You can download and save the scripture texts, reflections and prayers for Lectio Divina for each day of this month. Lectio Divina is a traditional way of praying the Scriptures. Visit our Lectio Divina page for more information about how to pray using Lectio Divina. Join our Lectio Online group every Friday at 10am (Australian Eastern Daylight Time) to prayerfully reflect on the coming Sunday's Gospel. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
pdf
Lectio Divina December 2021 [PDF]
default
Lectio Divina December 2021 [iPhone iPad]
default
Lectio Divina December 2021 [Kindle]
The Carmelite Parish community at Coorparoo (QLD) celebrated a 'contemplative mass' on the Feast of Christ the King, drawing to a close a Year of Prayer in the parish. Held in gentle candlelight, the mass included more time for silence and reflection than regular Sunday masses and featured the music of the ecumenical community of Taizé in France. Experiencing the mass at a gentler pace one parishioner said, 'I woke up to what we are actually doing in Eucharist because we had more time to experience the various aspects of the liturgy'. Fr Matthew Tonini, OCarm, said that the mass was better attended than usual as parishioners had also invited their friends to be present. The Year of Prayer, he said, had provided different ways and experiences of prayer in the parish.
The Vatican announced this week that Pope Francis had approved the miracle that will allow Fr Titus Brandsma to be declared a saint. Fr Titus, a Dutch Carmelite, was martyred in Dachau Concentration Camp on 26 July 1942. He was a theologian, journalist and author who forcefully opposed and denounced the anti-Jewish laws that the Nazis were passing in Germany before World War II. More story & Video
More about Titus Brandsma here.
Read our previous story: A step closer to sainthood here.
Br Albino Dos Santos was ordained a Deacon by Bishop Anthony Ireland on Saturday 20 November. Parishioners, members of the Timor-Leste community and Carmelites came together for the ceremony. In his homily, Bishop Ireland drew attention to Albino's primary vocation as a Carmelite and his new ministry of service as a Deacon. "Whilst you may have been an 'accidental Carmelite' joining because one of your friends was doing the entrance test for the Carmelites, you have found your home with them," Bishop Ireland said. Read more.
Watch the livestream of the ordination.
On this last Sunday of the Church’s year we always celebrate the Feast of Christ, the Universal King. Jesus is anything but a traditional king. This King reigns, not from a golden throne, but a cross of rough wood; naked, with no rich, flowing robes; no bejewelled crown, just thorns; no orb and sceptre, just nails in his hands. The power of the spirit of Jesus fuels deeds of loving kindness – reversing horrible human conditions, and bringing healing and salvation. Read more
Celebrating At Home Feast of Christ the King [PDF]
Celebrating At Home Feast of Christ the King [ePub]
With the approach next Sunday of the Feast of Christ the King and the end of the Liturgical Year, our readings this Sunday take on an ‘end times’ feel. In the Gospel Mark presents a vision of the full establishment of the Kingdom and the coming of Christ as the final proof of God’s victory. The language is necessarily that of symbol and myth as it describes something yet to come, not an historical reality. Early Christian communities, like Mark’s, certainly endured much distress through persecution and suffering and their struggles to follow the teachings of Jesus. Read more
Celebrating At Home 33rd Sunday of Ordinary Time [PDF]
Celebrating At Home 33rd Sunday of Ordinary Time [ePub]
This Sunday, it is two widows who show us the way to live according to the mind and heart of God. The first reading tells of a poor widow’s generosity to Elijah the prophet. Even though she was down to her very last portion of food, which she was saving for her son and herself, she was prepared to share it with Elijah. Her reward was a never-ending supply of flour and oil. The same generosity is shown by the widow (but not by the scribes) in the Gospel. Her dedication and generosity in the midst of her poverty was a real sacrifice. Read more
Celebrating At Home 32nd Sunday of Ordinary Time [PDF]
Celebrating At Home 32nd Sunday of Ordinary Time [ePub]
Today the church prays for all those who have died. We pray in faith and hope. As St Paul says, what proves that God loves us is that Christ died for us while we were still sinners, and by his death we have been made righteous in the eyes of God. (Romans 5:8-10) God does not wait for us to be perfect before reaching out to us in love.
We join with the whole Church in praying that God welcome our departed sisters and brothers fully into the Divine embrace.
In the Beatitudes, Matthew has given us a program for life – a list of virtues which belong to those called into the Kingdom. This is how people of the Kingdom live; these are the qualities which mark their lives. The text is chosen for the Feast of All Saints for just that reason. We recognise saints as those people who lived by these qualities – whether or not they are formally canonised by the Church. Read more.
The 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference, also known as COP26 and as the Glasgow Conference, is about to start at the end of this week in Scotland. Coming to agreement and contributing to fruitful decisions to overcome the disastrous effects of climate change are just some of the big questions governments in the world are facing, together, as one humanity. Our November JPIC issue encourages us to raise awareness of this important meeting in Glasgow; to pray that the Holy Spirit will walk prophetically with those leaders involved in the discussions to find fair solutions for the many crises troubling our world.
