February 2010

A remnant is a piece or fragment of the whole. When God created this earth, He intended for man and living creatures to be fruitful and multiply. (Gen. 1-21-22) Of course, we all know that Adam and Eve chose a course that would lead to suffering. Even after their seed multiplied and turned in rebellion from God’s love, God raised up a remnant through Noah and his family whom He blessed and once again commanded to be fruitful and multiply. (Gen. 9-1) Though God’s provision and blessing were appropriated to all of Noah’s seed, there were those who would turn from God’s love and find themselves outside of His blessings. Even up until this day, there are those that do not want to accept the love of God and turn from His blessings.

Christ understood that only some would choose God’s love and many others would walk from it. In the Gospel of Matthew 7:13-14, Jesus said, “Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is easy, that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard, that leads to life, and those who find it are few.”

If we look at our world today, we see a continual loosening in our society of morals and godly standards. Our children are inundated with images on the television and the internet of people that choose to live by their own standards that do not exemplify a life purposed to find the imputed righteousness of Christ. Remember, it was Christ who said if you love me, you will keep my commandments. Instead, we see that in our country and the world around us the standard of life has become more and more increasingly based on personal appeal and convenience. Whoever said doing the right thing would be easy? Jesus made it clear in the passage above that the way of destruction is wide and easy. It is easy to determine for yourself what constitutes acceptable and unacceptable standards for living correctly. You are the litmus test. What need is there any longer for a God implanted conscience because you are the conscience? Our Lord tells us that narrow and hard is the path that leads to life and few are those who find it. The few, my friends, are the remnant. Mankind is the whole from which a remnant comes that finds true life. Remember that Christ lived in an age where death was all around and the average lifespan of a human was much less than it is in our own day. Christ was not speaking solely of a natural life which was fleeting…He was speaking of a spiritual life that was without end.

Of course we all want a Walt Disney ending to this saga called life. We all want to believe that everyone we have ever come across and had positive feelings from have carte blanche access to life eternal, but unfortunately that is not what Christ taught us. It was He who talked about tare growing amongst wheat. It was He who told us that to some He would tell “I know you not”; even some who performed miracles in His name! It was He who taught us that some would live and some would perish. I don’t like this much in my human sense of fairness and equality. I would like to see that anyone who tries to live a good life, even those who do bad things and try to make amends for it, should be granted eternal life…no questions asked. And so my reasoning would take me into the doctrine of the wide and easy path. But blessed today are those who seek first the Kingdom of God, through the narrow and hard path that leads to life. All things shall be added unto them that walk the path of the remnant.

I may not be a part of the world and its grand stage that represents the whole of what is going on in our society, but I am a remnant of the remainder of a blessed lineage of believers who have sought after first the Kingdom of God. And one day, though I may appear to the world as only a fragment on this earth, a remnant of a seemingly outdated way of righteous living through Christ, I will live in eternity as a part of the wholeness of God; where the source of life, and the source of the remnant reigns over all, for all eternity.

Asking for God’s richest blessings on you and those you love,

Yours in His service,

Bishop Stewart

Posted: February 14th, 2010 under Bishop Stewart's Journals.
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The group met at JFK Airport on Saturday, October 17^th and left for Mumbai, India.  We arrive in Kochin, Kerala on Mon. Oct. 19^th and were driven to Fr. Augustine Pallikunnen’s church and Retreat Center (Tabor Nagar) in Thodupuzha.  We spent a few days visiting with Fr. Augustine and the sisters that serve there and learned about this ministry which is a home for mentally and physically disabled orphan girls. We also took a trip into Kochin and visited Jew Town, the first Jewish community in India.

On Thursday, October 22, we flew to Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh and were met by our host, Lee Ruud and his wife, Praveena.  We spent time at Abundant Life Care’s girls’ and boys’ home performing Bible school skits and songs.  This coincided with an Operation Christmas Child distribution of gift boxes to the orphans and all the children in the surrounding community that attend Bible school there.

We left on the Machilipatnum Express the evening of Saturday, October 14^th and traveled by train overnight arriving early on Sunday morning.  We were greeted at the train station by Uncle Deenabondhu and his ministry team.  They allowed us to check into our hotel and get changed and then we were sent out two by two to several of the churches in the area to bring the Word, song, prayer, and fellowship. Several of the 18 or so churches are new construction since the tsunami and were built by missionaries from Australia.

Tuesday evening is Bible study in Machilipatnum and again we all had the privilege of being sent out again to bring the Word and pray with the people.  Monday through Thursday during the day, our team participated in ministry to the children at Kamsalipalum during their holiday break. We performed skits, sang songs, prayed and many of us shared testimonies with college students nearby.   Bishop Jonathan and Fr. Bart brought the Word to college groups and also to the parents of the children served at Deenabondhu’s ministry.

Sr. Bernadette and Sr. Rose, would be living during the next few months in Kamsalipalem as missionaries.  A room near Deenabondhu’s church, office, and school was prepared as their home.  The new room was blessed with a Mass of Dedication on Thursday, Oct. 29^th. Deenabondhu marveled at the Word given at this Mass as it was the exact same Word given to his father when the church there was first dedicated some 40 years ago.  Surely, this is the house of the Lord as our new mission house (room) is the place where the original church began at Sharon Ministry in Kamsalipalem.

We said good-bye our missionaries later that evening and returned to Hyderabad by train and spent a final day with our hosts, Lee & Praveena, then returned to JFK via Mumbai on Saturday, October 31^st.

Mission Team: Bishop Jonathan Stewart, Fr. Bart Devlin , Sr. Bernadette Mastroni, Sr. Mary Francis Stapinski, Sr. Rose Stapinski, Sr. Maria Brandon, Fr. Dominic Brandon, Br. Luke Silady, Sr. Abigail Deutl.

Posted: January 26th, 2010 under Missions.
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Presented by Ascension School
Friday, February 12th, 7 – 9pm
Held at Ascension School
430 East 10th Ave. Munhall, PA

The night begins with a delicious Italian dinner,
Great music, fun donation games, and finally
our Silent Auction valued at over $1000!

Some Items to be auctioned are:

• A weekend any Omni-Hotel*
• Dinner for two at Monteray Bay
• A sweetheart package w/overnight stay
• Passes to our exceptional Pittsburgh Museums
• Party Lite Gift Certificate plus a special piece
• Family Photography session
• Gift certificate to Geno Levi hair salon
• Photograph of Pittsbrugh Steeler, Troy Polomolu

Admission:
$5 for Adults - $3 for Children

Everyone is welcome!

Posted: January 24th, 2010 under Ascension School.
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January 2010

Around the world most cultures have some New Year observance. There are a great variety of days that mark this annual celebration from one culture to another, as there are also varying customs, but the common theme that can be found in almost all of the New Year observances is the idea of a new start marked upon reflection of the past. For some cultures, the hope for a new start is a desire to see more luck or prosperity in the coming year than was realized in the previous year. For other cultures, the hope of a new start comes after reflection and personal contrition for the sins of the past year are meditated upon.

Our Jewish brothers and sisters celebrate their New Year on the high holy day of Rosh Hashanah. The trumpet or ram’s horn is blown to begin to draw the believers’ hearts back to God, that they may prepare themselves for receiving forgiveness from their sins on the great Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur, which occurs 10 days from Rosh Hashanah. Similarly, in the Muslim faith, New Year’s Day, known as Maal Hijra, is spent in prayer and on reflecting how the individual is leading their life. They are directed to reflect on their life, the passage of time and the reality of their own mortality. In many parts of the world, in Christian circles, churches have midnight vigils or “watch night” services where they pray for Christ’s will to be done in the following year.

One thing is clear, as humans we are ever so mindful that we should hope for improvements in our lives. Whether you belong to some eastern religion, Judaism, Islam or Christianity, every religion supports the notion that we can improve our daily lives. For some, the improvement hinges upon good luck; for others it is centered around doing better works, and for others, improvement comes through a personal acknowledgement that we have fallen short of the Glory of God and must call upon His divine providence to guide us into the right path.

I am not a betting man, but if I was, I certainly would not want to bet that my hopes for a brighter tomorrow are resting on the belief that my luck is going to improve from one year to the next. As a matter of fact, I’m sure there are many of us that agree we don’t have the best of luck. I also would not want to wager that my hope for a better year will come as a result of my performance of better works. The older I get, the more discouraged I become with the results of my own works. I don’t see my future becoming brighter, but instead much bleaker if it is relying on my improved works. (Just trying to keep things in perspective and based in reality, not vain idealism.) No, I much prefer to go to my Father in Heaven, through His Son, my friend and Savior, Jesus, and tell Him that I am sorry for my past failings. I would rather put my hope and trust in His ‘better’ provision for a more promising New Year than rely on better luck or improved personal behavior. I know that He has the power to answer such hope and trust with perfect results. I also know that He can answer such hope and trust with a better tomorrow while He doubly blesses me with improved luck and behavior.

This New Year, won’t you stop regurgitating all your past fallings and see that your greatest achievements lay before you, if you but place your trust and hope in Christ. He is not looking for anything other than a broken and contrite heart. This He will accept. Let us therefore begin our New Year celebration by being mindful of the words of the Apostle Paul, who wrote in his letter to the Ephesians (3:20-21), “Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever! Amen.”

Praying for God’s richest blessings on you and those you love this New Year,

Bishop Jonathan Stewart

Posted: January 20th, 2010 under Bishop Stewart's Journals.
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The Community of the Crucified One is organizing to assist in the Haiti relief effort. If you have seen the news, you realize the devastation that the recent earthquake has had on the nation and its people.  Many organizations have gathered together to help the Haitian people and their situation.  If you would like to help, we have organized two ways to give help and hope.

Donations:
If you would like to donate funds you can sends checks payable to: The Community of the Crucified One, 104 E 11th Ave, Homestead, PA 15120. Note on the memo line “Haiti”.  All funds received for Haiti wil be used to purchase much needed supplies for the relief effort.

Items for the Orphans:
The Allegheny County CYS is receiving 150 orphan children from Haiti, as part of an emergency relief effort.  The hopes were to keep all the children together in one place.  However, there is no one single facility that can house that many children at once.  Therefore, many of the employees working for the county are opening their homes to these children themselves.

The children will enter the United States as immigrants and will not be able to receive government funding.  These children are in desperate need for all types of baby related items, pertaining to the ages from infancy up to six years old.  Items needed are:

• Clothing
• Shoes
• Toys
• Diapers
• Wipes
• Blankets
• Other useful items for that age group.

Every little bit helps! As a community we are asking everyone who can help to please do so.  We will be accepting donations all week long at the Main House (104 East 11th Ave, Homestead, PA).  The last day for receiving donations being Sunday.  Please tag all donated bags given with “Haiti Relief”, and maybe an idea of what’s in the bag or for what ages.

Whether you can give or not please keep Haiti in your prayers.  Pray that the Lord Jesus helps the children that are coming here as well as the people struggling in Haiti.  Thank you everyone for your willingness to help your brothers and sisters in Christ.  God Bless

Posted: January 18th, 2010 under Missions.
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Posted: December 29th, 2009 under Sunday Sermons.
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This year we have opened three new houses for the Lord!  One of these was in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.  Here are a few pictures from the dedication and the area where they are located.  

Congratulations to Fr. Nathanael and Sr. Elizabeth.  Please keep them and Idaho in your prayers.  If you are in the area and would like to attend a service please contact them for more info.  

Posted: November 30th, 2009 under CCO Event.
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November 2009

To every follower of Christ, the command to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them and teaching them the ways of Jesus, is a duty. As I write this article I am sitting in an airport preparing for a mission trip to India. Accompanying me are eight other Brothers and Sisters from the Community who have answered the call to go and tell. Two of our travelers will be stationed in India for 4½ months, living among the people, teaching them and serving them as ambassadors of Christ and His kingdom. Though this may seem a spectacular or even extravagant way to make disciples, I assure you it is neither. 

To each of us, God gives the great ability to carry the message of His Son to the world around us. And for each of us, the grace that is apportioned us, is equal to the task that He lays before us. God is not only just, He is fair as well. He understands that not all who live and serve in His kingdom are able to leave home and family to travel to the most remote parts of the earth. He also understands that some are. What is clear is that He works through communities of believers, to support those who preach the message both near and far. We have been blessed with such a Community.

When the early apostles left their homes in Jerusalem, Nazareth, Capernum, etc., it is recorded that a remnant or council of the believers remained behind. I’m sure those that were in Jerusalem, such as the great apostle James, while others such as Paul were away in Asia Minor, continued to faithfully “make disciples” in Jerusalem and the immediate vicinities around it. We make the mistake of not recognizing that we are called to be missionaries no matter where we are located. 

After Christ told them in Matthew 28 to “Go make disciples of all nations,” He gave them two specific instructions. First, they were to baptize new believers in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Have you introduced people you live around to Jesus? Have you told them how blessed you are to know Him and have a personal relationship with Him? If you haven’t, why not? Can you imagine someone you know holding on to information, free information, of someone that could change your life for the better; for all eternity? Wouldn’t you be dismayed to find out that they held that valuable advice from you? You have to see what you have in Christ is a treasure beyond worldly riches, it is incorruptible and never changing. Ever had those bad dreams at night that you wake up from and thank God that it was only a dream? Well, that’s what Jesus did for you when He brought light into the darkness of your soul and woke you up to eternity. He wants you to show your appreciation by proclaiming this good news to others.

The second instruction that Christ gave after He told them to baptize, was to teach the new converts to follow all that Christ taught to His disciples. Remember that the apostles were the first audience to hear this message directly from Christ. They had lived with Him, sat at His feet and walked in His path. How can you teach someone all that Christ taught if you, like the early apostles, don’t walk in Christ’s path? When is the last time you took financial advice from someone who is broke? When is the last time you listened to someone preach about righteousness when they don’t live a godly life? Friends, effectiveness in preaching Christ is much less a measure of speaking than it is living. St. Francis was attributed with saying that we should preach as often as possible and use words as little as possible. 

If you walk around a store as an employee, wearing your name tag and required garments, you can attempt to act like you are not an employee, but the world around you is not fooled, and neither are you. Trust me, when you are a Christian and you attempt to hide it, you nor the world around you is fooled. You are the fool. The light that is in you is easily recognized by the darkness around you. Don’t hide that light…let it shine for others to see. In this day and age everyone wants to stand out. Why can’t we stand out for Christ?

Praying for God’s richest blessings on you and those you love.

Bishop Jonathan Stewart

Posted: November 13th, 2009 under Bishop Stewart's Journals.
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“How to Hear From God”

October, 2009

“On a dark night, kindled in love with yearnings – oh, happy chance!  I went forth without being observed, my house being now at rest.”  Dark Night of the Soul, St. John of the Cross.

Recently I gave a seminar on abandoning yourself and hearing from God. Many times we read the wondrous accounts of Saints that have gone on to Glory and think to ourselves that we will never be privileged to commune with God as they have.  Nothing could be farther from the truth.  Do you remember what Christ said in the seventh chapter of the Gospel of Matthew?  ”Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh, receiveth; and he that seeketh, findeth; and to him that knocketh, it shall be opened.”  Christ didn’t say that some that ask, they will find, but rather “for every one” that ask, they shall receive.  

Though Christ makes this promise to all that call upon Him for assistance,the reality is that in our day and age not many people turn to Him for their help.  We have so many conveniences here in the Western world that seldom do we realize the answers that we need do not come from material things (money, power, and fame) or from our own understanding (google, libraries, other people).  Our help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and Earth. My friends, as assuredly as there is a physical world which we understand through our five senses, there is also a world that exists beyond what our human nature can understand.  I am speaking of course about the spirit world that is all around us.  If we want to hear from God the Father, than we must recognize that He is a spirit.  Jesus proclaimed that “God is a spirit.”

The process of meditating and abandoning yourself is necessary so that you may be an empty vessel open for the help that comes from Christ.  You know that the more you have tried to solve your own problems in life and relied upon what comes from within yourself, the more you are left feeling dissatisfied. When you abandon yourself you are saying I will not lean on my own understanding or what the world offers for solutions; I will trust in the Lord.  I would like to propose four steps for you to follow when you are ready to meditate and seek the Lord.  They are not mandatory; they are not the only way that you can approach the Lord in meditation; they are simply a set of four steps that I have found myself using to approach the Lord with discernable results; they are only helpful suggestions.

The first thing I do is I find a place where I know that I will not be distracted in my approach to the Lord.  For each person it may be different. Some prefer to drive out into the country; others may lock themselves in the peace and solitude of their own home and some may just be content wherever they happen to find themselves.  

Secondly, once you have found your secret place with the Lord (your prayer closet), you must begin to remind yourself that “you are not the source.” My friends, we are the created, not the Creator.  The scriptures clearly tell us that “our help comes from the Lord.”  This means our help emanates from an external source, not an internal source. It is very important for us to humble ourselves before the Lord and confess to Him that we cannot solve our problems; we rely and wait on His help.  

The third thing we must do is center ourselves on Christ because He alone is the mediator between man and God.  Only through Christ can our prayers enter the throne room of God.  Some ask the question, “How do you center yourself on Christ?”  For all of us, it is different.  Each one of us sees Christ differently. For myself, I like to think on the Cross and the great price He paid for me.  You must focus on Christ the way you see Him in your own heart.

Finally, you must become still and devoid of any thought, reason or inclination.  You simply must become empty.  It is in these moments that God will speak to you through His Holy Spirit.  I can’t tell you how many times He has given me a word or an idea that I know did not come from within, but was a matter of divine revelation. The same enlightenment that has gifted men and women since the beginning of time to understand that which seemed to be without understanding.  Sometimes you just leave the process of abandonment without any word or idea, but with a great peace that gets you through troubles and despair.  I can tell you that when I have approached the Lord in this manner, I have never left my time with Him feeling empty. Instead I have always left knowing that “all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28

 Praying for God’s richest blessings on you and those you love.

Yours in His service,

Bishop Jonathan Stewart

Posted: October 2nd, 2009 under Bishop Stewart's Journals.
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Bishop Stewarts Monthly Journal

July 09

Recently, on a Saturday afternoon in mid-June, I held a little celebration for my mother’s birthday.   By the time the hot dogs, hamburgers and cake were all devoured it was still early afternoon.  Someone suggested that we head to the baseball stadium for the Saturday evening game.  It was a beautiful evening and as I sat there, in my little plastic seat, eating some peanuts, I was struck by the beauty of the setting.   PNC stadium, home of the Pittsburgh Pirates, is widely recognized as one of the finest baseball stadiums in America.  It has the nostalgia of an old 1950’s stadium, with center field looking right over the Allegheny River, complete with the skyline of the city as its backdrop.  Yet in all of the grandeur of these man-made structures, nothing was nearly as impressive as the aerial display God put on for us that evening in the sky.  All shades of blue, ranging from deep ocean blue to tropical turquoise, layered the hemisphere with periodic breaks from small feathery clouds that looked translucent.   As the evening progressed and the sun approached the western horizon, the colors changed from blues to purples and oranges to reds.

It seems that we, as humans, in our quest to bring beauty in our lives, whether through, art, building, landscaping, music, or yes, even religion, are always trying to touch and emmulate the magnificence of God in His creation around us.  Can any stringed instrument match the serenity that comes from listening to the wind blow through the trees?  Can any artist match the landscapes of earth and sky with a brush?  Can the human mind comprehend the depths of God’s nature?

God choose to be omnipotent, not so that we will be discouraged, but so that we can relish in the majesty of His Glory!  He wants us to fall in love with the fact that He is matchless so that we don’t ever have to worry that we must live up to His omniscience.  Isn’t it so much easier to trust a God that knows everything, than rely on a human who knows very little?  Christ praises His Father in heaven, and in the Gospel of Matthew exclaims, “I thank you Father, Lord of heaven and earth that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes.”  (Matthew 11:25).

Certainly you would agree with me that a heart which desires and enjoys the greatness of God is less inclined and less likely to challenge God’s wisdom with human reason and understanding.  They are less likely to do so because they, like babes, choose to trust God and not labor themselves with trying to figure Him out.  Christ goes on to encourage us to, “Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”  (Matthew 11:28).  Many things cause us to labor greatly and attempt to bear struggles of life that suffocate us, but only one thing alleviates them all, and that is the rest that comes from Christ.  When we choose to turn over burdens and cares upon the Lord Jesus Christ, then we begin to walk in the simplicity of a child of God.

Jesus warns us, “Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it.”  (Mark 10:15).  This summer, as you enjoy God’s good earth and the human life He created around you to occupy it, try not to compete with Him in your daily walk.  Make a decision to turn someone towards the Lord, instead of yourself, for the answers of their life.  Revel not in your own pride and glory; rather turn to the matchless name of Jesus Christ in whom all power on heaven and earth resides.  Tell whoever you come across that, “Though I may not have the answers to life, I know one who does!”  Does not a child direct other children to their parents for direction and help?

The God who created this world loves you and wants you to have His rest.  It’s really not complicated.  It’s ever so simple.  Rest in his love!

Praying that God richly blesses you and those you love,

Bishop Jonathan Stewart

Posted: July 1st, 2009 under Uncategorized.
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