Saturday evening

Friends in Christ,

The picture above if from the Church of the Holy Advent in Boston, USA. It reminds us that Palm Sunday is not far away, tomorrow in fact. It reminds me of many Palm Sunday celebrations at Church over the years. One of the highlights is meeting in a procession outside the Church building, have the Blessing of the Palms and be a real witness to those, who pass by on the street. And that it what it is all about, we set about to worship our Redeemer, the King, let's share our joy , our enthousiasm and our commitment to serve this Jesus with others.

I wish you, whereever you are a meaningful Palm Sunday and a blessed Holy Week.

' In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins' ( Colossians 1:14)

You remember that great Evangelist Bill Graham? He once said: ' No man ever loved like Jesus, He taught the blind to see and the dumb to speak. He died on the cross to save us. He bore our sins. And now God says, " Because He did, I can forgive you"

Thanks be to God,

Ed Bakker - Postulant TAC New Zealand

Blessed John Keble

( picture of John Keble )

Friends in Christ,

Anglican Catholicism
The Church of England and the wider Anglican Communion are confusing institutions. In the case of most Christian denominations, one can know simply by their name what one might expect to encounter in their worship or their preaching. But in the Church of England this is not the case. Here in Oxford, where St Mary Magdalen's is situated, one can find churches which might be mistaken for conservative evangelical churches in the United States, and churches which might be thought to be traditionally Roman Catholic; with plenty of other churches falling somewhere in between these two. All of these churches, in fact, belong to the Church of England.
The term 'Anglo-Catholicism' describes a range of theological views and traditions within Anglicanism which emphasise the continuity of the Church of England - and those churches born out of it - with the teaching and practice of Christianity throughout the ages, rooted in scripture and the teachings of the early church. 'Anglo-Catholics' have always valued the sacramental life of the church, adhering strongly to doctrine such as the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist and the continuity of the apostolic orders of Bishop, Priest and Deacon. A significant stress on liturgy and worship - performed in order to maintain the beauty of holiness - makes worship in an Anglo-Catholic church an experience which is intended to appeal to one's whole person - to heart as well as head, to senses as well as to intellect.
John Keble
Oxford has a special significance for Anglo-Catholicism because it was here, in the 1830s, that a group of academic churchmen sought controversially to denounce the increasing secularization of the Church of England, and to recall it to its heritage of apostolic order, and to the catholic doctrines of the early church fathers. In the early 1830s, at Oriel College in Oxford, a growing number of young and extremely able Fellows, informally grouped around the slightly older John Keble, were increasingly outspoken about the needs and shortcomings of the contemporary church. Reform was in the air in England, the 17th century religious settlement was long gone, uniformity of religious practice, if it ever existed, had been replaced by the growth of Protestant churches which did not 'conform' with the established Church of England, and the continued presence of Roman Catholicism had been acknowledged and liberated by the act of Catholic Emancipation. Parliamentary attempts to reform the Church of Ireland provoked the wider questions which men such as John Keble and John Henry Newman sought to ask via conversation, preaching and most importantly, a series of Tracts for the Times.

John Henry Newman
These questions concern the doctrinal character of the Church of England - from where does it learn? What does it teach? What are the authorities which govern its preaching and its practice? John Henry Newman dated the beginning of the Oxford Movement to Keble's Assize Sermon of 14 July 1833, on National Apostasy, but it was really the Tracts, launched shortly afterwards by Newman, Vicar of the University Church of St Mary the Virgin, Richard Hurrell Froude, a junior fellow of Oriel, William Palmer, and Keble himself, which began "the Oxford Movement". During the following eight years, ninety such Tracts were published. Did Baptism bestow an indelible character on the soul? What does "consecration" of the eucharistic elements signify? Was the Reformation and Elizabethan Settlement a release from papal bondage, a disaster imposed by a heretical state, or a sophisticated via media between these two extremes? How were the "golden ages" of the early Church Fathers and seventeenth century Anglican theology to be recovered?

Edward Bouverie Pusey
The Tractarians (so-called after their publications) were political controversialists. They were sharp, usually young men who drew upon a remarkable depth of learning and a facility with written arguments. One of them, called Edward Bouverie Pusey, continued to engage in fiercely intellectual theological controversy on behalf of a Catholic interpretation of the Church of England, until his death in 1882. Newman, on the other hand, felt that his only course involved reception into the Roman Catholic Church, a move he made in 1845. Many 'Tractarians' followed him, but despite the opposition of voices both Catholic and Protestant, the 'Anglo-Catholic' presence in the Church of England persisted and grew stronger.
Encouraged by Tractarian theology there was a great revival of interest in liturgy and church architecture, stemming not least from the Cambridge Camden Society, which had been formed in 1839. Among its leaders was John Mason Neale, for whom the society was not simply artistic and antiquarian, but very much theological. Its journal, the Ecclesiologist, which first appeared in 1841, argued for the importance of symbol and decoration in the mysteries of worship and championed the ideas of a young Roman Catholic architect, Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin, who saw Gothic as the only proper style of Church architecture, reflecting as it did the continual religious priorities of striving for heaven through prayer, sacrament and the Christian virtues.
The progress made by the "Puseyites", as they were often called, continued to go hand in hand with controversy. Newman's conversion was as notorious as any of his tracts. With the Gorham Judgement (which saw a Judicial Committee of the Privy Council overturn a bishop's decision not to institute to a parish a priest who held an unorthodox doctrine of baptism), many left the Church of England, convinced that it was bound by an Erastian state, among them Archdeacon Henry, later Cardinal, Manning. In the 1850s Archdeacon Dennison, of Taunton, was unsuccessfully prosecuted for teaching the catholic doctrine of the real presence. At the same time there were increasing vocations to the religious life. On Trinity Sunday 1841, Pusey heard the first profession of a nun in the Church of England for three centuries, Mother Marian Hughes. Pusey, along with Neale and such other great names as Richard Meux Benson, Priscilla Lydia Sellon and Thomas Thelluson Carter, was a driving force behind this revival. The strong doctrinal theology preached by the Tractarians had by now found its expression in contexts very far removed from the Universities. From the very first, the call to holiness - individual and corporate - had been at the heart of the Tractarians' teaching.
It was inevitable that their attentions would turn to the social and evangelistic problems of the industrial working class. Young Oxford men who had listened to people such as Pusey found themselves called to work in new and demanding slum parishes. The ritual innovations of which they were accused were often rooted in the desperate pastoral needs they encountered. Miss Sellons's Devonport Sisters of Mercy worked with the clergy of St Peter's Plymouth in the cholera epidemics of the late 1840s, and petitioned the parish priest, Fr George Rundle Prynne, for a celebration of the Eucharist each morning to strengthen them for their work. So began the first daily celebration of the Eucharist in the Church of England since the Reformation. Similarly the clergy of St Saviour's, Leeds (a parish Pusey had endowed), laid what medicines they had on the altar at each morning's communion, before carrying them out to the many dozens of their parishioners who would die of cholera that very day. One cannot underestimate the extraordinary transformation in Anglican practice which began with these early 'ritualists'. In the nineteenth century, vestments and candles were horrific to most, and yet in places such as the mission church of St George's in the East, thuribles were swung, genuflecting was encouraged, the sign of the cross was made frequently, devotion to the blessed sacrament was taken for granted. Confessions were heard, holy anointing was practised.
At the heart of such physical activity lay the Tractarian interpretation of the Christian doctrine of the incarnation. God, in Christ, lives among us as a physical reality. The poor must be brought the ministry of Christ in the celebration of the sacraments and the preaching of the gospel. Beauty and holiness were to go into the midst of squalor and depression, as a witness to the catholic faith in Jesus Christ, the incarnate God, present and active in his world. During such times of crisis as the East London cholera epidemic of 1866, the sick and dying were to receive this sacramental presence as far as was possible. Deathbed confessions, the oil of unction, even, occasionally, communion from the reserved sacrament began to be administered. At the time such things were unknown in the Church of England. Now they are officially sanctioned and encouraged by its liturgical texts and regulations. The ritualists gave rise to a long and bitter battle, in which priests were imprisoned, many more dismissed, parish riots took place, rent-a-mob crowds were brought in, and bishops issued edicts from palaces to areas into which they would not dare set foot. Priests were prosecuted and, in five cases, imprisoned for practices which are now not just acceptable but actually the norm in the Church of England - having lighted altar candles, for example, or using wafer bread at the Eucharist.
The overwhelming success of the early Anglo-Catholics is seen not so much in those parishes which, like St Mary Magdalen's, rejoice in proclaiming their part in such a tradition. It is the rest of the church which has been the theatre of transformation over the last five or six decades. The rediscovered emphases on apostolic succession and the catholicity of the church, on priesthood, on sacrament and sacrifice, on prayer, holiness and the beauty of worship, are the Tractarians' gifts to their successors. A glance round the contemporary Church of England, still vastly divergent but nevertheless teeming with colourful decorations, revised liturgies, ancient hymns, and thousands of processions, aumbries, altars, oratories and retreat houses, reminds us just how dramatically the life of the English Church was and is renewed by the movement which began in Oxford and spread, through the Anglican Communion, across the entire world.
The above images of Keble, Newman and Pusey are reproduced with the kind permission of the Warden and Fellows of Keble College, Oxford

Source Saint Mary Magdalene Oxford

Yours in Christ,

Ed Bakker

Saint John of Damascus

Friends in Christ,

Let us turn to Blessed Saint Paul's letter to the Romans 8:34 ' Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God.

Upon a life I have not lived,

Upon a death I have not died -

Another's life, Another's death,

I stake my whole eternity.

Yours on this Lenten journey,

Ed Bakker - Postulant TAC New Zealand

The Feast of the Annunciation

Dear Friends in Christ,

I found the following information on the Catholic New Advent website and like to share it with you:

Readings and Collect:Collect:God our Father, Your word became man and was born of the Virgin Mary.May we become more like Jesus Christ,whom we acknowledge as our redeemer, God and man.We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,one God, for ever and ever. +Amen.orAlmighty Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,You have revealed the beauty of Your powerby exalting the lowly virgin of Nazarethand making her the mother of our Savior.May the prayers of this womanbring Jesus to the waiting worldand fill the void of incompletionwith the presence of her Child,who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,one God, for ever and ever. +Amen.First Reading: Isaiah 7:10-14; 8:10Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz, "Ask a sign of the Lord your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven." But Ahaz said, "I will not ask, and I will not put the Lord to the test." And Isaiah said, "Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary men, that you weary my God also? Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign. Behold, a young woman shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanu-el. Take counsel together, but it will come to nought; speak a word, but it will not stand, for God is with us. Second Reading: Hebrews 10:4-10For it is impossible that the blood of bulls and goats should take away sins. Consequently, when Christ came into the world, He said, "Sacrifices and offerings Thou hast not desired, but a body hast Thou prepared for Me; in burnt offerings and sin offerings Thou hast taken no pleasure. Then I said, 'Lo, I have come to do Thy will, O God', as it is written of Me in the roll of the book." When He said above, "Thou hast neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings" (these are offered according to the law), then He added, "Lo, I have come to do Thy will." He abolishes the first in order to establish the second. And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. Gospel Reading: Luke 1:26-38In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. And he came to her and said, "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you!" But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and considered in her mind what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give to Him the throne of His father David, and He will reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of His kingdom there will be no end." And Mary said to the angel, "How shall this be, since I have no husband?" And the angel said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the Child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God. And behold, your kinswoman Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For with God nothing will be impossible." And Mary said, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be done to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her.
The AnnunciationThe Feast of the Annunciation, March 25, is one of the most important in the Church calendar. It celebrates the actual Incarnation of Our Savior the Word made flesh in the womb of His mother, Mary.
The biblical account of the Annunciation is in the first chapter of the Gospel of Saint Luke, 26-56. Saint Luke describes the annunciation given by the angel Gabriel to Mary that she was to become the mother of the Incarnation of God.
Here is recorded the "angelic salutation" of Gabriel to Mary, 'Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee" (Ave, gratia plena, Dominus tecum - Lk 1:28), and Mary's response to God's will, "Let it be done to me according to thy word" (fiat mihi secundum verbum tuum) (v. 38)
This "angelic salutation" is the origin of the "Hail Mary" prayer of the Rosary and the Angelus (the second part of the prayer comes from the words of salutation of Elizabeth to Mary at the Visitation).
The Angelus, a devotion that daily commemmorates the Annunciation, consists of three Hail Marys separated by short versicles. It is said three times a day -- morning, noon and evening -- traditionally at the sound of a bell. The Angelus derives its name from the first word of the versicles, Angelus Domini nuntiavit Mariae (The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary).
Mary's exultant hymn, the Magnificat, found in Luke 1:46-55, has been part of the Church's Liturgy of the Hours, at Vespers (evening prayer), and has been repeated nightly in churches, convents and monasteries for more than a thousand years.
The Church's celebration of the Annunciation is believed to date to the early 5th century, possibly originating at about the time of the Council of Ephesus (c 431). Earlier names for the Feast were Festum Incarnationis, and Conceptio Christi, and in the Eastern Churches, the Annunciation is a feast of Christ, but in the Latin Church it is a feast of Mary. The Annunciation has always been celebrated on March 25, exactly nine months before Christmas Day.
Two other feasts honoring Our Lord's mother, the Assumption (August 15), and the Immaculate Conception (December 8), are celebrated as Holy Days of Obligation in the United States and many other countries. New Year's Day, January 1, is observed as a Solemnity of Mary. The Annunciation was a Holy Day throughout the Universal Church until the early 20th century. Many Catholics who are deeply concerned with the defense of the life of unborn children believe it would be fitting if the Feast of the Annunciation were restored to this status. Although it seems unlikely that it will be added to the Church calendar as a Holy Day of Obligation, we can certainly take on the "obligation" ourselves to attend Mass. In any case, it is most appropriate that we encourage special celebrations in the "Domestic Church".
One sign of the significance this Christian feast had throughout Western culture is that New Year's Day was for centuries celebrated on March 25. It was believed by some ancient Christian writers that God created the world on March 25, and that the fall of Adam and the Crucifixion also took place March 25. The secular calendar was changed to begin the year on January 1 (in 1752 in England and colonies, somewhat earlier on the continent).
Another remnant of the historic universality of Christianity in the West is the use of BC (before Christ) and AD (Anno Domini The Year of Our Lord) to denote periods of time in history. There has been an attempt in some circles to change BC to BCE (before the common era), and AD to CE (common era) -- and although it is true that the religious significance of our system of dating has been effectively obliterated -- nevertheless, Christians and non-Christians alike consent to the birth of Christ as the "fulcrum" of the dating the events of human history.
Family observance of the Annunciation
In families with young children, this feast would be a good time to begin teaching youngsters important lessons about the inestimable value God places on human life.
First, that He loved us so much that He chose to become one of us to take on our humanity so completely that He "became flesh", as utterly weak and dependent as any human infant is. Second, God became "like us in all things except sin" at the moment of His conception in Mary's womb, not at some later time. The Feast of the Annunciation is a celebration of the actual Incarnation of Jesus Christ.
Children may, quite naturally, think that the birth of Jesus is the time when Our Savior first "became Man", especially since Christmas has become the Christian holiday in our culture. We understand best what we can see, what is visible. The invisible, the hidden, is no less real for our lack of seeing it. (We think of the baby in its mother's womb, known and felt, though unseen, only to her.)
Even very young children can know the truth about the growth of a baby inside its mother's body, especially if the mother of the family (or an aunt, perhaps) happens to be pregnant on the holiday. The nine months' wait from March 25 to December 25 for the Baby to be born would be interesting to most children. (God made no special rules for His own bodily development!) What better way than the reading first chapter of Luke to gently begin teaching children about the beginning of each new human life?
Children should be told how important it is to every person that "the Word became flesh and dwelt among us" (John 1), and parents can find this feast a valuable teaching moment.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church on Article 3 of the Creed: "He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit, and was born of the Virgin Mary" (§436-511), should be read by parents. This will not only give adults a timely review of Catholic doctrine, but it can be a great help to us in transmitting important truths of the faith to our children. The summary at the end can help formulate points we want to emphasize. Excerpts from the Catechism could be read aloud to older children. Some other lessons that can be drawn from this important feast on the Church's Calendar are:
Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit
Angels as God's messengers
The importance of humility, submission and obedience to God's will
The value of hiddenness, silence, quiet (baby in womb, Mary at home, &c.)
Family Prayers and Readings
Saint Luke 1:26-53 ; Magnificat (Luke 1:46-53); Psalm. 139; John 1.
Creed (See also Catechism of the Catholic Church, Creed, Article 3.)
The Angelus
Rosary (Five Joyful Mysteries: Annunciation, Visitation, Nativity, Presentation of Jesus, Finding of Jesus in the Temple)
Catechism: section on Angels (§328336)
Activities with children
Have children draw an Annunciation scene, with the Trinity present Father, Son and Holy Spirit as well as Mary and the Angel Gabriel. Another idea would be to make the figures from clay or play-dough, and make a "tableau" using a shallow box to represent Mary's house.
Mention that Christianity is unique in recognizing the Incarnation of the God as Jesus Christ, the Son. God's taking on a human body, while being truly and fully divine, is the reason why artistic representations of Jesus, Mary, etc., are not "idols" or "graven images" prohibited by the First Commandment. (See Catechism § 476, 466). Catholics who properly reverence images of sacred figures are actually reverencing the Person whom the image represents, not the physical object painting or sculpture or medal or whatever.
Make a flower centerpiece for the dinner table using red carnations (symbolize "incarnation"), baby's breath (innocence, spirit) and ivy (eternal fidelity). Explain how the symbolism of the flowers reminds us of the Annunciation, and the appropriateness of the gift of real flowers for the occasion. Sprinkle the flowers with Holy Water (little children love to do this!), and explain that this consecrates, or sets apart, our gift to the worship of God.
Make a special Annunciation Candle. Use a fat pillar candle of white or blue. Carve a niche in the wax large enough to fit inside it a tiny image (or picture cut from a Christmas card) of the Infant Jesus. Fasten a "curtain", made from a small piece of white cloth, over the opening with pins pushed into the wax. The candle wax represents the purity of the Virgin. The Baby is "hidden" within the body of the candle. Light the candle when the Angelus or Rosary is said on this Feast. The same candle can be saved from year to year. It can also be used on other feast days and solemnities of the Blessed Virgin (Assumption, Immaculate Conception); as well as on Pro-life observances (e.g., January 22, in the US). On Christmas the little curtain would be removed from the niche so the Holy Infant can be seen.
Substitute the regular bedtime story with looking at and talking about pictures of the Annunciation in books. There are many beautifully printed art books containing masterworks of Catholic art that can be borrowed from any public library -- or you may have some in your home library. There you may find reproduced paintings of the Annunciation by Fra Angelico, Roger van der Weyden, and others.
Make a household shrine. A statue or picture of Mary could be placed on a small table in a special place in the house. Or a picture or sculpture of Mary could be hung on the wall over a shelf or cabinet containing the Bible, prayer books and other devotional books, rosaries, &c.
On Marian feasts, especially the Feast of the Annunciation, decorate the "shrine" to "highly favored" Mary with real flowers, if possible. Carnations, roses or lilies in bud would be ideal.
If real flowers are impossible, children could make flowers symbolizing attributes of Mary from tissue or colored paper, etc. (See section on "Mary's flowers" below.) These flowers could be made into a wreath to be hung on the door or placed on a table with a statue or picture of Mary, or to surround the Annunciation Candle.
Plant seeds of marigold (named in honor of Mary) in little pots on a window sill; wait to see them sprout and grow. While you and the children are planting these, talk about the importance of "hidden" work. As a baby grows unseen within the mother's womb, and as the sprouting seed invisibly grows under the soil, so is much essential and vital work that people do -- not visible to most people, and perhaps never known except to God.
Transplant the seedlings to the flower bed outside when the weather permits. There's also a lesson here in the need to grow strong in the faith before we can "flower" as God intends us to do; also the Parable of the Sower (Mark 4:2-20; Matt 13:3-23; Luke 8:4-15).
Bake a special cake to celebrate the Feast of the Annunciation (perhaps a traditional seed cake?), or make waffles (a Swedish tradition). An angelfood cake would also be appropriate. It could be iced in pale blue, the traditional color of Mary's mantle.

Yours in Christ,

Ed Bakker

Postulan TAC New Zealand

The Fifth Sunday in Lent, Passion Sunday

Dear Friends in Christ,

My sincere apologies for the silence on this blog spot for just a little while. I changed service providers with the usual hassles.

I had the wonderful opportunity to serve at Mass this morning , as an Traditional Anglican at the local Roman Catholic Church. What a wonderful ecumanical occassion.

Let us have a look at 1 Thessalonians 5:10, where we read ' Who dies for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should lie together with Him.'

We are no saved by theories, but by fact, and what is the fact ? For whom did Christ die?Christ died for sinners. Well then, He died for me.

Can I take this opportunity to wish you and yours a Blessed week, leading towards Palm Sunday and Holy Week.

Yours on this Lenten Journey,

Ed Bakker

Postulant TAC New Zealand

Saint Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Friends in Christ,

Joseph did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him. (See Matthew 1:24)When I discovered that today's holy Gospel reading was about Joseph and his "yes" to becoming the foster father of Jesus, I began to hunt for my grade school St. Joseph Missal. What a treasure! Happy memories returned when I began to read the prayers and devotions to the Patron of the Universal Church – the most pure spouse of Mary. When I was a child, I loved looking at the color pictures of St. Joseph at the back of my Prayer Book , and when Father would have us recite the prayers under each, the words stayed with me. Now as I read them again years later, the words have a deeper meaning and I realize what a wonderful intercessor St. Joseph is for so many of us, for so many reasons."Joseph, by your fatherly love for Jesus, protect all children.""Joseph, guardian of the Holy Family, protect all Christian homes.""Joseph, model father, chaste spouse, help all men to imitate you.”"Joseph, chaste spouse of the virgin Mother, preserve in all hearts a love of purity.""Joseph, provider for the needs of Jesus and Mary, help the needy of the whole world.""Joseph, honest workman, teach us to labor for Jesus."

With every good wish in Christ,

Ed Bakker

Postulant TAC New Zealand

The week in New Zealand

Friends in Christ,

I am writing a note on the fourth Sunday in Lent, which is also called Mothering Sunday, for one time during Lent there are some flowers in Church, they are the customs of posies for the mothers, and a piece of simnel cake as sustenance. God wants us to be refreshed during this intense time of penance, fasting and meditation. I have written a word for this sunday on my website, http://www.crossspot.net/ststephenstac and if you have the time, please visit.

I would like you to pray for a friend of mine Fr.Vincent, who is having eye surgery on the 22nd of March. He is a Prior of an Anglican Catholic Monastry in Canada. The Monastry survives on donations, and it is finding it hard to make ends meet. In your charity , can you manage a donation to the Monastry? Please to to their website http://www.crossspot.net/augustinian for further details.

Let's pray for this community of Oxford in rural New Zealand where I live, that the Light of Christ may shine there, that more may be called to love Him and to serve Him. Praying especially for the young people.

Have a really blessed Sunday, wherever you may be on God's earth.

With every good wish in Christ,

Ed Bakker

Postulant TAC New Zealand

Lenten Feria

Friends in Christ,

May we turn today to Blessed Saint Paul's letter to the Philippians, chapter 3, verse 20 'For our conversation is in Heaven; when also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Look backward - see Christ dying for you.

Look upward - see Christ pleading for you.

Look inward - see Christ living in you.

Look forward - see Christ coming for you.

Four sentences, short, but so powerful.

Have a blessed day,

Ed Bakker

Postulant TAC New Zealand

Lenten feria

My Friends in Christ,

I am a keen collector of old Missals and Prayerbooks. Why? Because they contain so many words of wisdom, which our modern liturgies do not provide us with anymore. I turn to the old St.John's Missal frequently for words of wisdom and am very happy to share these with you this evening.

The Tuesday after the Third Sunday of Lent is devoted to the Protection of God. The Introit of the Mass comes from Psalm 16, the verses 6 and 8 " Hide me under the shelter of Thy Wings."And if we turn to the Book of Kings 4 , the verses 1-7 you will read the story of the miraculous multiplication of the oil by Eliseus, which symbolizes the abundant mercy of God.

We all like to feel secure in this life, on this journey through this barren land, we like to have a spouse, who loves us and who protects us. Yes.. that feeling of being protected. As committed Catholic Christians we know that the security in this life is not generated by worldly power and posessions and that Christ alone is our Rock and we do know that relationships often fail and this feeling of being protected, well it does seem to exist anymore. Security and protection can only be ours, if we make a commitment to love and serve our Lord Jesus Christ, to put His Holy Words into real action and to walk in His Holy Ways. Live your lives this way and expect many miracles. Always remember that God protects those who love Him as a man, who protects the apple of his eye. Again read that Psalm, which I quoted at the beginning of this short meditation.

During this most Holy Season of Lent, there is definately one thing that comes to the surface, i.e. us miserable sinners and then this abundant mercy of God. His Mercy was so abundant, that He gave us His only Son Jesus Christ to die on the Cross for our Sins. It is mercy , in abundance, freely given, it is yours and it is mine, all we have to do is to accept it with a humble and contrite heart.

May God bless us, as we continue our Lenten journey.

Ed Bakker

Postulant TAC New Zealand

The Third Sunday in Lent

Friends in Christ,

Read Exodus 3:1

Many of us have to get up early in the morning , well certainly on a week day. When we hear the alarm going off, we are tempted to stop the bell with the ' snooze' button. When the bell rings yet again, then we give the matter of rising our immediately attention.

For some people, Ash Wednesday is just enough to rouse the Lenten spirit of prayer and penance. Many need another warning that we must get serious about Prayer, Discipline and Almsgiving. Lent does involve so many different types of responses.

We have to ask ourselves, " What is God calling me to do with my life? What is my 'call'? You recall the story of the burning bush, when God appeared to Moses? Moses must have wanted to run far away when God appeared to him then. The Lord overruled all his objections and commanded him to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. What a wake up call!! Frightened and unarmed, he began what seemed to be an impossible task. He had one advantage, of course, ( besides the help of his brother Aaron.) God had revealed to Moses what had been kept secret up until then - and that is His Name. The great I AM . God's Name helps us to establish our own identity.

If God is pure existent Being, then my own life is dependent on His will. My own identity is that of creature and servant. Everything I am and have hangs by a thread from God's own mysterious and awesome Life. Am I a true lover and servant? Lent is a time for me to check out my own name.In the parable of the barren fig tree, the Lord emphasizes the importance of repentance and change of heart. And even though His Father is patient with sinners, there is a time limit. There will come a day when the time of mercy is past, and Christ will judge us on our performance as faithful, obedient, and loving followers. A whole life of fidelity can seem overwhelming, but it's all so possible when we live it day by day with whatever prayer form fits our schedule, hopefully attendance at Mass, some kind of prayer, study, reaching out to those in need, devotions like a Holy Hour or Stations of the Cross.I have four weeks left to journey with Jesus to Calvary---and Easter Rising.

Have a truly blessed week.

Ed Bakker

Saint John of God

Friends in Christ,

Cursed is the man who trusts in human beings, who seeks his strength in flesh.(see Jeremiah 17:5) Tremendous inequality exists in our world. We know that poverty is global in scope, and that people all over the world suffer extensive and debilitating deprivation without many of the things we so often take for granted?like enough food, clean water, proper shelter, adequate sanitation, basic healthcare, access to education, personal safety, freedom from fear or a reliable source of income.The late Pope John Paul II said, "Solidarity is not a feeling of vague compassion or shallow distress at the misfortune of so many people, both near and far. On the contrary, it is a firm and persevering determination to commit oneself to the common good: that is to say, to the good of all and of each individual, because we are all really responsible for all." (Concern for the Social Order, 1987)It is by Christ?s example that followers are called to love with compassion. Starting where we are, we are called to place all of our trust in God and live our day-to-day lives in loving unity with all of God's people. Lent gives us the opportunity to examine our attitudes concerning the reasons people are economically poor. What are our assumptions and prejudices about why some people in this world simply struggle to survive? Today's readings remind us that the Lenten season is grounded in the paradox that those who lose their lives will gain them, and that those who cling to the things they have, without thought for others will eventually lose everything. But if we place our trust in God and spend our lives helping others, we will be richly rewarded?with eternal life!

( the source Catholic Advent )

With every good wish in Christ,

Ed Bakker

Saint Perpetua & Saint Felicity

Dear Friends in Christ,

Could I share with you :

Also known as: Vivia Perpetua Profile Born to a noble pagan family. Convert. Lay-woman. Wife. Mother. Martyred with her maid, friend, and fellow convert Saint Felicitas. In centuries past, their story was so popular that Saint Augustine had to warn against giving it the weight of Scripture.
Died: martyred 7 March 203 at Carthage; beheaded after being mauled by wild beasts. Patronage: cattle, death of children, martyrs Representation: cow; maiden with a wild cow or ox in an amphitheater Reading The day of the martyrs' victory dawned. They marched from their cells into the amphitheater, as if into heaven, with cheerful looks and graceful bearing. If they trembled it was for joy and not for fear. Perpetua was the first to be thrown down, and she fell prostrate. She got up and, seeing that Felicity was prostrate, went over and reached out her hand to her and lifted her up. Both stood up together. Rousing herself as if from sleep (so deeply had she been in spiritual ecstasy), she began to look around. To everyone's amazement she said, "When are we going to be led to the beasts?" When she heard that it had already happened she did not at first believe it until she saw the marks of violence on her body and her clothing. The people, however, had demanded that the martyrs be led to the middle of the amphitheater. They wanted to see the sword thrust into the bodies of the victims, so that their eyes might share in the slaughter. Without being asked they went where the people wanted them to go; but first they kissed one another, to complete their witness with the customary kiss of peace. Bravest and happiest martyrs! You were called and chosen for the glory and our Lord Jesus Christ. from a story of the death of the martyrs at Carthage

How far are we prepared to go when we confess Christ Crucified and the world persecutes us ?

In XC,

Ed Bakker

The Second Sunday in Lent

Dear Fathers, Brothers & Sisters in Christ,

I just finished an assignment on the Hebrews and listened to course notes on cd " The House of the Rising Son" by Dr.Scott Hahn.

My final exclamation on this paper:

I Ed Bakker, thank God for my Catholic Faith, I pray that I am grow in Grace, I pray that I may walk in Holiness of life. In this life I shall have trouble, but the best is yet to come.

May God bless you,

Ed Bakker

Saint Chad. B

Friends in Christ,

You might be expecting a meditation on Saint Chad, but I just want to say the following: I am currently in the middle of writing up an assignment and it has been a little bit difficult to do a daily blog. But... they will be continued.

If You, O Lord, laid bare our guilt, Lord, who could survive? But with You is found forgiveness, for this we revere You. (Psalm 130:1-2)

Guilt and forgiveness are words which are characteristic themes of this liturgical season. One theme speaks about the normal condition of sinful man, the other of the nature and essence of our loving God.There is a strange twist however, in that man is no longer acting "normal" having been desensitized to sin. He feels no guilt, no longer needs forgiveness, is in no need, or so he thinks, of a Savior.By acts of prayer, penance and almsgiving this Lent, let us grieve and repent not only for our own sins, but for the sins of our anesthetized, but mortally wounded, world.

"I do not wish the sinner to die, says the Lord, but to turn to me and live." (Ezekiel 33:11)

Thanks be to God.

Wishing you a blessed weekend,

Ed Bakker - Postulant TAC New Zealand