During my childhood in Vietnam, it was a common experience for many people, and it is still even up to this day around the world, that I went to bed with an empty and very hungry tummy.
When I just landed at a refugee camp, feeling hungry and exhausted, I was given a bowl of fresh and warm rice. How delicious was its smell!
As missionaries we get used to saying ‘good-bye’ to people and places and we probably develop some kind of a routine in farewell scenes. Honestly, the ones who are ready to move on usually are in the better position. After a moment of sadness, the excitement of the new life that is going to come through is bigger.
Toub, our new SVD confrere from Laos, is getting ready to take up his assignment for language and theological studies in Australia. I was privileged to visit his family with him and to experience their love and care which really touched my heart.
I read Angela’s Ashes, a memoir of Frank McCourt, an Irish American, in which he vividly and dramatically portrayed his early childhood in Ireland.
There was a company, which was working in the forest and looking for a woodchopper. One day, two woodchoppers applied for the job.
Dear friends in Christ Jesus, the readings for this Sunday remind us of our calling to be an apostle.
In his public ministry, Jesus’ teaching was not always welcome. He experienced rejection ...
The term “mass” comes easily to the lips of Catholic faithful. The term “mass burial” may be less familiar...
Now there was a woman who had been suffering from haemorrhages for twelve years. She had endured much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had;
There was this story of a boy who was playing on a cruise liner with his alphabet blocks.
Dear friends, in today’s Gospel (Mark 4:26-34) we are invited to reflect on two beautiful and meaningful parables of the reign of God.
Feast of the Most Precious body & blood of our Lord Jesus - 2015
Fr John Quang SVDWe ended the holy Easter season with the magnificent feast of the Holy Spirit, and then we celebrate the feast of the Most Holy Trinity.
Isn’t it quite ironic that the most basic formula of our prayer is one of the most least understood among the doctrines of our faith. Whenever we start our prayer, we always invoke the three Persons of the Trinity. We always start our prayer with the Sign of the Cross. We say “In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” We say this while we use our right hand to touch our forehead, our abdomen, our left shoulder, then our right shoulder. We have done these things in an almost automatic function that we don’t really realise how immense this doctrine of the Holy Trinity is all about.
Pentecost, the day, the world became one, one spirit, one body, one family whose head is Jesus Christ!
Seeing my yawning face and puffy eyes on a winter cold morning, you enthusiastically greet me, “G’day, mate!”
One of the exciting events in Track and Field is the 4 X 100 metre relay. There’s a team of four athletes and they’re standing 100 metres apart and the first athlete will run for 100 metres then they pass the baton to the next athlete and the fourth athlete gets the baton and runs straight until the finish line. The beauty of this event is not just about running fast but it’s also about coordination between runners as they pass the baton. Because if you run without the baton, then the whole team gets disqualified and there are a number of races that are decided on how the baton was passed while running very fast too.
Peace be with you! It was at 3am when I was called to the hospital.