SPRINGBOARDS and WALKING STICKS

 In a world that often prizes rationality and emotional restraint, we frequently overlook one of humanity's most powerful resources: our emotions. Far from being obstacles to overcome or weaknesses to suppress, emotions serve as fundamental drivers of human action and achievement. The notion that we should "be emotional" challenges conventional wisdom and invites us to reconsider how we understand and utilise our emotional experiences as sources of energy and motivation. Emotions are not merely fleeting feelings or inconvenient interruptions to logical thinking—they are powerful energy systems that mobilise us toward action. Every emotion, whether positive or negative, carries within it a charge that can propel us forward, motivate change, and drive performance. This emotional energy represents one of our most abundant and renewable resources, yet it remains largely untapped by many individuals and organisations. When we examine high-achieving individuals across various f...

 Every team, group, or community has a unique journey from formation to dissolution, characterised by distinct phases of growth, challenge, and achievement. Bruce Tuckman's model of team development, first introduced in 1965 and later refined in the 1970s, remains one of the most influential frameworks for understanding how teams evolve and what leaders can do to support their development at each stage. Tuckman's model identifies five consecutive stages that teams typically experience: Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing, and Adjourning (originally called Mourning). Each stage presents unique challenges and opportunities, requiring different leadership approaches and interventions to help teams reach their full potential. 1. Forming: Building the Foundation The Forming stage represents the initial phase when a group of individuals comes together with the intention of becoming a team. During this critical period, team members are still getting acquainted with one another whil...

 In a beautiful story called "The Big Panda and the Tiny Dragon," written by James Norbury, a large panda lives alone in a forest. He travels with his wise friend, a tiny dragon, who helps him whenever doubt clouds his mind. One day, the panda asks his companion what matters most in life—the destination or the journey itself. After thinking carefully, the tiny dragon replies: "Neither. What matters most is the company we have while we travel." This wisdom speaks directly to the heart of Corpus Christi. As Christians on our life's journey, we face uncertainty. We don't always know our destination or understand the path ahead. Yet we are never alone—Jesus accompanies us in the most real and intimate way through the Eucharist. He becomes our constant companion, offering his very presence for every question, every struggle, every moment of our journey—that presence makes our life possible and worthwhile. Bethlehem foreshadows Corpus Christi. It's remarkable ...

  Jesus’ birth at Bethlehem, meaning the ‘house of bread’ foreshadows Luke 9: 11-17—Jesus multiplying bread for the hungry, it further foreshadows the last supper, it foreshadows the Eucharist, it ultimately foreshadows the solemnity of the most holy Body and Blood of Jesus. The solemnity of the most holy Body and Blood of Jesus celebrates the real presence of Jesus in the consecrated bread and wine—in the Eucharist. The Solemnity of Corpus Christi, the Body and Blood of Jesus, stands as a profound testament to an enduring act of boundless generosity. It is more than a mere commemoration; it is a sacred invitation to understand the very essence of a life lived in constant self-giving, culminating in the ultimate sacrifice. As the provided text illuminates, The Eucharist, the giving of his body and blood, happened in the last lap of Jesus’ race on earth. This crucial phrase invites us to look beyond the dramatic final moments and appreciate the countless, often unseen, acts of givin...

 The traditional interpretation of the Our Father prayer (Matthew 6: 7-15) often focuses on its didactic elements, teaching us how to pray. However, reading it from the perspective of the prodigal son re-frames it as an active, unfolding prayer, echoing the very real and relatable experience of the prodigal son. "Our Father, let Thy home come" This rephrasing of "Thy kingdom come" is particularly potent in this context. Kingdom is an old usage; today when we have no kingdoms and king, it is more connecting to say ‘home’. For the prodigal son, "home" isn't just a physical place; it's the restoration of his relationship with his father, a return to belonging, security, and love. His journey is the embodiment of this prayer. He's not just wishing for the father's house to appear, but actively moving towards it, his desire for that restoration driving every step. The son actively got away from his father home, not actively makes a return. Simil...

 When Jesus taught his disciples to pray, he gave them more than words to recite. He offered a way of being in the world. The Lord's Prayer, or "Our Father" (Matthew 6: 7-15) is not merely a religious formula but a profound guide for how humans should live together on this earth. Within its simple phrases lie four essential truths about our existence: we are connected, we must care for others, we need reconciliation, and we require divine companionship. Connected: We Are All Children Coming Home The prayer begins with "Our Father," not "My Father." This single word—"our"—transforms everything. It declares that we share the same spiritual parentage, making us siblings in the deepest sense. We are not isolated individuals fighting for survival, but children of the same household, all journeying toward the same destination. When we pray "thy kingdom come," we echo the longing of the prodigal son gazing toward home. We are all prodigals...

 Things, unpleasant to offensive, happen around us, no one has a complete escape from it. Things unpleasant like, someone asking for financial help, or people expecting you to walk with them, be kind and compassionate to them all the time. Things offensive like, slapping you, defaming your name, etc. Though there may be many ways to deal with it, dealing with unpleasant and offensive happenings is never easy. While some lack even the capacity to respond to offences done against them, which in itself is regrettable and condemnable, those who respond take either of these three kinds of responses. Firstly, revenge, which is driven forward by subjective logic and rage. It causes lose of compassion, lose of objectivity, and sometimes even common sense; which can eventfully harm the one who does it. Secondly, justice, which is driven by objective logic and fair process. It follows a set of rigid rules of a social system. Thirdly, reconciliation, the scripture calls it as the justice of G...

 What truly moves us? What is the bedrock of human existence, the silent engine that propels us through joy and sorrow, triumph and despair? For generations, thinkers have wrestled with this question. Two giants of psychology, Sigmund Freud and Alfred Adler, offered powerful but differing answers. Yet, it was the harrowing experience of a third, Viktor Frankl, that unveiled a profound truth, simple in its essence, yet boundless in its implications. Freud saw humanity driven by the pursuit of pleasure. From our earliest cries to our most complex desires, he believed we are fundamentally seeking gratification, a release from discomfort. Life, in this view, is a continuous striving for satisfaction. His contemporary, Adler, offered a counter-narrative, arguing that the deepest human need is for power. We begin life feeling small and helpless, and our journey is a relentless quest for control, for significance, to escape the shadow of inferiority. Each theory, in its own way, provided ...

 Swearing is a crude habit, a sign of poor vocabulary, and an outlet for frustration. But more seriously it is violence against truth. Swearing is a forceful assertion designed to elevate one's own perspective to the status of undisputed, singular truth. When swearwords erupt, they frequently do so not as contributions to a dialogue, but as declarations intended to overwhelm, silence, and impose. Swearing often bypasses the realm of reasoned argument, serving instead as an emotional sledgehammer. In moments of intense feeling—anger, conviction, or absolute certainty—an individual's "truth" can feel immutable and universal. The use of swearwords then becomes a way to imbue this subjective truth with an almost physical weight, lending it an air of unquestionable authority. It's a linguistic shortcut, skipping the nuanced explanations and persuasive arguments in favour of a raw, immediate impact that demands attention and, ideally, compliance. The speaker, through th...

 Truth is a synonym for God; thus to be a follower of that God is to be truthful. Perhaps the best complement that we can receive is that she is truthful, he is truthful. As a follower of that God and as a part of a sane and civilised world we all like and wish to be truthful; but as life gets on we realise that one of the hardest thing on earth is to be truthful. Therefore we try to pretend to be truthful, to be authentic and genuine. And to claim our truthfulness and authenticity we argue, we say lies, we put forth false proofs, and as a last resort, we even swear. Jesus elsewhere has told us no to lie, not to give false witness and proofs, etc. here he explicitly tells us not to swear. Why does Jesus encourage and exhort his disciples not to swear? Because, we know a fact only with our limited knowledge; we are able to carry out an action only with our limited capacity. When we swear by God or anything of which God alone is the master the fact that we hold to be right is kept in...

 We exist in a constant tension between two profound fears: the fear of losing ourselves to change, and the deeper, more haunting fear of remaining forever trapped in our current circumstances. This paradox sits at the heart of human experience, where growth demands we risk the very identity we've worked so hard to construct. The fear of change operates on multiple levels. There's the surface fear of practical disruption—new routines, unfamiliar environments, altered relationships. But beneath this lies something more fundamental: the terror of losing coherence in our sense of self. We become attached not just to our circumstances, but to our understanding of who we are within those circumstances. Change threatens this narrative continuity, suggesting that the person we've been might not be the person we become. Yet paradoxically, the alternative—remaining static—often proves even more terrifying upon deeper reflection. Stagnation carries its own form of identity death, a s...

 The gospel scene given for the feast of St. Anthony of Padua is Jesus instructing the apostles before ascension, and what happened thereafter (Mark 16: 14-20). The eleven went forth, and preached everywhere. The lord continued to work with them. Preaching has been a continuous phenomenon in the Church: Peter, Paul, Augustine, Dominic, Anthony of Padua, Fulton J sheen, and list reaches people who stand among us—we have unbroken 2000 years of continuous preaching. If we do a little research into the history of Catholic preaching, and find out who were the best 10 catholic preachers of all time, we would definitely find the name, St. Anthony of Padua among the first ten. He is no small a man, it was not for fun he was called ‘hammer of heretics’. People were amazed at the comfort and confidence with which he preached that even the fishes listened to him. How does one get this courage and confidence to stand up and preach? Of course the Lord continues to work with people; butt what is...

 Imagine you're about to take a crucial exam, having studied diligently and feeling confident in your preparation. However, upon entering the examination hall, your memory vanishes. All you can do is scribble down a few lines, hoping they're correct. What good is a wise person who has lost their memory? A similar scenario unfolded for the people of Israel. Through their journey and their relationship with God, Yahweh, they had absorbed numerous values and virtues that formed the foundation of their moral and religious strength. Yahweh had given them great and life-giving laws, such as "Love your God above everything and love one another". Israel was once a profoundly wise civilisation, boasting well-ordered traditions, sound laws, and customs. It offered solutions to its societal problems and provided purpose and meaning for its members' lives. This wise civilisation was in its prime. However, this glorified civilisation, on a particular day, decided to lose its m...

 A profound journey of life begins with a deep truth: we are all called to make our world a more vibrant, "tasty," and "bright" place. This isn't just a suggestion; it's a sacred duty entrusted to every human being, for we are the caretakers of this beautiful creation. In the vast story of life, God gave us, humanity, countless gifts and resources. Our ancestors, through their struggles, shaped the raw elements of existence into something beautiful. Without a deeper meaning, life can feel bland, lacking its essential "salt." We are called to be the "salt of the earth" and the "light of the world," (Matthew 5: 13-16) to enrich human lives and show the true heart of meaningful connections. Think of a messenger: how useful is one who forgets the message they were sent to deliver? It’s a shame to the sender. As people moving through this world, we are all messengers, carrying a vital message within us. No matter who we are—our appea...

 The profound wisdom in "don't make an idol of anyone" invites us to rethink our relationship with revered figures and the past itself. It's a call to liberation, suggesting that true spiritual and personal growth comes from within and through a critical, dynamic engagement with knowledge, rather than blind worship or clinging to static memories. This idea is beautifully encapsulated by Buddha's radical instruction to his disciples: "when you go if you see Buddha take a knife and kill him". This isn't a literal command for violence, but a powerful metaphor urging us not to become enslaved by past teachings or the image of the teacher. It champions self-reliance, proclaiming, "You are your light. You are your direction giver". This is the hallmark of true religion and authentic living: finding your own path, guided by your inner wisdom, rather than endlessly following someone else's footsteps. We should "Take from Gandhi, take from ...