Extracted from Ecclesiasticus / Sirach Chapter 34:

 

¹² I have often been in danger of death, but I have been spared, and this is why:

 

¹³ the spirit of those who fear the Lord can survive, for their hope is in someone with power to save them.

 

¹⁴ No one who fears the Lord need ever hesitate, or ever be daunted, since the Lord is his hope.

 

¹⁵ Happy the soul of one who fears the Lord. On whom does he rely? Who supports him?

 

¹⁶ The eyes of the Lord watch over those who love him, he is their powerful protection and their strong support, their screen from the desert wind, their shelter from the midday sun, a guard against stumbling, an assurance against a fall.

 

¹⁷ He revives the spirit and brightens the eyes, he gives health, life and blessing.

 

¹⁸ The sacrifice of an offering unjustly acquired is a mockery; the gifts of the impious are unacceptable.

 

¹⁹ The Most High takes no pleasure in offerings from the godless, multiplying sacrifices will not gain pardon for sin.

 

²⁰ Offering sacrifice from the property of the poor is as bad as slaughtering a son before his father's eyes.

 

²¹ A meagre diet is the very life of the poor, to deprive them of it is to commit murder.

 

²² To take away a fellow-man's livelihood is to kill him, to deprive an employee of his wages is to shed blood.

 

²³ If one person builds while another pulls down, what will they get out of it but trouble?

 

²⁴ If one person prays and another calls down a curse, to which one's voice is the Master going to listen?

 

²⁵ If someone washes after touching a corpse, and then touches it again, what is the good of his washing?

 

²⁶ Just so with someone who fasts for sin, and then goes and commits it again. Who is going to hear that person's prayer? What is the good of the self-abasement?

 

 

 

The Transfiguration - Extracted from the Gospel according to Matthew, Chapter 17:

¹ Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain by themselves.

 

² There in their presence he was transfigured: his face shone like the sun and his clothes became as dazzling as light.

 

³ And suddenly Moses and Elijah appeared to them; they were talking with him.

 

⁴ Then Peter spoke to Jesus. 'Lord,' he said, 'it is wonderful for us to be here; if you want me to, I will make three shelters here, one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.'

 

⁵ He was still speaking when suddenly a bright cloud covered them with shadow, and suddenly from the cloud there came a voice which said, 'This is my Son, the Beloved; he enjoys my favour. Listen to him.'

 

⁶ When they heard this, the disciples fell on their faces, overcome with fear.

 

⁷ But Jesus came up and touched them, saying, 'Stand up, do not be afraid.'

 

⁸ And when they raised their eyes they saw no one but Jesus.

 

⁹ As they came down from the mountain Jesus gave them this order, 'Tell no one about this vision until the Son of man has risen from the dead.'

 

 

 

Jesus said,

⁴¹ 'Anyone who welcomes a prophet because he is a prophet will have a prophet's reward; and anyone who welcomes an upright person because he is upright will have the reward of an upright person.

 

⁴² 'If anyone gives so much as a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is a disciple, then in truth I tell you, he will most certainly not go without his reward.'                                                          (Matthew 10: 41-42)

 

 

 

 

The Lazarus Syndrome

As reported in The Straits Times dated 16 April 2011, page A3 ‘Shock for family as dead man comes back to life’ (see below)

 

Here’s the origin & historical record of The Lazarus Syndrome found in the Bible:

 

Jesus is God of the Impossible - Extracted from John, Chapter 11:

 

¹ There was a man named Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister, Martha, and he was ill.

 

³ The sisters sent this message to Jesus, 'Lord, the man you love is ill.'

 

⁴ On receiving the message, Jesus said, 'This sickness will not end in death, but it is for God's glory so that through it the Son of God may be glorified.'

 

⁵ Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus,

 

⁶ yet when he heard that he was ill he stayed where he was for two more days

 

⁷ before saying to the disciples, 'Let us go back to Judea.'

 

¹⁷ On arriving, Jesus found that Lazarus had been in the tomb for four days already.

 

²⁰ When Martha heard that Jesus was coming she went to meet him. Mary remained sitting in the house.

 

²¹ Martha said to Jesus, 'Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died,

 

²² but even now I know that God will grant whatever you ask of him.'

 

²³ Jesus said to her, 'Your brother will rise again.'

 

²⁴ Martha said, 'I know he will rise again at the resurrection on the last day.'

 

²⁵ Jesus said: I am the resurrection. Anyone who believes in me, even though that person dies, will live,

 

²⁶ and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?

 

²⁷ 'Yes, Lord,' she said, 'I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one who was to come into this world.'

 

³² Mary went to Jesus, and as soon as she saw him she threw herself at his feet, saying, 'Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.'

 

³³ At the sight of her tears, and those of the Jews who had come with her, Jesus was greatly distressed, and with a profound sigh he said,

 

³⁴ 'Where have you put him?' They said, 'Lord, come and see.'

 

³⁵ Jesus wept;

 

³⁶ and the Jews said, 'See how much he loved him!'

 

³⁷ But there were some who remarked, 'He opened the eyes of the blind man. Could he not have prevented this man's death?'

 

³⁸ Sighing again, Jesus reached the tomb: it was a cave with a stone to close the opening.

 

³⁹ Jesus said, 'Take the stone away.' Martha, the dead man's sister, said to him, 'Lord, by now he will smell; this is the fourth day since he died.'

 

⁴⁰ Jesus replied, 'Have I not told you that if you believe you will see the glory of God?'

 

⁴¹ So they took the stone away. Then Jesus lifted up his eyes and said: Father, I thank you for hearing my prayer.

 

⁴² I myself knew that you hear me always, but I speak for the sake of all these who are standing around me, so that they may believe it was you who sent me.

 

⁴³ When he had said this, he cried in a loud voice, 'Lazarus, come out!'

 

⁴⁴ The dead man came out, his feet and hands bound with strips of material, and a cloth over his face. Jesus said to them, 'Unbind him, let him go free.'

 

⁴⁵ Many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary, and had seen what he did, believed in him,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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