OYP BI-MONTHLY BULLETIN ISSUE#27 FEBRUARY 2018 GET CONNECTED: 2 LORONG LOW KOON, SINGAPORE 536449 T 6285 2571 6286 0341 W www.oyp.org.sg For enquiries, please email: info.oyp@catholic.org.sg
U PCO MING NOX GAUDII at the Cathedral This MONTH Dear Friends, Greetings! This month, we share more with you about what we ve been up to at School of Witness as well as a thoughtful article on finding the Lord even in our work! We also look forward to our first Nox Gaudii of the year at the Cathedral as well as the SHINE Combined Tertiary retreat in March. As we draw closer to the season of Lent, we pray that you will find the Lord close and hear what He wants to reveal to you. To that end, we share with you about FORMED s Lenten Reflection series. We pray that this season of reflection, almsgiving and prayer will bless you and renew your faith! In His Love, Anita and the team at OYP CONTENTS Nox Gaudii returns in 2018 with its first outing at the Cathedral of the Good Shepherd on Saturday 24th February. The original Nox Gaudii set on 23rd February at OYP is thus cancelled. We will share more information with you as we get closer to the date. In the meantime, mark your calendars and spread the word! See you there! UPCOMING II. NOX GAUDII at the Cathedral III. SHINE 2018 SHINE Combined Tertiary Retreat III. TREASURE#9 F E AT U R E S I. SCHOOL OF WITNESS 2018 Updates II. WORSHIP AND WORK by Mervin Prakash III. FAITH & FORMATION: FORMED Lenten Reflection The SHINE Combined Tertiary Retreat will be held from 20th to 23rd March 2018. This retreat is open to students in Polytechnics, ITE and those pursuing diploma studies. Registration fee is $40. To register for the retreat, please visit https://tinyurl.com/oypshine2018. Registration closes on 14 March 2018.
U P D AT E S UPCOM IN G S O W TREASURE#9 2018 increase our faith As you read this, dear friends, we are approaching the tail end of week 5 at the school and our participants have just embarked on outreach. Five weeks have just flown by in a flash! The participants have received many truths on who God is and their identity in Him but there s also been lots of lovely light moments, fellowship and joy in the process! Here s a glimpse of life in the school! Starting the day with Jesus Morning worship Clean up duty after lunch Learning how to put on The Armour of God Captain s Ball Sacrament of Reconciliation Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him. - 1 Cor 2:9 Are you desiring for more? Are you keen to see and hear what the Lord has in store for you? OYP s stay-in retreat for young working adults, Treasure 9, is now open for registration. It will be held from 5 Apr (Thu) 7:30pm 8 Apr (Sun) 6:00pm, at S$130 per person. Come as you are! Register here: http://oyp.org.sg/treasure9/
F EATUR E FA ITH & FOR MAT ION WORK AND WORSHIP by Mervin Prakash I would like to begin with this verse that inspired me during a personal retreat I had attended, earlier this year. Abram put his faith in the Lord, who credited it to him as an act of righteousness. Genesis 15:6 Like many young Singaporeans, I strived to achieve success in the terms of how our society defines it. I worked towards success and have achieved some measure of it, by God s grace. However, through it all, I could not help asking myself every day: is this what God really wants for me in my life? I think it is fundamental for us to ask ourselves: am I living a life that is right by my faith in Christ in each and every situation and moment of my life? Or am I merely swayed by what society or even my family thinks I should do? Allowing Our faith to Overcome Our Unworthiness of all the gifts and talents we have even more formidable. Many times, I struggle to find time to serve in ministry. This is mainly due to my work, as I have an irregular work schedule. The photo above is one that I took at work and cherish, because it is a beautiful reminder that even in lowest and darkest moments of spirituality, God cuts through all that to show me that He is greater than the pain or sinfulness that I m struggling with. And this was so evident to me in the image of the beautiful rays of sunlight and scattered clouds. This also reminds me of one of my most sought after scripture text. I raise my eyes toward the mountains. From where will my help come? (Psalm 121:1) For me, this text comes alive as I look towards the sky. My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth. (Psalm 121:2) Indeed, how wonderful it is that we can find answers to our wanderings through the bible. Always Remain Prayerful If we fail to recognise God in our daily living, we will lose this battle. We are declared righteous by faith alone while we are in this state of sin and unworthiness. Therefore, why fight when we have God on our side? If God is with us who can be against us? (Romans 8:31) Every Talent (big or small) Is Meant to be Used to Serve Others The discovery of the gifts and talents bestowed upon me was the starting point to my relationship with Jesus. This does not exclusively refer to spiritual gifts; it includes the natural talents we have. Awareness of this is important, as it is only then that we can humble ourselves to seek a deeper and more spiritual relationship with God. And, this, in turn renders the whole combination The habit of identifying God s presence in all things is especially important to practice in our workplaces. For many of us, it is where we spend a significant portion of our day and are with people who are not of our faith. I have been amazed by God repeatedly for giving me the time to use my gifts in music to serve many groups especially in OYP through worship, in spite of my unstable roster schedule. Truly, if we use our time and energy wisely, He will give us more. We are the stewards of our gifts and talents; how will we manage them? Now it is of course required of stewards that they be found trustworthy. (1 Corinthians 4:2) Constant Awareness of Why We Do Good Works Abraham was well known for his many great works, most famously for his willingness to sacrifice his son, Isaac. But were his works for his own gain that he could boast of his own glory? The moment we start to think our good works warrant rewards from God, we have begun to boast and glorify ourselves. Ultimately, there is no merit in such thinking. This was not what Abraham did. For Abraham, his faith was credited as righteousness. His faith alone. What I learned from him is that Abraham turned to God for His grace and mercy. He turned away from his unworthiness and looked to God in his hopelessness. He found the grace that allowed him to stand side by side with God. When we avoid spending time in prayer or making the effort to build our relationship with God, we will miss all the moments where He gives us tangible and visible signs of assurance and encouragement and we will be all the poorer for it. It is important to note that we do not just gain graces and blessings from God through our good works, but by the way we respond to our faith, where we stand side by side with God. It really sounds very demanding, doesn t it? Ultimately, I feel very blessed to be able to use my natural gifts in my job, which allows me to have a glimpse of creation at its best. To me, these awe-inspiring moments are God s way of nourishing my dry spirit, so that when I m back on His land, my spirit and mind is fully recharged. That being said, nothing replaces the receiving of the Sacraments to strengthen my weak and dry body! How then can we be forgiven, accepted, and made righteous, without being overwhelmed by the challenges of living this faith and feelings of unworthiness? Only by acknowledging Jesus as our Lord and trusting in Him through every step of the way can we do so. And how better to do so than through the Sacraments, especially through the Eucharist the source of peace and healing! Gaining Awareness of God s Presence in Our Lives This Lent, you may want to check out FORMED s Lenten Reflections. Experience Lent in a whole new way through daily reflections from Bishop Donald Hying, delivered right to your email, every day: Watch, Read, & Reflect for 10 Minutes a Day: Watch a beautiful video reflection from Bishop Hying s ECHO series Read an inspiring passage from the Catechism Reflect on how God s truth applies to your daily life To access the site s free content, just follow the instructions below:
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