THE ADVENT SEASON

Advent Season!! For many years in my life I was missing the significance and the excitement of this season in my life as a Christian. Thank God today, It’s different!! It’s started in February 2002 when Fr. Peter gave us a teaching on the “Eschatology”, The Second coming of Jesus. ”. It was a very revolutionary experience for me because I’d been seeing the End Times or the Second Coming of Jesus as a scary picture with Jesus just as only the Judge. But Fr. Peter shared it in a very different perspective. Instead of fear and trembling I felt that my spirit was drawn with longing and excitement for this Second Coming of Jesus, when the Church, His Bride will be wed to Jesus Himself, the Groom. Then His Kingdom will be restored and will never be shaken again. When only love speaks. I felt I touched heaven. Words are limited to describe how I felt that time. This Truth has been giving me hope each day and by God’s sustaining grace, this Truth that I’ve found will keep me till the day when I will meet my Beloved.

Today is the first day of “Advent” which means ‘the arrival or the coming”
As Christians especially those who celebrate advent season do we know what we are celebrating?
The focus of the entire season is the celebration of the birth of Jesus the Christ in his First Advent (coming), secondly The anticipation of the return of Christ the King in his Second Advent.

Thus, Advent is far more than simply marking a 2,000 year old event in history. It is celebrating a truth about God, the revelation of God in Christ whereby all of creation might be reconciled to God. That is a process in which we now participate, and the consummation of which we anticipate.
Scripture reading for Advent will reflect this emphasis on the Second Advent, including themes of accountability for faithfulness at His coming, judgment on sin, and the hope of eternal life.

In this double focus on past and future, Advent also symbolizes the spiritual journey of individuals and a congregation, as they affirm that Christ has come, that He is present in the world today, and that He will come again in power. That acknowledgment provides a basis for Kingdom ethics, for holy living arising from a profound sense that we live "between the times" and are called to be faithful stewards of what is entrusted to us as God’s people. So, as the church celebrates God’s in breaking into history in the Incarnation, and anticipates a future consummation to that history for which "all creation is groaning awaiting its redemption," it also confesses its own responsibility as a people commissioned to "love the Lord your God with all your heart" and to "love your neighbor as yourself."

Many of us are missing the importance of this season in our Christian life. Today is the time to wake up. It is the time to divert our focus from simply material and temporary into spiritual and eternal. May we be reminded that God created us not only to live a life here on earth but to inherit God’s kingdom and live eternally starting NOW and HERE. Let us then prepare our selves for the coming of the Messiah, Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Let us lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us repent for our sins and strive to be holy. Let’s prepare our hearts to let Jesus in when He comes. Let the spirit of HOPE penetrate our hearts and the LONGING for the Kingdom of God to come.

May you have a blessed Advent Season.

BALIKATAN MINISTRY UPDATE

After our series of teachings on the Sacraments, we are happy and privileged to witness one couple who responded to the invitation of receiving the Sacrament of Marriage. Though we are in a Catholic country, there are many couples here who don’t give importance to this sacrament and take only the civil wedding. One big factor why they don’t give importance to this sacrament is because they don’t have enough understanding of the grace and significance of this Sacrament.

Sharing with you the couple’s testimony:

MARICOR & VER’S TESTIMONY

Our family thank and praise God for all the graces He has given us. We also thank the ICPE for through their prayers and support, we have finally received the Sacrament of Marriage.

We now feel as a couple that our relationship is complete and we are happy that we can receive now the Body of Christ in the Eucharist. This is a great gift for us.

The reason why we finally decided to receive the Sacrament of marriage is because of the ICPE community who taught us the importance and the grace of this Sacrament for us Catholics.

We believe that this is the beginning of our new life as a couple. We believe that God will not abandon us especially in times of trials and that He will strengthen our bond as a couple now that we have received the Sacrament of Marriage.

We hope to become a good example for our group and other brothers and sisters in faith.
For ICPE, we hope that many more will be able to listen to your teachings.

May God bless you all.