2nd Sunday of Advent Is 40:1-5,9-112 Pet 3:8-14Mk 1:1-8… with the Lord, 'a day' can mean a thousand years, and a thousand years is like a day. The Lord is not being slow to carry out his promises, as anybody else might be called slow; but he is being patient with you all … It... Continue Reading →
29 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 →
22 November, Wednesday — Not Ours
Nov 22 – Memorial for St. Cecilia, virgin, martyr St. Cecilia (d. 117) was a cultivated young patrician woman, whose ancestors loomed large in Rome’s history. She vowed her virginity to God, but her parents married her to Valerian of Trastevere. She told her new husband that she was accompanied by an angel, but in... Continue Reading →
28 October, Saturday — Abandoning oneself to God
Oct 28 – Feast of Sts. Simon and Jude, Apostles St. Simon was an apostle called the Cananean or Zealot because of his zeal for the Jewish law. He was not from Cana, nor a member of the Zealot party. Like all the Apostles, he was a convert, and was trained by St. Peter the... Continue Reading →
15 October, Sunday — God is aware of our needs
28th Sunday in Ordinary Time Is 25:6-10Phil 4:12-14,19-20Mt 22:1-14 There is nothing I cannot master with the help of the One who gives me strength. All the same, it was good of you to share in my hardships. In return, my God will fulfil all your needs, in Christ Jesus, as lavishly as God only... Continue Reading →
5 October, Thursday — Humility and Perseverance
Oct 5 – Memorial for St. Faustina Kowalska, Virgin, religious, Christian Mystic Maria Faustyna Kowalska (born Helena Kowalska; 25 August 1905 – 5 October 1938), also known as Saint Maria Faustyna Kowalska of the Blessed Sacrament and popularly spelled Faustina, was a Polish Roman Catholic nun and mystic. Her apparitions of Jesus Christ inspired the Roman Catholic devotion to the Divine Mercy and earned her the title of "Secretary of Divine Mercy". Throughout her... Continue Reading →
20 September, Wednesday — Simple in Virtue, Steadfast in Duty
Sept 20 -- Memorial of Saints Andrew Kim Taejon, Priest, and Paul Chong Hasang, and their Companions, Martyrs For centuries, Korea was closed to all outside influences, and all contact with foreigners was forbidden. No missionaries went there. Nevertheless, a number of laymen sought to find out all that they could about the outside world,... 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 →
12 September, Tuesday — A Logical Faith
Sep 12 – The Most Holy Name of Mary This feast is a counterpart to the Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus (January 3); both have the possibility of uniting people easily divided on other matters. The feast of the Most Holy Name of Mary began in Spain in 1513 and, in 1671, was... Continue Reading →
7 September, Thursday — I want to join a church ministry
Thursday of Week 22 in Ordinary Time Col 1:9-14Lk 5:1-11 “Do not be afraid; from now on it is men you will catch.” August 27 was church ministry recruitment Sunday at our parish – Church of St Francis Xavier. So with violin, guitar and cajon in hand, 8 choir members sang their hearts out. Unable... Continue Reading →