acollins16

Look down

There is a particular kind of wisdom that begins by looking down. Not in shame, not in fear, in attentiveness. We spend so much of our lives looking ahead: toward the next task, the next relationship, the next crisis, the next version of ourselves we are hoping to become. We are encouraged to keep moving,Continue reading “Look down”

Prayer

There is something quietly revealing about the way the word praying has drifted in ordinary speech. People say they are praying they get the promotion, praying their team wins, praying they get an apron on MasterChef, praying the rain holds off for the weekend. In that usage, praying has become a stronger synonym for hoping.Continue reading “Prayer”

The netball lesson

In Australia, netball has long been woven into the fabric of communal life. It has been played in parish schools, local clubs, and community associations for generations. It has formed girls and women in skill, discipline, resilience, and loyalty, often without fanfare. It has given people not merely a sport, but a place to stand.Continue reading “The netball lesson”

Unseen

There is a loneliness that does not come from being alone, but from being surrounded. It is possible to be competent, present, and outwardly fine, and still feel as though no one has really noticed you. Not simply noticed that you are there, but seen with the kind of attention that recognizes weight without demandingContinue reading “Unseen”

Humble feet

There is something deeply human about feet. They are not especially glamorous, so yes I am ignoring those who fastidiously prepare them at the nail salon. No one writes sonnets to them. They are rarely the part of ourselves we present first to the world. And yet they carry everything. They bear weight. They absorbContinue reading “Humble feet”

Easter Reflection

Soon the Paschal Triduum will be upon and around us. It is important, I think, not to rush through the brutality of Good Friday because we know that Sunday is coming. Good Friday is devastating. And on this day, we are not asked to explain that devastation away. We are invited instead to sit inContinue reading “Easter Reflection”

The Good Samaritan

I recently participated in a Synod retreat and was gifted with time and momentum to pray some scripture. From the second one these thoughts arose after praying The Good Samaritan from the Gospel of Luke. There is something unsettling about the question that opens the parable of the Good Samaritan. The expert in the lawContinue reading “The Good Samaritan”

Jesus Has a Soul

It is a slightly alarming feature of theology that one can know something perfectly well and still be startled by it in the middle of a hymn. Soul of my Saviour, sanctify my breast. Entirely familiar. Entirely orthodox. And yet, there it was, arriving with unnecessary force: Jesus has a soul. Which is obvious, untilContinue reading “Jesus Has a Soul”

The Light we don’t get to keep

Lent is honest about timing. It hands us the Transfiguration not as a glittering detour from the hard road, but as a lamp lit on the hard road. Every year, in Lent, the Church insists we climb this mountain with Jesus and then come back down again. We do not get to choose only theContinue reading “The Light we don’t get to keep”

Stone Pillows and Straight Answers

There is a particular weariness that settles in the bones when a person has lived too long around performance. Not the joyful kind of performance that draws a wide smile and fills the heart like children on a stage, a choir practising for a feast day, the brave delight of trying something new. I meanContinue reading “Stone Pillows and Straight Answers”