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absolutely brillianttt !!!!  will you join me ? 
 Lent begins on wednesday 22.02.2012 - and it is a time where Catholics and many other Christians settle down for the liturgical year and reflect on the eternal questions: "Who are we?" and "What are we here on earth for?" These existential questions are difficult to answer - and certainly, 40 days are hardly sufficient for the depths of introspection which one needs to undergo to even begin asking these questions let alone answer them. But this is what Lent asks us to do: To ponder, to contemplate and to review - year after year - it is not the same process being repeated - but rather a growth process which occurs (not re- occurs) every year. Each year is different, as we are each one individually a different person as the years pass by and add on to our life experience. Some of us may have had a radical life review since Lent 2011, or perhaps, since then, we may have lapsed or regressed ... All these issues are to be taken stock of and we are asked to "return to the basics" - to come back home. Lent is different from Advent. The Season of Advent in preparation for Christmas is an exciting time - it is an expectant waiting for the coming of Christ - the incarnation. So during Advent, we review our lives in the quest for progress and onward momentum. Wewant to progress, we want to refresh and add energy to our efforts already in place- we want to actualize and achieve. We are spurred onwards so as to welcome the incarnation of God in Christ - much like the rush to look for new clothes and buy presents in anticipation of Christmas - we want to respond to the Grace of God and bear fruits of spiritual gifts of faith, hope and love through our labour and work so as to offer them as gifts to new born Christ on Christmas day. Lent, on the other hand - is a review of this Advent growth, a re-consideration of this progress and energy and efforts. Growth is only possible if one MANAGES and REVIEWS that growth and permit God's grace to continue working in us through the promptings of the Holy Spirit - sometimes,due to a disordered view or refusal to listen to the Holy Spirit, we may have given way to unruly growth which may even need pruning - and some malignant growth may even need uprooting. eg: Have my increased and intensified prayer and liturgical life taken a toll on my family life? as in - have my good intentions to give praise and glory to God in the liturgical practices which I have chosen to do perhaps caused me to FAIL to love my family, friends and the needy. Have I chosen to hide from service to Christ in HIS PEOPLE whilst pretending to serve Christ in liturgical prayer? - These are the difficult questions which I will be confronting myself with this season of Lent. So this is what Lent is about. It is about "coming back to basics". Was the Advent growth profitable, has it grown stagnant, has that "growth" turned ugly, malignant and not entirely positive in meaning; Has that growth brought about MORE love, or have we instead, failed to love? So whilst Catholics and many other Christians will have a "programme" to follow - daily reflections which challenge our lives, our beliefs, attitudes, relationships etc, I would invite everyone - regardless of religion and belief or non belief - to join us in these 40 days of journeying "back to basics". Identify and confront: WHAT is it that we believe. WHY do we believe those beliefs. WHY do we DONT believe in other beliefs. WHO is it that we are. WHY do we do the things we do. Why do we DONT do the things we DONT do. 40 days will never be enough. But choose one area of your life which is troubling you and which you would like to see some change, then ponder upon it over the next 40 days, seek help and guidance if you like - and grow. Seen in this way, the season of Lent is hardly a burden - it is instead a wonderful gift of the Church in its "formation through liturgy"; and one which is as beautiful as it is historical. May we all have a fruitful season of introspection for the season of Lent 2012. Various Resources (catholic and others) for lent 2012: http://marysaggies.blogspot.com/2012/02/l http://www.textweek.com/lent.htm http://www.osv.com/YourGuideToACatholicL http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/Co http://www.aboutcatholics.com/worship/le will you join me ?
Monday in Holy Week Year I will you join me ?
Got this in an email and I tot of sharing - it matters not if it is true or an urban myth - what matters is the teaching behind the story. Even in my own life, I have come to realise that ALL things happen for a reason - and sometimes the confusing and apparently pointless difficulties in my life turn out rather wonderfully. Man does indeed propose, it it is indeed God who disposes. As I look back on the various events of my life through the eyes of faith - I do realise that not only do all things happen for a reason, they happened for a good reason.  ( *more&more* ) I pray the liturgy of the Hours will you join me ?
At lauds this morning before Mass in honour of St Joseph, one of the prayers was this: In our lives many come and go - and everyone touches our lives (and we theirs). I firmly believe that regardless of who we meet - even random people - that there is a reason for that "colliding" of our personal universes - and we are all called to find and live out that reason. So each person one encounters in life is a "project" - some of these projects are transient, some mid term, some more long term and some totally permanent. But each coming and going with a reason. Each one we meet in life is someone entrusted to us. Sometimes, we hurt individuals and these individuals hurt us in return, or sometimes for NO reason at all, these individuals hurt us and for equally NO reason, we hurt others. But nevertheless, we are all called to LIVE our lives regardless and to care for those entrusted to us. It is important to remember and to accept that just as individuals come into one's lives, that when it is time, we have to allow them to go from our lives. Sometimes they return to us, sometimes they don't. It should not matter. What matters is rather : How we cared for these people entrusted to us. Especially whilst they were with us. It is difficult to care for people at the best of times, and especially when they have caused deep hurts to us. But nevertheless, we need to rise up against our human nature to "get even" and to break vicious cycles and stop their perpetuation. Often times, the STOP, has to START from us. I pray the liturgy of the Hours will you join me ?
 The introduction to the Ceremony of Candles before mass this morning on this Feast of the Presentation of Our Lord goes like this:
This is why this feast is also called: Candlemas - it also marks the beginning of spring. In the colder countries - candlemas bells or "snowdrops" will start to peek out from the snow around this season ... mmmm 2 comments | post a comment
Xiaogou says (1:20 AM):
The Rooster The Rooster is always popular, extravagant and creative. They can be brutally honest and generally like being showered with attention. They are wonderfully loyal friends and also give advice freely – whether they are asked for it or not! Family means the world to the Rooster and they are one of the most loyal signs in the Chinese zodiac.
Forecast for 2011 The Year of the Rabbit will be a much quieter year than 2010 for the Rooster. However, the Rooster will have to curb his natural exuberance and enthusiasm just a bit in 2011 and practice some patience and common sense. On the work front, it will be vital for the Rooster to work closely with his colleagues and practice his networking skills. This will stand to him during the months of March, April, November and December when unexpected developments happen . All the work he does now on the career front will pay dividends in 2012, the Chinese Year of the Dragon. The Rooster should also consider any opportunities he may have to study or for training. This would go extremely well for him and again benefit him greatly later on in the year. On the social and romantic side of life, this will be a much more settled and quiet year, which will be to many a Rooster’s liking. March, July and August look to be the most active on the social scene. A word of warning though – the Rooster must take care to temper his words with friends and not be too harsh. A quarrel or end of a close relationship could result. Financially, the Rooster may have a few home-related expenses this year with repairs, decorating and renovations. It would be wise to manage any project sensibly and shop around for the best deal; Chinese Rabbit years can be expensive for all signs. On the whole, 2011 looks like being a pleasurable and encouraging year for all Roosters. ok fineeeee ~~~~~ ... loll The Rat Rats are charming, elegant and clever. They can be a bit gossipy and prone to being distracted. They’re also thrifty and very good with handling money. Family and close friends are exceptionally important to them. The Rat is charming beyond words and throughout his undoubtedly long life he will always be popular and will have many friends. Forecast for 2011 The Rat will feel glad in a lot of ways to see the end of the Year of the Tiger! There were a lot of changes and the pace was fast - not something the Rat is entirely comfortable with. The Chinese Year of the Rabbit is the opposite – its tempo will be slow and steady and the Rat must try to be patient and remain content with steady progress throughout 2011. Work will again be highlighted but this time the Rat’s experience and knowledge will be called upon, helping him to advance quite nicely in his career. April, October and November are well-starred for this. On the love and romance side of life, there could be cause for celebration during the year in the form of an engagement, wedding or birth. July, August and December and January will be particularly special months. An important aspect of 2011 for the Rat is time for personal growth, hobbies and developing skills that bring happiness. For any Rats that like to write, this year will see their creativity heightened and whether for pleasure or profit, writing is highlighted in a most positive way. Health wise, the Rat will have felt burnt out sometimes during 2010 and in 2011 his vitality will be improved. He will feel stronger and will also be taking better care of himself, maintaining a good diet and steady exercise routine. *muffled sniggertzzzz* nah ! http://www.moonslipper.com/chinese.h will you join me ?
Tuan tuan dan puan puan - Siaran tradisi mengenai asal-usul Hari Peng-kotak-kan tidak akan disiarkan pada tahun ini atas sebab masalah-masalah yang tidak dapat dielakkan. Harap tuan tuan dan puan puan dapat merujuk kepada isu yang disiarkan pada tahun 2007 sepertimana yang boleh didapatkan di sini: http://seaweeds.livejournal.com/196 
venommmm venommmmm ... lolll I am not the kind of girl Who should be rudely barging in on a white veil occasion But you are not the kind of boy Who should be marrying the wrong girl I sneak in and see your friends, and her snotty little family All dressed in pastel And she is yelling at a bridesmaid, somewhere back inside a room Wearing a gown shaped like a pastry This is surely not what you thought it would be I lose myself in a daydream where I stand and say Don’t say yes, run away now I’ll meet you when you’re out of the church at the backdoor Don’t wait or say a single vow You need to hear me out and they said speak now Fond gestures are exchanged And the organ starts to play a song that sounds like a death march And I am hiding in the curtains It seems that I was uninvited by your lovely bride-to-be She floats down the aisle like a pageant queen But I know you wish it was me, you wish it was me Don’t you? Don’t say yes, run away now I’ll meet you when you’re out of the church at the backdoor Don’t wait or say a single vow You need to hear me out and they said speak now So don’t say yes, run away now I’ll meet you when you’re out of the church at the backdoor Don’t wait or say a single vow Your time is running out and they said speak now I hear the preacher say speak now or forever hold your peace There’s the silence, there’s my last chance I stand up with shaky hands, all eyes on me Horrified looks from everyone in the room But I’m only looking at you I am not the kind of girl Who should be rudely barging in on a white veil occasion But you are not the kind of boy Who should be marrying the wrong girl Don’t say yes, run away now I’ll meet you when you’re out of the church at the backdoor Don’t wait or say a single vow You need to hear me out and they said speak now And you say lets run away now I’ll meet when I’m out of my tux at the backdoor Baby I didn’t say my vows, so glad you were around When they said ‘Speak now’ will you join me ?
With the celebration of Mass earlier in the evening and the chanting of final vespers for Advent - we had the last of the special magnificat antiphones - and rightly we call upon "O Emmanuel" "God is with us". VII – December 23 O EMMANUEL, rex et legifer noster, expectatio gentium et salvator earum: veni ad salvandum nos, Dominus Deus noster. O Emmanuel (Isaiah 7:14), our king and lawgiver (Isaiah 33:22), hope and salvation of the peoples (Genesis 49:10; John 4:42): come to save us, O Lord our God (Isaiah 37:20). And with that - we technically "close" the season of Advent - (although there is one more morning mass tomorrow - 24th Dec - there will be no more advent vespers as vespers of 24th Dec will be first vespers of Christmastide). I am very grateful that I was able to attend mass every day and frequent confession during this entire season of Advent. It is really a most precious gift from God to me - I doubt if I will ever be thankful enough for this. I just hope that I will have the grace to continue like this for the rest of my time here on earth. I also hope that many of you will join me - either in praying the liturgy of the hours, the rosary or even attending masses with me.  Adopting the wonderful tradition of my Muslim friends, I ask forgiveness from all to whom I have caused offence in any way throughout the past year, whether expressly, or inwardly in my thoughts: Maaf Zahir Batin. I leave you all with the gorgeous singing of the Angelus - sent to me by schaeffer. Take time to listen as it is absolutely gorgeous. It embodies the entire message of Christmas - God is with us - God is made Man - through the "yes" of Mary. The angel declared unto Mary (Angelus Domini nuntiavit Mariae) And she conceived without sin (Et concepit de Spiritu Sancto) Hail mary, (Ave Maria) full of grace, (gratia plena) the Lord is with you, (Dominus tecum) blessed are you amongst women, (benedicta tu in mulieribus) and blessed is the fruit of your womb Jesus, (et benedictus fructus ventris tui, Iesus) Holy Mary, Mother of God, (sancta Maria, Mater Dei) pray for us sinners now, (Ora pro nobis peccatoribus, nunc,) and at the hour of our death. (et in hora mortis nostrae) [Mary said] Behold the handmaid of the lord (Maria dixit: ecce ancilla domini) be it done unto to me according to your word (fiat mihi secundum verbum tuum) Hail Mary, full of grace .... (Ave Maria, gracia plena ...) [they left out one more verse - the most important one ! tskk] And the word was made flesh (Et Verbum caro factum est) and dwelt among us (Et habitavit in nobis) Hail Mary, full of grace ... (Ave Maria, gracia plena ...) Amen. A blessed blessed Christmas to all and may your New Year be so filled with co-operative graces so that you may respond more fully and completely to the blessings of God. God has created you to do him some definite service, He has committed some work to you which he has not committed to another. Blessed John Henry Newman so say "YES" ! or if u like the latin: fiat mihi secundum verbum tuum and allow God to work marvels through you like he did through humble Mary. will you join me ?
Once in a while - actually once a week - I try to visit the church of St Francis Xavier in PJ - http://www.sfx.com.my/ -   of course it is all plaster and the columns and vaulted ceilings are all ermm .. fake .. hahaha .. but it does "work" its magic in calming the soul and mind as one contemplates the actual presence of Christ in the blessed sacrament in the tabernacle in the middle of the altar frontpiece (that white round thing in the middle just below the crucifix) - and the aircon temp is justt nice! gegege. Is a really lovely place - and I am glad that SFX had it built. they should pipe this in to the chapel .. mmmm V – December 21 O ORIENS, splendor lucis aeternae et sol iustitiae: veni et illumina sedentem in tenebris et umbra mortis. O Star who rises (Zechariah 3:8; Jeremiah 23:5), splendour of the eternal light (Wisdom 7:26) and sun of justice (Malachi 3:20): come and enlighten those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death (Isaiah 9:1; Luke 1:79). **************************** on another point ...  *sighh* I dun have time for all this time, so much time and so little time, time is running out for all this time, I am bereft of time in the face of all this time, time after time, who has so much time? (any more ? lollll) will you join me ?
IV – December 20 O CLAVIS David et sceptrum domus Israel, qui aperis, et nemo claudit; claudis, et nemo aperit: veni et educ vinctum de domo carceris, sedentem in tenebris et umbra mortis. O Key of David (Isaiah 22:23), scepter of the house of Israel (Genesis 49:10), who opens and no one may shut; who shuts and no one may open: come, free from prison captive man, who sits in darkness and the shadow of death (Psalm 107: 10, 14). From the Sermons of St Bernard - On the "Missus Est" Why do you delay, why are you afraid? Believe, give praise, and receive. Let humility be bold, let modesty be confident. This is no time for virginal simplicity to forget prudence. In this matter alone, O prudent Virgin, do not fear to be presumptuous. Though modest silence is pleasing, dutiful speech is now more necessary. Open your heart to faith, O blessed Virgin, your lips to praise, your womb to the Creator. See, the desired of all nations is at your door, knocking to enter. If he should pass by because of your delay, in sorrow you would begin to seek him afresh, the One whom your soul loves. Arise, hasten, open. Arise in faith, hasten in devotion, open in praise and thanksgiving. Behold the handmaid of the Lord, she says, be it done to me according to your word *full text of Sermons of St Bernard* This is why I continue to speak up - regardless of who is listening - or not; regardless of who likes it - or not. My Christmas wish? - that YOU get baptised .. and YOU get confirmed! will you join me ?
With deference to a tradition much more ancient than Christmas and I dare say, more widely practiced around the world - and in affirmation of the hallowed traditions of my ethnicity - I always celebrate Christmas only AFTER I have marked and meditated on The Chinese Mid Winter Festival.  year after year, totoro2006 will make and deliver to me a bowl of red and white glutinous dumplings in sweet ginger broth - and we will have a good laugh about the good and bad things which happened through-out the year - and this year is no different.  Tasted one red and one white before keeping the rest for tomorrow - they are gorgeous! The red and white symbolise the happy and sad dichotomy which is what life is all about - I cannot help but remember: Job 2: 10 "But he said to her, "You speak as one of the foolish speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God and not accept adversity?" In all this Job did not sin with his lips." But this message of receiving both blessings and adversities from the hand of God is too difficult for many. For many - God is about blessings and prosperity - Period. I guess pain, suffering and challenges are outsourced to others or perhaps - one shot "cleared up" by Jesus dying on the cross. *oh well* - I call this the Non-Christ Delusion . As true Christians - we are called to live transfigured lives and to transfigure sorrow, pain, suffering, adversity we encounter here on earth into blessings - just as pure gold is tested by fire and not by soft falling rain. But this philosophy is an uncomfortable one - it is irksome and killjoy - especially when one wants to go shopping this season and buy all five colours of that designer polo-T and be thankful to God for being able to do so - and here's the funny thing - one wants to feel "so good" for having such gratitude to God, that one expects God go "bless" one even more - so that one can then go buy those other designer shirts and pants (yes, in all five colours) come Chinese New Year. ( *A Reading from A Sermon of St Maximus of Turin* )
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I am now READY for Christmas! will you join me ?
In my last post I spoke about the 7 "O" Antiphons which accompany Vespers for this final count down to Christmas. The above is the latin plainsong chant to the first - O Sapientia (O Wisdom). Through the blessing of God this Advent has been a particularly fruitful one for me; with certain spiritual issues cleared up and priorities re-arranged. I do believe I have much to look forward to in 2011 and for that I am extremely grateful. Whilst I do believe my calling is perhaps not of the Sacramental Priesthood - I do sincerely believe that, as with all baptised, I am called to continue being the "salt and light of the earth" but in perhaps a more radical way. Whilst for those early in spiritual development and perhaps the unbaptised, God's continuing challenge would be "Have you fed the hungry? Have you been good to the poor? Have you clothed the naked? Have you comforted the lonely?". But for those baptised and seeking to co-operate with God in his salvific mission through his church - the challenge from God is an additional one. I believe that we need to go beyond these "lateral" and "vertical" relationships as we are called to mission. We are called to evangelization of the unbaptised and more importantly - re-evangelization of the baptised but lukewarm or even cold. For those of us who respond - God's challenge is that of his question to Cain in the book of Genesis: When we meet God face to face, he will simply ask us: "Where is your brother?" To which our answer cannot be Cain's: "I do not know; am I my brother's keeper?" but I believe, the only answer acceptable to God for my brothers' and sisters' absence would be: "I called and I called and I called - but if it is your will, I will continue to call again." So let us not waste time feeling all good and holy singing "O come O Come Emmanuel" as really, we have HECK of a lot of work to do. When I meet God face to face in heaven - I want to be able to confidently say: "I called and I called and I called - if it is your will, I will continue to call again." If you are baptised, God is not going to ask you if you believe as that is a "given". So - do ponder how you are going to answer when He asks: "Welcome home my dear son/daughter - but - where are your brothers and sisters?" will you join me ?
 Really great article about the 7 Antiphons which we pray as a lovely frame for the Magnificat at Vespers during this intense "season within a season" of Dec 17-23. *link to article* I have condensed the article into a semi booklet and put it into my liturgy of the hours (see pic above)- so I will remember them each Advent. I used to gloss over these lovely antiphons - but now they are so alive for me! Those of you who pray the liturgy of the hours - do feel free to do the same - or just cut, paste and print accordingly.
will you join me ?
Today, 07.12.2010 - we celebrate the feast of the great 4th Century bishop of Milan - St Ambrose. A extremely wise and learned man.
He who reads much and understands much, receives his fill. He who is full, refreshes others. So Scripture says: If the clouds are full, they will pour rain upon the earth. Therefore, let your words be rivers, clean and limpid, so that in your exhortations you may charm the ears of your people. And by the grace of your words win them over to follow your leadership. Let your sermons be full of understanding. Solomon says: The weapons of the understanding are the lips of the wise; and in another place he says: Let your lips be bound with wisdom. That is, let the meaning of your words shine forth, let understanding blaze out. See that your addresses and expositions do not need to invoke the authority of others, but let your words be their own defence. Let no word escape your lips in vain or be uttered without depth of meaning. from office of readings (office of matins) for 07.12.2010 (Year 1) http://www.universalis.com/cgi-bin/disp lesson: read more, study more, get more things done, talk less, complain even more less. a little Ambrosian trivia: Ambrose displayed a kind of liturgical flexibility that kept in mind that liturgy was a tool to serve people in worshiping God, and ought not to become a rigid entity that is invariable from place to place. His advice to Augustine of Hippo on this point was to follow local liturgical custom. "When I am at Rome, I fast on a Saturday; when I am at Milan, I do not. Follow the custom of the church where you are." Thus Ambrose refused to be drawn into a false conflict over which particular local church had the "right" liturgical form where there was no substantial problem. His advice has remained in the English language as the saying, "When in Rome, do as the Romans do." *life of St Ambrose as per Wiki* will you join me ?
 So we have begun the season of Advent - ie a period of waiting and preparation for Christmas, last sunday being the first sunday of advent. Last Sunday was also the first day of the Church Liturgical Year and this particular year is one of those special years in that the Day Mass 2-year cycle and the Sunday Mass 3-year cycle both re-starts simultaneously with Year I and Year A respectively. This happens only once in every 6 years. So with it comes this quaint little "ceremony" where the marker ribbons of the Church Books (or Sacramentaries) are all returned to the START of the various books and for those of us who have our own Day Mass, Sunday Mass Missals and our Liturgy of the Hours books, we too return our ribbons to the first few pages of the books after the same ribbons have gone through the individual pages over the 2 or 3 years. So it is quite a quaint and lovely thing to do .. hahaha .. it reminds us of the never ending cycle of life - much like the circular advent wreath - and it gives us a wonderful sense of completion - and yes, starting allll over again afresh .. mmmm 6 comments | post a comment
*sniggertzzz
give us today, our daily bread ...  brought to you by ...  will you join me ? |
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impressed
contemplative
bouncy
determined