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Archives - December 2007

The items below are listed in chronological order. If you wish to view more articles, you may click on the following link: Main Archives Page.

Thursday, Dec. 20, 2007

The Canadian Martyrs Prayer Community would like to wish everyone (in advance) a very merry Christmas. As the famous holiday song goes, Christmas is indeed the "most wonderful time of the year". After all, it is an opportunity for families, friends, and relatives to enjoy each others' company and give gifts to one another.

However, let us not forget that the "wonderful" aspect of Christmas extends far beyond material gifts and winter breaks. The reason Christmas is "wonderful" is that it is a celebration of the very event that brought - and still brings - hope, joy, and guidance to the world - the birth of our Saviour Jesus Christ. On that note, may we always follow the example of Christ and use the gifts that He has provided, in accordance to His will, to the best of our abilities so that we may attain our ultimate goal of eternal salvation.

Monday, Dec. 10, 2007

The following lesson was prepared by Rolly Tolentino.

"The shepherds said to one another, 'Let’s go to Bethlehem, and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us.'" - Luke 2:15

The angels announced to the shepherds the good news that their long-awaited Messiah had been born in a stable in Bethlehem. When the shepherds heard this, they rejoiced and heeded the angel’s call: to travel and see where the Saviour was born.

Just like the shepherds of long ago, we too heeded God’s call to leave our country of birth and all things familiar, to journey to a new land in search of a place to raise our son and to start a new life. We got out of our comfort zone and took a step of faith, not knowing what the future holds for us, but trusting that God will lead and protect us.

I remembered my family’s first Christmas in Canada: we were driving home one December night in 1994 and we were all bundled up as it was so cold. We were looking at houses as we passed by, and we saw lots of multi-coloured decorative lights around the parkways, trees and windows.

I felt so peaceful looking at all the festive lights and decorations, reflecting that we have a good God who knows the life we are living, because He too lived it. In this peaceful surrounding, God wanted me to know that He loves me and my family deeply. I believe He wanted us to receive the gift of His blessings and graces as we started living our new life.

"You o Bethlehem Ephrathah, are only a small village among all the people of Judah, yet a ruler of Israel will come from you, one whose origins are from the distant past." - Micah 5:1

Bethlehem means "the house of bread", the birthplace of the child Jesus, who would later call Himself, "The Bread of Life" (I am the living bread that came down from heaven - John 6:51).

Christ came to declare God’s love for us. Not only did God send His own Son into the world, but at exactly the right time, He also demonstrated His own love toward us by dying on the cross for our sins.

Jesus is the reason for the Christmas season – but eventually, it was us, mere sinners, who were the real reasons that He came into this world. So let us open the door of our heart and receive the joy of knowing Christ and start living in His Love.

Glory to God in the highest!

Sunday, Dec. 9, 2007

Please note that the 2008 calendar has been added to the schedule page. The calendar contains information regarding the prayer meeting schedule for 2008. It also contains information regarding CMPC members' birthdays/anniversaries, CMPC events, and Catholic feasts and holidays (similar to the 2007 calendar). An announcement will be posted on the homepage in the event that the prayer meeting schedule (or the schedule of CMPC events, in general) changes.

The 2008 calendar consists of an additional feature not found in the 2007 calendar. In particular, rolling your mouse over the arrow found on the top-right corner of the calendar reveals a menu/list of events. Clicking on an event will take you to the month associated with this event.

Please contact the webmaster if there are any errors or omissions in the calendar.

Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2007

A new game based on the popular quiz show "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" is now available in the site. The game consists of fifteen questions, all of which are related to the Roman Catholic Church. You can start playing the game by pressing the link below.

• The Millionaire Game: Catholic Edition

It can also be accessed via the Youth page, under "Catholic Games".

Update (January 10, 2008): The link to the game has been moved to the newly created Catholic Games section.