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,

Friday, October 28, 2011 {Saints Simon and Jude, Apostles (Feast)}

REFLECTION FOR TODAY
Mary, I wish always to be your child. I give you my heart; keep it for ever. O Jesus, O Mary, be always my friends. I pray you both to let me die rather than commit a sin.
-- St Dominic Savio

READINGS FOR TODAY
First Reading: Ephesians 2:19-22
19 So then, you Gentiles are not foreigners or strangers any longer; you are now citizens together with God's people and members of the family of God.
20 You, too, are built upon the foundation laid by the apostles and prophets,
the cornerstone being Christ Jesus himself.
21 He is the one who holds the whole building together and makes it grow into a sacred temple dedicated to the Lord.

Thursday, October 27, 2011 (Weekday)

REFLECTION FOR TODAY
However great the work that God may achieve by an individual, he must not indulge in self-satisfaction. He ought rather to be all the more humbled, seeing himself merely as a tool which God has made use of.
-- St Vincent de Paul
READINGS FOR TODAY
First Reading: Romans 8:31-39
(God's Love in Christ Jesus)
31 In view of all this, what can we say? If God is for us, who can be against us?
32 Certainly not God, who did not even keep back his own Son, but offered him for us all! He gave us his Son—will he not also freely give us all things?
33 Who will accuse God's chosen people? God himself declares them not guilty!

Wednesday, October 26, 2011 (Weekday)

REFLECTION FOR TODAY
I will see the hand of God in all that happens to me, attributing nothing to individual people, who are but  instruments used by Him in the work of my sanctification.
-- Blessed Raphaela Mary

READINGS FOR TODAY
First Reading: Romans 8:26-30
26 In the same way the Spirit also comes to help us, weak as we are. For we do not know how we ought to pray;  the Spirit himself pleads with God for us in groans that words cannot express.
27 And God, who sees into our hearts, knows what the thought of the Spirit is; because the Spirit pleads with God on behalf of his people and in accordance with his will.
28 We know that in all things God works for good with those who love him, those whom he has called according to his purpose.

Tuesday, October 25, 2011 (Weekday)

REFLECTION FOR TODAY
I am not my own; I have given myself to Jesus. He must be my only love. The state of helpless poverty that may befall me if I do not marry does not frighten me. All I need is a little food and a few pieces of clothing. With the work of my hands I shall always earn what is necessary and what is left over I'll give to my relatives and to the poor. If I should become sick and unable to work, then I shall be like the Lord on the cross. He will have mercy on me and help me, I am sure.
-- Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha
READINGS FOR TODAY
First Reading: Romans 8:18-25
(The Future Glory)
18 I consider that what we suffer at this present time cannot be compared at all with the glory that is going to be revealed to us.
19 All of creation waits with eager longing for God to reveal his children.
20 For creation was condemned to lose its purpose, not of its own will, but because God willed it to be so. Yet there was the hope

20 Solid ways to PRAY- on the MOVE!!!

Prayers could be WEALTHY when it's simple and spontaneous. In fact, we can pray anywhere and everywhere and at any time. It doesn't require heavy languages in a sacred space (you all know God has a lot of languages on his hands and mind..hehe). All we need to do is see our simple moments as the perfect occasions for communicating with God, then speak from our heart.
Take a few minutes, ok, seconds to explore this list for some plain and easy ways to pray your way through an ordinary day.
1. Pray on the Move:
While driving to work, to school, or chauffeuring your kids, use familiar landmarks to remind you to thank God, ask God, seek God, and listen to God.
2. Pray Over Your Favourite Foods:
God loves the delightful things he has created; and when we enjoy them, he enjoys them with and through us. Savor it; as the Bible says, "Taste and see that the Lord is good!" wow, I try as much as possible for thanking Jehovah for the wonderful food he makes available to us, remember, some have food but cannot eat, some can eat but have no food, we have food and we can eat, gory be to thee oh Lord...AMEN!!! (now, who remembers this?). Just this simple prayer rhyme is a prayer that we know we would appreciate if we were GOD or gods!!! 
3. Pray Holding Your Dog or Cat (YOUR PET)
God loves animals even more than we do...hhmmm (I guess that's why God created them first, maybe). In fact, our relationship with them in many ways mirror our relationship with God. As we are with the creatures under our care, so God is with us. Thank him for your pet, and that you can trust God as they trust you, little wonder in some countries, they have animal protection laws!!!

Monday, October 24, 2011 (Weekday)

REFLECTION FOR TODAY
By humble and faithful prayer, the soul acquires, with time and perseverance, every virtue.
-- St Catherine of Siena

READINGS FOR TODAY
First Reading: Romans 8:12-17
12 So then, my friends, we have an obligation, but it is not to live as our human nature wants us to.
13 For if you live according to your human nature, you are going to die; but if by the Spirit you put to death your sinful actions, you will live.
14 Those who are led by God's Spirit are God's children.

Young Hispanic Catholics Continue to Shift to Evangelical Churches...why???

Please help our youngsters remain in the Church!!!
Perhaps hungry to assimilate into American culture, more second and third generation Hispanics raised as Catholics are finding the worship style of evangelical churches in the U.S. more to their liking and leaving the centuries old religion.
Although the trend has been reported in the past, a recent National Public Radio (NPR) article points to the shift led by young Latinos as the major reason for the increasing numbers of U.S. Hispanics leaving the Catholic church.
Even more specifically, a movement toward Pentecostal churches may be where the influx of Hispanics from the Catholic faith is seen most, according to NPR.

WORLD MISSION DAY (October 23, 2011)

HERE IS WHAT THE DEAR BLESSED POPE OFFERED AT ST. PETER'S SQUARE, IN VATICAN CITY.
I'M GLAD I GOT THIS INVITATION EARLIER LAST MONTH, SEE THE CROWD...
DO YOU LOVE BEING ROMAN CATHOLIC????
World Mission Day
October 23, 2011

MESSAGE OF HIS HOLINESS BENEDICT XVI
FOR THE WORLD MISSION SUNDAY 2011

“As the Father has sent me, even so I send you” (Jn 20:21)

On the occasion of the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000, at the beginning of a new millennium of the Christian era Venerable John Paul II forcefully reaffirmed the need to renew the commitment to bear the proclamation of the Gospel to everyone, sharing “the enthusiasm of the very first Christians” (Novo Millennio Ineunte, n. 58).

Sunday, October 23, 2011 (Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time)

REFLECTION FOR TODAY
The Eucharist is a burning coal that sets us on fire. Fire is active by nature and tends to spread. When the soul is under the action of the Eucharist, it is forced to cry out; "O my God, what shall I do in return for so much love?" And Jesus answers; "Thou hast to resemble Me, to live for Me, and to live of Me." The transformation will be easy; when it is a matter of love; one does not walk; one runs and flies.
-- St. Peter Julian Emyard

READINGS FOR TODAY
First Reading: Exodus 22:20-26
20 “Condemn to death anyone who offers sacrifices to any god except to me, the Lord.
21 “Do not mistreat or oppress a foreigner; remember that you were foreigners in Egypt.
22 Do not mistreat any widow or orphan.
23 If you do, I, the Lord, will answer them when they cry out to me for help,

Holy WIVES!!! Revealed Lifestyle of Nigerian Pastors’ Wives

Well, ladies and women of Christiandom IN NIGERIA (WEST AFRICA), here are role models to pick from if you are still random, forgive my words people....please!!!

MARGARET IDAHOSA
She is the widow of the popular late man of God, Most Rev. Prof. Benson Idahosa of the Church of God Mission. She is the presiding bishop of the church. The pretty mother was born on the 29th of July 1943 into the royal lineage of the Benin Kingdom. She is the first female Pentecostal Bishop of a ministry in Africa. She is one of the powerful female pastors Nigeria has produced.
Margaret Idahosa is stylish in every sense; though she's advancing in age, this has in no way altered her love for fashion. The very articulate soul winner many years ago fell in love with American soul singer Anita Baker and ever since she has stuck with her style. A good number of times when you see Margaret Idahosa, it is most certain that she will wear the Anita Baker Hair Style. Though, once in a while she changes this unique style of hers, but even when she's not wearing the Anita Baker's style, she will be wearing another short hair style.
She is also a perfect example of how a virtuous woman should dress.
Ladies please take note oh!!!

FOLU ADEBOYE

Folu Adeboye is the wife of Pastor Enoch Adeboye, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God. She is a veteran teacher who started her teaching career as a spinster and in the course of her life acquired various teaching skills. She is fondly called Mummy G.O; Mrs. Adeboye is a strong pillar, a visionary and a wonderful planner who complements the efforts of her husband. Her sterling attributes have helped her husband to obey God's command to become great....

One thing many can attest to is the fact that she loves being modest in all she does; she does not like being flamboyant just like her husband. She carved out a style for herself that has become hers. Any time she is spotted, one is bound to see her mostly dressed in skirt suit and a hat to match; if she is doing traditional, she makes sure that whatever she wears depicts her as a woman of desirable quality. The hat has become her trademark of sort. Though, she is chauffeur driven all the time, she prefers the not too loud auto mobiles because of her belief. It is also rare to see her wearing jewelries; this also applies to her make-ups....HMMM..Great wonder why some members dress like her.
She is the director of Teen and Children Ministry, RCCG, president of Good Women Ministry, an educationist and a practical theologian.
She is a role model to a lot of women and in great demand in Christian conferences, seminars and programmes in Nigeria and beyond. She is blessed with four biological children.


TOYIN GEORGE ADEGBOYE
Toyin is the wife of the founder of Rhema Chapel International, Rev. George Adegboye. She is a soft- spoken woman who loves to co-ordinate the affairs of the church silently, from the background. She is fondly known as “faith mummy', she is well loved by the congregation of the church and oversees the church when her husband is not around.
She is blessed with three children, Faith, Faithful and Faithfulness.


BUKOLA OLADIYUN
She is the beautiful wife of the senior pastor/founder of fast growing, Christ Living Spring Apostolic Church (CLAM). Pastor Wole Oladiyun. Unknown to many, Bukola is a proprietress of J-Nissi Children School, Ogba and also the Director of Family Life and pastorates in the church. Bukola prefers cool colours for her apparels. Her eye pair of glasses is her trade mark.
She is blessed with four children, Ayomide, Oluwadamipe, Imisioluwa and Inioluwa.


FUNKE FELIX ADEJUMO
Funke Adejumo is the wife of Bishop Adejumo, the founding pastor of Agape Christian Ministries. She is an English graduate and an accomplished pastor and teacher. Her great passion for womanhood has led her to establish the Grace Orphanage and Children's Hospital.
She is blessed with three children and some adopted children.

STEPHANIE OKOTIE
Stephanie is the beautiful wife of Chris Okotie, the pastor and founder of Household of God, Lagos. The Calabar born pretty lady who was once a widow became Pastor Okotie's wife three years ago. According to her funky husband, Chris, he got married to Stephanie because she is the most unique individual that he has met in his entire life.
The couple got married on the 7th of August 2008 in a three-day elaborate ceremony. The beautiful first lady of the Household of God is in her 40s and a mother of three. Aside Kris Okotie buying many cars for her, she was recently blessed with the latest edition from the Honda family, known as Cross Tour. She spends a lot on her hair; she permanently wears Brazilian Human Hair that costs between N150,000 and

Saturday, October 22, 2011 {St. Peter of Alcantara, Priest (Optional Memorial)}

REFLECTION FOR TODAY
We ought to deal kindly with all, and to manifest those qualities which spring naturally from a heart tender and full of Christian charity; such as affability, love and humility. These virtues serve wonderfully to gain the hearts of men, and to encourage them to embrace things that are more repugnant to nature.
 -- St Vincent de Paul

READINGS FOR TODAY
First Reading: Romans 8:1-11
1  There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 
2  For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set me free from the law of sin and death. 
3  For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do: sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh,

St. Jude Thaddaeus (Patron of Desperate Cases)

St. Jude Thaddaeus
Feastday: October 28
Patron of Desperate Cases

St. Jude, known as Thaddaeus, was a brother of St. James the Less, and a relative of Our Saviour. St. Jude was one of the 12 Apostles of Jesus.

Ancient writers tell us that he preached the Gospel in Judea, Samaria, Idumaea, Syria, Mesopotamia, and Lybia. According to Eusebius, he returned to Jerusalem in the year 62, and assisted at the election of his brother, St. Simeon, as Bishop of Jerusalem.

Novena Prayers to St. Jude Thaddeus (The Saint of Hopeless cases, also Patron Stain of Thieves!!!)

Most Holy apostle St. Jude Thaddeus, faithful servant and friend of Jesus, the name of the traitor who delivered thy beloved master into the hands of his enemies has caused thee to be forgotten by many, but the Church honours and invokes thee universally as a patron of hopeless cases and of things despaired of. Pray for me who am so miserable; 

Friday, October 21, 2011 (Weekday)

REFLECTION FOR TODAY
True followers of Christ; Be prepared to have a world make jokes at your expense. You can hardly expect a world to be more reverent to you than to Our Lord. When it does make fun of your faith, its practices, abstinences, and rituals-then you are moving to a closer identity with Him Who gave us our faith. Under scorn, Our Lord "answered nothing". The world gets amusement from a Christian who fails to be Christian, but none from his respectful silence.
-- Bishop Fulton Sheen

READINGS FOR TODAY
First Reading: Romans 7:18-25
18 I know that good does not live in me—that is, in my human nature. For even though the desire to do good is in me, I am not able to do it.
19 I don't do the good I want to do; instead, I do the evil that I do not want to do.
20 If I do what I don't want to do, this means that I am no longer the one who does it; instead, it is the sin that lives in me.

Thursday, October 20, 2011 (Weekday)

REFLECTION FOR TODAY
Who can put Mary's high honour into words? She is both mother and virgin. I am overwhelmed by the wonder of this miracle. Of course no one could be prevented from living in the house he had built for himself, yet who would invite mockery by asking his own servant to become his mother? Behold then the joy of the whole universe. Let the union of God and man in the Son of the Virgin Mary fill us with awe and adoration.
-- Saint Cyril of Alexandria

READINGS FOR TODAY
First Reading: Romans 6:19-23
19 (I use everyday language because of the weakness of your natural selves.) At one time you surrendered yourselves entirely as slaves to impurity and wickedness for wicked purposes. In the same way you must now surrender yourselves entirely as slaves of righteousness for holy purposes.
20 When you were the slaves of sin, you were free from righteousness.
21 What did you gain from doing the things that you are now ashamed of The result of those things is death!

Indecent dressing in churches worries pastor

Although the Roman Catholic Church has preached against immoral dressing severally and on many occasions, even the pope has condemned indecent dressing in Churches and places of worship.
In the not too distant past weeks, the Pastor of Christ Family International Christian Centre, Solomon Oziegbe, has expressed concern over growing indecent dressing in some churches. The cleric, who said this at a news conference to herald the fifth anniversary of the church on in Lagos, warned that indecent dressing was ungodly and inimical to the growth of the Christian faith.
Ozeigbe said, “On the question of indecent dressing, the churches failed in many areas whereas God has not failed. The leaders, ministers, pastors have failed God. God can never fail. His word will never fail. He said ‘heaven and earth shall pass away but my word will remain the same.’ The men of God are reading the bible but they are not teaching the truth.

Wednesday, October 19, 2011 {Saints Isaac Jogues and John de Brébeuf, Priests, Martyrs and Their Companions (Memorial)}

REFLECTION FOR TODAY
Father, to defend the Catholic faith and to make all things new in Christ, you filled Saint Pius X with heavenly wisdom and apostolic courage. May his example and teaching lead us to the reward of eternal life.
-- Roman Briviary

READINGS FOR TODAY
First Reading: Romans 6:12-18
(Slaves of Righteousness)12 Sin must no longer rule in your mortal bodies, so that you obey the desires of your natural self.
13 Nor must you surrender any part of yourselves to sin to be used for wicked purposes. Instead, give yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life, and surrender your whole being to him to be used for righteous purposes.
14 Sin must not be your master; for you do not live under law but under God's grace.
15 What, then? Shall we sin, because we are not under law but under God's grace? By no means!

Tuesday, October 18, 2011 {St. Luke, Evangelist (Feast)}

REFLECTION FOR TODAY
I can no longer live without Jesus. How soon shall I receive Him again?
-- St. Maria Goretti

READINGS FOR TODAY
First Reading: 2 Timothy 4:10-17
10 Demas fell in love with this present world and has deserted me, going off to Thessalonica. Crescens went to Galatia, and Titus to Dalmatia.
11 Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, because he can help me in the work.
12 I sent Tychicus to Ephesus.
13 When you come, bring my coat that I left in Troas with Carpus; bring the books too, and especially the ones made of parchment.
14 Alexander the metalworker did me great harm; the Lord will reward him according to what he has done.
15 Be on your guard against him yourself, because he was violently opposed to our message.
16 No one stood by me the first time I defended myself; all deserted me. May God not count it against them!
17 But the Lord stayed with me and gave me strength, so that I was able to proclaim the full message for all the Gentiles to hear; and I was rescued from being sentenced to death.
Psalms: Psalm 145:10-13, 17-18
10 All your creatures, Lord, will praise you, and all your people will give you thanks.
11 They will speak of the glory of your royal power and tell of your might,
12 so that everyone will know your mighty deeds and the glorious majesty of your kingdom.
13 Your rule is eternal, and you are king forever.
The Lord is faithful to his promises;
he is merciful in all his acts.
17 The Lord is righteous in all he does, merciful in all his acts.
18 He is near to those who call to him, who call to him with sincerity.
Gospel: Luke 10:1-9
(Jesus Sends Out the Seventy-Two)1 After this the Lord chose another seventy-two men and sent them out two by two, to go ahead of him to every town and place where he himself was about to go.
2 He said to them, “There is a large harvest, but few workers to gather it in. Pray to the owner of the harvest that he will send out workers to gather in his harvest.
3 Go! I am sending you like lambs among wolves.
4 Don't take a purse or a beggar's bag or shoes; don't stop to greet anyone on the road.
5 Whenever you go into a house, first say, ‘Peace be with this house.’
6 If someone who is peace-loving lives there, let your greeting of peace remain on that person; if not, take back your greeting of peace.
7 Stay in that same house, eating and drinking whatever they offer you, for workers should be given their pay. Don't move around from one house to another.
8 Whenever you go into a town and are made welcome, eat what is set before you,
9 heal the sick in that town, and say to the people there, ‘The Kingdom of God has come near you.’

Monday, October 17, 2011 {St. Ignatius of Antioch, Bishop, Martyr (Memorial)}

REFLECTION FOR TODAY
Listen to me for one moment and you will see that only the service of God will console us and make us happy in the midst of all the miseries of life. To accomplish it, you do not need to leave either your belongings, or your parents, or even your friends, unless they are leading you to sin. You have no need to go and spend the rest of your lives in the desert to weep there for your sins. If that were necessary for us, indeed, we should be very happy to have such a remedy for our ills. But no, a father and a mother of a family can serve God by living with their children and bringing them up in a Christian way. A servant can very easily serve God and his master, with nothing to stop him. No, my dear bretheren, The way of life that means serving God changes nothing in all that we have to do. On the contrary, we simply do better all the things we must do!
-- St. John Vianney

READINGS FOR TODAY
First Reading: Romans 4:20-25
20 His faith did not leave him, and he did not doubt God's promise; his faith filled him with power, and he gave praise to God.
21 He was absolutely sure that God would be able to do what he had promised.
22 That is why Abraham, through faith, “was accepted as righteous by God.”

Sunday, October 16, 2011 (Twenty-Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time)

REFLECTION FOR TODAY
In detachment, the spirit finds quiet and repose for coveting nothing. Nothing wearies it by elation, and nothing oppresses it by dejection, because it stands in the center of its own humility. 
-- St. John of the Cross


READINGS FOR TODAY
First Reading: Isaiah 45:1, 4-6
(The Lord Appoints Cyrus)
1 The Lord has chosen Cyrus to be king. He has appointed him to conquer nations; he sends him to strip kings of their power; the Lord will open the gates of cities for him. To Cyrus the Lord says,  
4 I appoint you to help my servant Israel, the people that I have chosen. I have given you great honor, although you do not know me.
5 I am the Lord; there is no other god. I will give you the strength you need, although you do not know me.

Saturday, October 15, 2011 {t. Teresa of Jesus, Virgin, Doctor of the Church (Memorial)}

REFLECTION FOR TODAY
It is God's way to give much for little. Our Lord does not attend to how much we give, but to the generosity of our will, and for this very reason He makes much of a little.
-- St. John Chrysostom


READINGS FOR TODAY
First Reading: Romans 4:13, 16-18
(God's Promise Is Received through Faith)
13 When God promised Abraham and his descendants that the world would belong to him, he did so, not because Abraham obeyed the Law, but because he believed and was accepted as righteous by God.
16 And so the promise was based on faith, in order that the promise should be guaranteed as God's free gift to all of Abraham's descendants—not just to those who obey the Law, but also to those who believe as Abraham did. For Abraham is the spiritual father of us all:
17 as the scripture says, “I have made you father of many nations.” So the promise is good in the sight of God, in whom Abraham believed—the God who brings the dead to life and whose command brings into being what did not exist.

Friday, October 14, 2011 (Weekday)

REFLECTION FOR TODAY
To be removed from things of the senses is to contemplate things of the spirit.
-- St. John Climacus

READINGS FOR TODAY
First Reading: Romans 4:1-8
(The Example of Abraham)
1 What shall we say, then, of Abraham, the father of our race? What was his experience? 
2 If he was put right with God by the things he did, he would have something to boast about—but not in God's sight.
3 The scripture says, “Abraham believed God, and because of his faith God accepted him as righteous.”

Thursday, October 13, 2011 (Weekday)

REFLECTION FOR TODAY
We need not fear to be puffed with the knowledge of what God has done for us, if we keep well before us the truth that whatever good there may be in us, is not of us. Though a mule is laden with the precious treasures of a prince, is it not still a clumsy, filthy beast? 
-- St. Francis de Sales


READINGS FOR TODAY
First Reading: Romans 3:21-30
(How We Are Put Right with God)
21 But now God's way of putting people right with himself has been revealed. It has nothing to do with law, even though the Law of Moses and the prophets gave their witness to it.
22 God puts people right through their faith in Jesus Christ. God does this to all who believe in Christ, because there is no difference at all: 
23 everyone has sinned and is far away from God's saving presence.

Wednesday, October 12, 2011 {St. Seraphin of Montegranaro, Religious (Memorial)}

REFLECTION FOR TODAY
If you commit any sin, repent of it at once and resolve to amend. If it is a grievous sin, confess it as soon as possible.
-- St. Alphonsus Liguori

READINGS FOR TODAY
First Reading: Romans 2:1-11
1     Therefore you have no excuse, O man, whoever you are, when you judge another; for in passing judgment upon him you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, are doing the very same things.
2     We know that the judgment of God rightly falls upon those who do such things.
3     Do you suppose, O man, that when you judge those who do such things and yet do them yourself, you will escape the judgment of God?

Tuesday, October 11, 2011 (Weekday)

REFLECTION FOR TODAY
God bestows more consideration on the purity of the intention with which our actions are performed than on the actions themselves.
-- St. Augustine


READINGS FOR TODAY
First Reading: Romans 1:16-25
(The Power of the Gospel)
16 I have complete confidence in the gospel; it is God's power to save all who believe, first the Jews and also the Gentiles.
17 For the gospel reveals how God puts people right with himself: it is through faith from beginning to end. As the scripture says, “The person who is put right with God through faith shall live.”
(Human Guilt)

Monday, October 10, 2011 (Weekday)

REFLECTION FOR TODAY
Although her constitution was very frail, her spirit was endowed with such singular strength that, knowing the will of God in her regard, she permitted nothing to impede her from accomplishing what seemed beyond her strength.
-- Pope Pius XII at the canonization of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini


READINGS FOR TODAY
First Reading: Romans 1:1-7
1 From Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus and an apostle chosen and called by God to preach his Good News.
2 The Good News was promised long ago by God through his prophets, as written in the Holy Scriptures. 
3 It is about his Son, our Lord Jesus Christ: as to his humanity, he was born a descendant of David; 

Sunday, October 09, 2011 (Twenty-Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time)

REFLECTION FOR TODAY
With supernatural intuition, Blessed Josemaria untiringly preached the universal call to holiness and apostolate. Christ calls everyone to become holy in the realities of everyday life. Hence work too is a means of personal holiness and apostolate, when it is done in union with Jesus Christ.
-- Pope John Paul II at the beatification of Josemaria Escriva


READINGS FOR TODAY
First Reading: Isaiah 25:6-10
(God Prepares a Banquet)
6 Here on Mount Zion the Lord Almighty will prepare a banquet for all the nations of the world—a banquet of the richest food and the finest wine. 
7 Here he will suddenly remove the cloud of sorrow that has been hanging over all the nations. 
8 The Sovereign Lord will destroy death forever! He will wipe away the tears from everyone's eyes and take away the disgrace his people have suffered throughout the world. The Lord himself has spoken.

Saturday, October 08, 2011 {Saturday Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary}

REFLECTION FOR TODAY
Accept as blessings the casualties that befall you, assured that nothing happens without God.
-- Didache 3:10


READINGS FOR TODAY
First Reading: Joel 4:12-21
???


Psalms: Psalm 97:1-2, 5-6, 11-12
(God the Supreme Ruler)

Pastors Exchange Blows Over Missing Offering

TWO PASTORS are at each other’s throats over missing offertory from participants of an event they had organized in collaboration with some Singaporeans on Wednesday, September 28, 2011 at the National Theatre, Accra.
So serious was the issue that Reverend Dr. Robert Ampiah-Kwofi of the Global Revival Ministries had to intervene while they found an amicable solution to the simmering scandal which may further damage the ailing image of the clergy. However, DAILY GUIDE can confirm that one of the feuding pastors had reported a theft at the Panters Unit at the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Headquarters, while the other who is the alleged suspect in the case had also made a complaint of assault at the Airport District Police Station. 
Sources close to the police headquarters said the police were waiting until Rev Ampiah-Kwofi, who is the mediator in the case, reported back to them on whether or not he had been able to quench the fire. Ironically, the accuser in the case owed the accused GH¢1000.00,

Pastor Eunice Owoyele...SENTENCED to 14 years imprisonment for child trafficking.

A Federal High Court sitting at Ikeja, this morning sentenced the General Overseer of Christ Redemption Apostolic Church, Pastor Eunice Owoyele to 14 years imprisonment for child trafficking. Others sentenced along with the 40-year-old pastor is one of her accomplices, Mariam Mohammed, 50, who will stay behind bars for 14 years.
They were jailed for luring an 18-year old girl from Nigeria to Libya for prostitution. Having committed the offense in August last year, the two convicts were arraigned before the court on 4 February this year on a three count criminal charge of organizing foreign travels for young girls for prostitution abroad especially in Libya, procurement for prostitution and deceitful inducement to go from place to place contrary to section 15a, 16 and 19b of NAPTIP Act.
The prosecuting lawyer, Mr. Kehinde Falade called four witnesses while the convicts who testified for themselves were led in evidence by their lawyer, Mr. R.O. Akande.
The mother of the victim reported to National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, NAPTIP, when her daughter and her friend who were sent to Libya discovered that they were lured there for prostitution. The girl called her mother on phone to complain about her situation. Consequently, NAPTIP contacted the Nigerian Embassy in Libya to repatriate the girl.
However, the whereabouts of the other victims have remained unknown.
The lawyer to the convicts, Mr. Akande pleaded for leniency as he urged the court to temper justice with mercy by giving his clients an option of fine. But the presiding judge, Justice Stephen Jonah-Adah said the act under which the accused persons were convicted did not make any provision for fine.
Consequently, the convicts were sentenced to 14 years imprisonment each.


I STILL HAVE A PROBLEM TRUSTING WOMEN!!!
AND THIS IS WHAT WE SEE ON THE STREETS EVERYDAY ABOUT WOMEN, BUT WE STILL LOVE THEM, DON'T YOU???

Friday, October 07, 2011 {Our Lady of the Rosary (Memorial)}

REFLECTION FOR TODAY
Mary was raised to the dignity of Mother of God rather for sinners than for the just, since Jesus Christ declares that he came to call not the just, but sinners.
-- St. Anselm


READINGS FOR TODAY
First Reading: Acts 1:12-14
(Judas' Successor)
12 Then the apostles went back to Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives, which is about half a mile away from the city.
13 They entered the city and went up to the room where they were staying: Peter, John, James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James son of Alphaeus, Simon the Patriot, and Judas son of James. 
14 They gathered frequently to pray as a group, together with the women and with Mary the mother of Jesus and with his brothers.

Thursday, October 06, 2011 (Weekday)

REFLECTION FOR TODAY
Stop entertaining those vain fears. Remember it is not feeling which constitutes guilt but the consent to such feelings. Only the free will is capable of good or evil. But when the will sighs under the trial of the tempter and does not will what is presented to it, there is not only no fault but there is virtue.
-- Saint Pio of Pietrelcina


READINGS FOR TODAY
First Reading: Malachi 3:13-18
(God's Promise of Mercy)
13 “You have said terrible things about me,” says the Lord. “But you ask, ‘What have we said about you?’ 
14 You have said, ‘It's useless to serve God. What's the use of doing what he says or of trying to show the Lord Almighty that we are sorry for what we have done? 
15 As we see it, proud people are the ones who are happy. Evil people not only prosper, but they test God's patience with their evil deeds and get away with it.’”

Wednesday, October 05, 2011 {St. Faustina, Virgin (Optional Memorial) Mass Prayers}

REFLECTION FOR TODAY
If we have obtained the grace of God, none shall prevail against us, but we shall be stronger than all who oppose us.
-- St John Chrysostom


READINGS FOR TODAY (Today's Gospel is Our Lord's Prayer)
First Reading: Jonah 4:1-11
(Jonah Gets Angry at the Lord)
1 Jonah was really upset and angry.
2 So he prayed: Our Lord, I knew from the very beginning that you wouldn't destroy Nineveh. That's why I left my own country and headed for Spain. You are a kind and merciful God, and you are very patient. You always show love, and you don't like to punish anyone, not even foreigners.
3 Now let me die! I'd be better off dead.

Tuesday, October 04, 2011 {St. Francis of Assisi, Deacon, Religious, Founder of the Three Orders (Solemnity)}

REFLECTION FOR TODAY
Go forth in peace, for you have followed the good road. Go forth without fear, for he who created you has made you holy, has always protected you, and loves you as a mother. Blessed be you, my God, for having created me.
-- St Clare of Assisi


READINGS FOR TODAY
First Reading: Sirach 50:1, 3-4, 6-7
(Simon the Priest)
1 High Priest Simon the son of Onias repaired and fortified the temple,
3 Simon also dug a cistern as big as the large bronze bowl called “the Sea.” 
4 He fortified Jerusalem and drew up plans in case it was ever attacked or surrounded.

PASTOR Eddie Long DEMANDS $1M REPAYMENT FROM ACCUSERS

Pastor Eddie Long's attorneys are seeking to recover $900,000 from the financial settlement of three of the five people who accused him of sexual coercion in 2010, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (AJC).
At the time of the settlement in May, Art Franklin, a Long spokesman, told CNN that the pastor settled because it "is the most reasonable road for everyone to travel."He added, "This decision was made to bring closure to this matter and to allow us to move forward with the plans God has for this ministry."
The move forward appears not to have been as smooth as Franklyn would have hoped, for the letter sent by the attorney of the mega-church bishop alleges that Jamal Parris, Spencer LeGrande and Centino Kemp violated terms of a confidentiality agreement outlined in the settlement with Long and New Birth Missionary Baptist Church. The confidentiality of the agreement was breached, when, accordingly, the three men broke their silence through through public interviews. Kemp has announced a tell-all book called First Lady. Parris and LeGrande also revealed earlier this summer their plans to write a book.

Monday, October 03, 2011 (Weekday)

REFLECTION FOR TODAY
A man who fails to love the Mass fails to love Christ. We must make an effort to "live" the Mass with calm and serenity, with devotion and affection. And this is why I have always suspected that those who want the Mass to be over with quickly show, with this insensitive attitude, that they have not yet realized what the sacrifice of the altar means.
-- St. Josemaría Escriva de Balaguer


READINGS FOR TODAY
First Reading: Jonah 1:1 -- 2:2, 11
(Jonah Disobeys the Lord)
1 One day the Lord spoke to Jonah son of Amittai.
2 He said, Go to Nineveh, that great city, and speak out against it; I am aware of how wicked its people are.
3 Jonah, however, set out in the opposite direction in order to get away from the Lord. He went to Joppa, where he found a ship about to go to Spain. He paid his fare and went aboard with the crew to sail to Spain, where he would be away from the Lord.

The Anti-Catholic Bible

Well, the research on a cold battle for supremacy by our Christian Relics of the Major divisions of Christianity leads us here to an argument about The Anti Catholic Bible that may have been in world circulation for close to like a decade. After compiling and reading through these notes, I find myself being a little confused and ask; what did Roman Catholics do to deserve all these Abuse.
Hmmmmmm, we leave every-every in The Lords hands as he definitely would bring everything to light in the last days. 
This book is the origin of much of what professional anti-Catholics distribute. It can be called, to use a phrase that might rankle some, the "Bible" of the anti-Catholic movement. At first glance Roman Catholicism seems impressive. Its 460 large pages of text are closely packed with quotations. The table of contents is broken down into dozens of categories, and the indices, though skimpy, at least are there. But a careful reading makes it clear that the author’s antagonism to the Catholic Church has gravely compromised his intellectual objectivity. 
He Swallows Them Whole
The book suffers from a serious lack of scholarly rigor. Boettner accepts at face value virtually any claim made by an opponent of the Church. Even when verification of a charge is easy, he does not bother to check it out. If he finds something unflattering to Catholicism, he prints it. When the topic is the infallibility of the pope, Boettner quotes at length from a speech alleged to have been given in 1870 at the First Vatican Council, where papal infallibility was formally defined. The speech, attributed to "the scholarly archbishop [sic, bishop] Strossmeyer," claims that the "archbishop" read the New Testament for the first time shortly before he gave the speech and found no mention at all of the papacy. The speech then concludes that Peter was given no greater authority than the other apostles. The trouble is that the speech is a well-known forgery. Bishop Strossmeyer did not make that speech, and, in fact, when it was being circulated by a disgruntled former Catholic, the bishop repeatedly and publicly denied that it was his and demanded a retraction by the guilty party. A glance at the Catholic Encyclopedia

Sunday, October 02, 2011 (Twenty-Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time)

REFLECTION FOR TODAY
Know that the experience of pain is something so noble and precious that the Divine Word, who enjoyed the abundant riches of Paradise, yet, because He was not clothed with this ornament of sorrow, came down from Heaven to seek it upon the earth.

READINGS FOR TODAY
First Reading: Isaiah 5:1-7
(The Song of the Vineyard)1 Listen while I sing you this song, a song of my friend and his vineyard: My friend had a vineyard on a very fertile hill.
2 He dug the soil and cleared it of stones;
he planted the finest vines. He built a tower to guard them, dug a pit for treading the grapes. He waited for the grapes to ripen, but every grape was sour.
3 So now my friend says, “You people who live in Jerusalem and Judah, judge between my vineyard and me.

Can Suspected Criminals Avoid Arrest By Running Into Churches? a.k.a Sanctuary

Under the laws, several temporary legal sanctuaries had been developed and perfected because it is morally just and a good thing to do. 
For example, a suspect running from the law, who takes refuge in a church, at least temporarily, avoids arrest from the police.
By running into a church, he or she triggers the legal sanctuary temporarily granted to the church. This means that the police, an executive arm of the government, may not barge into the church and arrest him. Instead, the police would summon the Priest or Pastor of the church and inform him of the arrest warrant. This triggers a