Tag Archive for ‘Pope Francis’
Reflecting on February
February is the month in which we begin to realise that the new year has begun in earnest. Everyone is back at work or school, and most people’s annual holiday is fading into the mists of memory. During February, there is a great deal happening in our Church, and in Aotearoa New Zealand. 6 February […]
Hope … keeps life upright
I would like to reflect with you on the enemies of hope, because hope has its enemies, as every good in this world has its enemies. And there came to mind the ancient myth of Pandora’s box. The opening of the box set off so many disasters for the history of the world. Few, however, […]
104th World Day of Migrants and Refugees
14 January 2018 Statistics about refugees and migrants are mind-boggling and horrendous. The United Nations Refugee Agency calculates that 65.6 million people were forced from their homes in 2016. Among them were nearly 22.5 million refugees, more than half of whom were under the age of 18. Of these, about 8 million were being hosted […]
Bearing Witness to God
In 2013 the English translation of Open Mind, Faithful Heart by Pope Francis was published. The book had appeared previously in Spanish, as a collection of writings of the then Cardinal Bergoglio, as he prepared for retirement from his role as pastor of the Archdiocese of Buenos Aires. In the section ‘Manifestations of Light’ he […]
Inaugural World Day of the Poor – 19 November 2017
1% of the world’s population own more than the other 99%, according to a 2017 Oxfam report 1. It goes on to say, among other things, that eight people own the same wealth as the poorest half of the world, and that the incomes of the poorest 10% of people increased by less than $3 […]
The New Zealand Catholic Bishops’ 2017 Election Statement
Faith shapes our world view. Faith guides our political choices. Faith demands that we take the duty to vote very seriously. Your vote is not just a vote for you. Your vote is a vote for New Zealand.
Wednesday 17 May
Acts 15:1-6; Psalm 122; John 15:1-8 Abide in my love What a useful extract from Acts for us to reflect on today! We see Paul and Barnabas travelling to join other disciples in Jerusalem to discuss matters of common concern. In 2015 Pope Francis gave us an example by calling representatives – both clergy and […]
Francis speaks on Hope
Do not worry about tomorrow Matthew 6:24-34 is a firm reminder to entrust yourself to God — do not forget: entrust yourself to God — who takes care of the living beings in Creation. He provides food for all the animals, looks after the lilies and grass of the field (cf. vv. 26-28); his beneficent […]
St Joseph the Protector
Pope Francis has always told us of his devotion to St Joseph. He has a statue of the sleeping St Joseph, to whom he offers petitions, reminding us that God came to St Joseph, a humble and faithful man, in dreams, while he was sleeping.
Wednesday 22 February
Feast of the chair of St Peter 1 Peter 5:1-4; Psalm 23; Matthew 16:13-19 For the Church Our prayers on this feast day are for the Church. We pray especially for our Pope Francis. He is the successor of St Peter, the rock on which Jesus chose to build his Church. To him, Jesus gave […]
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