28 Jan – 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... Continue Reading →
10 August, Saturday — Receiving, not earning, God’s grace
Aug 10 – Feast of St. Lawrence, deacon and martyr St. Lawrence was a third-century archdeacon of Rome, a distributor of alms, and “keeper of the treasures of the Church” in a time when Christianity was outlawed. On 6 August 258, by decree of Emperor Valerian, Pope St. Sixtus II and six deacons were beheaded,... Continue Reading →
8 August, Thursday — Things beyond the mind of man
Aug 8 – Memorial for St. Dominic, priest, religious founder Dominic (1170-1221) was born of wealthy Spanish nobility, and was the son of Blessed Joan of Aza. Joan had difficulty conceiving and prayed at the shrine of St. Dominic of Silos, who had a tradition of patronage of that problem. When she became pregnant, she... Continue Reading →
16 November, Thursday — Didn’t see this coming…
Nov 16 – Memorial for St. Margaret of Scotland; Memorial for St. Gertrude, virgin St. Margaret (1045–1093)was the granddaughter of King Edmund Ironside of England, and the great-niece of St. Stephen of Hungary. She was born in Hungary, while her family was in exile due to the Danish invasion of England. Even so, she still... Continue Reading →
12 November, Sunday – Fools rush in where angels fear to tread
32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time Wis 6:12-161 Ths 4:13-18Mt 25:1-13 She herself walks about looking for those who are worthy of her and graciously shows herself to them as they go, in every thought of theirs coming to meet them. In the midst of frenetic end-of-year exam revision, I mulled over the readings for this... Continue Reading →
6 November, Monday — Patience and Wisdom
Monday of Week 31 in Ordinary Time Rm 11:29-36Lk 14:12-14 God never takes back his gifts or revokes his choice. Today’s gospel reminds me of those many times when I ask God, “Why am I not able to walk?” There have been countless times when I fantasise myself in an alternate reality where I can... Continue Reading →
3 November, Friday — Point of Failure
Nov 3 – Memorial for St. Martin de Porres, religious St. Martin (1579-1639) was the illegitimate son of a Spanish nobleman, Juan, and a young freed black slave, Anna Velasquez. He grew up in poverty and spent part of his youth with a surgeon-barber from whom he learned some medicine and care of the sick. At... Continue Reading →
30 July, Sunday — “Smarty Pants”
17th Sunday in Ordinary Time 1 Kgs 3:5,7-12 Rm 8:28-30 Mt 13:44-52 “Give your servant a heart to understand how to discern between good and evil…” Ever since I was a little boy, I have been fascinated by King Solomon. The legendary figure that chose wisdom rather than riches or a long life. I remember telling... Continue Reading →
28 July, Friday — Till the Soil Today, Reap Harvests for Generations
Friday of Week 16 in Ordinary Time Exo 20:1-17Mt 13:18-23 ...but I show kindness to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments. The ground we stand on is always pregnant. The land is always full and rich of history. Layers upon layers of sediments accumulate over millenia to tell the story of... Continue Reading →
3 June, Saturday — Wisdom
Jun 3 – Memorial for St. Charles Lwanga & companions, martyrs One of 22 Ugandan martyrs, St. Charles Lwanga is the patron of youth and Catholic action in most of tropical Africa. He protected his fellow pages aged 13 to 30 from the homosexual demands of the Bagandan ruler, Mwanga, and encouraged and instructed them... Continue Reading →
OXYGEN 