News - April 2018

“So my heart will sing to you unceasingly, Lord my God, I shall praise you for ever.” Psalm 30:12

Since Jesus is at our side, let us realise we have nothing to fear. Jesus is God - so nothing is impossible for Him, and at the same time, He is man, and His heart is thrown open before us - He is gentle and humble of heart, and always ready to come to our help and heal us from our diseases and deliver us from all our afflictions and troubles. All that is required of us is true repentance and steadfastness in following HIm. Like the Psalmist, can we too be faithful and grateful to Him for so much love?

Whenever anything disagreeable or displeasing happens to you, remember Christ crucified and be silent.

“The Lord guides a strong man’s steps and keeps them firm; and takes pleasure in him. When he trips he is not thrown sprawling, since the Lord supports him by the hand” Psalms 37:23-24

The Scripture tells us that the Lord loves those who are strong and courageous. A strong man is the one in whom the Word of God abides and who cuts down every temptation with the strong blows of God’s Word which He uses like a divine sword. Even if such a person trips, the Lord his protector and shield, quickly raises him up with His mighty hands.

“Every branch in me that bears no fruit he cuts away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes to make it bear even more.” John 15:2

The Lord constantly reminds us the fact that everyone who belongs to Him must bear fruit. If we do not bear fruit, we will be cut down and thrown on the fire - we will find no mercy with God. But if through patient prayer and pondering the Word, we start to produce the fruit of the Spirit in our lives, the Father being pleased with us will lovingly prune us so that we bear even more.

Let him never cease from prayer who has once begun it, be his life ever so wicked; for prayer is the way to amend it, and without prayer such amendment will be much more difficult.

"Then they said to each other, 'Did not our hearts burn within us as he talked to us on the road and explained the scriptures to us.’’Luke 24:32

The words of Christ were to the disciples burning embers that settled in their hearts, so that their hearts, previously cold, now seemed to burn with the flames of faith and love. Therefore let us draw near to the Divine Heart to listen to His words which will soon set ours on fire. Ceasing to listen to His Words, our experience will be just the opposite - we will experience our hearts have grown coarse and our love grown cold.

The times are bad! The times are troublesome! This is what humans say. But we are our times. Let us live well and our times will be good. Such as we are, such are our times.

“God looks down from heaven at the children of Adam. To see if a single one is wise, a single one seeks God.” Psalms 14:2

Our Heavenly Father is carefully watching all of us on the earth - to see if any of us are wise. What makes a person wise in God’s sight? True wisdom is to seek God in everything. So let us examine ourselves: Do we truly seek God in all our daily endeavours? When we search for the Lord wholeheartedly, He will surely let us find Him. May we reach the fullness of wisdom by seeking God with all our heart.

Remember, God does not pay us for results, but for effort.

He who does not acquire the love of God will scarcely persevere in the grace of God, for it is very difficult to renounce sin merely through fear of chastisement.”

"Then, starting with Moses and going through all the prophets, he explained to them the passages throughout the scriptures that were about himself.’’ Luke 24:27

The greatest scandal for the disciples was the crucifixion and death of Jesus. Here was their Master on whom they had pinned all their hopes - who had seemed to them a little while ago the invincible Son of God, for whom nothing was impossible - taken prisoner by his enemies, mocked, handed over to the gentiles and crucified! All their hopes were shattered. But listening to the prophecies about the Christ from the Prophets and the Psalms changes them - a healing light now begins to shine once more upon their minds and now doubt is replaced by faith - they realise that without His Passion, it would have been impossible for Jesus to have entered into His glory.

The life of a Christian is nothing but a perpetual struggle against self; there is no flowering of the soul to the beauty of its perfection except at the price of pain.

“The Lord guides a strong man’s steps and keeps them firm; and takes pleasure in him. When he trips he is not thrown sprawling, since the Lord supports him by the hand” Psalms 37:23-24

The Scripture tells us that the Lord loves those who are strong and courageous. A strong man is the one in whom the Word of God abides and who cuts down every temptation with the strong blows of God’s Word which He uses like a divine sword. Even if such a person trips, the Lord his protector and shield, quickly raises him up with His mighty hands.

To imitate and live out the love of Christ is not possible for man by his own strength alone. He becomes capable of this love only by virtue of a gift received …. Christ's gift is his Spirit.

Three things are necessary for the salvation of man: to know what he ought to believe; to know what he ought to desire; and to know what he ought to do.

Do not lose your inner peace for anything whatsoever, not even if your whole world seems upset. If you find that you have wandered away from the shelter of God, lead your heart back to Him quietly and simply.

Prayer is the inner bath of love into which the soul plunges itself.

The smallest actions done for His love are those which charm His Heart.

"And it happened that as they were talking together and discussing it, Jesus himself came up and walked by their side.’’ Luke 24:15

The journey to Emmaus happens in our lives everyday. The two men who walk together are our mind and our heart. If our mind and heart are constantly engaged in innocent, pious and god-fearing conversation and considerations, there will come the Lord Jesus to our side - the One who listens to our inmost thoughts - to walk at our side through this journey through life, speaking to both these our faculties, enlightening and encouraging them.

Truth suffers, but never dies.