HAPPY NEW YEAR EvERyONE!!!

Your future is blessed, so make the best of it as you read these pages...God Bless ya all....Amen!!!

Saturday, December 31, 2011 {The Seventh Day in the Octave of Christmas}

REFLECTION FOR TODAY
Our Lord needs from us neither great deeds nor profound thoughts. Neither intelligence nor talents. He cherishes simplicity.
-- St Therese of Lisieux

READINGS FOR TODAY
First Reading: 1 John 2:18-21
(The Enemy of Christ)
18 My children, the end is near! You were told that the Enemy of Christ would come; and now many enemies of Christ have already appeared, and so we know that the end is near.
19 These people really did not belong to our fellowship, and that is why they left us; if they had belonged to our fellowship, they would have stayed with us. But they left so that it might be clear that none of them really belonged to us.

Friday, December 30, 2011 {The Holy Family (Feast)}

REFLECTION FOR TODAY
 Mary's virginity and giving birth, and even the Lord's death escaped the notice of the prince of this world; these three mysteries worthy of proclamation were accomplished in God's silence.
-- St. Ignatius of Antioch, Ad Epesius 19:1


READINGS FOR TODAY
First Reading: Sirach 3:2-7, 12-14
2 for the Lord has given fathers authority over their children and given children the obligation to obey their mothers.
3 If you respect your father, you can make up for your sins,
4 and if you honor your mother, you are earning great wealth.

Thursday, December 29, 2011 (The Fifth Day in the Octave of Christmas)

REFLECTION FOR TODAY
Recall to yourself that our Lord is the beloved Son of the living God; that He is Himself the God of all consolation, the sight of whom forms the beatitude of the angels and elect. And yet, what does He not suffer!
-- St Ignatius Loyola

READINGS FOR TODAY
First Reading: 1 John 2:3-11
(The New Command)
3 If we obey God's commands, then we are sure that we know him.
4 If we say that we know him, but do not obey his commands, we are liars and there is no truth in us.
5 But if we obey his word, we are the ones whose love for God has really been made perfect. This is how we can be sure that we are in union with God:

Wednesday, December 28, 2011 {The Holy Innocents, Martyrs (Feast)}

REFLECTION FOR TODAY
Turn yourself round like a piece of clay and say to the Lord: I am clay, and you, Lord, the potter. Make of me what you will.
-- Blessed John of Avila


READINGS FOR TODAY
First Reading: 1 John 1:5 -- 2:2
5 This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light and in him is no darkness at all.
6 If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not live according to the truth;
7 but if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.

Tuesday, December 27, 2011 {St. John, Apostle, Evangelist (Feast)}

REFLECTION FOR TODAY
They sang to Thy holy name, O Lord, and praised Thy Victorious hand.
-- Wisdom 10:20

READINGS FOR TODAY
First Reading: 1 John 1:1-4
(The Word of Life)
1 We write to you about the Word of life, which has existed from the very beginning. We have heard it, and we have seen it with our eyes; yes, we have seen it, and our hands have touched it.
2 When this life became visible, we saw it; so we speak of it and tell you about the eternal life which was with the Father and was made known to us.
3 What we have seen and heard we announce to you also, so that you will join with us in the fellowship that we have with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.
4 We write this in order that our joy may be complete.

Monday, December 26, 2011 {St. Stephen, First Martyr (Feast)}

REFLECTION FOR TODAY
O blessed penance which has earned for me such great glory!
-- St Peter of Alcantara in a vision to St. Teresa

READINGS FOR TODAY
First Reading: Acts 6:8-10; 7:54-59
(The Arrest AND Stoning of Stephen)
8 Stephen, a man richly blessed by God and full of power, performed great miracles and wonders among the people.
9 But he was opposed by some men who were members of the synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called), which had Jews from Cyrene and Alexandria. They and other Jews from the provinces of Cilicia and Asia started arguing with Stephen.
10 But the Spirit gave Stephen such wisdom that when he spoke, they could not refute him.

Sunday, December 25, 2010 {The Nativity of the Lord - Christmas (Solemnity)}

REFLECTION FOR TODAY
A light shall shine upon us this day: for the Lord is born to us: and He shall be called Wonderful, God, the Prince of Peace, the Father of the world to come: of whose reign there shall be no end.
-- Is. ix. 2, 6

READINGS FOR TODAY

Midnight
First Reading: Isaiah 9:1-6
(The Future King)
1 There will be no way for them to escape from this time of trouble.
The land of the tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali was once disgraced, but the future will bring honor to this region, from the Mediterranean eastward to the land on the other side of the Jordan, and even to Galilee itself, where the foreigners live.
2 The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light. They lived in a land of shadows, but now light is shining on them.
3 You have given them great joy,  Lord; you have made them happy. They rejoice in what you have done, as people rejoice when they harvest grain or when they divide captured wealth.

Saturday, December 24, 2011 (Advent Weekday)

REFLECTION FOR TODAY
All men are called to belong to the new People of God. This People, therefore, while remaining one and only one, is to be spread throughout the whole world and to all ages in order that the design of God's will may be fulfilled: he made human nature one in the beginning and has decreed that all his children who were scattered should be finally gathered together as one... The character of universality which adorns the People of God is a gift from the Lord Himself whereby the Catholic Church ceaselessly and efficaciously seeks for the return of all humanity and all its goods, under Christ the Head in the unity of His Spirit.
-- Lumen Gentium 13

READINGS FOR TODAY
First Reading: 2 Samuel 7:1-5, 8-12, 14, 16
(Nathan's Message to David)
1 King David was settled in his palace, and the Lord kept him safe from all his enemies.
2 Then the king said to the prophet Nathan, “Here I am living in a house built of cedar, but God's Covenant Box is kept in a tent!”
3 Nathan answered, “Do whatever you have in mind, because the Lord is with you.”

Friday, December 23, 2011 (Advent Weekday)

REFLECTION FOR TODAY
Our soul has been delivered as a sparrow out of the snare of the fowlers. The snare is broken: and we are delivered. Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
-- Ps. 124: 7,8

READINGS FOR FOR TODAY
First Reading: Malachi 3:1-4, 23-24
1 The Lord Almighty answers, “I will send my messenger to prepare the way for me. Then the Lord you are looking for will suddenly come to his Temple. The messenger you long to see will come and proclaim my covenant.”
2 But who will be able to endure the day when he comes? Who will be able to survive when he appears? He will be like strong soap, like a fire that refines metal.
3 He will come to judge like one who refines and purifies silver. As a metalworker refines silver and gold, so the Lord's messenger will purify the priests, so that they will bring to the Lord the right kind of offerings.

Thursday, December 22, 2011 (Advent Weekday)

REFLECTION FOR TODAY
Brethren, now you are no more strangers and foreigners: but you are fellow-citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone.
-- Eph 2: 19-20

READINGS FOR TODAY
First Reading: 1 Samuel 1:24-28
24 After she had weaned him, she took him to Shiloh, taking along a three-year-old bull,
a bushel of flour, and a leather bag full of wine. She took Samuel, young as he was, to the house of the Lord at Shiloh.
25 After they had killed the bull, they took the child to Eli.
26 Hannah said to him, “Excuse me, sir. Do you remember me? I am the woman you saw standing here, praying to the Lord.

Wednesday, December 21, 2011 (Advent Weekday)

REFLECTION FOR TODAY
No matter how good food is, if poison is mixed with it, it may cause the death of him who eats it. So it is with conversation. A single bad word, an evil action, an unbecoming joke, is often enough to harm one or more young listeners, and may later cause them to lose God's grace.
-- St John Bosco


READINGS FOR TODAY
First Reading: Song of Solomon 2:8-14 or Zephaniah 3:14-18
Song of Solomon 2:8-14
8 The voice of my beloved! Behold, he comes, leaping upon the mountains, bounding over the hills.
9 My beloved is like a gazelle, or a young stag. Behold, there he stands behind our wall, gazing in at the windows, looking through the lattice.
10 My beloved speaks and says to me: "Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away;

Bishop Oyedepo under heavy pressure for slapping a member of his congregation!!!

IS THIS THE NEW-AGE TYPE OF DELIVERANCE???
The YOUTUBE video showing the general overseer of the Living Faith Church (aka Winners Chapel), David Oyedepo, slapped an unyielding female church member during a deliverance service has sparked social media outrage in Nigeria and around the world. The video became an internet matinée on Saturday after it was posted on YOUTUBE, drawing widespread condemnation of the pastor's action, which many see as gender or child abuse. 
The pastor, affectionately called “Papa” by members of his church, slapped a lady kneeling before him. Apparent from the video, the lady refused to admit she was a witch after several prods by the pastor...I wonder if the pastor wanted her to give in to the fact that he wants her to be called a witch.
The lady rather insisted she was a “witch for Jesus” a claim that apparently angered the pastor!!!
Mr Oyedepo then hit her hard on the left cheek, yelling, “Do you know who you are talking to?”
The congregation cheered but the courageous lady insisted she wasn’t a witch. The disappointed pastor dismissed the lady, saying she had no place in heaven and a place has been made available for her in HELL!!!

Tuesday, December 20, 2011 (Advent Weekday)

REFLECTION FOR TODAY
Let me become the food of the beasts, through whom it will be given me to reach God.
-- St. Ignatius of Antioch, Ad Romanos 4:1


READINGS FOR TODAY
First Reading: Isaiah 7:10-14
(The Sign of Immanuel)
10 The Lord sent another message to Ahaz:
11 “Ask the Lord your God to give you a sign. It can be from deep in the world of the dead or from high up in heaven.”
12 Ahaz answered, “I will not ask for a sign. I refuse to put the Lord to the test.”

Monday, December 19, 2011 (Advent Weekday)

REFLECTION FOR TODAY
O Sacred Heart of Jesus! I fly to Thee, I unite myself with Thee, I enclose myself to Thee! Receive this, my call for help, O my Saviour, as a sign of my horror of all within me contrary to Thy Holy Love. Let me rather die a thousand times than consent! Be Thou my Strength, O God: defend me, protect me. I am thine, and desire forever to be Thine!
-- St Margaret Mary Alocoque

READINGS FOR TODAY
First Reading: Judges 13:2-7, 24-25
2 At that time there was a man named Manoah from the town of Zorah. He was a member of the tribe of Dan. His wife had never been able to have children.
3 The Lord's angel appeared to her and said, “You have never been able to have children, but you will soon be pregnant and have a son.
4 Be sure not to drink any wine or beer, or eat any forbidden food;

Sunday, December 18, 2011 (Fourth Sunday of Advent))

REFLECTION FOR TODAY
We always find that those who walked closest to Christ were those who had to bear the greatest trials.
-- St. Teresa of Avila

READINGS FOR TODAY
First Reading: 2 Samuel 7:1-5, 8-12, 14, 16
(Nathan's Message to David)
1 King David was settled in his palace, and the Lord kept him safe from all his enemies.
2 Then the king said to the prophet Nathan, “Here I am living in a house built of cedar, but God's Covenant Box is kept in a tent!”
3 Nathan answered, “Do whatever you have in mind, because the Lord is with you.”

Thursday, December 15, 2011 (Advent Weekday)

REFLECTION FOR TODAY
He who walks along a precipice, although he may not fall over, yet he trembles and often falls through that very  fear. Even so, he who flies not far from sin, but keeps near to it, lives in continual fear, and often falls.
-- St John Chrysostom


READINGS FOR TODAY
First Reading: Isaiah 54:1-10
1 "Sing, O barren one, who did not bear; break forth into singing and cry aloud, you who have not been in travail! For the children of the desolate one will be more than the children of her that is married, says the LORD.
2 Enlarge the place of your tent, and let the curtains of your habitations be stretched out; hold not back, lengthen your cords and strengthen your stakes.
3 For you will spread abroad to the right and to the left, and your descendants will possess the nations and will people the desolate cities.

Wednesday, December 14, 2011 {St. John of the Cross, Priest, Doctor of the Church (Memorial)}

REFLECTION FOR TODAY
No one will have any other desire in heaven than what God wills; and the desire of one will be the desire of all; and the desire of all and of each one will also be the desire of God.
-- St Anselm

READINGS FOR TODAY
First Reading: Isaiah 45:6-8, 18, 21-25
6 I do this so that everyone from one end of the world to the other may know that I am the Lord and that there is no other god.
7 I create both light and darkness; I bring both blessing and disaster. I, the Lord, do all these things.
8 I will send victory from the sky like rain; the earth will open to receive it and will blossom with freedom and justice. I, the Lord, will make this happen.”

Tuesday, December 13, 2011 {St. Lucy, Virgin, Martyr (Memorial)}

REFLECTION FOR TODAY
Let us understand that God is a physician, and that suffering is a medicine for salvation, not a punishment for damnation.
-- St Augustine

READINGS FOR TODAY
First Reading: Zephaniah 3:1-2, 9-13
(Jerusalem's Sin and Redemption)
1 Jerusalem is doomed, that corrupt, rebellious city that oppresses its own people.
2 It has not listened to the Lord or accepted his discipline. It has not put its trust in the Lord or asked for his help.
9 “Then I will change the people of the nations, and they will pray to me alone and not to other gods. They will all obey me.

Monday, December 12, 2011 {Our Lady of Guadalupe (Feast)}

REFLECTION FOR TODAY
Our Lord avoided any offensive personal remarks when He preached. He attacked only the vices of a school, of a caste, also the bad examples and scandals. He did not reveal hidden crimes or secret defects.
-- St Peter Emyard

READINGS FOR TODAY
First Reading: Numbers 24: 2-7
2 and saw the people of Israel camped tribe by tribe. The spirit of God took control of him, 3 and he uttered this prophecy:
“The message of Balaam son of Beor,The words of the man who can see clearly,
4 Who can hear what God is saying.With staring eyes I see in a trance, A vision from Almighty God.
5 The tents of Israel are beautiful,

Sunday, December 11, 2011 (Third Sunday of Advent)

REFLECTION FOR TODAY
Holy Mother, on the cross Christ entrusted us to you as your children. Today we join with you in praising Him.
-- Second Antiphon: Morning Prayer

READINGS FOR TODAY
First Reading: Isaiah 61:1-2, 10-11
(The Good News of Deliverance)
1 The Sovereign Lord has filled me with his Spirit. He has chosen me and sent me To bring good news to the poor, To heal the broken-hearted, To announce release to captives And freedom to those in prison.
2 He has sent me to proclaim That the time has come When the Lord will save his people And defeat their enemies. He has sent me to comfort all who mourn,
10 Jerusalem rejoices because of what the Lord has done. She is like a bride dressed for her wedding. God has clothed her with salvation and victory.

Wednesday, December 07, 2011 {St. Ambrose, Bishop, Doctor of the Church (Memorial)}

REFLECTION FOR TODAY
If we wish to keep peace with our neighbor, we should never remind anyone of his natural defect.
-- St Philip Neri

READINGS FOR TODAY
First Reading: Isaiah 40:25-31
25 To whom can the holy God be compared? Is there anyone else like him?
26 Look up at the sky! Who created the stars you see? The one who leads them out like an army, he knows how many there are and calls each one by name! His power is so great— not one of them is ever missing!
27 Israel, why then do you complain that the Lord doesn't know your troubles or care if you suffer injustice?

Tuesday, December 06, 2011 {St. Nicholas, Bishop (Optional Memorial)}

REFLECTION FOR TODAY
"Not the goods of the world, but God.
Not riches, but God.
Not honors, but God.
Not distinction, but God.
Not dignities, but God.
Not advancement, but God.
God always and in everything."
-- St Vincent Pallotti

READINGS FOR TODAY
First Reading: Isaiah 40:1-11
(Words of Hope)

1 “Comfort my people,” says our God. “Comfort them!

Monday, December 05, 2011 (Advent Weekday)

REFLECTION FOR TODAY
A servant is not pious if she is not industrious.
-- St Zita

READINGS FOR TODAY
First Reading: Isaiah 35:1-10
(The Road of Holiness)
1 The desert will rejoice, and flowers will bloom in the wastelands.
2 The desert will sing and shout for joy; it will be as beautiful as the Lebanon Mountains
and as fertile as the fields of Carmel and Sharon. Everyone will see the Lord's splendor, see his greatness and power.
3 Give strength to hands that are tired and to knees that tremble with weakness.

Sunday, December 04, 2011 (Second Sunday of Advent)

REFLECTION FOR TODAY
Whatever you do, think not of yourself, but of God.
-- St Vincent Ferrer

READINGS FOR TODAY
First Reading: Isaiah 40:1-5, 9-11
(Words of Hope)
1 “Comfort my people,” says our God. “Comfort them!
2 Encourage the people of Jerusalem. Tell them they have suffered long enough and their sins are now forgiven. I have punished them in full for all their sins.”
3 A voice cries out, “Prepare in the wilderness a road for the Lord! Clear the way in the desert for our God!

Saturday, December 03, 2011 {St. Francis Xavier, Priest (Memorial)}

REFLECTION FOR TODAY
Love God, serve God: everything is in that.
-- St Clare of Assisi

READINGS FOR TODAY
First Reading: Isaiah 30:19-21, 23-26
(God Will Bless His People)
19 You people who live in Jerusalem will not weep any more. The Lord is compassionate, and when you cry to him for help, he will answer you.
20 The Lord will make you go through hard times, but he himself will be there to teach you, and you will not have to search for him any more.
21 If you wander off the road to the right or the left, you will hear his voice behind you saying, “Here is the road. Follow it.”

Friday, December 02, 2011 (Advent Weekday)

REFLECTION FOR TODAY
Humility is the only thing that no devil can imitate. If pride made demons out of angels, there is no doubt that humility could make angels out of demons.
-- St John Climacus

READINGS FOR TODAY
First Reading: Isaiah 29:17-24
17 As the saying goes, before long the dense forest will become farmland, and the farmland will go back to forest.
18 When that day comes, the deaf will be able to hear a book being read aloud, and the blind, who have been living in darkness, will open their eyes and see.
19 Poor and humble people will once again find the happiness which the Lord, the holy God of Israel, gives.

Thursday, December 01, 2011 (Advent Weekday)

REFLECTION FOR TODAY
Because of our good Lord's tender love to all those who shall be saved, he quickly comforts them saying, "The cause of all this pain is sin. But all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well." These words were said so kindly and without a hint of blame.So how unjust it would be for me to blame God for allowing my sin when he does not blame me for falling into it.
-- Blessed Julian of Norwich

READINGS FOR TODAY
First Reading: Isaiah 26:1-6
(God Will Give His People Victory)
1 A day is coming when the people will sing this song in the land of Judah: Our city is strong!
God himself defends its walls!
2 Open the city gates and let the faithful nation enter, the nation whose people do what is right.
3 You, Lord, give perfect peace to those who keep their purpose firm and put their trust in you.

Wednesday, November 30, 2011 {St. Andrew, Apostle (Feast)}

REFLECTION FOR TOADY
Humility is the safeguard of chastity. In the matter of purity, there is no greater danger than not fearing danger. When a person puts himself in an occasion of sin, saying, " I shall not fall", it is almost an infallible sign that he will fall, and with great injury to his soul. We must specifically and regularly pray for God's assistance and not rely on our own strength.
-- St. Phillip Neri

READINGS FOR TODAY
First Reading: Romans 10:9-18
9 If you confess that Jesus is Lord and believe that God raised him from death, you will be saved.
10 For it is by our faith that we are put right with God; it is by our confession that we are saved.
11 The scripture says, “Whoever believes in him will not be disappointed.”

Tuesday, November 29, 2011 {All Saints of the Seraphic Order (Feast)}

REFLECTION FOR TODAY
You people of Vitebsk want to put me to death. You make ambushes for me everywhere, in the streets, on the bridges, on the highways, and in the marketplace. I am here among you as a shepherd and you ought to know that I should be happy to give my life for you. I am ready to die for the holy union, for the supremacy of St. Peter and of his successor the Supreme Pontiff.
-- St Josaphat

READINGS FOR TODAY
First Reading: Sirach 44:1, 10-15
(The Glory of God in History)
1 So let us now give praise to godly  men, our ancestors of generations past,
10 But we will praise these godly men, whose righteous deeds have never been forgotten.
11 Their reputations will be passed on to their descendants, and this will be their inheritance.

Monday, November 28, 2011 {St. James of the Marsh, Priest (Optional Memorial)}

REFLECTION FOR TODAY
If I wish to please God, I must do His Will and not my own.
-- St Alphonsus de Liguori

READINGS FOR TODAY
First Reading: Isaiah 2:1-5
(Peace That Lasts Forever)
1 This is the message  that I was given about Judah and Jerusalem:
2 In the future, the mountain with the Lord's temple will be the highest of all. It will reach above the hills; every nation will rush to it.
3 Many people will come and say, “Let's go to the mountain of the Lord God of Jacob and worship in his temple.”The Lord will teach us his Law from Jerusalem, and we will obey him.

Sunday, November 27, 2011 (First Sunday of Advent)

REFLECTION FOR TODAY
We know we are traveling together. If our pace is slow, go on ahead of us. We won't envy you but rather will seek to catch up with you. However, if you consider us capable of a quicker pace, run along with us. There is only one goal, and we are all anxious to reach it....some at a slow pace and others at a fast pace. Let everyone's sighs be uttered in longing for Christ. Let us run to Him and cry out for Him.
-- St Augustine

READINGS FOR TODAY
First Reading: Isaiah 63:16-17, 19; 64:2-7
16 You are our father. Our ancestors Abraham and Jacob do not acknowledge us, but you, Lord, are our father, the one who has always rescued us.
17 Why do you let us stray from your ways? Why do you make us so stubborn that we turn away from you? Come back, for the sake of those who serve you, for the sake of the people who have always been yours.

Saturday, November 26, 2011 {St. Leonard of Port Maurice, OFM, Priest (Memorial)}

REFLECTION FOR TODAY
Now that we are reborn, as I have said, in the likeness of our Lord, and have indeed been adopted by God as his children, let us put on the complete image of our Creator so as to be wholly like him, not in the glory that he alone possesses, but in innocence, simplicity, gentleness, patience, humility, mercy, harmony, those qualities in which he chose to become, and to be, one with us.
-- St Peter Chrysologus

First Reading: Daniel 7:15-27
(The Visions Are Explained)
15 The visions I saw alarmed me, and I was deeply disturbed.
16 I went up to one of those standing there and asked him to explain it all. So he told me the meaning.
17 He said, “These four huge beasts are four empires which will arise on earth.

Friday, November 25, 2011 (Weekday)

REFLECTION FOR TODAY
Necessity urges us to pray for ourselves. Fraternal Charity obliges us to pray for others. God finds the prayer motivated by charity to be more meritorious than the prayer motivated by necessity.
-- St. John Chrysostom

READINGS FOR TODAY
First Reading: Daniel 7:2-14
(The Vision of the One Who Has Been Living Forever)
2 of what I saw that night:
Winds were blowing from all directions and lashing the surface of the ocean.
3 Four huge beasts came up out of the ocean, each one different from the others.
4 The first one looked like a lion, but had wings like an eagle. While I was watching, the wings were torn off. The beast was lifted up and made to stand up straight. And then a human mind was given to it.

Thursday, November 24, 2011 {St. Andrew Dung-Lac, Priest, Martyr and Companions, Martyrs (Memorial)}

REFLECTION FOR TODAY
Your life consists in drawing nearer to God. To do this you must endeavor to detach yourself from visible things and remember that in a short time they will be taken from you.
-- Blessed John of Avila

READINGS FOR TODAY
First Reading: Daniel 6:12-28
12 all of them went together to the king to accuse Daniel. They said, “Your Majesty, you signed an order that for the next thirty days anyone who requested anything from any god or from any human being except you, would be thrown into a pit filled with lions.”
The king replied, “Yes, that is a strict order, a law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be changed.”
13 Then they said to the king, “Daniel, one of the exiles from Judah, does not respect Your Majesty or obey the order you issued. He prays regularly three times a day.”
14 When the king heard this, he was upset and did his best to find some way to rescue Daniel. He kept trying until sunset.

Wednesday, November 23, 2011 {Blessed Miguel Agustin Pro, Priest, Martyr (Optional Memorial)} - THE HANDWRITING ON THE WALL!!!

THE HANDWRITING ON THE WALL
SOURCE: MY BOOK OF BIBLE STORIES

REFLECTION FOR TODAY
Christ, like a skillful physician, understands the weakness of men. He loves to teach the ignorant and the erring he turns again to his own true way. He is easily found by those who live by faith and to those of pure eye and holy heart, who desire to knock at the door, he opens immediately.
 -- St. Hyppolytus (Treatise on Christ and Antichrist)

READINGS FOR TODAY
First Reading: Daniel 5:1-6, 13-14, 16-17, 23-28
(Belshazzar's Banquet)

1 One night King Belshazzar invited a thousand noblemen to a great banquet, and they drank wine together.

2 While they were drinking, Belshazzar gave orders to bring in the gold and silver cups and bowls which his father. Nebuchadnezzar had carried off from the Temple in Jerusalem. The king sent for them so that he, his noblemen, his wives, and his concubines could drink out of them.

3 At once the gold cups and bowls were brought in, and they all drank wine out of them

4 and praised gods made of gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone.

5 Suddenly a human hand appeared and began writing on the plaster wall of the palace, where the light from the lamps was shining most brightly. And the king saw the hand as it was writing.

6 He turned pale and was so frightened that his knees began to shake.

(Daniel Explains the Writing)

13 Daniel was brought at once into the king's presence, and the king said to him, “Are you Daniel, that Jewish exile whom my father the king brought here from Judah?

Tuesday, November 22, 2011 St. Cecilia, Virgin, Martyr (Memorial)}

REFLECTION FOR TODAY
Disorder in society is the result of disorder in the family.
-- St Angela Merici

READINGS FOR TODAY

First Reading: Daniel 2:31-45

31 “Your Majesty, in your vision you saw standing before you a giant statue, bright and shining, and terrifying to look at.

32 Its head was made of the finest gold; its chest and arms were made of silver; its waist and hips of bronze,

33 its legs of iron, and its feet partly of iron and partly of clay.

Who's Winning???

Who's winning???
Picture source: Catholic Online

The battle for good over evil continues, who do you think would win.......well, as for me Light would prevail over Darkness!!!

The Roman Catholic Faith is in one of it's trying times as an Illinois Catholic Charity Succumbs to the Secular, Homosexual Agenda....They want to permit HOMOSEXUALITY....haaaaaaaa!!!!

Tell me what you think!

Will the Evil one win in the END??

CAN WE PREVENT HIM???

Your Faith matters a whole lot!!!

Monday, November 21, 2011 {The Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Memorial)}

REFLECTION FOR TODAY
O God, who in the heart of Thy Son, wounded by our transgressions, dost mercifully vouchsafe to bestow upon us the infinite wealth of your love; grant, we beseech Thee, that revering it with meet devotion, we may make a worthy reparation for our sins.
-- Collect, Feast of the Sacred Heart - 1945 Missal

READINGS FOR TODAY
First Reading: Daniel 1:1-6, 8-20
(THE STORY OF DANIEL AND HIS FRIENDS-The Young Men at Nebuchadnezzar's Court)
1 In the third year that Jehoiakim was king of Judah, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia attacked Jerusalem and surrounded the city.
2 The Lord let him capture King Jehoiakim and seize some of the Temple treasures. He took some prisoners back with him to the temple of his gods in Babylon, and put the captured treasures in the temple storerooms.
3 The king ordered Ashpenaz, his chief official, to select from among the Israelite exiles some young men of the royal family and of the noble families.

Sunday, November 20, 2011 {Christ the King (Solemnity)}

REFLECTION FOR TODAY
All of us can attain to Christian virtue and holiness, no matter in what condition of life we live and no matter what our life work may be
-- St Francis de Sales

READINGS FOR TODAY
First Reading: Ezekiel 34:11-12, 15-17
(The Good Shepherd )
11 “I, the Sovereign Lord, tell you that I myself will look for my sheep and take care of them
12 in the same way as shepherds take care of their sheep that were scattered and are brought together again. I will bring them back from all the places where they were scattered on that dark, disastrous day.
15 I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I will find them a place to rest. I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken.

Saturday, November 19, 2011 {Saturday Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary}

REFLECTION FOR TODAY
Father, you guide your people with kindness and govern us with love. By the prayers of Saint Gregory give the spirit of wisdom to those you have called to lead your Church. May the growth of Your people in holiness be the eternal joy of our shepherds.
 -- Liturgy of the Hours

READINGS FOR TODAY
First Reading: 1 Maccabees 6:1-13
(The Death of Antiochus the Fourth)
1 As King Antiochus the Fourth was passing through Mesopotamia, he heard of a city in Persia, named Elymais, which was famous for its riches in silver and gold.
2 The temple was very rich, containing gold shields, armor, and weapons left there by Alexander, son of King Philip of Macedonia, who was the first to rule the Greek Empire.
3 Antiochus came and tried to take the city and loot it, but he didn't succeed, because the citizens had learned what he was planning to do,

Friday, November 18, 2011 {Dedication of the Basilica of Saints Peter & Paul (Optional Memorial)}

REFLECTION FOR TODAY
Burning the candle at both ends for God's sake may be foolishness to the world, but it is a profitable Christian exercise-for so much better the light. Only one thing in life matters. Being found worthy of the Light of the World in the hour of His visitation. We need have no undue fear for our health if we work hard for the kingdom of God; God will take care of our health if we take care of His cause. In any case it is better to burn out than to rust out.
-- Bishop Fulton Sheen

READINGS FOR TODAY
First Reading: Acts 28:11-16, 30-31
11 After three months we sailed away on a ship from Alexandria, called “The Twin Gods,” which had spent the winter in the island.
12 We arrived in the city of Syracuse and stayed there for three days.
13 From there we sailed on and arrived in the city of Rhegium. The next day a wind began to blow from the south, and in two days we came to the town of Puteoli.

Thursday, November 17, 2011 {St. Elizabeth of Hungary, Patroness of the Third Order (Feast)}

REFLECTION FOR TODAY
You cannot please both God and the world at the same time. They are utterly opposed to each other in their thoughts, their desires, and their actions.
 -- St. John Mary Vianney

READINGS FOR TODAY
First Reading: Sirach 26:1-3, 15-18, 24 or 1 Timothy 5:3-10
Sirach 26:1-3, 15-18, 24
1 The husband of a good wife is a fortunate man; he will live twice as long because of her.
2 A fine wife is a joy to her husband, and he can live out his years in peace.
3 A good wife is among the precious blessings given to those who fear the Lord.

Wednesday, November 16, 2011 (Weekday)

REFLECTION FOR TODAY
God gave Himself to you: give yourself to God.
-- Blessed Robert Southwell

READINGS FOR TODAY
First Reading: 2 Maccabees 7:1, 20-31
1  It happened also that seven brothers and their mother were arrested and were being compelled by the king, under torture with whips and cords, to partake of unlawful swine's flesh. 
20  The mother was especially admirable and worthy of honorable memory. Though she saw her seven sons perish within a single day, she bore it with good courage because of her hope in the Lord. 
21  She encouraged each of them in the language of their fathers. Filled with a noble spirit, she fired her woman's reasoning with a man's courage, and said to them,

Tuesday, November 15, 2011 (Weekday)

REFLECTION FOR TODAY
This very moment I may, if I desire, become the friend of God.
-- St. Augustine

READINGS FOR TODAY
First Reading: 2 Maccabees 6:18-31
(Eleazar Dies for His Faith)
18 There was an elderly and highly respected teacher of the Law by the name of Eleazar, whose mouth was being forced open to make him eat pork.
19-20 But he preferred an honorable death rather than a life of disgrace. So he spit out the meat and went willingly to the place of torture, showing how people should have courage to refuse unclean food, even if it costs them their lives.

Monday, November 14, 2011 St. Nicholas Tavelic, OFM, Priest, and Companions, Martyrs (Memorial)

REFLECTION FOR TODAY
It is never true that we have no time to meditate; the less one thinks of God, the less time there will always be for Him. The time one has for anything depends on how much we value it. Thinking determines the use of time; time does not rule over thinking! The problem of spirituality is never, then, a question of time; it is a problem of thought. For it does not require much time to make us saints; it requires only much love.
 -- Bishop Fulton Sheen

READINGS FOR TODAY
First Reading: 1 Maccabees 1:10-15, 41-43, 54-57, 62-63
(Antiochus Epiphanes and the Renegade Jews)
10 The wicked ruler Antiochus Epiphanes, son of King Antiochus the Third of Syria, was a descendant of one of Alexander's generals. Antiochus Epiphanes had been a hostage in Rome before he became king of Syria in the year 137. 
11 At that time there appeared in the land of Israel a group of traitorous Jews who had no regard for the Law and who had a bad influence on many of our people. They said, “Let's come to terms with the Gentiles, for our refusal to associate with them has brought us nothing but trouble.”
12 This proposal appealed to many people,

Sunday, November 13, 2011 {Thirty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time}

REFLECTION FOR TODAY
It is not particularly difficult to find thousands who will spend two or three hours a day in exercising, but if you ask them to bend their knees to God in five minutes of prayer, they protest that it is too long.
-- Bishop Fulton Sheen


READINGS FOR TODAY
First Reading: Proverbs 31:10-13, 19-20, 30-31
(The Capable Wife)
10 How hard it is to find a capable wife! She is worth far more than jewels!
11 Her husband puts his confidence in her, and he will never be poor.
12 As long as she lives, she does him good and never harm.

Saturday, November 12, 2011 {St. Josaphat, Bishop, Martyr (Memorial)}

REFLECTION FOR TODAY
By giving yourself to God, you not only receive Himself in exchange, but eternal life as well.
-- St Francis de Sales

READINGS FOR TODAY
First Reading: Wisdom 18:14-16; 19:6-9
14 The short night was half over, and all was quiet and peaceful,
15 when suddenly your threats were carried out! An invincible word of judgment sped from your royal throne in heaven, straight down to that doomed land. It came like a soldier in fierce attack,
16 carrying out your firm command with a fearful weapon, standing with feet on the ground and head touching the sky, filling the land with death.

Friday, November 11, 2011 {St. Martin of Tours, Bishop (Memorial)}

REFLECTION FOR TODAY
Certainly nothing can so effectually humble us before the mercy of God as the multitude of his benefits. Nor can anything so much humble us before His justices as the enormity of our innumerable offences. Let us consider what He has done for us and what we have done against Him.
-- St. Francis de Sales

READINGS FOR TODAY (Well, You Must be so foolish if you don't Know God oh!!!!,
Not me oh!!!, The Bible says so)
First Reading: Wisdom 13:1-9
(The Foolishness of Nature Worship)
1 Anyone who does not know God is simply foolish. Such people look at the good things around them and still fail to see the living God. They have studied the things he made, but they have not recognized the one who made them.
2 Instead, they suppose that the gods who rule the world are fire or wind or storm or the circling stars or rushing water or the heavenly bodies.
3 People were so delighted with the beauty of these things that they thought they must be gods, but they should have realized that these things have a master and that he is much greater than all of them, for he is the creator of beauty, and he created them.

Shocking....Now, The Roman Catholic Church can be held responsible for wrongdoing by Priests!!!

People please examine this decision and tell me what you think!!!

Behold, a High court ruling will make it easier for victims of clerical sex abuse to bring demand claims against the Roman Catholic Church.
The Royal court of Justice Ruled that Victims of clerical sexual abuse will find it easier to bring compensation claims against the Catholic church, this devastating decision has change Suggestibility - Self-Hypnosis after a judge ruled it that (The Roman Catholic Church) can be held responsible for the wrongdoings of its priests.

In a test case heard at the high court, Mr Justice Macduff gave a decision in favour of a woman, known as JGE, who claims she was sexually assaulted by a Portsmouth priest

Thursday, November 10, 2011 {St. Leo the Great, Pope, Doctor of the Church (Memorial)}

REFLECTION FOR TODAY
When our hands have touched spices, they give fragrance to all they handle. Let us make our prayers pass through the hands of the Blessed Virgin. She will make them fragrant.
-- St. John Vianney

READINGS FOR TODAY
First Reading: Wisdom 7:22 -- 8:1
(The Nature of Wisdom)
22 because Wisdom, who gave shape to everything that exists, was my teacher. The spirit of Wisdom is intelligent and holy. It is of one nature but reveals itself in many ways. It is not made of any material substance, and it moves about freely. It is clear, clean, and confident; it cannot be harmed.  It loves what is good. It is sharp and unconquerable,
23 kind, and a friend of humanity. It is dependable and sure, and has no worries. It has power over everything, and sees everything. It penetrates every spirit that is intelligent and pure, no matter how delicate its substance may be.
24 Wisdom moves more easily than motion itself;

Wednesday, November 09, 2011 {The Dedication of the Lateran Basilica (Feast)}

REFLECTION FOR TODAY
So, you will ask me, who then are the people most tempted? They are these, my friends; note them carefully. The people most tempted are those who are ready, with the grace of God, to sacrifice everything for the salvation of their poor souls, who renounce all those things which most people eagerly seek. It is not one devil only who tempts them, but millions seek to entrap them.
-- St. John Vianney

READINGS FOR TODAY
First Reading: Ezekiel 47:1-2, 8-9, 12(The Stream Flowing from the Temple)
1 The man led me back to the entrance of the Temple. Water was coming out from under the entrance and flowing east, the direction the Temple faced. It was flowing down from under the south part of the Temple past the south side of the altar.
2 The man then took me out of the Temple area by way of the north gate and led me around to the gate that faces east. A small stream of water was flowing out at the south side of the gate.
8 He said to me, “This water flows through the land to the east and down into the Jordan Valley and to the Dead Sea. When it flows into the Dead Sea, it replaces the salt water of that sea with fresh water.

Anti-gay pastor arrested for public masturbation

Anti-gay pastor arrested for public masturbation asks gay community for forgiveness
For years, New Orleans area residents have known self-proclaimed "Christian patriot" Grant Storms as a religious crusader who has tirelessly tried to rid the city's French Quarter of homosexual influence--specifically its "Southern Decadence" festival. The celebration, often called the "gay Mardi Gras," draws homosexuals from around the country each Labor Day weekend.
But the 53 year-old Storms has joined

Tuesday, November 08, 2011 {Blessed John Duns Scotus (Optional Memorial)}

REFLECTION FOR TODAY
Let my soul live as if separated from my body.
-- St. John of the Cross

READINGS FOR TODAY
First Reading: Wisdom 2:23 -- 3:9
(The Destiny of the Righteous)
23 When God created us, he did not intend for us to die; he made us like himself.
24 It was the Devil's jealousy that brought death into the world, and those who belong to the Devil are the ones who will die.
3:1-9

Embedded Demon-looking image at The Basilica of St Francis in Assisi

Art restorers in ROME - have discovered the figure of what appears to be a devil hidden in the clouds of one of the most famous frescos by Giotto in the Basilica of St Francis in Assisi, church officials said on Saturday.
The devil was hidden in the details of clouds at the top of fresco number 20 in the cycle of the scenes in the life and death of St Francis painted by Giotto ain the 13th century.
The discovery was made by Italian art historian Chiara Frugone. It shows a profile of a figure with a hooked nose, a sly smile, and dark horns hidden among the clouds in the panel of the scene depicting the death of St Francis.
The figure is difficult to see from the floor of the basilica but emerges clearly in close-up photography.

Sergio Fusetti, the chief restorer of the basilica, said Giotto probably never wanted the image of the devil to be a main part of the fresco and may have painted it in among the clouds "to have a bit of fun."
The master may have painted it to spite someone he knew by portraying him as a devil in the painting, Fusetti said on the convent's website.
The artwork in the basilica in the convent where St Francis is buried was last restored after it was severely damaged by an earthquake in 1997.
(Reporting By Philip Pullella; Editing by Ogbonna Bede)


I have located with arrows and text boxes the exact location of the devil, so unlike in other places on the net, if you are here, you would not have a problem identifying HIM!!!
I guess if we look closer, we might just be able to see the demon figure, it is in white just under the floating angel on the right..the so called devil has darker horns compared to the face colour!!!
woooowww!!!
scary!!!

Monday, November 07, 2011 (Weekday)

REFLECTION FOR TODAY
Stretch forth your hand towards God as an infant towards its father to be conducted by Him.
-- St. Francis de Sales

READINGS FOR TODAY
First Reading: Wisdom 1:1-7
(The Search for Justice)
1 Love justice, you rulers of the world. Set your minds sincerely on the Lord, and look for him with all honesty.
2 Those who do not try to test him will find him; he will show himself to those who trust him.
3 Dishonest thoughts separate people from God, and if we are foolish enough to test him, his power will put us to shame.

Sunday, November 06, 2011 (Thirty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time)

REFLECTION FOR TODAY
Your first task is to be dissatisfied with yourself, fight sin, and transform yourself into something better. Your second task is to put up with the trials and temptations of this world that will be brought on by the change in your life and to persevere to the very end in the midst of these things.
-- St. Augustine

READINGS FOR TODAY
First Reading: Wisdom 6:12-16
(The Value of Wisdom)
12 Wisdom shines bright and never grows dim; those who love her and look for her can easily find her.
13 She is quick to make herself known to anyone who desires her.
14 Get up early in the morning to find her, and you will have no problem; you will find her sitting at your door.

Happy Eid al-Adha to my dear Friends

Happy Happy Eid al-Adha.
A friend of mine helped me Compose this...ask me if you want to know who it is!!!

عيد الأضحى‎

Eid-ul-Fitar (Eid al-Adha) Is Upon Us

Once Again

Doors Open To Everyone

While Perfume Fills The Air

A Time To See The Ones

We Haven Seen For A While

With Labels That Have

A Space For All

Love, Hope , Dreams &

Accomplishments Are Shared

Being Thankful To

ALLAH

For All That Exist In Our Lives

Being Generous To The

Ones That Need It

Having Patience To

Withstand What Life Brings

Please share and like the facebook fan page or subscribe to this blog if you like or dislike this, Sorry if i don't get the spellings and wording right!!!

عيد الأضحى‎ happy عيد الأضحى ‎

سعيد صديق لي ساعدني إنشاء هذا... تسألني إذا كنت تريد أن تعرف من هو!

 
عيد الأضحى
عيد الفطر ، Fitar (عيد الأضحى) هل علينا
مرة أخرى
الأبواب مفتوحة للجميع
بينما عطر يملأ الهواء
وقت لمعرفة تلك
نحن هافن زيارة لبعض الوقت
هل مع التسميات التي
مساحة للجميع
الحب والأمل ، والأحلام
هل الإنجازات المشتركة
يجري نشكر
الله
عن كل ما هو موجود في حياتنا
يجري سخية لل
تلك التي تحتاج إليها
الحاجة إلى الصبر
تحمل ما تجلبه الحياة
الرجاء المشاركة ومثل صفحة الفيسبوك مروحة أو الاشتراك في هذا بلوق إذا كنت تحب أو تكره هذا ، عذرا لو لم تحصل على حق صياغة وهجاء!
سعيد عيد الأضحى عيد الأضحى

Gay vicar, 65, to 'marry' young Nigerian male model

Well, as the Senate in our Country Nigeria refuses to approve the request Bill on 'Open Gay Marriages and Relation ships", a Vicar and a Nigerian are making theirs public, I just hope this gets to the law makers in Nigeria!!!
What do you think about this people???
To former vicar Colin Coward, it is nothing short of a marriage made in heaven. But the 65-year-old is expected to raise a few traditional eyebrows when he walks down the aisle with the man in his life – a 25-year-old Nigerian model called Bobby.
Mr Coward and his African partner are due to hold a civil partnership later this year, followed by a service at the vicar’s church, St John the Baptist church in Devizes, Wiltshire.

The couple met at a Christian conference three years ago, and are planning to make their relationship official in a few weeks’ time.

Bobby Ikekhuame Egbele, a fashion designer and model, grew up in Nigeria and runs an online clothes shop. Currently in the UK on a holiday visa, he and his ‘husband-to-be’ are waiting for the green light from the Borders Agency, which has requested details of their relationship and residency.
This is expected to be a formality but the ‘marriage’ cannot go ahead until permission is granted. Mr Egbele, who will then become a British citizen, said yesterday: ‘I’m excited about the wedding and that people are interested in it.
‘We want it to be a public thing to inspire other people, but a marriage is also private so that feels a bit strange.’

Saturday, November 05, 2011 {Commemoration of All the Deceased of the Seraphic Order (Memorial)}

REFLECTION FOR TODAY
Occupy your minds with good thoughts, or the enemy will fill them with bad ones. Unoccupied, they cannot be.
-- St Thomas More

READINGS FOR TODAY
First Reading: Wisdom 3:1-9
(The Destiny of the Righteous)
1 But righteous people are protected by God and will never suffer torment.
2 It is a foolish mistake to think that righteous people die and that their death is a terrible evil.
3 They leave us, but it is not a disaster. In fact, the righteous are at peace.

If some Americans are among the poorest of the poor!!! What about Africa?

If Oyibo man wants to learn Poverty, he should come to Africa and live with us for like a month!!!
About 20.5 million Americans, or 6.7 percent of the U.S. population, comprise the poorest of the poor. This designation is defined as those at who subsist at 50 percent or less of the official poverty level. Americans living in the deepest poverty represent nearly half of the 46.2 million people scraping by below the poverty line. In 2010, the poorest poor meant an income of $5,570 or less for an individual and $11,157 for a family of four.
In LOS ANGELES, CA - The statistics are so grim, the poorest poor have climbed to an

Friday, November 04, 2011 {St. Charles Borromeo, Bishop (Memorial)}

REFLECTION FOR TODAY"Virtues are formed by prayer.
Prayer preserves temperance.
Prayer suppresses anger.
Prayer prevents emotions of pride and envy.
Prayer draws into the soul the Holy Spirit, and raises man to Heaven."
-- St Ephraem
READINGS FOR TODAY
First Reading: Romans 15:14-21
(Paul's Reason for Writing So Boldly)
14 My friends: I myself feel sure that you are full of goodness, that you have all knowledge, and that you are able to teach one another.
15 But in this letter I have been quite bold about certain subjects of which I have reminded you. I have been bold because of the privilege God has given me
16 of being a servant of Christ Jesus to work for the Gentiles. I serve like a priest in preaching the Good News from God, in order that the Gentiles may be an offering acceptable to God, dedicated to him by the Holy Spirit.

Thursday, November 03, 2011 {St. Martin de Porres, Religious (Optional Memorial)}

REFLECTION FOR TODAY
The crosses with which our path through life is strewn associate us with Jesus in the mystery of His crucifixion.
-- St. John Eudes

READINGS FOR TODAY
First Reading: Romans 14:7-12
7 We do not live for ourselves only, and we do not die for ourselves only.
8 If we live, it is for the Lord that we live, and if we die, it is for the Lord that we die. So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.
9 For Christ died and rose to life in order to be the Lord of the living and of the dead.

Wednesday, November 02, 2011 {The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls)}

REFLECTION FOR TODAY
The devil will try to upset you by accusing you of being unworthy of the blessings that you have received. Simply remain cheerful and do your best to ignore the devil's nagging. If need be even laugh at the absurdity of the situation. Satan, the epitome of sin itself, accuses you of unworthiness! When the devil reminds you of your past, remind him of his future!
-- St. Theresa of Avila

READINGS FOR TODAY
First Reading: Wisdom 3:1-9
(The Destiny of the Righteous)
1 But righteous people are protected by God and will never suffer torment.
2 It is a foolish mistake to think that righteous people die and that their death is a terrible evil.
3 They leave us, but it is not a disaster. In fact, the righteous are at peace.

HALLOWEEN; BRIEF HISTORY & BELIEFS!!!

The line between fall and winter, plenty and paucity, life and death, Halloween is a time of celebration and superstition. It is thought to have originated with the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, when people would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off roaming ghosts. In the eighth century, Pope Gregory III designated November 1 as a time to honor all saints and martyrs; the holiday, All Saints’ Day, incorporated some of the traditions of Samhain. The evening before was known as All Hallows’ Eve and later Halloween. Over time, Halloween evolved into a secular, community-based event characterized by child-friendly activities such as trick-or-treating. In a number of countries around the world, as the days grow shorter and the nights get colder, people continue to usher in the winter season with gatherings, costumes and sweet treats.

Ancient Origins of Halloween
Halloween's origin dates way back in time to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced sow-in). The Celts, who lived 2,000 years ago in the area that is now Ireland, the United Kingdom and northern France, celebrated their new year on November 1. This day marked the end of summer and the harvest and the beginning of the dark, cold winter, a time of year that was often associated with human death. Celts believed that on the night before the new year, the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead became blurred. On the night of October 31 they celebrated Samhain, when it was believed that the

Tuesday, November 01, 2011 {All Saints (Solemnity)}

REFLECTION FOR TODAY
The proof of love is in the works. Where love exists, it works great things. But when it ceases to act, it ceases to exist.
-- Pope St. Gregory the Great

READINGS FOR TODAY
First Reading: Revelation 7:2-4, 9-14
(The Enormous Crowd)
2 And I saw another angel coming up from the east with the seal of the living God. He called out in a loud voice to the four angels to whom God had given the power to damage the earth and the sea.
3 The angel said, “Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees, until we mark the servants of our God with a seal on their foreheads.”
4 And I was told that the number of those who were marked with God's seal on their foreheads was 144,000. They were from the twelve tribes of Israel,

Monday, October 31, 2011 (Weekday)

REFLECTION FOR TODAY
A soul can do nothing that is more pleasing to God than to communicate in a state of grace.
-- St. Alphonsus Liguori
First Reading: Romans 11:29-36 (Praise to God)
29 For God does not change his mind about whom he chooses and blesses. 
30 As for you Gentiles, you disobeyed God in the past; but now you have received God's mercy because the Jews were disobedient.
31 In the same way, because of the mercy that you have received, the Jews now disobey God, in order that they also may now receive God's mercy.

Religious Discrimination Incidents Doubled in US Since 1997; Africa - Since FOREVER!!!

Though a country whose First Amendment mandates the freedom of religious practice, the United States of America appears to be suffering from rising religious discrimination in the workplace. this is also gradually finding it's way into the African society.
According to statistics compiled by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, religious discrimination incidents in USA alone have doubled over the past 13 years. In 1997, there were 1,709 religious discrimination charges filed with the EEOC. In 2010, the most recent year on record, the number was 3,790.
"We cannot explain why claims of religious discrimination have increased.

Sunday, October 30, 2011 (Thirty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time)

REFLECTION FOR TODAY
Little Sisters, take good care for the aged, for in them you are caring for Christ Himself.
-- Bl. Jeanne Jugan

READINGS FOR TODAY
First Reading: Malachi 1:14 -- 2:2, 8-10
14 A curse on the cheater who sacrifices a worthless animal to me, when he has in his flock a good animal that he promised to give me! For I am a great king, and people of all nations fear me.”
------2
1    "And now, O priests, this command is for you.
2    If you will not listen, if you will not lay it to heart to give glory to my name, says the LORD of hosts, then I will send the curse upon you and I will curse your blessings; indeed I have already cursed them, because you do not lay it to heart.

Saturday, October 29, 2011 (Saturday Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary)

REFLECTION FOR TODAY
No tongue can express the greatness of the love which Jesus Christ bears to our souls. He did not wish that between Him and His servants there should be any other pledge than Himself, to keep alive the remembrance of Him.
-- St. Peter of Alcantara

READINGS FOR TODAY
First Reading: Romans 11:1-2, 11-12, 25-29
(God's Mercy on Israel)
1 I ask, then: Did God reject his own people? Certainly not! I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin.
2 God has not rejected his people, whom he chose from the beginning. You know what the scripture says in the passage where Elijah pleads with God against Israel:
11 I ask, then: When the Jews stumbled, did they fall to their ruin? By no means! Because they sinned, salvation has come to the Gentiles, to make the Jews jealous of them.

53 Year Old False Prophet Arrested For Raping 17 Year Old Girl; His Daughter!!!

Dear Readers, please help us pray for false prophets that may use the Holy name of our God in vain to STEAL, MAIM, DESTROY, RAPE...and even KILL.

An Ogun State Chief Magistrate’s Court, southwest Nigeria, has ordered that a prophet, Elijah Olufemi Soneye, be remanded in prison for allegedly torturing his 17-year-old daughter. He allegedly sucked her breasts and ordered her to hold his penis under threat.
The 53-year-old prophet of New Word Covenant Embassy, Cherubim & Seraphim Church, Ijoko, Ogun State, southwest Nigeria, was arraigned before the Ota magistrate’s court on a two-count charge of torture and assault.
The charge reads: “that you Elijah Oluwafemi Soneye, on 14 October 2011, at about 3 p.m. at New Word Covenant Embassy, Oshodi Chamber, Ijoko, unlawfully tortured your 17-year-old girl by tying her with a cow rope and caning her till she had bruises all over her body, and also assaulting her by sucking her breasts and ordering her to hold your manhood under threat until you ejaculated,