Reflections

Peter Smith … not his real name. One of the regional towns I found myself in was a town called Bullamanka. Not its real name. And one of the senior elite gentlemen of the hoypaloy of the Bullamanka was Peter Smith. Not his real name. Peter did a lot for Bullamanka and, for a while,...Continue reading→

22/6/25 The Fear of Relapse. In 1976, I read the book The Exorcist. I was an impressionable youth, and I can still recall that today’s gospel is quoted in part on the flyleaf of the book. The story of the tortured naked guy living in the tombs of Gerasenes would make for great television, especially...Continue reading→

From the Priest to You Today's reflection is about no specific person but rather a collective collage of faithful people whom I have had the privilege of serving in the parish of Hamilton. Sunday by Sunday, day by day, you come and sit on hard wooden pews and in blithering, biting cold and stinking unforgiving...Continue reading→

Trinity Sunday My friends who are Glen. Many of you have patiently endured preacher after preacher, year after year, trying to explain the Holy and Blessed and Undivided Trinity. With great fortitude and resilience, you have watched and listened as preacher after preacher failed in spectacular fashion to reach the dizzying theological heights of announcing...Continue reading→

I was privileged to go to an exhibition on the history of the Notre Dame Cathedral last month. Normally, you would expect to admire photos and gaze at bits of information on easy-to-read plaques. Instead, we were given something like an iPad, and the process went something like this. You held the screen over different...Continue reading→

Jesus, the Scandal…and the Miracle of Pentecost. In today’s gospel, Philip's words could well be mine or yours. “Show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.” We long to see the Father. We would ache to reach out, to touch, to know, to engage, to gawk and chatter. For most of the time, we...Continue reading→

How Do You Get a Life Like a … Seal? It was a superb day for a walk as we clambered along Cape Bridgewater. The walk has magnificent views, and it's got a bit of undulation to make sure you get a healthy amount of exercise. We paused at the end of a section and...Continue reading→

1 June 2025 Meet Tabitha and Elisha Today’s gospel has some outrageously good news for us. In fact, it is stonkering in what it claims. Today’s gospel is from John 17 in what we call the high priestly prayer. Jesus the High Priest is praying for lots and lots of different people and lots and...Continue reading→

It is a little-known fact that I sometimes volunteer to do ‘Finish Tokens’ at Parkrun. This is a very simple job and it involves handing out a token to each person as they finish their run. Some hearty words of congratulation are offered as the puffing person proudly crosses the line. Things like ‘Good golly...Continue reading→

25 May 2025 Reading the Room. There’s a modern-day phrase called ‘read the room’. It means that when you are going into a situation or a meeting, or a conference to speak, you know a little something about your audience and the mood they’re in. So, for example, when someone goes into a wedding reception...Continue reading→

It's Not About the Time? For the past few years, it has been my joy to chug around the lovely Lake Hamilton. Through the week, I use this space to try to sort things out in my brain. On Saturday, the whole thing shifts into a different dimension where there is a welcoming community to...Continue reading→

18/5/25  What’s Kintsugi? Of the 4 readings today, it is the New Testament reading from Revelation that captures my heart and elopes with it into the sunset. This reading works well at a funeral, particularly if the deceased happens to be a woman, and it works especially well in Eastertide. Listen again to the exquisite words....Continue reading→

Get on Board… She came to me in a different parish, in a different time. It transpired that her mortality was beginning to pinch. Things were not quite the same as they were when she was 27 and a half. There was a doctor's appointment, a referral, a test and the first wisps of fear...Continue reading→

Your next appointment with the Bogey Man In that ambiguous parish, in that mythical year, a person of no specific gender and forgettable name came to me. Over a cuppa, or was it a glass… This person poured out in delicious and refreshing honesty their ongoing relationship with the Bogey Man. That’s right! The Bogey...Continue reading→

Easter 4 Who is the Good Shepherd? The fourth Sunday in Eastertide is traditionally set aside as Good Shepherd Sunday. When I think of The Good Shepherd, my mind goes straight to three Shepherds. The Master who is THE Shepherd. The other two are our Diocesan Bishops, Bishop Scott and Bishop Gary. Most of their...Continue reading→

4/5/25 Of Agape and Philo I want to look at the detail of the questions Jesus asks St. Peter. To get under the skin of what’s happening here, we need to know that, in Greek, there are a few different words for ‘love’. In English, we only have the one word, but in Greek, there...Continue reading→

Procrastination = BIGGER NUMBERS Those of you who read my reflection last week would be aware that my Lenten challenge this year was to get on the bathroom scales on Easter Day and look at the numbers 68.5. How hard can it be, right? So, how did I go? Not too bad as it turns...Continue reading→

Tsk Tsk Thomas The usual homily for Easter two is often a bit of a slap on the wrist for poor old Thomas. He was obviously snoozing and snoring when the Lord first appeared, and thus, the self-righteous preacher will warn his flock against the sin of sloth. Then, when Thomas is told about the...Continue reading→

Setting the Bar at 68.5 This year, I tried something different for Lent. My dream weight has always been 68.5 kilos. It’s what my doctor says is about right, and my clothes fit well. Each morning, I weigh myself, squint and mutter unrepeatable words. Certainly, words that do not belong here in the cyber /...Continue reading→

Easter Day April 20 ‘See you there’ Dear Mary Magdalene, The bizarre events on Friday afternoon must have been bewildering and excruciating for you. I did notice that you were there and while you may not think that you were doing much you just being there meant everything to me. Sometimes it’s just a matter...Continue reading→