Penang State-Level Christmas 2013 Open House

Feast of St. Andrew, Apostle ~ 2013

Andrew, son of Zebedee and the brother of Simon Peter, was one of the first called by Jesus to follow him as his disciple. St. Andrew was known for starting the Eastern Catholic Churches. Andrew is patron of Russia.

Andrew in tradition is believed to have died by crucifixion at Patras, Achaia in southern Greece where he was bound, not nailed, to an X-shaped cross, which came to be known as the Cross of St Andrew. It was done at his own request as he felt not worthy to be crucified on a cross like Jesus.

Novena to St. Andrew

Hail and blessed be the hour and moment in which the Son of God was born of the most pure Virgin Mary, at midnight, in Bethlehem, in piercing cold. In that hour, vouchsafe, O my God! to hear my prayer and grant my desires, through the merits of Our Saviour Jesus Christ, and of His Blessed Mother. Amen.

(It is piously believed that whoever recites the above prayer fifteen times a day from the feast of St. Andrew (30 November) until Christmas will obtain what is asked.)

Saturday, 30 November, 2013
St. Andrew, Apostle (Feast)

Reading

Romans 10: 9 - 18
9	because, if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
10	For man believes with his heart and so is justified, and he confesses with his lips and so is saved.
11	The scripture says, "No one who believes in him will be put to shame."
12	For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all and bestows his riches upon all who call upon him.
13	For, "every one who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved."
14	But how are men to call upon him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without a preacher?
15	And how can men preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach good news!"
16	But they have not all obeyed the gospel; for Isaiah says, "Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?"
17	So faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes by the preaching of Christ.
18	But I ask, have they not heard? Indeed they have; for "Their voice has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world."

Psalm

Psalms 19: 8 - 11
8	the precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes;
9	the fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever; the ordinances of the LORD are true, and righteous altogether.
10	More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb.
11	Moreover by them is thy servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.

Gospel

Matthew 4: 18 - 22
18	As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon who is called Peter and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen.
19	And he said to them, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men."
20	Immediately they left their nets and followed him.
21	And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zeb'edee and John his brother, in the boat with Zeb'edee their father, mending their nets, and he called them.
22	Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed him.

Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe 2013, Puchong, Selangor, Malaysia

6 December 2013 ~ 14 December 2013

Theme: Prayer as Communion with God and One Another

Renewal in the Spirit Seminar 2013, St. Ignatius Church, Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia.

Prayer intentions of Pope Francis for April 2013

Pope Francis prayer intentions announced by the Vatican Information Services on 30 March 2013, being the first of his pontificate.

General intention, April 2013

"That the public, prayerful celebration of faith may give life to the faithful."

Missionary intention, April 2013

"That mission churches may be signs and instruments of hope and resurrection.�

The Annunciation of the Lord (Solemnity) 2013

Celebrates the Angel Gabriel's appearance to the Virgin Mary, announcing that she had been chosen to be the Mother of God. Normally, Annunciation would fall on 25 March, however the celebration of Annunciation 2013 is transferred to the day after Divine Mercy Sunday 2013 (the octave of Easter 2013), which is Monday, April 8, 2013 due to 25 March 2013 fell on the Monday of Holy Week 2013.

http://resource4christians.blogspot.com/2013/02/solemnity-of-annunciation-of-lord.html

Monday, April 08, 2013
The Annunciation of the Lord (Solemnity)

First Reading

Isaiah 7: 10 - 14
10	Again the LORD spoke to Ahaz,
11	"Ask a sign of the LORD your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven."
12	But Ahaz said, "I will not ask, and I will not put the LORD to the test."
13	And he said, "Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary men, that you weary my God also?
14	Therefore the Lord himself will give you this sign: the virgin shall be with child, and bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel.

Isaiah 8: 10
10	Take counsel together, but it will come to nought; speak a word, but it will not stand, for God is with us.

Psalm

Psalms 40: 7 - 11
7	Then I said, "Lo, I come; in the roll of the book it is written of me;
8	I delight to do thy will, O my God; thy law is within my heart."
9	I have told the glad news of deliverance in the great congregation; lo, I have not restrained my lips, as thou knowest, O LORD.
10	I have not hid thy saving help within my heart, I have spoken of thy faithfulness and thy salvation; I have not concealed thy steadfast love and thy faithfulness from the great congregation.
11	Do not thou, O LORD, withhold thy mercy from me, let thy steadfast love and thy faithfulness ever preserve me!

Second Reading

Hebrews 10: 4 - 10
4	For it is impossible that the blood of bulls and goats should take away sins.
5	Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said, "Sacrifices and offerings thou hast not desired, but a body hast thou prepared for me;
6	in burnt offerings and sin offerings thou hast taken no pleasure.
7	Then I said, `Lo, I have come to do thy will, O God, 'as it is written of me in the roll of the book."
8	When he said above, "Thou hast neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings" (these are offered according to the law),
9	then he added, "Lo, I have come to do thy will." He abolishes the first in order to establish the second.
10	And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

Gospel

Luke 1: 26 - 38
26	In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth,
27	to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.
28	And he came to her and said, "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you!"
29	But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and considered in her mind what sort of greeting this might be.
30	And the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.
31	And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.
32	He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David,
33	and he will reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there will be no end."
34	And Mary said to the angel, "How shall this be, since I have no husband?"
35	And the angel said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God.
36	And behold, your kinswoman Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren.
37	For with God nothing will be impossible."
38	And Mary said, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her.

Our Lady Queen of Peace of Medjugorje�s 2 January, 2013 Message

Given to Mirjana on the Day for Non-Believers

�Dear children, with much love and patience I strive to make your hearts like unto mine. I strive, by my example, to teach you humility, wisdom and love because I need you; I cannot do without you my children. According to God�s will I am choosing you, by His strength I am strengthening you. Therefore, my children, do not be afraid to open your hearts to me. I will give them to my Son and in return, He will give you the gift of divine peace. You will carry it to all those whom you meet, you will witness God�s love with your life and you will give the gift of my Son through yourselves. Through reconciliation, fasting and prayer, I will lead you. Immeasurable is my love. Do not be afraid. My children, pray for the shepherds. May your lips be shut to every judgment, because do not forget that my Son has chosen them and only He has the right to judge. Thank you.�

12 March, 2013 the papal conclave begins.....

Today the 12 March, 2013 the day the papal conclave will gather under Michelangelo�s frescoes, the "Last Judgment" in the Sistine Chapel in Vatican. The cardinals will go through a ballot voting process to elect a new Supreme Pontiff who will represent 1.2-billion worldwide member of the Catholic Church, and he will have to faced the challenging task to tackle and find solutions to their faith related issues.

We have to wait for the white smoke from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel to appear, which indicates a new Pope has been successfully elected to fill the current "sede vacante" of Saint Peter. The voting process may go on for several days if no majority two-thirds plus one is achieved. Only when this happen there will be white smoke else we see black smoke which indicates a re-vote will take place.

Papal conclave voting to begin on 12 March, 2013

60 of the cardinals are European, 19 Latin American, 14 North American, 11 African, 10 Asian and one Australian. The conclave of 115 cardinals who will choose the 266th pope, successor to Pope Benedict will begin on 12 March, the Vatican said on Friday. The decision was made after five days of closed-door debate, coming to a decision to begin their secret votes at Sistine Chapel on the afternoon of next Tuesday following a Mass in St Peter's Basilica in the morning. The 115 red-capped prelates under the age of 80 were either appointed by John Paul II or Benedict XVI.

The voting process through balloting and burning of ballots, will continue until one man of God receives a two-thirds majority, or 77 votes. He will then be asked to accept the position and, if he does, will be revealed to the thousands of pilgrims waiting outside in St Peter's square. The last 6 previous popes all have been elected within 4 days, with Benedict in 2005 becoming pontiff in barely 24 hours. In making sure they can all return to their dioceses in time to lead Easter celebrations, the cardinals have decided to make the decision another quick one due to limited time available as the church of 1.2 billion Catholics needs a Supreme Pontiff by Easter.

Lenten Campaign 2013, FAITH = LOVE + ACTION (Diocese of Penang)

"As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead." as written in the Letter of St.James (2:26), therefore the Penang Diocesan has adapted the theme of "FAITH = LOVE + ACTION" for the Lenten Campaign 2013.

Let us love God, let us love people around us ("love one another as I love you. Greater love has no one, as to lay down one�s life for one�s friends." John 15:12-13)  especially the needy and give generously prove that we have Faith and are the disciples of Christ Jesus.

Parishes within the Diocese of Penang will mobilize it's parishioners to form the �Love Squad� at their respective parish level, consisting of youth and Parish Human Development Committee members in support to the Lenten campaign. The Love Squad will be responsible for organizing and promoting the Lenten campaign throughout the Lent 2013 season.

Banner

Poster

Please contact the below address or website for further information on  the Penang Diocesan Lenten Campaign.

Pusat Keuskupan Katolik
2nd Floor, 
290, Jalan Macalister,
10450 Penang,
Malaysia.
Tel : 604-2273405
Fax : 604-2283870

or

visit
http://pohd.penangdiocese.org/

Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments.

~ Deuteronomy 7:9 ~

Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart.

~ 1 Peter 1:22 ~

No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

~ 1 John 4:12 ~

Liturgical Calendar for Lent 2013

List of the dates of the Sundays and major feast days that fall in Lent 2013.

Ash Wednesday (Wednesday, 13 February, 2013)
First Sunday of Lent (Sunday, 17 February, 2013)
Feast of the Chair of Saint Peter (Friday, 22 February, 2013)
Second Sunday of Lent (Sunday, 24 February, 2013)
Third Sunday of Lent (Sunday, 3 March, 2013)
Fourth Sunday of Lent (Laetare Sunday) (Sunday, 10 March, 2013)
Feast of Saint Patrick (Sunday, 17 March, 2013)
Fifth Sunday of Lent (Passion Sunday) (Sunday, 17 March, 2013)
Feast of Saint Joseph (Tuesday, 19 March, 2013)
Palm Sunday (Sunday, 24 March, 2013)
The Annunciation of the Lord (Monday, 25 March, 2013)
Holy Thursday (Thursday, 28 March, 2013)
Good Friday (Friday, 29 March, 2013)
Holy Saturday (Saturday, 30 March, 2013)
Easter (Sunday, 31 March, 2013)

** What is Laetare Sunday

Laetare Sunday is the fourth Sunday in Lent (Western Christian Church), based on the first word �Rejoice� of the introit of the liturgy (Isaiah 66:10-11). This Sunday is also known as mid-Lent Sunday.

Isaiah 66:10-11
10 �Rejoice with Jerusalem and be glad for her,
    all you who love her;
rejoice greatly with her,
    all you who mourn over her.
11 For you will nurse and be satisfied
    at her comforting breasts;
you will drink deeply
    and delight in her overflowing abundance.�

Laetare Sunday has traditionally been observed as a day of celebration, during which the austerity of Lent is briefly reduced. On Laetare Sunday, the purple vestments and altar cloths of Lent are set aside, and rose ones are used instead. Flowers, which are normally forbidden during Lent, may be placed on the altar.

Lent is also where people recall or tell stories about "the Journey of Faith". The time when we think about the story of the Israelites escaping from slavery in Egypt, miraculously crossing the Red Sea, struggling through the wilderness for forty years, and, at last, entering the promised land.

Lent

http://resource4christians.blogspot.com/2012/12/lent.html

Lenten Psalm
http://resource4christians.blogspot.com/2012/12/lenten-psalm.html

Prayers during Lent
http://resource4christians.blogspot.com/2012/12/prayers-during-lent.html

Prayer for Holy Weekhttp://resource4christians.blogspot.com/2012/12/prayer-for-holy-week.html