Reflections

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→

Peace - A First-world Luxury. I’m typing this a few days after the whole Hamas / Israel volcano has erupted. The Holy Land has long been fought over. Far too much blood has been spilled and far too many tears have been shed. It’s important to remember that this has not suddenly happened in a...Continue reading→

Jesus, The Party Guy. One of Fr. David’s pet theories is that Jesus must have been dragged along to lots of parties when he was a child. Frequently The Teacher will use the imagery of a party to make some of his most incisive points about the Kingdom of Heaven. Remember the story about the...Continue reading→

CFA Mass for the Dundas area. Two houses We gather today to express our great gratitude for your commitment as firefighters and first responders personnel in keeping us safe, protecting and saving lives and property and helping to create a community wherein we can live as a human family.  There are so many times when...Continue reading→

Us versus them Perhaps it is just my age but I am more aware of division and argy bargy these days. Of course, as far back as Cain and Abel there has always been a polite difference of opinion and that did not end at all well. But my hope would have been that in...Continue reading→

This Bishop thing. On Sunday the 29th of October, Garry our Bishop will be with us and this will be a great joy and cause for celebration. It will also be a great reason for a party because we have no less than 4 candidates of varying ages being confirmed. There is a line of...Continue reading→

I’m reading the memoir of a lady doctor at the moment. It’s a great read and a humbling piece of work. You would have thought that our trusty medicos have got it all together, lead a charmed life with lashings of cash, a healthy marriage and 2.5 perfect children who never say naughty words and...Continue reading→