Have you noticed how the Sacred Presence brings gifts of understanding when you need them most? It’s the sentence that lifts off the page. It’s a few spoken words that go directly to the heart. We all have these experiences. One gift that has stayed with me, came from an old Jewish rabbi. He wrote: Read more
Pope Francis has been upbeat and future-focused during his tenth anniversary this week. Instead of cataloguing and discussing his past decade’s wins and losses, Francis has been speaking of his hopes for the future. “It’s not for me to decide what I’ve achieved”, he told media when questioned. “The Lord will do the appraisal when Read more
Speaking to thousands of young Italians at St Peter’s Square last week, Pope Francis urged them to seize life. Have the courage to follow Jesus despite the fears and insecurities you might have, Francis said. He began his speech after riding around in his popemobile greeting youth before the event started, listening to testimonies from Read more
Dear Pope Francis, ‘The purpose of the Synod, and therefore of this consultation, is not to produce documents, but to plant dreams, draw forth prophecies and visions, allow hope to flourish, inspire trust, bind up wounds, weave together relationships, awaken a dawn of hope, learn from one another, create a bright resourcefulness that will enlightened Read more
In the history of the papacy, Benedict XVI marks a caesura or a break, something quite ironic, given the fact that many traditionalist Catholics identify his pontificate with the “hermeneutics of continuity”. This caesura is not only tied to his decision in 2013 to voluntarily resign the papal office but even more so to the Read more
After a year of disruptions with severe social and economic impacts for us individually and collectively, we need to hold on to hope. We are all dealing with Covid—no one is excluded from this experience. We know the grief of these times; those with secure incomes have had greater security, while those without this have Read more
As world leaders gathered in Glasgow, Scotland, I was depressed by the inability of nations to deal with the coming climate catastrophe. The fault is not entirely on the heads of world leaders. They are only responding to citizens who are more worried about today than tomorrow. People are not convinced of the need to Read more
Recently some readers of my blog “Another Voice” told me they fear I am becoming “negatively critical and pessimistic”. Their remarks surprised me. I am critical but I think it is healthy and responsible to be constructively critical. Being critical, however, is not the same thing as being negative. And I am really not pessimistic. Read more
When Hine Joseph was 18 years old, she was living on the street and carrying a penknife for protection. Three years later, she is securely housed in a flat managed by VisionWest Community Trust, in West Auckland, and says her biggest goal is finding a regular job and, one day, moving into a place she Read more
In the past few days, the Lord allowed me to visit Iraq, carrying out a project of Saint John Paul II. Never before has a Pope been in the land of Abraham. Providence willed that this should happen now, as a sign of hope, after years of war and terrorism, and during a severe pandemic. Read more