Catholic Confessions

Have you ever wondered what is your purpose in this world, according to how God created you?

This podcast introduces the concept of a personal vocation, which is different from the secondary vocations of single/married life/career.

 

About the speaker:
Nicholas Lye is a creative evangelist and lay missionary. Find out more about his work at https://www.instagram.com/lyenicholas/ 

 

 

You'll meet different people, including yourself. You can reach a deeper understanding of who God is and your relationship with Him. Such is the allure of the famed Camino, that the pilgrimage is on many people's bucket lists. 

In this episode, we share our experiences of undertaking this journey. 

About the speaker:
Dylan Tan has done the Camino walk twice. He is an avid volunteer for various causes, and is a member of the Prized Possessions group in the Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour. 

What is it like to live the radical life of a missionary?

Simplicity in material possessions and a reliance on the generosity of others may not seem enticing to a typical city dweller, but they do test the boundaries of what we deem to be “full submission to God”.

Tune in to find out about the experiences of Nicholas Lye and Francis Tay as they reflect about their 5-month stint at the School of Mission in New Zealand.

The storm surrounding the repeal of Section 377A of the Penal Code has been raging since last year in Singapore. Section 377A criminalises sex between consenting male adults. As a citizen of this country, there are three decisions you can make – 1) support the repeal, 2) support the retention, 3) do nothing. What should one do? What is the best course of action?

In this podcast, join Dominic Chan, a Catholic and a practising lawyer, as he makes the case for exercising prudential judgement from the perspective of the common good.

About the speaker:
Dominic Chan has a Masters degree in Theology from the Augustine Institute. 

 

Can Church teachings change?

In his letter to the Ephesians, St. Paul wrote “Slaves, be obedient to those who are your earthly masters…” (Ephesians 6:5) Slavery was widely accepted in the ancient world, and St. Paul did not make any direct challenge to the practice. In the CCC (Catechism of the Catholic Church) of the modern day, we find that in paragraph 2414, it says that the enslavement of human beings is a sin. Did the Church change her teachings on slavery? In the first place, how should we understand the concept of “change”?

Tune in to this podcast to learn more about the development of doctrine in the Catholic Church.

 

About the speaker:

Nick Chui has a Masters degree from the John Paul II Institute for Marriage and Family. He is a member of the Catholic Theology Network in Singapore. 

Around 2000 years ago, a group of Jews started to gather for Sunday worship, worship a certain individual as a divine being, regard this person as the Messiah and proclaim that the kingdom of God had come.

Why did they act, think and speak in such a manner? What prompted such a radical departure from Judaism? Did the early Christians invent their own theology in order to continue the legacy of Jesus? More importantly, was the resurrection an actual event?

About the speaker:
Chandra Nugraha holds a doctorate degree. He is a member of the Catholic Theology Network in Singapore.

Reference:
Wright, N. T. (2004). The Resurrection of the Son of God. Fortress Press.

"For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate, he suffered death and was buried…" The Nicene Creed does not provide much information about how we are saved by Christ, if at all. And indeed, the church does not have a dogma about it. What we have is the product of centuries of biblical scholarship - the theories of atonement.

In Part 2 of this podcast, we look at three more theories, namely Jesus as 1) victorious champion, 2) moral influence, and 3) the ultimate scapegoat. Do join us as we round up our discussion on these theories, and talk about the importance of knowing them.

 

About the speaker:
Nicholas Chui has a Masters degree from the John Paul II Institute for Marriage and Family (Melbourne). He is a member of the Catholic Theology Network in Singapore. 

How does Jesus’ dying save me? (Part 1 of 2)

Jesus came to “give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). We have been “bought with a price” (1 Cor 6:20). For around a millennium, a prominent theory was that Jesus’ death was a ransom paid to Satan to deliver mankind from the bondage of sin.

In disagreement with this line of thinking (because why should Satan have so much power over God?!), Saint Anselm of Canterbury, an archbishop and theologian from the 13^th century, originated the idea that Jesus’ death was a satisfaction. Satisfaction here does not mean gratification as we understand it, but rather as mending what was broken, or paying back what was taken. Historically, this idea marked a major shift in theological thought about our salvation.

Tune in to this episode to learn more about the theories of atonement.

 

About the speaker:
Nicholas Chui has a Masters degree from the John Paul II Institute for Marriage and Family (Melbourne). He is a member of the Catholic Theology Network in Singapore. 

 

Parents are their children's first catechists, so it is said. 

Two young parents, Felicia Zou and Barry Chia, discuss the ups and downs of bringing up their kids in the faith. 

Did you know that Christmas is not based on a pagan holiday as widely believed? Or that the Nativity scene may not be completely biblical?

Tune in to this podcast to learn more about the most wonderful time of the year.

About the speaker: Keenan Tan has a Masters degree in Theology from the Augustine Institute.