Fear is a powerful emotion. It paralyses us, makes us defensive. Others become threats to us. All of us know how advertising and politicians frequently play on our fears rather than appealing to our goodness.
We are heading for the end of a year in which we have experienced a great deal of fear. I don’t think any of us will be unhappy to see the end of 2020 and I imagine that New Year’s celebrations for 2021 will be well over the top as we let go of some of the fear and hope for something better in 2021. Read more
Christ has entrusted us with the Kingdom of God. We are called to work industriously and productively with the Spirit so that the Kingdom, the Reign of God’s grace, may be seen and experienced through us, and that others also may come to believe. The Kingdom gifts of love, justice, mercy, compassion and forgiveness are multiplied. The Kingdom grows. Read more & download Lectio Divina for this Sunday
Celebrating At Home for 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time PDF
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The Carmelites support the #endcovidforall campaign, asking the Australian government to ensure we assist others who are struggling through this pandemic. This COVID crisis is not going to end for anyone, until it ends for everyone.
Mayra Walsh, our Community Development Ministry Coordinator, said, “This year we have seen the economic impacts of the pandemic affecting local communities in Timor-Leste where we work. We support this campaign because it’s important to us that our government reflects our commitment to ensuring that people everywhere are able to live with dignity”. Read more
When COVID-19 first emerged it was as if the whole world had been caught napping. Nations found they were, often vastly, underprepared to meet the challenges of a pandemic. Various centres for disease outbreaks had been gradually defunded, departments and Governments had grown tired and weary waiting for the next outbreak. Because it had been so long since we had faced a similar challenge, we had lost our ‘strategic readiness’. Read more
Wisdom is at the heart of the first reading and Gospel. In the Bible, wisdom is not separate from God but a feminine personification of various attributes of God. The first reading presents wisdom as like a light which never fails. God is always taking the initiative with us, searching out the believers and revealing himself to them. The parable in the Gospel continues the theme of wisdom. Read more & download Lectio Divina for this Sunday.
Celebrating At Home for 32 Sunday in Ordinary Time PDF
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Brothers Amandio, Agostinho and Narcizio graduated as Bachelors of Philosophy from the Instituto Filosofico Sao Francisco De Sales in Dili, Timor-Leste on 31 October 2020. They were among a group of 27 other students who recently completed the four year degree course. These brothers will continue their studies for priesthood at the Major Seminary of Ss Peter & Paul in Dili. Congratulations, brothers! See photos here.
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.
Our Carmelite JPIC November newsletter reflects on the social injustices of racism. The article Black Lives Matter comes from Rev Glen Loughrey, a member of the National Aboriginal Torres Strait Islander Anglican Commission, and the author of a recent book Another Time, Another Place.
Well, that’s what people in Victoria and in regional NSW are doing! But aside from restrictions being lifted and boarders opened, this Sunday’s Gospel suggests a few more reasons for rejoicing and gladness. This Sunday we are celebrating the Feast of All Saints. We are not just thinking about those officially recognised by the Church as saints. We are also remembering all those people who lived really good lives. We think especially of those who have helped form and shape us, made us better people through the goodness they brought into our lives. Read more
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 & download Lectio Divina for this Sunday
Celebrating At Home for All Saints PDF
Celebrating At Home for All Saints EPUB
