After spending some time yesterday orienting ourselves to Dublin - by which I mean we played tourist more than pilgrim - today we returned to the pilgrimage in the footsteps of Catherine McAuley. After a free morning, we boarded our coach for a visit to the Mercy International Centre in Baggot Street, Dublin, the original… Continue reading Ireland Pilgrimage 2018 – The Third Day
Month: September 2018
Ireland Pilgrimage 2018 – The Second Day
And having retired to bed at the end of the first day (or days) I slept deeply and peacefully, not even remembering when I awoke having gone to bed or laying my head on the pillow. It was, I suspect, a sign of just how exhausted I was. Having breakfasted well in the hotel restaurant,… Continue reading Ireland Pilgrimage 2018 – The Second Day
Ireland Pilgrimage 2018 – The First Day
Or should that be the first days? International travel can play such havoc with one's conception of time, not to mention one's body clock. Having boarded our Dubai-bound aircraft in Sydney on the evening of Thursday 27 September, we eventually reached Dublin, having transited through Dubai, about midday on Friday 28 September. Which seems not… Continue reading Ireland Pilgrimage 2018 – The First Day
Adhering to the Liturgical Reform – Part II
Another interesting contribution on the PrayTellBlog in its series on the interventions of Pope Paul VI on the subject of liturgical reform. The contribution below follows the previous one (go here) and comes from the same address...and highlights the other extreme who can also cause problems. http://www.praytellblog.com/index.php/2018/09/26/paul-vi-on-liturgical-reform-part-7/
Review: Mythos: A Retelling of the Myths of Ancient Greece
Mythos: A Retelling of the Myths of Ancient Greece by Stephen Fry My rating: 4 of 5 stars I first came across the great stories of Greek mythology - the story of gods, goddesses, demi-gods, and heroes - in primary school, when the book club featured a book that had that very title. Clearly, this… Continue reading Review: Mythos: A Retelling of the Myths of Ancient Greece
I’m Not Staying; I Can’t Leave
A very powerful and personal column from Massimo Faggioli appears in LaCroix International today that is brutally honest about the challenges and crises facing the Church...and the reason why he - and many others, including me - simply can't leave. Thank you #MassimoFaggioli https://international.la-croix.com/news/why-i-cannot-even-think-about-leaving-the-catholic-church/8478
Something Inspirational
Surfing some music on YouTube tonight I came across this. I looked for some other versions of the same song - the words are very moving - but this is by far the most touching version. Enjoy!
Homilies: 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B
My homily for the 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B) as preached during the 9.30am Mass at Sacred Heart Cathedral, Hamilton. The readings were Wisdom 2:12, 17-20; James 3:16 - 4:3; Mark 9:30-37. "Being a Christian calls us to set aside our own quest for status and approbation in the eyes of society in… Continue reading Homilies: 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B
A Pope Under Fire
An interesting article from Richard Gaillardetz, writing for The Tablet, wherein he looks at the curious form of ecclesial infighting that is being experienced during the pontificate of Francis in a way that was never present during the reign of his predecessors. Gaillardetz concludes his article thus: Differences and disagreements are not to be feared or… Continue reading A Pope Under Fire
Your Right To …
A very good article from Simon Longstaff, Executive Director of The Ethics Centre, on the ABC Religion & Ethics website, talking about the limitations that must be navigated when talking about the applicability of human rights. Written in the context of the ongoing conversation about 'religious freedom' in Australia. Longstaff points out that "those who invoke… Continue reading Your Right To …
Homilies: 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B
My homily for the 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B) as preached during the 5.30pm Saturday evening Mass at Sacred Heart Cathedral, Hamilton. The readings were Isaiah 50:5-9; James 2:14-18; Mark 8:27-35. "Confessing Jesus to be the Christ along with Peter is not enough. We are called to live that faith through good works,… Continue reading Homilies: 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B
The Sound of Silence
An interesting reflection from Andrew Hamilton in Eureka Street on the significance - the spiritual significance - of the preference towards silence shown by Pope Francis in the face of those who accuse him (wrongly it would appear) of wrongdoing. It is a counter-cultural response in an era where the usual practice is to be just… Continue reading The Sound of Silence
Homilies: 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B (Child Protection Sunday)
My homily for the 23rdd Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B) - also marked as Child Protection Sunday - as preached during the 9.30am Mass at Sacred Heart Cathedral, Hamilton. The readings were Isaiah 35:4-7; James 2:1-5; Mark 7:31-37. "The ears of all of us have been opened to the stories of those who have… Continue reading Homilies: 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B (Child Protection Sunday)
Review: Nucleus
Nucleus by Rory Clements My rating: 4 of 5 stars This is the second book in Rory Clements' series set in the immediate lead up to the Second World War featuring Professor Tom Wilde, a Cambridge Don, and Lydia Morris, a publisher of poetry and other literature. This particular edition of the series, a series… Continue reading Review: Nucleus
Flirting With Schism
There has been much written about the ecclesial politics at play within the Catholic Church in the United States in the fallout from the revelations of the extent of child sexual abuse perpetrated by bishops within that part of the Universal Church and the coverup and unacceptable response from other bishops within that same element… Continue reading Flirting With Schism
