On this Gaudete (Rejoice) Sunday, through the Word of God, we reflect on our Advent journey and look forward to celebrating with overflowing joy, praise and thanksgiving for the coming of Christ. We hear in the Gospel of John (Jn 1:23) how St John the Baptist, all those years in the wilderness, according to the plan of God prepared the [...]
As we look forward for the Second Coming of Christ with great anticipation and hope in the Second Sunday of Advent, we are called to prepare the way for His coming. In today’s First Reading, God’s faithfulness to His people is shown by how He prepares them for the release of captivity through Prophet Isaiah. He consoled and forgave when [...]
Solemnity of Christ the King This celebration is not at the level of a feast but at the level of a solemnity. It is the highest form of celebration in a liturgical setting. This is to indicate how important a place this recognition of our Lord Jesus Christ has in our liturgical setting. The Solemnity of our Lord [...]
We gather this weekend to celebrate the 33rd of 34 weeks in Ordinary Times. It’s two weeks away before we start a new liturgical year. The black fog caused by COVID19 pandemic continues without abetting. Uncertainties surround our livelihood, health and personal freedom. The ancient Israelites, they had experienced repeated sudden disasters unlike those of C19. What gave them security? [...]
This week, the parable of the ten virgins invites us to ponder about being ready at an intimate level. In our daily lives, we can be occupied with getting prepared, be it for school, for work, for an appointment or even for our favourite TV series. As we approach the end of this liturgical year, we will be celebrating [...]
What is your goal in life? For majority of the people, it would run along the lines of getting a good education in the university, a career job that pays well enough to live an opulent, or more realistically, a comfortable lifestyle. Coming from a poor family, this was indeed my dream. When I (Anthony) became a catholic in the [...]
In today’s Gospel one of the Pharisees, “an expert of the law” ventured to test Jesus as to which was the most important law. The Jews were governed by the Mosaic Law which comprised the Ten Commandments and more than 600 auxiliary and additional rules for living. It was more in the Pharisees' interest to defeat Jesus rather than to [...]
We learn from the first reading that the Persian king, Cyrus was called by name and anointed by the Lord to subdue nations before him with a mission to free the Jewish exiles from captivity in Babylon. Similarly, by virtue of our baptism, we are called by name and anointed as priest, prophet and king and thus commissioned with a [...]
We know that one of Singaporeans’ favourite indulgences is food. Our conversation comes alive and we talk fondly of our favourite dishes or delicacies. In today’s first reading, Isaiah describes the lavish banquet for all people, and speaks of juicy, rich food and refined, aged wine. What is more, at this banquet, death and shame will be lifted from [...]
Those of us who have tried growing herbs or veggies will probably find the message from today’s readings familiar with our experiences. Such is the case in the first reading, where the vine-owner “had a vineyard on a fertile hillside; he spaded it, cleared it of stones, and planted the choicest vines; within it he built a watchtower, and [...]