What's my Sunday routine? I wake up a bit late at 7:30 AM After eating brekkie and the requisite glass of orange juice, I walk about a 2.64 km route (a mile!) to CTK (Christ the King Catholic Church) which is inside campus. It takes me about 20 minutes to travel the distance by foot. On the way, I get to see the spring flowers. But in winter, I got to see the bare trees.
Mass
On my last Sunday here, the Mass was for vocations. Appropriately, the Mass caps the academic year. Exams are due to be held and those who are candidates for graduation are busy wrapping up their school work. I know a few of these students. Also appropriately, the Mass caps the process of receiving new Catholics into the Church. We followed the process as a congregation, from the time the candidates were presented and when they were dismissed as catechumens. Later they were baptized and confirmed and then received communion. Some of the new Catholics decided to be one as adults. They answered a call.
The homily by Father Thanc was on vocations. Vocations are not just for the priesthood, diaconate or religious life. In fact it is for life, whatever profession one is called. Father challenged the congregation whether they had an ear for their vocation. After all, in a world of mobile phones, laptops, ipods and on-demand TV, one can miss the call.
And many do, while we think we may have taken the call since we have a nice job that pays well and all those gadgets, we may have missed the call. And a clear sign that we have missed the call is unhappiness.
So perhaps we have to incline our ears to the heart. Some people get to answer the call at a late age and will have to give up many things. Our deacon had a thriving law practice and he got the call. He became a deacon and his wife and children answered their father's call too. No regrets
Some are really blessed. They receive their call at a young age. And being young and idealistic, they have very little to give up but their whole selves. I don't really know if I belong to this group. But what I can tell you is that I received my call when I saw my first hermit crab, the day when Dad took me to sea at the age of three!
And here I am now, still with crawlies on the seashore, hermits crabs and all. No regrets.
Evening Prayer
In the evening, I joined the Anglicans for Evening Prayer at Saint Alban's across the street from CTK. As the Episcopal Church also celebrates vocations, the collect is for more vocations. But this Evening Prayer was special since a Bach cantata was sung by the university chorale accompanied by the chamber orchestra.
At the end of the service, I had a good chat with Rector and the Episcopalians. They were interested in knowing more about the tragedy that befell Julia Campbell. Again Julia's story is a vocation story albeit a secular one. Like all who gave up a lot, I can read from her blog, she had no regrets.
Mass
On my last Sunday here, the Mass was for vocations. Appropriately, the Mass caps the academic year. Exams are due to be held and those who are candidates for graduation are busy wrapping up their school work. I know a few of these students. Also appropriately, the Mass caps the process of receiving new Catholics into the Church. We followed the process as a congregation, from the time the candidates were presented and when they were dismissed as catechumens. Later they were baptized and confirmed and then received communion. Some of the new Catholics decided to be one as adults. They answered a call.
The homily by Father Thanc was on vocations. Vocations are not just for the priesthood, diaconate or religious life. In fact it is for life, whatever profession one is called. Father challenged the congregation whether they had an ear for their vocation. After all, in a world of mobile phones, laptops, ipods and on-demand TV, one can miss the call.
And many do, while we think we may have taken the call since we have a nice job that pays well and all those gadgets, we may have missed the call. And a clear sign that we have missed the call is unhappiness.
So perhaps we have to incline our ears to the heart. Some people get to answer the call at a late age and will have to give up many things. Our deacon had a thriving law practice and he got the call. He became a deacon and his wife and children answered their father's call too. No regrets
Some are really blessed. They receive their call at a young age. And being young and idealistic, they have very little to give up but their whole selves. I don't really know if I belong to this group. But what I can tell you is that I received my call when I saw my first hermit crab, the day when Dad took me to sea at the age of three!
And here I am now, still with crawlies on the seashore, hermits crabs and all. No regrets.
Evening Prayer
In the evening, I joined the Anglicans for Evening Prayer at Saint Alban's across the street from CTK. As the Episcopal Church also celebrates vocations, the collect is for more vocations. But this Evening Prayer was special since a Bach cantata was sung by the university chorale accompanied by the chamber orchestra.
At the end of the service, I had a good chat with Rector and the Episcopalians. They were interested in knowing more about the tragedy that befell Julia Campbell. Again Julia's story is a vocation story albeit a secular one. Like all who gave up a lot, I can read from her blog, she had no regrets.
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