Advent Retreat 2012

Advent Retreat 2012

Gloria Advent Retreat.

Gloria.TV is holding a special on-line retreat this Advent concentrated on the O Antiphons.

The retreat will be given by Father Reto Nay.

Dear mathew 789,
You wrote "but what do I do when I feel that I cannot forgive myself?". You go to confession, you are not to forgive yourself, this is for others to do. but for your peace of mind and soul you need God's forgivness, this also lessens your time in Purgatory.

Go to confession (It is Christ who you are confessing to), God knows you have done wrong things and thought wrong things, He needs you to admit to Him that you recognise your physical wrong doings, your sinful thoughts and your spiritual faults. You need to recognise your sins in all forms and confess them to Christ (through the priest).

Do not abuse Gods ears with details or names, so instead of confessing that you have committed adultery with mrs smith, you say I have committed sins of the flesh, or I have had lustful thoughts or I have supported sinful acts on the internet or a movie by watching them instead of turning away. Don't say you stole $50.00 from Mr. Johnson of 23 Main street, just confess that you have stolen money. the priest may ask for more info, eg, can you return the money? etc...... this is so he can help you do what is morally right.

We can not forgive ourselves in the true sense of the word. God will forgive you and all you need do is ask for his forgivness via the confessional. Trust in his endless mercy. remember He will forgive you but he will not allow you to forget the sin or sins, that way you will always remember to never repeat those things. How wise is that !

God Bless you.
Happy Holy days of Christ-mas to you and your family.
Peter.

+Thanks be to God for the gift of the Advent retreat and being in the person of Christ the Teacher. Hard to convey the experience of how God transfigures souls but what you say rings true with the experience I've had so far. Was given the desire to worship daily even though requires ongoing confession and even had what seemed like a purgation - was totally humiliating but consoled by the love of God at the same time. Requires greater mortification and frequent confession. The spiritual life isn't for the half-hearted, praise God for His mercy.

Dear Uncle Joe

Thanks for your sharp comment. I don't think that "eye for eye" (Lev) and "don't resist him who is evil" (Mt) are a "change in teaching" because both apply to different circumstances. Lev refers to those "Christians" or not who live under the law without the grace of Jesus Christ. They get therefore dragged into the logic of the law that fights evil with evil (our civil law is based on that). Mt 5 shows the New Law of those (true) Christians that live under the Law of Grace of Jesus Christ. The "other cheek" works only if the grace of Christ makes it possible, otherwise you may perhaps not break your enemy's bones but you will at least kill him (cf Mt 5:21-26).

Thank you for part II of the retreat, Fr. Nay.



Loved the scenery. Perhaps the next Antiphon could be filmed further up the side of the mountain?


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I have a question. -

Under the Old Testament law, there was a strong emphasis on justice and punishments to be inflicted on those who committed crimes. The well known phrase “an eye for an eye”, which comes from the Law of Moses had punishments equivalent to the crime.

Leviticus 24:19: "If a man injures his neighbor, just as he has done, so it shall be done to him: 20. fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth; just as he has injured a man, so it shall be inflicted on him.

In the New Testament, Jesus refers to this aspect of the law, and directs his followers in a different direction.

Matt 5:38: "You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.' 39. But I tell you, don't resist him who is evil; but whoever strikes you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also.

This is a clear change in teaching. While one must agree that an Almighty God, by definition, can not change, His instructions to men obviously can and has. The above quote from Our Lord occurs before His sacrifice on Calvary so we can not point to His atonement for sin as being the reason for the change.

So then, what is the specific reason for this change in teaching?

Thank you in advance for your answer.