Jul 21 – Memorial for St. Lawrence of Brindisi, priest, religious, doctor St. Lawrence (1559-1619) joined the Capuchin Friars in 1575. He studied theology, the Bible, French, German, Greek, Spanish, Syriac, and Hebrew. He was an effective and forceful preacher in any of his several languages, founded convents and wrote catechisms. As the chaplain of... Continue Reading →
29 June, Sunday — Captain, Pilot, North Star…
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, Saturday — Losing It
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 →
1 June, Sunday — Saints in the making
7th Sunday of Easter Acts 7:55-60Apo 22:12-14,16-17,20Jn 17:20-26 “I have given them the glory you gave to me...” It has been an interesting couple of months for me -- serving at our now-regular 2nd Saturday overnight vigils, especially juggling the timings in order to also get to my parish for 7am mass where my choir... Continue Reading →
31 May, Saturday — A chance meeting? Probably not…
May 31 – Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary This day is called the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary because on it, Mary visited her cousin Elizabeth, whom, as the angel had told her, God had blessed with a son in her old age. Patron Saint Index Zep 3:14-16Lk 1:39-56 …he... Continue Reading →
8 May, Thursday — Silence Of The Lambs
Thursday of the 3rd Week of Eastertide Acts 8:26-40Jn 6:44-51 …like these he never opens his mouth. How many times have we found ourselves in a situation where in order to ‘preserve the peace’, we don’t speak up or offer others our opinions? Or for those of us who work in organisations where ‘groupthink’ rules... Continue Reading →
4 May, Sunday — He fishes for us
3rd Sunday of Easter Acts 5:27-32,40-41Apo 5:11-14Jn 21:1-14 “Bring some of the fish you have just caught.” Today’s gospel passage brought me back to a retreat I attended in Cebu, Philippines towards the end of 2023. It was a 5-day silent retreat and we were each assigned to a spiritual director, who would meet with... Continue Reading →
18 April, Friday — He Died To Give Us Hope
Good Friday Isa 52:13-53:12Heb 4:14-16,5:7-9Jn 18:1-19:42 “Who are you looking for?” Last weekend, we had our now-regular 2nd Saturday overnight vigil in CSC. As we were still in Lent, the vigil was ‘structured’ according to different segments, which were led by different prayer leaders. As part of the Vigil Core team, I have had the... Continue Reading →
25 March, Tuesday — Just say ‘Yes’
25 Mar – Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord The annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary by Gabriel the archangel that she was to be the Mother of God (Luke 1), the Word being made flesh through the power of the Holy Spirit. The feast probably originated about the time of the Council of... Continue Reading →
24 March, Monday — Acceptance
Monday of the 3rd Week of Lent 2 Kgs 5:1-5Lk 4:24-30 “…no prophet is ever accepted in his own country.” When’s the last time you had a proposal or a recommendation fully accepted by your superiors or elders? Many of us are put in positions of leadership, trust and in most cases, immense responsibility (of... Continue Reading →