LifeGrains Mandaue Lapu-Lapu

07/09/2024

𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐬𝐨 𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡, 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐠 𝐥𝐚𝐝𝐲?

A sultan heard that there was a slave girl in the market whose price exceeded that of a hundred other slaves.

He sent for this slave girl to see what made her so exceptional.

She stood before him with a dignity he had never seen in other slaves.

He asked her: "Why is your price so high, young lady?"

She answered: "Because I am distinguished by my intelligence."

Intrigued, he said: "I will ask you a question. If you answer correctly, I will free you. If not, I will kill you."

"What is the most beautiful garment, the most pleasant perfume, the most delicious food, the softest bed, and the most beautiful country ?"

The slave turned to those present and said : "Prepare my things and my horse, for I am leaving this palace as a free woman."

"The most beautiful garment is the shirt of the poor man who has only one, for he finds it suitable for winter and summer."

"The most pleasant perfume is that of a mother, even if she is a mere fire-blower in a public bath."

"The most delicious dish is that which one eats when one is hungry, for the hungry find even stale bread delicious."

"The softest bed is the one on which you sleep with peace of mind. If you are unjust, even a bed of gold will seem full of thorns."

She walked towards the door and the Sultan called out to her: "You have not answered my last question..."

She turned around and said : "The most beautiful country is the one that is free and not governed by ignorant people."

She had answered correctly and thus gained her freedom.

Yes, she was right: the most beautiful country is the one that is not governed by ignorant people...

04/09/2024

𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: 𝐈𝐓 𝐃𝐚𝐝𝐝𝐲 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐧!

A little boy goes to his father and asks, "Daddy, how was I born?

The father answers, “Well, son, I guess one day you’ll need to know anyway! Your mom and I first connected in a chat room on Yahoo. Then I arranged a date via e-mail with your mom, and we met at a cyber café. We sneaked into a secluded room and Googled each other. There, your mother agreed to a download from my hard drive. As soon as I was ready to upload, we discovered that neither of us had used a firewall. Since it was too late to hit the delete button, nine months later a little pop-up appeared that said: 'You’ve got male!'”

04/09/2024

𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐮𝐬𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐚 𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐤!

A wife who was dying of a fatal disease said to her husband, "my love will you marry another after I die?" she asks.

The husband thought, "I don't think so. I will do according to your will."

The wife thought and said, "Well, then you marry again after the wetness of my samadhi dries."

He was overjoyed to see the generosity of his wife's heart.

After she died and buried her a week later, the grave was still wet.
Disappointed. Months and years passed. However, the dampness on the grave did not dry. He got bored and sat in wait to find out what was the secret behind the surprisingly wetness.

In the evening he saw someone bringing water in a bucket and pouring it on her grave and grabbed him. Oh, he's her older brother.

Hi bro, why are you pouring water on my wife s grave? When asked about that, he said that he was fulfilling his promise to his sister,

"The day before you die, brother, if you have love for me, promise to see my grave like a wet bed."

Hearing that, the husband became a monk.

30/08/2024

𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: 𝐁𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐄𝐮𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞!

A father, mother, and son were going to Europe and were going to visit the n*de beaches while they were there.

They didn't want the son to get a distorted view of beauty, so they told him,

"The men with really big di*ks and the girls with really, really big bo*bs were both really, really dumb."

When they got to the beach they split up.

Later the mother saw the son and asked where his dad was.

The boy said, '

'Well, the last time I saw him he was talking to this really, really, dumb blonde, and the longer they talked, the dumber he got.''

27/08/2024

Title: Stranded in an island for many years!

A man survives the sinking of his cruise ship and had been stranded on a deserted island for many years. Being alone he feels closer to God, so he had built three buildings.

One day a plane spots him and they send a boat to rescue him. The boat pulls into the cove, the guy hops on board, and the boat heads back out to see.

When he was rescued, the captain asked him why he'd built three buildings.

On the way out of the cove, the captain says to the guy, “Hey, I see three buildings near the beach. Why three buildings? What are they for?”

The guy says, “Well, the one in the center is my home.”

The captain then says, “Well, what about the building on the right?”

The guy says, “That’s my church.”

The captain replies again, “Well, what about the building on the left?”

The guy says, “Oh, that’s the church I used to go to.”

26/08/2024

25 August 2024, Sunday, 21st Week in Ordinary Time

SCRIPTURE READINGS:
Joshua 24:1-2,15-18;
Psalms 34:2-3,16-23;
Ephesians 5:21-32;
John 6:60-69

On choosing to serve Christ is to choose life...

We all look for happiness and fulfilment in life. This is in our DNA, regardless whether we are believers or not. But where is happiness to be found? This is where we all differ. The world tells us that happiness is found in the things of this world; that happiness is guaranteed when one is successful in life – in our studies, in our career, in our business. Furthermore, they believe that with success, comes wealth, power, status and well-being. So, happiness is presumed.

This was also how the Israelites thought. When they were in Egypt, they complained of the lack of freedom, and the harsh treatment they received from their Egyptian masters.

Whilst it is undeniable that to live happily we need the material things of life, these alone by themselves cannot fulfil us.

This was why Joshua gathered the tribes together and asked them to make a choice.

What about us? What is our choice? Would you choose the gods of the world – symbolized by wealth, power and glory, and worship them, or would you choose the Lord so that you can live a life of true freedom and happiness through service, caring for each other in the community, helping the weak and vulnerable, giving hope and encouragement to the downtrodden, and sharing our resources with others?

But we must be realistic as well. The fullness of life that Jesus is offering us might be too difficult for us to accept.

Sometimes, the difficulty lies not just in the sacrifices we have to make for others, but in accepting the entire teaching of the scriptures.

To opt for Jesus presupposes we have encountered His love. Otherwise, it would be difficult to make a radical choice for Him. This was the case of the Israelites too.

Obedience is given fully only to those whom we love with our hearts.

Similarly, if wives were to render obedience to the husband, it is only possible if husbands love their wives the same way Christ loved the Church.

What is left for us to do to choose Christ and the gospel and find life, is simply to “taste and see that the Lord is good.” This is the pre-requisite. Without which, it would not be possible to surrender our lives to Him, or render our obedience in faith out of love for Him; especially when the values He taught goes against the grain of the human heart and flesh. We need to taste and see His love before we can give ourselves entirely for Him. Indeed, only then can we say, “I will bless the Lord at all times.”

26/08/2024

LEGALISM THE CAUSE FOR THE LOSS OF FAITH

Legalism is the strength and also the weakness of the Catholic Church. Laws are certainly needed in any institution to safeguard justice and charity because not all members are strong enough to love like Christ. But an over emphasis on obedience and observance of the laws reduces faith to a moral system, the efficacy of some rituals and an impersonal and cold institution without a soul. This is precisely the condemnation of Jesus in the gospel with regard the way the Pharisees and the scribes lived out their faith. He called them “hypocrites!” Why?

LEGALISM THE CAUSE FOR THE LOSS OF FAITH SCRIPTURE READINGS: In the first reading, we read of St Paul's warm and encouraging letter to the early Christians in Thessalonica. St Paul began the letter by affirming them in the progress they had

26/08/2024

CHOOSING TO SERVE CHRIST IS TO CHOOSE LIFE

“As for me and my House, we will serve the Lord.” Joshua was certain that the God of Israel would guarantee them not only prosperity and plenty but also preserve the community as one People of God. What about us? Would you choose the gods of the world - symbolized by wealth, power and glory – and worship them, or would you choose the Lord so that you can live a life of true freedom and happiness through love and service to one another? Indeed, we need to ask ourselves, where does our loyalty lie? Is God just a backup, or is He our Lord?

CHOOSING TO SERVE CHRIST IS TO CHOOSE LIFE SCRIPTURE READINGS: We all look for happiness and fulfilment in life. This is in our DNA, regardless whether we are believers or not. But where is happiness to be found? This is