OLPS yOuth - The Blog!

Being Salt & Light (Matthew 5:13-16)

2012-01-18T21:55:00.010+08:00

I went to Japan over December and celebrated Christmas & New year there! On 31st Dec, while everyone was revelling in Tokyo Roppongi area (the place with lotsa night life), I had the opportunity to attend a midnight mass in a Church in Japan to celebrate New Year (as it was Sat night and also in time for Sunday Mass).

During the Eucharist, I asked God... so what is he going to say for me? Any words for the new year ahead? And it was just like divine inspiration, I just had the words "salt and light" going through my head. I think that was inspiring enough for me, a simple reminder that I need to be a salt and light in my Christian life. And that's how God speaks to me.

And so I want to ask you all to reflect with me on this. Do you also want to be "Salt" and "Light" for others?

Being Salt and Light sounds good and noble, but it's not easy. As Matthew 5 mentions, Salt which loses their saltiness is useless. Are we useful or useless? Are we hiding our light, or shining in the world today around us?

You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. Mt 5:13-16

This could be a helpful and short read - http://www.teal.org.uk/mat/saltand.htm

Do pray for our OLPS Youth Ministry, and my wish for 2012 is that we can remain salty and shine with our light of Christ in us.... !

God Bless,
Samantha
Youth Ministry

Happy 2012!

2012-01-18T21:50:00.000+08:00

Hey all, our blog is quiet but not dead! Wishing all a Happy 2012 ahead... a year for many changes for many of us ;) O Levels for many, and many of our youth leaders are tying the Knot this year... we wish them happiness! ;)

Mother Teresa - The Legacy - Happy Easter!

2011-04-30T23:23:00.000+08:00

Happy Easter!!! Jesus is Risen!

Here is an Amazing video of Short teachings from Mother Teresa... Absolutely Worth Watching!

She talks about Joy, Poverty of the Heart, God's Love, Loss of the presence of God, God's Mercy, Spiritual Poverty (of being unwanted, rejected), Showing Love, Serving the poor.

This Easter, with Jesus "Alive and Present" in us, even more, we can be compelled to do more small things with Great Love! Watch this video to be inspired!

God Bless!

Young People - Pope's Prayer Intention for April 2011

2011-04-11T17:01:00.000+08:00

This month, Pope Benedict XVI has asked that Catholics everywhere pray: That through its compelling preaching of the Gospel, the Church may give young people new reasons for life and hope. So all our young members on Xt3 - and those working with young people - the Pope will be keeping you in his prayers this month!

Watch this video for a reflection on the Pope's prayer intention for April 2011 or play embedded video below!

God Will Turn It To Gold - Selwyn Hughes

2011-03-15T00:42:00.002+08:00

Today I picked up one of those free sampler 30-day bible daily devotionals (by Selwyn Hughes) that I had sitting in my drawer. Of this 30-day sampler devotional, I had read 18 days worth of pages and recorded the date on each article that I'd read. Just flipping back on the pages today, I noticed that I had read "Day 1" of this devotional on the 1st of June 2009. That is almost 2 years ago! The last article I read was on 22 December 2010. Wow. If you divide the months over that span of one and a half years, that is a measely ONE article per month!

Well, a 30-day devotional, spread over 18 months, fantastic. Ok, at least, I have read something over 1.5 years... I consoled myself. Maybe some people haven't read anything in years? But that's quite a poor consolation, isnt' it? haha.

Well, today's devotional really spoke to my heart, and I want to share it here with everyone. It really tells us that our perception of God and about spending time "with" God or reading the bible, is sometimes very wrong! We think spending time reading the bible is going to deter us from fulfilling our daily routines. But here, God promises that it is not so! Read on….!

Day 19
GOD WILL TURN IT TO GOLD
For reading and meditation - Psalm 119:33-40
"Turn my heart towards your statutes and not toward selfish gain" (v.36)
(30 day sampler devotional "Not By Bread Alone" by Selwyn Hughes)

In my introduction I said that I had discovered three chief reasons why people do not regularly read the Scriptures. One, they find it unbelievably dull. Two, the lack time. And three, they don't know what to read and where to read. We have looked at some of the reasons why people find the Bible dull; now we consider the issue of time.

There are many who fear regular reading of the Bible will absorb more time than they can afford. Such an idea is mistaken. Time spent in the Bible is worth more than the time it takes. If God has given us a book which contains His will and purpose for our lives, if He promises (as He has) to work is will in us as we expose our minds to His Word, is there not something almost blasphemous in wondering whether we cna give it time?

Tagore, the Indian writer and poet, once told this parable. "I had gone a-begging from door to door in the vilage 'path', when Thy golden chariot appeared in the distance like a gorgeous dream and I wondered who was King of all Kings! Thy chariot stopped where I stood. Thy glance fell upon me and thou camest down with a smile. I felt that the luck of my life had come at last. Then, of a sudden Thou didst hold out thy right had and say, "What hast thou to give to me?" Ah! What a kingly jest was it to open thy palm to a beggar to beg? I was confused and undecided and then from my wallet I slowly took out the least little grain of corn and gave it to Thee. But how great was my surprise when at the day's end I emptied my bag on the floor to find a list little grain of gold among the poor heap. I wept bitterly and wished that I had the heart to give Thee my all."

If we give God a moment He will turn it to gold, but if we give Him more - what then?

[Prayer]
OGod, help me see more clearly than ever that the more time I spend in the Bible the more treasures will come out of it. I must re-prioritise my time schedules. Help me to put reading Your Word at the top of my list. In Jesus' name, Amen.

My Story of the Little Ant... I aint' No Saviour, but only God is!

2011-03-10T00:21:00.002+08:00

Today, I saw a little flying ant get stuck in a drop of water near the tap of my sink. It's wings were wet and it could not move. I decided to try to save it and give it a 2nd chance to live. I took a piece of tissue and dried all the wet areas around the ant. Then I blew gently, hoping that the wind would help its wings dry faster. It started moving and i could see that it was still struggling to move its wings which were fastened together. But at least it was moving. I was overjoyed that perhaps, it had a new chance to get dry and fly again. I watched it intently after a while, and was content to let it get around on its own.

After doing a few other things, I came back to see it. But alas, was greatly saddened to find that it had sauntered into another pool of water and was waddling around in the water -- once again. This time, it was hardly struggling. Perhaps, it was almost about to die?

I watched it for a little while more, and gave up, decided to let it die because maybe it wasn't meant to survive the puddles of water anyway, or that maybe it would walk into another puddle again later.

Maybe the little ant was praying for a 2nd or 3rd chance to be saved. But I was mean and left it to die. Come on, I can't spend my whole night trying to save a dying ant.

But this little episode taught me about God. We are like that little ant which tries to fly but gets stuck with water in our wings. God helps us out, but we end up in another puddle.

The difference? Is that God is constantly watching us every minute, every second. When that window of opportunity comes, He dives in to help us. And that opportunity for God to intervene, comes when we pray or tell God, please help me and I can't do things on my own. From behind the scenes, He then sends us help and begins his restoring work in our lives. It could take years for changes to occur. And we become impatient when we do not see results.

On the other hand, when we close the opportunity (through disobedience, reluctance to pray, pride, sin, so forth) then He can only watch in horror as we walk into more puddles of water and inevitably cause our own death.

God, despite how tiny we are in this earth, came down to 'die' as a man, so that we would be saved. It is by the Power of the Holy Spirit that God became Man. Thinking of this, I can't help but wonder, how did God become man? Why? Why die for us, stupid death-loving little 'ants'?

If you are interested by now, read more from our Catechism of Catholic Church:

The Son of God Became Man

I. WHY DID THE WORD BECOME FLESH?

As for me and the little ant, I was sad to say, that I was no saviour to it. I was quite the devil's advocate. Try to save it and then relish in watching it die. But God - being God - amazes me. He will save us over and over again, despite how many puddles we walk into. God watches us all the time, not to prevent us from freedom, but to ensure that we remain free. He is always looking out for our GOOD - and our happiness.

Why then do we silly little ants, not TRUST in the Lord - our Saviour? He is the only one who would love and die for us unconditionally.

Aren't we all silly little ants?

Husband still caring for his unconscious wife 14 years later

2011-02-21T16:09:00.002+08:00

Ten PLagues of Egypt Real?

2011-02-21T15:42:00.003+08:00

Came across this article today about the Ten Plagues of Egypt. Seems that there are indeed scientific explanations for it and they sound really true. Have you ever questioned or found the time to ask more questions about our bible history and faith?

I like this article version which talks about the scientific explanations but at the end of the day, doesn't use it to debunk God's existence. Rather, it states as an ending line, that while it could be true that events in Exodus could have been purely natural disasters, the point is that God is the creator of Nature.

Read the article at:
http://philosophiesofmen.blogspot.com/2011/02/ten-plagues-of-egypt.html

Great Week ahead!

Join us at Youth NITE February (26 Feb, Saturday)!

Prayer for our 2011 Plans

2011-02-08T01:28:00.002+08:00

Dear Lord,

Thank you for a wonderful youth meeting today and we pray that we will be able to work together for 2011!We lift all the plans we have to you and pray for your guidance and blessing always.

Thank you Lord, Amen.

PLEASURE: A Forbidden Fruit

2011-01-29T00:33:00.001+08:00

PLEASURE: A Forbidden Fruit
East District Youth Event - 15 January 2011

The recent event "PLEASURE: A Forbidden Fruit" is over as of Saturday 15th January 2011 (QOP Church). We thank our speakers David Cheong, Longinus Dismus (Apostolate for Catholic Truth, ACT) and Sister Jennifer (Canossian sisters) for their lively engaging banter, and all participants who came!

We learnt a lot on how to view PLEASURE. The pleasures of the smallest things in our daily lives, can actually lead to holiness and God. We can find pleasure even in our studies.. even in things we did not like before - and amazingly that can bring out holiness in us! But negative use of pleasure lead us to crave for more and in the process, we harm ourselves, others, and move away from God.

View details:

So what's next? Prepare for EDYD 2011... ! How? For a start, Join the East District Catholic Youth group so that we can keep you updated as we head toward our official East District Youth Day 2011 later this year!
Go to East District Catholic Youths Facebook Page now!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

2010-12-22T00:04:00.001+08:00

Hi everyone,

Wishing you a Merry CHristmas from OLPS Youth!

Catholic Man in Vietnam Adopts 50 Children to Save Them From Abortion

2010-11-10T13:18:00.002+08:00

This was featured in Xt3.com (http://www.xt3.com/library/view.php?id=4195)

A man from Vietnam is on an incredible solo mission to cut the country's abortion rate, one of the highest in the world. Tong Phuoc Phuc has opened his home as a refuge for abandoned babies and looks after more than 50. He has pledged to care for unwanted children rather than see women terminate their pregnancies.

Does being in a state of grace make my prayer more powerful?

2010-10-19T10:26:00.003+08:00

How do you know God is listening to your prayers? If you are in the state of grace, are your prayers more powerful? Fr Kubicki answers the question in this video.

Walk by faith, not by sight!

2010-10-16T17:17:00.000+08:00

THank God that we can see...

Psalms
Chapter 146

Hallelujah!
Praise the LORD, my soul; I shall praise the LORD all my life, sing praise to my God while I live.
I Put no trust in princes, in mere mortals powerless to save.
When they breathe their last, they return to the earth; that day all their planning comes to nothing.
Happy those whose help is Jacob's God, whose hope is in the LORD, their God,
The maker of heaven and earth, the seas and all that is in them, Who keeps faith forever,
secures justice for the oppressed, gives food to the hungry. The LORD sets prisoners free;
the LORD gives sight to the blind. The LORD raises up those who are bowed down; the LORD loves the righteous.
The LORD protects the stranger, sustains the orphan and the widow, but thwarts the way of the wicked.
The LORD shall reign forever, your God, Zion, through all generations! Hallelujah!

Be part of the Youth Rally this year! Join us on stage!

2010-10-08T00:31:00.000+08:00

If you are keen to be an actor (or know someone who is) and wish to be part of the CAYC Youth Rally, Walk on Water Productions is looking for youth actors to be part of the rally drama component.

Write to us or call Joyce at 96483895 if you are interested. Spread the word around!

Why go to Church?

2010-10-08T00:09:00.005+08:00

If this question still boggles you, read on!
If you're spiritually alive, you're going to love this!
If you're spiritually dead, you won't want to read it.
If you're spiritually curious, there is still hope!

Why Go To Church?

A Church goer wrote a letter to the editor of a newspaper and complained that it made no sense to go to church every Sunday.. "I've gone for 30 years now," he wrote, "and in that time I have heard something like 3,000 sermons. But for the life of me, I can't remember a single one of them. So, I think I'm wasting my time and the pastors are wasting theirs by giving sermons at all."

This started a real controversy in the "Letters to the Editor" column, much to the delight of the editor. It went on for weeks until someone wrote this clincher:

"I've been married for 30 years now. In that time my wife has cooked some 32,000 meals. But, for the life of me, I cannot recall the entire menu for a single one of those meals.. But I do know this ... They all nourished me and gave me the strength I needed to do my work. If my wife had not given me these meals, I would be physically dead today.

Likewise, if I had not gone to church for nourishment, I would be spiritually dead today!" When you are DOWN to nothing ... God is UP to something! Faith sees the invisible, believes the incredible and receives the impossible! Thank God for our physical AND our spiritual nourishment!

Becoming Saints?

2010-10-05T09:22:00.002+08:00

Hi all,

As I was pondering over the homily of Novena service at Novena church (St Alphonsus' church) last Saturday, it was about how we can become the saints. As Mother Teresa said, we really don't need the high IQ, higher studies like degree, master, phD, fame and money to become the saints. Just simply pick the pin on the floor so that the children will not hurt their feet when they run across the corridor. It meant that we have to do lesser things but with great love. That's how we can be the saints. Really. Just act your normal life but do anything with great love. Ask God to give you the great love. That was what the priest (I don't know his name) preached. He also said he always did simple things like preaching in the church with great love. He could not say, "Aiyah, it's so tiring and boring. Just do it fast and quick." but did it with much zeal and eagerness. If he did it without love, he's like the machine. It reminds me of some verses: "1.I may be able to speak languages of men and even of angels, but if I have no love, my speech is no more than a noisy gong or a clanging bell. 2.I may have the gift of inspired preaching; I may have all knowledge and understand all secrets; I may have all the faith needed to move mountains - but if I have no love, I am nothing. 3. I may give away everything I have, and even give up my body to be burned - but if I have no love, this does me no good." (1 Cor 13:1-3 Good News Bible)

As I was discussing with my friend about it today, he showed me the story. Thought it might be good and inspiring story for you.

http://pedicularis.blogspot.com/2008/04/donut-story.html

Cheers!

With love in Christ,
~Michael

Tony Melendez

2010-09-21T20:38:00.002+08:00

1 Corinthians 10:31 – Whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God.
Psalm 139:14 – I praise you God, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

Bible Sales

2010-09-21T20:05:00.000+08:00

If this doesn't make you laugh just go ahead and close your casket!!!

A pastor concluded that his church was getting into very serious financial troubles. While checking the church storeroom, he discovered several cartons of new Bibles that had never been opened and distributed.

So at his Sunday sermon, he asked for three volunteers from the congregration who would be willing to sell the Bibles door-to-door for $10 each to raise the desperately needed money for the church.
Jack, Paul and Louie all raised their hands to volunteer for the task.
The minister knew that Jack and Paul earned their living as salesmen and were likely capable of selling some Bibles but he had serious doubts about Louie who was a local farmer, who had always kept to himself because he was embarrassed by his speech impediment. Poor Louie stuttered badly. But, NOT WANTING TO discourage Louie, the Minister decided to let him try anyway.

He sent the three of them away with the back seat of their cars stacked with Bibles. He asked them to meet with him and report the results of their door-to-door selling efforts the following Sunday.

Anxious to find out how successful they were, the minister immediately asked Jack, 'Well, Jack, how did you make out selling our Bibles last Week?'

Proudly handing the reverend an envelope, Jack replied, 'Using my sales prowess, I was able to sell 20 Bibles, and here's the $200 I collected on behalf of the church.'

'Fine job, Jack!' The minister said, vigorously shaking his hand. 'You Are indeed a fine salesman and the Church is indebted to you.'

Turning to Paul, 'And Paul, how many Bibles did you sell for the church last week?'

Paul, smiling and sticking out his chest, confidently replied, 'I am a Professional salesman. I sold 28 Bibles on behalf of the church, and here's $280 I collected.'

The minister responded, 'That's absolutely splendid, Paul. You are truly a professional salesman and the church is indebted to you.'

Apprehensively, the minister turned to Louie and said, 'And Louie, did You manage to sell any Bibles last week?' Louie silently offered the Minister a large envelope.

The minister opened it and counted the contents. 'What is this?' The minister exclaimed. 'Louie, there's $3200 in here! Are you suggesting that you sold 320 Bibles for the church, door to door, in just one week?'

Louie just nodded. That's impossible!' both Jack and Paul said in unison. 'We are professional salesmen, yet you claim to have sold 10 times as many Bibles as we could.'

'Yes, this does seem unlikely,' said the minister who didn't want to offend Louie. Please, tell us how you managed to accomplish this, Louie.'

Louie shrugged. 'I-I-I re-re-really do-do-don't kn-kn-know f-f-f-for Sh-sh-sh-sure,' he stammered.

Impatiently, Peter interrupted. 'For crying out loud, Louie, just tell us what you said to them when they answered the door!'

'A-a-a-all I-I-I s-s-said WA-WA-was,' Louis replied, 'W-w-w-w-would y-y-y-you l-l-l-l-l-like t-t-to b-b-b-buy th-th-th-this B-B-B-B-Bible f-f-for t-t-ten b-b-b-bucks ---o-o-o-or--- wo-wo-would yo-you J-j-j-just l-like m-m-me t-t-to St-St-stand h-h-here and r-r-r-r-r-read it t-to y-y-you??'

Remember when the funniest jokes were the clean ones?
They still are!

"Live What I Believe" by Russ Lee

2010-09-14T17:18:00.002+08:00

Introducing a new song... "Live What I Believe" by Russ Lee.

Not the "It's My Life" style... but in the "One Way, Jesus" style...

Lyrics: Live What I Believe

These are the days
For the children of faith
To stand up and be counted
Now is the time
For the light in us to shine
On whoever's around it

One life can be the proof
Of the hope that is You

I'm gonna live what I believe
I'm gonna walk that line
If it costs me everything
I'm gonna stand for what is right
So that everyone can see
It's Jesus that they need
I'm gonna live what I believe

The world will see God's grace
When we work and we pray
And then love like we mean it
if there's ever been a day
To give ourselves away
Well, I think we're in it

There's a passion deep inside
For my life to testify

Lord, let me be used
As a witness for You
With faith and conviction
You've called me by Your name
And I will not be ashamed

Gonna walk that line
I'm gonna stand for what is right
Hey, it's Jesus that they need

AYD 2010 prep session (12 Sept 2010)

2010-09-13T16:41:00.000+08:00

At the prep session with Brian Butler. He is so inspirational!

Who is Brian Butler?
Brian Butler is the co-author of Theology of the Body for Teens, the first published curriculum which applies the Theology of the Body to the lives of teenagers, specifically addressing questions relating to chastity and sexuality. He served as the associate director for youth catechesis in the Archdiocese of New Orleans, has taught and coordinated campus ministry at the high school level for five years, and has more than twelve years of experience in youth ministry. He is the co-founder and president of Dumb Ox Productions Inc, a nonprofit organization that offers retreats, speakers, programs and resources focusing on chastity and vocation formation for teenagers.

Below are some of the facils/youth min volunteers & cats who will be involved in the upcoming AYD 2010! Some people missing from photo cos they left earlier!...

Something simple...

2010-09-01T19:52:00.001+08:00

Happy moments, PRAISE GOD!!

Difficult moments, SEEK GOD!!

Quiet moments, WORSHIP GOD!!

Painful moments, TRUST GOD!!

Every moment, THANK GOD!!!

Treasures in Jars of Clay

2010-09-01T00:42:00.000+08:00

I remember one of our old youth masses - its theme was "Treasure" - and the question followed, "What is your Treasure?" This question is apt still today, and everyday. Where is our treasure? Each day, we wake up searching for something to fill our time, to feel happy, to feel a sense of achievement, to feel belonged. We search for "little treasures" in this world.

But sometimes, nothing can really fill our hearts except the treasure of God. Being in ministry, helps us find the real treasure, because ministry friends help us to "remember" God... by being there for us, being a friend, being a community we can rely on when we are weak, tired, poor, sad, etc.

So even in ministry when sometimes we face problems, of being tired, lack of time, feeling far from God, or people, and so forth, we do not lose heart. The verse from 2 Corinthians 4 below says it all!

2 Corinthians 4 - Treasures in Jars of Clay

1Therefore, since through God's mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. 2Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God. 3And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. 4The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 5For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. 6For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness,"[a]made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.

7But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. 8We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. 10We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. 11For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body. 12So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.

13It is written: "I believed; therefore I have spoken."[b]With that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak, 14because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you in his presence. 15All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.

16Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 17For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

PAINTING @ Chai Chee 2010!

2010-08-31T23:31:00.002+08:00

28 August 2010 - Cockroaches, bedbugs and the smell of urine-stained floor greeted some 14 youth volunteers in a service project initiated by the Youth Ministry. Assisting the Kaki Bukit Seniors’ Activity Centre the second time in 2 years, volunteers this year helped to clean and paint a one-bedroom apartment at Chai Chee belonging to a 95-year-old lady recuperating in hospital.

Brand new mattresses and bed frames were also delivered to appreciative residents at four other units, with part of its funding provided by our parish’s Society of Saint Vincent de Paul. This also enabled us to install new curtains in some of these apartments.

For participants of this project, many of whom were 15-year-old teenagers from the annual Confirmation 3 Service Attachment programme, this was a valuable experience. According to Tessa Tang, the thing that struck them most was the condition of the house when they stepped in.

Said Naomi Ho, "It was a very eye-opening experience, as I never had chance to do something like this before. To help a 95-year-old lady with something she was unable to do, lifted my spirits to know that we made a change in her living conditions. It was fun too."

Another volunteer, Elizabeth Choo, adds, “After the project, I realized how lucky I am and how important a family is.”

VIEW PHOTOS at Facebook!

Article in Parish Link on Feb Youth nite!

2010-07-19T16:58:00.002+08:00

Haha our Feb article was recently published in the Parish Link (this is sadly the last issue of Parish Link)!

Well the next Youth Nite is this 31st July so join us then! RSVP on Facebook! ;) or just email us - youth@olpsyouth.org!

Blessed are the Peace-Makers

2010-07-12T17:08:00.002+08:00

Cardinal George Pell's Sunday Telegraph Column on 11 July 2010
Blessed are the Peace-Makers

By + Cardinal George Pell
Archbishop of Sydney
11 July 2010

John Lennon was the best known of the Beatles, who once claimed they were better known than Jesus Christ.

Times have changed. Today it is golden oldies like myself who are more likely to remember their triumphs.

The Beatles had more than a touch of genius, but they did a lot of moral damage with their "anti-religious, anti-nationalistic, anti-conventional, anti-capitalistic" secular hymns (Lennon's own description).

In the popular piece "Imagine" Lennon urged his listeners to dream of a world where there was no heaven, no hell, no religion, no country, "nothing to kill or die for". Lennon was working for a peace resulting from the disappearance of religion.

We are gathering some of the fruits of his mistaken teaching today with broken families, drug-taking, increasing venereal disease, youth suicides. Rejecting the Ten Commandments, abandoning self discipline does not bring inner peace to individuals and weakens or destroys the peace and harmony in society.

In his beatitude Christ did not commend those with a naturally peaceful disposition, those lucky few with a placid and kindly nature, usually fostered in good loving families. Such people are truly blessed, but Christ blessed the peace-makers. They will be called children of God.

Without God, society moves closer and closer to hell on earth. As one atheist wrote "hell is other people". The Communist Russia of Lenin and Stalin and Mao's Communist China were only sustained by lies and official violence, not by the consent of peaceful citizens.

Peace is the calm that comes from proper order and St. Augustine told us that our hearts are always uneasy until they rest in God. A flaw runs through each human heart and we only find peace by governing our selfish impulses and carnal desires. Lust is not the same as love, any more than greed is good.

Hatred never brings peace of heart, because peace-making is an act of mercy, which sets aside wrongs and returns good for evil.

This is not easy. The early Christian writers insisted that we must have interior peace before we can pass it to others and that only God gives this peace.

The one true God is the source of eternal harmony, an ocean of peace.

Everyone wants to make peace, but when we reject God we are heading in the wrong direction.

Did you want a strong, vibrant Jesus culture?

2010-07-12T17:01:00.003+08:00

Something that made us think!

Quoted from digitaljesus.files.wordpress.com ---- If your priorities are straight - and by that I mean you are regularly running your daily life by a spiritual advisor or director (whether for your group or personally) - then God will make your attempts a success.

There are countless groups out there who try so hard to 'reach out' and 'connect' with youth, but after an initial surge in interest, 90% drop out. Why? Because there needs to be substance in that connectivity. A great website and forum is of no use if what they intend to receive after signing up is not up to the mark.

What is supposed to be up to the mark? A strong, vibrant Jesus culture, open and approachable leaders in the group, various options to harness and nourish their creativity, ability and intellect for the Lord and a mission statement which is visible in action, not only - and not necessarily - in words.

Remember, the Lord of the work comes before the work for the Lord!

Your Editor,
OLPS Youth

What is your listening preference?

2010-06-29T16:56:00.003+08:00

~ A reflection by Samantha

Doesn't it disturb you that our secular songs have so much "meaning"... Yes they do - but they are either angry, lusty, or depressive lyrics. And we call those good stuff... but did you know listening to negative music tends to reinforce the hard negative thoughts and actions within us?

I used to listen to stuff like that but dropped that after a 2 year struggle during my teens. It sounds funny, like giving up something so "normal" and even having to "struggle" with it...

But it's true. Why? Because a dear friend of mine once observed that I would listen to angry songs when I'm angry and nice churchy songs when I'm happy. I was already in youth ministry then. But my heart was still "with the world". Why the discrepancy? she asked me? Did I really put my faith in God during the hard times, or were these songs a way to escape into my anger or depression?

After 2 years of denial, I finally told myself one day, by God's grace, that those music was not doing any good for me. I was getting more rebellious, more angry, and more happy being angry (get it?) because the music was cool and "angrily" cool.

So I stopped. By end of JC I stopped it totally. Gave up and got rid of all my CDs. Physically. Yes. So i would not listen to it any longer. Yes crazy, but my inner conversion (i went for the Youth in the Spirit Seminar in 1999) - made me feel so passionate for GOD that these secular music were no more than distractions to me getting to know God better.
And i've not looked back since.

So, why the extremism? Not really. It's ok to just listen. But basically, what most of us tend to do, is listen to those songs when we are feeling down, angry, etc. That is when we are emotionally "vulnerable". Think of it... God tells us to "Come to Him" when we are weary and burdened and he will give us Rest. But instead, we go listen to singers out there who don't know better, don't know God, or don't want us to know God.

It makes full sense that when we pray we "cannot hear God".... not surprising, because everytime God wants us to "be still" and listen to Him, we plug our ears with all the music and walk off in the opposite direction!

I quote a band which I DID listen to last time and totally enjoyed their music:
"First of all we want to thank Satan!" (Red Hot Chili Peppers, receiving an award at MTV awards in 1992)

Yup, that's what they said. Not that I hate them. I really liked their music... but unfortunately, they are not really leading me to God.

And unfortunately, these are the people we are listening to... Sometimes we kid ourselves that we just like the music for its spectacular drum beat or guitar riffs and nothing more than that. BUT if you were a musician yourself, you'd know that the music (even without words) also convey a message. A message of HOPE? VERSUS a message of DESPAIR....

So... I pray that we learn to listen to good things. Jesus said:

(Matthew 11:28) "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

So... What's your music listening preference?
Do you listen to music when you are vulnerable and subscribe to those messages that you hear in the songs? Agree with them? e.g. anger, lust, depression and so forth?

Did you know that sometimes, when you are down, there could be something else to do - which is to listen to God? You'll find him in the still and quiet.

Psalm 46:10 "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."

Be Still & Know (by Steven Curtis Chapman):

Luv
Sam

Five Loaves & Two Fishes - Corrine May

2010-06-15T10:39:00.001+08:00

This video shows us that when we Give, we Receive...

Skitguys - God's Chisel

2010-06-15T10:38:00.000+08:00

God's Chisel - We showed this on Sunday when talking about being God's masterpiece. Indeed, we are full of "ourselves" but if we allow God to chisel at us, we will change slowly to become more in the 'image' of God, whom we were originally created. Over time, we began to build baggages of sin and became far from God. This video shows us that God is ever so near, constantly "working" on us. He is the Potter, We are the Clay!

Skitguys - The Birdcage

2010-06-15T10:35:00.000+08:00

We showed this before the talk by Fr. Fred on the love of God. This video shows us the price God paid for us... to show us that we are not "useless" or "worthless" or things to be played about with by the Devil. We are His Beloved and He protects us and saves us because He loves us!

Jesus Lamb of God, worthy is Your Name!

A.S.A.P

2010-06-14T21:45:00.000+08:00

Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him. ( 1 John 5:14-15 *NKJV )

We often find ourselves to busy to stop and say a prayer when we have a rough day. In this life everything seems like it has to be accomplished A.S.A.P. So we often forget to speak to God in prayer about it before we react.

Therefore one must remember that; The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.
( JAMES 5:16 *NIV ) More powerful and more effective than anything else on this Earth, even when we must react As Soon As Possible.

Have you ever wondered about the abbreviation A.S.A.P.? Generally we think of it in terms of even more hurry and stress in our lives. Maybe if we think of this abbreviation in a different manner, we will begin to find a new way to deal with those rough days along the way...

So when.......

There's work to do, deadlines to meet;
You've got no time to spare,
But as you hurry and scurry-
A.S.A.P. - ALWAYS SAY A PRAYER

In the midst of family chaos,
"Quality time" is rare.
Do your best; let God do the rest-
A.S.A.P. - ALWAYS SAY A PRAYER

It may seem like your worries
Are more than you can bear.
Slow down and take a breather-
A.S.A.P. - ALWAYS SAY A PRAYER

God knows how stressful life is;
He wants to ease our cares,
And He'll respond to all your needs
A.S.A.P. - ALWAYS SAY A PRAYER

Our Youth Retreat "RECEIVE" is just over!

2010-06-14T12:36:00.004+08:00

For a basic idea of what we learnt, simply click here and read the "Father's Love Letter":
http://www.fathersloveletter.com/text.html

This "love letter" from the Father states it all. At this retreat we learnt about how to "RECEIVE". Firstly we need to understand some things such as these:
1. Open up our hands to receive (like receiving a present)!

2. Open our hearts to invite and "Ask" Him in, otherwise he "stands at the door and knock". It is a CHOICE we make to "receive".

3. Prayer - is essential to developing this relationship with Jesus so that we can ask him freely and "receive" his help, encouragement, love, peace, as we do to a friend.

4. To be a "child of God", let God the Father chisel away our imperfections - and recognise that we have the freedom to receive good things from the Father and must pray and ask for it.

5. That some things we receive for - we may not really desire to "ask" God for it (eg. God's Love, Salvation, Eternal Life). This may be because of SIN that separates us from GOD (or our perception that we are not worthy).

6. Our baptism brings us into "spiritual life" with God and we have an identity - to live out the Good News. We do so by spreading the Love of God which we received by Jesus sacrifice for us, to others that they too may be baptised into our heavenly Family!

7. Remember the parable of the 5 Loaves & 2 fishes? We learnt that we can give ourselves (i.e. our talents, our different characters, etc...) for others.

We learnt many other small things in the process of this retreat and also enjoyed playing various outdoor and indoor icebreaker games with each other. hehe..

So once again, this annual retreat is over and we await the next annual retreat in June 2011 (hopefully).

Or maybe, we could be going for the World Youth Day 2011 and working on preparations then? You can be sure that we'll be targeting that one!

More posts on the other videos/songs shown during the retreat to come in the next few posts!

You Are Who Your Friends Are

2010-05-13T09:53:00.008+08:00

Donald Miller says who you hang out with matters more than you think.

Last month I visited a prison in Texas. I had the chance to guest-teach a class in a progressive rehabilitation program. I taught, but mostly I listened. As the guys told me their stories, their reasons for being in prison, I noticed a common thread. The real reason they were in prison was not because they had committed crimes, though they had, but rather it was because of the people they hung out with. Almost all problems and success in life boil down to relationships. These guys had gotten themselves into relationships that led to trouble. Either they had joined gangs or hung out with drug addicts or met girls who took them down a bad path.

READ full article HERE at Relevant.com

WELL, what to say..... if JESUS is YOUR Friend, and if you hang out with Him sufficiently each day, then you "should" become more like Him! Once again we would like to highlight this article: http://www.fathershands.com/jim/

A simple prayer for your friend, JESUS:

"I JUST CAME AGAIN TO TELL YOU, LORD,
HOW HAPPY I'VE BEEN,
SINCE WE FOUND EACH OTHER'S FRIENDSHIP
AND YOU TOOK AWAY MY SIN.
I DON'T KNOW MUCH OF HOW TO PRAY, BUT I
THINK ABOUT YOU EVERYDAY.
SO, JESUS, THIS IS ME CHECKING IN TODAY."

How to find a child-like joy—freedom—when talking with God?

“Today’s sunshine was pretty. Thanks, God. Bye!”

That was the ending of a prayer I once heard made by a 5-year-old girl. I’ve come to believe it to be the most selfless, beautiful, profound prayer I’ve ever heard.

Read this article for more: "A NEW WAY TO PRAY"

God bless,

"Once Saved, Always Saved?"

2010-05-12T17:08:00.000+08:00

How can we be assured of our own salvation if St. Paul wasn't (1 Corinthians 9:27)? Catholics believe: Salvation is not a "one time" event, but an ongoing process until "the end" (Matthew 10:22; 24:13; Mark 13:13).

READ MORE:
http://www.catscans.com/catholicsite/saved.htm

What the Catechism of the Catholic Church says on "Once Saved, Always Saved:"

161. "Believing in Jesus Christ and in the One who sent him for our salvation is necessary for obtaining that salvation. [Cf. Mk 16:16 ; Jn 3:36 ; Jn 6:40 ; et al.] 'Since 'without faith it is impossible to please (God)' and to attain to the fellowship of his sons, therefore without faith no one has ever attained justification, nor will anyone obtain eternal life 'But he who endures to the end.'']"

162. "Faith is an entirely free gift that God makes to man. We can lose this priceless gift, as St. Paul indicated to St. Timothy: 'Wage the good warfare, holding faith and a good conscience. By rejecting conscience, certain persons have made shipwreck of their faith.' [1 Tim 1:18-19 .] To live, grow and persevere in the faith until the end we must nourish it with the word of God; we must beg the Lord to increase our faith; [Cf. Mk 9:24 ; Lk 17:5 ; Lk 22:32.] it must be 'working through charity,' abounding in hope, and rooted in the faith of the Church. [Gal 5:6 ; Rom 15:13 ; cf. Jam 2:14-26.]"

READ MORE here!: http://www.catscans.com/catholicsite/saved.htm

A LOVE STORY!

2010-05-06T12:39:00.003+08:00

A good poem recommended from Michael!
http://www.knowjesus.com/Encourage_love.shtml

A LOVE STORY

One day, I woke early in the morning to watch the sunrise.

Ah, the beauty of God's creation is beyond description.

As I watched, I praised God for His beautiful work.

As I sat there, I felt the Lord's presence with me. He asked me, "Do you love me?"

I answered, "Of course, God! You are my Lord and Savior!"

Then He asked, "If you were physically handicapped, would you still love Me?"

I was perplexed. I looked down upon my arms, legs, and the rest of my body

and wondered how many things I wouldn't be able to do, the things that I took for granted.

And I answered, "It would be tough Lord, but I would still love You."

Then the Lord said, "If you were blind, would you still love my creation?"

How could I love something without being able to see it? Then I thought of all the

blind people in the world and how many of them still loved God and His creation.

So I answered, "It's hard to think of it, but I would still love You."

The Lord then asked me, "If you were deaf, would you still listen to My Word?"

How could I listen to anything being deaf? Then I understood. Listening to

God's Word is not merely using our ears, but our hearts.

I answered, "It would be tough, but I would still listen to Your Word."

The Lord then asked, "If you were mute, would you still praise My Name?"

How could I praise without a voice? Then it occured to me: God wants us to

sing from our very heart and soul. It never matters what we sound like. And

praising God is not always with a song, but when we are persecuted, we give

God praise with our words of thanks.

So I answered, "Though I could not physically sing, I would still praise Your Name."

And the Lord asked, "Do you really love Me?"

With courage and a strong conviction, I answered boldly, "Yes Lord! I love You

because You are the one and true God!" I thought I had answered well, but . . .

God asked, "Then why do you sin?"

I answered, "Because I am only human. I am not perfect."

"Then why in times of peace do you stray the furthest? Why only in times of

trouble do you pray the earnest?"

No answers. Only tears.

The Lord continued: "Why only sing at fellowships and retreats? Why seek Me

only in times of worship? Why ask things so selfishly? Why ask things so

unfaithfully?"

The tears continued to roll down my cheeks.

"Why are you ashamed of Me? Why are you not spreading the Good News?

Why in times of persecution, you cry to others when I offer My shoulder to cry

on? Why make excuses when I give you opportunities to serve in My Name?"

I tried to answer, but there was no answer to give.

"You are blessed with life. I made you not to throw this gift away. I have

blessed you with talents to serve Me, but you continue to turn away. I have

revealed My Word to you, but you do not gain in knowledge. I have spoken to

you, but your ears were closed. I have shown My blessings to you, but your eyes

were turned away. I have sent you servants, but you sat idlely by as they were

pushed away. I have heard your prayers and I have answered them all."

"DO YOU TRULY LOVE ME?"

I could not answer. How could I? I was embarrassed beyond belief. I had no

excuse. What could I say to this?

When my heart had cried out and the tears had flowed, I said, "Please forgive

me Lord. I am unworthy to be Your child."

The Lord answered, "That is My Grace, My child."

I asked, "Then why do you continue to forgive me? Why do you love me so?"

The Lord answered, "Because you are My creation. You are My child. I will

ever abandon you. When you cry, I will have compassion and cry with you.

When you shout with joy, I will laugh with you. When you are down, I will

encourage you. When you fall, I will raise you up. When you are tired, I will carry

you. I will be with you till the end of days, and I will love you forever."

Never had I cried so hard before. How could I have been so cold? How could I

have hurt God as I had done?

I asked God, "How much do You love me?"

The Lord stretched out His arms, and I saw His nail-pierced hands. I bowed
down at the feet of Christ, my Savior. And for the first time, I truly prayed.

-- author unknown

Seven Heavenly Virtues

2010-05-05T22:12:00.002+08:00

Something interesting... what's the 7 heavenly virtues in Japanese? I'm sure some of us who know chinese traditional characters will recognise some:

Faith (Shinnen)

Hope (Kibou)

Charity (Jizen)

Fortitude (Kennin)

Justice (Seigi)

Temperance (Sessei)

Prudence (Shinchou)

But did you know... in Catholic catechism, the seven virtues refers to one of two lists of virtues, most commonly referring to the 4 Cardinal virtues of Prudence, Justice, Restraint or Temperance, and Courage or Fortitude, and the 3 Theological virtues of Faith, Hope, and Love or Charity; these were adopted by the Church Fathers.

An alternative list is the Seven heavenly virtues, opposed to the Seven deadly sins, and consisting of Chastity, Temperance, Charity, Diligence, Patience, Kindness, and Humility.

Read more here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_virtues

THE POPE, THE MEDIA, AND THE SEXUAL ABUSE SCANDALS

2010-05-03T11:37:00.000+08:00

THE POPE, THE MEDIA, AND THE SEXUAL ABUSE SCANDALS
Pope Benedict XVI has come under intense scrutiny over the last few weeks, regarding the sexual abuse scandals. This page seeks to set out the facts, in an attempt to rectify and combat some of the biased and incorrect media coverage that has surrounded this issue. Sexual abuse of children is a horrific crime. No coverage of this issue would be complete without a frank acknowledgement of the errors that have been made in the handling of child sexual abuse cases in the past. Pope Benedict XVI has apologised on behalf of the entire Catholic Church, and met with victims in several countries. At the same time, it is important to recognise the extraordinary efforts that the Church now goes to assist victims of sexual abuse in their healing, to remove offenders from positions of responsibility, and to safeguard children in our institutions and parishes.

More at: http://www.xt3.com/smallprint/media.php

L:IBERATION (24 April 2010). What is it really?

2010-04-26T17:34:00.003+08:00

LIBERATION: Is it...
- Escapism from all the stress in my life?
- Freedom from responsibilities that I can't bear?
- Freedom to do what I want?
- No one to tell me what to do?
- MY choice, my way of life?

BUT!... If we had all that, then we would not need Jesus as "saviour" to set us free. Coz we would already be free, why the need for a God? Why the need for someone to save us from our "sins"? The very fact that we are sinful and weak and in need of a God in our lives, is why we need Liberation.

What is liberation? It is being "SET FREE" to experience TRUE freedom. It is a process of being set free. In fact, our entire life is like a path of liberation from the "World" towards "Eternal Life" with God isn't it?

Catechism of the Catholic Church: ~ Freedom is not the liberty to do anything whatsoever. It is the freedom to do good, and in this alone happiness is to be found. ~

John 8:36 says "So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed."

We need Liberation from:
- The lies of the devil
- Bad habits that destruct us (e.g. various addictions)
- SIN and everything it enslaves us with
- Temptations
- Ways of the world (that usually are not ways of God)
- Our disbelief and doubt
- Hurts and unforgiveness,etc
- Spiritual Blindness

How can we walk in the narrow spiritual path of righteousness if we are blind? And if our friend is just as spiritually blind we both fall into the ditch. There are people like you and me who are following every form of blind lies out there in the world today! So.. if we think are ok, maybe we didn't know that we were in fact lame and deaf or blind!

So let us be freed so that we can rejoice in the Risen Christ, experience His Victory and Joy and the promise of eternal life with Him for all eternity. This means we will be able to live as free people "inside". Our HEARTS will be free to BELIEVE, TRUST, LOVE, and DO GOOD and WORSHIP GOD!

====
Some song dedications for you to listen!

Finally Free by Nichole Nordeman

Perfect Day by Josh Bates
- Talks about eternal life, joy, focusing on the prize, meeting God...

Finally, watch a....Video: The Light of Darkness
This video shows us that maybe what we thought was our "truth" is not the real "truth" after all. Jesus said, "The Truth will Set us free" (John 8:32) Maybe if we could not believe that before, we should still ask that perhaps, it could also be otherwise, that Jesus is right after all?

Have a good week ahead!

God's Own Fool...

2010-04-26T11:33:00.004+08:00

What is the "unbelievable" that you are believing?

The unbelievable of "our faith"? that makes you seem like a "fool" in the eyes of your friends, or family even?

For me, it is the unbelievable of "being in Ministry" where everything calls me to spend my time elsewhere. I could have spent my Saturdays out with friends, but I choose to spend it with friends in church.. And somehow, the world does not understand our need to gather in a community to praise God, ponder on His Word, and strive towards conversion and holiness. So that simply makes me "a fool for christ!".

Are you also being a "fool" for christ? It's not so bad really isn't it? Because we know that by our christian standards, the first is the last and the last becomes First. God honors those who will worship Him and seek Him. So let us become "FOOLS" for Christ!

Here this song "God's Own Fool" by Michael Card:

LYRICS:
GOD'S OWN FOOL
Scribbling in the Sand: The Best of Michael Card (2002)

Seems I've imagined Him all of my life
As the wisest of all of mankind
But if God's Holy wisdom is foolish to men
He must have seemed out of His mind

For even His family said He was mad
And the priests said a demon's to blame
But God in the form of this angry young man
Could not have seemed perfectly sane

Chorus
When we in our foolishness thought we were wise
He played the fool and He opened our eyes
When we in our weakness believed we were strong
He became helpless to show we were wrong
And so we follow God's own fool
For only the foolish can tell-
Believe the unbelievable
And come be a fool as well

So come lose your life for a carpenter's son
For a madman who died for a dream
And you'll have the faith His first followers had
And you'll feel the weight of the beam
So surrender the hunger to say you must know
Have the courage to say I believe
For the power of paradox opens your eyes
And blinds those who say they can see

Chorus

So we follow God's own Fool
For only the foolish can tell
Believe the unbelievable,
And come be a fool as well

World Pays Tribute on Death of Atheist Turned Believer

2010-04-25T09:45:00.000+08:00

Catholic Communications, Sydney Archdiocese,
20 Apr 2010

Leading academics, philosophers and members of the Christian faith across the world continue to pay tribute to Antony Flew, the famed British atheist and thinker who discovered God at the end of his life.

The renowned rationalist philosopher died earlier this month at age 87 and continues to be remembered in obituaries and tributes world-wide.

Those paying tribute to him include Catholic Theology professors from the Franciscan University in Steubenville, Ohio, well known American rabbis such as Rabbi Brad Hirshfield from New York and leading philosphers from academia such as Dr Gary Habermas.

Describing Flew as one of the great intellectuals of his time, Rabbi Hirschfield lauded the Englishman's "intellectual generosity."

The son of a Methodist minister, Antony Flew spent most of his life denying the existence of God until just six years before his death when he dramatically changed his mind after studying research into genetics and DNA.

"The almost unbelievable complexity of the arrangements which are needed to produce life, show that intelligence must have been involved," he announced in 2004 and went on to make a video of his conversion called : "Has Science Discovered God."

Ironically, although modern day atheists such as Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens claim in the rational world of science there is no proof of God exists, it is from the world of science that Antony Flew in his final years discovered "empirical evidence" that God exists, which overturned beliefs he had held for more than 60 years.

Like Einstein before him, Flew found that God was the only possible answer when it came to increasingly complex discoveries from sub atomic particles to the human genome to the very origins of the Cosmos.

"How can a universe of mindless matter produce beings with intrinsic ends, self replication capabilities and ‘coded chemistry'?" he asked, giving this as the main reason for his discovery of God in his final decade.

Flew's conclusion that there was in fact a God in his 81st year came as a shock to his fellow atheists, particularly Dawkins and Hitchens two of the world's most outspoken proponents of atheism.

But Flew refused to back down even when some of his former followers decided his volte-face on God was the result of old age dementia and confusion rather than scholarly research and intellectual rigour.

Flew's late life change of mind about God's existence was remarkable because of the huge volume of his writings which until then had embraced the atheist cause. Throughout most of his academic life he was adamant that one should presuppose atheism until there was empirical evidence to the contrary. Then in his final decade through as DNA and the human genome began to be understood along with the complexities of life, Flew found evidence which proved to him God exists and is the Creator of life. And from being a rationalist philosopher and non-believer for most of his life, one of the world's leading thinkers suddenly became a staunch believer.

"The most impressive arguments for God's existence are those that are supported by recent scientific discoveries," he said.

In his final years, Flew supported the idea of a God along the lines of the philosophy espoused by Greek philosopher, Aristotle who believed God had characteristics of both power and intelligence.

In 2007, Antony Flew published the manifesto of his conversion stating unequivocally in the title: "There is a God."

However until his death while convinced God did exist, he remained sceptical about an afterlife.

With an academic career spanning 60 years with stints at universities across Britain and the US, Antony Flew will be remembered not only as one of the outstanding philosophers of his time, but as the man who preached atheism but died a believer.

Meet 'The Stupid Servant'

2010-04-15T16:38:00.002+08:00

This is indeed a very heart-rending testimony from a married priest! "What? a married priest in the Catholic Church?"...you must be asking yourself.

Well read his testimony and be inspired by his (and his wife's) moments at experiencing the love of God. It is also a story of conversion from scepticism about the Catholic faith, the role of our Blessed Mother, and how in the end, faith and patience prevailed resulting in the most joyous experience by the real-life characters in the testimony.

Click here and be spiritually inspired and motivated:
http://thedivinemercy.org/news/story.php?NID=3796

ALIVE! Article by Wyman

2010-03-14T08:45:00.002+08:00

We sent this to the Parish Link!

ALIVE! & Post-Event Reflections
A Youth Event held in February 2010

Last 27 February, the OLPS Youth Ministry conducted an event for all its youth groups to come together with the intention to enjoy godly fellowship with each other as a community and to mature in our spiritual lives. The theme for February’s event was “ALIVE!” and the topics presented during the event focused on seeking happiness in harmony with God while going about our daily lives.

The program started with light refreshment allowing everyone to mingle around before we got to play an exciting icebreaker called “Human Bingo”, which was conceptualized by some members from Genesis Ministry. After which, Father Fredrick Quek, Spiritual Director for the youth ministry, gave a short talk to help all the youths to open their heart and minds and think about what it means to be “Alive”.

The night proceeded on with the screening of a short Art film called “Shaking Tokyo” which featured the life of a Japanese “hikikomori”. Hikikomori is a Japanese term to refer to the phenomenon of reclusive people who have chosen to withdraw from social life, often seeking extreme degrees of isolation and confinement because of various personal and social factors in their lives. Watching this short film helped us to reflect what is being “Alive!” after all, as many of us are living, but we may not be living life to the fullest.

Finally, we ended the night with quiet prayer and music, led by the Youth Music Ministry.

As a participant of this event, I found attending this event very fruitful and meaningful as I am now more aware of my relationship status with God, as well as about myself as a person. The event made me realize that my lifestyle actually separates me from God as I am sometimes too “comfortable” with daily routines in my own life, which makes me insecure and fearful to any “change that threatens it”, thus I eventually withdraw myself from God and the people around me – just like a “hikikomori”.

Nevertheless, I have learnt that God endlessly encourages me to be courageous and to trust in him, and to sacrifice some of my “worldly securities” in order to find Him. I believe that it is worthwhile to do so as when I find God each time in different areas of my spiritual life, I will also find His Love in every aspect and form. Perhaps chasing after God’s love keeps me “Alive” with God!

Overall, everything went smoothly and everyone gained something out of it. Being in a community that puts in effort to pray together and accept one another positively brightens up my day even when I am going through tough times. It always reminds me that there are still people who love me regardless of who I am. As such, I consider myself blessed. With such valuable treasures that God has given to me: my friends, I also consider them as my second family.

Wyman Matthias,
Youth Mentors
OLPS Youth Ministry

A wonderful explanation of death!

2010-03-14T08:36:00.003+08:00

Last month we were focusing on being "ALIVE" but interestingly, this post is an interesting take on Death.... a topic that comes up during the time of lent when we focus on dying to "ourselves" and becoming alive in Christ!

I believe Christ must have endured a harsh death, but was so ever eager to return to our FATHER in heaven. What about you? Do you wish to return to your Master? Is your Master truly Jesus? or is something else our masters? DO we have many masters? (e.g. our worldly desires, greed, lust, fame, pride, unforgiveness, etc)... Drop all of that and focus on JESUS!!!

~DEATH~
A view to the future....for those who are afraid of death, the final experience on Earth.

WHAT A WONDERFUL WAY TO EXPLAIN IT .

A sick man turned to his doctor as he was preparing to Leave the examination room and said, Doctor, I am afraid to die. Tell me what lies on the other side.'

Very quietly, the doctor said, 'I don't know.'

'You don't know? You're, a Christian man, and don't know what's on the other side?'

The doctor was holding the handle of the door; On the other side came a sound of scratching and whining, And as he opened the door, a dog sprang into the room And leaped on him with an eager show of gladness.

Turning to the patient, the doctor said, 'Did you notice my dog?

He's never been in this room before. He didn't know what was inside. He knew nothing except that his master was here, And when the door opened, he sprang in without fear.

I know little of what is on the other side of death, But I do know one thing...

I know my Master is there and that is good enough.'

May today there be peace within you.
May you trust God that you are exactly
Where you are meant to be.
I believe that friends are quiet angels
Who lift us to our feet when our wings
Have trouble remembering how to fly.

Lenten Vigil 2010 - You are invited!

2010-03-12T00:45:00.000+08:00

Hi all,

Just wanted to let you know that the OLPS Youth Ministry is once again organising the Lenten Vigil 2010 this year.

Helmed by our beloved bro David Cheong, we have a great programme lined up for you. In addition, you'll see all other groups in the parish (such as Neighbourhood Groups, Family Life, Mandarin Group, etc) all coming together to help out in this parish-wide event!

So make a date with us on 27 MARCH 2010 at 11:00pm overnight till 6:00am. There will be Palm Sunday Mass celebrated at 5am with a PALM procession from the canteen to the Main church.

It will be spectacular!!!

Of course, the most enjoyable part as with every Lenten Vigil is TRYING TO STAY AWAKE. Rest assured, while you are struggling to do so, it will be a totally fun event, to see your friends trying to stay awake too...

Let's do so... stay awake with Jesus and reflect on what his Last Words were, to prepare ourselves for the Holy Week that will come after this Vigil nite!

LENTEN VIGIL 2010
LAST WORDS
27 - 28 March (Saturday overnight)
11:00pm to 6:00am next morning
VENUE: OLPS Main Church
TICKETS: Available at OLPS Foyer over 13, 14, 20 & 21 March.

If you like, please pray for the youths (especially David!) as we have our prep session tonight (12 March) and prepare towards the 27th.

If you wanna join us at the CHOIR LOFT during the song segments, please do so also (Kindly notify beforehand - you can reply this msg to me).

Cheers!

God BLess
Sam
on behalf of the Youth Ministry @ OLPS!

Death: An Essay by Shane Carroll

2010-03-08T12:19:00.005+08:00

Last Friday for YMM, we used the Third Sunday of Lent readings and reflection questions from the Walking With Christ: Lent 2010 handout for our session. The question “What is my attitude towards death? How do I come to terms with the fact that my life will end one day?” particularly struck me, as I realised I had a lot to say about it particularly in light of a few small recent occurrences.

FASCINATION, VANITY, SELF-FULFILLMENT

My answer to that question comes in three parts: fascination, vanity, and a want for self-fulfillment. Fascination because, for as long as I remember first wrapping my head around the concept of death, I have always wondered how it’d feel like; what the moment your heart stops feels like; whether you’re aware of it if it happens in your sleep; what runs through your ethereal head once you know you’ve kicked the bucket; how it feels to leave your world behind; whether the afterlife is anything like we’ve imagined it to be. This is probably one of the biggest mysteries of our lifetime, due to its nature of not, in fact, happening in our lifetime, giving no one the ability to compile enough accounts of it to say for sure.

Indeed, all we have are the few accounts of individuals who have experienced momentary “clinical death”, only to be shot back to life. Nikki Sixx, bassist of Motley Crue, experienced a two-minute death after overdosing on heroin the night of December 22, 1987 (coincidentally, the night I was born). He was successfully brought back to life by paramedics, and described feeling weightless and hearing white noise, but eventually being able to view the scene as a third party before being suddenly tugged back into himself. Others have described seeing tunnels of light; some have also agreed with the third-party experience. Listening to these accounts, however, I always wonder if any are simply made up for storytelling’s sake. And there are simply too few and far-between of them to establish something for sure.

VANITY

Next, the vanity part: this is borne both of my insecurity and of my long-standing rock diva aspirations. I have been terrified for the longest time of leaving without a trace, not being remembered in a positive light. I want to publish a book, I want to move people, I want to record songs, I want to have great kids, I want to appear in newspapers and television, in small part because there is a darkness within me that is terrified of dying without a legacy; not being remembered a decade later.

SELF-FULFILLMENT

The self-fulfillment part of this has a few ties to its vanity sibling. In preparation for death, I want to ensure my life is lived with no regrets and no leftover aspirations – this includes the published book, recorded songs, and beautiful family as well. This also includes expressing anything that needs to be expressed to others before there is no further chance to. I’m still working on that. It struck me on Friday, the day after my grandfather’s brother’s funeral, that my grandfather comes from a family of 19 children. And of that 19 children, my grandfather is the only one still alive. It’s a crazy thought, because how lucky could I possibly be, right? It was a wake-up call both to just how much God looks out for me, and of the pressing need to be open about necessary feelings before it’s too late.

Two weeks ago, I overheard a conversation between my boss and some people we work with. They were discussing a recent documentary that suggested that in order to preserve the life of our planet, we should all become vegetarian so as to save our animals and, by way of cycle, the rest of life on earth. My boss shrugged it off, saying he was going to die before the world ends anyway, and so shouldn’t need to bother. My boss is a man who doesn’t believe in religion, and doesn’t want any children of his own. He therefore can’t be blamed for such a mindset, but as I listened to him I felt rather sad for him. When he dies, he will have nowhere to go, and will not be carried on by anyone living, either.

In Milan Kundera’s book, The Unbearable Lightness Of Being, he calls to mind the German adage “einmal ist keinmal”, which translates to “what happened but once, might as well not have happened at all”. He suggests thus that if we have but one life, we might as well not have lived at all, that our lives and all we live through is insignificant unless we can keep being reborn after we die, so that eventually, we’d get our mistakes totally right. This insignificance is part of the unbearable lightness that he speaks of; a complete counter-theory to the heaviness of our lives as Catholics. It is interesting to note, however, that in his book he views lightness as positivity and heaviness as negativity.

And why do I think a Catholic life is a heavy one? Because it is simply not light. We know a Catholic life is not light, not insignificant, because “einmal ist keinmal” absolutely does not apply to Jesus Christ, whom we know lived and gave up His one life for the sake of all our lives after Him, and whom we model our own lives after. We know that it is not light because everything we do in our life counts towards the moment we die. The Walking With Christ Lenten handout agrees: “Instead of worrying why earthly life is imperfect and eventually ends, it is more important to concern ourselves with living life well – so that we can share eternal life with God.” It is this attitude towards death that people like Milan Kundera and my boss will never understand.

To thus answer the question of how I come to terms with the fact that my life will one day end, I do it by being as Catholic and heavy as I can, by doing my best to not allow regret, and by being “alive” (as touched on in our recent Youth Fellowship) as opposed to just living. I also do it by accepting that death is inescapable, and most importantly, by trusting that God always knows what’s best for my life and the lives of those around me.

By Shane Carroll

ALIVE - Photo Slides!

2010-03-05T18:55:00.000+08:00

Rearranged blog layout

2010-03-04T15:56:00.001+08:00

Hi all, did some amendments to the blog layout! Tell us if this is ok or not. Cheers!

I'm satisfied. well almost.

2010-03-03T13:05:00.007+08:00

Okay, I just really wanted to share this with anybody.

I've finally completed the design for this year's Lenten Vigil Poster!

For some of you out there (graphic designers esp.) designing a poster or creating a layout can be a synch.

But for me, having been trained in the visual arts, the logic of graphic design just stresses me out! Maybe it's the fact that a poster actually has to carry a meaning and convey information and messages. These elements that can be changed in an artwork. But in a poster or magazine spread, these elements are fixed!

However, i'm still very thankful to God, for helping me get through this job. So i'm proud of it and hope that you like it as well. Even if you don't, it's alright. :)

FLY FISHING & HAPPY PENGUIN!

2010-03-03T13:02:00.003+08:00

Some cool videos to share.

If we sail into the right place at the right time, this is the way to "fish"... ho ho ho!

Just like how we are called to be "fishers of men" - do we know where to go, at the right time and right place? For that, we can only have to pray and ask God each time and "wait upon the Lord".

"Waiting upon the Lord" always sounds difficult, but trust me, once you have a developed a deeper prayer life with God, you "will" kinda know when He is pleased with us and peace prevails (e.g. during a period of "consolation"), versus when there is "desolation" (a period where we are "far" from God due to sin, lack of prayer, etc).

The next vid-clip is about a happy penguin - Watch:

The boat is like God isn't it? Always there... waiting for us to run to Him and be saved and safe.

Yours,
Samantha

OLPS Youth: Our BE-Attitudes for 2010!

2010-02-28T09:25:00.002+08:00

Hi all,

Yesterday we mentioned briefly about our "BE-Attitudes"! What are they? Well this year the youth ministry heads gathered together at the beginning of the year to discern our vision / mission / direction for the year of 2010 and we decided that we would have some guidelines for christian living this year.

In 2008 our goals were to build community. Because of that we had our June retreat which was titled "From Friends to Family". And then in 2009 we did not have a retreat due to H1N1 but our theme for last year was Spiritual Growth. This was exemplified in the East District Youth Day in September 2009, which theme was "We have put our hope in the Living God"...

This year 2010 we have our new BE-Attitudes!

This is it:

1. Commitment (Accountability & Responsibility) 2. Community (unity)
3. Christian Discipline (attitude, dress, respect, christian behaviour, etc)
4. Humility/Servanthood (in service)
5. Compassion (love and empathy, show care & concern, understanding, be forgiving) 6. Holiness (growing in Christ)

There you have it!

We also set up leadership input sessions each month for our leaders from each ministry so be assured that your leaders are also being taken care of, with lots of support from Fr. Fred our Youth Ministry Spiritual Director. Praise God for getting things moving for the youth ministry here!

SO wishing all a great week ahead, and let's try to follow these BE-Attitudes for the year ahead of 2010!

ALIVE!

2010-02-28T02:47:00.003+08:00

27 FEBRUARY 2010 @ OLPS Youth Gathering @ Verbist Hall

Thank you everyone who came, it was really wonderful. Below is some brief points of what we did, reflected on and a kinda content summary. It's not very well written but just go thru the points and you'll get a brief idea what we talked/listened/heard/reflected on! ;) Also good if you missed out anything along the way.

Quotes on being "Alive!"
- I am thankful… For the alarm that goes off in the early morning hours because it means I am alive.
- LIFE must be lived and curiosity kept alive. One must never, for whatever reason, turn his back on life. ~ Eleanor Roosevelt
- I don't believe people are looking for the meaning of life as much as they are looking for the experience of being alive. ~ Joseph Campbell
- When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive - to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love. ~ Marcus Aurelius
- Here is the test to find whether your mission on Earth is finished: if you're alive, it isn't. ~ Richard Bach

Sharing & Video by David Cheong: "Am I Truly ALIVE?"
We watched a video called "Shaking Tokyo", which starred the life of a hikikomori and how he came out of it. “hikikomori” Literally means - ‘pulling away, being confined’- It is a Japanese term to refer to the phenomenon of reclusive individuals who have chosen to withdraw from social life, often seeking extreme degrees of isolation and confinement.

Short clip:

We reflected on:
- How was the main character's life changed by the ‘shaking’?
- Why did he want to visit the Pizza Delivery Girl?
- How does this story relate to our own lives?

We then sang 2 songs with music from our Youth Music Ministry (YMM) - (the youtube vids below are just here to show you the tune of the songs/lyrics):

We had also a time of reflection. For those of you who didn't catch the words on the powerpoint, here they are:-

More Reflections on "ALIVE":
- We “die” each day… we get depressed and upset over various things.
- We lose hope, we fail to be happy, we get negative, we feel numb, feel pain.
- We question what is the Purpose of Life? OR we get cynical and angry about life.
- Or we dislike that God created us the way we are. We thus hate many things. Including ourselves.
- We doubt the existence of God. We disbelieve God’s promise of eternal life!

BUT Think about it…
- We are probably better off than many who are without food, education, family, etc…
- Many of our peers out there are still living life but do not know about God.
- If we are ALIVE now and there’s hope for tomorrow, God is probably there waiting for us already, so why are we worrying?
- If we are ALIVE now, God is the only one who knows why we are still alive, coz he created us, so why don’t we pray more?

SO.. WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY about "LIFE"?

John 10:10
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. (NIV)

Romans 6:8-11
If, then, we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him. We know that Christ, raised from the dead, dies no more; death no longer has power over him. You too must think of yourselves as (being) dead to sin and living for God in Christ Jesus.

Ephesians 2:4-6
God, who is rich in mercy, because of the great love he had for us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, brought us to life with Christ..

Philippians 4:13
I can do all things in Christ who gives me strength

John 4:14
Whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.

Finally, we listened to a Featured Song: "OXYGEN" by Avalon
We listened to this song and the words really spoke about being alive as a result of our God... he is our everything. Listen to it here!:

GOD BLESS! See you at the next event in APRIL (and don't forget Lenten vigil in March!)

A Different Approach to Fasting During Lent

2010-02-25T10:34:00.001+08:00

Article by Elsie Yeo

Fasts have a tendency to be oriented towards things like giving up food or television. However, there are other creative ways we can welcome Jesus' healing touch during Lent.

Here are some suggestions you may want to consider:

1. Fast from Anger and Hatred
Give your loved ones an extra dose of love each day.

2. Fast from Judging Others
Before making any judgments, recall how Jesus overlooks your faults.

3. Fast from Discouragement
Hold on to Jesus' promise that He has a perfect plan for your life.

4. Fast from Complaining
When you find yourself about to complain, close your eyers and recall some of the little moments of joy Jesus has given you.

5. Fast from Resentment and Bitterness
Work on forgiving those who may have hurt you.

6. Fast from Spending Too Much Money
Try to reduce spending by 10% and give those savings to the needy.

GOD BLESS!

Guardian Angel?

2010-02-17T13:21:00.001+08:00

Do I really have a guardian angel who is with me constantly, or is that just a pious belief that is taught to young children? If I could be certain that I have my own personal guardian angel with me constantly, the implications for me would be enormous!

Yes, you do indeed have a personal guardian angel. And the full acknowledgement and realization of that truth would utterly transform the life of anyone, just as the many angelic apparitions mentioned in the bible transformed the lives of those who saw them. Either seeing or truly believing that you have the awesome privilege of a personally assigned guardian angel would convince you, for instance, that there is no such thing as solitary confinement; the loneliest widow in the world would no longer languish in loneliness or self-pity; those tempted to lust would find it unthinkable to sin in the presence of their heavenly companion; those tempted to discouragement or despair would be re-invigorated by the radiant presence of their angel companion, etc....

READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE!

SHEEP! We need to feed...

2010-02-03T19:43:00.003+08:00

Greetings!

I'm David Cheong and I belong to the Youth Ministry at OLPS.

About two weeks ago, whilst travelling to school on a bus, I had a sudden flash of inspiration. I felt that I could contribute to our Ministry by contributing to our blog! So I sent an email to Samantha (our elected 'CEO') and she made me a contributor. That was when that 'flash' of inspiration left as suddenly as it came.

But now i've got something to say! And I think it's worth sharing.

So here goes...

WE NEED TO FEED SHEEP!

Sheep? Why Sheep?

Let me explain: Today, our Church (Universal, a.k.a 'Catholic) celebrates the memorial of St Blaise, Patron Saint of Throats. Why throats? I can't remember, anyways, just Google it up.

Now this is where the sheep come in. At the Office of Readings (Part of the only official prayer book of our Church) there contained a sermon from St. Augustine. And the sermon had the following lines:

'After his resurrection the Lord himself said, 'Peter, do you love me?' Peter replied, ' I do.' Three times the Lord asked, three times Peter made the same reply and each of the three times, the Lord said, 'Feed my sheep.'

Saint Augustine goes on to explain the meaning behind those Gospel words:

'How else can you show your love for me except by feeding my sheep? What can you offer me by loving me, seeing that you look to me for all things? You know then what you must do in loving me: 'Feed my sheep.'

This explanation made me realize the meaning behind Christ's commandment, 'To love the Lord your God with all your soul and to love your neighbour as you love yourself.'

Just think about it, how else can we show our love for God? The only way that we can do it is to 'feed His sheep.' That is to say, 'feed His followers.' For me, this ties in perfectly with service. We cannot give anything material to Jesus, to show him that we love him, since everything belongs to God anyway.

Of course, to express our love for Jesus by serving our fellow brothers and sisters of the faith, is not an easy task. I'm thinking of this from the perspective of our participation in Church work.

A few days ago, at a dinner conversation with a group of friends, I mentioned the possibility of their coming forward to serve in ministry. One of the reply that I received was that the politicking between ministry members was a turn-off. Of course, I went on to point out that politicking occurs anywhere.

I understand that serving in Church comes with many responsibilities, requires many sacrifices on our part and many times, we find ourselves saddened or even angered by the behavior and or words of our brethren. But this is where the conclusion of St. Augustine's sermon provided me with a very strong reminder of the reality of our Christian calling. For Jesus Christ, after he had asked Peter three times, to feed his sheep, goes on to foretell Peters' eventual death on a cross.

'He foretold for Peter his own cross, he prophesied his own passion for Peter. That was the intention of Jesus' words: 'Feed my sheep.' It means: 'Suffer for my sheep.'

The experiencing of pain, hurt, suffering, is part of life. We will always encounter misunderstandings, disagreements and 'lack of chemistry' with people we meet and work with at all areas of life. However, it is only by going through all of this, the good and the bad, that happy and the sad, that we learn to become more loving, more human, more Christ-like. And it is only through this life-long process that we can effectively show our love for Jesus.

I hope this entry wasn't too long. I'll try to put more interesting pictures in my next post. I look forward to your comments and suggestions. And I hope that you will continue to strive in serving Jesus' 'sheep.' (I don't know about you but i think sheep are adorable!)

Till my next post (need inspiration!), God bless!

To Achieve Your Dreams Remember Your ABCs

2010-01-23T10:31:00.005+08:00

Thought For The Day
To Achieve Your Dreams Remember Your ABCs
Copyright 1991 By Wanda Hope Carter

Avoid negative sources, people, places, things and habits
Believe in yourself
Consider things from every angle
Don't give up and don't give in
Enjoy life today, yesterday is gone and tomorrow may never come.
Family and Friends are hidden treasures, seek them and enjoy their riches
Give more than you planned to
Hang on to your dreams
Ignore those who try to discourage you
Just do it
Keep trying no matter how hard it seems, it will get easier
Love yourself first and foremost
Make it happen
Never lie, cheat or steal, always strike a fair deal.
Open your eyes and see things as they really are
Practice makes perfect
Quitters never win and winners never quit
Read study and learn about everything important in life
Stop procrastinating
Take control of your own destiny
Understand yourself in order to understand others
Visualize it
Want it more than anything
Xccelerate your efforts
You are unique of all God's creations nothing can replace you
Zero in on your target and go for it!

Well, as christians, we do have something beyond the A-Z of life. Our lives can start and end with GOD, for He is the Alpha (beginning) and the Omega (end). So Add GOD into the factor!

Then the LORD your God will make you most prosperous in all the work of your hands and in the fruit of your womb, the young of your livestock and the crops of your land. The LORD will again delight in you and make you prosperous, just as he delighted in your fathers, if you obey the LORD your God and keep his commands and decrees that are written in this Book of the Law and turn to the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.
Deuteronomy 30:9-10

Trust in the Lord, and do good;
dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.
Delight yourself in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him, and he will act.
He will bring forth your righteousness as the light,
and your justice as the noonday.
-- Psalm 37:3-6

TRUST, really trust God because God's dreams are far bigger than we could ever imagine ourselves.

Mother Teresa & the Lord's Prayer

2010-01-18T17:51:00.002+08:00

Mother Teresa of Calcutta once said, 'Praying the Our Father and living it will lead us toward saintliness. The Our Father contains everything: God, ourselves, our neighbours.... '

Examine how well we live and what we pray as we meditate on the following:

I cannot say OUR if I keep my faith only to myself and never share it with others.
I cannot say FATHER if I do not trust in His loving and complete concern for me, forgetting that He always answers prayers how and when He knows is best.
I cannot say WHO ART IN HEAVEN if I am so attached to the ways of this world that I neglect to seek God first in everything.
I cannot say HALLOWED BE THY NAME if I am unwilling to let His holiness penetrate my life and help me grow in my own holiness.
I cannot say THY KINGDOM COME if I am not using my life to bring His love into the world.
I cannot say THY WILL BE DONE if I live by my own ideas of morality or choose to follow the world's standards.
I cannot say ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN if I am not devoting my life to serving Him here on earth.
I cannot say GIVE US THIS DAY OUR DAILY BREAD if I am not willing to be generous with whatever God gives me.
I cannot say FORGIVE US OUR TRESPASSES if I don't want to put forth enough effort to change.
I cannot say AS WE FORGIVE THOSE WHO TRESPASS AGAINST US if I still hold a grudge, if I'm still angry, or if I still insist that other people change.
I cannot say LEAD US NOT INTO TEMPTATION if I deliberately or knowingly place myself in a position to be tempted.
I cannot say DELIVER US FROM EVIL if I'm not actively fighting against evil through deeds of love and service for everyone in my life, especially those who cause problems.

This is not only something nice to know ourselves. We should always practise what we pray to God. Action always speaks louder than words and/or thoughts.

May the Good Lord bless and keep you in His ways!

Athair Ar Neamh - "Our Father in Heaven"

2010-01-14T23:22:00.000+08:00

Was listening to some songs on youtube tonight and came across this song by Enya, and interestingly found out that this song is actually in gaelic for "Our Father in Heaven!"

Athair Ar Neamh - aka, "Heavenly Father"
------------------------------------------------
Athair ar Neamh, Dia linn Heavenly Father, God is with us
Athair ar Neamh, Dia liom Heavenly Father, God is with me
m'anam, mo chroí, mo ghlóir, my soul, my heart, my glory,
moladh duit, a Dhia. a praise to you, God.

Fada an lá, go sámh, A long and peaceful day
Fada an oích', gan ghruaim, A long night without gloom
aoibhneas, áthas, grá beauty, joy, love,
moladh duit, a Dhia. a praise to you, God.

Móraim thú ó lá go lá. I glorify you day by day.
Móraim thú ó oích' go hóich'. I glorify you night after night.

Athair ar Neamh, Dia linn Heavenly Father, God is with us
Athair ar Neamh, Dia liom Heavenly Father, God is with me
an ghealach, an ghrian, an ghaoth, the moon, the sun, the wind,
moladh duit, a Dhia. a praise to you, God.

Listen:

Athair ar Neamh is gaelic for “Our Father in Heaven” or Heavenly Father. It takes it’s cue from the first line of the Lord’s Prayer in gaelic “Ar n’Athair ata ar Neamh” - Our Father who art in Heaven and the songs lyrics are a setting of key passages from The Lord’s Prayer in Gaelic and English set to Enya’s typical musical treatement which is itself highly influenced by Gregorian Chant.

Enya’s (Eithne Ni Bhranoin) family are the Brennan family from the Gweedore Gaelteacht (Irish speaking area) of Co. Donegal in north-west Ireland and her other siblings are the members of the Irish Folk Group, Clannad. It is an area which clung to its culture and religion during English rule and where because of the anti-catholic Penal laws religious observance was often in family groups or in each other’s houses.

This song reflects that devotional tradition of rural Ireland. The gaelic word for Heaven “Neamh” also appears in other languages as in “Ben Nevis” - the heavenly mountain or “Sierra Nevada” in Spain or the state of “Nevada” in the USA.

I am a NEW Creation!

2010-01-12T16:37:00.002+08:00

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! (2 Cor 5:17).

Happy 2010 everyone, from the OLPS Youth Ministry!

This year, we look forward to NEW things once again, new challenges and experiences ahead. We hope you will journey with us, to grow in your faith, deepen your relationship with God, and fellowship with godly friends in order that we may be one step nearer to Jesus!

Have a wacky new year ahead!

If we hold on together...

2009-12-31T11:23:00.001+08:00

Happy New Year! THis is our song dedication to all of you visiting this blog!

May we hold on to our dreams as we go forth into the new year of 2010!!!

Isaiah 43:18 - 19
"Forget the former things;
do not dwell on the past.
See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the desert
and streams in the wasteland.

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

2009-12-28T15:14:00.002+08:00

Wishing everyone a blessed Christmas and a great New Year.

We have great dreams for the Youth Ministry in 2010... so continue to support us and pray for us! Thanks to everyone!

Man Asks God!!?!?

2009-12-18T09:46:00.002+08:00

Something Light-hearted.. ;)

Man: God?
God: Yes?

Man: Can I ask you something?
God: Of course!

Man: What is for you a million of years?
God: A second.

Man: And a million of dollars?
God: A penny.

Man: God, Can you give me a penny?
God: Wait a second.

Christ in Me - by Max Lucado

2009-12-16T13:03:00.001+08:00

Like Mary, you and I are indwelt by Christ.

Find that hard to believe? How much more did Mary? No one was more surprised by this miracle than she was. And no one more passive than she was. God did everything. Mary didn't volunteer to help. What did she have to offer? She offered no assistance.

And she offered no resistance. Instead she said, "Behold, the bond- slave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word" (Luke 1:38).

Unlike Mary, we tend to assist God, assuming our part is as important as his. Or we resist, thinking we are too bad or too busy. Yet when we assist or resist, we miss God's great grace. We miss out on the reason we were placed on earth-to be so pregnant with heaven's child that he lives through us. To be so full of him that we could say with Paul, "It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me." (Gal. 2:20)

What would that be like? To have a child within is a miracle, but to have Christ within?

To have my voice, but him speaking.
My steps, but Christ leading.
My heart, but his love beating
in me, through me, with me.
What's it like to have Christ on the inside?

To tap his strength when mine expires
or feel the force of heaven's fires
raging, purging wrong desires.
Could Christ become my self entire?

So much him, so little me
That in my eyes it's him they see.
What's it like to a Mary be?
No longer I, but Christ in me.

From Next Door Savior

Copyright (Thomas Nelson, 2003) Max Lucado

The Prodigal Son Story: So close to home actually.

2009-12-12T08:38:00.002+08:00

This morning, I have a new reflection! Ever thought of ministry life in terms of the Prodigal Son?

Well it is simple really! For those of us who have joined / or are already in a youth ministry, we are like the Older son. For those who are not in ministry and also not interested, perhaps, more like (not all cases) the younger son.

Why? It's simply because we "work in our Father's Home" (aka... our church) and we labour for our Father (aka, do our work for our God)... and so forth. Whereas on the other hand, the youths who aren't "yet" in ministry are probably out there, spending their time away... doing their own things!

SEE The uncanny parallel?

And this brings us to reflection: Whether we actually like the Older Brother situation in this story at all, because for us in OLPS Youth, aka Youth Ministry, all of us are already in some ways like the Older Brother.

As the Older Brother, we must then ask ourselves:

1) What are we "toiling" in the fields for? Out of Love for God? or Love for the work (nah, who would) or Love for Self (i must work to gain my inheritance, my blessings from God)?

2) Are we concerned over our younger brother who is supposedly "lost" out there, or jealous that he has all the free time in the world to have fun, without having to "WORK"?

3) Are we enjoying our 'WORK' (aka all the stuff we do in church for others)? which will 'feed the Father's Family'? or complaining about it and the fellow workers in the field for all their errors / i don't like this fella / or so forth?

4) As the direct "family" of the Father, do we feel grateful to have food everyday (aka our daily MASS) given to us, or do we forget that we are so WELL FED?

5) Do we realise that we are actually "Found" not "Lost"?

6) Do we really know and love the Father? Work is not just about Work. Ministry is not just about doing. Do we have a relationship with the Father?

Meanwhile, do have good weekend and hope that next week we'll be able to collect lots of Dried/canned food for the needy at Marine Parade Family Services Centre!

To forgive is divine: to be forgiven is even better.....

2009-12-04T21:59:00.000+08:00

To forgive is divine: to be forgiven is even better.....

"Apologizing does not mean that you are wrong and the other one is right...
It simply means that you value the relationship much more than your ego ..."

Wonderful Poem

2009-12-02T13:23:00.001+08:00

It is a poem that Mother Teresa hung on a wall of the orphanage she founded in Calcutta. Its source is unknown.

People are often unreasonable, Illogical and self-centred;

Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind,

People may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;

Be kind anyway.

If you are successful,

You will win some false friends and some true enemies;

Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank,

People may cheat you;

Be honest and frank anyway.

What you spend years building,

Someone could destroy overnight;

Build anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness,

They may be jealous;

Be happy anyway

The good you do today,

People will often forget tomorrow;

Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have,

And it may never be enough;

Give the world the best you've got anyway.

You see, in the final analysis,

It is between you and God;

It is never between you and them anyway.

The Power of Serving Others

2009-11-30T11:38:00.001+08:00

(Daily Devotional from - TGIF Today God Is First Volume 2, by Os Hillman)
11-28-2009

"Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms" (1 Peter 4:9-11).

There is a Kingdom principle I find few others really understand. The principle is this: When you focus on serving others, your need is often met through God's supernatural law of serving.

I've seen this happen so many times. The law of sowing and reaping comes into play in this Kingdom principle. "Sow for yourselves righteousness, reap the fruit of unfailing love" (Hos 10:12). "Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work" (2 Cor 9:6-9).

Whenever God calls me to serve another person with my time and resources I notice how God measures resources back to me from unrelated sources. Sometimes it comes through an unexpected donation to our ministry or a speaking engagement or a new opportunity. It is uncanny how this happens consistently when I serve others. We are never to view people or organizations as competition. The Bible says that God has already assigned our portion. We need not have to manipulate outcomes.

"LORD, you have assigned me my portion and my cup; you have made my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance" (Ps 16:5-6).

We don't serve others to get. However, when we do serve others, there is a Kingdom principle that works on your behalf as fruit of your service. Is there someone you need to serve today?

ALL SAINTS Celebration on 31st OCT!

2009-10-27T17:42:00.000+08:00

Hi all!

All ready for this Saturday's ALL SAINTS CELEBRATIONS?

Be ready for a wacked out party and dress up! Of course, you can bring your costume "separately" and don't have to wear it the whole night.

Preparations begin at 3 - 6pm (come join us to set up, decorate place or improve on your costume - maybe with materials from the CAGE)

6:00pm is our normal monthly prayer meet but this round, we will read, hear and watch some inputs which include Mother Teresa and the Prayer of St. Francis. Come for some spiritual enlightenment!

7:00pm will be the Potluck dinner followed by our SAINTS Dress up display (your patron saint or favourite saint) and the best dressed will WIN A PRIZE!

Bring your own boardgame too if you have something nice to play later into the nite! Party ends at 11pm!

For those coming, do RSVP your food item on the Event Wall so that everyone can see who's bringing what? It might help prevent clashing items..!

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=156228473373

Seeya!

Walking through the Valleys

2009-10-19T13:47:00.002+08:00

I quote an excerpt from Os Hillman's daily devotionals (TGIF - Today God is First)

"When the Lord takes us through deep valleys, there will be fruit from the deep valley that we cannot see. You must press into Him with all you have during this time.

God uses the deep valley to frame our lives to create a change in our nature, not just a change in habits. The depth and width of our valley is often an indicator of the level of calling and influence we will have on others in the future. Our adversity is not just for us, but others who will be in our future path of influence. This is not very comforting when you are in the middle of the valley, but know this is a truth in the Kingdom.

It is often years later when we discover the wisdom of God and why He intentionally led us through the dark valley. Life is often lived forward, but understood backward. It is not until we are down the road and we stand on the mountain looking back at through valley that we can appreciate the terrain God has allowed us to scale and the spiritual deposits He has made in our life while we were there. "He reveals the deep things of darkness and brings deep shadows into the light" (Job 12:22).

When you begin to realize this, you sit back and breathe a sigh of relief because you know that God was in control all along. It didn't seem like it at the time, but He was."

Amazing isn't it? Our adversities are not only for ourselves, but for others who will be in our future path of influence.

Cheers,
Sam

Cool Photography!

2009-10-05T14:45:00.001+08:00

Thought of a tagline for this photo that I came across, by chema madoz. His works are creative and cool, using B/W imagery. Really astounding.

my tagline: "Life is a gift, don't let it melt away... "

hmm..... so it means we have got to taste it... the coolness of LIFE. hahaha!

Let's try another one:

my tagline:
"Sometimes we need a little flame to break through our wooden minds.."

Ok this is not so sharp. Bit long... bleah.

Anyway.... tagline writing is fun. Do you have any?

What are your challenges in ministry?

2009-09-28T16:39:00.000+08:00

How about these challenges… read on:

1. To encourage others, or to spend time to listen to others, when you yourself do not feel particularly great that day…

2. To love people who are “lesser” than you and be gentle and nice to them, even though you think they are not as smart, not as good looking, or not as confident as yourself...

3. To continue to serve God and spend time on the activities in church, despite thinking that life is better outside and you have many better things to do out there…

4. To continue to have faith and love and to worship God despite feeling doubtful or angry with God because you don’t see any tangible effect of your prayers or service in church and there are STILL problems everywhere at home and school or work…

I wonder which of the above (or others) you might be facing at this point of time?

>> Discuss more in Facebook now!

God Bless!

Canteen Duty -- September 2009

2009-09-23T14:03:00.003+08:00

View some pictures of our youth ministries in action. You may find RG, Mentors around, and people from other youth ministries also helping out! ;)

Ministry is Everywhere!

2009-09-19T08:43:00.001+08:00

Today i woke up fresh at 8am, with a thought about Ministry. Truly, i think about it every day and night.

What is "ministry"? and why am I called to Ministry?

It's just like "ministry" of sound, food, etc... this is like a ministry of my faith, my religion, my God.

It's not even something lofty or abstract.

It can simply be translated to "service"... or as our faith calls it --- "Love".

Ministry, is like that ICCRS conference I attended in June this year -- it is "Love in Action".

Everything we do unto another, we do unto God.

SO even being a loving person in the office, when people needs your listening ear and smiling face for comfort... is "ministry".

Even going out with friends (maybe non-christian?) and doing things for them like organising the next outing could be "ministry".

Even playing music with a group of buddies could be "ministry".

SO ministry is not just in church, on a Sunday, or in our youth group during that 2-3 hours of meeting when we see each other. It is everywhere.

Ministry is for life.

It is being Christlike, 24/7.

Haha... A Week without God..

2009-08-04T17:05:00.007+08:00

Without GOD, our week would be: Sinday, Mournday, Tearsday, Wasteday, Thirstday, Fightday & Shatterday.

Remember seven days WITHOUT GOD makes one WEAK!!

Painting @ Chai Chee - 1 August 2009

2009-08-03T08:45:00.003+08:00

Message from David:

Dear Friends,

All praise and thanks be to Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour!

On 1st August, Saturday morning, all of us embarked on an adventure for which we have never had any experiences of ! Yet guided by a childlike faith and trust, we actually succeeded in painting 6 homes within a day!

As I reflect on all that has happened during the different stages if this project, I can clearly discern that we were guided by the Holy Spirit.

I thank all the young people from the various ministries who helped out, for their generosity and patience. I would also like to add that I'm especially proud to have had the chance to work alongside so many of our confirmation 3 teens, they ar e good people and the light of Christ shines in them.

Finally, a word of thanks to Fr Fred and Aunty Nancy for all the support and networking that you've provided, without your help, the project wouldn't have succeeded in the way that it did.

Once again, thank you!

God bless,
David

Thoughts from a friend

2009-07-29T23:08:00.001+08:00

These are just some thoughts from a friend of mine which was so Good I had to share it here with you all! Happy reading!

Good, Better, Best?
We compare all the time, especially in the ‘kiasu’ Singaporean culture. In John 21, after receiving his life calling personally from the mouth of Jesus, Peter’s first question was about the other disciple, John: “What about him?” And Jesus’ reply was “What is that to you?” Each of us has unique gifts and callings based on what God has put in us. But we look to other people’s gifts and callings to gauge our effectiveness, instead of celebrating their stories and our’s.

Exploring Your Iceberg
Like icebergs, which are 90% under the water, we are often only in touch with what we feel and think on the surface, and not really aware of what’s churning underneath. As Christians, we often ‘stuff’ our real thoughts and emotions beneath the surface because it seems ‘un-Christian’ to feel or think these things. But by not dealing with what’s ‘down there’, we’re slowly killing our joy, and forming a shell around our hearts.

Moments that Count
Quiet time can become a formula for our spirituality. We think: If God is to speak to me today, He’d better do so in the 30min I’ve set aside for Him this morning! And if we miss those times, we feel an overwhelming sense of guilt or shame. Or we search for glorious encounters and extraordinary events as anchors for our souls. But if God is everywhere, all the time, then there are countless ordinary moments for us to experience His presence. It all counts!

The Importance of Trust
I must confess, my concept of trust used to be this: I ask you to do something --> You do it --> I trust you. Maybe some of you can identify with me :b Yes, getting the task done is definitely a part of trust, but I’ve learnt that the most important element of trust is really ‘being known’. How well I know my team as individuals will determine how much I can trust them. And it’s not enough for the leader to trust the team - the team needs to trust each other too.

The Problem of Overfunction
This was a timely reminder about boundaries. Something new I realized was that if two people are over-functioning to compensate and ‘cover’ for the other’s job, then neither one truly grows in his real assigned role. In a marriage, for example, this can occur when the husband has the unsaid permission to overfunction at work because his wife is overfunctioning at home.. Mum becomes a resentful single parent and Dad, a workaholic.

Live for Today
There is a subtle lie that many Christians believe. That “one day, things will settle down”. While it’s true that in God we can hope for a better tomorrow, having this mindset can cause us to delay in doing what God is calling us to do today. For example, we tell ourselves “after this crisis is over, I will give to missions” or “when such-and-such a person joins our team, then we will be ready to do this thing.” We need to risk living for today more.

God Bless ;)
Sam

Little by Little

2009-07-28T16:00:00.000+08:00

Little by Little
By Os Hillman
July 27 Devotional

"All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty" (Prov 14:23).

Is there something you would like to accomplish in life but simply cannot find the hours in the day to get started? Many of us suffer from procrastination. We justify putting our dreams aside because we don't believe we have the time or resources to accomplish the task.

Many times people tell me they believe they are called to write a book. I tell them, "Great, if God has called you to write a book, begin to write it." Sometimes the response is: "But I don't have a publisher." "That has nothing to do with it," I say. "That is not your problem. If God calls you to write a book, you are to begin to write. You may not be writing to get published. You may be writing for other purposes."

"The LORD your God will drive out those nations before you, little by little" (Deut 7:22). If God has given you a vision to do something, begin by taking baby steps toward that project. Begin to focus on the vision and take action steps toward it. Many times people ask me, "How in the world do you have time to write? You travel so much and seem to have such a full schedule." My answer to them is that I have a specific time of day in which I commit to writing. It is usually between 5 AM and 8 AM. I have found this to be my most creative and productive time. Very little can get in the way of this time if I believe God has given me a project to do.

You will be amazed at what God can do with a little each day. Do not let procrastination prevent you from accomplishing what God may want to do through your life. Make plans today to take baby steps toward the vision that is in your heart.

Video Testimony of Christopher and Leon Yuan

2009-07-20T11:44:00.001+08:00

Yet for this reason I found mercy, so that in me as the foremost, Jesus Christ might demonstrate His perfect patience as an example for those who would believe in Him for eternal life.
1 Timothy 1:16

God is Big!

2009-07-19T15:00:00.000+08:00

God is so big He can cover the whole world with his Love and so small He can curl up inside your heart.

When God leads you to the edge of the cliff, trust Him fully and let go, only 1 of 2 things will happen, either He'll catch you when you fall, or He'll teach you how to fly!

What is your perspective of Spiritual Growth?

2009-07-13T14:37:00.002+08:00

I asked God for strength, that I might achieve;
I was made weak, that I might learn humbly to obey.
I asked God for health, that I might do greater things;
I was given infirmity, that I might do better things.
I asked for riches, that I might be happy;
I was given poverty, that I might be wise.
I asked for power, that I might have the praise of men;
I was given weakness, that I might feel the need of God.
I asked for all things, that I might enjoy life;
I was given life, that I might enjoy all things.
I got nothing that I asked for but everything I had hoped for.
Almost despite myself, my unspoken prayers were answered.
I am among men, most richly blessed.

If we want "spiritual growth", we have to face the pain. We have to walk through the dark valleys of our lives, then only can we learn to rely on God and thus, "grow" in the process.

Are you facing up to this challenge ahead, or hiding away and procrastinating?

Have a great week ahead!

Youth As Warriors Of The Faith! (Talk)

2009-07-07T20:58:00.001+08:00

He will be speaking at YAM's session this 18th July 2009! Come and hear him!

SATURDAY 18 JULY – (8 PM to 10 PM)
Youth As Warriors Of The Faith
Speaker: Deacon Harold Burke Sivers
OLPS, St. John-Luke Room (Level 2)

Deacon Harold from Portland, Oregon is regularly featured on the globally broadcasted Eternal Word Television Network – EWTN. Many of his talks onMale Spirituality, Family & The Eucharist have been received with rave reviews globally.

Reflection on 'The Shortness of Life'

2009-07-02T13:54:00.001+08:00

I was inspired today by a quote I read in the paper by Lucius Seneca (c. 4 BC – AD 65), Roman Stoic Philosopher. He wrote "The Shortness of Life".

(Read more here for the full article of "The Shortness of Life" & readers' comments)

I especially liked his quotes which depict how we "live", but do not really "live" -- That everything could very well be idle preoccupations, but not really leisure. It is so true sometimes! "The part of life we really live is small.” For all the rest of existence is not life, but merely time (Lucius Seneca)

But... as I was reading on, into the comments on this post, I came to read someone's comments, which consisted bible passages. It not only enlightened me, but made my heart jump a little. And I began to think, that philosophy is still philosophy after all, it is MAN's ruminations. But when it comes to the Word of God, I feel that it is not just "ruminations" but it is the answer of Life.

Maybe this faith to believe this, is God's grace too, for I realise that no one can really have hope in a book such as the bible, unless they have been given that "spiritual insight" by God.

So then, will people who are not believers ever be able to get that spiritual insight? Yes, by God's grace. So if their hearts are open, if they would just go directly to question this God about HIS truths, I believe HE would show himself to them.

From PROVERBS 3:1-10
Have you considered these words:
1 My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart,
2 for they will prolong your life many years and bring you prosperity.
3 Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck,
write them on the tablet of your heart.
4 Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man.
5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;
6 in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.
7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and shun evil.
8 This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones.
9 Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops;
10 then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.

Have you considered what Jesus said about living for the after life instead of this life?

Treasures in Heaven (Matthew 6:19-24)
19″Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
22″The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. 23But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!
24″No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.

2 Corinthians 4:18
So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

1 John 2:17
The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.

Be privileged to carry The Cross

2009-06-29T09:31:00.003+08:00

Watched Paul the Musical over the weekend. It was a musical on the life of St. Paul, produced by the church of St. Mary of the Angels. Great performance, well written, my fellow friends from YAM who were with me that day also found it surprisingly delightful.

And it makes me think of a few things.

For example, how did Paul manage to have that much zeal to become a missionary of the Gospel, going to different lands, letting go of everything that he had before the experience on the road to Damascus? It must have been a truly life-changing encounter with the Lord Jesus!

So we may need that life-changing encounter. Some of us, have experienced it before while some are still searching. If you are still searching, continue. We are all still "on the journey"!

I’d sought Jesus,… 10 years ago, during a camp called Youth in the Spirit Seminar. It changed my life and that’s why I am serving in Youth Ministry today.

But the point I’d make today is that this does not end. In fact, like St. Paul, we need to persevere to the finish line – and that is the end of our life.

How long more do we need to serve God? It’s not “how long more” but Forever.

We need to realise that it is a privilege to carry the cross as we walk to our finish line… not to see that it is a burden.

Like the image of a “crevice” before reaching the “Holy Land”, we need to realise that the cross is like our “bridge” that helps us to cross over. Without it… we are stuck and have no means to go over.

So it’s like carrying a passport. A passport into Heaven.

An inspiring quote

2009-06-21T02:18:00.001+08:00

Short Excerpt by Os Hillman:

The apostle Paul said, "For it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose (Philippians 2:13). God has equipped us with everything we need to make good decisions. Hearing His voice is the first step toward making right choices in life.

Do you have a decision to make? Submit that decision to the Lord, ask God for clarity. Ask Him to make the desires of your heart the same desires that He has for you in this matter. Await His perfect timing on the matter. Then you can be assured of making the right decisions.

GOd Bless!

JOIN us to Pray for EDYD'09!

2009-06-01T22:27:00.003+08:00

Our prayer:

Everlasting God, our Father, we pray for the East District Youth Day 2009, that all participants will experience HOPE through Your presence in the Holy Eucharist. May our young people be renewed, to rise on wings like eagles, run and not get weary. Dearest Mary, Mother of God, we ask for your intercession for our young people, may they experience the joy that comes from doing all that Jesus Christ, your Son calls them to do. Amen.

Just a thought... Do you pray before each day?

2009-05-27T09:47:00.002+08:00

Do you have a prayer at your bedside, at your work desk, your study table, your diary, wallet, and so on?

I've found that it has helped me. Every time I start my day at work in a rush, stopping for less then a minute, to say that little prayer pasted on my wall, helps to calm me down.

And where it is a prayer, it can be just words. You could just be saying words. But where there's faith, these words come to life, and our Lord Jesus hears our prayer. If we pray with faith, it is powerful indeed.

So start your day with a prayer, pray unceasingly! 1 Thessalonians 5: 17

Click here for today's focus on 1 Thessalonians 5:17
http://www.heavensinspirations.com/pray-unceasingly.html

In troubled times, who do you turn to?

2009-05-24T22:09:00.003+08:00

In troubled times, who do you turn to? This was something I reflected on today. And frankly, sometimes the answer is less than ideal. I find myself turning to many things of this world, but not Jesus.

For those who know me better, you'd know. I turn to good food, comfort food, expensive coffees, cabbing instead of saving $, watching most addictive J or K dramas... and so forth.

What about you? Do you turn to anyone, anything, anyplace or so forth, to destress, find comfort? Funny how we know in our heads that things of this world cannot really satisfy us, but we still turn to them.

I reflected today that in troubled times, we need to PRAY even more and turn to JESUS. If you've never tried it, I invite you to do so! Put your faith in HIM!

My "song dedication" to you if you're reading this post: "Bridge over troubled waters" (Just imagine Jesus singing this to u... He lays his life down for us..)

JESUS: "Like A Bridge"

Altar Server of the Year Award!

2009-05-04T10:35:00.004+08:00

Our altar servers recently nominated 2 servers for this award, organised by the Serra Club Singapore. They are none other than Darren & Justin! We are so proud of them! Read what they said:

View full PDF brochure "Serra Altar Server 2009" here

Darren Tan
Age: 16 years old
Years of Service: 7 years
Position in Society: Vice President

“ The Servers have taught me about liturgy and also about God. ”

I joined the Altar Servers back in 2002. I was in Primary 4 back then and just received the Sacrament of Holy Communion. The Servers have taught me about liturgy and also about
God. I learnt how to pray, I learnt that daily prayer is something that is really important. The more I prayed the rosary with the servers, the more I enjoyed it, because it gave me peace of mind. I also started following my seniors to the Adoration Room to pray and it was a very pleasant feeling as now there is hardly any place so quiet that you can just talk to God. After this experience, whenever I am troubled, I will just drop by the Adoration Room and talk to God and this helps me to feel much better. As time progresses, I learnt many different forms of prayer, through different Masses and soon I became leader for this awesome society. I remember my previous leader always saying to pray for guidance especially when you have to make a hard decision. As a new leader, when I need to make such decisions I just pray and sometimes I realize the answer is just there.

Therefore the Servers have taught me that whenever I have a problem, need help in anything or even if I need someone to pour out my feelings to, I know that God is always there. He is like a friend who is next to you and willing to listen to you 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Rev. Fr. Frederick Quek: Darren has leadership qualities and he has blossomed into a very good Server and friend to his juniors. He can be harsh at times but his sincerity and concern shines out. He is reliable and responsible, obedient, polite and a good organizer. Darren leads by example. He is always available when time permits. Darren’s love of God and neighbour is clearly shown in his service.

Justin Gan
Age: 17 years old
Years of Service: 7 years
Position in Society: Vice President

“ Most dear to me are the moments that I spend alone with God . ”

“To serve and not to be served” -- this is the motto of the Saint Pius X Altar Servers’ Society and this is the motto that I live by. Each week as I serve at Masses and Novenas, I receive the Word of God through the readings, the Gospel and the homilies shared by the priests and religious. These weekly liturgical encounters with Jesus open up for me the Person of Jesus. I have learnt much from His example as a human being – how He acted out what He preached. I have also learnt that talents are given by God are meant to be shared. In the parable of the talents (Matthew 25: 14 – 30), nothing came out for the servant who buried his talents. Like the Altar Servers who have unselfishly given of their time to groom me, I must now train new Altar Servers to serve God and to share my love and friendship with them.

I am expected to be a good example, not only for the Servers but beyond as Jesus has extended Himself to everyone. Others will judge the faith by the way I behave. Most dear to me are the moments that I spend alone with God – the time I spend in prayers, the fears I share with Him
and the comfort He gives me makes me realize I cannot live without His gifts of love and friendship.

Rev. Fr. Frederick Quek: Justin is good natured with a friendly, brotherly leadership style. He cares about others. He listens to what they have to share. He mixes well with young and old. He keeps giving of his best and is always ready to learn. He is also able to take corrections positively and move on. He exudes ‘holiness’ in his integration of church, family, school and friends. In my many conversations with him, this fine young man simply loves God and is guided by Jesus in his actions – untainted despite his knowledge of the wiles of the world.

View full PDF brochure "Serra Altar Server 2009" here

DEFEAT OF THE TONGUE

2009-04-30T16:15:00.002+08:00

By Max Lucado

Insensitivity makes a wound that heals slowly. If someone hurts your Feelings intentionally you know how to react. You know the source of The pain. But if someone accidentally bruises your soul, it's difficult To know how to respond.

Someone at work criticizes the new boss who also happens to be your Dear friend. "Oh, I'm sorry-I forgot the two of you were so close."

A joke is told at a party about overweight people. You're overweight. You hear the joke. You smile politely while your heart sinks.

What was intended to be a reprimand for a decision or action becomes a Personal attack. "You have a history of poor decisions, John."

Someone chooses to wash your dirty laundry in public. "Sue, is it true That you and Jim are separated?"

Insensitive comments. Thoughts that should have remained thoughts.

Feelings which had no business being expressed.

Opinions carelessly Tossed like a grenade into a crowd.

And if you were to tell the one who Threw these thoughtless darts about the pain they caused, his response Would be "Oh, but I had no intention…I didn't realize you were so Sensitive!" or "I forgot you were here."

Listed under the title of subterfuge is the poison of insensitivity. It's called subterfuge because it's so subtle. Just a slip of theTongue. Just a blank of memory. No one is at fault. No harm done.

Perhaps. And, perhaps not. For as the innocent attackers go on their Way excusing themselves for things done without hurtful intention, a Wounded soul is left in the dust, utterly confused. "If no one intended To hurt me, then why do I hurt so badly?"

God's Word has strong medicine for those who carelessly wag their Tongues:

The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on Fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. (James 3:6)

He who guards his mouth and his tongue keeps himself from calamity. (Proverbs 21:23)

He who guards his lips guards his life, but he who speaks rashly will Come to ruin. (Proverbs 13:3)

When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is Wise. (Proverbs 10:19)

The message is clear: He who dares to call himself God's ambassador is Not afforded the luxury of idle words. Excuses such as "I didn't know You were here" or "I didn't realize this was so touchy" are shallow When they come from those who claim to be followers and imitators of The Great Physician. We have an added responsibility to guard our Tongues.

These practical steps will purge careless words from your talk.

1. Never tell jokes that slander.

2. Never criticize in public unless you: have already expressed your Disappointment with the other person in private, have already taken Someone with you to discuss the grievance with the person, and are Absolutely convinced that public reprimand is necessary and will be Helpful.

3. Never say anything about anyone in their absence that you wouldn't Say in their presence. Insensitive slurs may be accidental, but they Are not excusable.

"There is death and life in the power of the tongue."

Your encouraging words can lift someone up and help them make it through the day. Your destructive words can cause deep wounds; they may be the weapons that destroy someone's desire to continue trying -- or even their life.

Your destructive, careless word can diminish someone in the eyes of others, destroy their influence and have a lasting impact on the way others respond to them. Be careful what you say. Speak life to (and about) those who cross your path. There is enormous power in words.

Vision

2009-04-27T23:55:00.004+08:00

A poem on "Vision"

Why don't people achieve excellence?
The big reason is the lack of vision or limited vision.
We need to dream beyond what is possible.
Everything we see today was a dream before it became reality.
Live with enthusiasm, direction, and a sense of purpose.
Do you have a dream?
What is your dream?
Every day that you live, are you getting closer to your purpose?

Where the vision is one year, cultivate flowers.
Where the vision is ten years, cultivate trees.
Where the vision is eternity, cultivate people.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Our lord loves us for eternity. He is cultivating us. He has an eternal vision for us. He envisions us to seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and to one day, 'come Home' to our Father, to live with him for eternity. Isn't our God a God of vision?

So why this post? Because we need it. We need this vision, for our lives, as well as ourselves, our friends and our fellow peers who have gone through catechism with us... yet, have not experienced a life-reforming touch of God. No vision.

1. And so we need to have a vision of the lost souls that we can reach out to - of you, and me. I'm sure we can all relate to a time of feeling 'lost'... or 'empty'... or 'far' from God. We have all been lost at one point or another... and we are found, when we 'repent', or 'turn back' to God.

2. We need to envision a world WITH Jesus in it. So often, we live without Jesus in our lives - so often till it becomes normal. Even though we go to church on Sunday, it is only 'lip service'. But we need to vision a day, or a time, when people will praise the Lord in Spirit and in Truth.

3. We need a vision - for our lives. Your dreams determine your destiny. To accomplish anything you must first have a mission, a goal, a hope, a vision. - Quote by Rick Warren

Some more quotes:

Let a leader grasp a godly vision, and then watch God work. - Ken Godevenos

Without vision, people lose the vitality that makes them feel alive. - Bill Hybels

Vision is a picture of what God will do in His church if we get out of His way and turn Him loose to do so (Dan Southerland)

In other words, where there is vision, we will be fruiftul... we will be living and doing God's Will for our lives, we will be lights, shining on the hill, for others to see.. If we have no vision, we will not be able to fulfill God's will, will not be fruitful as well.

Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he. Proverbs 29:18

Reference: [read article]

Striving for Peace - Don't we need this always?

2009-04-23T11:39:00.001+08:00

"Peace does not mean to be in a place without noise, without problems, without hard work and without pain. Peace means that despite of being in the midst of all these things we remain calm within our heart. This is the true meaning of peace."

Have you ever experienced Murphy's Law? It is the law that states that anything that can possibly go wrong, does. I've just experienced this, where something went wrong, which led to other things going wrong, and the whole day just seems -- wrong?!

But being a believer, a child of God, we are called to prove this theory wrong. After all, our God is a big God and the God of all things in the world. He also tells that he makes ALL THINGS beautiful. Ecclesiastes 3:11 says, "He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end."

So rest assured -- and strive for the Peace of Christ! Did you also know that peace doesn't just come like "that"? We need to "STRIVE" for peace. Why? Read this article, written by Father Nicolás Schwizer who teaches that we play an active role in building peace on our own lives. He says, "To build peace, one must strive. Only in Heaven will we possess the peace of Christ forever. On earth, it is necessary to build it and to conquer it at every moment. To do this, there must be a struggle."

So let us follow Colossians 3 which says this:

Colossians 3:12-16 - "Put on, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another, if one has a grievance against another; as the Lord has forgiven you, so must you also do. And over all these put on love, that is, the bond of perfection. And let the peace of Christ control your hearts, the peace into which you were also called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, as in all wisdom you teach and admonish one another, singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." [Read full chapter in Colossions 3]

May You find Peace!

What is the meaning of 'GodSpeed'?

2009-04-22T08:50:00.002+08:00

Hear this often?

Got this from wiki: Godspeed, as a word, is a wish for a prosperous journey, success, and good fortune (from Middle English God speed you, meaning "May God help you prosper").

April Youth Prayer Meet: LOVE & Onions?

2009-04-20T11:13:00.003+08:00

Well, the title does not match. What does LOVE have to do with Onions which makes you "CRY" instead?

Well, as you know, we met up again for our monthly Youth Prayer Meet, our 3rd one this year. Well, the number shrank once again, there were only 7 people this round. But nevertheless, we persisted. Our bro Neil from Youth Mentors, was doing the input today and he brought onions!!! Why? Since the topic was "Love"... aka 1 Corinthians 13? How does that link?

So Neil explained it such that the onion will relate to our different layers of identity. We have the outer layer of the things that are most visible, e.g our job, school, first impression of ourselves. As we go deeper, we get to the core indenty of our selves, the inner layers where no one can see or even reach. So as we peeled each layer and started "crying" (hah), we were to write down 1 trait/thought/thing about ourselves, starting from the most visible, to the most inner thoughts. It was quite fun actually!

Peeling in action!

Then the point is -- how far do we allow people through into our various layers? For some of us, we said - only the outer 3 layers. The inner layers are then pretty shut out to people. Typically, people are afraid of letting others see their weaknesses, and negative layers. Thus, the inner layers are typically a bit more private, negative, consists our weakness, our sins, things we want to hide.

Getting through the layers!

Reaching our most inner self -- our CORE identity... what is it?

And so the question is -- What about God? By allowing God to reach in to our inner core, we can then receive HIS love, then only can we radiate out this love to others... if not, we will always remain shut, closed up. Then, how can we love others? ;)

So this was a wonderful exercise and the whole thing was a prayer to God who was present with us, despite our small number. Thanks everyone who came!

Pray with us, that God will continue to guide our OLPS youths towards deeper spiritual growth!

GOd Bless You! Jesus is Risen!

The Making of The Empty Tomb!

2009-04-14T00:00:00.003+08:00

View pics here:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=87873&id=604240527

11 April Saturday

9:00am - We gather and begin setting up the skeleton. It is actually really frail... like a house made of straw.

10:00am - After the poles had been set up and secured with bricks, we then began to make a cobweb using rafia string...

11:00am - We test try a few times, using aluminium foil and newspapers and finally end up sticking newspapers... over the rafia, piece by piece.. to cover this whole structure...

12:00nn - David our "instructor" is the man with the creative idea. He tells us to stick a second layer of newspaper so we can paint over it later. It is a very slow process actually... so we take a break for lunch!!! Pizza!!!

1:00pm - After lunch... we are back to the final touches of the newpaper layers. WE crush the newspaper to create texture, and create some "boulders" at the side.

2:00pm - Meanwhile, inside, Gericho works on the newspapers from inside (so you don't see him at all yet). Outside, we begin painting over the newspaper with White Paint!

3:00pm - Painting is tough with the soft newspaper and we wonder why we did not use white paper to begin with! But John (below) is really well prepared!

4:00pm - It's time to leave but we are not done yet. David adds the finishing touches - the colourful words - part of the verse from the ancient Easter Proclamation known as the "Exultet" (what is this?)

It says:

Rejoice, heavenly powers! Sing, choirs of angels!
Exult, all creation around God's throne!
Jesus Christ, our King, is risen!
Sound the trumpet of salvation!

Rejoice, O earth, in shining splendor,
radiant in the brightness of your King!
Christ has conquered! Glory fills you!
Darkness vanishes for ever!

Rejoice, O Mother Church! Exult in glory!
The risen Savior shines upon you!
Let this place resound with joy,
echoing the mighty song of all God's people

5:00pm - Finally, work is done. The inside of the "tomb" is then sprayed black... and it looks cool... like a easter cube just short of looking like an explosion had taken place inside... wahaha!

Finally, we added a bit of plants around the 'tomb' and hey presto... the work is done.. see our wonderful finished work which will remain in the foyer over this week and next!

HAPPY EASTER!

Watch the EASTER STOMP by YMM

2009 International ICCRS Conference: Love In Action!

2009-03-25T09:26:00.000+08:00

Watch the video:
http://www.loveinaction.co.kr/

Con 4 Day of Recollection

2009-03-25T09:20:00.003+08:00

Last Sun 22 March, some members from Youth Arise Ministry helped out at the OLPS con 4 day of Recollection. Audrey gave a testimony, and Sury gave a talk on the Holy Spirit and his confirmation journey. As for me, besides playing guitar, I was snoozing half the time, just like Marcus.. thanks David for letting us help out in this!

Enjoy the pics!

CAYC Workshop "Doing" vs "Being"

2009-03-22T23:09:00.005+08:00

About 9 of us from OLPS went down for this workshop yesterday on 21 March 2009. It was an enlightening session with Sister Christina Yeo (FDCC) on how we "Do" and "Be". She talked about how we tend to do things but forget that we actually have an identity that goes deeper than the doing.

In our busy, noise-filled lives, we often do not take enough time to reflect and get in touch or "connect" with that self. We looked at our "personal iceberg", to see that beneath the actions (outer behaviour) lies the inner coping mechanisms, our feelings, and it goes down level by level to our deepest self, our most innate needs of love. To "BE" is then to discover our true identity, our deepest feelings, our deepest need, and work it out from there. Then only can we be fulfilled. If not, our identity will only be formed at our outermost levels of our psychological ice-berg.

Overall, I was enlightened. I always had a question on whether it was wrong to "DO" so much, since many people always tell me that I was a "doer". But today, I learnt that it's not wrong to do, just that I need to find a balance. In the process of doing, do not forget WHO I AM. I am a child of God.

Pictures from the event:

The Mandala - Coloring...
It's quite therapeutic! This activity shows how each of us are unique and how we need to recognise and "BE" that unique person we are. Our doing should come from what we are, so that we "Add" on to ourselves, our growth, rather than do things for the sake of doing, or doing something that is not uniquely you.

BEAUTIFUL!

2nd OLPS Youth Prayer Meeting

2009-03-15T12:15:00.002+08:00

We had our 2nd OLPS Youth prayer meeting yesterday. Well about 14 people came.. so it's not too bad! And we had 2 new faces, Geraldine & Victoria joining us. Praise God!

Anyway, we focused on Romans 12:1-8. Read it here:
http://www.usccb.org/nab/bible/romans/romans12.htm

Main points:
1) Offering ourselves as a living sacrifice to God. (verse 1)
2) To be transformed by the renewal of our minds (verse 2)
3) That we are one body, while each of us has different gifts & should serve God with it accordingly (verse 4-8)

We reflected on giving our lives even more fully to God.. and to allow God to transform our lives. Not much could be said in that short time of reflection & sharing that we had, but that was because we decided to focus on prayer.

Intercessory in groups:
We tried out this new idea where we prayed over these 3 points in small groups, each focusing on one of them, for our personal lives, then our ministries and our church and beyond.

It was a beautiful experience, getting into groups of 4, and listening to each other's prayer as well as making your own prayer. This is called spontaneous prayer. We catholics tend to like to say fixed prayers, but this was a refreshing way to pray. Especially with people you never prayed before. For once, I could see them in a different light. You could see the spiritual side the person next to you.

Most of the time, we only see the spiritual side of our youth group members whom we are comfortable praying with. But what about the youths from the other youth group? That's why it was an interesting, fun, enlightening experience for me.

We sang the two songs "This Is My Desire" and "I Offer my Life"... wow, giving our heart, giving our life... but if you reflect on Romans 12:1, this is precisely what God wishes we would do!

So... have a good week ahead and read more of Romans this month! Next month, we focus on 1 Corinthians... ! Can you guess which chapter? Haha..

Some Food for Thought: "The Road to Renewal"
Read this article online here: http://www.bible.org/page.php?page_id=2320

See you at our next meeting on April 18th! Saturday, 7:30pm - 8:45pm at St. John-Luke Room, OLPS!

Seven Deadly SINS of men & women

2009-03-15T12:12:00.001+08:00

Copied from "BREAKING NEWS" of the Straits Times for your easy perusal.
Feb 20, 2009
Lustful men, proud women.....

VATICAN CITY: Lust leads men to sin. For women, pride is their biggest downfall. This, according to a new Vatican report, is how the sexes struggle differently with the seven deadly sins of pride, envy, gluttony, lust, anger, greed and sloth.

The report was based on a study of confessions carried out by a 96-year-old Jesuit scholar, British media reported.

Pope Benedict XVI's personal theologian has backed the report. Monsignor Wojciech Giertych said there was 'no sexual equality' when it came to sin.

'Men and women sin in different ways,' he wrote in L'Osservatore Romano, the Vatican newspaper.

Pride ranks only at No. 5 for men, who are likely to have indulged in so much lust and gluttony that they are too slothful to feel angry, proud, envious or avaricious, the Times of London said.
Women are not averse to lust, but are primarily occupied with pride, envy and anger. Sloth does not set in until after gluttony and avarice, the British newspaper added.

'When you look at vices from the point of view of the difficulties they create, you find that men experiment in a different way from women,' Monsignor Giertych said.

His own observations had confirmed the survey, an analysis of confessional data carried out by Father Roberto Busa, 96, a Jesuit priest celebrated for his computerised study of the works of St Thomas Aquinas.

He said: 'Diverse cultural contexts generate diverse habits - but human nature remains the same.'

Monsignor Giertych said that human weaknesses could 'purify faith' provided that they were 'admitted and offered up to God'.

The Roman Catholic Church teaches that the seven deadly sins, which carry the threat of eternal damnation, can only be forgiven by confession and penance, the Daily Mail said.

However, 30 per cent of Catholics no longer considered confession to a priest necessary, and 10 per cent even said that it 'impeded their personal dialogue with God', the Times report said.
Many believers accept the broad seven deadly sins or 'capital vices' laid down in the 6th century by Pope Gregory the Great and popularised in the Middle Ages by Aquinas, and by Dante in The Inferno. These are:

Lust: Excessive thoughts or desires of a sexual nature.
Gluttony: Over-consumption of or overly indulging in anything to the point of waste.
Sloth: The failure to utilise one's talents and gifts.
Anger: Inordinate and uncontrolled feelings that can manifest as vehement denial of the truth or self-denial, or generally wishing to do evil or harm to others.
Pride: The desire to be more important or attractive than others, failing to compliment others and excessive love of self.
Envy: Resentment of another person for having something one lacks, and wishing the other person to be deprived of it.
Greed: Excessive acquisition of material goods.

Last year, the Vatican added seven new ones: genetic modification; human experimentation; polluting the environment; social injustice; causing poverty; 'financial gluttony'; and taking or selling drugs.

Bishop Gianfranco Girotti, head of the Apostolic Penitentiary, the Vatican body that oversees confessions, said that two mortal sins which continued to preoccupy the Vatican were abortion and paedophilia.

The latter had even infected the clergy itself, and so had exposed the 'human and institutional fragility of the Church'.

Pope Benedict, who reportedly confesses his sins once a week, last year issued his own voice of disquiet on the subject.

'We are losing the notion of sin,' he said. 'If people do not confess regularly, they risk slowing their spiritual rhythm.'

LENT = Leave Every Negative Thing

2009-03-03T07:14:00.000+08:00

As you begin this Holy Season, may you discover the true meaning of LENT, by Leaving behind all Negative things of the past and strive for a Future filled with Hope! (Phi 3: 7 – 14).

A Different Approach to Fasting...

Fasts have a tendency to be oriented toward things like giving up food or television. But there are many other creative ways we can welcome Jesus' healing touch.Here are suggestions you may want to consider.

1. Fast from anger and hatred. Give your family an extra dose of love each day.

2. Fast from judging others. Before making any judgments, recall how Jesus overlooks our faults.

3. Fast from discouragement. Hold on to Jesus' promise that He has a perfect plan for your life.

4. Fast from complaining. When you find yourself about to complain, close your eyes and recall some of the little moments of joy Jesus has given you.

5. Fast from resentment or bitterness! Work on forgiving those who may have hurt you..

6. Fast from spending too much money. Try to reduce your spending by ten percent and give those savings to the poor.

Wishing you all Peace, Love, and Happiness during Lent.

(Rainbow sighted on March 2nd, it lasted from Nicoll Highway right till the end of Marine Parade Road...! )

SMILE :) Jesus Loves You!