Resisting Sin through Christian love has many behaviors. One of them is nonviolence. Jesus dying on the cross is the best example of this kind of provocative non-violence.
“The cross is the eternal expression of the length to which God will go in order to restore broken community.” – Martin Luther King Jr. (from Stride For Freedom by Martin Luther King Jr.)
It is your light that lights the worlds. -Rumi
Epiphany means the manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles as represented by the Magi. Epiphany means reveal. The Feast celebrates the revelation of God revealing himself to mankind. As the real story goes, the King of the World is born and the three wise men go to see the baby Jesus. Following a star, the Magi find Jesus.
I was asked at Mass today what the INRI stands for above the cross while we celebrated the Epiphany of God’s reveal. In the New Testament, Jesus is referred to as the King of the Jews, both at the beginning of his life and at the end.
INRI found as an inscription above every crucifix represents the Latin inscription IESVS·NAZARENVS·REX·IVDÆORVM (Iesus Nazarenus, Rex Iudaeorum), in English reads as “Jesus the Nazarene, King of the Jews.”
Written to mock him, the chief priests said to Pilate,
“Write not, ‘The King of the Jews;’ but that he said, ‘I am King of the Jews’.” Pilate answered, “What I have written I have written.”
Some believe that the justification for his crucifixion was that he claimed an illegitimate title. However John 19:21-22 states that Pilate rejected the charge that Jesus was crucified because he falsely claimed to be king and instead stated that the reason Jesus was crucified was because he was the King of the Jews. Thus, Pilate personally was convinced that Jesus was the Jewish Messiah. This is further corroborated by the Eastern Orthodox Feast of Saint Pontius Pilate on June 25 since early church histories state that after converting to Christianity, Pilate himself was martyred by double crucifixion.
In light of the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy, we are offered an opportunity to encounter the incredible mercy of God. Encountering mercy means encountering God. The Epiphany, encountering God, can transform your life in every aspect, every experience, every relationship.
STTA (something to think about): Masonically INRI is read: “Igne Natura Renovatur Integra”. The regeneration of nature by the influence of the sun symbolizes the spiritual regeneration of mankind by the sacred fire (truth and love) of Masonry, a purely naturalistic institution.
Ways of Providence
If Christmas means that God is with us, that God is one of us, that God has come close, then we no longer have to be afraid. Afraid of anything. Go out and radiate the Light of Christ!
Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy: December 8, 2015 – November 20, 2016
Begin with love and mercy. When God became incarnate in the form of Jesus, we received the incredible message that we are loved beyond calculation. God began with love and mercy and so should we.
Divine Mercy
Redeemers heart radiates forward
Boundless divine mercy for all
Deepest understanding of our suffering
Following God’s commandments and manifest forgiveness
Love in us
God is Love
Dawn is coming
Its always there
Look toward the Son
Mary was rescued from the power of original sin. Christ, who receives his human flesh from his mother, receives this flesh from a person who, by a singular gift from God, comes into this world without original sin.
Mary “the New Eve”
Mary is someone who is ready to receive the impossible.
Because the very best things are not taken; they are received as gifts. God did not block Adam and Eve’s access to the tree because he wanted to prevent them from having what he had; he blocked access because he wanted to give them gifts.
from Father Barron’s advent reflections
What’s your mission, your purpose, our purpose, here on this crazy planet? The mission isn’t out there or somewhere to find. Its inside of you. Look! Peel those layers back. Find! Its in you. Crack it open. Don’t wait! No reason to let time tick away. It can be now if you choose it. Now!
Waste by Foster the People…last years song but still cool
Pope Francis announced on Friday March 13th, 2015 that he is convoking a jubilee year to be called the Holy Year of Mercy.
It will be inaugurated on December 8th, 2015, the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception and will run until November 20th of 2016 which is the solemnity of Christ the King.
Announcing this he said, “I am convinced that the whole church — that has much need to receive mercy because we are sinners — will find in this jubilee the joy to rediscover and render fruitful the mercy of God, with which we are all called to give consolation to every man and woman of our time,”
“Let us not forget that God pardons and God pardons always,” the pope continued. “Let us never tire of asking for forgiveness. We entrust it as of now to the Mother of Mercy, because she looks to us with her gaze and watches over our way, Our penitential way, our way of open hearts, during a year to receive the indulgence of God, to receive the mercy of God.”
Announcing the closing date, the pope added a new term to the title of Christ celebrated that day, also calling Jesus “the living face of the mercy of the father.”
The press conference in the Vatican saw the unveiling of the logo for the upcoming Jubilee Year of Mercy portraying the figure of the Good Shepherd carrying the lost soul that provides a fitting summary of what the Jubilee Year is all about. Similarly, it’s motto, Merciful like the Father, serves as an invitation to follow the merciful example of God who asks us not to judge or condemn but to offer love and forgiveness instead.
Jubilee Year punctuated by a series of celebratory events in 2016
They include:
January 19th – 21st for all those involved with pilgrimages
April 3rd for believers who are living through the experience of mercy
April 24th – a gathering for young people to profess their faith
May 29th special Jubilee Day for deacons
June 3rd dedicated for priests
June 12th dedicated to those who are sick or suffer disabilities
September 4th a day dedicated to those involved in volunteer and charitable work
September 25th dedicated for catechists
October 9th a day dedicated to Marian spirituality
November 6th will be dedicated to all prisoners
Check out the Website dedicated to The Jubilee Year of Mercy
You have within you the ability to not only attract faithfulness, but also the intellect to see what is truly going on around you.