Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew (21:28-31) tells a parable of two sons: “What is your opinion? A man had two sons. He came to the first and said, ‘Son, go out and work in the vineyard today.’ He said in reply, ‘I will not,’ but afterwards he changed his mind and went. The man came to the other son [...]
Some of you may think this a preposterous question. Jesus had 12 disciples with him. Beyond these close confreres, Jesus also had personal friends like Lazarus, Mary and Martha.1 Perhaps I never really thought of Jesus having friends. Since young, I have hummed the hymn “What a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear…” Jesus [...]
Fire is a mechanism that is powerful. It can be destructive, it can also purify. This fiery baptism that Jesus speaks of, aims to destroy the old ways and the kingdom of sin, while purifying the Faithful like gold in a crucible. (cf. Lk 17:29). We see a glimpse into the depths of Jesus’ soul as He speaks passionately and [...]
The life of Mother Teresa has been well-documented. In her interviews, she related the story of a man that she had found in the street drains. His body had been infested by maggots and his face had been almost half-eaten by these worms that plagued him. As she tended to his wounds and cleaned him up, picking out maggot after [...]
“Sell your possessions and give alms.” “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” “You too must stand ready, because the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” Is your treasure of this world or are you rich in love, faith, hope, charity, and trust in our Lord’s providence? Are you [...]
Looking up to the sky, Fr Sam said that he had asked for a sign from heaven that there are angels. No answer. His phone rang. Caller id: St Michael. When Fr Sam related this incident during his homily, I found it particularly intriguing (and amused) as I had just watched a YouTube video that morning about the existence of [...]
In Joel 2: 1-2, we read of how the Day of the Lord harkens. We are extolled to “blow the trumpet in Zion; sound the alarm on my holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, for the day of the Lord is coming, it is near, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and [...]
There are some who take life like it is a race, and they keep on running, running as fast as they can, before their time runs out. The race has been to strive to excel at school, at work, and at every other aspect of life. For some, this is expected by family members and loved ones. We live [...]
The Formative Years with the Mandarin Youth Legion of Mary “In the past, if I knew that something had happened to someone, I would go up to that person and comfort them. However, now if I see that they are not doing anything, I go up to them and ask - are you okay or not? Before I joined the [...]
The term “freedom” is thrown about without a care these days. The world is abuzz with trending topics such as 1) “The freedom to love” – I should be free to love whoever, and however I want, and marry whomever I wish, be it with regard to homosexual, promiscuous flings – heterosexual or otherwise, polygamous sexual relations, with a non-living [...]