Jan 1: Mary, Mother of God - Liturgical Prayers

 Greeting (See second Reading)
God sent his Son, born of a woman,
to enable us to become God's children.
Through the Spirit of the Son we can cry out to God:
"Father, my Father!"
May Jesus, this Son, be always with you.
R/ And also with you.

Introduction by the Celebrant

Awesome Hoola Hoop Dance

Conversion in India - Big Debate

Christmas 2017

Michel DeVerteuil
General Comments

This well-known story is very rich so we will focus on some aspects only, staying with Mary’s perspective, especially in verses 6 to 7, and 16 to 20.

Advent Sunday 4 B -Liturgical Prayers

Greeting (see Second Reading)
Glory to God who is able to give you
the strength to live according to the Good News
about Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
This Good News is now proclaimed to all.
May you accept this Good News
and may the Lord Jesus be always with you. R/ And also with you.

Advent Sunday 4 B: Annunciation: Behold ...

TK Notes:
A. Any one who is into counseling knows that people come to you because of some anxiety or fear they face in life due to  a)  a relationship, b) a decision/choice or c) faith/ideology issue. They are all trying to find a way to cope with that situation. Mary too comes with, "How's this possible?"
B. Essentially, a counselor helps the counselee to cope with or face or remove that anxiety/fear.
a. Theologically: explains the meaning/purpose of the experience: The Holy Spirit will come down on you. You are going to conceive a child who will be Emmanuel. He is going to save Israel.
b. Sociologically: I'll be with you; I'll accompany you. Even your cousin Elizabeth....
c. Psychologically: Do not be afraid, Mary .....
We touch the heart by addressing the mind/ spirit and providing support.
C. If that's so, "Behold the handmaid of the Lord." Acceptance, conquering the fear and doubt.
People undertake difficult tasks and responsibilities in life if you follow these steps.
We move from "How's it possible?" to "Behold the handmaiden of the Lord" when God enters into our life.

This Website: Viewers by Countries

Interestingly, after US, this web site is viewed by more and more people with English as their second language. China is one of them.
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Pageviews by Countries

Entry	Pageviews
United States	1815
China	290
India	259
Ukraine	181
France	116
Philippines	80
Australia	75
Bulgaria	61
Germany	38
United Kingdom	33

Monkeys and Monkey Tricks

Advent 3 B - Liturgical Prayers

3rd advent b from Padir Neylu

Greeting (see second reading)
May the God of peace make you perfect and holy,
and keep you sound and blameless
for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Rejoice, for the Lord is with you.R/ And also with you.
Introduction by the Celebrant

A Fierce Bull and a Little Goat: Headbutt

Never Give up:

Pope with the Buddhists Quoting Buddhha

Most Crowded Railways in the World

China: High Speed Train et al

See this also:

Trump and Modi on an Indian Hit Song: Cleverly Juxtaposed

St. Thomas and Kerala (India)

Playing Football with Lions

Awesome: People are - Videos

Advent Daily Short Reflections

Advent Symbols and Meanings: Explanations & Reflections

Various Sources: Not all Mentioned as I don't have them: TK

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The Season of Advent
Anticipation and Hope

The Colors of Advent  The Spirit of Advent  Evergreens and The Advent Wreath
Celebrating Advent  An Advent Reflection Music for Advent

Advent is the beginning of the Church Year for most churches in the Western tradition. It begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas Day, which is the Sunday nearest November 30, and ends on Christmas Eve (Dec 24). If Christmas Eve is a Sunday, it is counted as the fourth Sunday of Advent, with Christmas Eve proper beginning at sundown.

The Colors of Advent

Historically, the primary sanctuary color of Advent is Purple. This is the color of penitence and fasting as well as the color of royalty to welcome the Advent of the King.  Purple is still used in some traditions (for example Roman Catholic).  The purple of Advent is also the color of suffering used during Lent and Holy Week.  This points to an important connection between Jesus’ birth and death. The nativity, the Incarnation, cannot be separated from the crucifixion. The purpose of Jesus’ coming into the world, of the "Word made flesh" and dwelling among us, is to reveal God and His grace to the world through Jesus’ life and teaching, but also through his suffering, death, and resurrection. To reflect this emphasis, originally Advent was a time of penitence and fasting, much as the Season of Lent and so shared the color of Lent.

Confident Masai Mara Men Vs. Lions

38 Creative and Unusual Beds

Collection of cool modern beds and contemporary bed designs that will look great for any bedroom. A Unique way to relax at the end of the day...

Ball Bed

Sofa/bed combo made of 80 soft and extremely comfortable balls.

Quotes and Pictures for Posters

Hands of a Priest

The Beautiful Hands of a Priest--
We need them in life's early morning,
We need them again at its close;
We feel their warm clasp of true friendship,
We seek them when tasting life's woes.
At the altar each day we behold them,

Attitudes

Job Interview - Sikh Joke

Sardarji (Sikh origin from India) left his job in Patiala, emigrated to Canada for better prospects and applied for a salesman's job at Vancouver's premier downtown department store. It was the biggest store in the world: you could get anything there.

Sophia Loren Remembers .....God's Place

_" When I got enough confidence, the stage was gone…..
When I was sure of Losing, I won…….
When I needed People the most, they Left me…….

Senior Citizens: Aging Gracefully

Life can begin at 60, it is all in your hands! Many people feel unhappy, health-wise and security-wise, after 60 years of age, owing to the diminishing importance given to them and their opinions. But, it need not be so, if only we understand the basic principles of life and follow them scrupulously. Here are ten mantras to age gracefully and make life after retirement pleasant.

An Elephant with a Big Heart

Vietnam: Surprises and Shocks

The Awesome Roads in China's Tianmen Mountains

Physically Challenged is no Excuse for Challenges of Life

Miss World: Chhiller from India: This is why she won

This Elephant - A Smart Footballer

Christ the King Sunday - Liturgical Prayers

Greetings (see Second Reading)

All blessings to you from Jesus Christ,
our saving Lord and king,
the beginning and end of all that is,
who is and who was and who is to come.
His peace and grace be always with you. R/ And also with you.

Don't Judge Looks

Comparisons Limb: Be happy with what you have

Thanksgiving - US

Fr. Tony Kadavil:

SYNOPSIS OF THANKSGIVING DAY HOMILY

Introduction: Today is a day of national thanksgiving 1) for the blessings and protection God has given us. 2) for our  democratic government and the prosperity we enjoy 3) for our freedom of speech and religion 4) for the generosity and good will of our people.

History: The winter of 1610 at Jamestown, Virginia, had reduced a group of 409 settlers to 60. The survivors prayed for help, without knowing when or how it might come. When help arrived in the form of a ship filled with food and supplies from England, a thanksgiving prayer meeting was held to give thanks to God. President Abraham Lincoln, in the midst of the Civil War, established Thanksgiving Day as a formal holiday to express our thanks to God. President George Washington issued the first national Thanksgiving Proclamation in 1789. In 1941 Congress passed the official proclamation declaring that Thanksgiving should be observed as a legal holiday the fourth Thursday of each November.

A slum in Indonesia is Changed by Painting its Walls and Homes

Gifted Elephants and Skillful Thai Trainers

Chinese Military Parade

33 Sunday A - Liturgical Prayers

Greeting (See Second Reading)

We do not belong to the night or to darkness,
so we should not go on sleeping
but stay wide awake and sober.
May the Lord Jesus be your light and stay with you.
R/ And also with you.

Introduction by the Celebrant

People are Awesome: Videos

Acrobatics of Russians with their Aircrafts and Indians with their Tractors

What the Russians do with their Aircrafts the Indian in Punjab do with their Tractors:

Obesity: Using Wow Green Coffee Bean

More than 5,190 people have viewed this:
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Why This Wonder "Weight Loss Coffee Pill" Has Top Doctors Raving

Stores Across India Sold Out After Leading Medical Doctor Proclaims It 'Miracle' Weight-Loss Supplement.

  

(India) - The Green Coffee Bean is the latest buzz in the “battle of the bulge”. Since recently being studied on a popular doctor television show, millions of people are praising this so called “miracle weight loss pill”. Surprisingly, many people who struggle daily with their weight have yet to hear about this powerful supplement.

Normally, I don't recommend "weight-loss" supplements, especially weight-loss supplements that claim "easy" weight loss or "fast" weight loss. As a nutritionist, I strongly believe that the key to weight loss is a healthy diet and exercise, but there are some incredible super foods that can deliver an added boost. One super food in particular, the green coffee bean, is creating major media buzz, and the research has me truly amazed.

‘We forgive you’: How a nun’s family embraced her murderer

In 1995, Sister Rani Maria was murdered near Indore. Ahead of her beatification this November, HT recounts the moving story of how her family forgave the killer and accepted him as their own

Danish Raza
Hindustan Times

Sister Selmy Paul at her residence in Betul, Madhya Pradesh. Sister Selmy forgave Samandar Singh, the man who killed her elder sister, Rani Maria, in February 1995 when she was on her way to Indore. (Burhaan Kinu/HT PHOTO)

Lions and Cars

Animals and Men

Vatican Dossier - Nov 11

Download PDF version of this edition

Jim Fair Pope Stresses Need to Halt Nuclear Arms

Christians in Saudi Arabia

Sr.Rani Maria - Stabbed 54 times - Now Beatified

32 Sunday A - Liturgical Prayers

Greeting (See Second Reading)

We believe that Jesus died and rose again
and that those who have died in Jesus
will be brought to life with their Lord.
May Jesus, the Lord of life,
be always with you all.
R/ And also with you.

Introduction by the Celebrant

Syrian President and his Family Walking without Guards

31 Sunday A - Liturgical Prayers

Greeting (See Second Reading)

Thanks to God, you have heard his message
through his Son Jesus Christ.
It is God's own message which the Church proclaims,
not some human thinking.
It gives you strength when you believe it.
May Jesus, God's living Word, be always with you.
R/ And also with you.

Introduction by the Celebrant

Awesome Spider man - Video

Thailand Photos: Weird and Funny

All Saints' Day

From Fr. Tony Kadavil:

NOVEMBER 1, 2017 ALL SAINTS DAY (L-17)

One-page synopsis: The feast and its objectives: All baptized Christians who have died and are now with God in glory are considered saints. All Saints Day is intended to honor the memory of countless unknown and uncanonized saints who have no feast days. Today we thank God for giving ordinary men and women a share in His holiness and Heavenly glory as a reward for their Faith. This feast is observed to teach us to honor the saints, both by imitating their lives and by seeking their intercession for us before Christ, the only mediator between God and man (I Tim. 2:5). The Church reminds us today that God's call for holiness is universal, that all of us are called to live in His love and to make His love real in the lives of those around us. Holiness is related to the word wholesomeness. We grow in holiness when we live wholesome lives of integrity truth, justice, charity, mercy and compassion, sharing our blessings with others.

All Souls' Day

From Fr. Tony Kadavil:

One-page synopsis: All Souls’ Day (November 2, 2017) Homily: All Souls’ Day is a day specially set apart that we may remember and pray for our dear ones who have gone for their eternal reward and who are currently in a state of ongoing purification.

Awesome - Gym Buddies

Take the Other Shoe as well

UK PM wishing Indian Community Happy Diwali

Awesome Acrobatics With Elephants

Just and Human Judge with the Young man on Traffic Violation

5 Minute Oscar Winning Movie: I'm Sorry

Joe Wright's Prayer

"Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask your forgiveness and to seek your direction and guidance. We know Your Word says: "Woe to those who call evil good", but that is exactly what we have done.
* We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values.
* We have ridiculed the absolute truth of Your Word and called it Pluralism.
* We have worshipped other gods and called it multiculturalism.
* We have endorsed perversion and called it alternative lifestyle.
* We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery.
* We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare.
* We have killed our unborn and called it choice.

Joe Wright's Prayer at Kansas Legislature

Color of the Tongue: Determine Your Illness

Understandig Women - william Golding

29 Sunday A: Liturgical prayers

Greeting (See Second Reading)

God loves you and has chosen you
and had the Good News brought to you.
May the grace and peace of God our Father
and the Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
R/ And also with you.

Introduction by the Celebrant

29 Sunday A: Give to God and to Caesar what belongs to each

Gospel reading: Matthew 22:15-22 

Michel DeVerteuil
General Comments

Today’s passage is built around the saying in verse 21, “Give back to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God”. It is a “wisdom saying” and the passage invites us to enter into it with our feelings. Its truth should touch us so deeply that we are filled with gratitude, and also with humility as we realise that do we do not live up to it – as individuals, as a Church and as communities.  The saying then becomes a call to repentance.

Awesome - Building Demolitions

Awesome - Bridges

Chinese by birth, but proudly Indian

 by: mattersindia.com

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Jose Hong
Singapore: When housewife G. Naggammal Koh speaks with strangers in Tamil, she often gets surprised looks.
The 67-year-old grew up speaking the language, is a Hindu and identifies herself as Indian. But Madam Naggammal was born a Hokkien Chinese.

Awesome Series - Life around the world - Video

28 Sunday A: Wedding Feast - Invited But ....

Starter Stories:

Post-World War II Banquet:

At the end of World War II, the Russian head-of-state gave an elaborate banquet to honor the British Prime Minister Winston Churchill.  The Russians arrived in their best formal wear -- military dress uniforms -- but their honored guest did not.  Churchill arrived wearing his famous zipper coveralls that he had worn during the German bomb attack in London.  He thought it would provide a nostalgic touch the Russians would appreciate.  They didn’t.  They were humiliated and insulted that their prominent guest-of-honor had not considered their banquet worthy of his best clothes.  Wearing the right clothing to a formal dinner honors the host and the occasion; neglecting to wear the right clothing is an insult.  Weddings were such an important occasion in Palestine in Christ’s days that people were expected to wear the proper clothing to show appreciation and respect for the invitation.  In today’s Gospel, Jesus demands the wedding garment of righteousness from his followers. (Fr. Tony Kadavil)

Elephant Calf and Crocodile

10 of Mother Teresa’s most inspirational quotes

 

A US bishop celebrates Mass at which relics of Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta were on display in 2010 (CNS)

Quotes by Mother Teresa on love, peace and poverty

Awesome Series: Contortionists' Videos

Awesome: 3 Year Old Boy on a scooter

A Cycle (Mt): Kingdom of God

27 Sunday A - Workers of the Vineyard & Stewardship

Story Starters: From Fr. Tony Kadavil’s Collection 

Gospel text : Matthew 21:33-43

1) Wild Vines in the Lord’s Vineyard

In his book From Scandal to Hope, Fr. Benedict Groeschel (EWTN), examines the roots of the clergy sex-abuse scandal. He details how disloyalty spread through seminaries, universities, chanceries and parishes. The most notorious case was that of Fr. Paul Shanley who helped found the North American Man-Boy Love Association in 1979. He lectured in seminaries, once with a bishop in attendance, maintaining that “homosexuality is a gift of God and should be celebrated,” and that there was no sexual activity that could cause psychic damage-- “not even incest or bestiality.” No wonder Fr. Charles Curran had little trouble getting seventy-seven theologians to sign a protest against Humanae Vitae, an encyclical which reaffirmed marital chastity! A few years later the Catholic Theological Society (CTS), published Human Sexuality: New Directions in American Catholic Thought, a study which accepted cohabitation, adultery and homosexuality. Now, however, all these chickens have come home to roost. We are paying the price – in lawsuits, public humiliation and loss of credibility. The media gave us a glimpse of the enormous destruction in the Lord’s vineyard done by those wicked tenants. They did so with great relish because the scandals discredit a teaching authority they, by and large, find annoying. But this attention by the media has had consequences the media probably did not intend. It has alerted Catholics to the widespread pillaging of the vineyard, which ultimately means the damnation of souls. Fr. Groeschel asks, “Does all this scandal shake your faith in the Church?” He answers, “I hope so, because ultimately your faith should not be in the Church. Ultimately your faith is in Jesus Christ. It is because of him that we accept and support the Church. We believe in and belong to the Church because Christ established it on his apostles." We see in today’s Gospel that the owner of the vineyard is God. He will care for his Church, not by committees or document, but by raising up saints who will properly tend the vineyard.  

Extreme Roads or No Roads and Extraordinary Drivers

26 Sunday A: Words or Deeds?

Opening Story:
“A companion of Francis of Assisi, Brother Juniper is remembered as a “fool for Christ” and there are all sorts of wild stories about his antics. He was notorious for constantly giving his possessions away and living with a winsomeness that sometimes got him in trouble. At one point he was ordered by a superior not to give away his outer garment to the beggars anymore. But it wasn’t long before he met someone in need who asked him for some clothing. He said, “My superior has told me under obedience not to give my clothing to anyone. But if you pull it off my back, I certainly will not prevent you.” (Another version: "I can't give, but you can take.")

Awesome Series - Videos

Animal Encounters - video

Philippine Priest Rescued

Philippine soldiers rescue priest from Islamic militants 

Published on: 7:00 am, September 18, 2017 by: mattersindia.com

Father Teresito 'Chito' Soganub

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Manila: A Catholic priest held hostage for almost four months in besieged Marawi, a southern city in the Philippines, has been rescued hours after a deadly battle between Philippine soldiers and Islamic State-allied militants.

25 Sunay A: The Workers of the Vineyard

Gospel reading: Matthew 20:1-16


Michel DeVerteuil
General Comments
We have another parable this Sunday, one that many people find particularly difficult to interpret.
As I said in last week’s meditation guidelines, method is always the root problem with interpreting parables, and to adopt the right method we must have a right understanding of what a parable is. It is not the kind of story where we identify “good guys” and “bad guys” and then draw the conclusion that we must imitate the good and avoid being like the bad.

Awesome: Dangerous Feats - videos

American Televangetists and Their Wealth

24 Sunday A: Liturgical Prayers

Greeting

The God of forgiveness, mercy and life
be always with you.
R/ And also with you.

Introduction by the Celebrant

A. Forgive: Enter God's World

We are all familiar with the saying: "To err is human, to forgive is divine." Perhaps we forget the second part too easily: by forgiving one another, we do what God does all the time for us. If we cannot forgive we have not learned to love deeply and we are still far from the gospel. We begin this eucharist by asking pardon from the Lord and from one another.

24 Sunday A: Forgiveness

Fr. Bill Grimm's Video Message at the bottom
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Gospel reading: Matthew 18:21-35

Michel DeVerteuil
General Comments
Today’s passage deals with the crucial issue of forgiveness, surely the most pressing of all our human problems, as individuals, as communities and as a human family. The future of humanity is in the hands of those who can forgive.

Bull Fighters - Videos!

Animals on Road - Video

Amazing Videos - Sept 17

23 Sunday A: Prayer and Reconciliation

 Gospel Text: Matthew 18:15-20

Michel DeVerteuil
General Comments
This passage is very different from those of the two previous Sundays. They were dramatic stories, marked by deep emotions and with deep implications for the characters involved. This is a little gem of a passage but with little drama, a very practical, common-sense teaching on that most common and most prosaic of community problems – conflict. It is deep wisdom teaching which continues to be valid for our time. Management has become a science today, and Jesus’ teaching stands up well as a model of how to “manage” conflict in any situation.

Blue Whale challenge: 17-year-old Russian girl, alleged mastermind, arrested

A 17-year-old Russian girl has been arrested for allegedly being the mastermind behind the deadly Blue Whale Challenge, that encouraged players to commit suicide.

The teenager, who has now been arrested, allegedly threatened her victims that she would murder them or their families if they did not complete the tasks that were set.

Some Outrageous Things you'll only see in Dubai

WAKE UP PARENTS

By Dr.Alok Kar

Years back, *poor illiterate  parents* produced:

🔹Doctors,
🔹Engineers,
🔹 Scientists,
🔹 Accountants,
🔹 Lawyers,
🔹 Architects,
🔹 Professors..,  whom I will refer to as *Group 'A'*.

Mumbai rains: Religious places open doors for those stranded

 

Tragedy strikes Gorakhpur again

© Provided by Indian Express The MMOPL spokesperson denied the absence of the guards. Akhtar Raza realised he may never reach home on Tuesday night until he read one of the forwarded messages from Jamat Raza-e-Mustafa and randomly called a member for help. Volunteer Mohammed Ahmed (34) immediately rode his bike from Ghatkopar to Saki Naka to pick Raza up and drop him at his home in Kurla.
“Cars and buses are getting stranded. But on a bike it is easier to navigate,” Ahmed said. Like Ahmed, another volunteer, Worli resident Aarif Khan(29) was answering calls through the day from strangers stranded in waist-deep water. He took seven people home on his bike, one by one.

Unions go where churches won’t

From the Theology of the Vineyard:

August 26, 2017

Unifor Canadian Council passes BDS motion at Winnipeg convention
Congratulations to the Unifor’s Canadian Council on easily passing a pro-Boycott Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) motion at their recent convention in Winnipeg, between August 18-20.


The BDS movement is founded on the call made by more than 170 Palestinian civil society organizations on July 9, 2005, inviting people across the world who support freedom, justice and equality in Palestine/Israel to boycott, divest from, and press for sanctions against the State of Israel until it meets its obligations under international law by:

22 Sunday A: Take up Your Cross, If you wish ....

 Gospel Text: Matthew 16:21-27 

Michel DeVerteuil
General Comments
In meditating on this passage, we need to make some choices – guided, as always in lectio divina by feelings, not reason. For example, we can focus on the disciples, and Peter in particular, so that the passage speaks to us about our relationship with Jesus or with someone who has been Jesus to us. We then celebrate the times when we have been brought to see how our way of thinking was “human” and not according to God’s plan.