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 [...]
On the 11th of April 1964, Pope Paul VI broadcasted a radio message. It was to be the start of the first World Day for Vocations. Pope Paul VI then went on to explain how the readings of the day, present Jesus, the Good Shepherd who has a heart to shepherd his people. The presence of healthy vocations to the [...]
Emmaus was a town that was 7 miles away from Jerusalem, and on the road heading towards that destination, were two despondent disciples who having experienced the Passion and the death of Jesus, were heading as far away as they could from Jerusalem. They needed to recalibrate their thoughts and process the grief that they carried in their hearts, so [...]
Like Peter am I bold enough to proclaim the Word of God to others? What happened to Peter the fisherman, the disciple who denied Jesus three times? What made him speak so eloquently? Do we choose to keep quiet even though prompted by the Holy Spirit to speak and share the Word of God. Perhaps fear has crept in that [...]
