31st Sunday in Ordinary Time Deu 6:2-6Heb 7:23-28Mk 12:28-34 …but this one, because he remains forever, can never lose his priesthood. The Twelve Apostles in Australia are a collection of massive limestone stacks off the coast of the Great Ocean Road. These amazing geological formations were formed by erosion of the original limestone surface of... Continue Reading →
31 October, Thursday — Get Thee Behind Me, Satan
Thursday of Week 30 in Ordinary Time Eph 6:10-20Luke 13:31-35 Put God's armour on so as to be able to resist the devil's tactics. When I was a child, I liked a hymn called "Put on the armour of Jesus Christ". Now, reading this passage from St Paul's letter to the Ephesians, I realise how closely... Continue Reading →
30 October, Wednesday — Fear and Trembling
Wednesday of Week 30 in Ordinary Time Eph 6:1-9 Lk 13:22-30 "Try your best to enter by the narrow door..." In Luke's gospel today, Jesus had some acerbic words to the question of who will be saved. What Jesus said implies that the path to salvation is not going to be an easy one. We know this, and... Continue Reading →
29 October, Tuesday — Pride and Prejudice
Tuesday of Week 30 in Ordinary Time Eph 5:21-33Lk 13:18-21 Give way to one another in obedience to Christ. I am a sinner. And one of my root sins is the mortal sin of Pride. I do not like it when people look down on me, and I really don’t like it when people don’t... Continue Reading →
27 October, Sunday – Crying Out to Jesus
30th Sunday in Ordinary Time Jer 31:7-9Heb 5:1-6Mk 10:46-52 When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout... Today's gospel revolves around the story of the blind Bartimaeus, who called out to Jesus while sitting by the roadside, begging. Obviously, the commotion attracted many bystanders to rebuke him, asking him to... Continue Reading →
26 October, Saturday — Repentance
Saturday of Week 29 in Ordinary Time Eph 4:7-16Lk 13:1-9 “No; but unless you repent you will all perish as they did.” It has been more than 6 months since my last confession. The reason is quite simple. For the past two years, I have been attending the 7am Sunday mass at Church of St... Continue Reading →
25 October, Friday — Do you want to be saved?
Friday of Week 29 in Ordinary Time Eph 4:1-6Lk 12:54-59 There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God who is Father over all… On a recent Friday night at around 8pm, I walked around a Shell petrol station along Paya Lebar Road. As an insurance agent, I was doing a road show... Continue Reading →
21 October, Monday — The spark of life
Monday of Week 29 in Ordinary Time Eph 2:1-10Lk 12:13-21 But God loved us with so much love that he was generous with his mercy: when we were dead through our sins, he brought us to life with Christ... When I was asked to write the reflection for today, my immediate reaction was ‘oh no,... Continue Reading →
20 October, Sunday — Exercising Servant Leadership
29th Sunday in Ordinary Time Isa 53:10-11Heb 4:14-16Mk 10:35-45 "For the Son of Man himself did not come to be served but to serve..." Today’s Gospel challenges us to examine our own desires for recognition and authority. In contrast to the world where leaders are glorified with power and authority, Jesus’ call to greatness is... Continue Reading →
13 October, Sunday — Possible Impossible Task
28th Sunday in Ordinary Time Wis 7:7-11Heb 4:12-13Mk 10:17-30 “For men...it is impossible, but not for God: because everything is possible for God.” Many of us are familiar with the Gospel reading today. It speaks of a wealthy young man begging Jesus for the secret to eternal life. At first, Jesus spoke to the young... Continue Reading →