Feast of Baptism of Jesus…Sunday 12th January I mentioned last week that in the Eastern church, the birth of Jesus, the Epiphany and the Baptism of Jesus are celebrated as the one feast. This is to show the continuity between Jesus entering the world in Bethlehem, being recognized by all peoples through the Magi as the Messiah (Christ) and the initiation of Jesus into his ministry by being baptised in the Jordan river.

Jesus’ baptism highlighted that he was a true member of the human family. He shared their longings for liberation. Perhaps one aspect of this feast we might reflect on, is that no one becomes a commissioned follower of Jesus without having to grow and develop in his or her understanding of what this vocation means. Growth in faith was real for Jesus too. Jesus did not sit up in the manager and recite his ‘seven times’ tables. He had to learn like everyone else.

Feast of Epiphany
The Greek word επιφάνεια means ‘manifestation’. The feast of Epiphany on January 6th, was originally anticipated by a time of preparation (Advent) to before celebrating the visit of the wise men from the East. They are likely to have been astrologers and they found Jesus by using their own tradition – following a star. This is a bit sobering when we think how difficult it is for us to truly ‘find’ Jesus. The visit of the ‘wise men’ or Magi is only recorded in Matthew’s gospel so we won’t hear the story this year (in Year C when we hear from Luke).

Epiphany celebrated the manifestation of Jesus as universal Lord. The men from the East signified that people from ‘east and west’ had come to pay homage to Jesus, the ultimate revealer of God’s love and fellowship. So the period of advent began on December 17th and it was a festival period of prayers and activities celebrating Jesus’ arrival, rather than as it has become, a time of preparation while we wait for Jesus to arrive (at Christmas).

Nabil Antaki, aged 75 and a native of Aleppo, has chosen to practice medicine in Syria, no matter the cost. Founder of the Blue Marists association, he has devoted his life to supporting youth and the underprivileged, hoping to help rebuild Syria’s shattered society.
By Alix Champlon 
Nabil Antaki doesn’t want to be “naive.” The “moderate” rhetoric of the new Islamist authorities—who took control of Aleppo on November 30 and a week later hastened the fall of Bashar Al-Assad’s regime—has so far been reassuring for Christian minorities. But this 75-year-old doctor, still practicing as a gastroenterologist at Aleppo’s Saint Louis Hospital, insists on waiting to “truly judge their actions” in Damascus.

End sacramental blackmail and neo-clericalism
From 11th September 2012
This report is twelve years old, when Pope Francis was Archbishop of Buenos Aires.
The Bishop of Buenos Aires, Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio, has used strong language to criticise priests who refuse to baptise children born to single mothers. Almost apologising for the actions of some priests, Bergoglio recalled the story of a young unmarried mother who had the courage to bring her child into the world and who then “found herself on a pilgrimage, going from parish to parish, trying to find someone who would baptise her child.”
Vatican Insider reports that in his homily at the end of a Buenos Aires convention on urban pastoral care, Bergoglio called for an end to “sacramental blackmail” saying that “hijacking” of the sacraments is an expression of rigorous and hypocritical neo-clericalism.

This week we begin with a brief explanation of the third Sunday of Advent.
Source: Father Hanly, https://fatherhanly.com/journey-with-father/3rd-sunday-of-advent-year-c/
[Thirds Sunday of Advent] is “Gaudete” Sunday. The
word means “rejoice.” But it means more than just
rejoice, it means to jump and dance, clapping your
hands and stamping your feet with wild abandon.
“Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice!” so
says St. Paul to his people, the people of Philippi.
Why? Because the Lord is nigh, the Lord is near, he is at
our very door… and so is Christmas, too.
… You also might have noticed that the pink coloured
candle in the Advent wreath is all lit up. This custom
goes back to the 7th century and it is telling us to get
ready for “the coming of the Lord,” the birth of the
Child.
Why the colour “pink”, why not silver or
gold?

Let’s begin this week’s letter with Mike’s story:
My full name is Nguyễn Huy
Tuyên ( Mike). I was born on April
20, 1987, at Xuan son ward, Do
Luong district, Nghe An province,
the middle of Viet Nam. There are
four seasons. This is a favorable
condition for socio-economic
development in general and
tourism in particular. The best
time to visit Nghe An Province is
none other than the summer.
People flock to Cua Lo Beach to
soak up some sun and hit the
beaches. The temperatures
usually run from 30°C, sometimes
hit more than 40°C and there's
very little rainfall. But it will be
cooler near the sea as the waves
will wash away the hot in your
body.

Grieving made gentler
As we approach the end of November and draw closer to Christmas, our hearts
often hold the memories of losses we have experienced. This time of year, with
its special moments and celebrations, can sometimes bring a mix of emotions,
including sadness and longing.
Throughout my counselling course this year, I have been delving deeply into the
subjects of grief, loss, and trauma. One of the things I’ve learned is that not all
types of loss are widely recognised or acknowledged, which can sometimes
complicate the grieving process and leave us with lingering questions.
While we often associate grief with the passing of loved ones, loss can take many
forms - such as the loss of relationships, pets, careers, or places we’ve called
home. I was struck by how essential it is to pay attention to how these losses
impact us. Allowing ourselves to grieve and be vulnerable is crucial; otherwise,
unprocessed grief can affect both our well-being and our relationships with
others.

Greetings everyone,

We’ve hit the 250th edition!

I am acting as guest editor this week, since I am back home for 12 days! This coming Sunday afternoon after Mass, I am off to Sydney for an-service with the community leaders in our Province. This has been planned by Denis Travers (Provincial) for some time, and is an initiative recommended by the recent General Chapter.

Following the meeting I have some work to do before heading to New Zealand to meet with some of key PFGM people and participate in a meeting with the NZ Trustees of the Movement and my brother Paul. I will be back at Holy Cross on December 11th.

Passionist Institute (Brian)
You may have baulked at the heading above and thought ‘that’s not for
me’. But please keep reading. If you are associated with the Passionists,
we are keen to enrich your belonging and have you help us better
understand and share our unique spirituality. What is it about Passionist
spirituality that you appreciate? To the extent that you can answer that, it is likely that
you already share in that spirituality, and have been attracted to it in the same way any
of the professed Passionists have been.
Our weekend Institute is an opportunity to
explore some of the major themes from our
recent General Chapter. The major one,
universally recognised and agreed to by all the
Passionists who were present, is that we have
no future without ‘Passionist laity’.
There are many levels of Passionists partnership and association and each of them is
important. Our founder was a ‘no-nonsense’ down-to-earth, practical spiritual guide
and preacher. That characteristic appeals to ordinary people, and it is not difficult to
recognise that added to those characteristics of his, hope, compassion, mercy and the
recognition of God’s overwhelming love, are gifts worth contemplating on and sharing
with others.

Troubling Thoughts & Spiritual Growth: Stages of Faith
Most people are familiar with James Fowler’s six stages of faith.
Similarly, M. Scott Peck introduced four stages of faith in his book The
Different Drum: Community Making and Peace. He is the same author
of the 10 million bestseller book The Road Less Travelled. If you are not
already aware of the four stages, I’d like to share a brief introduction.
The four stages offer insight into why, despite sharing the same beliefs,
we sometimes misunderstand one another’s perspectives. The
following summary, provided by a website focused on troubling
thoughts and spiritual growth, highlights these stages. As we read
through the stages it is advisable to think about at which stage of faith each of us might
be and why. The images are my addition. This week’s newsletter will cover stages three.
Introduction to M. Scott Peck’s Four Stages of Faith of Spiritual Development
Source: https://eriksholisticcornucopia.wordpress.com/2013/05/04/stages-of-faith-intro-to-m-scott-peck/