FABULOUS THOUGHTS

FABULOUS THOUGHTS   Life is similar to Boxing game.. Defeat is NOT declared when you fall down; It is declared when you refuse to ‘Get Up’!   Everything is valuable only at 2 times: 1.    Before getting it; and 2.    After losing it !!   Two things bring happiness & success in life: 1.    The way you MANAGE when you have nothing, and 2.    The way you BEHAVE when you have everything !   Two places are MOST VALUABLE in the world: 1.    The NICEST place is to be in someone’s Thoughts, and 2.    The SAFEST place is to be in someone’s Prayers.   One of the greatest victories you can gain over someone is to beat him at politeness.   Faith is taking the 1st step, even when you don’t see the whole staircase.   Keep your face to the Sun, And you will not see the shadow!   A Deaf child says: “For all of you, I am deaf; But for me, all of you are dumb…” Moral: Life differs in each perspective.  Live the way you want to.   It is always good to check once in a while, And make sure that You haven’t lost the things that money cannot buy..!!   Attitude at its best: My BACK is not a VOICE MAIL.. Kindly say on my FACE.   Ego is the only requirement to destroy any relationship. Be a bigger person; skip the “E”, and let it “go”..!!   One good thing about Egoists: They don’t talk about other people!   What is SUCCESS? It is when your photos are uploaded on GOOGLE, Instead of FACEBOOK..!!   Do you know why God didn’t give us the gift to read others’ minds? So that, We could have the chance to “TRUST”, And privilege to be “TRUSTED”!   As long as we don’t forgive people who have hurt us, They occupy a RENT-FREE SPACE IN OUR MIND!   Always keep hoping for good. Keep a green tree in your heart. The singing birds will automatically come..!   God always likes to know again and again what you want… It is not that He forgets your Dreams & Prayers; But He loves to check your passion towards your desire..!   I asked God: “If everything is already written in Destiny, then WHY should I pray?” God smiled and said: “I have also written- CONDITIONS APPLY…”!!!   Empty pockets teach millions of things in life… But full pockets spoil us in million ways !!!   No one in the world is afraid to speak the truth. Everybody is afraid to face the consequences after the truth is told!   Getting angry is punishing yourself for the mistakes of others!   Trust is like a STICKER. Once it is removed, it may stick again, But NOT as strong as it holds when you first applied it..! Always take care of relations.   Everything about the future is uncertain, But one thing is sure: God has already arranged all our tomorrows… We just have to TRUST HIM TODAY !!   NEVER win people with Arguments, rather defeat with your Smile! Because people who always wish to Argue with you, cannot bear your Silence !!!   The search for happiness is one of the main source of unhappiness.   Diplomacy is an art of telling people to go to hell in such a way that they tend to ask you for directions..!!   If a drop of water falls on a Lake, its identity is lost; If it falls on Lotus leaf, it shines like a Pearl. Drop is the same; but the company matters.   Our HOPES should be like Hair & Nails. No matter how many times they get cut, But they never stop growing.   “F-E-A-R” has two meanings: 1. Forget Everything And Run… 2. Face Everything And Rejoice..! Choice is ours..!!   If you walk the way guided by humans, you will find hopeless end; & if you walk the way guided by God, you will find endless hope.   Memories are always special… Sometimes we laugh by remembering the days we cried; And we cry by remembering the days we laughed…!!! That’s Life!   Sea is common for all… Some take pearls, Some take fishes, Some come out just with just wet legs! World is common to all; what we get, is what we try for!   To smile without condition, To walk without intention, To give without reason, & To care without expectation, Are the beauties of any Relation!   Life is very complicated… When you have standards, people call it ATTITUDE; When you are simple, people try to CHEAT you; & When you cheat others, people call you SMART!   All communication problems are because We don’t listen to understand; We listen to reply…!!!

ANGELS

ANGELS

Angels are personal spiritual beings who have intelligence, emotions, and will. This is true of both the good and evil angels (demons). Angels possess intelligence (Matthew 8:29; 2 Corinthians 11:3; 1 Peter 1:12), show emotion (Luke 2:13; James 2:19; Revelation 12:17), and exercise will (Luke 8:28-31; 2 Timothy 2:26; Jude 6). Angels are spirit beings (Hebrews 1:14) without true physical bodies. Although they do not have physical bodies, they are still personalities.

Because they are created beings, their knowledge is limited. This means they do not know all things as God does (Matthew 24:36). They do seem to have greater knowledge than humans, however, which may be due to three things. First, angels were created as an order of creatures higher than humans. Therefore, they innately possess greater knowledge. Second, angels study the Bible and the world more thoroughly than humans do and gain knowledge from it (James 2:19; Revelation 12:12). Third, angels gain knowledge through long observation of human activities. Unlike humans, angels do not have to study the past; they have experienced it. Therefore, they know how others have acted and reacted in situations and can predict with a greater degree of accuracy how we may act in similar circumstances.

Though they have wills, angels, like all creatures, are subject to the will of God. Good angels are sent by God to help believers (Hebrews 1:14). Here are some activities the Bible ascribes to angels:

They praise God (Psalm 148:1-2; Isaiah 6:3). They worship God (Hebrews 1:6; Revelation 5:8-13). They rejoice in what God does (Job 38:6-7). They serve God (Psalm 103:20; Revelation 22:9). They appear before God (Job 1:6; 2:1). They are instruments of God's judgments (Revelation 7:1; 8:2). They bring answers to prayer (Acts 12:5-10). They aid in winning people to Christ (Acts 8:26; 10:3). They observe Christian order, work, and suffering (1 Corinthians 4:9; 11:10; Ephesians 3:10; 1 Peter 1:12). They encourage in times of danger (Acts 27:23-24). They care for the righteous at the time of death (Luke 16:22).

Angels are an entirely different order of being than humans. Human beings do not become angels after they die. Angels will never become, and never were, human beings. God created the angels, just as He created humanity. The Bible nowhere states that angels are created in the image and likeness of God, as humans are (Genesis 1:26). Angels are spiritual beings that can, to a certain degree, take on physical form. Humans are primarily physical beings, but with a spiritual aspect. The greatest thing we can learn from the holy angels is their instant, unquestioning obedience to God’s commands.

HOLY SPIRIT PRAYERS

June/July 2014 - Vol. 74 First disciples gathered in prayer on the Day of Pentecost (Acts of the Apostles, Chapter 2) Come, Holy Spirit . a selection of prayers and invocations to the Spirit of God Intercession for the Feast of Pentecost prayer from the Taize Community O living God, come and make our souls temples of thy Spirit. Sanctify us, O Lord! Baptize thy whole Church with fire, that the divisions soon may cease, and that it may stand before the world as a pillar and buttress of thy truth. Sanctify us, O Lord! Grant us all the fruits of thy Holy Spirit: brotherly love, joy, peace, patience, goodwill and faithfulness. Sanctify us, O Lord! May the Holy Spirit speak by the voice of thy servants, here and everywhere, as they preach thy word. Sanctify us, O Lord! Send thy Holy Spirit, the comforter, to all who face adversity, or who are the victims of men's wickedness. Sanctify us, O Lord! Preserve all nations and their leaders from hatred and war, and build up a true community among nations, through the power of thy Spirit. Sanctify us, O Lord! Holy Spirit, Lord and source of life, giver of the seven gifts, Sanctify us, O Comforter. Spirit of wisdom and understanding, Spirit of counsel and strength, Sanctify us, O Comforter. Spirit of knowledge and devotion, Spirit of obedience to the Lord. Sanctify us, O Comforter. Come, Holy Spirit prayer for Liturgy of the Hours - Terce, by Ambrose of Milan (339-397 AD) Come, Holy Spirit, who ever One Are with the Father and the Son, It is the hour, our souls possess With your full flood of holiness. Let flesh, and heart, and lips and mind, Sound forth our witness to humankind; And love light up our mortal frame, Till others catch the living flame. Grant this, O Father, ever One With Christ, your sole begotten Son And Holy Spirit we adore, Reigning and blest forevermore. Amen. Prayer of St. Augustine (354-430 AD) Breathe in me, O Holy Spirit, that my thoughts may all be holy.  Act in me, O Holy Spirit, that my work, too, may be holy.  Draw my heart, O Holy Spirit, that I love but what is holy.  Strengthen me, O Holy Spirit, to defend all that is holy.  Guard me, then, O Holy Spirit, that I always may be holy. Amen. Prayer for the Indwelling of the Spirit by Augustine of Hippo (354-430 AD) Holy Spirit, powerful Consoler,  sacred Bond of the Father and the Son,  Hope of the afflicted,  descend into my heart and establish in it your loving dominion.  Enkindle in my tepid soul the fire of your Love  so that I may be wholly subject to you.  We believe that when you dwell in us,  you also prepare a dwelling for the Father and the Son.  Deign, therefore, to come to me, Consoler of abandoned souls,  and Protector of the needy.  Help the afflicted, strengthen the weak, a nd support the wavering.  Come and purify me.  Let no evil desire take possession of me.  You love the humble and resist the proud.  Come to me, glory of the living, and hope of the dying.  Lead me by your grace that I may always be pleasing to you. Amen.  Come Creator Spirit  hymn attributed to Rabanus Maurus in the 9th century (Pope John Paul II said this prayer every day)  Come, Holy Spirit, Creator blest, and in our souls take up Thy rest; come with Thy grace and heavenly aid to fill the hearts which Thou hast made. O comforter, to Thee we cry, O heavenly gift of God Most High, O fount of life and fire of love, and sweet anointing from above. Thou in Thy sevenfold gifts are known; Thou, finger of God's hand we own; Thou, promise of the Father, Thou Who dost the tongue with power imbue. Kindle our sense from above, and make our hearts o'erflow with love; with patience firm and virtue high the weakness of our flesh supply. Far from us drive the foe we dread, and grant us Thy peace instead; so shall we not, with Thee for guide, turn from the path of life aside. Oh, may Thy grace on us bestow the Father and the Son to know; and Thee, through endless times confessed, of both the eternal Spirit blest. Now to the Father and the Son, Who rose from death, be glory given, with Thou, O Holy Comforter, henceforth by all in earth and heaven. Amen. Speaking with God from the Depths of the Heart prayer 34,G from the Armenian Prayer Book of St. Gregory of Narek (951 –1003 AD) We always praise along with the Son and Father, the Holy Spirit, which is of the same essence, mighty, true, perfect, and hoily, wo from nothing brought into existence everything that exists, who acts through itself and shares rule with the other two, in the same indestructible, boundless kingdom, who is the first cause, the awesome Word of his selfhood. And the same exalted Holy Spirit, good ruler, who dispenses the gifts of the Father, in praise of the name and the glory the only begotten Son, who acted through the Laws and inspired the Prophets, with the encouragement of your co-equal Son commissioned your apostles. In the form of a dove you appeared at the River Jordan, for the greater glory of the one who had come, shone forth in the writings of the evangelists, created genius, strengthened the wise, filled the teachers, blessed the kingdom, assisted kings, appointed the guardians, issued the decrees of salvation, granted talents, prepared atonement, cleansed those baptized into Christ's death that you might dwell in them a sacrament performed jointly by the Father and Son with the Holy Spirit, who is God, honored as Lord, in all ways in all things. Prayer to the Holy Spirit from the Orthodox book of prayers Heavenly King, Comforter, Spirit of Truth; Present everywhere and filling all things. Treasury of blessings and giver of life, Come and abide in us. Cleanse us from every stain And save our souls, O Good One. Fire of the Spirit by Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179) Fire of the Spirit, life of the lives of creatures, spiral of sanctity, bond of all natures, glow of charity, lights of clarity, taste of sweetness to sinners-- be with us and hear us. Composer of all things, light of all the risen, key of salvation, release from the dark prison, hope of all unions, scope of chastities, joy in the glory, strong honor-- be with us and hear us.	.
Living Bulwark (c) copyright 2014  The Sword of the Spirit publishing address: Park Royal Business Centre, 9-17 Park Royal Road, Suite 108, London NW10 7LQ, United Kingdom email: living.bulwark@yahoo.com	.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 

COLLABORATIVE AND CREATIVE

COLLABORATIVE AND CREATIVE 

If the priest can let go of what some see as his inherited power and the people are prepared to be active participants rather than ‘consumers’, then a new model of parish can ensue.

Be bold and be creative! Pope Francis is inviting us to rethink our parishes’ goals, structures, style and methods of evangelisation. His powerful invitation follows   St John Paul II’s to engage with a New Evangelisation and Benedict XVI’s invitation to assume co-responsibility for mission.

Christians believe we are stewards of God’s resources. Everything we have belongs to God. We receive God’s gifts gratefully, cultivate them responsibly, share them lovingly in justice with others and return them with increase to the Lord. Parish leadership teams interested in exploring this stewardship model have to be courageous and visionary. For stewardship to work, clergy and laity must be willing and able to share trust, responsibility, ownership, development and accountability.
Among the key areas for evaluation are the spiritual, liturgical and ministerial dimensions of parish life. The social, financial and structural hinges of parish life are also significant areas for attention because they challenge the inherited and parochial routine which in some cases has become predictable, stagnant and ritualistic.  

 It is highly likely that many people in our parishes are totally unaware of the specific financial details that shape and dictate our current status. If transparency is part of the parish package, the absolute necessity of planned giving and fund-raising is perceived and understood in a shared context. When consumerism is replaced by ownership, and people know they belong, a very different model of parish is born. Awareness and education is a vital first step to transformation.

The concept of stewardship takes time, patience and effort to introduce and consoli­date. It is not a cosmetic quick-fix or surface exercise. Stewardship is a challenge to engage in a fairly extensive overhaul of the parochial system that has dictated and shaped parish practice for generations.

The pastoral implication of stewardship is that both priest and people are willing to embrace and establish a more pastoral procedure of systemic openness, collaboration and community development. There is a dual challenge here for the priest letting go of what may be perceived to be inherited power and the people recognising their opportunity, right and privilege to become more active participants in the body of Christ. Once the vision is owned and operational, the people of the parish are empowered to live out their baptismal calling. Management and maintenance issues can be assigned to competent laity, while the priests are set free to serve the “missio Dei” entrusted at ordination.

As Pentecost approaches, we are reminded again of the gifts given by the Spirit to the whole Church. Pentecost presents an ideal opportunity to focus on the vast jigsaw of gifts and charisms in our parish. The invitation of Pope Francis to undertake a resolute process of discernment, purification and reform is just too good to miss.

Alternatively, parishes could also use their patronal feast day to assemble the community, to name the strengths and weaknesses and prioritise the pastoral agenda. Establishing an annual evaluation day like this will certainly be challenging. Identifying the needs of the people, offering a sense of prayer, belonging and hospitality, goes a long way to bringing discernment and stewardship to life. Pope Francis, of course, draws attention to the fact that a lot depends on the openness and missionary creativity of the pastor as well as the community.
Together we are coming to realise that, fundamentally, stewardship is a process of growth into the life, teaching and person of Jesus of Nazareth. The Eucharist remains the cornerstone and compass for the entire journey. A key component of the stewardship journey is the realisation that everything in life is a gracious gift.