The Middle Way

Forgive me for my lack of content for a long, long period of time. This is my first reflection I will be posting, the second one I ever delivered during a service. The psalm and readings were 16; Isaiah 3:8-15; 1 Thessalonians 4:1-12; Luke 20:41-21:4. The content is mostly based on the entirety of 1 Thessalonians and from the beginning of chapter 20 in Luke. I hope you enjoy and are blessed by this. Let me know what you think. God bless: Morning Prayer Reflection 12-7-2018: This is my third time observing Advent, at least in it's proper context. I can remember a certain type of "advent" being observed in my childhood, which I'm sure is true for all of us,  was that of which was waiting to open the presents under the tree. Advent is probably my favorite season of the liturgical calendar tying with Lent. While they ought to be practiced periodically throughout the rest of the year and our lives one of my favorite attributes of the season is the emphasis on disciplines...

Traditions are an inherited, established, or customary pattern of thought, action, or behavior (such as a religious practice or a social custom.) Much of Western society has abandoned it, citing that it's "restrictive," "stifling," or "bland." This case is not found only amongst secular spheres but also in many Christian communities. The reason I've gotten many times from Christians is that it stifles the true spirit of worship, or that "religion" restricts having a fulfilled relationship with Jesus Christ, and even to fulfilling the desire to being "less Catholic." I find no dichotomy between religion and relationship, or Catholic and Christian; and I have expressed in conversations before that it's like saying one loves their spouse but hates marriage. In my view, the abandonment of tradition in the Church has been largely negative and has been successful in dropping the numbers of church attendance. With tradition elimin...