The word, “pilgrimage” may be traced etymologically to the 13th century, Old French, pelrimage, meaning to take an often long and arduous journey through strange and foreign lands, to arrive at a destination of a holy place. The Old French word, was also used to signify a crusade or a distant journey. It would only be around the 14th century that the [...]
In June 2021, Professor Roger Foo and his team of researchers published a never-before done study (Foo et al., 2021) documenting the genomes of the Peranakan community in Singapore. Whole-genome sequencing was done on 177 Peranakans, or those who identified very strongly as Peranakan in Singapore – Etymologically, the word, “Peranakan” has connotations of being “a native of the land”. [...]
As the world exited the 20th century and entered into the new millenium, there was a great cloud of anxiety hanging about the world. People were worried about Y2K, a bug in the computer coding and carding systems that would cause everything to re-set, and many watched with abated breath as the world made its countdown on New Year's Eve [...]
Food is an entity that is closely interwoven with a person's cultural experience, heritage, and identity. Our memories are tied in with the sights, textures, and smells of that which we taste and consume. The dining table becomes a place of gathering, conversation, and connection, as the gifts of hospitality unfold. Some of the events in our life that we [...]
Having received the news from the Angel Gabriel that her cousin who was of old age had conceived, Mary put down everything that had been occupying her and went forth, as the Gospel account tells us, "in haste" to her cousin Elizabeth. The journey was not an easy journey, as the Gospel also tells us that she had to travel [...]
In Revelation 5, we are given a glimpse of the heavenly banquet - where before the Mercy Seat and Divine Throne of our LORD GOD, the elders who have gone before us, and a multitude of holy beings and angels are gathered before the LORD, singing hymns of exultation and great joy, and proclaiming through their entire being, the worship [...]
A recent article in a local newspaper's Business section featured a write-up on how a person's occult business located in the middle of a popular downtown store where one would often head to to purchase computer peripherals had made close to $100,000 upon a couple of weeks of its opening. The shop featured tarot readings, and sold all paraphernalia pertaining [...]
When Pope John XXIII convened the ecumenical council of Vatican II in 1959, the Church found itself surprised as no council had been convoked for close to 100 years. Yet the Holy Spirit was moving in a powerful way. In the aftermath of World War I and World War II, with the advent of new technologies and advancements in radio [...]
Our world is in flux. There is a lot that is happening around us. We are people trying to make sense of the world around us. We are constantly jolted, and there exists a palpable tension between the world and our identities as sons and daughters of God. To this existentialist crisis, we throw in the mix, the current happening [...]
The Parable of the Man Stuck on a Roof It so happened that in a far-away land, a flood arose and slowly crept up the highlands, causing people to flee in panic to the highlands, or to their roofs. A man likewise, trying to escape the flood ran up to his roof. He started praying that God would send help [...]