Wednesday of Week 30 in Ordinary Time Rm 8:26-30Lk 13:22-30 “Yes, there are those now last who will be first, and those now first who will be last.” Last month, I had the unique opportunity to be part of the Singapore team at the World Mountain and Trail Running Championships (WMTRC) in Canfranc, Spain. I... Continue Reading →
18 October, Saturday — Being unprepared for the journey
Oct 18 – Feast of St. Luke the Evangelist St. Luke (d. 74) was born to pagan Greek parents, and possibly a slave. He was one of the earliest converts, and a physician studying in Antioch and Tarsus. He probably travelled as a ship’s doctor, and many charitable societies of physicians are named after him.... Continue Reading →
9 October, Thursday — Hoping in the Lord
Oct 9 – Memorial for Sts. Denis, Bishop, and Companions, Martyrs; Memorial for St. John Leonardi, Priest St. Denis (d. 258) was a missionary to Paris, and its first bishop. His success roused the ire of local pagans, and he was imprisoned by the Roman governor. He was martyred in the persecutions of Valerius with... Continue Reading →
4 October, Saturday — Taking courage by reaching out in confidence to Christ
Oct 4 – Memorial for St. Francis of Assisi Francis Bernardone (1181–1226) was the son of Pietro Bernadone, a rich cloth merchant. Though he had a good education and became part of his father’s business, he also had a somewhat misspent youth. He was a street brawler and some-time soldier. He was captured during a... Continue Reading →
12 September, Friday — Baking, Blindness and Becoming
Sep 12 – 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 extended to... Continue Reading →
4 August, Monday — Satisfaction Guaranteed
Aug 4 – Memorial for St. John Mary Vianney, priest In his youth, John Mary Vianney (1786-1859) taught other children their prayers and catechism. As a priest, was assigned to a parish which suffered from very lax attendance. He began visiting his parishioners, especially the sick and poor, spent days in prayer before the Blessed... Continue Reading →
27 July, Sunday — Asking for trust
17th Sunday in Ordinary Time Gn 18:20-32Col 2:12-14Lk 11:1-13 "And I tell you, ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. This verse from today’s Gospel passage was my ‘scriptural door gift’ at a prayer service I attended a few years ago. Each of... Continue Reading →
3 July, Thursday — On Narratives
Jul 3 – Feast of St. Thomas, Apostle Thomas (d. 72) was ready to die with Jesus when Christ went to Jerusalem, but he is best remembered for doubting the Resurrection until allowed to touch Christ’s wounds. He preached in Parthia, Persia and India, though he was so reluctant to start the mission that he... Continue Reading →
22 May, Thursday — Resetting for Peace
May 22 – Memorial for St. Rita of Cascia, Religious St. Rita (1386-1457) was the daughter of Antonio and Amata Lotti, a couple known as the Peacemakers of Jesus; they had Rita late in life. From her early youth, Rita visited the Augustinian nuns at Cascia, Italy, and showed interest in a religious life. However,... Continue Reading →
10 May, Saturday — Prepared for the miracle
May 10 – John of Ávila (not to be confused with John Avila or St John of the Cross) was a Spanish priest, preacher, scholastic author, and religious mystic, who has been declared a saint and Doctor of the Church by the Catholic Church. He is called the ‘Apostle of Andalusia’, for his extensive ministry in that region. From early 1551 Ávila was in constant ill-health. He spent the last years... Continue Reading →
OXYGEN 