Jan. 11, 2012 – 1 Samuel 3:8-10,19-20 - OBEDIENCE

The message in this reading is about obedience. Samuel obeyed God and followed His orders. According to Fr. Jack Lynch “Obedience is a matter of mind and heart before a matter of action.” We must show proper attitude and openness to God. We have to follow Jesus and obey his commandments. Also, what matter most in our relationship with God is service and by doing this we have to consider using our mind and heart in serving others. We must have mutual respect to one another including the forgotten and the downtrodden no matter what status we have in our lives. When we welcome God into our lives we can attain power and strength and live normal lives.

Attached is  a You Tube Mass video presided by Fr. Jack Lynch on January 11, 2012. Mass upload can be done at http://www.canadiandailymass.com Fr. Jack celebrates Daily Mass from St. Basil's Church in Toronto, brought to you by the National Catholic Broadcasting Council. Please consider a donation to support production of Daily Mass: 1-888-383-6277 National Catholic Broadcasting Council, 21 Dunlop Street, Richmond Hill, Ontario L4C 2M6, a registered Canadian charity www.canadiandailymass.com

Jan. 6, 2012 – 1 John 3:18-20 – Love One Another

This is the message from the beginning of the world that we should love one another especially for the children. Let us not be surprised that people may hate one another and it is the children who suffers. Whoever does not love abides in something bad and do not have eternal life. We know that Jesus laid down his life for us and we ought to lay down our lives for one another.  This is God’s greatest commandment to love one another. All who obey His commandments abide in Him and He abides in us through the Holy Spirit that He has given us. So how does God’s love abide in anyone who sees someone in need and yet refuses help?

January 2, 2012 – John 1: 22-23 - The Testimony of John the Baptist

In today’s gospel, St. John the Baptist when asked by the priests and Levites answered that he is neither the Christ nor Elijah, neither a prophet nor a messiah. The message here is about knowing who are and who we are not, accepting what we are and what we are not, knowing that we are created by God to be like Him and be with Him and not to be a God on our own and to others.

Dec. 31, 2011 - NEW YEAR'S WISH LIST

It has been a wonderful year in 2011 for most of us although we encountered difficulties and struggles along the way. We cannot deny that there are negative forces that exist in our world and therefore we have to do something to counteract these things. It is through prayer and faith in God that will keep us strong and have meaningful lives.   

My wish list for the coming New Year includes the gifts that changes lives such as the following:

• blessings and encouragement for parents to perform their duties at home and for children on their studies;
• more satisfying jobs for the unemployed;
• peace, healing and justice for all those who are sick and suffering, victims of injustice, oppression, harassment, maltreatment;
• good health and God’s grace to those who are servants of the Lord with wisdom, compassion and faith;
• charity and generosity to the poor, depressed and underprivileged,
• compassion, wisdom, courage and  strength for leaders and workers to find cure and solution to major problems in Canada and the world. 

My New Year’s resolution are to be more aware of the things I say to others, be conscious of my diet and ever more mindful of my relationship with the Lord. What is in your New Year’s wish list?

MARYS PHARMACY WISHES EVERYONE TO

HAVE A PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR IN 2012!

Dec. 29, 2011 – 1 John 2:8 - A New Commandment

The message of the reading is about Jesus as the light of the world. Whoever follows Him will never be in spiritual and moral darkness. God created us in His image and likeness. God made us for beauty, truth, love and light. He gave us the light of reason and conscience which serves as tools we can use to help us  live wisely in the present world. There is science and technology which is a stumbling block in our lives that causes us to fight one another and as a result we become economic slaves. As it is written "Whoever hates another believer is in the darkness, walks in the darkness and does not know the way to go because the darkness has brought on blindness." But if we have faith in God and embrace His ways, we live in the light of God.

Dec. 25, 2011 - CHRISTMAS DAY

What does Christmas mean to you? For me, Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year! As the song goes, so our expectation about the holiday season of gift giving. It is a time of sharing most especially, for the children. When we give to children, we must remember that whom we are giving is the baby born in the manger. Christmas is a historical event and we have to understand what had happened in Bethlehem. It is a time to reflect our journey in life as we become closer to God.

We’re so caught up in the busy world of shopping, partying, exchange gifts and the like. But we have to realize that the true meaning of Christmas is about the nativity of the Lord. We have to worship and rejoice at the miracle birth of the Saviour who brought us into this world.

Mary’s Pharmacy wish you all a

Merry Christmas!

Joyeux Noël

Feliz Navidad!

Maligayang Pasko!

The Birth of John The Baptist

The message for today’s gospel is about obeying God’s will. We can ask why and how do we go about what God wants us to do in our life. If we disobey God, we are committing a sin and must ask forgiveness. Therefore, we should accept God’s will and carry our cross. When we carry our cross, we rely on God for strength and as we become closer to him, we develop a deeper kind of relationship with Him. And in the silence of our hearts, God speaks. Just like Zechariah who doubted the wisdom of God, he was given the cross of being mute. In our life situation, how do we carry our own cross?