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... Continue Reading →
12 June, Monday — Living as spiritual beings
Monday of Week 10 in Ordinary Time 2 Cor 1:1-7Mt 5:1-12 “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven;” Today’s Gospel reading is my favourite passage from the Bible. To me, it encapsulates all that Jesus has taught. It prepares us for the suffering that we will face in our faith,... Continue Reading →
12 February, Sunday – Obeying God in this world and the next
6th Sunday in Ordinary Time Ecc 15:16-211 Cor 2:6-10Mt 5:17-37 “If your right eye should cause you to sin, tear it out and throw it away...” As Catholics, we often find ourselves existing in two dimensions of reality. On the one hand, we live in an increasingly secularised society that views religion with either suspicion... Continue Reading →
11 February, Saturday — Food For Thought
Saturday of Week 5 in Ordinary Time Gn 3:9-24Mk 8:1-10 “I feel sorry for all these people…” These days, it is not uncommon for eating to become a public event. On YouTube, influencers are constantly posting about their meals while on Netflix, we watch food being prepared and promptly devoured on food shows and documentaries.... Continue Reading →
8 February, Wednesday — Seeking Sanctity
8 Feb – Memorial for St. Jerome Emiliani; Memorial for St. Josephine Bakhita, virgin St. Jerome (1481–1537) was born wealthy, the son of Angelo and Eleanor Mauroceni Emiliani. His father died when Jerome was a teenager, and he ran away from home at age 15. After a dissolute youth, he became a soldier in Venice... Continue Reading →
7 February, Tuesday — Honour Thy Father
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 →
OXYGEN 