News - July 2021
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July 31, 2021Read More
“Fight to the death for truth, and the Lord God will war on your side.” Sirach 4:28 Saint Ignatius strove with all his might to discover the truth about God and about himself. Once he found the Divine Truth, he gave all his energy to stand in the truth, to defend the truth and to bring the truth home to people all over the world. The truth he discovered was Jesus Christ, the Son of God, in whom alone is found Eternal Life. Therefore, he glorified the Lord by his life - Ad Maiorem Dei Gloriam!
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July 30, 2021Read More
“And now I understand everything, hidden or visible, for Wisdom, the designer of all things, has instructed me.” Wisdom 7:21
Quite often, we underestimate the power of God. We forget to ask God for Heavenly Wisdom and presume that we can find the path to knowledge ourselves. But those who ask God receive the gift of Godly Wisdom, and they understand the working of all created things, whether they be hidden or visible with ease, since the Wisdom that designed them all reside in them. -
July 29, 2021<“Yes, Lord,' she said, 'I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one who was to come into this world.” John 11:27 Throughout his ministry of meeting people and preaching the Good News of the Kingdom, Jesus sought faith. He frequently asked, “Do you believe?” The Lord constantly examines our faith. Who is Jesus to me? To what extent do I trust Him and believe in His words? Do I believe that He is the Son of God and do I order my life according to my faith or is my life ordered according to my belief that the present world is everything? Do I live engrossed in the present world, hardly remembering Jesus? p>Read More
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July 28, 2021Read More
“The temporary, light burden of our hardships is earning us for ever an utterly incomparable, eternal weight of glory” 2 Corinthians 4:17
When the Spirit comes into our lives, little by little He makes us realise how short are our lives on this earth, how temporary are the burdens we bear and how great is the reward of eternity. Once this divine truth dawns on us, our sufferings become light, and toil becomes sweet. -
July 27, 2021Read More
“May God grant me to speak as He would wish and conceive thoughts worthy of the gifts I have received, since He is both guide to Wisdom and director of sages.” Wisdom 7:15
Divine and humble prayer is the beginning of great things. A person who knows how to pray well on his knees will become great. Solomon prayed to God for the grace to conceive thoughts worthy of the gifts he received from God. And the result was, God blessed him with Wisdom, which directs the origin, form, shape, substance and end of the human thought. It is because of our lack of frequent prayer and the Wisdom from God that our thoughts are weak, base and limited. -
July 26, 2021Read More
In everything you do, remember your end, and you will never sin.” Sirach 7:36
Whenever the thought of death crosses our minds, we probably try our best to dismiss it as fast as we can. The Bible tells us that the thought of death should accompany us every day, in all our actions. The thought of our Heavenly Homeland and the joy that is waiting for us will help us forego the transitory pleasures of sin. For those who are in Christ Jesus, death is not an end, but a beginning of a better one, a more joyous one, a more beautiful one. Indeed, let us look forward to death, which is nothing but an entry into Eternal Life! -
July 25, 2021Read More
“All that is good, all that is perfect, is given us from above; it comes down from the Father of all light; with Him there is no such thing as alteration, no shadow caused by change. ” James 1:17
St. James makes very clear distinction in his letter on the gifts that come from God and those that do not. Temptation and sin do not come from God, they come from the evil desires which wage war within us; whereas the gifts that come from God are pure, full of goodness and perfect. There can never be any change in God’s nature - He always remains the Father of all light, meaning that, till the end of time, all that is Light has it’s origin and source in Him. -
July 24, 2021Read More
“A loyal friend is a powerful defence: whoever finds one has indeed found a treasure. A loyal friend is something beyond price, there is no measuring his worth. A loyal friend is the elixir of life, and those who fear the Lord will find one. Whoever fears the Lord makes true friends, for as a person is, so is his friend too.” Sirach 6:14-17
Every human being needs a true friend. It is said in the Bible that when the first man was created, no suitable helper for him was found; and that was when God created a friend for him. A loyal friend is sent by God to stay by you through thick and thin, to advise and correct you when you are wrong and share your joy when you do right. May God grant each of us loyal and true friends, and may He bless our friendships so that they may be true and lasting unto eternal life. -
July 23, 2021Read More“My child, keep my words, and treasure my precepts, keep my precepts and you will live, keep my teaching as the apple of your eye. Bind these to your fingers, write them on the tablet of your heart.” Proverbs 7:1-3
God addresses us affectionately as “my child” - what is this greeting supposed to mean, except that He wishes by these loving words to draw our attention to accept the grave counsel He wishes to imprint on our hearts? He tells us that unless we keep his precepts and teachings as the apple of our eye, we will be lost. How great the attention we should pay to God’s commandments! But sadly, how little attention is paid to them! Let us therefore endeavour to use all our power to treasure them in our hearts. -
July 22, 2021Read More“When law came on the scene, it was to multiply the offences. But however much sin increased, grace was always greater.” Romans 5:20
Today we celebrate the Feast of Mary Magdalene, a feast that celebrates the victory of grace over sin. Mary, the sinner, was conquered by the grace of God that overflowed into her from Christ Jesus. From being the sinful woman, she rose to become a new creation and became one of the most purest souls ever. far surpassing the Apostles in love, she flew towards the Holy Christ with wings of confidence. Looking at her, therefore let every sinner draw courage to come close to Jesus Christ who came into the world to save sinners. -
July 21, 2021Read More“They divide My garments among them and cast lots for My clothing.” Psalms 22:18
The Holy Spirit prophesies through the Psalmist concerning the sufferings the Christ would undergo to give back to humanity its lost glory. God clothed man not with perishable garments, but with imperishable grace which covered his body with the splendour of holiness and uprightness. Jesus heals the wounds of our shame and guilt especially for sins against holiness by taking upon Himself the shame of being stripped of His garments. -
July 20, 2021Read More“Learn, therefore, from My Words; the gain will be yours.” Wisdom 6:25
People go to many places in search of learning - they try to acquire learning by study in schools, colleges and universities. They search in books or the internet for learning. We acquire learning about every science under the sun. But where can we learn about God? Learning about God and what is His Will for us is the most important knowledge that all of us should have. How much do we know God? Are we seriously learning about Him and what He wants from us? Today the Lord once again invites all of us to acquire learning from His Holy Words which have the power to make us wise unto salvation, which is man’s ultimate goal. -
July 19, 2021Read More
“Hold fast to discipline, never let her go, keep your eyes on her, she is your life.” Proverbs 4:13
Quite often we are disciplined at the beginning stages of our spiritual lives. But sooner or later most of us give in to complacency, idleness, lukewarm-ness or laziness. Very soon we will realise that all our hard-earned spiritual gifts are gone! Therefore, let us take great care to hold fast to discipline and self-mortification, repelling far from us any feeling of self-satisfaction the Enemy may try to instil within our souls. -
July 18, 2021Read More
“Hold her close, and she will make you great; embrace her, and she will be your pride; she will provide a graceful garland for your head, bestow a crown of honour on you.” Proverbs 4:8-9
Wisdom is a spirit. In the Bible Wisdom is referred to as a ‘lady’, most gracious, all-powerful, honourable and exalted. When we come to know our Blessed Mother more closely, we will find out that this spirit of wisdom is personified in her. If we win the Lord’s favour, we will receive the blessing to meet and converse with her. If we esteem her and are careful to obey her counsels, she will make us great, as she did with every saint. -
July 17, 2021Read More
“At least we do not adulterate the word of God, as so many do, but it is in all purity, as envoys of God and in God's presence, that we speak in Christ.” 2 Corinthians 2:17
Paul attests to his own preaching that it was carried out without even the slightest adulteration of the truth which had been revealed to him by Jesus Christ - he uses the words ‘in all purity’, ‘in God’s presence’ and ‘we speak in Christ’. With what reverence then, should we read and listen to his letters! Having seen the brilliance, purity and splendour of the truth, Paul’s conscience never permitted any kind of adulteration in the handing down of God’s message. Let us ask God to bless all preachers that they may be faithful witnesses to the truth. -
July 16, 2021Read More
“for a blameless man hurried to their defence. Wielding the weapons of his sacred office, prayer and expiating incense, he confronted Retribution and put an end to the plague, thus showing that he was your servant.” Wisdom 18:21
Aaron, the Priest of God, stopped the deadly pestilence from wiping out the House of Israel with his ministry of prayer and expiation. In our own times, it is the Blessed Virgin who has played a pivotal role in the cessation of all kinds of plagues and heresies. Several times while the Church has been on the brink of destruction, she has intervened to present messengers of mercy to the world. As our Lady of Mount Carmel, She has raised up a host of saints throughout the centuries who have renewed the Church in some of the most difficult moments of its existence. -
July 15, 2021Read More
“No one can have greater love than to lay down his life for his friends.” John 15:13
Our life is the most precious gift we have. Our Lord laid down His Life for us. Not minding the tremendous pain He suffered on account of our sins and our indifference, He let His Blood fall freely till the very last drop, showing us the full extent of His Love. Following the example of our Lord, all the Apostles and saints laid down their lives for Christ and for us - freely and full of love, they gave up their life for us so that we may live. -
July 14, 2021Read More
“Do not refrain from speaking when it will do good, and do not hide your wisdom;” Sirach 4:23
Wisdom, like all other gifts, is granted to us for the common good. God wants us to help others along the path of eternal life with wise and gracious words that uplift and guide those who listen. At a time when so many perish just because there is no one to speak to them and show them the way to follow, or to warn them about the dangers to avoid, let us, in all generosity and purity, share the wisdom that God has given us with all those who are in need of help. -
July 13, 2021Read More
“You foolish men! So slow to believe all that the prophets have said! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer before entering into His glory?” Luke 24:25
When the Risen Christ met His shocked and incredulous disciples, He starts to speak to them quoting the prophets. Step by step He walked them through Moses and the Psalms, and explained to them the passages about Himself. He led them to the heart of the mystery of His own sufferings and His death on the Cross. Even in our own sufferings, let us seek light from the Prophets! -
July 12, 2021Read More
“But He emptied Himself, taking the form of a slave, becoming as human beings are; and being in every way like a human being, He was humbler yet, even to accepting death, death on a Cross.” Philippians 2:7-8
For the Son of God, the Creator of the cosmos to become man, a tiny speck in creation, Saint Paul writes, “He emptied Himself”. Jesus not only took our weak human nature, but humbly accepted death from men who not only failed to recognise Him as God by His infinite power but also condemned Him to die a shameful death on a Cross.
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