Author: Juliana

Bethlehem of Judah – Bethlehem of Galilee

In this Necklace we will use the three parts of the Covenant found in the Torah, the Prophets, and the Holy Writings. These three parts show well the unity and God’s fidelity to the Covenant with God’s People. In our Necklace we have the different stages in the history of Israel: In Genesis, from the Tora: the Patriarchal period in the earlier Prophets: With Joshua the distribution of the land, in Judges the first settlements, in Samuel the Kingship of David, and in the latter Prophets: Micha written before the Babylonian Exile, Jeremiah during the Exile. In the Holy writings: Nehemiah and Ezra, books written after the Exile, and the Book of Ruth, which gives a basis to the genealogy of David, from whom will come the Messiah. The pagan background of the city of Bethlehem in Judah shows how God can intercultural the history of the covenant into pagan culture: Bethlehem, house of bread, לחם, or house of meat as well as the house of war (since the word for war is milhama מלחמהliterally meaning: the place of …

Letter from Saint John in Montana, 10/2018

As the summer heat has changed into autumn warmth and refreshing winds in both morning and evening, it was most enjoyable with the High Holidays of the Jewish Community. In the months of September and October we had the arrival of Erika from Brazil and Iulia from Romania. Now we anticipate the arrival of Helen from Costa Rica. Our participation in the Paris Assembly was life giving. It was so encouraging to see and hear of the life of the Congregation with so much openness and eagerness to engage in the needs of the world. We began with the reading from Gen: 21:11, “And the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven, and said unto her, “Where have you come from and where are you going?” Piluca had us begin with this question which we also will hear in the Novitiate community as we begin our Formation program. At the start of the assembly we asked ourselves the basic question, and here in the novitiate we ask “Why do I choose to live …

A Biblical “necklace” – what’s about?

To make a necklace (harizah), a midrash says you must first know how to pierce a hole in a pearl, then how to use the proper thread in order to string together the pearls to one necklace. The aim of making a necklace, harizah, is to manifest the divine origin of the Torah and to stress the unity of the Tenakh, (the unity of Revelation), the project of God. The pearls are found in the Torah, the Prophets (Neviim), and the Writings (Khetuvim). These pearls make present that the project of God is not ended. P.T.Hagigah 2,77b Making a necklace reveals the divine origin of the whole of Scripture (Torah, Prophets, and Holy Writings), their unity, and their permanent relevance. My Father, Abuyah , was one of the great personalities of Jerusalem. When the day arrived for my circumcision, he invited all the great personalities of Jerusalem and installed them in a house.As for Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Yehoshua, he placed them in another house. When the guests had finished eating and drinking, they started …

Sion’s Authority

Sion´s authority is a paternal and maternal authority; it is never imposed, it never forces anyone’s will. God himself… leaves us the merit of our free actions and we shall do as He did. B4 page 208

Charity and Symphaty

“So when there was question of sheltering in your house the catechumen, whom providence was offering to you, I would have been very glad to hear from you a word of charity and sympathy for an act of love in which the heart of Sion is directly involved. (Who could providence send us today? Maybe not Catechumen but………..) This would have been a kind feeling suggested by the spirit of God. After this reaction you could have explained to me in all simplicity the obstacles the inconveniences and the inspiration of human prudence. You did the opposite. Without even toughing the main question  you come out with such an exaggerated flow of words enumerating the difficulties that I had to withdraw without a single word when faced with your objections …” Letter by Fr. Theodore to Sr. Desiree Ricardo August; Book 4, page 209; 29th 1860

Pentecost-Shavuot

“When the sickle has begun to cut the ears, you will begin to count seven weeks. Then you will celebrate the feast of weeks” (in Hebrew: hag ha-shavuot, cf. Deut 16:9). Seven weeks (and even fifty days, cf. Lev 23:16) after the barley harvest at Pesah, the feast of Shavuot celebrates the end of the wheat harvest (in Hebrew: hag ha-katsir, cf. Ex 23:16). Later, the Exodus from Egypt was grafted onto the agricultural feast of Pesah, and the gift of the Torah onto the agricultural feast of Shavuot: From one harvest to the other, from spring to summer, the time of maturation, the passage from an external, physical liberation to a spiritual liberation. For Jewish tradition sees the gift of the Torah as the goal of the exodus from Egypt: “Let my people go that they may serve me”,  as Moses repeats tirelessly to Pharaoh in the Lord’s name (cf. Ex 4:22; 5:1; 7:16.28; 8:16; 9:1.13; 10:3). The service meant here is none other than welcoming the Torah and putting the commandments into practice …