Category: 下午茶會

The only way to get love is to be lovable. It's very irritating if you have a lot of money. You'd like to think you could write a check: I'll buy a million dollars' worth of love.' But it doesn't work that way. The more you give love away, the more you get.
Warren Buffett
American Business Magnate and Philanthropist

Fear is not
our enemy.
It is merely
a compass
pointing us
to the areas
where we need
to grow.
Steve Pavlina
Motivational Author and Speaker

你們開始過基督徒新生活之際，所聽到的訓令就是「彼此相愛」。在舊約救恩史上最初的殺人故事中，加音作惡殺了自己的弟兄亞伯爾，顯示出他的邪惡行為，相對而言，亞伯爾就顯得正義。
基督徒在世界中活出愛來，必然會引起世界的惱恨，因為這份愛激怒了不願意愛的人。為了愛我們的弟兄（姐妹），我們的舊我必須死亡，好讓基督在我內生活（迦 二 20）；換言之，那不願意愛的人，他的生命仍處於舊我的死亡中；耶穌基督曾說過惱恨自己的弟兄，就是殺人（瑪五21-22），沒有永生。耶穌基督為了救贖 我們而捨棄自己的生命，是我們最好的模範。誰若有資源，眼見弟兄（姐妹）急難，卻沒有對他伸出實際的救援，就是與基督的愛相違，在他內沒有天主的愛。
孩子們，愛要以行動實行出來，如果這樣做，可認出我們屬於耶穌基督，並且在祂面前可以平安；雖然我們的行動不足，致使良心自責，我們仍可安心，因為天主全然明瞭。若我們的良心不自責，便能在天主面前坦然無懼。
www.ccreadbible.org

If you awake every morning with the thought that something wonderful will happen in your life today, you'll often find that you are right.
Nancy Sathre-Vogel
American Mom, Author and Motivational Speaker

Professor : You are a Christian, aren’t you, son?
Student : Yes, sir.
Professor: So, you believe in GOD?
Student : Absolutely, sir.
Professor : Is GOD good ?
Student : Sure.
Professor: Is GOD all powerful ?
Student : Yes.
Professor: My brother died of cancer even though he prayed to GOD to heal him. Most of us would attempt to help others who are ill. But GOD didn’t. How is this GOD good then? Hmm?
(Student was silent.)
Professor: You can’t answer, can you ? Let’s start again, young fella. Is GOD good?
Student : Yes.
Professor: Is satan good ?
Student : No.
Professor: Where does satan come from ?
Student : From … GOD …
Professor: That’s right. Tell me son, is there evil in this world?
Student : Yes.
Professor: Evil is everywhere, isn’t it ? And GOD did make everything. Correct?
Student :Yes
Professor: So who created evil?
(Student did not answer.)
Professor: Is there sickness? Immorality? Hatred? Ugliness? All these terrible things exist in the world, don’t they?
Student : Yes, sir.
Professor: So, who created them ?
(Student had no answer.)
Professor: Science says you have 5 Senses you use to identify and observe the world around you. Tell me, son, have you ever seen GOD?
Student : No, sir.
Professor: Tell us if you have ever heard your GOD?
Student : No , sir.
Professor: Have you ever felt your GOD, tasted your GOD, smell your GOD? Have you ever had any sensory perception of GOD for that matter?
Student : No, sir. I’m afraid I haven’t.
Professor: Yet you still believe in Him?
Student : Yes.
Professor : According to Empirical, Testable, Demonstrable Protocol, Science says your GOD doesn’t exist. What do you say to that, son?
Student : Nothing. I only have my faith.
Professor: Yes, faith. And that is the problem Science has.
Student : Professor, is there such a thing as heat?
Professor: Yes.
Student : And is there such a thing as cold?
Professor: Yes.
Student : No, sir. There isn’t.
(The lecture theatre became very quiet with this turn of events.)
Student : Sir, you can have lots of heat, even more heat, superheat, mega heat, white heat, a little heat or no heat. But we don’t have anything called cold. We can hit 458 degrees below zero which is no heat, but we can’t go any further after that. There is no such thing as cold. Cold is only a word we use to describe the absence of heat. We cannot measure cold. Heat is energy. Cold is not the opposite of heat, sir, just the absence of it.
(There was pin-drop silence in the lecture theater.)
Student : What about darkness, Professor? Is there such a thing as darkness?
Professor: Yes. What is night if there isn’t darkness?
Student : You’re wrong again, sir. Darkness is the absence of something. You can have low light, normal light, bright light, flashing light. But if you have no light constantly, you have nothing and its called darkness, isn’t it? In reality, darkness isn’t. If it is, were you would be able to make darkness darker, wouldn’t you?
Professor: So what is the point you are making, young man ?
Student : Sir, my point is your philosophical premise is flawed.
Professor: Flawed ? Can you explain how?
Student : Sir, you are working on the premise of duality. You argue there is life and then there is death, a good GOD and a bad GOD. You are viewing the concept of GOD as something finite, something we can measure. Sir, Science can’t even explain a thought. It uses electricity and magnetism, but has never seen, much less fully understood either one. To view death as the opposite of life is to be ignorant of the fact that death cannot exist as a substantive thing.
Death is not the opposite of life: just the absence of it. Now tell me, Professor, do you teach your students that they evolved from a monkey?
Professor: If you are referring to the natural evolutionary process, yes, of course, I do.
Student : Have you ever observed evolution with your own eyes, sir?
(The Professor shook his head with a smile, beginning to realize where the argument was going.)
Student : Since no one has ever observed the process of evolution at work and cannot even prove that this process is an on-going endeavor. Are you not teaching your opinion, sir? Are you not a scientist but a preacher?
(The class was in uproar.)
Student : Is there anyone in the class who has ever seen the Professor’s brain?
(The class broke out into laughter. )
Student : Is there anyone here who has ever heard the Professor’s brain, felt it, touched or smelt it? No one appears to have done so. So, according to the established Rules of Empirical, Stable, Demonstrable Protocol, Science says that you have no brain, sir. With all due respect, sir, how do we then trust your lectures, sir?
(The room was silent. The Professor stared at the student, his face unfathomable.)
Professor: I guess you’ll have to take them on faith, son.
Student : That is it sir … Exactly ! The link between man & GOD is FAITH. That is all that keeps things alive and moving.

某家公司有一個傳統，每年聖誕夜都會舉辦晚會，並舉行抽獎。抽獎的規矩是這樣的：每個員工都會繳交十元美金做為基金，全公司共有三百人，換句話說共能募集到三千美金，而被抽中的幸運兒，就可以將這些錢全抱回家。
抽獎當天，辦公室洋溢著熱鬧的氣氛，每個人紛紛在紙條上寫下自己的名字，投進抽獎箱中。但是，一個年輕男子下筆時卻猶豫了。因為他想到，公司的清潔阿姨體弱多病的兒子最近要開刀，但她卻沒有錢支付手術費用，讓她非常煩惱。
於是，儘管知道抽中的機會渺茫，只有三百分之一的機會，但男子還是在紙條上，寫下了那名清潔工的名字。
緊張的時刻來臨了，老闆在抽獎箱中翻攪了一番，最後抽出一張紙條，而男子也在心中不斷地禱告：「希望清潔阿姨可以得獎……」
接著，老闆慎重宣布得獎人的名字……奇蹟發生了！中獎的竟然真的是那位清潔工！
辦公室爆出歡呼聲，清潔阿姨連忙上台領獎，幾乎喜極而泣的她，感動地說：「我真是幸運！有了這一筆錢，我兒子就有希望了！」
晚會開始，男子一面想著這個「聖誕奇蹟」，一面踱步到抽獎箱旁。他順手摸出一張紙條，漫不經心地打開一看，上面寫的，竟然也是清潔阿姨的名字！男子非常吃驚，接連又抽出好幾張紙條，上面的字跡雖然不一樣，但寫的名字全都相同──都是那清潔阿姨的名字！
男子紅了眼眶。他赫然明白，世界上真的有聖誕節的奇蹟，只不過，奇蹟不會從天上掉下來，而要人們自己去創造。
當我們陷於低潮的時候，都希望有奇蹟降臨在我們身上；但當我們有能力的時候，是否願意去做那個創造奇蹟的人呢？
Author unknown
greatly appreciated

徒弟擦一面鏡子，邊擦邊說：“這鏡子可真是賤貨，幾十元買了這麼一大面！”　
師父笑著說：“你可別小看了這鏡子啊！它可以當你的老師呢。”
“哦？”徒弟也逗趣說，“不知這鏡子老師將何以教我啊？”
“不管什麼東西，只要放到鏡子前面，它都映得出嗎？”師父問。
“當然”
“那麼東西移開後，鏡子裡還留有餘影嗎？” 師父問。
“那怎麼會呢？”
“這就是智慧啊！”師父說：“這叫'物來則應，過去不留。'徒弟，你在生活中能到'事來則應，事過即忘'嗎？”
“不能”徒弟說，“想不到這鏡子還有點門道，還有嗎？”
“多得是”，師父說：“比如孔孟先師或帝王將相來照鏡，你說鏡子會因為高興加倍細心嗎？”
“不會”徒弟答。
“如果乞丐、棄兒來照鏡，鏡子會因厭惡而應付了事嗎？”
“不會。”
“這就叫'在聖不增，在凡不減。'又叫與聖人居而不喜，與凡夫居而不憂，你做得到嗎？”師父問。
“做不到！還有嗎？"徒弟興沖沖地問。
“當甲物體正在照鏡子時，鏡子會一邊照甲又一邊惦念乙嗎？”
“不會”。
“這叫把握當下，而無所住。你做得到嗎？”
“做不到！還有呢？”徒弟窮追。
“鏡子映現紅色物體時，其本身會不會也變成紅色？映現綠色時會不會本身也成綠色？”
“不會。”
“鏡子本身雖不變色，卻仍能紅來現紅，綠來現綠，是不是？”
“是，這叫什麼？”徒弟問。
“這叫'隨緣不變，不變隨緣'。你做得到嗎？ ”
“做不到，還有嗎？”徒弟還不解渴。
“鏡子映人映物、映狗、映水、映火、而本身玻璃的本質卻始終不變，你明白嗎？”
“明白了”，徒弟感嘆地說，“想不到一面小小的鏡子，竟蘊含了這麼多道理！真是物物皆可為師。

'To get something you never had, you have to do something you never did.' When God takes something from your grasp, He's not punishing you, but merely opening your hands to receive something better.
Concentrate on this sentence... 'The will of God will never take you where the Grace of God will not protect you.' Something good will happen to you today; something that you have been waiting to hear.
There comes a point in your life when you realize:
Who matters,
Who never did,
Who won't anymore...
And who always will.
So, don't worry about people from your past,
there's a reason why they didn't make it to your future.
--Author unknown

為遵行天主旨意之人，天主必許下救恩。當以民被充軍後，受外邦習俗影響，漸漸忽略守安息日的誡命，依撒意亞先知在此特別提到關於遵守安息日的誡命，守安息日就等於承認上主是萬民的大主宰，亦是固守天主盟約。甚至包括歸依天主的外邦人，只要遵守天主旨意，信仰、愛慕上主，便能成為天主子民，亦能進入永恆的天國。救恩的普世性，透過先知的話語，漸漸傳遞開來。
www.ccreadbible.org

~ 不要害怕你的生命會結束，而要害怕它從未開始。—格雷斯.漢森
有一個人搭船到英國，途中遇到暴風，全船的人驚慌失措，他看到一個老太太非常平靜的在禱告，神情十分的安詳。
等到風浪過去，全船脫離了險境，這人很好 奇的問這老太太，為什麽一點都不害怕。
老太太回答：“我有兩個女兒，大女兒叫馬爾大，已經被上主接走，回到天家，二女兒叫瑪利亞住在英國。
剛才風浪大作時， 我就向上主禱告，如果接我回天家，我就去看大女兒，如果留我性命，我就去看二女兒，
不管去那裏我都一樣，所以我怎麽會害怕呢？”
無論遭遇任何事，不需懼怕。把自已交托給上主，充實而用心的過好每一天。