Quotes about Divorce

There’s no pain or failure like going through a divorce. ~Jennifer Lopez 

 You never really know a man until you have divorced him. ~Zsa Zsa Gabor 

 When two people decide to get a divorce, it isn’t a sign that they ‘don’t understand’ one another, but a sign that they have, at least, begun to.” ~Helen Rowland 

 Immediately after a divorce or a breakup, your mind whispers that there are plenty more fish in the sea, while your heart shouts that there is only one: whoever-you-just-divorced-or-broke-up-with. ~ Mokokoma Mokhonoana 

 Divorce isn’t such a tragedy. A tragedy’s staying in an unhappy marriage, teaching your children the wrong things about love. Nobody ever died of divorce. ~Jennifer Weiner 

 When people divorce, it’s always such a tragedy. At the same time, if people stay together it can be even worse. ~Monica Bellucci 

 Divorce, the end of an ERROR. ~Unknown 

 If you made a list of reasons why any couple got married, and another list of the reasons for their divorce, you’d have a hell of a lot of overlapping. ~Mignon McLaughlin 

 I learned that it would take more than just the black and white steps of getting divorced, or even finding a lawyer. It would take NOT just facing my fears. It would take walking into my fears — with each step making me bolder and less ashamed, with each step giving me courage. ~Liza Caldwell, SAS for Women Cofounder 

 The divorce has lasted way longer than the marriage, but finally it’s over. Enough about that. The point is that for a long time, the fact that I was divorced was the most important thing about me. And now it’s not. ~Nora Ephron

Bible verses about Divorce

Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and he who marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery. ~ Luke 16:18 

 But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery. ~Matthew 5:32 

 To the married I give this charge (not I, but the Lord): the wife should not separate from her husband (but if she does, she should remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband), and the husband should not divorce his wife. ~1 Corinthians 7:10-11 

 And I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery.” ~Matthew 19:9 

 And if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.” ~Mark 10:12 

 When a man takes a wife and marries her, if then she finds no favor in his eyes because he has found some indecency in her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce and puts it in her hand and sends her out of his house, and she departs out of his house, and if she goes and becomes another man's wife, and the latter man hates her and writes her a certificate of divorce and puts it in her hand and sends her out of his house, or if the latter man dies, who took her to be his wife, then her former husband, who sent her away, may not take her again to be his wife, after she has been defiled, for that is an abomination before the Lord. And you shall not bring sin upon the land that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance. ~Deuteronomy 24:1-4 

 To the married I give this charge (not I, but the Lord): the wife should not separate from her husband (but if she does, she should remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband), and the husband should not divorce his wife. To the rest I say (I, not the Lord) that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he should not divorce her. If any woman has a husband who is an unbeliever, and he consents to live with her, she should not divorce him. For the unbelieving husband is made holy because of his wife, and the unbelieving wife is made holy because of her husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy. ... ~ 1 Corinthians 7:10-17 

 For a married woman is bound by law to her husband while he lives, but if her husband dies she is released from the law of marriage. Accordingly, she will be called an adulteress if she lives with another man while her husband is alive. But if her husband dies, she is free from that law, and if she marries another man she is not an adulteress. ~Romans 7:2-3 

 Now when Jesus had finished these sayings, he went away from Galilee and entered the region of Judea beyond the Jordan. And large crowds followed him, and he healed them there. And Pharisees came up to him and tested him by asking, “Is it lawful to divorce one's wife for any cause?” He answered, “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? ... ~Matthew 19:1-30 

 And they shall fine him a hundred shekels of silver and give them to the father of the young woman, because he has brought a bad name upon a virgin of Israel. And she shall be his wife. He may not divorce her all his days. ~Deuteronomy 22:19 

 And this second thing you do. You cover the Lord's altar with tears, with weeping and groaning because he no longer regards the offering or accepts it with favor from your hand. But you say, “Why does he not?” Because the Lord was witness between you and the wife of your youth, to whom you have been faithless, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant. Did he not make them one, with a portion of the Spirit in their union? And what was the one God seeking? Godly offspring. So guard yourselves in your spirit, and let none of you be faithless to the wife of your youth. “For the man who does not love his wife but divorces her, says the Lord, the God of Israel, covers his garment with violence, says the Lord of hosts. So guard yourselves in your spirit, and do not be faithless.” ~ Malachi 2:13-16

A Walk In The Mountains

A son and his father were walking in the mountains. Suddenly, his son falls, hurts himself and screams: "AAAhhhhhhhhhhh!!!" 

To his surprise, he hears the voice repeating, somewhere in the mountain: "AAAhhhhhhhhhhh!!!" 

Curious, he yells: "Who are you?" 

He receives the answer: "Who are you?" 

Angered at the response, he screams: "Coward!" 

He receives the answer: "Coward!" 

He looks to his father and asks: "What's going on?" 

The father smiles and says: "My son, pay attention."  And then he screams to the mountain: "I admire you!"   

The voice answers: "I admire you!" 

Again the man screams: "You are a champion!"  The voice answers: "You are a champion!" 

The boy is surprised, but does not understand. Then the father explains: "People call this ECHO, but really this is LIFE. It gives you back everything you say or do. Our life is simply a reflection of our actions. If you want more love in the world, create more love in your heart. If you want more competence in your team, improve your competence. This relationship applies to everything, in all aspects of life; Life will give you back everything you have given to it." 

YOUR LIFE IS NOT A COINCIDENCE. IT'S A REFLECTION OF YOU!

Heaven and Hell Story

                                                         Heaven and Hell picture

A holy man was having a conversation with the Lord one day and said, "Lord, I would like to know what Heaven and Hell are like." 

 The Lord led the holy man to two doors. He opened one of the doors and the holy man looked in. In the middle of the room was a large round table. In the middle of the table was a large pot of stew which smelled delicious and made the holy man's mouth water. But the people sitting around the table were thin and sickly. They appeared to be famished. They were holding spoons with very long handles that were strapped to their arms and each found it possible to reach into the pot of stew and take a spoonful, but because the handle was longer than their arms, they could not get the spoons back into their mouths. The holy man shuddered at the sight of their misery and suffering. The Lord said, 'You have seen Hell.' 

 They then went to the next room and opened the door. It was exactly the same as the first one. There was the large round table with the large pot of stew which made the holy man's mouth water. The people were equipped with the same long-handled spoons, but here the people were well nourished and plump, laughing and talking. The holy man said, "I don’t understand." "It is simple" said the Lord, "In this place the people have learned to feed one another."

The Messiah In Disguise

9 September 2018 at Church of St Anthony of Padua.  The children are going to receive their First Holy Communion.

High in the mountains was a monastery that had once been known throughout the world. Its monks were pious, its students were enthusiastic. The chants from the monastery’s chapel deeply touched the hearts of people who came there to pray and meditate. But something had changed. 

Fewer and fewer young men came to study there; fewer and fewer people came for spiritual nourishment. The monks who remained became disheartened and sad. Deeply worried, the abbot of the monastery went off in search of an answer. Why had his monastery fallen on such hard times? 

The abbot came to a guru, and he asked the master, “Is it because of some sin of ours that the monastery is no longer full of vitality?” 

“Yes,” replied the master, “it is the sin of ignorance.” 

“The sin of ignorance?” questioned the abbot. “Of what are we ignorant?” 

The guru looked at the abbot for a long, long time, and then he said, “One of you is the messiah in disguise. But you are all ignorant of this.” 

Then the guru closed his eyes, and he was silent. 

“The messiah?” thought the abbot. “The messiah is one of us? Who could it be? Could it be Brother Cook? Could it be Brother Treasurer? Could it be Brother Bell-Ringer? Could it be Brother Vegetable Grower? Which one? Which one? Every one of us has faults, failings, human defects. Isn’t the messiah supposed to be perfect? But, then, perhaps these faults and failings are part of his disguise. Which one? Which one?” 

When the abbot returned to the monastery, he gathered all the monks together and told them what the guru had said. 

“One of us? The messiah? Impossible!” 

But the master had spoken, and the master was never wrong. 

“One of us? The messiah? Incredible! But it must be so. Which one? Which one? That brother over there? That one? That one?” Whichever one of the monks was the messiah, he was, surely, in disguise. 

Not knowing who amongst them was the messiah, all the monks began treating each other with new respect. “You never know,” they thought, “he might be the one, so I had better deal with him kindly.” 

It was not long before the monastery was filled with new found joy.  Soon, new students came to learn, and people came from far and wide to be inspired by the chants of the kind, smiling monks. For once again, the monastery was filled with the spirit of love.

                               Photograph of Church of St Anthony of Padua in the year 2008.  

Mark 8:27-30 --  Peter Declares That Jesus Is the Messiah 

Jesus and his disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked them, “Who do people say I am?”  

They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.” 

“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” 

Peter answered, “You are the Messiah.” 

Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him.

Messiah means the one who saves.  Jesus is said to be the Messiah.  Since young I always questions about who God is and questions about my faith.  I never know the answers until I had committed a serious mortal sin.  Jesus came to save me.  Indeed He is the Messiah.  Thank you Jesus for saving me.  In the church, we always have children and adults who wanted to receive Jesus as their saviour -- be it during First Holy Communion or RCIA.   

Can You See God

Photograph of Jesus arisen from the tomb, third day after His death.  Photograph taken at Church of St Anthony of Padua in the year April 2010.  

Can You See God?

A small boy once approached his slightly older sister with a question about God. "Susie, can anybody ever really see God?" he asked. 

Busy with other things, Susie curtly replied,  "No, of course not silly. God is so far up in heaven that nobody can see him." 

Time passed, but his question still lingered. So he approached his mom, "Mom, can anybody ever really see God?" 

"No, not really," she gently said. "God is a spirit and he dwells in our hearts, but we can never really see Him." 

Somewhat satisfied but still wondering, the youngster went on his way.  Not long afterwards, his saintly old grandfather took the little boy on a fishing trip. They were having a great time together. The sun was beginning to set with unusual splendor and the grandfather stared silently at the exquisite beauty unfolding before them.  On seeing the face of his grandfather reflecting such deep peace and contentment, the little boy thought for a moment and finally spoke hesitatingly, "Granddad, I--I-- wasn't going to ask anybody else, but I wonder if you can tell me the answer to something I've been wondering about a long time. Can anybody - can anybody ever really see God?"

The old man did not even turn his head.  A long moment slipped by before he finally answered. "Son," he quietly said. 

"It's getting so I can't see anything else."

                           Saul falls to the ground as he sees a bright light and hears a voice.

About noon as I came near Damascus, suddenly a bright light from heaven flashed around me.  I fell to the ground and heard a voice say to me, ‘Saul! Saul! Why do you persecute me?  (Acts 22:6,7)

Just like what Saul had encountered Jesus in the bible as a bright light, I too have encounter God in the same way one night in the year of 2008.  I was lying on bed and I was transcended.  My eyes were closed, but I could see very bright light and it flashes three times, as though taking photographs.  After that I hear sound, various sound like that of the wolves, and so on.  This continue until the early morning and the whole night I never sleep at all.  In the morning, I heard the sound of trumpet.  And it was the sound of victory over sins...

The Precious Gift

Photograph of a white dove spotted at my neigbourhood while our family was walking to church on 10 April 2010, my first time in my life encountering a real white dove.  

What is your Precious Gift?  

Once upon a time, when God had finished making the world, he wanted to leave behind a piece of His own divinity, a spark of His essence, a promise to man of what he could become, with effort. He looked for a place to hide this precious gift because He explained, "what man could find too easily would never be valued by him." 

"Then you must hide this gift on the highest mountain peak on earth," said one of his counselors. 

 God shook His head, "No, for man is an adventuresome creature and he will soon enough learn to climb the highest mountain peaks." 

 "Hide it then, O Great One, in the depths of the earth." 

 "I think not," said God. "for man will one day discover that he can dig into the deepest parts of the earth." 

 "In the middle of the ocean then, Master?" 

 God shook His head. "I've given man a brain.  You see, one day he'll learn to build ships and cross the mightiest oceans." 

 "Where then, Master?" cried His counselors. 

 God smiled, "I'll hide it where every man and woman will be able to find it if they look sincerely and deeply enough. I'll hide it in their heart."

Photograph of Jesus risen from the tomb on Easter day, photograph taken at Church of St Anthony of Padua on 4 April 2010

My precious gift is that I had found God after 38 years of my life.  Jesus came to me in the year 2008 when I encountered Him on my bed early in the morning when I woke up on 8 March 2008, international women day.  It is a gift that cannot be seen, and it is only to be felt in the heart... a valuable gift that cannot be bought with money.  To add on to what I had felt, I found the white dove and parallel to that, the church was decorated with the White Jesus arisen from the tomb.  What a real coincidence, fate or destiny that was already planned?  Jesus often taught in parables.  This is a parable that he had taught me!  The white dove walking with the spotted doves and black doves -- signified that the Master is walking with the sinners!  Jesus had saved my life, a sinner who had sinned!

Quotes about Abortion

                            Photograph of Peace, who was a victim of abortion.  Read her story...

I feel the greatest destroyer of peace today is 'Abortion', because it is a war against the child... A direct killing of the innocent child, 'Murder' by the mother herself... And if we can accept that a mother can kill even her own child, how can we tell other people not to kill one another? How do we persuade a woman not to have an abortion? As always, we must persuade her with love... And we remind ourselves that love means to be willing to give until it hurts... ~Mother Teresa  

Society does not need more children; but it does need more loved children. Quite literally, we cannot afford unloved children - but we pay heavily for them every day. There should not be the slightest communal concern when a woman elects to destroy the life of her thousandth-of-an-ounce embryo. But all society should rise up in alarm when it hears that a baby that is not wanted is about to be born. ~Garrett Hardin 

I am opposed to abortion and to government funding of abortions. We should not spend state funds on abortions because so many people believe abortion is wrong. ~Bill Clinton 

We don't like to kill our unborn; we need them to grow up and fight our wars. ~Marilyn Manson 

The cemetery of the victims of human cruelty in ourcentury is extended to include yet another vast cemetery, that of the unborn. ~Pope John Paul II 

 Abortion and racism are both symptoms of a fundamental human error. The error is thinking that when someone stands in the way of our wants, we can justify getting that person out of our lives. Abortion and racism stem from the same poisonous root, selfishness. ~Alveda King 

Every person has the right to have his life respected. This right shall be protected by law and, in general, from the moment of conception. No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his life. ~American Convention on Human Rights 

 ... we explained simply what contraception was; that abortion was the wrong way — no matter how early it was performed it was taking a life; that contraception was the better way, the safer way — it took a little time, a little trouble, but was well worth while in the long run, because life had not yet begun. ~Margaret Sanger 

When we look to the unborn child, the real issue is not when life begins, but when love begins. ~Robert Casey