“Life is not fair!” How often do we lament these words verbally or in the silence of our hearts? How frequently do we hear this statement made by others as well? When one reads the parable of the Labourers in the Vineyard (Mt 20:1-16) using the logic of labour’s market, one is likely to feel the sense of injustice for [...]
According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, “Prayer is both a gift of grace and a determined response on our part. It always presupposes effort. The great figures of prayer of the Old Covenant before Christ, as well as the Mother of God, the saints, and he himself, all teach us this: prayer is a battle. Against whom? Against [...]
We all want to be liked, loved, be well received and respected by others. However, if we harbour grudges and want to exact revenge, can we be the person who glorifies our Father? The first reading is a timely reminder of the main ingredients found in sin – pride, resentment and anger. We must not allow anger to seethe and overtake [...]
On first impressions, the Gospel for this week seems oddly antagonistic and confrontational - it seems to suggest how we should stand up, perhaps challenge someone from the church, who has wronged us. It even lists methodologically how we should go about it along with a follow-up should the exchanges prove unsuccessful; attempt the one-on-one first, followed by bringing along [...]
There comes a time and a season when the community is called to gather as one and to prayerfully discern and to decide together the next steps or the new paths to forge. This discernment has to do with the operational every-day things such as leadership roles, the running of the community, the works and the direction those works will [...]
In today’s Gospel, the reflection is centered on Matthew 16:24. “Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.” Jesus is preaching about the conditions of discipleship - to become his follower or disciple. A terse and precise command to emulate the perfect model but never an [...]
Jean Baudrillard (1929 – 2007) was a French Sociologist and Cultural Theorist who critiqued the workings of Modern Society. For him, modern societies are organised around the production and consumption of commodities, while postmodern societies are organised around simulation and the play of images and signs, denoting a situation in which codes, models, and signs are the organising forms of [...]
In the year 2016, by the serendipity of God and God's quirky humour, I finally took the step to attend a series of retreats, First the Conversion Experience Retreat, followed by the Prayer Experience Retreat.. The first day presented itself with the usual ice-breakers, the singing of action songs, and getting to know one another. Yet as the days proceeded, [...]
In the first reading of this weekend, Paul acknowledges the immensity of our Father’s existence. An existence that cannot be fathomed. Having this as the background to the gospel as well as the first reading that speaks about the “keys of the house of David” that will be handed to Christ, the Anointed. The question of who Jesus is, is [...]
According to recent statistics published by the World Bank, the current 2020 economic crisis and global recession as exacerbated by the onset and ramifications of the Coronavirus COVID-19, would be the deepest since the Great Depression in 1929, and even further 50 years back to the Long Depression of 1873 to 1896 (Kose and Sugawara; Sassoon). COVID-19 has necessitated the [...]