Write about a way in which one can gain wisdom. Faced with the above essay question, one of my students blurted out "the Bible". Face palm. My slew of ideas as I prepped to teach this lesson did not include the Bible. Call myself a Christian. Cheek slap. Although my student attempted another essay in the end, it got me [...]
The externals are what we observe in our daily lives. There are people in the MRT and we see they are seated and they are on their mobile devices. We do not know what they are thinking about, and we often do not even know what they are feeling. As it is in today’s Gospel, the Lord tells us that [...]
Flashback to Ministry Recollection Day. One of the contemplative questions was “God, what do you want me to change?” As ministry members slipped out of the room to find a quiet place for reflection, I stayed put in St Michael room. Change? I just want to run away. Freedom from work. Freedom from responsibilities. Freedom from having to do anything. The [...]
When we think of rules, very often what comes to mind are the many things that we are not allowed to do because of these “laws” that are in place. For example, “No using of handphones during lessons” or “You must dress formally when you come to office”. These are just some of the examples of rules that we may [...]
Did I raise your hopes up? Wish there was a One-time password (OTP) to Heaven? The answer as you know is a simple ‘No’ but I must say we need all the help we can get to that mansion in the sky! And thus I remember reading about another way to Heaven? Tongue-in-cheek but yet not altogether untrue. So here [...]
Dear God, So far today I've done alright I haven't gossiped. I haven't lost my temper. I haven't been greedy, grumpy, unpleasant, selfish or overindulgent. I've been very thankful for that. But in a few minutes, I'm going to get out of bed; And from then on, I'm probably going to need a lot more help. Amen. I hope the [...]
When I recently read a reflection that the apostles must have been traumatised by the cruel death of our Lord Jesus, the term PTSD or Post-traumatic Stress Disorder came to mind. And for just a while, I tried to step into their shoes. Was I watching Jesus from a distance? Was I afraid to be recognised as a friend of [...]
What motivates you? According to American psychologist Abraham Harold Maslow who developed what is famously known as Maslow’s hierarchy of needs - that a human’s basic needs must be met first before we pursue other higher needs. Usually depicted in a pyramid form, these basic needs are our physiological needs that form the base or foundation of living i.e. [...]
"Look at the cross and let Jesus gaze on you." This was what the priest asked of me towards the end of my penitential session. What did it mean? Sinner that I am (and unfortunately, will be again), will Jesus rebuke me when he gazes on me? Sometimes children need to be scolded so they do not repeat the same [...]
"This Lenten season, I took a personal journey to be closer with God. Even with my grueling work schedule, I took the time to finish whatever I could within the working day and make it to church to be part of the 3-day Recollection and Stations of the Cross. From deep within your heart, when you know you want to [...]
