Did You Know?

A group of frogs is called an army

A group of owls is called a parliament

If you add up all the numbers from 1 to 100 consecutively (1 + 2 + 3...) it totals 5050

 
The Eiffel Tower has 1,792 steps

The first sailing boats were built in Egypt

A giraffe can clean its ears with its 21 inch tongue

 
Brazil borders every country in South America except Chile and Ecuador

 

Dolphins can detect underwater sounds from 24 km (15 miles) away

The average human brain contains around 78% water

 

Your most sensitive finger is your index finger (closest to your thumb)

The elevator was invented in 1850

The most commonly used word in English conversation is 'I'

An ostrich's eye is bigger than its brain

The sentence "the quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog" uses every letter in the English alphabet

 
The most commonly used letter in the alphabet is E

ALONE IN THE CROWD

DEFENDING OUR FAITH IN GOD.

Jeremiah was sad when he saw even his close friends mocking him. He was being persecuted by Pashhur, a priest. Pashhur was not pleased by what Jeremiah prophesied, so he hit him and put him in the stocks. Seeing that everyone was against him, Jeremiah wept in his heart and prayed to God, “Give heed to me, O Lord, and listen to what my adversaries say!” He was hurt, sad and broken. He was even more saddened by the fact that his friends jeered and mocked. But he had to say the word of God.

Jeremiah never allowed the pain caused by his adversaries to weigh him down. Those hurtful words tore into his heart like daggers, but he would not relent. He had to speak the Word; he would rather please God than be loved by men. It was hard, but he prayed to God, and God was his strength. Of course, God would not forsake him. God strengthened him and empowered him to preach to the nations. Even if Jeremiah chose never to speak again in the name of God, he could not rest because the Word set him on fire and moved him to speak. God’s work had to be done.

LESSON

Being alone in the crowd. That sounds rather contradictory. But that best describes the state in which Jeremiah found himself. Jeremiah, as a prophet of God, was very outspoken, and he had to suffer a lot of persecution for that. Even his own friends turned against him. The words of the psalmist probably rang in his head: If this had been done by an enemy I could bear his taunts (Psalm 55:12-14). But in the face of all this, Jeremiah made a firm resolution to preach the word of God; the same firm ground on which Paul stood when he said, “Woe to me if I do not proclaim the gospel” (1 Corinthians 9:18).

As Christians striving to defend our faith, from time to time, we are faced with many challenges. One of such challenges is being rejected by the world because of what we stand for. Even our closest friends and families reject us because of the Christ whom we believe in and proclaim. It is not strange. It is the path on which Christ trod, the path on which the prophets trod, the path on which the saints and holy people trod, and the path on which we must tread if we must share Christ’s glory.

But why suffer for following Christ. It is simple. Let us think of gold. Does not gold have to be refined by fire before its worth can be proven? Does crude oil not have to be distilled through heat before it can be properly appreciated? So also, we who vie for the crown of uprightness must fight the good fight (cf. 2 Timothy 4:6-8). But we have one consolation, that the Lord who raises the brokenhearted will rescue the just from all their afflictions (cf. Psalm 34:19).

Moreover, Christ strengthens us all the more when he says, “Have no fear of men…and do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.” (cf. Matthew 10:26,28a). The author of the first letter of St. Peter also assures everyone who suffers in the name of God the glory which awaits them (cf. 1 Peter 4:13-14). This assurance comes with a responsibility to preach Christ before men. Thus, Christ says, “Everyone who acknowledges me before men, I will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven; but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.” (Matt 10:32-33).

Therefore, we must not be discouraged when the world disowns us because of Christ. Rather, we must strive on for the love of God, and in the hope of the glory which is to be revealed on the last day. The victorious shall shine like stars in the kingdom of heaven.

PRAYER

Strengthen us, dearest Lord, in the face of adversity, and give us the boldness to speak of you before nations. Help us to remain resolute in obeying you, even when the world mocks us for doing your will, that you may ever be glorified in our lives, and in the world.

The Heart that Bleeds for Love

Sacred Heart of Jesus (Solemnity)

Sweet Heart of Jesus

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life…. No one has greater love than this to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 3:16; 15:13 NRSV)

It is quite amazing how one would choose to die just because of another person; because of someone who does not even deserve such love. Funny as it sounds, it is true. Christ is the manifestation of the love of the Father for his children. Even though no human actually merits such unfathomable love, it has been a part of God’s plan for the salvation of the fallen mankind. This love of the Father, given freely to man, persists throughout the history of man’s salvation – from creation to the crucifixion of Christ, and even to our own time. But what does it mean to us?

Of what use is this love which God so generously pours out on us? Christ calls us his “friends”, and that is what we are, by virtue of which we receive this unconditional love of God. Being friends of Christ saddles us with the duty of keeping his commandments (John 15:14). And what is the commandment of Christ? It is to “love one another as I have loved you” (John 15:12). Christ, in the words of Moses to the Israelites, gives us a new commandment which takes two dimensions. First, to “love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength”, and second, to “love your neighbour as yourself” (Mark 12:30-31 cf Deuteronomy 6:4-5)

Talking about love, we often misconceive it, don’t we? We say, “I love you” more often than we mean it (if we ever do mean it). Most times we define love by utility; we claim to love someone just because of what we stand to gain and for as long as that person is useful to us. Other times, we mistake lust for love. We love someone only to the extent to which our sexual desires can be met. Unfortunately, only very few of us, if any, do actually love. Love in its real sense is meant to be without expectation of anything in return. St. Paul rightly tells us what love is, and should be. He characterizes love with patience, kindness, and endurance, amongst other qualities (cf 1 Cor. 13:4-8a). These qualities clearly oppose the utilitarian understanding of love. We must, therefore, love as God loves, if we believe we are of God, if we say we know God. We must radiate God by the way we love. As such, St. John says, “We know love by this, that he laid down his life for us – and we ought to lay down our lives for one another…. Let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action.” (1John 3:16, 18)

The heart is the seat of emotions, greatest of which is love, the heart of Jesus is that which has the fullness of love; the heart which was pierced for the sake of his love for mankind; the heart that bleeds for love of us. We, for whom this heart bleeds, must love just as he loves us. As John says,

“Let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love. God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another, God lives in us and his love is perfected in us…. Those who say, “I love God,” and hate their brothers and sisters, are liars, for those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen. The commandment we have from him is this: those who love God must love their brothers and sisters also”. (1 John 4:7-12, 20-21)

PRAYER

Grant us, Lord, the grace to love you above all things, and our neighbour like ourselves. Help us to radiate to everyone that same love with which you have loved us, that the world may see you in us.

O Most Blessed Light Divine, Shine Within These Hearts of Thine!

“Oh my God, a storm is coming, Mary!”, Mary of Magdala shouted to the mother of Jesus, “Where’s Peter?” Mary of Magdala was always there with Mary the mother of Jesus, who was still trying hard to get over the events of the past few weeks. For Jesus’ mother, it did not really matter if a storm was coming. Nothing could be more turbulent than watching her only son suffer and die. Even when Christ could not be held bound in the grave, she still pondered all these things in her heart, and yet all she said was, “As it pleases my Lord”.

Everyone was gripped with fear as the wind grew stronger and more violent. They all gathered around the mother of the Christ, who had become their matriarch too. They feared eve more as the room quaked. What’s happening? they questioned in their hearts.

Mary knew what she saw. They were flames of fire. What happened next was what she could not explain. Yes, she heard herself speak a language she’d never spoken before. She saw people laugh at her and other apostles. She heard them say to themselves, “Look, they have all taken a lot of new wine”. They scoffed, mocked and jeered, and said, “These weird people are at it again. Hear them speaking our languages”.

The Lord’s will was done, his promise was fulfilled. The advocate had come. He was the Spirit of the Father and the Son, the Comforter. The Church of Jesus Christ had been born on that day. No longer would they witness to Christ in secret. They had been empowered and commissioned to tell the world about Jesus, who had died and was raised from the dead and taken up to heaven. They has received the mandate to speak before kings and judges. Of course, they would suffer. They were going to be arrested, chained, beaten, dragged along the streets, and even killed. Yes, killed! That same Spirit of the Father who raised Jesus from the dead would raise them into the glory of the Father on the last day.

HOLY SPIRIT, LORD OF LIGHT

The Holy Spirit, the third person of the Holy Trinity, whom we celebrate today, is he who exists with the Father and the Son, even before time began. This coming of the advocate whom the Lord Jesus had promised his apostles, saw to the birth of the Church of Jesus the Christ. This Spirit is here presented in seven dimensions, as follows:

i.                 The Spirit of Love

ii.               The Spirit of Unity

iii.             The Spirit of Courage

iv.             The Spirit of Fervor

v.               The Spirit of Light (Truth)

vi.             The Spirit of Forgiveness and Reconciliation

vii.           The Spirit of Life

The Spirit of Love is the manifestation of the love of the Father and the Son. It is he who inspire us, like he did the apostles, to carry out good deeds out of the love of God. For this, St. Paul says that every claim of possession of charisms of the Spirit is in vain if one does not love as God loves us. (1 Cor. 13)

The Spirit of Unity is he who has always been, and ever will be united with the Father and the Son in the Trinity. It is he who unites every part of the one body of Christ, the Church. (1 Cor. 12:12-31) It is he who unites every nation, every tongue, and every people on earth, under the banner of God’s Children.

Filled with the Spirit of Courage, the apostles could speak out boldly before kings and rulers and crowds. He is the Spirit who strengthens us and gives us the audacity to speak about Jesus, to live Christ-like lives. It is this Spirit that enables us to say no to sin without blinking an eye. (Acts Ch. 4)

David prayed for the Spirit of Fervor. This is he who holds us firm in goodness. He makes us able to persevere even when we seem to have lost our strength. This Holy Spirit makes us, like he did the apostle, to stand put ground in doing what is right and pleasing to God. (Psalm 51, Acts 5:17ff; Acts 6:8ff; Acts 7:54-8:3)

The Spirit of Light illumines our lives. He shows us the path of life. He is the Spirit of Truth. In the darkest moments of our lives, he is always there to shine his light on us. He makes known to us the will of the Father, and guides us to do this will. (John 16:12-15)

The Spirit of Forgiveness and Reconciliation: After his resurrection, Christ breathed the Holy Spirit on the apostles, giving them power to forgive sins. This Spirit lightens our hearts to forgive our offenders and to ask for pardon when we err. (John 20:20-23)

In the beginning, when God made man, he breathed into the clay form the Spirit of Life. This is he who gives life to our mortal bodies, the Spirit of the Father who raised Jesus from the dead. The Spirit of life renews us in our dryness and revives us in our weakness. (Ezekiel 37:1-14; Psalm 104:29b-30; Genesis 2:7)

PRAYER

Dear God, send forth your Spirit, we pray, and enlighten our hearts, that we may know you the one true God, and Jesus Christ your Son, the saviour of the world.