Reflections

Who’s in the Pub? The Barmaid. Harlot … Prostitute. This is what they call me. Not to my face, mind, but I hear them muttering on the other side of the bar…. as I leave the table after pouring their wine. And while they might scowl about me in derision and call me names, this...Continue reading→

Advent 1 30 /11/25 Who’s In The Pub? Zacchaeus? “And Mary gave birth to her firstborn son, wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.” While the focus is rightly on the Blessed Virgin Mary and her newborn son, I can’t...Continue reading→

The Question I Fear Most. I often find myself asking the Almighty lots of questions. Understandable, inquisitive things like … What were you thinking when you created tarantulas? How come we seem to be biased towards doing naughty things even though we know that there are fearsome consequences? Why is it so much easier to...Continue reading→

23/11/25 On the 150th Anniversary of worship in our diocese, we also celebrate the feast of Christ the King. In his reign, there is no war but only lasting peace. On 23 September 2025, at the UN Security Council session on Ukraine at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, President of the Republic...Continue reading→

18/11/25 We are the Clever Ones… Right? Each week, it is a great joy to be able to chat with my daughter. She lives in New York, and we engage in lively conversation thanks to a thing called Google Meet.  We swap stories and update on family news. This is a first-world privilege not afforded to...Continue reading→

From the pen of  Michael K. Marsh | November 13th 2022 I want to tell you about a friend who came and sat with me. They knew I was in a jar of bumpy pickles. I was feeling overwhelmed, exhausted, lonely, stuck, and grouchy.  As I talked on in ever-diminishing circles, my friend wisely and...Continue reading→

Bread for the Journey Bread for the Journey is the title of a book by Henri Nouwen. I was reminded of his book when watching a show on TV the other day. It was one of those programmes where a group of people are making a pilgrimage together. The scenery, of course, is stunning, the...Continue reading→

Treasure the Invisible. Some time ago, we had a working bee here at Christchurch Hamilton. The day was overcast and coolish, but rugged up and looking like a bit of a dag, I cheerfully joined in. The aim was to smarten up the grounds, get rid of excess vegetation, show the community that we take...Continue reading→

9/11/25 The Air is Thinner in the 7th Dimension. Today’s story really begins on Mt. Horeb, where a naive Moses turns aside out of idle curiosity to see a bush that is in flames and yet is not being consumed by the fire. Mt. Horeb is not a remarkable place. Just your average rocky elevation...Continue reading→

Todays story begins at the Queen Vic market in Melbourne. It has a large veranda and sometimes they feed those who sleep rough there with a bottle of water and a BBQ. Jeanine and I have stayed an inexpensive but comfortable hotel just around the corner from all this so we know the area well...Continue reading→

2/11/25 All Souls Day By a lovely coincidence, All Souls Day falls on a Sunday this year. Our day of resurrection. The first day of the week, when the women went to the tomb whilst it was still dark. They came expecting to find a sealed grave. But instead they found an empty tomb, a...Continue reading→

26/10/25 So What Happened Next? Our story today begins in Portland where the wise old supervising priest sends me out to visit a home where he knows I will be well received. He knows that I will be  fed delicious cream cakes and caramel slice and maybe washed down with a refreshing beverage. ‘Only one mind...Continue reading→

My Misspent College Days My college years were heady days of lectures, wine, song and prayer. We wrote essays, or tried and we used to have these things called tutorials. A hapless student would be asked to prepare a paper and the others would savagely tear it to pieces, arguing the toss and pointing out...Continue reading→

Of Bunions and Pesky Widows. Dear David, Thank you for the gift of your morning prayer yesterday. I found it particularly moving and poignant, to the point where I wanted to offer a response and engage with you more directly. I have to say that I am impressed with the way you keep on praying...Continue reading→

The Openings and Closings we call ‘Funerals.’ Even after 40 years, I still regard it as a poignant privilege to attend a funeral. Perhaps more so now that my own funeral draws ever closer. Frequently, I’m the person up front trying to make sure that it all goes smoothly, but at the same time not...Continue reading→

You Need to Hear This!? One day, a friend kindly passed on his gratitude. I quickly fobbed it off and replied that my actions were just what I do. It is who I am. Swiftly, he replied, ‘Yes, but you need to hear what I am saying. ’ He was congenially firm, and it made...Continue reading→

The Marvellous Ministry of Myf Some of you may be aware that my daughter, Jacky, and her husband, David, have a corgi named Myf. Like all pets, Myf has a marvellous, subtle, almost indiscernible ministry. Part of Myf’s ministry is that she selflessly takes the blame for other people's unsociable noises and odours. You know...Continue reading→

Want more faith? First, put on your apron. When you initially read over today’s gospel, it appears as though we have two quite distinct and different pieces of literature. First, the disciples come asking for their Faith to be increased. It seems a perfectly logical and commendable question. If only everyone would ask for their...Continue reading→

Let’s make a splash Today’s reflection was handed to me on a silver platter by a year 10 student long ago and far away. She said something like, ‘You know Fr. Oulton, I really like the way that we can splash about with crazy ideas in your class. We learn just as much from the...Continue reading→

28/9/25 Who is Mr Nobody? Over the last three Sundays, we’ve had three stories, all exclusive to Luke and all talking about the misuse of cash. On the 14th of September, we had the parable of the lost coin. Last week, we had the dodgy steward who got caught with his hand in the till...Continue reading→