JB Lifestyle

Yesterday, i was reminded in the homily of a priest in my local church about the value of faith! He demonstrated it with a simple example about how people build their muscles when they go to the gym! If you do not use what you have, you will lose it! Jesus says, "all things are possible for him who believes". In yesterday's Gospel reading, a man has a child afflicted with a deaf and mute demon. This demon has tormented him since childhood and he comes to the lord with faith. But he also responds, "I believe Lord , help my unbelief". I know how hard it can be to live by faith especially when you are faced with terrible odds! All of us have situations in our lives that test us to our core! I know i do and many times i have thought why me? As my priest reminded me, i am not the first one to go through what i am going through and i need not project other people's situations and let anxiety get the best of me. I need not compare my life to anyone else b...

On Monday, i was reminded of the consequences of our actions by the homily of the priest in my local church! He told us about the story of a woman who abandoned her children to pursue a new relationship with a man who didn't want children. She is now living a life of regret! How terrible it is to live a life always looking back and wishing we could change the past! The hard truth is that our choices and decisions especially as leaders, elders and parents affect a lot of people. We often do not realize that because every one depends on someone else whether we like to admit it or not, the consequences will reach much further than we thought! Lets take the example of political leaders and families. The actions especially of leaders will definitely have lasting consequences on the people they serve. When a leader serves himself, no one in society will benefit. His selfish actions will lead to poverty, hunger and a basic lack of necessities as we see all too often here in Africa!(s...

Beware of the spirit of anger and mindless rage! We ought to think before we act in anger as the consequences of such actions are often dire and cannot be overturned! Sometimes we are unnecessarily irritable and lash out at others due to no fault of their own or as a means of getting rid of stress! This is very wrong indeed. Last week i observed it in a close relation of mine as he was driving. He struggles with anger and i pray that God will give him serenity and peace in his heart! How many terrible things have been done just in a fit of anger? Sometimes even to the extent of taking someone's life! When you are angry, you cannot think clearly and often regret will follow your actions! Let us learn how to pause and walk away from confrontation. Lets also try to hold our tongues and be silent when we feel enraged by someone. If you cannot say something good, its best not to say anything at all! No one should be self righteous in regards to anger, only God has that right...

Recently, New York's "catholic" governor (Andrew Cuomo) approved a law that will effectively permit abortions right up to the moment of birth for basically any number of reasons! It was a sad day indeed for America, the world and indeed all Catholics. I just cannot understand how someone can claim to be Catholic and go against one of the most important principles of the church which is that all life is sacred! His actions have spoken louder than his weak proclamations of being a catholic! When i think about the circumstances of Roe vs wade i shudder! I am not very familiar with the case but i read a summary that says the woman represented in the case , Norma McCovey as Jane Roe had actually lied about being raped in order to procure an abortion in Texas! The supreme court sided with her and voted in January 1972 to deem abortion a constitutional right in the United states! (sigh) Planned parenthood was recently involved in a scandal selling aborted body parts and y...

Its a new year again and with it always a time for change. Recently in one of the homilies of a priest, we were reminded of the need for a change in attitude in order to be disposed to receive grace and to effect change in our lives. People always make resolutions but hardly ever follow through with them! If you want to change something in life, you need perspective. Sometimes its your attitude getting in the way of what you want to achieve. Take for example, a promotion at work. You may want to be promoted but are exhibiting a "lazy" attitude. (lets say you are usually late and leave early or want to do the least amount of work). Another area is your disposition for grace. Lets say you want to get married but cannot commit to one person! How will you achieve anything if you do not change your attitude or disposition? Lord, give us the grace to see clearly our weaknesses and be ready to change our attitudes so that we can be properly disposed to receive your graces ...

In July 1968, Pope Paul VI wrote the encyclical humane vitae to guide all Catholics and the world indeed on the dangers of full scale artificial contraception for the regulation of births! As predicted in his letter, the widespread acceptance of oral/artificial contraception has resulted into immorality,the objectification of women, the abuse of power (In Kenya, certain free contraceptives were discovered to have permanently sterilized women) and a false sense of independence! God in his perfect design, intended the union of man and woman in marriage to be open to life as the two generate the body and God generates the immortal soul! Any attempts to circumvent and alter this is a gross injustice and a rejection of the divine will. Arguments that artificial birth control help with population control and planning are simply excuses to be promiscuous! The body has a natural fertility cycle and sex can be abstained from during the fertile period if we wish to avoid pregnancy! Just l...

It is a new year once again and time to make resolutions! More often than not, we make resolutions but never follow through with them. It is a shame indeed but this year i am resolved to be kind! How do we respond to the people we encounter even when they rub us the wrong way? Honestly sometimes i just get irritated by people. It may be even people i dont know but i just get the feeling that our personalities dont mesh! It may also be that certain things people do make as feel irritated. I was once called abrasive by someone i had been chatting with online (sigh) We dont have to get close to everyone we meet but we can make an effort to be kind! There are some people who are lonely, in need of some comfort. Lets start by smiling more and greeting strangers. I know in the world we live in, some people try to take advantage of kindness but dont let that change you! There always people around us who need our love and kindness. "Dont let the bitterness of the world take away...