Pakistan does not produce sufficient power to provide electricity for all its peoples' needs. 'Load shedding' is a part of life, where electricity is cut off for hours on end every day, including the hot summer months when the increased demand is not met.

The audio podcast is narrated by John Doherty. SUBSCRIBE TO 'THE FAR EAST' MAGAZINE: goo.gl/QLwZFg

Over the years the Subanen artists have crafted Christmas cards whose subject matter connected their experiences with the experiences of Mary and Joseph in Bethlehem.

The audio podcast is narrated by John Doherty. SUBSCRIBE TO 'THE FAR EAST' MAGAZINE: goo.gl/QLwZFg

Columbans have served refugees and asylum seekers in England for decades. Of the current crisis, Mauricio Silva, Columban Lay Missionary Coordinator said, "We are more committed than ever to serving the needs of refugees and asylum seekers and pray ...

The audio podcast is narrated by John Doherty. SUBSCRIBE TO 'THE FAR EAST' MAGAZINE: goo.gl/QLwZFg

The pilgrimage, unlike a tourist jaunt, had a deeper dimension of placing our normal lives aside for a short time and listening to the ‘small voice’ of God as we visited holy places.

The audio podcast is narrated by John Doherty. SUBSCRIBE TO 'THE FAR EAST' MAGAZINE: goo.gl/QLwZFg

The Kiribati Government bought a property of some thousands of acres from the Anglican Church in Fiji for resettlement of people in the future. The President has said that the sea will cover Kiribati by the end of this century.

The audio podcast is narrated by John Doherty. SUBSCRIBE TO 'THE FAR EAST' MAGAZINE: goo.gl/QLwZFg

The Rainbow Community was selected for the social service award because it had pioneered community-based services for people with intellectual disabilities with the introduction of group homes.

The audio podcast is narrated by John Doherty. SUBSCRIBE TO 'THE FAR EAST' MAGAZINE: goo.gl/QLwZFg

The Sacrifice of Isaac (detail)by Domenichino (Domenico Zampieri) (1627-1628)

The story we read in Genesis of the so-called sacrifice of Isaac exerts an enduring fascination. Domenichino’s account of the disturbing narrative highlights the dramatic moment when an angel thwarts Abraham’s attempt to fulfil God’s command to sacrifice his beloved son, Isaac. The angel gestures downward toward the substitute sacrifice, the ram caught in a thicket. Nearby on the other side of Abraham, Isaac looks upward in acknowledgement of his deliverance. Abraham fills the picture to such an extent that his agitated figure dominates all those around him, and most poignantly his trusting son, Isaac. Against the background of a tranquil landscape, Abraham’s swirling draperies and commanding gesture reinforce our sense

of horror and disbelief. Abraham’s outspread arms convey both amazement and gratitude that his obedience to God has ended with such a dramatic confirmation of God’s reward for fidelity.

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The Good Samaritan (detail) by Philip Richard Morris (1857)

The English artist Philip Richard Morris imagines Luke’s parable of The Good Samaritan within the historical reality of the Holy Land. Why did this story exercise such a wide appeal during the nineteenth-century? Pre-Raphaelite artists like Morris delighted in recreating the domestic world of first-century Palestine. In addition, Victorian families relished the Samaritan’s example of selflessly serving those in need. In keeping with Victorian values, Morris focuses on the later part of the parable. The Samaritan together with the unfortunate traveller have found their way to an inn, where the Samaritan ensures that the inn-keeper will further nurse the man who has been robbed. Here the inn-keeper’s family, his wife and child proceed to offer support and care to the victim of casual theft and violence. Through the entrance we glimpse the merchant and his horse heading off. Morris shows that the Samaritan can now depart, confident that the inn-keeper and his family will continue to care for the man. The didactic message of Luke’s parable centres of course on Jesus words “Go and do like-wise”. In the painting the small child prominently dressed in red reminds us of Jesus’ words. Clearly frightened by the intrusion of the unkempt stranger, he is never-the-less gently encouraged by his mother to regard the man with compassion. The command to offer hospitality to the stranger resonates from this painting into our own communities.

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The Exodus or The Vases of the Egyptians (detail) by Frans Francken II the Younger (1581-1642)

The story familiar from The Exodus tells how Moses led his people out of Egypt toward the Promised Land. Many artists have depicted the dramatic episode which describes how God parted the Red Sea so that the Israelites might escape pursuit by Pharoah’s army. The Flemish artist Frans Francken has chosen a less familiar incident from this story. This crowded composition features an earlier moment when the Israelites are preparing to leave captivity. In the foreground the artist calls our attention to the splendid objects which the Israelites will carry on the journey. Golden ewers, elaborate caskets and precious jewels captivate everyone present from the aged to richly dressed women and small children. The artist appeals to a seventeenth-century taste for plenty of spectacle abounding in opulent detail and exotic incident. Indeed Moses would be all but impossible to find, except for the fact that the camel which he rides stands tall at the rear. During this era, preachers liked to remind their congregations that pursuit of worldly vanities might distract them, like the Israelites, from the adoration of God. This painting delivers a kind of sermon warning against worldly indulgence.

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The Three Marys (detail) by Michael Wolgemut (c. 1500)

The earliest images of the Resurrection portrayed the event of Christ’s victory over death with a surprising absence – the figure of the resurrected Christ himself. Instead, artists depicted the angel (often seated on the empty tomb) and three women carrying ointment jars with which to anoint Christ’s body. The women traditionally known as myrrhophores (from the Greek word meaning anointers of Christ or ointment bearers) recall Mark and Luke’s descriptions of how these female companions of Christ visited the empty tomb. This depiction of The Three Marys appears to have originally been part of a larger work, almost certainly a painting of the Resurrection. The artist, Michael Wolgemut, the teacher of Albrecht Dürer, invests the scene with a sense of emotional realism. He does so through the women’s red-rimmed eyes as well as the care with which each figure is individualised. Note how each woman’s costume and pose contain clues that help the viewer to differentiate her status in late medieval society. The figure at the left, almost certainly to be identified as Mary Magdalen, wears an expensive fur-trimmed dress. Moreover, her unbound golden hair further confirms her identity. The woman next to her wears the wimple and veil associated with widows. The final figure in this group of myrrhophores wears the fashionable head - dress typical of the wives of successful burghers. Each of these women would have reminded devout late medieval viewers that compassion and fidelity remain at the heart of the Christian life.

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