Teaching about God

The preacher was telling the congregation about the evils of drink. “To drink is to follow satan. Drink is bad for you. It will lead you to damnation”.

To demonstrate his point he put two glasses on the pulpit. One contained water and one contained whisky. He then produced a small box containing two worms which he had dug from the garden before the service began.

He placed a worm in the glass of water and it floated about merrily. He then put the second worm in the glass of whisky and after wriggling for a few seconds it died.

“What does this tell you?” he asked.

A member of the congregation replied, “If you have worms drink whisky”.

There’s a message in this joke for us Christians. How often, whilst well-meaning, we try to tell others about our beliefs and end up confusing them and perhaps, un-wittingly, driving them away from God rather than towards Him.

It is worth remembering that not everyone is at the same stage of knowing God as perhaps we are.

You wouldn’t feed a new-born baby pizza or French fries; would you? So let’s go easy with new Christians or people who have yet to know the Lord as we do.

The best way to teach Christianity is by living it as Jesus would want us to.

“Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words.” St Francis of Assisi.

Pizza Meravigliosa

I went to my favourite Italian Restaurant for one of their famous pizzas.

The customer at the counter was waiting for his pizza take away (or "to go" as they say in USA).

The restaurant assistant put the hot pizza in a cardboard box and then holding the pizza slicer said: "Would you like it cut in eight or six slices?"

The customer replied: "Oh ... only six slices; I don't think I can eat eight slices".

Prayer Gift

Prayer is the greatest gift we can give one another.

It shows a generosity of spirit, love and caring for each other - just as Our Lord asked us.

Should any of you need prayers, or wish to offer a prayer for me, or seek prayers for someone else or a particular cause, you can always join us in prayer by clicking HERE

Or by visiting the link "Donate a Prayer" at the top of this page.

VISIONS

                                                                          

VISIONS

 ISBN 978 1 60477 032 2

 By VICTOR S E MOUBARAK

“VISIONS” is a fictional story of three children who see an apparition of the Lord Jesus on their way to church. They tell their priest, Father Ignatius, about it; and pretty soon news spreads throughout town. 
 

People react to the news in different ways. Some readily believe; others mock and scoff in disbelief, whilst some react violently towards the children and their families.

Parishioners seek guidance from Father Ignatius whereas the Church seeks to hush the whole story in the hope that it goes away; whilst Jesus appears again and again.

“VISIONS” challenges readers to ask what they would do in a similar situation – as Christians, as parents or just as onlookers.

A vibrant tale of supernatural events, with a fast-paced storyline and strong believable characters, “VISIONS” is a challenging must-read Christian book for everyone ready for a reality check on what they actually believe.

The author skilfully combines humour with suspense to deliver a Christian message relevant to today's society.

“VISIONS” is available from all good bookstores and on the Internet as well as in Kindle, Nook and other electronic versions.

The author is grateful for the book reviews from these loyal readers: 

Catherine Keller - This book is captivating. The author has a wonderful way of drawing us into the story and allows us to feel emotions of compassion, understanding, and awe. The story becomes believable with every turn of the page. I was drawn into the story completely and find that it is a book full of lessons we all still need to learn. 

Rosarymom - The book Visions gives the reader a chance to think about what would YOU do if Jesus appeared in your local park to some neighborhood children. Would YOU believe the children? How would it test YOUR faith? The story does a great job depicting the many reactions people would have when learning of this story. Fr. Ignatius' journey from disbelief to belief was very moving and tangible. I love how this story brings the church community and the surrounding community together, to pray for peace! It was a great read and I highly recommend it! 

Karin Searson - The question is posed "What would you do; how would you react if you or someone you knew saw Jesus?
Visions is a book with characters who become more real the more you read. Fr. Ignatius is a down to earth Christ like priest who cares deeply for the people in his charge. This is a story for our own times. In the book Jesus tells the children He appears to tell their priest to pray for peace and that the world will not know peace until it learns to forgive. This is a message we need for our world today.
The story will make you laugh and cry; it will make you ask and answer that question of faith for yourself~ What would you do; how would you react?
Go ahead and pick up Visions; you won't be able to put it down. 

Patrick Kearns - I found this book to be written very well. There was a "realness" to the Characters and a pertinent message for all of us. I found myself becoming friends with the Characters and feeling their emotions and becoming drawn into their lives. I also found that the spiritual message was a deep message and one that can be contemplated in our own lives.

This book definitely falls into the category of one of those books that once you begin to read it, you become captured and cannot set it down. I have told many people about the book and the message that it contains and all have enjoyed it tremendously.

You will not be disappointed with this wonderful Book.

Deacon Patrick Kearns
Roman Catholic Deacon
Sacramento Diocese, USA 

Marianne Nicewarner - This book is a treasure trove of wit and wisdom! The author's faith shines through on every page and I fell in love with the character of Father Ignatius. I first read about Father Ignatius on Victor S. E. Moubarak's site [...] and quickly grew fond of the author's faith-filled priest. I highly recommend visiting the blog and purchasing Visions!

Bernadette Wood - I have read Visions and found it to be a book of faith, love and trust. Father Ignatius believed in the children, trusted his parishioners and respected his superiors. As a former catechism teacher I kept thinking what a wonderful book this would be for students. My niece loved the story, this book provided the opportunity for her to ask questions which her mother and I could answer making her journey of faith a little bit easier to understand.
I recommend this book to all those who want to read a wholesome story with many lessons that any age could benefit from.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading about Father Ignatius and his parish and certainly look forward to more stories of this wonderful priest written by Victor S.E. Moubarak, who has become a favorite author of mine.

Sarah - Last week I had the pleasure of reading a book called Visions, written by one of my blogging friends, Victor Moubarak. It was really cool reading a friend's book, but I would have enjoyed it regardless of the author.

The book is set in a small, impoverished town in England, where three teenagers see an apparition of Jesus in the park. This ignites controversy in the community. When the teens go to their priest, the genial Father Ignatius, he must do some soul searching as he decides whether to believe their story. (I was already quite fond of Father Ignatius since he is a regular feature on Victor's blog. He's a kind, gentle man with practical wisdom and a genuine faith.)

Here's what I told Victor when I finished the book:

I liked the questions you raised about faith and submitting to higher authority. I loved the messages of forgiveness woven throughout. And I loved the way believers from many backgrounds came together to pray and worship. It was very uplifting.

May God bless you all for your support and encouragement.

Un roman : Le vieil homme et la perle

"Comment aborder sereinement la question du remariage dans l’Église ?" Plusieurs amis paroissiens m'ont demandé comment je pouvais leur répondre. Auteur de plusieurs livres sur le mariage, je ne pouvais esquiver de m'intéresser à la question. Parce que la réponse est délicate, j'ai préférer articuler cette réponse sous la forme d'un roman. Le vieil homme et la perle est d'abord le récit romancé de ces vieux prêtres qui m'ont fait aimer l’Église. En les mettant en scène dans un roman, en leur faisant aborder la situation de l'accueil d'un couple de divorcés dans une paroisse parisienne, je cherche à y traduire, de manière pratique et accessible, les débats actuels sur le sujet. Je repars notamment de la "disputatio" qui en son temps avait tracé une ligne pastorale dans l’Église, entre les cardinaux Kasper et Ratzinger. Ce débat illustre bien deux directions et deux approches, entre celle qui veut protéger le sens de l'indissolubilité du mariage et celui qui traduit la miséricorde de Dieu pour tout homme. Le vieil homme et la perle, en racontant les discussions entre prêtres et paroissiens sur ce thème, cherche à articuler des éléments de réponse sur un sujet qui reste complexe...

At the Circus

Why is it that people mistake the way I dress for what it is not?

Let me explain.

The other day we went to the circus as a family. I was dressed in my usual cowboy type hat with a large feather on the side, an orange colored jacket with large squares in a lighter shade of orange, and bright red tartan trousers; not forgetting my favorite bow tie of course!

We sat in the big top, which as you all know is a large circular tent with the audience sitting all round the circumference with the show taking place in the middle area of the tent.

The music was blaring loudly, every one was happy with excitement and all was going well … until someone pointed out that they’d forgotten something in the car. Being the gentleman that I am I got up to get the forgotten item.

On the way back I must have mistakenly taken the wrong opening in the tent. I stood in a long corridor type enclosure with a lot of other people some dressed as clowns, others in Tarzan type outfits carrying heavy weights, others in ballerina costumes, and then behind me people came holding on to horses, and one man gave me a small donkey to hold by a rope tied to his neck. Then further behind us came more people with elephants and tigers in cages on trucks.

There was a big drum roll from inside the tent and pretty soon everyone moved forwards to a loud fanfare.

It was obvious to every one but me that I was part of the big entrance into the large tent announcing the start of the show.

I had no option but to walk forwards with the crowd holding on to the donkey.

As we entered the tent the clowns beside me started to throw a large beach ball at each other.

One of them caught the ball and threw it at me knocking my hat off!

I heard the audience roar in delight.

I stopped and bent down to pick up my hat when the clown behind me kicked me in the backside to the delight of the audience, except my family sitting nearby!

I let go of the rope holding the donkey and went back for my hat. At which point, for some reason, the donkey ran away from the orderly queue and started hopping up and down like a wild bucking bronco.

This frightened the elephants which started trumpeting loudly.

Fortunately someone caught the donkey quickly and order was restored although the audience thought it was all part of the show as they applauded enthusiastically and laughed loudly.

I put on my hat and walked in unison with everyone else once more around the big tent. Whilst looking straight ahead trying to avoid eye contact with my family I accidentally stepped into a deposit left there by an elephant. The audience near me at the time whooped in delight!

Eventually I followed everyone else out of the big tent and I made my way back to the car to get cleaned up.

I returned to my family and had great difficulty explaining the whole situation to them.

You've got a friend

Silent Prayer

In a Catholic Church, when we celebrate Mass, just before the Gospel is read, the congregation makes a small Sign of the Cross on their forehead, on their lips, and on their breast.

What's all that about?

In fact, it is a silent prayer all by itself.

The Sign of the Cross on one's forehead reminds us that the word of God should always be in the forefront of our minds. No matter what we do throughout life, it should always be in accordance to God's wishes and God's Commandments. By keeping God always on our mind we ensure that we're always close to Him and that we're less likely to go against His will.

The Sign on our lips means that we pray that we're always prepared to witness for God when the right time requires it. Many people often shy away from speaking up for God in conversation with family and friends, especially when He is ridiculed or spoken against. People tend to keep quiet for fear of offending others, or for fear of being ridiculed themselves. Instead, our lips can often be used to gossip, malign others, to spread rumours, lies and ill will. The Sign on our lips is a prayer that our lips are always used to glorify and serve God in all that we say.

The Sign on our breast is a prayer that God may always be within our heart and that we may grow to love Him and never stray from His love. Hearts can often hide grudges, hatred, revenge, envy, and all sorts of other sins. Signing the Cross on our heart is a prayer that we may be always pure and receptive to God's love and grace. 

The Sign of the Cross on our forehead, lips and hearts. A silent prayer all in itself.

Kyrie Eleison

Originally, the Mass in Eastern Europe, where it started, was celebrated in Greek.

With time, as Christianity spread further West into Europe it was celebrated in Latin.

And as time moved on, it is now celebrated in English, or whichever language is spoken in the Country where Mass is celebrated.

Except for three words which have survived time and are still from the original Greek Mass.

Kyrie Eleison

Christe Eleison

Meaning "Lord have mercy" and "Christ have mercy".

It is important to remember that by "Lord", or "Sir" we do not mean that we look up to Our Lord as some Master or Ruler. In this context, the word "Kyrie" means "Lord" in the sense of a child looking up to one's loving parent and asking for help, love, guidance and protection.

So when we sing at Mass "Kyrie Eleison" we look up to God our loving Father and ask Him to be always by our side and have mercy on us. And we call upon Christ His Son, in the same prayer.

Alleluia

When celebrating a Catholic Mass, just before the reading of the Gospel, the congregation and choir sing "Alleluia".

It's an old English word, derived from Latin, and originally from the Hebrew word Halleluyah meaning "Praise the Lord!"

Now ... if we look carefully in our Missal, it says "May be omitted if not sung".

Have you ever wondered why it says so?

Well ... let's imagine you are at a Birthday Party and in a straight face you recite calmly:

Happy Birthday to you 

Happy Birthday to you 

Happy Birthday dear friend 

Happy Birthday to you

It doesn't quite have the same effect does it? It just has to be sung.

Some songs have to be sung. They cannot be recited, however well we might try.

And it's the same with the "Alleluia. It is an ancient song of praise to Our Lord giving us all an opportunity, however bad we may think our voices are, to praise Our Lord in song for all He has done for us.

So let us raise our voices in joy and Praise Him now and when we next attend Mass.