Transfigure Us O Lord

Just a few thoughts

·         Pope Francis speaks about the Transfiguration. What does he say needs to happen when we climb the mountain? Or climb down from the mountain?
We need to go to a place of retreat, to climb the mountain and go to a place of silence, to find ourselves and better perceive the voice of the Lord. We cannot stay there, however. The encounter with God in prayer again pushes us to come down from the mountain and back down into the plain, where we meet many brothers and sisters weighed down by fatigue, injustice, and both material and spiritual poverty.

Reflection.

ü  Light from Light  --  Fr John Foley

ü  Broken Bay Diocese Lenten Resource

The Signs Of The Times

Ø  Learning the Wisdom of Jesus  --  Fr Richard Rohr

Musical Reflection

¯ Transfigure Us

¯ Change Our Hearts

¯ Look at the World

Love Your Enemies!

Just a few thoughts

·         Yesterday I wrote about the Punishing Of The Unemployed  --  Read this item in Australian Catholics

·         The Things Which Renew Humanity
Teach this triple truth to all: A generous heart, kind speech, and a life of service and compassion are the things which renew humanity.  --  Buddha

Reflection.

ü  “The Golden Rule” states - ‘Love your neighbour as yourself’.
Jesus states - “Love one another as I have loved you” (Jn 13:34) – a very different matter. – Read More

The Signs Of The Times

Ø  The Plenary Council must address structural inertia and church decline  --  Eureka Street

Ø  Working document released for Plenary Council journey  --  CathNews

Ø  The Working Paper of Plenary Council

Musical Reflection

¯ Christ, Your Words of Love Confound Us

¯ Father, Lord of all creation

¯ The kingdom of GOD is justice and peace

First Be Reconciled.

Just a few thoughts

·        I am feeling so downhearted/depressed! I watched the 7:30 Report last night.
The blatant cruelty at a Perth luxury aged care facility was disgusting.
The unbelievable cover-ups and hypocrisy in our national government behaviour relating to a rape case is soul-destroying..
The punishment of the unemployed for not having jobs when there is only 1 job for every 8 applicants.
I feel so powerless.

·        Then of course I reflect on yesterday’s article about the Hindmarsh parish and recall the energy and servant leadership in our own parish not so long ago. Distressing.

·        I am reading a book – “Denis Edwards in His Own Words”.  It contains a selection of 37 writings by Fr Denis covering a period from 1976 to 2019. It is an incredible collection of analyses of issues that faced and continue to face our Church. How insightful his writings!

Reflection.

ü  At the beginning of the Communion, we together recite the Lord’s Prayer in which we all say: “Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.” How often are we conscious of saying those words and how often do we really mean them?
Just after that, we are invited to share a sign of peace with those around us. Again, this can be done in a very perfunctory way. But the meaning of this gesture is that we want to be totally in a spirit of union and reconciliation with each other before we approach the Lord’s Table to break together the Bread which is the sign of our unity as members of his Body.  Read more

The Signs Of The Times

Ø  A Cosmology of Connection  --  Brabara Holmes

Ø  Chaos and Grace  --  Fr Ron Rolheiser

Musical Reflection

¯ Mercy, O God

¯ Turn to the Living God

¯ Seek The Lord  -  L. Larson

Bits & Pieces

v  1606  --  First known European landing in Australia by Dutch navigator Willem Jansz (or Janszoon) at Cape York.

v  1928  --  American singer and pianist Fats Domino, a rhythm-and-blues standout who became one of the first rock-and-roll stars, was born.

 

Why pray at all?

Just a few thoughts

·        During one of the Lenten Discussion Groups, years ago, we reflected on an extract from a book by Rabbi Abraham Heschel. It was about Prayer. I kept a copy. Read it here

·         Here is a great story about a parish that was without a parish priest.
Then a new priest from India/USA was appointed.
A parish with a heart for the Gospel message: Sacred Heart Parish Hindmarsh-Findon

Reflection.

·        The purpose of prayer is for us to become more deeply aware of what our real needs are.

The Signs Of The Times

Ø  JobSeeker decision condemns thousands to poverty  --  CathNews

Ø  The Synod of Bishops and all the baptized

Ø  Reforming the Church and the Plenary Council

Musical Reflection

¯ Open Our Eyes/Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus/Open My Eyes, That I May See

¯ Oh Let The Son Of God Enfold You

¯ Give Thanks With A Grateful Heart

¯ Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God Almighty

Bits & Pieces

v  There are 2.3 million people currently applying for only 250,000 available jobs.
Job Seekers will once again live well below the poverty line.

Seek The Lord!

Just a few thoughts

·         I hope you enjoyed the multiple versions of the Pater Noster!

·         Today I have another set of Opinions and Observations focussing on the the Church in the Modern World!

·         "I am old but I am forever young at heart. Each year is special and precious, you can only live it once. Do not regret growing older, it's a privilege denied to many!"  --  Richard Gere

Reflection.

ü  If God were to give us some clear sign in life revealing His will, we should take it as a gift and be grateful for it. But receiving a sign from God is different than seeking a sign from God. In the passage above, Jesus strongly condemns those coming and seeking signs. Why is this the case? Why does Jesus speak strongly against seeking signs? In large part because He wants us to seek Him through the gift of faith.

The Signs Of The Times

Ø  The Great Chain of Being  --  Fr Richard Rohr

Ø  Keeping the common good after COVID  --  Eureka Street

Ø  The Church and social justice after Trump
Bruce Duncan is a Redemptorist priest and lectures in history and social ethics at Yarra Theological Union in Melbourne. He asks:-  “Church social teaching is strongly opposed to neoliberalism, so how did this opposition become so muted, with prominent Catholic voices and resources captured by neoliberal ideology and money?

Musical Reflection

¯ Seek the Lord – St. Louis Jesuits

¯ I will seek the Lord

¯ Seek, O Seek the Lord  --  audio only

¯ Lord We Seek Your Face

Pater Noster

Just a few thoughts

·         Ooops! Yesterday I overlooked that we celebrated/contemplated The Chair of Peter.

·         “Peter’s call to be shepherds of the flock is not just for those involved in pastoral or clerical hierarchies. It is good advice for any leader to be aware of any tendencies to be dictatorial. Rather than demanding people follow their rules and whims, good leaders (in any setting) ‘show’, rather than tell.”

·         For Pope Francis, bishop of Rome and universal pastor, that he will stay strong in spirit and ever true to the Gospel of mercy.   Let us pray to the Lord.   --  Prayers of the People

Reflection.

ü  When we pray the Our Father we are not praying to him, but with him; we are praying his prayer. We are so close to him that we do not see him! We are (so to speak) inside his mind looking out through his eyes and seeing, like him, only the Father. 

The Signs Of The Times

Ø  “God is always more than what we can think or imagine.

We want a God who will take care of us. But God is saying “No, I’ll take care of you by being for you and by being for you I will liberate you. I will be with you as you create, as you imagine, as you join together, as you resist, as you create new structures, as you cyborgize, as you trust in the future that is yours and mine together.”  -- 

Sr Ilia Delio, OSF is a Franciscan Sister of Washington, DC and theologian specialising in the area of science and religion, with interests in evolution, physics and neuroscience and the import of these for theology.

Ø  New Language for a New Story  --  Barbara Holme

Musical Reflection

¯ Pater Noster  --  P Green

¯ Pater Noster  · Nóirín Ní Riain and Irish Monks

¯ Our Father  --  Russian  --  Kings Singers

¯ The Lord’s Prayer  --  Andrea Bocelli

¯ The Lord’s Prayer in Aramaic, the language of Jesus

¯ The Lord’s Prayer from African Sanctus

 

But who do you say that I am?’

Just a few thoughts

·         There are so many interesting reflections and observations available at this time….
So my suggestions are not necessarily about the Gospel of The Day

·         Lent is a great time to give God a chance to convince us of his desire for our friendship.

·         Have you browsed the Lenten Booklet from our Adelaide diocese?  Its title is “Rebuild My Church” and it seeks to prepare us for the Plenary Council Assembly.

·         Authentic renewal of the Church isn't an issue for the hierarchy alone. Church renewal depends on every Catholic, including us--our personal growth in holiness, our readiness to use the gifts God has given us, our willingness to learn how to discern and support authentic renewal.

Reflection.

ü  Sunday Homily from Fr Frank Brennan

ü  Growing in Friendship with God This Lent.
Rev William Barry SJ, is a distinguished spiritual director and author, who died in 2020
A series of 7 reflections for Lent are available

The Signs Of The Times

Ø  Plenary Council progress without transparency or inclusion for lay Catholics
An important overview of the state of preparation for the Plenary Council by Professor John Warhurst  -  a Plenary Council delegate from the Archdiocese of Canberra Goulburn.

Ø  Abortion: people want clear-cut answers but it’s not that simple
John A. Dick is an American Catholic academic who has taught historical theology for many years at the University of Leuven, Belgium. He states:-  “When writing about abortion, I like to promote dialogue with civility: to build respectful conversation bridges, not blow them up. Respectful conversation must also be honest conversation.”

Musical Reflection

¯ Grant To Us, O Lord

¯ Seek o seek the Lord  --  Morialta Uniting Church

Lent - a time for personal reflection on where we stand as Christians.

Just a few thoughts

·         God does permit us to be tempted. Temptation is a product of our own free will and ego. Temptation forces us to rise up and make a choice either for God or for the temptation.

·         Rule your mind or it will rule you.

Reflection.

ü  Victory

ü  We pray, Lord, bring your light

ü  What Is Lent?  --  Fr John Foley

The Signs Of The Times

Ø  The surprising truth about fasting for Lent

Ø  All Creation Has Soul  --  Fr Richard Rohr

Musical Reflection

¯ Be with Me, Lord  --  Acappella

¯ Return to God

Bits & Pieces

v  International Mother Language Day

v  1893  --  Spanish musician Andrés Segovia, who was considered the foremost guitarist of his time, was born.

Let us today embrace humility, love and mercy towards others just as Jesus has taught us.

Just a few thoughts

·         World Day of Social Justice

·         Reverent Before Life  --  Albert Schweitzer

I can do no other than be reverent before everything that is called life. I can do no other than to have compassion for all that is called life. That is the beginning and the foundation of all ethics.

·         Time to think big

Reflection.

ü  There is no need to preach to the converted. Which is what we do a lot of in our Christian churches. What is needed is to reach out to those who are lost, whose lives are going in the wrong direction, who are leading a self-destructive existence.

The Signs Of The Times

·         Last month 31 member states of the United Nations called on Australia to raise the age of criminal responsibility to 14.

Ø  Christ Prays in Us and through Us  --  Fr Richard Rohr

Musical Reflection

Focusing on Social Justice

¯ In These Days of Lenten Journey

¯ Terror Australia  --  Midnight Oil

Bits & Pieces

v  1980  --   Ash Wednesday bushfires

v  1913  --  Mary Durack, Australian author and historian (Kings in Grass Castles and Keep Him My Country), born in Adelaide, Australia (d. 1994)

 

I Am The Way

Just a few thoughts

·         We have no way of understanding God, but we know the Way of Jesus.

·         God is always more than what we can think or imagine.

Reflection.

ü Jesus in his life pointed his disciples to something deeper and more important than fasting, namely, reaching out in compassion to others bringing joy, comfort, healing into people’s lives.

ü Growing in Friendship with God This Lent.

The Signs Of The Times

Ø  Church of the future’ becomes a thing of the past

Ø  The Way of Unknowing  --  Fr Richard Rohr

Musical Reflection

¯ Acappella "Create In Me"

¯ Lord, Who Throughout These Forty Days

Bits & Pieces

v  1877  --   Stump jump plough

v  1878  -- Thomas Edison patented the phonograph.

Take Up Your Cross

Just a few thoughts

·         Aspire not to have more, but to be more.
Especially during Lent may we be more sensitive to the sufferings of the world, so that we can work for peace through a commitment to justice.

·         We are but dust – stardust! Wow!

Reflection.

ü The only way to live is, like Jesus, to offer our lives for the benefit of others in love, in caring, in solidarity, in compassion, in justice.

The Signs Of The Times

Ø  Expecting the unexpected: faith and miracles  --  Fr Richard Leonard 

Ø  Lean Not on Your Own Understanding  --  Fr Richard Rohr

Musical Reflection

¯ Whatsoever You Do

¯ The Lord Bless You and Keep You,  --  John Rutter

Bits & Pieces

v 1844  --  Monuments to Colonel Light

v "Listen earnestly to anything your children want to tell you, no matter what. If you don't listen eagerly to the little stuff when they are little, they won't tell you the big stuff when they are big, because to them all of it has always been big stuff."    -- Catherine M. Wallace

We are but dust!

Just a few thoughts

·         Less ego, more love.

Reflection.

ü  Ash Wednesday  --  Pope Francis

ü  “So often in life we are controlled by our emotions and desires. We have an impulse for this or that or to do this or that and we often let those impulses or desires control us.

Entering into a practice of self-denial helps strengthen us to control our disordered tendencies rather than being controlled by them. And this applies to much more than just food and drink. It applies to many things in life including our life of virtue, especially our charity.”

ü We are fortunate to have a loving, forgiving God

The Signs Of The Times

Ø  About Lent

Ø  A Lenten Program for the Diocese of Broken Bay to prayerfully reflect on the Sunday Gospel readings in Lent

Musical Reflection

¯ Sign Us With Ashes

¯ Sign Us with Ashes

¯ Whatsoever You Do  --  Instrumental

Bits & Pieces

v 1931  --  Amalgamation of the Register and the Advertiser