I am now going to open your graves; I mean to raise you from your graves, my people … and you will live…(Read More)
Our greatest human desire is not to be free of suffering and pain, but to live whatever reality is present in the great company…(Read More)
I have often quoted the High School principal who when asked to name the specific reason for the existence of her school responded: “We exist to prepare our students for death…(Read More)
One news report says that she lives in “isolation” but she would never say that of herself. As these brief clips below show the heart of her life was relationship with God and therefore she was never alone…(Read More)
Somewhere we picked up the false idea that highs mean happy and lows mean sad…(Read More)
There are many different kinds of food and I don’t just mean the stuff we put into our mouths. A few years ago a number of chicken soup books were published offering food in a different form; words of encouragement and hope for every human situation. Significantly this series of over 250 titles has…(Read More)
I remember turning up the driveway of Holy Cross College Mosgiel on the day I entered the seminary and seeing a marble statue of Jesus carrying his cross heading out the gate. The statue became a significant touchstone for me over the next six years. Thanks to inspiring and challenging teachers and an environment of…(Read More)
This week the End of Life Choice bill has been debated in the New Zealand parliament resulting in the decision to send the bill to Select Committee and consult citizens in a referendum. The most reliable measure of a civilised society is the degree of care provided for those citizens who are most vulnerable and…(Read More)
A few months ago I was speaking to a young person who said he hoped to know his plans for next year by the middle of this year. Since then a number of other people have made similar comments, expressing a feeling that what they are doing now is not what they want to be…(Read More)
In the early 1980‘s I lived for six years preparing for priesthood at Holy Cross seminary in Mosgiel. In the late 1990’s when the number of seminarians was relatively low, the seminary was shifted to Ponsonby in Auckland where a new surge of passion for the life of faith has seen significant growth…(Read More)
Much of the time, I feel as though there is not enough time for me to do the many things I need to do and the many more things that I want to do. When I was younger I thought I would have time later for many of these things. But now I realise that…(Read More)
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. The people I spend time with during the average week are good people and great company. Most of them periodically indicate that they disagree with the teaching of the Church on some…(Read More)
One of the biggest news stories to come out of last week’s Christchurch A&P show was the outrage that some people felt at the presence of the “life” stand at the festival. This morning’s news bulletins reported that some parents were especially offended that small foetus dolls were distributed to help…(Read More)
He is risen indeed – Alleluia. An opportunity to reflect on the significance of Easter; not simply an historical event, not a mere resuscitation of a body, but an earth-shattering event which transforms suffering into a hope-filled journey, destroys death, and makes true life, a reality…(Read More)
