Love your neighbour as you love yourself...

Alright, this is again taken from a homily during mass this weekend. (The idea of the story, not the real story) The homily was presented by Fr. Joachim of HRC Klang. Together with the short story is an analysis(my own) of what he had to say and how we can actually apply it in our own lives. Have fun reading...

A nurse saw an elderly man who was in the clinic for his check-up early in the morning. He seemed like he was in a rush, fidgeting over his seat, constantly checking his watch for the time. She sat down beside him, and said, "Excuse me, sir, are you alright?"

The man replied, "How long more do I have to wait? I must rush off to somewhere."

The nurse, wondering what could be so important to this elderly man, who looked like he has retired from the workforce long time ago, answered, "Just a little while longer. What is the rush?"

"Well, I have to go to the nursing home. It is almost time that I have my breakfast with my wife. You see, she has been in the nursing home for the past 4 years. She has Alzheimer's disease, and my children decided that it will be best if she had constant care in a home. I was against it naturally, but my health is also taking a toll on me and I have no other choice."

The nurse, stunned, replied, "I see. Will she mind if you're late a little while? I mean she does not know who you are anymore, and your routine health check is much more important than the breakfast. If you're late for a while, it would be OK right?"

The man looked at her, and a weak smile came across his face. "She does not know me, but I know her. How can I abandon her? It might be a simple breakfast to you, but it means a lot to me, to be with my wife."


Moral of the story #1: God is like that. You might not know him, but he knows you. And he cares for you, when you're up, and when you're down. Most of us only seek him when we're bedevilled with problems and sadness and uncertainties. "Where are you, Lord, have you forsaken me?" was Jesus' reply on the cross. He's always there. But when we're filled with joy, seldom it comes to our mind to thank Him. Nonetheless, like the elderly man, He still cares about you and He's always there for you.

Moral of the story #2 : Parallel to the story, this week's gospel touches on the two most important commandments. You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind and You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
Is it logically if we say, we love God with all our heart/mind/soul, but we hate our neighbour/friend/family for what they've done to us?(maybe stole your girlfriend, broke your flower pot, talked bad about you etc.)
How can we love something that we cannot see, but hate something that we can? Hypocrisy, right? The first step to love God is to love your neighbour, and yourself. Like the elderly man who did not abandon his wife, we should not abandon our friends...and yet proclaim(loudly) that we love God. You would question this love, wouldn't you?

CSS Day Out/Planning Camp

As a sort of farewell meetup before everyone heads their own seperate ways, CSS will be having a CSS day out this Saturday, 25th October 2008. It's just a laidback time to spend with friends, have lunch together, probably a movie (if we have time) and whatever else you wish to do.

At the same time, we'll be having a short Planning Session for the 2009 semester. This is your opportunity to voice out your concerns, your ideas, and many more suggestions for activities for the upcoming semester.

We will meet up at 10am in the Block A cafeteria and continue on till the afternoon. I know that some of you have been wanting to join our activities or lunches but could not do so because of clases - well this is your chance to give back to CSS and to get together to mingle, make new friends, catch up with the old ones as well as contribute to CSS in 2009!

See you there!

The 2 dollar and 50 dollar note...

The post below is a heart-warming story about the Catholics in a country, which was extracted from the homily of a priest in Singapore(whose name I do not know). If you are in no hurry, read on; or else, just scroll all the way down to find out next week's CSS event: a movie outing!





The 2-Dollar and 50-Dollar(Malaysian) note...


A 2-dollar-note met a 50-dollar-note in the bank deposit box.


The 2-dollar-note said to the 50-dollar-note : "Hey, I haven't seen you around for a long time. Where have you been all these while?"





The 50-dollar-note replied, "Well, you know, I've been travelling a lot to many different places in the last 1 year. The casino, McDonalds, Starbucks, Coffee Bean. I've also been to Pavillion, the Gardens Midvalley and 1 Utama also. Seen loads of things and loved the smell of the roasted coffee beans in Starbucks. Well, enough about me, how about you 2-Dollar-Note?"





"Oh me? Well, nowhere as interesting as yours. You know, to church, then to the bank, then to the UCSI cafeteria, then back again to St. Francis of Assisi church. Mostly in the church collection box."





The 50-dollar-note replied unenthusiastically : "Oh, I see. Well, that's... boring..."





Just then, the cashier seperated the 50-dollar-note into another collection box, while the 2-dollar-note was passed on to a guy at the counter.








Moral of the story?


Well, isn't this a depiction of real-life scenario? We'd actually pay 20 bucks for a cuppa of (sometimes over-rated) coffee, while only 2 dollars goes into the church weekly collection box?


Now, the priest's(and I agree with it) point is not that we cannot indulge in a little "gluttony", however, when we reflect the kind we give back to the church, it definitely pales in comparison. And I'm not just talking about cash, even our effort. In our daily hectic life, somehow, God is pushed down our to-do-list. Our support to the parish(and CSS) is mostly a weekly, weekend thing. The other times, we are just too busy with our life. Now, have we ever stopped, and reflect, and to thank God of all the good(and bad) things that has happened to us daily? Minor things which make us grow as an individual and as a Christian?





This Sunday's gospel, "Give Caesar what is due to Caesar. And give God what is due to God." points out that for all the earthly things we do, we have to do it. Yet, don't forget about God and his words...

And for this week's event, it's to Cheras Leisure Mall!!!
Time to kick back your sandals and take your mind of your exams.
Come join us!

Sing Out!

(No, we're not having one of those idol-themed competitions...)

Come join us this Wednesday, 15th October 2008 at CG01 for a session of music, praise, fun, and interaction!

We start at 4pm but if you have class, just come along after that!

See you there!

Examination Mass at UNITEN

Hello everyone!

Here's an invite from Ivor of UNITEN through KLCC Y! Group :

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Dear all,

CSS of University Tenaga Nasional cordially invites all CSS under KLCC for our Examination Mass which will be held at COIT (College of Information Technology) UNITEN at 12.45pm on Friday 10th October 2008.

Do not hesitate to contact Joshua Thong 016-9353236 for further information pertaining the venue.

All are welcomed. Refreshments will be provided after mass. Please feel free to bring more people to celebrate mass and fellowship together.

The celebrant for the mass will be Fr. Christopher Wee

Regards,
Ivor

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