Archive for November 2018
Immaculate Conception
Many people confuse the Immaculate Conception with Jesus’ conception (which is called a virgin conception or virgin birth). The Immaculate Conception, in fact, refers to Mary’s conception in the womb of her mother (Anne). However, unlike regular conceptions, Mary was conceived without sin (that’s the ‘immaculate’ part) due to the intervention by God that protected…
Read MoreAdvent and Christmas eBook
God has brought us again to this beautiful Advent season of waiting and preparing for Christ to come into the world and into our hearts. You are so good in this busy time of year to take time for some spiritual reading and planning for Christmas! Thank you for your support of CathFamily this year;…
Read MoreOur daily Bread
How sharing dinner is a ritual at the heart of a family’s life. Many of our fondest memories from childhood relate to meals we have enjoyed with our family, such as long Christmas lunches, the weekly roast, or fish and chips on a Friday night. The humble family meal is a powerful daily ritual that…
Read MoreArchaeology of the Word
The Christian Bible has two sections: the Jewish scriptures (Old Testament) and Christian writings (New Testament). Jesus, and his mother Mary, were devout Jews, deeply immersed in the scriptures and both testaments were written or recorded by Jews (with the exception of the Gospel of Luke and The Acts of the Apostles which were written…
Read MoreWomen of Wisdom
Some fifteen years ago, I began to meet regularly with several women to support each other in prayer. Called ‘Women of Wisdom’ we committed to prioritising prayerful listening to balance our never-lost-for-words conversation. The format was simple and has been adapted here for private reflection. Breathe: Sit with your back straight and your feet firmly grounded…
Read MoreSacramental Pause
Catholic Mindfulness with Dr Gregory Bottaro Mindfulness aims to ‘fill the mind’ with a focussed awareness and is proven to be very effective in managing anxiety. Catholic Mindfulness grounds this practice in prayer and invites the active engagement of God in the process. The Sacramental Pause was designed by Dr Gregory Bottaro as a daily…
Read MoreKing of Kings
The word: Pilate asked Jesus, “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus said, “My kingdom does not belong to this world; if it did, my followers would fight to keep me from being taken by the authorities. You say that I am a king. I was born and came into the world for this…
Read More