Reflections

Having More Than One Go. Those of you with a fine eye for detail will have noticed that our first reading actually begins in the 3rd chapter of Jonah. In today’s apparently happy story, Jonah asks the people to repent, they do and everything is squared away. All is sweet and dandy and they all...Continue reading→

The conversation I never had They were a smart couple. Attractive, young and obviously ‘together.’ They were shown to a cosy table just for two. They ordered and then I thought they would hold hands, look into each other's eyes and mutter luscious things to each other. Not so. Instead of gazing at each other's...Continue reading→

Speak Lord… A bit of background for today's first lesson. At the time of our first reading, the Israelites were in a state of moral decline. The judges who had led them previously had sadly passed away, and the Israelites had turned to their old ways of idol worship. The people were crying out for...Continue reading→

Our Defining Discussions. I once made the point that the Archangel Gabrielle knows before he visits the Virgin Mary that this will be a defining discussion. He is well aware that once he steps over the threshold, Mary’s life will be changed forever. There can be no going back to her uncomplicated, quiet life. The...Continue reading→

Baptism of Our Lord. January 7th. OK… so what happens next? The couple who have been together for several years are walking along a stunning mountain track when they come across an open plateau. The vista and scenery are spectacular. The handsome young man goes to set up his camera equipment a little way off...Continue reading→

Making the world a place of possibilities It's a great phrase. It sounds as if anything could be possible. I wanted to clasp it firmly in my right hand like a baton and run with it and surely this is the vocation of us all. To make the world a place of possibilities. As I...Continue reading→

The art of letter writing Some of us will have written and received Christmass cards this year. Often people will write a little letter to include with the card letting the recipient know what has been going on over the last 12 months. While I joyfully receive any card, it is the ones with an...Continue reading→

Epiphany 31 December 2023 In praise of an empty cup. It took quite a time for the three kings to get to the Holy Family, so the image that you may have seen on your christmass cards with them visiting a squawking infant in the manger, is not entirely accurate, although it is rather cute....Continue reading→

Christmass 25/12. “Dooga Dooga Dooo” During Advent we have used the theme  ‘The Faces She Saw’ and so we have been thinking about some of the faces that Mother Mary saw. The Angel Gabrielle, St. Joseph, The Innkeeper and The Shepherds. Today we come to another face. His face. The face of her son. And I...Continue reading→

We continue with the reflections on ‘The Faces She Saw’. And we’re thinking about some of the faces that Mother Mary saw in the lead-up to Christmass. Today it is the Shepherds. Bishop Stephen Cottrell wrote this one for me and I unashamedly filched it from his book “Walking Backwards to Christmas.” “We went into...Continue reading→

Thank You Nick Cave Chat GPT is the official name for a computer program that can generate essays with just a few suggestive words. The following quote is from a letter by Nick Cave about Chat GPT. It was read by Stephen Fry on a YouTube series called ‘Live Letters’ “In the story of creation,...Continue reading→

Advent 3 This Advent I will be offering a series of reflections with the theme ‘The Faces She Saw.’ We’ll be thinking about some of the faces that Mother Mary saw in the lead-up to Christmass and today we reflect on the face of someone who said ‘No’ to Mary. Only Luke gives us the...Continue reading→

St. Joseph. This Advent I am offering a series of reflections with the theme ‘The Faces She Saw’. We’ll be thinking about some of the faces that Mother Mary saw in the lead-up to Christmass and today we reflect on the face of St. Joseph. What I hope this particular reflection teaches us, is that...Continue reading→

Fasting from your phone The wizened, mature retreat Conductor grinned and with a mischievous twinkle in his eye suggested that we fast from our phones during retreat. Whether many did or not I will never know. From my perspective, I found it an interesting exercise. I only glimpsed at the screen on my phone to...Continue reading→

3/12/23 Advent 1 This Advent I will be offering a series of reflections with the theme ‘The Faces She Saw’. These are supposed to be gentle dollops for us to muse over and enjoy in the frenetic lead-up to you know what. I hope that they are a lovely Advent contrast. We’ll be thinking about...Continue reading→

There is a film called “Schindler’s List” and the storyline goes like this. Businessman Oskar Schindler arrives in Krakow in 1939, all set to make his fortune from World War II. After joining the Nazi party purely for political expediency, he staffs his factory with Jewish workers for similarly pragmatic reasons. When the SS begins...Continue reading→

Of the numbers 20 and 16 The 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence is an annual international campaign. This issue while uncomfortable is something that we cannot shun or pretend that it somehow doesn’t happen. This year 20 Victorian women have died at the hands of others, so clearly it goes on with brutal...Continue reading→

The parable of the lunch box. I remember with nostalgic affection the lunches that my mother used to pack me. There was the traditional sandwich, a piece of fruit, a treat and if practical, a little something left over from last night's dinner.  It was simple enough but served this growing boy well. It wasn’t glamorous,...Continue reading→

A Worn bit of Carpet It's a worn bit of carpet in the Chapel of Our Lady at Christchurch Hamilton. It’s just in front of the altar where the priest stands and while it is not easy to spot, when you look for it, when you know it’s there… you can see it. It makes...Continue reading→

The Parable of the Painters Have you ever imagined what parables Our Lord might have offered if he came to this part of the world and in this particular time? Many of them still translate well for us. I think the parable of the lost sheep would still resonate with many of us. We understand...Continue reading→