We Are Almost At The End Of Lent- Western Rooter & Plumbing

We are almost at the end of Lent!

Lent is a road trip of sorts.  A journey with Christ.  There is some preparation and planning, but hopefully much of this is a journey into new territory. I always want a map and Jesus just wants to go for a walk.  Sometimes I beat myself up during Lent.  I think I’m not worthy for the journey.  Or I don’t have the qualifications.  Thankfully, the journey does not depend on my worthiness, but on God’s unfailing love.  If I’m still breathing, Jesus is interested in me.  I tend to hurry ahead and want Jesus to catch up.  Jesus just wants to walk with me.  Lent can be a deepening of our relationship with Christ.  When we come to a fork in the road, we just have to trust Him to take our hand and lead us down the right path.  Lent is an opportunity to see Jesus more clearly, to hear his call to servanthood.  It can be an awakening of our soul.  Renewed purpose and meaning for our life.  Lent can be exciting and joyful.  A journey where some things are familiar.  Like looking at an old picture that brings back a fond memory.  Or a journey where some things are brand new.  Like rounding a corner to the sight of distant, snow capped mountains.

But Lent can be costly, too.  There is a point in the journey to Jerusalem where the scenery begins to change.  Up to now the trip has been great: Beautiful scenery, excited crowds, healings, teaching, preaching, miracles, the feeding of thousands.  And now Jerusalem is just over the next hill.  Now the end is in sight.  The excitement is building.

And this is the point in the journey where Jesus turns and says, “I know it has been great up to now, but soon there will be betrayal, arrest, spitting, condemnation, flogging, crucifixion and death.”  I imagine that, given those options, most (all?) of us would slow down and say, well, how about we just camp here or turn around or maybe choose another route?  Can’t we find a place where there is no flogging?  I imagine Jesus smiling and saying, come follow me.  Trust me.  The journey is not easy, but the rewards are great.

How is your Lenten season going?  Where are you on this journey with Christ?  My prayer today is for those of us who feel frustrated with the journey or feel stagnant or who are afraid of the cost.  Afraid of the risk of that step into the unknown.  That we would simply open ourselves up to trust and follow, and to a deeper relationship with Jesus.

As we pray in Psalm 119, verse 105: Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.

-LJS

www.westernrooter.com

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4th Sunday of lent reflection.

Fourth Sunday of Lent, Year B

     The words which the Church uses to introduce today’s Holy Mass are an invitation to rejoice.  From that invitation, this fourth Sunday of Lent takes the name ‘Laetare Sunday’.  In the introit of the Mass, the liturgy uses the words of the prophet Isaiah: “Rejoice, Jerusalem, and all who love her.  Be joyful, all who were in mourning; exult and be satisfied at her consoling breast.”

     Why does the Church call us to rejoice when we are in the midst of our penitential journey?  We are faced with a similar question to that which St Peter asked of Dante in the Divine Comedy. Having examined Dante thoroughly on the subject of the theological virtue of faith, St Peter asks him: “this precious joy, on which every virtue is founded, from where did you get it?”

     Each of today’s readings address this question.  To the people of Judah who “added infidelity to infidelity”  the Lord God “tirelessly sent them messenger after messenger, since he wished to spare his people and his house.”.  From the Letter of Ephesians we hear that God was “generous with his mercy: when we were dead through our sins, he brought us to life with Christ.” The evangelist brings us into the secret nocturnal dialogue between Christ and Nicodemus “God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not be lost but may have eternal life.”

     Despite the countless infidelities of humanity, which seemed to mock the God who created us out of love and who calls us to true life, the Lord kept sending messengers to correct his people.  More than that, he so loved the world that he bestowed upon us the abundance of his mercy, by sending the only-begotten Son who was with Him from all eternity.  The Father has, in this way, given us the unbelievable and undeserved gift of His own Joy and so we should proclaim it joyfully together with the whole Church.

     Christian joy is neither an intellectual concept nor a moral proposition to be followed.  It is actually a person, Jesus of Nazareth, the only-begotten Son of the Father and the Son of Man.  This Joy is a gift which has been given to us, if only we would accept it in gratitude to God and his Church.  It is a gift which has been continuously offered to us by the Church for the last two thousand years, one which the whole universe cannot contain but which gives life to all things.

     Our Holy Father, Pope Benedict, has been calling us back to this truth with gentle insistence since the beginning of his papacy.  It is a message which comes to us in a special way today as we journey towards Calvary.  In a few weeks the Son of Man will be lifted up on the cross, where he opens his arms to welcome us and make us partakers in that life which triumphs at Easter.

     Faced with God’s incredible initiative, we grow in the desire that enlarges our hearts and prepares us to receive the joy of God  We also grow in gratitude towards Mary who by her ‘fiat’ became the Gate of Heaven and Cause of our Joy.  From our Blessed Mother we ask for light, guidance and protection so that we will not ‘forget Jerusalem’, or prefer the darkness to the light.  United with Mary, we can know the truth and truly be “God’s work of art, created in Christ Jesus to live the good life as from the beginning he had meant us to live it.”
LJS

Original Article

Springtime is green time @ western rooter and plumbing

As march flys by most of us are getting ready For spring. Lots of home improvements are taking place, such as water heaters,sewer replacements , irrigation, and copper repipes. We offer free estimates for all home improvements .

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Changing eating habits- real Fasting

Changing eating habits- real Fasting

     Lent is a great time to change our eating patterns.  This is not about “losing weight” or “getting in shape,” though for most of us, paying attention to what we eat, will make a difference in our overall health.  This is about being more alert.  Anyone who has tried to diet knows that something changes in us when we try to avoid eating.  The monks in the desert, centuries ago, discovered that fasting - simply not eating - caused a tremendous boost to their consciousness.  Not only did their bodies go on “alert,” but their whole person seemed to be in a more heightened state of attention.  The whole purpose of fasting was to aid prayer - to make it easier to listen to God more openly, especially in times of need.

     For us Catholics, the Church names only Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are days of fast.  (And that fast is simply to eat only one full meal in the day, with the other two meals combined, not equal to the one —- this does not apply to the sick.)  It seems that not only will I feel less sluggish and tired, I will feel simply freer and more energized.

     The other powerful advantage of fasting is that it can be a very simple gesture that places me in greater solidarity with the poor of the earth, who often have very little more than a little rice and beans each day. Powerful things happen in me, when I think about those people in the world who have so much less than I do. And, it’s a great cure for self-pity.

LJS

Original Article

Smoking Cigars

A Charlotte, NC, lawyer purchased a box of very rare and expensive cigars, then insured them against fire among other things. Within a month, having smoked his entire stockpile of these great cigars and without yet having made even his first premium payment on the policy, The lawyer filed a claim against the insurance company. In his claim, the lawyer stated the cigars were lost “in a series of small fires.”

The insurance company refused to pay, citing the obvious reason: that the man had consumed the cigars in the normal fashion.

The lawyer sued….and won!

In delivering the ruling the judge agreed with the insurance company that the claim was frivolous. The Judge stated nevertheless, that the lawyer held a policy from the company in which it had warranted that the cigars were insurable and also guaranteed that it would insure them against fire, without defining what is considered to be unacceptable fire, and was obligated to pay the claim.

Rather than endure a lengthy and costly appeal process, the insurance company accepted the ruling and paid $15,000.00 to the lawyer for his loss of the rare cigars lost in the “fires.” NOW FOR THE BEST PART…

After the lawyer cashed the check, the insurance company had him arrested on 24 counts of ARSON!!!! With his own insurance claim and testimony from the previous case being used against him, the lawyer was convicted of intentionally burning his insured property and was sentenced to 24 months in jail and a $24,000.00 fine.

This is a true story and was the 1st place winner in the recent Criminal Lawyers Award Contest.

Original Article

A Short Lent Reflection, Western Rooter and Plumbing

Lent is the time to start new patterns of prayer.  Perhaps I haven’t been praying at all.  This is a great time to choose to begin.  It is important to begin realistically.  I can start by simply pausing when I get up and taking a slow, deep breath, and recalling what I have to do this day, and asking for grace to do it as a child of God.  I may want to go to bed a half an hour earlier, and get up a half an hour earlier and give myself some time alone to read the readings for the day, or the Daily Reflection.  I may choose to go to Mass each day during Lent.  I may choose to get to church on Sunday, just 15 minutes earlier, so I can reflect a bit.  Lent may be a time I would want to choose to start to journal the day to day reflections that are coming, the desires I’m naming and asking for, the graces I am being given.

We should remind ourselves that whatever we do, we should do for the glory of God.

LJS

www.westernrooter.com

Original Article

Western Rooter talking about Lent, How should we observe Lent?

How should we observe Lent?  The response is found in the New Testament: “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God and everyone who loves is born of God.  But he who loves not, knows not God for God is love.”  Lent is not about self-denial for self-denial’s sake, or even for only my self’s sake.  Lent is about love.  After all, doesn’t it end with the Passion of our Lord?

So here’s the point: whatever Lenten observance we observe, if it is not for one another, for the world, for our enemies, then it is a noisy gong and a clanging symbol and we have gained nothing.

Let us ever walk with Jesus,

Follow His example pure,

Through a world that would deceive us

And to sin our spirits lure.

Onward in His footsteps treading,

Pilgrims here, our home above,

Full of faith and hope and love,

Let us do the Father’s bidding.

Faithful Lord with me abide;

I shall follow where you guide.

LJS

www.westernrooter.com 

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Professional drain cleaner for over 30 years!

Here is another satisfied customer that western rooter and plumbing took care of. Danny our drain specialist took care of the problem and the customer was happy. Read below :

Hello, my name is Stan Kawamoto and I am the son of Hiroko Muramoto.  We just had service done on our house.  Main line stoppage.  I just wanted to let you know that I “was” a c-36, 16 contractor.  I just wanted to let you guys know that I was very happy with Danny’s service.  A very nice guy and did a very thorough job cleaning out our main line stoppage.  Invoice number 101759, Feb 13, 2012 From: Hiroko Muramoto

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Www.westernrooter.com/sEwer-video-camera-line-inspection

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Another happy customer from a sewer video Inspection job

Here is an email from a customer.

Western rooter,
 
Client Mark Botta exclamed after your personell left that you had charged him a $50.00 charge because it is out of your area. Well start thinking again about expanding your territory, because the other person that he called for a sewer inspection quoted him 550.00 because “He did not do sewer inspections and would have to sub it out.”  So even with your $50.00 surcharge for travel you were still 300.00 below this other company. Way to shine and go where ever to get work is my motto.

Thank you for the kind works

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Local Pasadena, San Gabriel Valley Plumber and Drain Cleaner

Western Rooter and Plumbing is a Full Servive plumbing and drain cleaning company for over 30 years. Licesend and insured up to two million $$. Pasadena, Arcadia, Monrovia, Duarte, Greater Los Angeless Plumber and Drain Cleaner.
Visit our site at www.westernrooter.com

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