SPRINGBOARDS and WALKING STICKS

 On March 13, 2013, the world witnessed a historic moment as Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected Pope, becoming the 266th successor to Saint Peter. His election was particularly significant as he became the first Pope from the Americas, the first from the Jesuit order, and the first to choose the name Francis, in honour of St. Francis of Assisi, the saint of humility and poverty. Throughout his papacy, Pope Francis consistently used his platform to issue frequent and impassioned calls for peace and social justice on a global scale. Pope Francis Challenged Indifference His first trip outside of Rome as Pope was to the island of Lampedusa, southern Italy, in 2013, a visit to meet with newly arrived migrants and refugees. During this poignant visit, he powerfully denounced the "globalisation of indifference" that allows the suffering and deaths of migrants to go unnoticed, highlighting the urgent need for compassion and action. He consistently prioritised the plight of migran...

 Following the death of Pope Francis on April 21, 2025, the Holy See has entered a period known as " sede vacante " (vacant seat), a time of transition between popes that involves specific protocols and temporary governance structures. When a pope dies or resigns, as has happened with Pope Francis, the Holy See enters sede vacante . The term literally refers to the vacant seat—specifically the cathedra of Saint John Lateran, which is the cathedral church of the Bishop of Rome. This vacancy marks the beginning of a carefully regulated process that has been refined over centuries of Church tradition. During sede vacante , the governance of the Holy See transitions to the College of Cardinals, though their authority is significantly limited. One of the first notable changes is that most heads of departments within the Roman Curia "cease to exercise" their offices, creating a deliberate pause in the Church's central administration. Two key officials continue their r...

  Luke begins his gospel with a dialogue between the angel and Mother Mary in preparation for the incarnation. Mary did not understand much, much less did she humanly could believe. The angel told Mother Mary, ‘Nothing is impossible with God’ (Luke 1: 37). This gospel, as in other synoptic gospels, there are many incidents and events proving that there is nothing impossible with God: the lame walked, the dumb spoke, the hungry is fed, and so on. Mary in her own way must have strengthened others and the apostles with these words that she had received from the angel. But as we approach the end of the gospels the situation is so grim, Jesus, the master healer, the wonderworker is arrested, crucified, and buried, and a huge stone was rolled on to the face of the tomb. Humanly speaking everything is over. The disciples are scattered. The apostles are behind closed doors, in fear. The night had fallen.  There large stone rolled up to cover the tomb of Jesus is symboli...

 Good Friday brings us to the foot of the cross, and face to face with Christ hanging on the cross. You can’t escape the cross and the man hanging on the cross today. You are prayerfully, compellingly, or even violently brought to the foot of the cross. At the foot of the cross you meditate on the spirituality and philosophy of the cross. Gripped by the holiness of the cross and the man hanging on the cross, we fall on our knees in veneration. I. As we look at the crucifixion scene in Luke 23 we find three crosses and the men on those crosses in conversation on mount Calvary. Their response to the violence an endurance that is happening around would perhaps represent various categories of people who made that gory journey, starting with is arrest on the Mount of Olives, passing through the offices of Annas, the former high priest, Caiaphas, the high priest, Herod, the ruler of Galilee, Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor, and finally to Mount Calvary, the mount of crucifixion. We fi...

 Art faces, looks outward. Art, like any visual, is made to be seen. Art begins its life facing outward, a silent message positioned at the boundary between creator and audience. By its very nature, art is made the explicit purpose of being witnessed by others. This fundamental characteristic—art's inherent visibility—gives it a unique purpose than mere aesthetic appreciation. Consider how art functions in our world: it may repel, like a scarecrow standing sentinel in a field, establishing boundaries and creating distance. Alternatively, it might beckon us forward like an inviting multi-cuisine restaurant sign, promising nourishment of a different kind. This duality speaks to art's versatility as a communicative medium. When art invites engagement, it doesn't simply request passive viewing but actively encourages consumption, questioning, rethinking, and deconstruction of its messages and meanings. The most powerful works transcend their origins, breaking free from the soci...

 Maundy is from the Latin mandatum , meaning mandate, command, commandment. Jesus places before his disciples and all of us, three mandates. He instituted the Eucharist and mandated them to do it in remembrance of Him . When at the table, Jesus took bread and wine, blessed it gave thanks, broke bread and shared it along with wine to eat and drink; and told them, whenever you come together celebrate this in my memory. And it would also mean whenever you celebrate it must bring you together as a family, community, and society. Let this be the bond between you; let this be the identifying factor among you. At Emmaus, while Jesus broke the bread, the disciples recognised him. Jesus loved them, and loved them to the very end. And commanded them, as I have loved you, you must love one another . For Christians love is not a choice, Jesus commands it here as a mandate. Jesus washed his disciples’ feet; and commanded them, if I who you call as your master and lord, have washed your feet, ...

  This day begins at Bethphage (place of figs), with the triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. We began with enthusiasm, happiness, and with hosannas to the great king. We enter the church; slowly the palm branches go down, and as we read the passion narrative the cross of Jesus comes up. The king, who sat on a young donkey that walked on the garments and branches laid on the road, is now hanging on a cross, naked. The enthusiasm and happiness of people have turned into a feeling of sadness and mourning. The words from Zechariah 9:9, “Behold, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey" is replaced with the words from the servant song in Isaiah 53:2, "He had no form or beauty that we should look upon him, and no majesty that we should desire him.” Celebrated author of the book The Alchemist , Paulo Coelho, in his book, Like the Flowing River , suggests that life is composed of three distinct moments: ‘a lot of people’, ‘a few people’, and ‘almost no one’...

  One of the maxims of spirituality is that human life is not about ‘doing’ but ‘being’. Just be and, unlike animals, we begin to experience emptiness. As we can’t enter the same river twice, we also can’t do anything twice, or same as before. We are in constant becoming something other than what we had been. Life is not static. We are not unchanging entities frozen in time, but dynamic beings in constant flux—always growing, learning, and transforming. The essence of humanity lies not merely in our existence, but in our capacity for evolution. We are not just being; we are becoming. This distinction is profound. To "be" suggests a fixed state, but to "become" embodies the journey of transformation that defines the human experience. Each day, each moment, each choice carries us forward on this path of becoming—sometimes deliberately, sometimes unwittingly, but always inevitably. Consider the child who becomes an adult. The transformation involves not just physical g...

 Let not your heart be troubled, trust in God (John 14:1). As we hear the death of a loved one, we rise in protest and complaints; we wish the news were not true. In the hearts and minds of those who love, people always remain young; they never become old enough to die. Often what determines our age is the love of people around us. Our protest ends when we know that he/she is with someone more dear and loving than ourselves. Once a master had a large garden of rose plants planted, handed it over to a gardener to take care of it. The gardener along with his entire family stayed in the garden and took care of the rose plants. The rose plants grew up, had buds and flowers. And there in the middle of the garden was an amazing rose flower; it stood part from all other in its beauty and charm. The gardener and his entire household loved that flower. One day the gardener had gone to the market and arriving back home, and he found the rose plucked off. He protested, yelled, even cried, and...

 Even where kings once ruled supreme, there existed a curious counterbalance—the court jester. This figure, permitted to mock even the sovereign, made possible one of humanity's most enduring social truth telling mechanism: humour. Far from being merely a source of entertainment, wit and humour serve as essential elements of human connection, social critique, and personal resilience. As Gandhi wisely observed, "If I did not have a sense of humour, I would have ended my life long back." This profound statement reveals how humour functions as a survival mechanism in the face of life's greatest challenges. When confronted with adversity, the ability to laugh provides perspective and resilience that can sustain us through our darkest hours. The power of wit extends beyond personal comfort. Throughout history, humour has served as a social critic, challenging authority and puncturing pretension. The court jester's role was not merely to entertain but to speak truth to...