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Posted on 8 December 2018 by blessedsacramentsodality

Newsletter – 2nd Advent 2018

Newsletter – 2nd Advent 2018

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Covent Garden
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“Sine dominico non possumus!” Without the gift of the Lord, without the Lord’s day, we cannot live: That was the answer given in the year 304 by Christians from Abitene in present-day Tunisia, when they were caught celebrating the forbidden Sunday Eucharist and brought before the judge. They were asked why they were celebrating the Christian Sunday Eucharist, even though they knew it was a capital offence. “Sine dominico non possumus”: in the word dominicum/dominico two meanings are inextricably intertwined, and we must once more learn to recognize their unity. First of all there is the gift of the Lord – this gift is the Lord himself: the Risen one, whom the Christians simply need to have close and accessible to them, if they are to be themselves. Yet this accessibility is not merely something spiritual, inward and subjective: the encounter with the Lord is inscribed in time on a specific day. And so it is inscribed in our everyday, corporal and communal existence, in temporality. It gives a focus, an inner order to our time and thus to the whole of our lives. For these Christians, the Sunday Eucharist was not a commandment, but an inner necessity. Without him who sustains our lives, life itself is empty. To do without or to betray this focus would deprive life of its very foundation, would take away its inner dignity and beauty. . Does this attitude of the Christians of that time apply also to us who are Christians today? Yes, it does, we too need a relationship that sustains us, that gives direction and content to our lives. We too need access to the Risen one, who sustains us through and beyond death. We need this encounter which brings us together, which gives us space for freedom, which lets us see beyond the bustle of everyday life to God’s creative love, from which we come and towards which we are travelling. . . . . . . . . #corpuschristi #londoncatholic #catholiclondon #catholic #romancatholic #catholicism #coventgarden #maidenlane #eucharist #blessedsacrament #jesus #jesuschrist #christ #sacredheartofjesus #adoration #sacredheart #heartofjesus #romanrite #missaleromanum #mass #catholicmass #ordinaryform #extraordinaryform #tlm #traditionallatinmass

Celibacy is an anticipation, a foretaste, made possible by the grace of the Lord, who draws us to himself, towards the world of the resurrection. It invites us always anew to transcend ourselves and the present time, to the true presence of the future that becomes present today. And here we come to a very important point. One great problem of Christianity in today's world is that it does not think anymore of the future of God. The present of this world alone seems sufficient. We want to have only this world, to live only in this world. So we close the doors to the true greatness of our existence. The meaning of celibacy as an anticipation of the future is to open these doors, to make the world greater, to show the reality of the future that should be lived by us already as present. Living, then, as a testimony of faith: we truly believe that God exists, that God enters into my life, and that I can found my life on Christ, on the future life. . And if that disappears, the root of our culture will be destroyed. So celibacy confirms the "yes" of marriage with its "yes" to the future world. So, we want to go ahead and make present this scandal of a faith that bases all existence on God. We know that besides this great scandal that the world does not want to recognize, there are also the secondary scandals of our shortcomings, our sins, which obscure the true and great scandal and make people think: "They are not really living on the foundation of God". But there is also so much loyalty! Celibacy - as its adverse criticism shows - is a great sign of faith, of the presence of God in the world. We pray to the Lord to help us, to set us free from the secondary scandals in order to make relevant the great scandal of our faith: the confidence, the strength of our life, which is founded in God and in Jesus Christ! . . . . . . . #corpuschristi #londoncatholic #catholiclondon #catholic #romancatholic #catholicism #coventgarden #maidenlane #eucharist #blessedsacrament #jesus #jesuschrist #christ #priesthood #adoration #celibacy #vocation #romanrite #missaleromanum #mass #catholicmass #ordinaryform #extraordinaryform #tlm #traditionallatinmass

Baptism suggests very eloquently the global meaning of the Christmas celebrations in which the theme of becoming God's children, thanks to the Only-Begotten Son of God taking on our humanity, is a key element. He became man so that we might become children of God. God was born so that we might be reborn. These concepts continually recur in the liturgical texts of Christmas and constitute an exciting motive for reflection and hope. Let us think of what St Paul wrote to the Galatians: "God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons"; or again, St John in the Prologue to his Gospel: "To all who received him,... he gave power to become children of God". This wonderful mystery which is our "second birth" the birth of a human being from "on high", from God is brought about by and recapitulated in the sacramental sign of Baptism. . With this sacrament the person truly becomes a child of God. From that moment the purpose of his existence consists in freely and consciously achieving what was and is the human being's destination. "Become what you are", is the fundamental educational principle of the human being redeemed by grace. This principle has many analogies with human growth in which the parents' relationship with their children passes through separation and crises, from total dependence to their awareness of being children, grateful for the gift of life received and maturity and the ability to give life. Generated from Baptism to new life, the Christian too begins his journey of growth in faith that will lead him to invoking God consciously as "Abba", "Father", to addressing him with gratitude and to living the joy of being his child. . . . . . . . . #corpuschristi #londoncatholic #catholiclondon #catholic #romancatholic #catholicism #coventgarden #maidenlane #eucharist #blessedsacrament #jesus #jesuschrist #christ #baptism #adoration #baptismofthelord #christening #font #missaleromanum #mass #catholicmass #ordinaryform #extraordinaryform #tlm #traditionallatinmass

Observing the heavenly phenomena, these Magi had seen a new star and, instructed by the ancient prophets as well, they recognized in it the sign of the Messiah's birth, a descendant of David. From its initial appearance, therefore, the light of Christ began to attract to himself the people "with whom he is pleased", of every tongue, people and culture. It is the power of the Holy Spirit that moves hearts and minds to seek truth, beauty, justice, peace. It is what the Servant of God John Paul II affirmed in the Encyclical Fides et Ratio: "men and women are on a journey of discovery which is humanly unstoppable - a search for the truth and a search for a person to whom they might entrust themselves". The Magi found both of these realities in the Child of Bethlehem. . Men and women of every generation need on their pilgrim journey to be directed: what star can we therefore follow? After coming to rest "over the place where the child was", the purpose of the star that guided the Magi ended, but its spiritual light is always present in the Word of the Gospel, which is still able today to guide every person to Jesus. This same Word, which is none other than the reflection of Christ, true man and true God, is authoritatively echoed by the Church for every well-disposed heart. The Church too, therefore, carries out the mission of the star for humanity. But something of the sort could be said of each Christian, called to illuminate the path of the brethren by word and example of life. How important it is that we Christians are faithful to our vocation! Every authentic believer is always travelling his own personal itinerary of faith, and at the same time, with the little light that he carries within himself, can and must be a help to those alongside him, and even help the one for whom finding the way that leads to Christ is difficult. . . . . . . . #corpuschristi #londoncatholic #catholiclondon #catholic #romancatholic #catholicism #coventgarden #maidenlane #eucharist #blessedsacrament #jesus #jesuschrist #christ #epiphany #adoration #magi #threewisemen #romanrite #missaleromanum #mass #catholicmass #ordinaryform #extraordinaryform #tlm #traditionallati

What kind of star was the star the Magi saw and followed? This question has been the subject of discussion among astronomers down the centuries. Kepler, for example, claimed that it was “new” or “super-new”, one of those stars that usually radiates a weak light but can suddenly and violently explode, producing an exceptionally bright blaze. . These are of course interesting things but do not guide us to what is essential for understanding that star. We must return to the fact that those men were seeking traces of God; they were seeking to read his “signature” in creation; they knew that “the heavens are telling of the glory of God”; they were certain, that is, that God can be perceived in creation. . But, as sages, the Magi also knew that it is not with any kind of telescope but rather with the profound eyes of reason in search of the ultimate meaning of reality and with the desire for God, motivated by faith, that it is possible to meet him, indeed, becomes possible for God to come close to us. . The universe is not the result of chance, as some would like to make us believe. In contemplating it, we are asked to interpret in it something profound; the wisdom of the Creator, the inexhaustible creativity of God, his infinite love for us. . We must not let our minds be limited by theories that always go only so far and that — at a close look — are far from competing with faith but do not succeed in explaining the ultimate meaning of reality. We cannot but perceive in the beauty of the world, its mystery, its greatness and its rationality, the eternal rationality; nor can we dispense with its guidance to the one God, Creator of Heaven and of earth. . . . . . . . . #corpuschristi #londoncatholic #catholiclondon #catholic #romancatholic #catholicism #coventgarden #maidenlane #eucharist #blessedsacrament #jesus #jesuschrist #christ #epiphany #adoration #magi #threewisemen #romanrite #missaleromanum #mass #catholicmass #ordinaryform #extraordinaryform #tlm #traditionallatinmass

Epiphany means the manifestation of Jesus to all peoples, today represented by the Magi, who arrived in Bethlehem from the East to pay homage to the King of the Jews, whose birth they had learned about by the appearance of a new star in the sky. In fact, before the arrival of the Magi, this event was little known beyond the family circle, other than to Mary and Joseph, and probably to other relatives, it was known by the shepherds of Bethlehem. Having heard the joyful announcement, they had hastened to see the baby while he was still lying in the manger. The coming of the Messiah, the expectation of the people foretold by the Prophets, remained thus initially remained hidden. . Until, that is, those mysterious figures — the Magi — arrived in Jerusalem to ask for news of the “King of the Jews,” who had just been born. Obviously, as it had to do with a king, they went to the royal palace where Herod resided. But he did not know anything about this birth and, very worried, immediately summoned the priests and scribes who, based on Micah’s famous prophecy, affirmed that the Messiah was to be born in Bethlehem. And in fact, setting out in that direction, the Magi saw the star again, which led them to the place where Jesus was. Having entered, they prostrated themselves and adored him, offering him symbolic gifts: gold, frankincense and myrrh. . This is the Epiphany, the manifestation: the coming and the adoration of the Magi is the first sign of the unique identity of the Son of God who is also Son of the Virgin Mary. From that moment the question began to be asked that would accompany the whole life of Christ, and that in different ways passes through the centuries: who is this Jesus? . This is the question that the Church wishes to awaken in the hearts of all: who is Jesus? This is the spiritual concern that drives the mission of the Church: to make known Jesus, his Gospel, so that every man may discover in his human face the Face of God, and be illumined by his mystery of love. . . . . #corpuschristi #londoncatholic #catholiclondon #catholic #romancatholic #catholicism #coventgarden #maidenlane #eucharist #blessedsacrament #jesus #jesuschrist #magi #epiphany

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