On Today’s Gospel

Posted: May 20, 2013 by CatholicJules in Personal Thoughts & Reflections
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What is our prayer life like? Do we pray with the depths of our faith? Or do we pray with shallow intentions?

When we say Amen receiving the body of Christ, are we truly in communion with one another with Christ as our head? Do we realise that prayer said in communion with one another is the most powerful prayer? Whether we are interceding for one another or praying in union for the kingdom of God? What then is the ‘Prayer of the faithful’?

How would you like to have prayer members come together to pray for serious intentions and not have true faith? Who are skeptical that healing, liberation, deliverance can take place or that any other prayer intentions for that matter will be answered? How would you like to have these members sway the rest?

Jesus is our mediator, our saviour, our healer, our all in all. But because we are one body in Him we too can participate and be witness to His glory in whatever we pray for together as one. When we remain holy, prayerful and when we empty ourselves of all desires except the desire to serve Him and our brethren. There will always be an answer to our prayer for our greater good. Amen

GOSPEL Mark 9:14–29

As Jesus came down from the mountain with Peter, James, John and approached the other disciples, they saw a large crowd around them and scribes arguing with them. Immediately on seeing skeptical , the whole crowd was utterly amazed. They ran up to him and greeted him. He asked them, “What are you arguing about with them?” Someone from the crowd answered him, “Teacher, I have brought to you my son possessed by a mute spirit. Wherever it seizes him, it throws him down; he foams at the mouth, grinds his teeth, and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive it out, but they were unable to do so.” He said to them in reply, “O faithless generation, how long will I be with you? How long will I endure you? Bring him to me.” They brought the boy to him. And when he saw him, the spirit immediately threw the boy into convulsions. As he fell to the ground, he began to roll around and foam at the mouth. Then he questioned his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” He replied, “Since childhood. It has often thrown him into fire and into water to kill him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” Jesus said to him, “‘If you can!’ Everything is possible to one who has faith.” Then the boy’s father cried out, “I do believe, help my unbelief!” Jesus, on seeing a crowd rapidly gathering, rebuked the unclean spirit and said to it, “Mute and deaf spirit, I command you: come out of him and never enter him again!” Shouting and throwing the boy into convulsions, it came out. He became like a corpse, which caused many to say, “He is dead!” But Jesus took him by the hand, raised him, and he stood up. When he entered the house, his disciples asked him in private, “Why could we not drive the spirit out?” He said to them, “This kind can only come out through prayer and fasting.”

Scripture Text To Live Out To The End Of The Year

Posted: May 19, 2013 by CatholicJules in Life's Journeys, Memory Book
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Towards the end of Triduum of the Holy Spirit, which I decided to attend on the last day.  We were to choose from strips of  scripture text printed on paper placed on an altar, ONE which spoke to our heart and we will try to live it out for the rest of the year. We would then take a tea light candle light it and place it on the altar and say a prayer. As we stood nearby and prayed, another sister or brother in Christ was encouraged to place their hand on our shoulder and pray over us.

I thought to myself what a truly inspired idea! The only difficulty I had with it was in the choosing! How do you choose between your children? Can one ever be better than another? So I decided to participate in a way that would allow the Holy Spirit full control, I reached for a stack of strips, wiggled my finger in between and pulled out one. Without looking at it, I lighted the tea light placed it on the altar and then prayed for the Holy Spirit to allow me to live out the Scripture Text He had chosen for me.

Praise the Lord! Truly a message appropriate for me and for lots of you, and since you didn’t get a chance to pull your very own I’m sharing mine with you so that you can journey together with me.

I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all. But each of us was given grace according to the measure of Christ’s gift. EPH 4:1-11

Behold The Holy Spirit Leads…

Posted: May 18, 2013 by CatholicJules in Life's Journeys, Memory Book
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It’s been awhile since I’ve taken the time to write up on a personal testimony to the workings of the Holy Spirit and it’s easy to do so when you have Him touch you in such a deep way.

First a little background….you see I was invited to attend two separate Triduums to the Holy Spirit events, one in my own parish and the other in the Church of Our Lady of Lourdes where my ‘spiritual father’ of sorts was flying in to lead the event.  I was torn a little, however was leaning towards attending it at the latter as I missed Bro. Lalith and his team.  Moreover he is truly an anointed and gifted speaker.

As I was praying and discerning which one to choose, I was prompted instead to conduct a neighbourhood LTW session (LTW=Living The Word) to prepare and bring the group to closer to understanding and even perhaps experiencing the gifts of the Holy Spirit as we drew closer to Pentecost Sunday.  The message to me, was use the gifts you already received instead of seeking to further understand and experience what you already know to be true. So I send out invites to the whole group to come on Friday evening.  One of my neighbourhood members and his mate from the Warden Ministry were supposed to be involved in the triduum but they were prompted to attend our session instead.

Friday morning, I had just finished my night shift and so sat down to have some breakfast and to do my reflections for the daily Gospel. I then received a call from my wife telling me that she had received a call from my second son’s school. Our son had apparently fallen from the top of the staircase and landed directly on his head. Apart from two of his fingers which were badly hurt, he was also complaining of stomach pains and so had to be rushed to the hospital.  My wife informed me that she was on her way and would meet me there. Needless to say it was very upsetting news, yet I felt a calm come over me and a feeling that everything would be okay and that I should continue with the reflections before heading over.  After completing and uploading the reflections, I then hailed a taxi and rushed over to the hospital and managed to get there ahead of the ambulance.

When my son arrived he was transferred from the stretcher to the wheelchair and apart from the swell on his fingers he looked generally okay.  Eyewitnesses to the accident in school confirmed that he had missed a step and actually fell from five steps down approximately 1.4 metres and landed directly on the right side of his head. However there was no swelling whatsoever on his head except for a slight discolouration which looked to be the beginnings of a slight bruise. His stomach pain had subsided and so his only real complaint were his fingers. Praise the Lord!

When my wife arrived, she thought it best that we postpone the LTW session, however I told her that everything would be fine and that we should proceed. My son was discharged with a cast on his left hand to allow the two affected fingers to heal properly and we are to return a week later for a follow up and that was all there was to it. Praise the Lord!

In the evening during one of the sharing sessions, I asked the young son of a member if there was anything he would like to share on one of the passages we were covering.  You see I had asked him on numerous occasions in the past, if he had anything to share and he would always politely turn me down.  He would however from time to time ask questions on what the passages meant. That evening, filled with the holy spirit he not only highlighted two sentences which moved him deeply, he proceeded to share why and what it meant. Praise the Lord!

Throughout the session the Holy Spirit moved through almost all the members and we could feel the very strong presence of our Lord among us. The sharings were wonderful and heartfelt.

Then at the end of the session we decided to have a closing hymn which we do not normally do, this was done after the closing prayer. One of the members had prepared the hymn a week before for our session not knowing which Gospel passage we were going to. We decided to do John 14:15–16, 23b–26.  And verse 23 of the Gospel reading is ‘Jesus answered him, “If a man loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him.’ She had chosen the hymn  ’God is dwelling in my heart’  Praise the Lord!

I thank and praise God for keeping my son safe and sound and for allowing me to participate in His plan, which provided for a powerful testimony to the movement of the Holy Spirit and thereby a witness to His Great Glory! Amen

 

 

 

May 19th 2013 – Pentecost Sunday

Posted: May 18, 2013 by CatholicJules in Sunday Reflections
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Sunday Bible Reflections with Dr. Scott Hahn

A Mighty Wind

Readings:
Acts 2:1-11
Psalm 104:1,24,29-31,34
1 Corinthians 12:3-7,12-13
John 20:19-23

 

The giving of the Spirit to the new people of God crowns the mighty acts of the Father in salvation history.

The Jewish feast of Pentecost called all devout Jews to Jerusalem to celebrate their birth as God’s chosen people, in the covenant Law given to Moses at Sinai (see Leviticus 23:15-21; Deuteronomy 16:9-11).

In today’s First Reading the mysteries prefigured in that feast are fulfilled in the pouring out of the Spirit on Mary and the Apostles (see Acts 1:14).

The Spirit seals the new law and new covenant brought by Jesus, written not on stone tablets but on the hearts of believers, as the prophets promised (see 2 Corinthians 3:2-8; Romans 8:2).

The Spirit is revealed as the life-giving breath of the Father, the Wisdom by which He made all things, as we sing in today’s Psalm. In the beginning, the Spirit came as a “mighty wind” sweeping over the face of the earth (see Genesis 1:2). And in the new creation of Pentecost, the Spirit again comes as “a strong, driving wind” to renew the face of the earth.

As God fashioned the first man out of dust and filled him with His Spirit (see Genesis 2:7), in today’s Gospel we see the New Adam become a life-giving Spirit, breathing new life into the Apostles (see 1 Corinthians 15:45,47).

Like a river of living water, for all ages He will pour out His Spirit on His body, the Church, as we hear in today’s Epistle (see also John 7:37-39).

We receive that Spirit in the sacraments, being made a “new creation” in Baptism (see 2 Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 6:15). Drinking of the one Spirit in the Eucharist (see 1 Corinthians 10:4), we are the first fruits of a new humanity – fashioned from out of every nation under heaven, with no distinctions of wealth or language or race, a people born of the Spirit.

On Today’s Gospel

Posted: May 18, 2013 by CatholicJules in Personal Thoughts & Reflections
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Are we guilty at times of waiting or wanting others to accompany us before we walk in, with and for the Lord? Must others go through the same suffering? Same trials?

Our Lord Jesus calls all of us individually, to share our unique gifts with others how? when? where? Not up to us and certainly not in our time but in His time..

All we need to do is be ever prepared to say “Here I am Lord! I’ve come to do Your Will.” Amen

GOSPEL John 21:20–25

Peter turned and saw the disciple following whom Jesus loved, the one who had also reclined upon his chest during the supper and had said, “Master, who is the one who will betray you?” When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, “Lord, what about him?” Jesus said to him, “What if I want him to remain until I come? What concern is it of yours? You follow me.” So the word spread among the brothers that that disciple would not die. But Jesus had not told him that he would not die, just “What if I want him to remain until I come? What concern is it of yours?” It is this disciple who testifies to these things and has written them, and we know that his testimony is true. There are also many other things that Jesus did, but if these were to be described individually, I do not think the whole world would contain the books that would be written.

On Today’s Gospel

Posted: May 17, 2013 by CatholicJules in Personal Thoughts & Reflections
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Do we truly love Jesus? Have put our words to action? Have we been priest, prophet and king for others? Or have we misunderstood ‘king’ for others and Lord ourselves over them?

Have we spent time trying our very best to help the poor and needy? To tend to the old and the sick? To bring hope and comfort to the dying?

Have we shared the living Word with all whom we meet? By our thoughts, words and deeds? Have we set aside time to share our faith with the  young and those new to the faith, being ever patient to guide and teach?

Do we love His lambs, His sheep as our own and more? Do we love ours as His?

Jesus knows our hearts, by and through His love we are assured that by heeding His call, He is with us every step of the way, smooth or rough. By dying to ourselves and for Him, we will rise with Him to new life. Amen

GOSPEL John 21:15–19

After Jesus had revealed himself to his disciples and eaten breakfast with them, he said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” Simon Peter answered him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my lambs.” He then said to Simon Peter a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Simon Peter answered him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was distressed that he had said to him a third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep. Amen, amen, I say to you, when you were younger, you used to dress yourself and go where you wanted; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” He said this signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God. And when he had said this, he said to him, “Follow me.”

On Today’s Gospel

Posted: May 16, 2013 by CatholicJules in Personal Thoughts & Reflections
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Oh what love! You shower upon sweet Jesus that You continue to pray for our unity and not only ours but all who have come to know and love you by our participation in sharing Your love, Your Word.

Oh loving Father may we manifest your Glory by using the Gifts and Graces you bestow on us through Your Son Jesus who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God as it was in the beginning of time. To gather Your people together and to guide them into your heavenly Kingdom.

Thank you for allowing us to bear witness to Your Glory in the many signs, wonders and miracles that accompanies us by being on Your mission, when we answer Your call. Thank You Father for allowing us to witness the transformation and liberation of heavy hearts downtrodden by sin. For allowing us to see the fruits we bear and of others by living according to Your Word. All Glory and Praise be Yours always and forever. Amen

GOSPEL
John 17:20–26

20 “I do not pray for these only, but also for those who believe in me through their word, 21 that they may all be one; even as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. 22 The glory which thou hast given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, 23 I in them and thou in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that thou hast sent me and hast loved them even as thou hast loved me. 24 Father, I desire that they also, whom thou hast given me, may be with me where I am, to behold my glory which thou hast given me in thy love for me before the foundation of the world. 25 O righteous Father, the world has not known thee, but I have known thee; and these know that thou hast sent me. 26 I made known to them thy name, and I will make it known, that the love with which thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them.”

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