Collection 

The Sunday Offertory Collection for the month of July was 28,810 Baht. We thank you for your very generous support of the mission & outreach of The Seven Fountains Spirituality Centre.

True religion

What is the essence of religion? What constitutes true discipleship? There is some tension within and among the churches about that question.

For some, religion is all about proper identity, boundaries, doctrine, morality, liturgy and rubrics. The anxiety then is about measuring up, about being faithful to a tradition.

For others, religion means justice and concern for the poor, with sensitiviity to every structure and action that affects the poor.

Yet again, for some religion means inner peace, harmony with the earth and with others, forgiveness, being big of heart, a personal, intimate relationship with God.

In some ways, they are all right. When we look at the development of Judaism (which gave us Jesus) we see that their understanding of religion progressed through all these aspects, reflected in the Books of Deuteronomy, Prophecy and Wisdom.

Jesus ratifies all of these. He makes it clear that proper indentity, teaching, morality, doctrine, and liturgical practices form and integral part of religion.

However, Jesus is also clear, as were the great Jewish prophets, tht religion is about how we care for the  poor, reflected in his teaching on the last judgment. He tells us that, on the last day, we will be judged by God on one basis: did we care for the poor, give bread to the hungry, drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked? Notice that there are no orthodoxy tests nor even questions about private morality-only the question of how we treated the poor.

Yet there is still something more in Jesus' teaching that challenges us. He tells us: "Be compassionate as your heavenly Father is compassionate." True religion, for Jesus, is, in the end, about the quality of our hearts, about how wide or narrow they are, about how mellow or bitter they are, about how forgiving or angry they are, and about how much they reflect God's love which goes out warmly and equally to all, to the bas as well as the good. "Love one another as I have loved you," said Jesus.

The final challenge of Jesus is for each of us to have a heart that, like the father of the prdigal son and the elder brother, can embrace both the weakness of one and the anger of the other. God's heart is not restricted, neither is heaven, and for us to go to heaven we need to have hearts that are not restricted.

perhaps this perspective can help us sort through some of the tensions we live in today as different groups claim one or the other of these emphases as the core of religion. Boundaries, indentity, morality, liturgy, rubrics, are important, as is a commitment to the poor. But, in the end, all of these have to be shaped by a heart that radiates God's all-embracing compassion, understanding, forgiveness, gentleness, warmth, and universal love.

Otherwise it is an easy and logical step to bitterness, hatred, and violence-all done in the name of God and true religion.

Peter Knott SJ.  http://www.jesuit.org.uk/godtalk/godtalk_current.htm

London Times Obituary An Obituary printed in the London Times

Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was, since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape. He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as:

Knowing when to come in out of the rain; why the early bird gets the worm; life ins't always fair; and maybe it was my fault.

Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you can earn) and reliable strategies (adults, not children, are in charge).

His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well-intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a 6-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.

Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job that they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly children.

It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer sun lotion or an Aspirin to a student; but could not inform parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.

Common Sense lost the will to live as the churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their victims. Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar could sue you for assault.

Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.

Common Sense was preceded in death, by his parents, Truth and Trust, his wife, Discretion, his daughter, responsibility, his son, Reason

He is survived by his 4 stepbrothers; I Know My Right, I Want It Now, Someone Else Is To Blame, I'm A Victim

Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone. If you still remember him, pass this on. If not, join the majority and do nothing.

Thoughts

Every now and then go away, have alittle relaxation, for when you come back to your work your judgement will be surer, since to remain constantly at work will cause you to lose power of judgment...Go some distance away because then the work appears smaller, and more of it can be taken in at a glance, and lack of harmony or proportion is more readily seen.

No, it is not from Fr.Miguel, but even older, from Leonardo Da Vinci

Two wolves - a story

One evening and old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people. He said, "My son, the battle is between two 'wolves' inside us all. One is Evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority and ego. The other is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith." The grandson thought about it for aminute and then asked his grandfather: "Which wolf wins?" The old Cherokee replied, "The one you feed."

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 Laus Deo Semper