First Sunday of Advent
November 27th, 2011
A New Look

On October 27th Pope Benedict, taking 300 religious leaders with him on pilgrimage for Peace to Assisi Italy, condemned the use of religion to excuse violence and the use of violence to impose a religion, as well as  the growing violence resulting from the “loss of humanity” that comes from denying the existence of God and of objective moral standards. Marking the 25th anniversary of the first Assisi interfaith gathering by Blessed Pope John Paul in 1986, Pope Benedict brought together world religious leaders and – for the first time—nonbelievers who describe themselves as humanists or seekers. They gathered at the Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels for the morning prayer which focused on “testimonies for peace.”

Pope Benedict said: ”As a Christian I want to say at this point ,Yes, it is true, in the course of history force has also been used in the name of the Christian faith. We acknowledge it with great shame. Christian leaders, like all religious leaders, he said, must work constantly to help their followers purify their faith and be “an instrument of God’s peace in the world," despite the fallibility of humans. But a lack of religion is not the answer to world peace, he said. The Nazi death camps clearly proved that the “denial of God corrupts man, robs him of his criteria for judging right and wrong, and leads him to violence.”

Our first reading from Isaiah 63 "You Lord, are our father, our redeemer you are named God forever. Why do you let us wander, O Lord, from your ways and harden our  hearts so that we fear you not? "Would that you might meet us doing right, that we were mindful of you in our ways. Yet, O Lord, you are our father; we are the clay and you are the potter: we are all the work of your hands. "We need to be reminded of this beautiful truth – that God is, indeed, in charge. One helpful practice is to begin what the Catholic Update for October suggests –Sabbath Moments in a Busy World. Essentially. A Sabbath Moment is a brief pause in one’s day to pull away from work, to refresh oneself, to pray, to think about God. I recommend this highly – it initially takes practice, and after a few days, it will become second nature to you. You will work more effectively and be healthier, and less stressed.

The Anglican Archbishop Rowan Williams of Canterbury, who also spoke at Assisi, said “ . .world religious leaders had gathered to persuade our world that human beings do not have to be strangers, and that recognition is as possible as it is necessary because of  our universal relation to God”. The he states the following: ”What we recognize in our neighbor is someone who not only bears the image of God by virtue of creation, but bears also the possibility of carrying the likeness of Jesus Christ by virtue of the new creation”. Our second reading from Paul writing to the Corinthians1:”I give thanks to my God always on your  account for the grace of God bestowed on you in Christ Jesus, that in him you were enriched in every way .God is faithful, and by him you were called to fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” The gospel from Mark13 Jesus said to his disciples: “Be watchful, Be alert, You do not know  when the time will come.” Hence the importance of Sabbath moments  throughout each day, we have. AMEN