By Anthony Selvanathan Special to the Herald As Lent settles in, something quiet often shifts. The clarity we felt on Ash Wednesday softens. The sacrifices we chose now meet the steady rhythm of daily life. What once felt purposeful can begin to feel ordinary. And somewhere along the Lenten path, enthusiasm gives way to something […]
Reflection: Choosing proximity over power
By Dr. Shirley Tamoria Special to the Herald Violence today rarely looks like violence. It arrives quietly — through interfaces, policies and systems designed to keep human beings out of view. People are no longer confronted; they are processed. Harm hums in the background, efficient and sanitized. What has disappeared is not cruelty, but proximity. […]
Reflection: Strive for true surrender during Lent
By Anthony Selvanathan Special to the Herald We tend to approach Lent the way we approach a new year: with plans, goals and quiet strategies for improvement. We decide what to give up, consider what we might add, and resolve to pray more faithfully or to fast more seriously. There is nothing wrong with these […]
Reflection: Who is our outcast?
By Anthony Selvanathan Special to the Herald In the Gospels, those afflicted with leprosy are not only ill; they are also outcasts, pushed to the edges of society and kept at a distance. They are often reduced to a condition rather than welcomed as people. When Jesus encounters them, what is most striking is not […]
Reflection: Give the present of presence this Christmas
By Anthony Selvanathan Special to the Herald Christmas arrives each year with light, music and celebration, but beneath all the joyful noise rests a mystery so profound it reshapes human history: God chose to be with us. In the quiet of Bethlehem, the long-awaited Word of God, promised by the prophets and yearned for by […]
Reflection: Advent is a time of holy waiting
By Anthony Selvanathan Special to the Herald Advent has always struck me as one of the church’s most counter-cultural seasons. Even its name pulls us into a different way of seeing the world. The word “advent” comes from the Latin word “adventus,” which means “arrival” or “coming.” In the early church, Advent carried the sense […]
Reflection: Discussing the church’s path of synodality
By Father Alfred Omar GuerreroSpecial to the Herald VATICAN CITY — “The church is called to walk together, to be synodal,” Pope Leo XIV said in his homily at the closing Mass for the Jubilee of the Synodal Teams and Participatory Bodies on Oct. 26 in St. Peter’s Basilica. The three-day event, held Oct. 24–26, […]
Reflection: A pilgrimage of gratitude
By Anthony SelvanathanSpecial to the Herald This year, I spent more time on airplanes than I ever expected when I said “yes” to helping with the diocesan Office of Evangelization and Catechesis’ Jubilee Days of Study. The plan sounded simple enough on paper — teach people about the Catechism of the Catholic Church, creed, sacraments […]
Reflection: We are all called to bear witness
By Dawn Morais WebsterSpecial to the Herald On Oct. 4, clergy and lay people across the islands gathered in person and online for a talk, followed by a discussion, about “Standing With Our Immigrant Neighbors: How Religious Leaders and Congregations Can Make a Difference.” As Indivisible Hawaii, which orchestrated the event, promised, speaker and Christian […]
Reflection: Late pastor’s legacy of love and service lives on
Bishop Larry Silva gave the homily during Father Khanh Pham-Nguyen’s funeral Mass Aug. 16 at Sts. Peter and Paul Church in Honolulu. (Courtesy Dann Ebina) By Jenny Duhaylonsod Delos SantosSpecial to the Herald The faith formation program, the Olakino food distribution program, the Catholic Care Bag Project, the acquisition of the 771 Amana St. property, […]