~Lady~:

one of them attempted to beat me up. he put his hands on me and so i pressed charges. it broke my heart to do it, but it's the rule. i called my supervisor and my director and they said call the sherriff's office and tell them you're pressing charges. so he's gone. i think about all the things he has said to me (f*** u b****es) and the times he has tried to get me fired, and what he has done to other kids (if this boy isn't already a sociopath, he is on his way to becoming one) so that made it easier for me.

please pray for him.

the other kids are quiet now that he's gone.

sorry. how long will he be gone and how old is he?
i am wondering if they put minors (if he's one) in jail and for how long considering the offense.

Wednesday of the Second Week of Advent

Reading 1
Is 40:25-31

To whom can you liken me as an equal?
says the Holy One.
Lift up your eyes on high
and see who has created these things:
He leads out their army and numbers them,
calling them all by name.
By his great might and the strength of his power
not one of them is missing!
Why, O Jacob, do you say,
and declare, O Israel,
“My way is hidden from the LORD,
and my right is disregarded by my God”?

Do you not know
or have you not heard?
The LORD is the eternal God,
creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint nor grow weary,
and his knowledge is beyond scrutiny.
He gives strength to the fainting;
for the weak he makes vigor abound.
Though young men faint and grow weary,
and youths stagger and fall,
They that hope in the LORD will renew their strength,
they will soar as with eagles’ wings;
They will run and not grow weary,
walk and not grow faint.

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 103:1-2, 3-4, 8 and 10

R. (1) O bless the Lord, my soul!
Bless the LORD, O my soul;
and all my being, bless his holy name.
Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits.
R. O bless the Lord, my soul!
He pardons all your iniquities,
he heals all your ills.
He redeems your life from destruction,
he crowns you with kindness and compassion.
R. O bless the Lord, my soul!
Merciful and gracious is the LORD,
slow to anger and abounding in kindness.
Not according to our sins does he deal with us,
nor does he requite us according to our crimes.
R. O bless the Lord, my soul!

Gospel
Mt 11:28-30

Jesus said to the crowds:
“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened,
and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,
for I am meek and humble of heart;
and you will find rest for yourselves.
For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.”

Carlosein:

Wednesday of the Second Week of Advent

Reading 1
Is 40:25-31

To whom can you liken me as an equal?
says the Holy One.
Lift up your eyes on high
and see who has created these things:
He leads out their army and numbers them,
calling them all by name.
By his great might and the strength of his power
not one of them is missing!
Why, O Jacob, do you say,
and declare, O Israel,
“My way is hidden from the LORD,
and my right is disregarded by my God”?

Do you not know
or have you not heard?
The LORD is the eternal God,
creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint nor grow weary,
and his knowledge is beyond scrutiny.
He gives strength to the fainting;
for the weak he makes vigor abound.
Though young men faint and grow weary,
and youths stagger and fall,
They that hope in the LORD will renew their strength,
they will soar as with eagles’ wings;
They will run and not grow weary,
walk and not grow faint.

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 103:1-2, 3-4, 8 and 10

R. (1) O bless the Lord, my soul!
Bless the LORD, O my soul;
and all my being, bless his holy name.
Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits.
R. O bless the Lord, my soul!
He pardons all your iniquities,
he heals all your ills.
He redeems your life from destruction,
he crowns you with kindness and compassion.
R. O bless the Lord, my soul!
Merciful and gracious is the LORD,
slow to anger and abounding in kindness.
Not according to our sins does he deal with us,
nor does he requite us according to our crimes.
R. O bless the Lord, my soul!

Gospel
Mt 11:28-30

Jesus said to the crowds:
“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened,
and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,
for I am meek and humble of heart;
and you will find rest for yourselves.
For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.”

MEDITATION OF THE DAY
The people Jesus was speaking to in today's reading knew that sheep are totally helpless animals, able neither to fight back against an attacker nor to run quickly enough to escape.  The flock, then, is dependent solely on its shepherd for survival.  The shepherd walked ahead of the sheep choosing a safe path when the flock was travelling.  The followed trustingly; the shepherd was their only hope of finding good pasture and abundant drink.  The shepherd fought off attacks by predators.  He watched to see that no lambs strayed away and became separated from the flock.  If a sheep was cut or bruised on the rocky terrain, the shepherd tended to its injuries.  He ate beside them, slept among them, and quite possibly sang to them in the evening.  Their welfare and his were one.
The Lord wants us to undersand that this is how the Father cares for each person on this earth.  Perhaps if Jesus were speaking to us today, he would use the analogy of how much parents care for their children. Most are willing to make any sacrifice for their children's welfare, and they suffer very much when they see them going astray.  They will go to nealy any lengths to help them see their errors, never giving up hope, no matter how desperate the situation appears.

God our Father loves us more than the most loving parent ever loved his child, and watches over us more closely than the most vigilant shepherd ever guarded his sheep.  What he desires most is that we will turn to him in response to his love, entering into a deeper and fuller relationship with him than we have yet experienced.  That indeed is his call to us this Advent-to enjoy the love and care which our Good Shepherd wants to extend to us.

Saint of the Day

Blessed Adolph Kolping (1813-1865)

The rise of the factory system in 19th-century Germany brought many single men into cities where they faced new challenges to their faith. Father Adolph Kolping began a ministry to them, hoping that they would not be lost to the Catholic faith as was happening to workers elsewhere in industrialized Europe.
Born in the village of Kerpen, Adolph became a shoemaker at an early age because of his family’s economic situation. Ordained in 1845, he ministered to young workers in Cologne, establishing a choir, which by 1849 had grown into the Young Workmen’s Society. A branch of this began in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1856. Nine years later there were over 400 Gesellenvereine (workman’s societies) around the world. Today this group has over 400,000 members in 54 countries across the globe.

More commonly called the Kolping Society, it emphasizes the sanctification of family life and the dignity of labor. Father Kolping worked to improve conditions for workers and greatly assisted those in need. He and St. John Bosco in Turin had similar interests in working with young men in big cities. He told his followers, “The needs of the times will teach you what to do.

”Father Kolping once said, “The first thing that a person finds in life and the last to which he holds out his hand, and the most precious that he possess, even if he does not realize it, is family life.”

He and Blessed John Duns Scotus are buried in Cologne’s Minoritenkirche, served by the Conventual Franciscans. The Kolping Society’s international headquarters is at this church.

Kolping members journeyed to Rome from Europe, America, Africa, Asia and Oceania for Father Kolping’s beatification in 1991, the 100th anniversary of Pope Leo XIII’s revolutionary encyclical Rerum Novarum (On the Social Order). Father Kolping’s personal witness and apostolate helped prepare for that encyclical.

Comment:

Some people thought that Father Kolping was wasting his time and talents on young working men in industrialized cities. In some countries, the Catholic Church was seen by many workers as the ally of owners and the enemy of workers. Men like Adolph Kolping showed that was not true.

Quote:
“Adolph Kolping gathered skilled workers and factory laborers together. Thus he overcame their isolation and defeatism. A faith society gave them the strength to go out into their everyday lives as Christ’s witnesses before God and the world. To come together, to become strengthened in the assembly, and thus to scatter again is and still remains our duty today. We are not Christians for ourselves alone, but always for others too” (Pope John Paul II, beatification homily).

~Lady~:

one of them attempted to beat me up. he put his hands on me and so i pressed charges. it broke my heart to do it, but it's the rule. i called my supervisor and my director and they said call the sherriff's office and tell them you're pressing charges. so he's gone. i think about all the things he has said to me (f*** u b****es) and the times he has tried to get me fired, and what he has done to other kids (if this boy isn't already a sociopath, he is on his way to becoming one) so that made it easier for me.

please pray for him.

the other kids are quiet now that he's gone.

oh glad to know it's not just me. i want to know what's happening too.
well i am glad u didn't just brush Our Lady off to the side, some people would have done that.

Most of the kids over there are something else, very stubborn.
You dey try o, how do u manage with them (well i know is never by your own strength, because with your strength you can never handle them), well i know there are good ones anyway.

Sure all the kids all over the world needs our prayer with the high rate of decadence all over the world.

oby, how now?

Carlosein:

oby, how now?

Carlos i'm just fine. What is happening at your end?
What is happening to Ebos, i just hope all is well with him.

i'm fine and i hope ebos is too.

pls what is the vatican official website

hello chukwudi,

the official site for the vatican is:

www.vatican.va

click on english (except you do understand any of the other languages).

Carlosein:

great morning everyone.

how was your break?

morning Carl.

Oby1:

Most of the kids over there are something else, very stubborn.
You dey try o, how do u manage with them (well i know is never by your own strength, because with your strength you can never handle them), well i know there are good ones anyway.

Sure all the kids all over the world needs our prayer with the high rate of decadence all over the world.

Yup very stubborn, I can't imagine a kid calling the government on their parents. If my kids ever try that they will tell me who gave birth to them, me or the government?

There are good ones, the ones left are better than they were because the other kid was the instigator of all problems. He would tell his cousins to go fight someone.

I really couldn't handle it anymore with him, he cursed me out too many times, and tried to fight me a lot. The things he did, I never imgained anyone could do. He's 12 and was already masturbating and leaving it in the bathroom, we walked in on him several times and that made me very uncomfortable. He would get up in the middle of the night and urinate on his cousin's clothes and on his cousin while he's sleeping. The kid needed to go.

sorry. how long will he be gone and how old is he?
i am wondering if they put minors (if he's one) in jail and for how long considering the offense.

They already took him out of jail, but he can't come back to the house I work in. They asked me if I want him to do community service or probation, I told them probation, community service he won't do anything but sit in an office bcus he's a minor. They took him to a "kiddie jail" after the jail cell. SO now he has to do everything for himself and defend himself, yup they can beat him (that's where i need to work)

~Lady~:

morning Carl.

your morning or ours

~Lady~:

Yup very stubborn, I can't imagine a kid calling the government on their parents. If my kids ever try that they will tell me who gave birth to them, me or the government?

the things some parents do actually justify the actions of some of the kids.

it is an intricate balance for sanity to prevail.

~Lady~:

morning Carl.

Yup very stubborn, I can't imagine a kid calling the government on their parents. If my kids ever try that they will tell me who gave birth to them, me or the government?

There are good ones, the ones left are better than they were because the other kid was the instigator of all problems. He would tell his cousins to go fight someone.

I really couldn't handle it anymore with him, he cursed me out too many times, and tried to fight me a lot. The things he did, I never imgained anyone could do. He's 12 and was already masturbating and leaving it in the bathroom, we walked in on him several times and that made me very uncomfortable. He would get up in the middle of the night and urinate on his cousin's clothes and on his cousin while he's sleeping. The kid needed to go.

Very Serious, goodness me at that age. God have mercy.
Training children over there is a 50/50 chance.
My sister thumbs up, e no easy at all.

hey Carlos whats up?

Today's Saint

St. Damasus I

To his secretary St. Jerome, Damasus was “an incomparable person, learned in the Scriptures, a virgin doctor of the virgin Church, who loved chastity and heard its praises with pleasure.”
Damasus seldom heard such unrestrained praise. Internal political struggles, doctrinal heresies, uneasy relations with his fellow bishops and those of the Eastern Church marred the peace of his pontificate.

The son of a Roman priest, possibly of Spanish extraction, Damasus started as a deacon in his father’s church, and served as a priest in what later became the basilica of San Lorenzo in Rome. He served Pope Liberius (352-366) and followed him into exile.

When Liberius died, Damasus was elected bishop of Rome; but a minority elected and consecrated another deacon, Ursinus, as pope. The controversy between Damasus and the antipope resulted in violent battles in two basilicas, scandalizing the bishops of Italy. At the synod Damasus called on the occasion of his birthday, he asked them to approve his actions. The bishops’ reply was curt: “We assembled for a birthday, not to condemn a man unheard.” Supporters of the antipope even managed to get Damasus accused of a grave crime—probably sexual—as late as A.D. 378. He had to clear himself before both a civil court and a Church synod.

As pope his lifestyle was simple in contrast to other ecclesiastics of Rome, and he was fierce in his denunciation of Arianism and other heresies. A misunderstanding of the Trinitarian terminology used by Rome threatened amicable relations with the Eastern Church, and Damasus was only moderately successful in dealing with the situation.

During his pontificate Christianity was declared the official religion of the Roman state (380), and Latin became the principal liturgical language as part of the pope’s reforms. His encouragement of St. Jerome’s biblical studies led to the Vulgate, the Latin translation of Scripture which the Council of Trent (12 centuries later) declared to be “authentic in public readings, disputations, preachings.”

Comment:

The history of the papacy and the Church is inextricably mixed with the personal biography of Damasus. In a troubled and pivotal period of Church history, he stands forth as a zealous defender of the faith who knew when to be progressive and when to entrench.

Damasus makes us aware of two qualities of good leadership: alertness to the promptings of the Spirit and service. His struggles are a reminder that Jesus never promised his Rock protection from hurricane winds nor his followers immunity from difficulties. His only guarantee is final victory.

Quote:
"He who walking on the sea could calm the bitter waves, who gives life to the dying seeds of the earth; he who was able to loose the mortal chains of death, and after three days' darkness could bring again to the upper world the brother for his sister Martha: he, I believe, will make Damasus rise again from the dust" (epitaph Damasus wrote for himself).

~Lady~:

Yup very stubborn, I can't imagine a kid calling the government on their parents. If my kids ever try that they will tell me who gave birth to them, me or the government?

my children had better not try it with me cos dem go see fire (i think i am good sha )

Oby1:

hey Carlos whats up?

i'm ok sis.

Thursday of the Second Week of Advent

Reading 1
Is 41:13-20

I am the LORD, your God,
who grasp your right hand;
It is I who say to you, “Fear not,
I will help you.”
Fear not, O worm Jacob,
O creepy-crawlie Israel;
I will help you, says the LORD;
your redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.
I will make of you a threshing sledge,
sharp, new, and double-edged,
To thresh the mountains and crush them,
to make the hills like chaff.
When you winnow them, the wind shall carry them off
and the storm shall scatter them.
But you shall rejoice in the LORD,
and glory in the Holy One of Israel.

The afflicted and the needy seek water in vain,
their tongues are parched with thirst.
I, the LORD, will answer them;
I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them.
I will open up rivers on the bare heights,
and fountains in the broad valleys;
I will turn the desert into a marshland,
and the dry ground into springs of water.
I will plant in the desert the cedar,
acacia, myrtle, and olive;
I will set in the wasteland the cypress,
together with the plane tree and the pine,
That all may see and know,
observe and understand,
That the hand of the LORD has done this,
the Holy One of Israel has created it.

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 145:1 and 9, 10-11, 12-13ab

R. The Lord is gracious and merciful; slow to anger, and of great kindness.
I will extol you, O my God and King,
and I will bless your name forever and ever.
The LORD is good to all
and compassionate toward all his works.
R. The Lord is gracious and merciful; slow to anger, and of great kindness.
Let all your works give you thanks, O LORD,
and let your faithful ones bless you.
Let them discourse of the glory of your Kingdom
and speak of your might.
R. The Lord is gracious and merciful; slow to anger, and of great kindness.
Let them make known to men your might
and the glorious splendor of your Kingdom.
Your Kingdom is a Kingdom for all ages,
and your dominion endures through all generations.
R. The Lord is gracious and merciful; slow to anger, and of great kindness.

Gospel
Mt 11:11-15

Jesus said to the crowds:
“Amen, I say to you,
among those born of women
there has been none greater than John the Baptist;
yet the least in the Kingdom of heaven is greater than he.
From the days of John the Baptist until now,
the Kingdom of heaven suffers violence,
and the violent are taking it by force.
All the prophets and the law prophesied up to the time of John.
And if you are willing to accept it,
he is Elijah, the one who is to come.
Whoever has ears ought to hear.”

~Lady~:

They already took him out of jail, but he can't come back to the house I work in. They asked me if I want him to do community service or probation, I told them probation, community service he won't do anything but sit in an office bcus he's a minor. They took him to a "kiddie jail" after the jail cell. SO now he has to do everything for himself and defend himself, yup they can beat him (that's where i need to work)

indeed

Oby1:

Very Serious, goodness me at that age. God have mercy.
Training children over there is a 50/50 chance.
My sister thumbs up, e no easy at all.

na so e be everywhere o. there, they are just more organised and have places to make complaints.

here the kids just become agberos with no one to complain to.

Carlosein:

na so e be everywhere o. there, they are just more organised and have places to make complaints.

here the kids just become agberos with no one to complain to.

That is if the Child chose to become agbero, you don't tell me that if a Child is well brought up he will prefer becoming an agbero, except the parents did not train that child well.

Oby1:

That is if the Child chose to become agbero, you don't tell me that if a Child is well brought up he will prefer becoming an agbero, except the parents did not train that child well.

that's what i'm saying, some parents are worse than kids themselves.

the things some parents do actually justify the actions of some of the kids.

it is an intricate balance for sanity to prevail

yup true indeed.

Oby1:

Very Serious, goodness me at that age. God have mercy.
Training children over there is a 50/50 chance.
My sister thumbs up, e no easy at all.

this is why my children will not be trained here o. hubby better pack up his bags we're going home.

Carlosein:

my children had better not try it with me because them go see fire (i think i am good sha )

i'm ok sis.

lolol, i don talk am sey dem go tell me who born dem sef, whether na government o or na me. bcus if dem want govt make dem tell me make i carry dem comot for this world make govt bring dem back. na de ting wey my mama tell me o, i fear no be small o.

Carlosein:

indeed

lololol, indeed.

Carlosein:

na so e be everywhere o. there, they are just more organised and have places to make complaints.

here the kids just become agberos with no one to complain to.

lololololololololololololol, u have killed me lafta.

I finally put the pic of me and my baby girl, carl.

if u r my friend on facebook u should be able to see the pics, lin oby

i hope i don't have to join facebook. i have been putting it off for no reason.

i now have to consider it though

hey guys, i will not be in office tomorrow. have to be in port harcourt. so have fun and pray for me

Dominus Vobiscum!!!

Carlosein:

i hope i don't have to join facebook. i have been putting it off for no reason.

i now have to consider it though

hey guys, i will not be in office tomorrow. have to be in port harcourt. so have fun and pray for me

Dominus Vobiscum!!!

u have to join to see all the pics o, they have more security on facebook. i can post what i want and restrict the ppl that can see it. so u only see what i want you to see

Carlosein:

i hope i don't have to join facebook. i have been putting it off for no reason.

i now have to consider it though

hey guys, i will not be in office tomorrow. have to be in port harcourt. so have fun and pray for me

Dominus Vobiscum!!!

If you come across Lindiwe in PH, greet her for us o.
You won't imagine the person you will see in facebook, Lawyer of cause, he don dey show himself for dir.

~Lady~:

I finally put the pic of me and my baby girl, carl.

if u r my friend on facebook u should be able to see the pics, lin oby

Yes, i think i saw that pics and wanted to make comment on it, i will check i can't remember if I made the comment or not.

~Lady~:

u have to join to see all the pics o, they have more security on facebook. i can post what i want and restrict the people that can see it. so u only see what i want you to see

How do i make restriction to my pics on facebook? thats why i have not been able to post my pics dir.

FEAST OF TODAY
Our Lady of Guadalupe

The feast in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe goes back to the sixteenth century. Chronicles of that period tell us the story.
A poor Indian named Cuauhtlatohuac was baptized and given the name Juan Diego. He was a 57-year-old widower and lived in a small village near Mexico City. On Saturday morning, December 9, 1531, he was on his way to a nearby barrio to attend Mass in honor of Our Lady.

He was walking by a hill called Tepeyac when he heard beautiful music like the warbling of birds. A radiant cloud appeared and within it a young Native American maiden dressed like an Aztec princess. The lady spoke to him in his own language and sent him to the bishop of Mexico, a Franciscan named Juan de Zumarraga. The bishop was to build a chapel in the place where the lady appeared.

Eventually the bishop told Juan Diego to have the lady give him a sign. About this same time Juan Diego’s uncle became seriously ill. This led poor Diego to try to avoid the lady. The lady found Diego, nevertheless, assured him that his uncle would recover and provided roses for Juan to carry to the bishop in his cape or tilma.

When Juan Diego opened his tilma in the bishop’s presence, the roses fell to the ground and the bishop sank to his knees. On Juan Diego’s tilma appeared an image of Mary as she had appeared at the hill of Tepeyac. It was December 12, 1531.

Comment:

Mary's appearance to Juan Diego as one of his people is a powerful reminder that Mary and the God who sent her accept all peoples. In the context of the sometimes rude and cruel treatment of the Indians by the Spaniards, the apparition was a rebuke to the Spaniards and an event of vast significance for Native Americans. While a number of them had converted before this incident, they now came in droves. According to a contemporary chronicler, nine million Indians became Catholic in a very short time. In these days when we hear so much about God's preferential option for the poor, Our Lady of Guadalupe cries out to us that God's love for and identification with the poor is an age-old truth that stems from the Gospel itself.

Quote:
Mary to Juan Diego: “My dearest son, I am the eternal Virgin Mary, Mother of the true God, Author of Life, Creator of all and Lord of the Heavens and of the Earth, and it is my desire that a church be built here in this place for me, where, as your most merciful Mother and that of all your people, I may show my loving clemency and the compassion that I bear to the Indians, and to those who love and seek me, ” (from an ancient chronicle).

Oby1:

Yes, i think i saw that pics and wanted to make comment on it, i will check i can't remember if I made the comment or not.

yeah ur one of the people that are allowed to see it. i have a restriction on friends in the first place and then for the album with her in it, I have it even more restricted.

Oby1:

How do i make restriction to my pics on facebook? thats why i have not been able to post my pics dir.

When you create an album, you can go to album and then from there you will see the link that says privacy setting for album, you click on it and then you can choose which friends see what album. I mean you can specifically choose who can view an album, even if it's just one person. No one else can see it, even for notes that you write. So you can write a love note to that speacial someone and no one will know, lol