POPE FRANCIS

P = Pope Francis by name is  - the man of the year
O = Our beloved father most holy so dear
P = Preaching and practising no doubt about it all
E = Example of humility and simplicity for us all.

F = Father of the nation, Good Shepherd of the flock
R = Reforming the lives of those who are spiritually lost
A = Always gives a winning smile so sweet
N = Never says no to any one he meets
C = Caring for the poor - the sick - and the lame
I = In this selfish world - unselfish he become
S = Saint Francis - Someday in Heaven will surely be named.

Wind Beneath My Wings

Walking down the seafront alone, Where I can find peace on my own.
On this lovely and quiet afternoon.
People may come and go,
but they will leave me with a sweet smile and hello.

All I have at the moment,
Is wind beneath my wings
Whispering to me how good God is,
Embracing me with all  the love that it has to offer.
Telling me sweetly how precious I am in God's sight.
Guiding my humble feet to the right path of life.

Cheering me up when I am feeling down and sad,
Rejoicing with me when my heart sings beautifully.
Oh, wind beneath my wings!
How can I hold you so dearly and so tightly?
And never to let you go if I could.

Thank you for always reminding me,
That life is just only a passing moment.
And looking for all eternity,
Is where I belong to be as I prayed for.
To be with the Triune God is all I need.
And to embrace the Father's love forevermore.

God Watches Over His Children

In this modern world run with advances in technology and science and free thinking, religion has become a second option and something that people don't care much for. There are people in the world who believe in atheism, that is, they don't believe that there is God. Some people in the world now don't feel that they need God. They are more afraid of thieves and murderers so they build high walls and fix cameras at gates thinking that they can protect themselves.

This is what Jesus is addressing. He says, "Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna." Jesus also says, "But whoever denies me before others, I will deny before my Heavenly Father." (Matthew 10 : 26 - 33).

In this world that challenges our Faith, and in this society that cares much for the body than for the soul, let us think about how strong our own faith is. Are we ashamed of bearing witness to Jesus? Are we also more careful of our body and neglect our soul?

When Jesus Steps Into My Life

When I pray for others and I have no time to pray for myself
That is when Jesus prays for me

When I love others and I am not loved in return
That is when Jesus loves me

When I smile with someone and the smile is not returned to me
That is when Jesus's smile is upon me

When I care for others and yet others do not care for me
That is when Jesus cares for me

When I meet the needs of others and don't expect anything in return
That is when Jesus meets my needs

When I share a meal with the poor That is when Jesus blesses my food and water

When I spread a ray of hope in another's life
That is when the hope of Jesus will fill my heart

When I forgive others for the wrongs they have done to me
That is when Jesus forgives me for my transgressions

And when I become blessing to others
That is when Jesus' blessings fall a fresh on me!

God Is Always Searching For Us

What is the most important and basic characteristic of our Christian religion? For the natural religions, it is always man searching for God. When tribals slaughter animals to offer their blood to their gods. This signifies man's desire to search and to please an Almighty God.

When Muslims fast and cleanse their bodies in preparation for a very long meditation, it is still man in search of God. When Hindus burn themselves and offer their burning bodies to god, it is also man in search of God. For the natural religions, man is always in search of God. Man longs to see God face to face. But in Christianity, it is the other way around. It is not man in search of God: it is God in search of man. That is the good news for us. From the parables of the lost sheep, lost coin and the lost son, we see that God is in search of us. God is looking for us. However, this does not mean that we can lie back and indolently wait to be discovered by God. No! The message actually is this: We are all so important before God that God cannot rest, that God will always be restless, until He is able to see us and have us in His bosom. That is the good news. The Lord tells us in the Gospel that He is always in search of all of us because we are important and precious to Him (Lk 15 : 3 - 7).

We hear that right from the very book of Genesis (Gen 3 : 9 - 11), the first book of the Holy Scriptures. What does God say to Adam? "Where are you? Why are you hiding?" And Adam says, "I am hiding because I am naked." This and many more Scripture passages clearly show that God is looking for man, is always in search of man. Saint John the beloved says, " It was God who loved us first. It was not we who loved God, but it was God who loved us first. We are only responding to God's love."

From the Book of the Prophet Hosea, the Lord says, " Come back to Me with all your heart; do not let fear keep us apart." Again, it is God in search of man. God is interested in man. God is never growing tired, never resting, until we are found and are with Him. Saint Augustine says, "O Lord, how late have I known you and yet my heart is restless until it rests in you."

When we understand that God is in search of man (us), more so than man in search of God, our spiritual experience is greatly enhanced. What does this mean in terms of communication? Over and over we try to hear God's voice to find direction in our lives and we spend countless hours in search of Him, only to find out that God has been always close-by, but because we didn't recognise Him. We have run away from Him. We consider God mysterious and almost unattainable, but the great mystery is that God is always with us and in search of us.

Let us thank God for such unconditional love. Let us thank God always for searching for us because we are important and precious in the eyes of God. We are precious because we are created in the image and likeness of God and given the grace of experiencing Him always. God is present in us, around us and everywhere in the world. Let us  ask the Lord to open our hearts, minds, eyes and ears to recognise His presence in us and in our midst.

With the grace and light of the Lord. Let us try to become aware of our goodness, talents, gifts, and enormous blessings received from God instead of remembering, dwelling and worrying over the little failures, shortcomings, pain and suffering we have experienced in the past or at present. Let us try to develop a positive attitude of thanking and praising God for what we have received from God.

Wrong

"Today is my birthday and I want  it to be special though I am not celebrating with friends or loved ones," announced Janaki.

"Congratulation. But I don't want you to think that everything will go right for you today or any day", said Khrisna who was a psychologist.

"Why not? I have not done anything wrong or hurt anyone. So why should my life not be perfect?" asked Janaki.

"I think the mistake many of us make is to think that "I am on top of the world and I want the world to be the same for you and me", in the words of the song. We are all frail humans and we are bound to make mistakes so no day  is perfect even though special nice things may happen", explained Khrisna, adding, "the secret is to enjoy the nice moments and build memories so that one can tide over the bad periods  which will inevitably come."

"Thank you for warning me. That is true, I have had my bad times and when I look back, there were times in my life when I felt like committing suicide. So many wrong things have happened to me. It is true that I too have done wrong things but my family and friends have hurt me over the years," said Janaki.

"I think that you should stop thinking of the past and dwell on TODAY. Tomorrow is promised to no-one. If you can wake up in the morning and get out of bed without assistance, thank God for a New Day. As for me, the next thing I do is to count my blessings like reasonably good health and eyesight and for enough money to eat and drink two meals for the day. At sunset, I think back and give thanks for helping me through the day," concluder Khrisna.

First Martyrs of the Church of Rome

Historico - Liturgical Note

Christians always kept in memory the famous fire in Rome on July 16, in the year 64, and the subsequent martyrdom of a large numbers of Christians by Nero. We learn from Tacitus that some  were thrown to the wild beasts and others were burned at the stake as human torches. However, only the Roman Martyrology  mentions June 24 as the day for the feast. The Jerome Martyrology, on the other hand, mentions 979 martyrs on June 29, immediately after the eulogy in honour of St. Peter and St. Paul. This feast was extended to the entire city of Rome in 1923 but it was not celebrated  universally in the Church until 1969.

Message and Relevance

The significance of this feast is expressed in the Opening Prayer of the Mass, in which we ask God, who "sanctified the Church of Rome with the blood of the first martyrs," to help us "find strength from their courage and rejoice in their triumph." There has been an evolution  in the biblical concept of martyrdom. In Judaism martyrdom was an act of obedience to the Law, and there was a gradual development of hope in the resurrection. For Christians, however, martyrdom is understood in Christological context, because the eschatological power of God worka through the cross of Christ. The passion of Christ was in part the result of the violent opposition and hatred of satan, but at the same time his passion and death were oriented towards a glorious Resurrection. Christian martyrdom is in a sense a continuation  of the warfare that satan waged against Christ; at the same time it is a manifestation of the divine power that was victorious through the Cross ( 2 Cor 12 : 9). That is why martyrdom connotes the presence of the Spirit, who can overcome all human weakness. Through our fraternal devotion  to the martyrs we are confirmed in the faith because they are for us a sign of the spirit of God.

In addition to the Christological and Trinitarian aspects of Christian martyrdom, there is an ethical dimension. Here it becomes a weighty argument in favour of the truth of Christianity when we contemplate the heroic courage of the martyrs who are offered to us as examples. It is in this way that we "find strength in their courage and rejoice in their triumph" (Opening Prayer). The office of readings contains. an excerpt from St. Clement's letter to the Corinthians, written  between the years 96 and 98. After speaking of the martyrdom of Peter and Paul, he speaks of "a great throng  of the elect who gave us the finest example of endurance in the face of many indignities and tortures." He concludes: "we ought to put aside vain and useless concerns and go straight to the glorious and venerable norm which is our tradition, and we should consider what is good, pleasing and acceptable in the sight of him who made us. Let us fix our gaze on the blood of Christ, realizing how precious it is to his Father, since it was shed for our salvation and brought the grace of repentance to all the world."

These nameless men and women martyrs that we honour today are expiatory lambs of anti - Christian hatred. They represent all who suffered or are suffering religious persecution throughout the world.

Opening Prayer: Father, you sanctified the Church of Rome with the blood of its first martyrs. May we find strength from their courage and rejoice in their triumph.