Wecome Cambodia! ស្វាគមន៍ប្រទេសកម្ពុជា! svakom bratesa kampouchea!

welcome to my Cambodian friends in Christ!  I hope you come back and visit this blog often and share it with your friends.  May God richly bless you and your country with His Choicest Blessings!

សូមស្វាគមន៍ចំពោះមិត្តភក្តិកម្ពុជារបស់ខ្ញុំនៅក្នុងព្រះគ្រីស្ទ! ខ្ញុំសង្ឃឹមថាអ្នកត្រលប់មកទស្សនាប្លុកនេះជាញឹកញាប់ហើយចែករំលែកវាជាមួយមិត្តភក្តិរបស់អ្នក។ សូមអោយព្រះប្រទានពរដល់អ្នកនិងប្រទេសរបស់អ្នកដោយព្រះពរដ៏ល្អបំផុតរបស់ទ្រង់!

saumosvakom champoh mitt phokte kampouchea robsakhnhom nowknong preahkrist!  khnhom sangkhumtha anak tralb mk tossaana blok nih chea nhuknheab haey chekromlek vea cheamuoy mitt phokte robsa anak .  saum aoy preah bratan pr dl anak ning bratesa robsa anak daoy preahpr da la bamphot robsa trong!

Love and Kindness to all even enemies

i sent this out in text to some dear friends today....an inspiration i got at Mass this morning.... and so i share it here:

MAY OUR THOUGHTS AND RESPONSES TO EVERYONE TODAY REFLECT LOVE AND DEEP KINDNESS THAT CAN ONLY HAVE ONE SOURCE, GOD!  AN MAY IT ESPECIALLY BE EXTENDED TO THOSE WE LEAST UNDERSTAND, LIKE, GET ALONG WITH, THOSE WHO HAVE HURT US DEEPLY, AND THOSE WE CONSIDER AN ENEMY!  THEN AND ONLY THEN CAN WE BE CALLED CHILDREN OF THE MOST HIGH GOD!

Lots to think about in this....and work on....and apply starting in our own homes....The world can be very different if we all start to apply principles like this.....til next time, read God's Holy Word on loving enemies....ang

Matthew 5:43-48
Love of Enemies.43“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’44But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you,45that you may be children of your heavenly Father, for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust.46For if you love those who love you, what recompense will you have? Do not the tax collectors do the same?47And if you greet your brothers only, what is unusual about that? Do not the pagans do the same?48So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.

LUKE 6:27-36
Love of Enemies.27“But to you who hear I say, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,28bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.29To the person who strikes you on one cheek, offer the other one as well, and from the person who takes your cloak, do not withhold even your tunic.30Give to everyone who asks of you, and from the one who takes what is yours do not demand it back.31Do to others as you would have them do to you.32For if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them.33And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do the same.34If you lend money to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit [is] that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, and get back the same amount.35But rather, love your enemies and do good to them, and lend expecting nothing back; then your reward will be great and you will be children of the Most High, for he himself is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked.36Be merciful, just as [also] your Father is merciful.

3 beautiful quotes....

Three beautiful phrases i wanted to share....they speak for themselves...

1.  Extremes:  "IF YOU WISH TO GO TO EXTREMES, LET IT BE IN SWEETNESS, PATIENCE, HUMILITY, AND CHARITY!"  St Phillip Neri

2.  "IT'S NOT HOW MUCH WE GIVE, BUT HOW MUCH LOVE WE PUT INTO GIVING."  St. Mother Theresa of Calcutta

3.  "JESUS CHRIST HAS GIVEN THE PRECIOUS GIFTS OF HIS HEART, FOR FROM NO ONE ELSE CAN YOU LEARN HOLINESS, HE BEING THE INEXHAUSTIBLE SOURCE OF TRUE HOLINESS!"  St. Teresa Verzeri

Sometimes all we need is a sentence to springboard us into deep recollection and prayer....into an exchange with Our Dear God!  The saints offer us many great words and we will be drawn to different ones at different times in our lives.  Look up your favorite saint's quotes...find the ones that speak to you...print them and put them all around your house...this is a very simple yet different way to nurture our prayer life.

til next time....let's do as i suggested above....look up quotes from our favorite saints and let them help us go to a higher place in prayer and action in our lives....God bless!  ang

ps:  check out this site with quotes from the saints on prayer....enjoy...

http://www.saintsquotes.net/Selection%20-%20Prayer.html

Why go to Mass for young children....(and their parents)

Hello younger ones in faith!  i wanted to write a little note encouraging all of you about Sunday Mass.  The Catholic Church teaches us that Sunday is our Sabbath....our Holy Day each week.  And on this day we come together with other families to worship God and thank Him for all He has done for us.  We go to Mass to hear His Holy Word....and to receive Jesus in Holy Communion.  We come together to be with other families and friends who believe too.  i know often you cannot fully understand all that goes on at Mass, but you will someday....  Keep asking Jesus to help you understand the Mass....and for Him to help you to really believe It is Jesus we receive in Holy Communion.  If Jesus was going to be on my porch tomorrow morning, where would you want to be tomorrow morning?....my porch of course!  Well at our Catholic Mass, Jesus Himself comes and that plain piece of bread becomes Jesus Himself.  And the more we receive Him in Holy Communion, the more we can become like Jesus!  The more we receive Him the more beautiful we become!  God deserves one day out of our 7 days in a week to be dedicated to Him.  And it really isn't much to do to go to Mass for 1 hour when there are 24 hours in our Sunday.  That means we still have 23  other hours to do lots of other things all day and night.

Many years ago there was a man named Moses.  This was long before Jesus was born.  And God spoke to Moses and gave him 10 Commandments for us to follow.  These Commandments are not suggestions, or an idea....they are the rules God gave us to have a beautiful happy life.  One of the those Commandments is "Keep Holy the Sabbath Day"...and for us Catholics, that means going to Mass every single Sunday (or Sat night vigil Mass).  The only time we are allowed to miss is if we are sick.  Now for children, if your parents don't take you, you will not be able to go and it is not your fault.  If this happens to you pray for your parents to understand how important Mass is and for God to help them take you.  Also speak to them that you want to go to Mass and obey God and His Commandments and the Church's Teachings too.

So let's make sure we don't complain about going to Mass...but encourage everyone else...Mom and Dad....brothers and sisters....aunts and uncles....grandmas and grandpas....friends...by saying "i want to go to Mass.....".....You will be helping all of them remember how great a gift the Mass is.  And by the way, when you make your First Holy Communion it is not suppose to be only once in your life....It is suppose to be the first of many Communions.....

Here are a few fun videos explaining about Mass and why we should go every Saturday/Sunday unless we are sick.  Maybe Mom and Dad can help you find other things on YouTube and the computer to help you learn more about Jesus, The Catholic Church and Sunday Mass.... til next time....watch these....and maybe i will see you at Mass at your church one weekend....

This video has 6 parts....each one will follow the one before:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dz1T_2GwPhk&list=PLfFXjDog6Jf6rl0n6uRInhFrDuDuprLkx&index=1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZfR2Rk7e198

FOR PARENTS

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fYtjEDxy6Y&list=PLBT-kXdWX0kUQldN9DlM7eI3WsGKdOtAG

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btdLg0kPCsI

The First Three Commandments...GOD, FIRST, ALWAYS!

The Ten Commandments are the Best Ideas that can actually save a very lost society.  These are not suggestions for us....God, in His Ultimate Wisdom, knew these 10 were the starting point for us to learn to live a life honoring Him and His Ways.  The First 3 Commandments focus on The Most Important Person in our lives....GOD!  They shout to us," LOVE GOD ABOVE ALL!"....This is a foreign concept to us.  Our phones are first, our bank account is first, our children are first, our parents are first, our cars are first, our homes are first, what we want is first, .....spouses, family, friends, education, jewelry, clothing, summer homes, vacations, hair styles, nails, massages, therapy, work, retirement, ....and the list goes on and on.  It is time to recognize that the Scriptures clearly state that God is a "Jealous" God.  How lovely is that....The Creator of the Universe wants all our undivided attention!  He loves us that much!!   Just Marvelous!!!

Exodus 20:5
"For I, the LORD, Your God, am A Jealous God, "

You see God knows when we put Him First in His Rightful Place of Honor and Respect and Deep Love, then everything else in our lives falls into place!  The above list of things we enjoy in this world are not bad....they become a hindrance only when they are on our throne instead of God being there.

The First Three Commandments are:

1.  I AM THE LORD THY GOD, THOU SHALT NOT HAVE STRANGE GODS BEFORE ME!
(strange gods are anything or anyone given higher importance than God Himself)

2.  THOU SHALT NOT TAKE THE NAME OF THE LORD THY GOD IN VAIN!

3.  REMEMBER THAT THOU KEEP HOLY THE SABBATH DAY!

Let us take some time this week to see how we are doing obeying these first Three.  

i was shocked to receive two texts from friends just recently..... It was  the first time i experienced someone writing OMG (which stands for Oh my God).....i was sad because everyone uses this phrase and it breaks the Second Commandment.  We should only invoke God's Precious Name when speaking well of Him, sharing about Him,  or calling on Him in prayer.  

And The Sabbath....most of us are cleaning, shopping, doing....instead of truly celebrating and relaxing and being with others and praying ....There are many ways we can learn to keep Holy The Sabbath.....of course first and foremost is Church on Sundays...Mass for us Catholics....then we can ask God how He wants us to honor His Day!  It is also His Gift to us to rest and fill up to be able to serve the next 6 days....

Anyway, just wanted to bring a reminder to our day of These Beautiful Guidelines God has given us.  Remember....we are journeying to a place called Heaven...Our True Home...and in that journeying it is pivotal for us to find God for ourselves....spend more and more time with Him and learn His Ways.  As we do that...we become transformed into the most beautiful people and the world, starting with our own little circle, changes for the better....

MARK 12: 29-30

Jesus replied, “The first is this: ‘Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is Lord alone!30You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength."....

lots to think about...pray about and discern as we look at the First Three Commandments that Scream out to us..."Love God above all!!!"......til next time....God bless!  ang

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til next time....

Bienvenido mi hermano y hermanas de Mexico...Welcome my brothers and sisters of Mexico

¡Qué feliz estoy de que México sea nuestra nueva adición a mi blog! Gracias por unirse a nosotros y por favor pase la palabra a su familia y amigos. Somos toda la familia extendida de Dios ... hermanos y hermanas en Él. Pidamos a Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe que continúe enseñándonos quién es su Hijo y cómo llegar a ser más y más como Él para que el mundo pueda crecer y convertirse en la bella flor que Dios quiso que fuera.

How happy i am that Mexico is our new addition to my blog!  Thank you for joining us and please pass the word on to your family and friends.  We are all the extended family of God...brothers and sister in Him.    Let us ask Our Lady of Guadelupe to continue to teach us Who Her Son is and how to become more and more like Him so the world can grow and become the beautiful flower God intended it to be!

legalism or Love?...caution when representing God!

Blessed Sunday Morning to everyone!

i read an article in a religious magazine.  To my sadness it depicted relationship with God in legal terms.  Don't get me wrong, the author tried his best to convey a good message, but it surely fell short in doing it in the best way possible.  We must be cautious in who 'teaches' these things.  James 3 talks about the great responsibility we have when we try to share Religious Truths.  What am i talking about?  and how does this apply to all of us?

First, The Message of Jesus Christ is a Deep and Extraordinary Message that must always ....ALWAYS come from The Source of Love.  Not a mushy gushy love as the world sees it, but from A Love that is Absolutely Inviting, Delicious, Unexperienced anywhere else.  You see, it is very easy for us to give the 'way to live' as a follower of Jesus rather than the Magnificent Love 'affair' It is.  After one really experiences God's Deep Unconditional Love, the 'way to live' manifests itself automatically.  To force someone to do for God (other than teaching children but even here Wisdom must be used) makes them resentful and the service is not sincere.  The very first step to helping anyone is first to pray for them to lay the Fertile Soil for God to work....and then to try and help them experience "The Glance of God".  Even with children as they get older, we must help them to start to understand to take everything to God in prayer themselves ....and help them learn to 'hear' His Voice in their conscience and heart ...so then, as they develop their own discernment, they will be able to do as He Instructs.  God has all the answers to everything....God Himself with guide us if we are seeking with sincere hearts..we don't need postal people to deliver God's message to us....He will undoubtedly send the answers when we ask Him directly ..He can use anyone and anything to help us locate the answers, but inevitably, it will come from Him.....eventually we must reach a point where we go directly to God in everything knowing we will get the Best Advice and Only Advice Worthy of our total attention and focus,  if we take everything to God in prayer.  It is fine for us to seek opinions of people as many minds/ideas are better than one, but that is all it is....their opinions, no better, no worse than ours.  It is then that we go directly to the Creator Who has High Insight and will give us the answers to every situation.  The beautiful thing is "God does not play favorites"....He will aide anyone who runs to Him for help.  And the Saints of old, the early church Fathers and Mothers and we in 2017 will be given the Same Concepts, Ideas, Inspirations when it comes to Faith, Loving God and His Ways.  Though the situations may be different and the answers as well, the Foundations will be Constant because God's Truths Remain!  And the "TRUTH ALWAYS....ALWAYS SETS US FREE!"

God gave us free will.  He never took away our freedom to decide.  We must then follow His Example and in our fervor and zeal have self control to be just like Him....a Gentleman Who does not force His people but waits on them..and does everything He can to help them grow and experience His Deep Abiding Love.  No force feeding anyone God..no threats..no 'have to'.... instead pray...plant seeds in Deep Love....let your life example be your best teaching tool....and as often attributed to St. Francis telling his followers when they were departing to evangelize the world....'Teach the Gospel....preach Jesus Christ, but only use words when necessary!'  Francis obviously knew the power of our words as depicted in James Chapters 1 and 3, and how limited we are when using them.

Bring Jesus to your space in the world.....use words only when necessary!

til next time....re-read all the reading from Mass today and let's study James chapter 1 and 3....ang