As we continue our Advent journey, the sense of expectation in our waiting increases. Christmas is just two weeks away! This can fill us with a sense of disbelief and dismay because of all that we consider needs to be achieved beforehand. But it can also fill us with a sense of wonder and anticipation. The outcome of wonder is joy. And so, we light the third candle of our Advent wreath – the rose-coloured candle – designated for the gift of joy that is given to us as people of both hope and faith. As those who watch for the birth of the Lord’s life in the world, we…

We mark our journey to the Festival of Christmas by each week lighting a candle on our Advent Wreath. Each candle represents one of the blessings of Christmas: hope, faith, joy, peace and love. These are the true gifts of Christmas, the gifts given to us as those who seek how the life of Jesus is birthed more deeply in our hearts and in our world. In lighting each candle, we are reminded of how we are to be people of hope, faith, joy, peace and love. Lives marked by these gifts are radiant lives, lives that bear the life of Jesus in our world, lives transparent of this Promise…

In these weeks we have been bewildered by images of flooding throughout much of western NSW. Towns that only three years ago were in the most desperate drought, enveloped by the smoke of bushfire, are now inundated with water. We think today especially of the people of Forbes, of Eugowra, of Condobolin. The sheer unpredictability of the landscape reminds us that in Australia we can never quite tame this remarkable land; it resists domestication. When we are presented with the reality of extreme climate events, however, is not uncommon to hear the description, ‘apocalyptic.’ The word signifies a catastrophic end of time. In the face of calamity there is a…

One of the people that stand out in my memory when I was engaged in the ministry of spiritual direction was a young man, Steven.  When I first met Steven he had completed a degree in film and was involved in film-making, and was becoming quite successful in his endeavour.  But Steven was also struggling.  He was depressed and the depression was becoming more significant. I met with Steven regularly over perhaps a twelve-month period, seeking to listen to him and understand something of his life’s journey. Through our conversations it became apparent that though he was becoming quite successful as a film-maker he actually didn’t like doing what he…

Sometimes we recognise that we are travelling through a very difficult path. Almost every day seems to bring about further bad news. It is difficult for us not to lose heart. And yet when we gather here this weekend we are told a story by Jesus about never losing heart.  We are to be like the importune woman, God is like the judge who eventually gives in to our persistence.  Sometimes, however, it is very hard not to lose heart.  Sometimes life’s events themselves take away all our strength to keep hoping.  And we incline to despair. And so perhaps we need another way of looking at the story Jesus…