5th Sunday in Ordinary Time Isa 6:1-81 Cor 15:1-11Lk 5:1-11 With this he touched my mouth and said: "See now, this has touched your lips, your sin is taken away, your iniquity is purged." Both the passages set for today’s First Reading and Gospel are familiar ones which have been used before. But when I... Continue Reading →
16 January, Thursday – Our Father and Mother want to heal us
Thursday of Week 1 in Ordinary Time Heb 3:7-14Mk 1:40–45 Feeling sorry for him, Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him. “Of course I want to!" he said. "Be cured!” I recently attended the 5th Lourdes Experience in Singapore, an event of prayer for the sick and devotion in honour of Our Lady of... Continue Reading →
27 November, Wednesday — Persevering in hope
Wednesday of Week 34 in Ordinary Time Apo 15:1-4Lk 21:12-19 "Your endurance will win you your lives." I always feel slightly unsettled by the readings at mass every November as the liturgical year draws to an end, especially with the passages from the book of Revelations. The nightmarish images of frightening beasts and destroying angels... Continue Reading →
18 October, Friday — Being unprepared for the journey
Oct 18 – Feast of St. Luke the Evangelist St. Luke (d. 74) was born to pagan Greek parents, and possibly a slave. He was one of the earliest converts, and a physician studying in Antioch and Tarsus. He probably travelled as a ship’s doctor, and many charitable societies of physicians are named after him.... Continue Reading →
15 October, Tuesday — Appreciating the importance of unity
Oct 15 – Memorial for St. Teresa of Jesus, Virgin and Doctor Also known as Teresa of Avila, Teresa of Jesus (1515–1582) was born to the Spanish nobility, the daughter of Don Alonso Sanchez de Cepeda and Dona Beatriz. She grew up reading the lives of the saints, and playing at ‘hermit’ in the garden.... Continue Reading →
7 September, Saturday — Strengthening our relationship with Jesus
Saturday of Week 22 in Ordinary Time 1 Cor 4:6-15Lk 6:1-5 One sabbath Jesus happened to be taking a walk through the cornfields, and his disciples were picking ears of corn, rubbing them in their hands and eating them. The experience of watching the series, The Chosen, has made it easier for me to imagine... Continue Reading →
3 September, Tuesday — Recognising God’s Hand
Sep 3 – Memorial for St. Gregory the Great, Pope and Doctor St. Gregory (540-590) collected the melodies and plain chants so associated with him, that they are now known as Gregorian Chants. He was elected by unanimous acclamation for pope. Incidentally, he was also the first monk to be pope. Before his papacy, he... Continue Reading →
17 July, Wednesday — Another element of being child-like
Wednesday of Week 15 in Ordinary Time Is 10:5-7,13–16Mt 11:25-27 “… for hiding these things from the learned and the clever and revealing them to mere children.” I have always been interested in learning about what it means to be ‘childlike’, since it can easily be confused with the term ‘childish’. Childlike-ness could refer to... Continue Reading →
16 July, Tuesday — Struggling to see with the eyes of faith
Jul 16 – Memorial for Our Lady of Mount Carmel The Church celebrates on this day the feast of the Scapular of Mount Carmel. The scapular, which derives its name from the Latin word scapulæ, meaning shoulders, is a dress which covers the shoulders. It is best known among as the name of two little... Continue Reading →
23 May, Thursday — Addressing Temptation
Thursday of Week 7 in Ordinary Time Jas 5:1-6Mk 9:41-50 And if your eye should cause you to sin, tear it out; it is better for you to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye... I had originally found today’s Gospel passage unsettling and fear-inducing because I had read it literally. Fortunately, I... Continue Reading →
OXYGEN 