Bone Relic of Sts. Jacques Chastan and Laurent Imbert (Martyrs)

Saint Jacques Chastan

Saint Laurent Imbert

First Class Bone Relics of 

Sts. Jacques Chastan and Laurent Imbert

Hear the word of God and do it

Who do you love and cherish the most?

God did not intend for us to be alone, but to be with others. He gives us many opportunities for developing relationships with family, friends, neighbors, and co-workers. Why does Jesus seem to ignore his own relatives when they pressed to see him? His love and respect for his mother and his relatives is unquestionable. Jesus never lost an opportunity to teach his disciples a spiritual lesson and truth about the kingdom of God. On this occasion when many gathered to hear Jesus he pointed to another higher reality of relationships, namely our relationship with God and with those who belong to God.

What is the essence of being a Christian? It is certainly more than doctrine, precepts, and commandments. It is first and foremost a relationship - a relationship of trust, affection, commitment, loyalty, faithfulness, kindness, thoughtfulness, compassion, mercy, helpfulness, encouragement, support, strength, protection, and so many other qualities that bind people together in mutual love and unity. 

God seeks a personal intimate relationship with each one of us

God offers us the greatest of relationships - union of heart, mind, and spirit with himself, the very author and source of love (1 John 4:8,16). God's love never fails, never forgets, never compromises, never lies, never lets us down nor disappoints us. His love is consistent, unwavering, unconditional, unrelenting and unstoppable. There is no end to his love. Nothing in this world can make him leave us, ignore us, or withhold from us his merciful love and care (Romans 8:31-39). He will love us no matter what. It is his nature to love. That is why he created us - to be united with him and to share in his love (1 John 3:1). 

God is a trinity of divine persons - one in being with the eternal Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - and a community of undivided love. God made us in his image and likeness (Genesis 1:26,27) to be a people who are free to choose what is good, loving, and just and to reject whatever is false and contrary to his love and righteousness (moral goodness). That is why Jesus challenged his followers, and even his own earthly relatives, to recognize that God is the true source of all relationships. God wants all of our relationships to be rooted in his love and goodness.

The heavenly Father's offer of friendship and adoption

Jesus Christ is God's love incarnate - God's love made visible in human flesh (1 John 4:9-10). That is why Jesus describes himself as the good shepherd who lays down his life for his sheep and the shepherd who seeks out the sheep who have strayed and lost their way. God is like the father who yearns for his prodigal son to return home and then throws a great party for his son when he has a change of heart and comes back (Luke 15:11-32). 

Jesus offered up his life on the cross for our sake, so that we could be forgiven and restored to unity and friendship with God. It is through Jesus that we become the adopted children of God - his own sons and daughters. That is why Jesus told his disciples that they would have many new friends and family relationships in his kingdom. Whoever does the will of God is a friend of God and a member of his family - his sons and daughters who have been ransomed by the precious blood of Jesus Christ.

Through Jesus Christ we become brothers and sisters - members of God's family

Lucian of Antioch (240-312 AD), an early Christian martyr once said that "a Christian's only relatives are the saints"- namely those who have been redeemed by the blood of Christ and adopted as sons and daughters of God. Those who have been baptized into Jesus Christ and who live as his disciples enter into a new family, a family of "saints" here on earth and in heaven. Jesus changes the order of relationships and shows that true kinship is not just a matter of flesh and blood. 

Our adoption as sons and daughters of God transforms all of our relationships and requires a new order of loyalty to God first and to his kingdom of righteousness and peace. Do you want to grow in love and friendship? Allow the Holy Spirit to transform your heart, mind, and will to enable you to love freely and generously as God has loved you.

Heavenly Father, you are the source of all true friendship and love. In all my relationships, may your love be my constant guide for choosing what is good and for rejecting what is contrary to your will.

source: From the desk of Don Schwager, 

hosted by Kairos Europe and the Middle East

The cross of Jesus Christ

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. (John 3:16) 

For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:21) 

You know that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your ancestors, not with perishable things like silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without defect or blemish. (1 Peter 1:18-19) 

For there is one God, there is also one mediator between God and humankind, Christ Jesus, himself human, who gave himself a ransom for all. (1 Timothy 2:5-6) 

They sing a new song, “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slaughtered and by your blood you ransomed for God saints from every tribe and language and people and nation.” (Revelation 5:9) 

The death of Jesus Christ, the Son of God on the cross reveals to us the character of God, His love for lost sinners and His Mercy. An amazing act of unconditional love, the Son of God endured sin's ultimate penalty in the place of even the worst of his enemies. Jesus became the sacrificial Lamb of God, becoming a substitute in the place of us sinners, an essential ransom price so that God's justice could be satisfied and that sinners may be set free from the penalty of death. Jesus died on the cross in atonement for our sins and of the whole world in order as an appeasing sacrifice for the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men. By His death on the cross Christ not only brought redemption through his blood for us but also the forgiveness of sins. We are reconciled and made justified with God as Jesus death removed the barrier of sin between God and us. A justified sinner receives eternal life as we recall one the criminals crucified alongside who had faith in Jesus said “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” (Luke 23:42) and what Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise.” (Luke 23:43) 

Jesus Christ used the cross as an instrument of our salvation. The cross of Jesus Christ is the place where all the wounds of sin are healed. In facing emotional problems such as guilt, anxiety, depression, anger, or whatever, there is healing in the cross of Jesus Christ. Also during tragedy or suffering, there is comfort in abundance as we contemplate the sufferings of our spotless Saviour hanging on the cross for us. As Saint Peter, the apostle of Christ wrote, “He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that, free from sins, we might live for righteousness and by his wounds you have been healed. For you were going astray like sheep, but now you have returned to the shepherd and guardian of your souls.” (1 Peter 2:24-25). And as foretold in the Old Testament by the prophet Isaiah, “Surely he has borne our infirmities and carried our diseases, yet we accounted him stricken, struck down by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities, upon him was the punishment that made us whole, and by his bruises we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray, we have all turned to our own way, and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” (Isaiah 53:4-6) 

Before we turned to Jesus Christ as our sin bearer, we were characterised by straying from the Good Shepherd, going our own way. We were lost even though we may not have known it. We were in danger of harm and even death, although perhaps we were oblivious to it. If we have turned to Him, it’s because He came looking for us. If you have not yet come to Him, you cannot save yourself. But the Shepherd is seeking you, even today. He wants to deliver you from the power of sin that causes you to stray from His loving care and protection. 

As Saint Paul wrote, “I have been crucified with Christ and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me.” (Galatians 2:19-20) .We are to die cleanse of our sins and rise with Christ to a new life following Him as the Way, the Truth and the Life. 

The cross of Jesus Christ crushed the devil and his angels and destroyed their hold on men. “Since, therefore, the children share flesh and blood, he himself likewise shared the same things, so that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil” (Hebrews 2:14) 

He did not sin, did not lie, did not revile, and did not threaten. He committed Himself to God. (1 Peter 2:18-23) 

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such hostility against himself from sinners, so that you may not grow weary or lose heart. In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.” (Hebrews 12:1-4) 

Jesus showed an example of humility and obedience for us to follow as He humbled himself to death for the sins of others, and we should be willing to do the same. (Philippians 2:5-11)

Prayer for God's protection during Hurricane (or Storms)

O Heavenly Father, 

all the elements of nature 

obey Your command. 

Calm the storms that threaten us 

and turn our fear 

into praise of Your goodness.

Protect us from hurricanes 

and disasters of nature. 

We ask this through 

Jesus Christ, Your Son, 

who lives and reigns 

with You through the power 

of the Holy Spirit, 

One God forever and ever. 

Amen.

Mama Mary, I Love You

Happy Birthday Mother Mary ~ 8 September

September 8, Our Lady's birthday, the Universal Church celebrates the first dawning of redemption with the appearance in the world of the Savior's mother, Mary. The Blessed Virgin occupies a unique place in the history of salvation, and she has the highest mission ever commended to any creature. We rejoice that the Mother of God is our Mother, too. Let us often call upon the Blessed Virgin as "Cause of our joy",

Happy Birthday Dearest Mother

Pray for us sinners and lead us 

to your Son and our Lord, Jesus.

We Love You, Mama Mary.

Thank you God

Thank you God for everything.

I Praise You Father

Thank You Jesus 

Heal me and guide me

O Holy Spirit.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NRSVCE)

give thanks in all circumstances; 

for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

I have cried tears ....

I have cried tears of Joy

I Have cried tears of fear of losing it all

I have cried tears of learning the hardest way

I have cried tears of consolation

I have cried tears of knowing that in it all, God makes the way

I have cried tears of relief that good people are by my side

I have cried tears of knowing that in it all God was/is/will be there

 

Prayer at the End of Each Day

Jesus Christ my God, I adore Thee and I thank Thee for all the graces Thou have given me this day. I offer Thee my sleep and all the moments of this night, and I implore Thee to keep me safe from sin. To this end I place myself in Thy sacred side and under the mantle of our Lady, my Mother. Let Thy holy angels surround me and keep me in peace; and let Thy blessing be upon me. Amen.

By Saint Alphonsus Maria de Liguori

Prayer to Our Mother of Sorrows

Our mother of sorrows, 

with strength from above 

you stood by the cross, 

sharing in the sufferings of Jesus, 

and with tender care 

you bore Him in your arms, 

mourning and weeping.

We praise you for your faith, 

which accepted the life 

God planned for you. 

We praise you for your hope, 

which trusted that God 

would do great things in you. 

We praise you for your love 

in bearing with Jesus 

the sorrows of His passion.

Holy Mary, 

may we follow your example, 

and stand by all your children 

who need comfort and love.

Mother of God, 

stand by us in our trials 

and care for us 

in our many needs 

especially for (mention request). 

Pray for us now 

and at the hour of our death.

Amen.

Saint Padre Pio Feast Celebration at Church of Holy Family, Kajang ~ 23 September 2018

20 Sept 2018 - 100 years of the Stigmatisation of St. Padre Pio

 (1918 ~ 2018)

23 Sept 2018 - 50 years of St. Padre Pio Birth in Heaven 

(1968 ~ 2018)

Prayer for when you feel like giving up

I welcome the presence of the Holy Spirit,

let Him be my Comforter and Guide. 

I know that my present struggles

does not mean I am a failure,

because every great Success 

requires some kind of

struggles to get there.

Father, my illness, 

my relationships, my job

are all getting the better of me,

give me Strength, 

give me Hope.

As I cling to You,

please draw near.

source: christianstt.com