Letter for Advent
To all the brothers and sisters
of the Oases – Realities of
Koinonia john the baptist
Christ is risen!
Dear brothers and sisters,
“But you Bethlehem Ephrathah, the least of the clans of Judah, from you will come for me a future ruler of Israel whose origins go back to the distant past, to the days of old” (Mi 5:1).
Micah is one of the prophets who announce the birth of the Messiah. His announcement dates back to before 722 BC, centuries before the actual event took place. In his gospel Mathew quotes him to show that Scripture was fulfilled with Jesus’ birth at Bethlehem.
The Season of Lent 2009
Christ is risen!
Dear brothers and sisters,
Lent begins the time of preparation for Easter, the central liturgical feast and the linchpin of our Christian faith. During this period the liturgy does not allow any alleluia. There will be a fast of the most beloved word of the faithful, a word which is typical of joyful acclamations that are full of hope. This fast has the aim of healing us from routine, from spiritual sloth, from the habit of where one word has the same value as another until we reach the point where this Word has lost its meaning and is its promises are transformed into useless illusions.
I am not saying that in these days of Lent the prayer of praise should be lessened, I only wish to remind you that habit can take away the joy of faith. It is not about giving up something but of rediscovering the first love with which we began to believe, of giving warmth to what was growing tepid, of strengthening what was about to be devalued.
Time of Lent
Dear Brothers and Sisters, 
Lent begins a time marked by a strong conversion commitment to the gift of the Resurrection which the Father has offered us in Jesus. This gift is the work of the Holy Spirit, the same Spirit that drives us into the desert for a new evangelizing impulse. Conversion and Resurrection are closely linked together, just like Lent and Easter. The same Spirit which guided Jesus is the one who sets us on this walk, a walk which we are all called to make. One enters into the “desert”, not to remain there, but to receive the gift of mission; one enters into Lent so as to proclaim the victory of the Resurrection. The Church has always taken care to show us penitential ways to which we should give our attention. To these ways I would like to add something specific for our Community. Read the rest of this entry »
The season of Advent
The Season of Waiting and Preparation
for the coming of Jesus
Dear brothers and sisters of the Koinonia John the Baptist,
According to the Roman liturgical calendar, Advent begins with the month of December. It is a period of waiting that admits us into the feast of Christmas: and like the virgins who await the bridegroom, in this way, we too, with our torches alight, await the coming of the Lord. To remember the coming of Jesus in the flesh, is not just to remember a mere historical event but to actualize all that it signifies: which is, that in the fulness of time God sent his Son for our salvation. Jesus’ coming was characterized by the power of the Spirit; Jesus was made flesh in the Holy Spirit. This means that Advent is not only a period of waiting but carries within itself the presence of God and the power of the Holy Spirit. For this reason, while we wait, we prophesize the presence and power of the restoration which is soon to come.
Time of lent
My Dearest, the time of Lent is about to begin.
What is Lent? It is a time of conversion, a path towards the resurrection, expectation and promises of restauration.
The Book of Prophet Ezechiel reads as follows: “I looked for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land, so that I would not have to destroy it, but I found none.” (Ez 22:30)
It is God speaking to us and inviting us to rise up to defend our brothers. It is the call to be intercessors.
This is the favourable time to take up the weapons for the battle: prayer, fast and love.
Whom shall we intercede for?
For our brothers, particularly for the most marginalized ones. By marginalized I do not only mean the last ones, but those that today’s world wants to become last: our brothers of Israel. To deny Israel is to deny God’s promises together with the possibility of unity and the instauration of the Kingdom. It is not about taking sides for one people against another people, but about siding with God’s plan, in which we are called to make the two peoples become one.
For our communities spread throughout the world, that they may experience the blessings of prosperity together with a visible communion with the ecclesial authorities and that they may be an effective instrument for the New Evangelisation.
For our Founder, Fr Ricardo, that the Lord may clothe him always more with prophetic momentum.
For our families, that they may be witnesses of the indissoluble and fertile love as well as a place where virginal vocations spring up.
For the diseased, that they may receive health and give witness to the power of resurrection.
What shall we do?
Choose one day of the week that will be specifically dedicated to intercession.
How shall we intercede? On the chosen day, we will…
… increase the time of prayer and/or attend the intercession prayer meetings.
… fast according to life status and local conditions, avoiding one meal and/or particular food and/or drinks.
… increase the generosity according to one’s possibilities.
All indications should be implemented with pastoral wisdom and a healthy balance, in communion with the guidelines of the respective local leadership.
May the Lord grant us to accomplish acts of conversion and join in the joyful singing of the Easter Alleluia.
Plzen, February 17th, 2007
