Thursday of Week 23 in Ordinary Time 1 Cor 8:1-7,11-13Lk 6:27-38 “…for he himself is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. Be compassionate as your Father is compassionate.” My father-in-law is dying. He has been declining since Christmas, battling first dementia and more recently, cancer. I think we were all in denial, which is... Continue Reading →
17 July, Thursday — Lay your weary head to rest
Thursday of Week 15 in Ordinary Time Exo 3:13-20Mt 11:28-30 “Come to me, all you who labour and are overburdened, and I will give you rest.” I have always read this verse from Matthew's gospel as being about death. The line "I will give you rest" also appears in the hymn, 'Be Not Afraid', which I... Continue Reading →
15 January, Wednesday — Living on earth with a foretaste of heaven
Wednesday of Week 1 in Ordinary Time Heb 2:14-18Mk 1:29-39 Christ too shared equally in it, so that by his death he could take away the power of the devil…and set free all those who had been held in slavery all their lives by the fear of death. Just last week, someone from the disability... Continue Reading →
31 March, Sunday — Beyond death
Easter Sunday Acts 10:34,37-43Col 3:1-4Jn 20:1-9 ...he must rise from the dead. Death, to me, is the ultimate hurdle, and I certainly have thought of my own death at various points in my life. One of the most significant times was when my father was told he had a serious illness. He had cautioned me... Continue Reading →
2 November, Thursday — He will destroy Death forever
Nov 2 – All Souls Day Today we celebrate a feast in commemoration of the faithful departed in purgatory, that is, the faithful departed who have not yet been purified and reached Heaven. After Abbot Odilo of Cluny instituted it in the monasteries of his congregation in 998, other religious orders took up the observance,... Continue Reading →
19 September, Tuesday — Jesus Touches Our Sorrow
Sep 19 – Memorial for St. Januarius, Bishop and Martyr St. Januarius (d. 305) was arrested on account of his profession of the Christian religion during persecution of Christians. He was cast into the fiery furnace, through which he passed wholly unharmed. On the following day, along with a number of fellow martyrs, he was... Continue Reading →
4 September, Monday — Consoling Thoughts
Monday of Week 22 in Ordinary Time 1 Ths 4:13-18Lk 4:16-30 With such thoughts as these you should comfort one another. The first reading of today holds a special place in my life, because it was the commonly used reading whenever I used to serve Mass as an altar server. It always struck me as... Continue Reading →
20 July, Thursday – Lay your weary head to rest
Jul 20 – Memorial for St. Apollinaris, Bishop & Martyr According to tradition, Apollinaris was a native of Antioch in the Roman Province of Syria. He was made the first Bishop of Ravenna by St. Peter during the persecutions of Emperor Vespasian (or Nero, depending on the source), On his way out of the city... Continue Reading →
9 April, Sunday — Beyond death
Easter Sunday Acts 10:34,37-43Col 3:1-4Jn 20:1-9 ...he must rise from the dead. Death, to me, is the ultimate hurdle, and I certainly have thought of my own death at various points in my life. One of the most significant times was when my father was told he had a serious illness. He had cautioned me... Continue Reading →
15 April, Friday – Seeing the face of Jesus
Good Friday Isa 52:13-53;12Heb 4:14-16,5:7-9Jn 18:1-19;42 “I am born for this” We had a death in our extended family this past week. In moments like this, many pause to take stock of life. Re-live memories and good times with loved ones who have been called home, examine our own mortality and priorities. Often pondering our... Continue Reading →
OXYGEN 