Matthew 1: 18 – 24: “… Do not be afraid…” “Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel” which means “God is with us” Luke: 1 – 38: “I am the handmade of the Lord, may it be done to me according to Your Word” Mary’s full obedience [...]
Christmas Celebrations The term Christmas can be traced etymologically to an Old English term, Cristes mæsse, meaning The Mass of Christ (Online Etymology Dictionary, n.d.). There is not a more endearing Festivity that is celebrated around the world than Christmas, and the centuries have seen a plethora of traditions surrounding this season - from the wild and wacky – In [...]
Preparing the reflections was a very big task for me. I often felt stressed out as I feel that I am not equipped to write something that people will read or that I would be able to correctly showcase how reflections should be written. After reading the First and Second readings and the Gospel repeatedly, trying to get inspiration, and [...]
“Every scribe who has been instructed in the kingdom of heaven is like the head of a household who brings from his storeroom both the new and the old.” – Matthew 13: 52 A central tenet of the faith of a Catholic is that by an act of love, God has revealed Himself and given Himself to man (CCC. [...]
I recently had the honour and privilege of being the responder for the Eucharistic Celebration of the Holy Matrimony of a pair of amazing friends. While I have been for many weddings, I never really gave much thought to the proceedings. The Sacrament of Holy Matrimony really brings to mind in a surprising way, the parable, "And no one [...]
There is a misconception that our lives should be lived separately from the Church. On the contrary, the sacred should be interwoven so intricately into the tapestry and fabric of the every day, that it is indistinguishable from the other. The Church celebrates the Liturgical Year and permeates our days with the celebrations that are meaningful to our Salvation [...]
In the Gospel passage, Jesus gave us a practical suggestion to seek the treasure that will last. Yet, so often we are blinded by what is in front of us and that causes us to just cave in to that immediate gratification to satisfy ourselves. A nice car, a new phone or the next NETFLIX series and at times, in [...]
According to the World Health Organisation, malnutrition can be defined as stunting, being underweight, wasting, undernutrition, obesity, and/or being overweight as a result of inadequate or improper intake of macro and micro nutrients, vitamins, and minerals, that eventually lead to diet-related diseases such as diabetes, or beriberi (World health Organisation, 2021). The statistics reveal that in 2020, across the globe, [...]
The first reading reveals how unscrupulous people treat the poor in the ancient times - ‘Lowering the bushel, raising the shekel, and tampering with the scales’ for financial gains. Fast forward 2000 years later, similar practices abound. The rich get richer and the poor continues to be poor. How is it that these situations persist? ‘Never will I forget a [...]
The Jalan Tenteram area has many new and young families, and the Holy Spirit was speaking powerfully to Jennifer Noronha when she discovered that during the parish's recent outreach to that area, that many Catholics and parishioners of the Church of St. Michael living in the vicinity did not know many people and each other. With the Feast Day celebrations [...]