CSA Witness Wire

Reflection by Isaac Ong: Growing up in Singapore, my understanding of simplicity was very different from St Clare’s definition of it. I felt that as long as I did not indulge in luxurious food, wore simple clothing, and did not splurge on entertainment, I was living simply. However, reading about how St Clare asked for the Privilege of Poverty, choosing to live with no possessions and rely on the contributions of others, I was deeply moved by her radical obedience and trust in God. Her life showed me what it truly meant to live simply with Christ. As a final-year accountancy student, many of my peers have secured full-time jobs after their internships. Seeing this often led me to fall into the temptation of comparison. When I feel I am falling behind, I become dissatisfied with the blessings and gifts that God has already given me. The urge to take control by planning far ahead into my future surfaces, as I worry that I will not have enough or that I will be left behind. Yet, St Clare’s simplicity of life came from her obedience and trust in God. Her choice to follow in the footsteps of St Francis of Assisi and give up a life of luxury deeply moves me to choose a simpler way of life. I am called to find Christ in the ordinary and to grow in greater trust that God will provide for my future. If I believe He is a good God who calls me His beloved child, then why should I worry about whether He will provide for me? I should have full confidence that HE WILL!!! Reading about St Clare, I am called to surrender my need for control, trust in His providence, and be grateful for what He has already given me. Reflection Question: Where is God calling me to trust Him more in my life?

Image: St Clare of Assisi https://revpacman.com/2025/08/11/saint-clare-of-assisi/ Sources: https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saint-clare-of-assisi/ https://catholicnews.sg/2020/08/23/st-clare-of-assisi-a-saint-for-our-times/

For our first Feast Friday, our brother Isaac Ong shares about how he is moved by the Simplicity & Trust shown by St Clare of Assisi.

hiiii friends!! 👋🏻 Welcome to CSA's Witness Wire Channel, an initiative led by CSA's Formation Ministry!!🎉 The Witness Wire Channel is here to walk with you in your faith journey by posting every Friday! Posts will either be Reflection of the Saints' Feast Day (known as Feast Fridays) or a recap of our Witness Wednesday sessions!! The Formation Ministry hopes that the sharing of the lives of our Saints, session recaps and our reflections will allow Christ to move in our hearts so that we may grow in deeper intimacy with Him together!❤️

Reflection by Angeline Philo For me, the 2 most striking things about St Catherine of Siena was her commitment to peace and her complete dependence on God. When I see injustice and conflicts (both in my personal life & in the wider world), I tend to stay silent out of despair and my non-confrontational tendency, or maybe at most offer up a prayer for the victims; so I was quite amazed that St Catherine managed to resolve a war and spur reform in the Church through her letters to the Pope even though she was only in her twenties. Her example shows that being a ‘peacemaker’ is not about avoiding confrontation but to actively work for reconciliation. Her deeply contemplative life also reminds me that prayer and action are not opposites, but rather prayer enables action. Her grand acts of peacemaking do indeed seem daunting, but the only way St Catherine could do this is through her complete dependence on Christ, even to the point of consuming nothing but the Body of Christ for 7 years. While my despair comes from a valid place (because I, as an individual, indeed cannot do much), this reminds me to not despair in my own weakness, but rather to trust that God’s power in made perfect in my weakness, surrender more fully to Him, and allow myself to be continually strengthened by Him, especially through the Eucharist. I am also encouraged to love my brothers & sisters who may be victims of injustice more actively and advocate for them, rather than just passively watching injustice happen. St Catherine of Siena, pray for us & for peace in the world.

The Feast of St Catherine of Siena - 29 April St Catherine of Siena was a third-order Dominican, peacemaker and counsellor to the Pope. She helped end the Avignon papacy in the 14th century. She started having mystical visions at 7 years old, when she vowed to consecrate her virginity to Christ. When she joined the Dominican Tertiaries, she lived a solitary & deeply contemplative life for 3 years, and experienced an extraordinary union with God (mystical marriage). However, she also suffered many intense periods of desolation alongside her mystical ecstasies. She ended her solitude at this point and began tending to the sick, poor, and marginalised, especially lepers. God called her to a more public life while she was still in her 20s, and she established correspondences with many influential figures, advising and admonishing them and exhorting them to holiness, including the Pope himself whose actions she dared to rebuke when she saw fit, even in her deep reverence for the Pope as the Vicar of Christ. Her letters resulted in great political acts like achieving peace between the Holy See and Florence who were at war, convincing the Pope to return from his Avignon exile, and healing the great schism between the followers of the legitimate Pope, Urban VI, and those who opposed him. She is also venerated as a Doctor of the Church thanks to her theological writings on Christian mysticism, including The Dialogue of Divine Providence, which is the record of her mystical visions. After her death, she received the stigmata on her incorruptible body.

Image: St Catherine of Siena

Blessed Friday friends! We hope that you have had a blessed week🥳 For our final Feast Friday of this semester, we will share more about St Catherine of Siena, whose feast day we celebrate on 29 April. St Catherine is known for her contemplation and prayer, and also for her involvement in the Catholic Church's civil affairs. 🙌🏻 Finally, our sister Angeline shares her reflection on how St Catherine inspires confidence in her actions towards others through prayer and a complete dependence on Christ. 🕊️

Reflection by Adele Wee What struck me most was the origins of this title; how can a thousand year old title have come about from a linguistic ‘error’. Yet, the etymology of it seems so apt that a drop in the ocean could become the guiding star, hope and light for the sea. Mary’s fiat transformed her from an unknown young girl to becoming the Mother of God, demonstrating the exaltation of her deep humility and obedience to God. Oftentimes, I find myself asking God ‘what can I do, I’m just one person?’ seemingly like an insignificant drop in a vast ocean. Through reflection on how the Lord had called and chosen Mary, as well as countless other disciples and saints who were seen as weak and little, I am reminded again that in my nothingness, I have everything in Christ. I am called to grow in humility and offer up my littleness, allowing the Lord to work in His extraordinary ways. I felt an invitation to rely on the Lord, knowing that He is the reason for greatness. Furthermore, I also find myself always in the midst of the storm of my passions, coming quick and without warning. Just as St Bernard wrote to call on Mary as the winds of temptations arise, I feel comforted knowing that I have our Blessed Mother to turn to for guidance back to Jesus in times where I feel lost and overwhelmed with emotion. I pray that we can continue to look to Our Lady who lights our ways to a safe haven found with Christ.

Our Lady Star of the Sea Our Lady Star of the Sea (Stella Maris) is a Marian title attributed to St Jerome in the 5th century. He translated Mary’s Hebrew name - Miryam, meaning ‘drop of the sea’ into the Latin Stilla Maris, which over time developed into Stella Maris likely influenced by the dialect of the Latin peasants. A title especially beloved by sailors, fishermen and those who live in coastal communities, these communities, Stella Maris expresses their long-standing trust in Mary’s intercession for their protection across the centuries. Just as sailors once relied on the stars to safely navigate them back to shore, Mary is likewise seen as our guiding star to lead us safely to the true and safe harbour of her Son amidst the spiritual storms and calamities of our lives. This trust in Our Lady’s guidance extends even beyond this life; the souls in purgatory are said to invoke her as ‘The Star of the Sea’, as she brings them refreshment, into the fullness of eternal life. In the 12th century, this title was further popularised by St Bernard of Clairvaux, who wrote, ‘If the winds of temptation arise; If you are driven upon the rocks of tribulation look to the star, call on Mary; If you are tossed upon the waves of pride, of ambition, of envy, of rivalry, look to the star, call on Mary. Should anger, or avarice, or fleshly desire violently assail the frail vessel of your soul, look at the star, call upon Mary.’ Mary, Star of the Sea, pray for us!

Image: Our Lady Star of the Sea

Hi friends! We praise God for strengthening us and guiding us throughout this semester! 🕊️ For our 4th and final Mary Monday of the sem, we share about the title of Our Lady Star of the Sea (Maris Stella)🌟🌊. As we enter into this season of finals and exams, we are often overwhelmed with stress and anxiety. Let us turn to Mary, our Mother, as our guiding star to lead us to Christ in these storms. 🙌🏻 Finally, our sister Adele shares her reflection on how she is reminded that though she has little to offer, she is called to a greater trust that the Lord will still work in His extraordinary ways. 🫶🏻

Reflection by Christopher Ng Upon reflecting on the mission of St Mark, I realise that I fall short in the way I proclaim my faith. There were times in the past, I have been a bit hesitant to proclaim that helping out in church was something that I liked to do and also refrained from saying grace before meals in front of my non-catholic friends. St Mark serves as a beacon for me to bear witness to the truth and to proclaim it to others. He was a true disciple of God who was unafraid to write down the works of Jesus, to preach and tell generations of people about the love of Christ. I desire to be more willing to proclaim my love and faith to others to evangelise. Some ways that I want to actively do that in my own life would be doing things like saying grace before meals or sharing more about Catholicism with my non-catholic friends as well as inviting them for campus mass when they ask about my Wednesday evening plans. St Mark, pray for us to have courage to evangelise our faith to all we meet. Amen.

The Feast of St Mark the Evangelist - 25 April St John Mark the Evangelist is the patron saint of Venice, Italy, as well as lawyers, notaries, and writers and was estimated to have died in 68 AD. He wrote the oldest and the shortest of the four Gospels, Mark. In the gospel of Mark, his explanations of Jewish customs and his translations of Aramaic expressions suggest that he was writing for Gentile converts, probably for those converts living in Rome. The gospel of Mark describes Jesus’ ministry in and around Galilee, his journey to Jerusalem, the passion, and the resurrection. Though he was not one of the 12 apostles, he was a close associate of St. Peter, acting as his interpreter, and also traveled with Paul and Barnabas. St Mark serves as a radiant example of a follower of Christ and is known as the evangelist because of the way he wrote down the teachings and life of Christ and how he constantly went on pilgrimage to convert the masses to Christianity.

Image: St Mark the Evangelist

Happy end of the semester friends! 🥳 We praise God for His faithfulness and blessings throughout this entire semester! 🙌🏻 For this week's Feast Friday, we share more about the life of St Mark the Evangelist. Additionally, our brother Christopher shares his reflection on how St Mark inspires him to be more willing to proclaim Christ to others and evangelise. 🕊️