They had no faith

Just a few thoughts

·       What we dream alone remains a dream, what we dream with others can become a reality. -- Eugene de Mazenod

·       Egoism destroys the Common Good

·       May each of us carry our daily cross with dignity since suffering is part of our training, helping us to mature in the Christian life, producing the fruits of mercy and goodness.

Reflections

ü He could not help those who had no faith in him.

ü The Ordinary Reveals the Extraordinary

ü Whatever road we are called to follow, we pray for the courage to trust the call and serve with joy—and perhaps a little magic.

ü Together, we can build a society that is aligned to God’s purposes -a community of solidarity and empathy that Jesus exemplified. – Reflection for last Sunday

The Signs Of The Times

Ø Euthanasia bill ‘not acceptable’

Ø Podcast tackles ‘the four great questions of our time’

Musical Reflection

¯  Only A Shadow

¯  God Has Work For Us To Do

Your faith has restored you to health

Just a few thoughts

·       "Don't knock the weather; nine-tenths of the people couldn't start a conversation if it didn't change once in a while." -- Kin Hubbard

·       May parents who have had to bury an adult son or daughter continue to give thanks for their life and hold their memory as a precious gift.

Reflections

ü Mark’s gospel leaves an impression of breathless haste

ü Offering his healing touch, even to ‘raise us up’.

ü Great expectations – Last Sunday reflection

The Signs Of The Times

Ø Podcast tackles ‘the four great questions of our time’

Ø Paradox Holds Us

Musical Reflection

¯  Fill My House

¯  As Christ is For Us

Freeing people from all that diminishes and dehumanizes them

Just a few thoughts

·       "Just because improvements aren't visible doesn't mean they aren't happening. You're not going to see the number change each time you step on the scale. You're not going to finish a chapter each time you sit down to write. Early wins come easy. Lasting wins require a lifestyle." -- James Clear

·       Live out of your imagination, not your history. -- Stephen Covey

·       May those who work with people with severe mental illness be filled with courage and compassion, and always show respect for those in their care.

Reflections

ü Our calling and our following of Jesus takes place right where we are.

ü When our tempers get the better of us……..

ü Satan and the Devil

The Signs Of The Times

Ø Welcome to school

Ø In democracy:  voters will have political equality; and governments will govern democratically – that is, in accordance with the public interest, the national interest, and the will of the people who elect them.
Is Australia’s democracy failing?

Musical Reflection

¯  Gather Us In

¯  Christ In Me Arise

Jesus, the ultimate coach

Just a few thoughts

·       "A chip on the shoulder is too heavy a piece of baggage to carry through life." -- John Hancock

·       Sometimes you have to step outside of the person you've been, and remember the person you were meant to be, the person you wanted to be, the person you are." -- H.G. Wells

·       We pray for our Indigenous people who died at the time of colonization, in wars with police and settlers, and through ill treatment and incarceration, along with the victims of present wars, that they may be at peace in God.

Reflections

ü Australian Women Preach

ü Frank Brennan reflection

ü The One and the Many

The Signs Of The Times

Ø Diversity’s blessings

Ø Prayer of the Aboriginal People

Musical Reflection

¯  Why Lord? O Why?

¯  In the Sweet By and By

Faith and stormy lives

Just a few thoughts

·       "Knowledge is power, and it can help you overcome any fear of the unexpected. When you learn, you gain more awareness through the process, and you know what pitfalls to look for as you get ready to transition to the next level." -- Jay Shetty

·       If there is no struggle, there is no progress -- Frederick Douglass

·       We pray for our Nation, having marked Australia Day yesterday, that together - First Nations People, descendants of European settlers, and those who have come as migrants and refugees and their descendants - that all will advance in harmony with respect, working for the common good.

Reflections

ü The place where resurrection happens

ü Peace! Be still!

ü A Specific Responsibility – Sunday reflection

The Signs Of The Times

Ø The messiness of Australia Day

Ø 'The Mountains Groan'

Musical Reflection

¯  My Worth Is Not In What I Own

¯  Grant Us Your Peace, O Lord

Appreciating what we already have

Just a few thoughts

·       Integrity is telling myself the truth. And honesty is telling the truth to other people. -- Spencer Johnson

·       “Here in Australia, we’re fortunate enough to have one of the richest and oldest continuing cultures in the world. This is something we should all be proud of and celebrate.” -- Tom Calma

·       No other country in the world celebrates a day of national significance based on their colonisation.

·       May the Indigenous people of Australia, the first custodians of this land, continue to enrich the fabric of our society with their culture, traditions and spirituality

Reflections

ü The presence of God

ü The effect of justice will be peace.

ü What Has He To Do With Me? – Reflection for next Sunday

The Signs Of The Times

Ø Aus Lights on the River

Ø We can strive for a more merciful version of Australia, one that is not preoccupied with who is “deserving” and who is “undeserving” but instead one that is generous enough to share its blessings with others, both within our borders and beyond.

Musical Reflection

¯  Sounds Of Then

¯  Great Southern Land

¯  Bless Our Land

¯  Judith Durham’s Australia song

Re-examining our motivations and certainties

Just a few thoughts

·       All the art of living lies in a fine mingling of letting go and holding on. -- Havelock Ellis

·       “Jesus was totally nonviolent and calls us to practice and teach Gospel nonviolence and welcome God’s reign of peace and nonviolence, which means from now on, we work for the abolition of war, poverty, racism, gun violence, the death penalty, nuclear weapons, environmental destruction, and all violence.” –- John Dear

·       We pray for all guardians of nature, that their love of the world in which we live will inspire us to play our part in caring for the earth, our common home.

Reflections

ü The city of God is not made of stones but of people.

ü Saying ‘Yes’ Today

ü The power of ‘handing over’ to God – Last Sunday reflection

The Signs Of The Times

Ø The origins and meaning of the sayings you’ll hear at rallies and acknowledgement of Country, like “sovereignty was never ceded and treaty was never signed” and “Always was, always will be Aboriginal land.”

Musical Reflection

¯  Your Words Are Spirit and Life

¯  Come To Me and Find Rest

"The Gentleman Saint"

Just a few thoughts

·       "When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive - to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love." -- Marcus Aurelius

·       What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make. --Jane Goodall

·       We pray for the human family, that the many crises the world faces will not lead us to passive resignation but will spur us to hope-filled action.

Reflections

ü Jesus was a consummate story-teller

ü To be a Christian, it is not enough just to be fervent and observant but one also must be productive

ü The Parable of the Sower

The Signs Of The Times

Ø The fact that Australia is the only Commonwealth nation in the world that has its national public day of celebration on a day that marks the colonisation of the nation’s First People – an overwhelming amount of countries actually celebrate decolonisation from British rule as their national public day of celebration, or they celebrate independence from the British

Musical Reflection

¯  Lead Me Lord

¯  Lord, you have come to the seashore

Being on the 'inside' is not just a question of location, but of relationship

Just a few thoughts

·       Happiness is not by chance, but by choice. -- Jim Rohn

·       For the great doesn't happen through impulse alone, and is a succession of little things that are brought together. -- Vincent Van Gogh

·       May we vreceive the word of God with grateful hearts and live its mystery day by day.

Reflections

ü Belonging to the same family or race as Jesus does not make one a disciple

ü Jesus’ family

ü Let us work for the reign of justice, liberation, harmony and dignity of all. – Sunday reflection

The Signs Of The Times

Ø The first recorded “Day of Mourning” protest, when a group of First Nations people gathered in Sydney to protest the treatment of their people on 26 January – 56 years before this day was made a public holiday!

Musical Reflection

¯  O Bless the Lord

¯  It Is Well With My Soul

Discernment

Just a few thoughts

·       "When adversity strikes, that's when you have to be the most calm. Take a step back, stay strong, stay grounded and press on."

·       "True peace is not merely the absence of tension; it is the presence of justice." -- Martin Luther King Jr.

·       May staffs returning to school have a sense of excitement in their vitally important vocations to educate, respect, and enrich the lives of their students.

Reflections

ü What would Jesus do?

ü Embracing the presence of the Holy Spirit

ü The reign of God – Sunday reflection

The Signs Of The Times

Ø Health care seeks to heal, cure, sustain and relieve suffering – but not to kill

Ø The Lord’s Prayer is a community call to honour God, so as to love and serve others before ourselves.

Musical Reflection

¯  If Today You Hear His Voice

¯  Healer