Wake Up the World ~ Pope Francis

“Religious life ought to promote growth in the Church by way of attraction. The Church must be attractive. Wake up the world! Be witnesses of a different way of doing things, of acting, of living! It is possible to live differently in this world,” Pope Francis said in conversation with the Union of Superiors General of Men 29 November 2014 in the Vatican. Italian Jesuit journal, La Civiltà Cattolica is publishing an article on the dialogue between the Catholic Church’s first Jesuit Pope and the Union of Superiors General of Men. 

“It is possible to live differently in this world. We are speaking of an eschatological outlook, of the values of the Kingdom incarnated here, on this earth. It is a question of leaving everything to follow the Lord. No, I do not want to say “radical”. Evangelical radicality is not only for religious: it is demanded of all. But religious follow the Lord in a special way, in a prophetic way. It is this witness that I expect of you. Religious should be men and women who are able to wake the world up,” Pope Francis said. “Life is complicated,” Pope Francis recalled. “It consists of grace and sin.” “He who does not sin is not human. We all make mistakes and we need to recognise our weakness. A religious who recognises himself as weak and a sinner does not negate the witness that he is called to give, rather he reinforces it and this is good for everyone. What I expect of you therefore is to give witness. I want this special witness from religious.”

The 15-page article (available in English at the La Civiltà Cattolica website) documents the views of Pope Francis on religious life.

2016 ~ Holy Year of Mercy

On 13 March, 2015, Pope Francis has declared an extraordinary Holy Year of Mercy which will highlight the Catholic Church's mission to be a witness of mercy. It will begin on 8 December 2015, on the 50th anniversary of the conclusion of the Ecumenical Vatican Council II and will run until the Feast of Christ the King on 20 November 2016. The theme of the year will be "Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful” (cfr. Luke 6:36). The logo for the year is as below, where we see Christ Jesus carrying a man sideways on His shoulders (instead of a lamb), and there are three eyes visible, the centre one clearly being shared between Christ and the man.

* * The logo has been registered in the international forum in order to safeguard its rights and to prevent any inappropriate use. It is obvious that permission must be granted by the Pontifical Council for any non-religious use of the logo and that any infringement will be duly prosecuted.

....not to condemn anyone for eternity.” Rather, “It is to pour out the balm of God’s mercy on all those who ask for it with a sincere heart. The way of the church is precisely to leave her four walls behind and to go out in search of those who are distant, those essentially on the ‘outskirts’ of life; to adopt fully God’s own approach; to follow the Master who said: “Those who are well have no need of the physician, but those who are sick; I have come to call, not the righteous but sinners to repentance.”

“Jesus’ call encourages each of us to look underneath the surface of things,” the Pope explained, "particularly when we are face to face with a person. We are called to look beyond and to focus on the heart in order to see how much generosity one is capable of. No one can be excluded from God’s mercy; everyone knows how to access it and the Church is a home that welcomes all and rejects no one. Its doors remain wide open so that those who are touched by grace can find the certainty of forgiveness. The greater the sin, the deeper Church’s love must be for those who convert.”

I Cry to You, Lord .... Hear me and Answer me. Be with me ....

Lord, I cry out too you.

Please hear me, Lord.

You alone know 

what I am going through

in my life.

You are the One who created 

me in my mother's womb,

You knew me even 

before I was formed.

You are the One who knows 

the plan for me.

You have said, 

"come pray and seek me

with all your heart, 

I will be found by you".

You also said,

"Do not be afraid,

for I am with you

to deliver you".

Lord, You have made me 

see many sore troubles

will revive me again,

from the depths of the earth

You will bring me up again.

Restore my life, O Lord,

I really want to change.

You will increase my honour,

and comfort me again.

For my enemies speak concerning me,

those who watch for my life 

consult together, and say, 

“God has forsaken him;

pursue and seize him,

for there is none to deliver him.”

O God, be not far from me,

O my God, make haste to help me!

and I say AMEN to Your will.

Lord for You alone my soul 

waits in silence,

for my hope is from You.

Lord you are my rock 

and my salvation, my fortress. 

I shall not be shaken.

On You Lord, rests 

my deliverance and my honour.

You are my mighty rock, my refuge.

I trust in You,

O Lord, You alone are my God

You alone are worthy

of all praises and glory.

I will adore and praise

You all the days of my life.

Amen.

Worship the Lord, according to His Words

And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the powers of death shall not prevail against it. (Matthew 16:18)

According to the commission of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and another man is building upon it. Let each man take care how he builds upon it. For no other foundation can any one lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 3:10-11)

It is Christ who owns the church which He purchased it with His blood, and He is the Head of all His churches.

Take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you guardians, to feed the church of the Lord which he obtained with his own blood. (Acts 20:28) 

He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the first-born from the dead, that in everything he might be pre-eminent. (Colossians 1:18)

Christ alone is the Head of the church as it is His church, and we as the body of Christ, we will stand in His Word, and affirm it as the truth.

God not only appointed a day of worship which is the Sabbath day, but also a way of worship. Therefore, we we should not worship any way we want. 

But the hour is coming, and now is, when the 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. (John 4:23-24)

Worship is a selfless act of giving and when we give selflessly to our God that worship will be the meaningful experience for us that we and God want it to be.

He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for my sake will find it. (Matthew 10:39)

He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. (John 12:25)

Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted. (Matthew 23:12)

Thus, we must give of ourselves completely and totally to the worship of God to receive abundant spiritual blessings in return. 

Give, and it will be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For the measure you give will be the measure you get back. (Luke 6:38)

You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve. (Matthew 4:10)

We must worship Him according to His word. Every word God was inspired by Him and is without error. 

All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness. (2 Timothy 3:16) 

You search the scriptures, because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness to me. (John 5:39)

For I am not ashamed of the gospel: it is the power of God for salvation to every one who has faith. (Romans 1:16)

So faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes by the preaching of Christ. (Romans 10:17)

St.Paul's Catholic Church, Kuala Kubu Bahru, Selangor, Malaysia

St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church (1965)

Jalan Rasathurai

Kuala Kubu Baru, 

44000 Malaysia.

Sunday Masses: 7:00am & 6:00pm

3 O'Clock Prayer ~ The Hour of Great Mercy ~ English / Indonesian / Tagalog / Malayalam / Tamil

English

You died Jesus but the source of life flowed out for souls 

and the ocean of mercy opened up for the whole world. 

O fountain of Life, immeasurable Divine Mercy, 

cover the whole world and empty Yourself out upon us.

O Blood and Water which flowed from the heart of Jesus 

as a Fountain of Mercy for us, I trust in You!

Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, 

have mercy on us and the whole world. (3X)

Jesus King of Mercy, I trust in You!

* * * @ * * *

Indonesian

Ya Yesus, Engkau telah wafat, 

namun sumber kehidupan telah memancar bagi jiwa-jiwa 

dan terbukalah lautan kerahiman bagi segenap dunia. 

O, Sumber Kehidupan, kerahiman Ilahi yang tak terselami, 

naungilah segenap dunia dan curahkanlah diri-Mu pada kami.

Darah dan Air, yang telah memancar dari Hati Yesus 

sebagai sumber kerahiman bagi kami. Engkaulah andalanku!

Allah yang Kudus, Kudus dan berkuasa, Kudus dan kekal, 

kasihanilah kami dan seluruh dunia (3x)

Yesus Raja kerahiman, Engkaulah andalanku!

* * * @ * * *

Tagalog

Pumanaw ka Hesus, subalit and bukal ng buhay ay bumalong para sa mga kaluluwa at ang karagatan ng awa ay bumugso para sa sanlibutan.

O bukal ng buhay, walang-hanggang awa ng Diyos, yakapin mo ang sangkatauhan at ibuhos mong ganap ang Iyong sarili para sa aming lahat.

O banal na dugo at tubig na dumaloy mula sa puso ni Hesus bilang bukal ng awa para sa aming lahat, kami ay nananalig sa Iyo.

Banal na Diyos, Banal na puspos ng kapangyarihan, 

Banal na walang-hanggan, 

maawa po kayo sa amin at sa buong sansinukob. (3x)

O Hesus, Hari ng awa, kami ay nananalig sa Iyo.

* * * @ * * *

Malayalam

Isho, Sarva Lokathinum Jeevante Uravidavum Karunayude Kadalum Thurannu Thannukondanu Angu Maranam Prapichathu. Jeevante Sambharaniyum, Alavillatha Karunyathinte Uravidavumaya Isho, Sarva Lokatheyum Angu Avaranam Cheyyaname..Angayude Anugrahangal Poornamayi Choriyaname

Ishoyude Hruthayathil Ninnum Karunya Srothassayi, Njangalkkuvendi Ozhukiyirangiya Thiru Rekthame, Thiru Jelame, Njan Angayil Saranappedunnu 

Parishudhhanaya Deivame, Parishudhhanaya Balavane, Parishudhhanaya Amarthyane, Njangaludeyum Lokam Muzhuvanteyum Mel Karunayayirickename (3x)

Ishoye...Njan Angayil Sharanappedunnu

* * * @ * * *

Tamil

Yesuwe Nir uir vittir Anal ummidamrindu uirin uttru Anmekkalukkaha Piruttelundu Akhila Wakitkaha vum Irakkaththin Kadal Thirakkappattadu.

O Valvm Suwaiye Alankana Theiveeka Irakkame! Nur Akhila Wakkaium Araivanth thu umadu Irakkam muluwndaium Emmeedu Polindarulum.

Parisuththa Thevane vallapam mikka Parisuththa vane. Niththiya Parisuth tha Therane Engal meedum mula ulakin meedum Irakkamainum. (3x)

Yesu Katpiththa Mand Vallawa Sepam

* * * @ * * *

Hear, O Israel ~ Sh'ma Yis'ra'eil

Sh'ma Yis'ra'eil Adonai Eloheinu Adonai Echad.

There is no other divine being in existence, 

and that Yahweh is that being, 

a single being, whom we should worship.

Deuteronomy 6:4-10

Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord; and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. And these words which I command you this day shall be upon your heart; and you shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. And you shall bind them as a sign upon your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

Pray to the Holy Spirit every day .... to open our hearts to Jesus

Let us try asking ourselves: am I open to the action of the Holy Spirit? Do I pray him to give me illumination, to make me more sensitive to God’s things?

This is a prayer we must pray every day: 

“Holy Spirit, make my heart open to the word of God, make my heart open to goodness, make my heart open to the beauty of God every day”.

I would like to ask everyone a question: how many of you pray every day to the Holy Spirit? There will not be many but we must fulfil Jesus’ wish and pray every day to the Holy Spirit that he open our heart to Jesus.

Let us think of Mary who “kept all these things, pondering them in her heart” (Lk 2:19, 51). Acceptance of the words and truth of faith so that they may become life is brought about and increases under the action of the Holy Spirit. In this regard we must learn from Mary, we must relive her “yes”, her unreserved readiness to receive the Son of God in her life, which was transformed from that moment. Through the Holy Spirit, the Father and the Son take up their abode with us: we live in God and of God. Yet is our life truly inspired by God? How many things do I put before God?

Dear brothers and sisters, we need to let ourselves be bathed in the light of the Holy Spirit so that he may lead us into the Truth of God, who is the one Lord of our life.

source: Pope Francis, General Audience,

Saint Peter's Square, 

Wednesday, 15 May 2013

“the Holy Spirit is the inexhaustible source of God’s life in us.”

“the Holy Spirit, the Gift of the Risen One who dwells in us, 

purifies us, illuminates us, renews us, transforms us 

because he makes us participants 

in the very life of God that is Love.”



The Holy Spirit teaches us to see 
with the eyes of Christ, 
to live life as Christ lived, 
to understand life as Christ understood it. 
Let us hear the Holy Spirit, 
let us listen to the Holy Spirit 
and may we move forward 
on this path of 
love, mercy and forgiveness.



“The One whom the Father has sent into our hearts, 

the Spirit of his Son, is truly God. 

Consubstantial with the Father and the Son, 

the Spirit is inseparable from them.” (CCC 689)

1 Corinthians 12:3

no one can say “Jesus is Lord” 

except by the Holy Spirit.

Veni, Sancte Spiritus

Renew our relationship with the Spirit

and

increase our devotion to the Holy Spirit.

Feast of Saint James the Greater, Apostle ~ 25 July 2015

The feast is celebrated in honouring and as a memorial to the Apostle St. James the Greater.

James is the older brother of John, who are the sons of Zebedee. They were called by Jesus to be His disciples. James and his brother John were given the name Boanerges which means “Sons of thunder” (Mark 3:17) this is because in Luke 9:54 that they wished to call down fire from heaven on the Samaritans when they did not make Jesus welcome. James together with Peter and John were the only apostles present in three special events with Jesus, the raising of Jairus’ daughter (Mark 5:37; Luke 8:51), Jesus’ Transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-2; Luke 9:28-29), and they were with Jesus during his agony in Garden of Gethsemane (Matthew 26:36-37). 

James was martyred with a sword (Acts 12:1-2) in Jerusalem by the order of Herod. James was buried within the Cathedral de Santiago de Compostela, Spain. Just as James did with his brother John, therefore we too need to be obedient and without delay answer to the invitation of Jesus and follow Him.

Gospel

Matthew 20:20-28
The mother of the sons of Zebedee approached Jesus with her sons
and did him homage, wishing to ask him for something.
He said to her,
“What do you wish?”
She answered him,
“Command that these two sons of mine sit,
one at your right and the other at your left, in your Kingdom.”
Jesus said in reply,
“You do not know what you are asking.
Can you drink the chalice that I am going to drink?”
They said to him, “We can.”
He replied,
“My chalice you will indeed drink,
but to sit at my right and at my left, this is not mine to give
but is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.”
When the ten heard this,
they became indignant at the two brothers.
But Jesus summoned them and said,
“You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them,
and the great ones make their authority over them felt.
But it shall not be so among you.
Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant;
whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave.
Just so, the Son of Man did not come to be served
but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.”