We stopped the car and waited. First, the driver of the other car alighted. He did not seem to walk with a limp. We waited for the passenger. She did not look crippled either. We, the occupants of the two cars, stared at each other for what seemed like a long time. I pressed the button to wind down the window and pointed to the driver that the parking lot was reserved for the disabled. The signboards and the disabled logos painted on the wall stated the obvious. He said that the other cars were also parked there. I do not know if the other cars parked there had disabled drivers or ferried disabled passengers but I told him pointedly that I am disabled.

He grudgingly moved his car and stopped a short distance away, allowing Peter to drive into the space that he had occupied. When he saw my wheelchair being taken out from the car boot, he drove away. These are the people who will never think twice about parking in space reserved for the disabled. These people have absolutely no conscience. As long as it is convenient for them, it does not matter that the physically challenged are having a hard time because of their inconsiderate actions. They possess this herd mentality that if other people are doing it, they are entitled to do it also without thinking about the consequences.

If you are one of those drivers who often occupy parking spaces reserved for the disabled without a second thought, think again. Most normal parking lots are not spacious enough to fit a wheelchair for the disabled driver or passenger to alight and board. We are not asking for anything more than a little convenience. We are not asking for sympathies and we certainly are not asking for more than what we rightfully deserve. We are just asking that you are thoughtful to our plight. You can park your car in the many other lots available. We only have a handful reserved for us.

To the drivers of the two cars featured here, if you are not physically challenged, then I can safely assume that you are intellectually and visually impaired, meaning you are morons or blind, or both. Either way, you both do not deserve the driving licenses that were issued to you. The signs posted by the Management of the Kompleks Bukit Jambul clearly stated that the designated space is reserved exclusively for the disabled only. The four logos of the disabled painted on the wall are unmistakably visible. If you can prove that you are physically challenged, please send me an email and I will remove the respective images. Otherwise, they remain to show the world what inconsiderate humans you both are. So, which are you?

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This is the season to fatten the doctor?s bank account. Everybody I know knows of someone else who had fallen ill. With the weather so erratic, hot during the day and raining and cold during the night, it is difficult not to succumb. It is no fun being unwell. I was struck down by fever since Monday. And adhering to the popular grandmothers? advice of ?Starve a fever, feed a cold,? I went ahead and starved myself. One slice of bread and one cup of milk for lunch and half a packet of instant noodles for dinner was what I had for meals for the past three days.

Thinking back, that was a rather extreme fasting. No wonder I felt even sicklier after the fever went away. Anyway, I am feeling better now, well enough to join in the Third Scrutiny during the Sunset Mass just now. Included in this Scrutiny was the Presentation of The Lord?s Prayer.

One time, after Jesus had finished praying, one of His disciples asked Him to teach them a prayer.

?Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.?

He said to them, “When you pray, this is what to say:

Father, may your name be held holy,
your kingdom come;
give us each day our daily bread,
and forgive us our sins,
for we ourselves forgive each one
who is in debt to us.
And do not put us to the test.

Luke 11:1-4 (NJB)

And Jesus gave them that which has become known as The Lord?s Prayer. This basic Prayer is one every Christian knows by heart. This is one prayer that had humbled me every time I recited it. This is one gift that came straight from the mouth of the Christ, one that He Himself had used. This is one prayer that all Christians treasure.

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After the Rite of Election, catechumens are now known as the Elects – those selected to be initiated into the Catholic Church during the Easter Vigil. The Elects enter into an intense period of purification and enlightenment. During this period, the Elects participate in several further rites, chiefly the Three Scrutinies.

These Scrutinies are celebrated at Mass on the third, fourth and fifth Sundays of Lent. They are rites for self-searching and repentance, to heal all that is weak and imperfect within and strengthen those which are positive and good before the Elects are baptised.

Together with the other Elects of the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit, I participated in the First Scrutiny in last Saturday?s Sunset Mass and the Second Scrutiny today. Among the rites that were performed during the Scrutinies were the Invitation to Silent Prayer, Intercession for the Elect, Prayer of Exorcism and the Laying On of Hands. Those rites were all carried out to ask for God to protect us from temptation, deliver us from evil and to give us strength in Christ.

Today?s Scrutiny also witnessed the Presentation of the Creed to the Elects. This is where the Church hands on to the Elects the Nicene Creed, after which the Priest together with the congregation and the Elects recited the Creed to profess our faith in God, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit and all that They encompass. The Nicene Creed is essentially the basic tenets of the Christian belief that was put together in 325AD in Nicea by the first ecumenical council attended by all the Christian Bishops of the time.

* Click on the image above to see the full copy of the Nicene Creed.

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