Last week, I suggested that, in his inaugural sermon at the Nazareth synagogue (Lk 4:16-21), and in the Beatitudes which must have been taught very soon after, Jesus echoed the words of Isaiah 61:1-7. I said that Jesus came to change the world, to turn the world upside down, to right wrongs, to pour out compassion, …
A guide to the Beatitudes
In what would be his last sermon, Pope Francis emphasised a contrast between the way of the world and the Way of Jesus. He said: Today’s builders of Babel tell us that there is no room for losers, and that those who fall along the way are losers. Theirs is the construction site of Hell. …
A grain of wheat
John 12:23-24; Luke 9:23 Sprouted shoots of barley and wheat. Walk into almost any church, and you will see one of two realities – either the predictable machinations of moralistic therapeutic deism and passive consumer religion, or the beauty, mystery and enthusiasm of a gathered community of Jesus followers, experimentally living out their faith. One reality …
Continue the journey
2 Timothy 3:14-16 Sunset on the road to Gilgandra, northern New South Wales, Australia. As we come to the fifth and final reflection on Paul’s second letter to Timothy, let’s review what we have learned so far. Among various points of advice and encouragement in this profound pastoral letter, we have looked at four requests …
Grasp the word
Last month I spent a few days in Brisbane helping my dad to downsize, and among the piles of papers and memorabilia from several lifetimes of collecting were the architectural plans for the house my grandparents built on what was, in the 1940s, vacant land at Warrawee. File photo. This is not the plan of …
iDigress 