21 Jan – Memorial for St. Agnes, virgin and martyr At the age of 12 or 13, St. Agnes was ordered to sacrifice to pagan gods and lose her virginity by rape. She was taken to a Roman temple to Minerva (Athena), and when led to the altar, she made the Sign of the Cross.... Continue Reading →
19 December, Monday — Spirit Move…
19 December Jgs:13:2-7,24-25Lk 1:5-25 …and the spirit of the Lord began to move him. I reflected yesterday on how I felt that God’s hand was on me, particularly over the past few weeks. Quite frankly, it has been a bit of a tiring year for me with loads of changes at work from a personnel... Continue Reading →
18 December, Sunday — Here, there and everywhere…
4th Sunday of Advent Isa 7:10-14Rm 1:1-7Mt 1:18-24 ‘God-is-with-us’ It has been an interesting few weeks for me in the lead up to Advent. All manner of challenges at work came at once – the resignation of my deputy, workplans thrown into disarray, an event (on a Monday) for which I had to pull the... Continue Reading →
8 November, Tuesday — Call of Duty
Tuesday of Week 32 in Ordinary Time Tit 2:1-8,11-14Lk 17:7-10 …we have done no more than our duty. At events involving my President or members of my senior management, I always make sure that I am around to receive, greet and attend to them until they leave. And while they always tell me it is... Continue Reading →
2 November, Wednesday — Getting up after a fall
Nov 2 – All Souls Day Today we celebrate a feast in commemoration of the faithful departed in purgatory, that is, the faithful departed who have not yet been purified and reached Heaven. After Abbot Odilo of Cluny instituted it in the monasteries of his congregation in 998, other religious orders took up the observance,... Continue Reading →
25 October, Tuesday — Giving in
Tuesday of Week 30 in Ordinary Time Eph 5:21-33Lk 13:18-21 Give way to one another in obedience to Christ. Since I started my current job, it has been a lot about ‘giving way’ in deference to higher-ups, senior management and learned faculty colleagues who are experts in their respective fields. Then, a few weeks ago,... Continue Reading →
24 October, Monday — Emerging into His light
Oct 24 – Memorial for St. Anthony Mary Claret, Bishop St. Anthony Mary Claret (1807–1870) was a weaver and a seminary student with Blessed Francis Coll. He was ordained on 13 June 1835, and became a missionary in Catalonia and the Canary Islands. He directed retreats and founded the Congregation of Missionary Sons of the... Continue Reading →
23 October, Sunday — Signifying nothing…
30th Sunday in Ordinary Time Ecc 35:12-14,16-192 Tim 4:6-8,16-18Lk 18:9-14 The humble man’s prayer pierces the clouds… We’ve all encountered this person before – the one who talks incessantly AT you; who doesn’t give you any chance to say anything because they are too busy trying to put their point across; or who simply thinks... Continue Reading →
10 September, Saturday — WYSIWYG
Saturday of Week 23 in Ordinary Time 1 Cor 10:14-22Lk 6:43-49 “For a man’s words flow out of what fills his heart.” If some of you find the header familiar, I can only say it reveals your vintage. In today’s fast-paced world where WhatsApp chats are becoming de rigeur, it is quite understandable if ‘phrases’... Continue Reading →
9 September, Friday — Blinded
Sep 9 – Memorial for St. Peter Claver, Priest St Peter Claver was born in Catalonia and studied at the University of Barcelona. He became a Jesuit; and while he was studying philosophy in Mallorca, the door-keeper of the college, Alfonso Rodríguez, saw that his true vocation was to evangelize the New World, and encouraged... Continue Reading →
OXYGEN 