thinking honestly about life and faith
I’ve delayed, and now in the face of new expressions of terror in the world around us, I must write—about hope. It was never more relevant. It is always relevant. The idea of ‘forming faith, hope and love’ follows the … Read More »
In almost every area of education today we are talking about formation. It’s not so much information or training that is needed, but the formation of the person who will exercise those skills and do something with that information: and … Read More »
There’s a lot of confusion about what it means to be ‘strong’ and arguably this is one of the causes of so much violence, oppression of women and minority groups, and also frustration and alienation of men—from one another and … Read More »
A scrap of scripture. Here is the text of a reflection I led today as the basis for a retreat with our ordinands. The basic theme was ‘Who is your Jesus?’ In other words, what is the image of the … Read More »
Three weeks ago I visited a plastic surgeon to ask him to check on some bumps and spots on my skin. Fortunately none of those is anything to worry about. But another spot on one finger was of interest: he … Read More »
With the passing this week of such significant figures as Joan Kirner and Alan Bond—very different in the their contributions and example to us—it is interesting to consider how we actually respond to other people’s lives and our own, and … Read More »
Next Sunday is Pentecost. It’s a time when the Church has much to say about ‘the coming of the Holy Spirit’, but I think in fact we are confused about what we mean by that. There’s a paradox here: because … Read More »
‘Going forward’ has become an annoying expression used by politicians and business leaders. We will hear more and more about the ‘forward estimates’ in the debates about the Federal Budget next week. So much of our discourse is about planning … Read More »
In the news today, the state government has announced a task force ‘to tackle violent extremism’ and the radicalisation of ‘disaffected youth’. The Premier recognises that this is a problem ‘right around the world’. See There are some helpful ideas here, … Read More »
Right now, Australians are sharing the horror of two convicted men in Indonesia who are about to be executed by firing squad. I find the very thought of it abhorrent. God’s rejection of murder, in the biblical ‘Ten Commandments’, could … Read More »