Power to Give
As the Christmas season approaches I want to reevaluate the
process of Giving. Christmas has moved away from giving and towards a circle of
exchange, aside from “Angel Trees” or similar programs.
The Son of God did not just come to
reveal to humans the circle of blissful exchanges within the Holy Trinity as
the model for gift-giving between humans; he divested himself of heavenly
wealth and became a Holy Child so that the fragile flesh of humanity could be
taken up into the embrace of the eternal God. In both of these cases, the
circle of intimates opened up, and the gifts left that circle to reach those in
need. Gifts did not travel on a two-way street so that the closed circle of
givers and receivers could delight in their exchanges; gifts traveled on a
one-way street so that the needy could be helped.
Christmas celebration is about two
kinds of gift giving, not just one. It is about reciprocal giving in a circle
of intimates, an enactment of a provisional advent of God’s future world of
love. It is also about unidirectional giving to those outside the circle of
intimates, a small contribution to aligning the world of sin and need with
God’s coming world of love. Mostly at Christmas, we practice the first kind of
giving (that is, we practice it if we succeed in resisting the temptation to
make Christmas into a large festival not of mutual delight but of common greed,
a season in which we use faith to justify our greed).
…For Christmas is not the goal, the
realization of the world of Perfect love. Christmas is the movement toward that
goal, the endeavor of God to draw all people into the world of love.
-Miroslav Volf (Against the Tides,
p.174-175)
I have observed on the youth mission trip to Mexico an odd
occurrence. The youth will do crafts daily with the children in Mexico and, the
children usually wish to give their completed craft to a student they care
about. My first instinct was that the children must not really want the craft
or do not understand that it is theirs to keep. But this odd occurrence happens
too frequently for this to be the case. It is my theory that the child deeply
wants to give a symbol of appreciation to the student he or she love, and the
only thing they possess to give is that craft. We, without meaning to, have
enabled them with the power to give, and with this power the children freely
gave. (Howie has also observed this in Russia with the orphans.)
The Idea:
I want us to put together “Presents” for the Christmas
season. The recipients of the “Presents” will be those in need, who are outside
our circle of intimates. Most likely we will try to reach the homeless of
Amarillo. The idea is to give them a gift this holiday season, and then to also
give them a gift to give to someone. God is the ultimate giver, and he has
bestowed blessings in our life so that we have the ability to partake in the
blessing of giving. This project will not only allow us to give to those in
need but also empower them to be able to give as well. The common adage “it is
better to give, than it is to receive”, seems selfish to me if they are the
ones only able to give. Included in the “Presents,” we will include a letter to
the receiver about what Christmas means to you, and what we want them to do
with the other gift. We will deliver together, personally give our “Presents”
and then pray for them and wish them a Merry Christmas.
“Present” will include:
2 gifts both about $10 dollars each
2 Gideon Bibles (Provided)
1 Hand Written Letter
Cost: About $20
What I want from you:
I will not accept money
towards this cause; I only want people who are committed. If you would like
to participate, you are responsible for providing a “Present.” This means
purchasing, wrapping, and delivering. (Partnerships can be done, but details
will be handled by those involved.) I will set two dates that we can travel to
purchase together and wrap together and then another date to deliver together.
Possible Questions:
Is it mandatory that they give the second present away? No,
giving should come from their heart. We are only giving them an opportunity and
suggestion.
I will be out of town on the delivery dates. Can I still
participate? Every city has homeless people, and I suggest you give your
“Present” wherever you will be.
Should I not do the Angel Tree? I do not want to prevent you
from taking part in anything you typically do at Christmas; this is designed to
be in addition to. It would be great to be able to give as much outside the
circle of intimates as we do inside.
What types of gifts? Something that would improve their quality
of life: socks, gloves, blankets, etc.
Can I spend more that $20? I would recommend not to do so. Jealousy
and thievery runs rampant in homeless circles. We want to give equal gifts as a
whole, so as not to feed the fire of infighting.
Why won’t I accept money? I have no intention of stealing
the blessing that I feel this will be in your life.
Stefania Caterina was born in Genoa 19 January 1959 by a Catholic family practitioner.
ReplyDeleteIn 1994 he decided to leave everything to dedicate himself totally to God and His work, by providing the gifts received from Him
You can write directly to
stefania.c@versolanuovacreazione.it
redazione@versolanuovacreazione.it
http://www.versolanuovacreazione.it
http://towardsthenewcreation.com/
A dutiful introduction
Dearest Readers,
The messages Jesus is dictating to me these days and that will be published in the next months, definitely trace the path towards the events awaiting us. Therefore, I felt I had the duty to write this introduction, to help you enter more deeply in the subject you will be reading.
Up to today I shared with you the revelations I received from God. In my first book, Beyond the Great Barrier that ends with the 15th chapter entitled “The new Creation”, I amply presented to you the central message of the revelations received, that is: recapitulate in Christ all things in heaven and on earth. I tried to lead you to the events that have to do with the Earth and the universe. These days, Jesus told me that in the next months He wants to prepare us to face those events awaiting us in the immediate future.
How to face such events? I believe that in these years, through the many explanations I received and I communicated to you, we obtained the grace of understanding the interior walk which prepares us to enter the mind of Christ and to understand the mystery of God and of life, to elevate and transform us to the point of becoming new creatures. I spoke to you about this spiritual walk in particular in the book Writing History Anew – Vol. 1 In the mind of God. Furthermore, you have been accompanied by the messages published every month on this site; these messages continue and they introduce us, more and more, to a serious phase of preparation and decision making.
I cannot comment on these messages. Jesus Himself and His Holy Spirit will explain them to you in your heart. An answer is expected from you to understand the words that you will read. Finally, it is up to each one of us to commit ourselves, for the Earth and for the whole universe, so that the promises of God may be realized.
http://towardsthenewcreation.com/
ReplyDelete“My Father is at work until now, so I am at work”
(John 5:17)
“I bless you my children! Today I wish to speak to you about God’s work in these times and about the general picture in which your life and your mission is inserted.
“Try to understand, above all, that you did not happen to be in the reality in which you are by accident, but you are here because of a precise divine project. Whatever you might think about yourselves or others might think about you, know that your life is precious and irreplaceable in the time and place in which you find yourselves to be, according to God’s projects. You have been preordained for this reality, and for this reason God gave you irreplaceable and original potentialities. No one in the universe is equal to you, because God’s creativity is unlimited and inexhaustable, and because each one of you is absolutely unique in his being and in his way of acting.
“Unfortunatly, many on Earth live below their potentiality, because they do not make of themselves a gift to Me. I am the only One to know pefectly the Father’s project for each one of you, because from Him I received the order to bring to completion His work in every person. I am acting in you by the power of the Holy Spirit, who enlightens you, cloaks you, constantly inspires you pointing out the avenue towards Me, so that I might reveal to you the Will of the Father for each one of you.
Without me you shall never truly be able to know yourselves, nor to be able to understand what is asked of you to do in this life.
“The Holy Spirit and I are constantely at work in order to realize the Father’s project in each one of you, but we can do this only with the help of your freedom, that is, only when you willingly and freely choose to love and serve God and you offer to Him your life. This is the indispensable condition so that your potentialities activate and are at work. In fact, by the moment you decide to live for God and to be totally abandoned to His will, within you the action of the Holy Trinity starts working, and little by little, transforms your life and your thoughts. Thus, you are beginning to become conscious of who you are in God and to make a mark on reality, a creative mark, because it is divine creativity working in you. I wish you to be conscious about what I am saying to you, because the knowledge that God is active in you, independently from your human limitations and frailties, is determinant for your mission in the time in which you live.
“Yours is a grand time and a difficult time for the entire universe. Grandiose for the power of the events that the hand of God is preparing, and difficult because it is a time of battle with the powers of evil, an always more open battle.
All this does not refer to the planet earth alone, but to the entire creation and all the people who inhabit many other planets. I have already told you that they are children of God as you are, and that I gave My life for them as well. They are your brothers in whom the project of My Father has to be perfectly accomplished, just as it is in yours.
“What is the project of the Father? To bring back the entire creation to the state of integrity and perfection it had before original sin; to bring back every person to the dignity and glory of a child of God. All men and every creature that exists in the universe must be made free from corruption and death which infiltrated themselves in the work of God because of the sin of your forefathers. Humanity must return to a correct relationship with God, by recognizing His authority and by submitting to His guide. How is the Father going to realize this project? By recapitulating all creation in Me, since He gave Me all power in the whole universe.
http://towardsthenewcreation.com/
ReplyDelete“This is why I am at work in this time, so that all those who will come to Me might be brought to a new and filial relationship with the Father.These people will be instructed interiorly by Me, to be ready to understand and to live the events awaiting humanity. When My work will be accomplished in each one and in the entire universe, I will return in My glory and I will introduce all those who belong to Me, in the new incorrupt and incorruptible creation. This will be the new and most pure dimension of the spirit, in which redeemed humanity will live; it will be the kingdom of heaven that at the end of times I will give to My Father, but a kingdom that even now belongs to those who live for Me and in Me.
“On the contrary, those who will remain outside Me, because they will not have accepted Me nor recognized Me as Son of God and Savior, they will not enter the new creation.
“I came on Earth in order to bring the beginning of a new time, a definite and decisive time for the humanity of the whole universe. After My death and resurrection a progressive journey towards the new creation had begun. With My passion, I fufilled in front of My Father what His justice required, washing the sins of the forefathers with My Blood and erasing your heavy debt. This way I opened the avenue to every single person of good will who wants to accept Me and follow Me. If you offer yourselves to Me, I will lead you perfectly according to the plans of God, to introduce you, some day, in the kingdom of heaven. However, the walking is up to you. Don’t think that I also do your part! I am near you and I sustain you but I do not walk for you. Christians often depend on Me, thinking I already did everything, so they don’t have to do anything anymore. They feel satisfied by participating in some religious rite, and they think they are fine. No, children, this attitude is very wrong. I redeemed you, this is true, but if you remain lifeless and passive, without taking upon yourselves the responsibility expected of you, as spiritually mature people should do, how is Redemption going to bring any fruit in you? What will distinguish you from those who do not believe? My life and My work must become incarnated in each one of you, so that you might be able to make My Sacrifice efficacious, alive and visible, for your benefit and that of others. It is not sufficient to believe in Redemption, one must fully enter It, taking up your cross and following Me.
“If this is true at the level of a single person, much more is it true when referring to the entire humanity. The entire humanity will have to know Me, accept Me, and follow Me if it wants to be taken back to the Father and led into the kingdon of heaven.
Bringing back the entire creation to the Father is up to Me only, therefore everything has to pass through Me.
“Which is your duty then during these times? It is that of firmly believeing in Me and offering Me your very selves, so that I can unite you to Me in order to take you back to the Father. This is the meaning of being recapitulated in Me. This way you will be part of My Mystical Body which is the most powerful force working in the universe. Part of the Mystical Body are My Mother, the angels, the Saints, and all those, living and dead, who believed and still believe in My work, because they love the Father and recognize Me as Son of God and Redeemer of the whole humanity.In this way you will become partakers of My actions and of the Father’s; you will be part of God’s army, that in these times is powerfully at work. This is why it is absolutely necessary that you decide to live for God, renewing yourselves interiorly and detaching from your selfesheness and egoism. I expect from each of you a serious and unequivocal decision. Such a decision is not postponable anymore; this is valid for each individual and for the entire humanity
“This is the exact opposite of what the Heavenly Father desires!
ReplyDeleteHhttp://towardsthenewcreation.com/
e created you free, and he donated to you His way of thinking, certainly not in order to box you in, but to give to your potentialities the ability, the freedom to act for the benefit of the entire human species. You are children of God and you would have the power of acting as children of God; unfortunatley you have become children of your systems, little robots that act upon command. Repent and come back to the true God; stop, finally, to adore false gods!
“Now the Father has decreed to give a strong and definite shift to the walk of the entire humanity, starting exactly from Earth. The events that here will be taking place will be decisive for all the universe. The Father gave Me every power to free the Earth and the universe from the oppression of the forces of evil, and I will act.
“I will begin with creating difficulties for all the systems that dominate Earth. They will shake and will come to battle one with the other until they will destroy each other. You will see crumbling the authority of those who believe themselves to be powerful and dominate the conscience of all the people. Faced with such confusion, many will return to God, and many others will continue to hold on tightly to the old systems, from which they will not get anymore help. Everyone will be faced with a choice: with God or against God. Only one credible authority will be left: the authority of God. This work of Mine is already started and, if you observe attentively, you can see the first effects of it.
“At the same time, I will reawaken and give power to My people of the Earth. I will act with strength in the spirit of all those who show good will, in order to bring them to interior freedom, to be able to discern and decide according to the laws of God and not according to the rules of the systems. This work of Mine has begun already as well, and is silently being developed in the depth of many people. God does not make noise when He acts, but He acts!
“A new people is about to be born, strong in the spirit, independent from false authorities and detached from every compromise with the truth; it is made out of men and women faithful to God, who live their true fraternal communion, opened to the continuous newness of the Spirit. This people is like a fire who is smouldering under the ashes; when I will blow on the ashes, that fire will be ablaze and no one will be able to put it out.
“I will act with great power in the universe as well. Here I can count on the humanities that remained faithful to God and that did not fall into original sin. They are ready to collaborate with my action by placing at my disposal their life and their abilities. These brothers of yours work in unison with the angels and fully cooperate with the plans of God. I will send them to help my people, on the Earth as well as on other planets. As of now they live a deep spiritual communion with many of you, because the Holy Spirit has the power of uniting the children of God with each other, over and above distances and boundaries. Then, when the right moment comes, these brothers of yours will openly manifest themselves to the humanity of Earth. Make sure you will be found ready at that moment, because after, it could be too late! If you place yourselves into My hands, I will put you in the condition to be ready at the meeting with these brothers of yours.
“This encounter will mark a jump of epochal civilization for the Earth, and will force your humanity to take another look at many of its certainties, in every field. This is why many will be afraid of it. I repeat again, do not be afraid, I shall prepare you, if you will permit Me to do so, if finally you will set aside your analyses, your logic, your scientific experimentation, if you will allow faith to guide you.
http://towardsthenewcreation.com/
ReplyDelete“I will act in purgatory so that the greatest possible number of souls may enter in the beatitude of heaven, thus participating in My work with their prayer. Purgatory will be shaken and the souls will definitely place themselves on the road towards heaven.
Generations and generations are in purgatory: they will be awakened and will drag also the living with the power of their faith.
“A very powerful time has started, where the signs from heaven will be more and more evident, if you will be able to read them. Lucifer’s anger will grow stronger and will hurl itself against everything and everybody, but it will not be able to hurt those who belong to Me.
“You will also see nature restless, because nature reacts to the solicitations of good and evil, with a sensitity often stronger than yours. Nature will be hit heavily by the forces of evil, forces who will try to damage humanity, but nature will not be destroyed. Nature also will be recapitulated in Me in order to be renewed and transformed. Therefore, do not be afraid, My children, when facing the natural events that will follow one another. Hold on tightly to Me and you will have nothing to fear.
“I am stopping here for now; later I will talk to you about other matters so you can be prepared for what is about to happen. The Father never asks man to adhere to what he cannot understand; first He gives him light, then He asks him to decide, because God is fair with you. The Father sent Me among you to enlighten your road toward God and place you in the condition to be able to walk. Now it is up to you to decide.
“I am asking you to pray a lot and to seriously decide for God. I am asking you again to donate your life to Me, so that I can protect you and prepare you for the events that are awating you. It is not about catastrophes, like the most apprehensive ones fear, but it is a matter of tests necessary for the purification of humanity, in view of the beautiful and incorrupt new creation awaiting you. The Father prepared it for those who love Him, and I am calling you to be part of it. The Father is at work unceasingly and I am at work as well; therefore, your eyes will see great things. If you have faith you will be able to read them in the right light. They will appear to you for what they truly are: the marvels of God’s love for His people.
“I am blessing you in the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit”.
In the book “Beyond the great barrier” at Chp. 6, I spoke about the humanities of other planets, and of the choices made by each humanity. As a matter of fact, not all men have committed the original sin. There exist some humanities that kept themselves faithful to God, thus preserving spiritual and physical prerogatives much superior to ours.
For other messages:--- http://towardsthenewcreation.com/ ---
We apologize for the space, we believe that there may be useful for the journey of your life
God Bless you
Angelo http://www.versolanuovacreazione.it/
See: http://conchiglia.net / http://www.conchiglia.us/RIVELAZIONE_ITALIA/dozule/dozule_GEA.html