Jesus never allows Himself to be drawn into hostility

Just a few thoughts

• Never, never be afraid to do what’s right, especially if the well-being of a person or animal is at stake. Society’s punishments are small compared to the wounds we inflict on our soul when we look the other way. -- Martin Luther King, Jr

• We pray that this World Day of Prayer for Creation will help us to treasure all that God has given to us on our planet, the beauty he reveals in the universe, and the responsibility given to us to care for all in need.

Reflections

• Nonviolent Authority

• Each one of us is given authority of some kind

• Embracing the prophetic – reflection for This Sunday

The Signs Of The Times

• Day of Prayer for Creation – Pope Leo

• Caritas Australia launches emergency appeal for Nepal flood relief

Musical Reflection

• One World

Our turbulent emotions

Just a few thoughts

• Only by letting go of what stops us from growing can we put down new roots and truly flower. -- Peg Streep

• May the Good News, first proclaimed by Jesus in Nazareth, be announced to the nations today so that God’s peace may reign everywhere.

Reflections

• To be present.

• We speak often about love, mercy, forgiveness, justice and compassion………...

• Embracing the scandal of the cross – reflection for This Sunday

The Signs Of The Times

• Human Rights Commission says data centres a threat to human rights

• Wrestling with faith in the face of genocide?

Musical Reflection

• Whatsoever You Do

Fulfilling the Father’s will, whatever the cost.

Just a few thoughts

• We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give. -- Winston Churchill

• We pray for a use of social media which is wise, wholesome and respectful, so that seeking truth, we will use it for the good and enrichment of human society.

• Social Justice Sunday -We pray for the church in Australia. May today’s observance of Social Justice Sunday urge the Catholic community to promote unity and common purpose across the land.

Reflections

• Two Minute Homily

• God’s way of loving

• Frank Brennan’s Homily – reflection for Next Sunday

The Signs Of The Times

• The world is living beyond its water means

• Social Justice Sunday -“Living the Gospel in Times of Social Division”

Musical Reflection

• Act Justly

 

Martyrdom is not merely a relic of the past but a present reality.

Just a few thoughts

• Life is a gift, and it offers us the privilege, opportunity, and responsibility to give something back by becoming more. -- Tony Robbins

• We pray that parents will not dominate the lives of their children but give them freedom to make their own choices by nurturing in them a good conscience.

• We pray for families caring for children with special needs. May they have all the support they need and treasure the grace of each day.

Reflections

• Having the courage to speak the truth and challenge injustice, corruption and sin.

• God calls the imperfect

• What’s in a Name? – reflection for Next Sunday

The Signs Of The Times

• What is Purgatory?

• Why banning social media won’t make young Australians less anxious

Musical Reflection

• The Fullness Of God

Our hearts are restless until they rest in You.

Just a few thoughts

• Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile. -- Albert Einstein

• We pray that those whose lives have become without meaning may discover the holy wisdom of St Augustine, “Lord you made us for yourself, and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in you.”

• We pray for children, their parents and teachers. May they all enjoy a ‘Symphony of Stories’ during Children’s Book Week and throughout the year.

Reflections

• Wakefulness

• Ready When He Comes

• My Ways Are Not Your Ways – reflection for Next Sunday

The Signs Of The Times

• Active participation in liturgy leads us to relationship with God

• Debunking mass deportation hype

Musical Reflection

• Come To Us Creative Spirit

No prayer offered in love is ever wasted

Just a few thoughts

• Always smile. Life isn’t always full of reasons to smile, but your smile itself is a reason for others to smile too!. -- Sebastiano Serafini

• We pray that those who have taken on the service of proving food to vulnerable people, families, those unemployed, international students and others in need during this time of economic difficulties.

• We pray for the Australian national community. May the Catholic Bishops’ Social Justice Statement Living the Gospel in Times of Social Division promote unity and common purpose across the land.

Reflections

• God’s gifts of faith

• Plan well, and continue to develop

• The Way of Love – reflection for Next Sunday

The Signs Of The Times

• Pope tells Catholic legislators to put family at heart of AI policy

• Cooperative relationships

Musical Reflection

• Centre of My Life

Caring for your soul

Just a few thoughts

• Always smile. Life isn’t always full of reasons to smile, but your smile itself is a reason for others to smile tool. -- Sebastiano Serafini

• May we never give up on anyone, but know that God’s grace brings forgiveness, hope and peace.

• World Water Week - We pray for the many people enduring heatwaves, fires and droughts. May it highlight the need for civic leaders to manage this vital resource ‘for people and progress.

Reflections

• Pharisaism

• Australian Diced Tomatoes

The Signs Of The Times

• Change of heart needed to end wars and heal Earth: - Pope Leo

• Anger and fear is real – but don't blame migrants

Musical Reflection

• There is a Longing in our hearts

A heart filled with God’s love will ultimately always be visible on the outside

Just a few thoughts

• If you choose not to find joy in the snow, you will have less joy in your life but still the same amount of snow. -- James Clear

• May we also have a heart that is pure in imitation of Jesus

• We pray for church leaders. May they use the keys of the kingdom to open the door to God’s healing mercy.

Reflections

• We only have to try!

• From the Inside Out

• Engulfed in Christ – reflection for Last Sunday

The Signs Of The Times

• New push to raise JobSeeker payments

• Advances in AI making scams more convincing, Vinnies warns

Musical Reflection

• Open the eyes of my heart lord

Come and see!

Just a few thoughts

• If you see me talking to myself, don’t be alarmed. I’m getting expert advice! -- Anon

• We pray that the courage of St Bartholomew, who faced a most painful martyrdom, may be a particular encouragement for those who are imprisoned and tortured for their Christian faith today.

• We pray for all who have been invested with civic authority, that they will exercise it wisely and justly for the common good.

• Sadly my favourite Christian Art site was not available today....

Reflections

• Lord, help us keep our hearts open

• Believing and embracing the self-giving model of the Messiah – reflection for This Sunday

The Signs Of The Times

• Reflection and Poems on Heartbreak

• Adelaide Diocesan Synod agreement

Musical Reflection

• The Summons

The responsibility of caring for the Church

Just a few thoughts

• Never be afraid to raise your voice for honesty and truth and compassion against injustice and lying and greed. If people all over the world...would do this, it would change the earth. -- William Faulkner

• We pray for nations facing the increase of Ebola, that God will deliver them from present danger, heal the sick, comfort the sorrowful, enlighten researchers, make wise their leaders.

Reflections

• Two-Minute Homily

• Frank Brennan’s Homily – reflection for This Sunday

The Signs Of The Times

• Cooperative relationships

• Called to the Holy Land: places we don’t choose to travel to

Musical Reflection

• Lord of creation, to you be all praise

Keep trusting, one step at a time

Just a few thoughts

• Your greatest contribution to the universe may not be something you do, but someone you raise. – Anon

• True heroism is not the urge to surpass all others at whatever cost, but the urge to serve others at whatever cost. -- Arthur Ashe

Reflections

• Placing God at the centre of our lives

• It Takes Two – reflection for Next Sunday

The Signs Of The Times

• When the Bloom Has Left the Rose

• NDIS reform is putting the cuts before the safety net

Musical Reflection

• These Alone Are Enough

A passage to the next life

Just a few thoughts

• Fight for the things that you care about. But do it in a way that will lead others to join you. -- Ruth Bader Ginsburg

• May Christians above all else, be known for their love of neighbour, especially the ones who are needy and poor at this time.

• We pray for social educators working to change the culture of domestic violence. May they succeed in making every home a haven for all.

Reflections

• All creation is God’s gracious gift

• Love gives life to the world around us

• Authority – reflection for Next Sunday

The Signs Of The Times

• A surprisingly hopeful dialogue with AI

• A Prophetic Dream of Peace

Musical Reflection

• We Remember

Encouraging prayer, silence and contemplation.

Just a few thoughts

• No matter who you are, no matter what you did, no matter where you've come from, you can always change, become a better version of yourself. – Madonna

• May governments and scientists find ways to prevent the spread of bird flu, so that food supplies are secure and our native birds and animals are protected.

• We pray for all whose creativity and imagination enrich our culture. May their inspired works be honoured, not stolen, by the merchants of artificial intelligence.

Reflections

• All are Welcome to the Feast

• God’s loving invitation

• Faithful Stewards – reflection for Next Sunday

The Signs Of The Times

• Collaboration helps in the fight against modern slavery

• Prophets Work in Community

Musical Reflection

• Table of Plenty

Generosity freely given

Just a few thoughts

• Families are like fudge — mostly sweet with a few nuts. -- Les Dawson

• May we never feel jealous when good things happen to other people, but rather rejoice with those who rejoice.

• We pray for nations facing a multitude of people displaced by war, persecution, drought, hunger and poverty. May all member countries of the international community join forces to alleviate this humanitarian crisis.

Reflections

• A  ‘family wage’.

• If only we can do the same.

• The words of the Popes – reflection for this Sunday

The Signs Of The Times

• Spirituality and Steadiness

• Are the rich and old to be pitched against the young and poor?

Musical Reflection

• God Of Mercy And Compassion

Paradoxes

Just a few thoughts

• There are two kinds of people — those who do the work and those who take the credit. Try to be in the first group; there is less competition there. -- Indira Gandhi

• May those who are rich not become self-centred, but discover ways in which they can act with justice and so relieve suffering in the world

• We pray for communities in Europe and North America devastated by fires, heatwaves and drought. May their disastrous losses summon the world to act as one on climate change.

Reflections

• …...and the last will be first.

• Those with comparatively little often share most freely.

• Enlarge our hearts – reflection for this Sunday

The Signs Of The Times

• West Bank Christians feel ‘forgotten’ over settler violence

• Why the Australian Church needs a vision, not just a process

Musical Reflection

• Micah's Song

Eternal life always involve actively loving those around us.

Just a few thoughts

• Leadership is about empathy. It is about having the ability to relate to and connect with people for the purpose of inspiring and empowering their lives. -- Oprah Winfrey

• May we seek good and not evil, and dedicate ourselves to growing in virtue, following the way of Jesus Christ.

• We pray for the many different peoples that dwell on earth. May they all come to know the saving power of God.

Reflections

• It's not all about you

• Come, follow me

• We live in a time of heightened tension. – reflection for this Sunday

The Signs Of The Times

• Reading The Southern Cross online

Musical Reflection

• In Christ there is no east or west

Uniquely chosen by God.

Just a few thoughts

• Never fear shadows. They simply mean there's a light shining somewhere nearby. -- Ruth E. Renkel

• We pray for our Australian and world leaders: that they may, with their citizens, have a care for justice and always act with integrity.

Reflections

• Much good work is done for Christ outside the fold

• Two Minute Homily

• Frank Brennan’s Homily – reflection for this Sunday

The Signs Of The Times

• What courage looks like: David McBride walks free

Musical Reflection

• All Are Welcome

Wonder, trust and faith

Just a few thoughts

• Every day, think as you wake up, today I am fortunate to be alive, I have a precious human life, I am not going to waste it. I am going to use all my energies to develop myself, to expand my heart out to others; to achieve enlightenment for the benefit of all beings. I am going to have kind thoughts towards others, I am not going to get angry or think badly about others. I am going to benefit others as much as I can. -- The Dalai Lama

• We pray for every Christian: may Mary’s Assumption be a sign of hope for us all as we make together our pilgrim journey through life with faith.

• We pray for aged care residents, staff and volunteers, that together they will create a friendly community of care and compassion.

Reflections

• the servant of the Lord

• assumed by God.

• The words of the Popes – reflection for next Sunday

The Signs Of The Times

• Fewer prisoners, a more caring society

Musical Reflection

• Magnificat

An heroic testimony of the Second World War

Just a few thoughts

• The darkest hour has only 60 minutes. -- Morris Mandel

• May we learn from the horror of the Holocaust the evil of religious and racial intolerance, and seek ways of fostering understanding and respect between religions and cultures.

• We pray for the people of Australia, that this week’s national census will teach us much about ourselves and help us join forces to work for the common good.

Reflections

• God made human beings in his own image

• The most deadly poison of our time is indifference. -- Kolbe

• I Do Believe – reflection for next Sunday

The Signs Of The Times

• Students reach for the stars and win big with national award

• The “Politics of Love”

Musical Reflection

• Bread Blessed and Broken

Divine guidance

Just a few thoughts

• If you have only one smile in you, give it to the people you love. -- Maya Angelou

• We pray for those whose hearts have become hardened, that the Holy Spirit may help them to see life and people differently, so that there is peace in their relationships.

• We pray that we will learn to ignore the noisy claims of the world and, like Elijah, find God in the gentle silence

Reflections

• Doing what Jesus did – last Sunday reflection

• Forgiveness must be beyond reckoning.

• We owe everything, to God

The Signs Of The Times

• A Holy Day of Privilege and Obligation

• Changing belief in Australia

Musical Reflection

• Nothing Can Trouble

Coming together in faith

Just a few thoughts

• Wintery ill health prevented me from blogging. My apologies.

• We don't need to share the same opinions as others, but we need to be respectful.” -- Taylor Swift

• May there be constant effort to reconcile people so that there can be a real peace between Israel and Palestine, Ukraine and Russia, Iran and the United States, and Israel and Lebanon.

Reflections

• Frank Brennan’s Homily– last Sunday

• Jesus is the place where we meet God

The Signs Of The Times

• Australians encouraged to respond to hatred with friendship, kindness

• NAIDOC – more than a name

Musical Reflection

• The Lord Is My Light

Looking forward to the rein of God

Just a few thoughts

• Some people are always grumbling because roses have thorns; I am thankful that thorns have roses. -- Alphonse Karr

• We pray that all who live in Australia, placed under the patronage of St Mary of the Cross, will grow in respect for one another, have a concern for the poor, and work together to make Australia a hospitable, free and safe nation.

Reflections

• Letter-writing was a big thing in the nineteenth century.

• Mary MacKillop -- the depth of her faith, her practical spirit, and her profound compassion

The Signs Of The Times

• The insanity of possessing nuclear weapons

• “Very concerned” is not a foreign policy

Musical Reflection

• Land Of The Southern Cross

We discover the richest joy not in possessing, but in giving

Just a few thoughts

• Being a good listener is absolutely critical to being a good leader; you have to listen to the people who are on the front line. -- Richard Branson

• May those towns and cities in Gaza, the Occupied West Bank, Israel,

• Iran, Ukraine and Russia, which have been reduced to rubble be rebuilt as safe houses for their citizens.

Reflections

• Denying ourselves……...

• We don’t live in a smooth-running world

• Peace At Last -- Next Sunday reflection

The Signs Of The Times

• Bishops seek focus on social cohesion

• Unjust Suffering Continues

Musical Reflection

• Tribute to Mary MacKillop

A summons to discipleship!

Just a few thoughts

• Kindness is a language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see. -- Mark Twain

• We pray that on this anniversary of the destruction of Hiroshima in Japan through the first atomic bomb in 1945, along with Pope Leo, that all nuclear weapons will be eliminated from every country.

• We pray for our local faith community, that we will help one another hear the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor.

Reflections

• Transfiguration

• So, what exactly happened on the mountain of Tabor?

• The feeding of the five thousand – a lot more than ‘catering wizardry’ -- Last Sunday reflection

The Signs Of The Times

• What I saw in the West Bank

• Is God All Powerful?

Musical Reflection

• Transfigure Us

Ask, and it will be given to you

Just a few thoughts

• Don’t be afraid to fall, but don’t be afraid to get back up. And never be afraid of being afraid.” -- Dr. David Metzen

• May we bring to our prayer the determination and perseverance of the woman of the Gospel, never doubting the care which Jesus has for every person.

• We pray for the homeless in our cities and towns, that this National Homelessness Week will prompt real action by the whole community, not just words and good intentions.

Reflections

• God’s mercy has no borders

• The mission must extend beyond the borders of Israel.

• Homily for last Sunday

The Signs Of The Times

• How Catholic agencies can deal with ‘top-five megatrends’

• What is Purgatory?

Musical Reflection

• Lord, I Give My Life To You

Curé d’Ars

Just a few thoughts

• Hope is not something that you have. Hope is something that you create, with your actions. -- Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

• May those who appear to have lost any sense of their own dignity or worth have a special place in our prayer today.

• We pray for all who dwell under the Southern Cross, that St Mary MacKillop’s (8 August) loving service of the poor will inspire a new covenant of care across the land.

Reflections

• The Pharisees

• Religion is not merely about prayers, rules, customs or appearances.

The Signs Of The Times

• Homelessness Week

• How Will We Use the Bible?

Musical Reflection

• God's will for me

Quiet contemplation and heartfelt thanksgiving

Just a few thoughts

• Do the difficult things while they are easy and do the great things while they are small. A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step. -- Lao Tzu

• May the Church be a prophetic voice of truth and compassion, confronting the voice of false prophets who speak words offering empty promises which ultimately bring despair.

• We pray for all who dwell under the Southern Cross, that St Mary MacKillop’s loving service of the poor will inspire a new covenant of care across the land.

Reflections

• That little boat crossing the stormy lake is a perfect parable of our life.

• Facing stormy weather

• What does it take to be satisfied? – reflection for last Sunday

The Signs Of The Times

• CSSA welcomes funding boost for domestic violence response

• Labor should talk about the cost of capitalism

Musical Reflection

• St Mary MacKillop We Sing Praise