Archive for June 2012
Mary’s Garden
In this month of May, dedicated to our Mother Mary, consider planting a garden in her honour. Before Christianity, many flowers and plants were associated with pagan gods such as Diana, Venus and Juno. As Christianity spread, in recognition of God’s presence in and through the glory of nature, missionaries ‘christened’ many flowers with themes…
Read MoreSaint of Generosity
Who is St Nicolas? Born in the third century in modern day Turkey, his wealthy parents raised Nicolas to be a devout Christian. Responding to Christ’s radical call of total devotion, he gave away his wealth becoming Bishop of Myra while still a young man. He spent a number of years in prison under the…
Read MoreThe Spiritual Ancestors of Jesus
A constellation of traditions exist to mark the miraculous event of Christmas: God becomes man in the person of Jesus Christ. The Jesse Tree is one such tradition. It’s the perfect complement to the great ‘Season of Saints’ in early November where we celebrate the spiritual descendants of Jesus (All Saints and All Souls Day).…
Read MoreThe Perfect Christmas?
The Holy Family may be the perfect family, but it’s doubtful Mary and Joseph experienced their first Christmas as all going to plan! If there is one thing that everybody associates with Christmas, it’s family. Images abound of grand family gatherings, delighted children, and relatives young and old enjoying sumptuous feasts. Yet increasingly, Christmas Day…
Read MoreAdvent Joy
Advent means ‘coming’. In the Church calendar this is the four week period before Christmas, the feast which marks Jesus’ coming into the world as a new born baby. Purple is the liturgical colour for this season reminding us that this period of joyful anticipation, is also a time for us to reflect on our lives and repent of any attitude, behaviour…
Read MoreLord of Joy
Easter is not just a weekend, it’s a whole season! It begins on Easter Sunday and runs through to Pentecost, seven weeks in duration. The colour gold or white is used during this time to signify the glory of the Lord and our joy in the resurrection. It is a time when we, as a Church, focus on…
Read MoreSpiritual Spring Cleaning
Lent is a wonderful season in the Church calendar – time set aside to renew and prepare ourselves to receive the fullness of life in the resurrection. It’s a time for a bit of a spiritual ‘spring-clean’. After all, the word ‘Lent’ means ‘springtime’. Just as a ‘spring-clean’ in our homes gives us a renewed sense of order and…
Read MorePray
Prayer is powerful. At the Pray2010 Conference in Brisbane Australia, over 2000 people gathered to learn more about our wonderful prayer heritage. Guest speakers from the world over lead the delegates in prayer that reflected the extraordinary diversity of prayer forms available in the Christian faith. The conference focused on four key dimensions or actions of prayer: Prayer…
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