The Question Answered

The Gospel for the Third Sunday in Advent

St. Matthew xi. 2.

NOW when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples, and said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another? Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see: the blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me. And as they departed, Jesus began to say unto the multitudes concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind? But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? behold, they that wear soft clothing are in kings' houses. But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet. For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. 

Early 19th Century Icon enthroned at St. Simeon Skete, Taylorsville, Kentucky 

As we prepare for Christmas, today’s Gospel seems out of place - seeing that John is in prison and Jesus is an adult.  John is waiting to be executed.  He is in pain, suffering.  He is  the man who recognized his savior from the womb. Later as John Baptized Jesus, the Heavens open up,  he heard God exclaim his pleasure in His Son and he witnessed the Holy Spirit descending, leading into the desert.  And yet, he now sends his disciples to ask “Are you the one?”  Our troubles touch us, sometimes pain is so great it leads us to questions for which only Jesus is the answer.    A great answer doesn’t necessarily get you out of the question, the journey, or the pain but sends you back into it all to find Jesus to be that answer.  We must stay in the pain long enough to answer the questions that the pain is asking.  Make sure the answer is NOT a way of getting out of the pain (running away, denying, buying new shoes or taking a happy pill) but a real answer.  I can always tell more about a person by the questions they ask rather than the answers they give.  John was asking good questions that demanded only one answer: Jesus.    

Much of our religion these days leads us to living a prophylactic existence; preventing us from ever becoming pregnant with life and infected with what it brings - sorrows and difficulties.  They are a part of life.   Our purity must not be the result of NOT being touched by our troubles.  “In the world you will have troubles”.  That’s the truth.  Yet we hear so much from the world that uses belief in God as a shield from difficulty.  They hold that being with God means no loneliness, no hassles, no suffering.   I remember a lady years ago storming off after a sermon in which we were lead to examine ourselves.  The woman shouted as she left, “I don’t come to church to be instructed or made to critique my life.  I come to church to feel good, be happy and be comforted.”  Before you can be comforted you first have to be confronted.  John suffered, Jesus suffered, they had troubles and so do we.  I remember seeing the hand-written sign in a hermitage “Pain is the Kiss of Christ”.    God is in our pain with us, therefore, you might say our sorrows are a sign of the presence of God.   We are not alone.  

John sits confined in prison, alone, waiting to be executed.  His question really has three parts. 

1. Are you the one?  (see also NHA Blog "Are you the one?")
2. Is it real? 
3. Is it enough? 
   
   

And Jesus answers  “Yes, Yes, Yes”  He is the one, He is real and He is enough. 

Thy Name, Thy Kingdom, Thy Will

Our Father, who art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy Name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, As we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil.  For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.

As most of you know, a few weeks ago, Seraphim and I were in Ireland visiting with Fr. Gabriel Harty, the Rosary Priest.  As always, Fr. Gabriel gave us special care and love  - a true Spiritual Father to us both.  

Seraphim has carried Fr. Gabriel’s books on the Rosary around the world.  In war zones he clung to the words from “The Healing Light of the Rosary”.  Fr. Gabriel has written many books including  - “The Riches of the Rosary; “A Celibate Way of Loving: Letters to the Beloved;" and one of his latest books - “Heaven Sent”.   They are all available via Amazon except “The Healing Light of the Rosary” and his newest book, "The Rosary, the History of My Heart".   The Lord’s Prayer has a prominent place in all of his books. 

Fr. Gabriel cannot speak without edifying you in some spiritual way or another. Every sentence declares his love for God.  

After a beautiful time praying the Rosary with Fr. Gabriel and our dear friend, Sheila (a true Rosarian) at St. Mary’s Convent in Knock, Ireland, the subject of the Lord’s Prayer came up.   

Fr. Gabriel explained that there is one word in the Lord’s Prayer that is the focus.  With his back towards me, he raised his hands to the sky and said, "... that word is  “Thy”."  Looking back at me he said,  "Its not about about us(me) or our wants - God takes care of our needs- the focus is on God.”  Then he dropped his left hand from the sky, his back still towards me, and with his right hand stretched out,  he slowly pronounced,  "Thy Name,  Thy Kingdom, Thy Will”. 

In a quick summary, I will attempt to share with you some of Fr. Gabriel's teachings on the Lord's Prayer.

We ask, “Why do we say ten Hail Mary's or ten Jesus Life Prayers and only one “Our Father” to each decade of the Rosary?” 

The answer is that The “Our Father” is the foundation prayer and we lay only one Foundation (“For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ” - 1 Cor. 3:11).  The prayer contains everything we need to ask for and in the proper order of asking.  It shows us how to seek first the Kingdom of God (Mt. 6:33), and only then, the things we need for everyday earthly living.  It puts a priority on the praise of God and the accomplishment of His Sovereign Will. It lets the cares of the body and the concerns of bread and butter fall naturally into their own place. 

1. “Thy Name” 
2. “Thy Kingdom”
3. “Thy Will” 

This should be the set of a soul seeking the Divine Assistance

-and then- 

1. “Give us”
2. “Forgive us” 
3. “Lead us”
4. “Deliver us"

As we learn first to Invoke His Name, trust that His Kingdom is enough and say “yes” to His Will, The Lord’s Prayer has a progression to it, we begin: 

1. “Your Name”, -Father, we are His children
2. “Your Kingdom”, -We come into His Kingdom and that is enough to do
3. “Thy Will”,  -and then with full confidence we can slip quietly into the way of opening our hands to say “give us,” “forgive us”, “lead us” and deliver us” and we can do this because it is His will. 

Are You The One?

I’ve taken many photographs of cows over the years.  

There is something about cows that fascinate me.  

It is not so much their bodies or the interesting way they lumber about … 

it's their face that draws me - they stare deep into your eyes - it's almost mystical.   

While in Ireland earlier this month, I had Seraphim stop the car so that I could take a picture of this cow.  

As I approached her, she turned toward me and stared.  

Fr. Gabriel Harty, the Rosary Priest (and our dearest friend), looked at the photo and said,

 “the Cows in the field are part of that creation waiting in expectation.  It is a bit fanciful, but I heard a preacher once use it to express the profound truth that Paul expounds in the Letter to the Romans, chapter 8. Here is the text:

I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed.  For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope  that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.

Scripture scholars say that the sin of Adam and Eve, brought a curse on all the earth---even the beasts of the field,---  thorns and thistles to be brought forth.  The blood of Christ flowed out to wash not only human nature but to restore all creation.  

The children of God, the text says, have to reveal the new creation to all waiting in expectation.  The preacher I listened to said that is why the cows come up and look into our faces and wonder if we might not be the one to set them free from the bondage of decay.  They look at you wondering, “Are you the one?” 

At the Offertory of the Roman Mass it is said: “Blessed are you Lord of all creation, we not only lift up the bread and wine for transformation, but we lift up the whole realm of nature that it may share in the freedom and the glory of the children of God.”

In that sense we are all a priestly people. When I walk through the fields or pray the Rosary in our garden, I look around me at the splendour of nature and make an offering of it all to the Father in heaven.”   I was deeply touched by Fr. Gabriel's teaching. 

Later in the week, I was taking a photo of the Holy Mountain, Croagh Patrick, from the road.  

As I began to take the photo, this donkey began to come closer and closer.  

Finally he was right in front of me.  

He pensively stared at me so I said to him “What? Do you think I am the one?”  

The donkey began to bray at me!  

Journeying Together

Life is a journey, we all have to work our way through it.   And so it is with Nazareth House Apostolate.  

Evidence is indicating that Ebola is on its way out of Sierra Leone.  As for NHA, we will step back and keep an eye on things before making any assessment of the situation.  Hurriedly resuming normal activity before safety is assured can be a fatal mistake to many. Prevention and Protection are the focus of NHA at this time. 

In the meantime, we are proud to announce that five large boxes of supplies have arrived from Taylorsville to Freetown and are presently making their way to Kabala.  We've been giving out rice to keep hungry families fed and providing work to laborers to ensure they can sustain their families with provisions.  NHA is preparing for the reopening of the NHA School once Ebola is completely cleared from the country.

James and Kadijah radiate strength and courage as they go about to do the work of NHA in Kabala.  It is important that we are there for them in prayer and support.  As many of you are digging into your pockets to give what you can to help in this crisis; we encourage you to actively engage others to give for the current and ongoing needs of NHA.  By doing so, you not only help out those we serve but the giver becomes a part of the unity and love within the family of Nazareth House Apostolate.  Remember our goal is to obtain 1000 donors giving $25 per month.  Reaching that target will enable us to do our work in the States at Simeon Skete and overseas in Sierra Leone, tending to each need as it happens.  Currently, with each emergency we must start a fundraiser and while we wait for the money to come in, the situation worsens.  The American population is rather large and 1000 people is not a huge number to involve in an organization.  Many people have 1000 or more friends on Facebook.   

$25 per month is a reasonable amount, some of us spend more than that on Lattes and Fast Food that simply add unhealthy weight to our bodies.  If we arrive at the goal of 1000 giving $25 it will allow us a dependable budget for all avenues of Nazareth House Apostolates work.

    

While we work to bring the Ebola Prevention, Care and Recovery to completion, I’m thinking of the journey.  

A journey made together, walking side by side from both sides of the Atlantic, with parts of NHA dipping their toes in the Pacific.   

There is a bond that transcends the physical yet pronounces the things of the heart and brings about unity.

  

In Nazareth House, together, we’re accomplishing that bond, that unity – a fete that many organizations  cannot lay claim.   

 

When you think of NHA, you think of the Skete and of Africa – namely Sierra Leone, but Nazareth House is made up of people all over the world. 

Fr. Gabriel Harty OP, visiting St. Simeon Skete from Ireland 

Katherine (Chico, CA) made needlepoint Pocket Crosses and sold them to raise money for NHA.
Here she is presenting Vicki with the proceeds. 

We started out by taking baby steps; 

and then we did a little running…

 

Sometimes the path became cold and slippery, 

sometimes the load is heavy.  

Sometimes the load is lighter. 

  

We’ve broken down, 

 

and got back up and started running again,

Awkward loads, rough roads – the journey continues.  

There have been times when we just have to rely on someone else to come and carry us further. 

 

There are narrow paths across water.

  

We’ve released our share of tears, 

but when the road is steep, 

someone always steps up to help shove us to the top.

 

Sometimes it seems we are running in circles 

but there is always  helping hands to reach out 

and keep us going, giving us a strong and  steady pull there

… together the NHA Family climbs the hill.   

And in doing so, we’ve been able to leap over huge obstacles, 

 

even though we’ve scraped our knees, twisted our ankles, 

Together we keep on pushing onward, more importantly we’ve kept on loving.  

 

 NHA will stay on the journey because the path we follow is LOVE 

Pray Love Walk – a – thon:  St. Augustine Anglican Church, Chico CA 

(“He that loveth not knoweth not God; for GOD IS LOVE.” 1 John 4:8)

Please send your tax deductible donations (remember small or large every donation helps) to:

Nazareth House Apostolate

185 Captains Cove Drive

Taylorsville, KY 40071

or through our website www.nazarethhouseap.org 

"Growth is never by mere chance; it is the result of forces working together." James Cash Penney

rewrite of previous post 2011