IN MEMORY OF MY MOTHER

It has been twenty six years since you were gone ,

And yet the memories of caring moments and
togetherness lingers,
A mother's love, A mother's care
Tender and warm,
Enshrined in a daughter's heart forever...

Our rustic hometown of yester-years,
our old home.. your presence,
Laughters, Sharing.... simple meals,
Meaningful moments together
The memories are all part of you...

Life was simple and tough but ..
They were beautiful and wonderful years....
Family gatherings, festive joys
Comfort, wise words....
The family complete ;
Held together ...
Through a mother's love

But somehow, we did not fully see
how bright your Light and Strength
were..mom
Until it ceased to shine..
But ever since then, every year,
as we, ourselves grow older
We understand much more;
How it had been for you-
And our appreciation of you grows. ..


Thank you mom..
Rest in the peace of the Lord

Prayer for the Day

In you my Lord and my God,
I place all my trust.
Give protection oh God,
against all evil and harm.

Keep safe Oh God,
My spirit, my soul
and my physicial being
From those who seek
to plunder and cause
discord; those who used
the power of darkness
to shut out my light

And in you, my Lord and my God,
I concrete the harmony, love
and peace in my household
That the joy, you have given
me may remain intact forever.

I love Him who strengthens me

Yes, Lord, immensely. How could we not, when it is your strength which props us up; your loving presence which protects us; the wisdom and radiance of your Holy Spirit which lights up our paths in life?

From the protected sanctuary of Paradise, to the harsh unpredictability of life outside the safe haven, arising from that one instance of disobedience. One man brought sin into the world..And every since then , mankind was thrust out into the unknown to face the harsh elements, the cold, the hunger, the thirst, survival out in the wilds and what it may bring- .... Mankind was to suffer, feel pain, cry, stricken with sickness, age and then die.

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And we, children born with the stains of that original sin unfortunately, also inherit the natural human tendencies to sin , to seek the pleasures of life .Our eyes are easily drawn and seduced by the glitters of life- We find it hard to resist the call of power and material wealth.. and in so doing, move further away from the light and the kingdom of God. The consequences, as many of us know, is often grief, lack of peace and sufferings. Folks, it does not mean that because we are such sinners, we cannot turn back to God for solace and healing, it does not mean that we cannot be with God. On the contrary, our God and Father, is all knowing and all seeing. He sees our weakness; he knows our faults. He knows everything there is about us, there is no hiding from Him. He has no anger, only compassion . In Micah 7: 18-19: We are told that God " "does not retain his anger for ever because he delights in steadfast love. He will again have compassion for us, He will tread our iniquities under foot and cast all our sins into the depths of the sea." All that is required of us is to believe in the Word., His Word... . We are further reminded by Jesus in Matt 9:13, " I have not come to call the righteous but sinners".

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The Father and the Creator does not want his children to continue walking in darkness and in pain. In his mercy, He gave us the gift of reconciliation. He sent His Love and Strength in the form of His Son, Christ Jesus, into the world, to heal the rift cause by our first parent, that we may all receive forgiveness of our sins; and be brought back into the safe sanctuary of his kingdom. One man, Adam, brought sin into the world , closing the doors to the Kingdom of God. Another man, Christ Jesus was sent into the world, out of Love, to show Mankind, the Light and the Way, to die for the forgiveness of sins that all who believe, may find life, and enter the Kingdom of God.. The new covenant, of renewed love between a Father and his children.....

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Peace abounds in His kingdom. The teachings of the Saviour- " Love the Lord, thy God with your whole heart and soul" and "Your neighbour as yourself". Two simple commandments which forms the basis and foundation leading into the kingdom of God. The wedges of sin weakens our mind,body, and soul that without God's Love and strength, we cannot see the path which leads us into the valley of peace and wisdom. We are here because He call us, He has chosen us, He wants us to take our place in the safe sanctuary of His Kingdom. Folks, we are privileged to be chosen people of God. Let us pray for those who have yet to know the Love of God. May their ears and hearts be opened to receive the gift of Faith that they too see the glory of God and be saved.

Make disciples of all Nations Matt 28:19

God sends his only son into the world to cleanse mankind of their sins , thereby opening the Kingdom of God, to those who have ears to hear, eyes to see and hearts to believe and accept Christ Jesus as their Way in to the Journey of Life. He has come , He has given us the teachings, the fundamentals , the directions, and the commandments which will bring the Spirit of Truth into our lives. He had shed his blood for us , died, was buried and had risen and now resides with the Father in Heaven. In his place He had sent the Counsellor, the Holy Spirit to be among us so that the New Way of life may be empowered and made known to the ends of the earth. John 14:26. " Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age. Matt 28: 19-20.

The new covenant made it possible for salvation to be opened to all believers, that all who believe and accept Christ into their hearts and souls may become children of God. Yes, Faith has the power to open the way back to the Father. Romans 8:15- "When we cry "Abba! Father! it is the Spirit himself bearing witness with our Spirit that we are children of God". We are not adopted children of God, because, we are already His children -from the beginning:- Gen 1:1-"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." We are part of His creation and so are a part of Him. And His love is so great that He had commanded that salvation be brought to the uttermost parts of the earth... Acts 13:47. From the Jews to the Gentiles.. ... That all who believes may enter the kingdom of God and have salvation.
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From Paul and the first apostles, to the present day ..the task of evangelising and spreading the good news of the Lord Jesus Christ, continues and will continue till the end of time; for the Lord had come not only for a chosen few but that all may be saved.. Today and as always, the parish calls for more disciples and apostles to reach out and guide lost sheep back into the fold. Through BEC activities; community services and every day living, we are called to live the life of Christ Jesus, that others may be touched and inspired thus give glory to God and in so doing, accept the way of the cross and into the Kingdom of God. It is not enough to be Catholics and Christians in name; it does not count how piously you carry out your religious obligations - but if you do not love your neighbour as yourself , then you are not true disciples of Christ Jesus.
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The harvest is great but the labourers are few and there is an urgent call for more faithful, to come in and help with the harvest. Listen to the wisdom of the Spirit within you and make use of that special talents given you. It may be contributions for the Lord in writing, teaching, providing comfort ..care .or the listening ear.. anything. It could simply be a Christian action - stop gossiping and making unkind remarks about another person. Stop being judgemental etc.....The Act of Christ. in us....Have you started emulating Christ Jesus ? Have you reach out to a neighbour today? Have you shown kindness to someone today? Have you stopped causing hurt to others today? There are many more "have you"- folks but the self examination and the change must come from within you . The desire to do good deeds emerge from yourself without the push from anybody, except the personal desire to be Christlike...

In Him who strengthens us, all things are possible!

This morning, I am thankful, another member of my family made the decision to attend the early mass celebrations, despite returning home from work way past midnight.. The "Thank You" that was sung as the Thanksgiving hymn , became very significant....Yesterday, when I was caught in massive traffic jams coming back from a workshop, and that had prevented me from reaching Klang until, well - 7.00p.m., I was raging mad but then, this morning, I was grateful. Yes Lord, a bright new day had started.......

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Around noon, when I opened the Catholic Daily -Herald, the words , " We can do all things in Him who strengthen us", caught my attention. A friend had forwarded an email to me a few days back and I had totally ignored it, until just before I read the Herald and when I opened the mail, it carried the story of how a child born prematurely and declared, as having a very limited life span, by the doctors, miraculously survived to lead a perfectly healthy, normal life, albeitly, after some months of anxiety. Years later, this very chatty little girl, sitting on her mother's lap, out of the blues, asked whether she, the mom, could smell anything... her mother could only smell rain coming and told her so, but the little girl announced loudly, " No, it smells like Him- It smells like God when you lay your head on His chest."

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The mother was overwhelmed, her daughter's words confirmed what she and all members of her extended family had known, in their hearts, all along, that during those long anxious days and nights, when her daughter's life hang on a thread, God had been holding her little girl on His chest and it was His loving scent that she remembers so well. There was this little message attached to the email which says, " I can do all things in Him who strengthens me." It may be just a coincidence but it certainly appears to be sending me a strong message- " We can do all things in Him who strengthens us". Normally, I would just delete "forwards" which bore any resemblance to a chain letter, without even reading them but today, something made me read the story right to the end and it sorts of, lit up the grey matters, a lot more.... Yes people! "We can do all things in Him who strengthen us."

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It also brought back grateful memories of those dark days of drought, especially, the one time, when I was really, down and out. The car was not road worthy and I had to travel far and so I prayed- everyday, to the Holy Mother that she prays together with me,that God protects the vehicle, kept it running and trouble free until, such time, there was funds to carry out the repairs. Folks, believe it or not, the car functioned and behaved well enough, until the day, funds came in. That very day, it just refused to move anymore, but it took me home safely first, before it well , in a very conversational term " died-ed " on me.. Folks, what could it be, if not, the grace, the mercy and love of God? The mechanic had to be called to move the vehicle to the workshop which was thankfully near my home. Something about some "arm" ???!! being broken and it was a wonder I did not .....Frightful words.....In my heart, I knew , it was God, who had kept a protective arm round me, God, who had kept a strong grip on my vehicle and had kept me safe. So many instances, so many occasions for me to say "thank you" Lord. Even though, I travelled through so many deserts, you had always made sure there were oasis of respite for me... Yes, Thank You Lord and Thank You Blessed Mother for praying alongside me...

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Where would we be without Him? Indeed, "We can do all things in Him who strengthens us".

The Power of Deep Conviction and Prayer

"Lord made fruitful , our labour, our aspirations in this life", the gist of a good shepherd's opening' prayer for his congregation, the sheep under his care. A beautiful prayer to start off a new week with trust, with confidence, with belief and grace of God in our hearts. Be still and Listen, allow the words to flow in and together as a congregation lift up the prayer to the Heavenly Father...., such conviction and passion....surely a Father will not turn away but shower his blessings upon all his people gathered to worship Him.

We may not be liked for certain comments but sometimes these thoughts needed to be voiced out. I do not know whether people agree with me when I say that sometimes , when a mass is celebrated as a routine ritual ; the passion and the worship is sometimes missing and we go away just fulfilling our weekly obligations, we partake of the Eucharist without experiencing the presence of the Living Christ, in us. John 4:23-24 reminds us " True worshippers will worship the Father in Spirit and truth, for such the Father seeks to worship him; God is Spirit and those who worship him must worship in Spirit and Truth." Folks, do you agree with me, that rituals without the deep passion of faith and belief are like words fluttering aimlessly in the air,without a destination and that will vanish- pooh! away without so much of a trace and that will do nothing for us spiritually?. But a worship session, a mass celebration, focusing and believing in the living presence of Christ Jesus in the celebrations itself , will surely turn the bread into the body and blood of Christ Jesus , that those who partake of His Body and Blood shall be blessed and strengthen . . The commandment " Do this in memory of me" shall come alive and the significance of this act shall live on in our hearts, that the world may know us as people of faith...and children of God..

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I am thankful to God, for our veteran Shepherds who still celebrates the Eucharist with deep conviction and ardent worship that it emits great power for God's blessings and healing upon the whole congregation. When we gather together as one body, to worship our God, is it not true that we want his love to embrace us, for Him to remove all our anxieties in life and for Him to take care of our every needs? When a Resident Shepherd of any parish raises his voice to pray for his congregation, with conviction and sincerity, that passion will touch God, and that congregation will be blessed indeed.. Is it not true that when a man of deep faith and much loved by God prays for us, our prayers are often answered? May God bless our Parish and Shepherd and keep alive ,the eternal love and promise of God in our hearts.

Transformation

That I was curious how this topic would be handled is an understatement. We are talking about the last session of the Spirit Seminar. The topic for the evening - Transformation.

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How do we define Transformation in the Christian context? It is centred on the perfect and eternal love of God. "For God so loved the world, that He gave his only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but has everlasting life." John 3:16 God sends his Only Son to give us enlightenment, to open our hearts, eyes and ears that we may receive the Spirit of Wisdom and be transformed into the New Way and the New Life, He has shown us, that we may rise above the turmoil , the darkness, the fear and entrust ourselves fully, to the care of the Loving Father in Heaven. The gift of a faith that will move mountains and give new life.

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Our talented and dynamic speaker for the night, SisterGetrude banged the nail straight on the head when she said that, it is crucial that transformation must start and begin from within, one must have the desire, to want change and start to action change before any good could flow out to touch and transform others... our thoughts, our words, our actions and deeds..- Christlike . . .

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When we experience Transformation, we become aware of our sinful state, and our heart and soul cries out in repentance. Our eyes are opened to our own imperfect state, and we become more humble and tolerant to the imperfections in others. We become less judgemental; more generous; we become more willing to come down to the level of others; reach out and embrace others and in so doing, unleashed the power of goodness, peace and love to radiate outwards...bright enough to touch the hearts of each and everyone in this universe to bring about positive and powerful changes ....for that universal transformation. Remember the world is made up of ticking hearts and souls....

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How wonderful it would be if every individual in this universe experiences this positive transformation , if our mindset changes for the better; if each and everyone of us are empowered with the wisdom of choice and that choice leads us into the kingdom of God. The world then will be a much better place to live in and the Peace which God intends us to have , fills and brims over, filling the whole wide world ....

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Yes, I echo the thanks and acknowledgement to all members of the prayer group, the powerful musicial voices of the Youth Group .....and to you, yourself sister.....the sharing, the total WOW factor! Hey people you were great!! Till the next LSS!!