LISS Day 35

A New Creation

The final day of the LISS scripture programme asks us to reflect on 2 Cor 5:17 and John 15:12-16

So it has been said... that all good things come to an end, but that is not the truth. The Truth is that "God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." [John 3:16].
And so, my brothers and sisters, this is just the beginning for me. This is the start of my journey to eternal life with my Heavenly Father, Jesus His Son, the Holy Spirit, the holy family, and all the holy men and women united in heavenly communion. You might have stumbled upon a few days of this 35 day journey, and you have seen how imperfect I am, and how much I desperately need God in my life. Although I pray to Him for help not to sin again, I am but human, and I beg forgiveness from my merciful and loving Saviour in advance for those sins to come. And in Jesus, I have my hope.

Through this programme, I have found such treasure - particularly in the books of Romans, and 1 John. I trust that I would have eventually encountered these scriptures in God's time anyways, but it was God's Will that the Spirit filled me into glorifying God though The Word as a result of this programme. The breath of Life that whispers into my soul from the Good News of the new testament is nourishment that consumes my spirit with Light and Love. I hope that this will one day also happen for you if it hasn't already done, or if you don't already receive more from The Word than just food for the mind. His Word is our armour, and we must arm ourselves with the knowledge, wisdom and Truth of the Gospel. "Therefore, put on the full armour of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of Truth buckled round your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the Gospel of Peace. In addition to all this take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the Gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should." [Ephesians 6:13-20]

I thank God for my small group leaders, that we have been able to share and encourage each other in our faith journeys. I thank God for all the speakers throughout the LISS programme, for in their talks, I have received such affirmation of my experiences over the summer. I thank God most of all for the Service Team's prayer, because it was only by the grace of the Holy Spirit, invoked in prayer, that I have received such strength when I needed it most during this difficult period of the heart for me. Where do I go from here? Well, I'm absolutely in love with the Good News right now! And I will continue to open my heart to the Spirit through the Word of God, but I will no longer blog my reflections. It is so fitting that the final scripture of the LISS programme mentioned above focuses on Jesus' commandment. And I truly believe in these passages from 1 John Chapter 5, which I encourage all of us to breathe into the deepest part of our souls:

"This is love for God: to obey His commands. And his commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith" [verses 3-4]. "And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life. This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His Will, he hears us. " [verses 11-14].

Stay true, stay faithful, stay blessed!
For God's Greater Glory

LISS Day 34

Our Lady

Luke 1:46-49 & John 19:25-27

In a previous LISS reflection about Mary's unbroken spirit despite her time of heartbreak, I reflected on her grace from God to live through her Son's humiliation and death on the cross. She is an extraordinary woman (biggest understatement ever!)... one who is my inspiration and whom I love dearly... for it was by her intercession I was able to encounter her Son. I have a relationship with my most Blessed Mother, but many do not. In fact, I call her my beautiful Maria, because she is the most beautiful woman ever created by God. So, I have found a website which helps to explain the Litany of Our Lady of Loreto, which will help you who do not have a relationship with her, to understand who she is! You can click here for the original link which belongs to The International Marian Research Institute in Dayton, Ohio. This is the many advocacies of Our Lady.

1. Mary's Holiness - Three introductory advocations highlight Mary's sanctity as person (Sancta Maria), her role as mother of Jesus Christ (Sancta Dei Genitrix), and her vocation as virgin (Sancta Virgo Virginum). Mary's sanctity is stressed.

2. Mary, the Mother - Twelve advocations refer to Mary as Mother. The purpose of this series of advocations is to highlight the various facets of Mary's role as mother. Some of these advocations, especially at the beginning (1-3) and at the end (11-12) of the series, are referring explicitly to her maternal activity and the addressees (Christ, the Church...) of this activity. Mary is:

(1) Mother of Christ (Mater Christi)
(2) Mother of the Church (Mater Ecclesiae) 

(3) Mother of Divine Grace (Mater Divinae Gratiae)

And again, at the end of the series:

(11) Mother of our Creator (Mater Creatoris)
(12) Mother of our Savior (Mater Salvatoris)

The intermediate advocations (4-10) qualify or characterize the person of Mary as mother, mainly with adjectives:

(4) Mother Most Pure (Mater purissima)
(5) Mother Most Chaste (Mater castissima)
(6) Mother Inviolate (Mater inviolate)
(7) Mother Undefiled (Mater intemerata)
(8) Mother Most Amiable (Mater amabilis)
(9) Mother Most Admirable (Mater admirabilis)

(10) Mother of Good Counsel (Mater boni consilii) [Mother of Fair Love (Mater pulchrae dilectionis)]

Mary attracts love and admiration, and she is of good counsel, but most of the characteristics mentioned (4-7) refer to the miraculous and virginal birth of Jesus.

3. Mary, the Virgin - The advocations of Mary Mother are followed by six titles extolling her as Virgin. They stress not only the merit of her virginity:
Virgin Most Prudent (Virgo prudentissima)
Virgin Most Venerable (Virgo veneranda)
Virgin Most Renowned (Virgo praedicanda)

but also the "efficacy" of virginity. Mary is:

Virgin Most Powerful (Virgo potens)
Virgin Most Merciful (Virgo clemens), and
Virgin Most Faithful (Virgo fidelis).

4. Symbols of Mary - We then have thirteen symbolic advocations, mostly taken from the Old Testament and applied to Mary which highlight her virtues and her eminent role in salvation history:

(1) Mirror of Justice (Speculum justitiaé)
(2) Seat of Wisdom (Sedes sapientiae)
(3) Cause of Our Joy (Causa nostrae laetitiae)
(4) Spiritual Vessel (Vas spirituale)
(5) Vessel of Honor (Vas honorabile)
(6) Singular Vessel of Devotion (Vas insigne devotionis)
(7) Mystical Rose (Rosa mystica)
(8) Tower of David (Turris davidica)
(9) Tower of Ivory (Turris eburnea)
(10) House of Gold (Domus aurea)
(11) Ark of the Covenant (Foederis arca)
(12) Gate of Heaven (Janua coeli)
(13) Morning Star (Stella matutina)

5. Mary, the Helper - The group of four advocations that follows extol Mary's role as advocate for spiritual and corporal works of mercy. She is:
(1) Health of the Sick (Salus infirmorum)

(2) Refuge of Sinners (Refugium peccatorum)
(3) Comforter of the Afflicted (Consolatrix afflictorum)

(4) Help of Christians (Auxilium christianorum)


6. Mary, the Queen - The last part of the Marian advocations is composed of a series of 13 titles referring to Mary as Queen. Mary is Queen of Saints and inhabitants of heaven:

(1) Queen of Angels (Regina Angelorum)
(2) Queen of Patriarchs (Regina Patriarcharum)
(3) Queen of Prophets (Regina Prophetarum)
(4) Queen of Apostles (Regina Apostolorum) 

(5) Queen of Martyrs (Regina Martyrum)
(6) Queen of Confessors (Regina Confessorum)

(7) Queen of Virgins (Regina Virginum)
(8) Queen of all Saints (Regina Sanctorum omnium)

There are five advocations which emphasize the personal holiness, distinction, and role of Mary’s queenship:

(09) Queen Conceived Without Original Sin (Regina sine macula originali concepta) 

(10) Queen Assumed into Heaven (Regina in caelum assumpta)
(11) Queen of the Most Holy Rosary (Regina sacratissimi rosarii) 

(12) Queen of Families (Regina familiarum)
(13) Queen of Peace (Regina pacis)


Hail Mary, so full of beauty and God's Grace! You are the most feminine of comforters, who we cry to daily for your prayer and intercession and to wipe away our tears. Thank you for bringing me closer to Your Son, inspiring me in spirit to pray at the foot of His cross of salvation with you! Pray for us, all of us sinners now, and at the hour of our death!

LISS Day 33

The Eucharist and Reconciliation

John 6:53-56 and James 5:16

"O Lord, the depths of man's conscience lie bare before your eyes. Could anything of mine remain hidden from you, even if I refused to confess it? I should only be shielding my eyes from seeing you, not hiding myself from you. But now that I have the evidence of my own misery to prove to me how displeasing I am to myself, you are my light and my joy. It is you whom I love and desire, so that I am ashamed of myself and cast myself aside and choose you instead, and I please neither you nor myself except in you.
So, O Lord, all that I am is laid bare before you. I have declared how it profits me to confess to you. And I make my confession, not in words and sounds made by the tongue alone, but with the voice of my soul and in my thoughts which cry aloud to you. Your ear can hear them. For when I am sinful, if I am displeased with myself, this is a confession that I make to you and when I am good, if I do not claim the merit for myself, this too is confession. For you, O Lord, give your benediction to the just, but first you make a just man of the sinner. And so my confession is made both silently in your sight, my God, and aloud as well, because even though my tongue utters no sound, my heart cries to you. For whatever good I may speak to men you have heard it before in my heart, and whatever good you hear in my heart, you have first spoken to me yourself." [ St. Augustine, Book X, 2.]

I'm sure that by now, you've heard lots of misunderstandings that the Catholic Church approves of the iPhone Confession app. Now, firstly I must state that I do not own an iPhone... so I have not seen or tried the app on the iPhone myself. My engagement with it is redundant. The first I'd heard about the app was on twitter, but didn't really investigate... until I overheard something on TV that immediately caught my attention.
My grandmother watches a lot of rubbish on TV. One of these things is the Loose Women chat show on ITV.  I mostly ignore what is on the show, except one day last week, I could not ignore what was going on in the show because these 'loose women' (whatever that is meant to mean) were talking about confessions. This is a kind of summary of their discussions:
1. "With this app you can confess directly to God without the need of going through a priest."
2. "Offloading your own guilt onto someone else (a friend) is selfish!"
3. "If you had an affair with someone and got away with it, why would you want to upset your partner by confessing?"
4. "You should take responsibility of your own actions and live with it (I guess with this they meant the guilt)."

Wow. And I mean... wow. The thoughts of these women sadden me, and the women themselves are in need of intercessory prayer. They spoke with very wordly minds, and no traceable attempt to understand what this special sacrament of confession is all about. Remember that I watched this conversation on TV before I investigated this app. So they lead me to believe that this app gives you absolution for your sins. I was shocked, because they lead me to believe that using this app, one would no longer need to go through a priest to be forgiven, or even to confess in the first place, and that you pretty much just key it into the phone for everyone to see.
It is not my place to judge, so I will only say a couple of things about points 2-4 that the loose women made. Jesus didn't sacrifice himself on a cross so that we could feel that offloading our guilt onto Him would be selfish! He became Incarnate to SAVE us from that guilt! I don't think that loving and trusting in our Lord Jesus is selfish... in fact, it is a self-less thing to do as St. Augustine does; 'cast ourselves aside and choose God instead'.

That same day, @KoreUK messaged me a link to someone's argument which claims that the Catholic Church approves of the 'confession app', which he/she even fails to prove. Follow the link, and you will read that the Catholic Church neither approves or disapproves, but says it is a good tool for examining the conscience before a confession is made. It also refers back to Pope Benedict XVI's World Day of Communication message last month where PBXVI says that although we should embrace the digital world in order to communicate the Gospel message, he does also say that this medium cannot replace personal and human relationships. In this BBC report on the confession app, a radio interview with the developer explains that the app was created to help Catholics PREPARE for the sacrament of Reconciliation. So for example, the examination of conscience (which I always need help with, and use a sheet of printed paper for this) would help people to reflect on many sins since their last confession. The app also takes the user through the sacrament that they will receive when they are in the confessional, for example what to say when you enter, the act of contrition, and maybe some points that happen in between. It is not intended to become a substitute for the sacrament according to the interview! I do not believe that the app would claim or pretend to absolve you from sin, but there is a great danger that someone with little faith (like a lapsed Catholic) who perhaps does not fully understand or grasp the sanctity of this sacrament may think that the app is good enough at helping them confess directly to God, therefore bypassing the need to confess to a priest.

May I just bring you back to James 5:16. "The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective". At the last talk, Sudhir emphasised the need to sustain ourselves in prayer. We are made up of body, soul and spirit. So where we might be so used to thinking our spirit might be the only part of us that needs sustenance in prayer, that is indeed not true. Our sinful souls are also in need of prayer, meaning everyone else is also in need of prayer for their sinful souls. 'For the sake of His sorrowful passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world'. We must love one another as we love ourselves. So we do unto others as we do unto ourselves too... including praying for each others' sins. Replace the word 'me' with 'us', 'my' with 'our', 'I' with 'we', and pray with me...

Psalm 51:1-17
Have mercy on me, O God, according to thy steadfast love;
according to thy abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
and cleanse me from my sin!
For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is ever before me.
Against thee, thee only, have I sinned,
and done that which is evil in thy sight,
so that thou art justified in thy sentence
and blameless in thy judgment.

Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,
and in sin did my mother conceive me.
Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward being;
therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart.
Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me,
and I shall be whiter than snow.
Fill me with joy and gladness;
let the bones which thou hast broken rejoice.
Hide thy face from my sins,
and blot out all my iniquities.

Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and put a new and right spirit within me.
Cast me not away from thy presence,
and take not thy holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of thy salvation,
and uphold me with a willing spirit.
Then I will teach transgressors thy ways,
and sinners will return to thee.

Deliver me from bloodguiltiness,
O God, thou God of my salvation,
and my tongue will sing aloud of thy deliverance.
O Lord, open thou my lips,
and my mouth shall show forth thy praise.
For thou hast no delight in sacrifice;
were I to give a burnt offering, thou wouldst not be pleased.
The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.

LISS Day 32

Baptism and Confirmation

Matthew 3:16-17 and Acts 8:17

I love Baptisms. I love the reasons why we are baptised and I love the reasons we are confirmed. These sacraments are so special! Baptism is the true start of family life in the Catholic Church.
According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC), article 1213 states 'Holy Baptism is the basis of the whole Christian life, the gateway to life in the Spirit (vitae spiritualis ianua),⁴ and the door which gives access to the other sacraments. Through Baptism we are freed from sin and reborn as sons of God; we become members of Christ, are incorporated into the Church and made sharers in her mission: "Baptism is the sacrament of regeneration through water in the word."^5'
I truly love this. Of course I wouldn't remember my baby baptism. But I certainly remember my baptism as an adult! I will never ever forget it, because it remains very much alive in me by grace of the Holy Spirit. Today is Valentines day, a difficult day for me - it comes part of being human, and having this human soul. But I gain so much strength and comfort from Romans 5:3-5. God loves each and every one of us so much - and I have been blessed with being shown even just the tiniest spec of God's Love for me. Oh how unworthy I am to know it! It is said that He chooses the lowly to know His Love.... but what about all the Saints that have gone before - not all of them had histories like Saint Augustine. Were they also then poor in spirit?

Jesus loves us despite our rejection of Him - He was and is the unconditional Love of God made Incarnate. He sacrificed Himself for those that the Heavenly Father Loves so dearly. When I was still blind to the Truth of Life and Love, I did not realise how much I was rejecting Jesus. My ignorance was part of my blindness - my heart of stone - my closed heart. But then, my soul and spirit was awakened, reborn, freed from sin!!! Now with a heart of flesh, I can no longer reject Jesus. How could I, it would be like striking myself in the heart with the sharpest most poisoned knife of the devil. He has given me a clean slate which to re-order my life, and although I have already faltered in the most heartbreaking way possible to me, my sin doesn't change the Truth, or the mission of the Church. At our event of Christ the King, Emmet and Lucy Dooley put this in the context of relationships. Jesus can take away all the hurt and the sin, and give you new life with which to begin relationships again. This applies to our relationship with Jesus. Jesus always gives us a second chance, as long as we are willing to get up from the pain and hurt and try again... trusting and hoping in Him. In abandoning and surrendering ourselves in Baptism, we rise to a new life, victorious over death... "he cannot die again" [see below]!

How do I share this Love that God has made known to me the best that I can? How do I share the message that "Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. For we know that since Christ was raised form the dead, he cannot die again: death no longer has mastery over him. The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God." [Romans 6:8-10]. This is what baptism is all about. 


Saviour and Sacred Heart of Jesus, I love you dearly. You are my heart's desire! How can I ever repay You for showing me just the tiniest spec of Your magnificent Love? Despite my human heartbreak, I am so Loved by You, and I am so blessed to know it! Thank you, for showing me what true Love is - for I can continue in life knowing that I have spent at least one St. Valentine's day in love with someone who Loves me in return... You. I long for a heart like Yours, Jesus, so that whatever path you choose for me, I may love with the same sacrificial and unconditional Love that you call each of us to share with each other.

"There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear..." [1 John 4:18] 

 

LISS Day 31

The People of God

Acts 2:42,44 & Matthew 16:13-20

Today's Acts passage strikes so much in me.  It is all about fellowship. It literally means 'devoting ourselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayer' as Acts 2:42 proclaims. This whole reality of being together in faith and fellowship is more important to me now than just seeing my Church friends every so often! The 'breaking of bread and the prayer' means being together in spirit at the Sacrifice of the Mass, if not in body and soul also. I just love being part of the Hounslow Youth Team for this reason. I love that every member of the team are willing to write a sentence for a prayer that we would all pray together no matter where we are at the same time everyday leading up to an event. I love that we all want to be at Eucharistic Adoration together as a team, or that we'll all dedicate a rosary together for the sick. By graces from above, our existence is so spiritually lead that the team is growing! "And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved" [Acts 2:47]. I truly believe that fruits grow as a result of prayer, and the Church is a way in which we receive nourishment regularly. And I do strongly encourage any young Catholics reading this to find a tight-knit group that you feel you can belong to, and build that fellowship together that incorporates some prayer, socialising, and Mass and/or Eucharistic Adoration. I am so inspired by the youth of Willesden Green (St. Mary Magdalen parish) who board a mini-bus to attend events like Catholic Underground London so that they can actively live out their fellowship and receive from the Lord before the Blessed Sacrament... as well as enjoy a great night of Christian entertainment afterward. "A family that prays together, stays together, and will bear much fruit!" - and that is the truth!

As children of God, we are His family on earth. We make the body of the Church - the bride of Christ. And we should become one in fellowship and prayer with each other. This way, we make it difficult for the devil to attack God's Church... because we are in communion with each other and with the holy angels and saints.

I thank you, Loving Lord Jesus, for the gift of fellowship that helps me to come closer to You. May Your Church receive graces from above to receive You forever more. Be with us so that your Church may become strengthened and filled with Your Spirit of wisdom and courage to become the beacons You have called us to be!

LISS Day 30

Faithful Prayer

Mark 11:23-26 and Psalm 102:1-2

I learned something very valuable on El Camino... which is that God answers prayer in HIS own time. If your prayer is faithful, then your prayer might be answered straight away, or in years and years to come. My most striking example of God answering my prayer speedily was when I was walking El Camino, on day 32 of my way. The chaos and the crowds had gotten worse, and the road to Santiago de Compostela was completely packed with people rushing past me, which unnerved me. Until this point, and for 2 solid weeks, I never encountered anybody walking El Camino for spiritual reasons, and yet they were all eager to make claim to the title pilgrim, and rushed to grab all the first beds. By this point, I had offered my irritation up to God, but on this particular day, I was saddened that so few people were contemplating the meaning of the Life given to us by God. By this time, my heart was beating full of life from the Spirit (which I didn't comprehend 100% yet) and I saw with my own eyes the hearts of everyone around me... hearts closed to the Truth around us... on El Camino for reasons that gratified their worldly minds, but not the deepest depths of their souls. In my heart, I did not feel any of these people were true pilgrims walking 'the Way'. My heart despaired at this. I prayed to the Lord, asking Him to send me a sign that there were still true pilgrims on the road - that humanity still existed for Him, that 'The Way' was still sacred and trod on for all the right reasons.

According to my diary: 'And so, by 07:35, I began my first rosary of the day. I dedicated it (of course) for Pope Benedict, but most especially for the true pilgrim. And you would never believed how God graced me! For some reason, as I was beginning the first decade, I prayed in earnest and hope with all my heart that there were still true pilgrims on this road. My fourth Hail Mary in, someone walking behind asked me in English if he could join me. At first I was just so shocked, that the first time someone asked to join me in praying the rosary was on my penultimate day of walking. I then said yes, but I'm already on my fourth Hail Mary, but I've only just started. This man said 'yes, that is ok - I will join only for a little bit!' So together we prayed about on and a half decades of the rosary, and he said thank you, and began to walk ahead. But then he looked back and asked me where I'm from, and I said I'm from London, England. He then said to me I'm from Poland, and I said 'yes I know, I could tell from your accent!' Then he said I'm a Polish Priest! And I nearly stopped in my tracks! A priest asked... to pray with me. I felt embarrassed and nervous, at first, in case I said the rosary wrong. And then I felt unworthy of even leading the rosary. But as he walked ahead, my prayers then and there were being answered. On this road, there were still true pilgrims.' My diary extract goes on... but that shall remain in my diary.

God hears our prayer. And in His time, He answers our prayer. If He didn't, then He wouldn't have sent me a Polish Priest named Father Andrej (please pray for him :)) to pray part of that particular rosary with me, proving to me that there were still true pilgrims on the Way to salvation. Instead His sign would have come as something else, at a later time.


I thank you, O Lord my God, that You answer my prayers. You fill my heart to bursting with Your Grace. You alone are the One who hears the cries of those in distress. Blessed are You!

LISS Day 29

Teach me to pray

Luke 11:1-4 & 1 Kings 8:22-24

For those of you whose prayer life is warm and alive, I would like to invite you today, to dedicate a rosary to the sick, as we celebrate the feast day of Our Lady of Lourdes. There are so many sick people in the world... from millions of poor children on the streets starved of love, nourishment, medicine and care, to people unwell in the mind and/or body, to elderly children of God who bear physical suffering to the point that their patience is truly tested. We pray for them, and we also pray for those who care for the sick, i.e people in the medical profession and missionaries dedicating their lives to communities desperate for such basic necessities as water.  For anyone that needs healing of the soul, prayer will raise their spirits. "O my mother, in your heart I place all the anguish of my heart, and it is there that I gain strength & courage." St. Bernadette.

For those of you who do not know how to pray, but want to learn how, I ask you to read this excerpt from Our Lord's locutions to a Romanian nun who secretly adored Him in the Eucharist during the period of Communist repression in Romania. Jesus directs this message to every one of us:

'I, the Incarnate Word, say to you: God is Boundless Wealth sufficient unto Himself, while man is indigence and infinite penury. Man as a creature can enrich himself only in god, for it is from Him that he receives all goodness.

Entreating God in prayer is fundamental to man's life, and if the soul is to strive for Christian perfection, her union with Me in this prayer is absolutely necessary. God is Goodness and the Aim of all adoration. God is Love, Who gives Himself and grants all things, but He wants His creatures to approach Him in praer and so acknowledge their total dependence on the One Who is All and can do all things.

To be able to turn to God in prayer is a great privilege and joy for man, for he humbles himself before Infinite Perfection and desires to partake in it. Thus petitionary prayer is an expression of man's desire for perfection, an opening up of the soul to God's boundless richers: "Ask and it will be given to you. Seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you!" But man, tied as he is to the things of this world and his personal, fleeting interests, often has a false idea of petitionary prayer. He sees God as a provider of material goods or as a physician interested only in his physical and mental welfare. He sees prayer as a kind of check with which he pays off the amount awing his benefactor. That is why to the present age I repeat the words of the Gospel: "You do not know what you are asking!" You do not know how to pray. You treat God as a servant at your disposal who is to satisfy your desires and pleasures. And if your request is not answered, you become angry with God. Yes! People today have a commercial attitude even in prayer. Theirs is a mercenary piety. And so the most important thing you can ask of Me is what my apostles asked: "Lord, teach us to pray."


In my Eucharist I give you that same exemplary answer I gave them then: "When you pray, say: 'Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed by 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'"

Every Eucharist I say the first part of the Our Father over again. I do so on behalf of the entire Mystical Body, and you, the Church - humankind - are to unite yourselves with Me in this divine prayer. The head and members form one heart praying for this same intention. In acknowledging God as Father and placing Him at the centre of adoration, at the centre of reference and prayer, I ask that He be known, honoured, worshipped by all, in their thoughts, their life, their words, and their deeds. The Father is the supreme and infinite Value, and I pray that all men may honour His Divine Reality and Majesty. Hallowed be thy name! God is the Father! He is the essence and source of life-the Lord of eternal life. I, the Son of the Father, begotten of the Father and made man; I, on behalf of all mankind, pray "May your Kingdom-your dominion in all souls and the lives of men-come through Me, the King of the Eucharist." I pray that the Church whom I founded, may pray with Me; that the Kingdom of truth and life, the Kingdom of holiness and grace, the Kingdom of justice, love and peace-that all this may come to be! The Kingdom of God-God's dominion in all souls throughout the world-will come only when man does the Father's Will, when everyone-as an individual, as a family, as a country and nation, as a human race, as God's great family-fulfills the Plan of the Father's Divine Providence. May all cooperate with God's plan as a Church and world by being a member of My Mystical Bod, so as to partake of My life in the Eucharist. That is why I ask the Father, Thy will be done! 

Man is prone to do his own will. Wishing to be a lay unto himself, he usurps God and thus lives without faith or law. Too often-especially in this age-the spirit of Lucifer's dictum guides him, "I shall not serve!" That is why I pray that the Father's Will be done on earth even as it is done by the angels and saints in heaven, where all are eternally attuned to the Will of the Father, all serve God's glory and majesty, and all make the supreme decision: "We shall serve!" In this way, I fulfill in the Eucharist the petitionary prayer to the Father. At the centre of this prayer are God's affairs: that the eternal majesty of God, in whom all creation finds its happiness, be acknowledged, worshipped, and honoured in a spirit of obedience. In this way, man widens his horizons and broadens the road to his eternal destiny: God is the fulfillment of his life, the supreme goal to which he is to direct all his being and earthly life. (To be continued)'

This beautiful article (or should I say Truth) was translated from the Romanian by Anna Jasielska, and features in issue 17 of Love One Another magazine.


Since this post is already very long, and is full of Wisdom from above, I will leave my own thoughts on Prayer for another time. God bless you!

LISS Day 28

Transformation

Isaiah 43:19 & Galatians 5:16, 22-26

I don't know about you... but I have discovered over the past 8 months, that the word 'transformation', is a seriously big word. When I first realised that my faith was altogether different to the time before my pilgrimage, I started calling my experience a 'transformation in faith'... this is why on LISS Day 25 (Walk in His ways), I do not admit to calling my experiences a 'conversion' right from the start. But looking closely, it was not yet a transformation in faith... because really, the transformation in my faith is happening even as you read this.

Trans is the latin meaning 'cross' as in 'cross-over' or across. Often, I think of the word 'trans' to mean 'change' or 'move'... but 'change' and 'move' are not the same as 'cross-over'. I guess the difference is that you can change or move without there being a sort of threshold. But you cannot 'cross-over' something without there being a threshold. Also change and move doesn't necessarily imply that there is 'another side', whereas 'across' does. A prime example of 'trans' applied today is in our own existence. Right now, God has created us to be human, and the threshold of our human existence is our death, in which we cross over to eternal life.

The word 'form' has many meanings. But I will focus on the ones which apply also as a whole word of 'formation'.

• The shape and structure of an object
• The particular mode, appearance, etc., in which a thing or person manifests (becomes noticeable) itself
• Physical or mental condition

Let me then try, to put together a meaning picked out of the dictionaries for 'transformation'. Transformation would be a crossing over into a manifestation shaped/structured for its appropriate condition. Does that make sense? Well... yes... ish.
"I urge you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, your spiritual worship. Do not conform yourselves to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect." [Romans 12:1-2]. I do not ask readers to quote me on this - I'm neither educated in holy things, nor am I gifted with much of an academic mind. Instead, I simply share with you my thoughts, which I try to make sense of with a little help from above.
So the appropriate condition for us is to become a 'living sacrifice' that we offer to God. That is our optimum condition. How do we reach this optimum condition? We shape ourselves (always through the Holy Spirit!) to become a living sacrifice by 'discerning what is the will of God'. In prayer and obedience, we develop shape and structure to our lives... prioritising God above ourselves for example. How does this become noticeable (manifest)? 'We do not conform ourselves to this age'. In fact, through transformation, the mind is renewed... our whole outlook on life (society in particular) completely changes. We understand the true value of life, and understand that each soul belongs to God... it's a matter of choosing to accept and believe that - a concept less alien to us when we have 'crossed over'. We cross-over when 'we offer ourselves as living sacrifice' 'by the mercies of God'... who is three persons in one Trinity. This is not something we do on our own - that is not possible! In the Love of God the Father, the salvation that is Christ Jesus and the eternal divine presence that is the Holy Spirit, we open ourselves to be transformed. And perhaps the best ways to achieve this are in prayer, silence, and service/witness.
Obviously transformation is about much more than this - because it is the point at which the threshold is crossed, a new heart is given from above, a new life in the Spirit is bestowed... so our existence - everything we do, say, become, is all part of offering ourselves as a living sacrifice. How do we fulfill the role of the new person God has transformed us into becoming? Well... that is something that we all must pray about in our own prayers :)

I can tell you something about being transformed though... and that is that never in my life before, had I ever been so sorry for all the wrongs I have done, any hurt I have caused, any selfishness I have garnered, any sin I have caused others to commit because I put myself before them. I would not have recognised this if it were not for the Holy Spirit.

O my God, because You are so good, I'm so very sorry from the depths of my body, soul and spirit, that I have sinned against You. With your grace, and by Your Will, I beg to become the person you created me to be, the person you have transformed me to become in the future. I live for Your Presence in the present, shaping me to become Your servant and living sacrifice... but I cannot do it on my own. I offer you myself and follow Your path to Goodness.

LISS Day 27

New heart

Psalm 51:10-11 & Romans 5:5 (although I think y'all should read all of Romans 5!) are today's reflections.

For the converted, I ask you, to read more than just these passages. Read 1 John Chapter 4, and the whisper of each word will flood into your new heart and fill it to brimming with the Love of God! As John writes in verse 13, "This is the proof that we remain in him and he in us, that he has given us a share in his Spirit." [1 John 4:23]. We know of the perfect Love that John speaks of in this chapter, for through the Spirit, we received it in abundance, and we discovered the Truth that we so ardently believe. He made our hearts new... hearts of flesh, called to Love with as perfect a Love as we possibly can - the Love of sacrifice and selflessness. "My dear friends, let us love one another, since love is from God and everyone who loves is a child of God and knows God." [1 John 4:7] I have never before now, breathed in this book of the Bible. Gosh - I cannot believe the true treasures that the New Testament is filled with!!! I first become captivated by the book of Romans, and now I am filled with the life of this book of 1 John. God is so Good to me! We believe in the Truth that Jesus is the Son of God, and we ought to pray together that our testimony is not from us, but rather from God, whose testimony is infinitely greater than ours. With our new hearts, our selfless love puts God above ourselves. I ask you to pray for me and for one another, that as children of God, our hearts of flesh may never again return to becoming hearts of stone, but remain hearts that beat with life for God in the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

For my brothers and sisters who want to open their hearts to receive God in Spirit, we journey with you, with love in our hearts for you. You are always in our prayers, and we pray to the Immaculate Heart of Mary for your conversion! I share with you my favourite song at the moment as we approach Valentines day. One day, every word of this song will be brought to life within you, and you will realise the tremendous gift of God's Love when He became incarnate of the Virgin Mary, became man, and died to save us from our sin. His sacrificial Love paid the price for our iniquity - is there any greater love than this? Pray with peace and love in your hearts, and He will come upon you! Ask the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, because she wants you to know her Son, and through her blessed mystery, she will lead you to Him through the Spirit of the Holy Trinity.

God of perfect Love, I thank you with all my body, soul and spirit for the Love you continuously pour out to me in Your Word. As I come to know your Word more over time, grace me with the Love I need to bring others to Your Love. Help me to become more selfless and less selfish and walk with me as I learn to live the word sacrifice. Renew the hearts of Your faithful, and enkindle in them the fire of Your Love... send forth Your Spirit!

LISS Day 26

The Advocate

Joel 2:28-29 and John 14:16 are the reflections for today.

What is an advocate? An advocate refers to a person who promotes a viewpoint in an active and ardent manner or provides a positive recommendation for another person. The Holy Spirit is an advocate for God the Father, requested by Jesus - as is stated in John 14:16.

In CCC 736 'By this power of the Spirit, God's children can bear much fruit. He who has grafted us onto the true vine will make us bear "the fruit of the Spirit: . . . love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control."¹²⁹ "We live by the Spirit"; the more we renounce ourselves, the more we "walk by the Spirit."¹³⁰ '. In all honesty, I know very little about the Catechism, but I understand how this catechesis helps us to remain on the correct path with the Holy Spirit. Renouncing ourselves seems like an absurd thing... renounce ourselves from what exactly? Activities that aren't Church-related? Friendships that aren't Godly? In my eyes, not at all. In fact, with the power of the Holy Spirit in you, you ought to be among your friends who are unGodly... for the Spirit of Love would shine through you. Activities that aren't Church-related aren't necessarily bad activities. There are many good works done daily that are not offered to God, but done in a similar way of love. Making your presence known in these environments is testimony that God is Love. Renouncing thyself hits a much deeper level than what is on the surface however. This is something I have not mastered, but ask sincerely God's help with it. An article on catholicculture.org on the Third Sunday of Lent says the following:

'The secret of happiness is to invert the process of selfishness: to forget self in order to make room for Another Person, the Lord of life and happiness. Give up self and find God! If I renounce sin, I find grace, if I renounce myself, I find God and my brothers and sisters. “If you only knew what God is offering,” happiness is what He wants to give you! How often a priest should ask himself this question, or a woman who wonders “shall I have a child or not”, “am I thinking of myself, or of the child who cannot come into the world without my help?" If you knew what gift of Life, you would throw yourself into that well and there you would find the strength to renounce self.'

Putting God before oneself is not easy, because the biggest question one would ask as a result is 'God, do You want me to be a Priest/Nun?' (unless one has already discerned and they have been graced with God's answer)! I am currently discerning, and sometimes I have a tendency to put my own preferences before God's. It is not an easy thing to be so completely selfless, no, but we are always invited to ask Him for help with letting go - after all, this is a journey we ought not to be making without the Great Counselor walking this Way with us!

Fiona spoke so very well this evening at the LISS session, it was perfect. I know/agree with exactly everything she said, and it was a wonderful feeling to yet again receive confirmation of what had showered into my heart from above over the summer. I thought that perhaps it was just me who wants to climb up onto the rooftops and shout out to the whole world the Truth, but I'm glad I'm not the only one! And that it now seems like a normal reaction! She is a great advocate for the Catholic Church in what she does with Soul Food and with Catholic Voices. The Bible instructs all Christians to spread the Gospel and profess their faith. Theoretically all Christians are advocates for Christianity.We must pray for gifts of the Holy Spirit to be the best advocates for God, and our Catholic Church.

Advocate of Sanctity, thank you for the gift of Fiona on all our lives. I humbly ask for the blessings that would help me to become as great an advocate as she, but only by Your Will. Nourish me in my prayer and sacrifices so that I may come to truly know the meaning of selflessness, and offer it always unto Your Glory. I ask this of You through Jesus Christ, Your Son, in the whispers of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

LISS Day 25

Walk in His ways

Today's two scripture verses have helped me to reflect on my conversion, and so, I wish to share something very spiritually intimate with you... a moment I realised I had found my faith: The Hour I first Believed. The purpose of me sharing this with you is not to give you a literal explanation of my overwhelming experience, but instead share with you what I thought and felt when I realised I truly believed; thus acknowledging God's gift of faith, which links very much to today's reflections. For me, the overwhelming experience (what Brother John Bosco CFR described to me as a Baptism of the Holy Spirit), and my conversion (the hour I first believed), happened on different occasions, and I pray that sharing my recollection on my blog might in some way help others to open their hearts to the possibility that they too will discover, accept and believe the Truth that is through Christ Jesus.

Firstly, I would not wish to go on before you have read today's Bible reflections - the Word of God is quintessentially above any word of mine, and is what gives me the strength to share with you.

Ezekiel 36:26-27: A new heart I will give you, and a new spirit I will put within you; and I will remove from your body the heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. I will put my spirit within you, and make you follow my statutes and be careful to observe my ordinances.

Acts 1:8: You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.

Lord, be with me as I share this intimate moment. I wish always to proclaim your Truth and Glory.



I was lost in wonder and joy at the awesomeness that had filled me about 3 days before it really hit me that I truly believed. I could not tell you that I placed the word 'conversion' as one to describe this beautiful experience - for I did not recognise until months later that my life had been made new, and that I had experienced a conversion. All I could say to describe the realisation, was that I truly believed.

On Tuesday 13th July, which was the 22nd day of my way on El Camino according to my diary, I had already begun to recognise that there are forces at work which could not be explained as anything other than holy. My healing, for example. By the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, I received a grace in which I registered some presence urging me to continue and to persevere through the pain, because something is going to happen to me. Something is waiting for me. Something big. From the time of my physical healing (which was temporary - but not without purpose), my deeper senses were awakened, and I began to register a great presence - an ethereal and powerful presence all around me, before me, behind me, inside me. It was everywhere, and it was radiating an energy that cannot be considered kinetic.

In the morning, I had set off from Astorga at my normal time... dawn. It did not feel like any special day in particular, and I had already prayed one rosary, which I dedicated to Pope Benedict XVI and to Roselyn & Forgiveness. In my diary entry for the day, I wrote:
"Today was a true revelation! Jesus said: 'I am the Way, the Truth and the Life - no-one can come to the Father except through me.' This way - this Camino - is the way to God - through Jesus. I was revealed this when [after] I popped into this little Church at about 7:30am. It was opened, called Ecce Homo, and there was this highly unusual stations thing they had. Rather than stations of the cross, it was stations of a pilgrimage to Santiago. The stations are a way. Today's focus was mostly on our Saviour Lord Jesus Christ, how I need to live and behave more like him."
As you can see, my diary is quite factual, and somewhat cold, but I wrote with the need to document my journey in haste, as sometimes, there is no time to write much before the sun goes down that day. I will paint a fuller picture now.

The sun was in the later stages of rising, and as with every day of El Camino, it didn't rain (except for about 5 minutes). Before approaching Ecce Homo, my mind was pre-occupied with trying to keep a good pace of walk, as I wanted to reach my destination, 20km away, in good time. But something great was calling me to visit the chapel Ecce Homo. It wasn't necessarily an attractive building on the outside, and I could have quite easily have missed it if I hadn't been drawn to the Chapel by something very powerful. I entered the chapel, two pilgrims were leaving then there was only myself and the person who keeps watch there. The chapel owners obviously cared for the pilgrim very much, because they made a true and honest effort to bring pilgrims closer to God in a way that didn't exist anywhere else on El Camino. The guardian of the chapel urging me to take something into my hands. It was a small folded leaflet titled 'The Way of Santiago, real symbol of the Way of Life. Five stations of the Way of Life.' Before unfolding it, I sat down to pray, giving my Love to God in thanksgiving that I was still walking the Way of St. James. After some time, I opened the leaflet up to some description, images, scripture and prayer on 5 stations, which I didn't quite understand as I'd never seen anything like it before, but understood as soon as I spotted the first station in physical form before the Sanctuary. The first station was a candle, the name given to the station being 'You receive the Holy Spirit'. The candle was not a beeswax candle, but a glass candle consisting of a base, a top, and 7 different colour blocks. The description was as follows: 'The candle reminds you that the Holy Spirit, who, flowing from Christ, surrounds all your person. He, who is Love, arrives to the heart of the believer, especially in the seven sacraments'. In a box on the leaflet was, in red writing, 'The Holy Spirit, the Love, the Light of Christ, may lead your steps'. The scripture said, "All were filled with the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:4). And the prayer was:
'Blessed be the Holy Spirit, who, in the Catholic Church informs and prepares the believer to achieve the Resurrection of the Body, the fullness of the person, the fraternal communion and communion with the Holy Trinity. The forgiveness of sins and everlasting life... Blessed be for ever Lord. I walk... this is my faith. We proclaim our faith, in the way of blessing to give evidence of the ineffable happiness of being a believer. We begin praising the Hoy Spirit, because He enables us to discover the risen Jesus, and, in this way, we are transformed by Him. We walk toward the communion with the Father. In God who is One and Trinity, it happens... the fullness of freedom and communion.'
I prayed and pondered at every station.
Second station: You meet Mary.
Third station: You talk to Jesus.
Fourth sation: You contemplate and live the Resurrection of Jesus.
Fifth station: You walk toward the full Communion with the Holy Trinity.

After I had made all my stations, I knelt (kneeling was still difficult for me at this stage as my knees were still only healing, still very sore) and prayed, offering all the graces I received on El Camino to the Lord, and thanking Him for the love and care that I knew had gone to this Chapel to help every pilgrim on their journey to God. I exited the Chapel after putting about 3 Euros into the pot, and I had also put the little folded leaflet away into my pouch, walking onward without feeling any particular change than when I entered into the Ecce Homo chapel. I believe I remember there being a diversion on the marked way of El Camino though, so I think, for the first time, I was taken out of the path that was intended for us pilgrims - this made me feel a little uncomfortable. So then perhaps about 45 minutes after I had left the Chapel, I stopped in my tracks, and my heart skipped a beat, because my soul was filled with the great words from John 14:6. The Light and Truth of this revelation dwelt and settled in the very depths of my soul. In that moment, El Camino was no longer just 'The Way of Saint James', or a pilgrimage. It was so much more than that to me. It was God's gift to me - a path that would begin my spiritual Way to God the Father in Christ His Son, through the graces and gifts of the Holy Spirit. To this day, the words of this passage are like a re-ignition of the flame in my heart for the Holy Trinity - and I rejoice everytime I think about them, hear or read them. It was that moment I became His witness, and was no longer lost.

Little did I know that the verse following John 14: 6 says "If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know Him and have seen Him". I did not see Jesus with my own eyes at that point, but I knew that I had seen him in my heart, and from that moment on, I knew what it was to believe.

I share this, so that you may believe - for you are also blessed. "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed" [John 20:29]

LISS Day 24

The Gift of His Spirit

Reflections: Galatians 4:6 & Acts 2:1-4

The Pentecost was Christ's promise to His disciples. Imagine the Love that God the Father had for His children, to send Himself in a third person to remain with the human race from generation to generation. Many things have been said about Pentecost - mainly that we all have the potential to receive the 7 gifts of the Holy Spirit as well as the charismatic gifts, and that between Easter and the feast of Pentecost it is a celebratory time in the liturgy - the climax being that Pentecost offers people a taste of Heavenly life.

I'd like to direct people to the EWTN site on Pentecost. Just googling the word Pentecost gives some really weird results. I even spotted a 'How-to' for conversion during Pentecost. Say whaaaaaaat?! A How-To? Is a conversion something that one forces upon oneself, or is it a gift from the Holy Spirit?

I remember the Blessed Virgin Mary, who in purest obedience to God's Will, freely allowed herself to become the intimate spouse of the Holy Spirit. She is a true inspiration. Conceived without original sin, she was never in need of God to transform her in the way that we need God to transform us from inside out! Her spirit was gentle and meek, yet her spirit never broke even when she suffered painfully as her heart (her beloved Son, Jesus) was torn away from her. She remained sinless - despite her extreme sorrow. Our spirits are created to obey the Trinity, and we are encouraged to live that to the fullest. But like Mary, receiving the gift of spirit does not mean that our hearts can not feel torn and ripped out of ourselves, shredded in tormenting pain - for this, our souls (the heart and mind) are what makes us human, together with our physical bodies. Rooted in her love for God, she endures the worst suffering during the Passion - the loss of her Son, who was a precious gift to her from the Father through the Holy Spirit... her spirit truly was one of complete grace. We can imagine how much comfort Jesus gained from her closeness and love, never asking her to stay away even when He knew how painful this was for her too. What was more important to them both was that they were obedient to God's Will. She gives her love to Him still, even after His death on the cross, and the Resurrection.

Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Thy faithful and enkindle in them the fire of Thy love.
V. Send forth Thy Spirit and they shall be created.
R. And Thou shalt renew the face of the earth.
Let us pray. O God, Who didst instruct the hearts of the faithful by the light of the Holy Spirit, grant us in the same Spirit to be truly wise, and ever to rejoice in His consolation. Through Christ our Lord.
Amen.

LISS Day 23

Citizens of Heaven

Reflections: Ephesians 2:19-20 & Colossians 3:1-4

We are all called to be holy - to know and share the Love that the saints knew - to follow the paths that Jesus' disciples trod. I do not say this lightly - and I meant it in both a spiritual and literal sense. Nobody could have ever prepared me for the overwhelming immersion of Love, Peace, Light, Happiness, Goodness, Grace, and Beauty flooding straight to a deep place within me that I never knew existed before this experience. I simply walked El Camino for a plenary indulgence for Grandaddy, who, rest his soul, will be 1 year old in his new life away from human existence... but that is where the first phase of my conversion happened. This was the way of St. James - one of the many 'ways to holiness'. All of a sudden, through my experience, I came to understand the true value of Life, and of Love... and Church teachings made so much sense to me, when they hadn't done before. There is a new dimension to me that is slightly outside my being, but still a very connected part of me. Why would God choose someone so lowly like me to have this most awesome experience? I do not know... I am just like you. I feel like a whole new person than I was before the summer... but I am nobody special. We are all equal. We are the same, and we are all loved by God equally, immensely, immeasurably. Perhaps what makes a difference is that I completely surrendered myself to Him on El Camino. But I tell you, God gifted us all with bodies, souls and spirits to come to know His Love - He did not just gift the converted with this... no! He gifted every single one of us with a great capacity to become Citizens of Heaven, and it helps to open our hearts to this citizenship.

God the Father, in Jesus Christ His Son, and through the Holy spirit invites us all to enlightenment. I encourage everybody to pray often - because it is in prayer that you are no longer 'strangers and aliens', but are instead, 'setting your mind on things that are above'; joined in communion with the saints and angels of heaven - adoring, loving and acknowledging the humble King, our Lord Jesus Christ. If you feel like a hypocrite for praying, please don't. God wants you to connect with Him, even if all you have to say doesn't seem very nice - HE LOVES YOU MORE THAN YOU WILL EVER KNOW IN THIS LIFE! And just that you would give Him that time of day is the first small step in the right direction! Give God a chance to set you free... for nothing on this earth ever could. We are restless until we rest in God, as St. Augustine says. Also, give it time. God doesn't always work straight away! It could take days, months, years, even decades. So keep your petitions, intentions, thanksgivings in daily prayer. Focus your mind, and seek things that are above. "Do not model your behaviour on the contemporary world, but let the renewing of your minds transform you, so that you may discern for yourselves what is the will of God - what is good and acceptable and mature." [Romans 12:2]. Let Christ reveal Himself to you, and the love you know will be transformed into the sacrificial Love of Christ. Drink of His life-giving blood and water, and you will never go thirsty again, except when you do not nourish yourself with the Sacraments and prayer.

There is no question about our citizenship being a free ride into Heaven. It is not. When the Love of God hits you, it becomes your greatest desire to do everything in your power to return that Love. When you falter, even unintentionally, you desire to pick yourself up, and begin again, because in some sense, you are willing to make that sacrifice. I faltered yesterday - I did not attend Mass - which is the key part of First Friday Devotions. It wasn't my intention to miss Mass, but I was too lazy to check my devotional, on this criteria... so my 5th Friday Devotions were not complete. I am so sorry to Jesus, that in my laziness, I did not fulfill my promise to devote heart and soul to His Sacred Heart, and that instead I prioritised myself above receiving His Body in Holy Communion. So I begin my First Friday Devotions again. I don't really know if God cares whether I falter 1 time, or 100,000 times; as long as I always return to Him - most especially through the Sacrament of Reconciliation, there is hope for me. At least that is how I see it.


Humble Lord of Mercy and Love, you forgive me my sins yet again. How much more can you bear my sinfulness? With my human patience, I would already be tired and irritated of me... but You are so good, so perfect, and so wonderful - if only the whole world knew what they were created to receive and to give! You took away my sins, and washed me clean so that I may love you freely again. The words "You let yourself get hurt" do not eat into my soul as they did this morning when I awoke because of them. You have granted me this über-tiny mini-miracle. I beg of you to heal the hurt of others too, and bless them with fresh hearts with which they may begin again to love with, so that upon the our hour of death, you may welcome us with arms open wide, as citizens of your Kingdom. Pour in me, Lord, a stronger spirituality, and by Your Will, plant in me a desire to pray more, striving always to reveal You to others.

P.S. I always wondered where in the Bible the reference to Jesus being seated at the right hand of God was. When I first heard this as a child, I was looking at Jesus on the Cross. I have been sitting in the left side of the congregation at Masses ever since!!! Silly... I know! But this is where I got it from!

Rules of Love | GENERATION OF LOVE

LISS Day 22

Co-heirs with Christ

Reflections: Romans 8:15-17 & Galatians 3:29

This one is a difficult one. But this could be because I had a difficult evening last night - my spirit and my heart were just in total disharmony with each other... as if they were at completely different ends of a spectrum I can not describe - I was not alright, and the feeling has lasted even up until now. The cross I carry is so much heavier than I ever imagined it would be. I can't wait to see Jesus at Eucharistic Adoration later... I need Him so much. That is so selfish of me. Normally I prefer to pray for everyone else but myself, offering a little of myself through my intentions, but recently, my prayers have been centred on begging God for strength for myself. It is very selfish. So many other people need my prayer, and there's me praying for myself. Even though I know He will give it unquestioningly, I do not deserve His compassion and mercy, for I did not show compassion in His time of need. I offer this selfish phase of my prayer up to God, and hope that subconsciously my intentions aren't bad.

The Word is so full of life. Kuba's talk last night was wonderful. Everything he said just sang of the Truth. Before my conversion, the Bible was 'just a bunch of stories' to me. But they are not stories now - they are the prayer that sustains the believer, the whispers that blow in the wind of the Breath of Life, the engravings on a cold stone wall that illuminate and come alive, leaving the wall and dancing around you. The Word is life's guide to healing and a literal build-up to the glorious Kingdom of God. With Christ, you and I are heirs of God, heirs to His Kingdom. We make up the one body of the Catholic Church. The Church is also the bride of Christ, who is to be cleansed and made holy [Ephesians 5:25-27]. We are joined in union with God in the most intimate ways possible... we are children of God. That makes us brothers and sisters. We are married to Christ because we belong within the Catholic Church... that makes us connected by marriage. We are Fathers and Mothers to one (or more!) who God has made in His image. We are carriers of the faith, witnesses to the Truth. Our family is huge - and we have many responsibilities toward our family in Christ. As Christ is our saviour, so are we now, members of His body [Ephesians 5:30-32] that remain on earth to bring God's promise to those who have lost their way. I believe this to be the Truth. If it is not, then God forgive me my misunderstandings.

Lord, though many, we are one body that remain here on earth to continue sharing in the Love you poured us through the precious blood of Your Son, Jesus. As I reach a new dawn in my spiritual life, grant me the grace through the Holy Spirit to do all within my power to love and care for Your children, both in the Church, and away from the Church.

LISS Day 21

New identity

Reflections: Ezekiel 36:24-28 & Romans 5:5

Again with the Romans Chapter 5 thing! I LOVE IT!!! That is God, and God is good because God is Love! And I love Love ^_^ This chapter was singing to me the other night, and I have been pondering it ever since! Rejoice in the hope of the glory of God!
The heart of stone can be removed and replaced with a heart of flesh. Our new hearts give us the capacity to LOVE unconditionally. This makes us a whole new person... gives a whole new identity. I can't help but reflect on this passage:

"I ask each of you first and foremost to look into your own heart, think of all the love that your heart was made to receive, and also love it is meant to give, after all we were made for love. This is what the Bible means when it says that we are made in the image and likeness of God. We were made to know the God of love, the God who is father, son and Holy Spirit, and to find our supreme fulfilment in that Divine love that knows no beginning or end." Pope Benedict XVI's message to young people outside Westminster Cathedral on 18th September 2010. Please download the full speech here!


Oh tremendous, divine Love, You made me for LOVE. You planted in me a heart that beats full of life and love for You and for every soul who dwells in this earthly realm. Grant me a kindness, generosity, and graciousness that allows me to be a witness to Your mystical Love, and grant me patience, understanding and forgiveness when my heart threatens to become hardened if by human error love is not forthcoming to me. The source of all true love is in You through your Son, Jesus, and I pray for a blessing that my own human weakness does not take others away from Your perfect and unending Love. Take my new life, and use me as you wish to accomplish your designs upon the world.

LISS Day 20

Salvation in Christ

Reflections: Luke: 19:10 & Romans 10:8-11

I'm currently reading St. Augustine's Confessions of a Sinner. It is utterly beautiful. And my heart always beats faster when he writes something that I relate to. I highlight what I understand and believe with all my body, soul and spirit to be the eternal Truth, and I think, this whole flipping book should be covered in flourescent yellows and pinks, because it is ALL relative to me! I check back to my summer, and realise that I experienced something so similar to a Saint. Now, I don't in any way believe I'm a saint. If only! If between 1 and 10 a Saint is a 9.999, I'm around the 3-4 mark. I brought before the Lord once that I was jealous of the saints, their goodness, their love for Him, their openness to meet Jesus on every street corner, in every situation. With every sin I commit I pierce my own heart and realise how hard I just slapped the face of my loving Lord Jesus. No saint does that. How I love the Saints because they Loved the Trinity so much that they found it impossible to renounce their faith!!! Saints of God: PRAY FOR MEEEE!

Today's reflections speak so strongly of Salvation in Christ. And with all my heart I truly believe that by His death on the cross, humanity was saved; the same redemption that for thousands and thousands of years the prophets of the old testament proclaimed in the name of God. But honestly, I feel personally for myself, that Christ's salvation came with a responsibility. With Christ's salvation, a witness might come to harbour a great fear and restlessness for the Lord God, that they had never felt before their conversion. Or maybe it is just myself that I speak about. Being saved, means also being free. When I tasted, with the tip of my tongue, what Heaven in all it's glory may be like; tasting that freedom, salvation, redemption... I began developing a great fear for hurting God (and still live a fear for hurting God). I fear the stern way He corrects my wrongdoing - not so much because His chastising and humbling will teach me a big lesson, but that He had to chastise me in the first place. And my restlessness in knowing that no matter how good I try to be (which doesn't help that I'm a terrible sinner), I will always falter in self-disappointment. Sometimes I think... maybe I shouldn't try anymore - I'm so undeserving of another chance! Maybe that is I why I just do not feel worthy enough to address my God directly, and write of Him in the third person - call it writing in shame. But Christ saved me by dying in the Cross - so I now seek that Salvation in the truest sense of the word: eternal life in the Loving embrace of all who are Holy. The Saints probably know what I mean.

You know my heart more than I know mine own. It is Yours. Let it be Your instrument of Love and Peace, so that others may open their hearts to the salvation that is found on the cross - the cross in which Your human self died. How can I ever repay you?

LISS Day 19

A new covenant

Today's scripture reflects on: Jer 31:31-4 & Romans 5:6-8

I'm captivated by the whole of Romans chapter 5. I keep reading it over and over again! How did I not discover this treasure before?

Verses 1-11 are about peace and joy
"So then, now that we have been justified by faith, we are at peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ; it is through him, by faith, that we have been admitted into God's favour in which we are living, and look forward exultantly to God's glory. Not only that; let us exult, too, in our hardships, understanding that hardship develops perseverance, and perseverance develops a tested character, something that gives us hope, and a hope which will not let us down, because the love of God has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit which has been given to us." This is Romans 5:1-5. Wow. And I mean... WOW. At least 10 things flow through my mind and soul reading just that first sentence. We are justified, we are at peace. Amen. Through our belief in our Lord Jesus Christ, we're 'admitted into God's favour'. I sin everyday. How can I be worthy of admission?! How can I even dare to look forward exultantly to God's glory? And yet, my external and internal being cries out to do just that - even though I do such wrong too. My friend Janine said to me this evening, that we all carry our cross so that we can be saved by the cross of Jesus. In the hardships He bestows on me, He also bestows blessings. Would my spirit be working overtime right now if my heart had not been broken? Would I be yearning for God's mercy as much as I do, if I had not accepted my own faults. Would I know such thing as hope and salvation if I had not already experienced a pouring of the Holy Spirit in the summer, believing in His Truth and Love? The words of this passage are like gentle cushions that my heart seems to be nestling in.

"When we were still weak, at the right time, Christ died for the godless. You could hardly find anyone ready to die even for someone upright; though it is just possible that, for a really good person, someone might undertake to die. So it is proof of God's own love for us, that Christ died for us while we were still sinners." Romans 5:6-8.  This means He died for me too. I don't usually like for others to make special provisions for me - after all, I am nobody special. Yet, I can't help but feel that I owe God my whole being because He Loves me so much. I feel like I can never do enough for Him. I want to pray more, I want to adore more, I want to 'minister' more, I want to share more, I want to love more, I want to... but this is it. This is all about me. Christ died for me. When can my selfishness flip itself into God's Will?

Yesterday, I experienced a big questioning of myself, because Father Emmanuel had asked me 'how do you know if it was what the Holy Spirit wanted, or what you wanted?', and then for midday prayer, I felt stabbed when we prayed Psalm 120:

Longing for peace
Be patient in suffering; persevere in prayer (Romans 12:12)

To the Lord in the hour of my distress *
I call and he answers me.
O Lord, save my soul from lying lips, *
from the tongue of the deceitful."

What shall he repay you in return, *
O treacherous tongue?
The warriors arrows sharpened*
and coals, red-hot, blazing.

Alas, that I abide a stranger in Meshech, *
dwell among the tents of Kedar!

Long enough have I been dwelling*
with those who hate peace.
I am for peace, but when I speak, *
they are for fighting.

Glory to the Father and to the Son  *
and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, *
and will be forever. Amen.

Psalm Prayer

You declared peacemakers happy, Lord Jesus,
since they will be called sons of God.
Give us that peace which the world cannot give
so that your Church may be freed from the schemes of arrogant men,
and, devoted to works of peace,
go forward joyfully to meet you, the King of Peace.

Ant. I cried out to the Lord, and he heard me.

My Lord Jesus, I am so confused. Have I managed to harbour such a deceitful tongue? I place all my trust in You, and want so much to abide in your new commandment - how could I tarnish Your name and call myself Your servant when I am so ungodly? I am ashamed. I pray to You that I never again cause anybody to feel such ruin and destruction at the hands of my lying lips and treacherous tongue. You cleansed me from my sin when I received Your reconciliation. Now walk with me as I carry my cross and try to become the instrument that You have always intended me to be, in Your peace, and without arrogance.

"How much more can we be sure, therefore, that, now that we have been justified by his death, we shall be saved through him from the retribution of God. For if, while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, how much more can we be sure that, being now reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. What is more, we are filled with exultant trust in God, through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have already gained our reconciliation." [Romans 5:9-11]

(I have not really reflected on the Jeremiah passage this evening... St. Paul's words are just too strong at this present moment in time, so I will come back to Jeremiah at some point in the future)

Upcoming Catholic Youth Events for February - mid March, 2011

UPCOMING EVENTS:

Tuesday 1st February 2011, 19:00: Theology of the Body on John Paul II (series of talks)
Tuesday 1st February 2011, 19:00: Catholic Union "Do"
Tuesday 1st February 2011, 18:30-20:30: Logos Formation Day - Creation
Wednesday 2nd February 2011, 19:00: Youth 2000 Prayer Group @ Covent Garden
Thursday 3rd February 2011, 19:00: LISS (Soul Food)
Friday 4th February 2011, 19:30: Anchor Sessions (formation programme)
Friday 4th February 2011, 19:00: First Friday all-night vigil
Saturday 5th February 2011, 11:00-16:00: Catholic Roadshow Planning Conference
Sunday 6th February 2011: Come Away with Me 2011: BCYS Training Day for Catholic Youth Ministry Leaders
Sunday 6th February 2011, 18:00: Psycho Spirituality - An Encounter with the Self: How to Handle Emotions (series of talks)
Friday 11th February 2011, 18:30: Juventutem London - February (High Mass)
Weekend of Friday 11th February 2011: Male Silent Retreat
Saturday 12th February 2011, 14:00: Generation of Love
Wednesday 16th February 2011, 19:20: Westminster Young Adults meal
Wednesday 16th February 2011, 19:30: Academic social and cultural trends in today's society (talks at Netherhall)
Weekend of Friday 18th February  2011, 18:00: Lifted@Harrogate (A Youth 2000 weekend retreat)
Saturday 19th February 2011, 15:00: Afternoon of recollection for male students
Sunday 20th February 2011, 17:15: Frassati Society meal and talk
Wednesday 23rd February 2011, 19:30: 40 Days for Life Cast the Vision Event
Tuesday 1st March 2011, 19:00: Westminster Young Adults pancake fest!
Tuesday 1st March 2011, 19:00: The Sacraments in the Catechism of the Catholic Church (series of Tuesday evening talks)

Friday 4th March 2011, 18:00: Women's Vocations Weekend
Saturday 5th March 2011, 12:00: CFR Open Day
Saturday 5th March 2011, 20:00: Piano and Cello Recital @ Netherhall
Saturday 12th March 2011, 10:00: CYMFed Congress 2011
Saturday 12th March 2011, 09:30: Catholic Charismatic Day of Renewal
Links to Student/Young Adult talks
Other helpful links



Theology of the Body on John Paul II (A series of talks)
Tuesday 1st February 2011, 19:00 - 21:00
SPES, St. Patrick’s Presbytery, St. Patrick's Church, 21a Soho Square, London, W1D 4NR
Theology of the Body of John Paul II. The evening will kick off with a light soup supper and time of social. The talk will last about an hour with an opportunity of Q&A at the end.
The remaining series of dates are scheduled:
8th February
15th February
22nd February
Contact: Deanna Joy at spes@stpatricksoho.org, www.sohope.blogspot.com and 0207 434 9965.


Catholic Union "Do"
Tuesday 1st February 2011, 19:00
St Mary Moorfields Church in the City
There will be a sung Mass at 7.00pm (Eve of Candlemas). This will be followed by drinks and dinner down in the Hall. The event will be held in conjunction with the Young City Catholic so it will be an excellent opportunity for young Catholic professionals to get together.
A donation of £10 towards a sumptuous dinner and wine would be gratefully received and can be paid on the evening. However the caterers will need to know how many people to cater for! Please email Olivia of Catholic Union by 28 January!
Please feel free to forward this invitation to your friends and fill this event with an interesting variety of people!
For more info on the Catholic Union of Great Britain and its work do please visit http://www.catholicunion.org/


Logos Formation Day - Creation
Tuesday 01 February · 18:30 - 20:30
St. Anselm and St. Cecilia’s Church, Lincoln's Inn Fields, Kingsway, Holborn, London, WC2A 3JA
The Bible stories of Creation and the Church;
Praying into the creation of nature;
Praying into the creation of human life and soul;
We are co-creators with God...


Youth 2000 Covent Garden Prayer Group
Wednesday evenings between 19:00-21:00 and then to the Coal Hole for socialising.
Corpus Christi Presbytery, Maiden Lane, WC2E 7NB.
Youth 2000 seeks to draw young people into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, lived at the heart of the Catholic church. It does this primarily through weekend prayer festivals, where young people are introduced to the essentials of the catholic faith: Mass, Eucharistic Adoration, confession, scripture, devotion to Our Lady. These big festivals happen at different locations around the UK around 5-6 times a year... but those who live and work in Central London can receive a regular weekly dose of these events at Covent Garden every Wednesday evening. It's a great opportunity for young Caths to top-up on the faith, hope and love of God in fellowship with each other. http://www.youth2000.org/


Soul Food…
Soul Food is a Catholic charismatic prayer group for young adults. We meet at St. Charles Borromeo Church in Central London every Thursday from 7 to 9pm for worship, teaching and faith sharing. Most people who come are in their 20s or 30s, but everyone is welcome.
A night at Soul Food starts with praise and worship, followed by a talk or Bible based teaching on a particular theme. This is usually followed up with a time of response such as prayer ministry, small group discussion or faith sharing, individual prayer and meditation or Eucharistic Adoration. At the moment, they have a Life in the Spirit Seminar going on:
LISS (Soul Food)
St Charles Borromeo Church, Ogle Street, London, W1W 6HS
3rd Feb:  Session 4 - Salvation through Jesus
4th – 6th Feb: Weekend Retreat at All Saints Pastoral Centre (London Colney, Hertfordshire), which covers sessions 5 to 7.
Session 5: New Heart, New Spirit
Session 6: Come Holy Spirit
Session 7: Learn to walk, Learn to run
10th Feb: Session 8 - Life in the Spirit
The format for most of the sessions will be praise and worship, followed by teaching, personal testimonies and small group sharing.  You will be kept in the same small group for all of the sessions, with two group leaders to guide you. The Life in the Spirit Seminar is a journey of discovery undertaken together as a community; hence it is important to be able to attend every session if at all possible.
Information about Soul Food is above, but please register your attendance on their website http://soulfoodgroup.org/


Anchor your Faith! Session 1
Friday 4th February 2011, 19:30
St. Benedict's Ealing Abbey, Charlbury Grove, Ealing, W5 2DY
This Friday is the launch of the new Anchor program - a fantastic resource produced through the Maryvale Institute. The wonderful Marianne Cuthbertson will be kick starting the course for us, the first session is on THE TRINITY (nice easy one ;)) Marianne is the Catechetical Coordinator at Ealing Abbey and has also graduated from and works for the Maryvale Institute. Marianne is a fantastic speaker; very inspiring - she speaks with great passion and I'm sure she will help us all to receive a great deal from the session. http://www.anchoryourfaith.com/ . If you have not been before you are very welcome to come along, we run the Young Adult's Group every Friday evening at St Benedict's Ealing Abbey and have a variety of things going on - email Rachel Kidd for more details: rachel_kidd@hotmail.co.uk.


First Friday all-night vigil
Friday 7th January 2011, 19:00
@ Soho Square (St. Patrick's).
Every First Friday, SPES (St. Patrick's Evangelisation School) has an all-night vigil devoted to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which corresponds with the First Friday Devotion that was promised to us via St. Margaret Mary Alacoque. For more information about First Friday Devotions, you can visit this page of my blog. The monthly event kicks off with Mass @ 7pm, then dinner is served after, and this takes us into Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament for the whole night. See the SPES blog mentioned above for more info!


Catholic Roadshow Planning Conference
Saturday 5th February 2011, 11:00-16:00
St George's Cathedral, Cathedral House, Westminster Bridge Road, London, SE1 7HY.
All Catholics are warmly invited to a planning conference for a two week England and Wales wide Catholic Roadshow happening in May 2011.
Gerry Coates, founder of 'Heart Speaks Unto Heart' radio station for the Papal Visit, has been hard at work making the possibility of a Catholic Roadshow into a reality. It will hit universities, schools, Cathedrals, city centres, and other public venues located all over England and Wales which Gerry will be revealing more about at the planning conference. Fr Stan Fortuna is likely to come over for 18+ days to lead the roadshow, and Gerry is hoping to seriously promote Catholic Youth Ministry and engage Catholic Youths over England and Wales as part of this mission. This conference is a great opportunity to discover how your outreach teams could become part of this mission, and it would also help Gerry to gauge interest.
Attached are the details of the conference and the list of provisionally set dates and locations for the Roadshow. Please save the planning conference date and location in your diaries.
If you are interested, kindly RSVP either to Gerry directly (gerrycoates@blueyonder.co.uk), or myself (happy to pass on your details). It would be great if you could tell me which institution/organisation/group/company/parish/community you would be representing, if not yourself. If you wish to be removed from any further communications regarding this roadshow, let me know gently ;)
Please keep this excellent opportunity for Catholic Youth to share our beautiful faith with the masses as one community in your prayers, and please share this information to anyone and everyone you think might be able to contribute!
Please also note that this conference is also on the same date as the LISS weekend!


Come Away with Me 2011: BCYS Training Day for Catholic Youth Ministry Leaders
Sunday 6th February 2011
Don Bosco House, Coventry Road, Coleshill, B46 3EA
Workshops focus on the following:
Let us proclaim the Mystery of Faith
Faith vs. Society
Praying with Young People
Managing Challenging Behaviour
Resources within our Reach
Facebooking for Youth Groups
Cost = £27
For more information: comeawaywithme2011@gmail.com


Psycho Spirituality - An Encounter with the Self: How to handle emotions
Sunday 6th February 2011, 18:00
Newman House Catholic Chaplaincy, 111 Gower Street, London, WC1E 6AR, 020 7387 6370
Sr. Paloma Marchesi, a Carmelite Missionary Sister, and also a wonderful Spiritual Director to me, is currently leading four psycho-spirituality talks at Newman House. The first one on Sunday was a gem! These talks will truly help us in our personal and spiritual growth, addressing questions like 'how do I grow emotionally mature?' and 'how can I achieve interior peace?' Following talks include:
Understanding difficult relationships and working through them: Sunday 20th February 2011, 18.00
The Way of Centering Prayer: Tuesday 22nd February 2011, 20.00


Juventutem London - February (High Mass)
Friday 11th February 2011, 18:30
Corpus Christi Church, Maiden Lane, Covent Garden, WC2E 7NB
Juventutem will be meetin again on February 11 for Solemn High Mass (under the Traditional form) for the Feast of the Apparition of Our Lady of Lourdes (thanks to the Good Counsel Network). After Mass we'll be going to an affordable restaurant nearby the Church.
The meal is for members those aged 18-35, but Mass is open to everyone and anyone (though to receive Holy Communion you must be a practising Catholic in a state of grace).
Mass starts at 6.30pm (with Confession available before). We will then go for dinner somewhere nearby (tba).
Priest: Fr de Malleray, FSSP
Deacon: Fr Bede Rowe
Subdeacon: Fr Alexander Redman


Silent retreat for male students
Friday 11th February 2011 - Sunday 13th of February
Wickenden Manor, Chilling Street, Sharpthorne, West SussexRH19 4JB
Retreats in Wickenden are run by Opus Dei. Opus Dei aims to help people of all walks of life to strive for holiness and to evangelise in a natural manner wherever they are, especially through their daily work. The cost of the retreat is £55 and it goes from Friday evening to Sunday afternoon. This includes all the costs except tranport. Attendants may travel by train from either London Bridge or Victoria to East Grinstead where they will be picked up by car to go to Wickenden.
For more information please contact: pablohinojo@gmail.com 


Generation of Love
Saturday 12th February 2011, 14:00
St. Michael & St. Martin's Catholic Church, 94 Bath Road, Hounslow, Middlesex, TW3 3EH.
Didn't get enough of the all-night Catholic youth event that Hounslow Youth Team put on in celebration of Christ the King back in November? Don't despair! Our next event 'Generation of Love' is almost here! This day/evening event includes:
- A talk and faith-sharing session by Emmett & Lucy Dooley (formerly of Pure in Heart) who will be helping us to explore the theme of LOVE as young Catholic singles, couples and 'discerners' of religious life.
- Interactive games, workshops, faith sharing, and lots of God-loving during Adoration, Confession and Mass while TW3 lead live praise and worship!
- The evening turns hot after SIT DOWN DINNER with our very own rendition of 'Blind Date!', and then it's time to do your thang on a jam-packed dance floor where our DJ'll smash the hottest freshest and cleanest club tunes til 1am (will include an urban Christian set!)
Dress Code: Dress to impress... without showing flesh!!! No caps/hats are to be worn in the Church.
PLEASE REGISTER! This reduces queueing at the door, and helps us work out the amount of dinner to purchase & cook! Registration closes at 23:00 on Friday 11th February 2011.
All under 18's must download a consent form from http://ssmm.org.uk/.
For more info, contact myself or Nicole Carver, or email hounslowyouthteam@gmail.com.
Cost: Suggested donation of £5 - but if that is too much, then you're welcome to give whatever you can! It's gonna be a wicked night!
DISCLAIMER: THIS IS CATHOLIC YOUTH EVENT ENDING IN A PARTY, NOT A RAVE... No alcoholic beverages will be served on the night, and no provocative, violent or anti-Christian values will be tolerated whatsoever :)


Midweek meal at Fire and Stone Covent Garden
Wednesday 16th February 2011, 19:20
Fire and Stone Covent Garden, 31/32 Maiden Lane, Covent Garden, London, WC2E 7JS
Some pizza or pasta to warm us all up with the nearest tube station being Charing Cross/Covent garden. Website to the venue is: http://www.fireandstone.com/pizza/coventgarden/index.asp. For more information, and to book your place, please email westminsteryoungadults@gmail.com


Talks exploring different academic social and cultural trends in today's society
19:30-20:30, on dates stated below
Netherhall House, Nutley Terrace, London NW3 5SA
These talks consist in a half hour talk by the speaker and a half hour Q&A session with the guest and are designed in order to promote the intrinsic development of the student and to engage with student's from other fields.
Monday 7th February 2011, Questions and Answers on the Supreme Court, The Rt. Hon. the Lord Collins of Mapesbury, Justice of the Supreme Court
Wednesday 16th February 2011, Citizenship, Religion and Secularism, Prof. James Arthur, Head of School of Education, University of Birmingham
Monday 21st February 2011, Aspects of Economics, Dr. Vikram Pathania, LSE Fellow, Managerial Economics and Strategy Group, Department of Management
Thursday 10th March 2011, The Christian Church and British Values, The Rt Hon Dominic Grieve MP, QC Attorney General
Monday 14th March 2011, Making Moral Sense of the Financial Crisis, Edward Hadas, Assistant Editor, Lex Column of Comment and Analysis, Financial Times
See below for more information about Netherhall and who to contact.


Lifted@Harrogate
Friday 18th February  2011, 18:00 - Sunday 20th February 2011, 13:00
St John Fisher School, 18 Hookstone Drive, Harrogate, North Yorkshire HG1 8PT
Does your faith need a kick start? Looking for a weekend with a difference? Like to meet new people & have fun?
Yes?... Great! Then come to Lifted@Harrogate - Starts Friday 18th February at 6pm
A Youth 2000 weekend for young adults - with a difference!
- Time for discussion, deepening faith and meeting other young people!
- The inspiring talks will help us to understand different aspects of our faith, the adoration and lively music will lift us and the workshops on real life issues will challenge us to see how faith can make sense in our everyday lives ... Come along - be lifted! We can’t wait to see you there.
- Youth 2000 weekends are primarily for 16-25 year olds, although we welcome people up to 35.
- Accommodation: Please bring a mat, sleeping bag, pillow and wash kit. Accommodation is quite basic, but comfortable (classrooms in the school.) Don’t forget your tooth brush!
- Cost: We ask for a suggested donation of £40 for the whole weekend. But, if you can't afford that, please give what you can.
For more info please contact:
The Youth 2000 National Office: 020 8675 2743 or email info@youth2000.org
Or The Leeds Diocese Youth Service: 0113 2618058 or email abcleedsdiocese@hotmail.com
Check the website www.youth2000.org to see what other young people say about Youth 2000 retreats


London Launch of Worldcatholicdating.com
Friday 18th February 2011, 19:30
St Wilfrid's Hall, Oratory, Brompton Road, London, SW7 2RP
Have you heard how Pope Benedict's parents met?
Did you know that Pope Benedict's parents met after his father posted a "personal advert" in the local German newspaper? Sometimes a little communication is all that's needed for the Holy Spirit to get involved.
While some Catholics are hesitant about "dating websites," at 7.30pm on 18th February 2011 we are celebrating the London launch of a simple new community website: WorldCatholicDating.com
WorldCatholicDating.com is 100% free and 100% Catholic and is especially for Catholics with a vocation to marriage. But whether you're hoping to be married or not, it's also going to be a great place to make new Catholic friends locally and around the world.
Come along to meet people and find out more!
Free food and drink provided. Please invite all your friends. Contact Robert Colquhoun for more details.


NETHERHALL & Afternoons of recollection for male students
Every third Saturday of the month, 15:00-18:45
Netherhall House, Nutley Terrace, London NW3 5SA
An afternoon of recollection consists in spending an afternoon in prayer helped by different meditations and talks throughout the afternoon. Meditations and talks are given on central themes of the Catholic faith. Recollections are free of charge. Those that wish to have dinner afterwards may do so. Dinner is £3.50. For more information please contact Pablo on: pablohinojo@gmail.com and on 0207 472 5720.
Netherhall is an intercollegiate halls of residents in Hampstead. The spiritual activities are entrusted to Opus Dei. It is open to everyone but the halls have a Catholic ethos. The idea of the residence is to try to give an all-round development to students.  In addition, every Wednesday from 8:00-9:00pm the Chaplain holds talks that deal with basic aspects of the Catholic faith such as morality, Creation, or aspects of Salvation. More information regarding activities and information about the house can be found on the wesbite: http://www.nh.netherhall.org.uk/. For more information about Opus Dei please visit: http://www.opusdei.org.uk/


Frassati Society meal and talk
Sunday 20th February 2011, 17:15
Holy Ghost Catholic Church, 36 Nightingale Square, Balham, SW12 8QN
The Frassati Society is a young adult apostolate which combines prayer, service of the poor, and community (specifically, hiking!) in the spirit of Bl. Pier Giorgio Frassati. At his beatification in 1990, Pope John Paul II named Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati 'The Man of the Beatitudes' - a model for young Christian living.  Each month as we come together for Mass and prayer, fellowship, food and formation, we will explore the richness and beauty of Jesus's teaching as we look at a different Beatitude each month. As we are moved to live the Beatitudes more profoundlly in our life, the model of Pier Giorgio Frassati will be an example of how we can live out this call. The night kicks off with Adoration @ 17:15. After a generous dinner, we will be honoured by the presence of Monsignor John Armitage - who is an AMAZING speaker for the faith in a youth context. Definitely not one to miss!
For more information, please contact Laura Cuthbertson on laura@hgbalham.com.


40 Days for Life Cast the Vision Event
Wednesday 23rd February 2011, 19:30 - 22:00
St Wilfrid's Hall, Oratory, London, SW7 2RP
An invitation to participate in the 40 days for life London event starting March 9th in London.
An introduction to 40 days for life, a chance to save lives and inspire hearts and minds, & learn how you can speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves.
Speaker for evening: Margaret Cuthill. Margaret Cuthill is a Post Abortion Trauma (PAT) counsellor and is the National Co-ordinator of ARCH. She herself has had abortion experience and struggled with PAT. Margaret has recovered her life through receiving PAT counselling, and has since been working as a full time PAT counsellor for the past 20 years.
Free Food and Drink Provided. Please invite all your friends. www.40daysforlife.com/london


Westminster Young Adults Pancake fest!
Tuesday 1st March 2011, 19:00
My Old Dutch Pancake House, 16 Kensington Church Street, Kensington, London, W8 4EP
Yes, it's not quite Pancake day...we're doing it a week early to avoid the crowds and to start early
Nearest Tube: High Street Kensington and website to the venue is: http://www.myolddutch.com/restaurant_02.asp. To book a place, please email westminsteryoungadults@gmail.com


The Sacraments in the Catechism of the Catholic Church (series of Tuesday evening talks)
Tuesday 1st March 2011, 19:00 - 21:00
SPES, St. Patrick’s Presbytery, 21a Soho Square, London, W1D 4NR
Fr. Francis Selman's wise and wonderful (and trust me, he's REALLY wise and wonderful!!!) will start at 7.30 p.m. which last approximately an hour with ten minutes at the end for Q & A.  Come along early to join us for a light soup supper from 7.00 p.m. giving us time to have a chat and meet you.  Please bring a friend or pass onto others who you know would be interested.  All are very welcome!!! 
I HIGHLY recommend these series of talks which include:
1st March: Why Does the Catholic Church have Sacraments and why seven?
8th March: Why do we weed to be confirmed if we are baptized?
15th March: The Eucharist the ultimate Sacrament of Love!
22nd March: Why do we need a priest to be forgiven by God?
29th March: Why do we need priests and why go to church to marry?
Contact: Deanna Joy at spes@stpatricksoho.org, www.sohope.blogspot.com and 0207 434 9965. 


Women's Vocations Weekend
Friday 4th March 2011, 18:00 - Sunday 6th March 2011, 14:00
Convent of the Assumption, 20 Kensington Square, London, W8 5HN
A weekend with the Religious of the Assumption, for women aged 18-35.
Our lives are centred around daily mass, divine office and adoration. Prayer enables us to work to make Jesus Christ and his Church known and loved. Perhaps you may be called to join us?...
For more info: assumptionsisters@gmail.com or phone 07503241127 / www.assumptionreligious.org


CFR Open Day (Community of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal)
Saturday 5th March 2011, 12:00
The Associates meet as a group the first Saturday of the month in Canning Town for a day of prayer, service and fellowship. A typical day begins at 12:30 pm with Holy Mass followed by lunch while the Associates exchange greetings with one another and with the Friars. After lunch, each member is assigned some type of work duty which assists the mission of the Friars. Work assignments include such chores as sorting donated clothing, preparing food, maintaining/cleaning the Kitchen and Shelter for the homeless, gardening, and other means of serving the poor. At the end of the work period there is a tea break followed by a talk given by a friar. Holy Hour with Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and Benediction begins at 5 pm. Following the prayer time with our Eucharistic Lord, there is time for informal sharing over supper (each person brings a dish). The day comes to a close with Night Prayer. In addition to the first Saturdays in Canning Town, the Associates have an annual weekend retreat. Every two years the Associates plan a pilgrimage to a Holy Site.
If you are interested in learning more about the Associates of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal please contact: Fr. Emmanuel, C.F.R. at 0207 474 0766


Piano and Cello Recital @ Netherhall House
Saturday 5th March 2011, 20:00
Netherhall House, Nutley Terrace, London NW3 5SA
Ricard Rovirosa and Oscar Alabau present music by Mendelssohn, Faure, Debussy, Falla and Prokoviev. These are free of charge but donations are welcomed.
For more information please contact Pablo on: pablohinojo@gmail.com and on 0207 472 5720.


CYMFed Congress 2011
Saturday 12th March, 10:00 - 17:00
Friends Meeting House, 173 Euston Road, London, NW1 2BJ
This annual congress gives people a round-up of the year of activity for Catholic Youth Ministry and looks into what is coming up for the year ahead. Speakers include:
David Wells, Director of the Department for Formation, Plymouth Diocese and International Speaker.
Michelle Moran, President of ICCRS and a member of the Pontifical Council for the Laity. Michelle is also part of the Sion Community.
Fr. J Glenn Murray, A Jesuit priest from the US, International speaker in the areas of liturgy and culture.
CJM Music, Pastoral musicians, serving the church through the ministry of music and liturgy.
For more information and bookings visit: www.cymfed.org


Catholic Charismatic Day of Renewal
Saturday 12th March 2011, 09:30
This West London Day of Renewal consists of parish Mass, Adoration, talks, fellowship. Speaker: Jenny Baker. Theme “Rebuild My Church”. Further details 0208 568 9949.


Student / Young Adult talks, events & film sessions
University of Hertfordshire:
http://www.uhcathsoc.org/programme.html
London Universities @ Newman House:
http://www.universitycatholic.net/


Some other helpful and/or useful links
http://encouragetrust.org.uk/ is a charity who provide friendly and informal support based on traditional Roman Catholic principles to people who struggle with homosexuality. Their purpose is to offer friendship and support.
http://marriagecare.org.uk/ provide marriage preparation, relationship counselling, relationship education, a telephone helpline. We also offer general support and advice to those who want to marry or enter long-term relationships.
http://compass-points.org.uk/ Aged 20-35, and wondering whether life in a religious order - as a nun, monk, sister, priest or brother - might just be the life for you? Compass will help you find your direction.


If you haven't already read it, please take some time to read this message from Pope Benedict XVI about digital communications :)

God Bless you for the next month!