Saturday of 5th Week of Eastertide Acts 16:1–10 Jn 15:18–21 “Come across to Macedonia and help us.” Recently, I was going through a spiritual crisis in my life. As I was wondering whom I should reach out to, I received a text from one of my Catholic friends, whom I had not communicated with for a long... Continue Reading →
15 May, Friday — Love the sinner, but hate the sin
Friday of 5th Week of Eastertide Acts 15:22–31Jn 15:12–17 “This is my commandment: love one another, as I have loved you.” There is once a saying -- love the sinner but hate the sin. Someone close to me had deeply hurt me recently by betraying my trust. I had to figure out how best I... Continue Reading →
14 May, Thursday — No One Has Greater Love Than This
May 14 – Feast of St. Matthias, Apostle Matthias (d. 80) was an Apostle. As he could bear witness to the Resurrection of Jesus, he was chosen to replace Judas Iscariot. He preached the Gospel for more than 30 years in Judaea, Cappadocia, Egypt, and Ethopia. He is remembered for preaching the need for mortification of... Continue Reading →
11 April, Saturday – (3rd reading) Tools of the Trade
3rd reading for Easter Vigil Exo 14:15-15:1Exodus 15 The Lord is a warrior! ‘The Lord’ is his name. Slippery socks in shifty shoes, buggy software, loose strings, and bent spatulas. Niggling things that get in the way of what we set out to do. When equipment fails and the tools that we trust let us... Continue Reading →
11 April, Saturday – (2nd reading) Everything is a Blessing
2nd reading of Easter Vigil Gen 22:1-18Ps 15(16):5,8-11Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me. Trite phrases like “blessings in disguise” and “every cloud has a silver lining” aren’t particularly effective in the here and now... Continue Reading →
11 April, Saturday – (5th reading) He is Near
5th reading for Easter Vigil Isa 55:1-11Isa 12 “Seek the Lord while he is still to be found, call to him while he is still near.” The cornerstone of our Christian faith is the resurrection of Jesus. After a period of austerity and abstinence, we look forward to Easter Sunday, rejoicing that Jesus has conquered... Continue Reading →
11 April, Saturday – (Gospel) The Life we Treasure
Today, we welcome Doug Lee to our stable of contributors. Doug and his wife Cindy make their home in Los Angeles, CA. He is in the empty-nester chapter of his life. He is a part-time Christian freelance writer and also enjoys writing anonymously for a self-help service group. He teaches religious education, volunteers as a... Continue Reading →
5 April, Sunday – When God opens our ears, we cannot resist or turn away
Palm Sunday Brothers and sisters, we are blessed to welcome to the Oxygen family Julius Otusorochukwu Dike, who was born and baptised Christian and Catholic from the eastern block of Nigeria. After receiving the Sacrament of confirmation, he attended a Catholic post-primary school, Bishop Shanahan College, in Orlu in present day Imo State, Nigeria. This... Continue Reading →
31 March, Tuesday – Meditating on the cross
Numbers 21:4-9John 8:21-30 If you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins Have you ever looked at a cross closely and intently? I have developed a habit of sitting in a quiet church and just meditating upon the cross. Even during Mass, I focus on Jesus hanging on the... Continue Reading →
24 March, Tuesday – What a dumb question!
Ezekiel 47:1-9,12John 5:1-3,5-16 Do you want to be well? I was in a pensive and reflective mood as I sat quietly by myself in front of Our Blessed Mother’s statue at the Cathedral one morning. For those of you familiar with the place, the statue stands amidst a shallow pool of water surrounding it. A... Continue Reading →
OXYGEN 