Tuesday of Week 5 in Ordinary Time Gen 1:20-2:4 Mk 7:1-13 “How ingeniously you get round the commandment of God in order to preserve your own tradition!” During this season of Chinese New Year, I am usually reminded (by my parents at least) of all the traditions that come with the festivities. For instance, having... Continue Reading →
6 February, Monday — Hearing God’s Voice
6 Feb – Memorial for Sts. Paul Miki and Companions, martyrs (in Japan) St. Paul Miki (1562-1597) was one of the Twenty-six Martyrs of Japan. He was born into a rich family and educated by Jesuits in Azuchi and Takatsuki. He joined the Society of Jesus and preached the gospel for his fellow citizens. The... Continue Reading →
19 June, Sunday — Blessings with our bread
June 19 -- Corpus Christi The Feast of Corpus Christi (Latin for ‘Body of Christ’) is a Catholic liturgical solemnity celebrating the real presence of the body and blood of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, in the elements of the Eucharist -- known as transubstantiation. Two months earlier, the Eucharist is observed on Maundy Thursday in a sombre atmosphere leading to Good Friday. The liturgy on that day also... Continue Reading →
12 February, Saturday — Receiving God’s Love
Saturday of Week 5 in Ordinary Time 1 Kgs 12:26-32;13:33-34Mk 8:1-10 “I feel sorry for all these people.” The gospel passage today is one that is deeply familiar to me, having encountered it numerous times and often reminded of by the Corinne May song, ‘Five loaves and two fishes’, which is often on rotation on... Continue Reading →
11 February, Friday — Opening Up To the Lord
11 Feb – Memorial for Our Lady Of Lourdes; World Day of Prayer for the Sick Today is an optional memorial for Our Lady of Lourdes. The apparitions concerned began on Feb 11, 1858, when St. Bernadette Soubirous, then a 14-year-old peasant girl from Lourdes admitted, when questioned by her mother, that she had seen... Continue Reading →
23 October, Saturday — Equally sinful; equally loved
Oct 23 – Memorial for St. John Capistrano, Priest St. John (1386–1456) was the son of a former German knight. His father died when John was still young. He studied law at the University of Perugia, and became a lawyer in Naples, Italy. He was the reforming governor of Perugia under King Landislas of Naples. When... Continue Reading →
22 October, Friday – Check and balance
Oct 22 -- St John Paul II, Pope He is credited with the fall of communism in his native Poland. Pope John Paul II died on April 2, 2005 and was canonized by Pope Francis on September 30, 2013. Pope John Paul II's feast day is celebrated on October 22nd. Rm 7:18-25Lk 12:54-59 How is it you... Continue Reading →
28 August, Saturday — Sharing God’s Mercies
Aug 28 – Memorial for St. Augustine, bishop, doctor After investigating and experimenting with several philosophies, Augustine (354-430) became a Manichaean for several years; it taught of a great struggle between good and evil, and featured a lax moral code. A summation of his thinking at the time comes from his Confessions: “God, give me... Continue Reading →
27 August, Friday — Keeping our inner reservoirs of faith
Aug 27 – Memorial for St. Monica, married woman St. Monica was distressed to learn that her son had accepted a heresy and was living an immoral life. For a while, she refused to let him eat or sleep in her house. Then one night she had a vision that assured her Augustine would return... Continue Reading →
26 August, Thursday — Doing God’s will
Thursday of Week 21 in Ordinary Time 1 Ths 3:7-13Mt 24:42-51 “Happy that servant if his master’s arrival finds him at this employment.” Today’s gospel reading speaks deeply to the ongoing geopolitical and public health uncertainty that we are facing. Indeed, the news channels have been filled with distressing images of people fleeing their own... Continue Reading →
OXYGEN 