Aug 24 – Feast of St. Bartholomew, apostle St. Bartholomew was one of the Twelve Apostles. He was probably a close friend of St. Philip, as his name is always mentioned in the gospels in connection with Philip, and it was Philip who brought Bartholomew to Jesus. He may have written a gospel, now lost, as... Continue Reading →
18 August, Tuesday — Just Rewards
Tuesday of Week 20 in Ordinary Time Eze 28:1-10Mt 19:23-30 “We have left everything and followed you. What are we to have, then?” In contrast to yesterday’s gospel reading, where the wealthy man went away dejected because he could not give up his material wealth to follow Jesus, we have St Peter today asking Jesus... Continue Reading →
17 August, Monday — The goodness we seek
Monday of Week 20 in Ordinary Time Eze 24:15-24 Mt 19:16-22 “Why do you ask me about what is good?” There was a rather revealing article recently about the high rate of suicides among Singaporean youth, particularly among those aged between 20 and 29. And in the same week, we had received news of a... Continue Reading →
16 August, Sunday — Revelling in His Joy
20th Sunday in Ordinary Time Isa 56:1,6-7Rm 11:13-15,29-32 Mt 15:21-28 I will make them joyful in my house of prayer. Amid the current ‘safe reopening’ of our country, we continue to wait in hope that our churches will be able to fully reopen soon. As of now, we are still reliant on an online booking... Continue Reading →
4 August, Tuesday — Children of God
Aug 4 – Memorial for St. John Mary Vianney, priest In his youth, John Mary Vianney (1786-1859) taught other children their prayers and catechism. As a priest, was assigned to a parish which suffered from very lax attendance. He began visiting his parishioners, especially the sick and poor, spent days in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament, did penance for... Continue Reading →
3 August, Monday — Doubt your doubts
Monday of Week 18 in Ordinary Time Jer 28:1-17 Mt 14:22-36 “Man of little faith...why did you doubt?” I find it sad how some people allow negativity to become a pervasive part of their psyche, and live in a constant spiral of issues and seemingly insurmountable challenges. As a result, they end up not making... Continue Reading →
2 August, Sunday — God’s love nourishes
18th Sunday in Ordinary Time Isa 55:1-3Rm 8:35,37-39 Mt 14:13-21 “...those he called he justified, and with those he justified he shared his glory.” Today’s readings revolve around two central themes -- the love of God and food. Both may have been considered as indispensable back in the day, but sadly, today’s culture of instant... Continue Reading →
26 July, Sunday — He calls, qualifies, justifies, then glorifies!
17th Sunday in Ordinary Time 1 Kgs 3:5,7-12Rm 8:28-30 Mt 13:44-52 “...those he called he justified, and with those he justified he shared his glory.” It has been an interesting season for me since the implementation of the ‘circuit breaker’ and its subsequent lifting to allow a gradual safe reopening of our economy. Looking back over... Continue Reading →
13 June, Saturday — Yes or No
Jun 13 – Memorial for St. Anthony of Padua, priest, religious, doctor St. Anthony's (1195-1231) wealthy family wanted him to be a great nobleman, but for the sake of Christ he became a poor Franciscan. When the remains of St. Berard and his companions, the first Franciscan martyrs, were brought to be buried in his church, Anthony was... Continue Reading →
12 June, Friday — Breath of God
Friday of Week 10 in Ordinary Time 1 Kgs 19:9,11-16Mt 5:27-32 And after the fire there came the sound of a gentle breeze A fellow contributor once remarked about ministry, “If it is God’s work, then it should be as easy as breath.” In the context of today’s first reading, I have been wondering over... Continue Reading →
