Charities see spike in take-up rate of free meals

Image via Wikipedia

This is an interesting article taken from Channelnewsasia website. It is wonderful to know that there are love and charity in other faith and also how people from different faith can come together to share the teaching of the Gospel and to bring warm and joy to the needy within our community.

QUOTE:

While many may have been feasting during this festive period, those who cannot afford it have not been forgotten either.

The Buddhist Lodge has been giving out food, buffet-style, every day for the past 30 years.

Since the economic downturn, it has seen more people showing up -- at least a 35 per cent increase in numbers since the beginning of the year, with a significant number of them being foreign workers.

The Lodge serves up on average 1400 meals daily, and this number can go up to 6000 over the weekend.

Despite the downturn, the Lodge says people have not cut back on their donations, and this allows the Lodge to pass on excess to other charities.

One such beneficiary is the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Upper Serangoon.

The church started giving out meals from April this year. It distributes packed meals, ensuring no one goes hungry in the community.

UNQUOTE

Let's not forget to do our part as we celebrate and party to welcome 2009.....

<<<<<< HAPPY NEW YEAR ! >>>>>>

Feast Of The Holy Family

Image by Lawrence OP via FlickrThis week, we celebrate the Feast Of The Holy Family. Indeed, this is one family that has much for us to learn from. The most important being their complete obedience to God and complete trust.

Like the Holy Family, we must commit ourselves to believing the word of the Lord. Just as Simeon recognized the Messiah, we in our daily lives can recognize our Messiah if we listen carefully to His Word and trust His Word.

When we believed that Jesus Christ is truly present and active in our lives, we will begin to act in a new way and our lives will change….

Our lives will change when we accept that we are created to serve our Lord and do His Holy Will - forgiveness, pardon, charity, joy, patience, peace, etc. and how the world will be completely different if everyone does the same.

God's great and loving investment in us must bear great fruits. We should seek God's wisdom so that he will directs us to commit every decision we make to God. God's words of encouragement and guidance are always available to us. We just need to pray and listen attentively because Jesus has told us through the Gospel that He will be with us until the end of time.

Ang Kim Huat celebrating Christmas

Image via WikipediaWhile we are partying and feasting to usher in Christmas, Mr Ang Kim Huat is spending his time in Little India.

Spending Christmas in Little India?

Yes, Mr Ang Kim Huat is spending Christmas in Little India, providing meals for the homeless and unemployed migrants. Read the story here.

A fine example of what Jesus teaches us to do - love and charity - to love our neighbour like ourself.

It is heart warming to know that God is present among us and that the poor and needy are not forgotten during the celebration of His birthday.

Let's pray that more people will reflect and learn the true meaning of Christmas and understanding what it means to received the priceless gift from God. That is the sacrifices of His only Son to give us eternal life.

Let's pray that more people will understand what is really means to be a Christian and true disciple of Christ i.e. to spread the good news by loving each other, caring with love and charity regardless of language, race and religion.

In the midst of our celebration, let's not forget about the poor and needy and know that God command us to help them out. What better way to spread the good news to these people by showing that the God is here to love and care for them through our actions?

God bless you all and Merry Christmas!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Image by Nicolai Kjærgaard via FlickrA Merry Christmas to all the readers of this blog.

I hope that you have enjoyed reading the articles and do give me suggestions.

I apologized that for moderating the blog due to anti-Christ messages which contains only curse and swear that is spamming this blog by a certain cult member.

But I still welcome all comments even those with different views and doctrines and hope that 2009 will bring some interesting discussions.

On this ocassion of Christmas, I wish you and your family good health and God Bless You All.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

4th Week of Advent - We can make a Difference

Image via WikipediaThis week’s reading are as follows: [2 Samuel 7: 1-5, 8-12,14,16], [Romans 16: 25-27], [Luke 1: 26-38]

In the first reading today, we are told that despite his failures and weaknesses, God made David, a shepherd in Bethlehem, to become a great king in Jerusalem. David was an instrument of God in providing for his people and God established a covenant with David that ensured that his line will last forever.

In the Gospel reading, we are told of the beginning of our salvation plan by God. God chose the town called Nazareth in Galilee and a young girl specially chosen and prepared by Him to fulfill His plan for humanity.

Without Christ, there is no salvation. And God chose Mary whom we know as a prayerful and truly sinless girl to be the mother of His son – Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

Archangel Gabriel appeared to her and told her: “You are to conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you must name him Jesus”. Mary was frighten and lost (likewise, we too will be scared if the same happened to us) because she is virgin and wonder how then could she conceive “but the angel said to her, 'Mary, do not be afraid; you have won God's favour.”( LK1:40)

“The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will cover you with its shadow. And so the child will be holy and will be called Son of God.” (LK1:35).

To that, Mary replied despite her fear and uncertainty : “Behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it done unto me accordingly to your word.”

It was Mary’s total faith, total confidence and total obedience to God that led to the conception of the Son of God through God’s creative Spirit.

To Mary, it was God’s will and not her will that she obey. Mary did not say (like what most of us will hear today) – let me think about it and I’ll get back to you later.

Both David and Mary had made a difference in God’s salvation plan. How about us?

Are we prepared to make a difference too? Or are we looking after only our own benefits?

In whatever state and circumstance in our life, we can choose to live out the will of our heavenly Father. We can stand forward and be relied on to share our faith in God, to help others in need with our gifts and to speak out against injustice and indifference.

In other words, we can make a difference. Merry Christmas!

Interview with God....

This is an interesting clip which is touching....Go watch it and enjoy yourself.

Click Here

What is Christmas?

Image by Rio Calle via FlickrIt is that time of the year again when we are all busy preparing to celebrate Christmas. What really is Christmas to you?

In today’s world, Christmas has become very much a public holiday, a time to get away, a time to party and a time to splurge on oneself after a year of hard work.

This is what the Archbishop Chia called “consumerism” mindset. The true meaning behind Christmas is lost even to us Christians.

Christmas is about celebrating the birth of Christ and to bring the good news to our neighbour. The good news about our salvation and love of God with the coming of Jesus Christ our Lord.

As the Archbishop said: “There is no Christmas without Christ and so Christ must be the center of our celebrations. This means that our celebration of Christmas must be a celebration of love: “God so loved the world that He sent His only begotten Son.”

And he continued to said: “let us prepare to celebrate Christmas in the proper way. Make Christ the center of our celebration. Share Him with others by reaching out in love especially to those in need. In doing this, Christmas will truly be CHRIST-mas for us.”

So as Christians, are we ready to go and reach out to our neighbours and share Christ with them? And if you are looking for excuses such as I don’t know how, here is an article that will give you some ideas….click here to read.

Lesson from our Blessed Mother

Image via WikipediaAfter reading the homily of the Archbishop Nicholas Chia on our Blessed Mother (in the post before this), I gain a deeper understanding on Marian worship. As I have blogged before (click here to read about it), there are many misconceptions about praying to our Blessed Mother.

At the wedding feast in Cana, our Blessed Mother clearly showed us that she do care for us when she brings the needs of the wedding couple to Jesus. And as what the Archbishop said, “. Here we see the powerful intercession of Mary” and she continues to intercede for us and we must also pray and intercede for others like our Blessed Mother.

Our Blessed Mother has never seek fame and glory for herself. In all her appearances, she always point the people to her son Jesus Christ our savior. Her simple words ““Do whatever He tells you”, and her genuine love for others has converted more than any self proclaimed pastors (especially those Korean or American styled – courtesy of their wives) and is still converting.

So, let’s learn from our Blessed Mother and make her shining example be known to all.

To end this all, I love to share with you here a clip on Ave Maria....

"Do whatever He tells you" - Advice from our Blessed Mother

Image via WikipediaOn the 6th of December 2008, the Lourdes experience was held at the Singapore Indoor Stadium to celebrate the 150th year of our Mother appearance to St Bernadette. You can read about the event HERE.

During his homily, the Archbishop Nicholas Chia has made a very interesting and powerful message that I would like to share with you here in full and I quote:

“AT THE ANNUNCIATION, God spoke through the Archangel Gabriel: ʻYou shall conceive and bear a sonʼ,” Archbishop Nicholas Chia reminded the worshippers during his homily.

Mary could not understand how she was to conceive as a virgin but when she learnt that it was Godʼs will, she consented, “Behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it done unto me according to your word.”

In her response, Mary is teaching us to have faith in God and to do Godʼs will and not our own will, the archbishop said.

In the flight to Egypt, Mary and Joseph carried out the word of God at a cost without complaining, making the long journey to Egypt and living there in exile.

Archbishop Chia explained that Mary teaches us that sacrifice is part of carrying out Godʼs will.

At the Presentation in the temple, Mary could not understand the word of God communicated through Simeon: “A sword shall pierce your heart”. She could not understand but she did not dismiss the message. Rather, she kept it in her heart. This, Archbishop Chia said, is to teach us that at times we may not understand the word of God, but like Mary we must not be impatient but take time to reflect on Godʼs message and patiently wait for enlightenment from God.

In the mystery of the Visitation, Mary carried Jesus in her womb and brought him to Elizabeth and John the Baptist. The message for us is that we too must bring Jesus, the Word of God, to our fellowmen by our word and example.

At the wedding feast in Cana, she brought the attention of Jesus to the needs of the wedding couple: “They have no wine left”. And Jesus changed the water into wine. Here we see the powerful intercession of Mary, Archbishop Chia continued. She continues to intercede for us, he added. And like her we must also pray and intercede for others.

Furthermore, Mary told the stewards: “Do whatever He tells you”. In the Gospels, these are the only words of Mary addressed to human beings. Other words by our Blessed Mother are addressed to God. So these words are of special significance. Maryʼs message to us is that we are to carry out Godʼs will in our life, Archbishop Chia concluded.

Unquote

Sources : Catholic News Sunday December 21,2008 page 11

The 3rd Sunday of Advent

Image via WikipediaThis week's reading is as follows :

[Isaiah 61:1-2, 10-11] [1 Thessalonians 5:16-24] [John 1:6-8, 19-28]

In the gospel of John, we are told that John the Baptist’s works must have a great impact as many people think and hoped that he is the messiah. Although he was at Bethany, on the far side of the Jordan, the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, 'Who are you?'

Instead of tempted by fame, glory and prestige, John speaks the truth and in his humility and says: “I am not the one. There is one coming after me”.

John preached repentance in preparation for the coming of Christ and proclaimed himself as “A voice of one that cries in the desert: Prepare a way for the Lord. Make his paths straight!' as prophesied by Isaiah.

What about us? Who do we identify ourselves in terms of? Do we realise that our roles in life are expressed in relation to others? Our talents and resources are meaningless unless others benefit from them.

Our accomplishments and status are empty if we do not look to the concern of others. We can only find fulfilment when we serve others in our families and in our communities, promoting their good above our own.

In short, our salvation depends not only on our love for God but also on our love for other people.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Second Sunday of Advent - We Hope in Jesus

Perfume vials from Christ's era

ROME - A TEAM of Franciscan archaeologists digging in the biblical town of Magdala in what is now Israel say they have unearthed vials of perfume similar to those that may have been used by the woman said to have washed Jesus' feet.

The perfumed ointments were found intact at the bottom of a mud-filled swimming pool, alongside hair and make-up objects,............

Read the entire story HERE

'Lustful Madonna offends God'

POP star Madonna's antics are lustful, a stain on humanity and offensive to God, a retired Roman Catholic cardinal said on Wednesday during a mass for the late Chilean military dictator Gen Augusto Pinochet.


Madonna is currently on tour in Latin America to promote her album 'Hard Candy'. -- PHOTO: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Read the entire story Here

Second Sunday of Advent - We Hope in Jesus

Image via WikipediaThis is the Second Sunday of Advent and our reading this week are as follows:
[Isaiah 40:1-5, 9-11] [2 Peter 3:8-14] [Mark 1:1-8]

In this week’s reading, we are offered the message of hope with the coming of Jesus Christ. We are called to dedicate our life to God and we are all exhorted to be holy.

In this difficult period of time facing many due to the economy recession and financial melt-down, we can place our hope in our Shepherd to carry us through our difficulties and to restore us with His tender love and care.

Just as John the Baptist has preached for repentance from sins to prepare ourselves for a new life to herald the arrival of Jesus, this season of Advent is a good time for us to reflect on our lives. Can we take stock of our short-coming and sins and do something about it to prepare ourselves to receive the coming of Jesus Christ?

Can we do something to “Make a straight highway for our God across the wastelands” (Is40:3) and “Let every valley be filled in, every mountain and hill be levelled, every cliff become a plateau, every escarpment a plain” (Is40:4) – “then the glory of Yahweh will be revealed and all humanity will see it together” (Is40:5)

All the valley are what we lack perhaps in our love, virtues and goodness and we should pray o the Lord to help us have more of that to fill the valley….

And every mountain are like our sins – obstacles to the Kingdom of God and we pray to the Lord to help us over-come our sins such as addictions, bad habits etc.. so that the mountains of sins will be leveled.

Let’s not get discouraged because of what we have done or failed to do but asked God for help so that we too can build this straight highway to God - bit by bit knowing that “The Lord is not being slow in carrying out his promises, as some people think he is; rather is he being patient with you, wanting nobody to be lost and everybody to be brought to repentance.” (MK1:9)

Related articles by Zemanta

• First Sunday of Advent

Farewell to Miss Lo Hwei Yen

I do not know Lo Hwei Yen nor Michael her hubby personally. Yet, I felt sad for Ms Lo and her family over her tragic passing.



As I blog about the beautiful churches that I visited recently, at one of our own St Teresa Church was Ms Lo being send on her final journey home to God.

We pray that Ms Lo's soul will rest in peace and that God will heal the pain and loss of her family and friends.

Read about the story and comments by the general public HERE

To Michael and Ms Lo's family, my deepest condolences - God Bless You All!

Our Lady's Assumption Church - Bunbury WA

This is the Church where we spend our last Sunday of Ordinary time celebrating Mass. This is a beautiful Church as you can see from the pictures below. Is it a coincidence that the reading that week is about MT 25:31-46? Ha..Ha..Ha..

The front view of Our Lady's Assumption Catholic Church



Inside the Church looking at the alter from the Church entrance



One of the thing that makes a Catholic Church very beautiful is the stained glass art which you can see lining both sides of the wall of this Church.

St Augustine Catholic Church - Pinjarra WA

Pinjarra Uniting Church

This is the Pinjarra Uniting Church

St Mary's Catholic Church - Denmark WA

Also pass by St Mary's Catholic Church in Denmark WA.

All Saints Anglican Church - Mt Barker WA

This is a old historical Church in Mt Barker and we met some nice people there who showed us around the Church as well as showed us the way to St Werburgh's Chapel later.

ST Werburgh's Chapel - Mt Barker WA

Around the world there are 32 religious buildings dedicated to St Werburgh - 29 in England, one in Ireland, one in Zimbabwe - and one just 12 minutes from Mt Barker town centre.










This historic chapel was built in 1873 on the Egerton-Warburton Estate and consecrated by Bishop Hale of Perth in 1874, to serve the pioneers in the district. Even today services, weddings and christenings are held by candlelight, as the chapel has never had power.



I am one luck guy who had been there.

Sacred Heart in Mt Barker - Australia

Here are some pictures of Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Mt Barker WA. Unfortunately, we arrived late (from Perth Airport) for Mass and unable to take any pictures of the inside of this Church.






My sincere apologies Fr. Doyle for being unable to meet you there.

First Sunday of Advent

Image via WikipediaThis past week-end marks the start of a new liturgical year for the Catholic Church. This week's reading are as follows :
[Isaiah 63:16-17, 19] [1 Corinthians 1:3-9] [Mark 13:33-37]

The readings this week has special meanings for me after reading the many postings on the various forums. The debate on salvation, second coming of Christ, the end of the world etc..

The Gospel that Jesus teaches us is "pretty simple" and that is to love our neighbour and I truly believed that Christians can make our home a better place by following Christ and loving our neighbour just as God has loved us.

Then we should just "stay awake and be alert" waiting for the coming of Christ. When? It doesn't really matter because we really don't know as only the Father does. What is more important is : Are we ready for His coming?

Are we ready to receive Him and are we ready to answer Him when he asked:
- Did you feed me when I am hungry?
- Did you give me water when I am thirsty?
- Did you clothed me when I am naked?
- Did you visit me in hospital when I am sick?
- Did you visit me in prison when I am lonely?

In conclusion, did we love our neighbour and be a true disciple of Christ? Or are we still talking about our how much faith we have and how other faith (even denominations) are false etc...?

This first Sunday of Advent is a waking up call for us and a time for us to start thinking what we have done for the past year, to confess our sins and pray to God to help us be his true disciple.

It's Good to be Back!

Hi all,

Have been away for a 2 weeks holiday which explains why this blog was not up-dated. Missed 1 week of Mass too....

Have taken some pictures of Churches that I have visited and will be up-loading them in due time. In particular, have some interesting pictures of some historical Anglican Churches.

Will continue after getting some rest as well as sorting out my stuff. Bye for now and God Bless.