Our definitions of family are often too narrow, certainly more restrictive than the beautifully diverse reality that is family life in 2019. Listen to my 3 minute homily at this link…(Read More)
We understand this in our own experience when we know our need to be with others who share our faith – this is our healthy desire for brothers and sisters who will with us form a new form of family that transcends biology…(Read More)
What is family? Most people hope that their family will be a place of belonging and growth. The reality is that our biological families exist only for a time. I am the child of my parents for a couple of decades then they age and die and I might then become the parent of my…(Read More)
In today’s gospel Jesus really blurs any clear distinction between family and friends when he asks “who is my mother? Who are my brothers?” We often have unrealistic expectations of our biological families. Our parents age and die. Siblings marry and form their own families. Children leave home and are no longer dependant on…(Read More)
For most of the history of human civilisation the term family has been used to speak of a community of love: parents and children, with a complex and diverse range of relationship connections through blood, legal contract and friendship ties. In the “Western” world family was often defined as a household of wife and husband…(Read More)
One of the most inspiring sights at Christmas Masses is to see families gathered from all over for one purpose, to be together for Christmas. I use the term “families” in the fullest sense. Artificial ideals of families are often presented. A century ago a husband and wife might have a dozen children. When I…(Read More)
Earlier this week I was asked about who speaks at the Synod, “is it just bishops?” While the majority of participants are bishops, here is a brief interview with one of the married couples who are participating in the three-week gathering…(Read More)
For most of the history of human civilization the term family has been used to speak of a community of love, parents and children, and a complex and diverse range of relationship connections across blood, contract and friendship ties. In the “Western” world family was often defined as a household of a wife and husband…(Read More)
