INVITATION FROM FR. LINH
 Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
Thomas à Kempis once prayed, “While I am kept in the prison of this body, I acknowledge myself to need two things, namely, food and light. You have therefore given to me, weak as I am, your Sacred Body, for the nourishment of my soul and body, and you have set your word as a lamp to my feet. Without these two I could not well live, for the word of God is the light of my soul and your Sacrament is the bread of life.”
We go to Church every Sunday in wishing to receive the Sacred Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. We want to hear his living word as the guiding light to our paths. Circumstances in our life can overwhelm us with their threats of precariousness. Loss of a job, high mortgages, too many bills, family crises, sickness, and other formidable problems can make us wonder how we will ever find our way. The world tells us that we have no reference point to help us solve our difficulties.
But as Christians, we do have a reference point – God’s Word. When we stake our lives on its teachings and principles, God gives us guidance and inspiration on how to live. When we love, trust, and obey him and his word, we will enjoy the abundant and sustained life he has promised us.
The writer of Hebrews emphasizes how God’s Word works in our lives, “The word of God is living and effective, sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating even between soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12).
Realizing the vital importance of God’s Word in our daily lives, I am developing a website of Reflections in the mp3 audio format for your own convenience. These reflections are in English, Spanish, and Vietnamese formats with the generous help of volunteers, Mrs. Mariel Parra and Mrs. Gelly Esther, in translating and delivering the Spanish text.
Within my website, you will find the first category of Sunday reflections of either the First or Second reading on that particular Sunday (READINGS REFLECTIONS). We often hear preachers preach homilies on the Gospel on Sundays. Somehow, we are missing a lot of good lessons in the entire Scriptures. For this reason, this category has been developed to help satisfy the thirst of Christians for inspirational and guiding lessons found in the Holy Scriptures.
The second category is reflections of Sunday Gospel (GOSPEL REFLECTIONS). These reflections are recorded directly from my Sunday preaching in Church. In this category, I will also include Saints’ words, prayers, and questions applicable to the week, as we often say the motto in Church: We Say It! We Remember It! We Do It!
The third category is STUDY WITH FR. LINH in which I cordially invite you to study with me some aspects of Church’s teaching such as Biblical Studies, Theology, and Liturgy. Josemaria Escriva said in his book The Way, “An hour of study, for a modern apostle, is an hour of prayer.”
The fourth category is the CHILDREN CORNER. It is a collection of moral stories and simple prayers suitable to children. Parents can use this resource as bedtime stories for your kids and to help them to pray. Jesus said, “Let the children come to me, and do not prevent them; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these” (Matthew 19:14).
I would like to express my sincere gratitude and appreciation to Beth Guide and Robin Lennon for having helped me build, develop, and maintain this website. Your generous contribution and sacrificial involvement with me in an attempt to spread the Good News of the Lord to the world are greatly appreciated.
I cordially invite visitors of my website to pray with me, to study with me, and to explore deeper the Word of God through my humble contribution of preaching and writing. Your suggestions as to how to make my website better are appreciated to the fullest. Thank you for your interest. May God bless you always.
Rev. Linh N. Nguyen |
