St Francis de Sales was born to a noble family at Chateau de Sales, Switzerland on August 21, 1567. He was a Bishop and is a Doctor of the Church. Francis was both intelligent and gentle. From a very early age, he desired to serve God. He knew for years he had a vocation to…
Category: Spirituality
A universal Creed
Creeds ground us. Within a short formula they summarise the main tenets of our faith and keep us mindful of the truths that anchor us. As a Christian, I pray two creeds, The Apostles’ Creed and The Nicene Creed. But I also pray another creed which grounds me in some deep truths which are not…
My Church Institutionalised
Neh 8:2-4a, 5-6, 8-10 Ps 19:8, 9, 10, 15 1 Cor 12:12-30 Lk 1:1-4; 4:14-21 Every good love story has something from a personal and emotional note. I remember, for example, one of my favourite movies, the famous Sleepless in Seattle, with Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan. After losing his beloved wife, Sam Baldwin…
Meditations on the interior life
God’s little island Ireland, Lord, Your little emerald isle, has had faith in You since St Patrick lit the fire on Tara, a fire of divine love. On the hills minding sheep he prayed to You hundreds of times, by day and by night, in snow and rain, hail, sunshine… he prayed. He knew…
Sunday Sermon: God already spoke
Fr Dominik Domagala Baptism of the Lord, Year C Key question: What does Baptism mean for you? Readings: Isaiah 40:1-5, 9-11. Titus 2:11-14; 3:4-7. Luke 3:15-16. 21-22. What marvellous words we are hearing in today’s First Reading from Prophet Isaiah, who proclaims on behalf of God: “Comfort, give comfort to my people! Speak tenderly…
The path that leads to joy
Fr Joshua J. Whitfield Zep 3:14-18a Is 12:2-3, 4, 5-6 Phil 4:4-7 Lk 3:10-18 The point is summed up in what Josef Pieper wrote once, that “we are not the forgers of our own felicity.” Of course, he wasn’t at all the only one to say something like this, such has always been true.…
Vows we don’t choose
As a member of a religious order, the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate, I chose to make four religious vows: poverty, chastity, obedience, and perseverance. I did this freely, with no other compulsion than a strong inner sense that this was being asked of me. That freedom to make vows with no outside pressures, is…
The strange humility of God
“After the man, Adam, had eaten of the tree, the Lord God called to the man and asked him, ‘Where are you?’ He answered, ‘I heard you in the garden; but I was afraid, because I was naked, so I hid myself.’ Then he asked, ‘Who told you that you were naked?’” (Gn 3:8-11) In…
A view from the Quays
Fr Alan Hilliard The book of Job is an amazingly insightful work which tries to understand the human condition and the possibility of God. He presents insights into friendship, family, property, money and death. In Scripture, we see him being stripped of all he owns and all he knows and is left with nothing.…
Man’s response: Faith
By his Revelation, God, from the fullness of his love, addresses men as his friends, and moves among them. The adequate response to this invitation is faith. By faith, man completely submits his intellect and his will to God. To obey in faith is to submit freely to the word that has been heard, because…