While many of us are familiar with the liturgical readings for the celebration of Pentecost Day – The First Reading: Acts 2: 1-11 when the Holy Spirit descended upon the apostles and they began speaking in foreign languages, the Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 12:3-7,12-13 where St. Paul tells us that while we are many parts, we are one body, and [...]
There is a tendency to compartmentalise the lives that we lead in Church and the life that we live outside of it. For us who do, we lead a kind of a double and disconnected life – on one hand, one that is interiorly aligned and connected to God – I attend the Eucharistic celebration every Sunday, I frequent the [...]
Suffering is something that everyone wants to avoid. No one intentionally wants to suffer for nothing. Why do you avoid suffering? Where there is deep love, there is less suffering and yet there is tremendous suffering as well. When a parent loves the child deeply, there is nothing the parent would not do for the child. If the child has [...]
The readings remind us that God is always with us and always caring for us, no matter where we are or our circumstances. The first reading tells of how Peter and John went from Jerusalem to Samaria to pray with the people there and call down the Holy Spirit on them. The psalm is our response to God’s loving care [...]
“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” (John 14: 15). A “commandment” refers to an order from an authority, and comes from the Old French word, commander – “to enjoin”, “to order”, and “to entrust” (Online Etymology Dictionary, n.d.). This entrustment has to come from someone who wields the supreme authority, who has, in military terms, a complete [...]
John 15: 26-27 says, “When the Advocate comes whom I will send you from the Father, the Spirit of truth that proceeds from the Father, he will testify to me. And you also testify, because you have been with me from the beginning.” And Luke 24: 48-49 states, “You are witnesses of these things. And behold, I am sending the [...]
The first reading, taken from Acts, shows us the early Church as a loving, serving, and worshipping community (Acts 6:1-7). Hence, it easily solved the problem of perceived discrimination over daily distribution by instituting the diaconate for the service of the community. Our own community goes through similar challenges. The responses we make seem to differ. The necessity to voice [...]
In Matthew 8: 19-20, a scribe comes up to Jesus and declares that he would go wherever Jesus would go, and Jesus gives a somewhat cryptic reply: “Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head.” Perhaps, the scribe was expecting that in following Jesus, this journey would [...]
Every 1st Friday of the month, many parishes offer a Holy Hour where the community comes together to offer praise, prayer and adoration to our Lord in the presence of the Eucharist. Our Church of St Michael welcomes the community to Holy Hour on Friday, 5 May at 7pm. There will be songs of joyous praise, scripture to inspire you, [...]
As a Christian, we are all called to be witnesses of Christ through our words and actions. What have I done to be this witness? Some time ago I remember a voice telling me that I should be bold enough to talk about my faith to others whether they be Gentiles or Christians. It was a subtle calling. The direction [...]
