Here is the first of the prayer podcasts – 15 minutes of gentle reflection with a lot of silence, beginning with the sound of church bells, a traditional call to prayer.
john oconnor
prayer & reality
In this reflection I share some of the most helpful advice ever given to me about prayer. I hope you find it as encouraging as I have.
a room alone
“All of humanity’s problems stem from our inability to sit quietly in a room alone”
the beginning
We reduce Christian faith to a pretty gentle existence in a comfortable church, a few minutes every day to pray,… It’s not much like the adventure that Abram embraced.
truth & freedom
The child without thinking reaches out and grasps hold of maybe a finger and holds on. Perhaps they are thinking that if they hold on they will be more secure?
looking up
The serpent is not a bad creature – just an early ancestor of advertising which promises us the world, offering us the power and popularity of a god if only you eat this, do this, buy this, own this, wear this, shop here…
behind closed doors
The Church was born in closed rooms. It was in these confines where Jesus broke through locked doors and fearful hearts to form and now (in these days) to re-form the church.
living the storm
The storm exposes our vulnerability and uncovers those false and superfluous certainties around which we have constructed our daily schedules, our projects, our habits, and priorities.
indulging
I’m a great fan of indulgence and I know that in these lockdown days the temptation is to over-indulge in one or many of the good options available.
hidden things
I’m writing this at the end of the first NZ lockdown day and I can already see that my life could become dangerously undisciplined
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to dream
If there is one Old Testament account that is a must for every adult and child of faith it is the great Exodus epic which begins with Joseph and his amazing technicolour dreamcoat.
The entire saga is a pre-Christian primer in discernment preparing us for a God who in Jesus is available, personal, powerful, and eager to carry us through any captivity and challenge through death to resurrection.
what do you want ?
The mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Jesus (Mt 20), humbly bowing low and ready to speak. Jesus got in first asking “What is it you want?”
on a journey
It’s Census day in Aotearoa today, our five-yearly opportunity to (according to the 2023 census website) “represent ourselves, our families, whānau, communities, and cultures.”
I can’t help but recall the Bible censuses, especially the one early in Luke providing the reason that Jesus of Nazareth was born in Bethlehem.
cafe energy
The past few days has been full with sessions presenting Pope Francis’ 2022 letter on liturgy to people in Hamilton (Thursday) Rotorua (Friday) and Tauranga (Saturday). I suppose this work with the National Liturgy Office might be called my “day” job with Food For Faith and a few other bits and pieces as my moonlighting mission and ministry.
A.S.K.
As a child I picked up the idea that it was best to be hesitant to ask for things. Instead, giving was the seen as the ideal, and being able to anticipate the needs of others (without them asking) and to respond appropriately was seen as an ultimate virtue.