There is something deeply attractive about the narrative of the two disciples who encountered the Risen Christ and walked with him from Jerusalem to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35). Countless artists have painted the Road to Emmaus, often bathe in a shade of gold as the day draws to a close, when dusk beckons, the silhouettes lengthen,…
Complex & Simple, Persons, Posts
Remembering Pope John Paul II
Divine Mercy Sunday 1 May 2011 – Remembering Pope John Paul II There is a photograph by the late Gianni Giansanti (1956-2009) in John Paul II – Portrait of A Pontiff ( White Star Publishers, 1996) of the Holy Father at a working breakfast with Cardinal Stephen Kim of Korea (1). Giansanti wrote, ‘Breakfast comes after…
Complex & Simple, Persons, Posts
A Season of Hope and Preparedness
For the early Christians, the Image of the Risen Christ must have been a great bulwark and source of comfort as they lived in constant threat of persecution for their faith, their right to gather to worship, and to proselytise. The symbols needed by the early Christians were ones of hope and salvation. The challenges…
Nature, Places, Posts
The Rice Terraces of Ubud, Bali
The paddy fields turn into long strips of chic boutique hotels, while the adjacent rice saplings provide a serene and tranquil sea of green. The mornings are wet and luscious, and the wooden decks and rattan sofas beckon you to stay on and linger, to be carefree and timeless, and sprinkled by the occasional flashes of…
Complex & Simple, Persons, Posts
New Wine Into Fresh Skins!
And nobody puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and the wine is lost and the skins too. No! New wine into fresh skins! (Mk 2: 21-22) Ord. Wk 2nd. Monday, 8 January 2016 This eloquent parable by Jesus in Mark’s Gospel conveys the graphic image of fresh starts and new beginnings, only…
Complex & Simple, Places, Posts
The Timeless Bridge
The timeless beauty of the Ishibashi bridge is shown, with the Imperial Palace in Tokyo across the moat in the background, surrounding by a moat with its classic white swan in the foreground. The bridge is featured in the 2014 Japanese film Snow on the Blades, a sensitive portrayal of the fate of the Bushido code and the ageing Samurai and the rapidly…
Complex & Simple, Posts
Demonstrating Our True Self
These pictures were from Lake Shikotsu, Chitose, on the island of Hokkaido, Japan (2013). The most notable part of that evening was the mist that enveloped the lake and its vicinity, rendering the beautiful place hidden, almost deserted, and mysterious. The experience suggests that it is not uncommon that what a place or a person has to offer…
Books, Complex & Simple, Persons, Places, Posts
God Meets You Where You Are
God Meets You Where You Are Even though God is always calling us to constant conversion and growth, and even though we are imperfect and sometimes sinful people, God loves us as we are now. As Fr Anthony de Mello, SJ said, “You don’t have to change for God to love you.”…you are loved even…
Nature, Places, Posts
The Fragile Forest
Fauna of Singapore – At the Singapore Zoo and deep within it – The Fragile Forest And the beauty this week on Nature’s Trail in Singapore
Nature, Places, Posts
This Week on Nature’s Trail
The beauty of nature was everywhere in Singapore this week. To be part of God’s nature and with family. A New Year’s Blessing!