Dec 14 – Memorial for St. John of the Cross, priest, religious, doctor of the Church St. John (1675–1726) was born in poverty. He cared for the poor in the hospital in Medina. He became a lay Carmelite brother in 1563 at age 21, though he lived stricter than their Rule. He studied at Salamanca. He... Continue Reading →
13 December, Sunday — Rebuilt, push ahead and live life.
3rd Sunday of Advent Isaiah 61:1-2,10-11 1 Ths 5:16-24Jn 1:6-8,19-28 ...think before you do anything -- hold on to what is good and avoid every form of evil. We are in the season of Advent and in just twelve days, it will be Christmas. As we look back on 2020, many would want to wipe... Continue Reading →
12 December, Saturday — Who was that man?
Dec 12 – Memorial for Our Lady of Guadalupe Guadalupe is, strictly speaking, the name of a picture, but the name was extended to the church containing the picture and to the town which grew up around the church. It makes the shrine, it occasions the devotion, it illustrates Our Lady. It is taken as... Continue Reading →
11 December, Friday — What if…?
Dec 11 – Memorial for St. Damasus I, pope St. Damasus (306-384) was raised in a pious family. His father was a priest in Rome, and Damasus served for a time as deacon in his father’s church, St. Laurence. He was ordained a priest and became assistant to Pope Liberius. He was elected the 37th pope... Continue Reading →
10 December, Thursday — Humbly walking before God
Dec 10 -- Our Lady of Loreto Tradition holds that a small house in Loreto, Italy, originated in Nazareth and is the actual home of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The dimensions are very small, one-room measuring 30 x 13 feet. It is composed simply of stones and mortar found in Palestine and hand-chiseled in a... Continue Reading →
9 December, Wednesday — Reducing our anxiety in life
Dec 9 – Memorial for St. Juan Diego, hermit, layman John (1474-1548) was born an impoverished free man in a strongly class-conscious society. He was a farm worker, a field labourer, and a mat maker. He became a married layman with no children. Even as a pagan, he was a mystical and religious man, and... Continue Reading →
8 December, Tuesday — Co-operating with God
Dec 8 – Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary On this and the following eight days, the Church celebrates, with particular solemnity, the immaculate conception of the ever-blessed Virgin Mary who, from all eternity, was chosen to be the daughter of the heavenly Father, the spouse of the Holy Ghost, the... Continue Reading →
7 December, Monday — Call to Repentance
Dec 7 – Memorial for St. Ambrose, bishop and doctor of the ChurchSt. Ambrose (c.340–397) was born to the Roman nobility. He was the brother of St. Marcellina and St. Satyrus. He was educated in the classics, Greek, and philosophy at Rome, Italy. He was a poet and a noted orator. He was a convert... Continue Reading →
6 December, Sunday — Time to Contemplate
Isa 40:1-5,9-112 Pet 3:8-14Mk 1:1-8 ...do your best to live lives without spot or stain so that he will find you at peace. I always felt that complacency was something that others would go through, but the events of the year of 2020 made me realise how subtly it had crept into my life. My... Continue Reading →
5 December, Saturday — The Season of ‘Giving’
Saturday of the 1st Week of Advent Isa 30:19-21,23-26Mt 9:35-10:1,5,6-8 “You received without charge, give without charge.” Christmas fills me with dread every year. Somewhere along the line, we allowed Christmas to morph into this superficial, materialistic ‘winner take all’ contest, to see who can give and receive the coolest gifts. I know for a... Continue Reading →
OXYGEN 