Columns
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The 'apostle to the apostles' could show the way
She, who put Jesus at the centre of her life as the church encourages us to do, shines from the gospels as the 'apostle to the apostles' - the one commissioned to spread the good news. The wider church must recognise that there are many lay men and women who do likewise – unordained, but leaders just the same. more» -
united heart and soul
As I think of the lives of these people and the experiences I will have in the next few months as I take a sabbatical, I am reminded that the bond of communion unites us across time and distance. more»
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Opening the book
Almost 2,000 years ago, a prisoner on the island of Patmos fell into a deep trance and had a series of visions. He gives his name as John (one of the few times the writer of a New Testament work gives his name). more»
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A series of articles looking at some Greek words used in scripture and tradition. The New Testament was written in a version of Ancient Greek called koine, as was some liturgy and theology.
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Like many New Zealanders, I lived for four years in the 1990s on a benefit. No one who has had to bare the unhappiest details of their lives for an impersonal – and sometimes hostile – government clerk can easily forget the humiliation. more»
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What are the names of Mary's parents? Did you know that St Joseph was an elderly widower with several children? That when Mary was a child her feet did not touch the floor as she walked? That the Christ child worked miracles to cover up his mischief? more»
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If these are the adults of the church in the coming decades, the leadership is in inspired hands. more»
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The new liturgy
The revision of the prayers and responses we use during the Mass is intended to give deeper meaning to the celebration of the Mass. more»
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The new liturgy
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Certainly it gives a blueprint for the church to do what it does best – follow the example of Christ in welcoming and accompanying those who struggle in society for whatever reason. more»
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We read them at most Sunday Masses – Ezekiel, Amos, Jeremiah, Isaiah, Hosea, Micah – their names as familiar in the Catholic calendar as Mary, Paul, Peter and James. They are standout leaders on our Christian pilgrimage of faith.
Prophets all. As was Jesus. more»
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The liturgy enables us to contemplate the mystery of God – the mystery of a God crucified, of a love that is more powerful than the forces of sin and evil in the world, of a risen life that we are called to share, day by day, day after day. more»
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This month as we begin the Lenten road through sacrifice and suffering towards the Easter celebration of Christ's glorious resurrection, there are several examples of suffering to illustrate the gulf between the reign of God that Jesus preached and the reality of life in this sometimes greedy and punitive world. more»
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Christian priesthood replaced the priesthood of Israel only when the Eucharist came to be understood as a bloodless sacrifice that replaced the blood sacrifices of the Temple. more»
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MacKillop a woman for all seasons
The recent announcement that Mary MacKillop is soon to be canonised is wonderful and exciting news for the church in this part of the world. more» -
Haiti's 1804 slave rebellion transformed the population into a people able to organise themselves and defeat the most powerful European nations of their day ... more»
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Last month we learned that one in five children grows up in a household for which the only income is a benefit. more»
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An ancient art, practised at one time by all Christians, is the technique known as lectio divina – a slow, contemplative praying of the scriptures as a means of union with God. more»
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December 2009 – Advent – the Lord comes. It is also a time to look back over the amazing gift this past year has been: more»
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