Dec 10 -- Our Lady of Loreto Tradition holds that a small house in Loreto, Italy, originated in Nazareth and is the actual home of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The dimensions are very small, one-room measuring 30 x 13 feet. It is composed simply of stones and mortar found in Palestine and hand-chiseled in a... Continue Reading →
9 December, Wednesday — Reducing our anxiety in life
Dec 9 – Memorial for St. Juan Diego, hermit, layman John (1474-1548) was born an impoverished free man in a strongly class-conscious society. He was a farm worker, a field labourer, and a mat maker. He became a married layman with no children. Even as a pagan, he was a mystical and religious man, and... Continue Reading →
8 December, Tuesday — Co-operating with God
Dec 8 – Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary On this and the following eight days, the Church celebrates, with particular solemnity, the immaculate conception of the ever-blessed Virgin Mary who, from all eternity, was chosen to be the daughter of the heavenly Father, the spouse of the Holy Ghost, the... Continue Reading →
7 December, Monday — Call to Repentance
Dec 7 – Memorial for St. Ambrose, bishop and doctor of the ChurchSt. Ambrose (c.340–397) was born to the Roman nobility. He was the brother of St. Marcellina and St. Satyrus. He was educated in the classics, Greek, and philosophy at Rome, Italy. He was a poet and a noted orator. He was a convert... Continue Reading →
6 December, Sunday — Time to Contemplate
Isa 40:1-5,9-112 Pet 3:8-14Mk 1:1-8 ...do your best to live lives without spot or stain so that he will find you at peace. I always felt that complacency was something that others would go through, but the events of the year of 2020 made me realise how subtly it had crept into my life. My... Continue Reading →
5 December, Saturday — The Season of ‘Giving’
Saturday of the 1st Week of Advent Isa 30:19-21,23-26Mt 9:35-10:1,5,6-8 “You received without charge, give without charge.” Christmas fills me with dread every year. Somewhere along the line, we allowed Christmas to morph into this superficial, materialistic ‘winner take all’ contest, to see who can give and receive the coolest gifts. I know for a... Continue Reading →
2 December, Wednesday — When God pities us
Wednesday of the 1st Week of Advent Isa 25:6-10Mt 15:29-37 “I feel sorry for all these people...” In Calcutta lies an old, derelict, defunct temple dedicated to the Hindu god Kali -- the god of death and destruction. In this temple, blood rituals, including human sacrifices, were conducted. This was the property the Indian government accorded to Mother Teresa when she... Continue Reading →
1 December, Tuesday — Not by the example of our power, but by the power of our example
Tuesday of the 1st Week of Advent Is 11:1-10Lk 10:21-24 He does not judge by appearances, he gives no verdict on hearsay, but judges the wretched with integrity, and with equity gives a verdict for the poor of the land. My reflection today is set against the backdrop of the US Elections. An event happening... Continue Reading →
29 November, Sunday — When was the last time you cried for someone else?
1st Sunday of Advent Isa 63:16-17, 64:1,3-81 Cor 1:3-9Mk 13:33-37 Why, Lord, leave us to stray from your ways and harden our hearts against fearing you? One Saturday morning, I was all alone in Nativity Church, in quiet prayer before a statue of the Sacred Heart. It was a dismal morning -- huge storm clouds were threatening -- and the inside... Continue Reading →
OXYGEN 