29 September - Feast Day Of Archangels Gabriel, Michael And Raphael

True story of a Soldier and the Intervention of St. Michael

What follows is a letter written by a young Marine to his mother while he was hospitalized after being wounded on a Korean battlefield in 1950. It came into the hands of a Navy Chaplain who read the letter before 5,000 Marines at a San Diego Naval Base in 1951.

The Navy Chaplain had talked to the young man, to his mother, and to the Sergeant in charge of the patrol. This Navy Chaplain, Father Walter Muldy, assured anyone who asked, that this was a true story.

Dear Mom,

I wouldn't dare write this letter to anyone but you because no one else would believe it. Maybe even you will find it hard, but I have to tell somebody.

First off, I am in a hospital. Now don't worry, you hear me, don't worry. I was wounded but I'm okay. The doctor says that I will be up and around in a month. But that is not what I want to tell you.

Remember when I joined the Marines last year; remember when I left, how you told me to say a prayer to St. Michael every day. You really didn't have to tell me that. Ever since I can remember you always told me to pray to St. Michael the Archangel. You even named me after him. Well I have always prayed to St. Michael. When I got to Korea, I prayed even harder. Remember the prayer that you taught me? "Michael, Michael of the morning, fresh corps of Heaven adorning…" You know the rest of it. Well, I said it every day, sometimes when I was marching or sometimes resting, but always before I went to sleep. I even got some of the other fellas to say it.

Well, one day I was with an advance detail way up over the front lines. We were scouting for the commies. I was plodding along in the bitter cold; my breath was like cigar smoke. I thought I knew every guy in the patrol, when along side of me comes another Marine I never met before. He was bigger than any other Marine I'd ever seen. He must have been over 6 feet 4 inches and built in proportion. It gave me a feeling of security to have such a body near me.

Anyway, there we were trudging along. The rest of the patrol spread out. Just to start a conversation I said, "Cold ain't it." And then I laughed. Here I was with a good chance of getting killed any minute and I am talking about the weather!

My companion seemed to understand. I heard him laugh softly.

I looked at him, "I've never seen you before. I thought I knew every man in the outfit."

"I just joined at the last minute," he replied, "the name is Michael."

"Is that so," I said surprised, "that's my name too."

"I know," he said, and then went on saying the prayer, "Michael, Michael of the morning..."

I was too amazed to say anything for a minute. How did he know my name, and a prayer that you had taught me? Then I smiled to myself, every guy in the outfit knew about me. Hadn't I taught the prayer to anybody who would listen? Why now and then, they even referred to me as St. Michael.

Neither of us spoke for a time, and then he broke the silence.

"We're going to have some trouble up ahead." He must have been in fine physical shape for he was breathing so lightly I couldn't see his breath. Mine poured out in great clouds. There was no smile on his face now. Trouble ahead, I thought to myself; well with the commies all around us, that's no great revelation.

Snow began to fall in thick great globs. In a brief moment the whole countryside was blotted out, and I was marching in a white fog of wet sticky particles. My companion disappeared.

"Michael!" I shouted in sudden alarm. I felt his hand on my arm, his voice was rich and strong, "This will stop shortly."

His prophecy proved to be correct. In a few minutes the snow stopped as abruptly as it had begun. The sun was a hard shining disc. I looked back for the rest of the patrol. There was no one in sight. We lost them in the heavy fall of snow. I looked ahead as we came over a little rise. Mom, my heart stopped. There were seven of them, seven commies in their padded pants and jackets and their funny hats. Only there wasn’t anything funny about them now. Seven rifles were aimed at us.

"Down Michael!" I screamed, and hit the frozen earth. I heard those rifles fire almost as one. I heard the bullets. There was Michael still standing.

Mom, those guys couldn't have missed, not at that range. I expected to see him literally blown to bits, but there he stood, making no effort to fire himself. He was paralyzed with fear. It happens sometimes, Mom, even to the bravest. He was like a bird fascinated by a snake. At least that's what I thought then. I jumped up to pull him down and that was when I got mine. I felt a sudden flame in my chest. I often wondered what it felt like to be hit. Now I know.

I remember feeling strong arms about me, arms that laid me ever so gently on a pillow of snow. I opened my eyes, for one last look. I thought I was dying. Maybe I was even dead. I remember thinking, “Well, this is not so bad.”

Maybe I was looking into the sun. Maybe I was in shock, but it seemed I saw Michael standing erect again, only this time his face was shining with a terrible splendor.

As I say, maybe it was the sun in my eyes, but he seemed to change as I watched him. He grew bigger, his arms stretched out wide, maybe it was the snow falling again but there was a brightness around him like the wings of an angel. In his hand was a sword. A sword that flashed with a million lights.

Well, that's the last thing I remember until the rest of the fellas came up and found me; I don't know how much time had passed. Now and then I had but a moment's rest from the pain and fever. I remember telling them of the enemy just ahead.

"Where's Michael?" I asked. I saw them look at one another. "Where's who?" asked one.

"Michael, that big Marine I was walking with just before the snow squall hit us."

"Kid," said the sergeant, "you weren't walking with anyone. I had my eyes on you the whole time. You were getting too far out. I was just going to call you in, when you disappeared in the snow."

He looked at me, curiously. "How did you do it, kid?"

"How did I do what?" I asked half angry, despite my wound. "This Marine named Michael and I were just..." "Son," said the sergeant kindly, "I picked this outfit myself and there just ain't another Michael in it. You are the only Mike in it."

He paused for a minute. "Just how did you do it, kid? We heard shots, yet there hasn't been a shot fired from your rifle, and there isn't a bit of lead in them seven bodies over the hill there."

I didn't say anything; what could I say? I could only look open-mouthed with amazement.

It was then, the sergeant spoke again. "Kid," he said gently, "every one of those seven commies was killed by a sword stroke."

That is all I can tell you, Mom. As I say, it may have been the sun in my eyes, it may have been the cold or the pain, but that is what happened.


Source : The Divine Mercy

An Office Boy

A jobless man applied for the position of ‘office boy’ at a very big company.

The employer interviewed him, then a test: clean the floor.

“You are hired.” – the employer said. ”Give me your email address, and I’ll send you the application to fill, as well as when you will start.”

The man replied, “I don’t have a computer, neither an email.”

“I’m sorry,” said the employer, “if you don’t have an email that means you do not exist. And who doesn’t exist, cannot have the job.”

The man left with no hope. He didn’t know what to do, with only $10 USD in his pocket.

He then decided to go to the supermarket, bought a 10kg tomato crate, then sold the tomatoes door to door. In less than two hours, he succeeded and doubled his capital.

He repeated the operation 3 times and returned home with $60 USD. The man realized that he could survive by this way, and started to go everyday earlier, and returned late. Thus, his money doubled or tripled everyday. Shortly later, he bought a cart, then a truck, and then he had his own fleet of delivery vehicles.

Five years later, the man’s company was one of the biggest food retailers. He started to plan his family’s future, and decided to have a life insurance.

He called an insurance broker and chose a protection plan. When the conversation was concluded, the broker asked him his email. The man replied: “I don’t have an email.”

The broker replied curiously, “You don’t have an email, and yet have succeeded to build an empire. Do you imagine what you could have done if you had an email?”

The man paused for a while, and replied: “An office boy!”

Don’t be discouraged if something is not in your favor today. Better opportunities are waiting ahead.

Joke - A Hairy Situation

A teenage boy had just passed his driving test and inquired of his father as to when they could discuss his use of the car.

His father said he'd make a deal with his son, "You bring your grades up from a C to a B average, study your Bible a little, and get your hair cut.
Then we'll talk about the car."

The boy thought about that for a moment, decided he'd settle for the offer, and they agreed on it.

After about six weeks his father said, "Son, you've brought your grades up and I've observed that you have been studying your Bible, but I'm disappointed you haven't had your hair cut."

The boy said, "You know, Dad, I've been thinking about that, and I've noticed in my studies of the Bible that Samson had long hair, John the Baptist had long hair, Moses had long hair, and there's even strong evidence that Jesus had long hair."

(You're going to love the Dad's reply!)

"Did you also notice they all walked everywhere they went?"

Joke - Know How To Pray

There once was a ship in the middle of a ferocious storm. Everyone knew they were in grave danger of sinking, and were working madly to keep the vessel afloat. For hours, mighty waves thrashed the deck over and over, and the torrential winds threatened to shatter the mast at any moment.

Finally, the grizzled old captain called out to the crew. "Does anyone here know how to pray?"

One man, a brave young sailor on his first voyage, stepped forward. He was thinking of the passage in the New Testament that recounted how Jesus calmed a storm with one word and saved the lives of his terrified disciples. "Yes sir," he said. "I know how to pray."

"Wonderful!" the captain bellowed. "Then you pray while the rest of us put on life jackets. We're one short."

How To Look For Values In Companies

David Kuo from the Motley Fools, Singapore gave a 30 minutes talk on how to look for values in companies.

Singapore Cowboy - Beautiful Country Music

Very beautiful country music from Matthew Tan  from Singapore.

The lyrics..




Watch Matthew Tan and The Mandarins rendition of Singapore Cowboy

Recipe - Tomato Egg Omelette

The tomato is a super food. It is rich in vitamins and minerals essential for health. Tomato is a good source of vitamins A, C and K. Tomato also provides thiamin, niacin and vitamin B. Tomato is rich in potassium, magnesium, phosphorus and copper. The tomato protects against inflammatory diseases and also prevents cancer.

The tomato egg omelette is easy to prepare and it is delicious and nutritious. The best part about this recipe is that you cannot go wrong. Typically, one tomato is paired with one egg but it does not really matter whether you have more eggs or more tomatoes.

Pepper, salt, onions, chillies and spring onions can be added for extra flavour.

Ingredients
5 eggs, beaten
3 tomatoes, diced
1 onion, diced
1 sprig spring onion, cut into small pieces
Dash of pepper and salt
1 tbs of oil

Method
In a wok or pan, heat the oil on medium
Toss in the onions when oil is hot and stir fry till onion is translucent
Toss in tomatoes, stir fry till cooked
Mix the spring onions, salt and pepper with the beaten eggs
Toss in the eggs.
I scrambled the eggs for quick cooking, but the eggs can be left as fried eggs.

Serve and enjoy.

 

A 6 minute video on egg omelette with cherry tomatoes



A 2 minute video on tomato with eggs omelette



A 4 minute video health benefits of tomatoes

Joke - 3 Guys On An Airplane

There were three men on an airplane somewhere above the Atlantic ocean. Suddenly Death appears on the plane. He says "Before I take you all with me I will give you a chance to survive. Each one of you will throw something to the ocean and if I find it you will die".

The first one throws a needle. Death goes down to the ocean searching for it. After a couple of minutes he comes back with the needle

The second one throws a hair. Death goes down and after ten minutes he comes back with the hair

The third one throws quickly something and Death goes down again. About an hour later he comes back and says to the guy "Ok you win, I'll let you live. But tell me what did you throw?

The guy says "An effervescent tablet"

Joke - Four Friends

4 friends meet 40 years after school. 

  

One goes to the toilet, while the other 3 start to talk about how successful their sons became.

Friend 1 says his son studied economics, became a banker and is so rich he gave his best friend a Ferrari.

Friend  2 said his son became a pilot, started his own airline, became so rich he gave his best friend a jet.

Friend  3 said his son became an engineer, started his own development company, became so rich he build his best friend a castle.

Friend  4 came back from toilet and asks what the buzz is about. They told him they were talking about how successful their sons became and ask him about his son.

He said his son is not studying well and is a stripper at a bar. Other 3 said he must be very disappointed with his son for not becoming successful.

"Oh no" said the father, he is doing good. Last week was his birthday and he got a Ferrari, a jet and a castle from 3 of his boyfriends. 

   

Tomatoes And Health Benefits

Never Understimate The Power Of Prayers

A poorly dressed lady with a look of defeat on her face, 

walked into a grocery store. 

She approached the owner of the store in a most humble manner 

and asked if he would let her charge a few groceries. 

She softly explained that her husband was very ill and unable to work, 

they had seven children and they needed food.

The grocer scoffed at her and requested that she leave his store.

Visualizing the family needs, she said: 

"Please, sir! I will bring you the money just as soon as I can." 

The Grocer told her he could not give her credit, as she did not have a charge account at his store. 

Standing beside the counter was a customer who overheard the conversation between the two. 

The customer walked forward and told the grocer 

that he would stand good for whatever she needed for her family. 

The grocer said in a very reluctant voice, "Do you have a grocery list?" 

The lady replied, "Yes sir" 

"O.K." he said, "put your grocery list on the scales and whatever your grocery list weighs, 

I will give you that amount in groceries." 

The lady, hesitated a moment with a bowed head, 

then she reached into her purse and took out a piece of paper and scribbled something on it. 

She then laid the piece of paper on the scale carefully with her head still bowed. 

The eyes of the grocer and the customer showed amazement when the scales went down 

and stayed down. 

The grocer, staring at the scales, turned slowly to the customer and said begrudgingly, 

"I can't believe it." 

The customer smiled and the grocer started putting the groceries on the other side of the scales. 

The scale did not balance so he continued to put more and more groceries on them 

until the scales would hold no more. The grocer stood there in utter disgust. 

Finally, he grabbed the piece of paper from the scales and looked at it with greater amazement. 

It was not a grocery list; it was a prayer which said: 

"Dear Lord, you know my needs and I am leaving this in your hands." 

The grocer gave her the groceries that he had gathered and stood in stunned silence. 

The lady thanked him and left the store. 

The customer handed a fifty-dollar bill to the grocer and said, "It was worth every penny of it." 

It was some time later that the grocer discovered the scales were actually broken; 

therefore, only God knows how much a prayer weighs.... 

Never underestimate the power of prayer ~ Have a blessed day!

The Interview With God

Pope Francis Five Finger Prayer

A simple method of prayer shared by the Holy Father before he became Pope.

Lady Fingers (Okra) Prevent Diabetes

Many people in the world are suffering from Diabetes. Here is an easy cure for diabetes. Lady finger is a natural vegetable which can be used as a cure for diabetes. Instead of painful and expensive treatment available in the market

Lady Finger An Easy Cure For Diabetes


How To Control Diabetes From Lady Finger?
Here is the simple tip to control diabetes from lady finger. Take two or three lady fingers. Cut them from the centre and put them into the glass full with the water. Leave them for the full night. In the morning remove lady finger and drink the water before breakfast. Repeating the same process every day will help you to reduce your sugar level. This simple tips is better than many other painful treatments. Fresh lady finger is better than cooked one.


How Raw Lady Finger Can Help in curing Diabetes?

Low G.I Food:
the word G.I stands for Glycemic index. The person who is suffering from diabetes should take diet enriched in Glycemic index. Approximately 20 G.I is present in okra. That is very low. Diabetic patients can easily use Okra recipes as their meal to fill their stomach and also control their diabetic level.

Fight Kidney Diseases:
lady finger is also good to prevent your body from different kidney diseases. It is considered that high sugar level effect your both kidneys badly. So by taking okra daily will protect your kidneys. Have an moderate amount of okra daily if you are a diabetic person.

Soluble Fibers:
Soluble fibers are very important to keep your kidneys healthy. They play their role in digestion of carbohydrates. Lady finger is enriched with soluble fibers. It slow down the digestion process and hence lower the sugar level in blood. These are some of the main reasons for you to select lady finger as a diet to control diabetes.

Read more ...(link)



A 5 minute video on health benefits of okra

True Love

Husband comes home drunk and breaks some crockery, vomits and falls down on the floor…
Wife pulls him up and cleans everything. Next day when he gets up he expects her to be really angry with him….
He prays that they should not have a fight..

Next morning, he finds a note near the table…
“Honey..your favorite breakfast is
ready on the table, I had to leave early to buy grocery…
I’ll come running back to you, my love.
I love you. …”

He gets surprised and asks his son.., ‘what happened last night..?’
Son told:” when mom pulled you to bed and tried removing your boots and shirt. 

You were dead drunk and you said:

"Hey Lady ! Leave Me Alone…I am Married !!!”

Always stay loyal to those who love you, is the least you can do for them!

Recipe - Potato Salad

This potato salad is a simple and healthy dish. The potatoes and carrot are simply boiled and mustard and mayonnaise are added to flavour the dish.

Potato salad makes the perfect accompaniment to a meal or a delicious and substantial meal on its own. For a hearty meal, boiled eggs or ham and bacon can be added.

The zucchini or cucumber adds colour and together with the carrot and potato, this dish is packed with essential vitamins and minerals for the body.



Ingredients
3 medium potatoes
1/2 zucchini or Japanese cucumber
1 small onion
salt and pepper to taste
3 tbs of mayonnaise
1/4 tsp English mustard

Method:
Boil potatoes and carrot with skin on. It is done when you can pierce a bamboo skewer through the potato / carrot without resistance.

Remove the skins from the potato and carrot. Using a wooden spatula, roughly chop the potato to chunks. Slice the carrot into thin slices. Sprinkle salt and pepper on both and let them cool to room temperature.

Slice the cucumber and onion into thin slices. Add salt and let it sit for 10 minutes. After that, squeeze out all the excess water.

Combine the potatoes, carrots and cucumber-onion mixture in a bowl. Mix the mayonnaise and mustard in a seperate bowl. Mix in mayonnaise with the vegetables gently. Add salt and pepper to taste. Chill for at least 1 hour before serving.

Enjoy

 

A 6 minute video on how to make potato salad.

Another 4 minute video on how to make potato salad