Here is a wonderful video about giving way and not becoming an obstacle to other people’s progress. In Matthew 16:23, Jesus says that if you do not have in mind the concerns of God you could become a stumbling block. A good indicator that you have in mind the concerns of God is your willingness to forget yourself and help others reach their destination.
The following are images and videos you might find useful for your celebration of the Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A). To view and download their full size versions, please click on the images or the names of the artists/sources.
The following awesome video is yet another reminder that life is short and thus we need to focus on things that really matter. Like loving God. And loving others. You cannot be one hundred percent sure that you will still be here tomorrow. So you better exert all effort to make this day count.
The following are images and videos you might find useful for your celebration of the Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A). In this Sunday’s Gospel (Mt 13:1-23 or 13:1-9), Jesus tells the Parable of the Sower to a large crowd that gathered around him. After telling them the story, Jesus explains to them the meaning of the parable.
Lent is a forty-day period of preparation for the celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus. It begins on Ash Wednesday and concludes right before the evening Masses of Holy Thursday, however Lenten penance continues through Holy Saturday. Sundays are skipped when we count the forty days, because each Sunday represents a “mini-Easter”, a commemoration of the Resurrection. Lent is about radical conversion – leaving behind our old ways of being and doing in order to become like Christ. Continue reading
There is a heavy, upbeat feel to this song that I particularly like. “Born Again” drives home the point that for us to experience new life, we need to give everything to God.
Newsboys is an Australian Christian rock band composed of Jody Davis, Duncan Phillips, Jeff Frankenstein and Michael Tait. Since their formation in 1985, they have released fourteen albums. The song “Born Again” is from their 2010 album of the same name. Continue reading
This week’s featured website is PlugInToChrist.ca. The main aim of this great looking website is “to help youth and young adults to discover their God given gifts and potential as signs of Christ’s presence in the world.” I love both its design and content. It provides youth ministry news, prayers, reflections and liturgical resources. It also offers a virtual retreat for netizens.
URL: http://www.plugintochrist.ca
Source: http://vimeo.com/14963029
This week’s featured short film is “Budding Love”. It is the creation of Michael Tse, a Vancouver Film School student. “Budding Love” is about completely accepting others despite their little imperfections.
According to Wikipedia, Francesca Battistelli wrote “Free To Be Me” in order “to cheer herself up after backing into a lawyer’s car in her driveway”. The song is about having the courage to face one’s highs and lows in life.
Francesca Battistelli is a north American Christian musician. The song “Free to be Me” is from her debut album “My Paper Heart”.
by Francesca Battistelli
At twenty years of age I’m still looking for a dream
A war’s already waged for my destiny
But You’ve already won the battle
And You’ve got great plans for me
Though I can’t always see
‘Cause I got a couple dents in my fender
Got a couple rips in my jeans
Try to fit the pieces together
But perfection is my enemy
On my own I’m so clumsy
But on Your shoulders I can see
I’m free to be me
When I was just a girl I thought I had it figured out
My life would turn out right, and I’d make it here somehow
But things don’t always come that easy
And sometimes I would doubt
And you’re free to be you
Sometimes I believe that I can do anything
Yet other times I think I’ve got nothing good to bring
But You look at my heart and You tell me
That I’ve got all You seek
And it’s easy to believe
Even though
At twenty years of age I’m still looking for a dream
A war’s already waged for my destiny
But You’ve already won the battle
And You’ve got great plans for me
Though I can’t always see
‘Cause I got a couple dents in my fender
Got a couple rips in my jeans
Try to fit the pieces together
But perfection is my enemy
On my own I’m so clumsy
But on Your shoulders I can see
I’m free to be me
When I was just a girl I thought I had it figured out
My life would turn out right, and I’d make it here somehow
But things don’t always come that easy
And sometimes I would doubt
And you’re free to be you
Sometimes I believe that I can do anything
Yet other times I think I’ve got nothing good to bring
But You look at my heart and You tell me
That I’ve got all You seek
And it’s easy to believe
Even though
This week’s featured website is catholicmissionarygirl.com. The girl is a Couples for Christ (CFC) lay missionary whose passion to serve God brought her to Indonesia and East Timor. She confesses that she has put up her blog “as a channel to share about the crazily unbelievable things God has put me through as a missionary just to love me perfectly”.
URL: http://catholicmissionarygirl.com/
Source: http://vimeo.com/5395365
This week’s featured short film is “Bruce”. It is a 2009 graduation film from the Royal College of Art. Bruce is an award winning animation that explores how advances in open-source synthetic biology allow a young man to grow his very own action hero.
The song “Savior, Please” by Josh Wilson is a prayer. At its core, the song centers on the idea that we cannot be without God. Some of us might think that we are strong enough but in the end we will come to realize that we cannot do anything without God’s grace. We are indeed nothing without God’s love.
Josh Wilson is a north American contemporary Christian singer. The song “Savior, Please” is from his 2008 album “Trying to Fit the Ocean In a Cup.”
by Josh Wilson
Savior, please take my hand
I work so hard, I live so fast
This life begins, and then it ends
And I do the best that I can, but I don’t know how long I’ll last
I try to be so tough
But I’m just not strong enough
I can’t do this alone, God I need You to hold on to me
I try to be good enough
But I’m nothing without Your love
Savior, please keep saving me
Savior, please help me stand
I fall so hard, I fade so fast
Will You begin right where I end
And be the God of all I am because You’re all I have
Hallelujah
Everything You are to me
Is everything I’ll ever need
And I am learning to believe
That I don’t have to prove a thing
‘Cause You’re the one who’s saving me