29th Sunday in Ordinary Time Isa 45:1,4-61 Ths 1:1-5Mt 22:15-21 “...give back to Caesar what belongs to Caesar – and to God what belongs to God.” When I was younger, I remember that whenever there was a celebration, my mom or grandmother would set aside food and put it on the altar. They explained to... Continue Reading →
15 August, Saturday — How Beautiful
Aug 15 – Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Mary is taken up body and soul into the glory of Heaven, and with God and in God she is Queen of Heaven and earth. And is she really so remote from us? The contrary is true. Precisely because she is with God... Continue Reading →
14 August, Friday — Contrition and Reconciliation
Aug 14 – St. Maximillian Mary Kolbe, priest, martyr St. Maximillian Mary Kolbe (1894-1941) was known as a mischievous child, sometimes considered wild, and a trial to his parents. However, around the time of his first Communion, he received a vision of the Virgin Mary that changed his life. While still in seminary, he and six friends founded... Continue Reading →
13 August, Thursday — Cancel the Debt
Aug 13 – Memorial for St. Pontian, pope, martyr, and St. Hippolytus, priest, martyr St. Pontian was among the first victims of an anti-Christian new emperor. Rounded up with the antipope Hippolytus, Pontian was deported to the labour mines. While imprisoned, Hippolytus reconciled his differences with Pontian and even ordered his followers to bring themselves back... Continue Reading →
9 June, Tuesday — The Jar of Meal, the Jug of Oil
Jun 9 – Memorial for St. Ephrem of Syria, deacon and Doctor of the Church St. Ephrem (306-373) was baptized at age 18. He helped to evangelize Nisibis, Mesopotamia. He may have attended the Council of Nicaea in 325. He was a deacon and preacher, and had a great devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. In 363, Nisibis... Continue Reading →
8 June, Monday — Happiness in the Lord
Monday of Week 10 in Ordinary Time 1 Kgs 17:1-6Mt 5:1-12 How happy... One thing that all of us are probably reminded of during this time of COVID-19 pandemic is how little control we have over the events in our lives. Some of us may have been stranded somewhere, some were probably in a middle... Continue Reading →
7 June, Sunday –Overwhelming Tenderness
Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity Trinity Sunday is the first Sunday after Pentecost in the Western Christian liturgical calendar, and the Sunday of Pentecost in Eastern Christianity.[2] Trinity Sunday celebrates the Christian doctrine of the Trinity, the three Persons of God: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. - Wikipedia Exo 34:4-6, 8-92 Cor 13:11-13Jn 3:16-18 The Lord, a god of tenderness and compassion, slow to anger... Continue Reading →
11 April, Saturday – (1st reading) God Said
1st reading for Easter Vigil Gen 1:1 – 2:2Ps 103(104):1-2,5-6,10,12-14,24,35 God said… and so it was. I think most of us would have read this reading. After all, it’s the first chapter of the first book of the Bible. And because it’s been read so much, a lot of us might just gloss over the... Continue Reading →
9 April, Thursday – Loving us better than we love ourselves
Maundy Thursday - Mass of the Lord's Supper Ex 12:1-8, 11-141 Cor 11:23-26Jn 13:1-15 It must be an animal without blemish In today’s reading, God required the Israelites to prepare an animal for their passover meal. He specifically said that the animal chosen must be that without blemish. Foreshadowing aside, it made me wonder if... Continue Reading →
9 April, Thursday – Kintsugi: To Bind Up Hearts that are Broken
Maundy Thursday - Chrism mass Isa 61:1-3, 6, 8-9Apo 1:5-8Lk 4:16-21 To bind up hearts that are broken In January 2019, I attended a retreat where the retreat director introduced the Japanese practice of kintsugi. Kintsugi is the practice where broken ceramics or potteries are repaired through the use of lacquer using gold. The repaired... Continue Reading →
OXYGEN 