Reflections

And there was no place for them in the inn.  So there was an inn that Mary and Joseph were turned away from. This got me thinking. Who were the people that ran that pub? What follows is completely unsubstantiated speculation. Bertie is your average, built like a rugby player publican. He is a no-nonsense...Continue reading→

The valley of the shadow death Not the most cheerful subject to write or read about I’ll admit, but bear with me it does get better. I came across this phrase the other day and those of you who have been to a funeral recently or read the psalms spasmodically will know where I saw...Continue reading→

A reflection for Christ the King. On May the 6th of next year, Charles will be crowned King Charles the 3rd, at Westminster Abbey. I have good reason to believe that the Archbishop of Canterbury has the occasion firmly in his diary. The Prime Minister of England will also be in attendance. There will be...Continue reading→

The 7th dimension I went to see a film the other day. It was cathartic just to sit quietly in the dark and watch the moving images on the screen. An engrossing film takes you out of yourself and for a little while you are in a different dimension or is its dimension(s)? In the...Continue reading→

Construction through conversation  A reflection for Sunday 13th of November First a bit of background. When Luke sits down at his study desk to write today’s gospel, he is painfully aware of the persecution of the early Christian church. Hence he gives this rather ominous warning to his readers. “They will seize you and persecute...Continue reading→

The interconnectivity of us all ... Today’s story begins on the 8th of August, 36,000 feet above planet earth, on a plane somewhere over Europe, when someone suddenly falls seriously ill. The pilot is forced to touch down at the nearest airport and the patient together with their family is transferred to the nearest hospital....Continue reading→

Bewildering the bullies with a twisted bit of ribbon Many of you will know that this squiggly thing is the symbol of infinity. At school, it was a mathematical number and I could never get my head around it. Perhaps I wasn’t supposed to. What it was trying to teach us, thick-headed students is that...Continue reading→

There is no recipe for grieving. In the rectory there is a comprehensive collection of cookbooks, bursting with possibilities, waiting to be transformed into a meal. The words have the potential to make visible something that is just words on a page. To make physical, tasty fare from mere print. With a recipe, there is...Continue reading→

October 30th Once upon a mountaintop, three little trees stood and dreamed of what they wanted to become when they grew up. The first little tree looked up at the stars and said: “I want to hold treasure. I want to be covered with gold and filled with precious stones. I’ll be the most beautiful...Continue reading→

One of the smashingly good things about going to a different country is that it makes you appreciate your own backyard with greater glee than ever before. One of the things that Manhattan taught me was how lucky we are to have so much space around us. We may not think of it much, but...Continue reading→

Everyone is from somewhere else. One of the lovely things about growing old is that the next generation teaches you things and not just about technology and phones. Frequently they come out with really wise things and I was privileged to learn again from my son-in-law. We had been visiting the Ellis Island Immigration Museum...Continue reading→

Luke 18:15-30 October 23rd Blessed babies and a miserable millionaire. In today’s gospel, we have a conversation between a miserable millionaire and Jesus. The wealthy guy asks what he has to do to get into the kingdom and Jesus swiftly kicks the question upstairs to the law. Come on sunshine you know how this goes....Continue reading→

Who are you Francesca*? When Jeanine and I had the undeserved privilege of staying in New York we slept in a hotel room that was 12 square metres. The bed was squished firmly against one side of the room. The custom was that you left a paltry $2 tip for the housekeeping staff who are...Continue reading→

What happens when God says ‘No’? Our liturgical gurus will often divide the gospel of the year into the chunks we see for very good reasons. Sometimes their logic is hidden from us. Other times like today it's a little easier to understand. We’ve got two stories, both about prayer, nestling side by side. The...Continue reading→

Two of our most potent emotions are fear and anger. They are part of our DNA. Our companions in the media know this and will sell ratings and papers to us riding on these two deeply ingrained feelings ... They can be used for good. Like, it’s helpful to run away from a person who...Continue reading→

Hooray, it's our pet blessing This weekend we are celebrating our annual pet blessing and we have deliberately chosen to align it closely with St. Francis day which falls in early October. St. Francis saw, understood and enjoyed glimpses of God in the created order and especially with animals. So he spoke openly and unashamedly...Continue reading→

‘Legacy’ - what others see when they no longer see you. It was a fruitful conversation to have and it went like this. That when you are 20 something you are pretty much absorbed in life and living it to the full with no thought for the future and certainly Sister Death is non-existent. Sure,...Continue reading→

Homily October 2nd So what’s all this synod stuff? Each year our diocese holds a thing called a synod. It’s the Diocesan parliament. It's a curious and important beast and you should probably know a little bit about it. It’s made up of 1 bishop, the parish clergy and lay representatives from every parish in...Continue reading→

I was reading the story of ‘The precious pearl’ the other day only this time the story was dressed up for our younger viewers. Once upon a time, there was a merchant who had everything he wanted. Houses, cars, a fish pond, and even his favourite fluffy hat with a feather in it. The stock...Continue reading→

Dear Lazarus, I have put off writing to you until I could take no more. You don’t know me, but I have certainly seen you from time to time wandering the dusty streets of Cana. I have noticed that you sleep under the gorse bush/tent at the end of my very long driveway. My name...Continue reading→