Sep 20 – Memorial for St. Andrew Kim Taegon and Companions, Korean Martyrs; Memorial for Sts. Laurent Imbert, Bishop Jacques Chastan, Priest (martyrs of College General, Penang, Malaysia) There are 103 martyrs in this group, consisting of priests, missionaries and lay people who died in the early days of the Church in Korea. Most were... Continue Reading →
19 September, Friday — On Competition
Sep 19 – Memorial for St. Januarius, Bishop and Martyr St. Januarius (d. 305) was arrested on account of his profession of the Christian religion during persecution of Christians. He was cast into the fiery furnace, through which he passed wholly unharmed. On the following day, along with a number of fellow martyrs, he was... Continue Reading →
18 September, Thursday — The cost of easy love is easy
Thursday of Week 24 in Ordinary Time 1 Tim 4:12-16Lk 7:36-50 "...she would not have shown such great love." The devil is okay with us having a little religion, but not too much. I can literally feel the unease, the downright awkward discomfort of what it would be like to be at a dinner party... Continue Reading →
17 September, Wednesday — Battling The Lies
Sep 17 – Memorial for St. Robert Bellarmine, Bishop and Doctor St. Robert (1542-1621) wrote the most complete work of his day to defend Catholicism against Protestant attack. He also wrote a children’s catechism and a catechism for teachers. As cardinal-priest, he gave most of his money to the poor. At one point he used... Continue Reading →
16 September, Tuesday — A New Awakening
Sep 16 – Memorial for Sts. Cornelius, Pope and Martyr; and Cyprian, Bishop and Martyr St. Cornelius (d. 253) was elected after a year-and-a-half period, during which persecutions were so bad that papal ascension was a quick death sentence. He worked to maintain unity in a time of schism and apostasy. He called a synod... Continue Reading →
15 September, Monday — Bearing sorrow patiently
1 Tim 2:1-8Jn 19:25-27 ... and especially for kings and others in authority, so that we may be able to live religious and reverent lives in peace and quiet. Today's feast of our Lady of Sorrows invites us to embark on a reflection on the different episodes in the life of Mary and how she... Continue Reading →
14 September, Sunday — Climbing the Tree of Life
Sep 14 – Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross The feast was celebrated in Rome before the end of the 7th century. Its purpose is to commemorate the recovering of that portion of the Holy Cross which was preserved at Jerusalem, and which had fallen into the hands of the Persians. Emperor Heraclius... Continue Reading →
13 September, Saturday — WYSIWYG
Sep 13 – Memorial for St. John Chrysostom, Bishop and Doctor John’s (347-407) father died when he was young, and he was raised by a very pious mother. It was for his sermons that John earned the title ‘Chrysostom’ (golden-mouthed). They were always on point, they explained the scriptures with clarity, and they sometimes went... Continue Reading →
12 September, Friday — Baking, Blindness and Becoming
Sep 12 – Holy Name of Mary This feast is a counterpart to the Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus (January 3); both have the possibility of uniting people easily divided on other matters. The feast of the Most Holy Name of Mary began in Spain in 1513 and, in 1671, was extended to... Continue Reading →
11 September, Thursday — ‘Love Your Enemies?’
Thursday of Week 23 in Ordinary Time Col 3:12-17Lk 6:27-38 “Do not judge, and you will not be judged yourselves; do not condemn, and you will to be condemned yourselves; grant pardon, and you will be pardoned.” Yikes! If you thought the Beatitudes were a high calling, today’s Gospel is a whopper. It is so... Continue Reading →
OXYGEN 