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Palm Sunday 2012

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Posted by Vineeta | Posted in | Posted on 10:13 PM

"So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying, "Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!" And Jesus found a young ass and sat upon it; as it is written, "Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your king is coming, sitting on an ass's colt (Jn 12:13-15)!"

Today we commemorate Christ's entry into Jerusalem for the completion of the Paschal Mystery. In the old calendar before Vatican II, the Church celebrated Passion Sunday two Sundays before Easter, and then Palm Sunday was the beginning of Holy Week. The Church has combined the two to reinforce the solemnity of Holy Week.

The Palm Sunday procession is formed of Christians who, in the "fullness of faith," make their own the gesture of the Jews and endow it with its full significance. Following the Jews' example we proclaim Christ as a Victor... Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord. But by our faith we know, as they did not, all that His triumph stands for. He is the Messiah, the Son of David and the Son of God. He is the sign of contradiction, acclaimed by some and reviled by others. Sent into this world to wrest us from sin and the power of Satan, He underwent His Passion, the punishment for our sins, but issues forth triumphant from the tomb, the victor over death, making our peace with God and taking us with Him into the kingdom of His Father in heaven.

The Power of Psalms - Are you fearful?

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Posted by Vineeta | Posted in | Posted on 1:53 AM



Are you fearful?      


Read Psalms 23, 56 or 91


Psalm 23
A Psalm of David. The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness For His name's sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You have anointed my head with oil; My cup overflows. Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.



Psalm 56
For the choir director; according to Jonath elem rehokim. A Mikhtam of David, when the Philistines seized him in Gath. Be gracious to me, O God, for man has trampled upon me; fighting all day long he oppresses me. My foes have trampled upon me all day long, for they are many who fight proudly against me. When I am afraid, I will put my trust in You. In God, whose word I praise, In God I have put my trust; I shall not be afraid. What can mere man do to me? All day long they distort my words; all their thoughts are against me for evil. They attack, they lurk, they watch my steps, as they have waited to take my life. Because of wickedness, cast them forth, in anger put down the peoples, O God! You have taken account of my wanderings; put my tears in Your bottle. Are they not in Your Book?



Then my enemies will turn back in the day when I call; this I know, that God is for me. In God, whose word I praise, In the Lord, whose word I praise, In God I have put my trust, I shall not be afraid. What can man do to me? Your vows are binding upon me, O God; I will render thank offerings to You. For You have delivered my soul from death, Indeed my feet from stumbling, So that I may walk before God In the light of the living.



Psalm 91
He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, "My refuge and my fortress, My God, in whom I trust!" For it is He who delivers you from the snare of the trapper and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with His pinions, and under His wings you may seek refuge; His faithfulness is a shield and bulwark. You will not be afraid of the terror by night, or of the arrow that flies by day; of the pestilence that stalks in darkness, or of the destruction that lays waste at noon. A thousand may fall at your side and ten thousand at your right hand, but it shall not approach you. You will only look on with your eyes and see the recompense of the wicked.



For you have made the Lord, my refuge, even the Most High, your dwelling place. No evil will befall you, nor will any plague come near your tent. For He will give His angels charge concerning you, to guard you in all your ways. They will bear you up in their hands, that you do not strike your foot against a stone. You will tread upon the lion and cobra, the young lion and the serpent you will trample down. "Because he has loved Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him securely on high, because he has known My name. "He will call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him. "With a long life I will satisfy him and let him see My Salvation.

The Power of Psalms - Are you seeking a life partner, income or recovery of some kind?

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Posted by Vineeta | Posted in | Posted on 1:52 AM

Most of the Psalms are prayers composed by King David, who is buried on Mt. Zion just above the Wailing Wall. Some of them are songs of thanksgiving and others are prayers. Psalms are said to be so powerful that they can open up many channels to blessings that can come your way.  Different Psalms have different strengths and are appropriate for different prayers.  Your prayer messenger will be reciting some of the Psalms that are most powerful in your life situation.  Many people find it comforting to recite a Psalm when going through difficult times or seeking an answer to prayer. Below are just a few that you may find helpful to recite in conjunction with your 40 day prayer journey.




 Are you seeking a life partner, income or recovery of some kind?
Read Psalms 20, 21 and 32


Psalm 20
For the leader. A Psalm of David. The LORD will answer you on a day of trouble; the name of the God of Jacob set you up on high; Send your help from the sanctuary, and support you out of Zion; Recall of all your meal-offerings, and accept the fat of your burnt-sacrifice; Selah He shall grant you according to your heart, and fulfil all your counsel. We will shout for joy in your victory, and in the name of our God we will set up our standards; the LORD fulfil all your petitions. Now know I that the LORD saves His anointed; He will answer him from His holy heaven with the mighty acts of His saving right hand. Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; but we will recall of the name of the LORD our God. They are bowed down and fallen; but we are upright, and standing. Save, LORD; let the King answer us on the day that we call.



Psalm 21
For the Leader. A Psalm of David. O LORD, in Your strength the king rejoices; and in Your salvation how greatly does he exult! You have given him his heart's desire, and the request of his lips You have not withheld. Selah For You meet him with choicest blessings; You set a crown of fine gold on his head. He asked life of You, You gave it him; even length of days for ever and ever. His glory is great through Your salvation; honor and majesty You lay upon him. For YOu make him most blessed for ever; You make him glad with joy in Your presence. For the king trusts in the LORD, yea, in the mercy of the Most High; he shall not be moved. Your hand shall be equal to all Your enemies; Your right hand shall overtake those that hate You. You shall make them as a fiery furnace in the time of Your anger; the LORD shall swallow them up in His wrath, and the fire shall devour them. Their fruit shall You destroy from the earth, and their seed from among the children of men. For they intended evil against You, they imagined a device, wherewith they shall not prevail. For You shall make them turn their back, You shall make ready with Your bowstrings against the face of them. Be exalted, O LORD, in Your strength; so will we sing and praise Your Power.



Psalm 32
A Psalm of David. Maskil. Happy is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is pardoned. Happy is the man unto whom the LORD does not ascribe to him iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit. When I kept silence, my bones wore away through my groaning all the day long. For day and night Thy hand was heavy upon me my sap was turned as in the droughts of summer. Selah. I acknowledged my sin unto Thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid; I said: 'I will make confession concerning my transgressions unto the LORD and Thou, Thou forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah. For this let everyone that is Godly pray unto Thee in a time when Thou may be found; surely, when the great waters overflow, they will not reach unto him. Thou art my hiding-place; Thou wilt preserve me from the adversary; with songs of deliverance Thou wilt compass me about. Selah. I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shall go; I will give counsel, Mine eye being upon thee. Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding; whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, that they come not near unto thee. Many are the sorrows of the wicked; but he that trusts in the LORD, mercy surrounds him. Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, ye righteous; and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart.




Jesus Death On Cross : The Greatest Love Story Of All Times

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Posted by Vineeta | Posted in | Posted on 3:38 AM



(Reflection of Good Friday)


Gospel :



When Jesus had finished speaking, he went with his disciples to the other side of the Kidron Valley. There was a garden there where Jesus entered with his disciples.

Now Judas, who betrayed him knew the place since Jesus had often met there with his disciples. He led soldiers of the Roman battalion and guards from the chief priests and Pharisees, who went there with lanterns, torches and weapons.

Jesus knew all that was going to happen to him; he stepped forward and asked, “Who are you looking for?” They answered, “Jesus the Nazarene.” Jesus said. “I am he.” Judas, who betrayed him, stood there with them.

When Jesus said, “I am he,” they moved back and fell to the ground. He then asked a second time, “Who are you looking for?” and they answered, “Jesus the Nazarene.” Jesus replied, “I told you that I am he. If you are looking for me, let these others go.” So what Jesus had said came true: “I have not lost one of those you gave me.” (John 18: 1-19:42)



My favorite verse in the Bible is John 3:16 – “ For God so loved the world that He gave His only son.” This verse is the core event of the greatest LOVE STORY of all times. What Jesus did in the cross is the greatest symbol of LOVE and SACRIFICE. Jesus is the true manifestation of the Love of the Father for us.
We as human cannot redeem our own humanity from SIN because whom we disobeyed is divine. Thus, we can only be saved by someone who is also divine in nature. God does not want us to be continuously drowned to sin.  So He sends his Son to redeem us from darkness and that heaven be opened again to everyone. This will be done through the passion, death, and resurrection of his own Son.

Jesus does the will of the Father with all of his heart. Thus, he is not afraid even in death. He loves the Father. And that love is also the same love that he feels for us. He is so determined to do the will of the Father for us to be saved and bring back again to light. In the Gospel, Jesus shows so much courage that he tells everyone who are seeking for him, “I am he”. Even if being “Jesus of Nazarene”entails suffering, he still says with much conviction, “I told you that I am he.” He is ready to take his passion just to show to us how he and the Father love us much.
In the gospel also, we would learned that Jesus protects those who followed him.“If you are looking for me, let these others go.” He does not want his disciples to suffer the way he will have to. Jesus gives what is due to those obey the divine will.

We have also crosses in our life but at that time of him, Jesus just allowed us to see how to carry them. He gives us the example on how to embrace the cross that is given to us. There are times that we feel that Jesus is sharing us his suffering not really to make us punished but to make us strong in life because every suffering has the value of elevating our life.  




Every suffering is an opportunity to maturity. It is a way of even saving our life from the things that are sometimes unknown to us. But definitely, Jesus shares a cross to us to make us live again the way the Father planned for us. Every cross that we take is a way to resurrection to a new life.




The greatest love story of all times is not just about the crucifixion of Jesus. As I realized, one sweetest moment that is happening in the paschal mystery of Christ is the transcending meeting point of the humanity and of the Father at the cross wherein from the heart of Jesus flowed the blood that blesses the earth once again. Jesus is the meeting persona where the dead world is being lived again. When Jesus said “It is done”, it means that humanity is worthy again of the Love and Life Everlasting with the Father.



  

Happy Mothers Day

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Posted by Vineeta | Posted in | Posted on 2:47 PM



Deuteronomy 5:16 - New American Standard Bible (NASB)
 (A)Honor your father and your mother, as the LORD your God has commanded you, (B)that your days may be prolonged and that it may go well with you on the land which the LORD your God gives you.


The Many Faces O' Jesus

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Posted by Vineeta | Posted in | Posted on 2:25 PM


There is that common artist’s concept of what Jesus’ face looks like. I’m not sure who started it all, but usually each version ends up having similar features. You know….the long brown hair, a well trimmed beard, slender face and nose, big compassionate eyes (usually blue). Well, to tell you the honest truth, I don’t buy into most of that. The fact is that none of us really know what the incarnate Christ looked like when He walked among us.
Tonight, as I prepare to lie down to rest, and I close my eyes to sleep, I will be seeing the face of Jesus. That’s right, I saw His face today, and it occurred to me that I’d seen Him before on many occasions and He always looks different each time.
This afternoon, the face of Jesus had the same features, lines, scars, color and expressions as the face of the homeless man in the hanging around the bus terminal, not waiting for the bus but for a meal.
Today, I looked into the face of a man named Noor and it was the face of Jesus. I’ve seen that face before. Each time I see Him the face is never the same. I saw the face of Jesus in Raipur Road and He was a young  man. I saw Jesus’ face multiplied times at the drop-in centre off many Street. I saw Jesus grinning hugely on the face of a big, burly baker named Subu, the first time he led someone to receive Christ as their Savior. Through the tears, I saw Jesus in the face of my friend, John when he was lifted out of the baptistery waters in the local church.
Yep, I am well acquainted with the face of my Lord, but He always seems to take pleasure in surprising me. How do I know its Jesus? He told us how to recognize Him …..”I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.”
By the way, in a couple of weeks, I will be meeting that young man again. So if you’re there with me you’ll get a chance to see Jesus’ face too. When you do, take a long look because next time He won’t look the same. Once you’ve seen Jesus face however, you’ll always be watching…waiting…and looking to see Him again..... At least I hope you will…………

Our Father

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Posted by Vineeta | Posted in | Posted on 8:22 AM



Our Father, who art in heaven
hallowed be thy Name, 

thy kingdom come, 
thy will be done, 

on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those 
who trespass against us. 
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, 
and the power, and the glory, 
for ever and ever. 
Amen.
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