Lenten Moments of Mercy: Wednesday of the First Week of Lent

Wednesday of the First Week of Lent   Today’s reflection reminds us that we are only successful through the power of God.

Scripture “For just as Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so the Son of Man will be to this generation.” Luke 11:30   Reflection In 1956 Jesuits from the Oregon Province and the Sisters of St. Ann formed a partnership to build a school for native Alaskan children. They recruited lay volunteers who built the school working in 70-below-zero temperatures in the Alaskan winter. This small beginning was the root of the Jesuit Volunteer Corps. In the first reading we find the prophet Jonah intimidated by the task God has given to him. It took Jonah three days to walk through the “awesomely great” city of Nineveh, bringing the call for repentance (Jonah 3:3). Jonah’s reluctant testimony led to salvation for the city. In their small beginnings the founders of the Jesuit Volunteer Corps may have also wondered what was possible with the daunting task of proclaiming Christ to an indifferent world. But from their small beginnings, the Jesuit Volunteer Corps has become the largest Catholic full-time volunteer program. Over the years, more than 10,000 men and women have worked tirelessly for social justice, caring for communities throughout the world. The story of Jonah is that of a reluctant missionary who tried to flee the Lord, only to be pulled back in to make his way forward. As the first reading tells us, his half-hearted missionary effort was amazingly successful through the power of God. Volunteers in the Jesuit Volunteer Corps face their future with courage, recognizing in the Son of Man one greater than Jonah. They moved forward in hope to serve the Lord and the world.

Pope Francis “Am I capable of understanding the signs of the times and of being faithful to the voice of the Lord that is manifest in them?” Morning Meditation, 13 October 2014   Lenten Action ► Review the material on the Jesuit Volunteer Corps website to see one of the possibilities for the new evangelization. ► Pray with the Ignatian Workout for Lent online retreat by Tim Muldoon.   Prayer Lord, help us not to be reluctant when you call us to move out of ourselves in service to others.

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Lenten Moments of Mercy: Tuesday of the First Week of Lent

Tuesday of the First Week of Lent   Prayer, fasting, and almsgiving help us recognize those times when we have not been as forgiving as God calls us to be.

Scripture “And forgive us our debts,             as we also have forgiven our debtors.” Matthew 6:12   Reflection A priest once told this story about his family. Two of his uncles were farmers in the community where he had grown up. At some point, the two uncles had a severe disagreement, and they refused to speak to each other. But, as it turned out, each uncle farmed land that was behind the home of the other. So each day they planted or harvested, they had to drive their tractors past one another. For 20 years, as they went to work in the morning and returned in the evening, they did not speak a single word to one another. The Catechism of the Catholic Church is very clear in its interpretation of Matthew 6:12. God’s “…outpouring of mercy cannot penetrate our hearts as long as we have not forgiven those who have trespassed against us.” (CCC2840). No one of us can love the God we cannot see if we refuse to love the sister or brother we do see (1 John 4:20). Refusing to forgive leads inevitably to closing ourselves out of God’s merciful love. This season of Lent is again an opportune time to let the love of God break through any shell of our unforgiving nature. The disciplines of Lent help us to recognize the blindness in ourselves as we look out at the world and see people we dismiss, hate, or despise, either as individuals or as perceived enemies. It is an especially important time to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation. When we confess our sins, God opens our hearts to God’s grace.

Pope Francis “If we are not able to forgive ourselves, then we are no longer able to forgive period.” General Audience, 13 May 2015   Lenten Action ► Daily, practice the expressions: “may I?” “thank you,” and “pardon me.” ► Read the article “Forgiveness, Transformation, and Mercy,” by Becky Eldredge.   Prayer Lord Jesus, may I forgive others so that I can be a sign of your holiness and presence in the world.

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Lenten Moments of Mercy: Monday of the First Week of Lent

Monday of the First Week of Lent   Lent is a time we grow in holiness through our actions that reflect God's love.

Scripture “You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy.” Leviticus 19:2   Reflection There is a great fear among people about the idea that we are called to be holy. The concept seems to threaten people because holiness is so often related to the meaning that a person is austere and rigid. But we all have in our lives moments of grace in which we let ourselves be open to God’s presence in our lives. The reading from Leviticus is very clear how we may act in accordance with God’s holiness. When we read Leviticus 19:11‒17 we recognize that we are called to treat one another with fundamental human decency. We are not to steal, lie, and swear falsely towards one another. Laborers are to receive fair wages. Those with disabilities are to be treated with respect. We are not to hate, nor are we to take vengeance or bear grudges. We are to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. In Matthew 25:31–46, Jesus offers practical steps to love our neighbors: give food to those who are hungry, give drink to those who thirst, welcome the stranger, clothe those who are naked, care for those who are sick, and visit those who are in prison. Jesus also promises the eternal joy that those who follow these practical steps will receive and spells out the consequences for those who do not. The journey to holiness begins with a moment of grace, and each step in this journey is itself a moment of grace. As we grow in holiness, we become more aware of these moments of grace, especially as we consider those closest to us in our families, among our neighbors, and in our parish. These provide the foundation for noticing other moments of grace God is preparing for us.

Pope Francis “If you have some time at home today, take the Gospel, Matthew’s Gospel, chapter five. At the beginning there are the Beatitudes; in chapter 25 the rest. And it will do you good to read them once, twice, three times. Read this program for holiness. May the Lord give us the grace to understand his message.” Morning Meditation, 9 June 2014   Lenten Action ► Take the Pope’s advice and read and pray with the Beatitudes. ► Learn about Catholic Social Teaching.   Prayer Lord, may we be holy as you are holy. Let the words of our mouths and the meditations in our heart be acceptable to you.

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Lenten Moments of Mercy: First Sunday of Lent

First Sunday of Lent   Lent is a season when we are tested as we focus more intensely on who God is calling us to be.

Scripture Those who love me, I will deliver;             I will protect those who know my name. Psalm 91:14   Reflection Soon after the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist, Jesus is led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness where he fasts for 40 days. Note that this time of discipline and potential hardship was not the result of any fault on Jesus’ part. This is a period not unknown by any of the great Christian mystics—after a period of consolation, there is a period of a “dark night” or “desolation” in which the commitment made in a period of joy is tested. Weakened by hunger Jesus is tempted by the Devil. The Devil offers three possibilities for Jesus. The first is to fulfill the basic need of hunger, to turn stones into bread. The second is to become the ruler of the world as payment for worship of the Devil. The third is to wow the world by leaping from the highest point in the city and be caught by angels for an easy landing on the ground. Jesus responds to each of the Devil's temptations by citing Scripture: one does not live by bread alone (Deuteronomy 8:3), God is not to be put to the test (Deuteronomy 6:16), and only God is to be worshipped (Deuteronomy 6:13). The season of Lent is a period of testing for all Christians as we recognize that we are being called by the Holy Spirit to a deeper relationship with God and with others. This means that in following the disciplines recommended by the Church—the disciplines of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving—we learn to become more dependent on the grace of God and we keep ourselves focused on who he is calling us to be. Image: Limbourg brothers, The Temptation of Christ

Pope Francis “The devil exists even in the 21st century. And we must not be naive. We must learn from the Gospel how to battle against him.” Morning Meditation, 11 April 2014   Lenten Action ► Review the Lenten practices at the USCCB website. ► Reflect on this Sunday’s Gospel with Arts & Faith: Lent and the Sunday Connection.    Prayer O Lord, help us to be open to your grace to recognize the ways in which you rescue and honor us in times of trouble.

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Rite of Election 2016

13/2/16 Saturday RCIA catechumens having the ROE at Christ the King Church, west district and north district and serangoon area , total 498 catechumens and 68 candidate  are elected into catholics church , will be baptised/ accepted into catholic church during easter vigil.
I will have one baby goddaughter. Praise the Lord ! She is Catherine TheiaWoon Rui Xuan 18 month old now.

Lenten Moments of Mercy: Saturday after Ash Wednesday

Saturday after Ash Wednesday   Lent is a time for us to take an honest look at ourselves and receive the grace of Jesus’ healing love.

Scripture “Jesus answered, ‘Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick; I have come to call not the righteous but sinners to repentance.’” Luke 5:31‒32   Reflection After he had renounced his family and was walking on a country road, St. Francis of Assisi saw a leper. In a moment of grace, he ran toward him, embraced him, and carried him to a river to clean his puss-filled wounds. Instead of disgust at the leper's unwashed, diseased body, Francis felt joy and compassion. He discovered the vocation he would live for the rest of his life. In the Gospel reading today, Jesus sees Levi (or Matthew in the Gospel of Matthew) at a toll booth collecting taxes. In the social world of Jesus, Levi was as a moral leper. Tax collectors paid the Romans a fixed sum of money in order to have the legal right to squeeze all that they could from the people. Because they were considered traitors to the people, tax collectors were seen as public sinners and shunned in polite company. Jesus sees Levi and calls him to be a disciple. Levi leaves his booth and hosts a party for Jesus, with his fellow tax collectors in attendance. Jesus is criticized for his behavior. Jesus responds that he has come to heal the sick, to bring sinners to repentance. What we need to recognize is that we are not among the righteous—we are the sinners whom Jesus has come to save. We have an infinite capacity to hide the truth of our own moral leprosy from ourselves. We are given this season of Lent to face ourselves honestly, make a true examination of conscience, and celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

Pope Francis “I see the church as a field hospital after battle. It is useless to ask a seriously injured person if he has high cholesterol and about the level of his blood sugars! You have to heal his wounds. Then we can talk about everything else.” Interview in America magazine, 30 September 2013   Lenten Action ► Plan to take one of the many opportunities to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation during the season of Lent. ► Download the free eBook 7 Ways to Practice Lent by Joe Paprocki.  ► Go back and reflect on something that particularly touched you these first days of Lent. Wednesday | Thursday | Friday   Prayer Help us, O Lord, to be open to the grace of repentance. Show us your compassion and heal our wounded hearts.

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Lenten Moments of Mercy: Friday after Ash Wednesday

Friday after Ash Wednesday   Today’s reflection reminds us that by opening our hearts to those who are poor, we open our hearts to God’s grace.

Scripture “Is it not to share your bread with the hungry,             and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover them,             and not to hide yourself from your own kin?” Isaiah 58:7     Reflection In his study of St. Francis of Assisi, G.K. Chesterton tells of the time Francis was working in the family store selling velvets to the rich. He was interrupted by a beggar whom he shunted aside. Francis continued his sale with an uneasy conscience. He was a courteous man, and he had not treated the poor man with courtesy. After completing the sale, Francis rushed into the street looking for and finding the beggar, giving him what money he had. Francis made a commitment to serve the poor whenever he could. Chesterton commented that in the simple society of Francis’s day, there were no laws to punish a starving man for begging such as have been established in our more “enlightened” age. There were no organized police to keep such persons from pestering the wealthy. There were no civic laws that made it a crime to feed the homeless. Today, it is easier to keep those who are poor at a distance; after all, are there not charities to care for them? In a homily on today’s readings, Pope Francis asks, “Am I ashamed of the flesh of my brother? When I give alms, do I let the coins fall without touching his hand?” Pope Francis continues to say that to fast without concern for our brothers and sisters in need is to practice a “hypocritical” fast, one which is self-serving and keeps us closed to the grace of God.

Pope Francis “When I give alms, do I look at my brother or sister in the eyes? When I know a person is sick do I visit him? Do I greet him with tenderness?” Morning Meditation, 7 March 2014   Lenten Action ► Explore the possibility of volunteering in a local soup kitchen or other venue that gives direct services to the poor. ► Learn about the Year of Mercy the Church is celebrating.   Prayer O Lord, give us the grace to lose our life in order that we might be saved.

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