JB Lifestyle

When we have accepted Jesus in our lives and he dwells in us, then the spirit will come down on us and transform our humanity. We will start to do good works selfishly. As St. James said "faith without action is dead". We are not saved by good works but by grace but if God's grace has really saved us , then it will be shown in the works we do which will be guided by the Holy Spirit. That being said, our works must be done in obedience to God's will. Our works must not be done for human admiration or to increase our feeling of self worth / pride but must be an act of pure love surrendered to God. Sometimes, we do "good things" seemingly which are not in line with God's plan. I will just give an example of  running a free clinic for teenage mothers who can access services such as contraception and free abortions. In the eyes of the world, you may be helping teenagers who have made "mistakes" or trying to "protect" their health with...

Pope Francis recently declared a jubilee year of mercy which will end in November 2016.  Mercy is God's greatest attribute but how often we abuse it or fail to make use of it! There is a saying that goes, "to error is human and to forgive is divine". It is not easy to forgive someone for hurting you and we tend to hold on to grudges caused by past hurts! Think on how much God forgives you for your sins. Consider that God loved you and forgave you even before you loved and knew him and he will always be ready to forgive you when you fall. Not matter how many times you stumble, God will pick you up! Have confidence and fall before God's merciful feet, he will pick you up and embrace you with love but have a firm conviction not to sin anymore even us you implore his mercy. Please also remember to forgive all those who have hurt you and wronged you, purge your heart of bitterness and resentment, ask God to help you to forgive. (Please recite the chaplet of divine merc...

The holiday season is here again and i have to say i love it! "Tis the season to be jolly.........". It is indeed a season of joy and happiness! Christmas is here again and we should embrace this season of joy after all , Christmas comes but once a year! However let us not lose sight of the true meaning of Christmas which is that our savior is born to this world, may he find pure hearts ready to receive him, Amen! In the true spirit of Christmas, let us all remember to spread the joy by helping those who have nothing and no one. Lets reach out to grieving hearts and put a smile on every face......especially the children. Merry Christmas and a Happy new year! God bless you all!

Some time back i was reading an article about abortion and how many women do not share their "unplanned" pregnancy situations with the church because they feel unsupported and judged! I am sorry if i sound harsh but we need to grow up! People will judge you in life but you have to get over it. And if you think people are not judging you for abortions (including the health care provider you went to), then you are very naive indeed. We have all been told about some special circumstances regarding abortion like rape, incest or in case the mother's life is endangered but ask yourself, out of the thousands of abortions being carried out every year with millions of babies killed, how many of those fall into the category of those special circumstances? Some women actually use abortion as a form of birth control including married women and this makes me feel sick to my stomach. In my view, there are no so called special circumstances that can justify abortion and life i...

Yesterday's readings from mass were centered on christian joy! We are after all in the season of advent, and we are waiting with great expectation and joy for the birth of our lord Jesus on Christmas. Christmas is my favorite season of the year.  Honestly i am such a sucker for the food, the decorations and the shopping.....Yes please ("tis the season to be jolly............"). However that is not the true meaning of christmas. In our present times , we have tended to focus on the wrong things about Christmas. Its not about how many presents you get , or sending out the best Christmas cards, or eating the perfect dinner or getting that perfect tree ! No wonder so many people hate the holidays these days and are thoroughly stressed out in preparations that they cannot even enjoy the holidays. Christmas is NOT about Santa Claus. (yes Santa is chubby and lovable but we all have to grow up sometime). Christmas is about Celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ, and thus the ...

Yesterday, the catholic church celebrated the feast of the immaculate conception, a feast dedicated to a woman like no other, a woman who lived for God alone, the ever virgin Mary! It feels me with such wonder and amazement to contemplate the virginity of Mary! I thank God for that and it brings me such joy! Last week i was reading an article about how difficult it is for our youth today especially , to remain chaste until marriage. Pornography is a huge issue for our youth and contributes a lot to the decadence we are experiencing among the youth. I was reading about a young lady who recalls her teenage years being quite difficult. Teenage years are often full of angst and a lot of rebellion and trying to establish your identity as you move towards adulthood. That being said, it is even harder when your peers exert pressure on you to "give it up." The young lady in the article was even being called a lesbian for not having allowed the boys to touch her! This made m...

Jesus is quoted in scripture as telling peter that "those who live by the sword, shall by that same sword die!" Barely a month after the Paris attacks and another shooting happens, this time in San bernadino, California. And you guessed it, carried out by "Islamic fundamentalists" , once again! I am of the mind that all religions should be treated with respect and dignity but these attacks make it really hard to respect islam.   I was once reading an article, rather funny actually about how all other religions can co-exist in peace except when you throw in Muslims living with other faiths. There always seem to be confrontations and violence when Muslims are living with people of other faiths! Why is that? I personally work with a Muslim lady and we get along very well despite the fact that i am roman catholic and we deeply respect each others faiths. I was reading an article last week entitled "what Isis really wants" and it was truly shocking. ...

It is disheartening during elections and polling how we are "charmed" and sometimes deceived by our potential and current leaders seeking to capture power or retain it. We have all heard the saying "politics is a dirty game and power is seductive". All very true words and definitely a reality in which we are living today. Since the dawning of time, men have been seeking power but for all the wrong reasons. Leadership is meant to be something that is aspired for to make a positive change in people's well being and lives. Our leaders are meant to inspire us and motivate us especially through their example to become better people. Mahatma Gandhi famously said "be the change you want to see in the world" and if our leaders followed that principle, imagine how peaceful and wonderful our world would be! Instead we have leaders who are constantly lying to us to get our votes, who give favors to those who funded their campaigns, who murder in the nam...