會牧專欄

(Selected by Rev. Dr. Lui Yu Ma)

Daily prayer for asking God's mercy

Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, please have mercy on us and on the whole world.

Daily adoration to the Crucified and Suffering Lord Jesus Christ on the Cross on behalf of our sins

We adore You, O Christ, and we bless you. Because by Your Holy Cross, You have redeemed the world. Thank you, Jesus, for your love and sacrifice of your life for saving us from our sins against God and humanity! I love You, my beloved Jesus; I repent with my whole heart for having offended You. Never permit me to separate myself from You again. And, I beseech You, to assist my soul in my sorrowful journey of this world toward eternity.

"Faithful Departed - Transfigured & living near to us!"

St. John Chrisostom once said, "They whom we love and lose are no longer where they were before; they are now wherever we are."

The great and very sad mistake of many people, even among pious souls, is to imagine that those whom death has taken, lave us. But, they do not leave us; they in fact remain with us all the time!

However, where are those faithful departed now? In darkness? NO! NO! It is we who are in darkness. We do not see them, but they see us. Their eyes, radiant with glory, are fixed upon our eyes full of tears. Oh, infinite consolation! Though invisible to us, our dear dead are not absent. Death has not destroyed or carried them away. They are not even absent, but living near to us. Transfigured, having lost no delicacy of their souls, no tenderness of their hearts, nor especial preference in their affection. Death is for the good: a translation into light, power and love! Those who, on earth, were ordinary Christians, became perfect; those who were good Christians, became sublime - Something for us to think and pray about "Soul Ministry"! May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

"Mustard Seed & Yeast" - Biblical Parable for Reflection

In Gospel of Luke, chapter 13, Jesus compares the Kingdom of God to a mustard seed and to yeast. The mustard seed is the smallest of seeds that grows into something great, and yeast is an amazing agent of change. Two aspects of the Kingdom for us to think about.

"Forgive & Forget" - An inspiration by Jesus' Word upon our deeds

Jesus said, "When you stand to pray, forgive anyone against whom you have a grievance, so that your heavenly Father may in turn forgive you your transgressions." (Mark 11:25)

This Scripture verse is probably not anyone's favorite. If you consider this verse seriously, it challenges us in ways we may find difficult. First, the verse seems to be a blanket command from Jesus to forgive everyone for anything they have done against us. For many of us, it's hard to stop harboring a grudge. Second, the verse clearly says that God's forgiveness of our own sings is contingent upon our forgiveness of others.

How often we hear someone say -- or maybe we say it ourselves -- "I can forgive, but I will never forget." The extent to which we have forgotten may very well be the best indicator of how well we have forgiven.

From time to time we need to shake ourselves from stem to stem and make a comprehensive examination of our lives, followed by a sincere confession of our sins. Our spiritual growth, our relationships with other people, and foremost, our love for the Lord Jesus Christ, can be tarnished if we do not forgive and forget all our grievances.

May God help us and give us grace in our efforts to forgive others, so that we may be eternally forgiven.