Feast of Saint Thomas, Apostle ~ 3 July 2014

Thomas believed because he saw.

If we begin to doubt, 

we must turn to God and ask for more faith.

Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.

Thomas was one of the fisherman on the Lake of Galilee whom Jesus called to be His one of His twelve Apostles and was also known as "Doubting Thomas" due to his unwillingness to believe the other apostles in their claim that Jesus had risen from the dead. Thomas followed his beloved master Jesus everywhere, and feared no danger. One day, when Jesus spoke of going to Judea, to awaken Lazarus from the dead, some of His disciples opposed Him, saying: "Rabbi, the Jews but now sought to stone Thee, and goest Thou thither again?" They probably feared that they would have to suffer with Him. Thomas, however, more courageous than the others, said: "Let us also go, that we may die with Him." (John 11:16). By these words the Apostle manifested that no fear of death would separate him from Christ; and that, rather than leave Him, he would die with Him. Thomas was also called "Didymus" (Greek for "twin"). 

Thomas preached the Gospel in Asia beyond the frontiers of the Roman Empire, probably in Persia, Media and as far as India where he died a martyr's death. Thomas set foot in south-western India at the ancient and extinct port of Muziris (near Kodungallur in Kerala) in 52 AD. After preaching and establishing Christian communities in different parts of India, he suffered martyrdom at Mylapur (near Chennai, in Tamil Nadu) in 72 AD. St. Thomas is the patron saint for people struggling with doubt, blind people, architects, builders, carpenters, construction workers, geometricians, stone masons, surveyors, theologians, Italy, India and Sri Lanka.

Grant, almighty God, that we may glory in the Feast of the blessed Apostle Thomas, so that we may always be sustained by his intercession and, believing, may have life in the name of Jesus Christ your Son, whom Thomas acknowledged as the Lord. Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. AMEN.

3 July, 2014 - Thursday
Feast of Saint Thomas, Apostle

Reading 1

Ephesians 2:19-22
Brothers and sisters:
You are no longer strangers and sojourners,
but you are fellow citizens with the holy ones
and members of the household of God,
built upon the foundation of the Apostles and prophets,
with Christ Jesus himself as the capstone.
Through him the whole structure is held together
and grows into a temple sacred in the Lord;
in him you also are being built together
into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.

Responsorial Psalm 

Psalm 117:1bc, 2
R. (Mk 16:15) Go out to all the world and tell the Good News.
Praise the LORD, all you nations;
glorify him, all you peoples!
R. Go out to all the world and tell the Good News.
For steadfast is his kindness for us,
and the fidelity of the LORD endures forever.
R. Go out to all the world and tell the Good News.

Gospel 

John 20:24-29
Thomas, called Didymus, one of the Twelve,
was not with them when Jesus came.
So the other disciples said to him, “We have seen the Lord.”
But Thomas said to them,
“Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands
and put my finger into the nailmarks
and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”
Now a week later his disciples were again inside
and Thomas was with them.
Jesus came, although the doors were locked,
and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you.”
Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands,
and bring your hand and put it into my side,
and do not be unbelieving, but believe.”
Thomas answered and said to him, “My Lord and my God!”
Jesus said to him, “Have you come to believe because you have seen me?
Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.”

Prayer

O glorious Apostle Thomas! who didst lead to Christ so many unbelieving nations, hear now the prayers of the faithful, who beseech thee to lead them to that same Jesus, Who, in five days, will have shown Himself to His Church. That we may merit to appear in His divine presence, we need, before all other graces, the light which leads to Him. That light is Faith; then, pray that we may have Faith. Heretofore, our Saviour had compassion on thy weakness, and deigned to remove from thee the doubt of His having risen from the grave; pray to Him for us, that He will mercifully come to our assistance, and make Himself felt by our heart. We ask not, O holy Apostle! to see Him with the eyes of our body, but with those of our faith, for He said to thee, when He showed himself to thee: Blessed are they who have not seen, and have believed! 

Of this happy number, we desire to be. We beseech thee, therefore, pray that we may obtain the Faith of the heart and will, that so, when we behold the divine Infant wrapped in swaddling-clothes and laid in a manger, we may cry out: My Lord! and my God! Pray, O holy Apostle, for the nations thou didst evangelise, but which have fallen back again into the shades of death. May the day soon come, when the Sun of Justice will once more shine upon them. Bless the efforts of those apostolic men, who have devoted their labours and their very lives to the work of the Missions; pray that the days of darkness may be shortened, and that the countries, which were watered by thy blood, may at length see that kingdom of God established amongst them, which thou didst preach to them, and for which we also are in waiting. Amen.

Discovering the face of Saint Anthony of Padua

Evangelisation in the modern World

F.I.R.E ~ A Pentecost Experience ~ St.Francis Xavier Church, PJ

Organiser : 

R.O.C.K - Reflectors of Christ's Kingdom

SFX's Catholic Charismatic Renewal Prayer Group

Email:

ROCK.sfxpj.yahoo.com

For more information contact,

Audrey Choo ~ 6016 3376120

or Michelle Goh ~ 6012 9150067

Norbertine Canons

The Norbertine Order (Premonstratensians) was founded  in the early 2th century by St. Norbert of Xanten (1080-1134) in the valley of Prémontré (modern day France.) The Canons Regular of Prémontré, also known as the Premonstratensians, Norbertines, or White Canons consist of a group of Roman Catholic priests, brothers, sisters, deacons and novices.

Norbertines profess:

1. Poverty that demands simplicity of life and the sharing of our lives and talents with each other and with those we minister to.
2. Consecrated celibacy that opens us to growth in the Spirit in union with others.
3. Obedience that opens us as fully as possible to God's will.

As ‘canons’ we are dedicated to the dignified and public celebration of the Eucharist and the Liturgy of the Hours (Divine Office) in choir each day.

At its peak, in the early 1300’s the order numbered over 10,000 members. Today there are about 1200 Norbertines in communities in France, Belgium, Netherlands, Britain (England), Ireland (Republic), Denmark, Germany, Spain, Italy, Austria, Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovak Republic, Poland, Romania, Switzerland, Russia, United States of America, Canada, South Africa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Brazil, Peru, India and Australia.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Norbertine-Canons-of-Queens-Park-WA/134980337953

Feast of Saint Anne ~ 2014, Port Klang, Selangor, Malaysia

Good St. Anne, 

mother of our Blessed Virgin Mary 

who is our life, 

our sweetness 

and hope, 

pray to her for us 

and obtain our request.

Come and Celebrate the Joy of the Gospel

17 July 2014 (Thursday)

to

27 July 2014 (Sunday)

Direction for those from 

Lebuhraya Persekutuan (Federal Highway)

1. From Lebuhraya Persekutuan (Federal Highway) turn of on to Persiaran Sultan Ibrahim.
2. Drive all the way for about 1.5km on Persiaran Sultan Ibrahim before cutting right on to Jalan Jambatan Kota. 
3. Stay on Jalan Jambatan Kota for about 1.5km, then stay right for 400m on Jalan Jambatan Kota.
4. before cutting right on to Persiaran Raja Muda Musa. Stay on Persiaran Raja Muda Musa for about 5.5km before turn right on to Jalan Sungai Keladi.
5. Drive straight and then continue on to Jalan Kastam. 
6. About 0.5km later turn left on to Jalan Tengku Badar and the Church of St.Anne is on the right.

Prayer

O Glorious St. Anne, filled with compassion for those who invoke you and with love for those who suffer, heavily laden with the weight of my troubles, I cast myself at your feet and humbly beg of you to take under your special protection the present affair which I commend to you. 

(State your Petition)

Be pleased to commend it to your daughter, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and lay it before the throne of Jesus, so that He may bring it to a happy outcome. Cease not to intercede for me until my request is granted. Above all, obtain for me the grace of one day beholding my God face to face, and, with you and Mary and all the Saints, of praising and blessing Him for all eternity. Amen.

Good St. Anne, mother of our Blessed Virgin Mary who is our life, our sweetness and hope, pray to her for us and obtain our request. (3x)

Good St. Anne, pray for us.

My Flesh is real food and my Blood is real drink ~ Augustine (354~430)

Solemnity of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist ~ 24 June 2014

“Among those born of women no one is greater than John” 

~ * ~ Luke 7:28 ~ * ~

In the Gospel of Luke, it is known that John the Baptist was born in a town of Judea six months before the birth of Jesus our Lord and Saviour, his cousin. Only our Lord Jesus, Mary, our Blessed mother of God and John the Baptist are recognized by the Church’s liturgy as having been born freed from original sin, holy and filled with the Spirit of God. How blessed is St. John the Baptist was to receive this gift being forgiven of original sin when still in the womb as our Lord Jesus and Mary, our Blessed mother of God also did. Our Lord Jesus, Mary, our Blessed mother of God and John the Baptist all were free from original sins but their birth's were different. 

• Jesus Christ was free of original sin without having needed to be redeemed.
• Mary was freed from original sin by a unique redemptive grace of preservation.
• John the Baptist was forgiven original sin when still in the womb.

As when Mary visitation to Elizabeth, "Elizabeth was six months pregnant when the Blessed Virgin Mary, who had already conceived the Saviour, came to salute her. And when she heard the salutation of Mary, Saint John, already filled with the Holy Spirit, and being aware of the approach of the Son of God, leaped for joy in his mother's womb."

John the Baptist is known as the Precursor or Forerunner of the Lord, his mission of preparing for the coming of Jesus Christ. He was called to tell people to repent for their sins and to be baptised. He said to the people to “Prepare the way of the Lord” (Luke 3: 4) and also “I am baptising you with water, but one mightier than I is coming. I am not worthy to loosen the thongs on his sandals. He will baptise you with the holy Spirit and fire” (Luke 3:16). And when Jesus came to John the Baptist to be baptised, the heavens opened at that moment and the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus. Then there was a voice, the voice of God the Father, saying, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased” (Luke 3: 21-22). 

John (which means God is gracious) a God-given name, a God-given identity and it represents the calling in life for his mission by God. God himself gave John that name and it was revealed to his father Zachary in a vision (Luke 1:13). That this name was given to the child already before his birth shows that God has a purpose and plan for the child. John the Baptist, the holy precursor of Jesus Christ was endowed with nine singular privileges and the the Lord declared him a prophet.

1. His birth was announced by the same angel who announced the birth of Christ.
2. He leaped in the womb of his mother.
3. He was lifted from the ground by the Mother of God.
4. At his birth he loosed his father's tongue.
5. He originated baptism.
6. He proclaimed the mission of Christ.
7. He baptised Christ.
8. He was honoured by being praised above all others by Christ.
9. He announced the coming of Christ to the souls in Limbo (souls awaiting redemption by Christ eg. non-baptised death infants may go to heaven).

The Nativity of Saint John the Baptist is the only exempt beside our Lord Jesus and Mary, the mother of God whose birthdays celebrated by the Catholic Church.

As long before written in Isaiah 49:1,5 "Before I was born the Lord called me from my mother’s womb he has spoken my name..... he who formed me in the womb to be his servant.... for I am honoured in the eyes of the Lord and my God has been my strength" as what also happen to John. Therefore like John, God already has a purpose for us His children before we come into this world, and so the challenge of life is for us to discover this purpose and to be faithful to its demands. God’s free grace, his giving nature and the gifts he bestows, giving us the forgiveness of sins, giving us his own Son so that we would not perish but have eternal life, these gifts we sinners do not deserve, yet God gives us, because he is gracious.

REPENT and Remember 

God is ALWAYS GOOD and GRACIOUS. 

Amen.

* * * * * *

Grant, we pray, almighty God, that your family may walk in the way of salvation and, attentive to what Saint John the Precursor urged, may come safely to the One he foretold, our Lord Jesus Christ, Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Reading 1

Isaiah 49:1-6
Hear me, O coastlands,
listen, O distant peoples.
The LORD called me from birth,
from my mother’s womb he gave me my name.
He made of me a sharp-edged sword
and concealed me in the shadow of his arm.
He made me a polished arrow,
in his quiver he hid me.
You are my servant, he said to me,
Israel, through whom I show my glory.

Though I thought I had toiled in vain,
and for nothing, uselessly, spent my strength,
yet my reward is with the LORD,
my recompense is with my God.
For now the LORD has spoken
who formed me as his servant from the womb,
that Jacob may be brought back to him
and Israel gathered to him;
and I am made glorious in the sight of the LORD,
and my God is now my strength!
It is too little, he says, for you to be my servant,
to raise up the tribes of Jacob,
and restore the survivors of Israel;
I will make you a light to the nations,
that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.
Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 139:1b-3, 13-14ab, 14c-15
R. I praise you, for I am wonderfully made.
O LORD, you have probed me, you know me:
you know when I sit and when I stand;
you understand my thoughts from afar.
My journeys and my rest you scrutinize,
with all my ways you are familiar.
R. I praise you for I am wonderfully made.
Truly you have formed my inmost being;
you knit me in my mother’s womb.
I give you thanks that I am fearfully, wonderfully made;
wonderful are your works.
R. I praise you, for I am wonderfully made.
My soul also you knew full well;
nor was my frame unknown to you
When I was made in secret,
when I was fashioned in the depths of the earth.
R. I praise you, for I am wonderfully made.
Reading 2

Acts 13:22-26

In those days, Paul said:
“God raised up David as king;
of him God testified,
I have found David, son of Jesse, a man after my own heart;
he will carry out my every wish.
From this man’s descendants God, according to his promise,
has brought to Israel a savior, Jesus.
John heralded his coming by proclaiming a baptism of repentance
to all the people of Israel;
and as John was completing his course, he would say,
‘What do you suppose that I am? I am not he.
Behold, one is coming after me;
I am not worthy to unfasten the sandals of his feet.’

“My brothers, sons of the family of Abraham,
and those others among you who are God-fearing,
to us this word of salvation has been sent.”

Gospel 

Luke 1:57-66, 80
When the time arrived for Elizabeth to have her child
she gave birth to a son.
Her neighbors and relatives heard
that the Lord had shown his great mercy toward her,
and they rejoiced with her.
When they came on the eighth day to circumcise the child,
they were going to call him Zechariah after his father,
but his mother said in reply,
“No. He will be called John.”
But they answered her,
“There is no one among your relatives who has this name.”
So they made signs, asking his father what he wished him to be called.
He asked for a tablet and wrote, “John is his name,”
and all were amazed.
Immediately his mouth was opened, his tongue freed,
and he spoke blessing God.
Then fear came upon all their neighbors,
and all these matters were discussed
throughout the hill country of Judea.
All who heard these things took them to heart, saying,
“What, then, will this child be?”
For surely the hand of the Lord was with him.
The child grew and became strong in spirit,
and he was in the desert until the day
of his manifestation to Israel.

Litany Of The Sacred Heart Of Jesus

Lord, have mercy

Lord, have mercy

Christ, have mercy
Christ, have mercy

Lord, have mercy
Lord, have mercy

God our Father in heaven
have mercy on us






God the Son, Redeemer of the world
have mercy on us

God the Holy Spirit 
have mercy on us

Holy Trinity, one God 
have mercy on us

Heart of Jesus, Son of the eternal Father 
have mercy on us

Heart of Jesus, formed by the Holy Spirit in the womb of the Virgin Mother 
have mercy on us

Heart of Jesus, one with the eternal Word 
have mercy on us

Heart of Jesus, infinite in majesty 
have mercy on us

Heart of Jesus, holy temple of God 
have mercy on us

Heart of Jesus, tabernacle of the Most High 
have mercy on us

Heart of Jesus, house of God and gate of heaven 
have mercy on us

Heart of Jesus, aflame with love for us 
have mercy on us

Heart of Jesus, source of justice and love 
have mercy on us

Heart of Jesus, full of goodness and love 
have mercy on us

Heart of Jesus, well-spring of all virtue
have mercy on us

Heart of Jesus, worthy of all praise 
have mercy on us

Heart of Jesus, king and centre of all hearts 
have mercy on us

Heart of Jesus, treasure-house of wisdom and knowledge
have mercy on us

Heart of Jesus, in whom there dwells the fullness of God
have mercy on us

Heart of Jesus, in whom the Father is Well pleased 
have mercy on us

Heart of Jesus, from whose fullness we have all received
have mercy on us

Heart of Jesus, desire of the eternal hills 
have mercy on us

Heart of Jesus, patient and full of mercy 
have mercy on us

Heart of Jesus, generous to all who turn to you 
have mercy on us

Heart of Jesus, fountain of life and holiness 
have mercy on us

Heart of Jesus, atonement for our sins 
have mercy on us

Heart of Jesus, overwhelmed with insults 
have mercy on us

Heart of Jesus, broken for our sins 
have mercy on us

Heart of Jesus, obedient even to death 
have mercy on us

Heart of Jesus, pierced by a lance 
have mercy on us

Heart of Jesus, source of all consolation 
have mercy on us

Heart of Jesus, our life and resurrection 
have mercy on us

Heart of Jesus, our peace and reconciliation 
have mercy on us

Heart of Jesus, victim of our sins 
have mercy on us

Heart of Jesus, salvation of all who trust in you 
have mercy on us

Heart of Jesus, hope of all who die in you 
have mercy on us

Heart of Jesus, delight of all the saints 
have mercy on us

Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world 
have mercy on us

Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world 
have mercy on us

Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world 
have mercy on us

Jesus, gentle and humble of heart.
Touch our hearts and make them like your own.

Let us pray: 

Father, we rejoice in the gifts of love we have received from the heart of Jesus your Son. Open our hearts to share his life and continue to bless us with his love. We ask this in the name of Jesus the Lord. Amen. 

For success in examinations ~ Prayer to Saint Joseph of Cupertino

The prayer is very effective and powerful. 

Say it with faith and believe 

because if you believe, you prayer request 

will definitely be answered by our Lord 

through the prayer and intercession of 

St. Joseph of Cupertino.

~ * * ~ * * ~ * * ~

Prayer 1

O St. Joseph of Cupertino who by your prayer obtained from God to be asked at your examination, the only preposition you knew. Grant that I may like you succeed in the (here mention the name of Examination / paper example Grade 3 finals /History paper I ) examination.

In return I promise to make you known and cause you to be invoked.

O St. Joseph of Cupertino pray for me

O Holy Ghost enlighten me

Our Lady of Good Studies pray for me

Sacred Head of Jesus, Seat of divine wisdom, enlighten me.

~ * * ~ * * ~ * * ~

Prayer 2

Dear St. Joseph of Cupertino, who by your prayer retain from God the Grace to be asked in your examination only by the question you know. Grant me the favor which I am about to take. I am restrains; I promise to make you know and loved.

Please St. Joseph of Cupertino teach me the right answer in the examination without fear and doubt. Give me a retainable mind to recall the things I have learned and reviewed previously to feel secure. Enlighten me and bless my pen, My St. Joseph of Cupertino that I will choose and write the right answer. Please stay on my side. Guide me for I trust in your divine power and knowledge.

Bless also the examiners and correctors that they will be considerate in my papers so as to aid my passing in the examination given. Thank you very much O St. Joseph of Cupertino, pray for me. Give me more strength, help me to recall whatever necessary for the board questions, and please help me to avoid mental blocks.

St. Joseph of Cupertino, please help me too, that I may succeed in the examination for greater Glory of God, Amen.

Solemnity of Corpus Christi ~ 19 June, 2014

The Solemnity of Corpus Christi is a moveable feast and is celebrated on the Thursday after Trinity Sunday (Trinity Sunday is celebrated 7 days after Pentecost Sunday). Most diocese will move the celebration to the immediate Sunday as for in 2014, it will be move to Sunday, 22 June 2014. The Solemnity of Corpus Christi (translated from Latin as Body of Christ) is also known Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ. 

We are called to focus on two manifestations of the Body of Christ, the Holy Eucharist, the meal in which Christians partake of the body and blood of Jesus Christ and the Church. Mainly we are to focus our attention to Jesus' suffering and death and our worship of Him, in the Blessed Sacrament of Eucharist.

The Eucharist is "the source and summit of the Christian life." "The other sacraments, and indeed all ecclesiastical ministries and works of the apostolate, are bound up with the Eucharist and are oriented toward it. For in the blessed Eucharist is contained the whole spiritual good of the Church, namely Christ himself, our Pasch." ~ CCC 1324

Sunday, 22 June, 2014
Solemnity of Corpus Christi

Reading 1

Deuteronomy 8:2-3, 14b-16a
Moses said to the people:
"Remember how for forty years now the LORD, your God,
has directed all your journeying in the desert,
so as to test you by affliction
and find out whether or not it was your intention
to keep his commandments.
He therefore let you be afflicted with hunger,
and then fed you with manna,
a food unknown to you and your fathers,
in order to show you that not by bread alone does one live,
but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of the LORD.

"Do not forget the LORD, your God,
who brought you out of the land of Egypt,
that place of slavery;
who guided you through the vast and terrible desert
with its saraph serpents and scorpions,
its parched and waterless ground;
who brought forth water for you from the flinty rock
and fed you in the desert with manna,
a food unknown to your fathers."

Responsorial Psalm 

Psalm 147:12-13, 14-15, 19-20
R/ Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.
or:
R/ Alleluia.
Glorify the LORD, O Jerusalem;
praise your God, O Zion.
For he has strengthened the bars of your gates;
he has blessed your children within you.
R/ Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.
or:
R/ Alleluia.
He has granted peace in your borders;
with the best of wheat he fills you.
He sends forth his command to the earth;
swiftly runs his word!
R/ Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.
or:
R/ Alleluia.
He has proclaimed his word to Jacob,
his statutes and his ordinances to Israel.
He has not done thus for any other nation;
his ordinances he has not made known to them. Alleluia.
R/ Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.
or:
R/ Alleluia.

Reading 2

1 Corinthians 10:16-17

Brothers and sisters:
The cup of blessing that we bless,
is it not a participation in the blood of Christ?
The bread that we break,
is it not a participation in the body of Christ?
Because the loaf of bread is one,
we, though many, are one body,
for we all partake of the one loaf.

Sequence - Lauda SionLaud, 

O Zion, your salvation,
Laud with hymns of exultation,
Christ, your king and shepherd true:

Bring him all the praise you know,
He is more than you bestow.
Never can you reach his due.

Special theme for glad thanksgiving
Is the quick’ning and the living
Bread today before you set:

From his hands of old partaken,
As we know, by faith unshaken,
Where the Twelve at supper met.

Full and clear ring out your chanting,
Joy nor sweetest grace be wanting,
From your heart let praises burst:

For today the feast is holden,
When the institution olden
Of that supper was rehearsed.

Here the new law’s new oblation,
By the new king’s revelation,
Ends the form of ancient rite:

Now the new the old effaces,
Truth away the shadow chases,
Light dispels the gloom of night.

What he did at supper seated,
Christ ordained to be repeated,
His memorial ne’er to cease:

And his rule for guidance taking,
Bread and wine we hallow, making
Thus our sacrifice of peace.

This the truth each Christian learns,
Bread into his flesh he turns,
To his precious blood the wine:

Sight has fail’d, nor thought conceives,
But a dauntless faith believes,
Resting on a pow’r divine.

Here beneath these signs are hidden
Priceless things to sense forbidden;
Signs, not things are all we see:

Blood is poured and flesh is broken,
Yet in either wondrous token
Christ entire we know to be.

Whoso of this food partakes,
Does not rend the Lord nor breaks;
Christ is whole to all that taste:

Thousands are, as one, receivers,
One, as thousands of believers,
Eats of him who cannot waste.

Bad and good the feast are sharing,
Of what divers dooms preparing,
Endless death, or endless life.

Life to these, to those damnation,
See how like participation
Is with unlike issues rife.

When the sacrament is broken,
Doubt not, but believe ‘tis spoken,
That each sever’d outward token
doth the very whole contain.

Nought the precious gift divides,
Breaking but the sign betides
Jesus still the same abides,
still unbroken does remain.

The shorter form of the sequence begins here.

Lo! the angel’s food is given
To the pilgrim who has striven;
see the children’s bread from heaven,
which on dogs may not be spent.

Truth the ancient types fulfilling,
Isaac bound, a victim willing,
Paschal lamb, its lifeblood spilling,
manna to the fathers sent.

Very bread, good shepherd, tend us,
Jesu, of your love befriend us,
You refresh us, you defend us,
Your eternal goodness send us
In the land of life to see.

You who all things can and know,
Who on earth such food bestow,
Grant us with your saints, though lowest,
Where the heav’nly feast you show,
Fellow heirs and guests to be. Amen. Alleluia.

Gospel 

John 6:51-58
Jesus said to the Jewish crowds:
"I am the living bread that came down from heaven;
whoever eats this bread will live forever;
and the bread that I will give
is my flesh for the life of the world."

The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying,
"How can this man give us his flesh to eat?"
Jesus said to them,
"Amen, amen, I say to you,
unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood,
you do not have life within you.
Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood
has eternal life,
and I will raise him on the last day.
For my flesh is true food,
and my blood is true drink.
Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood
remains in me and I in him.
Just as the living Father sent me
and I have life because of the Father,
so also the one who feeds on me
will have life because of me.
This is the bread that came down from heaven.
Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died,
whoever eats this bread will live forever."

Saint Anne's Novena and Feast ~ 2014 ~ St.Anne's Church & Sanctuary, Bukit Mertajam

Theme: Called, Chosen and Sent

25 July 2014 to 3 August 2014

St. Anne's Church and Sanctuary Bukit Mertajam

Jalan Kulim, 

14000 Bukit Mertajam,

Penang,

Malaysia.

Tel: 604 538 6405

Fax: 604 538 7422

Parish Priest & Contact Person: Rev Fr. Henry Rajoo

Sacred Heart of Jesus Novena ~ St. Margaret Mary Alacoque

O my Jesus, you have said: “Truly I say to you, ask and you will receive, seek and you will find, knock and it will be opened to you.”

Behold I knock, I seek and ask for the grace of…

(Mention your Intention Here)

Our Father…
Hail Mary…
Glory Be to the Father…

Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in you.

O my Jesus, you have said: “Truly I say to you, if you ask anything of the Father in my name, he will give it to you.” Behold, in your name, I ask the Father for the grace of…

(Mention your Intention Here)

Our Father…
Hail Mary…
Glory Be to the Father…

Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in you.

O my Jesus, you have said: “Truly I say to you, heaven and earth will pass away but my words will not pass away.” Encouraged by your infallible words I now ask for the grace of…

(Mention your Intention Here)

Our Father…
Hail Mary…
Glory Be to the Father…

Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in you.

O Sacred Heart of Jesus, for whom it is impossible not to have compassion on the afflicted, have pity on us miserable sinners and grant us the grace which we ask of you, through the Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary, your tender Mother and ours.

Hail, holy Queen, Mother of mercy, our life, our sweetness and our hope.

To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve: to thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this vale of tears.

Turn then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward us, and after this our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus, O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary!

Pray for us O holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

St. Joseph, foster father of Jesus, pray for us.

Amen.

Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus ~ Solemnity ~ 27 June, 2014

The Scared Heart of Jesus

a flaming heart shining with divine light, 

pierced by the lance-wound, 

encircled by the crown of thorns, 

surmounted by a cross and bleeding.

The Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus is a moveable feast and is celebrated 19 days after Pentecost Sunday (Pentecost Sunday which is celebrated on 50th day of Easter). On 16 June 1675 our Lord, Jesus Christ appeared to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque in a vision as she was praying before the Blessed Sacrament and requested that the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus is celebrated on the Friday after the octave (eighth day) of the Solemnity of Corpus Christi. Jesus promised that, in response to those who consecrate themselves and make reparations to His Sacred Heart, that: 

1. He will give them all the graces necessary in their state of life.
2. He will establish peace in their homes.
3. He will comfort them in all their afflictions.
4. He will be their secure refuge during life, and above all, in death.
5. He will bestow abundant blessings upon all their undertakings.
6. Sinners will find in His Heart the source and infinite ocean of mercy.
7. Lukewarm souls shall become fervent.
8. Fervent souls shall quickly mount to high perfection.
9. He will bless every place in which an image of His Heart is exposed and honoured.
10. He will give to priests the gift of touching the most hardened hearts.
11. Those who shall promote this devotion shall have their names written in His Heart.
12. In the excessive mercy of His Heart that His all-powerful love will grant to all those who receive Holy Communion on the First Fridays in nine consecutive months the grace of final perseverance; they shall not die in His disgrace, nor without receiving their sacraments. His divine Heart shall be their safe refuge in this last moment.

On 25 August 1856, Blessed Pope Pius IX inscribed the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart to be celebrated on the octave of the Solemnity of Corpus Christi  in the Calendar of the Catholic Church. Our Lord, Jesus Christ expressed that this day to be a day of reparation, not for sins in general, but specifically for sins against the Eucharist.

“Being before the Blessed Sacrament one day of Its octave, I received from my God signal tokens of His love, and felt urged with the desire of making Him some return, and of rendering Him love for love. “ Thou canst not make Me a greater return of love, “He said, “than by doing what I have so often asked of thee.” Then, discovering to me His Divine Heart, He said “Behold this Heart, Which has loved men so much, that It has spared nothing, even to exhausting and consuming Itself, in order to testify to them Its love; and in return I receive from the greater number nothing but ingratitude by reason of their irreverence and sacrileges, and by the coldness and contempt which they show Me in this Sacrament of Love. But what I feel most keenly is that it is hearts which are consecrated to Me, that treat Me thus. Therefore I ask of thee that the Friday after the Octave of Corpus Christi be set apart for a special day to honour My Heart, by communicating on that day and making reparation to It by a solemn act, in order to make amends for the indignities which It has received during the time It has been exposed on the altars. I promise thee that My Heart shall expand Itself to shed in abundance the influence of Its divine love upon those who shall thus honour It, and cause It to be honoured.” ~ from the autobiography of St Margaret Mary Alacoque as she wrote about the event on 16 June 1675. 

St. Thomas Aquinas also marvelled at how the institution of the Eucharist was a source of great joy to the Sacred Heart; “His Heart overflowed with love and joy at being completely one with us and filling our hearts with joy and jubilation”.

Friday, 27 June, 2014
Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Reading 1

Deuteronomy 7:6-11

Moses said to the people:
"You are a people sacred to the LORD, your God;
he has chosen you from all the nations on the face of the earth
to be a people peculiarly his own.
It was not because you are the largest of all nations
that the LORD set his heart on you and chose you,
for you are really the smallest of all nations.
It was because the LORD loved you
and because of his fidelity to the oath he had sworn your fathers,
that he brought you out with his strong hand
from the place of slavery,
and ransomed you from the hand of Pharaoh, king of Egypt.
Understand, then, that the LORD, your God, is God indeed,
the faithful God who keeps his merciful covenant
down to the thousandth generation
toward those who love him and keep his commandments,
but who repays with destruction a person who hates him;
he does not dally with such a one,
but makes them personally pay for it.
You shall therefore carefully observe the commandments,
the statutes and the decrees that I enjoin on you today."

Responsorial Psalm 

Psalm 103:1-2, 3-4, 6-7, 8, 10
R/ The Lord's kindness is everlasting to those who fear him.
Bless the LORD, O my soul;
all my being, bless his holy name.
Bless the LORD, O my soul;
and forget not all his benefits.
R/ The Lord's kindness is everlasting to those who fear him.
He pardons all your iniquities,
heals all your ills.
He redeems your life from destruction,
crowns you with kindness and compassion.
R/ The Lord's kindness is everlasting to those who fear him.
Merciful and gracious is the LORD,
slow to anger and abounding in kindness.
Not according to our sins does he deal with us,
nor does he requite us according to our crimes.
R/ The Lord's kindness is everlasting to those who fear him.

Reading 2

1 John 4:7-16

Beloved, let us love one another,
because love is of God;
everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God.
Whoever is without love does not know God, for God is love.
In this way the love of God was revealed to us:
God sent his only Son into the world
so that we might have life through him.
In this is love:
not that we have loved God, but that he loved us
and sent his Son as expiation for our sins.
Beloved, if God so loved us,
we also must love one another.
No one has ever seen God.
Yet, if we love one another, God remains in us,
and his love is brought to perfection in us.

This is how we know that we remain in him and he in us,
that he has given us of his Spirit.
Moreover, we have seen and testify
that the Father sent his Son as savior of the world.
Whoever acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God,
God remains in him and he in God.
We have come to know and to believe in the love God has for us.

God is love, and whoever remains in love
remains in God and God in him.

Gospel 

Matthew 11:25-30
At that time Jesus exclaimed:
"I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth,
for although you have hidden these things
from the wise and the learned
you have revealed them to little ones.
Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will.
All things have been handed over to me by my Father.
No one knows the Son except the Father,
and no one knows the Father except the Son
and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.

"Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened,
and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,
for I am meek and humble of heart;
and you will find rest for yourselves.
For my yoke is easy, and my burden light."