At any funeral, one of the most remarkable experiences is listening to the eulogy of the one whose life is celebrated.  For a few brief moments it is like being at the window of the person’s life; something of the radical uniqueness of the person’s life, their story and their journey are glimpsed, how their life was inter-woven into the stories and journeys of others.   Yet, even when we hear a eulogy, we realise that the memories being shared cannot fully capture the person who is mourned.  Indeed, even our own most special memories of the one we love are but glimpses of the mystery of who they are.  Yes, our memories hold…

The conclusion to the Ode we recite on this day each year has become etched in our minds: “Lest we forget.” The problem is, of course, that we do forget, and that we forget all too easily. The horror of war, its senseless brutality, and its needless destruction are never too far from eruption. The criminal tragedy of Ukraine is played out daily before us. However, let us not forget those other theatres of violence – Afghanistan, Myanmar, South Sudan, Syria – to name just several. And in each situation, we are left with the hauntingly relentless question of “Why?” Why does it have to be this way? Why are otherwise…

On this day each year, the Church celebrates the memory of the Vietnamese martyrs. Though the first Christian missionaries arrived in Vietnam in 1533, it was not until 1615 that the Jesuits were able to establish a permanent mission in the central region of the country, around Vinh. In 1627, a Jesuit went north to establish another mission, the same year the first martyr was beheaded. More were executed in 1644 and 1645. The persecution of Christians followed for another 150 years or so. However, it was in the first half of the 19th century, in 1833, that all Christians were ordered to renounce the faith, and to trample crucifixes…

The late Irish writer, John O’Donuhue who was sent to a parish in London as a deacon to train for a summer.  During his first week working in the parish, he found an old down-and-out man at the back of the church one evening.  He was eating a burger and drinking a bottle of Guinness.  The correct young priest-to-be went up to him and informed him that this was a church not a restaurant and asked him to leave.  The old man took no notice of him and just continued to babble away to himself.  The deacon went later in exasperation to the parish priest.  He smiled and said, “Ah…

Recent events in the United States have been of great concern to us. Though the systems of democracy have remained intact, the events that have led to the presidential inauguration have demonstrated the fragility of democracy as a system of politics. The world has nervously awaited the peaceful resolution of the transition of power, recognising that such cannot be simply taken for granted. The flaws in the system have become all too exposed. Whatever of our own personal politics and how we may have viewed the outcome of the American election, all of us hope for a future known for its measurement and order. And the key to this in…

Soon after the final declaration of Mary’s sanctity was given in Rome in 2009, I read a poignant but rather challenging letter to the editor of The Sydney Morning Herald from a Vincent Matthews: My wife is a saint. And I don’t need the Pope to confirm it.  For nearly 40 years she worked as a nurse in many parts of Australia easing the suffering of the sick and helping to cure many. She is idolised by her three children and is a special nana to two adoring little girls.  Aged 74, she works in a charity shop, gives part of her age pension to Medecins Sans Frontieres and to World Vision to help a child…