Reflections

Today's wise words come from the wise woman Julia Baird. Julia is an Australian journalist, broadcaster and author. In her book ‘Bright Shining’ she writes these words about the concept of Grace. “Grace is both mysterious and hard to define. It can be found when we create ways to find meaning and dignity in connection...Continue reading→

Palm Sunday 24/3/24 He washed their feet. Part 1 Thursday evening was Passover day, the Jewish festival where they remembered their liberation from slavery. Jesus had planned it carefully. An upper room in a discreet part of the city was booked and a Passover meal prepared. Threads were being gathered together. The tapestry would soon...Continue reading→

Savour the Memory In her book Phosphorescence, Julia Baird describes some of her memories of Central Park. Watch closely as she skilfully takes us by the hand and leads us into this majestic almost magical still place of green in one of the busiest and noisiest cities in the world. ‘Other times, I walked marathons...Continue reading→

Lent 5 March 17th Bishop Stephen Cottrell He ate with tax collectors and sinners part 2 Another shadow crosses the day. They stare at him, dumbfounded. He is very irritating. Not only does he accept this woman’s offering. Not only does he shame them in front of her, reminding them that there will always be...Continue reading→

Holy Week and Easter in Our Parish. Christchurch Hamilton Palm Sunday.  Saturday 23rd of March Vigil 6:00pm Sunday 24th of March 10:30am Mass begins in the hall. Wednesday of Holy Week 27th of March 9:15am Stations of the cross 10:00am Mass Holy (Maundy) Thursday 28th of March 7:30pm Washing of Feet and Vigil until 10:00pm...Continue reading→

Lent 4 March 10th Bishop Stephen Cotterell He ate with tax collectors and sinners. Part 1 In the end, this was his undoing. He just wasn’t respectable enough. He mixed with the wrong sort of people. He wasn’t one of us. There was too much God in him, and not the ‘God-fearing sort of God’...Continue reading→

The Parable of the Alien Once upon a time, an alien crash-landed in the middle of the Kimberly ranges. While Alien Freddy could find no one around to ask about our lifestyle and culture he managed to access our internet and social media sites. He spent hours scrolling through people’s postings and pictures. He read...Continue reading→

Lent 3 March 3rd Jesus overturns the money changers' tables They followed him. With all sorts of motives and for all sorts of reasons. Some were anxious or battling pent-up anger. Others were excited, bewildered or bewitched. The kettle was boiling. Hissing insistently. But no one could lift it from the heat. There was an...Continue reading→

The value of the greeting card. From time to time it is my undeserved and thrilling privilege to write a greeting card. Having been here 4 and half years I think that we have graduated from a formal email or letterhead, to a more personal approach. I try to pick the card carefully so that...Continue reading→

Restlaufzeit Restlaufzeit is a German word roughly translated as ‘The remaining time’ or ‘The remaining term’. It’s a concept that is hard to comprehend. We are often looking to the present or the past. They are quantifiable, easy-to-understand concepts and terms. But we are a bit squidgy when it comes to placing a limit of...Continue reading→

Lent 2 Sunday 25th of February Jesus rides on a donkey part 2. Now, in the days that had led to this day, he had said other uncomfortable things as well. He had taken the Twelve to one side and said to them, ‘See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man...Continue reading→

Mary Ann Steuternanm Mary Ann Steutermann is the director of campus ministry at Assumption High School, a Catholic all-girls school in Louisville, Kentucky. She's also a freelance writer whose articles have been published in this magazine and on the popular Catholic website BustedHalo.com. Mary Ann lives in Louisville with her husband and son. Ash Wednesday  Giving...Continue reading→

Lent 1 18/2/24 Bishop Stephen Cottrell  The things he did. He rode into Jerusalem on a donkey. Part 1. Jerusalem was in ferment. Knives were being sharpened. Well-worn grooves were smoothed and oiled. Loose tongues wagged. Accusing fingers jabbed. Small children either ran for the cover of their mother’s apron or picked up stones ready...Continue reading→

Let's see what's in your show bag. It’s the time of year when I burn last year’s palm crosses to make some ash for Ash Wednesday. Something is alluring about gazing off into the middle distance as the flames consume the faded palm crosses. The oddest things come to mind. Like… well… I’ve made it...Continue reading→

The Leprous Chatterbox. Jesus sent him away at once with a strong warning: “See that you don’t tell this to anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.”  Instead, he went out and began to talk freely, spreading the news....Continue reading→

Tolerance + Silence = Agreement + Collusion. You may be surprised that I did not have an easy time at school. I was unabashed about my faith and this was not a good thing in the popularity stakes. In the end, my parents took pity on me and I moved to a different school where...

Bread or stones. Today's hurdy-gurdy begins with Jesus leaving the synagogue with James and John. They go to Simon’s place to heal his nameless mother-in-law. Then there is more action where the whole town gathers around Jesus to have the sick healed and the possessed… well dispossessed. Whew! What a flurry of activity. What a...Continue reading→

Imagine I recently discovered a person called Simon Barrow. He is a practical theologian, (ie. who thinks outside the traditional box and language) a commentator, a journalist, an adult educator and a trainer. So he is no slouch and I’m glad that he’s on the side of the ‘good guys’. His work was passed onto...Continue reading→

Be still and know… There is a bit of a theme happening in the readings today, and that theme is ‘knowing’ or knowledge In the Psalm, we are told The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding In the second lesson, St. Paul also has...Continue reading→

Our Missing Hearts I’ve read a book by Celeste Ng called ‘Our Missing Hearts’. The book is fiction but the plot is disquietingly familiar. Us versus them, the targeting of a specific group of people because they appear different. The consequences, fall out and fear of such a mindset. Think of George Orwell's ‘Animal Farm’,...Continue reading→