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Word of Life – Rom 8:33-34 (28/6/2020 – 12/7/2020)
Post date: 2020-06-27Autor: BCP
“Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the One who died – more than that, who was raised – who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.”
Reflection on Rom 8:33-34
Post date: 2020-06-27Autor: BCP
We can see that God’s election is associated with heroism. The assurance of our salvation is based on the fact that we have Jesus, that we are with Him. The Scripture says: “He who believes and is baptized will be saved.” (Mk 16:16) Some of the saints said: “Those who pray will be saved and those who do not will be damned.” Prayer is a sacrifice. Jesus humbled Himself and offered Himself as a sacrifice for our sake, and we should follow Him. We do so when we follow the order of prayer, fight to overcome laziness or distraction, and sacrifice time. God will then give us the light and strength so that we may be able to guard the treasure of our faith in Jesus until the moment when we cross over the bridge of death to eternity. We must keep the faith because it is the condition of salvation. The Apostle says: “I have fought the good fight, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of eternal glory.” (cf. 2Tim 4:7f)
Word of Life – Rom 8:32 (14/6/2020 – 28/6/2020)
Post date: 2020-06-13Autor: BCP
“He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?”
Reflection on Rom 8:32
Post date: 2020-06-13Autor: BCP
There is a worldwide quarantine these days, people are watching the mass media, and they are in fear and panic; however, this word of God fills our souls with confidence and peace. It shows the infinite love of God for each of us which He already made manifest when He gave us life, breathing His spirit into us and making us in His likeness. But He loved us more, and after we had sinned He gave His only begotten Son for us to redeem us from our sins. What more could God give us?! And in addition to that, with Jesus He gives us all heaven and makes us partakers of eternal happiness.
Reflection on Rom 8:31
Post date: 2020-05-30Autor: BCP
When is God for us? When we are with Him, turn to Him, and give Him our sins and our weaknesses. He gave His Son for us to redeem us. Therefore, we should not wait until we go to confession or think that we will confess to a priest before death. Let us give even our small sins to God immediately. If we have told a minor lie or committed a minor evil, let us make an act of contrition within a few seconds in spirit as soon as we become aware of it. We can say, “Lord, have mercy!” and look in spirit at the cross of Christ with faith. In the precious blood of Jesus our sins are forgiven and our union with God restored. Then the words which we reflected on for the past two weeks are true about us: “All things work together for good to those who love God.” In this intimate relationship with God through the Lord Jesus Christ, we need not be afraid of illness or persecution, ridicule or death, demonic attacks or attacks by evil people, or apocalyptic times. If we love God, all these things work together for our good, because God is for us, and if He is for us, we have nothing to fear. If God is for us, who can be against us? Our task is to do our utmost to be with Him. He is with us all the days of our life, but we ususally forget God’s presence. We forget to enter into union with Him by admitting even our small sins and bringing them to the cross of Christ.
Word of Life – Rom 8:28 (17/5/2020 – 31/5/2020)
Post date: 2020-05-16Autor: BCP
“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”
An appeal to Catholic and Orthodox monks and nuns (+video)
Post date: 2020-05-04Autor: BCP
Dear religious brothers and sisters! You left the world for the sake of Christ and His Gospel and for the salvation of your souls and the souls of others. You chose to follow Christ in a life consecrated to God. You resolved to fulfil His words contained in the Gospel, particularly His call: “Deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow Me.” Your first love for Jesus led you to make a resolute step. You renounced physical fatherhood and motherhood in order to receive spiritual one. Jesus says: Everyone who not only hears My words but also puts them into practice is My brother and My sister and mother. You chose evangelical radicalness. You can confess with the Apostle: “We are fools for Christ’s sake.” “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” “It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.”
Word of Life – Rom 8:27 (3/5/2020 – 17/5/2020)
Post date: 2020-05-02Autor: BCP
“Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.”
Prophesy, O Son of man – Prophetic prayer Ezek 37 (+video)
Post date: 2020-05-01Autor: BCP
This book offers the experience gained during many years of interior prayer. This particular model is only a kind of framework or basis. If, for example, a contemplative community (monastery) or a group of eager lay people put it into practice, it will develop over time. Through the truths and experience contained therein, the Holy Spirit will enlighten everyone who will pray (prophesy), leading them both to their own deep purification and to a deeper insight into the essence of Scripture. In order to have sufficient time for composure of heart this prayer requires no less than an hour, or one and a half hour at best: repentance, renunciation and confession of faith – about 5 minutes; part one (prophesying to the bones) – 20 minutes – gestures and movements; part two (prophesying to the Spirit) – prophesying towards each cardinal point – 15 minutes each; song at the end – 5 minutes. If a religious community devotes two hours to this prayer and prophetic ministry, and prays or walks in faith daily through this proven framework at least for one year, they will acquire the necessary habitus (established custom – disposition). We may skip one or two days a week. We can pray together or alone if there is no possibility to pray in a community. When we pray together, one person leads the prayer aloud, thus presenting the individual truths, and the others unite themselves to these truths by faith. The prayer should be neither quick nor too slow. Ideally, the leader should learn this prayer by heart so that he may experience the words spoken by him. He thus helps the whole community to maintain the right rhythm. This is a very important principle for experiencing the word and unity of spirit at the same time when all can stand in the faith and be spiritually immersed in and united to the given truth.
Reflection on Rom 8:26
Post date: 2020-04-18Autor: BCP
This truth is extremely topical for us. If we have believed in Jesus and received His Spirit, the Spirit of God especially in a simple prayer literally groans in us without words or makes intercession with groanings which cannot be uttered. How often we feel pain or fear and we are unable to explain it or to express it in words. But if we stand before God, aware of His presence, and give Him our pain, fear, instability, suffering, the loss of our loved ones, an uncertain future – both ours and of our close relatives, we do not even know how to pray and what for. And it is said that right then the Spirit of God makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
Word of Life – Rom 8:26 (19/4/2020 – 3/5/2020)
Post date: 2020-04-18Autor: BCP
“Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.”
Word of Life – Rom 8:23 (5/4/2020 – 19/4/2020)
Post date: 2020-04-04Autor: BCP
“We ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.”
Reflection on Rom 8:23
Post date: 2020-04-04Autor: BCP
We are approaching the culmination of Lent. The worldwide coronavirus quarantine forces us to think about death. Let us make the most of it. Some few people die of the coronavirus, but none of us shall avoid death after all. Death, however, is not the worst thing; the worst thing is the death of an unrepentant sinner because he loses eternal life. Let us devote especially these last two weeks of Lent to the prayer of the Stations of the Cross with songs during the holy hour.
Godzina Święta (polish version)
Post date: 2020-03-29Autor: BCP
Prawie każda rodzina chrześcijańska potrzebuje duchowego odrodzenia, które nie jest możliwe bez wspólnej modlitwy. Jest to czas, w którym możemy nauczyć się praktycznie oddawać Bogu swoje problemy życiowe. Na początku wystarczy kiedy dwóch członków rodziny modli się razem każdego wieczoru, najlepiej od 20:00 do 21:00, w tak zwanej Godzinie świętej. Wszyscy członkowie rodziny o tej godzinie wyłączą telewizor, komputery, Internet i wspólnie modlą się do Boga. Początki są najtrudniejsze. Ale kiedy przeszkody pominą i wytworzy się ten święty zwyczaj, staje się on fundamentem błogosławieństwa i utrwaleniem relacji z Bogiem i najbliższymi. Rodzina zaczyna funkcjonować jako zdrowy organizm. Będzie on kształtowany przez Słowo Boże, mądrość Bożą, a nie przez program świata, który narzuca kłamstwo i niemoralność. Prawosławni wierzący w Rosji mieli w domu kącik, w którym był obraz Matki Boskiej z Jezusem na rękach. Tam cała rodzina modliła się wieczorem. Na końcu Godzinie świętej o 21:00 prawowierni biskupi i kapłani katoliccy błogosławią wszystkich modlących się w tym czasie.
Word of Life – Rom 8:18 (22/3/2020 – 5/4/2020)
Post date: 2020-03-21Autor: BCP
“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.”
5 parts of Celebration of Sunday – Part V / Emmaus (video)
Post date: 2020-03-18Autor: BCP
5 parts of Celebration of Sunday – Part V / Emmaus. Patriarch Elijah Byzantine Catholic Patriarchate
5 parts of Celebration of Sunday – Part IV / Baptism with the Holy Spirit (video)
Post date: 2020-03-17Autor: BCP
5 parts of Celebration of Sunday – Part IV / Baptism with the Holy Spirit
5 parts of Celebration of Sunday – Part III (video)
Post date: 2020-03-16Autor: BCP
5 parts of Celebration of Sunday – Part III. Patriarch Elijah Byzantine Catholic Patriarchate
5 parts of Celebration of Sunday – Part II (video)
Post date: 2020-03-15Autor: BCP
5 parts of Celebration of Sunday – Part II. Patriarch Elijah Byzantine Catholic Patriarchate