God does not ask us for blind faith

Just a few thoughts

• Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. -- Calvin Coolidge

• May the Christians of India, who first received the Christian faith through St Thomas, be compassionate in their dealings with others, and be strong in their faith, especially when they face harassment and persecution.

• We pray for international students in Australia. May they be made welcome, supported and enabled to flourish.

Reflections

• My Lord and my God!

• Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed

• Coming and Going --reflection for next Sunday

The Signs Of The Times

• Walking together in faith, justice and hope this NAIDOC Week

• How does Australia’s migration system actually work? 5 common myths busted

Musical Reflection

• O God, You search Me and You Know Me

What the Church is called to be

Just a few thoughts

• The way to right wrongs is to turn the light of truth upon them. == Ida B. Wells-Barnett

• We pray for those who have a prophetic voice in the Church, that like Amos, they may speak the truth with courage, trusting in God’s help.

• We pray for the Australian community. May there be a new appreciation of the role of taxes in funding the services that make for a fair society.

Reflections

• Our self-love is not a reliable guide to how we should love one another.

• Jesus said faith can move mountains

• St Peter and St Paul show that sanctity is not the same as being faultless or without blemish --reflection for last Sunday

The Signs Of The Times

• UN agency an ‘essential lifeline’ in Gaza

• History will read this report and ask what we did

Musical Reflection

• Nada te Turbo - Nothing Can Trouble

the largest Catholic church in the UK

Just a few thoughts

• There are two ways of being rich. One is to have all you want, the other is to be satisfied with what you have.

• May the Church never neglect the works of justice, but be a community of integrity and service.

• We pray for those who excel in their chosen sport. May they be models of achievement, fair play and friendship in our divided world.

Reflections

• Restoring everything to its proper place

• Calling us into life

• Jesus' idea of family --reflection for this Sunday

The Signs Of The Times

• Catholic–Islamic meeting a symbol of mutual respect and friendship

• Religious practice cannot remain a “comfortable, private faith,” -- Pope Leo

Musical Reflection

• Come to Me, O Weary Traveler

where is our anchor?

Just a few thoughts

• If you could kick the person responsible for most of your problems you wouldn’t be able to sit down for six months.

• We pray for people whose cities and villages have been destroyed by earthquakes, cyclones, floods, tidal waves and fires in the past years, that they, in their ongoing needs, will not be forgotten by their governments nor by the world.

• We pray for governments seeking to regulate social media. May they have the wisdom and courage to demand responsibility from the moguls of the industry.

Reflections

• Experiencing fear

• Have love for one another

• Hospitality – Making the Divine Manifest --reflection for this Sunday

The Signs Of The Times

• What is migration for?

• Called and Sent

Musical Reflection

• Lord of All Hopefulness

Enthusiasm and realism

Just a few thoughts

• Of all the things you wear, your expression is the most important.

• May peace come to the Holy Land where Peter and Paul preached the Gospel and opened it to the nations, so that the small Christan community there will be a brave and kindly witness to their faith in Jesus and his universal love.

• We pray for a world-wide spirit of hospitality. May nations work together to respond justly to rising migration from places of poverty, violence and climate change.

Reflections

• Ever old, ever new

• A Rather Loaded Question

• Catholic and Apostolic --reflection for this Sunday

The Signs Of The Times

• Minimum wage rise has helped some, but not all

• A Therry good show

Musical Reflection

• Come to Me

united in one mission

Just a few thoughts

• He who blames others has a long way to go on his journey. He who blames himself is halfway there. He who blames no one has arrived.” -- Chinese Proverb

• May we citizens of our land, have a particular care of those who come among us as refugees, and each according to our ability and charity, extend a sincere welcome and true support.

• We pray for administrators in the world’s many refugee camps, that they will make a safe, healthy and hope-filled life possible for all in their care.

Reflections

• Two-minute homily

• A Love that Reorders our Life

• Frank Brennan’s Homily --reflection for next Sunday

The Signs Of The Times

• Is AI really as a good as a pure mathematician?

• The Prime Motive of Love

Musical Reflection

• Praise God, from Whom All Blessings Flow

self-giving service

Just a few thoughts

• Prejudice is a great time saver. You can form opinions without having to get facts

• May today’s conclusion of our Diocesan Synod bring great joy to Archbishop Patrick and to the delegates so that a new confidence will then extend to all Catholics of the Archdiocese.

Reflections

• The God of surprises

• God’s love is universal

• He Said What? --reflection for next Sunday

The Signs Of The Times

• Where 'we' begins: the World Cup and multicultural Australia

• Gambling reform was quietly taken out with the trash

Musical Reflection

• Come to Set Us Free

Where others saw someone to avoid, Jesus saw someone to love

Just a few thoughts

• Your life does not get better by chance, it gets better by change. -- Jim Rohn

• International Day in Support of the Victims of Torture – May there be an end to such barbaric practices, especially across the Holy Land, Ukraine and Russia, Sudan, Myanmar, Congo, and Baso Faso.

• We pray for the sick and housebound. May they be heartened by the loving care of family, friends and their local community.

Reflections

• Father of Mercies

• God is there waiting for us

• Making Life Count --reflection for next Sunday

The Signs Of The Times

• When work no longer guarantees a decent life

• What if we've been thinking about taxes all wrong?

Musical Reflection

• Take Up Your Cross

Resting our lives securely upon the rock of His word.

Just a few thoughts

• A diamond is a chunk of coal that made good under pressure.

• We pray on this International Day of the Seafarers, for those who have been trapped in the Strait of Hormuz, and those whose living conditions are unsafe at sea, that efforts will be made to ensure better conditions for them.

Reflections

• It is very hard to put ourselves fully behind everything we say.

• Our first reading today sounds like our present 6.00 News

• Love Is the Foundation of Hope --reflection for last Sunday

The Signs Of The Times

• Australia responsible for wellbeing of offshore detainees: UN report

• We must invest in peace, not war

Musical Reflection

• Lead Me Lord

His name is John.

Just a few thoughts

• Be a yardstick of quality. Some people aren't used to an environment where excellence is expected. -- Steve Jobs

• We pray for every child conceived, that surrounded by love, their right to life and to safety will be respected by all.

• We pray for pastoral workers and volunteers ministering to those in gaol. May they help prisoners gain the beliefs and skills they need for a new future.

Reflections

• Humility is not a fashionable virtue today

• Like John…..

• Trust in God’s providence makes the virtue of courage possible --reflection for last Sunday

The Signs Of The Times

• Vatican rejects German bishops’ request for lay homilies at Mass

• Memorial service honours homeless who died on nation’s streets

Musical Reflection

• In His Time

The narrow Road - demanding effort, sacrifice and perseverance.

Just a few thoughts

• Success is not permanent. The same is true of failure.

• May every religion and faith may help their followers to live with integrity, so that compassion and kindness prevail over all prejudice and intolerance.

• We pray for all whose lives kindle hope in those around them. May their bright spirit dispel discontent and division

Reflections

• The narrow gate is not to be narrow-minded

• The ultimate call to compassion

• Standing up for God's plan --reflection for this Sunday

The Signs Of The Times

• Feeding the hungry an essential part of peacemaking: Pope Leo

• Australia may feel the shift in US-Israel politics

Musical Reflection

• Take Up Your Cross

The King’s good servant, but God’s first

Just a few thoughts

• Anytime I feel lost, I pull out a map and stare. I stare until I have reminded myself that life is a giant adventure, so much to do, to see.” -- Angelina Jolie

• May we look with honesty into our own hearts and conduct of life, and where we need to reform, do so in the grace of Christ.

• We pray for all who are falsely accused and unjustly convicted, that their claim of innocence will be upheld and their freedom regained.

Reflections

• All our judging, positive and negative, is about ourselves.

• Knowing when to hold fast to our beliefs

• Taking Life Seriously --reflection for this Sunday

The Signs Of The Times

• Hats off to participants in Vinnies CEO Sleepout

• Gaza and the failure of colonial thinking

Musical Reflection

• Come to the Water

Where does our faith belong?

Just a few thoughts

• All things are what you make them

• We pray that the final session of our Diocesan Synod next Saturday will gather together the hopes of our people, and through the Holy Spirit set the Archdiocese into the future with confidence and charity.

Reflections

• Two-minute homily

• Our sinfulness is no match for God’s love

• Frank Brennan’s Homily -reflection for this Sunday

The Signs Of The Times

• Catholic sector’s warning on NDIS reforms

• The tainted cup is flowing over

Musical Reflection

• Take the word of God with you

You cannot serve God and money.

Just a few thoughts

• Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant. -- Robert Louis Stevenson

• May this World Refugee Day, with its theme, Until Everyone is Safe, remind the nations of the world of their responsibility towards the millions of people who have become refugees because of war, conflict, poverty and hunger.

• We pray for the homeless and all who live in insecure and sub-standard accommodation, that the whole community will work to provide them with shelter from the winter cold.

Reflections

• God is in the here and now

• Set your hearts on God’s kingdom first

• One in Christ -reflection for Sunday

The Signs Of The Times

• One umbrella, many stories: Why a "monocultural" Australia misses the point

• A New Way of Living

Musical Reflection

• One Day At A Time

Becoming rich in the eyes of God

Just a few thoughts

• If you think education is expensive – try ignorance!

• May our heart be centred upon the true treasure of God’s love, justice and mercy

• We pray for the million refugees who have come to Australia since World War II, that each one’s story will be heard, welcomed and allowed to enrich us.

Reflections

• The real wealth is a generous spirit.

• As nations continue to vie for power and control by violence

• Cast Out Fear -reflection for next Sunday

The Signs Of The Times

• Mental health system lacking skilled counsellors

• One Nation surge confounds political scientists

Musical Reflection

• O God, You Search Me

The more we pray, the better we discern God’s will

Just a few thoughts

• Be a yardstick of quality. Some people aren't used to an environment where excellence is expected. -- Steve Jobs

• We pray that those who have been made refugees because of the policies of governments and the actions of military and terrorist organisations, will receive the help which they urgently need as their homes, livelihoods, schools, medical centres and work places are destroyed.

Reflections

• Praying with Jesus

• What truly matters: faith, hope, and love

• The Apostles and human frailty -reflection for this Sunday

The Signs Of The Times

• Catholic Religious call out racism towards First Nations People

• The Albanese government and the lobbying scourge

Musical Reflection

• Be With Me, Lord

True charity does not draw attention to itself.

Just a few thoughts

• If the highest aim of a captain were to preserve his ship, he would keep it in port forever. -- Thomas Aquinas

• May, during this World Refugee Week, we will be grateful to the United Nations commitment to their care, the nations who donate to that work, and to the religious and community organizations who work for their resettlement in places of peace.

Reflections

• Reflect on your motivations

• It is all about motivation and purpose

• Into the Deep: Bishop Vincent’s 10 years of leadership, hope and renewal in Parramatta

The Signs Of The Times

• What counts as excellence in the age of AI?

• Stateless people need protection, not removal to Nauru

Musical Reflection

• Be still and know

Choosing not to hate

Just a few thoughts

• “Know the true value of time! Snatch, seize, and enjoy every moment of it. No idleness, no laziness, no procrastination. Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today.” -- Lord Chesterfield Stanhope

• May we learn to forgive from the heart, not hold grudges, but pray for those who offend us.

• We pray for the million refugees who have come to Australia since World War II, that each one’s story will be heard, welcomed and allowed to enrich us.

Reflections

• We find Christ in the stranger.

• Truth must be spoken, especially when power is misused

• A New Way of Living - reflection for this Sunday

The Signs Of The Times

• Minimum wage decision fair compromise but wage gap remains

• Government called to ‘show moral leadership’ on refugees

Musical Reflection

• O God, Our Help in Ages Past

Do not overcome evil by doing evil

Just a few thoughts

• “There is no Wi-Fi in the forest, but I promise you will find a better connection.” – Anon

• May those who administer justice, do so with mercy, as we mark this Refugee Week, so that we all respond to their frightening situations with care and respect.

• We pray for the handful of leaders wielding unchecked power on the world stage, that by the grace of God they will become ambitious for peace, not war.

Reflections

• Nonviolence

• Going the extra mile

• Jesus invites us to take on his own motivation - reflection for this Sunday

The Signs Of The Times

• A Reflection for Refugee Week

• Remain in Me as I Remain in You

Musical Reflection

• The LORD Is My Light & My Salvation

The choice is always ours

Just a few thoughts

• “Talk to yourself like you would to someone you love.” -- Brené Brown

• We pray for all refugees as we mark the beginning of Refugee Week today, that those who have settled here may be welcomed, and those who live in desperate situations will not be forgotten or ignored.

• We pray for all faithful followers of Jesus, that they will answer his call to be roving ambassadors of reconciliation

Reflections

• Two Minute Homily

• Equipped with Power and Authority to Heal

• Frank Brennan’s Homily - reflection for this Sunday

The Signs Of The Times

• Learning to truly see people the way Jesus sees them

• Teenagers used to discover what they loved. Now the algorithm decides

Musical Reflection

• Make me a channel of your peace

Preaching to the fish

Just a few thoughts

• Infuse your life with action. Don't wait for it to happen. Make it happen. Make your own future. Make your own hope. Make your own love. And whatever your beliefs, honor your creator, not by passively waiting for grace to come down from upon high, but by doing what you can to make grace happen... yourself, right now, right down here on Earth. -- Bradley Whitford

• May peace come to all places where war is destroying people, and help come to those nations battling the Ebola disease.

Reflections

• Let your Yes be Yes

• God is in every person’s life

• A closer look at the Scripture of the day - reflection for this Sunday

The Signs Of The Times

• Giving Is Receiving

• Catholic advocates call for solutions for people ‘living in limbo’

Musical Reflection

• The 23rd Psalm by Bobby McFerrin

The Heart as a symbol of His boundless love.

Just a few thoughts

• Your talent is God's gift to you. What you do with it is your gift back to God. -- Leo Buscaglia

• We pray for all priests in Australia, that as they contemplate the Heart of Jesus they may joyfully embrace their vocation with a new sense of purpose, with deep devotion to Christ and love for the people.

• We pray for our parish community, that we will honour the Sacred Heart of Jesus today by our generous care for the poor.

Reflections

• Love beyond our imagination

• The “gentle and humble” heart

• A programme for our own time - reflection for next Sunday

The Signs Of The Times

• Feast of the Sacred Heart – Responding Together

• What happens when ordinary people can profit from global conflict?

Musical Reflection

• Lift Up Your Hearts

The cost of discipleship

Just a few thoughts

• Consult not your fears but your hopes and your dreams. Think not about your frustrations, but about your unfulfilled potential. Concern yourself not with what you tried and failed in, but with what it is still possible for you to do. -- Pope John XXIII

• We pray that the Holy Spirit may move through the Church, inspiring Christians to give witness to Jesus Christ

Reflections

• Performing deeds!

• Build communities who look to the Lord

• On Eagle’s Wings- reflection for next Sunday

The Signs Of The Times

• Catholic groups press rich nations for climate justice

• Challenging governments’ indifference to international law

Musical Reflection

• Soul of My Saviour

Renewing the Church from within

Just a few thoughts

• “You've got to stay positive. For example, the other day I fell down the stairs... instead of getting upset I just thought, ‘Wow, that's the fastest I've moved in years.’” – Anon

• May parents, teachers, and all adults honour children who are in their care, striving to show them at all times the best of example.

• We pray for volunteers in community food banks, that their willing service will give heart to the hungry who seek their help

Reflections

• The existence of a law the service of justice

• Self-sacrifice

• It is entirely proper to friendship to live with one’s friends, so Christ gives us his bodily presence- reflection for this Sunday

The Signs Of The Times

• The Struggle to Be Sincere

• Zia Ahmad’s OAM honours a lifetime of community journalism

Musical Reflection

• Jesus, My Lord, My God, My All