There are five precepts of the Catholic Church: You shall attend Mass on Sundays and holy days of obligation and rest from servile labour. You shall confess your sins at least once a year. You shall receive the sacrament of the Eucharist at least during the Easter season. You shall observe the days of fasting and abstinence established by the [...]
Today, we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity. Solemnities are special feasts set aside by the Church to focus on the most important mysteries of our faith. On this solemnity, we are invited through the readings and psalm to reflect on the mystery of the Trinity – one God in three persons: the Father, the Son, and Holy [...]
The record of Pentecost in Acts paints a vivid scene – a powerful wind, tongues of fire, miraculous speech enabling the apostles to reach a pan-national audience in a way the hearers could immediately understand. Fast forward to today, we might be less impressed with the gift of speech. From every corner of the globe, we are bombarded with words [...]
If the Resurrection was a quiet affair that was shielded in silence, the events post-Resurrection glorified the Lord in glorious sound, signs, and wonders. At the time of the Pentecost, a tremendous sound was heard across the skies, which was followed by a majestic wind. We are immediately reminded of the time when the Lord God revealed himself to Moses [...]
In the Acts of the Apostles, we read about the stoning of St. Stephen after defending his faith before the Sanhedrin. Notice the similarity between Jesus and him at the peak of their suffering. Despite the tremendous pain, both of them continued to pray fervently and even prayed that the sins not be held against the people that caused the [...]
The temple of God that is in us, God is in us! How amazing the thought! Many of us claim to be busy and we have no time for God. The Holy Spirit resides in our innermost being! Try this… Find a quiet place, be still, remove your distractions, pray for God’s grace to open your heart and your senses, [...]
On this 5th Sunday of Easter, the Gospel passage introduces us to the farewell discourse of Jesus. We recall on that first Holy Thursday night, where Jesus offered an example of humble loving service to others. We are also called to do the same – to humble ourselves and be of service to others – and exemplify his command of [...]
Each year, on this 4th Sunday of Easter, we celebrate Good Shepherd Sunday and reflect on what a good shepherd is like. A shepherd is one who leads, feeds, nurtures, comforts, corrects and protects his flock. This is indeed the image of our Good Shepherd, Jesus, who devotedly takes care of his flock. “I have come so that they [...]
Parish Boundaries The word, “parish” can be traced etymologically to the Latin parochia and the Greek paroikia, which can be taken literally to mean a cluster or group of neighbouring living places to dwell in (Boudinhon & Fanning, 1911). A parish thus consists of a community of homes, which do not exist independently of each other, but in solidarity with [...]
Jesus appears to the disciples by the Lake of Tiberias. This is the third recording of Jesus appearance to his disciples. Indeed it is fascinating to see what began as an ordinary cooked breakfast became a deep experience of forgiveness and renewal for Peter. Notice initially how the disciple whom Jesus loved informed Peter, “It is the Lord.” At these [...]