Archive for February 11, 2016

A Day Of Trials

Posted: February 11, 2016 by CatholicJules in Life's Journeys
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In everything or every situation I will praise the Lord!

Just out of the Holy Trinity Church gate a loud impatient ring of the bicycle bell startles me and I mutter ‘your father’ under my breath. I apologise to my Heavenly Father for my utterance, followed by praise the Lord!

Walking towards the office I realised I forgot my staff access pass for the gantry and to the office. Had to register with security for temporary access through the gantry and wait for a colleague to open the door for me. Praise the Lord!

My colleague Nas came in, we exchanged greetings and he then alerted me to a small tear in my pants at the inner thigh area. As I could not find a sewing kit in my locker, I borrowed his pass to find one at Seven Eleven. They didn’t carry them so I decided to walk all the way to NTUC supermarket to find one. They only had one available, a small one which cost $6.90 I took it with me and decided to check out the clothing area. Saw a business pant on sale and a thought came into mind to get it even though I was planning to sew the old one up. Decided to get a new belt as well because my parish priest had seen my existing one and felt that it was too long. Headed towards the nearest toilet next to NTUC and found that it was closed for cleaning. Praise the Lord!

Hurried back to the office and along the way as I was fiddling to open the sewing kit; the packaging fell on the floor. Reached down to pick it up and the rip got worse! Praise the Lord!

Used the plastic bag I was carrying to hide the huge tear and made my way to the toilet to change. The new pant was a good fit but the new belt was too long. Had to cut it and quickly reattach the buckle as I had thrown away the old one into the dustbin. Spent fifteen minutes at least to get it right. Praise the Lord!

Since I was not eating today I decided to head to Changi City Point to have a haircut instead during lunch. When I reached the QB Barbers I found they were closed and will only open the next day. Praise the Lord!

Decided to go to the value store to look around and found a better sewing kit available for only $1.05
Praise the Lord!

Thank You Lord for an eventful day. Especially for prompting me to purchase the pant otherwise it would have been a whole lot more embarrassing. Praising You Lord had helped me remain calm and at peace.

Glory and Praise be to You O Lord!

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On Today’s Gospel

Posted: February 11, 2016 by CatholicJules in Personal Thoughts & Reflections
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We have a choice to make between loving God our Father and doing His Will for us or choosing to live life devoid of Him. Those who think that sitting on the fence is an acceptable response are sorely mistaken. It is still a choice they have made and on the latter.

Our life here on earth is passing from dust we came, to the dust we shall return. We who choose the Lord our God have hope of new life and in resurrected bodies. For it is a truth, promise from our Lord Jesus Christ. That whosoever loses his life for His sake, will have eternal life. By our baptism we the branches have been attached to the true vine.  We are nourished by the source of all life itself. Needless to say what will happen to those who choose not to be attached or have chosen to detach themselves.

Lord Jesus You have the message of eternal life. I choose to take up my cross and follow You. Amen

First reading
Deuteronomy 30:15-20

Moses said to the people: ‘See, today I set before you life and prosperity, death and disaster. If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I enjoin on you today, if you love the Lord your God and follow his ways, if you keep his commandments, his laws, his customs, you will live and increase, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land which you are entering to make your own. But if your heart strays, if you refuse to listen, if you let yourself be drawn into worshipping other gods and serving them, I tell you today, you will most certainly perish; you will not live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess. I call heaven and earth to witness against you today: I set before you life or death, blessing or curse. Choose life, then, so that you and your descendants may live, in the love of the Lord your God, obeying his voice, clinging to him; for in this your life consists, and on this depends your long stay in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob he would give them.’

Gospel
Luke 9:22-25

Jesus said to his disciples: ‘The Son of Man is destined to suffer grievously, to be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes and to be put to death, and to be raised up on the third day.’

  Then to all he said, ‘If anyone wants to be a follower of mine, let him renounce himself and take up his cross every day and follow me. For anyone who wants to save his life will lose it; but anyone who loses his life for my sake, that man will save it. What gain, then, is it for a man to have won the whole world and to have lost or ruined his very self?’