2 Thessalonians 1:1-5,11-12 ©

We thank God for your faith and your love

From Paul, Silvanus and Timothy, to the Church in Thessalonika which is in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ; wishing you grace and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

We feel we must be continually thanking God for you, brothers; quite rightly, because your faith is growing so wonderfully and the love that you have for one another never stops increasing; and among the churches of God we can take special pride in you for your constancy and faith under all the persecutions and troubles you have to bear. It all shows that God’s judgement is just, and the purpose of it is that you may be found worthy of the kingdom of God; it is for the sake of this that you are suffering now.

Knowing this, we pray continually that our God will make you worthy of his call, and by his power fulfil all your desires for goodness and complete all that you have been doing through faith; because in this way the name of our Lord Jesus Christ will be glorified in you and you in him, by the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Love St Paul

The Lord is kind and full of compassion.

I will bless you day after day

and praise your name for ever.

The Lord is great, highly to be praised,

his greatness cannot be measured.

The Lord is kind and full of compassion.

Age to age shall proclaim your works,

shall declare your mighty deeds,

shall speak of your splendour and glory,

tell the tale of your wonderful works.

The Lord is kind and full of compassion.

They will speak of your terrible deeds,

recount your greatness and might.

They will recall your abundant goodness;

age to age shall ring out your justice.

The Lord is kind and full of compassion.

The Lord is kind and full of compassion,

slow to anger, abounding in love.

How good is the Lord to all,

compassionate to all his creatures.

The Lord is kind and full of compassion.

Man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.

They are happy who do his will,

seeking him with all their hearts,

I have sought you with all my heart;

let me not stray from your commands.

Man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.

My soul is ever consumed

as I long for your decrees.

I have chosen the way of truth

with your decrees before me.

Man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.

See, I long for your precepts;

then in your justice, give me life.

I open my mouth and I sigh

as I yearn for your commands.

Man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.

Psalm 18(19):8-11

The decrees of the Lord are truth and all of them just.

The law of the Lord is perfect,

it revives the soul.

The rule of the Lord is to be trusted,

it gives wisdom to the simple.

The decrees of the Lord are truth and all of them just.

The precepts of the Lord are right,

they gladden the heart.

The command of the Lord is clear,

it gives light to the eyes.

The decrees of the Lord are truth and all of them just.

The fear of the Lord is holy,

abiding for ever.

The decrees of the Lord are truth

and all of them just.

The decrees of the Lord are truth and all of them just.

They are more to be desired than gold,

than the purest of gold

and sweeter are they than honey,

than honey from the comb.

The decrees of the Lord are truth and all of them just.

Love 😉 💕

Created a couple weeks back and used it every night n morning even to brush my teeth ahahahah- now enjoying it during the day too 😆Even having a footbath here heheView from my cosy corner!This caught me- end of Rivo Torto chapter 6

This is the living room with the 6 orchids in bloom this Easter 2018!! So far each year Easter has brought different blessings.Didn’t appreciate the Millesimato Bervini $21 bottle Prosecco after having one glass at for the same price in Grand Copthorne Waterfront so made my own cocktail 🍸 with Edinburgh raspberry gin, San Pellegrino frizzante and a sprig of organic Indian borage plant from my window sill 🙂Following leek n potato 🥔 soup 🥣 at lunch (and coco-shea lotion on the side!) I cooked up a Vietnamese lemongrass curry 🍛 for dinner. Extra-quick rosemary olive oil tattie 🥔 bites made by air fryer and boiled cauliflower for “rice accompaniment” ended the evening 🙂

Psalm 88(89):2-3,6-7,16-17

I will sing forever of your love, O Lord;

through all ages my mouth will proclaim your truth.

Of this I am sure, that your love lasts for ever,

that your truth is firmly established as the heavens.

  who walk, O Lord, in the light of your face,

who find their joy every day in your name,

  who make your justice the source of their bliss.

I will sing forever of your love, O Lord

Often do this when I like his concise reflections. This is actually Bishop Robert Baron’s entire reflection copied n pasted here as I missed yesterday’s readings:-

THIRD WEEK OF EASTER

JOHN 6:35-40

“Friends, Joseph Ratzinger said that the soul corresponds to our capacity for relationship to God. We have a whole range of intellectual and relational powers, but beyond them all, we have the capacity to know and love God. And since God is eternal, this power links us to eternity, proving that we are not simply limited to space and time. To say that we are nothing but “bodies” which flourish briefly and then fade away is to miss this dimension of our existence. Instead, we speak of souls and of the enduring existence of those who have gone before us into death.

This is why Jesus speaks so readily of eternal life in today’s Gospel: “For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him may have eternal life, and I shall raise him on the last day.” There was a great debate in Jesus’ time within Judaism in regard to this question. Many, including the Sadducees, denied the idea of life after death; but others, including the Pharisees, affirmed it.

Jesus clearly sides with those who affirm it, and his own resurrection from the dead demonstrated this belief as emphatically as possible.”

Like it or not even though we may believe we are content with everything and all we have accomplished, done and planned, that’s why we have an inner longing, a restless feeling in our heart as “only in God is our (my) soul at rest” Ps 62 – love the hymn!! Because we are created by and made for God. We don’t belong to ourselves or live for ourselves. Our souls belong to Him. All we aim for is to be in union with our Lord. The closer we get to him, the better the relationship, and the more the likeness. The more the likeness, the more we think, feel and act like him, the more we can live like him. The more we can live like him, the more we can love like him. And love is what the world needs more of. May our souls be ultimately drawn closer to you, O Lord.

It has pretty much been sunny blue skies every morning this week! Alleluia Easter light!!

Psalm 26(27):1,4,13-14

There is one thing I ask of the Lord, to live in the house of the Lord.

Alleluia!

The Lord is my light and my help;

whom shall I fear?

The Lord is the stronghold of my life;

before whom shall I shrink?

There is one thing I ask of the Lord, to live in the house of the Lord.

There is one thing I ask of the Lord,

for this I long,

to live in the house of the Lord,

all the days of my life,

to savour the sweetness of the Lord,

to behold his temple.

There is one thing I ask of the Lord, to live in the house of the Lord.

I am sure I shall see the Lord’s goodness

in the land of the living.

Hope in him, hold firm and take heart.

Hope in the Lord!

There is one thing I ask of the Lord, to live in the house of the Lord.

The psalms this week have called out to me. In fact most of them do, especially the words that are consoling and comforting.

We sang opening, communion, thanksgiving and recessional today

Fr Thomas Lim was enthusiastic on his homily today with the Gospel on the 5 loaves and 2 fish that he began to tell stories on RCIA and Archie in Rome 🙂

He mentioned that although this Gospel repeats itself several times in the year, it is to be interpreted differently for different Seasons. In Easter, the message is about spiritual food for community

The breaking of hearts is more important than the breaking of the word which is easy. It is Jesus’ divine power that satisfies our spiritual need. 5000 people were fed and full n happy. Can we reach out to those in community.

We are all challenged to be the 5 loaves n 2 fish to the people

Don’t dwell on multiplication -look at deeper level. It is a miracle and cannot be explained. The spiritual hunger needs to be fed.

By just being simple bread n broken, people still want it. We all have different gifts so can’t please all. Give what we can

The heart is changed as soon as food was fed spiritually

The little we have , the little hope or faith or effort we expend, God will work miracles in our lives n multiple what we give n are willing to let go of. Never say not enough. Believe in the goodness of the Lord. The Lord will break it n shake it n make it good

There is always enough, plenty and more than enough, if our heart is willing. How generous are we like this little boy with the 5 loaves and 2 fish.

Think it’s the first time I’ve come across this communion hymn. Liked the melody