Tag Archive for ‘church’
January Saint
St Gregory Nazianzen Andrei Rublev, Gregory the Theologian(1408) 2 January I teach seminarians and theology students about the importance of the Ecumenical Councils and Gregory was one of the major players in the Council that produced the second part of the Creed we say at Mass. He is the great champion of the Holy Spirit as […]
Wednesday 9 November
Dedication of St John Lateran St John Lateran is the cathedral church of Rome; it is the the Pope’s church and the mother church of the world. Ezekiel 47:1-2,8-9,12; Ps 46:2-3, 5-6, 8-9; 1 Corinthians 3:9-11,16-17; John 2:13-22. Message beyond words In the first reading Ezekiel shares a poetic description with us, the basis of […]
How to be a ‘Good Enough’ Family
Beware of family photos which are proudly presented on social media and on Christmas cards, because they simply do not reflect the true state of anyone’s family. Publicly displayed, we are shown the ideal of happy, smiling, connected families, but seldom paraded are family issues such as battles over curfews, fights about money, arguments over […]
Pope St John XXIII Mystic Pope
Believing that the position as Cardinal of Venice would be his final service to the church, no one was more surprised than Roncalli when he was elected Pope five years later in October, 1958. In fact, he even arrived at the Vatican for the consistory having purchased a return train ticket to Venice. Upon […]
Sunday 15 December
3rd Sunday of Advent Isaiah 35:1-6, 10; Psalm 146:6-10; James 5:7-10; Matthew 11:2-11 Prophets in fine clothes? Where are today’s “deserted places”? Have you been there to look for prophets recently? If you have, did you see one? They are out there, alright. Is it at all possible the homeless are today’s prophets calling us […]
Monday 2 December
Isaiah 4:2-6; Psalm 122:1-2, 4-5, 6-9; Matthew 8:5-11 A haughty spirit The centurion said he was not worthy. His humility opened the door for Jesus to come in. God’s love is always freely given. People who go to church can sometimes be tempted to think of themselves as more worthy than those who don’t. And […]
Saturday 9 November
Dedication of St. John Lateran [F] Ezekiel 47:1-2, 8-9, 12; Psalm 46; 1 Corinthians 3:9-11, 16-17; John 2:13-22 Union with Pope Francis St John Lateran is one of the four great basilicas in Rome. The other three are St. Peter’s, St Paul’s outside the Walls and St Mary Major’s. St John Lateran is, in fact, […]
Monday 23 September
SAINT PADRE PIO OF PIETRELCINA (M) Ezra 1:1-6; Psalm 126; Luke 8:16-18 Let your light shine There are two images in today’s readings: Ezra and Psalm 126 describe the joy of homecoming and Jesus urges us not to be afraid to let the light of our faith and love be visible and active. Faith is […]
Thursday 19 September
1 Timothy 4:12-16; Psalm 111; Luke 7:36-50 Our compassionate God If we put ourselves among those who watched the woman weeping as she poured the precious and sweet-smelling ointment over Jesus’ feet we too might feel shocked. Imagine a similar scene in a public place here in New Zealand! Would you be shocked if some […]
The Holy Infant of Prague
The Church of Our Lady Victorious in the Czech Capital of Prague is also home to the shrine of the Infant of Prague. Growing up, it always fascinated me how elaborate this image was compared with other portrayals of Jesus. On visiting the shrine recently, I was equally fascinated to see that the statue was […]
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