The Barefoot Journey Home

 Ever since the start of the Pandemic, even when we were allowed to resume the celebration of the Liturgy in the parishes, the Liturgy has never been the same. I can't remember the last time we were allowed to sing during the Liturgy, which is rather sad because music plays an important role in drawing us into the Mystery of Christ. The restrictions on having music in the Liturgy is also meant to keep all religious services as short as possible, so as to prevent further risks of cross contamination.  Of course, I'm not complaining about this. As much as here in Singapore, we have been able to bring the pandemic under some form of tentative control, the pandemic is far from over. The last thing we need at this point, especially with the sacred days of the Easter Tridumn around the corner, would be for a cluster to form in one of our parishes, which would lead to further implications for the entire Archdiocese.  However, as much as the safety regulations from the authoritie...

To many of us, if there's one thing that Jesus really showed during his public ministry, it's the fact that God is love. From healing the sick, to casting out demons, to giving his life on the Cross for all of us, Jesus' ministry encapsulates perfectly, the heart of God. Whilst many in the time of Jesus thought of God as an angry and vengeful God, who's wrath needed to be appeased, Jesus shows us that we have a loving and merciful God.  By no doubt, charity is at the heart of Jesus' public ministry, which continues till this day. In fact, Pope Benedict has said more than a few times that Charity is the heart of the Church. The hallmark of a true Christian isn't about how much Scriptural or Theological knowledge he possesses, but in his love for his neighbour.  However, I do wonder sometimes if we are picking and choosing how to love others as Jesus did. I do wonder if we have been picking and choosing on which elements of Jesus we want to be impacted by. Many of...

 In our readings for this weekend, we see a preview of what we are going to be celebrating as Church at the end of our Lenten Journey. We also see what we are called to become during Lent, and at end of our life here on Earth. Last weekend, we saw Jesus in his purest and highest state. The story of the Transfiguration in the Gospel needs no introduction to most, if not all of us. We know how Jesus took his disciples up the mountain, and how he was transfigured. We know how two of the most important figures from the Old Testament, Moses and Elijah, were also there and conversed with Jesus. But did you know why Moses and Elijah were there?  To answer that, we need to go back to the Old Testament, and really look at the purpose of Moses and Elijah’s ministry. For Moses, apart from his mission to rescue the people of Israel from slavery in Egypt, he was the giver of the law. The Jewish Torah, which is where we get the first five books of the Bible from, are in fact attributed to M...