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Wednesday, April 14, 2021
God’s Grandeur: Poem by Gerald Manly Hopkins
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
“Rejoice in the Lord always” Reflection by Cynthia Abegail
“Rejoice in the Lord always, I shall say it again rejoice! Your kindness should be known to all. The Lord is near. Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make known your request to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:4-7). The Catholic Answer Bible, NAB.
“The Lord is near.” This refers to parousia most commonly. If there is a feeling of God’s coming, it may mean a surge of joy in the faithful’s heart. Although it may also allude to God’s presence! God is omnipresent. It seems to be contradictory if one is full of grief when he or she fully knows that God pervades everything. What is the reason for your sadness? Well, this really is an ideal situation! Especially at this time of pandemic and uncertainty. This is the test for the faithful. “All will be well” is not at all a cliche. Rather, it is a statement of a true lover of God; an inherent state of mind and heart of a true believer in Christ. It maybe incomprehensible for non-believers. Hence, it is necessary to make them aware of God’s love, mercy and eternal presence by the empowerment of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Praise God Almighty! In the mighty Name of Jesus, Amen.
Cynthia Abegail
Praise the Lord, O my soul: Reflection by Jane Pimenta
Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits – who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s Ps 103:1-5
There is so much good that the Lord is doing for us in this short vs… let us stop worrying and begin to live with peace. The Psalmist has a clear picture of his God, and let us try and capture this picture for ourselves too. Maybe we have made some bad choices or we are victims of people who have made wrong choices, let us today put our life into Jesus’ hands and know that He will take care of everything. Let us say to the Lord “Jesus I trust You, I believe You are working things out for me” Let us reach out today to someone who needs help. (As usual, Jane gives us practical and insightful reflection. Excellent).
Tuesday, April 13, 2021
Powerful Prayer forwarded by Jane Pimenta of Prayer Aid
THE MYSTICAL PRAYERS
Of Our Lord Jesus Christ, as given to Brother Barnabas Nwoye, by Jesus Himself, along with the chaplet of the Precious Blood and asked him to make them known to all.
Prayer to Vanquish Satan and his Agents. (given to Barnabas on 5th Jul 1998)
All you great numerous enemies; the enemy of the Holy death of my Master Jesus Christ on the Cross of Calvary; the prince of darkness and iniquity, the father of all liars; I stand on the death of my Master Jesus Christ and offer His pains, wounds, and the Precious Blood of His left hand to the Eternal Father for your downfall, your destruction and your scourging. Amen. Precious Blood of my Master Jesus Christ – reign in me and in the lives of all men. Amen.
LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, WITH ALL YOUR SOUL...REFLECTION BY MARIA CASSIA
This is the first and greatest commandment! It is our duty to our Creator, the giver of all good things.
Blasphemy should never be found among his people. For how could anyone afford to utter any
bad words against the source of his being and existence? Unimaginable, but it sometimes happen to people who are lost and who are disillusioned. The only problem is: One will not be able to escape
the consequences of one's actions. In one way or another, the person will receive the just compensation for his wicked ways not because God likes anyone to be lost but because one has
spoken against the glory of God! Be still and know that God Almighty is God of all creation.
How can we show our love for God? Fundamentally, by obedience to his precepts and commandments. On the other hand, the obedience must not be ritualistic but should come from the heart. "If you hear his words, do not harden your hearts!"
DRAW WATER FROM THE WELL OF SALVATION BY CYNTHIA ABEGAIL
With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation
And you will say in that day:
Give thanks to the Lord, call on His Name;
make known His deeds among the nations;
proclaim that His Name is exalted.
(Isaiah 12: 3-4)
Joy is an elusive state and many of our brothers and sisters have
been gripped by sadness, melancholy or even depression. On
the other hand, joy is the trademark of a Christian. In good times
and bad times, a disciple of the Lord is joyful because he knows
that trials and sufferings are part and parcel of one's life. Who did
not suffer in this world? But, keep hope alive in your hearts.
In joy and sorrows, draw water from the wells of salvation! This is
only possible if one abide seriously with the Lord. This will only
happen if one reads the Holy Bible to drink of the springs of
God's Word. This will only ensue if one turn back from vices that
corrupt the soul insidously. This will only happen if one returns
to the Lord and ask for His forgiveness!
Go back from your worldly ways and seek the Lord with all of
your heart, mind and soul. The time is now, do not wait for
tomorrow! Death comes like a thief. Come back to the Lord,
draw water from the offer of salvation. Give thanks to our
Creator and proclaim to the whole world about His great deeds.
Proclaim His Holy Name.
Labels: Reflections --- Cynthia Abegail
Christ Liberated Us: Reflection by Jane Pimenta of Prayer Aid
Christ has liberated us to be free. Stand firm then and don’t submit again to a yoke of slavery. Gal 5:1
One of the things that puts the yoke of slavery on us is our negativity. Let us begin to praise Him, thank Him for the many things He does for us. Praise will take our minds off our negative feelings and place our focus on God’s goodness. Let us with determination praise, rejoice in the Lord, sing, do a nice thing for someone, and we will see the yoke of slavery lift. He wants to be everything we need; He wants to be our peace; He wants to be our healer. Let us tell Him what we are planning, and ask Him to work it out for us. I truly understand that this way of thinking is very difficult, and will slow us down, however, it is the only way that will bring peace, clarity about how good, powerful and protective our God is… (There are times that we go back to the same sin all over again. Yes, it is not at all easy but by the grace of God, we will be victorious against sin. We just need to cooperate with God’s plan for us). Cynthia Abegail for New World.
THE FASCINATING BROWN COLOUR# REFLECTIONS BY CYNTHIA ABEGAIL
THE FASCINATING BROWN COLOUR
It is a colour that is neither neutral nor glaring.
The mellow brown has not only fascinatedme but generations. Well, sometimes red is quite
really a bold color;I am not saying it's not stunning
but it makes quite a statement.
if you are attending a dinner or formal
occasions. The ebony shade is simply
attractive; enigmatic and mysterious.
Actually, it symbolises life and vitality. It is also
fresh and luscious as the dew.
of something transcendent, not ordinary but
beyond the senses. But sometimes, it could be
overwhelming in a sense!
the light brown, dark or chocolaty. There is really
something in this colour that attracts the eyes.
O' I remember why it's beautiful! I love autumn!
Cynthia Abegail
(Great thoughts of all the colours, specially the brown, Cynthia.Thanks.)
New World
(Great thoughts of all the colours, specially the brown, Cynthia.Thanks.)
New World
Monday, April 12, 2021
RED ROSES: SHORT STORY BY GEORGE KURIAN (RIP)
RED ROSES:::
It was dawn. Sun's golden rays came through the window and competed with the cool breeze to embrace me. I was going to sleep more but I did not feel wasting the beautiful morning by lazily lying in the bed with day dreaming. After a few moments, I got out of my bed and put my sandals and walked into the garden, adjacent to my house. My long white gown had covered half of my legs and was a perfect match for my black pants, I thought.
The newly blossomed rose and jasmine flowers added beauty to the garden along with many white and yellow tulips. Dews were falling down from the leaves and squirrels were jumping from branches to branches.
The sweet smell of rose and jasmine flowers had spread and covered the entire garden.The red roses were very attractive and I tenderly touched some of them. All of a sudden,I felt an urge to pluck some of them. I did not hesitate, sure enough,I plucked some of them.
Alas! I felt a pain on my fingers and I realized that the thorns of the Rose plants had pierced through my fingers. The blood spread on my gown and suddenly I felt angry. With great annoyance, I threw the flowers on the ground and when I walked, unintentionally my sandals crushed those flowers. I felt a little agitated but I could not do anything at that point and so I continued to walk.
Momentarily I heard a cry and a sob. When I looked back, I knew the Rose plants were crying and sobbing.I was puzzled but did not want to ask them anything. Next day morning was also very beautiful and I visited the garden again. That morning, the garden was decorated with more flowers and more serenity had filled the air. The beauty of the garden and the sweet smell of the flowers made me very happy. I saw a few girls walking ahead of me happily talking.
Their long black hair was adored with red rose flowers. Oh! what a great beauty has been added with those flowers, I thought. I had forgotten the previous day's incident and without any hesitation, my hands stretched to pluck some flowers. All of a sudden I saw some changes in the rose plants. They stopped dancing anymore and started to cry.
I could not realize what was happening. I turned towards them and asked,"what is happening.Why are you crying ?"
They answered: "you are again trying to pluck our flowers, right ?"
I answered, "Yes. Why, is it a mistake what I am doing ?"
"Surely. You are doing a wrong thing"
I asked them in a soft voice. "If I am doing something wrong, what did those girls walking ahead of me do? They plucked many of your flowers and they are on their hair. What about that.?"
The answer surprised me" Yes,they have done a fine job. Wearing the flowers on their hair makes them look more beautiful and so many people could enjoy the beauty of those flowers. surely, people appreciate . What you did was plucking the flowers and throwing them on the road and crushing them with your sandals without any concern of their beauty! The people came after you also crushed them without any mercy !!If you had not plucked them,people would have appreciated their beauty and enjoyed the sweet smell,even if our flowers had a very short life."
My hands withdrew automatically. At that moment I found a great truth of life. Even if a life is for a short period only, it should be useful and beneficial to others and not to be crushed mercilessly and uselessly.
THE END
Written by George Kurian-copy rights with the author.
(Thanks to our Chief Editor, George Kurian for this beautiful and very meaningful short story). New World
Labels: George Kurian-Short Story-Red Roses 3/30/12 by Cynthia Abegail
Karnataka Falls in India forwarded by Boban and Molly Group
Just beautiful! Thanks Abraham G and Boban and Molly Group
God of tenderness and compassion: Exodus: Reflection by Cynthia Abegail
“With the two tablets of stone in his hands, Moses went up Mount Sinai in the early morning as Yahweh had ordered,...Then Yahweh passed before him and called out, ‘Yahweh, God of tenderness and compassion, slow to anger, rich in faithful love and constancy,’ Moses immediately bowed to the ground in worship, then he said,’if indeed I do enjoy your favour, please, my Lord, come with us, although they are an obstinate people; and forgive our faults and sins, and adopt us as your heritage,”. Exodus 4b-6, 8-9 New Jerusalem Bible (published by St Paul’s)
It’s interesting to note many points in these passages! The first one highlights the great attributes of God Almighty; God of tenderness and compassion. We can infer from the Scriptures how God is compassionate to his people. He continually forgives although His people rejects him over and over again with their sinfulness. God is slow to anger; He waits for us to come to our senses and love and worship him again. He has faithful love beyond understanding in human terms. “God’s ways are not our ways.” God is eternal, constant in loving and forgiving us!
The second point is that Moses immediately worshipped God! He did not hesitate; he did not wait. Currently, we lost that sense of awe! We like to treat sometimes God as an acquaintance. There is nothing wrong with loving God as our friend. But, we have to learn from Moses, the great prophet. His worship is sincere and he worship God with awe and reverence. We can take this lesson from him.
Moses said, “Forgive as our sins.” He did not separate himself from the obstinate people because he knows he is not perfect. In the same way, a good instrument of God must not separate himself just like in an ivory tower. He must be humble and beg God to forgive the people as well as himself or herself.
Praise God Almighty! May His Holy Name be praised forever and ever.
Cynthia Abegail
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