Thank you Lord now and forever

GOD'S GRANDEUR: BY GERARD MANLY HOPKINS: POEM FORWARDED BY CYNTHIA ABEGAIL

GOD'S GRANDEUR

The world is charged with the grandeur of God.
It will flame out, like shining from shook foil;
It gathers to a greatness, like the ooze of oil
Crushed. Why do men now not wreck his rod
Generations have trodded, have trod, have trod;
And all is seared with trade; bleared, smeared with toil;
And wear man's smudge and share man's smell: the soil.
Is bare now, nor can foot feel, being shod...
O' morning, at the brown brink eastward, springs---
Because the Holy Ghost over the bent
World broods with warm breast and with ah! bright wings.
Gerard Manly Hopkins
(1844-1899)
Acknowledgement: Ferguson, Salter, Stallwarthy.
The Norton Anthology of Poetry

Power of God

Isaiah 50:10 Trust in the Name of the Lord Reflection by Cynthia Abegail

"Who among you fears the Lord and obeys the voice of his servant?  Let him who walks in darkness and has no light trust in the name of the Lord and rely on his God.  (Isaiah 50:10)

Sometimes, it is easy for us to judge those chosen by God because we always look for an ideal person, scrupulous and righteous!  Yet, we will realise that those mostly chosen by God are weak and not so righteous.  St. Peter denied the Lord three times, but He gave him the keys to Heaven.  St.  Francis and St Augustine were once wayward sons, yet they became great saints of the Church.  St Mary Magdalene, once a not so righteous woman was greatly forgiven because she had loved much.  

Yes, my dear brothers and sisters, such usually are the cases, for in man's weakness, the glory of God is more manifested!  And, "who will know the mind of God."  We only can make inferences based on the Word of God and the Tradition of the Church.  On the other hand, God knows everything.  We do not probe on things too much on things beyond our understanding.

We must just have faith and trust in the Lord!  As a testimony, God has made miracles in my life unimaginable!  He works in my life with amazing surprises and answers to my prayers.  Quite an ordinary person, but in His power and Grace, He lifted me up to places Unexplainable.   So, in His Great Goodness, Love and Mercy, I am His servant to praise, love and worship Him forever.  I love Him in my own way and I will spread the Good News as long as I live.  All glory to God in the Highest.   Blessed be the Name of the Lord!  Alleluia!!!

“I am the Lord, and there is no other,”thus says the Lord: Reflection by Prayer Aid (Jane Pimenta)

I am the Lord, and there is no other; apart from me there is no God.  I will strengthen you, though you have not acknowledged me, so that from the rising of the sun to the place of its setting men may know there is none besides me, I am the Lord, and there is no other.   Is 45:5-6

There is no other!  End of story.   

Do we find security in our money?  In certain strong people in our life?  In our homes?  In our jobs?  These can become obstacles to having faith in Jesus and turning to Him in all things.   Nothing and No one can stand against our God and we should not put Him in second place to anyone or anything.   Let us tell Him right now “Lord I am going to overcome …………. Because YOU are my God, the only God with power over all that challenges me, I trust in You and you alone, take care of my difficulty”  Amen. (Thanks Jane!  Superb insights).  Cynthia Abegail

SPENCER'S STORY--PART-11 BY GEORGE KURIAN, FORMER EDITOR OF NEW WORLD

SPENCER'S STORY- PART-II By GEORGE KURIAN

(Adventures Of Mr. Spencer-Three Days Under The Bush-Part-II. Hope you have read the Introduction and the part I of the story.) New World

“Grandpa you might not believe me when I tell you that I was on a very important mission outside. By the way, can you give me a snack before I start my story?”
“OK.” I took interest in hearing the story. A packet of cat snacks lay on my nightstand, so I gave him a couple of pieces. After cracking them as if they were hard nuts, he lay on my shoulder and began his story.
“Grandpa, I have always been thankful to all of you for giving me shelter and food. I was proud to be loved and not homeless. So I wanted to return the favor. I wanted to do my duty. You know rats haunt our house. I took guard watching their movements and curtailing their activities. One day Grandma put a trap to catch them. I saw a big rat coming near the trap. As soon as I thought I had the golden opportunity to catch her, I got ready to pounce; but she smelled out the danger and made a u-turn. I slipped and got caught in the trap. Oops . . .! I tried to escape but I was stuck. I wanted to free myself before you all came in. I got out somehow, but I had to lick and lick my paws. How on earth you knew I was caught in the trap . . . I wondered. You were laughing and you started teasing me. Naturally, I got mad, but my anger was towards the rat. Even after Grandma wiped my paws with lotion, I had to lick my paws for three days in order to get them cleaned.”
“Out of my anger and frustration, I decided to wipe out the whole rat family. One day I got the chance. When the door was left open, I snuck out and ran into the bush.
(The Story Continues in Part III- Mr. Spencer The Cat finds the Rat and her family.
Please imagine what happens next !!!)
*All Rights reserved By The Author.

(Thanks to George Kurian for sharing with us this very interesting story about

Mr. Spencer, the Cat.  A brilliant fable, remember the stories of Aesop, the

literary great).  New World

Where your heart is: Picture

MOTHER MARY, PRAY FOR US SINNERS (FB)

Our beloved Mother Mary, refuge of

sinners, chosen by God Almighty; venerate

her, love her for she will lead you to his Son

Jesus!

Thanks to FB

The Lord Blessed Job: Job 42:12

“The Lord blessed the last part of Job’s life even more than he had blessed the first.  Job owned fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, two thousand head of cattle and one thousand donkeys.” (Job 42:12).  

Abundance is a blessing from the Lord.  When one has more things that he could ever imagine, and that one is faithful to Him, that abundance only comes from God.

We do not mind hardship at times, but wealth is not a sin.  It is how you treat wealth that could lead to sin.  To be rich is a privilege, but God must always be the centre of our quest.  We seek Him, we love Him and we adore Him no matter what circumstances we are in.  Let us be content with His peace.

Trust the Lord with all your heart: Reflection by Prayer Aid (Jane Pimenta)

Everyone who trusts in  Him will not be put to shame Rom 10:13

Situations that seem impossible are familiar to us.   Sometimes the darkness seems so dense we are easily discouraged : with the behaviour of people and the power of the negative situation.   Discouragement comes to me often too, it is what Paul is saying to the Romans that keeps me hanging on to Jesus.   Even if our situation is generating anxiety let us keep our eyes on Jesus, and decide to walk by faith, that He is always victorious.  He will not stand by and watch nasty things  happen to us.  He has promised that whoever trusts Him will be victorious. 

  (There are times that we are more of words than action; our lips always say that we trust the Lord but our hearts are far from Him.  Let us be people of integrity and trust in the Lord sincerely!  Then, we see victory in all aspects of our lives.  Thanks Jane, excellent). Cynthia Abegail for New World

Great colours of Autumn by Pininterest.com.au (Thanks)

PHILIPPINES DIARY: FIESTA IS A BYWORD OF HOSPITALITY

FIESTA

There is no place in the world where every city or
rural community has a fiesta gathering almost all
weekends of the year. What is fiesta? It is a day
of merriment, joyous occasion and celebration.
If there are several hundreds of saints in the
Christian calendar, that's also the number of
fiestas in the Philippines.
If the name of the town is San Antonio, its feast
will fall on June 13. Likewise, many towns are
named after Blessed Virgin Mary that all of her
feasts will also be celebrated by towns bearing
its name. But why? Aside from Brazil of South
America, the Philippines is one of the countries
having the most number of Catholics.
The Filipinos are not only Catholics but very
devout Catholics. The focal point of the fiesta is
a grand Mass in the local church or cathedral.
You will see women in the church carrying their
beads and they do not only say a rosary a day.
The "manangs" or the respected elderly ladies
exhibiting exemplary piety can recite three
mysteries of the rosary in a day excluding their
rosary at Angelus.
But it's not all religion. The fiesta is also a time
for young people to gather in fun especially those
who are romantically inclined. These are the days
where dances are held; it's not only a social gathering
but a part and parcel of the knitted community.
Suppose that it is fiesta day and you and your friends
just happen to pass by a street. You will be invited by
all the household in that street and it's considered to
be bad manners to refuse. It's a great mark of Filipino
hospitality.
The tradition of fiesta originated from Spanish culture,
imbibed by the Filipinos along the three centuries of
Spanish rule. It is an intrinsic part of Filipino legacy.
Whereever Filipinos are in the world---most likely
there are fiestas. I just love fiestas!
Cynthia Abegail

NAHUM 1: 20 INVISIBLE QUALITIES OF GOD

THE GLORY OF GOD IS MANIFESTED IN

CREATION!  HOW AWESOME OUR GOD IS!

Psalm 104 “Bless the Lord, my soul! Lord God, how great you are”

“O Lord my God, how great you are, clothed in majesty and honour, wrapped in light as with a robe!  You stretch out the heavens like a tent.”

Words are not enough to describe the greatness of God.  With our best, we utter “How great is our God, clothed in majesty.  Kings on earth are robed in splendour, they do not wear ordinary clothes but are set apart as a part of their kingship.  How much more with the King of the universe and beyond? “Glory to God in the highest!”

“You stretch out the heavens like a tent.”  God can do anything!  He can increase anything or decrease anything.  But God is the God of abundance!  When he gives to us, it is abundant as the stars in the sky and as the grains of the sea.  It stretches, it’s overwhelming.  This is why we must praise God wherever we are.  “Who is like unto God?”  words from St Michael the Archangel.

God is good, God is great!   Although we could not decipher the vastness of His glory, we can be content of uttering our daily “Alleluia” to the Lord!  Get up and raise your hands and praise the King forever.  We can’t do anything better than that.  He is our portion and cup.  Praise God forever and ever!

Cynthia Abegail

Arianna Rose Kurian-Philip: The Gifted Poet

It is very rare that we encounter a young person with a multitude of gifts.  Arianna who has a penchant for writing, is a gift for New World.  Thanks Arianna Rose for your poems and short stories which forms a part of New World's literary treasure!