Columns

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  As Romero approaches canonisation, his legacy lives on

  Jul 26, 2018

  When I first saw the video on WhatsApp of a bishop speaking in a church about extrajudicial killings in the Philippines with such obvious courage, the first thing that ran through my mind is “Oscar Romero lives again,” this time not in El Salvador but in Asia.

  
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  Consecrated celibacy — an apologia

  Jul 20, 2018

  Huston Smith, the renowned commentator on world religions, submits that you should not judge a religion by its worst expressions, but by its best, its saints. That’s also true in terms of judging the merits of vowed, consecrated celibacy. It should be judged by its best, not perverse, examples, as is true too for the institution of marriage.

  
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  Lessons in solidarity from the Tham Luang cave rescue drama

  Jul 20, 2018

  Much of the world was held spellbound by the drama of the 12 boys and their coach who were trapped in treacherous flooded caves in northern Thailand from June 23 to July 10, 2018.

  
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  Real miracles

  Jul 13, 2018

  Ralph Waldo Emerson calls the stars in the night sky “envoys of beauty, lighting the universe with their astonishing smile” and submits that if they appeared for a single night only every thousand years, we’d be on our knees in worship and would cherish the memory for the rest of our lives.

  
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  Restoring paradise: The Garden of Bethlehem

  Jul 13, 2018

  Remember Joni Mitchell’s famous Big Yellow Taxi song, which we discussed here a few weeks ago, especially its haunting lament

  
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  The Mary of Scripture and the Mary of Devotions

  Jul 06, 2018

  There’s an axiom that says: Roman Catholics tend to adore Mary while Protestants and Evangelicals tend to ignore Mary. Neither is ideal.

  
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  A new chapter in interfaith relations

  Jul 06, 2018

  Our target is to reform and mould progressive Malays who embrace multiculturalism so that in the end, we will have Malays who identify themselves as Malaysians first, rather than Malays first.”

  
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  Mourning

  Jun 28, 2018

  Our culture doesn’t give us easy permission to mourn. Its underlying ethos is that we move on quickly from loss and hurt, keep our griefs quiet, remain strong always, and get on with life.

  
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  No effort too small in changing the world

  Jun 28, 2018

  This Sunday night, July 1, about 40 people – 20 Muslims and 20 Christians – are gathering at a resort in Bertam for a Raya celebration.

  
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  Stirring the smouldering ashes of our faith

  Jun 22, 2018

  Anyone who has ever watched a fire knows that at a point the flames subside and disappear into smoldering coals which themselves eventually cool and turn into cold, grey ash.