The Barefoot Journey Home

I noticed something last Sunday when I attended Mass. I noticed that many of my fellow brothers and sisters who were gathered at the Eucharistic Feast were opening their palms in prayer, especially during the various parts of the Eucharistic Prayer. As someone who has had the privilege of learning about the liturgy from a priest who holds a licentiate in Liturgical and Sacramental Theology, this caught my attention at once. I was not distressed about it, neither was I attempting to pass judgment on anybody, but I knew at once what I was going to write about this week.  I'm quite sure that what I am going to write today is going to unruffle the feathers of many. Like all my liturgical musings, I assure you dear reader, that I do not aim to offend or criticise anyone by means of this post. This musing is not an attempt to be a liturgical terrorist, or to push any agendas within the Church. I write this post with only one aim in mind; to shed some light on how the Church intends for h...

I'm sure that many here have read my musing in February about the Divine Office, also known as the Liturgy of the Hours. Together with the celebration of the Eucharist, the Divine Office constitutes the official public prayer life of the Church. All members of the clergy are required to pray the Office on a daily basis, and lay people are strongly encouraged to do so as well.  Not many parishes in our diocese pray the Office together on a daily basis. In fact, The Divine Office is often unheard of among the laity, and even for those who would like to take up the habit of praying it, many are not even sure how to get started. I've personally seen this, when the Circuit Breaker was implemented in April and I started an online initiative within my community, where we gather on an online platform to pray the Morning and Evening Prayer together. Many were unsure of the technicalities of the prayer. Many were unsure of when it was time for them to speak and when it was time for them ...

With the gradual re-opening of our Churches as the nation exits the Circuit Breaker which was imposed because of the Pandemic, many of us have been eagerly looking forward to the day when we would finally be able to receive Jesus in the Eucharist. That day came for many of us last weekend, or at least it did for me.  I was just as excited about it as most of my fellow brother and sisters. I must admit that I've been having a longing to receive the sacraments ever since the suspension of Masses was imposed in February. Sure, before the Circuit Breaker was imposed, I managed to get a good confession on a monthly basis from my Spiritual Director, and sure, I was lucky enough to be able to attend a couple of so-called "private" Masses before the Circuit Breaker was imposed in April. I say so-called because there really is no such thing as a private liturgy and really, we need to be careful when we call our liturgies private because it can undermine the essence of the faith th...

Sounds strange doesn't it? After all, prayer is supposed to be about spending time with our Lord and King. It's something that every Christian, who has developed a personal relationship with God, should want to do. Why on earth should it be called an art of discipline?  The sad reality, my dear friends, is that many of us struggle to make time for God within our day. After all, we live in a world where our work surrounds our daily living, and on top of that, we have to juggle extra-curricular activities, family commitments, and a whole lot of other things. As much as with the gift of technology, there is a multitude of resources we can turn to for assistance in our prayer life, the reality is that it's hard to find time to be with God, when we are so pre-occupied with the hustle and bustle of daily living.  However, as much as it is true that most of us live extremely fast paced lives in this day and age, I'd like to propose that it also boils down to a deeper problem t...