What is the International Day of Happiness? It’s a day to be happy, of course! Since 2013, the United Nations has celebrated the International Day of Happiness as a way to recognise the importance of happiness in the lives of people around the world. Happiness is a fundamental human goal. […]
Feast of Diwali – 12 November 2023
Background Diwali is called the « Festival of Lights » and is celebrated to honor Rama-chandra, the seventh avatar (incarnation of the god Vishnu). It is believed that on this day Rama returned to his people after 14 years of exile during which he fought and won a battle against the demons […]
2nd Sunday of Year A – 2023
Every week, we reflect on the Bible texts of a given Sunday, or Feast Day. Most times, we focus on the words of one of the readings. Today, one verse of the Psalm, used as a response to the 1st reading, has caught my attention(Psalm 40:1-2,4,7-11). “The Lord has stooped […]
19th Sunday of Year C – 2022
The 2nd reading of this Sunday speaks of people and events long gone (Hebrew 11:1-2,8-19). The people involved and their experiences may seem distant and strange to us and yet… Yet, what is described in this text has a message that is very relevant to us in our own time. […]
18th Sunday of Year C – 2022
Belongings, possessions, riches – all items referring to one’s property. They describe things of value acquired by someone. Houses, cars, jewels, come immediately to mind, but many more ordinary or unusual items could also be mentioned! The author of today’s 1st reading (Ecclesiastes 1:2; 2:21-23) had his own detailed list […]
Global Day of Parents – 1st June 2022
Appreciate All Parents Throughout the World Since the 1980s, the important role of the family has increasingly come to the attention of the international community. The General Assembly adopted a number of resolutions and proclaimed the International Year of the Family and the International Day of Families. Emphasizing the critical role […]
International Day of Happiness – 20 March 2022
The International Day of Happiness is observed every year all over the world on March 20 to highlight the importance of happiness in the lives of people. The day recognizes happiness as the one of the most important need of human being and also highlights why it is essential to […]
6th Sunday of Year C – 2022
Poverty, hunger, sadness, hatred from others – who would dare say that these will bring happiness? Someone has dared to say so – Jesus did when speaking to the crowds eager to listen to him (Luke 6:17,20-26). I wonder how they reacted, all those listening to him on that day… […]
24th Sunday of Year B – 2021
The gospel texts are sometimes comforting and encouraging. At other times, they are demanding and… more than a little challenging The text for this Sunday (Mark 7:28-35) belongs to this challenging category! We are told that: “He (Jesus) began to teach them (the apostles) that the Son of Man must suffer […]
18th Sunday of Year B – 2021
In the 1st reading of today’s celebration (Ex.16:2-4,12-15), we meet people greatly annoyed and showing clearly their discontent. They grumble about their situation and reproach their leader, Moses, for having taken them where they are. Their attitude is quite surprising: We would think they would rejoice at having been freed […]