17 October presents an opportunity to acknowledge the effort and struggle of people living in poverty, a chance for them to make their concerns heard, and a moment to recognize that poor people are the first ones to fight against poverty. Participation of the poor themselves has been at the […]
World Suicide Prevention Day – 10 September
World Suicide Prevention Day (WSPD) is an awareness day observed on 10 September every year, in order to provide worldwide commitment and action to prevent suicides, with various activities around the world since 2003. The International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP) collaborates with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Federation for Mental Health (WFMH) to host World Suicide […]
32nd Sunday of Year A – 2020
Listening to a speaker not very interesting, one may fall asleep. Falling asleep watching a television program rather dull is also common. It happens also that we fall asleep while waiting for someone who delays in coming. Such situations are not serious and of not much consequence. But… Jesus’ parable […]
3rd Sunday of Advent, Year A – 2019
Periods of questioning… Situations when one wonders… Events that cause bewilderment… Happenings that leave us perplexed… We all know this from experience, repeated experience, we could say. John the Baptist has gone through this as well – his cousin, Jesus, somehow brings confusion to him. So, he sends some of […]
29th Sunday of Year C – 2019
“When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?” A question that is strange… surprising… shocking even?… It is not from me, but it is the last line of the gospel text for this Sunday (29th Sunday of Year C: Luke 18:1-8). It is somehow… […]
15th Sunday of Year C – 2019
Some of Jesus’ parables are well-known, nearly too well-known, yet not known well enough… We may be tempted to think that his message is equally familiar but… Intellectual knowledge is one thing, daily living is another – we are aware of this! This Sunday’s parable of The Good Samaritan (Lk.10:25-37) […]
International Day for Tolerance – 16 November
The United Nations’ (UN) International Day for Tolerance is annually observed on November 16 to educate people about the need for tolerance in society and to help them understand the negative effects of intolerance. Background In 1996 the UN General Assembly invited member states to observe the International Day for […]
International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition – 23 August
The United Nations’ (UN) International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition is annually observed on August 23 to remind people of the tragedy of the transatlantic slave trade. It gives people a chance to think about the historic causes, the methods, and the consequences of […]
International Firefighters’ Day – 4 May
“The role of a firefighter in today’s society – be it urban, rural, natural environment, volunteer, career, industrial, defense force, aviation, motorsport, or other is one of dedication, commitment, and sacrifice – no matter what country we reside and work in. In the fire service, we fight together against one […]
4th Sunday of Advent, Year B
The gospel of this 4th Sunday of Advent (Year B) presents us with the scene of the Annunciation to Mary (Lk.1:26-38). Of course, we know it well, we could tell the ‘story’ easily and in all its details. We are so used to the text that nothing should surprise us […]