The call to Holiness- St Anne-Port Klang

Holiness is not about how many times, you pray a day, how many masses, you attend, it is certainly NOT self righteousness. It is all about being righteous  ..listening to your conscience; walking the acts of doing good for  your own family, your community, your church, etc..etc...It is about love for others in our lives, and yes...also for ourselves....for then, we would be well nourished, with sufficient strength to nourish others and provide them with the warmth  they need...

Marie has only one word for this morning's message by Father Simon, Simply Powerful, prompting us to straight away examine ourselves...are we just  acting holy or really heeding the call to holiness in all seriousness...our good deeds coming straight from the heart in all sincerity... that we give hope and happiness to others...., are we Strong and consistent in what we believe in and not afraid to stick to our  principles and defend our beliefs; ..... speak up for what is right. This is wisdom that nourishes, this is nutrients that nurtures young minds and hearts and yes even we- ourselves... that we  walk straight paths in the light of the Lord God...and this is precisely what this world needs...., the power of pure love , to cleanse its space and the earth  of  the poisons that pollutes, destroy  and kills  everything in its path....- family bonds, marriages, relationship, health, livelihood, friendships etc..etc.. because  we we have lost sight of the goodness of being HOLY in its correct context;  and we have shifted our gaze from our God ...

Saint Anne pray for us! 

A call to all mothers/parents, look after your children!!!

We have apprehended one monster and brought down  the hammer and chains of the law on him. But how many more monsters still exists out there, camouflaged by their sheep clothings that we do not see their evilness until it is too late???
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Once...our hearts are at ease the moment, we hand our children over to the school bus "uncle"  " uncle bus" we used to call our trusted guardians of school children. Not anymore, never again!!!! We do not know where the bad apples are...and are forced to exercise caution  without exception.....at this point of time..Could we do less when evil has consumed the minds of some unspeakable morons  that they could fearlessly go around raping young children even in  full view of other kids right in the school bus and by a busy public road???. What sort of  pervert is that???? From which gate  of  hell ???  which  dimension??? And that is not his first offence, he had done it to other young children before??? even his own adopted daughter??? Why is he still on the loose???and why are children still entrusted to his care???? Parents! be more careful entrusting your children to others...Listen to what your kids may be trying to tell you! Pay more attention to their welfare, their appearance, their behaviour etc..etc..! They are so innocent and helpless, protect them!!!
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Even adults go into depression and become totally different people after being  violated..what more kids and at such tender ages???

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First, it was public buses, then it's taxis that we have to be careful...and now...school buses as well??? No wonder,  calamities are erupting around the world.....earth certainly needed a cleansing.....Her morals had been thrashed...and badly needed a revival and uplift-ment .

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Religious,  parents, teachers...there is much you can do..governments...there must be stricter laws,,preventive laws...curing takes longer time and it is sometimes difficult to straighten a crooked tree....but a young sapling,  carefully watched over that it grows strong and upright without any blemishes has its beauty contained forever. ...   beauty is cultivated  from home, schools... religion .. Let us work together as one community to straighten this mess.....

The Passing of Time

It is Father Time and he pats you gently on the shoulders and whispers ever so sweetly. Your toll, my dear, before you venture any further....And like everything else, cost  has gone up double, triple fold... and you know how it is, my dear,   he mouths....the sun will soon be setting and as dusk gathers ,  we will have to turn  the street lights on so that you could see clearly as you continue on your journey.....Can't have you stumbling around in the dark, you know...he winks and deftly  collects his due..one whole year of youth .... and wearing it like a garland of flowers  around his neck, he merrily walked on ahead of you......opening yet another chapter in your book of life. 

And as this Being, hesitates at the entrance and looks back at the mountain of NOT YET ATTAINED  she singled out one priority.....to walk on the birth land of her faith....to breathe the air, to experience  worship in the very place, faith sprang forth, established, grew....and found its way into her soul ....and in a very earnest moment she holds out her hands for that great gift to live and walk her dreams...perhaps,  then somehow, the rest of her dreams will fall in place........ hey! Father Time! Wait up will ya!

The Exocticasy of Prawnie Mantis

Are those  Praying Mantis ? Or  big fat Bugs?? This writer sure loves Mantis Prawns when it is properly de-shelled, or chopped into  pieces and  fragrantly fried dry with dried prawns , garlic,  shallot  with just the right twang of chili in it. But when she was served a plate of  big  fat mantis complete with shell and all,  ..what the heck is that??? man! for moment she was totally eeeeeyuck...off ......  like giant bugs! The type she would whack with her slippers and go running screaming at the top of her lungs! But that exotica  was ordered at a hefty price and so she gingerly tucked and pulled  at the shell, ....slapped  pounded chili sauce on. it....and with great bravo sank her teeth into the whitish looking flesh   but then .... wonders of wonders! hey  they do  taste sweet and tender, even if they are buggish in looks! You know, the taste of very fresh steamed seafood....but! to be perfectly honest, despite the sweetness, there was this tiny wienie uneasiness in her system......she would have enjoyed it more, much, much more if she had been spared looking at their crawlie frame! This writer, she has a weak stomach for exotics!

But the steam boat was a delight and certainly one of the best ......Pulau Ketam, straight from the sea! Thank you and God Bless . A  total treat  from the hearts of those she held dear!

On the Day I called, You answered me, O Lord (Psalm 137)

On the Day I called, You answered me Oh Lord! (Psalm 137 ) Powerful, awesome and so full of response and endearing comfort! Folks! Were you touched?  Did you hear the promise ringing out that God answers those who calls upon Him??? It humbles the heart and puts a song of  highest praise and worship of the Lord God. It is  to the poor that He hasten to shower reassurances and compassion.. The poor - those who have a need, .......perhaps a desperate need for the grace of God that a spontaneous call arose from the deepest of the heart.....so needy that it rises up and touch the Divine Heart of God. 

Persistence and preserverance are good ingredients  to add to our prayers. YT was at St Anne's Port Klang last night and  homily was dished out by  Father Larry Chan and he mentioned the word 'discern' and  the need to be conscious  of what we asks for.  Know what you want,  and be able to differentiate between the good and the bad.....if YT may add, careful what you asks for as well . The good Lord in His Humour may just grant you wishes, you really, really do not want.... A girlfriend, fell for the good looks of someone in her circle and vaguely remembered uttering something like.." Oh God, I would give anything, anything at all if  this person would just show me some attention" and before she knew it, she got more attention than what she bargained for and in the process also discovered how horrid this person could be.....Needless to say, after that, she never again prayed without weighing the consequences  of her wishes... But of course, one good thing came out of this episode. She saw things in their correct prospective..

If one may express appreciation Father Larry! A family that prays together certainly stays together, that's good salt for the tasting.....because the common bond is God and somehow, He provides the nutrition to keep  the peace, love, understanding and contentment steadfastly flowing and firm within the household.

Transformation

Nine, soul reviving weeks of the LSS, and brilliantly wrapped up by Dr. Aloysius tonight. Soul provoking and insistently reminding that with the Holy Spirit , lives must be transformed to actioned the love commanded us. It must overflow...into an outpouring of goodness.....to those around us, our neighbours.... Marie ,  especially liked the  expression " fanning the fire" so that  diminishing flames may be re-fired-  burning strong and bright again, so that we may walk forth in great strength and courage to do the will of God.
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We are  reminded, the importance of  praying daily, for there is great power in prayers...Indeed, prayers draw us into the presence of God  and it  reinforces and renews our link with our God , each time we pray to Him. Well folks, let us begin by walking in a spirit of humbleness, the rest- let us  leave it to God to guide us.....

Luke 10:38-42

"Martha! Martha! you are anxious and troubled by many things......Mary has chosen the better part......" All of a sudden, light bulbs exploded into brightness;  the mind clears and understanding flows in....

What Marthas, most  of us are....always anxious and troubled about so many things in life...rushing around, scrambling here and there,unnecessarily  tiring ourselves out..... that we miss the crucial... the important aspects of life....the blessings and opportunities which abounds in our lives.  How many of us read the Bible and took the written words literally without really understanding the contents of the teachings.... the significance of each and every word......Yes, that episode has relevance to life itself;  how we act and walk our jobs, careers, people in our lives, our household, our friends etc...etc....God is indeed the essence, but the Bible is not only  about religion; it is also  the teachings about life's living. How we walk our lives will determined how fulfilled and contented we will be in life, and if peace will reign in our hearts....Such depth and we only read the surface, what a shame that most of us, including Yours Truly,  missed the wisdom which came with that little episode of Martha and Mary. 

The world will be a much better place to live in, if all of us learn to appreciate our fellow human beings, a little more, just a little more!

True Friends

I prayed an earnest prayer today,

That God sends  me true friends

and make them a permanent

fixture in my life.

steadfastly caring

Breathing kindred spirit,

Adding colours to my garden,

 brightening  paths in   life;

Let them be- Lord

Brothers in tears and laughter
Sharing strength and wisdom-

An everlasting source of 

 warmth and comradeship

Ah yes, Lord!

Travelling soul mates

this journey destined  me!

A Riot of Colours

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Bright vibrant colours added to an already hot and sunny day, at the flower show in  Putrajaya on Sunday. Baking Hot it was! But guys the heat and the sun were forgotten once   the fabulous colours of the rainbow, laid out like thick flowered carpets  greeted  your sight!....Hello!  and you involuntarily let out a Woooo Wah! at the sight of  colourful miniature fields of pretty blossoms , cute and pretty, all  in their Sunday best, eyeing you ever so coyly ....

The Need for Change from within

Dynamic , inspirational and funny! That's brother Mervin! and YT was sure, this speaker would want to give full glory to God for the talent to speak and the ability to reach out and touch people's hearts.. He spoke about change from within so that we could become people worthy of the kingdom of God.  A lady in YT's discussion group could not wait to start serving and asked who she could contact so that she could offer her services...And Marie thought, Wow! that's awesome! And yes, Marie was sure Bro. Mervin's  message touched the core of  many hearts tonight, something stirred from within.....Change for the better, to have the courage to offer sacrificial services,   and act according to God's  will and not ours. It helps that the speaker uses realistic examples, like people who are addicted to seminars , and go about praising the Lord from the mouth and not from the heart. There are no goodness in their hearts and when they go home...in the privacy of their own homes, they are  totally different persons, from what they protrayed themselves to be, in public. Change has not touched  them from within, all that they have  are plastic masks pasted on their faces for all to see.And there are people who go around helping others but left their own families out in the cold. .....Love and  Charity begins at home! Change ! Have a good God fearing heart! Change for the better !

This  is LSS! and this is the type  of inspiration we need- to bring about  awakening of  self , to create, and cultivate the spirit of giving , the deep desire to change for the better and walk the change not only to self, family and  the community but  like the good Samaritan be a good neighbour as well.  We have been touched, great food for the sharing ,  Bro, Mervin and the LSS team! Nutritious and vibrant!

Seek the Lord, you who are poor and your hearts will revive (Psalm 68)

Marie almost always took the word "poor" literally as NO MONEY. But today,  fresh understanding came "pinging" in.. Poor, we who are -poor and weak in spirit, ,we who are constantly fighting with temptations and more often than not, give in to the call of the flesh.....in short...sinners...It is for us, poor people lacking in goodness that the Lord had come-certainly not for the "righteous" who thought they were already so good, that they have no more space in their hearts for the word and the wisdom of the Lord, and for the people around them. After all, they are already better than everybody else!

The heart and soul of the poor are simple and open; they  are hungry and  thirsty.  Their cups are empty - ready to be filled, unlike those of  the self righteous which are  already at its brink and could take in no more...They are the self-proclaimed good people, who sits high on their throne dishing out judgements and making life miserable for others. We, who are poor, acknowledge our sinful state and reach out , for guidance and in so doing,  peace and goodness flows inwards and inevitably, some of it will overflow outwards as actions of  love..

Some while ago,  YT heard someone passed this statement:- " some people profess to be religious but what is the use, if they are not responsible."  YT wondered for quite a while, whether it is alright to go before God and pray all the time, yet has the tendency to be  irresponsible and do wrong." Well, today, Marie has her answer. She guess, this person would like to be good all the time, but being human, she is weak and sometimes- indeed most times,  she does rash things in moments of anger and hurt. But then she knows she is not perfect, that's why she has to pray frequently for strength to overcome the bad side of her. .."Seek the Lord , you who are poor and your hearts will revive. (Psalm 68). How very beautiful and reassuring to those of us who are poor and in need of the Lord's goodness, to revive our hearts.

A Discussion about Angels

Marie loves angels, it has played a great part in her life, to her, angels surrounds God and  abide by His every wish and command, and He sends special angels to be with us whenever situation warrants. she also believes, guardian angels are assigned to each and everyone of us, journeying through this passage of life. Whether you experience their presence or not is  very much up to you, if you have a heart and the flow of  goodness, they are your strength to shut out the temptations and lust of the secular world. If you are for the lustful desires and  sinful pleasures of life, giving no thoughts to your spirit and your soul, then you have banished your guardian angel from your side and embarked on  a journey into  darkness. Dear people, your guardian angel cries for you, but because, God has given each and everyone of us a free will ..... He could not force you to take the right path..the decision must come from you.  Marie  remembers the beautiful and wonderful stories the nuns told about angels,  and the image which stayed is that of the crying angel and the mocking laughter of the black horned devil , gleefully  leading the lost soul  into the fires of hell....The other, the smiling and happy angel, embracing the good soul,and the heavens open and  grace from above enveloped the good soul and his guardian angel while the devil scuttled away, eyes downcast;   his tail between his legs.. Great afternoon and it brought back some fond memories.. too....thank you guys, will surely drop by next week if time permits that is..to savour more goodies...

Sunday Worship

Asking forgiveness for the not letting go of our egos and our own agenda and not allowing God to work his wonders in our lives...how appropriately true...we pray yes, but we say, God, "I want this, I want that...and please let it must be  in the  specific and  particular manner, that I want."  Yeh, it suddenly struck Marie that she is guilty of that act as well. Goodness, gracious me! Did realisation strike you as well Folks???  Sometimes, we want our prayers answered , the way, we want it,  not any other way,  and not realising that our prayers had been answered and blessings abound in our lives.....The "I want" is so huge that we cannot see ahead and around it!

Marie thought, how beautiful, the reminder that the Sunday Eucharistic celebrations should not  just be a weekly  obligation but a deep desire to be  with God....to worship Him and just glorify his steadfast love for us.  And when we partake of the Eucharist  with full faith, understanding and deep reverence,...we bring to life His Body and Blood , surging within us, empowering us and with it the  grace  and the power of the Holy Spirit.

Have you ever experienced a special sweetness and a gush of warmth flowing  through you, overwhelming you and you know for yourself that the Spirt of God has just touch you and He is with you??  The Word of the Lord, and the Bible,  is indeed alive Folks, because therein lies the answer and solution to every query life poses.  And it is  heart warming solace and sure comfort when needs overcomes and the Call for God rings forth from our hearts and souls.

LOVE

The First Friday Holy Hour, Divine Mercy , praise and worship is overflowing with the comfort of God's  LOVE  in our lives and in moments of angusih, anxiety and shattered dreams, it is indeed God who keeps our hopes alive and brings the balance of peace into our lives . See how steadfastly He stands with us!

Brethen, "May the God of Hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit, you may abound in hope". Romans 15:13

Positive Urgency-turning vision into reality

Hey people! YT was checking the mails today and guess what she picked up! A treasure of a definition. Chew on this definition- "urgency". it is described as " a gut-level compulsion to act now"!  ( from the Sense of urgency by Prof John P Kother, Harvard. )The very description itself is Action orientated. a forward moving word. Beautiful! People who possess a sense of positive urgency is  described as "opposed to complacency and generating a great deal of enthusiasm, energy and highly productive." The key words here are positive and  high productivity, Having enthusiasm , and energy alone does not work until and unless,urgency is matched with focus, direction, accomplishment  and packed with productivity- DESIRED RESULTS.

That definition excites Yours Truly. During her walk down corporate lane, she had come across many people, who were seemingly  fired up when a new project was proposed,....unfortunately, they either fizzled out after some time or just do not have the capacity to substain their momentum . There is a lack of vision , fore-sight,  target and  focus planning and after some time, they lose direction, resulting in a "hanging situation" or a  project shelved. A complete waste of resources, efforts and time, which hampers growth and development.

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People plunge straight into the maze without first scouting out the paths and mapping good strategies and ensuring a sure and safe way out in any eventuality.How many projects had failed, with huge funds down the drain, all because people do not think before they act. People do not build solid bases, before they even venture out. They do not draw up constructive and concrete blue prints which  are so well thought out that it has success imprinted  in every angle. If you are in  business  transactions,know your direction, secure a clear and well laid out map- think profit level, think sustainability, think progress, think growth, think image, think network and support base  and work your butt out to achieve and attain your goals. Talk Less and Sweat more! Put your Mind and entire Being to work, get out of the comfort zone and you will harvest success.