According to statistics provided by the World Health Organisation (2021), more than 700,000 people take their lives annually around the world, with many more remaining undocumented. Many of these cases are made up of the Elderly demographic while a large proportion of these numbers, come from the Youth and Young Adults population. Accordingly, among 15 to 19 year-olds, suicide is [...]
The Advent Wreath is a domestic Christian tradition that is practised in the homes of the Faithful during the season and time of Advent. This is not a liturgical norm and should not be placed in the sanctuary of the Church, but is a custom that belongs to the home. The wreath’s candles are not considered “cultus” – the Latin [...]
The Old City of Jerusalem was declared as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1981 (BBC.com, n.d.). A walk around the city, leads the pilgrim to the Western Wall, a vestigial artefact of the time when the Second Temple was still intact. The First Temple, built by King Solomon was razed down and destroyed around the time of 587 B.C. [...]
We do not live in a vacuum, but as created beings, the matter that we are made of and the ensuing consequences of any undertaken action are in a constant interaction with the invisible and spiritual world around us. To live a sacramental life means that while we are in the world, we have been set apart from it. The [...]
In the chapters of 1 Samuel 4 to 7, we read that while the Philistines were frightened of the loud outroar of the Israelites, the Israelites were fighting a lost battle, because the Lord God was not with them. Hophni and Phinehas, Eli’s wayward sons, had conducted themselves dishonourably before the Lord God. In 1 Samuel 2: 12 -14, we [...]
Step into the Peranakan Mass Sambot Kepala Taon Baru celebrated at Midnight of Lunar New Year and one may feel like a misplaced poinsettia pot amidst the gaily embroidered peonies of the Nonya sarong kebayas, and the festively intricate phoenixes on the Baba baju lok chuan. However, the resplendent cultural outfits are not the only markers of cultural identity that [...]
The Gospel of Matthew concludes with Jesus commissioning his disciples: “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.” (Matthew 28: 19-20) [...]
The theme of the readings today centres on Love. The love of God and love of one's neighbour cannot be separated. In the first reading, Moses reminds the Jews of the covenant with God, to fear God, to follow, and to observe the statutes and commandments. In return, there would be promised blessings for obedience to the law. What does [...]
In the first reading, the prophet Jeremiah tells us about the tender heart of our Lord. Our Lord has a particular care for people who are marginalised, vulnerable and oppressed. He looks after us and our concerns matter to Him. We matter to Him, our identity matters. If we repent and turn to Him, He will accept us as a loving [...]
Why People Leave - A Parable There was a man, and it so happened that it was not the best of days for him. He had had a long day at work, and had exchanged a number of unpleasant words with his boss. He was on the edge of burn out, and his manager had just given him an entire [...]