The today of salvation
31 October 2010
As we move into the final stage of our journey to Jerusalem in the gospel of Luke we find Jesus on the move through the town of Jericho. On the wings there appears this short, wealthy chief tax collector who for some unknown reason decides that climbing a tree is a good way to avoid…
Religion binds us
23 October 2010
The parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector (Luke 18:9-14) invites us to reflect not just on what true prayer is about, but also on what religion is all about in the first place. The parable encourages us to ponder deeply about the truth of what we share in common – especially as we…
Trusting in God’s goodness
16 October 2010
The Gospel (Matthew 6:25-34) chosen for the feast of St Mary of the Cross provides an amazing antidote to the modern (and ancient) tendency to worry about just about everything – what we are to eat, drink, wear. Is the vision that Jesus expresses simply Utopian or does this teaching of Jesus and the lived…
Naaman’s spiritual odyssey
9 October 2010
Sunday 28C – The healing of ten lepers in Luke 17 is a classic Lukan story that has its proper place on the journey of Jesus to Jerusalem. But to truly understand the power of this story for our own lives we need to revisit the full story of the healing of Naaman that we…
The decision of the dishonest manager
19 September 2010
Sunday 25C – Luke 16:1-13 Across the Gospels, Jesus tells something like 40 parables (a good biblical number); there are 23 in Matthew, 9 in Mark, 28 in Luke but none in John; seven are found in all three of the Synoptic Gospels (Mt, Mk, Lk) and various ones are found in two gospels; some…
A hunger to be fed
19 September 2010
Celebration of First Holy Communion (Readings from the feast of Body and Blood of Christ) in St John Vianney Parish. The final of two special Masses. Like when Jesus gathered with his disciples, we continue to gather to be fed by the Lord in the readings and to be united by him in this meal…
Grace is found beyond justice
11 September 2010
Sunday 24 (Year C) – Luke 15:1-32 I heard during the week of an Australian policeman who has been working for many years in the highlands of Papua New Guinea with the local tribes people there. For many generations their custom has been to seek vengeance for any slight or injury through violence, and consequently…
New life and new hope
11 September 2010
Celebration of First Holy Communion (Readings from the feast of Body and Blood of Christ) in St John Vianney Parish at the first of two special Masses. Like when Jesus gathered with his disciples, we continue to gather to be fed by the Lord in the readings and to be united by him in this…
Happy Fathers’ Day – so hate your mother and father!
5 September 2010
Sunday 23 – season of the year (C); Fathers’ Day In the Gospel today, we have this most striking response by Jesus as the crowds of people flock to hear him – ‘unless you hate your father, mother, sister, brother, wife/husband, children and even hate yourself, you cannot be my disciples.’ Clearly Jesus needs to…
Mount Zion and the heavenly Jerusalem
29 August 2010
In the liturgy of this 22nd Sunday (Year C), we are given an insight into exactly what is really happening when we gather for the Eucharist, with this magnificent reading from the book of Hebrews. All that we see around us, as rich and as beautiful as it usually is, is only a glimpse of…
Entering the gate of Jesus
21 August 2010
Many years ago, when I was a uni student in Sydney, I wanted to head back home to Bega for a family function. These was the days before the Internet (remember those?) so I bought the bus ticket from a travel agent and duly headed into the Coach Terminal at Central Station to catch the…
Mary and the Ark
15 August 2010
The liturgy of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin presents a cacophony of images to us: the Ark of the Covenant in the temple of heaven; a woman clothed with the sun with the moon at her feet and a crown of twelve stars; a pug-ugly, fearsome and hungry dragon; and then by contrast the…
It has pleased the Father to give you the kingdom
8 August 2010
19th Sunday, Year C (Feast of Blessed Mary MacKillop) It is appropriate that the Australian church remembers Blessed Mary MacKillop today, with the opening line of the Gospel (Luke 12:32-48) being a powerful reminder to us the idea of grace – ‘There is no need to be afraid, little flock, for it has pleased your…
Vapour, riches and hell
31 July 2010
We have in today’s Gospel one of only two times in the parables of Jesus when he describes some action committed by a person that it deserves only one judgement – death. Like the other story (the rich man and Lazarus, also in the gospel of Luke, 16:19-31) the cause of this terrible judgement is…
Praying honestly
25 July 2010
17th Sunday – Season of the Year. Luke 11:1-13 – Lord teach us to pray. If we are honest, I suspect that most of us would admit that we are not very good at praying, or at least that our prayer life is not nearly as good as it should be. So what do today’s…
Two visions of discipleship
18 July 2010
The short story of Martha and Mary (Luke 10:38-42) is often told in terms of the contemplative life versus the active life. Even though Mary seems to be the hero of the story, it is Martha who is honoured with the feast day (29 July) – perhaps that at least provides some balance for the…
The Samaritan redeemer
10 July 2010
In the parable of the ‘Good Samaritan’ in Luke 10, the Fathers of the Church saw so much more than a simple moral parable. They saw the whole story of salvation of every one of us as the one who stops and shows compassion provides healing, nourishment and redemption for every person who journeys down…
On a mission from God
4 July 2010
14th Sunday in the Season of the Year (C) Having just moved from Nowra to Fairy Meadow parish, I can see why Jesus instructs his disciples not to move from house to house: for any of you who have moved recently, you will know what a pain it is to pack and move. In this…
Freedom and the iPhone 4
26 June 2010
Discipleship, Season of Growth, Teaching, Year C
13th Sunday in the Season of the Year (C) – Setting our face toward the Lord. In the first reading from I Kings, we meet Elijah at the end of his ministry, when his service begins to be more about Elijah than the Lord, so the Lord essentially tells him that his services are no…
Jesus in 3D
20 June 2010
Experiencing Jesus in 3D. Often we are content to stay with the images or ideas that we had about Jesus from our childhood. But there is so much more that we can experience about the historical and spiritual reality of Jesus of Nazareth, as he puts the same question to us that he put the…
Hair and tears
12 June 2010
Season of Growth, Solemnity, Year C
11th Sunday in the Season of the Year. Also Immaculate Heart of Mary (Diocesan Feast) and Mission Sunday Appeal. Also the Sunday when my move to Fairy Meadow Parish was announced… Announcement of Co-Cathedral Like a great artistic masterpiece, Luke tells the story of the day that a Pharisee invited Jesus to a festive meal,…
A priest of El Elyon
6 June 2010
The first reading from Genesis presents the intriguing character of Melchizedek, king of Salem, and priest of El Elyon (God Most High) who offers Abram a sacrifice of bread and wine. Why is this significant for the celebration of this feast of the Eucharist? There are two significant points of distinction about the passage from…
Trinity and wisdom
29 May 2010
Trinity Sunday C- The heart of our faith; everything flows from it and to it; the distinctive message of Christianity.- The first reading from Proverbs personifies Wisdom (she in the Hebrew) comes forth from God, yet not a creature, since she exists before all creation (before the springs and the mountains)- She is with God…
Pentecost and Mount Sinai
23 May 2010
In the first reading from Acts 2 we hear a whole series of quite bizarre events – most of which we probably have no idea what they mean. To get a better sense of what we celebrate, we need to revisit the Jewish festivals of Pesach and Shavuot in the book of Exodus and remember…
The same power
16 May 2010
Easter, New Creation, Seasons, Teaching
Ascension Sunday (Year C) | Eph 1:15-23; Luke 24:46-53; Acts 1:1-11 I had my washed car yesterday – at one of those automatic car washes. When the weather is a bit warmer, I like taking it through the do-it-yourself section, so that I can play with the power hoses! It is amazing the difference that…
It seems good to the Holy Spirit
9 May 2010
Sixth Sunday in Easter (Year C). In Acts 15 we have a quite extraordinary moment in church history. At issue is how a Jewish community, gathered in worship at a Jewish synagogue around a Jewish Messiah, in the midst of a Jewish nation, keeping Jewish festivals and rituals – how does it welcome non Jews…
Everything is spiritual in the city of God
2 May 2010
Easter, New Creation, Seasons, Teaching
Fifth Sunday in Easter (Year C). Sometimes we get caught in the idea that there are spiritual moments in our lives (when we are in Church; praying; reading Scripture; listening to music or whenever) and all the rest is just secular and to some extent doesn’t count. But that’s not the story of the Scriptures….
Every nation, tribe, people and tongue
25 April 2010
Easter, New Creation, Seasons, Teaching
Fourth Sunday in Easter (Year C) – Commemoration of Anzac Day. In the reading from the book of Revelation, John the Divine has this vision of an immense crowd – impossible to count – of people from every nation, tribe, people and language who have all been through the persecution / tribulation and have had…
Called to follow in the light of the Son
18 April 2010
Easter 3C – John 21 In this final chapter to John’s Gospel – probably written later than the rest of the Gospel – John provides a magnificent summary of the Christian life. He starts with the disciples returning to Galilee and with Peter in the lead, they head back to their old way of life…
Finding mercy and faith in the heart of Jesus
11 April 2010
E2C – Second Sunday of Easter (Divine Mercy Sunday) In Acts we are given the strange detail that people were bringing their sick to lay them on the streets near where St Peter would walk, knowing that if even his shadow should touch them they might be healed. The power of his amazing shadow! Surely…