Nowadays when it comes to matters of faith, I no longer believe in coincidences. Miracles and signs are present today as they were some 2000 years ago, we only need to open our hearts to be able to see God’s loving hand at work.

Last night after our family prayer session, my wife and son Seth, mentioned to me how awkward it felt for them to receive the Eucharist from me. It just so happened that on Sunday I was positioned towards serving the far right hand side of the Church, in which they were seated. And so they had little choice but to receive the Eucharist from me. I explained to them that nothing should ever distract them from the fact that they are receiving Christ – body,blood,soul and divinity. And it should not matter whether they are receiving Him from a priest,deacon,bishop or even an extraordinary minister of communion such as me. ( i.e. Even from a family member )

I went on to say that being in the EMC ministry did not make me extra special, holy or better than anyone else. In fact the term extraordinary simply meant Super Ordinary! The ordinary ministers of communion are the priests,deacons and bishops. We on the other hand are just acolytes that take a little more effort to dress in our Sunday best and are given the opportunity to share Jesus with our fellow sisters and brothers in Him.

Like all who serve in the various Church Ministries, we too must do our very best in the vocation or service we were called to do all for the Glory of God our Father. So if I am in the Choir then I should sing my best at all times, were I a Lector then I should do my very best in proclaiming the Word making every effort to ensure that my diction, timing, pronunciation etc. are correct. As an EMC I have to be reverent at all times even in the way I present the body of Christ. I have an added responsibility of living as a true disciple of Christ; that is to say, not just in Church but at home and at work. Yes I know…! In actual fact all the members of all the various ministries (the whole church community) should all strive to live as true disciples of Christ especially the leaders. But what I am merely pointing out is that as an EMC you are highly visible to ALL, especially when you have to go up to the sanctuary and then later serve the congregation, hence begs the question how can you then behave badly in public and still serve?

All of us in the various Ministries should never ever forget, that we serve God and His people and it is never Our Ministry but God’s! In Holy Communion our ‘I’s’ are transformed to ‘We’ so it does not matter how much we do individually, what matters is how much we do it for God and His kingdom.

And so it was amazing to me that just after saying all this last evening, this morning’s Gospel was about how certain disciples of Christ had wanted positions and Jesus saying to them at the end, that 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. Matt 20:20-28

A few days ago I was troubled, when I took it upon myself to try and point out certain things to a brother which I felt was doing or saying things which was contrary to Church teaching, even if he had the best of intentions. Needless to say that the exchange direct and indirectly did not go well. It ended with us praying for one another’s soul. 🙂 So I prayed very hard for an answer, I wanted to know if I was personally being self-righteous, even though a few others had shared similar sentiments about this brother before, though not at length. And I was led to this passage in Scripture :

Colossians 3:16

16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God.

So my sisters and brothers in Christ, feel free to admonish me if I am doing or saying anything contrary to Christ’s teaching, so that I may grow in humility and love.

When the windows of your heart are open, you’ll find that it is not blind faith that leads you; But one that is grounded in intellect, coupled with grace that lets your spirit soar.

Julian Tan 2011

Sent from Julian’s Mobility Pad….

“In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” James 2:17

I decided to attend the 2 day four step retreat held at Our Lady of Lourdes Church which came highly recommended.  It was over the weekend of 14th and 15th of May.  Furthermore the pamphlet I had received about it, looked impressive with some of the testimonies from people who had attended in the past.

Without revealing too much about the retreat because it is something you should choose on your own to experience.  The four step retreat in essence is four steps you undertake to have a personal encounter and lasting relationship with God our Father.  I will stop here so that you will not have expectations or pre-conceived ideas except for the fact that you will definitely experience a change in your life should you desire it. 🙂

After the anointing with the Holy Spirit on the last day I must say I was overjoyed, as I had an extraordinary experience with the in-flowing of the Holy Spirit which lasted at least 15 minutes.  A pure unadulterated, unconditional feeling of being loved!   I decided that I was going to try and live my life in the Spirit.

Monday came and I attended the morning Eucharistic celebration before heading off to work feeling very elated as I was still very much in the Spirit.  I was also looking forward to having dinner with my Dad in the evening as he turned 81 that day.  Yes it was his birthday….

So after work I rushed home to meet the family at the restaurant nearby to have our dinner.   I would later have to rush off once again to Church as we had our monthly EMC meeting.  My wife who couldn’t join us for dinner as she was working, called to tell me that my younger son’s teacher had called her to inform her that she had passed his homework on to a classmate of his since he was on medical leave.  I asked my elder son to help collect it for his brother but he insisted that his younger brother should follow him as well because the mother of the classmate was more familiar with him.  My mum instructed the boys to carry my extra set of keys with them so that they could return home on their own.  I was against the idea but relented because mum said that they could be trusted with the responsibility.

So after dinner mum, dad and I made our way home while the boys went to collect the homework.   After showering I heard the doorbell and found that it was my boys outside.  Apparently they were playing and started throwing the keys up in the air to see who could throw the highest when the bunch of keys got stuck up in the tree.   Can you imagine the anger that was welling up in me?  These bunch of keys were not only to my home but had at least 5 other personal keys of mine attached to the same keychain.  After screaming at them, I marched them down to have a look to see if I could somehow retrieve it from the tree.  As it was getting dark I could hardly see anything up the branches, I shook the tree but there was not even the slightest rattle of keys that could be heard.  So I scanned the whole area surrounding the tree to see if they had somehow failed to see that it actually landed on the grass instead.  After a while as the effort seemed more and more futile, I started screaming at them once again and even threatened to punish them severely.

Almost immediately after letting lose some expletives which I had not uttered in a very,very,very long while, I decided to walk away and pray.  I prayed that Jesus would take away the anger from me and expressed how sorry I was about the outbursts.  I surrendered to him and requested for Him to take over and that I would place all my trust in Him.  Thereafter I began to feel the in-flowing of the Holy Spirit and soon I was calm.  I then walked home silently with the kids.  After getting changed I made my way to Church for the meeting but along the way I decided to call my elder son and tell him that although I was still a little annoyed, I will always love him no matter what happened.  Our meeting began in the adoration room where I felt the overwhelming but wonderful presence of our Lord Jesus Christ.  The rest of the meeting following was needless to say a success!

On Tuesday morning I made my way once again for the morning Eucharistic celebration, but before I got to the bus stop I decided to see if I could find the keys up in the tree in the daylight.  I was secretly hoping to see if the ‘curse’ could be changed into a blessing as was preached about during the four step retreat.  I was a little dismayed that the situation had not changed, as I still could not even see the bunch of keys anywhere.  Still I decided to praise the Lord and thank him for my change of heart.

I was going to be working the afternoon shift and so while I was tempted to attend another talk by Brother Lalith the main speaker at the retreat which was scheduled to start at 1000hrs, I decided instead that I would spend some time with my family since it was a public holiday.  When I got home, my wife informed me that she had made prior plans to bring the kids out with my mum-in-law!  I took this as a sign that I was to attend the talk and so quickly got into a cab to to Church of the Risen Christ.  I left the talk slightly after 5pm to make my way to the office, when I got a call from my mum saying that the ‘lost keys’ was upsetting to my father too, who then proceeded to pray to our blessed Mother Mary for help.  ( This was amazing news to me as my father is not the prayerful type) He then had a feeling that he should go to the tree to have a look and LO and Behold! the bunch of keys was lying below!  He is now convinced of the power of prayer!  The ‘curse’ was truly transformed into blessings!

PRAISE THE LORD! PRAISE THE LORD! PRAISE THE LORD!

AMEN!

More on the four steps retreat can be found at www.crlmain.org

Sent from Julian’s Mobility Pad….

“In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” James 2:17

Dearest Sisters & Brothers In Christ,

God is our Hope and he is always present when we reach out to him.  Pray this Psalm together with me as we draw closer to Celebration of life at the end of his Lenten journey.

Psalm 63

Comfort and Assurance in God’s Presence A Psalm of David, when he was in the Wilderness of Judah.

2 O God, you are my God– for you I long! For you my body yearns; for you my soul thirsts, Like a land parched, lifeless, and without water.

3 So I look to you in the sanctuary to see your power and glory.

4 For your love is better than life; my lips offer you worship!

5 I will bless you as long as I live; I will lift up my hands, calling on your name.

6 My soul shall savor the rich banquet of praise, with joyous lips my mouth shall honor you!

7 When I think of you upon my bed, through the night watches I will recall

8 That you indeed are my help, and in the shadow of your wings I shout for joy.

9 My soul clings fast to you; your right hand upholds me.

10 But those who seek my life will come to ruin; they shall go down to the depths of the earth!

11 They shall be handed over to the sword and become the prey of jackals!

12 But the king shall rejoice in God; all who swear by the Lord shall exult, for the mouths of liars will be shut!

This is now the third album from the Priests and still a must buy! What can I say….I’m a holy fan!… 🙂

Playlists

1. Ding Dong Merrily On High
2. The First Nowell
3. Sussex Carol
4. Little Drummer Boy/Peace On Earth
5. The Holly And The Ivy
6. Away In A Manger
7. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
8. In The Bleak Midwinter
9. In Dulci Jubilo
10. Joy To The World
11. Silent Night
12. Come All Ye Faithful
13. What Child Is This
14. Hark The Herald Angels Sing
15. Little Drummer Boy/Peace On Earth

12 Zion Road Singapore

I attended a talk by Michelle Moran on the 7th Dec, however before I went in to the main hall I decided to pay a visit to the adoration room which was located on a 2nd floor.

The adoration room was simply breathtakingly beautiful! I wonder if there are others like it in Singapore?  This interesting and informative plaque was placed outside the entrance :-

The Upper Room

Blessed and opened on the 6th November 2002

During the time of Jesus, it was an important custom for a jewish family to show hospitality to any guest who showed up.  It was a practice that an upper room be always kept ready for guests at all time while the family resided in the lower room.  It was in one such upper room that Jesus and his disciples used for their “Passover meal”, or what we Christians call, the “Last Supper”.  It was in this “Last Supper” that the Eucharist and the Priesthood was instituted.  It was also here that Jesus washed the feet of this disciples when he commanded them to serve as he did.

In this “Upper Room” Jesus appeared to the disciples for the first time after his Resurrection.  And after the Ascension the disciples together with Mary, the mother of Jesus, continued to see refuge and praying together in the “Upper Room” till the Pentecost event, the descent of the Holy Spirit, when Peter and the rest of the Apostles stood up bravely for the first time to preach the Lord Jesus Christ, an event which three thousand believed the Lord Jesus and were baptized. This marked the birth of the Church.

The “Upper Room” having been the venue of so many significant events of the Church now symbolizes the integral part of our Church life, the Eucharist, the Priesthood, the coming of the Holy Spirit, the spirit of preaching the Word of God, conversion and praying together.

The name “Upper Room” is chosen for this prayer room since it too is situated in the upper level with the presence of the Eucharist and the Word of God.  Our hope is that all who come here to pray imbibe the same spirit of the Apostles who spent much time witnessing the Lord, praying together asking for God’s guidance and strength to do his will.  And may this room be a source of strength and comfort for you in God’s presence. God Bless.

Matthew 26:17-35
Mark 14:12-25
Luke 22:7-38

By Catholicjules.net

Here are some questions for you to help you discern…

• Is Sunday a day of obligation which you have to attend or do you yearn to attend the Eucharistic Celebration on your own accord?
• Do you attend Mass to see and be seen?
• Do you get upset when your usual seat is taken?
• Do you gossip before,during or even after the Eucharistic Celebration?
• Do you have a reverence for the Lord our God in that you would not dress inappropriately and immodestly? And that you do not use your mobile phone in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament or the Altar? Also you do not talk as to distract others in prayer?
• Do you consciously/unconsciously litter in God’s house? Do you see litter and yet not clear it because you did not put it there in the first place?
• Are you obedient to the Pope our father, to his teaching and council?
• Do you sing the hymns with vigour?
• Are you able to understand the Liturgy of the Word? Do you even know what this means?
• Are you able to draw connections between the New and the Old Testaments in the readings and the Gospel?
• Do you reflect on the Word said during the Mass for the rest of the week?
• Do you feel the Lord’s presence and if not do you know that he is?
• Do you say the Creed with conviction and do you fully understand your declaration?
• Do you know and understand the Sacraments of the Church?
• Do you feel love for your brethren?
• Do you pray for your brethren, especially for the least of your brethren?
• Are you able to feel constant peace and joy in your life?
• Have you forgiven?
• Are you in communion with the brethren (especially the least of)  in your Church and in all the other Churches?
• Are you able to speak the Truth everyday in your life?
• Are you able to share your faith with others?
• Do you make an effort to deepen your faith?
• Do you have a personal relationship with God, Jesus your saviour and Blessed Mother Mary?
• Do you pray daily and often enough to strengthen your relationship?
• Do you know and treat your body as the temple of God? (Do you drink excessively or smoke?, or abuse it in someway)
• Do you think it is okay to view or treat women /men as objects? ( esp. in Movies,Television,Magazines etc.)
• Are you Pro-Life or Pro-Choice?
• “We are a Catholic Family“, Do you know this?
• Do you try your very best each and every time to see Jesus in others?
• Do you try your very best each and every time to be Jesus for others?

These two readings, followed by the Gospel was taken from a morning Mass. See how beautifully interwoven it is? Also if you reflect on all three, you will see just how wonderful it is to be Church.

Come, let us worship Christ, whose bride is the Church.

First reading

Ezekiel 47:1-2,8-9,12

The angel brought me to the entrance of the Temple, where a stream came out from under the Temple threshold and flowed eastwards, since the Temple faced east. The water flowed from under the right side of the Temple, south of the altar. He took me out by the north gate and led me right round outside as far as the outer east gate where the water flowed out on the right-hand side. He said, ‘This water flows east down to the Arabah and to the sea; and flowing into the sea it makes its waters wholesome. Wherever the river flows, all living creatures teeming in it will live. Fish will be very plentiful, for wherever the water goes it brings health, and life teems wherever the river flows. Along the river, on either bank, will grow every kind of fruit tree with leaves that never wither and fruit that never fails; they will bear new fruit every month, because this water comes from the sanctuary. And their fruit will be good to eat and the leaves medicinal.’

Second reading

1 Corinthians 3:9-11,16-17

We are fellow workers with God; you are God’s farm, God’s building. By the grace God gave me, I succeeded as an architect and laid the foundations, on which someone else is doing the building. Everyone doing the building must work carefully. For the foundation, nobody can lay any other than the one which has already been laid, that is Jesus Christ. Didn’t you realise that you were God’s temple and that the Spirit of God was living among you? If anybody should destroy the temple of God, God will destroy him, because the temple of God is sacred; and you are that temple.

Gospel

John 2:13-22

Just before the Jewish Passover Jesus went up to Jerusalem, and in the Temple he found people selling cattle and sheep and pigeons, and the money changers sitting at their counters there. Making a whip out of some cord, he drove them all out of the Temple, cattle and sheep as well, scattered the money changers’ coins, knocked their tables over and said to the pigeon-sellers, ‘Take all this out of here and stop turning my Father’s house into a market.’ Then his disciples remembered the words of scripture: Zeal for your house will devour me. The Jews intervened and said, ‘What sign can you show us to justify what you have done?’ Jesus answered, ‘Destroy this sanctuary, and in three days I will raise it up.’ The Jews replied, ‘It has taken forty-six years to build this sanctuary: are you going to raise it up in three days?’ But he was speaking of the sanctuary that was his body, and when Jesus rose from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the scripture and the words he had said.

‘We are the Church of Christ, from Mother Church to Mother Church.”

I want to replace my metal altar crucifix, with one I that I can more fully connect with.  In such a way that by merely gazing upon the face of Jesus who died for us would be a prayer in itself.

However for the longest time I couldn’t seem to find one.  In fact it appears they have lots of very beautiful, even handcrafted wall crucifixes but not home altar ones.  So I am going to get a wall crucifix and make a stand for it.

I hope to get this one soon…..

For those who have been following my blog for a while now, you’d know that I had mentioned a few posts back that I was planning to get a bigger Cross Of The Renewal.  One because I have a rather large frame and secondly with good intentions I mentioned in that post.

Well either I clicked on the wrong item or the Holy Spirit decided to come in a BIG WAY… *grins*

[Audio http://dl.dropbox.com/u/6547844/Veni.mp3%5D

LATIN
Veni, creator Spiritus
mentes tuorum visita,
imple superna gratia,
quae tu creasti pectora.

English

In summary there is a Eucharistic Celebration together with a short ceremony whereby the participants are sent to be the “Salt” and “Light” to the world.  However the experience I want to share is what led up to it…….

The day before I made a trip to the Adoration room where the Blessed Sacrament resides, to spend a little time with Jesus in prayer and reflection.  I was pouring my heart out to him, praising and thanking God for all that he has done for my family, friends, His church and me.  Then it dawned on me after a while  that I should just be still in His presence to listen.   It was only then I was prompted to read up on and understand the Beatitudes. Matt 5-1:12

After reading up and finally understanding the Beatitudes, I was taken aback.  Was Jesus prompting me to share this with the rest? After all it makes perfect sense that if we are called to serve him then we should learn, understand and apply what he taught us from the Mount. Also another surprise caught me off guard! (This tells you that I had never been a regular scripture reader) because just after the Beatitudes this follows, Matt 5-13:16 “You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trodden under foot by men.  “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do men light a lamp and put it under a bushel, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.  It was time to head back to the Adoration room once again today.

This time round, after a period of prayer, I was prompted to switch off the lights and just reflect on him.  I don’t know why I felt this way since I was alone with my Saviour,  but fear just crept up on me and I started to feel a little afraid.   Then this passage came to mind “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.”  Followed by another passage  “I am the light of the world; he who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”  I opened my eyes and gazed upon the Blessed Sacrament which had a a small stand alone light source.  Again I wondered if this was another message for me to pass on?  So I thanked and Jesus and prayed that if he wanted me to share this his flock at the LISS commissioning then he would guide me and prompt me strongly later so that I might know His Will.

During and after the Eucharistic Celebration, I was wondering if I would even have the opportunity to share the messages should Jesus want me to.  Then as Raymund (The LISS Leader) was saying his last few words, encouraging the participants to stay back and have a meal together, I had the burning desire to share what I was ‘told’ and so I mouthed my desire to say a few words to Raymund.  Fortunately he understood, and opened a short session for anyone who wanted to testify or share which I and a few others did.  I just hope I did my Lord and Saviour justice in passing his message on, because I was a little nervous and not sure if I had fumbled. Lord have mercy if I did….

All Glory and Honour are Yours Almighty Father.

Amen.

This beautiful Pardon Crucifix is so intricately lovely. Pope St. Pius X, granted these indulgences:

• Whoever carries on his person the Pardon Crucifix, may thereby gain an indulgence.
• For devoutly kissing the Crucifix, an indulgence is gained.
• Whoever says one of the following invocations before this crucifix may gain each time an indulgence: “Our Father who art in heaven, forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” “I beg the Blessed Virgin Mary to pray to the Lord our God for me.”
• Whoever, habitually devout to this Crucifix, will fulfill the necessary conditions of Confession and Holy Communion, may gain a Plenary Indulgence on the following feasts: On the feasts of the Five Wounds of our Lord, the Invention of the Holy Cross, the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, the Immaculate Conception, and the Seven Dolors of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
• Whoever at the moment of death, fortified with the Sacraments of the Church, or contrite of heart, in the supposition of being unable to receive them, will kiss this Crucifix and ask pardon of God for his sins, and pardon his neighbor, will gain a Plenary Indulgence.

On the back of the Crucifix, on the transverse arms, are the words, “Father, forgive them.” On the long part of the Cross are the words, “Behold this heart which has so loved men.” The Sacred Heart is shown where the two arms of the Cross meet.

It is available from the very reliable Sisters of Carmel.com

I am writing this now just after having attended the outpouring session (of the Holy Spirit or rather the manisfestation), which is the 6th session of the Life in the Spirit Seminar.  There are just two more session before the seminar ends.  I actually wanted to do a write up earlier but felt that it would be prudent to do so only after this session so that the experience I want to share, would be a more complete one since I have never attended any LISS prior.  You will see the explanation for this in the paragraphs below…..I will cover my experiences and testimony but will not touch on the Program Details as this Seminar is designed for you to experience for yourself.  It is not meant for study or to be prepared for.  I will however provide an Introduction at the end, and pray for all of you reading this who have not attended the LISS before, that you will be called and led to join in this great adventure of a lifetime!

My 1st And 2nd Session

It was only after the first session that I realized that it was actually a Charismatic Movement and I thought to myself…”What did I get myself into?”  You see I had heard quite a few of negative remarks about such movements and their members in the past.  And so was skeptical about the positive aspects of this Seminar and what it had to offer.  Still I decided to experience it for myself and attend at least one or two sessions, before calling it quits if I felt uncomfortable in any way or in a sense ‘Put Off’ by what I saw or experienced.  The first session was indeed an eye opener and I wasn’t entirely sure how I felt, because while it was warm, homely and welcoming, I was not too comfortable with raising of hands or even clapping along for the  Praise and Worship session.  Also the song choices were all totally new and unfamiliar to me.

Before attending the second session, I had prayed the night before that my mind and heart would be opened and for the Holy Spirit to guide me.  Then in the afternoon while I was at work, I had this sudden urge to check on Facebook statuses which I normally would not do during office hours.  There at the precise time I checked in, a cousin of mine from Malaysia and of a different Christian Denomination I might add, had this to share: “When God leads you to the edge of the cliff, trust him fully and let go. Only one of two things will happen, either He will catch you when you fall, or He will teach you how to fly.”  That was a very powerful message to me I felt.

Then later that evening as I made my way to the LISS seminar, I was crossing the road to Church when I had an overwhelming need to sing ‘How Great Thou Art’ And so I did! That is I sang the first verse followed by the Chorus to myself.  What made my hair stand or rather gave me goosebumps later was when the group was singing one of the new Praise and Worship songs, and the Chorus in that new song had ‘How Great Thou Art incorporated into it!   It was about a week later that I found out from Raymund the leader of this LISS, that the chorus was a last minute addition.

3rd, 4th and 5th Session

In the weeks leading up to the 3rd and 4th session and thereafter, I was beginning to experience the Holy Spirit working in mysterious inexplicable ways.  I was experiencing a transformation within me,  it started with a burning desire to go for the Sacrament of Reconciliation.  I was pointed to a passage in the bible 1 Corinthians 11 27:32 which made me realize that I needed to receive Jesus in a state of Grace and could only do so after attending the Sacrament of Reconciliation.  There was going to be a Reconciliation session during the LISS on Wednesday but the desire in me burned so greatly that I went the Sunday before.  The experience of receiving Jesus in the Eucharist, in a state of Grace is an amazing and wondrous thing that cannot be articulated effectively in words or feeling.   Then on Wednesday I went again for the Sacrament of Reconciliation with a joy in my heart.

But as Sunday drew near, the Holy Spirit burned the desire in me to go for the Sacrament of Reconciliation yet again. Why???? Well he showed me that there were sins I had not confessed properly and that I had to do a proper examination of conscience so that even more will be revealed.  So after a thorough examination of my conscience, I went for the Sacrament. My penance of which I gladly and fully embraced, was to share my experience with others.  I was also guided a few days later to a message Jesus had sent St.Faustina of whom I had never heard before.  A beautiful message which compels one to share….

“”When you go to Confession, to this fountain of My mercy, the Blood and Water which came forth from My Heart always flow down upon your soul and ennoble it. Every time you go to Confession, immerse yourself entirely in My mercy, with great trust, so that I may pour the bounty of My grace upon your soul. When you approach the confessional, know this, that I Myself am waiting there for you. I am only hidden by the priest, but I Myself act in your soul. Here the misery of the soul meets the God of mercy. Tell souls that from this fount of mercy souls draw graces solely with the vessel of trust. If their trust is great, there is no limit to My generosity. The torrents of grace inundate humble souls. The proud remain always in poverty and misery, because My grace turns away from them to humble souls.”

“Tell souls where they are to look for solace; that is, in the Tribunal of Mercy. There the greatest miracles take place [and] are incessantly repeated. To avail oneself of this miracle, it is not necessary to go on a great pilgrimage or to carry out some external ceremony; it suffices to come with faith to the feet of My representative [in the sacrament of Reconciliation] and to reveal to him one’s misery and the miracle of Divine Mercy will be fully demonstrated. Were a soul like a decaying corpse so that from a human standpoint, there would be no [hope of] restoration and everything would already be lost, it is not so with God. The miracle of Divine Mercy restores that soul in full. Oh, how miserable are those who do not take advantage of the miracle of God’s mercy! You will call out in vain, but it will be too late” (Diary, 1602, 1448).

The following week after I shared the above with my cell group within the LISS, I started praying for all the members of the seminar that they too would experience the Holy Spirit, God’s presence within them.  The inner peace and joy to be had was theirs too, if only they would open up their minds and hearts to receive him.  I had no experience as to what would happen at the outpouring session the following week, but I knew I had already received some of the gifts.  In the beginning I was hoping in the back of mind that I would have the gift of tongues, just so I could experience it for myself and perhaps pray for people in tongues.  But eventually, I decided that I would leave it entirely up to God to decide what other gifts or if any more were needed for me to perform His will.  I would now just continue to give Him thanks and praise for the gifts already received and pray for my brethren.

Outpouring Session

The day finally arrived when we would all encounter God in the outpouring session.  Needless to say I was just as excited as the rest of my brethren.  I went for an early morning Mass to purify myself before heading to the Office for work.  I had also taken half a day leave from work just so I would not miss anything.  So after work I rushed home to get an hour rest before having a bath and deciding once again to go for the evening Mass to pray and prepare myself.

The atmosphere was certainly one of anticipation and excitement though some did try initially to put on a brave lukewarm front.  Approximately an hour into the gathering, I felt the strong presence of the Holy Spirit.  When I closed my eyes I saw a dancing blue flame making it’s way around the heads of everyone in the room.  Even if this might have been a figment of my own imagination, the strong presence of the Holy Spirit was definitely not.  Then somehow I turned my neck to glance backwards and fixed my gaze on a young female participant.  She appeared to be distraught about something and was hiding her tears behind her hair.  I decided to pray for her so that the burden she was carrying would be lifted and that she too might experience the fullness of the gift/s Moreover I prayed that if that there was no other way, then that I may carry the burden for her.  Shortly after, the outpouring session began we were encouraged to give repeated praise to God in whatever language of our choosing and to keep our eyes closed.  However my eyes were opened intermittently when I heard some loud noises and witnessed some extraordinary happenings around me.  Then after a while I decided to keep my closed and just be still in the presence of God.  Although I did not feel anything exceptional or out of the ordinary, I felt that deep down within me I had been given some gifts and trust that the Lord my God will guide me when the time comes to use them.  Then something fantastic happened! Just as the outpouring session ended and I began to open my eyes, I felt an intense feeling of Love for everyone in the room.  Alleluia Alleluia Alleluia!

Raymund then asked if anyone wanted to share their outpouring experience and the girl I prayed for was one of the few members who came up to share their experience.  The Lord had given her rest and lifted away her burdens.  I know I was not the only one praying for her that evening but to witness a prayer being answered is simply Heavenly!

 All Praise and Glory to God Almighty!

**Note** I have had many other encounters with the Holy Spirit guiding me on this journey, not all are mentioned here.

An Introduction To LISS

A Life-in-the-Spirit Seminar (LSS) consists of a series of talks designed to help people realize the power of the Holy Spirit that is available for every aspect of their lives.
Most of us have heard about the Holy Spirit and most of us have learned about the Holy Spirit, but many times that is as far as our experience has gone. The Holy Spirit is a real person, a part of the Blessed Trinity just like Jesus and the Father. We receive the Holy Spirit through the Sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation. Through what is called the baptism in the Holy Spirit, a personal conversion experience, the power that is the Holy Spirit is released within us.

One illustration that helps some people understand this concept is through the image of a candle. It is designed with a wick that, when lit, creates or releases its light, so to speak; only at that time does the candle completely fulfill the purpose for which it was created. Until then it may be pleasant to look at, but it does not fulfill its purpose of emanating light. The candle’s ability to be a source of light is always within it due to its design and the way it is made, but until something happens to “empower” that candle, until the wick is lit, it lies “dormant'” it does not fully become what it was designed to be. So it is with all of us. We have been designed by God and empowered with the power of the Holy Spirit. But until that power is released, it lays dormant as does the light of the candle. A Life-in-the-Spirit Seminar is designed to help us yield to the action, empowerment and the power of the Holy Spirit in our own lives just as He empowered the early church on the day of Pentecost.

The seven, sometimes eight, talks given during a LSS are designed to lead people through the basic message of salvation, to understand the need within themselves for the release of the Holy Spirit’s power that already lies within them, and yield their lives to the Holy Spirit and a life of joy and peace using His many Gifts. The format is simple, informal and presented with balanced, Catholic teaching based upon Scripture, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Church documents, personal testimony and prayer. Opportunities are given in each session for discussion of how the topic may relate to each person’s life, but no one is required to share more than he or she feels comfortable doing.

Many who have attended a Life-in-the-Spirit Seminar have experienced God and the Holy Spirit in a way they had never done before. It is not unusual for people to fall more deeply in love with the Eucharist, with Jesus Christ and the Trinity, with the Mass, and and with the Bible, and many receive the charismatic Gifts of the Holy Spirit just as the Apostles did in the upper room on Pentecost. Those gifts are given to improve our lives and the lives of our family, church and community.

Most of us have a relationship with God; some of those relationships are closer than others are. It doesn’t matter how close you are to Him or how far away He may seem, He is calling every one of us to deepen that relationship and He has nothing but LOVE waiting for us as we accept His call. THERE’S ALWAYS MORE of His love for everyone; all we have to do is yield ourselves more deeply to it and receive it.

If you are at least open to the possibility that you can deepen your personal relationship with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, why not attend a Life-in-the-Spirit Seminar? It may change your life!! It has for millions and millions of Catholics, including priests, religious and laity, who are living a holier, Spirit-filled, Spirit-empowered life today,

dpsrfd.org

Well it all began after reflecting on the talks my wife and I attended on the history of the Eucharistic Celebration which ended somewhere in late June early July of this year.  We now have a deeper understanding and have come to experience the love and commitment this wonderful Sacrament holds for each and everyone of us.  This however does not mean I was experiencing it fully yet……you see, while I had a deeper appreciation for the Sacrament I was not receiving Jesus in a state of Grace.  Will talk on this a little later on….

Then a few weeks later our Parish Priest gave an invitation to the congregation to attend talks spread over four weeks on understanding and the interpretation of Scripture.  So my wife and I decided to attend and to this day I don’t how or why? But when we first walked into the room, we greeted our Parish Priest who was nearby.  Almost immediately he asked if my wife and I would like to join the Eucharistic Ministry.  I was stunned and speechless and cannot imagine the impression that I must have had on my face because he smiled and said that it was right if I didn’t want to.  I explained that as much as I would like to, I felt unworthy and coupled with my doing shift work it would difficult to commit to say a fixed schedule.  He smiled and said, “Just come and attend the meetings, after all it would take at least six months before anyone would be even ready to perform the duty.”  He then requested we give him our contact details after the talk and he would hand it over to the EMC Leader.

Well needless to say I took this ‘Call’ very seriously and decided to change my life.  I want to be ready and not just in six months.  But I was in need of help! So I prayed to God for the holy spirit to guide me.  Then it happened that in July the Emmanuel Group was reintroducing a LISS ( Life in the Spirit Seminar ) for interested parishioners.   I was keen on finding out more but at the same time reluctant because of the commitment issues mentioned above.  But an old friend Raymund who was leading the team invited me to join with a gentle persuasion and a smile. Oh and in addition,  I am not sure if he’d even remember what he said, but his words of encouragement went along the lines of “You know what, I see that there is something special about you and your wife which I can’t put to words,  I think you both should join us for this seminar and just see where it leads you. Don’t worry about the days you cannot attend.”   So I signed up……

Next up…..my experience with the LISS

August 2010

I am writing this now at age… *launches calculator to calculate age…* 41! Wow..time certainly flew right by! *sighs*

Like many, I too have let the secular world overwhelm me…what do I mean? Well let’s just say I’ve led an immoral life in the past and had broken at least six or seven of God’s Commandments.  And I got so caught up in making ends meet that I had forgotten about my faith.  Moreover as a cradle Catholic I new only of the basics of my faith and even though I attended the Mass regularly enough, I did not truly celebrate the Eucharist the way that it ought to be celebrated.

Every time I experienced any painful situations in my life, I would pray through Mary our Blessed Mother for help and guidance and she was always there for me.  Through the years she had prompted me gently to listen to Her Son and God our Father, but my ears were closed with the wax of sin.

Over the years, I had experienced three miracles in my life, once when I got hit slightly by a bus while crossing over the road to get to the car after collecting a certificate.  The other when my canoe capsized and I wasn’t wearing my life jacket and nearly drowned.  And the third one was at Our Lady Of Lourdes shrine in France, where after I drank a little holy water from the shrine it calmed my angry stomach which was otherwise in turmoil.   Also in Lourdes was the first time I felt truly unburdened and light after attending the Sacrament of Reconciliation.   However after a few months back home I was back to my sinful ways.

Throughout the years thereafter, I’ve been on a roller coaster ride of Good Vs Evil and somehow the latter seems to have had a strong hold of me.  Anger, Pride and Lust was the top three on my list followed by the rest.  Finally I realized that whatever little happiness I found in the secular world,  was fleeting at best and that it was time for change.

After I attended a few talks given by our Parish Priest on the Eucharistic Celebration, my eyes were really opened for the first time in years.

In my next post in the Life’s Journeys Category I will talk about the beginning of my transformation.  Before that however I’d probably share a few other things in between.