Daily Gospel

Saint Theodotus of Ancyra

Saint Theodotus, a martyr and a patron of innkeepers, was described as a man very passionate in doing his Christian duties, including charity towards his neighbours. He brought sinners back to God and helped the people in strengthening their faith.

In a persecution of the governor Theoctenus, Theodotus allowed his home to serve as refuge for the Christians, a hospital for the sick, and a place for worship. The martyrdom of Saint Theodotus is associated with the seven saintly virgins of Galatia — Thecusa (his aunt), Alexandra, Claudia, Faina, Euphrasia, Matrona and Julitta. The seven were called before the judges and were made to dauntlessly profess their faith. As a result, they were sent to a house of immorality, and miraculously all were able to preserve their purity. To end their lives, the virgins were cast into the sea with stones attached to their bodies. Theodotus succeeded in recovering their remains, which he gave an honourable burial. In consequence, the man too was arrested, tortured and executed.

The body of Theodotus was recovered and brought to Malos where the priest Fronto entombed him. A chapel was built over his grave. And the saint was forever held in reverence.

More of St. Theodotus of Ancyra

Saint Kunigunde

Kunigunde, or Kinga, was born in 1224 to a royal family in Hungary. The family was known, not only for their political power, but also for their holy women. Among these were St. Elizabeth of Hungary, Sts. Hedwig and Agnes of Prague, St. Margaret of the Dominicans and the Blessed Yolande.

Kunigunde was only 15 when she was engaged to Boleslaus V, the heir to the throne of Poland. The two vowed for chastity before the bishop, and this promise they kept throughout the 40 years of their married life. As Queen of Poland, Kunigunde attended to the welfare of the people, providing them with their needs and visiting the sick. After the King s death in 1279, Kunigunde consecrated her whole life to the Lord. She lived the simple life of a Poor Clare nun, dwelling in a convent she and her husband had established.

Many miracles were reported to have occurred at her tomb, after her death in 1292. Thus, Kunigunde was professed as special patron of the Poles and Lithuanians by Pope Clement XI and was canonized by Pope John Paul II in 1999.

More of St. Kunigunde

I presided over the celebration of a Baccalaureate Mass and used this as the gospel. The grade six students who were having their thanksgiving in that celebration surprisingly knew exactly what the Gospel challenges them to do. In the course of giving the homily, I asked them how they saw themselves in the light of the gospel and they all agreed that God wanted them to make good use of the blessings they had received from God as far as intellectual knowledge is concerned.

None of God’s created humanity is without any blessing. Such blessings are expected by God to be harnessed and nourished until they become fruitful and a source of further blessings for the recipients and others as well. To simply rest on whatever God gives you is to miss the point. God gave us blessings and He expects us to do something about them. I know of a priest who always conducted surveys at every parish that he was assigned to. Two of the questions he asked were, “What is your occupation?” followed by, “How can you help your local church?”

The idea is so simple; the priest wanted the parishioners to realize that their occupation in life could also be used as their occupation to achieve the next life.

And so Architects would come to him and offer free architectural designs for the church renovation. Teachers would come and offer Sunday catechetical instruction for children. Accountants would come and offer their services in handling the temporal goods of the church. Doctors would come and offer medical services for the indigent parishioners. The poor and unlearned would come and offer their time and energy as the church’s foot soldiers.

I believe this is exactly how God wishes all of us to work on earth—to cultivate our gifts to benefit us and make others benefit from them as well. Fr. Sandy V. E.

REFLECTION QUESTION: What is your occupation? How can you help your local church?

The talents You gave me are abundant. Give me a heart that longs to use these for the good of others.

St. Catherine of Bologna, virgin, pray for us.

Israel said to Joseph, “Your brothers, you know are tending our flocks at Shechem. Get ready; I will send you to them.”– Genesis 37:13

My husband Jon is a preacher. He came to know the Lord when he was still a teenager, and since then his relationship with God has blossomed. I should know. I too was evangelized by my husband. It was through him that I came to know the Lord. We used to work in the same office, and so one morning he talked me into getting myself involved in a community. And the rest is history.

Today, he serves as the national mission director for Familia. He handles the single professionals nationwide. Oh! How he loves this ministry God has given him. Truly he has found his purpose and meaning in life. He trains young people to become community leaders and he’s doing a great job at it. From experience, he knows when it’s time for these young people to be sent out in provinces or elsewhere to evangelize others.
I am so blessed to have him as my husband and I couldn’t ask God for anything more. Truly the Lord has worked in his life, and in our lives as his family. I guess when God asked him if he was ready, he immediately gave his yes to Him! Marissa E.

REFLECTION:
Being called for a mission? Go! Waste no time.

Oh! That you would bless me indeed and enlarge my territory, that your hand would be with me, that you would keep me from evil, that I would not cause pain.

We remember today Sts. Timothy and Titus. Timothy and Titus were more than companions of Paul in his missionary journey. They were his coministers in the work of evangelization. Paul believed in team ministry; thus, having preached the Gospel in a particular place, he moved on to other places and normally entrusted the newly founded Christian community to the care of good Christian men (and women?). To Timothy, Paul gave the care of the Church in Ephesus while the Church in Crete he entrusted to Titus. Paul referred to both Timothy and Titus as “sons in the faith” because these two men were, in the first place, also fruits of his missionary toil.

Let us be keenly aware of the importance of remembering our own collaborators in our different apostolates and ministries. They are important, not only because of the assistance they give us, but because they are primarily important to Jesus Himself. Like us, who have been called to a particular ministry or are involved in a specific apostolate in and of the Church, they too have been called and given a significant share in the work of the Kingdom.

The first moment is the moment of prayer. Prayer brings us all together in love. Prayer melts differences that often wound an otherwise healthy working relationship. Prayer always affirms, nourishes, and deepens the bonds that exist.

The second moment is the moment of joy. It is rather easy for us to remember our co-workers when we are in need of consolation or affirmation and when we are standing alone in making a point. It is always hypocritical for any ministry or apostolate to claim that it endeavors to bring joy to others when its ministers remember one another only when sadness befalls them. Our co-ministers should be the first one we minister to.

The third moment is the moment of need. Our collaborators are given to us by the Lord so that we do not have to carry the burden of the work of the Kingdom alone. We do not have to be ashamed to turn to them and be helped. The Lord Himself, who already is the Messiah, invited others to share in His work for the Kingdom. Fr. Bobby T.

REFLECTION QUESTION: How is my relationship with my co-workers, co-ministers, or collaborators in my community?

Lord Jesus Christ, although You are the Messiah of the world, You deemed it worthy to invite us in the work of the Kingdom. Thank You. May we be tireless workers in Your vineyard. Help us to always value the significance of team ministry and show our appreciation of one another as we go about our ministries and apostolates. May our love for our collaborators in the work of the Kingdom be a potent evangelizing example for those we serve. Amen.

Sts. Timothy and Titus, bishops, pray for us.

“…I thank God for you.” – 2 Timothy 1:3

Boyet and Vicky are two very good friends of mine. We worked together previously in one company yet managed to grow closer even as we pursued different career paths after our employment in the said company.

Two years ago, we decided to meet regularly and just share one another’s joys, burdens and dreams. We decided we would be each others’ support system. We committed to an honest and transparent relationship – no judgments, no prejudices. But that’s not to say that there is no admonition. We try as best as possible to help one another lead a godly life – whether through uplifting words of encouragement or stinging reminders of what is right and true.

They say you have found a treasure when you have found a good friend. Well I’ve found two. They are to me what Timothy is to Paul – people who have integrity, who can be trusted and will stand by me through anything.

In your spiritual progress, try to look for the Timothies in your life. We need to welcome them in our lives for both accountability and support. Roy M.

REFLECTION:
Who are your best friends?

Thank You, Lord, for our Timothies.

By: Rissa S.

The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.” – John 1:29

In the Old Testament, when the angel of death claimed all the firstborn sons in Egypt, Israel’s sons were spared. How? Each family took a lamb that was free from any defect, slaughtered it and applied its blood on the doorposts of their homes. Whenever the angel of death saw this sign, it passed over that house and went to the next. In other words, the slaughtered lamb took the place of the firstborn, saving his life. This is the festival called Passover that Jews commemorate to this day.

After celebrating the joyful Christmas season and welcoming Jesus as a wonderful God-Child who has come to our world, it’s difficult to picture Him as the man who would later be brutally scourged then crucified on the cross. But that is the realization the passage above gives us.

Because of our sins, we deserved the death sentence (Romans 6:23). But Jesus took upon himself our sins to rescue us (Galatians 1:4). Just as the Passover lamb spared the lives of Israel’s firstborn, Jesus, the Lamb of God, saved us from eternal damnation. For that we should be eternally grateful.
REFLECTION:
“The center of salvation is the Cross of Jesus, and the reason it is so easy to obtain salvation is because it cost God so much.” (Oswald Chambers)

Blessing and glory, wisdom and thanksgiving, honor, power, and might be to the Lamb of God!

An atheist professor of philosophy speaks to his class on the problem
science has with God, The Almighty.

He asks one of his new Christian students to stand and.....

Professor: You are a Christian, aren't you, son?

Student : Yes, sir.

Prof: So you believe in God?

Student : Absolutely, sir.

Prof: Is God good?

Student : Sure.

Prof: Is God all-powerful?

Student : Yes.

Prof: My brother died of cancer even though he prayed to God to heal him.
Most of us would attempt to help others who are ill. But God didn't.
How is this God good then? Hmm?

(Student is silent.)

Prof: You can't answer, can you? Let's start again, young fella. Is God good?

Student :Yes.

Prof: Is Satan good?

Student : No.

Prof: Where does Satan come from?

Student : From...God...

Prof: That's right. Tell me son, is there evil in this world?

Student : Yes.

Prof: Evil is everywhere, isn't it? And God did make everything. Correct?

Student : Yes.

Prof: So who created evil?

(Student does not answer.)

Prof: Is there sickness? Immorality? Hatred? Ugliness?
All these terrible things exist in the world, don't they?

Student :Yes, sir.

Prof: So, who created them?

(Student has no answer.)

Prof: Science says you have 5 senses you use to identify and observe the
world around you. Tell me, son...Have you ever seen God?

Student: No, sir.

Prof: Tell us if you have ever heard your God?

Student : No , sir.

Prof: Have you ever felt your God, tasted your God, smelt your God?
Have you ever had any sensory perception of God for that matter?

Student : No, sir. I'm afraid I haven't.

Prof: Yet you still believe in Him?

Student : Yes.

Prof: According to empirical, testable, demonstrable protocol, science says
your GOD doesn't exist. What do you say to that, son?

Student : Nothing. I only have my faith.

Prof: Yes. Faith. And that is the problem science has.

Student : Professor, is there such a thing as heat?

Prof: Yes.

Student : And is there such a thing as cold?

Prof: Yes.

Student : No sir. There isn't.

(The lecture theatre becomes very quiet with this turn of events.)

Student : Sir, you can have lots of heat, even more heat, superheat, mega heat,
white heat, a little heat or no heat. But we don't have anything called cold.
We can hit 458 degrees below zero which is no heat, but we can't go
any further after that. There is no such thing as cold. Cold is only a word we
use to describe the absence of heat. We cannot measure cold.
Heat is energy. Cold is not the opposite of heat, sir, just the absence of it.

(There is pin-drop silence in the lecture theatre.)

Student : What about darkness, Professor? Is there such a thing as darkness?

Prof: Yes. What is night if there isn't darkness?

Student : You're wrong again, sir. Darkness is the absence of something.
You can have low light, normal light , bright light, flashing
light....But if you
have no light constantly, you have nothing and it's called darkness, isn't it?
In reality, darkness isn't. If it were you would be able to make darkness
darker, wouldn't you?

Prof: So what is the point you are making, young man?

Student : Sir, my point is your philosophical premise is flawed.

Prof: Flawed? Can you explain how?

Student : Sir, you are working on the premise of duality.
You argue there is life and then there is death, a good God and a bad God.
You are viewing the concept of God as something finite, something we
can measure.
Sir, science can't even explain a thought. It uses electricity and magnetism,
but has never seen, much less fully understood either one. To view death a s
the opposite of life is to be ignorant of the fact that death cannot exist as a
substantive thing. Death is not the opposite of life: just the absence of it.
Now tell me, Professor. Do you teach your students that they evolved from a
monkey?

Prof: If you are referring to the natural evolutionary process, yes,
of course, I do.

Student : Have you ever observed evolution with your own eyes, sir?

(The Professor shakes his h ead with a smile, beginning to realize where the
argument is going.)

Student : Since no one has ever observed the process of evolution at
work and cannot even prove that this process is an on-going endeavour,
are you not
teaching your opinion, sir? Are you not a scientist but a preacher?

(The class is in uproar.)

Student : Is there anyone in the class who has ever seen the Professor's brain?

(The class breaks out int o laughter.)

Student : Is there anyone here who has ever heard the Professor's
brain, felt it, touched or smelt it?.....No one appears to have done
so.
So, according to the established rules of empirical, stable, demonstrable
protocol, science says that you have no brain, sir.
With all due respect, sir, how do we then trust your lectures, sir?

(The room is silent. The professor stares at the student, his face
unfathomable.)

Prof: I guess you'll have to take them on faith, son.

Student : That is it sir.. The link between man & God is FAITH.
That is all that keeps things moving & alive.

NB:
I believe you have enjoyed the conversation...and if so...you'll
probably want your friends/colleagues to enjoy the same...won't
you?...forward them to increase their knowledge...

Have a nice day..

He taught them a lesson. "Consider the fig tree and all the other trees.
When their buds burst open, you see for yourselves and know that summer is now near;
in the same way, when you see these things happening, know that the kingdom of God is near.
Amen, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place.
Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

Source: http://www.dailygospel.org/

1 Timothy 4:7-8 said: “Train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.”

Training oneself to be godly and training to have a toned body has one thing in common; you are doing it on a regular basis to achieve your goal. To be godly, you need to have regular spiritual disciplines like prayer, fasting, retreats, Sabbath, reading the bible etc. these things when done in a regular basis it’ll make you spiritually healthy just like in your body, if you won’t exercise, train or workout on a daily basis you will going to have unhealthy body that will lead you to being obese and when that time happened you will think of visiting California to have liposuction Beverly Hills.

The Bible declares: "I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly" (John 10:10).

Giving you abundant life required the supreme sacrifice: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16).

God desires fellowship and companionship with you. What a wonderful gift the Father has given, yet if God gave His own Son to provide an abundant and everlasting life, why don’t more people have what He has designed for us to receive? It is a question answered by this sobering realization.

God loves His people so much, that he gave His only begotten son Jesus Christ to save us from our sins. You see, giving your one and only son is a very hard thing to do, especially if you are a parent.

Surgeons at revisionrhinoplasty.com will give you the best rhinoplasty just for you to look at your best.

I just wanted to go back on these passages, because a male friend of mine cut his hair after reading 1 Corinthians 11:2-16. I can track those times that he took care for his hair for how many months just to make it to his desired length. But all of a sudden his obsession of having a nice long hair stops with this passages.

1 Corinthians 11:2-16

² I am so glad, dear friends, that you always keep me in your thoughts and you are following the Christian teaching I passed on to you. ³ But there is one thing I want you to know: A man is responsible to Christ, a woman is responsible to her husband, and Christ is responsible to God. ⁴A man dishonors Christ if he covers his head while praying or prophesying. ⁵But a woman dishonors her husband if she prays or prophesies without a covering on her head, for this is the same as shaving her head. ⁶Yes, if she refuses to wear a head covering, she should cut off all her hair. And since it is shameful for a woman to have her hair cut or her head shaved, then she should wear a covering. ⁷A man should not wear anything on his head when worshiping, for man is God’s glory, made in God’s own image, but woman is the glory of man. ⁸For the first man didn’t come from woman, but the first woman came from man. ⁹ And man was not made for woman’s benefit, but woman was made for man. ¹⁰ So a woman should wear a covering on her head as a sign of authority because the angels are watching.

¹¹But in relationships among the Lord’s people, women are not independent of men, and men are not independent of women. ¹²For although the first woman came from man, all men have been born from women ever since, and everything comes from God.

¹³What do you think about this? Is it right for a woman to pray to God in public without covering her head? ¹⁴ Isn’t it obvious that it's disgraceful for a man to have long hair? ¹⁵And isn’t it obvious that long hair is a woman's pride and joy? For it has been given to her as a covering. ¹⁶But if anyone wants to argue about this, all I can say is that we have no other custom than this, and all the churches of God feel the same way about it.

The young men of PWF have just initiated their first Gent's Night last Tuesday, October 3, 2006 at the residence of Ptr. Sigrid. Gent's Night is a gathering of young men who have been instilled with a burden to become God's frontline warriors who will intercede for our Pastor, our ministry, our family, our friends, our country, our community and our fellow believers.

Their objective is to be sensitive with God's dealings and the Holy Spirit's moving and at the same time be sensitive with the enemy's workings and his plans against God's children, by living a life of fasting and prayer. We want to serve as the frontline force in the Spiritual Warfare against the forces of hell.

As Paul said in Ephesians 6:12, "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places."

During the meeting they discussed about one of Satan’s top ranking demon who is at work right now to destroy ministries and churches that are having the mighty move of the Holy Spirit. This demon is Leviathan (Psalm 74:14; Isaiah 27:1), a reptile-like creature who grabs ministries and churches with its jaws to try to force them into giving-up and eventually destroy them. As warriors for Christ we need to know our enemy in order for us to be effective in discerning his plans and strategies against us and how to effectively fight him.

Unfortunately, I miss this gathering; I admit that I need things like this to make my faith stronger since I am so weak. I was a PWF member before but because of being so weak, I refuse to attend on prayer meetings and worst came where I never attend the Sunday service. Anyway, being Christian is not measured by what group you are in or what church you belong to, it is your heart’s passion to serve the Lord that is most important. As long as your faith is there for the Lord and you are welling to restore your faith in Him. But it is not like having a New Jersey hair restoration where you just pay the doctor and that’s it, it must be coming from your heart.

36 Christian Ways to Reduce Stress

"Never borrow from the future. If you worry about what may happens tomorrow and it doesn't happen, you have worried in vain. Even if it does happen, you have to worry twice."

1. Pray
2. Go to bed on time.
3. Get up on time so you can start the day unrushed.
4. Say No to projects that won't fit into your time schedule, or that will compromise your mental health.
5. Delegate tasks to capable others.
6. Simplify and unclutter your life.
7. Less is more. (Although one is often not enough, two are often too many.)
8. Allow extra time to do things and to get to places.
9. Pace yourself. Spread out big changes and difficult projects over time; don't lump the hard things all together.
10. Take one day at a time.
11. Separate worries from concerns. If a situation is a concern, find out what God would have you do and let go of the anxiety. If you can't do anything about a situation, forget it.
12. Live within your budget; don't use credit cards for ordinary purchases.
13. Have backups; an extra car key in your wallet, an extra house key buried in the garden, extra stamps, etc.
14. K.M.S. (Keep Mouth Shut). This single piece of advice can prevent an enormous amount of trouble.
15. Do something for the Kid in You everyday.
16. Carry a Bible with you to read while waiting in line.
17. Get enough rest.
18. Eat right.
19. Get organized so everything has its place.
20. Listen to a tape while driving that can help improve your quality of life.
21. Write down thoughts and inspirations.
22. Every day, find time to be alone.
23. Having problems? Talk to God on the spot. Try to nip small problems in the bud. Don't wait until it's time to go to bed to try and pray.
24. Make friends with Godly people.
25. Keep a folder of favorite scriptures on hand.
26. Remember that the shortest bridge between despair and hope is often a good "Thank you Jesus."
27. Laugh.
28. Laugh some more!
29. Take your work seriously, but not yourself at all.
30. Develop a forgiving attitude (most people are doing the best they can).
31. Be kind to unkind people (they probably need it the most).
32. Sit on your ego.
33. Talk less; listen more.
34. Slow down.
35. Remind yourself that you are not the general manager of the universe.
36. Every night before bed, think of one thing you're grateful for that you've never been grateful for before. GOD HAS A WAY OF TURNING THINGS AROUND FOR YOU. "If God is for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31)

There you have the entire list, which surely keeps you away from having a stressful face that might needs a Toronto cosmetic surgeons visit.


I got this Article from potterswheelfellowship.org, and I thought this would be my source for my blogging posts. Congratulations to the Potter's Wheel Fellowship you made it online. Even though I didn’t show up anymore at the organization’s church during Sundays at least I can still visit them through their website and somehow can communicate with the other members.

Potter’s Wheel Fellowship is committed to the cause and I was truly inspired by the teachings of the organization, to Pastor Sigrid Tadlas, you let me feel Jesus Christ in my heart and to the members too, I never felt yet to other organizations the feeling of belongingness but only to this Fellowship group. I may not be that committed to the group but I know this group will always be committed to Jesus Christ.

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From my previous article it says that getting a tattoo is a sin, from the book of Leviticus it say: Verse 28: "Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the Lord." So by having a surgery procedure of any type will be a sin too? I don’t think so, because, it is only one of necessities people have to do nowadays.

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Leviticus 19 says:
Verse 9: "When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest." Verse 19: "Do not plant your field with two kinds of seed.
Do not wear clothing woven of two kinds of material." Verse 26: "Do not eat any meat with the blood still in it." Verse 27: "Do not cut the hair at the sides of your head or clip off the edges of your beard." Verse 28: "Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the Lord."

Getting a tattoo has become a very accepted thing to do; Christian teenagers would like to try it too, though they are hesitant to do it because of the words from the scriptures, but I don’t think it is sinful to have a tattoo for just an art, it may became sinful if you do it to mean something devilish but for just a piece of art in your body I think that’s a different story. Why not visit and look at the tattoo pictures at rankmytattoos.com, there are different designs you can choose from.