We cross over from one riverbank to the other, from birth to death, from this world into the Kingdom of God, from morning to evening, from the single-status to marriage, from the family into the Christian Community (by Baptism).
Crossing over is a normal passage; something we live in! There is all the time a great question accompanying us: WHAT's on the other side ?
After we have woken up Jesus and He has calmed down the situation, we see what happen "on the other side" (Mk 5.21-43). It's a vision:
A) There is confidence in Jesus (come and lay hands on her / save her life).
B) There is encouragement (only have faith / don't be afraid)
C) There is discovery of reality (the child is not dead / but asleep)
D) There is empowerment (talitha kum / I tell you to get up)
E) There is great astonishment (give her to eat / celebrate a great dinner)
This VISION is on the way in the Christian Community (at least we hope so):
a) Everyone asks the Cty "pls save my life" (bc the Christ.Cty is a life-saving one).
b) The Cty answers: Yes, sure we do it! Don' t be afraid - we do whatever we can to safe your life. We know you need not only nature but people; this is why we welcome you from our heart and we show you that you are welcomed.
c) The Cty goes to see, to discover the real situation of every member: the strength, the weaknesses, the relations and the web of lies... the chances and the barriers. Only by knowing each other we are able to help rightly. It's a sensitive matter.
d) The Cty empowers every member to go upright, to walk his/her way; it's like electrifying; to deliver the strength to do the right thing. To empower people, to animate people to discover their own abilities, to lead them to get self-esteem - what an ART!
e) The effective Spirit (the Intention of God) of the Cty to unite, to heal leads to the celebration of the Eucharist. But in modern time we may be creative enough to
celebrate in a form that enjoy and nourishes our faith.
Paulus (2 Cor 8.7-9,13-15) describing the other side, says: You always have the most of everything... Jesus was rich... to make you rich (out of his poverty)... it's a question of balance... (by sharing).
And the Book of Wisdom says: "Death was not God's doing; to be - for this he created all!
Mittwoch, 24. Juni 2015
Mittwoch, 17. Juni 2015
Calm down... Mk 4.35-41
Sometimes we have to give the advice "calm down". The situation is burning, people get angry and loud - and now: "please calm down". The aim to calm down is to achieve a better common solution; a solution ore rational, more considerate, more just, more fitting into the situation - less emotional.
it you pray - pls calm down - God knows before you cry! cf confidence
if you cry - pls calm down - crying is disturbing - no confidence
if you believe - pls calm down - believe is the basic of knowledge
if you are angry - pls calm down - silence is deeper
Sometimes people feel: "we are going down" (because it began to blow a gale and the waves were braking into the boat - a situation everybody has experienced).
Every survey of the influence of the RCC shows "we are going down".
Don't cry - it's disturbing! Rather find the reasons "why we are going down". Speaking a language nobody can understand any more, teaching a morale, nobody follows -
change yourself (your language and morale) and you will go up.
Pope Francis is convinced: show mercy and the Church is going up.
The fear "going down" leads us to cry and we hear "calm down. That's good for us.
All the story starts with the decision "let us cross-over". Not the decision is wrong! But perhaps the time, the place, the circumstances, the strategy, the preparation ...
maybe you are not fit enough for the "cross-over".
The "cross-over" from the "world" into the "kingdom of God" (into the fullness of Life)
is an adventure. The intention of God (Holy Spirit) is with us and Jesus, the Immanuel,
is asleep. Return to his life-style and you will get the advice "calm down".
The advice "calm down" is a reminder for confidence. But this reminder is not excluding all your strength to observe the situation and to plan your strategy carefully.
If you feel our RCC is "going down" (maybe your are realistic) don't cry, but "calm down".
We hope in your calmness you will find the right strategy to turn the course and to build
up a better Church.
it you pray - pls calm down - God knows before you cry! cf confidence
if you cry - pls calm down - crying is disturbing - no confidence
if you believe - pls calm down - believe is the basic of knowledge
if you are angry - pls calm down - silence is deeper
Sometimes people feel: "we are going down" (because it began to blow a gale and the waves were braking into the boat - a situation everybody has experienced).
Every survey of the influence of the RCC shows "we are going down".
Don't cry - it's disturbing! Rather find the reasons "why we are going down". Speaking a language nobody can understand any more, teaching a morale, nobody follows -
change yourself (your language and morale) and you will go up.
Pope Francis is convinced: show mercy and the Church is going up.
The fear "going down" leads us to cry and we hear "calm down. That's good for us.
All the story starts with the decision "let us cross-over". Not the decision is wrong! But perhaps the time, the place, the circumstances, the strategy, the preparation ...
maybe you are not fit enough for the "cross-over".
The "cross-over" from the "world" into the "kingdom of God" (into the fullness of Life)
is an adventure. The intention of God (Holy Spirit) is with us and Jesus, the Immanuel,
is asleep. Return to his life-style and you will get the advice "calm down".
The advice "calm down" is a reminder for confidence. But this reminder is not excluding all your strength to observe the situation and to plan your strategy carefully.
If you feel our RCC is "going down" (maybe your are realistic) don't cry, but "calm down".
We hope in your calmness you will find the right strategy to turn the course and to build
up a better Church.
Freitag, 12. Juni 2015
Sunday of confidence (14.06.2015)
Ezekiel (17.22-24) says: You all have to know:
it's the Lord-Jahwe who plants the cedar...
who makes the low grow...
who makes the withered green... it's the Lord-Jahwe !
Ezekiel's message: "God is at work".
Until today, the most people in the world are convinced: "God is at work".
But we have a modern problem: If you see God as good, "benevolens", as LOVE
or as "Fulness of Life" - then you feel good that "God is at work" and you like to
represent such a "God at work; and it's good to experience people, who aktualize such a "God at work". If you see God as revenge, as the one who punish, as jealous, as dictator - you are in trouble to see this "God at work" and you fear the people who present such a "God at work".
The reaction to the Ezekiel-message depends upon your IMAGE of God.
Therefore again pls note:we (many of us) have to refresh, to renew, to refind an "IMAGE of God" for our time. Jesus has done the same: to bring a new "IMAGE of God!" "God is at work" - thats fine - the Question remains: which kind of God
do you see at work ????
2. Cor 5.6-10 (Paulus): It doesn't matter, whether we are living in the body or exiled from it, in every case, we are intent on pleasing HIM. And each of us will get what he deserves for the thing he did in the body (good or bad). Paulus is very confident of the fact that the Christian life-style of everone of us is a pleasure for God.
Mk 4.26-34 Jesus has many parable to show us "the Kingdom of God" (KoG):
cf. the mustard seed / the working soil... but today there is also an interesting question: What new parable can WE find for "KoG" ???
It's high time to find new parables in order to understand better the message of
"KoG". There is an old proposal: Make yourself a parable of the KoG. Our lifestyle may present the KoG for people with eyes.
[In our RCC of Namibia we remain in Liturgy and Pastoral using the old parable and
the old language - maybe the young people will not understand us anymore].
it's the Lord-Jahwe who plants the cedar...
who makes the low grow...
who makes the withered green... it's the Lord-Jahwe !
Ezekiel's message: "God is at work".
Until today, the most people in the world are convinced: "God is at work".
But we have a modern problem: If you see God as good, "benevolens", as LOVE
or as "Fulness of Life" - then you feel good that "God is at work" and you like to
represent such a "God at work; and it's good to experience people, who aktualize such a "God at work". If you see God as revenge, as the one who punish, as jealous, as dictator - you are in trouble to see this "God at work" and you fear the people who present such a "God at work".
The reaction to the Ezekiel-message depends upon your IMAGE of God.
Therefore again pls note:we (many of us) have to refresh, to renew, to refind an "IMAGE of God" for our time. Jesus has done the same: to bring a new "IMAGE of God!" "God is at work" - thats fine - the Question remains: which kind of God
do you see at work ????
2. Cor 5.6-10 (Paulus): It doesn't matter, whether we are living in the body or exiled from it, in every case, we are intent on pleasing HIM. And each of us will get what he deserves for the thing he did in the body (good or bad). Paulus is very confident of the fact that the Christian life-style of everone of us is a pleasure for God.
Mk 4.26-34 Jesus has many parable to show us "the Kingdom of God" (KoG):
cf. the mustard seed / the working soil... but today there is also an interesting question: What new parable can WE find for "KoG" ???
It's high time to find new parables in order to understand better the message of
"KoG". There is an old proposal: Make yourself a parable of the KoG. Our lifestyle may present the KoG for people with eyes.
[In our RCC of Namibia we remain in Liturgy and Pastoral using the old parable and
the old language - maybe the young people will not understand us anymore].
Mittwoch, 3. Juni 2015
Bread for the Life of the World
As we have celebrated the "INTENTION" of God (Pentecost) we go now to celebrate a content of this INTENTION: God, as shown in Jesus, likes to be for us "bread + wine". This is an effective nourishment for us "people on the way into the fulness of Life".As human we need spiritual food for our spiritual energy.
As we celebrate Eucharist, we open Heart + MIND + HANDS to receive this gift. We are now gifted with the presence of God. And - logic - we may become for each other "bread + wine". In this evolution a person is not any more a wolf for his next but "bread + wine". That's a remarkable transformation. We hope our Community, City, Nation, the whole world may experience this Christian transformation.
But - we have a problem: In our Catholic Churches, in the Eucharist, the Christian people look at the Holy Bread, they start adoration, they fell on the knees, they pray - and they admire Jesus. They believe Jesus is present in this Holy Bread.
It means they have well understood the first step: the presentation-Act.
But the second Act: the intention of the Holy Bread is less conscious. The Bread likes to be eaten, to be effective, to nourish. We are glad to see: some people open the hands.. Jesus is given over into their hands.
And the third Act, the final scope of presentation and intention is only in the air - not in the hearts. The call is: YOU may become "bread + wine" for the others.
Sure: Jesus is the Bread of Life for the World. But this Jesus-bread is (we hope) digested in you. You as a Christian have to become "the Bread of Life for the World".
This transformation into "bread + wine" is the aim of the whole Eucharist.
In the Corpus-Christi-procession we show Act 1: look at the Holy Bread and know: Jesus is present as spiritual Bread. Already this show is for the gazing people in our Citys "not to understand". Act 2, the intention of the Bread is not shown and Act 3: the transformation is simply not known (for the spectators).
We live in 2015. The Bishops are busy to prepare a World-Synod: to decide to whom we give the Holy Bread (to remarried people too?) But there is no Synod to deliberate: How we show act 1 + 2 + 3.
Are we going to invite the City to the stadium to show: How we celebrate the Eucharist? And at the end all participating Catholics are sent to bring a piece of bread and a gulp of wine to all spectators with the invitation to come down from the arena to participate on the final great DANCE of all.
As we celebrate Eucharist, we open Heart + MIND + HANDS to receive this gift. We are now gifted with the presence of God. And - logic - we may become for each other "bread + wine". In this evolution a person is not any more a wolf for his next but "bread + wine". That's a remarkable transformation. We hope our Community, City, Nation, the whole world may experience this Christian transformation.
But - we have a problem: In our Catholic Churches, in the Eucharist, the Christian people look at the Holy Bread, they start adoration, they fell on the knees, they pray - and they admire Jesus. They believe Jesus is present in this Holy Bread.
It means they have well understood the first step: the presentation-Act.
But the second Act: the intention of the Holy Bread is less conscious. The Bread likes to be eaten, to be effective, to nourish. We are glad to see: some people open the hands.. Jesus is given over into their hands.
And the third Act, the final scope of presentation and intention is only in the air - not in the hearts. The call is: YOU may become "bread + wine" for the others.
Sure: Jesus is the Bread of Life for the World. But this Jesus-bread is (we hope) digested in you. You as a Christian have to become "the Bread of Life for the World".
This transformation into "bread + wine" is the aim of the whole Eucharist.
In the Corpus-Christi-procession we show Act 1: look at the Holy Bread and know: Jesus is present as spiritual Bread. Already this show is for the gazing people in our Citys "not to understand". Act 2, the intention of the Bread is not shown and Act 3: the transformation is simply not known (for the spectators).
We live in 2015. The Bishops are busy to prepare a World-Synod: to decide to whom we give the Holy Bread (to remarried people too?) But there is no Synod to deliberate: How we show act 1 + 2 + 3.
Are we going to invite the City to the stadium to show: How we celebrate the Eucharist? And at the end all participating Catholics are sent to bring a piece of bread and a gulp of wine to all spectators with the invitation to come down from the arena to participate on the final great DANCE of all.
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