Saturday, April 30, 2016
Saturday of the Fifth Week of Easter

Holy Gospel according to:
"" John 15:18-21 ""

Jesus said to his disciples:

“If the world hates you, realize that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, the world would love its own; but because you do not belong to the world, and I have chosen you out of the world, the world hates you. Remember the word I spoke to you, ‘No slave is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. And they will do all these things to you on account of my name, because they do not know the one who sent me.”

MAY 1, ST. JOSEPH THE WORKER. DON’T FORGET THAT YOUR WORK AND DAILY NOBLE ORDINARY TASKS ARE A PATH TO HOLINESS!



As we prepare to celebrate May 1’s feast, St. Joseph the Worker (preceded by the 6th Sunday of Easter), during which the entire world celebrates the human activity of work, let us remind ourselves that WORK HAS A DIVINE, SANCITFYING VALUE AS WELL, FOR WORK AND OTHER ORDINARY TASKS OF OUR DAILY LIFE ARE A PATH TOWARDS HOLINESS, TOWARDS SANCTITY.

As Pope Francis said:

“We are all called to become saints...BE A SAINT BY CARRYING OUT YOUR WORK WITH HONESTY AND COMPETENCE AND BY OFFERING TIME IN THE SERVICE OF YOUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS. “But, father, I work in a factory; I work as an accountant, only with numbers; you can’t be a saint there...”. “Yes, yes you can! There, where you work, you can become a saint. God gives you the grace to become holy. God communicates himself to you”. ALWAYS, IN EVERY PLACE, ONE CAN BECOME A SAINT, THAT IS, ONE CAN OPEN ONESELF UP TO THIS GRACE, WHICH WORKS INSIDE US AND LEADS US TO HOLINESS.

WHEN THE LORD INVITES US TO BECOME SAINTS, he doesn’t call us to something heavy, sad... quite the contrary! IT’S AN INVITATION TO SHARE IN HIS JOY, TO LIVE AND TO OFFER WITH JOY EVERY MOMENT OF OUR LIFE, BY MAKING IT BECOME AT THE SAME TIME A GIFT OF LOVE FOR THE PEOPLE AROUND US. IF WE UNDERSTAND THIS, EVERYTHING CHANGES AND TAKES ON NEW MEANING, A BEAUTIFUL MEANING, A MEANING THAT BEGINS WITH LITTLE EVERYDAY THINGS (General Audience, November 19, 2014).”

Let us ask the intercession of St. Joseph so that like him, we may seek, find and love God in our work and ordinary duties of each day by working well to the best of our capabilities, living the virtues and offering it to Our Lord.

St. Joseph, pray for all of us, workers in the world and for those who are seeking for a job.

The spirit of the genuine penitential discipline of the early Church always remained alive in the Church at all times, until today. We have a shining example of it in the Blessed Laura Vicuña del Carmen, born in 1891 in Chile. Sister Azocar, who took care of Laura, recalled:

I remember that the first time I explained the sacrament of marriage, Laura fainted, probably because she understood from my words that her mother was living in mortal sin as long as she remained with that gentleman. During that time in Junín, only one family lived in accordance with God's will."
Therefore, Laura multiplied her prayers and penances for her mother. She received her first communion on June 2, 1901 with great fervour; she wrote the following resolutions:

1. I want to love and serve you all my life, oh my Jesus; for this, I offer you my soul, my heart and my whole being.
2. I prefer to die rather than offend you by sin; so I want to distance myself from anything that could separate me from you.
3. I promise to do my best, even if I have to offer great sacrifices, that you may be ever more known and loved, and to repair the offences inflicted upon you daily by men who do not love you, especially the ones you receive from those who are close to me.
Oh, my God, grant me a life of love, mortification and sacrifice!"
But her great joy was clouded by seeing her mother, present at the ceremony, not receiving communion. In 1902, Laura offered her life for her mother who was living with a man in an irregular union in Argentina. Laura multiplied her prayers and sacrifices for the true conversion of her mother. A few hours before she died, she called her mother to her bedside and said to her,


Mother, I am going to die. I have asked Jesus for this and my prayers have been heard. Almost two years ago, I offered my life for the grace of your conversion. Mother, will I not have the joy of seeing you repent before I die?"
Her mother, shocked and overwhelmed, made the promise:" Tomorrow morning I will go to the church and I will go to confession." Laura caught the eye of the priest attending her and said: "Father, my mother has just promised to abandon this man; bear witness to her promise!" Then she added: "Now I can die happy!"

With these words, she expired on 22 January 1904 in Junín de los Andes (Argentina), at the age of 13, in the arms of her mother, who rediscovered her faith and put an end to the irregular union in which she had been living.

The admirable example of the life of the young girl now known as Blessed Laura is a demonstration of the seriousness with which a true Catholic treats the sixth commandment of God and the sacredness and indissolubility of marriage. Our Lord Jesus Christ commanded us to avoid even the appearance of approving an irregular or adulterous union. The Church has always faithfully preserved and transmitted this divine command in its doctrine and practice, without any ambiguity. With the offering of her young life, Blessed Laura certainly did not intend to represent one of several possible different doctrinal or pastoral interpretations. One does not offer one’s life for a possible doctrinal or pastoral interpretation, but for an immutable and universally valid Divine truth. This truth has been demonstrated by a large number of saints who offered their lives, beginning with St. John the Baptist to the simple faithful today whose name only God knows.

http://app.webinarjam.net/register/12133/fa0c5a9620

REE Live Online Catholic Class: Saint Augustine - His Life and Theology

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Practical Lessons from St. Athanasius
Source: Constance T. Hull



Today the Church celebrates the feast of St. Athanasius of Alexandria who is a Doctor of the Church, as well as a great theologian who united the Eastern and Western Churches. A great deal of his work and mission was responding to the Arian heresy running rampant in his day. In fact, the Arian heresy has proved to be one of the most virulent heresies and can be seen in various forms even in our own day.

He was born around 300 AD in Alexandria, Egypt. After receiving a quality education, he became a deacon and secretary to the Bishop of Alexandria. He worked closely with the Bishop and attended the first Ecumenical Council at Nicaea in 325 AD. This Council focused primarily on the divinity of Christ in response to the Arian heresy which had been advanced through the Alexandrian priest Arius.

Arianism greatly threatens an authentic understanding of Jesus Christ. It teaches that “the Logos was not a true God but a created God, a creature “halfway” between God and man who hence remained forever inaccessible to us” (Pope Benedict XVI, Doctors of the Church, 14). It was at Nicaea where the Creed incorporated Greek term homoousios, which means “of the same substance” as the Father. It was the first and only term to be added with no theological or biblical link, and it pointed to the Church’s willingness to integrate philosophy and theology together into the Faith.

Shortly after the Council in 328 AD, the Bishop of Alexandria died and St. Athanasius was elevated to Bishop. Even though the Church had firmly and unequivocally affirmed the divinity of Christ, the Arian heresy raged on creating painful and destructive divisions within the Church. St. Athanasius fought hard against the heresy and created powerful enemies in the process. He spent 17 years in exile. He continued to spread the Faith in the West, as well as monasticism which he had learned from the hermit, St. Anthony, during his time in exile. After many years of suffering for the authentic and true Faith, St. Athanasius returned to Alexandria to finish out his days. He died on May 2, 373.

The greatest doctrinal writing of St. Athanasius is De Incarnatione (On the Incarnation). Today we take the Christological developments of the Church for granted since they were largely resolved in the first 700 years of the Church and expounded upon in the Middle Ages, but in the beginning there were intense battles in theological circles as they deciphered who Jesus Christ is. De Incarnatione is significant because it focuses on the Word of God becoming man, which was of profound interest to the Early Church Fathers. In fact, the Church Fathers saw the Incarnation as the path by which we our divinized. St. Athanasius says: “[Word of God] was made man so that we might be made God; and he manifested himself through a body so that we might receive the idea of the unseen Father; and he endured the insolence of men that might inherit immortality” (De Incarnatione, 54, 3). Pope Benedict XVI points out that St. Athanasius’ teaching shows how “with his Resurrection, in fact, the Lord banished death from us like “straw from the fire” (Doctors of the Church, 16).

The reason St. Athanasius’ teaching is so important is because far too many heresies create a great divide and distance between God and mankind. Even though Christ came and dwelt among us, many heresies ignore the closeness we now share with God. Christ’s mission was twofold: He came to die for our sins and to restore communion with mankind so that we can enter into communion with the Most Holy Trinity. Any heresy which ignores the reality of the Incarnation distorts our relationship with God after the Incarnation and in light of the Paschal Mystery.

In reading Church History, especially the exile inflicted on so many orthodox Bishops, theologians, and defenders of truth, we can only understand their suffering and fortitude through the lens of their great love of God and truth. St. Athanasius endured immense suffering through his exile. He was separated from his homeland and his flock, but that did not deter him in his mission. He continued to spread the Good News in the foreign lands where he lived during that time. What does this teach us about our own journey of faith?

We must be willing to defend the truth.
The Western world has become almost completely secularized. There is an increase in attacks on Catholics who submit to the Church over the world. Other countries throughout the world face persecution and martyrdom for the Faith due to conflicting agendas, religions, politics, corruption, and poverty. No matter where we live we are called to defend the Faith in truth and charity. This is not easy and we face the prospect of losing material stability, friends, family, freedom, or our very lives. Even with this knowledge we know that we belong to Jesus Christ and as St. Paul tells us:

The necessity of fostering a prayer life.
In order to stand up for our faith when the time comes, we must be steeped in prayer. All of us are in different stages in developing a prayer life. I feel like a perpetual beginner. No matter how we begin this prayer life, it is absolutely necessary for us so that we have the grace and strength we need when we are called to defend our Faith. It is also a grounding factor, along with the Sacraments and the Liturgy, in our call to holiness and sainthood. St. Athanasius learned a great deal about monastic living and their prayer life through St. Anthony. He understood how foundational prayer is in following Jesus. We too must focus on strengthening our prayer lives whether it be through Scripture, the Rosary, the Divine Office, or other devotions or forms of prayer. Prayer needs to be a central part of our day.

God wants us to be in communion with Him.
This is also connected with the previous two lessons. Prayer is one of the ways we commune with God, but it is important to remember that God desires for us to be in communion with him. It is one of the primary reasons he came to die for us. It can be difficult to remember this fact in periods of suffering, or it can be a struggle based on life experience. I was amazed the other day by how different our life experiences can be, even living in the same town. A friend and I stopped to help a stranded car, which was full of people who were older. I asked them if they were okay and what they needed. They did not have the means to get a tow or have anyone to help them. I offered to give them a ride home, but I had to first run home to put all of the seats back in my van. They were out because we helped someone move earlier in the week. I told them to stay put and I would be back in a few minutes. As I was about to leave one of the women in the back seat asked if I was going to charge them for the help. I was flabbergasted, not because I was offended, rather I was saddened that her experience of other people was based on payment instead of charity. I smiled and told them absolutely not. It took me a few minutes to get back and by then they were gone. Thankfully, it appears they got their car started or someone else helped them out. The point is, many people also have different views of God based on their experience. Perhaps it was a domineering parent, an addiction, divorce, abandonment, or other struggle which has distorted our view. These experiences can impede us in the spiritual life. St. Athanasius battled hard to share the depth of God’s love, goodness, and desire to be close to us.

St. Athanasius was a great defender of the Faith. He devoted his entire life to bringing people into communion with the Blessed Trinity. Through his example we too can learn to defend the truth of Catholicism no matter the cost. It is through prayer and the Sacraments that we are given the grace and strength to persevere and to grow closer to God. God is calling us to him. We must be willing to listen to his call and trust in where he leads us, because it is for our ultimate good. St. Athanasius, ora pro nobis.

Source: http://catholicexchange.com/practical-less..._eid=6396f20ec0

15 More Errors That Catholics Should Avoid Like the Plague

Happy Ascension Thursday!

A MUST VIEW for all concerned Malaysian Catholics.
An in-depth look at the upcoming gathering of clergies, religious and lay faithful that will chart the direction of our Malaysian Church for next ten years!

Towards the 4th Peninsular Malaysia Pastoral Convention (PMPC VI). 2nd-5th October, 2016 @ MAJODI Centre, Plentong.



Blessed Ascension Thursday!

201
Let us go back to the Gospels and take a look at what St Matthew tells us in chapter twenty-one. He described how Jesus 'returning to the city was hungry. And seeing a fig tree by the wayside he went up to it.' How wonderful, Lord, to see you hungry! To see you thirsty, too, by the well of Sichar! I contemplate you who are perfectus Deus, perfectus homo, truly God, yet truly man, with flesh like my flesh. 'He emptied himself, taking the form of a slave,' so that I should never have the slightest doubt that he understands me and loves me.

'He was hungry.' Whenever we get tired — in our work, in our studies, in our apostolic endeavours — when our horizon is darkened by lowering clouds, then let us turn our eyes to Jesus, to Jesus who is so good, and who also gets tired; to Jesus who is hungry and suffers thirst. Lord, how well you make yourself understood! How lovable you are! You show us that you are just like us, in everything but sin, so that we can feel utterly sure that, together with you, we can conquer all our evil inclinations, all our faults. For neither weariness nor hunger matter, nor thirst, nor tears... since Christ also grew weary, knew hunger, was thirsty, and wept. What is important is that we struggle to fulfil the will of our heavenly Father, battling away good-heartedly, for Our Lord is always at our side.


202
Jesus approaches the fig tree: he approaches you, he approaches me. Jesus hungers, he thirsts for souls. On the Cross he cried out Sitio!, 'I thirst'. He thirsts for us, for our love, for our souls and for all the souls we ought to be bringing to him, along the way of the Cross which is the way to immortality and heavenly glory.

He reached the fig tree 'and found nothing but leaves on it'. How deplorable. Does the same thing happen to us? Is the sad fact that we are lacking in faith, in dynamism in our humility? Have we no sacrifices, no good works to show? Is our Christianity just a facade, with nothing real behind it? This would be terrible, because Jesus goes on to command, 'Let no fruit ever grow on you hereafter. Whereupon the fig tree withered away.' This Gospel passage makes us feel sorry, yet at the same time encourages us to strengthen our faith, to live by faith, so that we may always be ready to yield fruit to Our Lord.

Let us not deceive ourselves: Our Lord does not depend in any way on the human results of our efforts. Our most ambitious projects are, for him, but child's play. What he wants are souls, he wants love. He wants all men to come to him, to enjoy his Kingdom for ever. We have to work a lot on this earth and we must do our work well, since it is our daily tasks that we have to sanctify. But let us never forget to do everything for his sake. If we were to do it for ourselves, out of pride, we would produce nothing but leaves, and no matter how luxuriant they were, neither God nor our fellow men would find any good in them.

http://www.escrivaworks.org/book/friends_o...-chapter-12.htm

Sunday, May 8, 2016
Seventh Sunday of Easter

Holy Gospel according to:
"" John 17:20-26 ""

Lifting up his eyes to heaven, Jesus prayed saying: “Holy Father, I pray not only for them, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, so that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us, that the world may believe that you sent me. And I have given them the glory you gave me, so that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may be brought to perfection as one, that the world may know that you sent me, and that you loved them even as you loved me. Father, they are your gift to me. I wish that where I am they also may be with me, that they may see my glory that you gave me, because you loved me before the foundation of the world.
Righteous Father, the world also does not know you, but I know you, and they know that you sent me. I made known to them your name and I will make it known, that the love with which you loved me may be in them and I in them.”

“God showered his blessings & miracles, always on you & your beautiful family; Amen †”


This post has been edited by khool: May 8 2016, 05:40 PM

Novena to the Holy Ghost
Friday after Ascension Thursday thru Saturday, the Vigil of Pentecost

This is the prototype of all novenas. It commemorates the nine days between the Ascension of Our Lord and the descent of the Holy Ghost on the first Pentecost Sunday. During this time Our Lady and the twelve Apostles prayed in the Cenacle for the coming of the Paraclete. Our Lord Himself instituted this novena, and it is celebrated every year by the whole Church.

Primary Intention: Like the Apostles, we pray that the Holy Ghost will come into our lives and set the Church and faithful on fire with true Apostolic zeal.

Secondary Intention: On Pentecost Sunday every year, we renew our consecration to Jesus through Mary as prescribed by Saint Louis Marie de Montfort. On this solemn occasion, we pray that we may be true to our consecration and live it ever more faithfully during the year to come. Every member of the Crusade should feel that he or she has a special obligation to make this novena.

Form for the novena: State the intentions given above, and then open your heart to God the Holy Ghost in this prayer:

O Holy Ghost, O my God, I adore Thee, and acknowledge, here in Thy divine presence, that I am nothing and can do nothing without Thee. Come, great Paraclete, Thou father of the poor, Thou comforter the best, fulfil the promise of our blessed Savior, Who would not leave us orphans, and come into the mind and the heart of Thy poor, unworthy creature, as Thou didst descend on the sacred day of Pentecost on the holy Mother of Jesus and on His first disciples. Grant that I may participate in those gifts which Thou didst communicate to them so wonderfully, and with so much mercy and generosity. Take from my heart whatever is not pleasing to Thee, and make of it a worthy dwelling-place for Thyself. Illumine my mind, that I may see and understand the things that are for my eternal good. Inflame my heart with pure love of Thee, that I may be cleansed from the dross of all inordinate attachments, and that my whole life may be hidden with Jesus in God. Strengthen my will, that I may be made comformable to Thy divine will, and be guided by Thy holy inspirations. Aid me by Thy grace to practice the divine lessons of humility, poverty, obedience, and contempt of the world, which Jesus taught us in His mortal life.

Oh, rend the heavens, and come down, consoling Spirit! that inspired and encouraged by Thee, I may faithfully comply with the duties of my state, carry my daily cross most patiently, and endeavor to accomplish the divine will with the utmost perfection. Spirit of love! Spirit of purity! Spirit of peace! Sanctify my soul more and more, and give me that heavenly peace which the world cannot give. Bless our Holy Father the Pope, bless the Church, bless our bishops, our priests, all Religious Orders, and all the faithful, that they may be filled with the spirit of Christ and labor earnestly for the spread of His kingdom.

O Holy Ghost, Thou Giver of every good and perfect gift, grant me, I beseech Thee, the intentions of this novena. May Thy will be done in me and through me. Mayest Thou be praised and glorified forevermore! Amen.

LET’S PREPARE OURSELVES FOR PENTECOST SUNDAY! HERE ARE SOME PRACTICAL TIPS



It is a beautiful long-standing tradition in the Catholic Church to interiorly prepare one’s self for Pentecost Sunday during which the Church commemorates the Descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles, fulfilling thus what Our Lord promised before ascending into heaven that He will send us the “Paraclete”, “Consoler” or the “Advocate”. Usually, the 10-day preparation begins on the Ascension Thursday (in some countries, Ascension is celebrated during this day, while in others on the 7th Sunday of Easter).

GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT IS THE THIRD PERSON OF THE MOST HOLY TRINITY and He is the LOVE WHICH “PROCEEDS FROM THE FATHER AND THE SON.” He is the SANCTIFIER, the One who makes us holy, shapes Our Lord Jesus Christ’s image and life in us if we are faithful and obedient to His grace.

This is the reason why WE MUST ALSO LEARN TO HAVE AN INTIMATE RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM BEING DOCILE TO THE INSPIRATIONS HE SENDS US MANY TIMES DURING THE DAY SO AS TO STAY ON THE PATH OF LOVE FOR GOD, THE PATH TOWARDS HOLINESS, which is nothing but OUR IDENTIFICATION WITH CHRIST, “TO BE OTHER CHRIST’S, CHRIST HIMSELF (ALTER CHRISTUS, IPSE CHRISTUS – St. Josemaria) ”.

HOW CAN WE PREPARE OURSELVES FOR PENTECOST? Here are some practical tips

1. Seek a PERSONAL and LOVING FRIENDSHIP WITH GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT all throughout the day making use of “HUMAN DEVICES” to REMIND YOURSELF OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, PRAY TO HIM AND INVOKE HIM.

• An example of a human device is the following: whenever you see a DOVE, a BIRD or any FLYING CREATURE for that matter (all these creatures were created by God and thus are good), say an aspiration like “COME, HOLY SPIRIT, FILL THE HEARTS OF YOUR FAITHFUL”; “GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT, LORD, THE GIVER OF LIFE, COME AND REST IN MY SOUL”; “COME HOLY SPIRIT, HELP ME BE DOCILE TO YOUR INSPIRATIONS” etc.

2. LEARN A PRAYER TO THE HOLY SPIRIT and pray it everyday whenever you want (when you wake up, when you start working, before giving a talk, class, conversation or meeting, before doing your daily examination of conscience at night…)

3. Be DOCILE to the many inspirations He whispers to your ear in your personal prayer, encouraging you to do what is good and avoid what is harmful or evil, or what can offend God or other people.

Dear friends, as St. Josemaria said, the Holy Spirit is the “Great Unknown” for among the Three Persons of the Most Blessed Trinity, He is the least dealt with. During these days, may we get to know Him, deal with Him more, in a loving and intimate friendship, convinced that WE ARE NOT ALONE... THE HOLY SPIRIT, LIVING IN OUR SOUL IN GRACE — GOD WITH US, — IS GIVING A SUPERNATURAL TONE TO ALL OUR THOUGHTS, DESIRES AND ACTIONS (cfr. St. Josemaria, “The Way,” n. 273)

Source: Catholics striving for Holiness

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