OPEN YOUR BIBLE (6) – Amos’ Three Woes to Israel (Am 5:7–6:14)

Amos’ “woes” are more than just warnings—they are cries of sorrow for a nation falling apart because of injustice, hypocrisy, and pride. Each woe reveals a different layer of Israel’s spiritual decline and points to the coming judgment from God. When we talk about Israel here, we mean the Northern Kingdom, which was destroyed by the Assyrians in 721 B.C. The northern tribes were taken into exile and never returned; These are known as the “lost tribes of Israel.” Woe to the Corrupt Courts: Justice Turned to Poison (Am 5:7–17) Amos condemns the perversion of justice, where truth is despised and the poor are crushed. The city gate—the place of legal trials—has become a den of contempt.  “Woe to those who turn justice into wormwood and cast righteousness to the ground” (5:7) “They hate those who reprove at the gate,  and abhor those who speak with integrity” (5:10)

INSULAR CATHOLICISM IN VIETNAM – Catholic Church, a Beacon Keeping the Faith Firm

The Catholic community of Hon Tre village dates back to the 1960s, when several families of believers settled on Hai Tac, “Pirate Island,” to achieve a more dignified life there. Later, at the initiative of these local parishioners led by Father Michael Le Tan Cong, a church, a school, and a medical center were built there. Located 28 kilometers from the mainland, at the southernmost point of the country, the only way to reach Hai Tac is by speedboat, a one-hour trip.

All Soul’s Day – Year C – Coming to Terms with the Living Silence in Us

Today, we remember the dead, and unwittingly, we are brought to confront the living silence they leave behind. All Souls’ Day is not just a liturgical nostalgia. It is a spiritual reckoning — a moment when the veil thins, and we are invited to gaze into the mystery of death not as an end, but as a threshold. We do not come with answers, but with ache. We do not come with certainty, but with longing. And in this sacred longing, we hear Jesus say, “I shall not reject anyone who comes to me…