john oconnor
food to last

food to last

“The sailor cannot see the north but knows the needle can”

let go the net

let go the net

It is commonly wrongly thought that the call of God is at odds with our deepest human longings. But when we do set out on the paths that God has revealed, we discover that we are truly ourselves.

pray to sleep

pray to sleep

You might use this “PRAY TO SLEEP” audio when you are ready for sleep. Just press play and with any luck you’ll be asleep before the end of it

practising

practising

Why is it that a Catholic who is baptised, prays regularly and insists that their children are baptised doesn’t feel able to call themselves “practising”?

walking on water

walking on water

“Keep Thou my feet; I do not ask to see the distant scene; one step enough for me”.

all day long

all day long

The most effective witness of faith is rarely the one who preaches on the street corner or even the church preacher, but the one who lives

ring the bells

ring the bells

“To the person of faith, it’s a moment of grace; to the person without faith, it’s a moment of peace. What’s not to like?”

only in God

only in God

I was out for a walk last night soon after sunset, clear sky, Southern Cross above, and the International Space Station passing – a human presence in the skies.

dear friends

dear friends

…not the restoration of a familiar world order, but a new world where human achievements, personal successes and health are signs that point us beyond

lighting darkness

lighting darkness

Returning to the way things were is the “recession” of which we should have the most fear.

Monthly Archives

Latest Posts

stand up look up

stand up look up

The Israelites in their forty years in the desert were journeying from captivity to freedom, but the struggle of their desert years made them vulnerable to attack from every temptation as today’s first reading continues

confident in God

confident in God

I’m not sure if children today are told the great story of the Emperor’s New Clothes, but if not let’s make sure that the parable is taught at all schools of higher learning.

the real centre

the real centre

Over the last month I have had the opportunity to work with many people across Aotearoa and further afield. In every retreat and seminar I have been with committed and faith-filled people who often feel as though they are on the periphery of the Church

to dream

to dream

The pics I use on these daily posts are sometimes snapped by me, and often borrowed from free-use websites. I thought it might be interesting to move towards using only my own snaps, and then only those taken in the past 24 hours. We’ll see how I go.
I took the pic above yesterday morning on an early walk.

to really see

to really see

Perhaps we find the miracles of Jesus too difficult to understand. How can we cope with what we may not have seen with our own eyes?
Many people cope with the miraculous by reducing it to what they can understand. They say Jesus just increased the blind man’s psychological vision, or opened his eyes of faith rather than actually giving him physical sight.