Domus Australia (Comments Off)

from the Address at the Opening of Domus Australia in Rome, 19 October 2011

“Our earthly lives”, the Holy Father said, “are spent journeying towards that ultimate goal, where ‘no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him’. Here on earth, the Church’s long tradition of pilgrimage to holy places serves to …

Resolutely he took the road (Comments Off)

When I was a student at St Bedes College, Christchurch, Fr Frank Wall was ushered in to speak to us at assembly. He had a tape recorder with him and promised to play the voice of “a Maori nightingale” which he did after his rousing pep talk. I remember the large auditorium filled with the rich voice of a soprano. It could have been Kiri …

Pioneer aviator and the ‘Spirit of St Francis’ (0)

This story was published in the Evening Post 24th May 2000.The inspiration for this article came to me on Queens Wharf whilst I was eating my sandwiches; I remember ringing Stefan Herrick on my cell phone.  He immediately invited me around to the old Evening Post building.  His creation of Dad’s story is impressive, I remember he told me that he had a passion for …

The Coronation Oath (0)

The Royal Marriage – Part II 

Of history’s many turning points, the brief reign of Edward VI was a significant one for the Catholic Church. Henry VIII’s son was a frail, nine year old when he inherited not only the Crown but the religious turbulence of his father’s rule. When he died six years later England no longer looked towards Rome for guidance in its …

The Gospel of Matthew – Part 7 (Comments Off)

This is the final installment of Joe McHugh’s series.The chapters covered are featured in the liturgy of Holy Week.

The chief priests and elders decide to put Jesus to death, but they caution one another, “Not during the festival, or there may be a riot among the people.” But Jesus’ death will occur during the …

Democracy, Elections and the Faith (0)

The 2011 NZ election is fading from memory but its fallout will be quite profound for the country. Democracy can be messy, and results unexpected. Winston Churchill once famously said “Democracy is the worst possible system, except for all the others.” MMP is simply one way of counting the votes, but produces a profoundly different result from other methods. There are eight political parties in …

Lead us not into temptation (0)

A regular reader of the Messenger has asked for an explanation of the final petition of the Lord’s Prayer in the new (old) translation.

“Lead us not into temptation”

Those who had been using the ELLC text of the Our Father were accustomed to praying:

“Save us from the time of trial”

Both of these are translations of the Latin:

“ne nos inducas in tentationem”…

A Hand of Cards (0)

Life’s like a game of cards.  You get dealt a hand with some strong cards and some weak ones.  To win you have to make the best of your strong cards. Like the card game, the trick is to concentrate on your positive talents, and not to let the negative ones dominate your life.

The Greek philosophers found that there are four main personality types, …

The Catholic Difference (0)

Must the Roman Curia be Italian?

Although he’s not very well known in the U.S., save among members of the Sant’Egidio community (of which he’s the founding father), Andrea Riccardi is a major figure in the Catholic Church in Italy: an historian of the papacy, a commentator on all things Catholic, and a player in various ecclesiastical dramas.

Most recently, according to Vatican reporter Sandro …

The Tradition of Mary’s Death (0)

One of the apparent mysteries of the early Church is what happened to the Virgin Mary at the end of her life on earth.

The New Testament is silent on the matter. The last we hear of Mary is immediately after her Son’s Ascension into heaven, when the apostles returned to the Upper Room.

According to Acts 1:14, “With one heart all these joined constantly …

February Saints (0)

Saint Jane of  Valois (1464-1505)

Born of the royal blood of France, Jane of Valois led a life remarkable for its humiliations. Banished from the palace because she was a girl, Jane offered her whole heart to God at the age of five. As a young woman, she was forced to marry the Duke of Orleans, an indifferent and unworthy husband. She remained patient, dutiful …

Mary, Joseph and the baby are alive at Dadim (0)

 Report from Catholic Mission Australia. 

Words by Dan McAloon, pictures by Bruce Dynan/Catholic Mission

The famine afflicting millions in the Horn of Africa appears so vast you could wonder what your donations could possibly do to alleviate this terrible situation. The truth is, in this very minute, you are saving lives.

The emergency feeding programme that has been operating at the Dadim Primary Health Care …

22 Men on Retreat in the Heart of Sydney (0)

The Sons of Navarone

“The Sacrament of Reconciliation has come alive for me.” When was the last time you heard that said? And by an Australian bloke?  Well such talk was commonplace after the menALIVE retreat at St Patrick’s Church, which is in the heart of Sydney’s bustling CBD. Fr Ray Chapman SM and a small band of laymen managed to pull off an amazing …

Jesus’ Mother lived by faith (Comments Off)

This article was prompted by an earlier article on what Jesus knew.

Scripture writer Brother Kieran gives a scholarly reflection on what Jesus and Mary knew.

One of the great challenges presented to the Gospel reader today is to look beyond the literal level of the text to see the meaning below the text.  This is the challenge presented in article 126 in the Catechism …

Grace Builds on Nature (0)

“Test yourselves to see that you are holding to the faith. Do you not realise that Christ is in you unless you fail to meet the test’”(2 Cor. 13, 5).

 “I live now, not I, but Christ lives in me’”(Gal. 2, 20).

Very frequently in the New Testament we are told that Christ, the Spirit and the Father are within us. Indeed we often …