Divinity

Just a few thoughts

·       "We must become bigger than we have been: more courageous, greater in spirit, larger in outlook. We must become members of a new race, overcoming petty prejudice, owing our ultimate allegiance not to nations but to our fellow men within the human community." -- Haile Selassie

·       For all God’s blessings in the past year, we offer our grateful thanks.

·       For the New Year, we rely on God’s guidance and protection.

Reflections

ü Incarnation

ü Mary’s Peace

The Signs Of The Times

Ø Remaining in Communion

Ø Top 10 tips to keep cool

Musical Reflection

¯  Sing Out My Soul To The Lord

¯  May the Good Lord Bless and Keep You

The well-being of society is directly linked to the health of the family unit

Just a few thoughts

·       "Sometimes falling flat on your face allows you to see things from a totally different perspective." -- Linda Poindexter

·       All of us who have a stake in capitalism have a non-delegable responsibility to make it better - and we must start by raising our own ethical standards and by challenging others to do the same. The rehabilitation of capitalism won’t come from top down programs of corporate social responsibility. A grand top-down initiative, however admirable or profitable, will never be a substitute for a bottom up sense of moral responsibility that informs every decision. -- Gary Hamel

·       The Church family: May we see one another as sisters and brothers in the Lord.

Reflections

ü Home A Place To Flourish

ü The Holy Family.

ü A Christmas sermon

The Signs Of The Times

Ø A Capacity for Communion

Ø Retired Pope Benedict XVI is 'very sick'

Musical Reflection

¯  Oh Christmas Tree

¯  Under The Milky Way

A troublesome priest

Just a few thoughts

·       "If you only read the books that everyone else is reading, you can only think what everyone else is thinking." – Haruki Murakami

·       If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything. -- Mark Twain

·       For all who are rostered to maintain health and welfare services during the Christmas holiday period, that they will join together in caring well for those in need.

Reflections

ü Does The Holy Spirit Rests On Me?

üBlessed, rather, are those who hear the word of God and keep it.

ü Jesus’ Person-to-Person Ministry

The Signs Of The Times

Ø A post-Roe field hospital

Ø The best writing of 2022 – from The Conversation

Musical Reflection

¯  Let There Be Peace On Earth

¯  Under The Milky Way

Sanctity of all life

Just a few thoughts

·       Our God encourages us to be the best we can be.

·       life is about who you love and who you hurt. It's about how you feel about yourself. It's about trust, happiness, and compassion. It's about sticking up for your friends and replacing inner hate with love. Life is about avoiding jealousy, overcoming ignorance, and building confidence. It's about what you say and what you mean. It's about seeing people for who they are and not what they have. Most of all, it's about choosing to use your life to touch someone else's in a way that could never have been achieved otherwise. These choices are what life's about." -- Nike Ad

·       May all in the Church experience a sense of unity through our common faith in Jesus Christ.

Reflections

ü The Cries of the Children

ü Aggression is a manifestation of fear.

ü An Invitation Inside of Christmas

The Signs Of The Times

Ø Pope Francis: 'It is not truly Christmas without the poor'

Ø In Christmas message, Pope Francis laments 'famine of peace' fueled by Ukraine war

Musical Reflection

¯  Jesus Name Above All Names

¯  Under the Milky Way

Life is short...

Just a few thoughts

·       God isn’t just for us. God is with us.

·       When you really connect with a person's inner self, any physical imperfections disappear, become irrelevant." -- Lisa Unger

·       For all who about to embark on summer holidays, that they will enjoy a safe, healthy and happy time away.

Reflections

ü Seeing Things With the Eyes of Love

ü Love Child

The Signs Of The Times

Ø In Christmas message, Pope Francis laments 'famine of peace' fueled by Ukraine war

Ø We Are the Beloved

Musical Reflection

¯  A Joyful Christmas Gloria

¯  The Wexford Carol

Season of Joy

Just a few thoughts

·       “What a country calls its vital economic interests are not the things which enable its citizens to live, but the things which enable it to make war. Gasoline is much more likely than wheat to be a cause of international conflict.” -- Simone Weil

·       Jesus was born into a harsh brutal place where violence is loved more than peace.

·       Q - What do you get if you eat the Christmas decorations?
A - Tinsilitis

Reflections

ü Costly Witness

ü Practicing Mindfulness

ü Joseph's Fidelity

The Signs Of The Times

Ø Tidings of Great Joy

Ø Beautiful Feet

Musical Reflection

¯  Here is another more powerful version of the popular Dutch Christmas carol – Glory To God

¯  Stille Nacht

¯  A song for the UN Climate Change Conference

Peace to God’s people on earth

Just a few thoughts

·       "Time decides who you meet in life, your heart decides who you want in your life, and your behaviour decides who stays in your life." – Anon

·       "Don't worry if you're making waves just by being yourself. The Moon does it all the time." -- Scott Stabile

·       For every new-born child, may they be deeply cherished and allowed to flourish in a world blessed with peace.

Reflections

ü Australian Women Preach

ü A 2022 Christmas reflection – Frank Brennan

ü The Nativity of the Lord: Christ in the flesh

The Signs Of The Times

Ø Paradoxes of Christmas

Ø Gathering for Christmas

Musical Reflection

¯  Yesterday I mentioned a traditional Dutch carol. Here is a congregational rendition – Glory To God
The biblical words are simple:
Glory to God!  In the highest!
Peace be on earth,
to the people who have God’s favour.
Amen, amen.

¯  There was a time when our Tranmere parish choir was blessed with the talents of musician , Bonnie and singer Ferry. Together they recorded O Holy Night, audio only.

Glory to God in the highest

Just a few thoughts

·       There is a voice inside of you
That whispers all day long,
"I feel this is right for me,
I know that this is wrong."
No teacher, preacher, parent, friend
Or wise man can decide
What's right for you--just listen to
The voice that speaks inside.
                  Shel Silverstein

Reflections

ü The hope of Christmas is light for a troubled world

ü A story of faith

The Signs Of The Times

Ø A Christmas greeting from the Sisters of Saint Joseph of the Sacred Heart.

Ø A Christmas Homily

Ø Christmas: war and peace

Musical Reflection

¯  Here is a famous Dutch carol traditionally sung especially in the Dutch Reformed Church – Glory To God

¯  Benedictus

Our part is to pray and to trust.

Just a few thoughts

·       "If you look to others for fulfillment, you will never truly be fulfilled. If your happiness depends on money, you will never be happy with yourself. Be content with what you have; rejoice in the way things are. When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you." -- Lao Tzu

·       In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on. -- Robert Frost

·       May we be filled with awe and rejoice in the gift of every new life.

Reflections

ü Humility is not a fashionable virtue today

ü Advent Attitude 7: Staying on Message

ü Practicing Remaining Even-Keeled

The Signs Of The Times

Ø Papal message for World Peace Day: War, hunger, turmoil are connected

Ø Australians still donating for Christmas as rising costs hit charities

Musical Reflection

¯  My Soul in Stillness Waits

¯  Es ist ein Ros entsprungen

¯  Do You Hear What I Hear?

My soul magnifies the Lord

Just a few thoughts

·       How good life is when one does something good and just! -- Fyodor Dostoyevsky

·       May love break down all barriers between people this Christmas.

·       We pray for all who volunteer their time to serve the poor and lonely at Christmas, that their generosity will create goodwill that makes a lasting difference.

Reflections

ü Merely by being there, the keystone stops the two sides of an arch from collapsing inwards. Jesus is the keystone

ü How the story of Joseph inspires us to place our own trust in God

ü Practicing Having Others’ Best Interests in Mind

The Signs Of The Times

Ø Our Spiritual Drink: A History of Wine and the Catholic Church

Ø A candid history of the Christmas tree

Musical Reflection

¯  Lo, How A Rose E're Blooming

¯  Adeste fideles

¯  I Will Be There

Most highly favoured lady

Just a few thoughts

·       "If an egg is broken by outside force, Life ends. If broken by inside force, Life begins. Great things always begin from inside." -- Jim Kwik

·       Be truthful, gentle, and fearless. -- Mahatma Gandhi

·       Let’s pray for renewed efforts for peace in the Holy Land, especially in Bethlehem.

Reflections

ü The Heart of the Author

ü Jesus is my larger self.

ü Holy Bewilderment

ü Columbans Christmas Reflection

The Signs Of The Times

Ø Advent Attitude 6: Having Others’ Best Interests in Mind

Ø Russia sanctions reveal growing split in the global financial system

Ø Thousands of refugees to qualify for permanent residency

Musical Reflection

¯  Mary, Did You Know

¯  O Holy Mary

¯  The Angel Gabriel

“Yes” – a turning point

Just a few thoughts

·       Don't wait for anyone to deputise you or authorise you or empower you. You have to just start out with yourself...and put one foot in front of the other. -- Hazel Henderson

·       "The highest form of knowledge is empathy, for it requires us to suspend our egos and live in another's world." – Plato

·       Mary, our sister in faith, the first disciple of Jesus, Mother of Jesus and of the Church.

Reflections

ü Concealed in the Old, Revealed in the New

ü Sunday Reflection -- The Greatness of Mary

ü Sunday Reflection -- An Inner Assurance

The Signs Of The Times

Ø Unpacking the Statement from the Heart

Ø Aged care pay rise delay a ‘bitter pill’

Musical Reflection

¯  Let the King of glory come

¯  Creator of the Stars of Night

¯  Breath of Heaven