Saint Aidan of Lindisfarne

Friends in Christ,

Saint Aidan of Lindisfarne was universally liked. The historian Bede, usually a severe

critic of Celtic Christianity writes:"He cultivated peace and love, united and humility; he was above anger and greed, and despited pride and conceit."

Saint Aidan carried out the task not only of converting , but also of civilizing Northern England. He founded schools, Churches and Monasteries, and then left them grow on
their own while he moved on to a new place.

Would you not agree with me that Saint Aidan set a wonderful exemple for us? Some years ago I saw a wonderful television program " Songs of Praise", which is run by the BCC, and this particular program was filmed around Lindisfarne on Holy Island. Such a wonderful place, which reflects the spirit of Saint Aidan, his cultivation of Peace and Love. I recorded the program on my vcr and still watch it occassionally. Yes.. I would love to visit this place on Holy Island one day, but today I pray that all of us, in our daily lives, may follow the exemple of this wonderful Saint, Saint Aidan.

Thanks be to Thee o Christ for Saint Aidan and all Thy Saints, who have gone in the Faith before us.

With every good wish in Christ,

Ed Bakker

Postulant TAC - New Zealand

The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist

Friends in Christ,

Are you prepared to be a witness, and if necessary, a martyr for Jesus Christ? John the Baptist bridged the Old and New Testaments. He is the last of the Old Testament prophets who pointed the way to the Messiah. He is the first of the New Testament witnesses and martyrs. Jesus equated the coming of his kingdom with violence. From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and men of violence take it by force (Matthew 11:12). John suffered violence for announcing that the kingdom of God was near. He was thrown into prison and then beheaded. Why did Herod put John to death when he knew him to be a righteous and holy man? Herod was a weak ruler. He could take a strong stand on the wrong things when he knew the right. Such a stand, however, was a sign of weakness and cowardice. Unfortunately for Herod, he could not rid himself of sin by ridding himself of the man who confronted him with his sin.
Since John's martyrdom to the present times the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence and persecution at the hands of violent people. The blood of the martyrs throughout the ages bear witness to this fact. Their testimony and death prove victory rather than defeat for the kingdom of God. Through Christ's victory on the cross they obtain the glorious crown of victory and everlasting life with Jesus Christ. What gives us the power, boldness, and courage to witness to Jesus Christ and to the truth of the gospel? The Holy Spirit gives us grace and boldness to make Jesus Christ known and loved. We do not need to fear those who oppose us and the gospel, because the love of Jesus Christ is stronger than fear and death itself. His love conquers all, even our fears and timidity in the face of opposition. We can trust in his grace and help. Are you ready to witness to Jesus Christ and to suffer violence if necessary for his sake?"Lord Jesus Christ, give me faith, boldness, and courage to stand firm in the truth of the gospel and to not waver in my testimony of the faith. Give me hope and joy in the promise of everlasting life with Thee in Thy kingdom.Amen

With every good wish in Christ,

Ed Bakker

St.Augustine

Friends in Christ,

Some thoughts on Saint Augustine

St. Augustine was born in Tagaste, Africa in 354 A.D. He received baptism from St. Ambrose at the age of 33. St. Augustine has over 500 homilies that are extant. He is most noted for the "City of God" and his "Confessions". St. Augustine became bishop of Hippo at age 41. He combated the Manichees, Donatists, and Pelagius. St. Augustine is one of the four great Doctors of the Western Church. He is the Patron Saint of Brewers, Printers and Theology.

Reading
The Confessions of Saint Augustine, bishop
O Eternal Truth, true love and beloved eternity
Urged to reflect upon myself, I entered under your guidance the innermost places of my being; but only because you had become my helper was I able to do so. I entered, then, and with the vision of my spirit, such as it was, I saw the incommutable light far above my spiritual ken and transcending my mind: not this common light which every carnal eye can see, nor any light of the same order; but greater, as though this common light were shining much more powerfully, far more brightly, and so extensively as to fill the universe. The light I saw was not the common light at all, but something different, utterly different, from all those things. Nor was it higher than my mind in the sense that oil floats on water or the sky is above the earth; it was exalted because this very light made me, and I was below it because by it I was made. Anyone who knows truth knows this light.
O eternal Truth, true Love, and beloved Eternity, you are my God, and for you I sigh day and night. As I first began to know you, you lifted me up and showed me that, while that which I might see exists indeed, I was not yet capable of seeing it. Your rays beamed intensely on me, beating back my feeble gaze, and I trembled with love and dread. I knew myself to be far away from you in a region of unlikeness, and I seemed to hear your voice from on high: “I am the food of the mature: grow, then, and you shall eat me. You will not change me into yourself like bodily food; but you will be changed into me”.
Accordingly I looked for a way to gain the strength I needed to enjoy you, but I did not find it until I embraced the mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus, who is also God, supreme over all things and blessed for ever. He called out, proclaiming I am the Way and Truth and the Life, nor had I known him as the food which, though I was not yet strong enough to eat it, he had mingled with our flesh, for the Word became flesh so that your Wisdom, through whom you created all things, might become for us the milk adapted to our infancy.

Late have I loved you, Beauty so ancient and so new, late have I loved you!
Lo, you were within,
but I outside, seeking there for you,
and upon the shapely things you have made
I rushed headlong – I, misshapen.
You were with me, but I was not with you.
They held me back far from you,
those things which would have no being,
were they not in you.
You called, shouted, broke through my deafness;
you flared, blazed, banished my blindness;
you lavished your fragrance, I gasped; and now I pant for you;
I tasted you, and now I hunger and thirst;
you touched me, and I burned for your peace.

(source " the Living Word")

In Christ,

Ed

For the Eleventh Sunday after Trinity , 27 August 2006

( picture of the Anglican Church of St.John & St.Philip, The Hague, Holland )

Friends in Christ,

My long journey of being reborn again began in this Church in the eartly sixties, well before moving to this part of the world. My friends in the Finnish Orthodox Church told me that this journey of being reborn again in Jesus Christ can taken a life time and yes I agree, day by day, year by year we grow in grace and our relationship with Jesus Christ because much more closer. No matter how long it takes.. the need to being reborn remains and this is a message, which I preach as a Postulant in the Church of God and God willing as a Priest in the Church of God one day. I was very much moved by the words of the Epistle for this forthcoming Sunday , which come from Blessed Saint Paul's letter to the Corinthians ( 1 Cor 15 :1 ) Blessed Saint Paul had a long journey of Faith, which was marked intially by persecuting Christians, but then acknowledging that he, himself was the least of the Apostles. The following of his words really strike me :" But by the Grace of God, I am what I am , and His Grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain. This is how I want to live my life and by God's Grace I have come such a long way, not through my own works, but through the Grace of God. As part of my training as a Postulant, I am preaching at the 9.30am Mass at St.Hilda and St.Sebastian's Anglican Catholic Church (TAC) in Auckland this Sunday, the link to this Church can be found on our website , if you are in the Auckland area, I would love to see you there. Finally make I take this opportunity to wish you and all those you love and pray for a blessed weekend.

Ed Bakker

Postulant TAC New Zealand

Saint Bartholomew, Apostle & Martyr

Friends in Christ,

Take the opportunity to read this Psalm.

Psalms 145: 10 - 13, 17 - 18
10
All thy works shall give thanks to thee, O LORD, and all thy saints shall bless thee!
11
They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom, and tell of thy power,
12
to make known to the sons of men thy mighty deeds, and the glorious splendor of thy kingdom.
13
Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and thy dominion endures throughout all generations. The LORD is faithful in all his words, and gracious in all his deeds.
17
The LORD is just in all his ways, and kind in all his doings.
18
The LORD is near to all who call upon him, to all who call upon him in truth.

Today the Church observes the feast of St.Bartholomew , one of the twelve Apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. Indeed he is one of the Saints, who stands around the throne of God rendering honour and praises to God. How do you celebrate a Saint's day? Do you make a special effort to go to Mass and give thanks to God for the life and works of this particular Saint. Is there something we can learn from his life and works? Let us face it, the Saints had the same struggles and problems when they were on this eartly pilgrimage like you and I are now. But only by trusting in the Lord and always calling upon Him, they reached their ultimate reward, which is the Citizenship of Heaven. Psalm 145 is a wonderful Psalm with very powerful words, I do hope and pray that these words will give you strenght today, especially if you are struggeling and burdened down by the pressures of this life. You do know that the Kingdoms of this world will pass away in due time, but that the Kingdom of the Lord stands for ever and ever. May you and I have a share of this heavenly Kingdom.

Amen

All blessings...Ed

Feria

( the picture if of sanctuary of Christ Church, Anglican Church, Brunswick, Melbourne - taken in its glory days )

Friends in Christ,

But take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumblingblock to them that are week. ( 1 Corinthians 8:9)

You have all heard of the well-known expression " you cannot have your cake and eat it". This applies to many aspects of our lives, but also to our lives as Catholic Christians. Perhaps we ask ourselves the question:" How much may I indulge in and still be saved". But... God forbid! We should rather ask ourselve the question:" What about Christ's will and the example I set for my fellow Christians?". Yesterday I talked about the Catholic Christian's Mission by encouragement and exemple and this applies to everything we do, especially in the company of others. May we never be afraid to make a stand in front of others, when it comes to parttaking in a seedy joke or watching a television program, which is in conflict with us being Holy.

With every good wish in Christ,

Ed Bakker......

TAC New Zealand

Feria

Friends in Christ,

Blessed St.Paul wrote in his second letter to the Thessalonians, chapter 3, verse 7

For yourselves know how ye ought to follow us: for we behaved not ourselves disorderly among you.

This suddenly reminds me of the Mission of my former Parish of Christ Church,Anglican Church, Brunswick, Melbourne - Australia. Their Mission was encouragement by exemple. Blessed St.Paul is trying to tell us too to how we should live as committed Christians, a life of giving an exemple. Not only when we make an appearance in Church to go to Mass, but also when we are in the work place or we mix with friends. Can people, who mix with us and meet us see a difference in us, because we confess Christ Crucified? It is obvious that not all of us have been called into the Ministry, not all of us have a calling to stand on the street corners and preach the Word, but a Mission by Encouragement and Exemple , well that is the least what we can do.

There is a well known Prayer, which I would like to share with you:

"Go before us into this world O Lord,

Give us the hearing ear and the understanding heart,

Grant that we believe in our hearts,

May show forth in our lives to Thy Praise and Glory.

May God grant us the opportunity to by such a witness today and always.

Have a good week.

Yours in Christ,

Ed Bakker

Postulant

TAC New Zealand

St.Stephens Anglican Catholic Fellowship

The Tenth Sunday after Trinity

Friends in Christ,

Luke 19:41 And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it, 42 Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes. 43 For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side, 44 And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation. 45 And he went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold therein, and them that bought; 46 Saying unto them, It is written, My house is the house of prayer: but ye have made it a den of thieves. 47 And he taught daily in the temple.

When Wembley Stadium was demolished it provoked emotions for many people who had memories associated with it. The 1966 World Cup Final, the "Matthew's" FA Cup Final, or perhaps some people would have seen 'their' team play at Wembley. It was perceived as the the centre of English football.
Jerusalem was the centre of the Jewish religion. Jesus was approaching it for the final Passover that He would celebrate. He had just entered the city on a donkey to cheering crowds but now he was sad.
In this passage we see two examples of Jesus showing emotions of sadness and anger, confirming his humanity. We may think of Jesus as being stoic, facing up to things with a British stiff upper lip. But he wasn't British and displayed many different emotions throughout his life.
Jesus wept over Jerusalem. Why? Because He had come primarily to save the Jewish people. In Jerusalem, the focus of their religious life during the major religious festival in which they celebrated their deliverance from slavery, they would reject Jesus and crucify Him. They did this because they were spiritually blind, 42b, but now they are hid from thine eyes.
We not only observe the emotion of Jesus in crying for Jerusalem, we can also notice his compassion, foreknowlege, and selflessness.
Many facing certain death would be concerned about their own situation, Jesus was concerned about the very people who conspired against Him, who unjustly sentenced Him to a horrific death and even those who performed the hideous act.
Jesus offers forgiveness to everyone who turns to Him.
43 For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side, 44 And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation.
Jesus words about the destruction of Jerusalem in verses 43-44 were fulfilled in A.D. 70. The Romans under Titus laid siege to and completely destroyed Jerusalem, its inhabitants and the temple buildings. There were few if any Christians there because they knew of Jesus' words here and in Chapter 21. The Christians escaped from Jerusalem before, or during its siege. Many of them went across the River Jordan to a town called Pella.
This was the judgement of God because of the rejection of His only Son. If anyone disobeys or rejects God there will be judgement. It is part of God's nature to be just and to punish sin. God offers a way out, but we have to believe and trust in Him.
This pattern will be repeated when Jesus returns to judge the living and the dead. Those who have rejected Jesus will have to bear the condemnation that this brings and be separated from God forever. Christians will not be condemned, Romans 8:1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. We can look forward to being with God forever, unaffected by sin and death, with perfect resurrection bodies.
To the Jews the temple was the place where God lived, if indeed you could say that God can be confined in this way. There God met man. Yet it also recognised that God is holy, perfect, and therefore different to and separated from people.
The temple was the place where sacrifices were offered to pay the price for the sins of God's people. This enabled God to meet with man. It was the place where God was worshipped and prayer was offered to him.
But in Jesus day it was a centre of commerce. Jesus called it a "den of thieves". It wasn't a house of God it was a house of money making. Cattle, sheep and doves used as sacrifices were sold to Jews who travelled distances and couldn't bring their own animals. Jews aged over 20 had to pay the Temple Tax. This was paid in Tyrian coins which had a high silver content. People coming with coins from many other countries had them exchanged. All of these activities made money for the traders.
The misuse of the temple was denounced by Jesus who purified it by driving out the animals and the merchants. It can almost symbolise the way that Jesus needs to come into our lives to drive out what is wrong and prevents us from drawing close to and worshipping God. The fact that Jesus was able to do this shows that He is equipped to judge and to condemn what is not of God. His anger shows that it is not necessarily wrong to be angry. However, sometimes when we are angry our indignation cannot be compared to the righteous indignation of Jesus. It may be due to our own pride or impatience.
In this passage we see the humanity of our Lord in his emotions The divinity of our Lord in His foreknowledge and His authority to judge. We are called to share His emotions, to weep for a world that has rejected Him. To show compassion by sharing the love of Jesus in thought, word and deed. To recognise who Jesus is, God and man, sent to earth to save people. And to continue devote our lives to Him who is the only one able to save us.

Iwish you a blessed week...

Ed

Feria

Friends in Christ,

On the last day of the working week, I would you to turn to Blessed Saint Peter's first letter, chapter 1, verse 6

Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you indue time.

Sometimes you find yourself in a situation when you have done something , which does not need a sincere apology from yourself to the person, who have hurt. It happens so easily in our daily life and as I touched on it being the last day of the working week, then you will agree with me that these situations also happen in the work place. Swollowing your pride there is even more difficult. Would you not agree with me that sometimes you are filled with despair, because you have to to do this without pride and humble yourself and you will find this hard to do. Having had a long career in Banking I found myself also in conflict with my Senior Manager and had to swollow my pride and become more humble.

There are people you meet in this life, who teach you to be humble by the exemple they set. i.e. by the humble lives they live. Take Mother Theresa, a perfect exemple The late Pope John Paul the 2nd was also a very humble man. One of my former Parish Priests was also a humble man.

By there is one special person we can approach without pride and before Whom we can humble ourselves without despair. That is our Lord Jesus Christ. If we do struggle with this problem of being humble, He would be our ultimate exemple and we could pray this evening, that He teaches us to be His humble servants here on earth.

May I take this opportunity to wish you and yours a refreshing weekend,

Yours in Christ,

Ed Bakker

Postulant TAC New Zealand

Feria

Friends in Christ,

Humans have many abilities gifted to us by God. Immediately the reader might think of one of our most powerful being the ability to love one another. One that is equally as significant is the ability to forgive ourselves and others. This is the topic addressed in the gospel when Jesus answers Peter's question about how many times we should forgive our brother who has sinned against us.
It is interesting to "unwrap" some of the emotions involved when we refuse to forgive ourselves and others. One that often enters in is human pride. Perhaps at times we expect more of ourselves and others than is realistic, and we fail to forgive when our expectations are unmet. We forget that we are human and can only do so much. At other times we might refuse to forgive another in order to hold power over them, as though they owe us something for what transpired. This power struggle often goes on for years, and sometimes does not get resolved before the death of loved ones. What if God had treated us in the same manner?
Forgiveness is an interesting subject. We all expect the forgiveness of others, but are we as ready to forgive? If not, why not?

Thanks be to God.

Ed....

For the forthcoming Feast of the Assumption of Blessed Mary

Friends in Christ,

That's what the Byzantine Liturgy tells us at Matins of today's Feast:
If the Fruit she bore [that's Christ, of course]… by whose favour she passes to heavenfreely endures the tomb insofar as he ismortal, how can she refuse the tomb,she who unwedded bore the Child?
Mary dies as we do because it is congruent with the Christ-pattern so to do. It's all of a piece with his life and hers. On each case, and all along the line, the theme is self-giving in humility, sacrifice, abandonment.
And this is why she is glorified by being taken to heaven body and soul. Her dying was the final seal on her holiness, the ultimate and definitive seal. So it had in her Assumption (and Coronation, which we celebrate as the 'octave' of the Assumption in a week's time), the ultimate and definitive reward.
But still her life for us goes on, her mediation with her Son, which now takes the form of her offering herself as a channel of his graces, lavished on others. Because that too is part of the pattern. The French have a saying, Noblesse oblige: 'nobility obliges'. That states a truth about spiritual nobility too. The higher the degree of glory a creature reaches, the heavier its responsibilities -- and above all the responsibility of communicating the divine goodness to others.
Occasionally, at any rate, whether off our own bat or by making our own the prayers the Church puts into our mouth, we ask God to make us holy. On the Assumption in particular, we petition our blessed Lady to draw us with her in the Holy Spirit, through the Word, to the Father. Do we always realize to what we are committing ourselves in such a request?
We are asking to be stripped of our privacy as she was, to be so opened up that the whole world can walk into our hearts. Is that really what we want? We must beware, there is no private holiness. That is also the message of the this Feast day today.

With every good wish in Christ,

Ed....

For Sunday, 13 August 2006, the Ninth after Trinity

Fathers, Brothers & Sisters in Christ,
There is a particular opening sentence, which is pronounced by the Officiant of Evensong, which goes as follows:" I shall arise and go to my Father,and will say unto him: Father I have sinned against heaven ,and before thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. "Not only is this a sentence for us to prepare to confess our sins to Allmighty God and declare unto Him our unworthiness, but the sentence also takes us back to the Holy Gospel of Saint Luke, chapter 15, beginning at verse 11, which is set for this particular Sunday. It covers the parable of the prodigal son, which is to me a well-know story, because I have been a Christian all my life and this story was explained to me at Church School. I learned that this parable shows us the mercy, the infinite mercy of our Heavenly Father, if one of his children, after a life of seperation from Him, marked by sin and despair, wants to return " home" and ask to be forgiven and requests to return to the family fold. There is no rejection, but a total acception and forgiveness. There is a time of absolute joy!
In this world we live in, we constantly hear about people, who are being rejected by their families, who wonder around our streets in dispair, without shelter and food. Even our television companies treat us with family drama, which does portray these situations. The psychiatric hospitals of our nation are full of people , who have been rejected. On Dr.Phil on channel 3 there was a program about an American woman of 40, who had a drink problem and offered herself for prostitution in order to pay for her habit, her family did not want to have anything to do with her.She wondered the streets without having a proper shelter. And so it goes on...
What does this parable teach us ? It does teach us that we as parents must always welcome our children home, if they have left and hurt us, but return and ask for forgiveness. But the story does not only relate to our children, but also to ourselves. We can turn away from Christ and live a life of sin. In God's eyes we are lost or dead.And yet.. if we return home to our Father and confess our sins, He makes the pronouncement that we were dead, but are now alive , that we were lost and now we have been found.
Do you have a child, who has left you and you have rejected him or her? Now is the time to welcome them back home and forgive them. Do you go through life feeling dispair and lack of purpose or are you caught in the trap of sin ? It is not to late to return to Jesus Christ. Indeed if you are prepared to say these words:" I have sinned against heaven and before thee and am no longer be worthy to be called thy son, then all shall be well.
Have a blessed weekend, you and yours!
With every good wish in Christ,

Ed Bakker
Postulant - TAC New Zealand

Saint Clare, Abbess - 1253

Friends in Christ,

Clare of Assisi, was born there in 1194 and died there in 1253. She came from a noble family . In her youth she refused two proffered marriages, but did not finally make up her mind to "leave the world" until she came under the influence of Saint Francis in her native town.Saint Francis installed her and her sister St.Agnes as the nucleus of a community in a house by the church of San Damiano at Assissi, drawing up a " way of live" for them and this was the beginning of the order of the Poor Ladies, formerly called Minoresses in England and now Poor Clares. She guided her community with discretion for forty years. She is shown in art carrying a monstrance. This is understable as her love for God revealed itself in her devotion to the Blessed Sacrament.

The service of Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament , which usually followes Solemn Evensong, at least in Anglican Catholic circles is not as well attended as it used to be. A number of Parishes around the glob do not have this service any more, which is a great pity. Whenever I study the lives of the Saints and Martyrs, I feel that I can learn something about the way they lived their lives. May I and also all of us renew our devotion to the Blessed Sacrament.

O Sacrament Most Holy

O Mystery Devine!

A blessed weekend

Ed Bakker

Postulant TAC New Zealand

St.Lawrence, Deacon & Martyr

Friends in Christ,

The Church commends this day to us as the blessed Lawrence day of triumph, on which he troddown the world as it roared and rages against him: spurned it as it coaxed and wheedled him:and in each case, conquered the devil as he persecuted him. For in that Church, you see as you have regularly been told, he performed the office of a Deacon: it was there that he administered the sacred chalice of Christ's blood: there that he shed his own blood for the name of Jesus Christ. Blessed Saint John the Apostle clearly explained the mystery of the Lord's supper when he said just as Christ laid down his life for us, so we too ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.St.Lawrence understood this, and he did it: and he undoubtedly prepared things similar to what he received at that table. He loved Christ in his life, he imitated Him in his death.

So let us understand how Christians ought to follow Christ, short of the shedding of blood, short of the danger of suffering death. Blessed Saint John says, speaking of the Jesus Christ, Who, though He was in the for of God did not think it robbery to be equal to God. What incomparable greatness!! But He emptied Himself taking the form of a servant, and being made in the likeness of men, and found in condition as a man. What unequalled humility.

Christ humbled Himself: Here we have something to latch onto. Christ became obedient. Why do you behave proudly? After running the course of these humiliations and laing death low, Christ ascended into Heaven: let us follow Him there. Let us listen Blessed Saint John telling us, if you have with Christ, savor the things that are above is, seated at God's right hand.

Thanks be to God.

Ed Bakker

Postulant

TAC New Zealand

Feria

Friends in Christ,

Stand up , and bless the Lord,

Ye people of his choice;

Stand up, and bless the Lord your God

With heart and soul and voice.

James Montgomery 1771-1854

This is in fact the first verse of Hymn 452 in the New English Hymnal, which I use all the time. Does this verse speak to you at all? It does boost my spirit and fills me with enthousiasm about my Catholic Faith and helps me to start yet another day God has given me.

I am not sure to how many people around the world would read this short meditation for this Wednesday. But... do you share in my thoughts? When you arise in the morning and face a new day, do you feel that you want to sing out loud and perhaps in particular this verse I quoted?

If you dont feel this way this morning and you are burdened down by the turmoils of this world, take a moment to sit down and pray and ask for God's Holy Spirit to touch you and fill you anew with the Vision of His Glory. Believe you me... your day will be different.

May God bless you all on this Wednesday in all you undertake.

In Christ Jesus , our Lord,

Ed Bakker

Postulant TAC New Zealand

Blessed Mary McKillop, Australia

Friends in Christ,

Sin is a reality we don’t like to talk about or hear about. We are even more reluctant to admit that we often perpetuate it.
It is however, just this kind of "talk" preserved for us in Holy Scripture that we should not be lacking in proper instruction.
Coupled with these stern reminders about sin and faithlessness, the reality of God’s mercy and His love is always part of "the rest of the story." He has, we must remember, the weapons (and the will and resolve to utilize them) to conquer our ultimate enemy (sin), but unless we avail ourselves of His help and let Him be our truest ally, He cannot help us.
So we have a choice, to be humble before the Lord and admit our failings and great need for His sovereign help, or pretend that we're "okay" and go it alone. The latter of those two choices flies in the face of reality and is foolish because we're not okay unless our refuge and defense comes from the Lord. Our own self-righteousness has no power whatsoever to save us.
O Lord, You have the words of everlasting life!

With every good wish in Christ,

Ed Bakker

The Transfiguration of our Lord

Friends in Christ,

Are you prepared to see God's glory? God is eager to share his glory with us! We get a glimpse of this when the disciples see Jesus transfigured in glory on the mountain. [See Mount of Transfiguration] Mark's account tells us that Jesus' garments became glistening, intensely white. When Moses met with God on Mount Sinai the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God (see Exodus 34:29). Paul says that the Israelites could not look at Moses' face because of its brightness (2 Cor. 3:7). In this incident Jesus appeared in glory with Moses, the great lawgiver of Israel, and with Elijah, the greatest of the prophets, in the presence of three of his beloved apostles. What is the significance of this mysterious appearance? Jesus went to the mountain knowing full well what awaited him in Jerusalem -- his betrayal, rejection and crucifixion. Jesus very likely discussed this momentous decision to go to the cross with Moses and Elijah. God the Father also spoke with Jesus and gave his approval: This is my beloved Son; listen to him. The cloud which overshadowed Jesus and his apostles fulfilled the dream of the Jews that when the Messiah came the cloud of God's presence would fill the temple again (see Exodus 16:10, 19:9, 33:9; 1 Kings 8:10; 2 Maccabees 2:8). The Lord wants to reveal his glory to all who earnestly seek him with faith.
Origen, the great 3rd century bible scholar, shows us how the transfiguration can change our lives: “When he is transfigured, his face also shines as the sun that he may be manifested to the children of light who have put off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light, and are no longer the children of darkness or night but have become the sons of day, and walk honestly as in the day. Being manifest, he will shine unto them not simply as the sun, but as demonstrated to be the sun of righteousness.”
Luke’s gospel tells us that while Jesus was transfigured, Peter, James, and John were asleep (Luke 9:32)! Upon awakening they discovered Jesus in glory along with Moses and Elijah. How much do we miss of God's glory and action because we are asleep spiritually? There are many things which can keep our minds asleep to the things of God: Mental lethargy and the "unexamined life" can keep us from thinking things through and facing our doubts and questions. The life of ease can also hinder us from considering the challenging or disturbing demands of Christ. Prejudice can make us blind to something new the Lord may have for us. Even sorrow can be a block until we can see past it to the glory of God. Are you spiritually awake? Peter, James, and John were privileged witnesses of the glory of Christ. We, too, as disciples of Christ are called to be witnesses of his glory. We all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being changed into his likeness from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit (2 Cor. 3:18). The Lord wants to reveal his glory to us, his beloved disciples. Do you seek his presence with faith and reverence?
“Lord, keep me always alert and awake to you, to your word, your action, and your daily presence in my life. Let me see your glory.”

Thanks be to God & have a blessed Sunday,

Ed Bakker

Saint John Vianney, Priest - Patron of Priests 1929

Friends in Christ,

Mat 13:58

Lacking faith or having faith can effect lives.

Jeremiah told his people they lacked genuine faith, causing them to break the divine laws. Taking offense at this criticism, the priests and prophets sought his death. People are being perscuted because of their faith. In Nazareth, Jesus, though personifying God's truth and loving power, was seen only as the carpenter's son, thus forfeiting His blessings. Faithlessness blinds us to truth.
Faith comes to us when we see a need for seeking life's purpose. It develops through our awareness that we must transcend our animal aspect, that to live in the peace and justice we crave, our existence requires more than mere personal survival. Many will then be led to study Scripture, read volumes of writings about world religions, yet this work will amount to nothing unless it is done in the humble realization that in our own power we cannot live in harmonious love toward one another. Only through obedience to God can humanity learn and fulfill its purpose, to participate in divine goodness, joy and glory. If we seek this by invoking Christ's Spirit of grace, He will give us both the will and power to live in holiness.
Secular humanism usurps God's dominion over man; selfishness, self-will, comfort and pleasure now replace His love within many human hearts. We needn't wonder why marriage and family are deteriorating; for in God's absence, we foolishly seek to fill our emptiness with useless activities or through imperfect, sinful beings such as ourselves. Faith, on the other hand, is God's gift to those seeking Him in prayer. He progressively nourishes them, fills their inner void with His own perfect life. He satisfies our hearts' desires with an imageless, silent, knowledge of Himself called "faith" which will grow in strength and depth as it imparts to us the ability to love as He loves--boundlessly and unconditionally.
Blessed Lord, source of all love and holiness, gift us with a true, living and loving faith in You. May our hearts then bear You to all those lost and seeking a new, better life. Amen.

Have a good day... God bless .. Ed Bakker

Saint Eusebius, Bishop

Friends in Christ,

How much do we really value what our Lord has given us ?Jesus told His disciples that the Kingdom of God is so precious that it is like two men, who sold all they had to obtain it.
God's gifts to us come completely free of charge. But... what if they dit not ?

What would we be willing to sacrifice to gain His gifts? Our cars, homes, boats, jewelry or other belongings? How about something more abstract like the prestige we may have within our communities? How about every material thing we possess? At what point would we say that the cost is too high and walk away? Perhaps asking ourselves these questions and giving ourselves an honest answer will reveal how much we truly value His Gifts to us.

Thanks be to God.

Have a great day,

In Christ,

Ed Bakker

Postulant TAC New Zealand

St.Peter in Chains

Friends in Christ,

The Icon depicted above reminds us of the feast day of St.Peter in Chains. The chains of the Apostle Peter during his captivity in Jerusalem and in Rome are preserved in the Church of St.Peter in Chains.

When I am thinking of all this, all of a sudden there is a song, which comes to my mind. Remember " Take these chains from my heart and set me free" ? This song was song by the late Ray Charles and was and still is very moving to listen to. In my life as a Catholic Christian and in your life as a Catholic Christian we often feel bound by chains, they do represents the burden of sins. Only by accepting Jesus Christ as our personal Saviour and Redeemer and walking in His Ways of righteouness and Peace, we can brake these chains , which do represent the bond of our sins and be free. Only when we are free from our earthly chains, the key of the Kingdom of God comes within our reach.

We are once again at the beginning of another month, August, and in this part of the world it is our last month of the winter. The year has flown by. May God grant that we use our time wisely and that we may endeavour day by day to keep far way from evil.

Thanks be to God.

With every good wish in Christ,

Ed Bakker

Postulant

TAC New Zealand