Reflections

I’ll call her ‘Bron’. Bron had gone in for a standard piece of fix me up surgery. Not the least bit timorous Bron had always been a resilient lass. The surgery went according to the textbook and the people in the white coats were delighted with their success.The day after the surgery Bron had the...Continue reading→

July 11th is St. Benedict day and you should probably know a little bit about him. Born around 480 AD, the son of a Roman noble of Norcia and the twin to his sister, Scholastica. Benedict fled Rome, gave up his inheritance and lived in a small village with his nurse. When God called him...Continue reading→

Two ladies are having a stimulating conversation… but the conversation is not the important bit. One of them wears a veil because they look quite different to what you and I might expect. The veil is the important bit. The chatter goes on about this and that and then all of sudden the lady without...Continue reading→

Connor is a dairy farmer and for a couple of decades now has got up in the middle of the night in the blistering cold to milk the cows that kick him. He is rained upon and pooped upon. He has been manipulated by the upper echelons of people in warm cosy comfortable board rooms....Continue reading→

Today we are keeping “Coming of the Light” Sunday. This is an important celebration when Torres Strait Islander Anglicans observe the 150th Anniversary of the arrival of the first Christian Missionaries in the Torres Strait. Here's the history lesson which is not the most important part of what I want to offer to you today....Continue reading→

Today, Mark serves up another one of his sandwiches. Did you spot it? The first layer of wholemeal bread is where we are introduced to the harrowing, heartfelt story of Jarius’s dying daughter. This brief introduction is just 3 verses.Then we have the corned beef and pickle main body of the sandwich. 9 verses of...Continue reading→

There is an unfortunate mantra which is easily caught, ingested and passed on. “Could have, should have, would have”. It’s an unfortunate mantra because it always looks back and never forward. The mantra operates at a personal level when we look back and mutter to ourselves “Could have, should have, would have”. It applies to everything...Continue reading→

Today’s story begins in Central Park, New York. Central Park is really BIG. Like, it has its own zoo! My informant was ambling through when they came across a turtle. Not so unusual, but the odd thing was that this turtle was a long way from where it should have been. Sadly it was going...Continue reading→

When we begin to scratch around in this story we unearth  more questions than answers. For example …How come the disciples are flummoxed by a storm? These guys are experienced fishermen who earn their living from being out on the water. Yet they are surprised and frightened by a sudden storm. So what is Mark...Continue reading→

“Jesus did not speak to them except in parables, but he explained everything in private to his disciples”. Mmm… On first reading of this passage I got a bit cranky. After all, what makes these bods so special that they get to have all the secrets, the inside knowledge revealed to just them? Doesn’t this...Continue reading→

The turning of the leaves has reminded me of a good friend Basil. He lived a long time ago in a different place. Whenever I went  to see him I knew I was in for a scintillating conversation, peppered with laughter, wisdom and insights. There was also the gift of silence when we said nothing...Continue reading→

Once upon a time I had one of those infuser cups. It was a ripper. It had lovely markings and it was given to me by my son. I thought of him fondly and with gratitude every-time  I poured a brew. That was until one day .. I dropped it and the handle broke. I...Continue reading→

Dispersed and distributed throughout the gospels are an uncountable number of occasions where Jesus is misunderstood. And He is misunderstood by those who we think should have known better. Today's gospel reading has two groups of people who misunderstand Jesus. First there is Jesus' family. “When his family heard it, they went out to restrain him,...Continue reading→

It was  an abysmal day as I tiptoed tremulously down to the start of Parkrun. The sort of climate that makes a grown man weep with terror and gnash their false teeth. There was a significant part of me that did not want to be there. But there I was. Because of my reluctance, my...Continue reading→

Trinity Sunday is the only Sunday given over to a concept or idea, rather than a person or an event. The Trinity is always irksome for to squish God into our vocabulary is impossible. There is a story of how St. Augustine had a dream the night before he was supposed to speak about the...Continue reading→

A friend of mine has an interesting turn of phrase. Whenever we part he says. “I hope my words find a home in you”. I have never thought too much about this phrase. It’s always just been something he has said and sadly I have brushed it off as too much caffeine or some other...Continue reading→

Today's homily This morning's story begins at Chelmsford cathedral in England in 2013. There are several hundred of us clergy types in this marvellous stone cathedral which has been sensitively, yet exquisitely restored I am at the synod of the local diocese and we begin by singing a hymn ‘O thou who camest from above’,...Continue reading→

Today's story begins at the  Museum D’Orsay in Paris in 2013. I am admiring Van Gogh’s  painting of Starry night. The picture to go with the story is in the pew sheet. I am deeply moved. In fact, there are real live tears because I know the story behind this painting and I know the...Continue reading→

They were given an undeserved chance to lease an orchard. A cracking plantation bursting with a booty of delectable produce. Leonardo their Landlord was a groovy guy with a goatee beard, shades, designer jeans, a shoulder length ponytail and a charming twangy drawl. Leonardo was a dream landlord. He would frequently pop round in the...Continue reading→

‘Right! What are the opportunities?’ I heard an encouraging tale the other day. Another parish was vacant when the COVID shooting match came to town. A parish without a priest can sometimes become despondent and sad around the edges. But not the one I heard about. A few of the key players sat down with...Continue reading→