The Barefoot Journey Home

As many of you might be aware, last Sunday was Good Shepard Sunday, which is also known as Vocation Sunday. This day was instituted in 1964 by Pope Paul VI as a day to pray in particular for an increase in vocations, especially to the Priesthood and Religious Life.  Fittingly, many Catholic institutions shared posts on their social media pages to promote vocations to their congregation. I came across more than a few posts from the religious orders, encouraging young people to consider if God might be calling them to live the Gospel by their way of life. There were also posts about how one should go about discerning his or her call to a particular vocation, but one particular post stood out to me. This post was about what a vocation is and is not, and I must admit that I was rather bemused by the very first point made in the post; Vocation is NOT an Urgent Matter .  What I'm about to write in today's post might not sit well with some of you, and I'm not saying that I'm o...

Among all the clichè sayings that the human race in this day and age has grown accustomed to, there are many which Catholics ought not to be saying at all. If there is one clichè saying that annoys me more than any other, especially when used by a Catholic, this is it: "Heaven Has Gained Another Angel" .  Of course, it is understandable why many of us use this clichè. It is often used at the passing of a loved one, and these words do bring some form of comfort to those who mourn. However, for those who are well catechised, we should know that this clichè is completely out of line with our Catholic theology. It is a downright lie that we tell our grieving friends, which honestly could do more harm than good, and I think that we need to know why we should stop using it.  First of all, we need to understand that Angels are beings that do not share the same nature as Humans. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Angels are spiritual creatures who glorify God without ...

 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...

 Let's be honest. All of us seek happiness. The world encourages us to do so. In fact, for many of us, as we get older, we care less about what others think. We buy into the mentality that those who mind don't matter and that those who matter don't mind. I must admit, I personally buy into that mindset.  It's true that self-care is important, and that we should seek to be happy. It's also true that those who are our true friends will support us in every decision that we make, even if it means giving us the space to allow us to live and learn. However, I do wonder if whether or not, in the pursuit of personal happiness, we might be compromising on the message of the gospel.  The problem with many of us is that in our pursuit of happiness, while we are right to say that we should not care too much about what others have to say (as we live in a world where no matter what we do, there'll always be somebody with something to say), but we sometimes can get a little ca...

 "If it's not appropriate at the Foot of the Cross, it doesn't belong at Mass" This is often cited by more than a few Catholics who wish to speak out against liturgical abuse. To many of such people, things such as the guitar, the piano, and even the drums in some parishes have been a cause of liturgical abuse. Many of us feel that there is a need for the restoration of the Pipe Organ and Chant, so as to restore the holiness which should be found in the Liturgy.  It's definitely true that the GIRM calls for an emphasis on Chant, and for the Pipe Organ to be held in high esteem. Quite frankly, I do feel that we should put a bit more of an emphasis on these things during the celebration of the Liturgy, so as to remind our Catholics that what is being celebrated is indeed sacred. However, does this really mean that the guitar, the piano, and the drums do not have a place in the Liturgy? Is the music from the composers really a cause of Liturgical Abuse?  While it...