The need to attend religious services

People attend religious services mostly from a desire to stay close to God. There's no obligation on any one's part to go to services. It is done by many people, including me, to hear the scriptures, the sermon and to receive communion. It is also a time to donate to the church so that it can pay the costs of maintenance. Nothing is free, and churches must pay for electricity, water and staff.

Other people go to satisfy a spiritual obligation, and others simply follow a tradition probably instilled by their parents. Either way, religious services have a benefit beyond just sitting in a pew or kneeling in some church, synagogue or mosque somewhere in the world.

I have attended Catholic Churches in countries as far from the U.S. as Oman and Pakistan in the Middle East; Benin in West Africa; and Korea and Indonesia in the Far East. I never had any qualms about attending Mass on Sundays wherever I lived or traveled to on working assignments.

What did attending Mass all of these years do for me? It has kept me aware of my obligation to be grateful to God for all that He has done for me, my children, including my brothers and sisters. Going to Mass has been my way to thank God, and to contribute with treasure to every church that I have ever attended.

Following up with your religion of birth, or perhaps your new religion—if you happen to be a convert—is done in order to stay closer to God. This practice is not a weakness. but a sign of faith, courage and strength of character. It is a moment away from your daily environment to pray to God, and to thank Him for all that He does for you every single day.

Attending religious services together as a family has been proven to be a great way to hold the unity of the family. If you cannot convince your spouse, or companion, and even your children to go with you, don't hesitate to go by yourself. Eventually your family will come around sometime later in their lives.

One word of advice: try not to experiment with various religions that promote concepts which might verge on being a cult. Whatever it is that you join, do your homework first before you jump in head and feet.

If you would like someone to pray for you, or send you a vial of holy water, go ahead and touch base with me on my email. Under Ezine Articles included on this blog, you may want to read up on articles regarding holy water which are posted for your benefit.

God bless,

Tony McCleary
tonymcclr@gmail.com

How much is life worth, especially if it is your son or your daughter's?

This week a student athlete at the University of Virginia was savagely beaten to death by her boyfriend, and her fellow student no less. The lawyer for the "boyfriend" made a statement that her death wasn't intended. The "boyfriend" stated to the police that he broke down the girl's dormitory door and attacked her mercilessly until she was probably unconscious. I believe that it was fully intended.

In my article that I just recently published in Ezine Articles, I titled it "Holy Water—A Powerful and Critical Element for the World Today." The student girl that died from the hits that she received to her head by her "boyfriend" were fatal. For all practical purposes I can certainly categorize this man as a "very harmful spirited individual." Any man that hurts a child or a female is a harmful and evil spirit.

The student girl had no one to protect her against the attacker. She met her death violently, and was left alone without anyone able to call for help.

I stated in my article that 'death has no favorites.' As a parent, or perhaps you are a single person, and you are exposed to some risk, use holy water to keep sicknesses and harmful spirits away from you. I am a parent of three adult children, and I especially recommend my daughter to use holy water on herself. My boys are also sprinkled with holy water, but since they live away I use the water on their photo.

I suggest that you read my article on Ezine Articles found on this page, and after you do, ask me to send you a courtesy bottle of holy water and I will do so. Use it on yourself and your children, and give them some sense of protection if you simply cannot be with them to protect them yourself.

You are welcome to share my email and my blog for prayer, articles, and holy water.


Tony McCleary
tonymcclr@gmail.com
http://prayer-be-strong.blogspot.com

Holy Water—A gift of incalculable value

I have promoted holy water, mainly for healing injuries and curing constant pain in the last couple of years. I have written various articles on this subject, and my last article goes a bit deeper on the merits of this earthly element.

I wrote various drafts before I finally came to a final version. It normally takes me a few days to write an article and get it approved by the Ezine Articles editors. I was having an unusually difficult time getting to the point of my own article. When I was totally satisfied that I had done all that I could do, I hit the submit button. The following day my article was approved. I have read it a few times since then, and when I get a "feel good" sensation, I am happy!

Let me share with you some thoughts. I wanted to give people a vehicle to get closer to God. Most people that I know in my life, including my own adult children, are non-church going people. I have a close friend who is an avid atheist, and all religions to him are a fake. The irony is that his business life is in shambles.

If people don't have a need for God, that is their business; and perhaps that is one major reason that people don't want to get closer to God because they feel that they can handle life pretty well on their own. So in general, prayer is out of the question. I felt that if people can get a hold of holy water and anoint themselves with it, maybe it will fill them with grace and blessings from God.

If you are one of those persons on the borderline about God, religion, prayer, and how you wish to go forward with your life, please read my article posted on my blog under Ezine Articles. I have titled it, "Holy Water - A Powerful and Critical Element for the World Today." I believe that you will find some interesting insights and guidelines that could be of help to you. That is my sincere wish.


God bless,

Tony McCleary
tonymcclr@gmail.com
http://prayer-be-strong.blogspot.com

Religion, Prayer and Exercise - The need and the desire to do all three

The need to have a religion in your life is important in that it helps to get closer to God. If that is what you desire. Prayer is a form of formally communicating with your maker, and physical exercise is required to keep you healthy for a long time.

I will even simplify it for you. Religion is a way of following a belief, a deity perhaps, a philosophy or a way of living your life. I have followed christianity since I was born, and have remained a devout christian my entire life. What I have learned in all of my years is that any religion that you may want to follow is fine, but make sure that it leads you to God and no one else.

I was at mass last Sunday, and the priest saying the mass, who is also a retired Bishop, said that death is "unpredictable" and Judgement Day is "inevitable." Here's my point, if I am going to die unexpectedly due to uncontrollabe elements, I don't have any issues with that thought. All of humanity is subject to the same rules of nature.

Now we have Judgment Day, and the bishop says it is inevitable, meaning, we are subject to face God and respond to Him.Some may not believe of this particular day coming up someday, but I do want to believe that I will see the face of God sometime in eternity.

Praying is a way to come closer to God in good terms, of course, and to ask Him to provide protection for my children whom are all adults. And exercising the body is of extreme importance also. As we stay healthy, our bodies function better and so do our minds. Being sick or ill for lack of exercise is our fault and no one else's.

So for this week, I recommend that you practice your religion, pray for your petitions, and for the safety and protection of your loved ones. If exercise is not in your weekly agenda, make it so. Exercising your body is healthy, and denial is damaging. Walking, biking, jogging, and other physical sports are all good for the body and mind.

Tony McCleary
tonymcclr@gmail.com
http://prayer-be-strong.blogspot.com

The Art of Living Your Life to the Fullest

Wherever you are right now in your life, it's the best time ever! If it is not, it's because of something that's pending in your life. It might be just a stop over on your journey,a hitch, let's say, but life will go on for you. In fact, nothing stops for us.

We live our lives like a movie which never stops until the movie ends. We just don't know when it will end, and I don't believe we need to or want to know. That's why it said that "death is unpredictable" and I prefer to leave at that. It give me the opportunity to live my life on an ongoing basis like a business.

What makes us happy? That's something that we all need to find while we enjoy our journey through life. I find happiness in just waking up, getting a cup of coffee and writing my pages on blogs, or my articles on EzineArticles.com. There were many years in my life of uncertainties and marital problems until divorce finally arrived. Thereafter, life was simply made easier when we no longer lived together.

Being Catholic, I didn't see divorce as something to be proud of. But when two people cannot live together any longer, divorce is inevitable. Life went on better for both of us, and even the children were able to relax and get on with their lives as well.

I have found over the years, and it is something that younger people should try to understand early in their lives, we choose how we plan on living life to the fullest. We are the authors of our life, meaning, we can make it one "happy movie" every single day of our lives. At least we can try, and I have found over my lifetime that it works to start off on a "good foot" meaning, start the day on a happy note.

Being grateful for what we have is a great way to start the day, and looking forward for more out of life is the thing to do. Living life to the fullest is mental as well as physical. Good health comes from good food and exercise, and peace of mind comes from love of everything that surrounds you.

Should you be going through a difficult period, and you would like for me to pray for you, please let me know and I will include you in my prayer vigil. You may also want to read my various articles on Ezine found on this page regarding prayer, holy water, and other interesting subjects.

Tony McCleary
tonymcclr@gmail.com
http://www.prayer-be-strong.blogspot.com

Holy Water - Does it really work to heal injuries and to cure pain?

In my last article on Ezine Articles which I titled "Holy Water - A Proven Method to Heal Injuries and Cure Pain" I mentioned various instances of successful results. I also wrote to explain the suggested methods for applying the blessed water on yourself. You may find this article by going to it directly on the right side of this post and scroll down.

My objective is to help people understand that there is an element available to them that can replace pain killers, and take away habit-forming sleeping pills. This element is holy water, and it is available to you simply by acquiring it at a Catholic Church in your city. If you are shy, or you're not Catholic, but still you want to try out holy water, I will get a small vial of it for you and mail it to you.

It will be a courtesy of mine, and all that I am asking from you is your blessings and your prompt healing.

Holy Water is ceremoniously used to ward off evil, disease, and to give protection. Many families have children in school living with them at home or away from home. I have mentioned many times that blessing your children on a daily basis should be implemented. You may do it through prayer by asking God to protect them, and additionally by placing holy water on their foreheads or on their photos.

I do both every single day. I pray for my children, and also for people around the world that ask me to say a prayer for them. Some of these people have a particular need, others just wish for me to pray for them. On my children and other family members, I place holy water on their photos and make the sign of the cross over their face. I either do it on my laptop screen photos, or photos which are covered in glass or with plastic.

If I were to do a survey in the U.S.A. alone, I would probably find that a majority of the people do not employ prayers to ask for their daily needs; any more than to use holy water for healing and curing pain. I have found over the years that the combination of the two is a very powerful force indeed.

I look at MSN News for updates around the world, and just two single incidents of major proportions such as the Haiti or Chile earthquakes wake me up to the fact that we need to pray for our lives and that of others every day. Then, you have a 'crazed professor' in Alabama kill three of her colleagues in cold blood because she didn't get tenure. In Southern California a girl is recently found a few days later death by violent assault, while she was out jogging in a relatively safe neighborhood.

Who protects our lives and that of our loved ones? It is God! There is no one else out there in the universe able to do so. Praying to Him is the thing to do every single day. And my suggestion that holy water be placed on the foreheads of your children living with you, or on their photos if they live away, will be your way of offering them protection from evil and disease.

I will make the holy water available to you at my courtesy and expense simply by asking me to send you a small vial through the mail. Everyone that has asked me has received, and you will not be an exception to my personal offer. All that I ask of you is that you employ the blessed water as recommended in my article, and in return just say a prayer for me. Fair enough?


Tony McCleary
tonymclr@gmail.com
http://prayer-be-strong.blogspot.com/

Religion, why it is important as a major part of your life

As you mature in life you will find that religion is something that you will seek more of it on a regular basis. Younger people when they move on with their lives, especially students attending university, they tend to leave religion on the side. I know that I did, and for years afterwards when I went to work in various locations around the world.

I still believed strongly in God and Jesus, but I was lazy about attending Mass. When I got married at the age of 29, I got back to Mass, at least once a week.

My children where raised Catholic, and they don't even bother to attend Catholic Mass, at least once a week. They do, but once a year when they're home for Christmas, and only because I make sure that we attend Mass together. A year before my divorce and for three more years, I attended Mass every single day of the week.

Now I go twice a week, and I find it sufficient for my needs. However, I still pray once a day for people that ask me to pray for them. Just as important are prayers for my adult children: two live out of town and one lives with me for now, while attending university for further education.

You read the news and you will find someone taking it upon themselves to kill people at random because of some personal issue. If hatred is the motive, religion is not the cause. Most legitimate religions of the world preach love and respect for mankind. Since the Ten Commandments were presented, and we are talking close to 3,000 years ago, it clearly stated, "Thou shall not kill."

Religion's main purpose (and I am truly giving a condensed version) is to read about it, live it, and to understand God's teachings. This is done through the writings of the leaders of that religion over thousands of years. The desired results are a lifetime of right behavior in the affairs of man. Love for God is the main objective of most religions that believe in God.

Praying is the desired method to reach God; and I have mentioned many times in my postings that prayer is also a super way to ask God for protection against disease, violence and hatred. Praying to God to protect us, our family members and friends is accepting that God does exist and has the power to keep us safe.

Considering the incredibly high unemployment rate in the U.S., asking God to help you find a good job is your best course. If you are happily employed, ask God to help you to keep your job, and thank Him.

If you can spend one hour a week focusing on God alone, that's fine. Whether you do it at home or at a church, temple or mosque, you will have gotten closer to God. I find that attending Mass (in my case twice a week) helps me to focus more on God, and it works for me. And during the week, I say my prayers daily.

My point is that if we can work for 40 to 80 hours per week (for some people) we can certainly spend one hour a week listening to the word of God or reading about Him. If God came first in your life, you simply can't help learning from him to love, lose your fears, and live a happier life.


Tony McCleary
tonymcclr@gmail.com
http://www.prayer-be-strong.blogspot.com/