Somewhere we picked up the false idea that highs mean happy and lows mean sad.
love
love
Today's first reading is the magnificent hymn of love from St. Paul's first letter to the people of Corinth. I recall once meeting with a couple to prepare their...
Pentecost fire
Bishop Michael Curry's sermon at the royal wedding was inspiring and makes an ideal reflection for today's great feast of Pentecost. I especially enjoyed when the...
Monday morn
The gospel readings of each Sunday are a central part of the nourishment given in the liturgy which sets us up for the week ahead. Too often the gospel is not heard or...
where is love ?
Christmas Greetings to you all. There are many things that I could share in this Christmas day clip, but the image that keeps coming to mind is the Christmas dinner...
a touchstone
A good homily story I heard a number of years ago had as its punch-line "remember that the most important thing, is to always keep the most important thing, as the most...
hope emerging
Yesterday I had the privilege of taking part in the Funeral Mass and burial rites of a much-loved Christchurch woman. Wendy died early last week decades too young at...
love is…
One of the great privileges in the life of a priest is to celebrate weddings. I am very aware that the last thing that the couple or their family and friends gathered...
safely restored
I have no doubt that over the centuries today's gospel reading has fired up many a preacher of the fire and brimstone sermon style. Here is the end of today's gospel:...
fall in love, again
It is a glorious summer's morning here in Cheviot. I'm thinking of the many people around the world who are suffering the weather at present with, extreme cold in the...
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living in colour
A few years ago I picked up a John August Swanson work – only a print unfortunately, but still full of power, and colour.
So much colour.
Today’s post-resurrection encounter with Jesus reminds me of this great Swanson work “The Big Catch.”
These fishermen previously endured a mere existence in black and white, getting through each day, their regular routines dictated by the demands and fears of friends and foes.
let’s get physical
Note the physicality of today’s gospel reading.
Physical features (hearts, hands, feet, mouth, eyes) abound and emotional realities are strong (peace, alarm, fright, agitation, doubt).
resurrection energy
I had planned to continue the daily reflections through this Easter Week but I’ve already missed Easter Monday and Easter Tuesday and now it’s early morning on Easter Wednesday. Thank you to those who emailed with “where are you”, “what happened” and “I haven’t had a FFF email this week.” Thank you for your enthusiasm and for keeping me on my toes.
Easter people ?
There is a great old Easter greeting: “We are an Easter people” to which hearers respond “and Alleluia is our song!” I love this, and if I see you in this Easter Week, this Octave of Easter Sundays, you are welcome to greet me in this way. The reason I need to be reminded that we are an Easter people is that I too often reduce the Easter life we are offered to ideas and categories, words and formulas, customary ways of thinking and acting.
experiencing
Consider the range of emotions that the disciples of Jesus moved through over the days of his final suffering and his crucifixion and resurrection. Such extremes of feeling cannot be imagined or pondered with disinterest. They must be experienced.