Easter
The Divine Wind
19 May 2024
Embracing the Transformative Power of the Holy Spirit As a Catholic priest, I’ve had the privilege of delving into the depths of spiritual reflection and sharing these insights with my congregation. Today, I want to share with you a profound experience that resonates with the very core of our faith – the transformative power of…
Pentecost – The space for God’s work
19 May 2024
Embracing the Transformative Power of the Holy Spirit I am Fr Richard Healey, and today, I want to share with you a profound reflection that has been stirring in my heart. It’s about the indispensable role of the Holy Spirit in our lives and the church, particularly through the lens of the transformative experience of…
Absence as Presence
11 May 2024
Embracing the Mystery: Celebrating the Feast of the Ascension Introduction: Today I want to share with you a reflection on one of the pivotal moments in the Christian calendar – the Feast of the Ascension. This feast day, which commemorates the ascension of Jesus Christ into heaven, often stirs a mix of emotions and thoughts…
Called and Chosen
5 May 2024
Embracing the Joy and Friendship of God: Lessons from Bishop Peter Today I want to share with you some insights and personal reflections that have shaped my journey of faith. I will be delving into the remarkable influence of the late Bishop Peter Ingham, a man whose love for laughter and God has left an…
Pruned for life
28 April 2024
Embracing Spiritual Growth: The Art of Pruning in Our Lives Ironically, during my seminarian days, I found myself in the role of a plant specialist, working for an indoor plant hire company known as Jungle Gyms. Despite my lack of expertise, people would often come to me seeking advice for their home plants. I recall,…
Shepherd us
21 April 2024
Embracing the Transformative Power of God’s Love: Reflections for the Easter Season I welcome you to a space where we delve into the profound messages of our faith, especially as we find ourselves in the heart of the Easter season. Today, I wish to share with you not just a sermon, but a journey through…
New Creation Bodies
14 April 2024
Embracing the Transformative Power of the Resurrection: Insights and Reflections Today, I want to delve into the significance of the resurrection of Jesus and its far-reaching implications for humanity, as we discussed in our Easter Sunday gathering. The Road to Emmaus: A Story of Revelation and Hope Our conversation began with the captivating narrative from…
Breathing Mercy
7 April 2024
Breathing New Life: Reflections on Transformation and Faith in Uncertain Times Introduction Greetings, dear friends and members of our spiritual family. I am Fr Richard Healey, and today I want to share with you a reflection that has been on my heart, especially considering the tumultuous events that have unfolded in 2020. As we gather…
Shells and Surrender
31 March 2024
A Pilgrim’s Reflections: Embracing the Journey of Faith Walking the Ancient Path Hello, dear readers and fellow pilgrims on the journey of life. I am Fr Richard Healey, and I recently had the profound experience of leading a group of pilgrims through the sacred shrines of Europe, an odyssey that culminated in the revered Camino…
Shells and Tombs
30 March 2024
Embracing the Journey of Surrender: Lessons from the Way of Saint James As a priest and a spiritual guide, I’ve had the profound privilege of leading a group of pilgrims on a transformative journey that has left an indelible mark on my heart and faith. Today, I want to share with you the insights and…
Good Friday Commemoration
29 March 2024
The Intersection of Person-Centered Therapy and Christian Spirituality: A Good Friday Reflection As we gather in our sacred space this Good Friday, I find myself contemplating the profound connection between the therapeutic approach known as person-centered therapy and our Christian spirituality. I am Fr Richard Healey, and today, I want to share with you some…
Silence and Space
28 May 2023
I grew up in the country. I don’t think I really noticed a couple of key things until much later – because often you only notice things when they’re not there anymore. But there were two things. When you would go outside, particularly on a night like this, pretty chilly kind of night. The night…
Silence and Word
28 May 2023
I grew up in the country. I don’t think I really noticed a couple of key things until much later – because often you only notice things when they’re not there anymore. But there were two things. When you would go outside, particularly on a night like this, pretty chilly kind of night. The night…
Doubting faith
21 May 2023
Ascension Sunday When I was 21, I was living in a formation house as my first year of attempting to follow this desire to be a priest. Towards the end of the first year I got sick. But before I realised that I was getting sick, I had come down with Chicken pox and as…
Advocate
14 May 2023
The Sixth Sunday in Easter, Year A Play MP3 | Watch video When I was a kid, I kind of grew up with a lot of science fiction as part of my diet, both in reading and and watching TV. And one of the wonderful things about sci-fi is you can kind of imagine almost…
Called and Chosen
12 May 2023
Mass from St John the Evangelist Catholic Church, Campbelltown with Fr Richard Healey Friday in the Fifth Week of Easter (Friday 12 May 2023) First Reading ‡ Acts 15:22-31 It has been decided by the Holy Spirit and ourselves not to burden you beyond what is essential. Responsorial ‡ Psalm 56:8-12 I will praise you…
Chosen
7 May 2023
Easter – Sunday 5 Play MP3 Watch video Resources 00:00:00 Sometimes it can be really difficult to accept the simple claims that the gospel makes to know that we are indeed loved with this amazing intimacy of life and goodness to trust. 00:00:21 That God actually wants us to have that experience of this intimacy,…
More than enough life
30 April 2023
Easter, Sunday 4, Year A. One of my pet peeves are the shallow stereotypes that abound around ideas of “What does it mean to be a Christian?” Tight-laced, Straight. Goody 2 shoes. Narrow. Conservative. Anti-Environment. Homophobic. Backward. It is really hard to live well against this. I’m sure you faced this often enough when you…
Hope along the road
23 April 2023
Sunday 3 in Easter, Year A In this Catholic Mass, we celebrate the 3rd Sunday of Easter with a focus on the Gospel of the road to Emmaus (Luke 24). Join us in exploring the theme of Hope along the road as we reflect on the journey of the disciples on their way to Emmaus….
Breathing Mercy
16 April 2023
Sunday 2 in Easter – Sunday of Divine Mercy This year, during this season of Easter, we will be working our way through this first letter of Saint Peter. We don’t really know when it was written, there were no markers to kind of indicate when that happened. Peter used a secretary called Sylvanas to…
Resurrection Bodies
9 April 2023
Easter, New Creation, Seasons, Teaching
First Reading ‡ Acts 10:34.36-43We have eaten and drunk with him after his resurrection from the dead. Responsorial ‡ Psalm 117:1-2.16-17.22-23This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad. Second Reading (option 1) ‡ Colossians 3:1-4Look for the things that are in heaven, where Christ is. Gospel ‡ John 20:1-9The…
Why did Jesus die?
8 April 2023
A reflection on the Passion of Jesus in the Gospel of John. Play MP3 When I was a kid, the only thing that I seemed to want to do was to be older and bigger, you know, big enough that I was able to go out the back with my older brothers, with Dad on…
Pentecost – Reception
5 June 2022
Easter, Season of Growth, Seasons, Solemnity, Year C
More than 30 years ago while in pre-seminary formation, I was told a quote from a Russian Orthodox monk, who died in the nineteenth century, St Seraphim of Sarov (1754/1759-1833). The quote is – “the goal of the Christian life is the acquisition of the Holy Spirit.” Seraphim goes on to say that like many…
Ascension Presence
29 May 2022
Ascension day can be a very confusing experience. For many people the imagery and artwork that accompany this feast does not help to clear the confusion. Picturing the feet of Jesus beneath a cloud that is taking him away from us does not help. Whenever an image is encountered in the scriptures, our first question…
Gracious New Jerusalem
21 May 2022
Easter, Season of Growth, Seasons, Year C
Sixth Sunday in Easter, Year C. We arrive at almost the very ending of the bible with our reading from Revelation 21 today. We are given the vision of the new Jerusalem as it descends and heaven and earth are fully reunited once again. The city is enormous – 12,000 stadia (2,400km) in each direction…
New Creation People
15 May 2022
Easter, Season of Growth, Seasons, Year C
Fifth Sunday in Easter, Year C. You shall be my people – and I will be your God. The Gospel passage that we hear today is sandwiched between two awful moments. Immediately before Judas is outed as the betrayer of Jesus. He takes the bread from the dish of Jesus and leaves the upper room….
Follow the True Shepherd
8 May 2022
Easter, Season of Growth, Seasons, Year C
John 10 – festival of Dedication/Lights – the Jewish festival of Hanukkah, occurring during the Jewish month of Chislev 25 (during our December – Hanukkah often occurs near Christmas). The second half of John 10 happens two months after feast of Tabernacles (John 7: 1 – 10:21). Same place (temple area in Jerusalem) but a different…
Transformed by love
1 May 2022
Easter, Season of Growth, Seasons, Year C
Easter 3C Last week the disciples were locked away – together in fear, distress, grief and anxiety. Jesus came and stood among them. Shalom! Peace be with you. He showed them the wounds in his hands and his side. He breathes the breathe of new life, the gift of the Holy Spirit upon them. He…
Rich in Divine Mercy
24 April 2022
Easter, Season of Growth, Seasons, Year C
Second Sunday in Easter, Year C. First Reading ‡ Acts 5:12-16The numbers of men and women who came to believe in the Lord increased steadily. Responsorial ‡ Psalm 117:2-4.22-27Give thanks to the Lord for he is good, his love is everlasting. Second Reading ‡ Revelation 1:9-13.17-19I was dead and now I am to live for…
Resurrection Life
17 April 2022
When you set out and walk east from the old city of Jerusalem through the Lion Gate, you move first through the shallow Kidron Valley before beginning to climb up the lower sections of the Mount of Olives. You pass first through the Garden of Gethsemene, complete with its old olive groves and the Christian…