Pope Francis’s predecessor, Benedict XVI, was eloquent on the value of silence: “In silence, we are better able to listen to and understand ourselves; ideas come to birth and acquire depth; we understand with greater clarity what it is we want to say and what we expect from others; and we choose how to express…
Ministering to the Migrant Workers – Members of the St Vincent De Paul Society Conferences, Singapore James 2:14-18 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister has nothing to wear and has no food…
These are the snow monkeys of Jigokudani Yaen-koen, in central Honshu. The Jigokudani Yaen-koen (altitude 850 meters) is located in the Valley of Yokoyu River sourced from Shiga-Kogen of the Joshinetsu-Kogen National Park in northern part of Nagano prefecture. Because of the very steep cliffs and the steam coming off the springs in everywhere, ancient…
“How God will judge my life I know not, but I trust he will see me with mercy and compassion. I am only certain there will be three surprises in Heaven. First of all, I will see some people whom I never expected to see. Second, there will be a number whom I expected…
(Week 6) The mysterious miracle of growth and fruitfulness Another two weeks has passed. Now, there are these giant steps towards starting up the self-sustaining chlorophyll engine. This parable from today Missal, the Gospel of Mark 4:26-34 is so apt “With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable will we use…
(Week 4) Another two weeks has passed. The shoots are now proliferating in droves. Already, the first strand of a spider’s web has spun across the fledgling shoots, seemingly unaware of how short-lived the structures will be…… But Life does find a way. Elsewhere in the garden, a rare pink variant of the Peacock Flower…
Edward Hopper (1882-1967) was the artist of the gloominess of American urbanization – Here, arguably his most famous painting, Nighthawks (1942), is counter-posed by the African-American artist, Archibald J Motley Jr’s (1891-1981), Nightlife (1943) depicting the rich dynamic culture of the dance halls in the Chicago South side. At the Chicago Art Institute.
“Pain insists upon being attended to. God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our consciences, but shouts in our pains. It is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world.” ― C.S. Lewis Lewis’ quote incite in us the strength of God’s voice in the different moments of our life situations. Simplistically, the converse…
What the young ones said when the welcome ceremonies have ended and the regimentation sets in at the end of the first day of NS
“They will rob you of your identity”
“The memory of the time between lunch and this (evening) has been suppressed”
“Merdeka! Reflections on the Padang. Time-stamp: 0541 hr, 27th March 2015 “Merdeka!” the rap guttural urgent cry of post-independent Mr Lee Kuan Yuan, resonating in my subconscious mind, was interrupted by the young man in army fatigues. “Ladies and Gentlemen,” the bespectacled young man in crew-cut shouted “move in and make yourself comfortable! There is…