Author: ANTONINO

by Fr. Bernardino Andrade
(bernardinodandrade@gmail.com)

A «RUINED» CHRISTMAS SERMON

The Pastor of a Church in New York, conscious of his responsibility as a presider of a good Liturgy, spent hours preparing what he considered should be a good sermon for the Midnight Christmas Mass. He read about the birth of Jesus, he took notes and rehearsed the sermon he was supposed to deliver. A Christmas play, mobilizing a group of children and young people, was very well prepared to act after the reading of the Gospel, right before the sermon. It was a very inclusive church where everyone would have a chance to participate.

To emphasize inclusion, they decided to invite Tom to act as a shepherd. Tom was a very special 17-year-old boy with learning difficulties because of his down syndrome condition. After trying a few rehearsals, there was a little frustration due the difficulty Tom had to learn a very simple role as a shepherd. Then they decided to change roles. Maybe Tom would be a good innkeeper. Tom was open to anything as long as he could be part of the play.

Great. After the first try, it was easy to decide that Tom would be the perfect «actor» to act as an innkeeper. The only thing he had to do was to wait in front of the altar, put his hands on his hips, look tough, and when Joseph and Mary came asking for shelter he would say: «No room for you at the Inn».
It took some time and lots of work but there was no doubt that Tom was ready. Even at the last minute they were whispering: «Don’t forget Tom… put your hands over your hips, look tough and say: – there is no room for you at the Inn. Are you ready?

– Yyyyes. I am… am ready».

The moment came. Joseph and Mary walked slowly towards the altar. Tom was standing there. They approached Tom and asked for a place to spend the night. Besides, Mary was ready to give birth to her baby. Both looked very tired. But Tom did as he had been trained to do: He put his hands over his hips, looked tough and yelled in a loud voice:

«There is no room for you at the Inn! ».

Joseph and Mary did as they have been trained to do too. They looked very sad, turned around and started walking towards the front door. Just a few seconds after they left, Tom started crying, with tears rolling down his face, and ran after them and repeated a few times: «Wait… wait… you can stay at my house… You can stay at my house. Please, don’t go»!

At that moment, the pastor approached the microphone and with tears in his eyes, said:
«I couldn´t make a better sermon than the one that was just done by Tom. «Please Jesus stay at my house»…. «Merry Christmas».

(bernardinodandrade@gmail.com)

My friend was a builder. It was during the month of November, on a rainy day, when he invited me to see a piece of land where he was planning to build a beautiful house.

The only thing I could see under my feet was mud, some rocks where I could put my feet and small puddles of water. Everything was the best definition of a mess. It was really messy and muddy. But my friend didn’t care about the mess. He didn’t even apologize for taking me to “nowhere” just to make my shoes dirty and show me an invisible plan.

But John was seeing things with different eyes. He had a dream. And he took me to that place to show me his invisible dream. In his dream, he could see perfectly where the kitchen was going to be, where the living room was going to be, where the bedrooms were going to be. That beautiful house was already built in his dream, and he knew all the details of what was going to become a beautiful piece of heart. It was with a smile that on a muddy piece of land he told me about his dream. He had no doubts that a beautiful and imponent house would be in that same place very soon.

This story of my friend reminds me of the Gospel of John, chapter 17. In this messy world, talking with His Father, Jesus talks about his most important dream that is: “…that they may be one as we are one… that they become completely ONE” (Jo. 17: 22-23). This was the biggest dream of Jesus, that “WE WILL BE ONE”.

The tragedy is that we, human beings, have the power to sabotage that dream of Jesus.

The Body of Jesus is hurting with many divisions. On the other hand, many people are making small efforts to heal those wounds and those divisions

Today we have the privilege of welcoming in our Catholic Community of Penha de França, Father Michael Jarman, the Chaplain of the Anglican Church in Funchal, to share with us the Word of God. We thank him and congratulate him for this little effort to heal the wounds of the Body of Jesus by bringing Catholics and Anglicans closer to each other and closer to God.

Thank you, Father Michael.

Love and Peace,
Fr. Bernardino Andrade

Now a few words from Fr. Michael …

Hope

Christians approach the season of Christmas with a sense of hope. In Scripture, according to the Hebrew And Greek words translated by the word ‘hope’ and according to the biblical usage, hope is an indication of certainty. ‘Hope’ in Scripture means a strong and confident expectation. Though archaic today in modern terms, hope is akin to trust and a confident expectation.

As a Christian Priest, I have a hope not just at Christmas but throughout the whole year that we can be more united in our beliefs and worship, because in unity there is strength and endurance. In the world inwhich we live, where there is so much need, poverty and secularism, it is our duty as Christians to be strong, to speak out against injustices of all kind and to follow as closely as possible the teachings of our Lord.

In addition, whether you believe in a God or no God at all, it is natural to have a sense of hope for family and friends as the old year ends and a new one begins, a hope of wellbeing for those we love.

Hope is important because it can make the present moment less difficult to bear. If we believe that tomorrow will be better, we can bear a hardship today.

And for those who are not Christians and perhaps don’t believe in any God whatsoever there must be a feeling of hope, if for nothing else then for the planet, as it faces the effects of global warming and how that will affect our children, our grand-children and generations to come.

Hope can be a powerful force. There’s no actual magic in it, but when you know what you hope for most and hold it like a light within you, you can make things happen, almost like magic.

My other hope as a Priest is that more people who don’t believe in God will come to know and love Him. As Christians we can facilitate this by showing the love of Christ in our everyday lives. We can’t convert people to Christianity, the Holy Spirit does that, but we can facilitate it by our own example.

It is my hope, wherever you are, whatever you do, that you will, by God’s grace, remain safe and happy now and for the coming year.

Father Michael Jarman
Holy Trinity Anglican Church
Funchal

1.- NO SOUP, NO DESSERT
I was enjoying a delicious meal with a family. All of a sudden I heard the mother telling her little son: «No soup, no dessert». What does it mean? I discovered that the mother valued soup over dessert. She was putting healthy nourishment above pleasure. Actually, what she was trying to do was to motivate her little boy to eat good, healthy food. That healthy food, very well planned by her, was served in a delicious vegetable soup. That was necessary and mandatory for a healthy meal. Dessert wouldn’t be necessary nor mandatory. Dessert would be more like a reward for the boy’s effort that he would have to make to take good care of his health by eating a dish of healthy soup.

2.- NO ADVENT, NO CHRISTMAS
Today, December 1st, 2019, is the first Sunday of Advent. It is the beginning of the season of preparation for Christmas. Meditating about Advent, I was thinking, for my own purpose, that «No Advent, no Christmas». If I don’t try to understand Advent I will not be able to understand Christmas. Without Advent, Christmas will not be more than a Winter pagan festival with a crib.
In the first reading, Isaiah tells us about his dream: «Many peoples will hammer their swords into ploughshares, their spears into sickles. Nation will not lift sword against nation, there will be no more training for war». It is obvious that this can be a tremendous challenge for each one of us. Paul, in the second reading, shakes all of us to wake up now. Our salvation is nearer… In the Gospel, Jesus repeats the same invitation by saying «Stay awake, because you don’t know the day when your master is coming».

3.- WAS BUDDHA A GOD?
A man came to Buddha and asked him: «Tell me Buddha, are you a God?» «No. I am not». «Are you an angel»? «No. I am not.» «Are you a prophet?» «No, not a prophet either.» «What are you then?» Whereupon Buddha answered: «I am awake».

4.- ADVENT, TIME OF RENEWAL
After a meeting, I went with other people to a coffee shop for a cup of coffee. After ordering the coffee, I thought that it would be a good idea to have some kind of pastry. Then I asked if someone else would like to have a pastry too. Fatima answered that she only eats sweets on Sundays. My answer was that it would be a good idea for me too, for health reasons, and to do a little penance. Fatima’s answer was: «Well we are going to start Advent. It is a good time to start”. I said thank you and decided to make my Lent during Advent too. That would be part of my Advent penance. Would you like to join me?

Love and Peace,
Fr. Bernardino Andrade

by Fr. Bernardino Andrade
(bernardinodandrade@gmail.com)

«OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE WAS CATHOLIC»

The Mexican People have a deep devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe who appeared in the Tepeyac Hill of Mexico City, on December 12, 1531. For them, the celebration of the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe on December 12, is more important than Christmas. I confess that I have celebrated with them, many times, this feast in California and I really miss it a lot.

One day, Fr. Lionel, a Portuguese colleague of mine, gave a sermon about the Virgin Mary and tried to explain that Mary was a very devout, normal Jewish girl who was chosen by God to be the mother of Jesus, the Son of God. At a certain point of his sermon, he said that Mary was not Catholic. Of course. She was a devout Jew. When he ended the Mass, a Mexican lady was waiting for him. She approached him and looking very sad and disappointed told my friend. «Father, I didn´t like your sermon».

The priest, who was a very open and kind person, asked her why. She knew that Our Lady had also appeared in Fatima, Portugal. And she knew that my friend Fr. Lionel was also Portuguese. And then she answered: «You said that our Lady was not Catholic. If Our Lady of Fatima was not Catholic, that I don’t know. But Our Lady of Guadalupe has been Catholic during all her life».

NO CATHOLICS IN HEAVEN

I heard a story told by a Protestant minister, a very good friend of mine, that a non-Catholic man died and went to heaven. God welcomed him with love and kindness and expressed his joy for seeing him in Heaven. One of the first questions this man asked God was if there was any Catholic person in Heaven and God answered «No. There are no Catholics in Heaven». He immediately reacted: «Of course. I knew. Catholics changed things in the Bible and were so far away from its teachings».

Then another question: «What about Anglicans»? «No. No Anglicans in Heaven». And the man understood that Anglicans also were not good enough to go to Heaven. «And what about Lutherans and Baptists and Orthodoxies». And God’s answer was always «No. Those denominations are not in heaven». Finally the most important question. «And… what about my Church denomination?» The answer was also «no». This pious man got completely lost. «But God if the members of my denomination who practiced every word in the Bible, if we are not in Heaven, then please tell me: Who is in Heaven». God’s answer was: «My Son. In Heaven I only have sons and daughters. I only created sons and daughters. You, people, are the ones who made that mess. Not me».

CHRIST THE KING

Today, the last Sunday of the Liturgical year, the Church celebrates the Feast of Christ the King. When we talk about kings and Queens we always associate with crowns on their heads and somebody on the top of the pyramid. My interpretation of Christ the King is of a «FEET WASHER». Jesus didn’t come to establish the Catholic Church or any Church. Jesus came to establish the Kingdom of the Father where every human being would be, and feel, that he/she is a son/daughter of God. All human beings are brothers and sisters and all people are owners of the world. The world, food, medicine, and peace, love, kindness will belong to all human beings.