When Mum called to tell me she had cancer I didn’t answer. I looked up from my eggs on toast, registered her name flashing on my phone, and decided that whatever Mum wanted could wait. It waited until after I’d showered, watched an episode of Orange is the New Black, painted my nails a lurid green, Read more
What are the signs of hope in the Church and the world? My initial reaction to that question was somewhat confronting. Besides the “Francis factor”, I saw very few signs of hope in the Church. This response was probably strongly influenced by the heart-rending stories of pain, suffering and broken trust that have been told Read more
“Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem…” (Luke 2:4) As we remind ourselves each year, Joseph and Mary made their long journey, compelled by a census. It became a journey of joy as Mary gave birth to a baby whom we call the Read more
We have begun the Season of Advent in the year of Our Lord 2013, and we are still waiting. What are we waiting for, and why? The Lord has come; the Lord has redeemed us on the Cross; so why do we begin again this annual cycle of reading the Old Testament prophecies about the coming Read more
Since Pope Francis took office in March, almost everything he has said and done indicates that he is bent on carrying through a thorough reform of the Roman Catholic Church, beginning with the Vatican itself. Scarcely a month after taking office, he created an international group of eight cardinals to advise him on reform of Read more
Watching the final of TVNZ New Zealand’s Got Talent I was surprised to see a fifteen year old girl singing a lament for love. Here was the voice of a heartfelt cry. Poetic words with beautiful music evoked the existential pain of longing for relationship that would transcend the passing distractions from personal identity and worth. On Read more
More signs of hope are visible everywhere I look, in this season of Spring. From nature – two blossoms already on my pohutukawa from the Kermadecs, shining cuckoos and grey warblers singing in competition. One powerful sign for me was the recent conference in Wellington, ‘Christianity and the ecological crisis’, with the themes of lament, Read more
‘All is connected…’ I began these musings in March with this tag. It becomes clearer to me and more relevant each time. We have been gifted this beautiful world to use and enjoy. Not to plunder and pollute. Governments seem paralysed by inertia or denial of the disastrous effects of climate change, already evident in the Read more
Two Maori students, Dan Bidois and Natalie Coates, after receiving Fulbright awards for their study, recently graduated from Harvard University. This is a particularly uplifting story of achievement against the odds, one we need so as to bolster up our determination to build a viable future for our planet. ‘All is connected…’ Dan Bidois left Read more
Catholics hope they will be able to continue to practice their faith in a rebel-led Libya. Libyan Catholics were permitted to worship under Qaddafi’s leadership and there are reports from rebel-led areas that the Church is functioning without restriction, though some uncertainty remains. “The future is very uncertain but the signs from the parts of Read more