Jun 30 – First Martyrs of the Church of Rome These holy men and women are also called the “Protomartyrs of Rome”. They were accused of burning Rome by Nero, who burned Rome to cover his own crimes. Some martyrs were burned as living torches at evening banquets, some crucified, and others were fed to... Continue Reading →
29 June, Thursday — Heart of Servants
Jun 29 – Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul, apostles Peter (c.1–64) was a professional fisherman. He was the brother of St. Andrew the Apostle, the man who led him to Christ. Given the name Simon, he was renamed “Peter” (rock) by Jesus to indicate that Peter would be the rock-like foundation on which the... Continue Reading →
28 June, Wednesday — The ‘Fifth Gospel’
Jun 28 – St. Irenaeus, bishop, martyr Irenaeus (c.130–202) was a disciple of St. Polycarp of Smyrna. He was ordained in 177. He was Bishop of Lugdunum, Gaul (modern Lyons, France). He worked and wrote against Gnosticism, basing his arguments on the works of St. John the Apostle, whose gospel is often cited by Gnostics.... Continue Reading →
27 June, Tuesday — Looking beyond the present
Jun 27 – Memorial for St. Cyril of Alexandria, bishop and Doctor of the Church Cyril (376–444) was the nephew of Theophilus the Patriarch. He was a monk and a priest who became Bishop of Alexandria, Egypt in 412, and later the Patriarch of Alexandria. He suppressed the Novatians. He worked at the Council of... Continue Reading →
26 June, Monday — God Positioning System
Monday of Week 12 in Ordinary Time Gn 12:1-9Mt 17:1-5 So Abram went as the Lord told him... My family gave up the car in 2015 because of the high cost of maintaining it. This has resulted in me becoming a bit rusty in navigating roads and thus increasing my reliance on the GPS to... Continue Reading →
25 June, Sunday — Sin entered the world through one man
12th Sunday in Ordinary Time Jer 20:10-13Rm 5:12-15Mt 10:26-33 “…fear him rather who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” Danger. Fear. Enemies. Trust. Strength. Surrender. These six words flood my mind as I ponder today’s readings. Jeremiah was on a fruitless mission to change the hearts of the Jews. They resented his message... Continue Reading →
24 June, Saturday — Bloom where you are planted
Jun 24 – Solemnity of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist John the Baptist (d.30) was the cousin of Jesus Christ. His father, Zachary, was a priest of the order of Abia whose job in the Temple was to burn incense; and of Elizabeth, a descendant of Aaron. As Zachary was ministering in the... Continue Reading →
23 June, Friday — The true treasures of this earth
Friday of Week 11 in Ordinary Time 2 Cor 11:18,21-30Mt 6:19-23 “Do not store up treasures for yourselves on earth…” We all know that we should not store up treasures on earth. So it doesn’t hurt to be reminded again and again because we often forget. After a while, we start to buy things we... Continue Reading →
22 June, Thursday — Hear our prayer
Jun 22 – Memorial for St. Paulinus of Nola, bishop; Memorial for St. John Fisher, Bishop & St. Thomas More, martyrs Paulinus (c.354–431) was a friend of St. Augustine of Hippo, and St. Nicetas of Remesiana, and was mentioned for his holiness by at least six of his contemporary saints. He was a distinguished lawyer... Continue Reading →
21 June, Wednesday – The challenge of being counter-cultural
Jun 21 – Memorial for St. Aloysius Gonzaga, religious St. Aloysius (1568-1591) was an Italian noble who grew up in a castle as the son of a compulsive gambler. He suffered from kidney disease, but considered it a blessing as it left him bed-ridden with time for prayer. While still a boy himself, he taught... Continue Reading →
OXYGEN 