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…(Read More)
My lack of forgiveness rarely affects the one who has caused my pain, but it has a huge negative effect on me emotionally, physically, psychologically and therefore spiritually…(Read More)
While at times we are faced with decisions involving good and evil, most often our choices are between something good, something better, and perhaps a best option…(Read More)
It’s 56 years today since CS Lewis died. One of my favourite Lewis quotes is about the boy making mud-pies: “…We are far too easily pleased…(Read More)
In every moment, any human is motivated by attraction, or by resistance. Those who are beginners in life’s journey simply go with attraction and act against whatever they consider to be distasteful…(Read More)
The mature person of prayer knows that the deepest human desire is not to have our little prayers magically answered, but to know that God is with us in our joys, hopes, griefs and anxieties…(Read More)
It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us…(Read More)
Earlier in the year I moved into the heart of Christchurch city where I now live in the Cathedral presbytery beside the earthquaked Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament. You can see the remains of the destroyed Cathedral sanctuary behind me in this video clip – an appropriate backdrop for this first Advent reflection on making…(Read More)
It was a delight to spend time last night with five of our six seminarians for the diocese of Christchurch at Holy Cross Seminary in Auckland, and later in the evening for a catch-up in a local bar. From left in the pic above beside me, Huong, Glen, Connor, Jose and Monty. Tang is…(Read More)
After the Good Shepherd Parish Masses yesterday morning I drove down to Christchurch for a couple of meetings. The latter meeting was with the Vocations Team, the group that I am working with to promote Vocations to the diocesan priesthood in the diocese. The first meeting was with young people who have made a commitment…(Read More)
Over the weekend I was a bit preoccupied by the many ways in which those I love, (friends, family and parishioners), suffer. It was yesterday’s first reading from the Old Testament book of Job that got me pondering. Job was a good man and his suffering came about only because of the devil trying…(Read More)
One of the disadvantages of living just west of the international dateline is that priests’ and popes’ (I’m enjoying shifting that apostrophe while we can) blogs don’t carry their Sunday homilies until after I have finished most of the Sunday Masses, so I don’t get to copy their ideas, and instead have…(Read More)
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