As I read the fragile and parched first pages of my father’s 1952 diary, the sands of time slowly weaved the context of its moment into my consciousness. He was writing well past midnight, having attended to his daughter, my sister. Now he paused to slow down to pen a few thoughts. He was more…
“This does not mean that we are to be perpetually solemn. We must play. But our merriment must be of that kind (and it is in fact the merriest kind) which exists between people who have, from the onset, taken each other seriously.” “If you ask twenty good men today what they thought the highest…
So we finally visited our friends-in-need or FINs these two days to distribute some long-delayed hygiene packs. There were cookies that were added and croissants that were freshly packed and added to the soaps and masks. These items were donated two months ago, at the start of the Covid circuit-breaker or Singapore style ‘lock-down’, and…
St Pope John Paul II, who passed away on Divine Mercy Sunday on 2 April 2005, wrote his last book, Memory and Identity: Personal Reflections, (Weidenfeld & Nicholson, published 2005), in the style of a series of interviews and questions, expanding on the themes that were much earlier examined in 1993 with two Polish philosophers,…
That magnificent quote, from CS Lewis’ Sermon, “Learning in War-Time”, is a wonderful paradigm for our times, in this year, the year of the pandemic war.
Like the humble jambu bol tree that nurtures its flower buds lovingly from conception to fruition, for the birds to feed in a frenzy, gone in just an instance.In early March, the black-naped oriole studies the exuberant stamen. In six weeks, the tree is laden with fruit and ripe for the pickings. A day later,…
Today’s Gospel Reading in the Missal of the Catholic tradition is such a powerful lesson in how to be a steward of God’s talents and remain a faithful servant. Here Jesus gives a master-class in servant leadership, and teaches us (a) how to use our talent (willingly and with great generosity to help others), (b)…
God has created me to do him some definite service; he has committed some work to me which he has not committed to another. I have my mission – I never may know it in this life, but I shall be told it in the next …. I have a part in a great work;…
When we ponder over the idealism of humankind’s strive for progress and perfection, we are captivated by the notion that dissatisfaction with the status quo leads on to great things especially if we have the motivation to embark on such endeavors with a purity of heart and mind. This is unfortunately a tall order for…
2 Corinthians 6:1-10 † As his fellow workers, we beg you once again not to neglect the grace of God that you have received. For he says: At the favourable time, I have listened to you; on the day of salvation I came to your help. Well, now is the favourable time; this is the day…