Vuélvanse a Díos porque el reino de Díos está cerca. ~ San Mateo 4, 17
Remembering the cross & most precious blood this Holy Week and always⛪️💒💐
Must-See: Tyler Perry‘s The †Passion† Live: New Orleans on FOX this past Palm ☼Sunday☼
My positive takeaways: familiar talent and soundtrack (which I added to my ♪iTunes♫ immediately) in relatable portrayal to modern-day life
Added bonuses: Jencarlos♥ from Telenovela as JESUS and Prince Royce as Peter plus God’s Not Dead star Shane Harper
Speaking of which, God’s Not Dead II will be release soon!!!
My favorite cast members who I grew up enjoying: Melissa Joan Hart (Nickelodeon’s Clarissa Explains It All, ABC Family’s Melissa & Joey) as teacher and Jesse Metcalfe♥ (NBC’s Passions, TNT’s Dallas, Hallmark Channel’s Country Wedding) as attorney plus Robin Givens and the Fresh Off the Boat neighbor
♥These gifted gentlemen are on my celeb love list!
Remember that I have commanded you to be determined and confident! Do not be afraid or discouraged, for I, the †LORD† your GOD, am with you wherever you go.
I received this generous gift from my spiritual mentor in great timing: the day before my latest conference call with my professor** to practice my dissertation defense ~ in which I advanced to my first committee defense (preliminary presentation to my professors on board)! This reminds me of how the Bishop has always come through for me ~ particularly when he gave me the Holy Spirit blessing and medal right before I took my comprehensive examinations for my Master’s degree almost a decade ago!
What better role model on Heaven and on Earth do we have out there than †JESUS CHRIST† Himself?
My R.E. studentswent through the Stations of the †Cross† to have an idea of Jesus Christ’s sacrifice
The man died for our sins and sits at the right hand of GOD. So much for American Idol and wherever else ~ we have our Ultimate Universe Idol!
Ms. Easygoing Evie made the perfectpalm †cross† at our Passion ☼Sunday☼ Vigil
During Lent, I read Killing Jesus by Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard.
Killing †Jesus†: History (O’Reilly & Dugard, 2013) — NY: Holt.
It made more sense out of scripture, as well as provided vivid descriptions based on the authors’ own first-hand observations of the Holy Land sites and their extensive research
It humbled me to the point that I contemplated and appreciated the crucifixion even more (I actually teared up when I sang ♪Were You There♫ as cantor at Palm ☼Sunday☼ Mass)
Examples to Follow
Jesus Christ ~ for being a nonconformist against status quo for the sake of promising ♥love♥, ☼hope☼ and †faith†
CHRISTmas Gift from María Elena: Gold †Cross† with Ruby Center from Assisi Jewels
Happy New 2015! ¡Prospero Año! Manigong Bagong Taon! 🎆🎇 Instead of toasting w/ 💧champagne💦 or 👄kissing💋 a person @ the stroke of 🌃midnight🌉 (like in the past, which didn’t last), @ 🏠home🏡 safe I stayed & 🙏prayed🌹 then had 💖Holy Hour⏰ when I 💤😴woke up😵😲 ~ for it’s GOD‘s will👏 that’ll lead👣 the way. Thanks to all who understand that I need time away @ peace✌️ to finish my PhD🎓 ~ unless it has to do w/Church💒 or work (🍎teaching🍏 * 📷photography👪 * 📇reporting📰) ~ so Dr. D, here I come, hear me roar🐯 & score🏀 #NY2015 🎋 #GODwilling ☝️ #PhD ✒️ #TeamDrD 📢 #DrD 📜 #DrDISPO 🏆 #DISPO 🌴 #DISPObustAFlow 🎤 #DISPOsAlwaysFly 👊 #YearOfFinishing 👟
“May the †LORD† be in your ♥heart♥ and help you to confess your sins with true sorrow.” ~ Rite of Penance
There are times in our lives when we make mistakes that we may regret and repent, or we at least learn from them and don’t repeat them anymore. When we have a conscience for venial sins (non-mortal sins ~ meaning that they don’t kill our spirit and keep us from †GOD†), then we confess them and reflect on how to redeem ourselves. Yesterday, my childhood Church had a Penance service in which we confessed to our priests from our local Catholic parishes.
Act of Contrition
O my †GOD†, I am heartily sorry for having offended You. I detest all my sins because of Your just punishments, but most of all because they offend You, my †GOD†, who are all good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of Your grace, to confess my sins, to do penance, and to amend my life. Amen.
Fr. Oscar J. Lukefahr, C. M. “From the Spiritual Director.” The Association of the Miraculous Medal, Vol. 47, No. 3: Fall Bulletin (2014).*
Jesus Our Life Activity Book, Faith and Life Series, 3rd ed. (Book 2). Chapter 9, Lesson 2, (p. 34)**; “Kinds of Prayer,” Chapter 15, Lesson 3 (p. 59)***. Ignatius Press, San Francisco. Catholics United for the Faith, Steubenville, Ohio. (2014).
Jesus Our Life Student Text, Faith and Life Series, 3rd ed. (Book 2). Chapter 9, “I Choose to Love God” (pp. 45-49); Chapter 20, “The Sacrament of Penance” (p. 95). Ignatius Press, San Francisco. Catholics United for the Faith, Steubenville, Ohio. (2014).
For me personally, I’ve admittedly broken some of the Commandments, so I’m confessing having committed those sins, preventing myself from breaking them again and making peace as I approach a more holy life. As we enter Advent season and prepare for Baby JESUS’ birth, I encourage my fellow believers to this CHRISTmas Challenge of daily devotions and good deeds: Random Acts of CHRISTmas Kindness (RACK).
CHEERS to this time of year, as JESUS’ birth is very near ~ NO worry about presents, for His presence that we need indeed is here!
Wouldn’t life be so much more peaceful, pleasant and positive if we lead our lives like Him?
I admit that I’ve watched and enjoyed the movie Think Like a Man and the recent episode of The Mindy Project entitled Think Like Peter, and on top of that have taken those approaches to value: accomplishment, success and pride. Now instead of being self-serving, I’ve realized that I have much less stress when I concern myself less with success and more with serving the LORD, following His will and His way.
So how about we live our lives for Him and be happier by being holy? Just consider the popular acronym: WWJD ~ not because it was trending, but because we’ll be closer to the LORD if we put this into practice.
Here are words that we can add to our vocabulary and actions that we can apply to our daily lives:
Faith • Hope • Love • Patience • Kind • Merciful • Righteousness • Just
Challenge: next time you feel like someone is crossing you, instead of reacting with retaliation, forgive. When JESUS was condemned to the cross, He forgave all who scrutinized Him.
Lately, I’ve appreciated and celebrated, rather than hated (I do my best not to hate anyway). The reason why I’ve found a greater appreciation for my blessings is because I celebrate GOD first and foremost. Thanks to Him, I’ve had the most positive experience in my new job, where my leaders and teammates have exerted positive energy, praise and encouragement that motivate me to embrace and enhance my photography and people skills even more. The other day, my GODdaughter’s mother/Prima Monalisa moved my heart by calling me selfless. Last night, my former student McAwesome Ruben thanked me for believing in him.
Most of all, I give glory to GOD for my gifts to serve Him, including my Adoration Hour this morning and every Thursday, as well as anytime I visit the Blessed Sacrament, in addition to my ministry as lector doing the readings and as commentator soon leading the Mass. On Monday, my church celebrated our 83rd anniversary, when I proclaimed the word of GOD:
* Revelation 21
* Hebrews 12
This weekend, I’m preparing to deliver from the following Bible books and verses:
* Acts of the Apostles 2:14, 22-33
* Psalm 16:1-2, 5, 7-8, 9-10, 11 (11a)
* 1 Peter 1:17-21
May GOD bless and keep y’all!!!
3:33 ~ make a wish, actually a prayer to fulfill GOD’s wish!!!
Throwback Thursday: Celtic Cross w/Crown of Thorns & HOLY SPIRIT Dove (Philippians 4:13) ~ Fresh Ink as seen on Formal post
On Good Friday, I posted the Way of the Cross, so if you followed along, I invite you to consider how we can apply JESUS CHRIST‘s Passion to our own lives in the form of compassion for Him and His people.
[Stations in bold. Lessons in italics. (Some lessons are the same in different stations — if you’ve learned other lessons, please care to share!]
JESUS is condemned to death. Accept criticism ~ We all have our own cross to bear.
JESUS is laden with the Cross. Accept accountability ~ We all can help solve problems.
JESUS falls for the first time.PERSEVERE ~ DON’T give up, even in struggle.
JESUS meets His mother. Seek comfort from others ~ We are not alone.
JESUS is helped by Simon of Cyrene to carry the Cross. Render aid to those in need ~ We all can help.
Veronica wipes the face of JESUS. Render aid to those in need ~ We all can help.
JESUS falls for the second time. PERSEVERE ~ DON’T give up, even in struggle.
JESUS consoles the women of Jerusalem. Render aid to those in need ~ We all can help.
JESUS falls for the third time. PERSEVERE ~ DON’T give up, even in struggle.
JESUS is stripped of His garments. RESPECT ~ We all entered this world in purity.
JESUS is nailed to the Cross. GOD is the only Judge ~ We need NOT bully or hate.
JESUS dies on the Cross. Remember the LORD’s LOVE ~ He sacrificed for ALL of us. ♥
JESUS is taken down from the Cross. Consider others while they are still alive ~ We will all leave this Earth sometime.
JESUS is laid in the Holy Tomb. Sharing is caring ~ We all can spread the wealth of health, joy, peace & blessings, for as we were born with nothing but GOD’s LOVE, we will take nothing more than GOD’s LOVE when we depart.
♪†JESUS, remember me, when you come into your Kingdom…♫
That message stays with me as I reflect on Christ on the cross. On this Good Friday, I encourage you to read along with me the Passion of the Lord, according to John ~ from the Book of John, Chapters 18-19 (John 18:1-19:42) and open up your mind, heart and soul. If tears stream down your face, like I’ve experienced, it shows your overflowing cup of faith in Him, that you too yearn to be His humble servant, and to know Him is to love Him. ♥
Here are the Stations of the Cross that I provided for my family last year. I included pictures that I took at Our Lady of San Juan del Valle and Holy Spirit Catholic Church in McAllen, Texas, my first home in the Rio Grande Valley.
Welcome/Mabuhay/¡Biénvenidos! I am a USAF brat who was born in Germany and grew up State-side while celebrating my Catholic and Filipino heritage. ☼Sunny☼ DISPOsition Elaine’s Eye Candy/DISPhotos ~ I love GOD & His creations, so I take photos @ any given opportunity. Elaine DISPOrts ~ I am passionate about sports, which is my research focus on my ... Continue reading →
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