Dec 11 – Memorial for St. Damasus I, pope St. Damasus (306-384) was raised in a pious family. His father was a priest in Rome, and Damasus served for a time as deacon in his father’s church, St. Laurence. He was ordained a priest and became assistant to Pope Liberius. He was elected the 37th... Continue Reading →
10 December, Wednesday — Signs of Patience
Dec 10 – Our Lady of Loreto The Basilica della Santa Casa (English: Basilica of the Holy House) is a Marian shrine in Loreto, in the Marches, Italy. The basilica is known for enshrining the house in which the Blessed Virgin Mary is believed by some Catholics to have lived. Pious legends claim the same house was flown over by angelic beings from Nazareth to Tersatto (Trsat in Croatia), then... Continue Reading →
29 November, Saturday — On Vigilance
Saturday of Week 34 in Ordinary Time Dan 7:15-27Lk 21:34-36 “Stay awake, praying at all times for the strength to survive all that is going to happen and to stand with confidence before the Son of Man.” Yesterday, we read about the lesson of the fig tree, and that Heaven and earth will pass away... Continue Reading →
28 November, Friday — Infinity and beyond
Friday of Week 34 in Ordinary Time Dan 7:2-14Lk 21:29-33 “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.” Have you ever really pondered the concept of eternity? In our everyday language, we speak ever so lightly of ‘always’, ‘forever’, ‘infinity’, ‘endless’, etc. But do we really have an understanding of... Continue Reading →
26 November, Wednesday — Endurance in Adversity
Wednesday of Week 34 in Ordinary Time Dan 5:1-6,13-14,16-17,23-28Lk 21:12-19 “You will be hated by all men on account of my name, but not a hair of your head will be lost. Your endurance will win you your lives.” I recall a few years back, when I felt the Catholic church was under attack. From... Continue Reading →
23 October, Thursday — Division
Oct 23 – Memorial for St John of Capistrano, priest John of Capistrano was a Franciscan friar and Catholic priest from the Italian town of Capestrano, Abruzzo. Famous as a preacher, theologian, and inquisitor, he earned himself the nickname "the Soldier Saint" when in 1456 at age 70 he led a Crusade against the invading Ottoman Empire at the siege of Belgrade with the Hungarian military commander John Hunyadi. Elevated to... Continue Reading →
21 October, Tuesday — Light Your Lamps
Tuesday of Week 29 in Ordinary Time Rm 5:12,15,17-21Lk 12:35-38 “See that you are dressed for action and have your lamps lit. Be like men waiting for their master to return from the wedding feast, ready to open the door as soon as he comes and knocks.” I feel really torn today. The readings are... Continue Reading →
20 October, Monday — Where Are Your Treasures?
Monday of Week 29 in Ordinary Time Rm 4:20-25Lk 12:13-21 “Watch, and be on your guard against avarice of any kind, for a man’s life is not made secure by what he owns, even when he has more than he needs.” Avarice. According to the Oxford Dictionary, avarice is extreme greed for wealth or material... Continue Reading →
30 September, Tuesday — Love and Mercy
Sep 30 – Memorial for St. Jerome, Priest and Doctor St. Jerome (347-419) led a misspent youth. He later converted in theory, being baptised in 365, and then had a true conversion when he studied theology. He was a monk, and revised the Latin text of the Bible. The result of his 30 years of... Continue Reading →
11 September, Thursday — ‘Love Your Enemies?’
Thursday of Week 23 in Ordinary Time Col 3:12-17Lk 6:27-38 “Do not judge, and you will not be judged yourselves; do not condemn, and you will to be condemned yourselves; grant pardon, and you will be pardoned.” Yikes! If you thought the Beatitudes were a high calling, today’s Gospel is a whopper. It is so... Continue Reading →
OXYGEN 