Kwanzza – Day 3 – Ujima…

I pray that you are well. Once again, I am late with posting something of significance, so once again I ask your forgiveness.

I pray that you have had a WONDERFUL celebration of the Birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

We have now entered another festive celebration of life; Kwanzaa and today being the third day (Kwanzaa is celebrated from the 25^th of December – the 1^st of January) Ujima – (oo-GEE-mah) – Collective Work and Responsibility. This reminds us of our Past, Present and Future. How have we come, as a people thus far in our Collective Work and Responsibility toward one another? Where are we currently, and how can we improve going forward, to help our Community/Village and our Children. This is the Principle we focus on this the Third Day of Kwanzaa and reflect on where we have been, where we are now and were we are going in the future for the greater good of mankind.

Kwanzaa is not a 'religious celebration', but one of celebrating who we are as African-American People, where our struggles have come, how we have gotten to where we are now and how to we improve our way of life. The focus of each principle is on the Family. One may say, (and I have heard it MANY times before), does this mean that white people can't celebrate it? NO NO NO that is not what it means. Matter of fact if you are a white person involved in an African-American community, you are part of our Culture. We are a LOVING, OPEN and WELCOMING people… once you have entered our Church or Home, 9 times out of 10, you are FAMILY!

Here is some information about Kwanzaa you might be interested in;

Kwanzaa is based on the Nguzo Saba (seven guiding principles), one for each day of the observance, and is celebrated from December 26th to January 1st.

• Umoja (oo-MO-jah) Unity stresses the importance of togetherness for the family and the community, which is reflected in the African saying, "I am We," or "I am because We are."
  
• Kujichagulia (koo-gee-cha-goo-LEE-yah) Self-Determination requires that we define our common interests and make decisions that are in the best interest of our family and community.
  
• Ujima (oo-GEE-mah) Collective Work and Responsibility reminds us of our obligation to the past, present and future, and that we have a role to play in the community, society, and world.
  
• Ujamaa (oo-JAH-mah) Cooperative economics emphasizes our collective economic strength and encourages us to meet common needs through mutual support.
  
• Nia (NEE-yah) Purpose encourages us to look within ourselves and to set personal goals that are beneficial to the community.
  
• Kuumba (koo-OOM-bah) Creativity makes use of our creative energies to build and maintain a strong and vibrant community.
  
• Imani (ee-MAH-nee) Faith focuses on honoring the best of our traditions, draws upon the best in ourselves, and helps us strive for a higher level of life for humankind, by affirming our self-worth and confidence in our ability to succeed and triumph in righteous struggle.
  

Please feel free to pass this information along to others who might not know or understand.

God bless you and continue to allow the Light of Christ to shine within you, because the KING is BORN! Praise be Jesus Christ now and forever!

Qorban Ministries

www.CatholicEvangelist.net (See our website as we still have some CD's and DVD's available for your after Christmas Shopping!)

www.RLaneConsultants.com

Oh Come Let Us Adore Him…

Enjoy this wonderful Christmas Homily from Deacon Art Miller of Hartford, CT.

Merry Christmas to all and to all…GOD'S CONTINUED BLESSING!

Qorban Ministries

O come let us adore him, O come let us adore him, O come let us adore

him, Christ the Lord

 

Glory to God in the Highest

 

Luke's Gospel tells us so beautifully of the birth of Christ, giving us details

and elements so that we might know and believe that a savior is born to us.

The first reading we heard from the prophet Isaiah was written 800 years

before Christ was born. This prophecy…this promise from God, foretells

the birth of Jesus, proclaiming the good news that a great savior will be

given us and he shall be called: Wonder-Counselor, God-Hero, Father-

Forever, Prince of Peace…and the world waited patiently…waiting for

salvation to be born amongst us.

 

The time of Advent has ended, and on this Holy night we are reminded in

the feast of Christmas that Christ the savior is born. With his birth the

manifestation of God's love is made evident in the world.

 

For those of us who believe that the greatest gift is the gift of love,

Christmas is the ultimate and most intimate expression there is. The child

in the manger, is not the end or even the object of this holy time; the child is

the means whereby God's love is presented to the people whom he loves.

The birth of Jesus is many, many things, it is miracle, it is mystery, it is

mercy, it is hope, it is justice, it is truth, it is the world becoming something

it could never have been on its own. It is all of that but much more than

that, it is: the gift of God for the people of God. That is what Christmas is

about. Christmas is God's initiative; it is God's work… Christmas is the

reaffirmation and commitment of God's gift of love to his children.

 

This gift is the renewal of that love, and the maintenance of that love even

against all the forces of this dark and cold and unremitting world. It is into a

world of such darkness and despair that the gift of light and hope comes,

and it is the gift of invincible love that draws the helpless, the hopeful, the

faithful and the confused to the manger. It has done so for thousands of

years and it will do so until the kingdom of this world becomes the kingdom

of our God and of his Christ.

 

It is with complete awe that we draw together here this evening. We gather

for many reasons, tradition, obligation, celebration, joy, blessed memories,

to recall the truth of our faith, our faith that tells us that God is born to us in

human form and saved us in human form.

 

We gather because we know that we must give honor and glory to God, in

our need and in our hope; for we see that at the center of our

faith we recognize that through the lowliness of a stable, in poverty and in

desperation our Lord came into this world.

 

Tonight we recall that God gave birth to a gift of love and salvation in the

human form of the baby Jesus. Tonight we accept and embrace his gift of

love and salvation. For that is truly what we honor and celebrate this

evening; that for us God became flesh, and that flesh called the world to a

radical, life-changing, spiritual love. It is this same life altering love that can

be born in us. A love that only the Holy Spirit can give…The same love

that Mary bore in the human form of her son Jesus Christ can be born in us

in spiritual form made real.

 

A loving Christ was born in the small city of Bethlehem, a city that was

known as the least of the great cities in Israel. The love of Christ can also

be made manifest in this small Catholic Church in the least part of Hartford,

in the least and smallest part of every one of us.

 

So, on this Christmas Eve when our hearts are quieted by the magnitude of

God's great love toward us, we are reminded that the greatness of God is

seen in the wonder of the ordinary and in the small; the miracle of God, is

that he can make much out of nothing and something out of almost

anything. A little town becomes the focus of the world's last hope; a little

baby comes to oppose the forces of Caesar and fear; and human flesh and

human life are dignified and made whole as never before. The test of God's

power is not in his capacity to move mountains, stop mighty storms, or

taking walks atop water. No. God's power is in his capacity to make much

of little, for that is what he does in creation, that is what he does at

Christmas, and that is what he does with you and me.

 

Christmas lends itself so easily to images and sentiment. We need our

images and sentiment, but Christmas does not belong to sentiment, an

ideal, or even a feeling about God. Christmas belongs to those who

recognize not the sense of the Holidays but the real presence of God in

their lives and in the world, not simply once upon a time long, long ago and

far, far away but here and now, inhabiting our hearts and struggling with us

against the difficult realities that surround and inflict us in this world and in

these times.

 

The world of little Bethlehem was real, Caesar Augustus was real, Herod

was real, taxation was real, death and slaughter was real, despair was real

and normal; and in the midst of all this God had to be made real, and was

made real not in an ideal but in the flesh, for that is what the incarnation

was and is, and that is why we bow before its presence" God is with us," for

that is what Emmanuel means. It is not just a translation of a Hebrew name

but a translation of the living, loving purpose of God to be present in and

among his creation. God does not abandon that which he makes; he

becomes one with us that we might become one with him.

 

So we join with him and with one another in this feast of feasts on this night

of nights, this most holy night, for the gift of the Incarnation continues in the

fellowship that we have with Christ around his Holy Table. In these most

ordinary, these most tangible creatures of bread and wine, flesh and

blood, we become at one with him, who for us became one in us.

 

Every time a baby is born, God endorses his world; and every time we

celebrate Holy Communion we experience once again his Incarnation. The

miracle of Christmas: is more than a star, or singing angels, the wondering

shepherds, the lovely mother, or the exotic kings, It is more than a cold

wintry night, it is more than hopes and fears. The miracle of Christmas is

that on this Holy Night, God cared enough to send us himself, and that he

continues to do so in the gift of love.

 

And so It takes the courage of faith that exists within your hearts and souls

and minds so that God's gift of love can and must be made manifest

through you. Don't ever forget that…don't ever, ever forget …you are a gift

from God…

 

May our blessed and Holy God put his loving, healing arms around you

this day and forever more..Blessing you and those you love…

 

O come let us adore him !

The Angels Words to Mary Have Been Fulfilled…

As we approach the Birth of the Messiah in two days, we realize the Words Spoken by an Angel of the Lord have been fulfilled.

An Angel of the Lord was sent to a beautiful woman who knew him not, but yet at the words, "Be Not Afraid", she proclaimed that she was the Handmaid of the Lord, be it done unto her as he said.

Let us also follow in Mary's example to BE NOT AFRAID and say YES to the Lord in our daily lives. Yes Lord, I will proclaim your Glory today; Yes Lord, I will sing your praises today, despite my infirmities; Yes Lord, I will do your Will this day; Yes Lord I believe you are the Alpha and the Omega; Yes Lord, I will make you the center of my life; Yes Lord, I believe that you WILL DELIVER ALL MANKIND, if they just believe; Yes Lord, I will be Your Light in the darkness of this world… YES LORD YES!

As we finalize preparations for family celebrations, Church obligations, et. al, let us finalize our Preparations for the coming of the Lord and once again, each day, die to our sinfulness and say YES LORD, I live, once again, ANEW in you, because YOU loved me so much in my sinfulness that You sent the Light of the world, to save my soul.

The Words have been fulfilled my brothers and sisters, let us continue to sing His Praises and Magnify His name, for He is WORTHY of all Glory, Honor and Praise, for at the Might Name of JESUS – every knee shall bend and every head shall bow in Heaven and under the earth; for at the Name of EMMANUEL – our lives have been given NEW meaning – our Soul has found everlasting life within Him!

Praise be Jesus Christ now and forever more – let the Church say: AMEN!

Qorban Ministries

www.QorbanMinistries.net

www.RLaneConsultants.com

Let Us Remain In Him…

Blessed be God forever as we continue to press on through life, and celebrate the coming of the Lord.

Many of us are suffering through trials and tribulations during this time of our lives. Many have no idea if they will be employed in the coming year; many are losing and/or have lost their jobs. Many of the 'working poor' are flocking to scantily packed food pantries for sustenance and also to agencies for help and assistance. Many of us are trying to just make it through the day and have little or even no hope.

Let us be thankful for the Light of the World that is to come. Let us be thankful for just the LITTLE things that we have, house/apartment/roof over our head; family; friends; loved ones; children and most of all, let us just be thankful for the Greatest Gift ever given and that is Jesus.

He tells us in John's Gospel to "remain in Him and He will remain in us…" No matter how hard things are or may get, we MUST REMAIN IN HIM, for He is ALL that IS, where the Invisible meets the visible; where God, meets each of us. He WILL make a Way out of no way for us in all of our lives; for as long as we 'remain in Him'.

No matter where or what life gives us, we must know that our Testimony is for the Glory of the Father and that He WILL PROVIDE!

God said it, I believe it…that settles it! Even if you believe, with Faith the size of a Mustard Seed…, HE WILL PROVIDE!

Let us continue to Praise His Holy Name, each and EVERY DAY OF OUR LIVES, for God is Good…ALL THE TIME!

Peace be unto you.

Qorban Ministries

“The Word became Flesh…”

How many times have we heard and read St. John's Gospel speaking of 'In the beginning was the Word and the Word was God…" and then St. John tells us "…and the Word became Flesh and made His dwelling among us."

Do we really and truly understand the magnificence of this, the crux of what has been given to us (Catholic's) by God?

I was reading a Daily Devotional (Protestant) that I receive each day, and it was so beautifully written, about the Word made manifest to us in our lives and it calls for us to really understand the true meaning of God's Word made manifest in our daily lives. True, we are ALL called to reflect Christ, the Word of God in all of our daily actions and in every aspect of our humanity. This Word is made manifest when we do good deeds, acts of mercy and serve our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, but we also know that St. James tells us "Faith without works is dead", so conversely I believe that we cannot WORK our way to Heaven either, we must have Faith. What does St. Paul tell us that Faith is? As my brother in Christ and Co-Host of our radio show, "Zip" Rzeppa would say it; "Any 5^th grader, properly Catechized in the Faith could explain it!" Well, to coin the phrase of a recent television show, 'Are You Smarter Than a 5^th Grader?' Well, are you? Most Catholic's do not understand their Faith, nor understand Church Teaching fully. Even the Pope does not understand it, FULLY, but we thank God for His enlightenment given to us through the Holy Spirit.

    Faith – "…the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen." Hebrews 11:1

Brothers and Sisters in Christ, to we really understand and have the Faith, that what we receive at EVERY Holy Sacrifice of the Mass IS the Word, the Word of God which became Flesh, the Word of God which, through Transubstantiation BECOMES FLESH for us? Do we BELIEVE it? DO WE HAVE THE FAITH ENOUGH TO BELIEVE THIS IS THE TRUE BODY, BLOOD, SOUL AND DIVINITY OF OUR LORD AND SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST, GIVEN UNTO US FOR OUR SALVATION? (Sorry for all the caps, but for those of you who know ME…know that I am VERY impassioned when I talk about the Eucharist)

Protestants use the word Manifest and Manifestation a lot in their discourses of Religiosity; but for those of us who are Roman Catholic, it should hold and have a SPECIAL meaning for each of us. The Word of God made Flesh – which is made MANIFEST for us during the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass – The TRUE Flesh of Christ, made MANIFEST inside each of us, therefore, we are what we eat…right? Christ is made Manifest in our Bodies, transforming us – He who was made sin, but knew NO sin – so that we, sinners, mortals, humans, could be that SAME WORD MANIFEST DAILY!

As we approach the celebration of the Birth of the Messiah, the celebration of God's Second Covenant with His people – Grace in place of Grace, let us continue to prepare our MINDS and our BODIES, each day, and realize that God loves us so much that He gives us His Son – Manifested – within us in the Eucharist! Thank you God for loving me…a sinner! Thank you God for healing me… and most of all… Thank you God for the GIFT of Eternal Salvation!

Praise be Jesus Christ now and forever more… Let the Church say… AMEN!

God bless you and may the Word of God continue to be made Manifest in you, everyday. Be blessed to be a BLESSING to someone else!

Evangelist Richard L. Lane

Co-Founder, Qorban Ministries

www.CatholicEvangelist.net

www.RLaneConsultants.com

Do You Have a Little More Room In Your Jar…

There was a professor who stood before her philosophy class and had some items in front of her. When the class began, wordlessly, she picked up a very large but empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. She then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was. So the professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. She shook the jar slightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. She then asked the students again if the jar was full. They again agreed that it was. The professor then picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. She asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous "yes."The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents of both cups into the jar, effectively filling the empty spaces between the grains of sand. The students laughed. "Now," said the professor, as the laughter subsided, "I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things: Your faith, your hope, your love; your family, your community, God. That if everything else is lost and only they remained, your life would still be full. The pebbles are the other things that are of matter, but are of less importance, your job, your house, your car. The sand represents everything else …. the small stuff. If first we were to fill the jar with sand we would have no room for the golf balls or the pebbles. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are truly important. Pay attention to the things that are critical to your eternal life. Take time out for your families; be patient and loving to one another. There is always time to clean the house there is always time to wash your car. Take care of the golf balls first, the things that really matter. One of the students raised his hand and inquired what the coffee represented. The professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple cups of coffee with a friend."

“The Word Became Flesh and Moved Into the Neighborhood”

I just read this and HAD to re-post it on my blog for those of you who might really appreciate it.

 

This is not my writing, but that of…

Bishop Donald Hilliard, Jr. is the Pastor of one church in three locations in New Jersey: Cathedral International in Perth Amboy, Cathedral Assembly by the Shore in Asbury Park, and Cathedral Assembly in the Fields in Plainfield. Dr. Hilliard's willingness to say "YES" to the Lord fostered his ability to grow the church from 125 in 1983 to well over 5,000 members today. As a result of Dr. Hilliard's unwavering faith, multifaceted mindset, and ability to trust in the Lord, over fifty ministries are at work within the three cities.

 

The Word Became Flesh and Moved Into the Neighborhood
Bishop Donald Hilliard

Among the Christmas Eve congregation at 5th Avenue Presbyterian Church was a recovering alcoholic named Jim. It was his first Christmas alone, and when a young family sat down beside him he couldn't handle it. Leaving the church he met Pastor Thomas Tewell who asked where he was going. "Out for a drink," he replied.

Knowing Jim's history, Tewell said, "You can't. Where's your sponsor?" "On vacation," he replied. "I came tonight needing a word of hope and ended up sitting beside this family. If I had my life together, I'd be here with mine."

As the pastor walked to the pulpit he prayed, "God, give me a word of hope for Jim." Then after welcoming the congregation he said, "I have a request. If anyone here is a friend of Bill W.'s, and if you are you'll know it, please meet me in the vestry. (Bill Wilson, better known as Bill W., co-founded Alcoholics Anonymous)

Immediately people from all over the congregation began to respond. Dr. Tewell says, "While I was busy preaching about the Incarnation, the Word was becoming flesh before my eyes!"

As you celebrate Jesus' birth, remember that many around you are hurting; they've lost hope. Don't forget, "The Word became flesh" only because Jesus went out of His way to redeem sinners, lift the fallen, encourage the despairing, and minister to the sick, the lonely and the forgotten.

He said, "In as much as you've done it unto the least...of these...you've done it unto me" (See Mt 25:40). So instead of keeping to yourself this year, reach out to others - go ahead, make it your best Christmas ever!