All people know loneliness. All people know isolation, despair, All people are afflicted in their hearts or bodies by sores and wounds
john oconnor
touchstone
For many years I have found it helpful to carry a “touchstone” with me, a constant and tangible reminder of the most important thing.
pray big
The emails that have accompanied most of the prayer requests I have received this week have been moving and inspiring.
many rooms
It’s all very well for Jesus to tell us not to be troubled, but when we are feeling troubled it’s not easy to shift the feeling.
light in darkness
Faith is not a light which scatters all our darkness, but a lamp which guides our steps in the night and suffices for the journey.
plainly speaking
I like the bold approach of the Jews, marching up to Jesus as he strolls between the columns: “If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.”
thirsty?
People who see God as useful for a bit of a hand every now and then will quickly tire of the psalms. The psalms are too full-on, too passionate, too heart-felt, too all-or-nothing.
abundance
Our confinement has given birth to new possibilities, new ways of living and of thriving that are even more satisfying than the way we existed before.
he tāngata
He aha te mea nui o te ao. He tāngata, he tāngata, he tāngata
the desert road
And so, we went about our lives distracted, pretending that we could control everything. The circumstances, however, spoiled our plans
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going where ?
There is a bad old joke that suggests that giving a homily is the art of twisting whatever the preacher wants to say to fit the scriptures.
on the journey
Today’s palm branch procession, and reading of the passion of Jesus signals our move into Holy Week.
It is helpful to see these days before Easter as a week of retreat. While we continue our family and work routines, our focus is guided beyond.
In these days let us look together to Jesus.
yes to laughter
I’ve been moving about a bit in recent weeks, across the country and further afield. I don’t enjoy the travel since planes are not designed for people of my height. But I love being with the people I end up with after a journey of any length.
the seduction
Don’t get down when you hear today’s first reading.
Jeremiah is having a bad day. He’s a bit overwhelmed with the negative response he is getting when he passes God’s message to the people. In short, Jeremiah is having a Jeremiad.
my word your home
The heart of the home in years past was the hearth.
It was at the hearth that the family gathered for the warmth and light of the flame and the food that was prepared there.
The fire was treated with respect since the same flame which provided energy for the home could just as easily destroy it.