I was recently asked by a friend who is currently undergoing a difficult time, “Why must people suffer?” and “Why is there suffering in the world?” We all know the head knowledge about how suffering is redemptive, and that which would eventually lead us to deep joy when we find meaning in the suffering and when we unite our suffering [...]
When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly a sound came from heaven like the rush of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire, distributed and resting on each one of them. And they were all filled [...]
The summers of Australia are well-documented for their bush fires as the heat of the sun meets the dry, arid natural kindling of the bushland. Summer in Australia is also the time when all sorts of creepy-crawlies crawl out of the woodwork. The most annoying of all being the fly, otherwise known as the Musca vetustissima, or the bush fly [...]
When the LORD restored the captives of Zion, we thought we were dreaming. Then our mouths were filled with laughter; our tongues sang for joy. Then it was said among the nations, “The LORD had done great things for them.” - Psalm 126: 1-2 According to Hebrew cultural traditions, the time of exile, the galut is often referred to as a time [...]
Soon after completing the Church, Fr Lee asked the Archbishop to be free of the responsibilities of being a parish priest. He wanted to set up a spirituality and retreat centre and the Archbishop gives him the green light to start St Francis Xavier Minor Seminary. On September 14, 1997, Fr Michael Arro arrived at St Michael's. "I was sent [...]
1 John 4: 15 to 19 states: Whoever acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God remains in him and he in God. We have come to know and to believe in the love God has for us. God is love, and whoever remains in love remains in God and God in him. In this is love brought to [...]
On July 7, 1991, the parishioners of the Church of St. Michael attended the Eucharistic Celebration in the old church building for the last time. In the last week of July 1991, it was demolished to make way for the new building. The current building of the Church of St. Michael officially opened on 2 May 1994, after renovation works [...]
The term, "Sea Change" can be traced etymologically to its first use in 1610, when William Shakespeare wrote and produced the play, The Tempest: “Full fathom five thy father lies; Of his bones are coral made; Those are pearls that were his eyes: Nothing of him that doth fade/ But doth suffer a sea-change/ Into something rich and strange. Sea-nymphs [...]
As Pope Francis has said, “Lent comes providentially to reawaken us, to shake us from our lethargy”. Lent is a time when we scrutinize areas of our lives that are facing spiritual death. In recognizing the malnourished state of our spiritual self, we can work on reviving it during this season. Upon reflection, I realized that I have not been [...]
A Time To Break Down A Time To Build Up WHY REBUILD THE CHURCH? The old church was built on swampy ground in 1961 and rested on a pile foundation of bakau wood. Over the years, as a result of soil settlement, the poor quality foundation caused the church to sink gradually. Severe cracks started to appear on the floor [...]
