While some people might compulsively look on the bright side of any situation, such power of positive thinking is not the same as Christian hope. Positive thinking can...
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Alone? Not!
Both of my grandfathers were farmers, beginning their careers in the days when farmers followed teams of Clydesdale horses yoked together pulling ploughs across South...
ultimate strength
Don't miss this encouragement in the heart of the second reading of today's liturgy. "My grace is enough for you: my power is at its best in weakness" 1 Cor 12 Our...
pray for priests
Each month Pope Francis invites the people of the world to join him in praying for a particular intention presenting a brief video to extend his invitation. This month,...
hope
Last night our Christchurch seminarians gathered for dinner with a group of seminarians from the United States who are visiting New Zealand accompanying one of their...
God at work
I have been to dozens of confirmation ceremonies over the years and expected this morning's celebration of the sacrament at St. Bede's College in Christchurch to be...
on mission
It was a pleasure and a privilege to spend the past week in the Taranaki in the shadow of the mountain from which the region takes its name. A few months ago I was...
gift for children
A few weeks ago I was in a Catholic gift shop when a number of customers were searching for gifts for children preparing to receive communion for the first time. A...
a new thing
When I am leading a session I often discourage those in the group from taking notes. Schools probably still teach that it is helpful to write while listening, but I'm...
come with me
Hidden in the heart of today's Office of Readings is the episcopal motto of the first bishop of Christchurch John Joseph Grimes. Bishop Grimes was born in East London...
Latest Posts
incredible things
Many of the things I plan seem to bear little fruit and my most powerful encounters with the divine are often unexpected
metanoia
With our backs to the light, all we can see is our own shadows.
I’m being saved
The best response to the question “have you been saved” is not a past tense “yes I have been saved” but a present-tense, here and now response
with new vision
Deep within the healthy human is a longing for much more than physical abilities and material possessions.
the foundation
If prayer is to grow into relationship rather than remain as obligation it needs to reflect and engage the reality of our lives