Dienstag, 24. Dezember 2013

Christmas 2013 Lk 2.1-14

The Christian CHURCH has an old message for the WORLD:
      "A SAVIOUR IS BORN"
[The messgae came up, is created some years after Jesus has died. It's a discovery! after the disciples have experienced the life of JvN: his deeds and words, his death and "resurrection".]
This message is celebrated in all Christian Denominations - it's a sign of unity
among Christians - until today: Jesus birth is declared as: "A Saviour is born".

Today's extension of this message: The Salvation Jesus has brought is meant:
a) for all (for the whole world)
b) will include the life on earth and the life in heaven (time and eternity).
c) is directed to heal body + mind + soul (integral / holistic)

This message is also confronted with old questions:
a) is salvation a dream or a fact ?
b) is Salvation needed or only a flight from the naural situation ?
c) is Jesus really the only one Saviour of is he one of many ?

And there are new modern questions of today:
a) is not every born child meant as to become a saviour - to demonstrate how nature and history are to be transcended into a new future...
b) if you accept the modern evolution-theory, how do you see "salvation" ?
[because the "original sin of Adam + Eve is declared as a myth!)
c) is it possibel to accept a pious Jewish live (JvN) and his condemnation (cross) as a "healing life" for all (as world-salvation) ?
d) The Church as "body of Christ" (also in 2014) will show us the continuing salvation-work of Jesus Christ... in which form ? in which experiences ?

No doubt: a Saviour is born ! But today we like to discover the effect !
A saviour without salvation-prove is nothing (at least after 2000 years).
How do you show the world the effect the saviour has on you ?
          NO EFFECT   -    NO REALITY         (the message must be proven!)
At least: what is the prove that we are on a salvation-way ?

Samstag, 21. Dezember 2013

4th Advent Sunday 22.12.2013 / Mt 1.23

I have enjoyed very much for 12 days the Internationale Music-week in Swakop
with 4 public concert-performances together with APC-Tsumeb and then I have gone for three days to Omalungandjamba to see how Namibia is getting green
and to eat the first Mango in this season (what a pleasure).
But now for the festive season I'm back in Otjiwarongo - and enjoy the "ombura".

The Advent message told us: a light has gone up - darkness is over;
we are supposed to discover, to see the reality...
and now the fourth Sunday brings the NEWS:  "IMMANUEL"
we translate since old: "In Jesus Christ God is with us".

It means the famous question all over the world: "Where is God?" or
"God- where are you?" gets an answer (to be celebrated at Christmas).
The Profet Isaias (7.14) has spoken for the future
but now Mt speaks for the present: look at Jesus and you see "God with us".

Christianity is the first and only Religion to declare:
There is born over there in Bethlehem a child (later named Jesus of Nazareth)
and we see in him "God with us".

This is something totally new (since now 2000 years) and we struggle until today
to get this declaration, this proclamation right.
Questions:
A) Which kind of God is with us ?  the famous Jahwe-God ?  (as we call him in the creed: father, allmigthy, creator; / God of mercy, God of Love etc...)
B) And how is the situation after Jesus has died and risen to Heaven ?
He has disappeared /  How is now "God with us" ?
C) And who belongs to this famous "us" ?  the baptizeds or the 7 billions ?

I got a wonderful gift "Der Wind weht wo er will" (the wind goes where it wills)
[the timeless message of John] edition Paulus Freiburg 2013
the author Dr. P. Wittwer has made it a gift for me...  - may I find answers ?

Dienstag, 3. Dezember 2013

Sec Advent Sunday 08.12.2013

The first Sunday told us about day-breack, arrival...since long people are waiting
for the fullness of life, for redemption, happyness, salvation... and the promise is great: there will be a better future, a New Earth and a New Heaven...
Once mankind came into existence...  and we see in retroperspective a enormeous
progress...   once we have seen only our region, now we see the world; once we spoke only to our tribe, now we sms and mail and phone to the whole world...
we are busy to connect all States into a global World. The sun is rising...
Advent means: it's coming; we experience the Incarnation-process

The sec Sunday tells us more...
But sure as the light comes up - we get a new view of all the reality, we see colours, we see black and white - in the night it was a total different view.
It means Advent is a time of change, a turn-around, upheaval, a radical made-up,
for many a repentence...mankind discovered: with the coming up of the human consciousness (light) all reality is going into a new level - now there is somebody who knows...  there is not only day and night; now we know there is day and night!
It means as you know...  there is now also the temptation: to refuse to know;
the one who likes the darkness will fight again the light

On this sec. Adv Sunday we also celebrate Mary Immaculate. May we see
her as a woman who has accepted the light fully. For her God is light and she understand herself as one who is in service of the light. She experienced many clouds in her life but she didn't forget the sun behind the clouds. She faced many challenges but she discovered in all them the Grace of God.

And in regard of GBV - there was never a time so sensibel for this terrible crime. Today at least the majority of the World knows GBV is wrong; many try
to reduce GBV. Sure, we could do more... Sure some are not able to refrain from GBV...  But it's a real progress to know GBV is wrong.

And in regard of me: from the 4. to the 15. 12.13 I am engaged in the Intern.
Music-week in Swakopmund. APC's send 30 participants and we wish them all
a wonderfull experience in exercises and performances.

Freitag, 29. November 2013

First Advent Sunday 01.12.2013

WE START AGAIN.... a new Church-year to celebrate the Life of Jesus Christ.
How was ist in 2013 ?  We felt "going with the Church ?" or we stay in good distance ? How strange the Church became for me in 2013 ?
How should it be in 2014 ?  I'm going to integrate myself into the Catholic Community in order to serve Humanity ?
But sure - it cannot be every year the same - it's a pity! Development is better !

Going with the Church means:
1.) I keep myself informed.
I like to know what's going on in my Community, in the Diocese and in the World-Church. Why hot subscribe to the "Southern Cross" ? and read it carefully !
2.) I keep myself going.
I will participate in the Church-events: Holy Mass; Sacraments; Feasts, Actions...
but don't forget: doing my work very rightly in my profession, on my work-place -
that's also a Church-action!
3.) I bring myself into some Church-activities.
In the Holy Mass:  I sing; I listen; I may become a reader; a catechist !
Do we have a group who is ready to prepare the Sunday Mass in the Parish ?
In a Church-group: I become a member; I bring in my ideas; my contribution!
In this way I will become in 2014 an active member of the Catholic Community!
We need Sunday-Service people !

We know the Cath. Cty is part of the acting Body of Christ in our time. There is hope: we may do what JvN has done 2000 years ago. We open our people to see and to hear what's going on and to react in a good healty style. We empower our people to participate in the public life, to make decisions and improvements.

To build up a strong Church-Community - let me know: what can you do better for you and for all ?  There are a lot of complaints: corruption, gbv, passion-killings,
stealing, missunderstandings, revenge etc...  what may I do alone ?
But as a faith-based Community - we can do very much!

Donnerstag, 21. November 2013

34 Sun C / Lk 23.35-43 END

We also celebrate the end of the Year of Faith. 
I hope it's not the end of faith but rather it was a renewal of faith.
But serious: what did you do in favour of such a renewal ?
Faith has changed during 2013 or not at all ?
You know faith is a seed, planted in every soul.

I draw a picture of faith:
A) We all are in one boat; we are convinced: the waves carry us.
B) We are quite busy: we eat fish, we row. But the salty water we don't drink...
C) We decide to sing: "Jesus, remember me, when you come into your kingdom".

A) Faith is here a subject we are embedded in. All of us participate with the
conviction: the Universe is somehow stable. Without such faith life is impossible.
Faith is in every person the human power of trust.

B) Some objects we believe are good for us; but to some objects we revoke faith.
We don't believe in you any more... we don't trust anymore...  That's an interesting
development... some objects loose reality.

C) Before we do something, we have already decided: that's something for us.
I believe means: I have decided that's something for me; it's a reality in my view.
I believe in God means: I have decided God is a reality (good for me).

Faith is a subject, we are in; faith is against an object we are attracted to; faith is an activity, we decide for.

Faith is much ore than a religious matter. Faith is human! Faith is the decision: yes I am somebody. I am nobody is a contradiction: is no faith.
And as much as we are able to say YES to me, so we say YES to Us, to the Universe - and maybe to God.




Freitag, 15. November 2013

33 Sun C Lk 21.5-19 ENDURANCE

Until today people admire the beauty..  arts, religion, landscape, science etc...
and Jesus comes with a "reality-shock": everything will be destroyed!
People living in a state of illusion will ask: when and what sign ? anger / trouble!
In front of the temple it's hart to believe...
But today we know at least after 4 1/2 billion years our sun-system will explode.

Jesus take the chance to open our CHRISTIAN eyes:

A) What ever happen... revolutions, wars, Haiyan, tsunami, plagues, famine,
refugees-streams, earthquakes, finance-crashes ...
take care... rise up your attention... know and see and hear what's going on

B) What ever your experiences in such situations: betrayal, persecution, death...
take the chance to bear wittness...
don't forget: you are called to proclaim the Kingdom of God;
                                          to introduce a NEW Heaven + a NEW EARTH
your conviction about God as challenging LIGHT about the resurrection of Jesus
Christ gives you wisdom and eloquence enough ...

C) and keep in mind ENDURANCE is all; don't give in...   keep going...

Jesus himself has given the example: through all the circumstances he kept
his mission...  no matter what happend: betrayal, persecution, death...
he kept going...  endurance through all difficulties...he kept the conviction:
GOD IS GOOD FOR US.

Endurance today is much more difficult then ever. In an all-changing world,
in a world you learn more and more, there are great new discoveries...
what is it - you keep on ?  What you once learnt is today old stuff; and you
are not any more what you once has been...  what do you keep on ?
If you have discovered and secured your mission...keep it ! ? !
Maybe your mission is your personality. Jesus "I am the bread of Life".



Samstag, 9. November 2013

32 Sun C Lk 20.38 God of the living...

The Catechist observed the children drawing and asks a girl: what her drawing shows. The girl replied: "I'm drawing God". The Catechist mentioned: "But no one
knows what God looks like". The girl: "Wait a moment, they will see it very soon."

What the girl is creatively doing "DRAWING GOD", humanity is doing since homo sapiens is an earth; all over, everytime, since of old people design God.
We are all designer of God.
The histroy of "designing God" is very interesting: Some have drew him as victorious warrior, as terrible revenge, as patriarch, king, creator (allmighty,
merciful, full of love...) You remember Marduk, Isis, Zeus, Wotan, Jahwe etc.. HOW IS GOD ?  God looks like ?

For the religious people it's a very brutal discovery: in reality we do not know it.
No Religion, NO Church, NO Theology, NO Profet knows "HOW IS GOD". The real Christian Theology will tell you first: God is absolute MYSTERY !
[Jesus - as a child of his time - has known the God of his people: the Jahwe-God
and his contribution to the new designing of God is still a surprise].

Exactly because God is absolute MYSTERY, there is no other way for humans
than to decide HOW we see God! To speak about God means to design God.
The contributing factors to this historical designing are not all well known and some of them unconscious. Look Pope Francis: Once a hart man now designing God as merciful. The mother telling the child: God will punish you, has designed
the image of God as punishing. The Cath. Church spaeking about "ens absolutum"
has given God the image of the highest all-embracing entity.

Dead people do not design God - it's over! Only the living people of every time
are drawing God; making a picture of HIM, they decide which image of God to propagate. God is all the time the "God of the living" (his image is made esp. by the religious people).. Only living people are designing and make decisions.

Today we are invited to go to this level of consciouness and to become aware which picture of God we are drawing; we are presenting. I hope you enjoy the creative task to give God an attractive image.