Jesus said to Nicodemus: ‘Do not be surprised when I say: You must be born from above. The wind blows wherever it pleases; you hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. That is how it is with all who are born of the Spirit.’ How sweet…
We will never know what happened to the carcass of the other nestling as it emerged in the dim but clear photo, a tinier head wedged beneath its better formed and oh, slightly bigger sibling. My housekeeper had counted 3 eggs in the nest when she last peeped, but I had barely make out two…
In the planting season when the padi fields are left to fallow before they are flooded and the new saplings planted, the Balinese ducks get to partake of the fallen grains, when the stalks of rice are cut and the grains threshed and winnowed by hand. The rice stalks themselves, once de-grained, get fed to…
There is a quiet solace in the sleepy air that envelops a tropical afternoon at the year-end, when the weather is cool and kind, the soft skies are heavy with clouds and the rain drives in gentle or sharp torrents, Here, the sleeping dog lies, bolstered by the faith that with evening, her proverbial daily…
Traveling through rural Japan, in the island of Kyushu, one is reminded of the fate of the Christian missionaries who were mercilessly persecuted by the then Shogunate of the Edo era. The fate of those who ministered to the Way, and their proselytes have been dramatized in the 2016 Martin Scorsese’s period portrayal of Shūsaku Endō’s…
In the quiet shade of a sun-filled morning, in a year that has just past its Autumnal Equinox, the lady brown-throated Sunbird rests and preens herself beneath the leafy sprinkles of a Dwarf Peacock, while a nearby Jumbo Wax Apple tree displays its nearly ripened offerings to a variety of impatient creatures as they careen…
Today’s reading in the Catholic tradition, from the Second Book of Kings have words of such simplicity yet depth of meaning, as to transcend through the ages in its relation to the Miracle of the Feeding of the Five Thousand (John 6:1-15). It is also the hallmark of hospitality in many cultures, both Eastern and…
On a delicate morning, with the early sun streaming through the garden precariously, the yellow sunbirds, and sparrows gather to preen themselves amidst the bauhinias, heliconias, honolulu creepers, gingers, peacocks and blue-peas. Yet it is in the midst of this peace and tranquility, that the battle for our hearts and souls continues. As Fr Josef…
Today’s second scripture reading at Mass in the Roman Catholic tradition is a wonderful rendition of the inner peace that comes with acknowledging the balance and equity of material needs, wants and apportionment. St Paul does not ask for the reversal of fortunes, or even equal misery – just the generosity of needing less and…
If you were traveling to the northern island of Hokkaido, Japan, to witness a summer blazing with flowers and colors, early June would be too early, as season travelers would tell you. ‘Green and nothing much else’ they would say. Yet, in the right places, deep in nature’s own backyard, when the man-made entreaties of…