Tag Archive for ‘Christian’
The Annunciation and Us
In his General Audience of 23 October 2013, Pope Francis said, At the Annunciation, the Messenger of God calls Mary ‘full of grace’ and reveals his plan to her. Mary answers ‘yes’, and from that moment Mary’s faith receives new light: it is concentrated on Jesus, the Son of God, who took flesh from her […]
8 February: Day of Prayer Against Human Trafficking
St Josephine Bakhita was born in Darfur, Sudan, in 1869. She was nine when she was kidnapped and sold as a slave, so traumatised by the experience that she could no longer remember her name. Her captors named her ‘bakhita’, which means ‘fortunate’. In 1882, she became the property of the Italian consul, whose family […]
Tuesday 17 December
Genesis 49:2, 8-10; Psalm 72:1-4, 7-8, 17; Matthew 1:1-17 A mighty throng Today’s gospel is not just a boring list of unpronounceable names. It is our Judeo-Christian whakapapa or genealogy. Whakapapa weaves us together with those who have ever lived, and will live, into the tapestry of creation. There is an unbroken chain of believers […]
Tuesday 3 December
St Francis Xavier (M) Isaiah 11:1-10; Psalm 72:1-2, 7-8, 12-13, 17; Luke 10:21-24 The temptation to be spectacular Pope Francis says a Christian is a missionary who, urged forward by the Holy Spirit, lives his or her Baptism as yeast in society, spreading the message of Jesus. Yeast works unspectacularly. The transformation it achieves is […]
Sunday 17 November
33rd Sunday of Ordinary Time Malachi 3:19-20; Psalm 98; 2 Thessalonians 3:7-12; Luke 21:5-19 Faith concrete and visible St Paul did not expect the Christians in Thessalonica to support him financially. He worked to earn his living whilst staying with them and preaching the Good News. He reminds the Thessalonians that the Christian faith should […]
Third World Day of the Poor
17 November Daily we encounter families forced to leave their homeland to seek a living elsewhere; orphans who have lost their parents or were violently torn from them by brutal means of exploitation; young people seeking professional fulfilment but prevented from employment by short sighted economic policies; victims of different kinds of violence, ranging from […]
Wednesday 11 September
Colossians 3:1-11; Psalm 145; Luke 6:20-26 God fills our emptiness Both readings, as well as the psalm today, give us clear lessons for our Christian lives. Luke’s four beatitudes are challenging! It seems that when we are empty or needy for all sorts of reasons, God can fill us with himself. When we place all […]
The Role of Law in the Catholic Church
A sanctuary in the city Just a few kilometres from central Wellington is an extraordinary sanctuary – Zealandia – where dozens of endangered New Zealand species thrive. What makes it a sanctuary is the mesh fence that surrounds it, bending sharply outwards at the top and sitting deeply under the ground to keep out climbing […]
MM 50 Years Ago
Tourists will create problems for a Mission An element that is going to change the pattern of Catholic life near this station of Wairiki is the proposed hotel that is to be erected by Travelodge, the mighty American company. Such places always attract a group of camp followers who generally upset the tenor of life […]
Sunday 19 May
FIFTH SUNDAY OF EASTER Acts 14:21-27; Psalm 145; Apocalypse 21:1-5; John 13:31-35 Aroha nui — with deep affection Love is the theme of today's scriptures. God — kind, compassionate and abounding in love. Jesus instructed his apostles to love one another. His supreme act of love was his death for us, and his gift of […]
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