May 19 -- Pentecost The Christian holiday of Pentecost, which is celebrated on the 50th day after the weekly Sabbath during the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Leviticus 23:15), commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and other followers of Jesus Christ while they were in Jerusalem celebrating the Feast of Weeks, as... Continue Reading →
14 May, Tuesday – Now it is your time to choose
May 14 – Feast of St. Matthias, Apostle St. 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... Continue Reading →
10 May, Friday — Forever joy
May 10 – John of Ávila (not to be confused with John Avila or St John of the Cross) was a Spanish priest, preacher, scholastic author, and religious mystic, who has been declared a saint and Doctor of the Church by the Catholic Church. He is called the ‘Apostle of Andalusia’, for his extensive ministry in that region. From early 1551 Ávila was in constant ill-health. He spent the last years... Continue Reading →
25 April, Thursday — A Name is Not Just a Name
Feast of St Mark the Evangelist He was a cousin of Barnabas and accompanied the apostle Paul on his first missionary journey; later he followed him to Rome. He was a disciple of Peter, and his gospel is told from Peter’s point of view. He is credited with founding the Church in Alexandria. His body... Continue Reading →
22 February, Thursday — What a friend we have in Jesus
22 Feb – Feast of the Chair of St. Peter, the Apostle The feast of the Chair of St. Peter at Rome, Italy has been celebrated from the early days of the Christian era on Jan 18, in commemoration of the day when St. Peter held his first service in Rome. The feast of the... Continue Reading →
11 February, Sunday — The more we seem to lose, the more we gain.
11 Feb – Dedication of the Cathedral of the Good Shepherd Lv 13:1-2,44-461 Cor 10:31-11:1Mk 1:40-45 Feeling sorry for him, Jesus stretched out his hand… In today’s gospel reading, we see both the human and divine natures of Jesus. I am particularly struck by the words used to describe how Jesus feels when He sees... Continue Reading →
2 February, Friday — On Readiness
2 Feb – Feast of the Presentation of the Lord This feast celebrates an early episode in the life of Jesus. In the Roman Catholic Church, the Presentation is the fourth Joyful Mystery of the Rosary. In the Eastern Orthodox Church, it is one of the twelve Great Feasts. In many Western liturgical churches, Vespers... Continue Reading →
25 January, Thursday — I want to be a Christian
25 Jan – Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul St. Paul (3-65) was a Jewish Talmudic student and a Pharisee. He was a tent-maker by trade. Saul the Jew hated and persecuted Christians as heretical, even assisting at the stoning of St. Stephen the Martyr. On his way to Damascus to arrest another group... Continue Reading →
8 January, Monday — What does your baptism mean to you?
9 Jan – Feast of the Baptism of the Lord The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, or Theophany, is the feast day commemorating the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River by John the Baptist. Originally the baptism of Christ was celebrated on Epiphany, which commemorates the coming of the Magi, the baptism of Christ, and the wedding at Cana. Over time in the West,... Continue Reading →