How to “Go in Peace, Glorifying the Lord by your Life”
Ruth Baker | 2015 | Catholic Faith | Liturgy 07/12/2015

Do you ever think about these words said to us by the priest at the end of Mass? Too often, I’m flicking through the hymn book to find the last hymn, and I miss their significance. Every phrase said in the Mass is there because it is important, so this isn’t just a convenient way for the priest to sign off and depart the sanctuary. We really are meant to go in peace! And we really are meant to glorify the Lord by our lives! But how?

I think we understand the big things we can do in our lives to glorify God. We know the big changes, sacrifices and commitments that we make for our faith. We may already do some beautiful things with our lives for the glory of God; raising a family, running a church youth group, helping the elderly, grafting hard to support ourselves in a job. If we’re already doing that, however, how can we continue to ‘glorify the Lord by our lives’- our day-to-day lives? Here are some tiny ways we can do this.

1. First, Go in Peace!
During the Mass, we bring ourselves to God- our whole selves. We bring our joys, struggles, heartbreaks, frustrations, boredom and sin and we give it all to the Lord. In return, He gives us His whole self in the Eucharist and we are told to go in peace. Have you ever met a person who is at peace with themselves? They are often full of light and very joyful to be around. They can give a lot of themselves because they know to Whom they belong and that they are loved.



After the Mass, we dive right back into our busy lives. Going in peace does not mean that we float away from Mass and exist in a perfect bubble of unrealistic tranquillity. No, true peace is much stronger than that. Going in Peace means that we can leave Mass and head back into our fragile, stressful and maybe at times sorrowful lives, yet remaining strong in the conviction that we are loved, we are not alone, and that Christ suffers everything with us. It is a strength that we can carry deep within our hearts; it sustains us in every situation and setting.

In John’s Gospel, the disciples are hiding together in one room after the events of the Crucifixion. Suddenly, Jesus appears among them. It is the first time He has seen most of them after His passion. Does He start berating them, calling them out for their betrayals of Him in His greatest hour of need? Does He upbraid them for hiding away in the room? No, the first thing He immediately says is “Peace be with you.” (John 20: 19-23)

Now for the ‘Glorifying the Lord with Your Life Part!
The best way we can glorify God in the little things in life is by acting with integrity in all we do. According to Google, the word ‘integrity’ has two meanings, both of which are relevant here:





Having integrity means that we do all we can to live a life where nothing is at odds with who we are as Christians- where someone could see that there is no part of our life, no matter how small, that clashes with our faith. This doesn’t mean we act like cold, emotionless robots with no personality, or only do overtly Christian things, but it does mean that we strive to live a life where we give value to the little things of our lives and make sure that they matter too.

There are ways we can glorify the Lord with our lives that are so small they may not even seem important. Yet Christ came into our world and became small for us too, that in His littleness we too could share something of His glory.

Have you thought about these little things? Here is a list (by no means exhaustive) to get you thinking.

*Reduce how much you use your headphones in public. Even if you don’t have conversations with strangers, being aware of who is around you and what their needs might be is better than constantly cutting yourself from the world via earbuds.

*When talking to people, give them your full and undivided attention. Don’t check your phone or be busy with something else. Look them in the eye and let them know you care.

*Be patient when you are driving.

*Do one job at a time, carefully and calmly until it is done.

*At work or in study, focus on what you are doing and don’t procrastinate online.

*Be creative with your language: swearing is lazy! Think about what the words actually mean when you swear! Find something else to say instead!

*Pick your clothes up off the floor- respect yourself and your space.

*Make your bed in the morning.

*Take care not to make facetious remarks that others may interpret as offensive, even if you don’t mean it that way.

*Be careful with exaggerations, especially when talking to other people, so as to always keep things with the truth and to avoid gossip.

*Offer praise to God in your heart whenever you can.

*Don’t hit the snooze button but say yes to waking life every morning.

Often we can think that the small things don’t matter. But it is doing the small things well that builds us into people of integrity, and it is these small things that others notice and comment on. It is in these small things that others see a witness of our faith. We are called to be people of light- and in that very way, we can glorify the Lord by our lives.

Source: http://catholic-link.org/2015/12/07/how-to-go-in-peace/

Are the Works of Mercy Ever Obligatory?
Two questions about “mercy” were recently asked of me. Since we are soon to embark on the “Year of Mercy” proclaimed by Pope Francis, and since there is much confusion about the subject in general, I thought it worthy of our attention to consider these questions in an Ad Rem.

Are any of the spiritual or corporal works of mercy obligatory
Is there any sense in which we could call them works of justice?
The answer to them both is Yes. Here, I will explain only the first question. At some future date, I hope to return to the second.

To reply more fully to the first question, we have to consider the nature of mercy as a virtue. Saint Thomas Aquinas cites Saint Augustine, who defines mercy as, “heartfelt sympathy for another’s distress, impelling us to succor him if we can. For mercy takes its name “misericordia” from denoting a man’s compassionate heart [miserum cor] for another’s unhappiness.”

The Latin word miser gives us the English word “misery.” Mercy is the virtue whereby we are moved to relieve the misery of another, either his misery of body (“corporal”) or his misery of soul (“spiritual”). Traditionally, catechisms list the corporal works of mercy this way:

To feed the hungry;
To give drink to the thirsty;
To clothe the naked;
To shelter the homeless;
To visit the sick;
To ransom the captive;
To bury the dead.
And the spiritual works of mercy are given thus:

To instruct the ignorant;
To counsel the doubtful;
To admonish sinners;
To bear wrongs patiently;
To forgive offenses willingly;
To comfort the afflicted;
To pray for the living and the dead.
These two lists were known to Saint Thomas Aquinas, so they are at least as old as the thirteenth century. For the Angelic , they are collectively known as “Almsdeeds,” which may strike us as curious — until we come to discover that the Latin word for alms is eleēmosyna, which is derived from the Greek word, ἐλεημοσύνη, which comes from the Greek word for “mercy,” ἔλεος (elios). Our modern English word, alms — which is derived from these Greek and Latin words, by the way — has a much more restrictive meaning, while being nonetheless related.

We know from Holy Scripture that works of mercy can be absolutely obligatory, at least on certain occasions. How do we know? From the general judgment scene according to Saint Matthew (25:31-46). If we tally up the list of good deeds that the sheep did and the goats failed to do, we get six. With slight wording differences, and minus one “work,” this is identical to our list of seven corporal works of mercy. Not mentioned in the Gospel is “to bury the dead,” which comes to us from the book of Tobias (1:20 and 12:12).

We have elsewhere shown the obvious ramifications of the passage from Saint Matthew vis-a-vis the “Faith and Good Works” debate between Catholics and Protestants. We will not dwell on it here, but it should be noticed at least in passing that the just were rewarded for doing these works of mercy (“good works”), whereas the unrighteous were damned for omitting them. For the “goats” in the final judgment scene, these works of mercy were obviously necessary for salvation; because they omitted them, they were damned. Denying that conclusion would be rash in the face of the clear biblical evidence.

The above is not the only biblical testimony. Elsewhere, the Beloved Disciple asks, rhetorically: “He that hath the substance of this world, and shall see his brother in need, and shall put up his bowels from him, how doth the charity of God abide in him?” (1 John 3:17). Note that if we have not the charity of God abiding in us, we have sinned mortally and have lost the theological virtue of charity along with sanctifying grace.

The list of spiritual works of mercy does not have one clear Biblical passage that presents (almost) all of them, as does the catalogue of corporal works. That they are to be found in Holy Writ is, however, undeniable. The web site of the Archdiocese of Detroit helpfully lists several biblical references for each of the fourteen works of mercy.

For all these works, their necessity arises from circumstances. Those damned in Matthew 25 were damned because they refused the works of mercy when they had occasion to perform them. In other words, a clear moral obligation presented itself and they failed to meet it. To cite another example, the priest and the levite who passed by the man who fell among robbers in the Parable of the Good Samaritan each committed a sin of omission, while the Samaritan himself performed a good deed and was therefore “neighbor” to him that fell among the robbers. Literally, in English, a neighbor is one who is nigh, that is, “near.” In this parable, the occasion is presented, the good deed is refused, a sin is committed. Alternatively, a good deed is done — and for the right motive — and a meritorious good work is successfully completed, leading to a reward on judgment day.

As the Catholic Encyclopedia points out:

The doing of works of mercy is not merely a matter of exalted counsel; there is as well a strict precept imposed both by the natural and the positive Divine law enjoining their performance. That the natural law enjoins works of mercy is based upon the principle that we are to do to others as we would have them do to us.

Saint Thomas affirms the obligatory character of the works of mercy in his reply to the question, “Is the giving of alms a matter of precept?”

In the Immaculate Heart of Mary,
Brother André Marie, M.I.C.M.

Lego style!

hey guys, did you went to the opening of the door ?
was awesome

Oh, I read about this ... done by bunch of dumb Christian converts right? The article is below ...

Nevada Catholic churches targeted in bizarre string of protests

Oh how was it?

Here's a video of how the jubilee doors were opened previously..hehe. During the solemn procession, we can hear the singing of the Veni Creator.

I went for the Church of Divine Mercy one, Archbishop Emeritus Murphy Pakiam celebrated the event. It was awesome!!!

Breaking news
http://aleteia.org/blogs/deacon-greg-kandr...g-allahu-akbar/

Darn those radical Buddhist extremists!!!! ...

And another video from the Holy Year of 1950

St John Cathedral's one was awesome too.. but crrrrrrrrrrrrowded....

You mean this one:

Please take note, Christmas eve and Christmas day Mass times for Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur can be found in the link below ... it's a day of obligation yaaa?

https://archkl.org/index.php/2015-christmas-mass-schedule

:D:idea:

Drop down dew, ye heavens, from above, and let the clouds rain the just: let the earth be opened, and bud forth a saviour. - Isaiah 45:8

This prophecy of Isaiah in the Old Testament foretold the coming of the Saviour, who is from above (Divine), yet also from the earth (Man). Not just a mere prophet like the other prophets.

https://churchpop.com/2015/12/20/5-ways-pro...very-christmas/

Word to the wise ...



Amen, and have a blessed Christmas week!

Do Roman Catholics study the scriptures?
Or do they depend solely on their priests to teach them?

Yes, there are bible study classes available in many parishes. The only difference with non-Catholic groups is that scripture study in Catholic settings are guided in conformity to Tradition, and the Magisterium, not everyone interpreting according to their whims and fancy.

"But there are also many other things which Jesus did; which, if they were written every one, the world itself, I think, would not be able to contain the books that should be written." - John 21:25

"Wherefore, dearly beloved, waiting for these things, be diligent that you may be found before him unspotted and blameless in peace. And account the longsuffering of our Lord, salvation; as also our most dear brother Paul, according to the wisdom given him, hath written to you: As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are certain things hard to be understood, which the unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, to their own destruction. You therefore, brethren, knowing these things before, take heed, lest being led aside by the error of the unwise, you fall from your own steadfastness. But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and unto the day of eternity. Amen." - 2 Peter 3:14-18