HIS MERCY ENDURETH FOREVER

He saw the slavery of the Isralites and was concerned for them. Ex. 2:25

The Lord then passed in front of him and called out, "I, the Lord , am a God who is full of compassion and pity, , who is not easily angered and who shows great love and faithfulness. Ex 34:6

One of them may encourage you to worghip the gods of the people who live near you or the gods of those who live far away. But do not ler him persuade you, do not even listen to him. Show him no mercy or pity, and do not protect him. Dt. 13 : 6-7

Let us give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the merciful father , the God from whom all help comes.2Cor 3:3
God in his mercy has given us this work to do, and so we do not become discouraged. 2Cor 4:1

So then evrything depends upon not on what man wants or does, but only on Gods mercy. Ro. 9:16

He rescues the poor who call to him. and those who are needy and neglected. He has pity on the weak and poor. Ps. 72: 13-14

The Lord is merciful and good, our God is compassionate. Ps.116:5

Let the wicked leave their way of life and chage their way of thinking. Let them turn to the Lord our God, He is merciful and quick to forgive. Is. 55:7

I will be mercifu to my people and and make them prosperous again. Jr. 33:26

So then your majesty, follow my advice . Stop sinning do what is right and be merciful to the poor, Then you will continue to be prosperous. Dn 4:27

Don`t give up my friends, Let`s wait five more days to see if the Lord our God will be merciful to us. Jdt. 7:30

The Lord is kind and merciful: He forgives our sins and keeps us safe in time of trouble. Si 2:11

Immediately all of them together thanked God for his mercy, he had made them brave enough to attack not only man, but even the most savage animals or even walls or iron. 2 Macc 11:9

Be merciful just as your Father is merciful. Lk. 6:36

SIN

When your people sin against you and there is no one who does not sin and in your anger you let
their enemies defeat them and take them as prisoners. 2 Ch 6:36

Who ever sins is guilty of breaking God`s law, because sin is a breaking of the law. 1 Jn 3:4

As they stood there asking him questions, he straightened up and said to them. "Whichever one of you has committed no sin may throw the first stone at her." Jn 8:7

The king sent for Moses and Aron and said, "This time I have sinned: The Lord is in the right, and my people and I are in the wrong. Ex 9:27

The people came to Moses and said , "We sinned when we spoke against the Lord and against you. Now pray to the Lord to take these snakes away. So Moses prayed for the people. Nu 21:7

My people cry out to me, even though our sins accuse us. Help us, Lord as You have promised. We have turned against You many times , we have sinned against You. Jr 14:7

We have sinned, we have been evil, we have done wrong. We have rejected what You commanded us to do and have turned away from what you showed us was right. Dn 9:5

And in this way you will be sinning against Christ by sinning against you Christian brothers and wounding their week conscience. 1Cor 8:12

But if you treat people according to their outward appearance, you are guilty fo sin,and the Law condemns you as a lawbreaker. Jas 8:12

If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and there is no truth in us. But if we confess our sins to God , He will keep his promise and do what is right. He will forgive us our sins and purify us from all our wrongdoing. 1Jn 1:8-10

If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and there is no truth in us. But if we confess our sins to God, He will keep his promise and do what is right. He will forgive us our sins and purify us from all our wrongdoing. 1Jn 1:8-10

O Lord, do to me whatever shall seem good in Thy sight. If Thou wilIest that I should be in darkness, blessed be Thou! If Thou wilIest that I should be in light, still blessed be Thou! If Thou deignest to comfort me, blessed be Thou! And if Thou wilIest that I should be afflicted, equally blessed be Thou forever! I will willingly suffer for Thee, O Lord, whatever Thou wilIest should come upon me. I am ready to receive alike from Thy hand good and evil, sweet and bitter, joy and sadness, and to give thanks for everything that befalls me. Keep me only from all sin and I will fear neither death nor Hell. Cast me not off forever, nor blot me out of the Book of Life, and whatsoever tribulation befalleth me shall not hurt me.

FEAR THE LORD ALONE

What if, GOD couldn't take the time to bless us today because we couldn't take the time to thank Him yesterday?
What if, GOD decided to stop leading us tomorrow because we didn't follow Him today?

What if, we never saw another flower bloom because we grumbled when GOD sent the rain?

What if, GOD didn't walk with us today because we failed to recognize it as His day?

What if, GOD took away the Bible tomorrow because we would not read it today?

What if, GOD took away His message because we failed to listen to the messenger?

What if, GOD didn't send His only begotten Son because He wanted us to be prepared to pay the price for sin?

What if, the door of the church was closed because we did not open the door of our heart?

What if, GOD stopped loving and caring for us because we failed to love and care for others?

What if, GOD would not hear us today because we would not listen to Him yesterday?

What if, GOD answered our prayers the way we answer His call to service?

What if, GOD met our needs the way we give Him our lives???

FEAR THE LORD ALONE

Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather be afraid of God, who can destroy both body and sould in hell. Mt 10:28

Don`t be afraid of this butcher. Give up your life willingly and prove yourself worthy of your brothers, so that by Gods mercy I may receive you back with them at the resurrection.
2 Macc 7:29

He answered,"I heard you in the garden, I was afraid and hid from you because I was naked." Gn 3:10

Is anything too had for the Lord? As I said nine months from now I will return and Sarah will have a son. Because Sarah was afraid she denied it "I didnt laugh" she said "Yes you did" he replied "you laughed".

The way to become wise is to have reverence for he Lord, he gives sound judgment to all who obey his commands , He is to be praised forever. Ps. 111:10

Have reverence for the Lord and you will live longer. The wicked die before their time.
Pr 10:27

If you fear the Lord, honor and pride will be yours: you will be crowned with happiness and joy. Si 1:11

To fear the lord is the flower of Wisdom, that blossoms with peace and good health. Si 1:18

To fear the Lord is the root lof Wisdom her branches are long life. Si 1:20

The Lord himself will lead you and be with you, He will not fail you or abandon you, so do not lose courage or be afraid. Dt 31:8

Jerusalem go up on a high mountain and maintain the good news. Speak out and do not be afraid. Tell the towns of Judah that their God is coming. Is 40:9

The angle said to her "Don`t be afraid Mary. Gad has been gracious to you, You will become pregnant and give birth to a son and you will name him Jesus. Lk 1:3

THE LETTER FROM JAMES

James is one of the three disiples closest to Christ Jesus. The other two were Peter and John.

FAITH AND WISDOM
My brothers consider yourselves fortunate when all kinds of trials come your way for you know that when your faith succeeds in facing such trials the result is the ability to endure.
James 1:2,3

If any of you lacks wisdom he should pray to God, who will give it to him; because God gives generously and graciously. James 1:5

Realizing that I was only a man, I prayed and was given understanding. The spirit of Wisdom came to me. Ws 7:7

TESTING AND TEMPTING

Happy is the person who remains faithful under trials, because when he succeeds in passing such a test , he will receive as his reward the life which God has promised to those who love him.

James 1:12

HEARING AND DOING
Do not deceive yourselves by just listening to his word, instead put it into practice.

WARNING AGAINST PREJUDICE
As believers in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, you must never treat people in different ways according to their outward appearances. James 2:1

FAITH AND ACTION
As the body without the spirit is dead, also faith without actions is dead.

THE TONGUE
No one has ever been able to tame the tongue. It is evil and uncontrollable, full of deadly poison,

We use it to give thanks to our Lord and Father and also to curse our fellow man who is created on the likeness of God. James 3:8,9

FRIENDSHIP WITH THE WORLD

The spirit that God placed in us is filled with fierce desires. But the grace that God gives is even stronger. James 4:5-6

Humble yourselves before the Lord and he will lift you up. James 4:10

AGAINST JUDGING

God is the only law giver and judge, He alone can save and destroy, who are you to judge your fellow man. James 4:12

The person who does not do the good he knows he should do is guilty of sin. James 4:17

PATIENCE AND PRAYER

Do not complain against one another, my brothers, so that God will not judge you. James 5:9

Do not use an oath when you make a promise. Do not swear by Heaven or by earth or by anything else. James 5:12

PATIENCE IS VIRTUE

TO BE HUMAN IS TO CHANGE. TO BE PERFCT IS TO HAVE CHANGED OFTEN.

Cardinal Henry Newman

They refused to obey: they forgot all you did:

They forgot the miracles you had performed.

In their pride they chose a leader to take them back into slavery in Egypt

But u are a God who forgives;

Your are gracious and loving SLOW TO BE ANGRY

Your mercy is great; You did not forsake them. Ne. 9:17

Year after year you PATIENTLY warned them ,

You inspired your prophets to speak,
But your people were deaf so you let them be

Conquered by other nations. Ne. 9:30

I waited PATIENTLY for the Lord`s help:

then He listened to me and heard my cry. Ps.40:1

The Lord is merciful and loving,

SLOW TO BECOME ANGRY and full of constant love. Ps.103:8

It is better to be PATIENT than powerful.

It is better to win control over yourself than over big cities. Pr. 16:32

People with a HOT TEMPER do foolish things, wiser people remain calm. Pr. 14:17

Enthusiasm without knowledge is not good:

IMPATIENCE will get you into trouble. Pr19:2

PATIENT persuasion can break down the strongest
resistance and can even convince rulers. Pr. 25:15

Stupid people express their anger openly,

but sensible people are PATIENT and hold it back. Pr.29:11

Don`t think that you can sin and get away with it:

the Lord does not mind WAITING to punish you. Si.5:4

No sinner can escape with what he has stolen.

the Lord will reward the PATIENCE of devout people. Si.16:13

Wait and be PATIENT and later you will be glad you did. Si.1:23

And life goes on....

Meanwhile there were many ups and downs in the parish , but devotion to Infant Jesus increased steadily. There were many new faces in church and the attendence increased. By this time our shed was weather beaten and looking dilapidated. Soon it was December and we began choir singing again. Another X`mas programme was planned and very well executed by the children of our parish, on 23rd December, immediately after Sunday mass. Hats off to all the organizers and participants.. Church at chirstmas, that's the crib at the far right... sorry I don't have a better picture.

Christmas mass and New Year mass were well attended. Then we began planning for the Infant Jesus festival. Building a church was our main purpose, so we did not want to spend lavishly on the festival. We decided to have a five day festival starting from Jan 10th to Jan 14th. Special decorators were called to make the shed as presentable as possible. Again we had many sponsors for the sound system, decorations, chairs, etc. etc. The flag was hoisted on the 10th of Jan at 6: 30pm, amidst singing and clapping. Everyday there were about three to four priests celebrating Mass. Phidalys our special organist was superb. On Sunday, the 4th day of the festival, First Holy Communion was given to 8 children. It was a great day, the service was very meaningful and beautiful. The photographers kept to their places but tackling the crowd was a bit tough. That same evening we had holy hour for three hours, followed by benediction. Father took pains in making this holy hour very special. After that there was dinner for one and all, sponsored by Five Star Caterers. The children kept finishing off the ice-cream and they kept supplying more and more. Everyone had a good time. The festival ended the next day on Jan 14th, with a high Mass after which the flag was brought down.

WHY DO WE HAVE FORTY DAYS OF LENT ?

Seven days from now I am going to send rain that will fall for forty days and nights , in order to destroy all the living beings that I have made.. Gen. 7:4

After forty days Noah opened a window and sent out a raven. Gen. 8:6

Moses stayed there with the Lord forty days and nights , eating and drinking nothing. Ex.34:28

Joseph gave orders to embalm his father`s body , it took forty days, the normal time for embalming. Gen. 50:2

Jonah started through the city, and after walking a whole day , he proclaimed, “In forty days Nineveh will be destroyed!” Jon. 3:4

After spending forty days and nights without food Jesus was hungry. Mt. 4:2

David died and was buried in David`s City. He had been king of Israel for forty years, ruling seven years in Hebron and thirty three years in Jerusalem .. 1K 2:10,11

Solomon was king in Jerusalem over all Israel for forty years. 1K 11:42

Remember how the Lord your God has blessed you in everything that you have done. He has taken care of you as you wandered through this vast desert. He has been with you these forty years and you have had everything you needed. Dt. 2:7

Your children will wander in the wilderness for forty years , suffering for your unfaithfulness, until the last one of you dies. Nu. 14:33

The no of lashes will depend on the crime he has committed. .He may be given as many as forty but no more. Dt. 25:2-3

Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebecca, the daughter of Bethuel and sister of Laban. Gen. 25:20

After exploring the land for forty days the spies returned. Nu. 13:25

For forty days after his death he appeared to them many times in ways that proved beyond doubt that he was alive. They saw him, and he talked with them about the Kingdom of God . Ac. 1:3

“Take the stone away” Jesus ordered. Martha the dead man`s sister, answered, “There will be a bad smell , Lord . He has been buried four days!” Jn. 11:39