tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7853204965986587589.post7072371543637199642..comments2024-03-17T22:48:00.427+08:00Comments on Reflections and Ruminations: Novena to St Jude and other spiritual chain lettersFr Luke Fonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03079016104331055895noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7853204965986587589.post-21755007038939269852010-04-21T01:33:24.949+08:002010-04-21T01:33:24.949+08:00Thanks Fr.Luke and all for the blog n reflections....Thanks Fr.Luke and all for the blog n reflections.<br />Hm... always wondered why there was this "resent to n people" part that makes some nice emails into a chain mail. Guess, at one point this mails do carry some scripts that will divert readers to other sites for a purpose but the payload was possibly sanitized b4 it reaches us. No one was expected to follow the "sent to n people" part, but we need be cautious as senders; some hoax looks cruel.<br />Sad to hear; but for the one printing his/her misery, may God give him comfort. Then, a smile from our heart because there is one sheep out there that at least try to seek Divine help on his/her moment of being lost. Met before a Catholic that can sense people who came looking for God in church, what a divine gift. She helped them and introduced some to RCIA and ALPHA; I am still amazed for God boundless wisdom. <br /> <br />Joy to all- Charles MarcusUnknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13103169097768889150noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7853204965986587589.post-70536483403352972822010-04-20T22:54:02.267+08:002010-04-20T22:54:02.267+08:00I suppose some people might be nursing the assumpt...I suppose some people might be nursing the assumption that the answer to their prayers might lie in their own efforts - be this in writing out a novena prayerfully 81 times or hitting the "photocopy" button on the machine for 81 copies. Might they be forgetting that the power to grant a heart's desires lies with the One who answers our prayers rather than in the power of the novena per se?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7853204965986587589.post-18735653766654843722010-04-20T14:18:11.037+08:002010-04-20T14:18:11.037+08:00Whilst I've been irked by "chain letters&...Whilst I've been irked by "chain letters" both in the email & sms, I somehow feel that those who inundated the church with 'photocopied novenas' may be in a different category of their own.We've taken literacy for granted & to be properly catechized seems to be a personal inclination or choice. However, there remains a section of the faithful who, though cradle-catholics, yet continues to perpetuate such acts of devotion due to a lack of proper catechesis. They are not properly informed, so are not formed & are thus not easily to be transformed. Theirs is a child-like faith..in the footsteps of their parents. So for them to photocopy so many copies of novena prayer is perhaps a way of expressing their humble perseverance in faith & their belief in the veracity of the written word.<br />I've met one who paid for the photocopy in Upper Serangoon Plaza & literally played 'hide & seek' with out former parish priest - for she would stash 9 copies of prayers in various dark niches of the church & hope that for at least the 9 days he would not find all of them ! When such people are scouring the bottom of the barrel of hope, near plunging into the abyss of despair, this act of flooding the church with their pieces of prayer may be their 'whisper of hope'. They bring this whispering hope to the church - a sacred place, a place set apart from the profane so that perhaps St Jude (?) - the help of the hopeless would have the quiet to "give ear to their distress " & hence be their advocate to the All- Merciful ? So though these pieces of paper do litter the church & we can and should recycle them....we are also glad that the church continues to be a sanctuary for the hopeless?<br />God bless you.<br /> tessaTessahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04211998984286520369noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7853204965986587589.post-78723783992669498732010-04-19T22:34:03.224+08:002010-04-19T22:34:03.224+08:00i agree with your view on the manual photocopying ...i agree with your view on the manual photocopying of the prayer to st jude and how by writing it out we're more consciously meditating on the prayer. often when i find myself angry or upset i try write down the entire situation. and after a while i just realize that there was nothing much to be upset about because God has already blessed me so abundantly! <br /><br />hope you're doing well in sots, (: <br /><br />ivyfairy-monsterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02154286919570000006noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7853204965986587589.post-75883373403521564062010-04-19T21:08:29.399+08:002010-04-19T21:08:29.399+08:00Fr. Luke,
Amen!
I have a prayer that I say often...Fr. Luke,<br /><br />Amen!<br /><br />I have a prayer that I say often and I believe it shares your sentiment and puts things into perspective.<br /><br />-Enable me, O my God to return Thee thanks as I ought for Thine inestimable blessings and favors. Thou hast thought of me and loved me from all eternity; Thou hast formed me out of nothing; Thou hast delivered up Thy beloved Son to the ignominous death of the cross for my redemption; Thou hast made me a member of Thy holy Church; Thou hast preserved me from falling into the abyss of eternal misery, when my sins had provoked Thee to punish me; Thou hast graciously continued to spare me, even though I have not ceased to offend Thee. What return, O my God, can I make for Thy innumerable blessings, and particularly for the favors of this day? O all ye saints and angels, unite with me in praising th God of mercies, Who is so bountiful to so unworthy a creature.-<br /><br />It is followed by the Our Father, Hail Mary, Apostle's Creed, Glory be and Confiteor.<br /><br />I know it is a bit verbose and I apologise for that, but I believe the prayer has a tendency of helping people see their blessings in the proper light.<br /><br />Pax tecum.The Anti-Modernisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03108312974688755489noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7853204965986587589.post-14257044473215151402010-04-19T11:24:13.906+08:002010-04-19T11:24:13.906+08:00Thank you for our comment, Robbie. Perhaps what I...Thank you for our comment, Robbie. Perhaps what I may have left out from my blog entry is that fact that many of us, yes, including Catholics, fail to see blessings that God has given us, and is constantly giving us throughout our lives. If we only see blessings in terms of extraordinary times of joy and abundance (often, and sadly only in terms of financial windfalls), we blind ourselves to the fact that our very lives IS a blessing, whether we have those windfall moments or not. And when we fail to see that life itself is a blessing, that is when we begin to manipulate and control life, as if it were our right, and not a gift which we certainly do not deserve. <br /><br />God bless<br /><br />Fr LukeFr Luke Fonghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03079016104331055895noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7853204965986587589.post-33091125030763828672010-04-19T11:16:54.053+08:002010-04-19T11:16:54.053+08:00Dear Fr. Luke,
I myself have received many "c...Dear Fr. Luke,<br />I myself have received many "chain letters" exhorting me to, "send this on to 7 people within 24 hours of receiving it" with the result that I would "receive a special blessing" or words to that effect. Messages like these never fail to evoke some measure of disgust within me. One time, when I was promised "a special blessing" I responded by sms'ing that " But I already receive many blessings each day". The result was that the sender got somewhat cross with me, assuming that I was being facetious. I wasn't. Father, I think we all need to come to the realisation that, GOD IS NOT A VENDING MACHINE. Nor can He be manipulated. I really find this (what I call) "sentimentalist" approach to religion rather disturbing. It smacks of a kind of escapism and unwillingness to face the (sometimes painful) realities of life.Robbie Jnoreply@blogger.com