That human beings are created “imago dei” is a central theme in Christianity (and Judaism). The belief conveys the fact that God’s love is written intentionally into human beings: in our ability to think, to make moral and other decisions and in our ability to form loving relationships with others. One of the problems we … Continue reading Saint Edith Stein: The Splendour of Friendship
Cardinal Pell, you loved Christ and His Church with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength. It is all that is asked of anyone. The testimony of your extraordinary talent for friendship is found in the sheer number of those who will remember you at the … Continue reading Cardinal Pell
"Shhhhhhhhh! Nanna is saying her prayers!" My siblings and cousins and I had come inside the house with our boisterous game; not an unusual thing for us to do. It was her everyday habit to pray in her room after lunch for an hour or so. It was sacrosanct. It was ordinary How do we … Continue reading The worth of a Grandmother’s Prayers
“There we hope to enjoy for everThe fullness of Your gloryThrough Christ our Lord,Through whom You bestow on the world all that is good.” Eucharistic Prayer III The Visitation - Carl Bloch I am drawn to goodness.In my endeavours I unconsciously look for it; in books, ideas, films, friendships. Goodness is that irresistible quality where … Continue reading The Fruit of a Promise Made to God
All Saints Day – after Christmas and Easter – is the most anticipated and loved of the Catholic feasts in our household. From when my children were very young, we started celebrating the feast day in a big way. It is no wonder then that they associate All Saints Day with friendship, food and fun. … Continue reading All Saints and Our Children
In a rich conversation about the importance of Pope St John Paul II’s leadership in promoting women and what he called “the Culture of Life,” a Christian friend told me how much the Pope’s moral clarity, his devotion to Jesus Christ and his life of prayer and action meant to her. As much as she … Continue reading The Rosary and the Praying Body
St Dominic was a mendicant. Going place to place, preaching and begging for food and lodging. Perhaps it is apt then, that here in Australia, his feast day has moved around a little! Since St Mary of the Cross has taken the 8th of December, we celebrate his feast day today. Thank you to Fr … Continue reading Preaching the Poor and Vulnerable Christ
In the modern Western Church calendar the 26th July is kept as the Feast of Saints Joachim and Anne, the grandparents of Jesus Christ and the holy parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary. For many centuries all over the Catholic and Byzantine world, St Anne has been one of the most intimate and popular saints. Wherever … Continue reading Grandmother of Christ – The Tradition of St Anne throughout the ages.
When Pietro Molla was first approached for his wife’s cause for canonization, he was very surprised. He replied, “Look, I know I married a fantastic woman. But she was so normal!” Their son, Pierluigi, later reflected that his father came from a generation where saints got their status from miracles and supernatural feats. Pietro’s wife, … Continue reading The Saints In Our Lives – St Gianna, the Saint of the “Ordinary Time”
I have always loved the fact that because of the sheer number of saints of the Church (those who are officially recognised and those who we will one day meet in Heaven) there is always a saint who has shared his or her experience of my own particular sufferings and joys. I am encouraged by … Continue reading The Saints In Our Lives – The Measure of Love, St Catherine of Siena
