It’s easy to mistake strength for survival. To think that getting through something — intact, upright, still functioning — is enough. And sometimes it is. Christian strength, the kind we don’t always talk about, is not just about endurance. It’s about being formed. It’s about will and mind working together to become more than whatContinue reading “Strength of mind and will”
Tag Archives: god
Our Common Song
One of the great ironies of being human is that the very thing that makes us so visibly different — our biology — is also what ultimately renders us equal.When we think about human diversity, we often start with what we can see: skin colour, height, hair texture, the shape of our eyes, the tiltContinue reading “Our Common Song”
Authentic Witness
Beyond Whitewashed Words There’s a peculiar sting when someone says all the right things but means none of them. It’s a hollow echo, a performance of virtue rather than the substance of it. And yet, Jesus names this dynamic with unflinching clarity: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs,Continue reading “Authentic Witness”
Happy New Year
As time continues we emerge into 2025. Often we start the year with enthusiasm and positive energy, that – let’s be honest – can quickly fade as routine begins and challenges emerge. That is okay. It is good to look to improve, to seek the positive, to strive to be our best self. It isContinue reading “Happy New Year”
Christmas 2024
Christmas Eve: the church is aglow with candlelight, the air thick with the scent of incense, children abound, life is vibrant and the choir is in song, and the pews packed with people—some regular parishioners, others unfamiliar faces. There’s something uniquely beautiful about this gathering, where everyone, regardless of their spiritual journey, feels the pullContinue reading “Christmas 2024”
Forgiveness
Recently, I ran a retreat for Year 12s and at the end the focus of our liturgy is forgiveness and reconciliation. For me personally, forgiveness is a challenge. I find it hard to run with the word. Let’s face it – our experiences colour our lens significantly. Too many times I have heard others pretentiouslyContinue reading “Forgiveness”
Trinity Sunday
How do we explore the Holy Trinity? I remember the whole shamrock image from my childhood and the flippant comment from Eric Idle in the film ‘Nuns on the run’ that God is like a shamrock ‘small green and split three ways’. Earlier in the film Robbie Coltrane had a go at explaining the TrinityContinue reading “Trinity Sunday”
What will the future say about us?
What if future historians use social media to recount our history? Not a very accurate picture indeed! We hold back on posting truth to avoid being negative – how many times do we read a post about someone when our experience may be incredibly different? It is appropriate, I believe, to hold back, but whatContinue reading “What will the future say about us?”
Finding what was lost
Losing something (or someone) can be the greatest challenge. Sometimes, you can restore and locate, other times, you have to learn to move on without that person. Even when it is a person, and they will never be there again, we seek to find something to fill the gaping hole left behind. In the ParableContinue reading “Finding what was lost”
His love is everlasting
At Mass this evening the response for the Psalm was about praising God for he was good, ‘his love is everlasting’. I thought about that last phrase. Love is not restricted to God. We love. So what makes his love ‘everlasting’ or beyond our human capacity? Surely my love for my child is everlasting? Well,Continue reading “His love is everlasting”
