Glory of God Prayer Group, St. Cecilia Parish, Wa Diocese, Ghana - Let Your Light Shine

Saint of the Day

Even the rich are hungry for love

Even the rich are hungry for love, for being cared for, for being wanted, for having someone to call their own. Mother Teresa

Destroyer of peace

The greatest destroyer of peace is abortion because if a mother can kill her own child, what is left for me to kill you and you to kill me? There is nothing between. Mother Teresa

Lay first the foundation of humility

Do you wish to rise? Begin by descending. You plan a tower that will pierce the clouds? Lay first the foundation of humility. Saint Augustine

He that is jealous is not in love

He that is jealous is not in love. Saint Augustine

Importance of Christianity

Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important. C. S. Lewis

Perfection of a man

This is the very perfection of a man, to find out his own imperfections. Saint Augustine

God judged it better

God judged it better to bring good out of evil than to suffer no evil to exist. Saint Augustine

Scatter there Thy cheerful beams

O Holy Spirit, descend plentifully into my heart. Enlighten the dark corners of this neglected dwelling and scatter there Thy cheerful beams. Saint Augustine

Be faithful in small things

Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies. Mother Teresa

He will not save us without our consent

He who created us without our help will not save us without our consent. Saint Augustine

The beginning of good works

The confession of evil works is the first beginning of good works. Saint Augustine

Beauty is the bait

Beauty is the bait which with delight allures man to enlarge his kind. Socrates

The richest

He is richest who is content with the least, for content is the wealth of nature. Socrates

Courage

Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point. C. S. Lewis

Passion

Passion is the evil in adultery. If a man has no opportunity of living with another man's wife, but if it is obvious for some reason that he would like to do so, and would do so if he could, he is no less guilty than if he was caught in the act. Saint Augustine

Selective faith

If you believe what you like in the gospels, and reject what you don't like, it is not the gospel you believe, but yourself. Saint Augustine

All things unholy

I have been all things unholy. If God can work through me, he can work through anyone. Francis of Assisi

Have peace fully in your heart

While you are proclaiming peace with your lips, be careful to have it even more fully in your heart. Francis of Assisi

Pride of wealth

If a man is proud of his wealth, he should not be praised until it is known how he employs it. Socrates

God's love

God loves each of us as if there were only one of us. Saint Augustine

Wednesday, May 2, 2018

TODAY'S REFLECTION - WEDNESDAY OF THE FIFTH WEEK OF EASTER
St. Athanasius, bishop, doctor of the Church
Acts 15:1-6 / Psalm 121:1-5 / John 15:1-8

BE IN UNION WITH THE LORD AND BEAR FRUITS OF LOVE
Beloved, Holy Mother Church celebrates today the memorial of St. Athanasius. He was a learned and courageous person. He fought against the Arian heresy (a false teaching propagated by Arius concerning the humanity and divinity of Jesus Christ). St. Athanasius, through preaching and writing, made sure that the true teachings of the church prevailed. He suffered many hardships, but that did not deter him. We are encouraged and motivated to also defend our faith/rights, fight wrong teachings/practices and fight for the general good.

A controversy arose at the time St. Paul and Barnabas made efforts and preached the Good News to both Jews and gentiles alike. For a good number of the Jewish converts at that time, they saw Christianity as only a sect of the Jewish religion. For a non-Jew to be a Christian, he or she has to go through the Jewish practices: that the males must be circumcised. This issue had to be resolved or corrected, in order not to cause more harm than good.

To be a Catholic is to be universal in faith, devotion and love. Catholics, though from different backgrounds, countries, tribes and cultures, are not limited to any one particular nation, tribe or culture. Catholics are one, apostolic, universal, brothers and sisters, sons and daughters of God. This is the mind of Christ. We are one. No discrimination, segregation, tribalism, sectionalism, domination, etc [should exist among us]. When a dispute arises, we need one voice and mind to resolve issues. We may have our differences, but for the sake of the common good, let us come together.

Friends, our Gospel reading on Sunday was on Jesus as the True vine (Jn 15:1-8). The same reading is being repeated as our today's Gospel reading. We are reminded that, we need to bear good fruits in abundance. Failure to do that, we will be cut away. If we are making efforts to bear some fruits that are not plenty, we need to be pruned (corrected). Teachers and students know the importance of doing corrections after marking exercises. For any of us, when we put in some efforts and don't get enough or the expected results, it is fitting to accept our short-coming and do it better. Without being connected to Jesus our " Life- wire ", " main switch", " Life- support gadget", "oxygen", " dependent ", "power House", we can do nothing. A chick that is not under the bosom of the mother (hen) can easily be carried away by a hawk. Yes, there is the need for us to get connected to the right source (the [vine]). However, don't be like a tick, sucking peoples' blood. There is also the need to "cut away" our vices/bad deeds in order to bear good and abundant fruits, pleasing to God. Let us pray for the grace to learn to swallow our pride, bury our differences and resolve disputes or controversies for the common/general good. May we also get connected to the right source of power and cut away/down the bad aspects of our lives in order to be more productive. BE BLESSED.

Fr. Gaa ( 0206854323/0240308878) This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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