3rd Sunday of Lent Exo 17:3-7Rm 5:1-2,5-8Jn 5:42 …they put the Lord to the test by saying, ‘Is the Lord with us, or not?’ Isn’t the grumbling of the Israelites against Moses, and chiefly against God, something so familiar today? Grumbling is a rather universal response of having to grow up – being made to... Continue Reading →
1 March, Wednesday — Learning from Jonah and the Ninevites
Wednesday of the 1st Week of Lent Jon 3:1-10Lk 11:29–32 Just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be to this generation. Today’s first reading is from the book of Jonah, which I find an almost tragicomic story in its description of Jonah’s futile attempts to avoid God’s... Continue Reading →
13 February, Monday — Faith, Unsullied by Pride
Monday of Week 6 in Ordinary Time Gen 4:1-15,25Mk 8:11-13 "God has granted me other offspring... in place of Abel, since Cain has killed him." There are certain seasons in life when we desperately yearn for sweetness and sense-making. In the midst of great disappointments, grave losses and sorrows, we may try our best to... Continue Reading →
22 January, Sunday — Guided by faith
3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time Isa 8:23-9:31 Cor 1:10-13,17Mt 4:12-23 At once…they followed him. I was extremely blessed to spend 5 days in Medjugorje just after the New Year. We had travelled there via Istanbul and Dubrovnik and I had been craving some peace and quiet, having gone through a tough, challenging year. Having a... Continue Reading →
12 January, Thursday — Faith
Thursday of Week 1 in Ordinary Time Heb 3:7-14Mk 1:40-45 A leper came to Jesus and pleaded on his knees: “If you want to,” he said, “you can cure me.” I have been writing for Oxygen for probably ten years or more now. Sometimes, reflections don’t come easily; you’ve really got to dig deep into... Continue Reading →
7 December, Wednesday — Bridge Over Troubled Water
Dec 7 – Memorial for St. Ambrose, bishop and doctor of the Church St. 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... Continue Reading →
23 November, Wednesday – Endurance
Nov 23 – Memorial for St. Clement I, pope, martyr; Memorial for St. Columban, abbot St. Clement (d. 101) was the fourth pope, and an apostolic Father. The Basilica of St. Clement in Rome is one of the earliest parish churches in the city, and is probably built on the site of Clement’s home. He... Continue Reading →
17 November, Thursday — The Weather Report
Nov 17 – Memorial for St. Elizabeth of Hungary, married woman, religious St. Elizabeth (1207-1231) was a princess, the daughter of King Andrew of Hungary, and the great-aunt of St. Elizabeth of Portugal. At the age of 13, she married Prince Louis of Thuringia. She built a hospital at the foot of the mountain on... Continue Reading →
26 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... Continue Reading →
22 October, Saturday — Repent in order to know Him
Oct 22 – Memorial for St. John Paul II Karol Józef Wojtyla was born in 1920 in Wadowice, Poland. After his ordination to the priesthood and theological studies in Rome, he returned to his homeland and resumed various pastoral and academic tasks. He became first auxiliary bishop and, in 1964, Archbishop of Kraków and took... Continue Reading →
OXYGEN 