Feb 23 – Memorial for St. Polycarp, bishop and martyr St. Polycarp (69-155) was an associate of, converted by, and disciple of St. John the Apostle. He was a friend of St. Ignatius of Antioch, and he fought Gnosticism. He was the Bishop of Smyrna (modern Izmir, Turkey), and was a revered Christian leader during the... Continue Reading →
1 February, Monday — Go Tell Your Friends
Monday of Week 4 in Ordinary Time Heb 11:32-40Mk 5:1-20 “Go home to your people and tell them all that the Lord in his mercy has done for you.” I am like the leper, blind, crippled, or the possessed who, after having been healed by Jesus, can’t shut up about how awesome the Lord is.... Continue Reading →
28 January, Thursday – Being in Community
Jan 28 – Memorial for St. Thomas Aquinas, priest and doctor of the Church St. Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) was the son of the Count of Aquino. He was born in the family castle in Lombardy near Naples, Italy. He was educated by Benedictine monks at Monte Cassino, and at the University of Naples. He secretly joined... Continue Reading →
5 January, Tuesday — Ultimate Trust and Faith
Jan 5 -- Tuesday after Epiphany Sunday 1 Jn 4:7-10 Mk 6:34-44 “Give them something to eat yourselves” The feeding of the five thousand, as detailed in the Gospel of today, has always intrigued me. When I first heard this, I related this to a display of Jesus’ divinity, that fact that He could 'multiply'... Continue Reading →
27 November, Friday — Truth is like God’s word; it resurrects to serve its purpose
Friday of Week 34 in Ordinary Time Apo 20:1-4,11-21:2Luke 21:29-33 “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away” In life, there is no alloy of truth -- it is like God’s word, it cannot die or wither away. The books and letters of the Bible contain God’s words, from the... Continue Reading →
1 October, Thursday — The Extraordinary in the Ordinary
Oct 1 – Feast of St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus, Virgin and Doctor, Patroness of Missions Born to a pious middle-class French family of tradesmen, Francoise-Marie Thérèse Martin (1873–1897) was the daughter of Blessed Louis Martin and Blessed Marie-Azelie Guerin Martin, and all four of her sisters became nuns. Her mother died when Francoise-Marie was only... Continue Reading →
11 August, Tuesday — Pure, trusting, open, sincere, and spontaneous
Aug 11 – Memorial for St. Clare, virgin, religious founder St. Clare (1194-1253) loved music and well-composed sermons. She was humble, merciful, charming, optimistic, and chivalrous. She would get up late at night to tuck in her sisters who’d kicked off their covers. She daily meditated on the Passion. When she learned of the Franciscan martyrs in Morrocco... Continue Reading →
10 July, Friday — Sheep among wolves
Friday of Week 14 in Ordinary Time Hos 14:2-10Mt 10:16-23 “Remember, I am sending you out like sheep among wolves; so be cunning as serpents and yet as harmless as doves.” Once in a while, the Gospel readings surprise me. Sometimes, I can’t believe what I am reading and cannot fathom why our Lord Jesus... Continue Reading →
May 8, Friday — The Way, the Truth and the Life
Friday of the 4th Week of Eastertide Acts 13:26-33John 14:1-6 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God still, and trust in me.” In times of trouble, we often fret, worry and panic. At best, we have a few sleepless nights; at worse, we fall into depression. At least, that was me before... Continue Reading →
19 April, Sunday – ‘Blind’ Faith
19 Apr – Divine Mercy Sunday The Congregation for Divine Worship decreed in 2003 that “throughout the world, the Second Sunday of Easter will receive the name Divine Mercy Sunday, a perennial invitation to the Christian world to face, wit confidence in divine benevolence, the difference and trials that humankind will experience in the years... Continue Reading →
