We have come to our final guided contemplation for Advent - Jesus as True Joy.



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Advent Contemplation 3: Love

This week, we invite you to contemplate on Jesus, the face of God's love in our lives.

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Begin praying by enlarging the screen. You can do this by clicking on the rectangle in the bar below the painting above. When you are in full screen mode, use either the arrows in the bar at the bottom of the full screen or your mouse help you move along.

Take your time to pray. Follow God's Spirit that moves within you. May your time with the Lord remind you that you are God's beloved.

Advent Contemplation 2: Peace

You are invited to pray this second contemplation on the reason for this season of Christmas, Jesus. I pray you will experience the true peace Jesus brings to our lives and relationships at home and at work.

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Advent Contemplation 1: Hope

A Spirit-filled Advent, friends! We invite you to pray with us for a blessed Advent by using the guided contemplation below. This is first of a 4-part series of guided contemplations on Jesus, the reason for Christmas.



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You could begin by enlarging the screen and using the arrows to assist you to move forward. You can enlarge the screen by clicking on the rectangle in the bar below the painting above.

November's Day of Prayer & Fellowship

You are warmly invited to the above on Sunday, 23 November. The theme for the day is Compassionate Friendship.

The day's programme, which be at the Loyola Novitiate, is:

08.30am -- Gathering / breakfast
09.00am -- Opening prayer
09.30am -- Individual prayer (with pointers)
10.30am -- Tea
11.00am -- Small group sharing
12.00pm -- Mass
12.45pm -- Lunch and interaction
01.30pm -- Film (Together)
03.00pm -- Personal Reflection
03.30pm -- Small Group Sharing and Tea

04.00pm -- Big Group: Feedback and discussion/input

04.30pm -- Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament in Thanksgiving
05.00pm -- Good Bye

We hope you will be able to come and spend some time with the Lord, who is always friend to us all!

Kindly contact Fr Philip Heng at his contact details in the sidebar if you wish to come. Your are most welcomed!

artwork: lost and found by olsen

Jesus wept

Stanley Goh, who is presently working with the poor and the young in India, updates us on his journey.

Jn 11:35
Jesus wept.

The idea of God can sometimes be a little daunting and understanding it can be a little beyond our limited intellect. We’re often told of about the boundless love of God and how this love is extended to all and allows us to grow. We’re reminded that all we are a result of this love and that all we can be is also guided by the love that’s given to us. One of my favourite Psalms puts this very aptly:

It was you who created my inmost self, and put me together in my mother's womb; for all these mysteries I thank you: for the wonder of myself, for the wonder of your works. You know me through and through, from having watched my bones take shape when I was being formed in secret, knitted together in the limbo of the womb. (Ps 139:13-15)

The problem that I faced with this is the fact that while one can almost understand that God loves us, this love seems a little abstract and can feel somewhat distant at times. Though we’re told about this love and believe it, we may yearn for something a little more – something that can bring the abstract idea of God into what we experience on a regular basis.

It was apt that I was praying with Jn 11 some weeks back and one verse in particular struck me. It’s one of the shortest verses in the bible and consists of just two words, ‘Jesus wept.’ (Jn 11:35). The humanity of Jesus was brought out in that action – the pent up sadness that stemmed from the love he had for Lazarus was brought out so clearly in those two words. It remains, to me, one of the most poignant moments of Jesus’ ministry and acts as a reminder of our God made man who loves us so much that he weeps when we go through pain and suffering. Jesus is just like us but his sadness and rife seem magnified but what he is to do later. We long to weep with him but somehow cannot for some reason. This prompted a response of sorts that went this way:

O Jesus, O why do you so weep, is not your friend but just asleep?
Waiting for his Lord to say, ‘Arise, awake, be on your way.’
O Jesus, still I see you tear. Why, Lord, why I want to hear,
Your laugh and smile so often seen, obscured of late, it has been.

The world’s weight upon your shoulders bare, which did also a cross’ weight share.
What that with our sins did place, that by the cross these sins erase.
I long to week just as you do – I see my sins and hate them too.
But then I find my eyes are dry; why can’t I be like you and cry?

Those two words changed much for me. The re-emphasis of the humanity of Jesus, something that I often forget or overlook, allowed me a very different and much more personal relationship with Him. God becomes less of a mysterious power that is beyond what we can understand but a friend who shares our joys and disappointments all the same. It was the recognition of this humanness that allowed me to really realise that it’s possible to get to know Him as a person. The words from the song ‘What a friend we have in Jesus’ are no longer hypothetical but become real to me.

I’d say that my work over here reflects God’s love in many ways. I feel blessed at being able to be here to contribute the tiny bit that I have and even more so seeing how our students have developed over the past months. Their improvement in English and marked increase in confidence is indeed heartening and I cannot help but feel that God’s hand is behind all this. Our programme is being expanded to reach out to more students, in more schools and at more levels. This development is not something that can be attributed merely to our work on the project – all through what I’ve done here, I’ve felt the that I’m not alone in the work that I do and that helps to put things into perspective.

Come listen to Jesuit Voices

We have a new link on the sidebar to your right. It's called Jesuit Voices.

It contains podcasts and writings by various Jesuits. They share on various themes about life in the Society and faith. There are also a few personal reflections on life.

You might find some of the podcasts and writings inspiring. Enjoy!

Coming Events -- You are Invited!

Jesuit Vocation Camp

You are invited to a weekend of finding God's will in your life.
Details are in the right hand column.




Holy Hour to Pray for Vocations on Friday, 10 Oct
You are invited to come and spend an hour praying for more vocations to the the priesthood and religious life. Kindly click on the poster for details. All are welcome!

September's Day of Prayer & Fellowship

There will be Day of Prayer and Fellowship on Sunday, 21 September. The theme for prayer and reflection is "Living in God's Presence."

The day's programme is:

8.30am -- Gathering / breakfast
9.00am -- Opening prayer
9.30am -- Individual prayer (with pointers)
10.30am -- Tea
11.00am -- Small group sharing
12.00pm -- Examen/Community Prayer
12.30pm -- Lunch and interaction1.45pm -- Film
3.15 pm -- Personal Reflection
3.30 pm -- Small Group Sharing
4.15 pm -- Tea
4.45 pm -- Big Group: Feedback and discussion/input
5.30 pm -- Mass
6.15pm -- Good Bye

You are most welcomed to come and some time to deepen your friendship with God by dialoguing with and listening to Him.

Please contact Fr Philip Heng, SJ so that we can make the necessary arrangements if you are coming.

Your are invited to Holy Hour (August)

You are invited!

You are warmly invited to celebrate the Feast of St Ignatius on Sunday, 27 July 2008.

The day's programme will begin at 11.15am in the Novitiate. The programme includes:

* Remembering St Ignatius (prayer)

* Lunch outside, followed by an outing

* Evening Mass in the Novitiate, followed by dinner

We hope you will be able to come and join us. Kindly let us know if you are coming by contacting Fr Philip Heng, SJ. Thank you.

Relying on God to Grow

Stanley Goh, who is presently in India working with the poor, writes us another update of his life and work there. He writes:


For it is when I am weak that I am strong.

I’ve been in India for almost 5 months now and the experience has been nothing less than amazing. From the people that I’ve been meeting and working with to the students that I’ve been teaching and interacting with, India has been living up to the incredible tag that their tourism board has been pushing and more. As much as I’d like to take credit for this, I’m constantly reminded that I’ve been extremely blessed to have met the people that I’ve met and done the things that I’ve done – all because I’ve been a willing recipient of God’s grace.

I came here with a whole load of fears and was quite unsure of how things would turn out. I was afraid that students would not understand me and they wouldn’t like me as a teacher. I feared that the lessons that I planned would not work and the students would suffer as a result. I felt tested as an educator in a strange land and was unsure if I could meet those challenges. On hindsight, all those fears were unfounded and as we’ve reached the halfway point of the programme that we’re running for the students in the nearby villages and communities, I’m happy to say that things have worked out in the end and the students are happy to come back for the classes we’re organising for them and have shown a marked improvement in both English and their ability to communicate.

While one is always tempted to take credit for the overcoming of difficulties and fears, I remember that it’s not me alone that accomplished all this. Behind me always is God who has given me all that I have now and continues to provide me with all that I need to meet whatever challenges that I face. I’ve come to realise that the more one places one’s trust in God in all that we do, the easier things get because we recognise our own weaknesses and inadequacies and find that we gain strength from our trust in God. This is not to say that we don’t put in our own effort to get things done but we gain additional strength and consolation in the fact that we are not alone in all that we do.

I’ve learned that we’re strengthened in our acknowledgement of our own frailty and weakness. Just as Socrates reminds us that the truly wise are those who realise how much they don’t know, we’re reminded that the truly strong are those who realise how weak they actually are. The act of surrender to God’s providence and grace alone will bring us to a realisation that we can do anything, as long as we trust. After all, we’re reminded by St Paul that "My grace is enough for you: my power is at its best in weakness. So I shall be very happy to make my weaknesses my special boast so that the power of Christ may stay over me, and that is why I am quite content with my weaknesses, and with insults, hardships, persecutions, and the agonies I go through for Christ's sake. For it is when I am weak that I am strong." (2 Cor 12:9-10) As one of the priests here mentioned in his homily recently, our being born of the flesh brings with it weakness but the divine nature that is imbued in us by God lends us strength. Being able to focus more on the divine and less on the flesh strengthens us in that way too.

A little more on the idea of reliance on God. The driving force behind our strength that comes from Jesus is the love that he has from us. We realise all that’s been done through his love and we are made all the stronger and more courageous in all that we do because we seek to emulate him in all that he has done. Love lies at the heart of God’s support of us and we revel in that as we continue to trust. Thomas à Kempis says this so well:

If you rely more upon your own reason or industry than upon the power of Jesus Christ, you will seldom and with difficulty become and enlightened man: for God wants us to be perfectly subject to himself, and to transcend all reason by ardent love. (Imitation of Christ, Bk 1, Ch 14)

The past months have indeed been a revelation of sorts for me. Being at home and fairly comfortable being among people who understand you and who speak in very similar ways to you often meant that one lives in unchallenged comfort. It’s so easy to lapse into complete self reliance, forgetting the providence of God. Coming out here made me realise how much we do need to rely and trust in God and how all that we are does indeed come from God.




photo: grow by universalpolymath

Jesuit Saint: Bernardino Realino, SJ

Born: Dec 1, 1530 / Died: Jul 2, 1616 / Beatified: Sept 27, 1895 / Canonized: Jun 22, 1947

St Bernardino Realino, born of noble birth in Capri, Italy studied medicine initially but changed to law. At 26, he became Mayor of Felizzano, a position that included judge as well. The people found him an honest judge and one who attended daily Mass.

When he was 32, he wrote to his brother “I have no desire for the honours of this world, but solely for the glory of God and the salvation of my soul”. He saw himself as an instrument of Divine Providence and thought nothing of giving his entire salary to the poor. His reputation as a competent magistrate preceded him and he was appointed to top jobs. However, he was attracted by the Jesuit order and following an 8-day retreat, during which time he had a vision of our Lady, who commanded him to enter the Society, he became a Jesuit in 1564. In humility he asked to be a brother, but his superiors instructed him to go on to the priesthood. After taking his three vows in 1566, he was unexpectedly told to prepare for ordination, which he received in 1567. Though he had been a Jesuit for only 3 years, Fr General Francis Borgia appointed him master of novices in Naples. As a priest, he preached and catechized, visited slaves on the galleys in Naples harbour and sat long hours in the confessional. The direction of souls was Fr Realino’s special charism.In 1574, he was sent to Lecce in Apulia to set up a Jesuit house and college . He stayed for 42 years.

He and Lecce were inseparable because several times when his provincial and the general wanted to move him to Naples or Rome, something serious would happen to prevent him leaving, e.g., a high fever that required a period of rest or a severe thunderstorm. This led his superiors to conclude that it was God’s will that he remain in Lecce.

Until his final illness in 1616, he continued to give himself generously to all who sought his counsel and the lines leading to his confessional grew ever longer. Princes and prelates were among the simple folk awaiting their turn to speak with the ‘holy old man’. When the Lecceans heard that Fr Realino was dying, crowds gathered outside the Jesuit College and only men were allowed in to kiss his hand and devoutly touch religious objects to his body. On his death-bed, the city mayor and magistrates formally requested Fr Realino to be Lecce’s defender and protector in heaven. Unable to speak, he nodded.Fr Realino who gave up a successful career as a lawyer and spent most of his Jesuit life as a humble parish priest died at 86, with his eyes fixed on the crucifix, and his final words were, “O Madonna, mia santissima (O Lady, my most holy lady).

He was beatified by Pope Leo XIII on September 27, 1895 and was canonized by Pope Pius XII on June 22, 1947.

Jesuit Saint: Aloysius Gonzaga, SJ

Born: Mar. 9, 1568 / Died June 21, 1591 / Canonized: Dec. 21, 1726 / Feast Day June 21

A Prayer to St Aloysius Gonzaga, Patron Saint of Youth

"Dear Christian youth, you were a faithful follower of Christ in the Society of Jesus. You steadily strove for perfection while generously serving the plague-stricken. Help our youth today..."

St. Aloysius of Gonzaga was born in Castiglione, Italy. As the eldest son of the Marquis of Castiglione, an Italian nobleman, his father had great hopes that he would embark on a military career. From the age of four, his father took him on military training expeditions. But Aloysius was also deeply faithful, pious and given to prayers.

He contracted malaria at the age of seven. It was during this time that he was converted from the worldly and courtly way of life to the interior life. By the age of ten, he had privately decided on a religious life and made a firm determination never to offend God by sin. He developed an affinity for study of the saints, and recited the psalms daily. He received his First Communion from Cardinal Charles Borromeo of Milan at the age of twelve. After that he looked forward to weekly Communion (daily Communion was not then the custom). He also fasted three days a week and meditated morning and evening.

At the age of fourteen he was convinced that the princely life of honour and riches was not for him. He thought of becoming a Jesuit and this desire was confirmed when he was fifteen, while praying before an image of Our Lady in a Jesuit church. After much opposition and unhappiness from his parents, he finally obtained his father’s consent to enter religious life, having renounced his inheritance in favor of his brother.

He became a novice at seventeen and a half, after presenting himself to Father General Claudio Acquaviva. The maxim that led him to the novitiate remained with him throughout his years: “I am a piece of twisted iron; I entered religion to be untwisted straight.” Aloysius gave himself totally to the process of becoming a Jesuit. He was an excellent student with a penetrating mind.

When famine and plagues broke out in Italy, Aloysius, then studying Theology, begged alms for and worked with the plague-stricken. Those he found dying in the streets, he carried to a hospital, washed and fed them and prepared them to receive the Sacraments. He caught the plague a year later and was confined to bed. He received a revelation in prayer that he would not live long and would die on the octave of Corpus Christi. The young twenty three years old Aloysius died that evening with his eyes fixed on the Crucifix in his hands. The last word he spoke was the holy name of Jesus just as the first words he spoke as an infant were the holy names of Jesus and Mary.

St. Aloysius makes a great example for our youth considering he faced the same kind of challenges they do today such as peer pressure, struggles with remaining pure, and difficulties in choosing and pursuing a vocation. Despite being among very rough and impure people, and despite great parental objections , St. Aloysius maintained a pure heart and became a Jesuit priest.

May's Day of Prayer & Fellowship

Our next Day of Prayer and Fellowship is on Saturday, 24 May. The theme for prayer and reflection is "Surrender."














The day's programme is:
2.00pm: Opening Prayer
2.30pm: Individual Prayer
3.30pm: Tea
4.00pm: Small group sharing
5:00pm: Recreation
6.30pm: Mass, followed by dinner

You are welcome!

Please let us know if you are coming so that we can make the necessary arrangements.



photo: leaf by bossbob50

Light a single candle

Stanley Goh is seeking God's Will in his life. Presently, he is in India working with the poor. He shares with us the following reflection of his time there.

I came to India with high hopes to do good for the local community that I’m living with and to effect as much change as I can for the time that I’m here. I've been here for about 3 months. Recently, I was starting to get a little disillusioned with the work that I’ve been doing and the people that I’ve met. As with all places in India, yone is faced with the huge disparities in income and lifestyles and feel that there has to be something one can do for the people around.

I work with about 70 students from the villages around where I am and conduct classes to help them get ahead in whatever they may do – some may go on to higher education while many others are preparing to start working pretty soon. I felt that I could do more, that I could try to work with a bigger and broader group of students from a wider area. I see poverty along the streets and people living in canvas tents by the roadside. Sometimes, I feel a sense of loss, of being useless, of not being able to do much there. There’s much to be done and here I am stuck with this programme to work with my group of 70 students. This got me down for a while and I kept wondering where and how I could go beyond this count of 70. It seemed that I came all this way for just a small little project.

This sense of not being able to do more was put into perspective over the past week by a few events that made me re-examine these thoughts. First was a conversation I had with friends who told me that our work should not be subject to the normal calculus of the corporate secular world. The fact that we can help 70 means that the 70 have benefitted and we should not look at the fact that we are unable at the moment to help the 71st. It’s not about an all or nothing game but something that we do. If I can serve one more person then great but one should strive to do one’s level best for the 70 that I’m working with and not worry so much about the others that I’m missing for the moment.

This idea is echoed in a book that I just finished reading. In Wise & Otherwise, Sunda Murty recounts little vignettes and anecdotes of her work in an NGO and has this to say. Faced with a number of situations where traditions and inertia thwarted her work, she began to lose hope in her ability to help others. It was her father who told her that every one extra person that she helps counts. She ends the section by writing,

It is more difficult to recognise our weaknesses than our strengths. Don’t aim for the sky. Keep your feet firmly on the ground and work around you. There is so much misery and gloom, but it is better to light a single candle than to remain in darkness. Try to light as many candles as possible.

This helps me see things in perspective. There’s always something else that we want to do and there’s always another person that we think we can help, but in the process we might lose sight of what we’re supposed to do in the first place. By worrying about helping more, we can lose sight of those that we are here to serve in the first place.

The image of the candle and of lighting as many candles as we can struck me as something that we should always try to do. One should not worry about lighting a roomful of candles when we’re sometimes momentarily unable to. Rather, being able to shed light on a room with one’s work will allow us to spread God’s love. After all, Jesus said, ‘I am the light of the world; anyone who follows me will not be walking in the dark; he will have the light of life’. (Jn 8:12) We’re called to spread this light so that others need not walk in the dark. I’ve learnt that one shouldn’t worry about how much light we’re spreading for the moment as long as we are actually in the act of spreading that light.

In our unworthiness we continue to strive. Peter publicly acknowledged his sinfulness at the shores of Lake Gennesaret but at the same time found the strength to leave his life as a fisherman to follow Jesus. Sometimes we need to be able to look beyond this unworthiness and inability to do more and do what Peter did, follow our Lord unreservedly. Only then will we be able to fully do the work that we are called to. My reflection some days back about that very scene helped me to put things in perspective. This has given me to a better sense of purpose in my work here. As long as I know that I’m doing my best for the people I’m working with here, then I can continue to explore ways in which I can help more candles to stay lit. In this way I’m contributing to the lighting process. Indeed, I don’t worry about the number; all I am asked to do is to focus on the act of lighting.

You may wish to keep Stanley and his work in your prayers.

Ignatian Charism for Today

"What is a charism? A charism is a gift of grace not for one’s personal sanctification but for the benefit of others. St. Paul has a list of charisms in the twelfth chapter of First Corinthians, including the gifts of prophecy, speech, miracle-working, and the interpretation of tongues. What if any are charisms given to St. Ignatius of Loyola?"

Read more about the charisms of Ignatius as seen through the eyes of Avery Cardinal Dulles, SJ by clicking on the image of Ignatius.

Jesuit Saint: Peter Canisius

Born: May 8, 15 21 / Died: December 21, 1597 / Beatified: 1864 / Canonized : May 21, 1925

Peter Canisius was born in Nijmegen, though a Dutch town today, was at the time of his birth in the ecclesiastical province of Cologne, had the rights of a German city. Hence both Holland and Germany claim him as their son.

His father, a Catholic and burgomaster of Nijmegen, sent him at the age of fifteen to the University of Cologne where he earned a master’s degree in 1540. He changed his original plan to remain at the university and studied theology when he heard about a newly-founded religious order, the Society of Jesus. One of its founders, Fr Peter Favre, was then in Mainz. Canisius traveled there to meet him, who recognized Canisius’ potential and agreed to lead him through the 30-day retreat known as the Spiritual Exercises. During the second week of the retreat, Canisius decided to join the Society and Fr Favre accepted him as a novice on his 22nd birthday.

Canisius returned to Cologne, finished his studies in theology and was ordained in 1546. Prior to his ordination, he taught Scripture and published new editions of texts of Cyril of Alexandria and Leo the Great. He also served as theological consultant to Cardinal Otto Trushess at the Council of Trent before he took up Fr Ignatius’ assignment to teach in the very first school the Society founded in Messina, Sicily.

In 1549, Pope Paul III asked him to return to Germany to head an effort to defend the Church against the attacks of reformers. Fr Canisius’ challenging mission was to halt the defections of Catholics and win back those who had left the Church. Fr Canisius started in Ingolstadt, Germany where he began teaching at the university as well as devoting great efforts to preaching so that he could explain the fundamental truths of Catholic teaching from the pulpit. His work had an immediate impact on Catholics there.

Fr Canisius was equally effective with Catholics in Vienna, Prague and Fribourg, using the pattern he adopted in Germany. He also founded seminaries and colleges and took on duties as an educator and a court preacher. In Vienna, Fr Canisius developed and produced his famous book, his Catechism, titled Summary of Christian Doctrine which later became Germany’s and Austria’s most popular book because it satisfied a most urgent need and provided questions and answers especially to topics disputed by the Protestants. This book was intended as a manual for college students and later adaptations were published for secondary and primary schools.

As the first provincial of Germany, Fr Canisius made a huge contribution to Jesuit Governance in Swabia, Bavaria, Austria and Hungary. He visited Jesuit houses, supervised expansion and made the Society of Jesus a leading force in the Counter Reformation. He also took part in ecumenical gatherings such as the one in Regensburg and returned to the Council of Trent in May 1562. Fr Canisius continued as provincial for fourteen years and later devoted his time to writing and preaching until poor health forced him to stop. Fr Canisius lived a full life and died peacefully at the age of 76 in Fribourg, Switzerland.

He was canonized by Pope Pius XI on May 21, 1925 and declared a Doctor of the Church in recognition of his writings in defence of the faith.

icon of st peter canisius by fr hart mcnicholas, sj

April's Day of Prayer & Fellowship

Our next Day of Prayer & Fellowship is on 26 April.

The theme for prayer and reflection is "A Trusting Heart."

The day's programme is:

2.00pm: Opening Prayer

2.30pm: Individual Prayer

3.30pm: Tea

3.45pm: Small group sharing

4.30pm: Film & discussion

6.30pm: Mass, followed by dinner

You are welcome!

Please let us know if you are coming so that we can make the necessary arrangements.

photo by 001fj

All Night Vigil

The Novitiate held the annual All Night Vigil on Saturday, 12 April to pray for vocations to the priesthood and religious life.

Friends of the Novitiate and parishioners from St Ignatius gathered in the Center for Ignatian Spirituality and Counselling for this gathering. Also present with the good sisters from the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary.

The Vigil began at 9pm with a Mass concelebrated by Jesuit Frs Philip Heng, Paul Goh and Colin Tan. In his homily, Fr Philip invited us to reflect on God's invitation to be more fully ourselves in whatever vocation we live by responding more totally to God's love.

After Mass, we welcomed the Blessed Sacrament into our midst. Then, at hourly intervals, different groups led the faithful in prayer. The prayer sessions took took different forms, from contemplation to charismatic prayer. At the end of each prayer session, there was time for quiet prayer and reflection.

The Vigil ended at 6.00am with Morning Prayer. This was led by the Jesuit Novices. A hearty breakfast for all who stayed the night followed!

Here is a reflection from Lance Ng, who helped out with a prayer session the Companions led:

I'd just like to share this short little para that I came up with about coincidence and "God-incidence," which was inspired by a talk given by Fr Richard Ambrose.

"Nothing that happens is a coincidence,
Everything that happens is for a reason,
If GOD allows it to happen,
It's a God-incidence!"

I truly felt God's wonderful hand a work that evening, right down to the "boo boo" that ocurred out of the switch of laptops during one of the prayer sessions. As I reflected the events of the evening, I realized that this "boo boo" was a learning lesson because I notice the grace of God working through Aunty Dorothy... the serenity, the peace and graciousness she had throughout the unfortunate incident. For me, her example is a lesson in what it takes to make us God's light in this world. From the eyes of faith, this is truly a gem of a God-incidence!