don’t misunderstand, yes as spiritual babies
we will all get into heaven. This homily
is all about, what position in Heaven will you take up when you get there? Will you for example be a spiritual baby,
whose physical bodies have worn out after a long and productive life. You see you will be going to heaven, because
that is what Atonement for sin is all about.
That is what redemption or justification by faith is all about. If you take up Christ Jesus on his offer, you
will be getting into heaven, case closed.
Do you understand what I am trying to say here?
For those readers who may have
forgotten, here in a nutshell is how easy it is to get into heaven, as a
spiritual baby:
The Believers Prayer
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.
Say the believers prayer very
seriously and believe it, and your ticket into heaven as a spiritual baby has
been granted. Perhaps best to say it a
few times a day until the gravity of the words have sunk into your very soul. Don’t be confused it is not easier or more
difficult, that is it. Then of course we
are also asked to get baptized, but any Christian group you are with will
educate you on their specific traditions in this regard. At this point in time you can only take in
spiritual milk, because you have been born-again, and are in reality a
spiritual baby, that needs nurturing and growth, in order to become a spiritual
adult.
Now with all the milky stuff out of
the way, let’s get stuck in.
“As you sow, so shall you reap”. This is a very powerful piece of reality,
that you can use to your own advantage or disadvantage. Typically if you don’t focus on this, then
the principal seems to be working against you.
Think of it in this way, things usually catch up to you good or bad
rather sooner than later.
Of course there are different levels
that you can sow into. For example you
can sow into the physical level, and again you will reap in the physical
level. If you sow good into the physical
level, you will reap good in the physical level and so on, but remember that
things are of a transient nature on the physical level. The physical level is best used as a means to
demonstrate what can happen on the spiritual level. Sometimes things turn around very
quickly. For example you walk down the
street and smile at somebody and they smile right back at you. Instantaneous reaping. Most of the time things will take a little
longer on the physical level. The problem
with the physical level is that it remains separate from the spiritual level.
When you sow into the physical level,
you are dealing with a physical body that is busy degenerating. Over time things may come back to you, but
your body may have passed its usefulness by then, and have died already. The physical body becomes corrupt, as nature
reclaims the building blocks to be used in other creations of life, plants or
animals for example. So sowing into the
physical level always carries the disadvantage that you are sowing those good
or bad things, that will return to a body, that may have already started
corrupting itself.
So you really need to sow good into
the spirit realm, your spirit, your higher self. Now when you sow onto this level, the returns
are not immediate, and you may never experience them being returned, while your
physical body is still alive. Sowing
into the spiritual level is of a more lasting nature, a more permanent nature.
Now here is the trick, how do you sow into
the spiritual level, because you operate in a vehicle, your physical body that
is limited to the physical level? Ok, so
you are going to have to do physical things, and because your intent is
focussed, they will manifest in the spiritual level. Now Christ Jesus already gave us the answer
on how to achieve this potentially very complicated spiritual exercise. Christ Jesus made it very simple, so simple
that anybody can do it. You don’t have
to be a Guru, in order to achieve it.
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and love your Neighbour as
yourself.” So if you consciously do
these things with your physical vehicle, with your mind, with your emotions,
you will be creating the required results on the spiritual level. For example, you may find yourself offering a
kind word to your neighbour. Now because
that kind word is based on love, it is properly aligned, and the result of it,
is that it goes into the spiritual realm, and is stored in what we could call
your treasure chest in heaven. So there
was no special mental or spiritual exercise required from your side, because
you were implementing the new commandment, the commandment of love.
So you see the New Commandment of
love, shortcuts you past all the required Guru type exercises, all the
spiritual exercises, and deep understanding of the principles that may have
been required otherwise. All you need to
do is to love your God, and your neighbour, and you have effectively fulfilled
all of the Guru requirements, to build your treasure in heaven. Now another illustration; let’s say that for example, something has
happened to somebody and you feel that you must pray to God for them. Because you are operating in love, everything
is in alignment, and you are again building up treasures for yourself in
heaven.
So you see it is all about love in the
end. Do it with love, and everything
falls into place, because God is Spirit and God is Love. These are perhaps two pivotal concepts to
properly understand. 1.) God is Spirit. In
order to draw closer to God, you need to understand the implications of God
being a spirit. 2.) God is love. God is not a God of war, but a God of
Love. Christ Jesus did not come to this
earth to lead an army into battle, but to lead mankind into a deeper
understanding of love. Sometimes this
can be a difficult concept to get a grip on.
You for example have the most powerful avatar that ever visited the
Earth, and he does not speak of death and destruction but Love. Christ Jesus came to this Earth to teach us
about Love. So in a nutshell do anything
that you would have normally done, within restrictions of reasonableness of
course; but do it with Love, and you are building your treasures up in
Heaven. However very important, do it
without love, and you have nothing, besides meaningless rhetoric, and physical exercises
etc.
Even so, having said all of the above,
be careful, because it is easy to miss the point, and be caught in a situation
where you just don’t understand the spiritual principles. You have been born again, and so you are
going to Heaven, and you are building up your treasures in heaven. You need to take it to the next level, and
try to determine what sort of treasures are most needed in heaven. For example you can spend your day, saying
prayers out of love, and build tremendous treasures for yourself in
heaven. Or you can turbo-charge you
treasure chest in heaven by pin-pointing and doing very specific things, that
carry a bonus, as far as your treasure chest in heaven is concerned.
Now how will you know what these very
specific things are? Well the Holy
Spirit is the teacher, so if you listen carefully to what God is telling you in
your quite time, you will become aware of the things that God will really like
you to do. Doing these specifics will
add far more value to your heavenly treasure chest, as compared to the text
book; right things to do approach.
So we are looking at a lot of hard
work here. Don’t deceive yourself, very
few people would have gotten into heaven by works alone. The works that we are talking about now, is for
an entirely different purpose. It
explains why Saint Mother Theresa toiled for years and years in Calcutta, why
she devoted so much time in helping needy souls. You see she had pinpointed specific needs,
and her treasure chest in heaven was being filled with bonuses, and turbo
charged rewards. Yes she could have
remained somewhere and just prayed for people, and that would have been quite
something as well.
Do you understand now, why you have to
do so much work as a Christian? Becoming
saved, with the believer’s prayer or similar vehicle was the easiest part of it,
in fact the first step. It is not that
you are trying to work your way into heaven by good works. It is not that you are trying to be a good
person, so that people can see that you are a really good Christian. It is because you have understood the deeper
message in the Holy Scriptures, and you are going for Gold. You have understood the meaning of “Love your
God, and your neighbour”, and suddenly you have it all together and you are going
for Gold.
With every day that we live, we leave
one more day of history behind us, we get one more day closer to the time when
Christ will return to Earth. We get one
more day closer to when the grim reaper will harvest our soul, ready for
judgement of the value of our lives. Yes
there will be that moment when we took God up on the offer for atonement for
sin, which enables us to get into heaven.
However when we stand before the great white throne of God, and our lives
are exposed for all to see, so that a proper and fair judgement can be made, so
that the proper place in heaven can be found for us; how will we fair?
Will we be joyous because of the place
of honour that we can now take up in heaven?
Will we feel frustrated that we must now share the living quarters with
millions of others who also just made it into heaven, by justification by faith? Will we be infinitely sad as we walk away
from the throne of God, knowing that this is a departure from the kingdom of
heaven, knowing that our accommodation will leave much to be desired in the
afterlife?
Will we contemplate on the fact that
if only we had taken that simple little believers prayer seriously, like we did
so many other things in life, things would be different now as we look upon the
great white throne of God, waiting for our judgement? Would we be thinking that we had done so much
in life, that if only we had done it all with love, instead of with indifference
and malice, that we would be so much better off now? Would we have a smile from ear to ear, as all
that we have done on this earth plain is revealed to have been done in love,
under the guidance of the Holy Spirit?
In the believers prayer you invite God into your heart. Now God is Spirit, and God is Love. So this one little act sets you up to automatically
to start building your treasures in Heaven, without even thinking about it
specifically. You have the Holy
Spirit(God) in your heart to guide you, you have love in your heart, because
that is what God brings with himself, Love.
Love Father Franz.
Church History – Article 11:
Decline and Decay in the Church
A period of decay overwhelmed the
institutional church in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. However before the decay set in properly,
there was a period that was considered to be a golden age of Christian thought.
There were a few individuals that
stood head and shoulders above the rest during this age, people like Peter
Abelard (1079 – 1142), was of note during the twelve century. During the thirteenth century we had the
theological genius Thomas Aquinas (1224 - 1274). Abelard and Aquinas were able to create a
solid intellectual base, to counter the challenges of the heresies from within
the church. Not only from within the
church, but during this period due to newly established cultural ties with the
East, they were exposed to additional theological challenges.
The Church became exposed to classical
Greek philosophy, and Aristotle type thinkers.
Greek thought and philosophy had been carefully preserved over the
years. In order to counter these
philosophies it was necessary to more precisely formulate the faith of the medieval
church. Thanks to intellectual giants
such as Abelard and Aquinas, the church held its own during this age of Golden
Christian thought.
The golden age of Christian
thought reached a cultural, theological and political peak in the twelve and
thirteenth centuries, under the leadership of Pope Innocent III (1198 - 1216). In the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, the
institutional church started to lose momentum.
There were many reasons for this.
The passion for reform within the church had cooled down. The missionary zeal of the earlier church had
slowly been losing its appeal, its support.
The intellectual vitality which had carried the church through the
golden age of Christian thought, had degenerated into empty scholasticism. Scholars were just studying the rhetoric, but
there was no new intellectual activity of note.
On top of all this the
Renaissance started to exert its influence on society. The talent, energy and financial resources of
the Papacy was diverted towards the Renaissance. Arguments raged within the church about the
real source of final authority. That is
to say, did the final authority rest with the Popes or with the Councils? Because of the strife within the church,
uncertainty about belief systems and about spiritual leadership, started to
become an issue. Ordinary Christians
were turning to the Bible for spiritual guidance and comfort. Many of the Christians during this period of
decay in the church began to long for a reformed Catholicism. However we will see next week, that when the
reform in the church finally came, it brought with it repercussions that had
perhaps not been imagined as possibilities up till then.
(Next week we look at Reform)
An Anglican Catechism
– Article 11:
The Church
=>
What is the Church?
The
Church is the community of the New Covenant.
=>
How is the Church described in the Bible?
The
Church is described as the Body of which Jesus Christ is the Head and of which
all baptized persons are members. It is
called the people of God, the new Israel, a holy nation, a royal priesthood,
and the pillar and ground of truth.
=>
How is the Church described in the Creeds?
The
Church is described as one, holy, catholic and apostolic.
=>
Why is the Church described as one?
The
Church is one, because it is one Body, under one Head, our Lord Jesus Christ.
=>
Why is the Church described as holy?
The
Church is holy, because the Holy Spirit dwells in it, consecrates its members,
and guides them to do God’s work.
=>
Why is the Church described as catholic?
The
Church is catholic, because it proclaims the whole faith to all people, to the
end of time.
=>
Why is the Church described as apostolic?
The
Church is apostolic, because it continues in the teaching and fellowship of the
apostles and is sent to carry out Christ’s mission to all people.
=>
What is the Anglican Communion?
The
Anglican Communion is a family of churches within the universal Church of
Christ, maintaining apostolic doctrine and order and in full communion with one
another and with the “see” of Canterbury.
=>
What is the Church of the Province of Southern Africa?
The
Church of the Province of Southern Africa is a self-governing Province of the
Anglican Communion. It proclaims and
holds fast the doctrine and ministry of the one, holy, catholic and apostolic
Church.
=>
What is the mission of the Church?
The
mission of the Church is to restore all people to unity with God and each other
in Christ.
=>
How does the Church pursue its mission?
The
Church pursues its mission as it prays and worships, proclaims the gospel, and
promotes justice, peace and love.
=>
Through whom does the Church carry out its mission?
The
Church carries out its mission through the ministry of all its members.
(Next
week we will look at The Ministry)
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.
Benediction:
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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