tonight at our adult education class one of the things we discussed was evangelism what is it? and how do we use it? my son is 28 years old when he was growing up he was a very devout catholic attending mass,singing in the choir and he even talked about being a priest up until he graduated high school.has he went into the world then spent a year in Iraq he lost this devout need, although he still prays he sees no need to attend church of any kind.
now i know we all get to an age where we have to live our own lives and prove to our selves our religion is worth what we thought it was has a child.the problem is how do we bring our adult children back into the faith.
most young adults now days are to wrapped up in them selves.they use cell phones,text message,listen to music,watch DVDs,and spend countless hours playing video games and other computer things.
how do we reach this generation who is so technologically self absorbed? luckily for us our priest Fr. Peter is also still young and uses the media to try to reach out to them.he blogs,uses ipods and does radio programs.
you have to go where the young are places like pubs and Internet cafes meet them where they hang out.
most of use do not know how to evangelize we think knocking on doors or standing in parks preaching the word is evangelism but do you know that blogging is also spreading the word of God,not being afraid to pray over your food in public and answering friends questions are all ways of evangelism.
many people in this world are lost and looking for the good news however when we choose to talk about God we are evangelizing.although I'm not the type of person who will preach about God if some starts to talk to me about what they think about God i am not afraid to share some of my views,never trying to push farther then what i think the person is able to handle at the time.sometimes a few words here and there with people help them to become more comfortable the next time they want to talk to me,they don't feel i'm trying to push my faith on them.
evangelism is a funny thing when you least expect it suddenly you've said a few words that someone wants or needs to hear,will this bring them over to my religion,probably not but it may bring them over to God and i guess that's what its realy all about.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
officers council meeting last night
last night i attended our church officers council meeting although i am not a member of the officers our church tries to be open to all members so we can be informed.
we have come to the conclusion that the time is here to try and attempt church unification.in this area we have three small orthodox churches which united together would probably make up one moderate size church.
our basic problem is that each church is different in heritage one is Greek, one Albanian and our church is Romanian. although our liturgy for the most part is the same the traditions of each are different,and to add to the mix we have the influxes of converts who have no ties to any of these things.
Fr. Peter always says the things that will trip us up will be the small things like which priest do we use, what name will the church be, if we incorporate both names whose will be first and last but most important whose lamb recipe will we use at the picnic.
this is all new and strange to me this need to hold on to tradition. when i was catholic we never had these problems if a church was to small you were shut down with very little vote on the parishioners part.we had no traditional foods, picnics or choice in who would and would not be our priest in my mind the time has come to decide is the tradition and ethnicity the important part here or is the faith more important.the only real true traditional language i can see is Aramaic because that's what Jesus spoke other then that it takes on pride on not only the people who want to continue with the old countries language but also on the part of the people who do not want to speak Romanian,has long has we fight over language it keeps us divided which I'm sure makes the devil happy.its time to bend and compromise or lose our faith all together.language and traditions should come after the faith, Jesus came to earth to free and enlighten us to the good news.in his time he was a breath of fresh air because he taught his people to not be enslaved by rules and traditions.faith and praise comes first he said "the Sabath was made for man,man was not made for the Sabath"
we have come to the conclusion that the time is here to try and attempt church unification.in this area we have three small orthodox churches which united together would probably make up one moderate size church.
our basic problem is that each church is different in heritage one is Greek, one Albanian and our church is Romanian. although our liturgy for the most part is the same the traditions of each are different,and to add to the mix we have the influxes of converts who have no ties to any of these things.
Fr. Peter always says the things that will trip us up will be the small things like which priest do we use, what name will the church be, if we incorporate both names whose will be first and last but most important whose lamb recipe will we use at the picnic.
this is all new and strange to me this need to hold on to tradition. when i was catholic we never had these problems if a church was to small you were shut down with very little vote on the parishioners part.we had no traditional foods, picnics or choice in who would and would not be our priest in my mind the time has come to decide is the tradition and ethnicity the important part here or is the faith more important.the only real true traditional language i can see is Aramaic because that's what Jesus spoke other then that it takes on pride on not only the people who want to continue with the old countries language but also on the part of the people who do not want to speak Romanian,has long has we fight over language it keeps us divided which I'm sure makes the devil happy.its time to bend and compromise or lose our faith all together.language and traditions should come after the faith, Jesus came to earth to free and enlighten us to the good news.in his time he was a breath of fresh air because he taught his people to not be enslaved by rules and traditions.faith and praise comes first he said "the Sabath was made for man,man was not made for the Sabath"
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
companionship
Last week a friend and i went to a breakfast buffet at the Mohegan Sun Casino,while we enjoyed our leisurely meal she began to talk to me about losing her husband 2 years ago.he was diagnosed with cancer and given 1 month to live, she said "what can you do in a month that you haven't done in a life time."
now that several years have passed she is ready to find a companion not a mate but just some one to talk to and do things with. she said "life can be lonely when there is no one around and everything depends on you."
funny how you never think about those things when your in a committed relationship or married.I'm very fortunate my husband and i are best friends we do lots of things together and enjoy each others company.this afternoon Vic, my husband,wanted to go to the book store,i was tired and wasn't sure i wanted to go but then remembered what my friend had said about being alone and said sure lets go.
we have to take advantage of the opportunities in life because you never know when things will change and we will be looking for a companion to help us get through our loneliness.A very wise friend of mine once told me "loneliness is everything its cracked up to be" and I'm sure she's right.hopefully i will never have to find out.
now that several years have passed she is ready to find a companion not a mate but just some one to talk to and do things with. she said "life can be lonely when there is no one around and everything depends on you."
funny how you never think about those things when your in a committed relationship or married.I'm very fortunate my husband and i are best friends we do lots of things together and enjoy each others company.this afternoon Vic, my husband,wanted to go to the book store,i was tired and wasn't sure i wanted to go but then remembered what my friend had said about being alone and said sure lets go.
we have to take advantage of the opportunities in life because you never know when things will change and we will be looking for a companion to help us get through our loneliness.A very wise friend of mine once told me "loneliness is everything its cracked up to be" and I'm sure she's right.hopefully i will never have to find out.
Monday, December 8, 2008
repentance
what is repentance? is it just being sorry for what you've done or is there more to it then that?
when i was catholic and went to confession we were expected to say all the things we had done wrong, feel true sorrow for what we had done then ask for forgiveness.the priest would give absolution but penance was also required to prove you were truly sorry, kind of like going the extra mile.
people would find it hard to believe but i have always felt sorry for Judas,some would think he was a terrible person for betraying Jesus and then hanging himself,in my mind Jesus picked him because he understood Judas make up and character that the temptation would be hardest on him to deal with and the prophecy would, most likely, be fulfilled.the point i think i missed was that although Judas was sorry he was not repentive trying to make amends for what he did,yes he took the silver back then plunged into a deep despair but he did not understand he could get out of this hell by asking God for forgiveness and making thing right with the other apostles.he became judge,jury and executioner of himself,he didn't turn to God or to the others.
St.Peter on the other hand,who denied Christ three times,was also in fear,despair and sorrow.he locked himself away knowing what he did was wrong. so what made these two apostles different?why was one saved and the other not?Peter did not end his life,he must have learned something from Jesus teaching that Judas missed.the fact that Peter tried to stay with the other apostles and face what had happened gave him the opportunity,that Judas missed,of getting to see Jesus after the Resurrection.Peter was sorry for what he did then Jesus forgave him three times going on to make him a great leader.If Judas had stayed around, united with the other apostles and also waited for Jesus return maybe he too would have been remembered for being a great leader.
God seems to like to work with damaged goods.he does not expect us to be perfect we are like a duel personality and sinning is just easier then resisting.He understands this but he also wants us to understand that when we do something wrong we are to tell him,understand why it was wrong, then go make it right.that's forgiveness. its a way for us to start over and not have to carry the burden of sin with us forever allowing us the freedom to do Gods' will.
when i was catholic and went to confession we were expected to say all the things we had done wrong, feel true sorrow for what we had done then ask for forgiveness.the priest would give absolution but penance was also required to prove you were truly sorry, kind of like going the extra mile.
people would find it hard to believe but i have always felt sorry for Judas,some would think he was a terrible person for betraying Jesus and then hanging himself,in my mind Jesus picked him because he understood Judas make up and character that the temptation would be hardest on him to deal with and the prophecy would, most likely, be fulfilled.the point i think i missed was that although Judas was sorry he was not repentive trying to make amends for what he did,yes he took the silver back then plunged into a deep despair but he did not understand he could get out of this hell by asking God for forgiveness and making thing right with the other apostles.he became judge,jury and executioner of himself,he didn't turn to God or to the others.
St.Peter on the other hand,who denied Christ three times,was also in fear,despair and sorrow.he locked himself away knowing what he did was wrong. so what made these two apostles different?why was one saved and the other not?Peter did not end his life,he must have learned something from Jesus teaching that Judas missed.the fact that Peter tried to stay with the other apostles and face what had happened gave him the opportunity,that Judas missed,of getting to see Jesus after the Resurrection.Peter was sorry for what he did then Jesus forgave him three times going on to make him a great leader.If Judas had stayed around, united with the other apostles and also waited for Jesus return maybe he too would have been remembered for being a great leader.
God seems to like to work with damaged goods.he does not expect us to be perfect we are like a duel personality and sinning is just easier then resisting.He understands this but he also wants us to understand that when we do something wrong we are to tell him,understand why it was wrong, then go make it right.that's forgiveness. its a way for us to start over and not have to carry the burden of sin with us forever allowing us the freedom to do Gods' will.
snow
yesterday i woke up to snow on the ground and flakes in the air.I guess winter is truly coming upon us.
I always say I hate snow,I really don't,I hate the shoveling then trying to drive to work in the early morning hours when the roads have not been plowed well enough,my job is the kind that you can't call out because the roads are bad,the worse the weather the more needed you are.lets face it 3rd shift wants to go home if I don't show up their stuck for another shift.
when I was a child we always had such fun in the snow sledding,building a snow man,snow forts and if the pond was frozen ice skating, at the end of the day you would come in the house with fingers and toes frozen and starting to hurt but the next day we'd go out and do the same thing again.
to me there is nothing more beautiful then going out in the evening hours and walking with my dog on the road through the freshly falling snow with the street light hitting the flakes has they fall.Everything so quite and peaceful white and pure feeling so close to nature,when suddenly the stillness broken from afar by the soft voices of adults and kids talking and laughing has they shovel their driveways and the scrapeing sounds of a snowplow cleaning a nearby road.
although i like the spring and summer months better there is something to be said for this time of year.many people in new England like to move to Florida for the winter months, i think it would be very sad to live somewhere that i could not see even a small amount of snow this time of year,it must be very odd to put up a Christmas tree when its 80 degrees outside and flowers are blooming every where.Santa and his sleigh must look pretty funny on a green lawn with people walking by in shorts and tank tops.
there is a time and place for everything and christmas and snow just seem to need each other,even Santa and Mrs Clause can appreciate a good snow storm why else would they live at the North Pole?
I always say I hate snow,I really don't,I hate the shoveling then trying to drive to work in the early morning hours when the roads have not been plowed well enough,my job is the kind that you can't call out because the roads are bad,the worse the weather the more needed you are.lets face it 3rd shift wants to go home if I don't show up their stuck for another shift.
when I was a child we always had such fun in the snow sledding,building a snow man,snow forts and if the pond was frozen ice skating, at the end of the day you would come in the house with fingers and toes frozen and starting to hurt but the next day we'd go out and do the same thing again.
to me there is nothing more beautiful then going out in the evening hours and walking with my dog on the road through the freshly falling snow with the street light hitting the flakes has they fall.Everything so quite and peaceful white and pure feeling so close to nature,when suddenly the stillness broken from afar by the soft voices of adults and kids talking and laughing has they shovel their driveways and the scrapeing sounds of a snowplow cleaning a nearby road.
although i like the spring and summer months better there is something to be said for this time of year.many people in new England like to move to Florida for the winter months, i think it would be very sad to live somewhere that i could not see even a small amount of snow this time of year,it must be very odd to put up a Christmas tree when its 80 degrees outside and flowers are blooming every where.Santa and his sleigh must look pretty funny on a green lawn with people walking by in shorts and tank tops.
there is a time and place for everything and christmas and snow just seem to need each other,even Santa and Mrs Clause can appreciate a good snow storm why else would they live at the North Pole?
Friday, December 5, 2008
Christmas stress
Today i got to listen to Fr. Peters' radio program,taped on Thursday morning.He talked about Christmas stress and how to beat these stresses and take care of your self through the holidays,he spoke about depression and the sadness that goes along with the holiday blues.
has we get older we lose more and more of our family members and their traditions. we are put in the position of making our own traditions,we go from the child to the adult.
people put to much stress on the importance of meeting every ones needs and expectations, feeling disappointed that we may have slighted someone,its one of those things you can do 100 things right and get all kinds of compliments then hear one bad thing and it turns your world upside down.
i work at a job were every other year means i work Christmas day,this is one of those years.i have gotten used to this and we celebrate Christmas with my family on my day off, which will be Saturday this year.
i really don't feel bad about not being with every one on these holidays because i get to spend time with patients who have no family and no one to visit them. we become like their family and it makes them happy that we are with them on Christmas, this is so much better then being home opening gifts or worrying how stressed i am getting making a Christmas meal.
keep in mind mine is not the only profession that gives up holidays for the good of others there are police,firefighters, doctors and if you go out to eat on that day waiter,waitresses,cooks and hostesses who serve and meet your needs.
remember the people who have given up their holidays for you and your loved ones,if you have a chance give them a smile,thank them and wish them Merry Christmas,they will be glad you thought about them.
has we get older we lose more and more of our family members and their traditions. we are put in the position of making our own traditions,we go from the child to the adult.
people put to much stress on the importance of meeting every ones needs and expectations, feeling disappointed that we may have slighted someone,its one of those things you can do 100 things right and get all kinds of compliments then hear one bad thing and it turns your world upside down.
i work at a job were every other year means i work Christmas day,this is one of those years.i have gotten used to this and we celebrate Christmas with my family on my day off, which will be Saturday this year.
i really don't feel bad about not being with every one on these holidays because i get to spend time with patients who have no family and no one to visit them. we become like their family and it makes them happy that we are with them on Christmas, this is so much better then being home opening gifts or worrying how stressed i am getting making a Christmas meal.
keep in mind mine is not the only profession that gives up holidays for the good of others there are police,firefighters, doctors and if you go out to eat on that day waiter,waitresses,cooks and hostesses who serve and meet your needs.
remember the people who have given up their holidays for you and your loved ones,if you have a chance give them a smile,thank them and wish them Merry Christmas,they will be glad you thought about them.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
the manger
away in the manger.I'm starting to get excited about Christmas now and I'm in a hurry to get my manger up.the statues are white in color with gold trim and they sit in an old wooden stable which is lit up with tiny white lights.sometimes in the evening i shut all the lights off in the parlor and just sit on the sofa and look at it,it all just seems so peaceful and right.
when i was a little girl after we took the Christmas tree out and decorated it, i would pull out my mothers manger and set it up on the table then gently take the Shepard's out and try putting them in all different places imagineing what these men were doing when they saw the star, making sure their sheep followed near by so they wouldn't get lost on their journey to the stable.i would imagine them looking into the manger seeing the baby laying there,with his parents sitting near by and all the animals around keeping him warm with their breath.how natural and earthy it must have been with the star shining in the sky so brightly keeping the darkness of the night at bay.
on Christmas eve ,when my family would go to mid night mass,it always seemed so lovely going up for communion and looking over at the beautiful manger scene with its dark blue cloth and small white lights set up to look like tiny stars in the dark sky.it made me feel so close to Jesus birth just looking at that quite little scene and hearing the choir has it sang "silent night".what a great way to start the holiday season to feel such peace with the world around you, how loving and warm.like the Mother Mary craddling her new child in her protective arms, may we always feel such peace on earth even if its only in our hearts.
when i was a little girl after we took the Christmas tree out and decorated it, i would pull out my mothers manger and set it up on the table then gently take the Shepard's out and try putting them in all different places imagineing what these men were doing when they saw the star, making sure their sheep followed near by so they wouldn't get lost on their journey to the stable.i would imagine them looking into the manger seeing the baby laying there,with his parents sitting near by and all the animals around keeping him warm with their breath.how natural and earthy it must have been with the star shining in the sky so brightly keeping the darkness of the night at bay.
on Christmas eve ,when my family would go to mid night mass,it always seemed so lovely going up for communion and looking over at the beautiful manger scene with its dark blue cloth and small white lights set up to look like tiny stars in the dark sky.it made me feel so close to Jesus birth just looking at that quite little scene and hearing the choir has it sang "silent night".what a great way to start the holiday season to feel such peace with the world around you, how loving and warm.like the Mother Mary craddling her new child in her protective arms, may we always feel such peace on earth even if its only in our hearts.
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