Ephrem Music Ministry

One Small Child/We Three Kings & Carol of the Bells

2008-12-13T19:30:00.003+08:00

One Small Child/We Three Kings

Carol of The Bells (Straight No Chaser Men's acapella)

Carol of The Bells (Celtic Women [with lyrics])

Carol Of The Bells (Soul Children of Chicago)

One King -Point of Grace

2008-12-02T22:10:00.001+08:00

Thought that this might be an appropriate song to do for Epiphany. This is a cover, so it's not done by the original singers - yep just ignore the thick accents.

-Brian

Hosanna

2008-10-27T23:14:00.001+08:00

Hosanna (Paul Baloche)

Pater Noster and Credo

2008-10-08T18:35:00.002+08:00

Pater Noster (Pope John Paul II speaks first then sings the Pater Noster. Forward to about 2:15)

Credo

God Loves You

2008-10-08T18:24:00.001+08:00

Testify to Love

2008-09-05T19:31:00.002+08:00

This was the version that made me cry. I still cry every time I watch this.

Lead Me To The Cross

2008-04-15T02:17:00.000+08:00

2008-02-25T20:44:00.005+08:00

Majesty

Rain Down

Beautiful Saviour

In Christ Alone (littrell version)

Made To Worship

Mighty is the power of the Cross

We are on facebook!

2008-02-19T10:04:00.002+08:00

We now have a Facebook group! Those of you who are not on facebook can try to sign up for an account. We can share photos and give updates there. If you have problems joining the group, let me (elaine) know and I'll try to fix it for you. :):)

Worship

2008-02-10T22:31:00.000+08:00

In Christ Alone

How Great Is Our God

With All I Am

10 years and counting!

2008-01-20T23:24:00.000+08:00

Ten years! Whew we are a decade old and I thank God everyday for giving me this precious circle of friends, this gift of joy and this wonderful ministry, that is Ephrem. Here's to more adventures, more years of fun and laughter, friendship and worship through music!

O Holy Night -three versions

2007-11-29T18:32:00.000+08:00

Josh Groban:

Point of Grace:

Celine Dion:

Worship

2007-10-19T11:34:00.000+08:00

To Him Who Sits On The Throne

Through It All

Hosanna

Agnus Dei

The Holy City

2007-09-23T18:37:00.000+08:00

Found two videos of Holy City

the first vid is by the Nidaros Cathedral Boys Choir, the oldest boys' choir in Norway with 900 years of history

Den helige stad(The Holy City)

and the other, a more contemporary rendition by the Asidors

The Holy City

carnival 2007

2007-09-10T18:23:00.000+08:00

Praise and Worship

2007-08-19T20:50:00.000+08:00

Everything that has Breath

Forever

Blessed Be Your Name

Irresistable

Five Loaves and Two Fishes

2007-08-19T20:30:00.000+08:00

Five Loaves and Two Fishes (Corrinne May)

A little boy of thirteen
was on his way to school
He heard a crowd of people laughing
and he went to take a look
Thousands were listening
to the stories of one man
He spoke with such wisdom,
even the kids could understand

The hours passed so quickly
the day turned to night
Everyone was hungry
but there was no food in sight
The boy looked in his lunchbox
at the little that he had
He wasn't sure what good it'd do
there were thousands to be fed

But he saw the twinkling eyes of Jesus
the kindness in His smile
and the boy cried out
with the trust of a child
he said:

"Take my five loaves and two fishes
Do with it as you will
I surrender
Take my fears and inhibitions
All my burdens, my ambitions
You can use it all
to feed them all"

I often think about that boy
when I'm feeling small
and I worry that the work I do
means nothing at all

But every single tear I cry
is a diamond in His hands
and every door that slams in my face
I will offer up in prayer

So I'll give you every breath that I have
Oh Lord, you can work miracles
All that you need is my "Amen"

Take my five loaves and two fishes
Do with it as you will
I surrender
Take my fears and inhibitions
All my burdens, my ambitions
You can use it all
I hope it's not too small

I trust in you
I trust in you

Take my five loaves and two fishes
Do with it as you will
I surrender
Take my fears and inhibitions
All my burdens, my ambitions
You can use it all
no gift is too small

More Retreat pics

2007-08-06T15:41:00.000+08:00

Ephrem Retreat 2007

2007-08-02T15:05:00.000+08:00

Some random thoughts:
-the BBQ
-Breakfast and reflection at the gardens
-the House session
-The Mandala exercise
-Our Father session
-Mass
-Rafia puzzle session
-Form a square session
-Eye to eye affirmation

Let us be one voice to glorify Your name,
let us be one voice declaring that You reign
Let us be one voice in love and harmony
And we pray oh God, grant us unity.

And the Lord said,
"Ask and it will be given unto you,
Seek and you shall find,
Knock and the door will be opened unto you."

Awesome God

2007-07-06T16:11:00.000+08:00

Praise can move mountains, can make the storm clouds go away, can change the most hardened of sinners. Sing and cry out to God who loves you, very much.

Our God is an awesome God
He reigns from Heaven above
With wisdom, power and love
Our God is an awesome God!

Testify to Love

2007-07-01T23:36:00.000+08:00

When I first heard this song on Touched By An Angel, I cried, then it became the theme song of the Freshmen Orientation Camp 2006, and God gave us two rainbows and blew the storm clouds away, truly giving us and especially me, a testimony of His love. This song truly inspires me.

The above is the original video, the one below has better audio, though it seems to be some powerpoint slide thingy.

Praise and Worship

2007-06-29T19:04:00.000+08:00

Three songs.

You Are Holy (Prince of Peace)

Here I Am To Worship/Call

King of Majesty

mantous and a birthday

2007-06-15T00:25:00.000+08:00

It has been an awfully long time since this blog was updated and so many things have happened since then. It is a pity that we have so little photographs of ourselves. Well, the ones we do have, we will put up bit by bit...

The above was taken just two days ago when a bunch of us trooped down to Jumbo Seafood to have some seafood, celebrate a birthday and have loads of mantous-48 to be exact.

Happy Hatchday June babies: Aunty Amy, Aunty Margie, Shermen, Janice, Beatrice and Marcelle!

God Chooses Strangely

2007-03-24T11:51:00.000+08:00

Father, whenever we think of ourselves
as the followers of Christ,
we smile a Sarah-like smile of incredulity
Poor Jesus! To have us for his disciples!

What can we do for him?
How can we further his cause?
We are such ordinary people
with very little energy or learning
and with few precious talents to boast of.

Our one grain of comfort is that from the beginning,
When Christ called his apostles
after a night of prayer,
he did not pick people who were wise
by any worldly standards;
he did not pick people who were powerful.

We are encouraged by the fact that you chose
the foolish to make fools of the wise,
the weak to make fools of the strong.

God we thank you for choosing the little people
and the lowly people,
for choosing what is really nothing at all
so as to bring to nothing the wise, the great,
the strong.

Why, Lord, have you acted in so strange a way?
It is so that no human being
could possibly boast before you.

You, Father, are the source of all treasures
we find hidden in Christ Jesus.
You make him who was crucified in weakness
into our wisdom, holiness and strength,
and our release from sin.
Now Lord, if we boast, we will only boast in you.

-Peter De Rosa, Lasallian Prayers

Worthy is The Lamb

2007-03-06T23:38:00.000+08:00

Worthy is The Lamb

Wait For The Lord-taize

I know I seem to be taking alot of stuff from youtube, but while some things might be nonsensical, some clips really are gems amongst the junk. There are many inspiring clips and the media can indeed be a tool for evangelisation, though sadly it is either underused or abused. Ditto for music, for when we sing we praise God twice!

I pray that we will grow together as a faith community, that we be able to use our gifts and talents to praise and worship God, to use our voices and play our instruments as a heartfelt prayer. Only then can we worship and lead the congregation to worship together with us. I pray that God be the centre of our lives and I pray for an outpouring of His Holy Spirit, that we, though unworthy, may be the vessels and instruments of his love and mercy. Amen.

-brian

Watch the Lamb

2007-03-06T00:16:00.000+08:00

This clip by Eric Jeon is beautiful and extremely inspirational. Do wait for the entire clip to load and play it. Blessed Lent!

For the original version: Watch the Lamb

On St Ephrem

2007-03-05T01:10:00.000+08:00

Ephrem of Edessa, Deacon, Doctor (RM)
(also known as Ephraem, Ephraim)

Born c. 306 in Nisibis (Syria), Mesopotamia; died at Edessa (Iraq) on June 9, 373; declared Doctor of the Church in 1920 by Pope Benedict XV; feast day formerly June 18 and February 1.

Ephrem passed his entire life in his native Mesopotamia (Syria). He was long thought to be the son of a pagan priest, but it is now believed his parents were Christians. He was baptized at eighteen, served under Saint James of Nisibis, became head of his school, and probably accompanied him to the Council of Nicaea in 325.

Syrian sources attribute the deliverance of Nisibis from the Persians in 350 to his prayers, but when in 363 Nisibis was ceded to the Persians by Emperor Jovian, he took residence in a cave near Edessa in Roman territory. Edessa (Urfa in Iraq), the site of a famous theological school, was where he did most of his writing.

Tradition says he visited Saint Basil at Caesarea in 370 and on his return helped alleviate the rigors of the famine of winter 372-73 by distributing food and money to the stricken and helping the poor (one of the jobs of deacons).

Ephrem's fame rests on his writings, above all on his metrical homilies, to be read aloud, and his hymns. The latter in particular were designed for popular use and were didactic in character, often directed against various current heresies (Attwater). He is largely responsible for introducing hymns into public worship. Particularly outstanding are his Nisibeian hymns and the canticles for the seasons.

Compositions attributed to him are still much used in the Syrian churches, and his reputation spread to the Greek-speaking world before his death. The English hymns 'Receive, O Lord, in Heaven above/Our prayers' and 'Virgin, wholly marvelous' are translated from Saint Ephrem's Syriac.

He wrote commentaries on a considerable number of books of the Bible, and a personal 'Testament' which seems to have been added to by a later hand. He countered the heretics--especially the Arians and the Gnostics--and wrote on the Last Judgment.

All Saint Ephrem's work is elevated in style, flowery in expression, and full of imagery: even as a theologian he wrote as a poet. He has always been regarded as a great teacher in the Syrian churches and many of his works were early translated into Greek, Armenian, and Latin.

Ephrem was devoted to the Blessed Virgin. He is often invoked as a witness to the Immaculate Conception because of his absolute certainty about Mary's sinlessness. He is quoted by other authors but we lack a critical edition, which has prevented further examination.

He was called 'the Harp of the Holy Spirit', and proclaimed a doctor of the Church, the only Syrian so honored. He is especially venerated in the Eastern Church (Attwater, Delaney).

In art, Saint Ephrem is a hermit sitting on a column. There may be fiery pillars in heaven above him. He might also by shown (1) in a cave with a book, (2) with a cross on his brow, pointing upwards, or (3) his eyes cast up, full of tears (Roeder).

The Great Lenten Prayer of St Ephrem:
(Also available in Church Slavonic)

O Lord and Master of my life, take from me the spirit of sloth, despondency, lust for power and idle talk.
(Prostration)

But grant unto me, Thy servant, a spirit of chastity, humility, patience and love.
(Prostration)

Yea, O Lord and King, grant me to see mine own faults and not to judge my brothers and sisters. For blessed art Thou unto ages of ages. Amen.
(Prostration)

O God, cleanse Thou me a sinner (12 times, with as many bows, and then again the whole prayer from the beginning throughout, and after that one great prostration)

A Prayer of Glory to Christ:

Glory to Thee, Lord.

What shall I give Thee, Lord, in return for all Thy kindness?
Glory to Thee for Thy love.
Glory to Thee for Thy mercy.
Glory to Thee for Thy patience.
Glory to Thee for forgiving us all our sins.
Glory to Thee for coming to save our souls.
Glory to Thee for Thine incarnation in the Virgin's womb.
Glory to Thee for Thy bonds.
Glory to Thee for receiving the cut of the lash.
Glory to Thee for accepting mockery.
Glory to Thee for Thy crucifixion.
Glory to Thee for Thy burial.
Glory to Thee for Thy resurrection.
Glory to Thee who were preached to men and women.
Glory to Thee in whom they believed.
Glory to Thee who were taken up into Heaven.
Glory to Thee who sit in great glory at the Father's right hand.
Glory to Thee whose will it is that the sinner should be saved
through Thy great mercy and compassion.

For more articles on St. Ephrem, see:
Scholarly article on St. Ephrem

early church

The History of the Rosary

2007-02-28T08:46:00.000+08:00

~ 900s ~ IRELAND AD ~ (800-900 AD) - Quoting Catholic Apologetics: 'Historians trace the origin of the Rosary back to ninth century Ireland. Today, as then, the 150 Psalms of the Bible, The Book of Psalms of King David, were an important form of monastic prayer. Monks and clergy recited or chanted the Psalms as a major source of hourly worship. People living near the monasteries realized the beauty of this devotion. But unable to read or memorize the lengthy Psalms, the people were unable to adapt this form of prayer for their use.'

FIRST STAGE
An Irish monk suggested to the people around the monastery that they might pray a series of 150 Our Fathers in place of the 150 Psalms. At first, pebbles were carried in a pouch to count the 150 Our Fathers; later ropes with 150 or 50 (1/3 of 150) knots were used. Eventually string with 50 pieces of wood was used.

SECOND STAGE
Next the Angelic Salutation (Lk 1:28) was added. St. Peter Damian (d. 1072) was the first to mention this form of prayer. Soon the Angelic Salutation replaced the 50 Our Fathers.

THIRD STAGE
Some medieval theologians considered the 150 Psalms to be veiled mysteries about the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. They began to compose "Psalters of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" - 150 praises in honor of Jesus. Soon psalters devoted to 150 praises of Mary were composed. When a psalter of 150 praises in Mary's honor numbered 50 instead of 150, it was called a rosarium, or bouquet.

To read the entire article and trace the history of the Rosary:
Rosary Workshop

My Lenten Observance - by elaine

2007-02-26T17:23:00.000+08:00

This is the fourth year that I am making and following through with a Lenten observance. I'll have to admit though that before I started going out with Aaron, I'd never thought of making a formal Lenten observation. Although he was the one who got me started on it, I now do it of my own volition. However, it does really help a lot to have a buddy or close friend who is also making a Lenten observance to do it with it. It's kind of like going on a diet or sticking to an exercise regime together.

Before I get too much into what my Lenten observance is, let me first explain what a Lenten observance is. Lent is a season of prayer, fast and almsgiving, and a Lenten observance is sort of like our commitment to do something extra during the season of Lent. It could be commiting to spending more time in prayer, giving up a beloved activity or food item, or giving a little more to charity.

When I first started making a Lenten observance, I started by simply going vegetarian for the season. This year, I'm adopting a two-pronged approach to my Lenten observance. The first part of it is to give up meat. This was my Lenten observance for three of the last four seasons of Lent. I decided to make this year a bit different by committing to packing my own lunchbox to work everyday. This way, I can donate the money that I save to the poor.

The next part of my observance this year is to pray more. Last year, I was unable to give up meat during Lent (long story; you can ask me in person if you want to know why), so I committed myself to saying the Rosary every morning on the way to work. (And that was how I got started on the Rosary mp3s that I mentioned in my earlier post.) So my observance this Lent is to spend more time in prayer, both for set prayers (like the Rosary) and for my own spontaneous prayer. I often find it hard to keep to a routine of prayer during everyday life, and I hope that my observance during this season of Lent will, as it did last year, jumpstart my flagging prayer life with the injection of routine and regularity into it.

So that's my sharing on this. What about you? Are you doing something extra for Lent? Even though we are already in the season of Lent, it's never too late to start. :)

Podcasts - by elaine

2007-02-23T23:09:00.000+08:00

I love listening to podcasts. You can find a wide range of podcasts on my iPod. There are self-improvement ones (like Grammar Girl and Mr. Manners, there are philosophy ones like Fundamental Shift, and there are entertainment ones like the official LOST podcast. But my all-time favourite podcasts are the Catholic ones. And these are the ones that I would like to share with you here. Most of these are part of the StarQuest Production Network (SQPN), a network of Catholic audio and videopodcasts.

The Daily Breakfast is an almost-daily show hosted by Fr. Roderick, an actual priest from the Netherlands. This show covers topics such movies, tv shows, geek news, Catholic answers and a bunch of other random things. This is a light-hearted and entertaining podcast with a Catholic slant. For a priest, Fr Roderick is funny, entertaining and super cute! His behaviour, I mean, not his looks. ;)

The Rosary Army Catholic Podcast is part of the Rosary Army apostolate, run by a married couple from America. Learn how to make an all-twine knotted rosary from the Rosary Army's website. On the podcast, you can listen to Greg and Jennifer talk about their four sons, Catholic stuff, family stuff and some other random things too. I love listening to the two of them banter, or when they talk about family life. These folks also offer audio recordings of the rosary and of the Stations of the Cross.

Another podcast that I love, which is not part of SQPN, is the BustedHalo Cast. As they say in the beginning of each episode, "We have busted halos because nobody's perfect, but we're all on the path toward holiness. So if you're not into the religion thing but you have spiritual questions, you're at the right place with the BustedHalo Cast." This podcast, and its parent e-zine, is targeted at young adults. It offers a very grounded, not airy-fairy, approachable take on Catholicism and religion in general. I highly recommend this podcast as well as the website, which has some really great articles.

Apart from entertaining podcasts, there are also some informative Catholic podcasts that I rely on day in and day out. Verbum Domini gives you audio downloads of the daily readings, according to the liturgical calendar. It's always nice to get listen to a bit of God's word everyday, even if I can't make it to Mass.

The Praystation Portable feed gives me audio downloads of the morning and evening prayers from the Liturgy of the Hours or the Divine Office. I listen to these during my morning and evening train rides to and from work. I find these a great way to inject a bit of prayerfulness into the unpleasantness of peak hour commutes.

If you already use iTunes, getting started on podcasts should be quite a breeze for you. For non-iTunes users, you can get a quick how-to guide to getting started on listening to podcasts over here.

I hope you all found these links useful. If there are other great Catholic podcasts, blogs or websites that you love or find useful, do post a comment and share the links. :)

Lenten Article

2007-02-23T22:09:00.000+08:00

LENT
This article on Lent, which begins on Ash Wednesday, Feb 21, is written by the Archdiocesan Liturgy to help the faithful to prepare for Easter, source of Christian life.

THE WORD “LENT” comes from old English and Germanic words meaning “spring”. It is not known with certainty where and how the practice of Lent began. We know only that it came about progressively, most probably as a way of preparing for the feast of Easter, which is the celebration of the central mystery of Christianity.

The first direct allusions we find about Lent date from the fourth century. A period of penitential preparation, including fast, is already mentioned in the middle of the second century. At the end of the fourth century, Lent lasted 40 days, a rich Biblical symbol of a time of salvation and redemption (re: the 40 years of the Hebrews in the desert, the 40 days of the Great Flood, of Moses on Mount Sinai, of Elias’ walk to Mount Horeb, of Jonas’ ultimatum to Nineveh, and of course the 40 days of fasting that Jesus spent in the desert).

The penitential preparation to the reconciliation of sinners on Holy Thursday morning and the immediate preparation to the baptism of catechumens during the Easter Vigil have also contributed to the development of Lent. From the time of St. Augustine and St. John Chrysostom, Lent had the characteristics that it was to retain thenceforth:

– A period of fasting, sharing and prayer for the whole Christian people;
– A period of preparation of catechumens for baptism;
– A period of preparation of penitents for their reconciliation

Today

The Council of Vatican II had made the following recommendation: “The two elements which are especially characteristic of Lent – the recalling of baptism or the preparation for it, and penance – should be given greater emphasis in the liturgy and liturgical catechesis. It is by means of them that the church prepares the faithful for the celebration of Easter, while they hear God’s word more frequently and devote more time to prayer.” (SC, 109)

Thus, going back to the old practice, the church is now stressing the paschal and baptismal character of Lent. Even its length has been redefined. It begins with Ash Wednesday and lasts until the Mass of the Last Supper on Holy Thursday.

In order to keep the focus on Lent’s internal unity, the three Sundays of Septuagesima (70 days), Sexagesima (60) and Quinquagesima (50) – for many, the great puzzle of pre-Vatican II Mass Books – have been suppressed, together with Passion Sunday (the 5th Sunday of Lent, when crucifixes were covered). Now the 6th Sunday of Lent, which begins the Holy Week, is called Passion or Palms Sunday. Thus it is clearly shown that the function of Holy Week, which ends the Lenten time, is to celebrate the Lord’s Passion beginning with his messianic entry into Jerusalem.

In the same way, the Sunday Gospel readings have been rearranged to fully exploit the richness of biblical texts in three directions, according to the Three Year Cycle: Year A – Baptism and Christian Initiation; Year B – Life in Christ; Year C – Repentance. As for the Old Testament texts, they recall the main stages of salvation history.

The spirituality of Lent

The theology of Lent is based on the paschal Triduum (that is, the paschal mystery we celebrate during the last three days of Holy Week) and through the sacraments which actualize this mystery and help us live by it.

Lent is not the archeological remnant of the penitential practices of yesteryear, but the time when we experience more vividly our participation to the paschal mystery of Christ: “sharing his sufferings so as to share his glory”. Such is the purpose of Lent: a time when Christ purifies the church, his Bride (see Eph 5: 25-27).

Therefore, the accent is not so much on penitential practices as it is on the purifying and saving action of Christ. And any penitential works we may undertake will only be the sign of our participation into the mystery of Christ. When the church invites us to take part in her Lenten journey, she knows that it is the Lord alone who gives value and efficacy to our Lenten efforts, which become thus a truly liturgical action, since it is the action of Christ and his church.

Through baptism, we are incorporated into the church. Thereafter, the church helps us live out this baptism by a constant call to conversion.

Lent is the time of the great convocation of all God’s people so that each and all together may be purified and sanctified by our Lord and Saviour. This is the ecclesial dimension of Lent.

In brief, the theology of Lent is the source of a spirituality which is, all at once, paschal, baptismal, penitential and ecclesial. From this point of view, any penitential practice, be it interior and personal or public and communitarian, will have the following characteristics: giving up sin as an offense against God, fighting against the social consequences of sin, repenting as a church endeavour, and praying for sinners.

In a practical way, among the means proposed for the observance of Lent, it is strongly recommended to listen to the word of God a little more often, to pray more intensely, to fast and do works of charity. The aim of this liturgical season of Lent is to help the faithful live to the full, the personal and communitarian dimensions of their baptism and to celebrate Easter in truth. For Easter is the source of Christian life.

What we do

For Catholics who do not know or have forgotten, here is what the Law of the Church says about fast and abstinence:

- Canon 1249: All Christ’s faithful are obliged by divine law, each in his or her own way, to do penance. However, so that all may be joined together in a certain common practice of penance, days of penance are prescribed. On these days, the faithful are in a special manner to devote themselves to prayer, to engage in works of piety and charity, and to deny themselves by fulfilling their obligations more faithfully and especially by observing the fast and abstinence which the following canons prescribe.

– Canon 1250: The days and times of penance for the universal church are each Friday of the whole year and the season of Lent.

– Canon 1251: Abstinence from meat, or some other food as determined by the Episcopal Conference, is to be observed on all Fridays, unless a solemnity should fall on a Friday. Abstinence and fasting are to be observed on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.

– You can find, on page 19 of the current Ordo (Church Calendar), the Lenten regulations issued by our Episcopal Conference, which are summed up in our Archbishop’s Pastoral Letter of Exhortation, printed in this issue (on page 2).

Also, on page 32 of the same Ordo, there is a full page concerning Lent which somewhat sums up all that has been said above.

Some points – usually forgotten – merit attention:

– “During Lent, the altar should not be decorated with flowers and musical instruments may be played only to give necessary support to the singing…”

– “If marriages are to take place during Lent, couples are to be reminded that wedding plans should respect the special nature of this liturgical season; they should refrain from too much pomp or display…” We conclude with a quotation from the same page 32 of the Ordo:

“We need to pay attention to the purpose and spirit of the Lenten season rather than the strict letter of the law.”

Catholic News article on Lent

Humility in Action

2007-02-22T22:46:00.000+08:00

A timely reflection for this Lenten season

CHRIST:
1. My child, nothing is more pleasing to Me than to see you truly humble in your daily life. The humble man remains at peace when others find fault with him. His attention is so firmly fixed on Me that he is as conscious of My presence as he is of the people around him. He cannot forget his complete dependence on Me. He is so impressed by his own nothingness that he fights against all forms of pride within him. As a result of this hatred of all pride, he refuses to defend his rights in unimportant matters.
2. People resent the man who seeks to raise himself above them, but no one resents the man who is little in his own eyes. The humble man does not look for admiration. He is as willing to be last, as others are anxious to be first. He does not care what others think of him but in all things he is eager to please Me. He is not interested in honors, reputation or human applause. He knows that I judge without error or misunderstanding, and he seeks only My approval.
3. The truly humble man is not afraid to have others know or correct his faults. He uses these humiliations to prove to himself that he wants no earthly glory, but only self-improvement for My sake.
4. Never compare yourself with those who seem worse than you, but reflect often up on My infinite generosity with you. Remember your enormous debt of gratitude to Me. Humility will convince you that without Me, you are nothing. This virtue will urge you on toward greater self-sacrifice for My sake.

THINK:
The man who is little in his own eyes, is truly great in God's eyes, because he is a man of truth. He counts as nothing all the satisfactions, accomplishments and glories of earthly life becase he sees God as his first and highest good. The lower he reaches in self-esteem, so much the higher does he rise toward the God of truth. Anyone who attributes any good to himself alone, hinders God's grace from raising him to true perfection. All perfection begins with an honest facing of facts; that is, humility.

PRAY:
My heavenly Father, God of truth, You reveal Your secrets to the humble man. You invite him to a closer and highter friendship with You. Let me abandon all pretense and hypocrisy, and help me be honest with You, with people, and with my self. I must not hide the truth from myself. I want to admit it in my actions, even when it is unpleasant. Only then shall I receive Your peace and joy. Thoughts of death and judgement will not arouse fear within me because my love of truth will be my guarantee of salvation. Let me face what I am and begin today to improve myself according to Your holy plan. I shall humble myself as often as I can, so that I may never forget my complete dependence on You. I shall look on humiliations as an opportunity to overcome my foolish pride. When praise and honor come to me, I shall pass it on to You, the fountain of all success. My greatest glory lies in living a truthful life, free of self-deception and foolish pride. Amen.

Contact Us.

2006-05-11T17:47:00.000+08:00

Here at Ephrem Music Ministry, we are constantly looking out for dedicated individuals who have that natural talent for music and the right attitude to serve God with us.

If you think you have what it takes, let us know and let God work through you.

Overall Contact (I want Ephrem to sing at my wedding)
Janice
jandap13@singnet.com.sg

For Choir (I want to join the choir and use my voice to praise God.)
Stephanie
annestephanie@hotmail.com

For Band (I think Ephrem needs a Jon Bon Jovi.)
Kenneth
kenntheiansoo@hotmail.com

Links.

2006-05-11T17:25:00.002+08:00

A list of useful links for both choir members and everyone else.

Music Resources

1Christian net

Higher Praise

Pastornet

Praise & Worship Archive

P&W songs archives which helps transpose songs

Spiritual & Personal Development

Good News Ministry

Daily Catholic reflections based on mass readings

Star Quest Podcast Network

Podcasts by a Catholic priest

Other Resources

Veritas

Official website of Archdiocese of Singapore ; great for checking mass times.