Friday, March 21, 2008

Good Friday,Hot Cross Buns & Stations of the Cross

Good Friday makan for me is a light fast..ie eat but in small amounts..we had 'Hot Cross Buns' ..that was the only food at meal times yesterday....

..Good Friday service was in the evening ..the below shot is the priest prostrating before the altar..the shot isn't clear so click to enlarge..also note the bare decor and covered cross..a sign of mourning....

nowadays I enjoy the stations of the cross..like a story being retold every year which is what it is...hence i'm putting this online ..the shots of the stations were taken off the wall of St Michaels Church parking lot..

1st Station: Jesus is condemned to death...
a mock trial and he is condemned to death....."
through his wounds we have been healed"(1 Peter 2.23-24)

2nd Station:Jesus takes up his cross..
"his state was divine but made himself nothing & became as men are.."(Phil.6-7)


3 rd Station:Jesus falls the 1st time.

4th Station:Jesus meets his mother. ..
Mary's mission was to give Christ to the world.. "Love is as strong as death"(the song of songs 8.6)

5th Station:Simon helps Jesus carry his cross...
a cross is a burden ..but not when two carry it.."Carry each others burden and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ" (Galatians 6.2)


6th Station: Veronica wipes the face of Jesus...
Veronica had courage..in spite of all the soldiers ..despite what people will think or say..she wiped the face of Jesus.."Your face Lord, I seek.Do not hide your face from me" (Psalm 22.8-9)


7th Station:Jesus falls the 2nd time.
"..my palate is drier than a potsherd and my tongue is stuck to my jaw.I am lying in the dust of death" (Psalm 22. 16)..Remember you are dust and to dust you will return.


8th Station: Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem."
Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me but for yourselves and your children" (Lk.23:28)
..the women & children of Jerusalem come out to comfort and thank him..he had broken all kinds of social and religious conventions to connect with them


9th Station: Jesus falls the 3rd time.
..Jesus can barely make it to the end..his executioners help him so he can make it up the hill of
crucification.."In my own body I make up what is still to be undergone by Christ for the sake of his body,which is the church"(Colossians1:24)


10th Station: Jesus is stripped of his garments "..they divide my garments and cast lots for my clothing" ( Psalm22:17-18)

11th Station: Jesus is nailed to the cross..
"Today you will be with me in Paradise" (Luke23:43).. Huge nails are hammered through his hands & feet..


12th Station:Jesus dies on the cross.
"Father into your hands I commend my spirit" (Luke 23:46)


13th Station: Jesus is taken down from the cross.
..Jesus body is laid in the arms of his Mother.."I am the Lords servant,let it be done as you have said"(Luke1:38)


14th Station: Jesus is laid in the tomb.
..your work is done.. you have redeemed the world..



15th Station:JESUS RISES FROM THE DEAD.....

Thursday, March 20, 2008

Maundy Thursday / Holy Thursday.......

..Maundy Thursday or Holy Thursday is the day when "...Jesus knew that his hour has come". Thus " ..on the night he was betrayed " he held his 'Last Supper" ...he 'broke some bread..said a prayer and handed the pieces to his disciples saying "this is my body..do this in remembrance of me"..then takes a cup of wine , offers another prayer ..."this is my blood...do this in memory of me"..and its been practiced ever since...."I give you a new commandment..love one another. As I have loved you so you must love one another". John 15:12

and when supper was ended he rose , laid aside his garments, took a towel poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples feet...and wiped them with a towel...


after he had washed their feet he said to them..."You call me Lord and Master ..If I am your Lord and Master and have washed your feet...you too ought to wash one anothers feet"

Jesus and his disciples then retreated to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray...



Jesus was very..".grieved and distressed" ...before going aside to pray alone he had asked his disciples to "remain here and keep watch with me"

keeping watch at Our Mother of Perpetual Help Church..


..keeping watch at Our Lady of Lourdes Church....

..keeping watch at St Michaels Church

..later that night Jesus is betrayed , arrested and taken away......

and in the UK Queen E attended Maundy Thursday service in Northern Ireland and it was attended by representatives of the "Jewish, Muslim and Hindu faiths"...man is that fantastic or what.....

Sunday, March 16, 2008

Palm Sunday...the start of Holy Week.

Palm Sunday is the start of Holy Week...historically it was the week that Jesus was wellcomed into Jerusalem to..."fullfill his Passion and Resurrection".....

.. in ancient Jerusalem the palm was a 'symbol of triumph and victory'...

when Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a colt..the Jews waved palms and also carpeted his path with palms..

in our local churches ..the palms would then be blessed...before entering the church...

..the " vestments for the day are also a scarlet red, the color of blood.....


..the congregation then walk in procession into the church.....


....the next holy day this week will be Maundy Thursday or Holy Thursday..the day that Jesus washes the feet of the disciples before he has his 'Last Supper' and also the day that he is betrayed by Judas Iscariot..then followed next by 'Good Friday' the day when Jesus dies on the cross ( the start of the Easter Tridium) and culminating on Easter Sunday....' on the third day Jesus rises from the dead'.....sounds like a movie scene huh...but its been replaying every year for the last 2000 years....

cheers!

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Uncle Lim must do the right thing........

I followed you opposition guys around the Kinta valley...I enjoyed all your rhetoric about change...etc..etc..heck ..all of us in the Kinta Valley believed that you could make the change...Anwar said it at Tmn Song Choon...'lets put the past behind us and move forward and CHANGE..'...Po Kuan pleaded for it so effectively at Batu Gajah..CHANGE....Kah Woh kept repeating it at Canning & Ipoh Gdns...CHANGE.....well guys from the Opposition...we the RAKYAT of the Kinta Valley voted you in ..and now you..... " UNCLE LIM and your gang...START WALKING THE TALK AND CHANGE.....START BEING THE GOVERNMENT AND STOP!! BEING THE OPPOSITION.....you owe this to US....THE RAKYAT......we gave you what you asked for...therefore please start doing what you had promised us.

Saturday, March 8, 2008

9 March 2008..the Day after..Opposition takes Perak.

When I drove for breakfast this morning i saw this poster...wow..we the Rakyat did make the change ...what would the future be like ....will the opposition walk the talk?..guess i'll have to wait to find out...

but when i passed the state assembly building.........


and saw the Police at the front gate it dawned on me that the Opposition would now be chairing this house in future...naw!!...probably the Police are at the gate every morning ...so i went round the back.....

..the police were at the back too.....

.. and at both sides of the entrace to the building...


..wow!! so for the first time in Perak's history the Menteri Besar would be from the opposition...I recall that the closest success that the opposition ever had in Perak was during the time of the PPP and the Seenivasagam brothers but that was only in the Ipoh area.
Wow!!..this is history for Perak...
..Now...who is going to to be the MB for Perak....so many changes...well this is what we asked for..CHANGE!!

cheers!

Friday, March 7, 2008

4th March 08 (2) - Fong Po Kuan ceramah @ Batu Gajah

Straight from Anwar I went to Batu Gajah to view Fong Po Kuan's ceramah...lo and behold the great Uncle Lim was there .....poor guy ..his voice was so raspy.....got to take my hat off to him...he does more than an honest days work!!!!!!

and the supporters were there to listen to him .....at this coffee shop....

inside the shop....happy hour??and a good show.........

...overflowed outside onto the road.....

after him...Sivakumar from Tronoh.....

more crowd before Po Kuan came on to speak.....

..Po Kuan awaiting to come on......

..she used the projector to hilite the goings-on in parliment......

and interjected about the video in between ...explaining to the supporters what was taking place...cool , calm and very prepared...

..is this the kind of leaders that you want?????...love her expressions...passion in her voice....


...we need to changee........

..more passionate plea's......

...she had captured their attention.....by all in attendance......

more passion...she uses props...cooking oil, foodstuffs.....to get the point through..interacts with the audience on the price of foodstuffs..then and now....

..and gets their undivided attention.........



..she reminds the supporters...vote only for the DAP.........


and after the ceramah....takes photos with the rakyat......sweet smile.....is this the 'chilly padi of BG??'

i've seen and heard her......she can deliver....

all the best Po Kuan......

cheers!