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, Monday — Blind Obedience
Dec 13 – Memorial for St. Lucy, virgin, martyr St. Lucy (c. 283) was a rich, young Christian of Greek ancestry. She was raised in a pious family, and vowed her life to Christ. Her Roman father died when she was young. Her mother, Eutychia, arranged a marriage for her. For three years, she managed to... Continue Reading →
12 December, Sunday — The pursuit of Happiness
3rd Sunday of Advent Zep 3:14-18Phi 4:4-7Lk 3:10-18 I want you to be happy, always happy in the Lord. I love the word ‘Happy’. Just looking at the word or derivatives of the word makes me happy. I recently read about the Happiness U Curve. In a longitudinal study, it shows that beginning from the... Continue Reading →
11 December, Saturday — “It is finished” – Mission accomplished
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, Friday — The devil always collects what is due to him
Friday of the 2nd Week of Advent Is 48:17-19Mt 11:16-19 “Yet wisdom has been proved right by her actions.” At the cusp of the Second World War in late 1930s, the world was in a very dark place. In Germany, Fascism and the cult of personality worship of one individual called Hitler, was gaining momentum and rearing its... Continue Reading →
9 December, Thursday — Of Psychopaths, Narcissists and Machiavellians
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, Wednesday — Total and Absolute
Dec 8 – Solmenity 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, Tuesday – Searching
Dec 7 – Memorial for St. Ambrose, bishop and doctor of the Church St. 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, Monday – God’s Strange Mercy
Dec 6 – Memorial for St. Nicholas, bishop St. Nicholas (d. 346) was a priest and abbot, and the bishop of Myra, Lycia (modern Turkey). He was generous to the poor, and a special protector of the innocent and wrong. Many stories grew up around him prior to his becoming Santa Claus. One story is that... Continue Reading →
5 December, Sunday – Hidden Glory
2nd Sunday of Advent Bar 5:1-9Phi 1:4-6,8-11Lk 3:1-6 Peace through integrity, and honour through devotedness. The words ‘peace through integrity, and honour through devotedness’ in our First Reading of Baruch caught my imagination today. That word ‘integrity’ is used more often these days in referring to honesty and moral principles, especially when we think of... Continue Reading →
OXYGEN 