Liar, liar, designer pants on fire

Getting married in Bombay society - and I suspect most societies in urban India - is nothing short of a grand production. Nia Vardalos should have thanked God for her big fat Greek wedding, which is nothing compared to our over-the-top, ridiculously ostentatious weddings.

There are a *great* many things to be thankful for in our weddings - like the many family and friends who genuinely wish the couple well - but sadly a few things also mar the blessed occasion.

I have been shocked to hear the questions my family and I have been asked - right from which vendors we are using, to how much we are paying for *everything* - not because people are genuinely interested to find out details for their own functions - but just to boast that *they* have sourced better vendors, or they are spending (or have spent) much more on their weddings!

This horrible, petty, competitiveness that exists - consciously or not - is not only for weddings, but also for routine parties.

Something I’ve noticed more and more of late, is the way so many people lie about the designers they wear or about the amount of money they have spent on clothes or jewelery.

What’s even sadder than hearing someone lie about which designer has made the sari they’re wearing / which designers they buy their clothes from / which jeweler is their best friend / how much they’ve spent on something when you haven’t asked - is the fact that almost *everyone* knows that these same people are lying. How horrible it is to have a friend look at your face and lie to you so easily!

It’s so sad that these are the same people who’ll tell you that another is lying about the designer they’re supposed to be wearing and about how much they paid for the thing!

While growing up, my dad & mum often told my sister & me that people who lie, get caught in their lies. That you can never remember lies you’ve told and you’ll eventually be caught out. Dad often reminded us of the saying that “you can lie to some people all the time, all people some of the time, but not to all people, all the time”.

All very good reasons to tell the truth.

But besides not getting caught, there’s one more reason to tell the truth.

This is because JESUS is the Truth.  So when we tell the truth, we emulate Jesus!

And sadly, the opposite is also true - when we lie, we emulate the devil.

This is not just my opinion (or my parents), but from the Bible.

We read in John 8:44

“You belong to your father, the devil … He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies”

What strong words! Our father — the devil??! God forbid.

And yet, we lie, daily, so naturally. To people’s faces. And after that we attend Mass, we go to prayer meetings, we raise our hands and “worship” the Lord.

Revelation 21:8 tells us very clearly

But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.

I do not write this from a righteous point of view. I have to admit that I too find myself struggling to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth on a daily basis. Especially since society accepts “white lies” (there is no such thing before God!) as a-ok!

However we need to be conscious of whether we are telling the TRUTH in everything.

We have to be conscious about WHY we lie:

• to save our reputations?
• to impress people?
• to show off that we’re better than other people?
• “just because”?

Are any of these reasons good enough to lose eternal life for?

I challenge you to NOT LIE for 24 HOURS. Just start with one single day. Consciously monitor if your “my dog ate my homework” attitude has seeped into your adult life at work or in society.

It’s more difficult a challenge than you would think. I know - I’ve tried it and failed. But the trick is, when we fail, to confess with an honestly contrite heart - and then to try again.

Truth shouldn’t only be the Best policy - it should be our Only one.

Padre Pio on How to Conduct Oneself during Holy Mass

The following is a letter from St. Padre Pio with instructions on a certain Annita on Conduct during Holy Mass. We can all learn a lot from the same! 1st edition (English version), Fr. Alessio Parente, O.F.M. Cap., Editor; Edizioni Padre Pio da Pietrelcina, Our Lady of Grace Capuchin Friary, San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy, 1994, Translated by Geraldine Nolan, pp. 88-92

Beloved daughter of Jesus,

May Jesus and our Mother always smile on your soul, obtaining for it, from Her most holy Son, all the heavenly charisms!

I am writing to you for two reasons: to answer some more questions from your last letter, and to wish you a very happy names-day in the most sweet Jesus, full of all the most special heavenly graces. Oh! If Jesus granted my prayers for you or, better still, if only my prayers were worthy of being granted by Jesus! However, I increase them a hundredfold for your consolation and salvation, begging Jesus to grant them, not for me but through the heart of his paternal goodness and infinite mercy.

In order to avoid irreverence and imperfections in the house of God, in church — which the Divine Master calls the “house of prayer” — I exhort you in the Lord to practice the following:

Enter the church in silence and with great respect, considering yourself unworthy to appear before the Lord’s Majesty. Among other pious considerations, remember that our soul is the temple of God and, as such, we must keep it pure and spotless before God and his angels.

Let us blush for having given access to the devil and his snares many times (with his enticements to the world, his pomp, his calling to the flesh) by not being able to keep our hearts pure and our bodies chaste; for having allowed our enemies to insinuate themselves into our hearts, thus desecrating the temple of God which we became through holy Baptism.

Then take Holy Water and make the Sign of the Cross carefully and slowly.

As soon as you are before God in the Blessed Sacrament, devoutly genuflect. Once you have found your place, kneel down and render the tribute of your presence and devotion to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. Confide all your needs to Him along with those of others. Speak to Him with filial abandonment, give free rein to your heart, and give Him complete freedom to work in you as He thinks best.

When assisting at Holy Mass and the sacred functions, be very composed when standing up, kneeling down, and sitting, and carry out every religious act with the greatest devotion. Be modest in your glances; don’t turn your head here and there to see who enters and leaves. Don’t laugh, out of reverence for this holy place and also out of respect for those who are near you. Try not to speak to anybody, except when charity or strict necessity requests this.

If you pray with others, say the words of the prayer distinctly, observe the pauses well, and never hurry.

In short, behave in such a way that all present are edified by it and, through you, are urged to glorify and love the heavenly Father.

On leaving the church, you should be recollected and calm. Firstly take your leave of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament; ask his forgiveness for the shortcomings committed in his Divine presence and do not leave him without asking for and having received his paternal blessing.

Once you are outside the church, be as every follower of the Nazarene should be. Above all, be extremely modest in everything, as this is the virtue which, more than any other, reveals the affections of the heart.

Nothing represents an object more faithfully or clearly than a mirror. In the same way, nothing more widely represents the good or bad qualities of a soul than the greater or lesser regulation of the exterior, as when one appears more or less modest.

You must be modest in speech, modest in laughter, modest in your bearing, modest in walking. All this must be practiced, not out of vanity in order to display one’s self, nor out of hypocrisy in order to appear to be good to the eyes of others, but rather, for the internal virtue of modesty, which regulates the external workings of the body.

Therefore, be humble of heart, circumspect in words, prudent in your resolutions. Always be sparing in your speech, assiduous in good reading, attentive in your work, modest in your conversation.

Don’t be disgusting to anybody but be benevolent towards all and respectful towards your elders. May any sinister glance be far from you, may no daring word escape your lips, may you never carry out any immodest or somewhat free action; never a rather free action or a petulant tone of voice.

In short let your whole exterior be a vivid image of the composure of your soul.

Always keep the modesty of the Divine Master before your eyes, as an example; this Master who, according to the words of the Apostle to the Corinthians, placing the modesty of Jesus Christ on an equal footing with meekness, which was his one particular virtue and almost his characteristic: “Now I Paul myself beseech you, by the mildness and modesty of Christ” [Douay-Rheims, 2 Corinthians 10:1], and according to such a perfect model reform all your external operations, which should be faithful reflections revealing the affections of your interior.

Never forget this Divine model, Annita. Try to see a certain lovable majesty in His Presence, a certain pleasant authority in his manner of speaking, a certain pleasant dignity in walking, in contemplating, speaking, conversing; a certain sweet serenity of face.

Imagine that extremely composed and sweet expression with which he drew the crowds, making them leave cities and castles, leading them to the mountains, the forests, to the solitude and deserted beaches of the sea, totally forgetting food, drink and their domestic duties.

Thus let us try to imitate, as far as we possibly can, such modest and dignified actions. And let us do our utmost to be, as far as possible, similar to him on this earth, in order that we might be more perfect and more similar to him for the whole of eternity in the heavenly Jerusalem.

I end here as I am unable to continue, recommending that you never forget me before Jesus, especially during these days of extreme affliction for me. I expect the same charity from the excellent Francesca to whom you will have the kindness to give, in my name, assurances of my extreme interest in seeing her grow always more in Divine love. I hope she will do me the charity of making a novena of Communions for my intentions.

Don’t worry if you are unable to answer my letter for the moment. I know everything so don’t worry.

I take my leave of you in the holy kiss of the Lord. I am always your servant.

Fra Pio, Capuchin

Musings from Staten Island

There she stood magnificent and glorious. At the gateway to the city which is arguably the gateway to the world. The lady ‘who never sleeps’ watching over ‘the city that never sleeps’. I still can vividly see in my mind’s eye the image during my visit to New York a couple of weeks ago when I paid a visit to the lady. With the symbol of hope in her hand – hope for a hurting and hopeless world.

And yet all eyes were focused on the lady across the river.

While thousands, in fact millions, visit the lady with the torch a.k.a. the Statue of Liberty, there was not a single visitor at the time I paid a visit to the church of Our Lady of the Rosary across the street from the Staten Island ferry terminal. Granted it was an odd hour of the day but the contrast was indeed dramatic; at that very hour hundreds were pouring into ferries / cruises to marvel at one of the most universal symbols of Freedom and Democracy, while the lady that gave birth to the ‘One Who sets us absolutely free’, often goes unnoticed.

The month of October is indeed a blessed month – a month dedicated to praying for the Missions as well as the month of the Holy Rosary. Pope Paul VI was abundantly clear and direct, saying “To evangelize is the grace and vocation proper to the Church, her profound identity” (Evangelium Nuntiandi, no. 14).

And so this month we pray for missions and missionaries all over the world, especially for the land of the Americas (Canada, USA and Mexico) – the land that is at the forefront of global economic and political power; a land in a position of tremendous influence and yet increasingly gripped by a culture of death.

We pray though the intercession of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the patroness of the Americas and the patroness of the pro-life movement. And providentially we are not the only ones praying for the Americas at this time. During these months, culminating on Dec 12th the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, a group known as the Knights of Columbus are conducting ‘the running of the rose’, wherein three silver roses (representing the prayers and devotion of the people of Canada, USA and Mexico) will be carried across the length and breadth of the Americas. This year there are 3 roses travelling simultaneously starting in Ontario and then travelling on the west coast, central United States and the east coast. All three roses will meet at the same time in Texas to travel over the International Bridge and thereon to the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe. May Mary unite all our prayers that America desires and comes under the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

We also remember in our prayer, missionaries in our own motherland and pray for those who are persecuted for their faith in Christ. We pray of ourselves that we transformed by the ‘renewal of our minds’ (Rom 12:2), as each one of us, who are baptised, is called to be a proclaimer of the Good News – by our words and more importantly by our very lives. May St Teresa, patroness of missions, be an example of joyfully offering our ‘ordinary’ daily lives for the Gospel.

We also gratefully thank the Holy Spirit, the chief agent of evangelisation, for the graces rained down on all the pilgrims He ministered to through the volunteers at the Proclamation Outreach at Mount Mary’s Basilica. What marvels the Lord worked for us; indeed we are glad. (Ps 125:3). Praise you, O Lord of the Harvest.

Former Bangkok Prostitute testifies

This is the deliverance story of a slum dweller from Bangkok, who was delivered from abuse, polygamy, prostitution, guilt, abortion & suicidal thoughts. Compiled by Vachiravan Vanlaeiad. Her name is omitted here for the sake of privacy.

I was born in a Bangkok slum. As far as I can remember, my father had constantly abused my mother, both physically and verbally. My father was a low ranking military man and my mother a dressmaker and food vendor. We were very poor. To make matters worse, my father had a minor wife, depriving us of his financial support.

Since the very beginning, I had developed the feeling of extreme hatred towards my father. He had also disliked me, resulting in regularly kicking me in the face. My feeling of utter dislike had been increasing as time went by. I tried my very best to avoid him: hiding under the bed, etc., and was very glad every time he went to visit his minor wife. As a result, I was condemned by my mother that I was an ungrateful daughter, that I would never have a better life, and that hell was surely the most suitable place for me in the afterlife.

I had led a very hard life since childhood. My mother woke me up at 4 am. in the mornings to help her prepare and sell food to students at the slum school (Prateep Ungsongtham Hata’s Learning Center). Every time following my parents’ quarrel, my mother always expressed her anger, distress, and resentment by beating me up, sometimes to the point of drawing blood. This would make me hate my father more as well as feel very sorry for my mother.

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Reflections on the Lord’s Transfiguration

The Transfiguration of Christ celebrates the revelation of Christ’s divine glory on Mount Tabor in Galilee. After revealing to His disciples that He would be put to death in Jerusalem (Matthew
16:21), Christ, along with Ss. Peter, James, and John, went up the mountain. There, St. Matthew writes;

“He was transfigured before them. And his face did shine as the sun: and his garments became white as snow.”

Are we prepared to see God’s glory? God is eager to share his glory with us! We get a glimpse of this when some of the disciples see Jesus transfigured in glory on a high mountain as we see in today’s gospel
passage. Luke’s gospel tells us that while Jesus was transfigured, Peter, James, and John were asleep (Luke 9:32)! Upon awakening they discovered Jesus in glory along with Moses and Elijah.

How much do we miss of God’s glory and action because we are asleep spiritually?

There are many things which can keep our minds asleep to the things of God. The life of ease can also hinder us from considering the challenging or disturbing demands of Christ. Peter, James, and John were privileged witnesses of the glory of Christ. We, too, as disciples of Christ are called to be witnesses of his glory. The Lord wants to reveal his glory to us, his beloved disciples.

Let us seek his presence with faith and reverence.

The Meaning of ‘Pastoral Care’

There’s a state where men are men and the sheep are nervous.  But we’ll leave that to show that anyone with a staff can be a shepherd.  To lead people, one needs to be a good shepherd like Jesus who would search for the lost sheep then carry it on his shoulders when it’s too tired to walk back.

Tax collectors and whores were like lost sheep and Jesus went after them. He drank with Matthew and allowed Mary to touch him by letting her wipe his feet with her hair. But after that, he asked them to change, “Follow me.  Sin no more.”  He didn’t stop at the drinking and touching.  This is his way of shepherding  – his pastoral method. And while the first part is easy, popular and politically savvy, the follow through is the one that saves.

Some church leaders today get stuck in the first step – seeing, hearing and doing no evil.  But they conveniently justify their inaction as being pastoral to the detriment of the sinner and those affected by his actions. Consider the 60 million children in the US who were brutally slaughtered in their mothers’ wombs because, the supporters and legislators of abortion laws are permitted by their pastors to receive Holy Communion.
If these pols are ignorant about their responsibilities to defend life, how pastoral is it to tacitly look the other way?  If these pols knew the errors of their ways, how pastoral is it to simply let them be?  Either way is to grease the slippery slope to eternal perdition. And with the condemned will be their pastors who were too distracted to notice, too preoccupied to understand,  too lazy to correct, too timid to confront or too scared to discipline.

The pastoral way of the Incarnate God is loving because it is real; and to be real is to be truthful. It does not call evil - good and good - evil.  To be loving without upholding the truth is to be like a dotting parent who spoils the child into a brat. Yet, it proclaims the truth in love.  To uphold the truth without love is to forget that the law was for man and not man for the law.

October 2010

(We apologise for publishing our intercessions late this month - I have pre-dated it here while loading so it shows 1st October as the date of posting. I really hope you pray all the intentions of the days missed as well! Remember God is never in our debt - when you pray for others, He will repay you abundantly!)

Daily Intercessions through the Word of God – April 2010

Sanctuary Intercessors – India Branch of FBB
International Catholic Charismatic Missionary Intercessors of the Fellowship of the Burning Bush (FBB)
The ‘Intercession Diary’ has the approval and blessings of the Bishops’ Team of the Archdiocese and contains intentions of our Cardinal and the Bishops

(Join us in agreement to intercede each day according to the Scriptures, ask the Holy Spirit how to pray to actualize God’s promises in each situation)

Day/Date Interceding According to the Mind of Christ
Fri
1/10/2010 1 Cor 10:31 So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God
Feast of St. Therese of the Child Jesus, Virgin and Doctor, Patroness of the Missions. Saint Therese of the Child Jesus preferred the anonymity of the cloister. She never went on ‘missions’, never founded a religious order, never performed ‘great works’. In the brief 24 years that she lived on this earth, her graces touched the lives of so many. She was devoted to simplicity and the accomplishment of small dutie, in the service of God. In this month dedicated to the Missions, we ask God to give us the grace to offer all the things we do during the course of the day, however small and insignificant they may be, for the salvation of the world and the strengthening of His Church. This month we focus our prayers for missionary work, with a specific emphasis on the Americas. We also focus on praying the Rosary, that it may once again be a time of prayer to bring the whole family together. Let us also pray specially for missionary work in our nation

Sat
2/10/2010 Ps 91:11 For he will give his angels charge of you to guard you in all your ways
Feast of the Holy Guardian Angels. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states, ‘Beside each believer stands an angel as protector and shepherd leading him to life’ (CCC 336). Let us constantly ask for their protection against all the wiles of the enemy and pray – Angel of God, my guardian dear, to whom God’s love commits me here, ever this day, be at my side, to light and guard, rule and guide. Amen

Sun
3/10/2010 Matt 10:28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell
We lift up areas in our country, especially Karnataka, where violence against Christians is on the rise; may God restrain the designs of the evil forces operating there so that His people may be able to live in peace and that the Gospel reaches all peoples. Pray for persecutors also

Mon
4/10/2010 Matt 6:33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well
As the church celebrates the feast of St. Francis of Assisi, Founder of the Franciscans - we pray through his intercession that the youth in the Americas may have an experience, like him, of renouncing worldly values to follow Christ. We also pray very specially for youth animators in parishes all over the Americas that they would be role models, another Christ for the youth to imitate. For this XLIII World Day of Peace, Pope Benedict VI has chosen the theme: If You Want to Cultivate Peace, Protect Creation. As St. Francis is also the Patron Saint of Ecology and the Environment, we pray for our city and world suffering from pollution and global warming

Tue
5/10/2010 John 10:10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly
Today is pro-life Day; say this prayer for United States of America which is in the clutches of a culture of death, that God would reverse this anti-life attitude - Father, we beg Your blessing for the Right to Life, the Unborn, the weak, the sick and the old; all who are finding themselves being targets of the vicious culture of death; that our Lord Jesus bless and protect all who stand up for the Christian dignity of persons. Enlighten those who are traveling down death’s highway by their involvement, in any way, with either the contemporary death culture, selfism, relativism, or any of the new age errors of our times. Help America to turn from the sin of abortion and return to Christ, and once again become a Christian nation, on the narrow road, that is, the path to becoming a nation and culture under God. Amen

Wed
6/10/2010 Matt 9:32 So every one who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven
We pray for Christian missionaries working in very hostile, trying and difficult situations all over the world; may they see the fruit of their labour and in times of loneness and despair; may the comforter the Holy Spirit, strengthen and console them to press on and not give up for Christ’s sake. We also seek God’s Hand of favour and protection on each one of them as they labour to bring people into God’s kingdom

Thu
7/10/2010 Luke 1:37 For with God nothing will be impossible
Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary - In 1571 Pope Pius V instituted ‘Our Lady of Victory’ an annual feast to commemorate the victory of Lepanto, for the success of the mission of the Holy League to hold back Muslim forces from overrunning Western Europe. In 1573, Pope Gregory XIII changed the title of this feast day to ‘Feast of the Holy Rosary’ - through the intercession of Our Lady of Guadalupe, may the Lord block every attack of the enemy against the Church and her people in the Americas. Pray the Rosary today for the Pope’s intentions

Fri
8/10/2010 2 Chro 7:14 If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land
We fast today for the Americas as we begin a nine day novena tomorrow, that the Gospel which was brought to these lands amidst much hardship, sacrifice and sufferings by the early missionaries, may through their intercession continue to bear much fruit in our times and that out of every evil influence and culture that prevails there, God would raise up many God fearing men and women to once again bring back the Gospel. Each day of this Novena the following should be prayed - the Invocation for that day, the Refrain and an Our Father, 3 Hail Marys and a Glory be. Refrain: O Lady of Guadalupe, pray for the Church in America for a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit

Sat
9/10/2010 1 Pet 1:16 Since it is written, You shall be holy, for I am holy
Invocation Day 1: Mary, Mother of Jesus, hear the prayer for the Church in N. America – Canada, USA and Mexico, a people rich in promise, a people much in need of God’s mercy and grace. As you brought forth Jesus to the world, draw them to Christ. We pray for holy priests who would use the gifts and charisms of the Holy Spirit for building the kingdom and that their lives would reflect lasting fruit

Sun
10/10/2010 Exod 20:8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy
Invocation Day 2: Mary, Mother of America, hear the many voices of their land pleading for the mercy of your Son, seeking the shepherd’s voice to lead them on the right path. Hear the praise of your sons and daughters and bid your Son to free them from the scourges of sinful addiction – drugs, alcohol, sexual promiscuity, pornography, materialism, hedonism, homosexuality, gambling, occult, rock culture, selfishness, want etc. Pray that the Lord would raise up spirit filled workers in His vineyard to spread the Gospel of hope

Mon
11/10/2010 Isa 1:19 If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land
Invocation Day 3: Mary, Mother of Compassion, hear the prayer of those most in need of God’s mercy. Hear the little child whose belly hungers, the old man with no one to love, the mother tempted to abandon/abort her child. Pray for them to the author of life, that the Fruit of your womb may save and protect them. Pray for a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit to dispel those lands from the culture of death

Tue
12/10/2010 Ezek 36:25-26 I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you
Invocation Day 4: Mary, Mother of Conversion, pray to your Son for the virtue of hope among youth, that He frees them from doubt and gives them the courage to be children of God. Pray that the light of the world may dispel the darkness of fear, remaking their stony hearts in the image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus your Son. Pray for a renewal of faith to sweep over the Church, especially bishops and priests

Wed
13/10/2010 Ps 33:12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord
Invocation Day 5: Mary, Mother of all Saints, pray for your children in America. Pray for those who seek to imitate your example in humble service to the Gospel of Life and the poorest of the poor. Pray that your Son may lead them from the darkness of sin to the light of His eternal glory. Pray also for vocations to the priesthood and religious life and for discernment for the youth to have the mind of Christ

Thu
14/10/2010 John 17:21 That they may all be one; even as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that thou hast sent me
Invocation Day 6: Mary, Mother of Unity, intercede for the Church in America, that the many Christian denominations may be gathered together to form the one people of the New Covenant. Pray for humility among Christian leaders not to seek their own will and glory but strive for the greater glory of God. Mother of the human race, ask your Son to pour out upon them a spirit of compassion and solidarity

Fri
15/10/2010 1 John 4:7 Beloved, let us love one another; for love is of God, and he who loves is born of God and knows God
Invocation Day 7: Mary, Mother of the Church, help the Church in these lands to follow your example of sublime love and profound humility. With you, may they be obedient to the commandment of love, and give themselves whole heartedly to seeking the glory of Christ and serving the needs of their brethren. Pray for a spirit of self sacrifice, penance and prayer for every Christian in America

Sat
16/10/2010 John 4:24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth
Invocation Day 8: Mary, Mother of all Christians, hear the prayers of all who worship the Name of your Son, Jesus, their hope and salvation. Through your intercession, may the Church enjoy unbroken peace and may politicians never detract from the founding fathers of this nation who prepared the constitution keeping the Word of God as its foundation. Protect her from the powers of darkness and deceit

Sun
17/10/2010 1 Tim 4:2 Preach the word, be urgent in season and out of season, convince, rebuke, and exhort, be unfailing in patience and in teaching
Mission Sunday- Reminds us of our call to evangelize in word and by our lives. Let us be exhorted by the words of Pope Paul VI: “To evangelize, is the grace and vocation proper to the Church, her profound identity” (Evangelium nuntiandi, no. 14). The Holy Spirit is the chief agent of evangelization…. Lord pour your Spirit afresh on each one of us

Mon
18/10/2010 Lam 3:22 The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end
Day 9: God of power and mercy, you blessed the Americas with the presence of the Virgin Mary of Guadalupe. By her prayers enable all people in the Church to accept each other as brothers and sisters. Instill justice in their hearts that your peace may reign in the world. We pray for the policies of the governments in America especially USA, that they will use their power and position to facilitate peace and truth

Tue
19/10/2010 Jer 29:7 But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you.. pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare
Keep this day as a day of thanksgiving - giving thanks to the Lord for our city, the government, the municipal corporation and the bureaucrats that govern our city, all the amenities we enjoy, the many schools and colleges that offer our children education to build their future, for the many job opportunities and for the freedom to preach the Gospel. Pray the Rosary today for protection of Mumbai from evil

Wed
20/10/2010 1 Tim 2: 1-2 I ask that supplications, prayers, petitions, and thanksgivings be offered for everyone, for kings and for all in authority
Pray for political/civic leaders that God would give them grace to be transparent in all their undertakings for the common good of all peoples. We also pray for the religious leaders of various communities in India that they may be filled with humility and fraternal love

Thu
21/10/2010 Phil 2:3 Do nothing from selfishness or conceit, but in humility count others better than yourselves
We pray for the authorities in our city that they truly serve the ‘whole’ city – especially the poor and the marginalized. We also pray for the migrants and homeless in our city who are preyed upon and exploited, especially children and women. May the Holy Spirit be with those who are serving the marginalized, especially the Christian institutions, that they may truly reflect Jesus Christ in all that they say and do

Fri
22/10/2010 Luke 12:21 So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God
We lift up every industrialist in our city who has benefited from its cosmopolitan nature; may God bless them with wisdom and grace not to just amass wealth, but to be ready to share with those who serve them and for the common good of the city and country

Sat
23/10/2010 Ps 129:5 May all who hate Zion be put to shame and turned backwards
We pray today for protection against terrorist and their agents whose aim is to cause mayhem and disturb communal harmony in our city. We also pray for those who are brokering peace in the Middle East, that the Lord who walked those lands may draw all men in harmony

Sun
24/10/2010 Rev 5:9b Worthy art thou to take the scroll and to open its seals, for thou wast slain and by thy blood didst ransom men for God
Today through the Eucharist we pray for mercy, that the ‘Blood of the Lamb’ wash away every sin and evil that our city is associated with. We pray for the homeless, the destitute, the many faceless millions who migrate into our city, that they experience the love of Christ

Mon
25/10/2010 Sir 38:1 Honor the physician with the honor due him, according to your need of him, for the Lord created him
We pray for our catholic doctors and lawyers practicing in our city; may they be examples of honesty and integrity for others to follow. We pray for Christian schools/colleges that the young people studying there may experience the light of the Gospel and find meaning in life

Tue
26/10/2010 1 Tim 6:10a For the love of money is the root of all evils
Lift up to our God the builders’ lobby and the corruption between them and the corporators/officials as regards flaunting of FSI, the proposed plans for the SEZs, the underworld tactics to intimidate tenants/land owners, using unscrupulous means of securing public land, etc. We pray for those Christians looking for appropriate housing that Jehovah Jireh will supply their need. Pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet

Wed
27/10/2010 Eph 6:11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil
Keep the 2nd Apologetics Convection scheduled in January 2011 in your prayers, that the Holy Spirit will guide every plan and decision

Thu
28/10/2010 Pro 3:5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight. In all your ways acknowledge him and He will direct your paths
Feast of the Apostles Simon and Jude - Pray for all hopeless cases through the intercession of St. Jude

Fri
29/10/2010 Luke 2:37 And as a widow till she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day
A day of fast for the Night Vigil tomorrow at St. Andrew’s College Chapel; focus of intercession - praying for unity according to Psalm 133:3. Pray also that the Lord will bless, protect and anoint all those serving, attending and those leading

Sat
30/10/2010 Dan 9:3 Then I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking him by prayer and supplications with fasting and sackcloth and ashes
We continue to lift up the Inner Healing Ministry that they are protected and empowered by the Holy Spirit. We also lift up ‘Joyful Noise’, a ministry focused on making young people aware about their music choices

Sun
31/10/2010 Luke 2:32 A light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to thy people Israel
We end this month of prayer for the Americas and our city that we Christians may truly live Spirit filled lives, and that each parish focuses on spreading the Gospel; enabling the Church to truly be a beacon of hope for the city

Holy Father’s Intentions for the Month (Pray for these intentions daily)
General Intention: That Catholic Universities may increasingly become places where, in light of the gospel, people may experience the unity of faith and reason. Missionary Intention: That World Mission Day may help Christians realize that the task of proclaiming Christ is a necessary service to which the Church is called for the benefit of humanity.

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Vetted by Fr Byron Mendonca, Assistant Parish Priest, Mt Carmel Church, Mumbai, India.
All scripture passages are taken from Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition.
We suggest you print out this page & keep it in your Bible.
Please contact Royston@Glorify-God.com for any feedback.