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 at times 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 OtienoOdhiambo, 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. 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.
Third
Sunday in Lent –23rd March
2014 (Colour of Celebration –Violet
/ Purple)
We see Jesus today in open conflict with Satan and his
works. So also during Lent, which is a
time when the struggle against the old man is more intense, should we “live as
children of the light”, performing actions good, just and true.
Intent: Understanding.
O God, who knowest all things and art therefore
all-forgiving, grant us grace so to look upon the hearts of our brethren that
we may never fail in understanding and compassion; through Christ the Lord of
love, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, ever one God,
throughout all ages of ages. Amen.
Announcements:
We are actively recruiting members for Saint Titus,
Ordinary members, members who need baptism and confirmation, members who would
like a conditional baptism and confirmation certificate, Lay Preachers, Lay
Pastors, and candidate Priests. Full
practical training will be provided for the Candidate Priests, and a Diploma
issued on the successful completion of the training. If you are interested, then please contact Fr.
Franz devantierf@gmail.com
Special Prayer Requests:
=>
Let’s pray that our Church’s / Temple’s / Religious places, will be havens of
love, harmony, peace, and safety.
=>
Let’s pray for the continued safety and wellbeing of all of God’s creatures
whom we love so much.
=>
Let’s pray for the Salvation of all the souls on earth, and the return of Jesus
Christ to earth.
News:
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Newsletter and get all the latest news.
Sacred References:
Epistle: I Peter,
chapter 3, verse 8 onwards
Ephesians, chapter 5, verses 1-9
Gospel: John,
chapter 8, verse 3 onwards
Luke, chapter 11, verse 14-28
Homily / Sermon:
Firstly I am going to discuss the consequences of living in
sin, and the advice that Jesus Christ gives to us to overcome this.
Secondly I am going to discuss some aspects of walking
through this world as children of the light.
Finally I will discuss a theme that is highlighted in a
soon to be released book by Father Mac Khruisium “Winds of Change”.
Consequences of
Sin:
We see open conflict between the forces of good and evil,
and as in this first example; the answer is not to simply just apply the
law. The law is there as a first step
with regards to perfecting your heart and soul, but is inadequate to completely
lift the condition of your heart and soul up to God.
The Scribes and Pharisees enter the scene, with a woman
that they had caught in the very act of Adultery. The law of Moses clearly state’s that a woman
caught in such an act should be stoned to death. They wanted Jesus Christ to prove himself to
be a good Hebrew, and to an extent discredit himself, with regards to the Love
and forgiveness that he had been speaking about. You see if he asked them to
show mercy to the woman, then he would have broken the law, and discredited
himself completely as a teacher. A
win-win for the Scribes and Pharisees, that promised to give them their final
victory over Jesus Christ, and his teachings.
There seemed to no possible way for Jesus Christ to emerge successfully,
from such a situation.
Now obviously they were all eagerly awaiting the response
that Jesus Christ would have to eventually give. They were sure that whatever he said, he
would discredit himself completely; there was no conceivable escape from this
trap that they had cleverly prepared for him.
The woman involved knew that this was the end, as soon as Jesus Christ
spoke, the stones would start flying and she would surely die. The tension rose to a breaking point as Jesus
Christ calmly took a stick and wrote in the sand. Eventually he turned to them and said; “He
that is without sin among you, let him cast the first stone at her”.
The older and wiser in the group, knew immediately that
they had failed in this foolproof attempt of theirs, and they retired. One by one the rest realized that the words
of Jesus Christ, had put them on the spot, and it was their hearts that were
being examined, and not the Adulteress’s.
Eventually they all left, and wonder of wonders, the woman was still
alive, and Jesus Christ had won another intellectual battle that was
constructed by his adversaries. Of
course it was so much more than just an intellectual battle. It was the Scribes and Pharisees who had
walked into a trap and not Jesus Christ.
They had not destroyed his work, but had validated it, and provided
tremendous support for the work of Jesus Christ.
After some conversation Jesus Christ said to the woman: “Neither
do I condemn thee: go and sin no more”.
You see this woman, regardless of the sins that she had committed, and
regardless of the consequences that awaited for her, according to the books of the law of
God; had received atonement for sin from God himself. This is a story of how atonement for sin
works, presented in the form of an allegory, that real people lived out two
thousand years ago. See the prayer of
redemption below.
On a different topic, you can consider that a person who
has been possessed by a demon, is reaping the fruits of sin in their lives or
still paying for the sins of the fathers, which is valid for up to seven
generations. In modern psychological
terms the concept of a demon is not really entertained, although the closest
explanation of a ghost, is a “personality without a body”. Because demons, like Angels are spirit, it is
difficult to define them within the limits of our non-spirit or physical
existence. Instead of demons modern
people will use the concept of “manifestation”. Certain labels are typically related to
mental illness, or psychological problems, such as depression or bi-polar.
Many of these problems are treated by means of therapy, and the more
serious cases are treated by means of medication, which can often be permanent
medication or medication for life. People
with more serious psychological conditions are often taken up into special
clinics to be taken care of, very often on a permanent basis.
To paint a balanced picture, you will often find that
people with psychological problems sometimes go to their Pastor or Priest or similar
spiritual leader for spiritual counselling, guidance and prayer. Very often a combination of spiritual
counselling and Psychiatric or psychological therapies will achieve a positive
result for the patient. It is not
uncommon that a person afflicted with a psychological problem will be able to
cope better, or put the problem behind them after a spiritual experience of
some kind. So this does nothing to say
that we don’t have demons these days, as they did 2000 years ago; or that
demons are in fact psychological problems.
There remains a certain mystery around the whole concept, and so you can
take out of it, what you need to.
We see how Jesus Christ cast a demon out of a dumb man, and
this dumb man was able to speak again.
Could it be that he was so badly afflicted with a mental condition, that
he could not speak. Immediately we see a
group of intellectuals on the scene, claiming that Jesus Christ was casting out
demons by using the powers of Beelzebub.
Beelzebub is described as a chief demon.
Here again we see another attempt to discredit Jesus Christ.
However the weakness of the argument is easily demonstrated. Jesus explains how a kingdom, household or
organization that is divided against itself, will not last for long but will
fall or fail. Therefore the argument
that he throws out demons by means of Beelzebub, does not make sense. Even the ordinary people at the occasion that day, was able to understand how silly the argument was in the first place.
Jesus Christ uses this situation to give additional teachings
to the crowd that had gathered. Jesus
said, “He that is not with me is against me: and he that gathereth not with me
scattereth”. Now that certainly brings
things into perspective. You will notice
in the above quotation that there are only two states of being. There is no neutral state in the middle. If you don’t take a position with Jesus
Christ or gather souls for the kingdom of heaven, then you are doing the
opposite. There is no position where you
can do nothing and remain neutral, there is no grey area in this case. If you do nothing you are in fact “against
Jesus Christ, and scattering the souls for the Kingdom of Heaven”. As such you will have to account for, and pay
the price on the day of judgement; or you can atone for your sins, and change your ways; see the
prayer of redemption below.
The other lesson to learn is that when a person is
delivered from a demon, or a psychological affliction for that matter. You should not just leave that emptiness that is formed in there lives, but
encourage then to fill the emptiness with positive things. To fill the gap with things of God, with
prayers and Angels, and studies of the sacred scriptures, and etc. For some people it is useful to visualize a
negative emotion being lifted out of the body, and to fill it again with
healing water or light. Whatever you do,
don’t leave a hole in your life, for some other problems to inhabit, rather fill it up
with good and positive things as soon as possible.
Then when the seven demons come by, all more evil than the
one that originally left; there is no space for them to take up their residence. Have you ever noticed how somebody can
overcome a relatively minor mental problem that they are experiencing; but over
time, they seem to develop far more serious problems? This is the seven demons that come back and take residence in that emptiness that is left; because the person involved did not fill that space up with something positive.
Walking as
Children of the Light:
In the first part of this sermon we discussed how it is important
to turn away from sin, and turn towards the righteousness of God, with the help
of the prayer of Redemption; if you have not already subscribed to it.
Walking in the light is not always going to be easy. If you walk along a path that is properly
illuminated, then you are walking in the light, and everybody can see
everything that you do. You can see
exactly where you are going as well. The
path is clear ahead for you, and if you focus really hard; you can imagine
receiving your rewards in heaven one day for the effort that you are putting
in, on this earth plain. If you make a
mistake in the light, you can’t pretend it never happened, there are so many
that can witness against you.
By contrast if you walk in the dark, nobody really sees
you, or is aware that you are even there.
Whatever you do, you seem to get away with, because there are no
witnesses. However remember that God
records every act of yours on this earth, so that when you get before the
throne of God, you will not be able to hide anything.
While you are on this Earth, you are an exposed target for
the forces from the dark side. That is
why you should frequently ask God for his protection. It is also useful to put on the full armour
of God, and to understand the significance of the different pieces of
armour. Once you engage in spiritual
warfare, either willingly or unwillingly, you can’t back down if you are
walking in the light. Firstly wherever
you go, whatever you do, you remain exposed, it is as though there is a
spotlight on you. Secondly the
breastplate, and the shield protect your front.
There is no protection for your back.
Once you turn your back on the spiritual attacks, you are fully exposed,
and don’t be surprised if the adversary takes full advantage, and delivers the
mortal blows to your spirituality. If
you are walking in the light, you have the assurance that whatever happens, no
matter how scary, you will receive adequate protection. This spiritual battle will make you
spiritually stronger, and so it is a win-win situation. If you ever decide to back down, you are
immediately in big trouble, because the armour of God does not protect spiritual
cowards. The armour of God is designed
and made for spiritual warriors.
A child of God walking in the light, has only two
choices. There is no third option or grey
area. You are either standing up for
God, or you are against him. In the
light there is no fence to sit on.
Remember that if you walk in the darkness, you have already given up
your soul, and so you are no longer a challenge for the powers of
darkness. Whereas if you are in the light,
you are a constant target for the powers of darkness. However don’t for a moment believe that it
will be any better in the dark than in the light. It is not only the things that you do that
are hidden in the darkness, it is also the things that are done to you that are
hidden in the darkness. You have no
protection, no armour in the darkness.
When the powers of darkness decide to destroy you completely there is
little that you can do to save yourself, except to make your way as quickly as
possible to the light, where you can have the full protection of God. Usually moving to the light would be a
process, but in some circumstances it could be a matter of minutes or even
seconds. As soon as you say the prayer
of redemption, and really mean it, you have moved across to the light, and have
started your walk as a child of the light.
See below for the prayer of redemption.
If we are followers of God, then we should be walking in
love. There is no place for the children
of God, the children of the light to bear any form of hatred or malice towards
each other. The fruit of the spirit
should start manifesting in your life.
The fruit of the Spirit of God is Goodness, Righteousness, and Truth. The followers of God, the children of the
light, have a tremendous treasure stored up for them, in that they will inherit
the Kingdom of Heaven. No I did make a
typo or say it wrong. The children of
God, the children of the light, will inherit the Kingdom of God. Think about that for a moment. If you have said the prayer of redemption, in
the past, you are headed towards heaven.
But there is more, you are not going to live there, as somebody who goes
to live in a new place. You are going to
heaven to claim your inheritance.
We are son’s and daughter’s of God, in other words we are
brothers and sisters of Jesus Christ, and co-heirs of the Kingdom of
Heaven. We are going to claim our
inheritance, our piece of the Kingdom of Heaven. There will be abundance and more than enough
for everybody in the Kingdom of Heaven.
If you have not already, then please claim your place in the Kingdom of
Heaven, say the prayer of Redemption, and live by it.
Winds of Change:
If we think about the greenhouse gases
that are going into the atmosphere, and the global warming, and climate changes
that are starting to take effect. Think
about the way we are destroying our drinking water, our life supporting
environment. We have started to reach
planetary limits; we are approaching critical mass points, from which there may
be no return.
Raw sewage is still being pumped into
the oceans in incredible quantities, power stations are releasing unthinkable
quantities of green house gases into the atmosphere every day. Genetic scientists continue to modify and
destroy our natural foodstuffs, and scientists are developing pesticides and
herbicides which will get into our food-chain, and ultimately into us. Cancer has reached epidemic proportions, even
although cancer was almost completely unknown of, a century ago. It is not that something is wrong; it is that
too many environmental things have gone wrong, and are continuing to go from
bad to worse, on all levels of human existence.
The world urgently needs alternatives,
because the dispensation’s that are currently in power are not adequately
addressing these very serious problems.
The sound of the wind has been howling in our ears for years, but we
have chosen to ignore it; or maybe up till now we could not do anything about
it, because there were no alternatives. There
is thankfully at last an alternative for all of us. Father Mac Khruisium is busy describing these
world changing alternatives in the form of a book, which should be available
soon. I will let you know immediately
when it becomes available. I believe it
will be available for free in e-book format, as well as the usual paperback
format, which one has to pay for.
The Prayer of Redemption
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.
I undertake to be baptized as called
for in the scriptures, Mark 16, verse 16.
I undertake to regularly partake of
Holy Communion, as in Mathew 26, verses 26-28.
Amen.
Mark, chapter 16, verse 16
Whoever believes and is baptized will
be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.
Mathew 26:26-28
And as they were eating, Jesus took
bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said,
Take, eat; this is my body. And he took
the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; For
this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission
of sins.
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.
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, or the return of Jesus Christ.
(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.)
1.) From the point of Light within the Mind of God
Let Light stream forth into the minds of men.
Let Light descend on Earth.
2.) From the point of Love within the Heart of God
Let Love stream forth into the hearts of men.
May Christ
return to Earth.
3.) 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.
4.) 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.
5.) Let Light and Love and Power restore the Plan on
Earth.
By using the Invocation and encouraging others to use it,
no particular group, organisation, or religion is sponsored. It belongs to all
humanity, it belongs to you. Say this
prayer every day, when you wake up in the morning.
Benedictio:
P. 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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