BLOG: Fr. Raphael Ma, CR
… and so is the Salt + Light studio… alive with music after we finished editing today’s Catholic Focus episode on “The Real Sounds of Music,” featuring the story of the von Trapp family. Who can help but have those iconic songs in their heads to hum or whistle or sing all day long after hearing ...read more
If you’ve ever called Salt + Light, chances are you’ve spoken to our receptionist Ana. If you’ve ever talked to Ana for a bit, in matters not directly related to S+L, you’ll probably find out about her Chilean background. I couldn’t help thinking of her on our boat ride around the Sea of Galilee, where ...read more
  I was transported back to World Youth Day 2005 at Sunday Mass.  We were at the Benedictine Monastery in Tabgha, whichhas particular care for German Pilgrims.  The site marks what is traditionally believed to be the location of the miracle of the Multiplication of the Loaves and Fishes – the Church there taking its name ...read more
This week on The World I Know we look at Empathy. Now, I found that most young people do not know what ‘empathy’ is.  Actually, come to think about it, most people do not know what ‘empathy’ is.  In the first segment of this show, Vanessa Cafazzo introduces us to Empathy and how it is ...read more
  Rain has come up a lot thus far on our trip to the Holy Land.  It hasn’t actually rained, in fact the weather has been fantastic – sunny, in the low-to-mid twenties (Celsius), beautiful breeze.  It’s the lack of rain, during this the rainy season, that is a topic of conversation. We’re spending our ...read more
In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.  And he came to her and said, “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with ...read more
In Tel Aviv we came across places of worship all within the vicinity of each other – the Mosque on a corner, a Synagogue dating back to the mid-1700s tucked in the Artist’s Quarter, and St. Peter’s Catholic Church along the water front.  It was a contrast of what I had expected – somehow I ...read more
In Canada we have the Esso Tiger. Here they have Delek Dragon.  Same idea, different species.  Or is that genus? I was never good with my classification systems.  Regardless, if one imagines Israel as some kind of country stuck in ancient times – think again.  There is plenty of growth in the cities – old ...read more
After arriving from the airport we spent the next few hours touring around Tel Aviv.  It’s the economic hub of Israel, and nearly two of Israel’s seven million inhabitants call it home.  From what I understand ‘Tel’ means ‘city of ruins’ or ruins and ‘Aviv’ means spring.  It’s a city built on ruins – sprung ...read more
Balloons seem to be big in Israel – or at least for people greeting their friends and relatives at the airport. After an uneventful 11hour flight – which I found to go fairly fast – we landed safely at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion International Airport.  As we exited into the arrivals area I was surprised ...read more