Dec 30- Jan 4: Daily Reflections

Dec 30 Monday (St. Egwin)                 

https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-egwin : Luke 2:36-40, There was also a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher; she was of a great age, having lived with her husband seven years from her virginity, 37 and as a widow till she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day. 38 And coming up at that very hour she gave thanks to God and spoke of him to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem. 39 And when they had performed everything according to the law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own city, Nazareth. 40 And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him. USCCB video:   https://youtu.be/j2NFFlcgSh0?list=PLpTzvCOJa7DAAsw34PxZGDqnI_bBKNWa9

Dec 31st: Reflections and Liturgy

*31st December 2019, Tuesday*, Seventh Day within Octave of Christmas

1 John 2:18-21 / John 1:1-18

*Antichrists have appeared: They came from our ranks* 

30th December: Reflection and Liturgy

30th December 2019, Monday, Sixth Day within Octave of Christmas.
1 John 2:12-17 / Luke 2:36-40 

Shun the world’s attractions: The world passes; God alone remains.

Photographer David Crocket of KOMO-TV, Seattle, was caught at the foot of Mt. St. Helens when it exploded on May 18, 1980. He was nearly buried in the falling ash. Ten hours later he was miraculously spotted, picked up by a helicopter, and rushed to a hospital. After the ordeal Crocket wrote in Guideposts: “During those ten hours I saw a mountain fall apart.  I saw a forest disappear. . . .I saw that God is the only one who is immovable. . . .I feel somehow that I’m being allowed to start over . . .whatever is in his master plan for me.”

New Year

A New Year Prayer

Holy Father,

God of our yesterdays, our today, and our tomorrows.

We praise You for Your unequalled greatness.

Jan 1: Mary, Mother of God

New Year 2014 from heartnoi2k

Billy Graham's Prayer for the New Year

Our Father and our God, as we stand at the beginning of this new year we confess our need of Your presence and Your guidance as we face the future.

28th Dec: Holy Innocents

28th December 2019, Saturday, Holy Innocents, Martyrs

1 John 1:5 - 2:2 / Matthew 2:13-18

I have been redeemed: Jesus’ blood purifies us.

There’s a story about a man who dove into a raging river to rescue a drowning boy. Miraculously, the man survived; even more miraculously, the boy was saved. After the boy had recovered from the ordeal, he said to the man, “Thank you, sir, for saving me from the river.” The man put his hand on the boy’s shoulder and said, “That’s okay, son! Just make sure your life was worth saving.” What that man said to the boy, Jesus could say to each one of us here.

St. John, The Evangelist

27th December 2019, Friday, St. John, Evangelist

1 John 1:1-4 / John 20:2-8 

Eternal life becomes visible: We touched him with our hands. 

Cyril Egan wrote a poem called “A Kind of Prayer.” It’s about a person who’s looking for something. Everywhere he goes, he searches, searches, searches. One day someone asks him what he’s searching for. He responds, “I’m looking for God.” Then he adds quickly: “Don’t tell me I’ll find him in my heart (Though in a sense that’s true); And don’t tell me I’ll find him in my fellow man (Though in a sense that’s true, too). What I’m looking for is a God making a five-sense breakthrough to humanity.”

St. Stephen - Reflections and Liturgy

St. Stephen, First Martyr Wednesday, 26th December 2019

Acts 6:8-10; 7:54-59 . Matthew 10:17-22

Martyrdom of Stephen: They rushed at him and stoned him.

Holy Family - Stories and Illustrations

 Collection from Fr. Tony Kadavil and Others

# 1: Grandparents are a treasure: Pope Francis said that as a child, he heard a story of a family with a mother, father, many children and a grandfather. The grandfather, suffering from Parkinson’s illness, would drop food on the dining table, and smear it all over his face when he ate. His son considered it disgusting. Hence, one day he bought a small table and set it off to the side of the dining hall so the grandfather could eat, make a mess and not disturb the rest of the family. 

Advent 4th Week-Christmas week: Dec 23-31: Daily Reflections

Dec 23 Monday: (St. John of Canty, Priest) https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-john-kanty/ Luke 1:57-66: 57 Now the time came for Elizabeth to be delivered, and she gave birth to a son. 58 And her neighbors and kinsfolk heard that the Lord had shown great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her. 59 And on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child; and they would have named him Zechariah after his father, 60 but his mother said, “Not so; he shall be called John.” 61 And they said to her, “None of your kindred is called by this name.” 62 And they made signs to his father, inquiring what he would have him called. 63 And he asked for a writing tablet, and wrote,

Advent: December 23

 GOD IS GRACIOUS

Introduction

Indeed, “God is gracious.” This is the meaning of the name John. We are told today about the birth of the forerunner of Jesus, John the Baptist. We remember the coming of the Savior and how a special messenger of God had to prepare the hearts of people for the coming of the Savior. But our Savior, Jesus, came long ago. How much are we living as people who are saved? How much do we enter into God’s plan to save our world? How much do we prepare Jesus’ coming into the hearts of people today?

Advent: December 20 - Liturgy

Friday December 20, 2019

THE VIRGIN MOTHER

Introduction

The two beautiful texts of today correspond to each other as promise and fulfillment of the promise. The child to be born of a young maiden as a sign of Israel’s salvation probably spoke directly of a son to be born to a king; yet, in later tradition and particularly in the Christian understanding, the text came to be understood as a messianic prophecy, which was fulfilled in Mary and the child born from her.

Advent, Thursday December 19 - Liturgy

SENT ON GOD’S MISSION 

Introduction 

People chosen by God for a special mission in his plan of salvation are constantly presented in the Bible as chosen and loved before birth, with their birth announced in a special way; they are moved by the Spirit of God; their mission demands sacrifices. Witness the call of Samson in his folkloric saga, or that of John the Baptist. The silence of Zechariah comes probably from the joy of an overwhelming message, too great to be put into words. Underlying these vocation stories is that people are weak, that salvation is gratuitously given by God, that barrenness (the barren women) gives way to fertility, that sacrifices are demanded. And so, people are to be moved by the Spirit of God. All this holds true also for us as we are called to prepare the way of the Lord. 

ADVENT - December 18, 2019 -Emmanuel -Liturgy

IMMANUEL 

Introduction 

When the kings of God’s people had not fulfilled their mission of guiding the people to God, the prophet Jeremiah announces that God would do away with them and become himself the shepherd of his people. But he will make this new beginning through a man, a virtuous shoot of the house of David. Through him, God would become his people’s integrity, the cause of our fidelity. In the New Testament, as Matthew tells us, Jesus is this Son of David through Joseph and Mary and at the same time, God’s own Son. He is indeed “God our integrity,” and Immanuel, “God-with-us,” Jesus, whose name means “Savior.” 

Advent - Dec 17 - Liturgy

Tuesday December 17, 2019 

JESUS CHRIST, "SON OF MAN" 

Introduction

The liturgical readings of today call our attention to Christ in his human reality: human like us in everything – except for sin, clarifies St. Paul – a descendant of sinners, who, as Church Fathers stress, are even singled out in Matthew’s family tree of Christ. He is a man born of a woman, a baby in a crib, a child growing up to manhood, a man walking the roads of Palestine, who could weep and be angry, had friends, had a sense of humor, and attended marriage feasts. Indeed, he was fully human, God in human form. 

Sanskrit words for 'teacher'

Sanskrit words for 'teacher' based on their unique abilities...

1. The teacher who gives you information is called: Adhyapak
2. The one who imparts knowledge combined with information is called: Upadhyaya                         3. The one who imparts skills is called: Acharya
4. The one who is able to give a deep insight into a subject is called: Pundit
5. The one who has a visionary view on a subject and teaches you to think in that manner is called: Dhrishta
6. The one who is able to awaken wisdom in you, leading you from darkness to light, is called: Guru

Sanskrit is perhaps the only language that has such a refined vocabulary to distinguish the different kinds of teachers.

Dec 16-21: 3rd Week of Advent- Reflections

Dec 16 Monday: Matt: 21: 23-27: 23 And when he entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came up to him as he was teaching, and said, “By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?” 24 Jesus answered them, “I also will ask you a question; and if you tell me the answer, then I also will tell you by what authority I do these things. 25 The baptism of John, whence was it? From heaven or from men?” And they argued with one another, “If we say, `From heaven,’ he will say to us, `Why then did you not believe him?’ 26 But if we say, `From men,’ we are afraid of the multitude; for all hold that John was a prophet.” 27 So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And he said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things. USCCB reflections: https://youtu.be/iYgXgiTyVHU?list=PLpTzvCOJa7DAAsw34PxZGDqnI_bBKNWa9

3rd Sunday of Advent A: Gaudate - Rejoice

The Pope with Street Children

Advent 2nd Week - Dec 9-14: Weekday Reflections

Dec 9: Monday (Immaculate Conception of Blessed Virgin Mary) (Transferred to Dec 9^th Monday and hence not a Holy Day of obligation in the U. S. in 2019): USCCB: https://youtu.be/jGQQe-PVimw?list=PLpTzvCOJa7DAAsw34PxZGDqnI_bBKNWa9 Introduction: Mary’s prophecy given in her Magnificat, “Behold all generations will call me blessed,” was fulfilled when the Catholic Church declared four dogmas of Faith about her: 1-The Immaculate Conception, 2-The Perpetual Virginity, 3-The Divine Maternity, 4-The Assumption. The Immaculate Conception is a dogma based mainly on Christian tradition and theological reasoning. It was defined in 1854 by Pope Pius IX as a dogma of Faith through Ineffabilis Deus. Definition: From the first moment of her conception, Mary was preserved immune from original sin by the singular grace of God and by virtue of the merits of Jesus Christ, Savior of the human race. (CCC #491). This means that original sanctity, innocence and justice were conferred upon her, and that she was exempted from all the evil effects of original sin, excluding sorrow, pain, disease and death which are temporal penalties given to Adam. (Catholic Encyclopedia).

6th December 2019, Friday, 1st Week of Advent.

Isaiah 29:17-24 / Matthew 9:27-31                   

Great things can be accomplished when there are two factors involved: conviction and commitment.

In other words, when we believe in something and we put our energy and even our lives on it, then great things can be accomplished.

The Most Dangerous TT Race in the World - Isle of Man

This is the isle of Man TT race in UK. The most dangerous race in the world. 275 KMPH in city streets!

Health - Simple Ways to Check

Two Cows - How business is done with them under Different Ideologies

Advent 2 Sunday A - John The Baptist

Rain Man - Movie

How a greedy brother Charlie Babbitt (Tom Cruse)  abducts his autistic brother Raymond (Dustin Hoffman) to get his share of the 2 million dollars his father left in a will changes from an aggressive and manipulative guy into a caring brother.

http://m4uhd.net/watch-movie-6ty-rain-man-1988-online-free-m4ufree.html



OR


https://1watchfree.me/rain-man/                                     


(Copy and paste )

Dec 2-7: Advent 1st Week - Daily Reflections

Dec 2 Monday: Mt 8: 5-11: 5 As he entered Capernaum, a centurion came forward to him, beseeching him 6 and saying, “Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, in terrible distress.” 7 And he said to him, “I will come and heal him.” 8 But the centurion answered him, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof; but only say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I am a man under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to one, `Go,’ and he goes, and to another, `Come,’ and he comes, and to my slave, `Do this,’ and he does it.” 10 When Jesus heard him, he marveled, and said to those who followed him, “Truly, I say to you, not even in Israel have I found such faith. 11 I tell you, many will come from east and west and sit at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. USCCB video reflections: https://youtu.be/-11zPaLsOK8?list=PLpTzvCOJa7DAAsw34PxZGDqnI_bBKNWa9