Good relationships

A Good Reflection on Lenten Season.........

"The kind of fasting I want is this: 

Remove the chains of oppression and the yoke of injustice, 

and let the oppressed go free. 

Share your food with the hungry and open your homes to the homeless poor. 

Give clothes to those who have nothing to wear, and do not refuse to help your own relatives. 

(The Bible)

TRUE LENTEN DISCIPLINE

Fast from judging others; feast on Christ dwelling in them.

Fast from emphasis on differences; feast on the unity of life.

Fast from apparent darkness; feast on the reality of all light.

Fast from words that pollute; feast on phrases that purify.

Fast from anger; feast on patience.

Fast from pessimism; feast on optimism.

Fast from complaining; feast on appreciation.

Fast from hostility; feast on non-resistance.

Fast from self-concern; feast on compassion for others.

Fast from discouragement; feast on hope.

Fast from suspicion; feast on hope.

Fast from shadows of sorrow; feast on the sunlight of serenity.

Fast from idle gossip; feast on purposeful silence.

Fast from problems that overwhelm; feast on prayer that sustains.

prayer a close view

Prayer.........

Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth

In his book, How to Meditate, Lawrence LeShan tells a revealing story. For years an old Monk prayed for a vision from God, but he was not granted it. He was on the verge of giving up, when, one day, a vision did appear. He was thrilled. But then, his joy was short-lived. Right in the middle of the vision, the monastery bell rang to say it was time to feed the poor people who usually gathered in front of the monastery every day. The monk was in a terrible dilemma: should he stay on and enjoy the vision or answer the call of duty? He knew that if he delayed going out, the people would understand that there was no food in the monastery for them that day, and would depart. The monk was quick to decide. Before the bell stopped ringing he was on his way to offer food to the poor. After about an hour when he returned to his cell and opened the door, he was surprised to find the vision still there. The monk fell on his knees in gratitude. Then the vision said to him: "My son, had you not gone off to feed the poor, I would not have sta

Self-change

Change Self First..............

A great Indian mystic says this about himself: "I was a revolutionary when I was young, and all my prayer to God was: "Lord, give me the energy to change the world."

"As I approached middle age and realised that half my life was gone without my changing a single soul, I changed my prayer to: "Lord, give me the grace to change all those who come into contact with me. Just my family and friends, and I shall be satisfied."

"Now that I am an old man and my days are numbered, I have begun to see how foolish I have been. My one prayer now is: "Lord, give me the grace to change myself," If I had prayed for this right from the start, I should not have wasted my life.

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The rector was preaching a sermon on the relationship between fact and faith. “That you are sitting in front of me in church is a fact,” he said. “That I am speaking to you from the pulpit is a fact. But it is only faith that makes me believe that any of you is listening.

Pope John Paul II

You don't need to be Catholic to appreciate the power of this message and prayer. Please scroll all the way down for the prayer of the faithful.  We don't know why John Paul II wanted to hide this picture for years. The Vatican published this picture recently, for first time.This picture was taken by one of his security guards just when the Pope was attacked and was falling down in his Papamobil. You can see the pain in his face.  Take a look at the above picture. You can seeMother Mary holding John Paul II in Her arms when he was shot in 1981.This happened on May 13, 1981. Pope John Paul II was shot as he arrived in St. Peter's Square to speak to the people who had gathered there. When he was shot, he was holding the rosary, which he always carried. When he fell to the ground, out of nowhere, a woman rushed to his side and embraced him. That pic is shown above. The picture is said to have been taken by one of the gathered people who was busy taking Pope's pics with his camera. The woman vanished as quickly as she appeared. The gunman was apprehended in the square and sentenced to life in prison. The pope was critically wounded but survived after surgery and a long recovery. The surprising fact is that all the bullets passed just past his vital internal organs. When he recovered finally, the first thing Pope asked for was his rosary. When he got it in his hands, he said that he felt Mother Mary directing the bullet's path through him. Sure, John Paul II was always in the habit of praying the rosary regularly. He had once said the best prayer I like is the Rosary. Joaquin Navarro Valls, who is the one spokesman from The Vatican, said that they made a lot of studies for years of this incredible picture and of course about the quality of the developing of the picture because when it was developed nobody could see very well because the image was not clear. Finally, and after so many controls and by looking and checking by all the experts in photography (around the world), they decided that there were no tricks in it and today they give us this beautiful gift from our Mother of God. You can see the Mother of God holding John Paul II in her arms. Beautiful right? I don't know whether You will believe me or not. But many do.. and among those who believed, Bishop Thomas Wenski recreated the picture on a glass window at his Florida residence. You can see that below. PLEASE READ WITH FAITH. This is an awesome prayer. Believe it and you shall be blessed. The problem with many of us is that we don't believe that God will open a window and pour out blessings that we won't have room to receive them. I dare anyone to try God. He is true to His w ord. God cannot lie and His promises are sure. Three things will happen to you this coming week: (1) You will find favor with someone you don't expect; (2) You will be too relevant to be ignored; (3) You will encounter God and you will never remain the same again.. My prayer for you today: The eyes beholding this message shall not behold evil, the hands that will send this message to others shall not labor in vain, the mouth saying Amen to this prayer shall laugh forever. Remain in God's love as you send this prayer to everybody on your list. Have a lovely journey of life! Trust in the Lord with all your heart and He will never fail you because He is AWESOME ! If you truly need a blessing, continue reading this email: Heavenly Father, most Gracious and Loving God, I pray to you that you abundantly bless my family and me. I know that you recognize, that a family is more than just a mother, father, sister, brother, husband and wife, but all who believe and trust in you. Father, I send up a prayer request for blessings for not only the person who sent this to me, but for me and all that I have forwarded this message on to.. And that the power of joined prayer by those who believe and trust in you is more powerful than anything. I thank you inadvance for your blessings. Father God, deliver the person reading this right now from debt and debt's burdens. Release Your Godly wisdom that I may be a good steward over all that You have given me Father, for I know how wonderful and mighty You are and how if we just obey You and walk In Your word and have the faith of a mustard seed that You will pour out blessings. I thank You now Lord for the recent blessings I have received and for the blessings yet to come because I know You are not done with me yet.In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen. TAKE 60 SECONDS and send this on quickly and within hours, you will have caused a multitude of people to pray to God for each other. Then sit back and watch the power of God work in your life for doing the thing that you know He loves. Remain blessed!

Love your neighbour

Love of Neighbour........

Fill every word of yours with love; fill every act of yours with love

The land was in the grip of a famine. A beggar on a street corner reached out to the great Russian writer, Tolstoy, who was passing by. Tolstoy stopped, searched for a coin but found none. With real sorrow, he said, "Don't be angry with me, my brother. I have nothing with me." The beggar's face lighted up as he replied, "But you called me brother--that is a great gift."

Fill every word of yours with love; fill every act of yours with love. Talk less. For the more you indulge in loose talk, the more you are prone to bad qualities. The word that emerges from your tongue shall not stab like the knife, nor wound like the arrow, nor hit like the hammer. It has to be a foundation of sweet nectar, a counsel of consoling spiritual wisdom, a soft path of blossoms, it must shower peace and joy. 

Consider love as your very life, tread the path of truth and righteousness, and lead a peaceful life. Truth, righteousness, peace and love are the forms of God. These four values are the life supporting principles. One having all these four qualities alone is a true human being. There are no greater powers, no greater ideals, and no greater support than these human values. Adhere to these four values and carry on with your life sojourn.

Receive eternal life

What must I do to Receive Eternal Life.....................

A man ran up and knelt before Jesus, and asked him, "Good Teacher, what must I do to receive eternal life?"

"Why do you call me good?" Jesus asked him. No one is good except God alone. You know the commandments: "Do not commit murder; do not commit adultery; do not steal; do not accuse anyone falsely; do not cheat; respect your father and your mother."

"Teacher,"  the man said, "ever since I was young, I have obeyed all these commandments."

Jesus looked straight at him with love and said, "You need only one thing. Go and sell all you have and give the money to the poor, and you will have riches in heaven; then come and follow me." When the man heard this, gloom spread over his face, and he went away sad, because he was very rich.  

Jesus looked round at his disciples and said to them. "How hard it will be for rich people to enter the Kingdom of God!" The disciples were shocked at these words, but Jesus went on to say, "My children, how hard it is to enter the Kingdom of God! It is much harder for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God than for a camel to go through the eye of a needle. At this the disciples were completely amazed and asked one another, "Who then can be saved?"

Jesus looked straight at them and answered. "This is impossible for man, but not for God: everything is possible for God."

------(The Bible).

As part of their Social Awareness Programme, the college students who were members of the National Service Scheme were taken on a tour of the city’s slums. One of the students was appalled by what he saw: poverty, misery, undernourished children, sick and suffering elders. 
That night, while saying his prayers, he turned to God in anger and said, “Lord, how can you allow this? Why can’t you do something about it?”
He heard a voice deep within him, God said, “I already did. I created you.”

Freedom

Freedom...................

Freedom is found in God alone.

Though a person may thing himself or herself free and independent, he or she is subject to a thousand daily pressures of obedience of which he or she is rarely, if ever aware.

He obeys public opinion,  customs, prevailing ideas, the fashions, his passions, his wants--real or imagined--and many caprices. He obeys his master and, still more, his subordinates; he obeys the manners and example, and even the smiles of his equals. Everyone, whether he wishes it or not, is influenced by the books he read, the opinions heard, the criticisms subjected to, and the praises pursued. Many people who believe themselves to be free, are really slaves.

Freedom is found in God alone.

What is the way to lead a desire-free life? Lead your life without the feeling of "mine and thine" and offer everything to God. Only then can you attain the state of desirelessness. Today man has both worldly desires as well as desires that lead to the inward path, but the number of desires that lead to the inward path pale in comparison to the number of worldly desires in him. Devotion means giving up all worldly desires and dedicating all your actions and thoughts to God. When you offer every act of yours to God, it becomes worship. Everything you do must be done as an offering to God.