Today is the Fourth Sunday in Advent, December 17th, 2011 We remember the Expectation of Mary

Our Songs for Today Oh Come Oh Come Emmanuel Nothing But the Blood Gentle Mother
Hail Mary, Full of Grace, The Lord is with you Blessed art You among women and bless is the fruit of your womb, Jesus Holy Mary, Mother of God, Pray for us sinners now and at the hour of death Amen Gentle woman, quiet light, morning star so strong and bright,
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gentle mother peaceful dove teach us wisdom; teach us love. You were chosen by the Father: You were chosen for the Son, You were chosen from all women and for woman shining one. Gentle woman, quiet light, morning star so strong and bright gentle mother peaceful dove teach us wisdom; teach us love Blessed are you among women Blessed touch over the true Blessed they with peaceful spirits Blessed they with special hearts. Gentle woman, quiet light, Gentle woman peaceful dove Gentle mother, quiet light, Gentle woman peaceful dove Gentle woman.......Gentle woman......... Gentle woman............Gentle woman

Firm Foundation Our Gospel for Today

John 1
The Word Became Flesh
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
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There was a man sent from God whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.
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The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husbands will, but born of God.
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The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
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(John testified concerning him. He cried out, saying, This is the one I spoke about when I said, He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.) Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.
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The Importance of Councils and Christmas Our church holds to the truth of the First Eight Councils of the Christian Church starting with the Council of Jerusalem and ending with the Council of Constantinople. From those Councils we hold the following tenets of the Faith: -That the Bible consists of the following books, which are still found in the oldest versions of the King James Bible:
Canon 24. (Greek xxvii.)
That nothing be read in church besides the Canonical Scripture

Item, that besides the Canonical Scriptures nothing be read in church under the name of divine Scripture. But the Canonical Scriptures are as follows:

Genesis. Exodus. Leviticus. Numbers. Deuteronomy. Joshua the Son of Nun. The Judges. Ruth. The Kings, iv. books. The Chronicles, ij. books. Job. The Psalter. The Five books of Solomon. The Twelve Books of the Prophets. Isaiah. Jeremiah. Ezechiel. Daniel. Tobit. Judith. Esther. Ezra, ij. books. Macchabees, ij. books. o THE NEW TESTAMENT. The Gospels, iv. books. The Acts of the Apostles, j. book. The Epistles of Paul, xiv. The Epistles of Peter, the Apostle, ij. The Epistles of John the Apostle, iij. The Epistles of James the Apostle, j. The Epistle of Jude the Apostle, j. The Revelation of John, j. book.

-That the Sacraments are Seven and Baptism is to be offered to cover children as well as adults:

Canon 110. (Greek cxii. bis)

That infants are baptized for the remission of sins Likewise it seemed good that whosoever denies that infants newly from their mother's wombs should be baptized, or says that baptism is for remission of sins, but that they derive from Adam no original sin, which needs to be removed by the laver of regeneration, from whence the conclusion follows, that in them the form of baptism for the remission of sins, is to be understood as false and not true, let him be anathema. For no otherwise can be understood what the Apostle says, By one man sin has come into the world, and death throughsin, and so death passed upon all men in that all have sinned, than the Catholic Church everywhere diffused has always understood it. For on account of this rule of faith (regulam fidei) even infants, who could have committed as yet no sinthemselves, therefore are truly baptized for the remission of sins, in order that what in them is the result of generation may be cleansed by regeneration.

-That Jesus is present in all the Sacraments; especially Holy Communion -That the Power and Presence of the Holy Spirit is absolutely necessary for salvation and the Gifts-particularly prophecy are to be used by all believers. Prophecy is the communication of God with the individual Christian and the Church in general. A Christian should seek this communication as natural and essential to life as a believer. He or she should ratif everything of prophecy with the written Word of God, the interior Word of the Holy Spirit and the Teachings of the Elders both Male and Female. -That the Orthodox teachings of the Elders of the Church, especially through the Councils is essential for the correct beliefs and understandings of the Faith.

It is the last statement that were going to look at today in terms of the Feast Day of Christmas. CHRISTMAS TEACHES US THE TRUTH ABOUT THE INCARNATION OF JESUS CHRIST We start with the Trinity. WE believe that the Trinity is the Eternal Family; that God the Father breathed forth in a timeless way God the Holy Spirit, also known in the Bible as Lady Wisdom. The love between the Father and the Spirit produced from all Eternity the Word. That union is reflected in the love between a man and a woman who then produces a child. This is reflected among the animals and most plants. Male and Female make another life. Amen. However, right around the 9th century, things began to change in terms of the way the Church understood the Procession of the Trinity. The Church began to teach that the Father and the Son breathed forth the Holy Spirit. That is what is called the Filioque term in the Creed. We do not teach that nor do we believe that because it makes no sense. The teacher who argued against that the most was Saint Photius:
Who of our sacred and renowned Fathers said the Spirit proceeds from the Son? Did any synod, acknowledged as ecumenical, proclaim it? Which assembly of priests and bishops, inspired of God, affirmed this understanding of the Holy Spirit? For these men, having been initiated into the Father's Spirit according to the Master's teaching, loudly proclaimed the splendour of the Master's teaching. These prophetic writings and books, predetermined from ancient times, are sources of light, and in accordance with righteousness, anticipate the composite divisions and

apostasies of this new ungodliness. Indeed, they subjected all who believed otherwise to the anathema for being scorners of the Catholic and Apostolic Church; for the second of the seven Holy and Ecumenical Synods directly dogmatised that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father. The third received it by tradition; the fourth confirmed it; the fifth supported the same doctrine; the sixth sealed it; the seventh sealed it in splendour with contests. Accordingly, in each of their luminous proclamations the godly doctrine that the Spirit proceeds from the Father and not also from the Son is boldly asserted. Would you, then, O godless herd, draw away towards unlawful teaching and dispute this teaching of the Master?

The West responded by excommunicating Saint Photius because he refused to accept the idea that the Holy Spirit came from the union of love between a Male Father and a Male Son. He called it Blasphemy.

WHAT DOES AN ALL MALE TRINITY TEACH? Nothing good!

As unlikely at the Trinity is, in case one, what makes it even more illogical is that according to Christians, the universe and everything in it was created by a three in one male deity--without a goddess at all. Almost all other religions that have creation stories include a goddess, and the earth itself is viewed as a "Mother," in many religions, as it is the giver of life. Only the Christians believe that a male homosexual "union" is the cause of creation. What is ironic about this situation is that Christians view homosexuality as "not how it is supposed to be," among humans, yet an all-male "god" creation of the universe is fine with them. The Christian apologist, Josh McDowell is quoted as stating: at a Youth for Christ rally in 1994: "Tolerance is the worst roar of all, including tolerance for homosexuals, feminists, and religions that don't follow Christ." Mr. McDowell claims homosexuality is wrong because, as he states in his handbook on counseling youth: "It is obvious that the structural makeup of the physical bodies of two males or two females makes it impossible for them to experience this one-flesh unity. Thus homosexuality is rejected by the creative and purposive plan of the Creator-God"

But, according to Mr. McDowell and most other Christians, there is nothing wrong with an "all-male" creation of the universe--which is paradoxical. A is for Atheist

Even the Moonies see it!

Modalistic monarchism denied any real relationality in the Trinity. Thus there was no true love in the Trinity, because there was no "other" involved; it was only God loving Himself. This is also the ultimate significance of homosexuality. There is no true love of an ultimate other; at best (and this is undoubtedly rare, considering the typicality of promiscuity among homosexuals) there is a limited love for one other person. This love by nature does not extend into time through children. Homosexual couples who adopt are participating in a false or imitation form of natural love between man and woman. They are acting as parents. Little girls like to act as parents, too. Unification Church Teachings

Why did they get it wrong? Because the Councils absorbed the pagan teachings that males are the ones who MAKE babies. Women are the incubators of the male seed(!)
APOLLO I'll speak to that, as well. Make sure you note how right my answer is. That word mother we give it to the one who bears the child. However, she's no parent, just a nurse to that new life embedded in her. 840 The parent is the one who plants the seed, the father. Like a stranger for a stranger, [660] she preserves the growing life, unless god injures it. And I can offer proof for what I saya man can have a child without a mother. Here's our witness, hereAthena, child of Olympian Zeus. [Apollo points to Athena]

No dark womb nursed herno goddess bears a child with ancestry like hers.

ATHENA It's now my task to give my final verdict. And I award my ballot to Orestes. No mother gave me birththat's why in everything but marriage I support the man with all my heart, a true child of my father Zeus. Thus, that woman's death I won't consider more significant. The Furies by Aeschylus

The pagans believed that male seed was the basis of life. So a male could decide whether a child lived or died and the life of a woman meant nothing in their eyes. No wonder then that people struggled with abortion, infanticide and violence against women. Christianity fought against those ideas, but when it became tainted with paganism, it faltered and often stumbled at the Truth of Christ. WHAT ELSE GOES WITH THIS TEACHING? -That the Father is older and more powerful than the Son I REALLY hate this heresy. It irks me to no end when people ask me Well, Jesus is fine, but when are we going to see the REAL God. Thats the same thing Jesus was asked at the Last Supper: John 14: Philip said, Show us the Father and we will be satisfied And Jesus said, Do you not know that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me? Therefore he who has seen me has seen the father.

JESUS IS GOD. No, he is not the Father or the Holy Spirit. But He is NOT some junior God in Training! HE created the Universe. Thats clear in the Scriptures: John 1 By Him all things were made Thats why He is called the EVERLASTING FATHER in Isaiah.

Take a good look at this icon. Who do you think this is? God the Father? Wrong!!! IC and XC are the letters for Iesous Christos-Jesus Christ. This is the Ancient of Days who is identified as the White Haired Jesus of the Book of Revelation

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The Orthodox teach that it is a heresy to paint God the Father as an old man:
God the Father icons are depictions of God the Father as an old man, often with the rest of the Holy Trinity. Icons are theology in colors. The errors and contradictions of theology within heretical icons are very clear. In the Seventh Ecumenical Council we learn that God the Father is invisible and therefore not able to be depicted. Many other people have stated that God the Father is not old, but many churches refuse to listen and keep painting the Father that way anyway.

This is the ONLY icon the Orthodox use of the Holy Trinity

The Person in the middle of the Icon is the Father who breathes forth the Holy Spirit who then with the Father has the Son. Jesus is the Lord and Maker of Everything visible and invisible. When people saw God in the Old Testament, they were seeing Jesus, the Great I AM.
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Thats why when Jesus was captured in the Garden of Olives He said I AM He and the soldiers fell before Him. Thats GOD, not Baby God or Kind of God. Making the Father seem older than the Son is a way of diminishing Jesus. -That the Holy Spirit is the Spouse of Mary So Mary was married to the Holy Spirit? Then what about Joseph? This is another heresy! "38 Yet we must not believe that the Holy Spirit is Father of the Son, because of the fact that Mary conceived by the overshadowing of the same Holy Spirit, lest we seem to assert that there are two Fathers of the Son, which is certainly impious to say."
"44 Also we must believe that the entire Trinity accomplished the Incarnation of the Son of God, because the works of the Trinity are inseparable. "

So the Holy Trinity worked together to produce the Incarnation of Jesus into the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The Father sent the Son into Marys womb. The Holy Spirit prepared the Blessed Virgin to receive the Savior into her heart and womb by overshadowing her with the Presence and Power of Holy Wisdom. The Word took from Marys ovum the DNA needed to produce a human body and soul and united with His Eternal Self the Word then became flesh.
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-That Saint Joseph as a reflection of the Father is older than Mary. How does that look for sheer pedophilia? -That Mary is also the Bride of Christ This whole mess results in a confused relationship between the Members of the Eternal Family and the members of the Holy Family! Mary becomes the incestuous bride of her own Son while being impregnated by the Holy Spirit and yet being the wife of the Father. Joseph is the spouse of Mary while she is the Spouse of the Holy Spirit. The whole Church is the Bride of Christ whether the person is a male or a female. No wonder the Church is made up of mostly women and men run away in droves! Wouldnt you? CHRISTMAS IS AN AFFIRMATION OF THE TRUE FAMILY OF GOD The Trinity above is the Father and the Holy Spirit who sent the Son. The Trinity below is Joseph and Mary who received the Son. Mary was a Virgin and remained so as the living Witness to the miracle of the Virgin Conception and Birth. Joseph was the other witness to this as the Step father of Jesus Christ. As we go into Christmas, remember this Truth as the foundation of the Christian religion. We need to pray for the Church to regain these teachings and be healed. May the Shrine of Forgiveness have a part in this.

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BT+

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