“Mummy, save me."

“Mummy, save me, I am your daughter /son…don’t kill me, I can offer you nothing but LOVE.”

ONE MILLION ROSARIES FOR UNBORN BABIES

May 4^th (Friday), May 5^th (Saturday) and May 6^th (Sunday) 2012

    " I encourage the faithful to seek the intercession of Our Lady of Guadalupe...by praying the Rosary for the protection
    of unborn human life through the campaign of the Saint Michael the Archangel Organization."
    - Cardinal Raymond Burke(2008)

    " I write you to support your Organization's project that one million or more people participate in the ... ONE
    MILLION ROSARIES FOR UNBORN CHILDREN prayer event."
    - Cardinal Francis Arinze (2008)

   You are invited and encouraged to be a part of  the multinational ONE MILLION ROSARIES FOR UNBORN BABIES prayer event. Even if you do not Register you can still offer your prayer.

According to recent research, globally there are over 3.5 million babies being destroyed EVERY MONTH. But do we realise what that means. Man, including World Leaders (sic) has lost control of his sense of reasoning, sense of proportion; he has made himself God, he thinks that he can do without HIM, the Author of life.

We are ready to spend millions to save poor souls trapped in coal-mines…and that is GOOD, we spend millions in Health Schemes …and that is GOOD, we spend millions in world wide Campaigns to fight Starvation … and that is GOOD, we spend millions to save poor souls from shipwrecks or other natural disaster … and that is GOOD. BUT, what is the main aim behind ALL this spending, is it just a show of power in the eyes of the world, is it just a game to impress other nations, sort of,’We are the champions , we are the saviours of the world, we are the super-power.’

IF we really appreciate LIFE, and LIFE is a GOD-given GIFT,  LET”S STOP ABORTION, let’s STOP the Mass extermination, the global threat is not nuclear..it is the extermination of innocent lives. How are the responsible people, leaders, promoters of Abortion going to face the JUST JUDGE, that DAY will soon come…sooner than we think.  Have these individuals ever thanked their parents for not aborting them ? NO ONE HAS THE RIHGHT OVER LIFE. LIFE is a God-given Gift.

Pray the Rosary, the only solution to this world wide plague.

Lectio Divina (C)

Let us keep all these questions (B), and others, in our mind , until we have the courage to face the TRUTH and answer them.

This is LECTIO DIVINA, certainly, questions change according to the Text read. Once we start on this voyage, we feel so close to Him … though we will still be far away, but HE makes us feel that we are getting closer, day by day.

1.      Pray

The next step would be ‘Praying’, either personal prayers based on the Message of the Text or what you feel inspired at the moment. I can suggest something like this:

“Dear Lord, I sincerely want to follow you, to walk in the path You are showing me through your Bride, the Church. I wish so much to meet You, face to face, someday, when it is Your Holy Will, when the veil is removed.

I look for You, I search for You, in the teachings of Your Beloved Bride, the Church, in Your Love letters, in the Holy Scripture, in the daily toils and crosses that come my way, I understand that every burden, pain or cross is a step in Your direction …  if I accept it, resign to it and offer its merits.

I look for You, Lord, in the sweet smile and laughter of the innocent children, in the breaking of morn, in the beautiful sunset … BUT…You are present, and I can see Your face in the dying, in the sick at hospital,  in the elderly abandoned by their children. I can see Your face in their pain and agony. Help me Lord, to appreciate You, and Love You not just as the Babe of Betlehem , but also, and more, as the Victim of my sins on the Cross.

Lord, You know everything. Amen.

4.    Contemplate.

The meaning of ‘contemplate’ is to consider or have in view, in reference to a future act or event’. So that means; any action we take, any behavior towards someone, our frame of mind … following the Lectio Divina, should be tempered, influenced, polished, changed by what we have learned in our contact with God. If this is done on regular basis, out life-style will change radically, we feel more resigned to crosses, problems, sickness and unpleasant situations, and feel happier in our daily tasks.

For the next day or two, we try to keep in mind all that we have read, thought and prayed about in the Lectio Divina, and let the Holy Spirit suggest, or prompt to us, how we should change our behavior towards others, to that extent that we may be in a position to answer the Lord and tell Him: “Lord, You know I love You, You know everything.”  

Let’s be sure that whatever He knows about us would be what He has planned for us, and not what we planned.  Let’s not forget what Jesus once said: “My ways are not your ways.” So, it follows, that His plans are not our plans … which means that we have to surrender to His plans if we want eternal salvation.       

Lectio Divina (B) continued…

1.     Read

After praying to the Holy Spirit, choose a very short Text from the New Testament. You can start with the Gospel of St. John, Chapter 21, verses 15 to 17:  “Then Jesus asked Simon Peter: ‘Simon bar Jonah, do you love me more than these …”

Do read these three verses, over and over again, slowly no hurry,  three, four five times over, slowly, digesting, feeling the words, imagine yourself being Simon, and  being asked these questions.

2.     Meditate

Then ask yourself, these questions: Who is the Author or Version of this Text? Who is speaking? To whom are these words addressed to ? Is this a Narrative or a Descriptive writing ?  Is it Instructive, Apocalyptic, Prophetic or Poetic writing ? What is the prime Message of this Text ?

Who is mentioned in the Text; children, widows, old people, women, Apostles, Disciples, soldiers, tax-collectors, sinners, the sick, etc ? Though this seems to be an easy children’s exercise, it, in fact helps us, to integrate with the chosen Text and situation.

Further questions could be: Have I understood everything ? Should I look up a Bible Commentary, Bible Dictionary or Notes,… or ask someone, a Biblical Scholar about something which is not clear ?

Then, pray to the Holy Spirit to make you feel and understand what Message the Lord has FOR YOU, through his Reading.   If needs be read it aloud, all over again, stopping,  pausing after every word. Put yourself in the picture. NO, Jesus is not addressing Simon Peter, HE is addressing you, me, Tony, Mary, ?, He is asking each and everyone of us.

Try to ‘LISTEN’ to God’s voice within you, He surely must be telling you something. Is there a particular word which strikes your attention, which gives you a ’flashback’ in the Life of Jesus, or in your personal life ?                          Repeat THAT particular word, I say, taste, digest that word … just like the Wine Taster, who keeps the wine in his mouth, savouring it till it lights a spark in his mind and then, he can,  pinpoint the year, the region, the type of grape and the rest. THIS is the exercise we have to do.

If you feel that you should stop for a short pause,…to pray for enlightment, for help, close the Bible, have a break, just feel carried away on the wings of your background music … till you feel the Holy Spirit urging you again to open the Holy Book and read that same Text all over again.

“Then Jesus said to Simon Peter… Then Jesus said to Tony: ‘Do you love me more than these ?’  ” In this short Dialogue, I find that the  most important statement is Peter’s when he said: “Lord, You know everything.” I place myself in Peter’s shoes ... or sandals, and think: “I must be on the look-out for what I say, because I have just declared, that HE knows everything.” 

What type of love do I have for Jesus, is it a ‘Soap Opera’ type of love ?                        Is it the type of love we watch on TV  or cinema screens ?                                                       Is my love for Him  unconditional love, or bound with certain terms ?               Do I love Jesus more than I love my spouse ?                                                                       Do I love Him more than I love my children, my parents, my friends ?

Do I love Him more than I love myself, my profession, my Bank account, my property ?                                                                                                                               Do I love Him only when at Church or when praying, or when I need Him ?            Am I ready to sacrifice my free time, my pastime, my rest, my sleeping hours for Him ?                                                                                                                                How long do I stay in dialogue with Him, as much time as I spend watching a football match, or a filmshow, or attending a party ?

Is my love … just ‘lip-service’ ?                                                                                         How often do I mention Him during the day, as much as I used to mention my first ‘love’ in my youth ?                                                                                                      How many times do I take up a copy of His “Love Letters” … “The Holy Bible” and read His messages ?                                                                                                  ANSWER:  Never, once a year, once a month, once a week, rarely … and do you call that LOVE ?

Is Jesus present in your home … and where is HE, is HE in the Medicine Chest … for emergency only ?                                                                                                                Is Jesus accepted as one of your family, a special family member ?                                     If He were to send for me, for you  … RIGHT NOW … am I ready to answer all these questions, positively ?

LECTIO DIVINA (A)

Lectio Divina is a Scriptural Reading, meditation and prayer intended to promote communion with God and to increase the knowledge of God's Word. It does not treat Scripture as texts to be studied, but In Christianity, Lectio Divina, Latin for Divine Reading, is a traditional Catholic practice of the Living Word.

Traditionally Lectio Divina has 4 separate steps:                                                                           1.   Read,      2.   Meditate,          3.  Pray          and     4.  Contemplate.                                                 First a passage of Scripture is read, then its meaning is reflected upon. This is followed by prayer and contemplation on the Word of God.

The roots of Scriptural reflection and interpretation go back to Origen in the 3rd century, after whom St. Ambrose taught them to St. Augustine. The monastic practice of Lectio Divina was first established in the 6th century by Saint Benedict.
 In the 20th century, the constitution Dei Verbum of Pope Paul VI recommended Lectio Divina for the general public. Pope Benedict XVI emphasized the importance of Lectio Divina in the 21st century.

This is such an interesting, and holy exercise, which I suggest should be taken up by one and all. It can be done every single day, or every now and then. But once we start on it, with the help of the Holy Spirit, we will not let a day pass without applying it on a regular basis.

Actually there are no fixed rules on how to go about it. But we have to bear in mind that this is not a ‘study’. The aim is not to know the origin of the words, the etymology, or the nature of the circumstances when the words were spoken, or information. It’s one and only aim is to get closer to God, to make contact with God, letting the Holy Spirit be your one and only Guide.

As I have already said the aim is to get closer and closer to God through Faith. So we have to choose a short Text, sometimes even a single sentence, or still a single word.

To start with, find an intimate, comfy place, where you feel that you can meet God in silence, in quiet, away from the ‘hustle and bustle’ of life, a secluded place where you will not be disturbed. Out of reach of mobile phones, telephone ringing or street noises. This is your ‘personal meeting time, period with your Creator.  Nothing and no one should get in the way.

It would help if you play some smooth background music; Gregorian Chant, Church or Choral Music, Organ Music, Ambience Music, or any other choice which gives you the feeling that you are ‘Far from the Madding Crowd’.

Light a candle, keep in front of you a favourite picture of ‘The Lord Jesus Christ’; it could be the Sacred Heart, The Divine Mercy Picture, the Good Shepherd …  whatever. I even put my favourite coffee mug close by, simply, to feel ‘at home’. Because this is going to be an intimate occasion to meet your Lover.

All these little things, day by day help you create a personal atmosphere in your meeting with the LORD. Make the Sign of the Cross and invite the Holy Spirit, who is already in you … through Baptism … to help you, by making up a short Prayer or you can read a favourite Holy Spirit Prayer. Suggested Prayer …

Introductory Prayer:

“  ‘Shaddai’, Almighty God, God of the universe, God of the hills and of the mountains, God of the oceans and the springs, You, who can  change our weak and fragile nature into a strong ‘rock’, a strong mountain where You can make Your abode, send Your Holy Spirit upon us, to take control of our mind, our will. Help us strike on that rock in the arid desert, from where springs of water gush out, to quench our thirst for Your Word.

May our mind, simple, lowly and poor cover us as the dark mantle of the night, from where we can listen to the sound of silence, so that our hearts  may open wide its doors and catch the echo of Your voice, in a new-born day, whilst, little by little, we feel enshrouded by the rosy fingers of morning, and there we behold …YOU, Almighty God.   “