Whenever we read or hear of the word “scribe”, we naturally think of the scribes from the Gospels who seem to be constantly criticised by Jesus Christ. To be fair, a scribe is actually a person who is well versed in interpreting and teaching the Torah (the Law or the first 5 books in the…
Let There Be Peace on Earth
How often do we get news about peace these days? More often than not, we get news through different media containing matters about conflicts, wars, murders, rape, torture, violence, terrorism and other similar negative news. Seeing how such news is being rampantly distributed, how can we as Christians make a difference? Can I make a…
Baptism: An Analogy to our Faith
Have you ever noticed how infants behave when they are about to be baptised? Some of you may wonder: “But infants are infants. They either sleep, feed or cry. What are you getting at?” Well, actually if you observe infants and how they respond when you baptise them, we could get some insights about ourselves,…
Titles and Styles of Addressing For Roman Catholic Hierarchy
Noticed that some folks seem to be getting the proper terms mixed up, especially when it comes to titles used for church hierarchy. Some of you may wonder why we need to be so kiasu or gan cheong about such titles, but for the sake of protocol and decorum, we may need to take note…
To Sponsor or not to Sponsor?
A Bit of Background There was a time in the past where Christians were facing tremendous persecution from the Roman Empire, especially before the year 313 AD (313 AD was the year when the Edict of Milan declared the Roman Empire neutral towards religious views, in effect ending the persecution of Christians). Because of such…
Planning to Get Married? Sure or Not?
When a couple comes to see a priest when they are planning to get married, there are several questions which may normally be asked. Among the many questions asked, some are quite important or crucial, since such questions would help determine whether the couple is really ready for marriage. In other words, whether the couple…
Christmas Carol or Christmas Song?
Some of us may still be confusing the difference between Christmas carols and Christmas songs, especially when we are going around spreading the joy of Christmas in our neighbourhood, community, or even church (including the times we go around Christmas carolling). While the two are “supposingly” about Christmas, their wording and purpose are actually quite…
Receiving Holy Communion – Some Observations
It is interesting to observe how some folks receive Holy Communion. Every once in a while, I remind the faithful that one should receive Holy Communion in a proper way. Whether one receives Holy Communion on the tongue or by hand, these are some observations for your attention: Receiving Holy Communion on the hand Some…
Evangelising through Music
Music is a powerful form of evangelising today, especially among our youths. This is because our youths are more receptive and inclined towards listening, singing and remembering songs, and it is through many of these songs, both old and new, that we receive teaching, our minds being exercised along with our hearts. God reaches our…
我们是否应该保持各方面的卫生和洁净?
保持家庭或是居所的卫生和整洁是我们通常每天都要处理的生活习惯. 保持清洁就是要清除垃圾. 堆积在家里或是周围环境的垃圾 , 将会吸引很多危害人类健康的昆虫,爬虫, 或是老鼠之类的动物. 它们将在垃圾堆里寻找所需的食物,因此,它们也会互相残杀, 更会带来一些有害人类的疾病.相信大家都在媒体中看到有关的动物造成可怕的疾病.而且难以应对。 同样的我们也应该照顾身体的清洁和卫生。为了保健,多数人都会吃有营养的食物或是维他命丸。有些人每天都会做体操和运动;甚至常常都去医院做身体检验,以防万一。当然,每天洗澡后还擦香油或喷香精,使到我们的身体干净而且没有异味。我们更不希望见到旁人捻着鼻子而瞪着我们;因为身体流汗而发出阵阵的狐臭味,实在使人很难堪。假如几天或是一两个星期没有洗澡,身体所发出的臭味和汗酸味更是使人作呕而退避三舍。 大家也许都有注意到:无论是保持住所的整洁或是身体的健康都只是暂时性的。过了一段时期,房屋将会残旧不堪而需要装修或是重建。身体的情况也是一样,最终都免不了要面对死亡。也许大家没有注意到那永远不死不灭的是我们的灵魂。纵然你有清洁又美丽的房屋,你有清洁,健康和骄人的身材,但是,你的灵魂是否一尘不染? 每当我们犯了大罪或小罪,我们的灵魂已经被污染了。要是没有把灵魂上的污渍除去,我们的灵魂永远不干净。相信大家不会留下衣物上的污渍吧!为何你们不立刻除去灵魂上的污渍呢?难道你的灵魂不比衣物更重要吗?要是你以为还有很多时间可以清理灵魂上的污点,那么,你是否了解灵魂上的污点是越久越难清除的?再来说,死神会任何时候向你招手,到时你如何是好呢? 要除去灵魂上的污渍,我们就要去办告解或是和好圣事。当我们办和好圣事时,是耶稣基督赦我们的罪,同时也把灵魂上的污渍除去。很多时候,教友可以很方便地向神父告解,可是,一些教友仍然顽冥不灵和缺乏信心。更有一些教友觉得每年在降临期和四旬期办一两次告解就足够了。难道在漫长一年岁月里,教友可以控制自己而少犯罪,甚至完全没有犯错吗?或者是因为自己懒惰,又有诸多藉口去避免告解?请大家别忘记,天主在你不知不觉和毫无准备时可以召你回去,向祂报告有关你一生的所作所为。因此,希望教友们时时警惕自己,更不希望自己的灵魂将来得不到永生的赏报。