May 10 – John of Ávila (not to be confused with John Avila or St John of the Cross) was a Spanish priest, preacher, scholastic author, and religious mystic, who has been declared a saint and Doctor of the Church by the Catholic Church. He is called the ‘Apostle of Andalusia’, for his extensive ministry in that region. From early 1551 Ávila was in constant ill-health. He spent the last years... Continue Reading →
2 April, Thursday — Gift of faith
Easter Tuesday Acts 2:36-41Jn 20:11-18 “…you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise that was made is for you and your children, and for all those who are far away, for all those whom the Lord our God will call to himself.”…they accepted what he said and were baptized. For the believers,... Continue Reading →
1 February, Thursday — The law of love
Thursday of Week 4 in Ordinary Time 1 Kgs 2:1-4,10-12Mk 6:7-13 “Observe the injunctions of the Lord your God, following his laws, his commandments, his customs and his decrees… so you may be successful in all you do and undertake, so that the Lord may fulfil the promise he made me…” The verse above is... Continue Reading →
31 January, Wednesday — What’s in a name?
31 Jan – Memorial for St. John Bosco, priest St. John Bosco (1815-1888) was the son of Venerable Margaret Bosco. His father died when he was just two years old, and as soon as he was old enough to do odd jobs, he did so for extra money for his family. Bosco would go to... Continue Reading →
2 January, Tuesday — A voice cries out in the wilderness
2 Jan – Memorial for Sts. Basil the Great & Gregory Nazianzen, bishops St. Basil the Great (329-379) was a noble by birth. His parents and four of his nine siblings were canonized, including St. Gregory of Nyssa. He was the grandson of St. Marcina the Elder. As a youth, he was noted for organizing... Continue Reading →
1 January, Monday — Keep on pondering
1 Jan – Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God The Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God is celebrated on Jan 1, the Octave Day of Christmas (i.e. 8th day after Christmas). It is a celebration of Mary’s motherhood of Jesus. The title ‘Mother of God’ is a western derivation from the Greek... Continue Reading →
7 December, Thursday — Faith like a mustard seed
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... Continue Reading →
6 December, Wednesday — The Lord is my shepherd
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... 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 →
OXYGEN 