In the parable of today’s gospel, the enemy sows darnel into the wheat field. As the darnel grows become evident, the neighbours around this farmer will laugh at him and say that he does not know how to prepare the soil for the sowing. The enemy wants to shame the farmer because he does not like the farmer to prosper. [...]
A question to consider is: ‘Who is the Sower?’ The immediate answer for most is that it is Jesus. If we consider the ancient world, it could be the owner of the plantation, the tenant farmer, or the peasant worker. If it was the owner, he would be despised by the peasant who are hearing this parable. If there were [...]
Our family recently attended a Family Camp 2023 in Batam, organised by our parish Church of Saint Michael. It was a new experience for us, as my husband is a free thinker, my son is in the beginning stages of his faith with Catechism class level 1, and I am still learning about my faith through RCIA. It was also [...]
Rejoice! The King is Coming! The first reading is a song of praise for the coming of the Kingdom of God. The King is victorious; he is triumphant. He comes to us in humility by riding on a donkey. In ancient times, a king would ride on a donkey to signify that he is coming in peace. He rides a [...]
Drinking more deeply from the living waters of our faith Young one, words of wisdom, you must listen! To refuse, you cannot. Retreats are woven into the RCIA process to give our catechumens opportunities to encounter God, delve more deeply into our faith and bond with one another. The second retreat of our journey, the Faith and Life Retreat, was [...]
In Genesis 31: 34-35, “Meanwhile Rachel had taken the household images, put them inside the camel’s saddlebag, and seated herself upon them. When Laban had rummaged through her whole tent without finding them, she said to her father, “Do not let my lord be angry that I cannot rise in your presence; I am having my period.” So, despite his [...]
This Sunday’s readings are a reminder of the paradox of the cross that in order to live one must die. Dying to oneself is something that is avoided because it is uncomfortable. Familiarity is comforting and choosing situations which make one feel comfortable is natural. Even in church, worshippers often find themselves sitting at the same spot during Eucharistic celebrations, [...]
40 years. The number sounds familiar? Well, that was also me ignoring the Holy Spirit. In my 20s and 30s, the only times I made the sign of the cross – Father, Son & Holy Spirit, was when I entered the church. It was not until I attended Life in the Spirit Seminar in my 40s, that my eyes were [...]
The First Reading and the Responsorial Psalms contain tones of restlessness and complain. The prophet Jeremiah in the First Reading was experiencing such tumult as he fought futilely against the onslaught of despair, sorrow, and terror. As a prophet of God, he was afraid for his life, so much so that he scolded God for beguiling him with a [...]
My family keeps a pet hamster, well technically it belongs to my sister, but we take turns taking care of it when she goes away on holiday. Recently, this pet hamster passed on. It was 2 and a half years old – considered very old in hamster age, and when it died, it had been struggling with hamster cancer in [...]
