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Archive for the ‘Faith’ Category

On Good Friday, the entire Church fixes her gaze on the Cross at Calvary. Each member of the Church tries to understand at what cost Christ has won our redemption. In the solemn ceremonies of Good Friday, in the Adoration of the Cross, in the chanting of the ‘Reproaches’, in the reading of the Passion, and in receiving the pre-consecrated Host, we unite ourselves to our Savior, and we contemplate our own death to sin in the Death of our Lord.

The Church — stripped of its ornaments, the altar bare, and with the door of the empty tabernacle standing open — is as if in mourning. In the fourth century the Apostolic Constitutions described this day as a “day of mourning, not a day of festive joy”, and this day was called the “Pasch (passage) of the Crucifixion”. source

Usual church activities starts at 12 noon with the reflection of the Seven Last words. At 3 in the afternoon, the Liturgy of the Word — reading of the Passion will start, followed by the intercessory prayers for the Church and the entire world, Christian and non-Christian. Veneration of the Cross and Communion, or the ‘Mass of the Pre-Sanctified” are the most important part of this day’s celebration.

It is also important to reflect why this Friday is Good. It is the time that Jesus sacrificed himself and died on the cross for all of us to be saved.

Holy Thursday or Maundy Thursday is the start of the Easter Triduum. It commemorates Christ’s institution of the Holy Eucharist at the Last supper. In His Last SUpper, a celebration of Passover, Jesus is the self-offered Passover Victim, and every Priest to this day presents this same sacrifice. Jesus also washed the feet of His disciples which describes humility of service and the need for cleansing with water.

In the morning of Holy Thursday a special mass is celebrated in the cathedral church and is participated by the bishop and by many priests. The bishop may wash the feet of 12 priests. In the local Parish church, The Holy Thursday liturgy is celebrated in the evening. In our church, the priest would wash feet of 12 Lay Minister.  After the mass, the consecrated Host in the Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament is carried in solemn procession to the altar of Repose and will remain “entombed” until the communion service on Good Friday. No mass will be celebrated again in the Church until the Easter Vigil. The Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament is continued throught eh night, just as the disciples stayed with the Lord in the Agony of the garden.

On this day, my family used to visit different church to pay visit to the Blessed Sacrament, which is called the Visita Iglesia. another tradition also includes the walking to Antipolo church. Each individual have their own purpose on doing this. This is one of my husband’s clan tradition. I too, have walked from Quezon City to Antipolo. When we reached Antipolo proper, Stations of the cross will begin. I think there are 13 different spots to pray the Stations of the cross until you reach the church for the rest of the stations.

How about you, what are your traditions on this day?

I do! I want to be prosperous. I am Prosperous. Last Sunday at the Feast, this was the first topic of Bro. Bo Sanchez six part series, Prosper! He preach about money at least once a year. Why? It’s because of two reasons. First, one third of the Bible talks about Money. Would you believe that there were more verses about money than about faith and prayer combined? Jesus knows that we are physical beings and that money is a big area in our lives. God wants love to rule in this big area, he doesn’t want us to reject money, he wants us to use it for love. The second reason, is that Money is a critical need today.

If you want to prosper then you have to change your emotional association with money. Many people associate money with evil. So we’ll reject money like it was the devil itself. We have to change this because You’ll gravitate towards what you subconsciously want, and avoid what you subconsciously do not want.

We must BELIEVE that we will prosper. God takes pleasure when we are prosperous. Its like when we see our child do a milestone, we are happy, it’s same with God.

If you want to be prosperous, then BELIEVE.

“Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the first fruits of all your crops, then your barns will be filled to overflowing and your vats will brim over the new wine”
-Proverbs 5:9-10

Listen to the next teaching about PROSPER, attend The Feast every Sunday at Valle Verde Country Club.

Last Sunday’s Feast (December 6) at Valle Verde Pasig, was one of the Best Feast that I attended. They have prepared a special concert. It’s called “A Pasasalamat Concert”.
The Hosts were George Gabriel and Randy Borromeo. They rendered a Christmas song too. Next performers was the Prayerboyz. They were great as well. But my favorite performances were from the Kerygma 5, they are Arun Gogna, Adrian Panganiban, Jon Escoto, Obet Cabrillas and Alvin Barcelona.
They entered the stage with a blast by singing “we will rock you” chorus, but instead of “rock” they changed it to “bless” and Bamboo’s Hallelujah. After that, each of them rendered their own solo performance.
They still performed religious song, that was awesome!

After the performances, Bro. Bo Sanchez, still gave a short message which is “Wealth is Gratitude; Gratitude is Wealth”

There are three levels of gratitude:
Superficial Gratitude – this is being thankful for big ticket items. Like having a Car, House, Healing. It is good but it doesn’t last very long

Simple Gratitude – this is being thankful with big or small gifts from God.
But when it comes to love, there’s no such thing as a small gift. But this is not the deppest form of gratitude

Sacred Gratitude is the deepest gratitude. We are already thankful in all circumtances. We are just thankful for the life itself. We are thankful that we are alive. We are thankful always.

After The Feast, I was truly blessed and happy.

The Feast is a Eucharistic Celebration, worship and teaching. At Valle Verde Pasig, it is held every Sunday, with three sessions at 8am, 10:30am and 1pm.

Kerygma Conference 2009, the Biggest Catholic learning even in Manila organized by the Light of Jesus Family, will be simulcast in Cebu.
Now on its third year, Kerygma Conference will be held for the first time at the Araneta Coliseum on November 28 to 29. On the same days, a Kerygma Conference will be held in the Cebu International Convention Center in Cebu City.

What to expect?

• compelling and life-changing talks by Bo Sanchez and Kerygma Preachers Arun Gogna, Alvin Barcelona, Obet Cabrillas, Jon Escoto and Adrian Panganiban;
• dynamic worship in the company of people who love God and want to live big for Him;
• amazing works of healing thru our guest healer Bob Canton;
• bigger blessings and bigger surprises.

Don’t waste your time — click now and be among the early-bird registrants!

Click here to read more about Kerygma Conference.

I joined a new forum, and I stumbled on this very nice thread. and I can’t help but copy the conversation. The thread was titled “conversation” but the story is untitled so I give it a title as “God and science.” I know some of you heard the story already, others who have studied religion from a school online may have heard this one but still it is worth sharing. It’s quite long but hope you read it.

An atheist professor of philosophy speaks to his class on the problem science has with God, The Almighty.
He asks one of his new students to stand and…..

Prof:So you believe in God?

Student: Absolutely, sir.

Prof : Is God good?

Student: Sure.

Prof: Is God all-powerful?

Student : Yes.

Prof:My brother died of cancer even though he prayed to God to heal him.
Most of us would attempt to help others who are ill. But God didn’t. How is this God good then? Hmm?
(Student is silent.)

Prof:You can’t answer, can you? Let’s start again, young fella. Is God good?

Student: Yes.

Prof: Is Satan good?

Student : No.

Prof:Where does Satan come from?

Student: From…God…

Prof:That’s right. Tell me son, is there evil in this world?

Student: Yes.

Prof:Evil is everywhere, isn’t it? And God did make everything. Correct?

Student: Yes.

Prof: So who created evil?

(Student does not answer.)

Prof:Is there sickness? Immorality? Hatred? Ugliness? All these terrible things exist in the world, don’t they?

Student:Yes, sir.

Prof: So, who created them?

(Student has no answer.)

Prof:Science says you have 5 senses you use to identify and observe the world around you.
Tell me, son…Have you ever seen God?

Student: No, sir.

Prof:Tell us if you have ever heard your God?

Student: No, sir.

Prof:Have you ever felt your God, tasted your God, smelt your God? Have you ever had any sensory perception of God for that matter?

Student:No, sir. I’m afraid I haven’t.

Prof:Yet you still believe in Him?
Student: Yes.

Prof:According to empirical, testable, demonstrable protocol, science says your GOD doesn’t exist.
What do you say to that, son?

Student:Nothing. I only have my faith.

Prof:Yes. Faith. And that is the problem science has.

Student:Professor, is there such a thing as heat?

Prof: Yes.

Student:And is there such a thing as cold?

Prof: Yes.

Student:No sir. There isn’t.
(The lecture theatre becomes very quiet with this turn of events.)

Student: Sir, you can have lots of heat, even more heat, superheat, mega heat, white heat, a little heat or no heat.
But we don’t have anything called cold. We can hit 458 degrees below zero which is no heat, but we can’t go

any further after that.
There is no such thing as cold . Cold is only a word we use to describe the absence of

heat
. We cannot measure cold. Heat is energy . Cold is not the opposite of heat, sir, just the absence of it .
(There is pin-drop silence in the lecture theatre.)

Student:
What about darkness, Professor? Is there such a thing as darkness?

Prof:Yes. What is night if there isn’t darkness?

Student :You’re wrong again, sir. Darkness is the absence of something. You can have low light, normal light, bright light, flashing light….But if you have no light constantly, you have nothing and it’s called darkness, isn’t it? In reality, darkness isn’t. If it were you would be able to make darkness darker, wouldn’t you?

Prof:So what is the point you are making, young man?

Student:Sir, my point is your philosophical premise is flawed.

Prof:Flawed? Can you explain how?

Student:Sir, you are working on the premise of duality. You argue there is life and then there is death, a good God and a bad God. You are viewing the concept of God as something finite, something we can measure. Sir, science can’t even explain a thought. It uses electricity and magnetism, but has never seen, much less fully understood either one.To view death as the opposite of life is to be ignorant of the fact that death cannot exist as a substantive thing.. Death is not the opposite of life: just the absence of it.
Now tell me, Professor.Do you teach your students that they evolved from a monkey?

Prof:If you are referring to the natural evolutionary process, yes, of course, I do.

Student:Have you ever observed evolution with your own eyes, sir?

(The Professor shakes his head with a smile, beginning to realize where the argument is going.)

Student:Since no one has ever observed the process of evolution at work and cannot even prove that this process is an on-going endeavor, are you not teaching your opinion, sir? Are you not a scientist but a preacher?

(The class is in uproar.)

Student:Is there anyone in the class who has ever seen the Professor’s brain?

(The class breaks out into laughter.)

Student: Is there anyone here who has ever heard the Professor’s brain, felt it, touched or smelt it? No one appears to have done so. So, according to the established rules of empirical, stable, demonstrable protocol, science says that you have no brain,sir.
With all due respect, sir, how do we then trust your lectures, sir?

(The room is silent. The professor stares at the student, his face unfathomable.)

Prof:I guess you’ll have to take them on faith, son.

Student:That is it sir… The link between man & god is FAITH . That is all that keeps things moving & alive.

credits to money_ms of Indianbroadband