Gebirah - Making It Easy To Do Good

THE TAXI THAT REFUSED TO DIE

Most cars never make it past 300,000 kilometers before someone decides they are no longer worth repairing.

When the repairs become expensive, when the engine begins struggling, when newer and shinier models appear, people move on. Scrap it. Replace it. Upgrade.

But one man in Greece refused to think that way.

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“SERVIAM IN THE STORM”: WHAT BLESSED GUADALUPE TEACHES US ABOUT FINDING GOD IN THE HIDDEN CORNERS OF HUMAN SUFFERING

The rain had not stopped for hours.

Inside a cramped shelter in Southeast Asia, a young refugee mother sat quietly beside her feverish child while volunteers distributed food, hygiene supplies, and basic necessities. One volunteer noticed that despite her exhaustion, the mother kept apologising for “being a burden.” She had lost her home, her country, and almost all hope, yet she still worried about troubling others.

That night, after the mission team finished packing supplies, one of our volunteers whispered, “How do people still smile after so much suffering?”

The answer did not come immediately. But perhaps Blessed Guadalupe Ortiz de Landázuri would have known exactly what to say.

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CHARIS Gala Dinner 22 May 2026

THE SCANDAL OF PLENTY: HUNGER IN AN AGE OF WASTE

Over the years, during our outreach missions and humanitarian work, I have come to realise that hunger often hides behind silence.

It is difficult to explain what hunger truly looks like unless you have stood close enough to see a child licking the last grains of rice from a plastic container, or watched a mother pretend she is not hungry so her child can eat slightly more.

Recently, Pope Leo XIV’s May 2026 prayer intention reminded Catholics around the world to pray “that no one might lack the food they need” and to rediscover gratitude, simplicity, and solidarity.

In another reflection connected to the Holy Father’s intention, the phrase that struck me most was this: “The real issue is not hunger and waste existing side by side. It is how easily we have learned to live as if that were normal.”

That is perhaps the tragedy of our modern world.

Not merely that hunger exists. But that we have slowly become desensitised to it.

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THE SCANDAL OF PLENTY: HUNGER IN AN AGE OF WASTE | Tony Tan THE SCANDAL OF PLENTY: HUNGER IN AN AGE OF WASTE Over the years, during our outreach missions and humanitarian work, I have come to realise that hunger often hides behind silence. Sometimes it is the homeless elderly man who quietly queues for a hot meal without making eye contact because shame has....

THE TERRIFYING BEAUTY OF HUMAN INTERCONNECTEDNESS

Recently, I wrote an article titled “The Sin of Silence: When One Small Act Echoes Into Eternity.”

Since then, I came across a profound discussion featuring Peter Kreeft reflecting on The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky.

Kreeft is a renowned Catholic philosopher and professor known for making deep spiritual ideas understandable to ordinary people. Dostoevsky, one of history’s greatest novelists, explored the depths of human suffering, freedom, guilt, faith, and redemption with extraordinary psychological insight.

What struck me most from their reflections was a truth that is both deeply beautiful and deeply unsettling.

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WHEN GOOD INTENTIONS ARE SILENCED

In his recent homily reported by ZENIT News Agency during the ordination Mass on Good Shepherd Sunday, Pope Leo XIV reminded us: “No one lives for themselves any longer… every Sunday calls us out of the ‘tomb’ of isolation and seclusion.”

For a missioner, this isn’t poetic language—it’s lived reality. Mission work demands that we leave behind not just comfort, but also approval.

When we travel to refugee settlements in Indonesia or remote villages in Thailand—echoing stories from earlier mission reflections—we encounter not only poverty, but also indifference, misunderstanding, and at times, opposition.

This is where the Gospel becomes painfully real.

Pope Leo XIV did not shy away from this reality when he quoted:
“Strangers, thieves, and robbers… come only to steal and kill and destroy” (John 10:10).

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When Good Intentions Are Silenced: The Hidden Battle Against Mission Work | Tony Tan WHEN GOOD INTENTIONS ARE SILENCED In his recent homily reported by ZENIT News Agency during the ordination Mass on Good Shepherd Sunday, Pope Leo XIV reminded us: “No one lives for themselves any longer… every Sunday calls us out of the ‘tomb’ of isolation and seclusion.” For a missioner, ...

WHEN FAITH GETS ITS HANDS DIRTY: THE QUIET REVOLUTION OF LOVE IN THE MARGINS

The rain had just stopped in a village in the middle of a jungle on the hill tops of Fang in northern Thailand. The ground was very muddy, the air thick with humidity, and the scent of damp earth clung to everything.

I remember standing at the doorway of a modest shelter, watching a young mother cradle her child. She smiled, not because life was easy, but because someone had shown up.

Not with grand speeches.
Not with promises of quick change.
But with presence.

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THE SIN OF SILENCE: WHEN ONE SMALL “NO” ECHOES INTO ETERNITY

On a mission trip to Ho Chi Minh City, our schedule was already full—meetings, distributions, visits. Everything was timed, structured, efficient. Then some people made repeated requests: “Can we stop by this small school for the poor?”

It wasn’t strategic. It wasn’t in the plan.

We almost said no.

But we didn’t.

That single, almost-forgotten “yes” became the beginning of a long-term mission—one that continues to serve vulnerable children today. Looking back, it felt insignificant in the moment.

But that’s the mystery of grace.

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WHAT WALKING ON EMMAUS TAUGHT ME ABOUT MISSION WORK

It was near dusk when we sat with them.

Not in a chapel. Not in a place of comfort. But in the middle of a community that had long been forgotten—where hardship had shaped decisions, and survival often came at the cost of dignity.

We had come to serve. To help. To give.

But that evening, we did something different.

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THE TABLE OF HOPE: WHERE CHRIST STILL BREAKS BREAD WITH THE FORGOTTEN

Grace, one of our missioners from our Fang mission, sent me a photo of the Altar of Repose at Novena Church in Singapore. At first glance, it looked familiar—the solemn stillness, the symbolism of the table....

It mirrors the Last Supper of our Lord Jesus Christ. But instead of apostles, Christ sits among poor, homeless children from the streets of Manila—each carrying wounds the world rarely sees.

Children who, despite the despair and poverty surrounding them, continue to live… with Jesus as their only hope.

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