30 May 2024
 This project explores the potential benefits of incorporating regular family prayer sessions into weekly family life, using a unique approach that combines mindful colouring with Gospel reflection and discussion. The study aims to assess whether such practices can enhance the faith life of children and teenagers within participating families. By engaging in weekly prayer sessions that include contemporary music, colouring, Gospel reading, and discussion, the project seeks to foster deeper spiritual engagement and understanding among children and teenagers. This study also evaluates parental perceptions of their children's engagement levels before, during, and after these sessions, along with obstacles to prayer and insights gained by parents in facilitating these spiritual activities. |
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07 April 2024
 In Luke's Gospel, we are encouraged to embody the role of angels as messengers of hope, mirroring the angelic interventions at significant moments, such as the announcement of Jesus' resurrection to the women at the tomb and the Annunciation to Mary. These narratives underscore the importance of delivering God's message despite skepticism and fear, emphasizing personal experience and the Holy Spirit's role in understanding and faith. We are called to be reassurances in the face of doubt, to invoke the Holy Spirit in guiding ourselves and others, and to be bearers of light, faith, and hope. This mission involves helping others discover God's presence in their lives through their own reflections and experiences, emphasizing the freedom to explore faith, and reminding them that they are never alone, with the enduring presence of God's love and guidance, even in our absence. |
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06 April 2024
 Francis Chan's talk emphasizes the profound importance of God's love and presence in the lives of believers, urging them to maintain a deep, personal connection with God beyond mere religious knowledge. He discusses the church's current series on God's love, motivated by a collective desire to ground the congregation in the fundamental understanding of being loved by a holy God. Chan highlights the limitations of teaching alone and stresses the necessity of prayer to break spiritual strongholds, invoking the mystery of spiritual transformation through communal prayer. |
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06 April 2024
 The song is a declaration of faith in Jesus Christ, emphasizing the transformative power of His resurrection. It begins by affirming belief in the Son of God and the victory over sin achieved through His sacrifice. The chorus joyously proclaims the singer's spiritual rebirth ('I'm alive because He lives') and an eternal connection to the divine chorus that praises Jesus' resurrection. The verses recount a personal journey from death to life, highlighting the role of divine mercy in removing sin and shame, symbolized by Jesus rolling the stone away from the grave. The song reassures believers that, because Jesus lives, they can face the future without fear, secure in the knowledge that their lives and futures are held in His capable hands. It is an expression of gratitude and worship, inviting others to join in the endless song of praise for the risen Christ and the hope He brings. |
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04 April 2024
 Bishop Robert's talk on the Holy Spirit emphasizes the critical role and vibrant presence of the Holy Spirit in the life of the Church and its believers, leading up to the feast of Pentecost. He argues against the notion that the importance of the Holy Spirit is underplayed, pointing out the Spirit's evident work throughout Scripture and Church history. The Holy Spirit, sent by the Father and the Son, is likened to the soul of the Mystical Body, vital for animating the Church's life. |
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01 April 2024
 Father Jim's homily addresses the poignant question of celebrating Easter amidst suffering, specifically in conflict-ridden areas like Ukraine and Gaza. He affirms that Easter will indeed be celebrated there, albeit differently from traditional celebrations, underlining the profound significance of Easter in places marked by hardship. Drawing parallels between the first Easter and current conflicts, he highlights how Jesus' resurrection was God's affirmation of Jesus' mission and a reversal of the forces leading to his death, embodying the triumph over sin, death, suffering, violence, hate, and fear. |
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30 March 2024
 This podcast focuses on the broader themes of hope, change, and the role of the church in a rapidly evolving global context. Father Timothy reflects on the period between the two assemblies of the Synod as a time of germination, expressing uncertainty but also personal growth in understanding the new world order emerging post-1989. He critiques the presumption that liberal democracy was the end goal for all societies and highlights the need for the church to adapt and find its mission in bringing hope to this multipolar world, viewing the current moment as both challenging and exciting. |
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30 March 2024
 Father Jim's homily delves into the profound nature of grief and memory through the poignant story of Stuart Diver, a man deeply acquainted with loss. Stuart, the sole survivor of the 1997 Thredbo Landslide which claimed 18 lives including his wife Sally, navigated the tumultuous waters of grief with remarkable resilience. This experience prepared him for the future loss of his second wife, Rosanna, to cancer. Together, they embarked on a journey of creating lasting memories, a testament to their love and foresight, crafting a legacy for their daughter, Alesia, to cherish. |
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29 March 2024
 In addressing how we can confront our fears and anxieties, the blog explores the encouragement found in Jesus' teachings, specifically the exhortation 'do not be afraid,' despite the inevitability of suffering and death inherent to the human condition. It highlights the importance of embracing these realities through reflection, prayer, and drawing closer to God, using examples from the Bible, such as Mary's courage and Jesus' prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane, to illustrate how facing fears with faith can lead to a transformational strength and the realization that we are not alone. Through engaging with our struggles and the divine, the text suggests that we can find rest in God, confront injustices with love and humility, and become vessels of hope and bearers of God's love, embodying the eternal love that lies beyond our immediate realities. |
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19 March 2024
 In this in-depth conversation on the Leadercast podcast, Father Richard Rohr, a spiritual mentor and founder of the Center for Action and Contemplation, shares profound insights into leadership, humility, and the journey of life. Father Richard emphasizes the transformative power of humility in leadership and reveals his perspective on the secret to life, which he believes revolves around love. |
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17 March 2024
 Father Jim's homily, 'The Promise of a New Covenant,' draws a parallel between the love story in Nicholas Sparks' novel and film 'The Notebook' and the biblical narrative, highlighting the Bible as a love story between God and His people. He explains how, like the notebook in the story, the Bible serves as a reminder of God's love, especially when we feel distant or forgetful of this profound connection. The homily traces the journey of God's relationship with humanity from the Old Testament's covenants with Noah, Abraham, and Moses, through to the New Testament with Jesus and His disciples. Father Jim emphasizes the recurring theme of human failure to uphold these covenants, leading to the introduction of a new covenant through the Prophet Jeremiah during Israel's exile in Babylon. This new covenant promises a deep, heart-written relationship with God, distinct from the external adherence to laws represented by the stone tablets of the Ten Commandments. Jesus' sacrifice and the establishment of the Eucharist are presented as the fulfillment of this new covenant, offering a deeper, more interior relationship with God. Father Jim encourages listeners to renew and deepen their love for Jesus, especially during Easter, as a response to understanding the sacrifice He made for us, which is at the heart of this new covenant. |
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14 March 2024
 This blog draws a parallel between the task of cleaning out a kitchen cupboard infested with moths and the introspective journey of addressing sin and imperfection in our lives. It reflects on how sin, often denied or overlooked, is akin to the unnoticed infestation that requires thorough cleaning. The blog touches on the Greek concept of sin as missing the mark and expands on the idea that sin encompasses more than just our visible faults or the ones we choose to acknowledge. It stresses the need for external help in our transformation, much like the cleaning of a cupboard goes beyond mere surface tidying. |
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09 March 2024
 Father Jim's homily draws a parallel between the dystopian future depicted in Margaret Atwood's 'The Handmaid's Tale' and the grim recounting of Israel's downfall in the last chapter of 2 Chronicles. He highlights how both narratives reflect the darkest aspects of human nature, cataloging acts of violence and infidelity that, unfortunately, are not confined to fiction or ancient history but are realities of human behavior across time. This connection serves as a backdrop for the Lenten season's turning point, moving from the positive covenants God made with Noah, Abraham, and Moses to the unraveling of Israel's faith and morality, underscoring humanity's universal sinfulness. |
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09 March 2024
 This song, 'How Deep the Father's Love for Us,' is a profound reflection on the sacrifice of Jesus Christ from the perspective of Christian faith, emphasizing the immeasurable love of God the Father. |
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06 March 2024
 This video presents an insightful overview of Saint John Vianney, known as the Curé d'Ars, highlighting his remarkable piety, humility, and dedication to the sacrament of confession. Saint John Vianney, a 19th-century French priest, profoundly impacted Christian spirituality and pastoral care. His close association with the Marist congregation, particularly his friendship with Fr. Jean-Claude Colin, and his membership in the Marist Third Order underscored his deep commitment to fostering religious vocations and his admiration for the Marist vision. |
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03 March 2024
 You Say by Lauren Daigle a contemporary song about Gods role in our lives even when we are filled with doubt. This song oozes with hope which recognizes the goodness of who each person is. A child of God. |
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03 March 2024
 Jesus is on his own with a woman on his own at a well in Samaria. Judea lies at the south of Samaria. Judea is where Jerusalem is. Galilee lies to the north of where Samaria is. Jesus spends most of his time in the north in Galilee but he did come to Jerusalem perhaps as many as 3 times. He had to pass through Samaria. The Samaritans did not like the Jews. The Jews did not like the Samaritans. There was theological opposition between these northerners and the Jews of the south because of the samaritans resistance to worshiping on Jerusalem. They had there place of worship at Mount Gerizim. The Jews had theres. Also, when the Jews returned from exile in 6th century BC 500 years before Jesus the Samaritans stood in the way. The resisted the restoration of Jerusalem. In the second century the Samaritans helped the Syria monarchs in their fight against the Jews. The Jews led by the high priest in 128 BC destroyed the Samaritan temple on Mount Gerizim. |
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22 February 2024
 The song shares thematic parallels with Jesus' transfiguration, particularly in its messages of hope, faith, and anticipation of divine revelation. Just as the song speaks of a brighter sunrise waiting beyond the darkest night, the transfiguration event in the Gospels portrays Jesus' appearance becoming radiant with heavenly glory, signifying a profound manifestation of God's presence. This imagery suggests that even in the midst of darkness and uncertainty, there is the promise of divine illumination and transformation, echoing the spiritual awakening experienced by Jesus and His disciples on the mountain. |
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18 February 2024
 Father Jim's homily delves into the literary technique of foreshadowing, using the novel 'Boy Swallows Universe' as an initial illustration. He describes how seemingly nonsensical words at the beginning of the story gain profound significance by its end, serving as a pivotal clue that leads to the villains' defeat. This, he explains, exemplifies the careful planning and foresight that characterizes good storytelling, evident in both literature and film through examples like Luke Skywalker's vision in Darth Vader's helmet and Frodo's mercy towards Gollum in 'The Lord of the Rings.' Transitioning from literary to biblical narratives, Father Jim highlights how foreshadowing is also a fundamental aspect of Scripture, particularly during the Lenten season. He emphasizes that Scripture is not merely a collection of stories but a means of revealing God's actions in history and theology. Through the Lenten scriptures, he explains, we see a series of covenants foreshadowed and fulfilled, from God's promise to Noah not to destroy the earth again, signified by the rainbow, to the New Covenant instituted by Jesus at the Last Supper. These covenants and their fulfillment are central to understanding God's plan for salvation and the relationship with humanity. |
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18 February 2024
 This video conveys a profound message about human interconnectivity, community importance, resilience, and finding purpose amidst adversity, particularly during the global pandemic. The speaker emphasizes that regardless of our financial status, humans inherently require companionship and support from others. They highlight how interactions with people serve as a reminder of our shared humanity and interconnectedness, reinforcing the value of community in shaping our identities and futures. |
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15 February 2024
 Marists seek simplicity in life. Marists search tochoose the essentials in our own life. Today, welive in an information rich world which can oftenblock out God’s word and will. A more simplelife style enables a freedom to let go of the thingswhich prevent us from striving for and findingwhat is most important. |
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15 February 2024
 A short story of the life of Marist Founder Jeanne Marie Chavoin. |
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15 February 2024
 Initially, I hesitated as I did not know fully what this question meant. Often when Jesus is asked a question in the Gospels, he answers with another question. So initially, I answered “What is the dream of Marist Laity in 2023” but also “what is the dream of Marist laity in 2030?” In our discussion we drew upon a recent Marist Laity Australia committee meeting at Hunters Hill. In the committee meeting there was a wide range of answers as there are a deep array of lay people. |
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11 February 2024
 In a world where the fabric of traditional Christianity is continually being reshaped by a secular society, the 'Association of Marist Laity: Synodal Steps' article offers a poignant reflection on the future of the Marist Communion. This thoughtful piece delves into the Marist identity within the Church, highlighting the significance of such an identity not merely as an inherited tradition but as a deliberate and active choice to live out Christ's mission with a Marist essence. The article acknowledges the challenges that accompany maintaining a religious identity in a world that increasingly values diversity and individual spirituality over traditional communal experiences. It contemplates a move from a passive reception of Christianity to an engaged, choice-driven faith, where being Marist means embracing a spirituality characterized by discretion, simplicity, and service—a way of being that permeates all aspects of life and work.The article calls on readers to consider the prophetic role of the Marist tradition in today's Church, advocating for a Church that is unified in its diversity and open to the different expressions of one spirit for the spiritual enrichment of all. It emphasizes communion over hierarchy, prophetic contribution over passive tradition, and spiritual renewal over secular challenge. The vision presented is not merely an institutional affiliation but a dynamic, living tradition that engages with the contemporary world's thirst for meaning and spirituality. The future for the Marist communion, as suggested, lies in its ability to be authentically Church—fully embodying the body of Christ in a way that remains relevant and transformative both within the ecclesial community and the broader secular society. |
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10 February 2024
 'Who You Say I Am' is an affirmation of the identity, worth, and status that, according to Christian faith, are given by God to those who believe in Jesus Christ. It's a declaration that a person's true identity is not defined by their past, their mistakes, or their circumstances, but by what God says about them in the Bible. This song is often used in worship services to encourage believers to embrace and celebrate their identity as children of God, liberated and loved by Him. |
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10 February 2024
 Father Jim's homily titled 'How To Cure A Horrible Child' uses the transformation of St. Therese from a self-described 'horrible child' into a figure of extraordinary holiness as an example of the healing power of Jesus. He describes how, despite her difficult childhood behavior, a moment of grace at the age of 14 marked the beginning of her spiritual transformation. Father Jim parallels this with the biblical story of Jesus healing a leper to illustrate the idea that Jesus desires to heal and transform us. He emphasizes that Jesus's teachings reveal God's will for our healing and wholeness, and invites us to seek Jesus's healing power in our lives, for both physical and spiritual ailments. |
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06 February 2024
 This interview was conducted in 2014 with father Kevin Bates and Marist Laity Australia. This interview covers a series of theological questions such as 'Does God help?', 'Who is God?', 'Where have you found God most in your life?', 'What do you mean by sacrament?' This is a candid interview where father Kev shares from his own life experience. His answers speak to Marists and non Marists alike. They inspire us to ponder and reflect ourselves questions which call us out of our own ways of seeing. Thank you father Kev. We will miss you.... |
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31 January 2024
 Before I spoke a word, You were singing over me. You have been so, so good to me. Before I took a breath, You breathed Your life in me. You have been so so kind to me. |
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29 January 2024
 Father Jim's homily 'The Goulburn School Strike' reflects on a historical event where Catholic schools in Goulburn closed in protest against inadequate funding, leading to an overwhelmed state school system. This strike marked a significant influence of the Catholic Church in society, shaping the funding and policy landscape for Catholic schools in Australia. Father Jim connects this past with the present, discussing the evolving role of the Church and civil society in shaping public policy and societal values. He emphasizes the need for a prophetic voice in society, advocating for core values and social justice through collaboration with like-minded groups, like the Sydney Alliance. This Alliance, comprising various religious and social groups, exemplifies a collective voice influencing governmental policies for the common good. Father Jim encourages active participation in such alliances to uphold Catholic values and address broader societal issues. |
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27 January 2024
 The Marian Lecture titled 'A Tender Revolution' focuses on the virtue of tenderness in the context of Christian faith and family life. It emphasizes tenderness as a revolutionary virtue, deeply rooted in love and necessary for genuine human interaction and community building. The lecture draws upon biblical stories, including the Prodigal Son and the Holy Family, to illustrate the power of tenderness in fostering forgiveness, understanding, and empathy. It also discusses the challenges of expressing tenderness in a modern, often impersonal world, and how this virtue is crucial in personal growth, relationships, and spiritual development. The lecture calls for a reevaluation of tenderness as a strength rather than a weakness, highlighting its transformative potential in both personal and communal contexts. |
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23 January 2024
 The video 'How Much is ENOUGH' by Reflections for Life delves into the contemplation of material wealth versus true happiness and contentment in life. It begins with a provocative statement about the common ambition to accumulate wealth and enjoy life, only to find that when one finally has the means, the passion for enjoyment may have waned. This introduces the core theme of the video: questioning the relentless pursuit of material gains and its impact on genuine well-being. |
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20 January 2024
 Angela Gorman provides a spiritual reflection on the beginning of Mark's Gospel where Jesus gives his good news. She delves into the meaning of conversion or Metanonia. She then explores Jesus being driven out into the desert. She connects this to our journey through the deserts of our lives. Angela suggests we have been called to follow Christ. Through the situations and moments in our lives to follow Jesus. But each of us are called in a unique way. Yet, many people have not felt the call from God. It is out privilege and blessing to share in this call. We are called to bring about good news in many different ways. Especially those on the margins. Those who are excluded. Are we ready to be Christ? |
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01 January 2024
 'January 1 - Mother of God' explores the dual celebration of Mary's Motherhood and the World Day of Peace on January 1, highlighting the interconnectedness of these themes. It traces the feast's origin to the 5th century, solidified after the Council of Ephesus in 431, which established Mary's title as Theotokos (Mother of God). The doctrine is further affirmed by the Vatican II Council, recognizing Mary's integral role in divine salvation. The webpage also references a homily by Pope John Paul II, which contrasts the nurturing image of Mary with the infant Jesus and the sorrowful image of her holding the crucified Christ, symbolizing both the joy of birth and the pain of death. This duality underscores Mary's role in advocating for peace and justice, highlighting the importance of her intercession in sparing mothers from the loss and suffering brought by war and conflict. |
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31 December 2023
 The video features a cover of the 'Calypso Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary,' a song learned from a Trinidadian friend, which has been enjoyed in singing assemblies with schoolchildren. The song includes actions made up by pupils from the singer's school. It's a lively rendition with a ukulele, celebrating various titles of Mary in a litany format, such as 'Mother of Good Counsel,' 'Health of the Sick,' and 'Queen of Heaven.' The refrain joyfully proclaims, 'My soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices,' capturing the essence of Mary's Magnificat. |
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27 December 2023
 Bishop Robert Barron's video 'Catholicism - Amazed and Afraid' presents a profound reflection on Jesus Christ's identity and mission, challenging the common perception of Jesus as merely an inspiring religious teacher. Instead, Bishop Barron emphasizes the radical nature of Jesus's claim to divinity and his role as the central figure of Christianity, far removed from a safe or domesticated portrayal. He discusses how Jesus, in his teachings and actions, personified God's presence, compelling a choice between acceptance and rejection with no middle ground. Jesus's life, particularly his question 'Who do people say that I am?' points directly to his unique identity as God incarnate, a claim no other religious founder makes. |
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24 December 2023
 I've heard about this baby boy. Who's come to earth to bring us joy. And I just want to sing this song to you. It goes like this, the fourth, the fifth. The minor fall, the major lift. With every breath I'm singing Hallelujah. Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah |
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24 December 2023
 Br. Michael Green's presentation on the 'Christocentric and mystical foundations of Marist spirituality' emphasizes the essential focus on Jesus Christ in Marist spirituality. He reflects on how Marist spirituality, particularly as it developed from the early brothers, is relational, affective, and mystical. Green notes that throughout history, Marist spirituality has faced challenges, including risks of asceticism and 'stylism,' which could detract from its Christ-centered essence. |
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23 December 2023
 Father Michael’s homily on the fourth Sunday of Advent focuses on the Annunciation in Luke's Gospel, highlighting Mary's initial perplexity and disturbance at the angel Gabriel’s greeting. He emphasizes that encounters with God can be unsettling and do not always align with our expectations or desires. Father Michael reflects on various moments in Mary’s life where she was troubled, using these as examples of 'annunciations' that reveal God's presence in challenging times. He encourages Christians to be attentive and open to God’s enunciation in every moment, embracing these experiences as opportunities for growth and transformation. The homily concludes with a reflection on Isaiah 55:8-11, reminding us that God's ways are beyond our understanding, and His word will accomplish its purpose. |
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20 December 2023
 From the Church's beginnings – as the New Testament makes clear - Mary has been seen as a great sign of encouragement for believers. References to Mary, though they may seem brief, are deeply meaningful, presenting Mary as a figure of immense significance for the communities that produced these texts. St Luke, in his Gospel and Acts of the Apostles, skilfully portrays Mary as the model of discipleship, the one who 'hears the Word of God and puts it into practice'. Taking a central theme of the Scriptures, St John sees Mary as the 'woman' in God's ultimate plan, and 'mother' of the family of the disciples of Jesus. |
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20 December 2023
 'Amy Grant's song 'Breath of Heaven' is a profound and emotive portrayal of Mary's perspective during her journey to Bethlehem and the impending birth of Jesus. The lyrics encapsulate Mary's feelings of vulnerability, responsibility, and awe as she grapples with the enormity of being chosen to carry the Son of God |
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17 December 2023
 In his homily for the third Sunday of Advent, Father Michael reflects on the concept of being 'sent' by God, as mentioned in John's Gospel (1:6-8, 19-28), especially in relation to John the Baptist. He emphasizes that our existence is intentional and purposeful, in contrast to the belief that our presence in the world is random and meaningless, a viewpoint he attributes to the prevalent cultural attitudes influenced by philosophical thoughts like those of Martin Heidegger and the lyrics of The Doors' song 'Riders on the Storm.' |
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14 December 2023
 The song 'God Only Knows' by for KING & COUNTRY speaks to the inner struggles and hidden pain that individuals face, which often go unseen by others. It acknowledges the loneliness, fear, and shame that can haunt someone, especially when they feel misunderstood or judged. The lyrics suggest that while people might try to hide their pain and the weight of their experiences, there is a divine understanding and love that sees beyond the facade. This love knows the true self, the hardships one has endured, and offers a nonjudgmental, redemptive kind of love. The song carries a message of hope and encouragement, suggesting that a fresh start is possible and that there's a compassionate presence that knows and loves us completely. |
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12 December 2023
 The “Marist Millennium Pledge” is a Formation tool which can use to help structure our discernment and way of living as Marists. Across a total of 12 months a person is invited to discern about ten things where God is calling them to follow Mary and Jesus. These commitments will take time to emerge. Over several months, through our own prayer life and our encounters with spiritual friends or Marists these pledges will begin to appear. |
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12 December 2023
 The Chosen tells the story of the first Christmas through the eyes of a shepherd whose life of suffering and rejection changes when he and his fellow shepherds receive a miraculous revelation. |
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10 December 2023
 The song 'Who You Say I Am' is a contemporary Christian song that carries deep theological and spiritual meanings. Its lyrics reflect several key themes common in Christian belief:Divine Love and Acceptance: The song begins with a sense of wonder and gratitude towards the Christian understanding of God, who is portrayed as a loving and accepting deity. The lines 'Who am I that the highest King would welcome me?' express a sense of humility and amazement at being loved and accepted by God. |
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10 December 2023
 Father Michael's homily delves into the profound meaning and significance of the term 'good news' or 'gospel' in the context of Christian faith, especially as it relates to the Advent season and the birth of Jesus. |
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10 December 2023
 The presentation titled 'Why Beatify John Claude Colin' discusses the potential beatification of Father Jean-Claude Colin, founder of the Society of Mary (Marists). The speaker reflects on the various perspectives within the Marist community about recognizing Colin as a saint, mentioning other Marist figures who have been canonized or considered saintly, such as Saint Peter Chanel. The talk emphasizes that Colin himself understood and used the process of beatification and canonization, promoting it for others like Chanel. |
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08 December 2023
 In the document Laudatio Si Pope Francis calls all people to live an “integral ecology”. That people develop a sense that all life is connected. This is a very Christian belief as it is the sacrament of creation. That God is revealed through creation itself. God is the Creator who has entered creation in the person of “Jesus Christ”. Christians call this the “incarnation”. The fact that God has entered creation reveals to us the sacredness of creation. All of creation manifests the glory of God. |
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07 December 2023
 at the Marriott Hotel in Quincy, Boston, USA, from April 15 to 18. Barbara Ashwell from Marist Laity Australia reports on the event, which saw significant participation from Australian and New Zealand delegates among the 200 attendees from various states, including Hawaii. On April 16, Father Craig Larkin set the conference's tone by outlining goals like growing in prayer, holiness, Gospel challenge, bonding as Marists, understanding Mary's spirituality, rebuilding the Church, and discovering the laity's role in today's Church. Keynote speaker Andrea Pichelmeir, a theologian from Germany, discussed the meaning of being 'Marist' and Father Colin's vision, emphasizing the importance of context in understanding spiritual texts. |
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05 December 2023
 The blog post reflects on the author's experience playing the role of Zechariah in a life-sized Nativity Play. Zechariah, an old man in the biblical narrative, initially does not believe the angel's message that his wife Elizabeth will bear a child, as she is beyond childbearing age. The post delves into Zechariah's skepticism, rooted in the science and logic of his time, and his subsequent suffering, symbolized by his inability to speak—a punishment for his disbelief, but also a spiritual journey towards trust.The author draws a parallel between Zechariah's story and our own lives, suggesting that everyone, at times, plays the role of Zechariah..... |
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03 December 2023
 Father Michael Whelan's presentation on spirituality from a Marist perspective, titled 'Do As He Tells You' The Way of Obedience, delves into the concept of obedience as a central aspect of spiritual life. He starts by emphasizing the human ground of religious behaviors and practices, aligning with the idea that the incarnation of God in human form confirms the significance of human experience in spirituality.
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02 December 2023
 In this homily, Father Michael explores the theme of waiting, as emphasized in the Gospel of Mark (Chapter 13, Verses 33-37), where Jesus commands to 'keep alert' and 'stay awake' because 'you do not know the hour.' He asserts that waiting is an intrinsic part of human existence, an experience that confronts us with the discomfort of not being in control. This lack of control is central to the concept of waiting; if we were in control, we wouldn’t need to wait. |
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01 December 2023
 'Dancing on the Waves' is a song that appears to be written from the perspective of a divine or spiritual entity expressing unconditional love and support for a person who is weary and burdened. The lyrics use vivid metaphors and imagery to convey a message of comfort, healing, and divine love. |
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01 December 2023
 In the 'Advent Day 6' video featuring Richard Rohr and Kate Bowler, they discuss the concept of 'necessary suffering' in the spiritual journey. Richard Rohr, drawing from Carl Jung, suggests that people often find themselves on a spiritual path due to challenging life events such as job loss, illness, addiction, or personal brokenness. Kate Bowler shares her experience of feeling surprised and somewhat insulted by her own suffering, noting how she felt like she had failed somehow. They discuss the shame and stigma attached to suffering in modern culture, where suffering can be misconstrued as a personal failure. |
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25 November 2023
 Father Michael's homily titled 'Doorway to Hope' focuses on the Feast of Christ the King and the parable of the last judgment from Matthew 25:31-46. He emphasizes that parables should be read as such, not as moral fables. Moral fables, like Aesop's, present a binary of reward for good and punishment for bad, but parables offer deeper, more complex insights. |
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19 November 2023
 Share this prayer with your family, community or class exploring the first week of advent through song, gospel, reflection, discussion and common prayer. |
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19 November 2023
 The story of our spirituality is indeed a simple one. It is a story ofwomen and men who find within a thirst that only God canquench. Having drunk deeply, they find themselves filled with Jesus’own desire – to give flesh to God’s Good News. Moved by the Spirit,urged by God’s own longing to bring life to the world, we becomestreams of living water, flowing through the personal, communal, andministry aspects of our lives. |
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19 November 2023
 In this homily, Father Michael discusses the Parable of the Talents from Matthew 25, urging a reading as a parable rather than an allegory. He argues against a simplistic allegorical interpretation that equates the parable directly with God rewarding or punishing based on how gifts are used. Such a view, he believes, is incompatible with the broader depiction of Jesus in Matthew's gospel, which emphasizes mercy, humility, and forgiveness. |
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15 November 2023
 The 'Gathering Formation Course' is an innovative year-long program designed to facilitate personal and spiritual growth within a community setting. This course thoughtfully circumvents the potential biases associated with denominational branding by opting for a more inclusive title that focuses on the essence of formation and gathering. It's a strategic approach to ensure wider accessibility and appeal. |
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12 November 2023
 'The Practice of the Presence of God' by Brother Lawrence is a collection of his letters, along with some of his conversations and spiritual maxims. The central theme of the book is the development of an awareness of God's presence in everyday life. Brother Lawrence, a Carmelite monk in the 17th century, advocates for a continuous conversation with God, regardless of the task at hand, thereby finding the sacred in the mundane. This practice leads to a spiritual state that transcends the need for formal prayer or meditation periods because every moment becomes an opportunity to commune with the divine. The book has been a classic in Christian spiritual literature, teaching simplicity and devotion in one's relationship with God. |
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11 November 2023
 Father Pat presented a brilliant PowerPoint production, complete with music, to illustrate his own understanding of the Marist Vision in today's world. With powerful images of St Peter's in Rome, and people in various situations he presented the image of the Patriarchal Church where love equaled obedience. He then went on to present the Marian Church where love equaled mercy which he illustrated with another image of St Peter's taken from a different angle. In between these two images is that of the Simeon Church - the contemplative Church. |
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11 November 2023
 The scene from 'The Chosen' you're referring to depicts a powerful and emotional moment where Jesus heals a woman who has been suffering from bleeding for 12 years. The script outlines a sequence of events starting with a crowd, where Jesus suddenly feels that power has gone out of Him, indicating someone has touched Him with faith. Amidst the confusion, a woman comes forward, admitting she touched the edge of His garment, believing it would heal her. She explains her condition and her belief in Jesus' power to heal, even without direct interaction. |
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11 November 2023
 In this episode of Oprah's 'Super Soul Sunday,' the discussion is centered around the 'Power of Prayer.' Oprah introduces Dr. Larry Dossey, a medical doctor who changed his skepticism about prayer after discovering scientific evidence supporting its efficacy in healing. He shares a study from San Francisco General Hospital involving 400 heart patients, where the half who were prayed for without their knowledge had significantly better health outcomes compared to those who did not receive prayers. |
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11 November 2023
 The song 'Come to the Table' speaks to the theme of inclusiveness and redemption in the Christian faith. It portrays a picture of grace that invites everyone, regardless of their past or present circumstances, to join in fellowship. The table serves as a metaphor for the place where people receive grace, symbolized by their inclusion alongside the Savior. The lyrics emphasize that all are welcome, from sinners to saints, and that one's burdens and shames can be left behind. It is an invitation to experience freedom and redemption, to sit down and be set free by the transformative power of love and mercy. |
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09 November 2023
 On 28th November, Marist Laity Australia held its November Reflection day, leading us into the season of Advent. Fr Ray Chapman, a Marist priest who has given MLA such wonderful support over many years, was asked to facilitate this day. Fr Ray will be finishing his time as Parish Priest of St Patrick’s Church Hill at the end of this year. Our hopes were answered when he graciously agreed to give us this parting gift.
Ray chose as the theme, Mercy begins with ME, in step with the Jubilee Year of Mercy beginning on 8th December, the feast of the Immaculate Conception. Some 50 people turned up, many of whom were wanting to tap into Ray’s wisdom before he leaves for France. |
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06 November 2023
 The idea of forming small groups of laity should not be too difficult to accept for members of a Society with Jean-Claude Colin as Founder. His vision and procedures in founding the Society were anything but amorphous and indeterminate. In his lecture 'Structures of Government' given to the Framingham workshops in 1980, Jean Coste observed that Colin was not a latter-day Confucius proposing a kind of general wisdom with which many people could identify. Colin did not found a spirit, nor even a kind of spirituality. He founded a congregation. And he spent his life formulating its distinctive features. The Society of Mary was meant to be something specific and to work for something specific. Colin's conception of the Society was not a bunch of individuals merrily and zealously going their own way. He conceived the Society as a corporate body from which each Marist is sent on mission. Anterior and superior to what any Marist may feel called to do is the work of Mary. |
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05 November 2023
 Father Michael Whelan's homily reflects on the 31st Sunday of ordinary time with a focus on the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 23, verses 1-12. In this passage, Jesus criticizes the scribes and Pharisees for their hypocrisy and self-promotion. Michael Whelan points out that this critique is unique to Matthew and may reflect tensions between Jesus and the Pharisees that were still present in the community decades after Jesus' death. |
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02 November 2023
 The song is a celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, emphasizing the significance of his arrival in Bethlehem. It highlights the incarnation of the 'word of God' in flesh, portraying Jesus as the savior of a broken world. Throughout the song, angelic voices urge people to adore and worship Jesus, recognizing him as the source of peace for humanity. The song repeatedly emphasizes that with Jesus's arrival, 'peace has come,' suggesting a divine intervention to heal and restore the world. The repeated lines 'Oh, come let us adore him' highlight the reverence and worship Jesus is accorded, emphasizing his divine and regal status as the 'king' who is now among humanity. Overall, the song is a declaration of joy, worship, and hope brought about by the birth of Jesus. |
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22 October 2023
 In the passage from Matthew's gospel discussed by Father Michael Whelan, the Pharisees and Herodians attempt to entrap Jesus using flattery. However, Jesus, undeterred by their deceitful praises, asserts His authority by calling them hypocrites. This narrative is particularly intriguing when juxtaposed with Jesus's later silence before Pilate. Regardless of His approach, silent or vocal, Jesus's authority is unmistakable because it stems not from societal structures or intelligence but from His very essence, embodying God's truth and love. His presence, whether through words or silence, is an authoritative force that demands attention. |
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19 October 2023
 'The Shift', also known as 'Ambition to Meaning' in some releases, is a spiritual film featuring Dr. Wayne Dyer. It explores the transformational journey of moving from a life built on ambition, external achievements, and accumulation (often associated with the first half of life) to a life of purpose, meaning, and inner fulfillment (often associated with the second half of life). |
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01 October 2023
 We invite you to join the St Patrick’s community in praying the rosary for the Pope’s intention which is: praying for the Church, that she may adopt listening and dialogue as a lifestyle at every level, and allow herself to be guided by the Holy Spirit towards the peripheries of the world. As a community, we aim for 1,000 Rosaries for the entire month of October. We invite you to pray with us and log in your pledge in our website www.stpatschurchhill.org as a visible sign of the power of prayer and an encouragement to others to participate in this Marian crusade. |
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20 September 2023
 Is the nation ready for deep listening? Miriam Rose Ungunmerr Baumann AM in conversation with Deakin University's Professor Mark Rose, Pro Vice-Chancellor Indigenous Strategy and Innovation. A renowned Aboriginal artist and educator, Miriam Rose is dedicated to creating bright and fulfilling futures for Aboriginal children and youth. She was the first fully qualified Aboriginal teacher in the Northern Territory and continues to advocate that education is a matter for the whole community and must be adapted to suit contemporary Aboriginal needs. |
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09 September 2023
 In Father Michael Whelan's homily for the 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, he reflects on the Gospel text from Matthew chapter 18, verses 15 through 20. He begins by noting that in our modern times, we often have an individualistic mindset, thinking in terms of 'I' and 'me.' Father Whelan suggests that this individualism has seeped into the Church, affecting our understanding of what it means to be a Christian, especially in how we perceive and deal with sin. |
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08 September 2023
 Share this prayer with your family, community or class exploring the Gospel from John 3 through song, gospel, reflection, discussion and common prayer.Allocate readers before you start. Opening Prayer. Gospel. Gospel Reflection. -Common Prayer. Final Prayer - 2 people . |
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01 September 2023
 Spiritual direction remains relevant at all stages of spiritual development because it serves as a mirror that reflects an individual's compulsions, delusions, and shadow aspects. It helps individuals confront their illusions and move beyond ego-driven spirituality. Without this reflective guidance, the ego can remain firmly in control, even within religious contexts. The process of spiritual direction involves shadow work and questioning, facilitating personal growth and deeper consciousness. The pathway to spiritual insight and growth often involves suffering and loss, as these experiences challenge individuals to relinquish their need for control and draw them closer to a transcendent reality or understanding of the divine. Suffering serves as a crucible through which individuals can transform and deepen their spiritual journey. |
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25 August 2023
 Embark on a transformative guided meditation journey that takes you back to ancient times, allowing you to experience a profound connection with Jesus as a child while he imparts the wisdom of the Jewish Shema Prayer. This meditation offers a unique and immersive experience that combines historical and spiritual elements, inviting you to explore the teachings of Jesus in a deeply meaningful way. |
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23 August 2023
 On a warm Saturday afternoon in September 1986, I vividly recall my childhood memory of entering the family television room. It was a moment etched in time, a time when my small frame joined my family to witness the triumphant victory of the Parramatta Eels in their last rugby league grand final. The game was one of endurance, built on a foundation of staunch defense a battleground marked by mud, blood, and wearied players. Yet, amidst the grit, there shone an unyielding self-belief, a conviction that the seemingly impossible could be achieved. Gathered around the television, my siblings, parents, and I cheered fervently, a collective electric energy pulsating through the room. This shared experience was electric, a moment that imprinted the essence of the Parramatta Eels within me. From that day in 1986, I embarked on an ardent journey, fervently following each and every game, nurturing my passion for the team. |
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20 August 2023
 Father Jim McKeon discusses a TV documentary called 'The Swap,' which showcased an experiment where students from different schools, including an Islamic school, a Catholic school, and a state school, swapped places to learn about each other's cultures. McKeon reflects on how the documentary highlighted the limited understanding and knowledge these students had about each other's backgrounds. As the experiment progressed, the students began to form friendships and develop mutual respect, breaking down stereotypes. |
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20 August 2023
 In this scene from the TV series 'The Chosen,' the disciples are struggling against strong winds while on a boat during the fourth watch of the night. Simon expresses doubt, suggesting they should turn back due to the challenging conditions. However, Jesus encourages him to keep going and assures him that they can make it to their destination. |
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20 August 2023
 On Sunday, my youngest son will receive the sacrament of confirmation in our local Catholic Church. He has chosen the Franciscan name Maximillian Kolbe after being inspired by the story of him over the dinner table. On Thursday, his grandparents took him to the confirmation practice as both my wife and myself were not able to attend. We were later to hear that the regular Diocesan Bishop of Broken Bay was not able to attend, but rather, our former Bishop, David Walker would be there. Following, in preparation, my wife and I visited our local Koorong books. As we walked out of the Koorong Books, Bishop David Walker was walking in. How random? I thought to myself or rather, is this serendipity? How funny we were only talking about him, by chance he would be our bishop on Sunday, then he suddenly appears. I think there is no chance in this, but rather, that, we are all somehow connected. |
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14 August 2023
 In this scene from the TV series 'The Chosen,' Matthew shares a revelation with a friend. He presents a metaphorical 'map' related to the Beatitudes, a set of blessings taught by Jesus. Matthew associates each Beatitude with a group of people who possess certain qualities. These qualities include being poor in spirit, mourning, meek, hungering for righteousness, showing mercy, having a pure heart, working towards peace, and enduring persecution for righteousness' sake. Matthew uses these groups as markers on his 'map' to help others find him. The scene reflects Matthew's understanding of the Beatitudes and how he sees them as a guide to identify like-minded individuals. |
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14 August 2023
 The documentary explores the life and legacy of Maximilian Kolbe, a Franciscan friar and priest known for his selflessness and courage during the Holocaust. Born as Raymond Kolbe in 1894 in Poland, he early on believed that he was destined for martyrdom and dedicated his life to spreading the devotion to the Virgin Mary. He founded the Crusade of Mary Immaculate to counteract the influence of freemasonry and promote love for Mary. |
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13 August 2023
 Father Jim McKeon reflects on the concept of contemplative prayer and its connection to the story of Jesus walking on water. He begins by acknowledging that often, he finds himself lost in thought when praying, pondering issues, problems, and potential solutions. However, he also admits that sometimes prayer leaves him feeling anxious rather than at peace. To address this, he turns to the story of Jesus walking on water and invites the congregation to consider what it can teach them about their own prayer lives. |
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09 August 2023
 In Father Colin’s thought,of the phrase “Ignoti et occulti” brought out the necessity of a careful studyof what Father Founder meant when he pointed to Our Lady herself as amodel for our hidden apostolate. For there are undoubtedly numerous waysof interpreting this idea of an imitation of the hidden life of Mary and,while each of these has an equal right to exist in the Church, it is essentialfor us that we should grasp clearly what our Founder meant when he recommended that we be unknown and hidden in the world after the exampleof Our Lady. |
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08 August 2023
 In Bishop Robert Barron's speech, he focuses on the significance of the Eucharist and the story of the road to Emmaus from the Gospel of Luke. He encourages the audience to think about how, when the Lord is present in the Eucharist, it's not just us looking at Christ, but also Christ looking at us with compassion and understanding. He emphasizes the importance of understanding the deeper pattern of Jesus' life and mission. |
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05 August 2023
 In Father Michael Whelan's reflection on the Feast of the Transfiguration, he focuses on the Gospel text from Matthew chapter 17, which depicts the transformative event on the mountaintop. He suggests that this event had a significant impact on the life and teachings of Jesus, as well as on the lives of the disciples and the early Church. Father Whelan draws parallels between this event and the theophany of Sinai in Exodus, highlighting Jesus' essential role in fulfilling the promises of the Old Testament. He emphasizes the continuity between Jesus and the Jewish tradition, as Jesus reveals God's dwelling place with humanity in space and time through his incarnation. Father Whelan connects this event to the sacrament of baptism, where believers are united with Jesus, the dwelling place of God, bridging the gap between the material world and eternity |
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04 August 2023
 Recently I was sitting outside of a coffee shop waiting while my wife ordered coffee inside. From a distance I overheard two older men in their late 60s talk about business, management and how they can more effectively direct people to do things and be productive. They used words like “2IC” or “second in command”. I reflected silently to myself, “when you are on your death bed, will you care about these things?” and “have they entered the second half of life in a Jungian psychological sense?” When life seems to have fallen apart. Where our systems and or ways of seeing things seem to no longer work. In the Second Half of Life through individuation each person tries to integrate things of deeper of value things which may have been sub conscious through our personal choices and our sense of who we are. Our identity. |
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30 July 2023
 There is a rich tradition within the Christian churches of chanting and singing to God. Saint Augustine said “that when you sing you pray twice”. |
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30 July 2023
 Yesterday I had an operation. I felt a little scared and worried as to what would happen. Lying almost naked with just a patient gown with no underpants. Prior, as my wife drove me to the hospital at 5 a.m a song came over the radio by Leona Lewis. I felt god speaking directly to me through the song. |
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30 July 2023
 In this 17th Sunday of the year, the Gospel according to Matthew (Chapter 13, verses 44 through 52) presents the last three of seven parables. The author distinguishes between parables and allegories, cautioning against the temptation to solely interpret the latter. Unlike allegories, parables require listeners to engage their imagination, patiently reflecting on the symbolism without resorting to shortcuts. Through these parables, Jesus seeks to help people understand the Kingdom of Heaven, emphasizing its presence in ordinary moments of life. The call to attentiveness and awakening is highlighted, encouraging individuals to perceive the hidden grace and divine action that permeates every aspect of existence. |
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30 July 2023
 Why? The question that is never far away. The healing doesn't come from the explained. Jesus please don't let this go in vain. You're all I have. All that remains. So here I am. What's left of me. Where glory meets my suffering |
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27 July 2023
 In the Christian creed we pray that God is visible and invisible. As people who reflect God, we too are visible and invisible. However, we often forget the invisible or what is hidden as not as important. They are inextricably linked. |
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25 July 2023
 All my attempts to be satisfied. Were vain and empty. Until the moment You rescued me. And Your love filled me. My soul sings. Now my soul sings |
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23 July 2023
 We invite you,your school, community and familyto commemorate the Marists who took the first Marist Fourviere Pledge in France 1816The 12 seminarians walked the stairs at Fourviere France on July 23rd 1816.In 2023 we will walk the Harbour Bridge.We begin by acknowledging country...People can enter at any stage of the journey. |
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21 July 2023
 The gospel text from Matthew 16:24-30 presents one of the seven parables in Matthew's gospel chapter 13. In this parable, Jesus compares the kingdom of heaven to a situation where someone sowed good seed in a field, but another person came and sowed bad seed among the good. This puts the man who planted the good seed in an impasse, faced with unattractive or bad alternatives. Jesus seems to suggest that getting inside this experience of impasse can offer a glimpse of what the Kingdom of Heaven is like. Life is filled with moments of impasse, where we must make tough decisions between undesirable options. However, faith teaches us that God is with us, God's love is liberating, and there is no need to be afraid. Embracing our faith in these challenging moments allows us to grow into the truth of God's presence and love. |
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13 July 2023
 Charles Talbert advises us “to read” the canticle. Do we not, rather, want to pray the canticle (the Magnificat) and to live it in the spirit of the Church’s preferential option for the poor? What does this “option” - that our modern, consumer society tells us is, definitely not a (preferred) option today - mean in practice? Different voices echo slightly different emphases on this single theme. |
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12 July 2023
 In our modern Western culture, it is all too common to compartmentalize various aspects of our lives. We tend to view ourselves through the lenses of our professions, roles, and identities, even how we are feeling in one moment often forgetting the interconnectedness of each part. As Lay Marists, we are called to embrace an integrated life, where our roles as teachers, parents, and members of the community may merge more harmoniously. |
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10 July 2023
 The passage being referred to in the provided text is from Matthew chapter 11, specifically verses 25 through 30. It captures a unique moment where Jesus is found deep in prayer, allowing us to listen in on his conversation with the Father. In this intimate setting, Jesus extends his invitation to the disciples and all of us, inviting us to deepen our relationship with him. |
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03 July 2023
 In a world inundated with distractions and illusions, it can be challenging to discern what is truly real. As Christians, we are called to seek the truth and embrace authenticity in all aspects of life. Recently, I had a thought-provoking experience that highlighted the stark contrast between the reality of homelessness and the façade of materialism. We explore the significance of encountering the real and how it can deepen our understanding of faith and compassion. |
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01 July 2023
 Father Michael Whelan's reflection focuses on the Gospel passage from Matthew chapter 10, specifically verses 37 through 42. He highlights the presence of what he calls 'the hard sayings of Jesus' in this passage, which appear frequently in the Gospels. The particular teaching addressed in today's Gospel revolves around the prioritization between family and discipleship. |
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01 July 2023
 You are here. Moving in our midst. I worship you. I worship you. You are here. Working in this place. I worship you. I worship you. You are here. Moving in our midst. I worship you. I worship you. You are here. Working in this place. I worship you. I worship you |
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18 June 2023
 We are entitled to infer from those words that, for Luke, Mary has, evenmore generally, a role that is central and mediating in the new-bornChurch, a body that he knew was made up of several blocs that weredifferent and liable to disagree, even violently. That is, of course, thebasic meaning of the Greek word ekklesia that we translate as ‘Church’: itis an ‘assembly’, which brings together distinct groups or parties. Byexercising this role of mediation or even reconciliation, Mary ‘supports’the newborn Church. This is the scripturally based paradigm of the ‘workof Mary’, in which Marists are called to take part - our Mission. |
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17 June 2023
 ‘On July 23, 1816, at the shrine of Our Lady of Fourvière, Lyons, twelvepriests and seminarians pledged themselves to found a congregationbearing the name of Mary. Those who worked for the next twenty yearsto carry out this promise were convinced that they were responding to awish of the Mother of Mercy, which found expression for them in thefollowing words: “I supported the Church at its birth; I shall do so againat the end of time'' |
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17 June 2023
 Now you and I are invited. To continue what Champagnat began. To be a bridge and a beacon of hope. To unite and enliven lives and hearts. We fight for the same idea... |
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12 June 2023
 Reflecting on the phrase 'do this in memory of me,' it is essential for us as Marists to understand that our participation in the Eucharist goes beyond receiving the body and blood of Jesus. As Christians, we are called to actively partake in the saving action of Jesus Christ. This requires us to embrace the fullness of our faith and respond to Jesus' call to take up our cross and follow him. Just as Marcellin Champagnat, Jean-Maree Chavoin, Francoise Perroton, and the Virgin Mary exemplified the way of Christ, we too are called to model Jesus in every aspect of our lives.... |
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11 June 2023
 Today is the Feast of Corpus Christi, also known as the Feast of the Precious Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. The Gospel text for this occasion is from John 6:51-58, where Jesus teaches about the bread of life. He declares himself as the living bread from heaven, promising eternal life to those who partake in this bread, which is his flesh given for the world. The shocking language of eating his flesh leads to objections from religious authorities, but it echoes the early Christian experience and the practice of the Eucharist. Saint Justin, a second-century writer and defender of the faith, addresses accusations against Christians, including cannibalism, by emphasizing the Eucharist as a sacred practice only for believers who have undergone baptism and strive to live according to Christ's teachings. The Eucharist, referred to as 'Among Us eucharistia,' is seen as a profound mystery, symbolizing a communion of life with the indwelling Trinity.... |
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11 June 2023
 The video emphasizes the importance of simplicity and service in our lives. It highlights how chasing material possessions and addictive behaviors only leave us empty inside. Instead, we are encouraged to serve others, to take care of those in need, and to be the hands that feed and support our brothers and sisters. The Eucharist is presented as a reminder of this call to closeness and solidarity, to remain close to those who are alone or struggling. By celebrating the memorial of the Eucharist, we heal our memories and place it as a priority in both the Church and our personal lives. Additionally, the passage encourages us to engage in adoration and continue the work of doing good and bringing healing to those who are in great need, which is especially important in challenging times. |
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11 June 2023
 I am the Bread of Life, I am the hope in night, I am the door wide open, I am the shepherd’s might, I am the truth and light, I am the way and life, I Am Who Am and I am for you: come and follow me. |
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11 June 2023
 By Father Ron Rolheiser. I went through the seminary and I went through many courses on the Eucharist. After 3 major courses on the Eucharist, I have decided that I do not understand the Eucharist. But, that is okay, the Eucharist is not meant to be understood. Why not? Well this is the story. |
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07 June 2023
 It raises a deeper question does it not? Our scientific and rational minds cannot comprehend such as reality. As the first century Jewish people questioned “How can he (Jesus) give us his flesh to eat?” We are like first century disbelievers. This does not make sense. |
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06 June 2023
 The inspirational story of the Marist Brothers who are present in the world today wherever there are children and young people in need of support and accompaniment. Whether it be in humble schools, slums, or large urban centers, the Marist Brothers strive to be by their side, embodying the presence of Mary. Their mission extends to diverse contexts, from the orchards of Uruguay to the heart of bustling cities, from football fields to areas in need of healing and access to WiFi. The Marist Brothers are driven by their deep affection for children and young people, rooted in their DNA of brotherhood. Their ultimate goal is the transformation of lives and the affirmation of human dignity. Through their fraternal identity, they offer a gift to the world, providing care and guidance to children and young people, nurturing their spirits and cherishing their well-being. This charism is the cornerstone of their mission in serving the needs of children and young people in today's world. |
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06 June 2023
 Marist Spirituality. Marcellin Champagnat |
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04 June 2023
 This article discusses the future of the Marist Communion from various perspectives: ecclesial, Marist, and Gospel. It emphasizes the importance of understanding the implications of the step taken by lay Marists and examines the role of the Marist direction in the Church and the world today. The article explores the relationship between being Marist and being a member of the Church, highlighting the love and criticism for the Church as well as the unique character of the Marist approach. It also touches upon the significance of the laity within the Marist Association and the broader Marist Family. The author reflects on the challenges and tensions faced by religious congregations, such as the Society of Mary, in relation to the Church, and the need for a renewed spiritual anchorage. Furthermore, the article delves into the diversity and unity within the Marist Communion, addressing the distinction between religious and lay members and the evolving dynamics between them. Ultimately, it suggests that the focus should shift from the debate about the role of the laity to the urgent task of what Christians have to offer to the world. The article concludes by proposing the concept of 'Marist communion' as groups of Christians dedicated to living their mission in the world in a distinctive manner. |
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04 June 2023
 Father Michael Whelan reflects on the profound and familiar Gospel text of John 3:16-18, highlighting the two-fold revelation it presents. Firstly, it reveals that God became human, enfleshed in the world. Secondly, this enfleshment is an act of love, expressing God's infinite love for humanity. This understanding forms the foundation of Christian belief and provides insight into the true nature of being human. Father Michael emphasizes that our real existence is found in God and that our lives are meant to be lived through Him. He draws from the teachings of John in his first letter, affirming that God lives in us, and through love, we abide in God..... |
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03 June 2023
 Father Jim McKeon discusses the difference between a thought and a prayer. He explains that while thoughts stay within ourselves, prayers are directed towards someone else, requiring an address like a letter or email. Prayers are oriented towards someone beyond ourselves, such as God, and as Catholics, they often begin with the sign of the cross, addressing the prayer to the entirety of God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. |
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01 June 2023
 DARE TO DREAM, composed for the International Marist youth gathering in 2016 celebrating 200 years of the Promise of Fourviere. Grateful for the legacy of the first Marists and still motivated by their inspiration,.... we sing today: 'Let your heart's desire reach high, living the joy of the Gospel, sharing your Marist light'. |
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28 May 2023
 Will you help us celebrate 'Embrace the Wind – Marist Pentecost Prayer Event' through an online Zoom prayer? We would like to invite you to join us together with Marist Laity Australia on Sunday May 28 at 7.30 pm (Sydney time) to celebrate in person. We will pray, sing, reflect and discuss together. This online zoom forum enables us to enter conversation and dialogue with each other. To listen to the word of God, not just within ourselves but other Marists from across the world. |
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28 May 2023
 This sermon by Tim Keller begins with an apology for the upcoming message, acknowledging the contrast between the joyful worship service and the dark theme of Psalm 88 that will be discussed. The speaker highlights that while the psalms often end with a note of hope, Psalm 88 does not, making it a unique and challenging prayer. The psalm teaches four lessons: darkness can last a long time for a believing Christian, dark times are an opportunity to learn about the grace of God, greatness can be cultivated in dark times, and darkness can be put into perspective. The sermon emphasizes the realism of Christianity, cautioning against false expectations and highlighting the mercy of understanding the reality of suffering. The speaker also discusses how the psalmist's desperate prayer, though not perfect, is included in the Bible as a testament to God's understanding and grace. The sermon concludes by suggesting that dark times are not only places of learning but also opportunities for personal growth and the development of greatness. |
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28 May 2023
 There's nothing worth more. That could ever come close. No thing can compare. You're our living hope. Your presence, Lord. I've tasted and seen. Of the sweetest of loves. Where my heart becomes free. And my shame is undone. Your presence, Lord |
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21 May 2023
 In his message titled 'Go Make Disciples,' Father Jim McKeon reflects on Jesus' final words and the Great Commission before His ascension. He acknowledges that the Australian Catholic Church has struggled with making disciples, relying on large Catholic families in the past. However, with declining birth rates and increased migration, the Church has seen a shift. Father Jim emphasizes the need to understand what it means to be a disciple, defined as a disciplined follower of Jesus who rearranges their schedule to prioritize Him. He questions whether Catholics are truly rearranging their lives to put God first or simply fitting Him in where convenient. Father Jim highlights the importance of making Jesus a priority above all else and the challenges of doing so in a busy world. He encourages the Church to fulfill the mission of making disciples by understanding the thresholds individuals go through in their journey to discipleship and committing themselves to Jesus. As the Feast of Ascension approaches, Father Jim reminds us that Jesus demands our allegiance and emphasizes the significance of being disciples ourselves before making disciples. |
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16 May 2023
 You are invited to join Medi as she takes up what it means to be a Christian in the 21st Century through being revolutionaries of love and tenderness in living our daily lives. |
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14 May 2023
 My first car was a Subaru Impreza. I was delighted with discovering two hidden cup holders. Discovering something I did not realise was there is like Holy Spirit. |
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14 May 2023
 There's nothing worth more. That could ever come close. No thing can compare. You're our living hope. Your presence, Lord |
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07 May 2023
 This will take about 20 minutes. First, Listen to the Luke's Gospel Chapter 6. Second, Select ONE Journal Question. Third, Reflect on your question and journal and write on paper, in your exercise book, or journal book. |
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30 April 2023
 We would like to invite you to join us together with Marist Laity Australia on Sunday April 30 at 7 pm (Sydney time) to celebrate in person. We will pray, sing, reflect and discuss together. This online zoom forum enables us to enter conversation and dialogue with each other. To listen to the word of God, not just within ourselves but other Marists from across the world. |
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25 April 2023
 This will take about 20 minutes. First, Listen to the Luke's Gospel Chapter 4. Second, Select ONE Journal Question. Third, Reflect on your question and journal and write on paper, in your exercise book, or journal book. |
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23 April 2023
 This will take about 20 minutes. First, Listen to the Luke's Gospel Chapter 4. Second, Select ONE Journal Question. Third, Reflect on your question and journal and write on paper, in your exercise book, or journal book. |
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23 April 2023
 In the Gospel of Mark, the Resurrection takes place in silence! The three women went to the tomb in the silence of the night. They met an angel who told them Jesus, the crucified one, had risen. Then, trembling and bewildered, they fled. |
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22 April 2023
 This will take about 20 minutes. First, Listen to the Luke's Gospel Chapter 3. Second, Select ONE Journal Question. Third, Reflect on your question and journal and write on paper, in your exercise book, or journal book. |
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18 April 2023
 This will take about 20 minutes. First, Listen to the Luke's Gospel Chapter 2. Second, Select ONE Journal Question. Third, Reflect on your question and journal and write on paper, in your exercise book, or journal book. |
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17 April 2023
 This will take about 20 minutes. First, Listen to the Luke's Gospel Chapter 1. Second, Select ONE Journal Question. Third,Reflect on your question and journal and write on paper, in your exercise book, or journal book. |
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18 March 2023
 Marist Laity Australia is one contemporary expression of the lay branch of the Marist Family tree. This family is composed of Religious Sisters, Missionary Sisters, Brothers and priests as well as lay men, women and children. All Marists share the one spirit of Mary and all share in the task of doing her work. |
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12 March 2023
 The following is the text of the Holy Father Francis’s Message for Lent 2023, on the theme: “Lenten Penance and the Synodal Journey |
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11 March 2023
 Chaos and order are two things are very much connected. They flow through life in lots of ways. In a connected fashion. When people try and track the chaos in their life. Mostly everyday has moments of chaos. It is possible, all the time. The most disturbing chaos, are the ones that disturb the centres. The points where things are normally stable. That is where the chaos can really get a person. |
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08 March 2023
 Share this prayer with your family, community or class exploring through song, gospel, reflection, discussion and common prayer. |
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07 March 2023
 A Marist Perspective from Father Paul Cooney sm |
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07 March 2023
 This is an account of the transfiguration. Matthew, Mark and Luke have an account of this same event. St Peter in his second letter have an account of this same event. We don't really know what happened. We have the details in today's gospel. But they do not tell us much. They are forceful in a sense because they tell us something profound. Something wonderful. Something beautiful. Something filled with peace occurred. This pressed itself deeply on their memories. |
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04 March 2023
 Watch The Annunciation scene from the Nativity Movie. |
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26 February 2023
 Recently at the Youth Ministry Equipping School in Canberra I was asked the question “whether discipleship was more important than Baptism?” The presenter said, “discipleship is more important than baptism”. I silently and respectfully disagreed. I thought to myself “at baptism we are marked by the grace of Christ”. |
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25 February 2023
 Bob Randall, an Aboriginal Yankunytjatjara elder and traditional owner of Uluru (Ayer's Rock) in Australia, explains how the connectedness of every living thing to every other living thing is not just an idea but a way of living. This way includes all beings as part of a vast family and calls us to be responsible for this family |
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25 February 2023
 Join Andrew and Sarge pray the Rosary. |
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25 February 2023
 The Gospel today is often termed “The Temptations of Jesus”. I have a problem with that because if you label it like that you are almost forced to label it as “the Tempter”. I would like to give the role of “The Tempter” a smaller roll as possible in this story. Especially when you consider the Biblical context. Daniel J Harrington SJ scholar points this out. Matthew is writing from the context of Deuteronomy. The people are led by God into the wilderness where they are tested for 40 years. The Holy Spirit leads Jesus into the wilderness where Jesus is tested for 40 days and 40 nights. |
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13 February 2023
 The early Christians were not called Christians they were known as “the people of the way”. When we call ourselves “Marist” do we lose a sense of who we are? A noun or a name can be static. Something anchored to our memories. Rather could we say “we are people in the way of Mary”. So that the word “Marist” is seen more as a verb than was a noun. “In the way of Mary” is so much more active. It looks to the inspiration of the past through others who have come before us, to be active in the living moment as instruments who as John Claude Colin said “think as Mary”, “feel as Mary” and “act as Mary” did. |
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12 February 2023
 Is it possible that the Holy Spirit is working underground in places today where we may not have even considered? Come and listen to renowned spiritual guide and former Abbot of the famous Glentsal Abbey in Ireland, Mark Patrick Hederman OSB, as he unearths underground cathedrals and explores where the Holy Spirit is at work in the world and lives of ordinary people today. |
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12 February 2023
 Alleluia Alleluia. For our Lord God Almighty reigns. Alleluia Alleluia. For our Lord God Almighty reigns. Alleluia. Holy holy. Are You Lord God Almighty. Worthy is the Lamb. Worthy is the Lamb. You are Holy. Holy |
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05 February 2023
 The Fourviere Pledge is the oldest formal record we have of the intentions of those who founded the Marist family. Two of the priests who signed this pledge went on to become founders: Father Jean-Claude Colin is considered the founder of the priests and brothers and the entire Marist family, and Father Marcellin Champagnat is the founder of the Brothers of the Schools. Four of the signers—Colin, Champagnat, Etienne Terraillon, and Etienne Declas—became professed Marist priests in 1836. |
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05 February 2023
 When we think of synodality it is a spirituality of pilgrimage. When you come from Europe to Australia or from Australia to Europe it is a long journey. You have beautiful moments, but, it can be tiring and it is long. A pilgrimage is like this. We receive joy but other moments are difficult. This is the life with Christ. When we want to become missionary pilgrims together who are the road. This is what synodality is about. Synodality reveals the diversity of God. The main impulse is the Holy Spirit and the cross of Christ. All these people are journeying together. Becoming a synodal church is becoming a church on the move. Synodality is a dynamic vision of the church in history. The church is on pilgrimage on this earth. The church is journeying towards “the Kingdom of God”. As the baptised, all together we are the realisation of the church in history. This is a dynamic vision of the church. Not just a theoretical abstract vision of the church as it should be, but the church, “in” history and “in” a specific “context”. |
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05 February 2023
 Jesus is speaking to the disciples and to us. Saying 'you are the salt of the Earth. You are the light of the world'. This is not a commandment to do something. It is a reminder that we are something already. It is a call to be who and what we are. Light to the world. Salt to the earth. If you are what you are made to be, this is what will happen. This is where you will go. This is what you will do. This is a call to be. |
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29 January 2023
 I am puzzled by the attraction of this text. So many people love the Beatitudes. Yet it is a very difficult text to understand. Comprehend. How can the poor be blessed? How can the grieving be blessed? How can the persecuted be blessed? How can the rejected be blessed? What is happening here? |
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26 January 2023
 By Marist Father Justin Taylor sm. On July 23, 1816, at the shrine of Our Lady of Fourvière, Lyons, twelve priests and seminarians pledged themselves to found a congregation bearing the name of Mary. Those who worked for the next twenty years to carry out this promise were convinced that they were responding to a wish of the Mother of Mercy, which found expression for them in the following words: “I supported the Church at its birth; 1 shall do so again at the end of time'' (Constitutions of the Society of Mary, n. 2). |
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23 January 2023
 I believe it is helpful, when we are seeking to understand and live out the Christ Life, to look for the human ground of those behaviours and practices that we would want to claim as “religious.” More specifically, what is the human ground of those ideals and practices we want to bear witness to as disciples of the Risen Lord? Searching for the human ground is no more nor less than a central implication of the Incarnation: God has chosen to enter our world in the flesh, in a given moment of history, in a particular cultural and social context. In acting in this way, God has confirmed the flesh and history and culture and society as the chosen place of our redemption. |
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16 January 2023
 This is a powerful account of the life and experience of the person of Jesus Christ.You will fall in love with the person of Jesus but also the dynamics of those who meet Jesus.The App is Free to download. There are no adds. You can watch the TV Series “The Chosen”. |
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16 January 2023
 Father Paul Sullivan sm, Director of Marist Mission Centre, has worked for many years with the Indigenous People of Australia. He recently gave some input to our Marist Commission for Inter-Religious Dialogue. |
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16 January 2023
 In both the Hebrew of the Old Testament and the Greek of the New Testament, the words used which we translate as obey, obedience and obedient, all have a close relationship with the various words we translate as hear and listen. One scholar summarizes the use of those Greek words in the New Testament: |
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15 January 2023
 Share this prayer with your family, community or class exploring through song, gospel, reflection, discussion and common prayer. |
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05 January 2023
 When we know the one who is calling us, when we know that God is everywhere with us, what then should we fear ? Founder Speaks 56:4 |
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04 January 2023
 The Society of Mary desires that we, her children, should be missionaries of action and missionaries of prayer. |
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02 January 2023
 Our traditional image of Mary has been a maternal one. Because a single image cannot capture her identity for everyone, this article will investigate how religious women today regard Mary as “blessed among women.” Drawing on their insights, it will distinguish between the stereotyped image of Mary and the real person. |
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31 December 2022
 An article published by Tim Keller entitled The Fading of Forgiveness traces the disappearance of the thing we need most. He talks about Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela which was marked by the ethics of love, forgiveness and reconciliation. These were core pillars of the civil rights movement and compares that to todays activism which seems not to value the virtue of forgiveness as much. |
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31 December 2022
 There is little doubt that Pope Francis has been the most controversial Pope in any of our life times. Dividing the church into those who think he is the greatest pope ever and into those who think he is a heretic. In later years the later group has grown louder with some saying he is not even the real pope at all. |
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31 December 2022
 Walter Kasper rightly observed that the new recognition of thelaity’s mission in the Church is not because of the shortage ofpriests and religious, nor because of the progress of democracy,illustrated for example by parish councils. These are important butexternal factors. Nor do they operate equally throughout theChristian world. The major shift in mentality towards laity isbecause of a clearer and deeper understanding of the nature ofthe Church and its mission. Struggling to find an answer to thequestion ’What should be the basic orientation of the Marist LayMovement today,’ that is of a movement which is both Marist andlay, it seemed sensible to look in the same place where the Churchitself made its discoveries. |
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30 December 2022
 This Word of Life concludes a talk whereSt. Paul tries to explain to the Christiansin Corinth, the force behind his apostolicactivity: his immense love for Jesus. Atthe same time he wants to address a strongcall to certain members of the community whoshowed that they had not fully graspedJesus’ message. They had not understoodthat Jesus came to bring about a totalchange in their lives. |
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30 December 2022
 An intimate message from God to you. |
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29 December 2022
 Whatever happened to wild Mary to that spirited village woman who brokethe chains and shattered the moulds that tried to tame and angel her? |
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28 December 2022
 Essential to Mary’s spirituality is the conviction of being loved by God. This is proclaimed powerfully with the words Luke uses: 'Hail, O favoured one. The Lord is with you ... Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God. ” |
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28 December 2022
 Gentle woman, quiet light, morning star, so strong and bright, gentle Mother, peaceful dove, teach us wisdom; teach us love. |
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28 December 2022
 On Christmas Day 1914 there was a truce between British and German soldiers. After a service in the trenches and hearing the Silent Night hymn one brave man came out to shake the hands of their German counterpart. Soon a football game was played between the two sides. One is Christmas so important? Because it shows that God loves us. |
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27 December 2022
 One of my favourite Gospel scenes has always been Jesus’ return to Nazareth and his reading in the Synagogue. You remember the context in Luke’s account - Jesus was at prayer after being baptised and the Holy Spirit descended on him and a voice came from Heaven: “This is my beloved Son”. Then he was led by the Spirit into the desert for forty days - days of prayer, reflection, fasting and temptation. Then “with the power of the Spirit in him” he returned to Galilee, teaching in the synagogues. Then he came to Nazareth “where he had been brought up, and went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day. He stood up to read, and they handed him the scroll of the prophet Isaiah. Unrolling the scroll he found the place where it is written: |
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27 December 2022
 Share this prayer with your family, community or class exploring the first week of advent through song, gospel, reflection, discussion and common prayer. |
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26 December 2022
 Is Christmas about Jesus? For 39% of Australian population in the national census of 2021 the answer is definitely no. Christmas is just a cultural practise. |
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23 December 2022
 Fundamental to the Marist movement is the conviction that it was Mary’s initiative which called the Society of Mary into existence. She expressed her desire in these words: “Here is what I want . . . a Society which will have my name, which will be called the Society of Mary, whose members will call themselves Marists.” It is she who chose and called the first Marists into her enterprise by giving them her name. |
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23 December 2022
 We greet you with Elizabeth: You are blessed among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb; you are blessed, because you believed in the divine promises! |
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22 December 2022
 The Holy Spirit graces the Church and the world with spiritual gifts through the founders of religious movements. The ideas of these founders deserve special attention and study. This section summarizes the unique understandings and insights of the founder of the Marist family, Father Jean-Claude Colin, S.M. It is now acknowledged that his ideas especially about the Church and the laity were ahead of his time. This claim is best explained by comparing Father Colin’s writings with the teachings of Vatican II, Paul VI, and John Paul II. |
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22 December 2022
 In episode 5, we introduce one of the most celebrated and debated women in history, Mary, the mother of Christ. Catholics and evangelicals have different perspectives on Mary, and much has been misunderstood. In this clip from our episode 5 biblical roundtable (available on the Season One DVD), Dallas discusses our portrayal of Mary with Catholic Priest David Guffey and evangelical scholar Doug Huffman. |
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21 December 2022
 Here are some stories of the recognised saints of the Marist Family, but no doubt, as there are many more. |
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21 December 2022
 Very little has been written about the lives of lay Marists. Yet the laity have been working with the ordained and/or vowed branches of the Marist family since before any of them were approved by the Church. |
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20 December 2022
 Handbook for Leaders of Marist Laity Groups. PART II - Origins and History. This history of the early years of the Marists includes biographies of canonized Marist saints and lay Marists of note. |
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19 December 2022
 Mary has got a place in every life. Probably got a place in all our lives to some extent. We are talking about her having a fully place. What we are talking about is her spirituality in the age we inhabit. The Marist vision and Marist spirituality is not something infused it has got to be communicated. How is it going to be communicated? |
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18 December 2022
 Is it possible that these representations bring to the for a beautiful dimension hide the more brutal and risk laden reality? To be including it in this situation, the situation of God. the theme of trust comes through. In a loving relationship trust comes through. |
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18 December 2022
 It is very nice to be in Gladstone. I am aware what a missionary centre it is. Marists are a missionary congregation and it is good to reminded of this. I have spoken so far in Australia to groups of lay people. This is the first time I have spoken to all the branches of the Marist family. I was also glad to the Sisters of Mercy who taught me as a small boy in Dunedin. The Mercy Sisters draw attention to something which is very central to the Marist charism. Mary is the mother of mercy. The first Marists set out for mission father Colin gave a sermon say “we come among you however unworthy as instruments of Divine mercy”. Marists believe that our founders are gifts not only to us, but to the whole church. They are there for all of us. |
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17 December 2022
 What Child is this, who laid to rest. On Mary's lap is sleeping. Whom angels greet with anthems sweet. While shepherds watch are keeping? |
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17 December 2022
 This Handbook is a resource for group leaders. It is important that leaders becomethoroughly familial' with the contents, share information with other Marists, keep theHandbook intact, and assist in updates as needed. |
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14 December 2022
 9 Key Marist Documents exploring the themes “when will the time come”, “the confraternity of both sexes living in the world”, “like a bridge”, “shine out into the church”, “a new church” etc. |
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14 December 2022
 The early development of the Marist Sisters through Jeanne Marie Chavoin and Marie Jotillon. |
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13 December 2022
 200 years ago the Marist Brothers were founded. Marcellin Champagnat founded an order of brothers committed to helping the young people of the world. As part of the Brothers Today Secretariat’s project to commemorate the Bicentenary, visual storyteller Conor Ashleigh, a former Marist student from Australia, has been photographing and interviewing Marist Brothers around the world. This is the first in a series of short film he has made. The theme of this short film echoes the original dream of Marcellin 200 years ago: Serving God through the service with children and young people. |
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13 December 2022
 Marist to me means a big community. It has a lot to do with being together. Relationships are very important. I base a lot of my life and my experiences even with Christ on relationships. Relationships to me are places where I feel I belong where I can connect with others who really care for me and where I care for them. I love to be able to connect with other people and to share many experiences with them. To learn from others. It is important that I am continuing to grow as Marist and as a person in community. I can learn a lot from those people who are around me. |
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12 December 2022
 Videos from the Lay Marist Vocations Conference in Rome |
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11 December 2022
 It is time to join together with other Marists from across the world as we prepare for Christmas. Marist Laity Australia would like to invite you to join us on Sunday December 11 at 7 pm (EAST Eastern Australian Time) to As we prepare for Christmas. |
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11 December 2022
 Marist Spirituality comes from Mary of Nazareth - hidden and unknown as it were - the spirit of the family at Nazareth. This can be conveyed to young people as well. We see the application of the Marist spirituality in all the branches of the Marist family. |
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11 December 2022
 This week two young men knocked on my door to tell me that Jesus loved me. I invited them in for a cup of tea and we spoke about the love of God in our lives. I really admire the boldness and courage of these two young group from this group who are doing a weeks mission. Who are going to face so much rejection. Of am sure that most people did not give them a cup of tea but rather closed the door in their face, and yet, they kept on persisting on reaching out on the street or knocking on doors. Just to tell people how much God loved them.... |
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02 December 2022
 The spirituality of these groups was based on what Justin Taylor would describe as a sub-school of Jesuit mystical spirituality that developed from the teachings of three Jesuits - Louis Lallemant (1578-1635), Jean-Joseph Surin (1600-1665), and Francois Guillord (1615-1684). The three mystical elements that they advanced were the spirituality of all the baptized with its integral missionary dimension, the concept of Jesus as model, and the spirituality of - a term which will be discussed below. These three elements may be discovered in the letters as a universal/missionary, Marian spirituality of 'assimilation'. |
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02 December 2022
 Everyone is aware that there is a crisis in marriage and family life, and no one knows what to do about it. Some people see that crisis only too clearly as the marriages of their children and their friends break down. It is clear in the abundance of one-parent families, and in the prevalence of divorce, ill-health, depression and suicide. Neither the Church nor the wider society seems to know what to do about this crisis. |
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01 December 2022
 I was standing once in a big building when suddenly a sparrow flew in at one high window and almost immediately flew out again at another across the hall. It happened so quickly it might not have happened at all. And there was no sign the sparrow had passed. Someone who had noticed this common occurrence wrote that it was a symbol of the brevity and inconsequence of human life. We can accept the brevity, but not the inconsequence. We know lives matter. Certainly, whatever one's attitude to the meaning of human existence, everyone wants to live a life that counts. Everyone wants to live a truly significant life. |
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30 November 2022
 A small, wooden flute, an empty, hollow reed, rests in her silent hand. it awaits the breath of one who creates song through its open form. |
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29 November 2022
 In nineteenth century France, the impact of the two great forces of the French and Industrial Revolutions had had a traumatic effect on all aspects of French life. The structures that underpinned French society, previously based on feudalism and agriculture, were replaced by urbanization and industry. Such powerful forces of change created a mindshift in all things French that the Restoration Charter of 4 June, 1814, could not reverse. Among all other facets of French life, the religious dimension was radically changed. This then is the context that must be studied in order to determine the origin and nature of the spirituality expressed in the letters of the Pioneers. |
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28 November 2022
 I have traveled many moonless nights. Cold and weary with a babe inside. And I wonder what I've done. Holy father you have come. And chosen me now to carry your son |
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27 November 2022
 We have begun the season of advent our time of waiting for Christ to be born. It is only until the final week of Advent that we look at the scriptures of the events leading up to Jesus in Bethlehem. Through this whole season of Advent starting this first Sunday we do the much longer journey of what would life be like when the Messiah comes? We do this through the lens of the people of Israel each week. Today we hear from the prophet Isaiah. To do that we look at the people 6th and 7th centuries before Christ. Were a people who had been invaded and occupied and exiled. They saw their nation divided. They saw their civil and religious structures collapse at various times. Today, we look at the people of Ukraine and think what would they be hoping and longing for? |
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26 November 2022
 The world waits for a miracle.The heart longs for a little bit of hope.Oh come, oh come, Emmanuel.A child prays for peace on Earth.And she's calling out from a sea of hurt.Oh come, oh come, Emmanuel |
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26 November 2022
 This Word of Life contains the fundamental law of all Christian life. Through baptism, the world and sin no longer have a hold on us. We are now living a new life in which Christ dwells in us and we live for him. |
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25 November 2022
 In 1845, a Frenchwoman from Lyon embarked on board the Catholic mission vessel L 'Arch d' Alliance for an eleven month voyage that would take her to the island of Wallis (Ovea) in Oceania. For this intrepid woman, Mademoiselle Francoise Perroton, this journey, taken at the age of forty-nine, was no sudden impulse. She was to write that 'From 1820 I had my heart set on being one of those whom God calls to do the work of missionaries'. |
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24 November 2022
 Brother Leo said that in novitiate he was told to read 'The Soul of the Apostolate' every year. He learned from this book that prayer is the foundation for everything. He said that action is the shadow side of the Brothers as they have become workaholics. They would rather teach, coach, clean than become mystics. We need time for life, energy and to develop a passion for God that can only come about by prayer. We are not social workers or activists -we do love the work but it is not enough. We are Marists in Action and for this we need a deep prayer life to support our ministry. |
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24 November 2022
 My soul magnifies the Lord;my spirit rejoices in God my savior.For he has done great things for me,and holy, holy is his name. |
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22 November 2022
 Who first attracted you to the Marists?What do you like about the Marist lifestyle?What is your best experience as a Marist in the missions?What advice would you give a young person considering religious life?Who is your favourite Marist figure? |
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22 November 2022
 Blessed are the poor in spirit. Who long for You, long for You. Blessed are the heavy-hearted. In need of You, need of You. |
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14 November 2022
 There is something in us all which yearns to settle down and be at home. This is a fundamental yearning to be in control. To feel secure because we know what is happening. The message of the Gospel actually runs into that. We are pilgrims. In our Catholic tradition the Church entered the Second Vatican Council with an arrival mentality. We had the answers. However, from the Second Vatican Council it became a journeying church. |
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14 November 2022
 Roll away your stone, I'll roll away mine. And together we can see what we will find. Don't leave me alone at this time. For I am afraid of what I will discover inside. |
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10 November 2022
 We are moving into our third session. This session is called “Love is forgiveness”. I am going to show you a film clip. This film was made in 1986 called “The Mission”. The mission is about the Jesuits trying to do mission work in South American in the 1705 to 1709. One of their commitments was to make contact with the Guaraní people (or the indigenous peoples). |
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09 November 2022
 The experience of the conference is like a wheel - we want to move forward. The hub, the centrepoint is the person of Jesus - we want to be disciples of Jesus and the person who can teach us best how to be a disciple is Mary. |
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08 November 2022
 In the darkness we were waiting. Without hope, without light. 'Til from Heaven You came running. There was mercy in Your eyes. To fulfill the law and prophets. To a virgin came the word. From a throne of endless glory. To a cradle in the dirt |
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08 November 2022
 There are all these tensions going on. One of the tensions was between a “false I” and a “True I”. Another tensions was between a “false God” and a “true God”. Nietzsche may not have believed in God, but he had an image of God. Nietzsche says “the only God I knew was impossible a tyrant and a power”. Teresa of Avila comes back and says “the only God I know is the God that Jesus reveals”. |
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07 November 2022
 We will enter into conversations throughout the day. Through each conversation I have tried to capture a number of conversations of love. The first face and first conversation is that we want to look at is that of humble love. This relates to the Marist and Marian movement. We see Mary as a mother of humility. What does that mean? Can this conversation gives us insight into the meaning of humility? |
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05 November 2022
 Humility is a key virtue which Marist Founder John Claude Colin often writes about. For Marists we do not take on the Stoic and Greek ideal of humility, but seek a Christian humility who seeks to live in relationship with God and other people. |
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01 November 2022
 A beautiful and challenging theme of inclusivity. The story of Zacchaeus is a little tac collector because he is little he climbs a tree. He wants to see Jesus. To catch a glimpse of him says Luke. It is Jesus who says Zacchaeus and invites himself to Zacchaeus home. This provokes quiet a reaction from all the onlookers. All the onlookers grumbled as it says he is going to eat in the house of a sinner. Do you find Zacchaeus an attractive person? Honestly. Would you think it good that Jesus would show special interest in this man who is taking money from his fellow citizens in order to pay the Roman oppressor? I think not. It is a difficult man to like this Zacchaeus. May it is not a question of liking. Maybe there is something deeper called for here. |
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01 November 2022
 I believe You gave sight to the blind. I believe that the dead came to life. I believe there were wonders and signs. You're still the same. |
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30 October 2022
 No matter where you are on your journey with Christ, this TV Show is for you. The Chosen is a 7 episode television series about the life of Christ, as witnessed through the eyes of those he impacted. Starts Sunday October 30. Bring your family, friends, neighbours, and anyone who want to know more about Jesus... |
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30 October 2022
 Do we accept the real presence of the Eucharist? The faith of the church from the beginning becomes the Body and Blood of the Lord. The Second Vatican Council tried to bring a balance. The Council recognised many ways Jesus is present. Jesus is present in the community “Where two or three are gathered in my name”. But this is not the Eucharistic presence. Jesus is present in the scriptures. God is the eternal Word. “In the beginning of the Word and the Word was with God”. Jesus of truly present in the scripture. Jesus is truly present in the pastoral presence. We cannot go it alone. Finally, Jesus is present in the sacraments. Saint Augustine said, “it does not matter if it is Judas who baptises or Peter who baptises”. Why? Because it is Christ who baptises. |
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30 October 2022
 Pilgrim, how you journey. On the road you chose. To find out why the winds die. And where the stories go. All days come from one day. That much you must know. You cannot change what's over. But only where you go. |
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27 October 2022
 You were the Word at the beginning. One with God the Lord Most High. Your hidden glory in creation. Now revealed in You our Christ. |
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25 October 2022
 Myth inspires creative vision and dynamic action. It is not a monolithic and closed system; but a beckoning forth, an opening out, within a mythic horizon which liberates the individual, integrates experience and provides a unifying paradigm for life. John Claude Colin's development of the Marist root-metaphor in terms of eschatological vision has been little understood. This is because 'the communication of a vision is not a showing (of pictures - of reality) but a communion (in seeing - the universe): in other words it is simply and profoundly a myth. |
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23 October 2022
 This Prayer focuses on the story of prayer of the tax collector and Pharisee by Jesus (Luke 18:9-14). It shows us not to judge others but also reminds us in how we approach God in our own lives. Watch the reflection. Discuss key questions. Share common prayer. Listen to music. This is a great prayer for your family or community around the theme of 'humility'. |
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20 October 2022
 The critical issue being explored in this paper is the following: how canwe understand the past, and especially the Marist charism, in a way which engages us in the present and gives life to our future? Clearly, this is a matter of more than academic interest as a reading of the Superior General’s Report on the Society demonstrates. |
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16 October 2022
 Marists, and one feels that he is concerned that this perhaps has not taken place, or is not taking place in the lives of many Marists. Many Marists are in this 'second conversion'' time of life. In this article I am thinking of those who are either beginning, or already experiencing the second half of lite. to help us understand what is taking place within us, and what challenges lie before us; in the hope that, being freed from the fears that lack of awareness brings, we will be able to embark |
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09 October 2022
 Our aim is to make the whole world Marist. If I said this to theologians or to anyone else in Germany they would frown. In German the word 'Marist' ('maristisch') sounds rather strange, if not ideological, like every word in German ending in 'istisch'. Even my spiritual director told me last week that he knew there was a religious order called 'Marists' but their name did not make him think of Mary. As students we used to make fun of the name by adding an x which turned 'Marist' |
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09 October 2022
 This Prayer contains 3 scenes from the film Wonder. Watch Auggie Pullman as he deals with the stress of transitioning to high school. Also listen to Gospel reading where the disciples get caught in a storm and are very stressed. Read the reflection. Discuss key questions. Share common prayer. Listen to music. This is a great prayer for your family or community around the theme of 'Acceptance'. |
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07 October 2022
 This Prayer contains 2 scenes from the film Soul Surfer. Watch Bethany Hamilton come to terms with the reality of loosing her arm. Also listen to Gospel reading where Mary is asked to bear a son, even though she is only 14 years old and not married. Discuss key questions. Share common prayer. Listen to music. This is a great prayer for your family or community around the theme of Acceptance. |
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26 September 2022
 As for me the only thing I can boast aboutis the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom the world is crucified to me and I to the world (Galations 6:14) For Paul there is no greater suffering than to see. some of his recent converts repudiate and denigrate the cross of Christ in everyday life. |
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16 September 2022
 We believe Colin and his companions were chosen by Mary to have a special relationship with her and to allow her to continue her work through them. 'We are the bearers of a particular grace in the Church and for the Church. We do not hide it under a bushel, we wish to share it. |
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15 September 2022
 You received around Easter the new Decreta Capitularia of the Society of Mary, No. 112 speaks of the responsibility of the Superior General and his Council and of the Provincial Superiors and their Councils to foster the development of the Third Order and lay Marist groups. The nature of the responsibility is specified when the decree goes on to speak of your duty to 'initiate reflection and research with the laity themselves on how to integrate lay Marists into the global mission of the Church in the way envisaged by Father Colin.' |
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12 September 2022
 Please share this prayer with your communities, families and schools. Prayer is a powerful tool which we are called to use more and more through scripture reading, pondering, questions reflection, sharing, common prayer, music and a very powerful homily by Father Jim from Carlingford. |
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08 September 2022
 This resource 'In the way of Mary – a companion for the journey' is a form of the review of the day based on this defining moment. It is an adaptation of a long held spiritual practice within our faith tradition. For those who share in the Marist charism and spirit we believe that it will offer special support, insight and grace. |
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07 September 2022
 One of the remarkable things that are taking place in Christian awareness today is the way in which we are being forced to look beyond familiar categories and to own again the elemental realities of Christian faith and life. One of the things that we are rediscovering is the importance of celebration, as an essential element of our human and Christian existence. When we celebrate an event or an occasion, we enter together into the deeper reality of our life: to know its wonder, its joy, its inspiration, and its challenges: Because it is a meeting with the deeper realities of life, a celebration always has an undercurrent of profound seriousness, even a margin of pathos. I am profoundly conscious of this as I try to find words appropriate to this Marist celebration. |
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06 September 2022
 We are very much in a time of balance - in between crisis and challenge. To say that we are living in a changing world hardly sounds a new topic for reflection or consideration. Cardinal Newman said: 'to live is to change, and to become perfect is to have changed often.' |
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16 August 2022
 Today is the Feast of the Assumption. The day we celebrate where Mary is assumed into Heaven body and soul. At 12.25 pm today I had a religious education class. I was struck that over three quarters of the students pleaded with me to go to church at 12.30 pm. The school I teach had not organised mass for students to attend and I had planned other work to do. We walked quickly next door. The church was filled with many older people many seemed retired. Suddenly, the church streamed with many young people moving in. Sitting at the edge of the pew all the way up the column. Many older people moved over to allow the young students to sit down. It was as though the Holy Spirit was pouring out. It felt right to be there even though it was not planned. |
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14 August 2022
 The early Christian community was a faith community, sharing a common belief in a resurrected Jesus, a loving Father and an empowering Spirit. So strong was this belief and the power it had to draw its members together in true communion that it be came a counter-cultural and prophetic force, able to attract new members from every class of people and race, holding them together in a life of mutual love and service.
Every religious community modelled on the early Church community is called to be a faith community with these and other similar characteristics. |
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12 August 2022
 By Marist Father John Thornhill sm. In his letter to mark the Great Jubilee of the year 2000 (8 Dec. 1999), Joaquin Fernandez suggested that, if the Society of Mary is to meet the challenges which lie ahead, we must be prepared 'to deconstruct all those certainties (and they are many) - material, intellectual .and spiritual which we have built up with great effort over a long period of time'. These 'certainties', he continued, 'prevent us from discerning the newness of God, to be free to proclaim a message of true hope and to place ourselves, in coherent fashion, in the midst of the world'. |
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15 July 2022
 VENERABLE Father Colin was a man of strength. And this virtue of fortitude sprang from the certainty that God, using his nothingness to perform a work, filled that nothingness with His own divine strength: ' I can do all things in Him who strengthened me.'' |
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14 July 2022
 Like Mary, we are called to leave our comfort zone and to be in the peripheries in order to offer nearness and proximity. We are sent to the strong and the weak, the wholesome and the broken. We are to be a “Malcolm in the Middle” who occupies in betwixt and between, liminal, peripheral and precarious places. Like Jesus in his ministry among the sick and the lost, we are called to meet God in the most unlikely people and places. Like him who often immersed himself at the margins, we too must be in that frontier space. It is that precarious liminal space where the true cost of our discipleship is counted, because we dare to walk with the Samaritans of our time, just like Jesus did before us. |
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12 July 2022
 Welcome to the retreat in daily life. It is a very simple and natural process, which invites you to live your normal life, but in addition to put aside half an hour or so for prayer each day at a time and in a place you find helpful. In addition, you are encouraged to talk about what happens in your prayer with a guide or mentor twice a week. At the end, you will have the opportunity to reflect together on the process and what it has meant for you. |
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12 July 2022
 We are born restless. We are very complex in our nature. We are very driven and complex in our sexuality. The majority of people including Christians have trouble connecting that to God. I do not use this expression lightly “God smiles on us”. |
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11 July 2022
 From the time we are in kindergarten, we can understand the message of Jesus' parable of the 'Good Samaritan'. That we are to be like that Samaritan and help out our neighbours in their needs. Like so many like the Good Samaritan there are layers and levels that we can draw deeper understanding. |
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08 July 2022
 For many, the spiritual life may not seem to require the presence of a writing utensil, but some Catholic groups are encouraging journaling in connection with one’s faith to bring about fruitful spiritual progress in the lives of individual Catholics. |
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08 July 2022
 His Eminence Stephen Cardinal Kim. In order to help us understand our mission of evangelizing the poor, I wish to reflect with all of you about the kind of evangelization that Jesus did. I thought of calling this talk: 'Jesus' Evangelization of the Poor', since, in His heart, the poor were the prime target of His Good News. But the thought occurred to me that Jesus' evangelization was not limited to the poor. Rather, his bias for the poor, His evangelization of the poor, His identification with the poor was itself His message of evangelization to the rich as well, showing them in a most graphic way the path of their salvation. |
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03 July 2022
 Our True self is who we really are. Who we are before God. In contrast our false self is who we think we are. It is our mental self-image and social agreement, which most people spend their lives living up to |
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03 July 2022
 ALL real charity, all apostolic work, is and cannot be other than the blossom and the fruit of renunciation and the interior life. That is why, when founding a Society given to active apostolate, Venerable Father Colin taught his sons first and foremost detachment from everything, together with the necessity of a life of prayer: |
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28 June 2022
 There was once a bright and young woman named Kate and Kate wanted to serve God. She was in her final year of school she said 'when I finish my exams, then, I will serve God'. Well she finished her exams, and went to uni. Uni of course is harder than school. She said 'when I finish uni, then, I will serve God'. She finished uni and got a joy. Young graduates are pushed hard to do long hours. So she said 'well, maybe soon I will serve God'. Life got busy. She met a nice man. God married and had kids. Then, she was busy like she never knew before..... |
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26 June 2022
 Union with God will be made quite easy, if we allow ourselves to be deeply penetrated with the truth, the essential truth, that God really lives in a pure soul. It was the holy Founder's wish that his children be conscious, at every moment of the day, of this life of God within them, that their every thought, word and deed spring from this consciousness, that God be the centre of their lives, their all. |
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25 June 2022
 Simplicity must be properly understood. Our Lord said to His apostles: 'Be as wise as serpents, and as simple as doves.' Those words are addressed very specially to us. We must be simple, but our simplicity must be that of the Blessed Virgin. We must have but one heart and no other object in view save the glory of God. True simplicity shuns all ostentation, affectation, singularity, all want of tact and of dignity. It is above all triviality, all vulgarity of posture, of words and of actions. Neither is it akin to dissimulation. . . . I wish you all that time simplicity of Mary which draws, wins and pleases God and man.' |
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24 June 2022
 VENERABLE Father Colin's soul was greatly attracted to the hidden life. And be found it nowhere in such perfection as in the little house of Nazareth, in the humble life of the Holy Family which he proposed to his children as a constant subject of meditation. It is, in truth, an infinitely rich theme. |
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23 June 2022
 Jesus did not say “Blessed are those who are happy”. Jesus did not say “Blessed are those that make money”. Jesus did not say “Blessed are those powerful and in control”. Rather Jesus said, “Blessed are those who mourn”. Rather Jesus said, “Blessed are those who are poor”. Rather Jesus said, “Blessed are those who are humble and persecuted”. It is so that the love of God might be seen through you and me. We are called to become instruments of God’s love. We need to realign our values and choices. We cannot do this alone. To be people of the Beatitudes is to choose the road less travelled. Not to choose suffering. But to choose to be instruments of hope. To be chose to be beacons of hope. So that the love of God can flow through our hearts. |
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22 June 2022
 Joan Chittister found her community as a teenager, seventy years ago, when she joined the Benedictine sisters in Pennsylvania. For decades she has devoted herself to renewing community in and beyond the Catholic church. Her fierce advocacy for women has put her at odds with some within the hierarchy, but as a spiritual writer she had brought the insights of her tradition to a wider world. |
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20 June 2022
 We meet renowned Aboriginal elder and 2021 Senior Australian of the Year, Dr Miriam Rose Ungunmerr-Baumann. Dr Ungunmerr-Baumann advocates for a kind of listening — a quiet awareness — that sums up a whole way of being. |
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19 June 2022
 This leaflet is simply an outline guide for individuals and groups who are Marist according to the spirituality lived in the Society of Mary (Marist Fathers, Sisters Brothers, and Missionary Sisters). The name Marist is a family name belonging to a great variety of groups: the four religious congregations: Marist Brothers of the Schools, Marist Sisters, Missionary Sisters of the Society of Mary, Society of Mary and many lay groups.The Society of Mary is only part of something much greater. The first Marists called it 'the work of Mary'. This expression has a rich meaning: that Mary wants all people to experience the mercy of God. She calls others to share her concern: 'I will give you my name and you will do my work'. The work of those who live her spirit is to bring the gospel of love and mercy to the world. So when, as individuals or groups, we call ourselves 'Marist' we express a desire to live in a certain way and participate in this work of Mary. |
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19 June 2022
 I would like to plead for a Marian church; not for a church which multiplies processions and blesses huge statues ... rather a church which 'lives the Gospel after the manner of Mary'. The Marian Church follows Mary into the mountains, going off with her to encounter life; she visits men and women, and, though things may seem to be sterile, she is on the watch for what is coming to birth, for possibilities, for the life which beats in things. |
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19 June 2022
 I first met the Marist Missionary Sisters in Jamaica, where I was working as a doctor doing medical research. After a wonderful journey of discovery of myself and the Marist Missionary Sisters, I began my postulancy in Jamaica. However, it was not until I returned to Australia that I had any formal class on the Marist spirit. I had not learnt much about obedience either, and so, when Sister. Gail told me to read 'The Marist Ideal', I told her that I was not prepared to read anything until I could call 'Our Lady' by her name 'Mary' as the other sisters did. My experience of Marist Missionary Sisters in both Jamaica and Australia was that they had a familiarity with Mary which I had never previously encountered and it was for me the essence of the Marist spirit. Even at that stage, I understood that the Marist spirit is not taught but caught. |
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19 June 2022
 Mary. Gather us as one. From your place in heaven. United with your Son. Mary. In this Holy shrine. Touch the heart of pilgrims and touch this heart of mine. |
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| Poverty | Marist Father John Claude Colin |
18 June 2022
 Principles of the Spiritual Life. In the Constitutions of the Society of Mary, Venerable Father Colin returns three times to the spirit of poverty. His third reference to this subject is the very last Article of those Constitutions, as though, his work completed, his fatherly soul felt the need to insist once more, in a sort of spiritual testament, on a point intimately dear to him. |
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15 June 2022
 Principles of the Spiritual Life. 'Obedience consists in obeying man for God's sake. It enables brethren to live together harmoniously, and leads them to heaven by a safe path.' 'That is why all must endeavour to esteem it highly, and to practise it with such perfection that if they allow other religious to surpass them in knowledge, in mortification, in poverty, they will let none outdo them in obedience. They will thus show themselves to be the true children and servants of the Blessed Virgin who, though Queen of Angels and of men, always submitted humbly to all with whom she lived.'' |
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12 June 2022
 No. Being a Christian does not matter. At least for the 80 to 90% of Australians who in the past 40 years who have walked away from various Christian Churches. There are an assorted reasons why “the church no longer matters”, but at its core, is the loss of faith in Jesus Christ. Our culture today places importance on continually being happy, on constant entertainment and on earning money. Did Jesus say “Blessed are the happy” .No. Rather, he taught blessed are the poor”, “Blessed are those who mourn” and “Blessed are the persecuted”. Constant happiness, entertainment or earning money fit into the culture of the ego and places the individual in the driver’s seat. Being a Christian does not cut it. |
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11 June 2022
 I have recently completed two years formation as a spiritual director with Spiritual Growth Ministries (New Zealand) and in that time my understanding and experience of spiritual direction expanded enormously. The formation experience did not change my spirituality, which is essentially Marist, but added depth and integration to it. In this paper I offer a taste of Marist spirituality, particularly as experienced by laity today and reflect on how that spirituality sustains and develops my direction ministry. |
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11 June 2022
 The gospel of Jesus. It's the hope of the ages. Burning brighter and brighter. And standing forever |
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| Humility | Marist Father John Claude Colin |
10 June 2022
 Principles of the Spiritual Life. According to venerable Marist Father John Claude Colin . Those who knew Venerable Father Colin, those who have spoken of him, have all emphasized the out standing humility of his soul. His deep under- standing of the principle of true humility is aptly summed up in these words of his : 'You see, God is He who is. The creature is that which is not.' |
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06 June 2022
 Exploring 7 key virtues of Marcellin Champagnat…Simplicity, deep concern, open-mindedness, trust in God, trust in Mary, strength of character, family spirit and practical wisdom. |
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06 June 2022
 VENERABLE Father Colin often re-emphasized the necessity of penance -and love of the Cross. But, scattered among other teachings, the texts dealing with that subject are difficult to isolate. Suffice it to say that the spirit of penance is a typically Marist virtue. For to continue the mission of Mary crucified with her Son one must be crucified with her. |
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05 June 2022
 At Nazareth, even before the birth of the Church, the fullness of the Kingdom of God existed in the life of a simple family of ordinary people. Two believers gathered around Christ, and their only thought was the will of the Father. |
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05 June 2022
 Principles of the Spiritual Life. According to venerable Marist Father John Claude Colin. Detachment. It is said of the Apostles, that when Jesus called them, ' they left all and followed him '. |
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05 June 2022
 How do we fall in love? Last week our parish began the Alpha Marriage program. It begins with a lovely old British couple with posh eloquent British accents. Nicky and Cecelia telling us how they met on a group holiday 40 years ago. Each of them liked the look of each other and felt attracted to one another over the space of the holiday. But each were too nervous to say anything to the other for fear of being rejected. It was only on the last day of the holiday that they found the courage to speak openly. |
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05 June 2022
 By contemplating both Nazareth and Pentecost through the person of Mary, Colin brings an enriching perspective whereby the two become telescoped in her life. |
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15 May 2022
 We need to foster culture in our society from the word 'telling' to the word 'conversation'. Are at least one of the parties is open to the possibility of 'conversion'. Father Michael Whelan speaking at the International Marist Laity Conference. |
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15 May 2022
 Christopher is a religious affairs journalist and Vatican expert who has lived in Rome as correspondent for The Tablet. Since 2013 he has travelled widely and been close to Pope Francis. He has distilled Francis’ message to the wider church and world in his recent book, The Outsider: Pope Francis and His Battle to Reform the Catholic Church. |
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25 April 2022
 When something seems too good to be true it often is. We see a lot of this on the internet. That $50 iphone. The beautiful stranger who wants to find true love with you or the Nigerian prince who wants to give you one million dollars. We are rightly sceptical and doubtful about such things because they are usually not true. It must have seen too good to be true for those first disciples 2000 years ago who were heart broken at the death of Jesus when they suddenly found in alive again. It was heart for those who saw him face to face such as the disciples on the road to Emmaus. Mary Magdalene and the original apostles. It was hard for them to accept that Jesus had risen again. Let alone poor old Thomas who was out of the room when Jesus came back. We often call Thomas doubting Thomas. We need to cut him some slack and call him 'reasonable sceptical Thomas'. |
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23 April 2022
 The pattern for the life that suited Jeanne-Marie Chavoin.Was based on the person of Mary, the mother of Jesus.Mary was her model in living out the gospel. As a member of a religious congregation. In post-Revolution France. |
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23 April 2022
 Many nights we prayed. With no proof, anyone could hear. In our hearts a hopeful song. We barely understood. Now, we are not afraid. Although we know there's much to fear. We were moving mountains. Long before we knew we could, whoa, yes |
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22 April 2022
 As a young adult who wants to live a life of meaning is not knowing what that looks like. There is lots of unknown. Just when we want the certainty the most. Lean into that uncertainty. It is good for your mental health and it is good for spirituality. |
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20 April 2022
 Recently, I helped lead a retreat with year 12 students. In the small group which I ran, two students openly talked about their use of rocks and crystals for healing. They spoke about how these different types of rocks, such as jade, had healing properties. Immediately I thought “this is wrong” and “isn’t the Christian teaching that Jesus is the Son of God more correct and ultimately more powerful?” But….I realised in that moment I could create a slanging match or debate about who is right and who is wrong. “Of cause, I am right” I thought… But are these questions at the level of my own ego. Where my ego has an ambition always to be right and always be in control. |
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20 April 2022
 Owe the Splendour of creation.God's own hand and God's design.We belong in adoration.See the gifts of the divine.Mountains high over rushing waters.Owe the beauty of the sky. |
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18 April 2022
 Who taught the sun where to stand in the morning? And who told the ocean, you can only come this far? And who showed the moon where to hide 'til evening? Whose words alone can catch a falling star? |
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18 April 2022
 Here in Australia we have been blessed not to have experienced the high levels of sickness and death that so many people throughout the world have experienced with COVID 19 in the last 2 years. But for lockdowns that kept us for the most part safe, came at their own cost. The cost of families, friends and communities being isolated from each other for sometimes extended periods of time. Of people being under financial and job stress. Of businesses struggling to survive. As well as health care workers on the front line who are in continual crisis day after day. Another group baring the brunt of the pandemic were young parents and grandparents who were trying to home school their children.... |
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18 April 2022
 I am now going to enter this house where the mother of Jesus is spending her holy Saturday, and with John’s permission try and talk to her. The conversation is inspired first of all by contemplating the way in which Mary lived this dramatic moment. |
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15 April 2022
 As we listen to John’s account of the actual dying of Jesus, we feel the mystery of it all. We would love to have been there. We would love to know what his last moments were like. John tries to tell us in his gospel. Before we think about what he says, we need to look at what other gospel writers have said about those last moments of Jesus. They all give a different account of it. John has Jesus dying in complete silence. Mark has him dying with a loud cry. Silences and shouting: the silence of Jesus, the last cry of Jesus. We hear both of them. And we are there in the midst of them. |
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15 April 2022
 Listen to these words of Jesus in St Marks Gospel. Anyone who wishes to be a follower of mine must leave self behind. He must take up his cross and come with me. We meditate to do just that. To make that fundamental call that Jesus makes. This is the basis of all Christian faith. To leave self behind. |
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15 April 2022
 Lost, everything is lost. And everything I've loved before is gone. Alone, like the coming of the frost. And a cold winter's chill in my stony heart. |
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15 April 2022
 To give away our death. This startles most people who never use this expression. There are three major faces of your life. This is also human but Christian. The first struggle of life is to get your life together. Puberty chases you our of your house. This will take 20 or 30 years. You find home again. The next 40 or 50 years of your life which are generative years. You build. you have kids. Career. Then you might have 20 or 25 years after that. The question is not what can I still do? Rather, what can i do so that when I die my death is a blessing? |
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13 April 2022
 When a baby is born it clings to its mother’s chest. Gaining an insight by touch and smell of the mother’s closeness. The heart beat it knows very well. The father hopefully to will hold their baby. Research shows that the father too greatly influences the development of the baby through their connection. In this beginning moment in time the mother and the father may seem like God to the baby. Providing everything. |
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12 April 2022
 A house builder does not start with the roof or the tiles. Our relationship with God are within stages like a builder building a house. You need to start with a foundation. The beginning stages is the laying of the cement. There is a natural beginning when we draw upon the natural elements and building blocks of our own lives. God speaks to us most fully through our own life experience. |
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11 April 2022
 There is a forgetting that is occurring in Christian communities. A loss of the importance of being a follower of Jesus Christ. At a recent year 12 retreat I helped to facilitate, some students wrote in their evaluations “I am not religious” or “I am not Christian”. Some parents I know who were brought up Catholic have decided not to baptise their Children. Even in my own immediate family my own children say “why do we have to go to church”. It would seem I am fighting a loosing battle. |
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09 April 2022
 This documentary tells the story of Cardinal Bernardin's coming to awareness of the sexual abuse scandal in the Catholic Church, his courageous action to address the issue, the false accusation leveled against him, his exoneration, and his reconciliation with Stephen Cook, his accuser. |
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09 April 2022
 I Forgive is a song released ahead of i4give Day (Monday 1 February), an annual forgiveness day being launched by the Abdallah family and cousin Bridget Sakr. Tragically on February 1 2020 they lost 4 of their children. |
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09 April 2022
 Jesus is led like a lamb to the slaughter. We are made in the image and likeness of this vulnerable God. Have you ever thought that being vulnerable is part of the essence of being a fulfilled human being? That is very counter intuitive for Western cultures. We seek fulfilment in the opposite of being in control. This deep primitive desire to be in control is actually an instinct for fascism. We find in Jesus a quality of venerability the primary antidote to the instinct of fascism. Rowan Williams says 'it is in the cross that we see in the revelation of what it is that characterises Gods personal being' |
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09 April 2022
 Matt Maher. I've carried a burden. For too long on my own. I wasn't created. To bear it alone. I hear Your invitation.To let it all go.Yeah, I see it now.I'm laying it down. And I know that I need You |
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27 March 2022
 If you want to get a man to build a boat, you can teach him to saw planks of wood and hammer nails or you can teach him to dream of the ocean. The first way will get the job done. The boat will get built, but it might never leave the shore. But the person who dreams of the ocean, who yearns for the open seas will find a way to get the skills, to get the tools and get the equipment to build the boat. Then they will launch out into the deep and sail out into the horizon. |
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27 March 2022
 I have recently completed two years formation as a spiritual director with Spiritual Growth Ministries (New Zealand) and in that time my understanding and experience of spiritual direction expanded enormously. The formation experience did not change my spirituality, which is essentially Marist, but added depth and integration to it. In this paper I offer a taste of Marist spirituality, particularly as experienced by laity today and reflect on how that spirituality sustains and develops my direction ministry. As a third generation Pakeha (European New Zealander) I have a deep respect for tikanga Maori (Maori culture) and te reo (language) as a precious taonga (treasure) for New Zealanders. When used I will translate Maori to English in brackets. |
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26 March 2022
 In this present period of the beginning of the Third Millennium we wish to turn in a special way to her (Mary) the one who in the night of the Advent expectation began to shine like a true Morning Star, for just as this star, together with the dawn precedes the rising of the sun, so Mary from the time of her Immaculate Conception preceded the coming of the Saviour Her presence in the midst of Israel a presence so discreet as to pass almost unnoticed by the eyes of her contemporaries shone very clearly before the Eternal One who had associated the hidden daughter of Zion with the plan of salvation embracing the whole history of humanity. |
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26 March 2022
 We remember how the power of God was made known in the conception of Jesus. The depth of God's love was revealed in a human life - Mary. Mary was the real flesh and blood woman who dared to say yes to God's call, freely and unconditionally. The Word became flesh in Mary and Mary continued to enflesh that loving Word in her everyday existence. We rejoice that Mary responded to God's call and she is an exemplary model for us in our path of discipleship. |
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26 March 2022
 Mary, did you know that your baby boy. Would one day walk on water?Mary, did you know that your baby boy. Would save our sons and daughters?Did you know that your baby boy. Has come to make you new?This child that you delivered, will soon deliver you |
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20 March 2022
 Marist Spirituality is about taking people where they are at. This is one of the strengths of the Marist Spiritual approach. It does not try to drag them kicking and screaming. It is about accepting in the first place. It is about building a relationship. It is about trying to understand a persons world view and respecting it. |
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20 March 2022
 What does Jesus mean when he says 'Unless you repent you will all perish as they did?'. Homily for 3rd Sunday of Lent Year C |
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19 March 2022
 This important Gospel is about repentance. There is a contrast between between human mortality and what one expects after death. What is being contrast between just dying and dying with repentance. The point being made is that at times Israel has lacked repentance. There is a patience of God which allows people time to repent. But there is an urgency. |
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13 March 2022
 Lent is a favourable time for personal and community renewal, as it leads us to the paschal mystery of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. For our Lenten journey in 2022, we will do well to reflect on Saint Paul’s exhortation to the Galatians: “Let us not grow tired of doing good, for in due time we shall reap our harvest, if we do not give up. So then, while we have the opportunity (kairós), let us do good to all” (Gal 6:9-10). |
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05 March 2022
 Father Jim gives an insightful reflection on the Gospel reading of Jesus in the desert and the temptation. He starts by linking to the super hero character development then leads quickly into the story of Jesus in the desert. The temptation by the devil tries to make Jesus into something he is not. Do we know scripture to rebuke our false thinking? Do we stay no to these temptations? |
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05 March 2022
 John 14:27- 'Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. |
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14 February 2022
 Oh Lord, my GodWhen I, in awesome wonderConsider all the worlds Thy hands have madeI see the stars, I hear the rolling thunderThy power throughout the universe displayed |
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13 February 2022
 Spirituality of the Marist Family. A tree with several branches |
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05 February 2022
 Spirituality of the Marist Family. Little Children |
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30 January 2022
 Spirituality of the Marist Family. A family matter |
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26 January 2022
 Marist Spirituality. My life is not very hidden |
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23 January 2022
 Please download and share this prayer and share this with your family or community. The Gospel story is Jesus goes into the synagogue and reads the scroll of Isaiah. |
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21 January 2022
 Spirituality of the Marist Family. A new church |
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19 January 2022
 You lift me up with Your love. You lift me up with Your love. You lift me up with Your love. You lift me up |
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18 January 2022
 Marist Spirituality. Shine Out into the Church |
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18 January 2022
 A meditation, and a reflection on the book 'Like a Bridge'. |
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17 January 2022
 Marist Spirituality. Like a Bridge |
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16 January 2022
 Please download and share this prayer and share this with your family or community. The Gospel story is the Wedding at Cana. |
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16 January 2022
 Being invited by Maria Baden and the Marist Laity Committee to offer the keynote address at this inaugural Marist Laity Conference in Australia is a great privilege and I thank them for this wonderful opportunity to be involved in the conference in this way. We all bring a wealth of life experience and faith and are Marists 'to the core' of our being. One of the main hopes for this conference is to share our Marist Spirit with others and this morning I hope to begin that process by sharing something of my own story. Alongside this, in breaking open the gospel story of the Wedding at Cana we will be tapping into the story of Mary and, ultimately, the story of her Son, Jesus as we are called to 'Do whatever he tells you.' |
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15 January 2022
 Spirituality of the Marist Family. The confraternity of the faithful in the world |
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10 January 2022
 Spirituality of the Marist Family. When will the time come? |
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09 January 2022
 Please download and share this prayer and share this with your family or community. The Gospel story is the Baptism of Jesus. |
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08 January 2022
 Spirituality of the Marist Family. As Mary did - Part 40 - Marys simple and hidden life in Nazareth |
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03 January 2022
 Spirituality of the Marist Family. As Mary did - Part 39 - such a great spirit of humility |
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02 January 2022
 The Feast of the Epiphany, Jeff Cavins explains how—just as the Magi were drawn to Christ—people from around the world are drawn to the gospel when we live it authentically. |
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02 January 2022
 Please download and share this prayer and share this with your family or community. The Gospel story of the three wisemen who come to visit Jesus. |
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01 January 2022
 The “Marist Millennium Pledge” is a Formation tool which can use to help structure our discernment and way of living as Marists. Across a total of 12 months a person is invited to discern about ten things where God is calling them to follow Mary and Jesus. These commitments will take time to emerge. Over several months, through our own prayer life and our encounters with spiritual friends or Marists these pledges will begin to appear. |
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31 December 2021
 Spirituality of the Marist Family. As Mary did - Part 38 - One Heart and One Soul |
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30 December 2021
 Discipleship and the importance of listening |
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26 December 2021
 Some years ago my friend Joel took me canyoning in the Blue Mountains for a day. Canyoning is following a stream or a river following its origin up on the ridge, down through to the valley floor. We had a beautiful day of abseiling down through water falls. |
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26 December 2021
 Hark! The herald angels sing. 'Glory to the newborn King'. Peace on earth and mercy mild. God and sinners reconciled |
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25 December 2021
 Two years ago, in the summer of 2019 to 2020 Australia experienced the worst fires in modern history. Estimates of up to 3 billion animals have died according to the WWF. Whilst 17 million hectares were burnt down according to government estimates. For the past 2 Christmases Australians have been blind-sided by the COVID pandemic. We have been asked to isolate and this year epidemiologists recommended us to isolate again |
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25 December 2021
 Human communication is frail yet full of all sorts of potential. At its best, it can be the bearer of love and affirmation, clarification and helpful facts, it can build and strengthen relationships. At its worst, it can be the bearer of hate and denigration, obfuscation and “alternate facts”, it can destroy and undermine relationships. We can use communication – whether it is through words or silence, rituals or symbols, physical gestures or facial expressions – to reveal and conceal, to cut and to heal. |
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25 December 2021
 Please download and share this prayer and share this with your family or community. The Gospel story of the Shepherds have an encounter with some angels who call them to visit the Christ child. |
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23 December 2021
 Spirituality of the Marist Family. As Mary did - Part 37 - Called to the honour of spreading the kingdom of Jesus Christ |
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20 December 2021
 Spirituality of the Marist Family.As Mary did - Part 36 - intimate union with God - practise |
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19 December 2021
 Please download and share this prayer before Sunday with your family or community. The Gospel story of the visitation. Of two women coming together with great joy. Knowing in their beings the great wonder which each reflected. But despite these joys the great difficulties each had to live through. Elizabeth as an old woman with the shame of not having a child. Mary as a teenager having a child outside of marriage. There is a level of social stigma. Yet. God makes the impossible possible. It is through this messiness that God appears, and joy emerges. |
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19 December 2021
 'Spirituality of the Marist Family.As Mary did - Part 35 - intimate union with God - Theory |
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18 December 2021
 Recently, I was watching the movie “The Two Popes”. It follows a dialogue between Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis before Francis becomes pope. In it pope Benedict says “I can no longer hear the voice of God”. But, once Benedict said “I have decided to resign as being pope” he again could hear the voice of God. Is this because he was ignoring the voice of God? More, broadly, is it because each of us have stopped listening and rather ignoring. This is a reciprocal thing. We tune out to God’s voice. Maybe, we don’t know the language or vehicle of how God communicates to us. |
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15 December 2021
 Come, come, Emmanuel! Son of God, appear. Heaven and earth, rejoice! Salvation is drawing near. Salvation is drawing near. |
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11 December 2021
 I have three children. Two of who are in their early teenage years. They have arrived at the tipping point of “dad, why do we need to go to mass?” Over the past 6 weeks I have taken them to a neighbouring parish hoping for them to gain an experience of an engaging Australian priest who would enliven their desire to go to church. I was very careful to pick from the roster a mass which this priest would attend. But despite my efforts, each time we would attend a priest from overseas presided. They were very friendly priests, but the same result. A foreign priest with a very strong ascent. We would even sit in the front row despite my kids reluctance. On driving home each time my kids would say “dad, what did he just say?” I thought to myself, this mass may well have been in Latin, as |
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08 December 2021
 The feast of the Immaculate Conception of Mary is usually December 8th. But this year December 8th is a Sunday, and the Sunday Liturgy for Advent takes precedence, and so the Marian feast is celebrated on this Monday. It is linked in our minds with Lourdes |
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08 December 2021
 Today is the feast day of Mary the Immaculate Conception. This celebration is not just about Mary but all of creation. The teaching of the Immaculate conception says that Mary was born without original sin. This does not mean that Mary in her life time could not sin, but rather, chose not to. This provides all of us hope against a theology that says that all of creation has fallen and that humanity is depraved. Rather, creation has the divine spark of grace in the beginning and this is seen in Mary. |
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08 December 2021
 Hail Mary, full of Grace. Hail Mary, full of Grace. The Lord is with Thee. The Lord is with Thee. |
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06 December 2021
 This is a very complex question, but of great importance today, as the Church seeks renewal. |
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06 December 2021
 John Foley, S.J. Patience, people, till the Lord is come. |
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06 December 2021
 Have you ever thought about what Mary and Joseph would have talked about on the road to Bethlehem? They barely knew each while bearing the weight of the greatest moment in human history. |
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05 December 2021
 It is time to join together with other Marists from across the world as we prepare for Christmas. |
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30 November 2021
 There are lots of ways that I maintain my relationship with God. It has grown out of years of questioning and engaging. I am not going to pretend it is something that I received over night. The call of being a follower of God is being a searcher. Someone who searches and it is a lifelong process. Prayer being a conversation with God. Sometimes that is worth words. Sometimes that is in a silence space. Sometimes that is allowing whatever is happening to come forth, and to evolve. There is an openness to that God will unfold things. I am in a loving relationship with God, and I do not need to work for God’s love. It is there. |
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21 November 2021
 Then Pilate entered the headquarters again, summoned Jesus, and asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus answered, “Do you ask this on your own, or did others tell you about me?” Pilate replied, “I am not a Jew, am I? |
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21 November 2021
 From heaven you came helpless babe. Entered our world, your glory veiled. Not to be served but to serve. And give Your life that we might live. This is our God, the Servant King. He calls us now to follow Him. To bring our lives as a daily offering. Of worship to the Servant King |
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14 November 2021
 Dewi Sant, or Saint David, Patron Saint of Wales, is an outstanding addition to Michael Galovic’s fascinating collection of Celtic Saints. In an era of violence and intolerance, Dewi maintained a deep commitment to the core Christian values of compassion and service towards the weak and the poor, thus embodying the mindfulness that is a fundamental aspect of Celtic spirituality. It is these aspects that Michael has captured so beautifully in his icon of the saint. |
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14 November 2021
 The Marist Formation Team provides for the service of animation, formation and support of those leaders and staff involved in the various Marist Schools and Ministries across Australia. The team works with ministry leaders, educators and others, to provide a variety of formation opportunities tailored to meet the specific needs of their local context and community. |
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07 November 2021
 Our relationships with ourselves is where we start. But, do not start get into self deception. Who I am and what is happening in my life is crucial. To myself and that of the world at large. Pope Francis’ Laudatio Si has suggested we have tended to ignore our relationship with creation, or even abuse it. But religion helps to give us structure to enable relationships With God, self, other human beings, and the world at large. When religion forgets this primary purpose It becomes an ideology or an idea. Ideology is about imposing a world view. But, when religion maintains its soul, Dialogue is natural. Hospitality is natural. Reaching out is natural. |
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31 October 2021
 In 1987, an aboriginal elder from the Daly River, Miriam Ungunmerr-Baumann, addressed a liturgy conference in Tasmania. The content of that presentation struck a deep resonance with her audience. Miriam began: “What I want to talk about today is another special quality of my people. I believe it is the most important. …. It is perhaps the greatest gift we can give to our fellow Australians. In our language, this quality is called ‘dadirri’. It is inner, deep listening, and quite, still awareness. ‘Dadirri’ recognizes the deep spring that is inside us. We call on it and it calls to us. This is the gift that Australia is thirsting for. It is something like what you call ‘contemplation’. When I experience ‘dadirri’ I am made whole again. I can sit on the river bank or walk through the trees; even if someone close to me has passed away, I can find my peace in this silent awareness. There is no need of words”. |
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30 October 2021
 What is it like to think as Mary, Act as Mary and judge as Mary? This offers a spirituality which engages the whole person. How does John Claude Colin integrate Mary into his life and Spirituality. This brings some freshness to how we approach Marist Spirituality. |
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23 October 2021
 Leaders of the church have been asking for about 40 years “why is it that young people have stop going to church”. This question has now become “why is it that nearly everyone has stopped going to church”? |
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23 October 2021
 On the evening of 28 October 1958, Angelo Roncalli stepped onto the balcony at St Peter’s as the newly elected Pope John XXIII. Three hundred thousand people in St Peter’s Square greeted him. Later he reflected in his diary: “I remembered Jesus’ warning: ‘Learn of me for I am meek and humble of heart’. Dazzled by the television lights, I could see nothing but an amorphous swaying mass. I blessed Rome and the world as though I were a blind man. As I came away I thought of all the cameras and lights that from now on, at every moment, would be directed on me. And I said to myself: if you don’t remain a disciple of the gentle and humble Master, you’ll understand nothing even of temporal realities. Then you will be really blind” (Cited in Peter Hebblethwaite, John XXIII – Pope of the Council, London: HarperCollins, 1984/1994, 287-288). |
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21 October 2021
 On 28th November, Marist Laity Australia held its November Reflection day, leading us into the season of Advent. Fr Ray Chapman, a Marist priest who has given MLA such wonderful support over many years, was asked to facilitate this day. Fr Ray will be finishing his time as Parish Priest of St Patrick’s Church Hill at the end of this year. Our hopes were answered when he graciously agreed to give us this parting gift.
Ray chose as the theme, Mercy begins with ME, in step with the Jubilee Year of Mercy beginning on 8th December, the feast of the Immaculate Conception. Some 50 people turned up, many of whom were wanting to tap into Ray’s wisdom before he leaves for France. |
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16 October 2021
 Service is a constant theme in the Bible. It takes on a particular significance in the Christian Scriptures. Sometimes the theme is explicit, mostly it is implicit. Thus, Matthew tells us: “The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (20:28). Life in the kingdom is characterized by service: “You also ought to wash one another’s feet” (John 13:14) and “just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me” (Matthew 25:40). |
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13 October 2021
 On 28th November, Marist Laity Australia held its November Reflection day, leading us into the season of Advent. Fr Ray Chapman, a Marist priest who has given MLA such wonderful support over many years, was asked to facilitate this day. Fr Ray will be finishing his time as Parish Priest of St Patrick’s Church Hill at the end of this year. Our hopes were answered when he graciously agreed to give us this parting gift.
Ray chose as the theme, Mercy begins with ME, in step with the Jubilee Year of Mercy beginning on 8th December, the feast of the Immaculate Conception. Some 50 people turned up, many of whom were wanting to tap into Ray’s wisdom before he leaves for France. |
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12 October 2021
 On 28th November, Marist Laity Australia held its November Reflection day, leading us into the season of Advent. Fr Ray Chapman, a Marist priest who has given MLA such wonderful support over many years, was asked to facilitate this day. Fr Ray will be finishing his time as Parish Priest of St Patrick’s Church Hill at the end of this year. Our hopes were answered when he graciously agreed to give us this parting gift.
Ray chose as the theme, Mercy begins with ME, in step with the Jubilee Year of Mercy beginning on 8th December, the feast of the Immaculate Conception. Some 50 people turned up, many of whom were wanting to tap into Ray’s wisdom before he leaves for France. |
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10 October 2021
 We easily forget that, at the heart of the word “question” is the word “quest”. This forgetfulness gives rise to a certain way of questioning that is merely functional. For example, I might ask one of the attendants in the supermarket, “Where is the washing powder?” or I might ask my doctor, “What is the best diet for me?”. It is probably fair to say that, for many, this merely functional questioning is the only kind of questioning. |
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03 October 2021
 They are both on a journey. That over time, the two will become one flesh. But seldom, do we live out that image. Marriage is fragile and vulnerable journey.The laying downof one’s life.In sacrifice.It is the union with Jesus, that the couple findthe epitome,of their union. |
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26 September 2021
 Our Marist society is not characterised by any special works or by the promotion of a particular form of Marian devotion but by the desire to make the mystery of Mary in the church the daily inspirationof our life and action. |
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22 September 2021
 The Marist Inter-Branch Spirituality Committee is composed of one member from each of the four General Administrations: Fr. Jan Hulshof, s.m. (Marist Fathers), Sr. Vivienne Goldstein, s.m. (Marist Sisters), Br. Theoneste Kalisa, f.m.s. (Marist Brothers), and Sr. Marie Emmanuel Fuchs, s.m.s.m. (Missionary Sisters of the Society of Mary). This committee, which meets four times a year, decided in 2003 to produce a booklet of texts that would evoke the spiritual tradition and charism of the four groups of professed religious, as well as of the Marist Laity branch traditionally called the Third Order of Mary. Committee members selected texts that touched them personally, and they hope that publishing them will foster mutual understanding and appreciation within the Marist Family as well as being useful in the formation programs of all five branches. |
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13 September 2021
 Marist Spirituality ZOOM conversation between 3 Marists about the questions 1- What name or image of Mary most resonates with you today?2- What Scriptural story of Mary speaks to you today?3 - Who in the world today models the qualities of Mary?Their answers are striking yet empowering. How do we model Mary in the world today causes us to think beyond what we see to a deeper reality. |
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12 September 2021
 Br Ian is currently the Community Leader of the Gonzaga Jesuit Community in Kirribilli and a member of the St Ignatius College School Board. He is the Jesuit Provincial’s Delegate for Ignatian Spirituality and Formation and the CEO of Jesuit and Ignatian Spirituality Australia. More recently, he has been working as a member of the Formation team for facilitators and members of the coming Plenary Council. |
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11 September 2021
 We would like to invite you to join us together with Marist Laity Australia on Saturday September 11 at 7 pm (EAST Eastern Australian Time) to celebrate in person. We will pray, sing, reflect and discuss together. This online zoom forum enables us to enter conversation and dialogue with each other. To listen to the word of God, not just within ourselves but other Marists from across the world. |
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07 September 2021
 Our Father, who art in Heaven. Hallowed be thy name. Come and let Your glory, Come and let Your glory fall. |
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23 August 2021
 But when Margaret first raised this (topic), it was a time when there were Tsunamis and Christ Church. Then up in Queensland and then down in Victoria and the year before bushfires. One of the things that does happen for caring people is that they can feel overburdened or overwhelmed by what is going on in the world around them. That is part of the difficulty of chaos. |
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20 August 2021
 Simon or Peters Mother in-law is sick to the point of death. Jesus comes to Simons house and heals her of her sickness. |
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18 August 2021
 Share this prayer with your family or community. Create a space with a candle, cloth, bell and sacred image |
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15 August 2021
 Each year on the 15 August the Marian feast celebrates the Assumption of Mary into Heaven, but other churches refer to it as the Dormition and emphasise her falling asleep. Young Catholic film-maker Bridget Curran talks about her research into Mary's miracles and former nun Bernice Moore reflects on the celebration of Mary. |
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14 August 2021
 We would like to invite you to join us together with Marist Laity Australia on Saturday August 14 at 7 pm (EAST Eastern Australian Time) to celebrate in person. We will pray, sing, reflect and discuss together. This online zoom forum enables us to enter conversation and dialogue with each other. To listen to the word of God, not just within ourselves but other Marists from across the world. |
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13 August 2021
What Eucharist claims is amazing. That God is nurturing me through my life and that through that very nurturing I am becoming god. That is what it is claiming. And, that we are doing it together. Everyday when I step up and allow my life to be broken open, much like the bread is broken, I actually nurture others. That is the claim. |
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13 August 2021
 Can prayer be a satisfying experience for all of us. Not only the professionals, the religious, the sisters, brothers and clergy? Can we all have a satisfying experience? Wanting to open the door to you towards what should be a satisfying experience. |
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10 August 2021
We are actually designed in who we are created and who we are to become to prefer one of these spaces, chaos or order, over the other. What I want you to get to is where you do not fear the other space. Where you don’t fear chaos or you don’t fear order. Why is order preferably to lots of human beings? |
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07 August 2021
 Join us as we learn how to pray using Christian meditation. 'Ma ra natha' .... 'Come Lord Jesus' |
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04 August 2021
Mary in the midst of chaos for me makes Mary present now. What you have been saying about Mary being a real person, not claiming anything more or less, than being a full human being. Mary in the midst of chaos, to me indicates she is with us because this (here) is where the chaos is. If she is in the midst of chaos, it is all very well and good to think she is up there (away) up in heaven, floating around and everything is perfect. Mary in the midst of Chaos, she is here with us. |
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03 August 2021
 Join the Taizé Community praying 'Vena Sancta Spiritus' or 'Come Holy Spirit'. A simple way of chanting. Join many people from across the world pray. Pray together. Come Holy Spirit! |
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03 August 2021
 By Peter Julian Eymard. Jesus is a model of poverty. “Blessed are the poor in spirit” (Matthew 5:3). The spirit and this virtue are a life of Jesus. Virtue and a perpetual poverty. The eternal word adopted it in his becoming man. He took what was most humiliating about poverty. The bode of beasts and what was most difficult about it. The stable. The major. The straw. The cold. The night. He was born far from the homes of men who offered him no assistance in his need. To be poorer still, the word made flesh will be born during a journey and refused hospitality on account of the poverty of his parents. |
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03 August 2021
Chaos is a very important part of living. You don’t want to ever feel that this is a strange thing for a human being. What is strange is how we think about it. |
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01 August 2021
On Saturday June 3rd 2011 33 people gathered for our reflection day on “Mary in the Midst of Chaos” at St Patrick’s Church Hill. Marist Brother Graham Neist ran the day. Graham started the day in conversation by inviting each person to talk with each other about our own lives and the presence of chaos in them. We quickly realized that chaos is a natural part of a daily rhythm as human beings. Where Mary appears in the Gospel’s we often find her living with Chaos. When Mary is pregnant, Jesus’ birth, or when Jesus was a teenager lost in the temple. However, Graham made a good point that people tend to run away or dislike Chaos. |
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01 August 2021
 Lord I come, I confess. Bowing here, I find my rest. Without You, I fall apart. You're the one that guides my heart. |
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30 July 2021
 4 Marists discuss questions regarding the foundation of the Marist dream at Fourviere and what would be the Marist founders vision for us today. |
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25 July 2021
 We would like to invite you together with Marist Laity Australia on Sunday July 25 at 7 pm (EAST Eastern Australian Time) to celebrate in person. Of all people are invited. This gathering with contain a special video discussion of four Marists, discussion between those who attend, prayer, reflection and song. |
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12 July 2021
 On Jul 12, 1804, in the hamlet of La Potière, near Montrevel-en-Bresse, France, Peter Chanel was born to Claude-François Chanel and Marie-Anne Sibellas, their fifth child. Three more siblings were to come. A few days later, Jul 16, in the main parish church of Montrevel, baby Peter was baptised. |
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11 July 2021
 In today’s Gospel – Mark 6:7-13 – the fishermen are introduced to the mission: “Jesus called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits”. We are told little more than that “they cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them”. Notice, Jesus has not yet entrusted them with the ultimate task of proclaiming the reign of God, the Kingdom. |
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10 July 2021
 In preparation for the lock down next week, I have created a special prayer whilst in remote learning. Please use this prayer and share this with your colleagues. |
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09 July 2021
 I think of Marist spirituality as kitchen table spirituality. That way of being and talking about life to me is Marist Spirituality. It is not that it rejects the theoretical. It is just that it assumes that living it practically and making it real is the real essence of the spirit. |
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08 July 2021
 Lay people are on the front line of the life of the church. We need their testimony regarding the truth of the Gospel and their example of expressing their faith by practising solidarity. Let us give thanks for the lay people who take risks, who are not afraid and who offer reasons for hope to the poorest, to the excluded, to the marginalised. |
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29 June 2021
 Simplicity is a very important for both Christians and Marists. It asks the question - 'What is the most important thing in our lives'? We are called to let go of what is not as important. Yet, this is very hard. Especially in our culture and society that encourages the opposite. |
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27 June 2021
 These “Daily E-prayers” were created by the Marist Mission and Life Formation team for the Feast of St Marcellin Champagnat 2021, with a focus on our Marist Characteristics. Here, the prayer is based on 'Simplicity'. |
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24 June 2021
 This is a question which has in a sense a frantically common sign. For the real question is not are we to make of Christ, but what is he to make of us. The picture of a fly sitting deciding what it is going to make of an elephant has common elements about it. |
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24 June 2021
 We grow more spiritually by doing it wrong than by doing it right. In Falling Upward, Fr Richard Rohr offers a new understanding of one of life's most profound mysteries: how our failing can be the foundation for our ongoing spiritual growth. Drawing on the wisdom from time-honoured myths, heroic poems, great thinkers and sacred religious texts, the author explores the two halves of life to show that those who have fallen, failed, or 'gone down' are the only ones who understand 'up'. The heartbreaks, disappointments and loves of the first half of life are actually stepping stones to the spiritual joys that the second half has in store for us. |
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23 June 2021
 You unravel me with a melody. You surround me with a song. Of deliverance from my enemies. 'Til all my fears are gone |
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18 June 2021
 We are all sailing across the sea of life. Some of you are sailing across a storm right now. God didn’t promise smooth sailing. But, he did promise you will reach the other side. Some of you have lost your jobs. Some of you are going through a marriage crisis. Some of you are experiencing business failures. Some of you are going through a time of illness. Some of you have experienced unexpected tragedy. It is like lightning striking you out of a clear blue heaven. What can we learn from chaos? |
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14 June 2021
 Pray together in your family or community. Focused on Mark 4:26 and the kingdom of God. |
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13 June 2021
 It is surprising that the church and Christian therapists have been slow to respond to the growing secular interest in mindfulness meditation. Even though there have been some recent rediscovers of Christian meditations and contemplative prayer practise, this knowledge is only held and practised by a relatively small number of people. It is not practised in mainstream Church, Catholic or Protestant. |
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12 June 2021
 Jean Claude Colin said “Be bold. We are building a new Church.’ Some of you may have heard the saying ‘be the Church’. Colin and the first Marists looked to us The Marist Laity, to be the Church for those beyond the reach of priests, brothers, nuns and missionaries. |
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07 June 2021
 God is working in each person. The Spirit of God is present. Even if I disagree in that person, I need to be open to what they are saying. What is the Trinity trying to say? How can I catch on to what the Trinity is saying? |
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06 June 2021
 Pray with the healing power of Christ. In twelfth century German Saint Hildegard of Bingen had a vision of a “man in sapphire blue” whom she named as Christ who is present in all things. Christ is “the son of justice having the lightning of burning love and existing with such glory that every creature becomes illuminated by the brightness of his light.” He bends “compassionately in the direction of the poverty of the human race.” We become that Blue Man; we become the compassionate Christ; we become the radiance of God. |
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06 June 2021
 Today we celebrate the Feast of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ. Our Gospel – Mark 14:12-16 & 22-26 – gives us an intriguing description of the final meal Jesus has with his disciples. Is this a formal, Passover ritual or a more informal meal? |
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06 June 2021
 At the same time, Bishop Vincent Long announced that this approach will be known as Living Life to the Full, drawing on Jesus’ words in John 10:10: “I have come so that they may have life and have it to the full.” Reflecting the richness of our Catholic Tradition that enables fullness of life through the Gospel, Living Life to the Full is an invitation for everyone to experience human flourishing. |
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29 May 2021
 There is no greater gift than to honour your calling. This is why you were born. It is how you become most truly alive. |
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29 May 2021
 How great this love. Oh, it's moving all my mountains. It's perfect love. It's casting out my fear. How great this love. Oh, it welcomes me like family. And anywhere I go. It meets me there |
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23 May 2021
 Holy Spirit, You are welcome here. Come flood this place and fill the atmosphere. Your glory, God, is what our hearts long forTo be overcome by Your presence, Lord |
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16 May 2021
 Recently I was having a conversation with another parent whose daughter finished school 3 years prior. She commented that during her daughters schooling religion and spirituality focused on academic and priority on thinking. Sadly, since leaving school, her daughter has completely abandoned religion. I thought to myself, this is typical for most young people in Australia. Someone in the teenage years, faith, religion and spirituality do not grow up. |
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10 May 2021
 We begin to understand Colin's perspective on lay people only when we enter into the perspective of his vision. The man who had best understood him was Alphonse Cozon, who had known Colin had talked with him, and to whom Colin had entrusted the drawing up a new manual to replace Eymard's. |
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10 May 2021
 Holy words long preserved. for our walk in this world, They resound with God's own heart, Oh, let the Ancient words impart. |
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09 May 2021
 Life is an opportunity, benefit from it.Life is beauty, admire it. Life is bliss, taste it. Life is a dream, realize it. Life is a challenge, meet it. |
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08 May 2021
 “My drawing is of a pregnant woman who is a symbol of the mystery of God.The child which she is bearing has an unknown gender and an unknown life ahead of them.This child also is a symbol of the mystery of God because it develops a mind, personality, and it makes decisions on its own”- Artist - Marist Sisters College student 2014 |
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18 April 2021
 Download and Print this prayer for your family or community. |
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15 April 2021
 Mystical teachings are not the easiest teaching to convey. It is not the easiest thing to inspire people to go into themselves to discover the power of the soul. This should be the most enthusiastic journey you will ever take. Why isn’t that? |
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14 April 2021
 God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son,so that everyone who believes in him might not perishbut might have eternal life. |
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14 April 2021
 Download and Print this prayer for your family or community. |
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13 April 2021
 When a bowl is broken in Japan, it's put back together with the cracks being filled with gold, creating a beautiful lining. This is to emphasize the beauty in what was once broken, they believe that when something has suffered damage and has a history. It makes it more beautiful and the same goes for human beings, everything that you're going through. |
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10 April 2021
 Losing our way on a journey can be an unnerving experience. We may have an appointment to keep, a place to be, an arrangement to make and we get lost on the way. Panic and fear can easily take over and paralyse us, preventing us from thinking clearly or making the necessary decisions to re-set our desired direction. |
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09 April 2021
 Download and Print this prayer for your family or community. |
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06 April 2021
 From Canadian Archbishop of Regina. Over the years, I have had a recurring dream. Until a few days ago, I had not thought of this dream as being connected to Easter. Whenever I have had this dream, I have been deeply stirred by it. It comes in two forms.... |
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05 April 2021
 At the heart of the Easter message is the summons to a new future, framed with hope and possibility, in the midst of entrenched hopelessness. As with Mary and the disciples, who were emboldened to move from the shadows of crucifixion into the light and life of the Risen Christ, the Church must live this message. |
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04 April 2021
 Christ is risen from the dead. We are one with Him again. Come awake, come awake!Come and rise up from the grave. |
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04 April 2021
 By Matt Maher. Imagine going to a friend’s grave and they have just died. You show up to this tomb. Imagine all of a sudden, the grave is empty. Imagine all the emotion you must feel. The feelings. The anxiety. The confusion. Imagine to this person you knew was doing all these things and things were happening. People were being healed. Dead people were rising from the grave. |
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04 April 2021
 For many people Easter weekend is celebrated with friends and family, with sports events and taking “a bit of a break”. This year the Covid virus puts a dark cloud over some of these celebrations, but people do the best they can. There may be the hope that in the midst of all these celebrations people remember the joy of the Resurrection. Well, perhaps! |
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01 April 2021
 Download and Print this prayer for your family or community. |
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31 March 2021
 Download and Print this prayer for your family or community. |
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29 March 2021
 Download and Print this prayer for your family or community. |
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27 March 2021
 Download and Print this prayer for your family or community. |
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26 March 2021
 Download and Print this prayer for your family or community. |
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25 March 2021
 Download and Print this prayer for your family or community. |
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25 March 2021
 A Song by Matt Maher talking about the Annunciation of Mary. |
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24 March 2021
 Download and Print this prayer for your family or community. |
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23 March 2021
 Download and Print. Pray this prayer with your family or community. |
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23 March 2021
 Spend 3 minutes in meditation with Dadirri. Aboriginal spirituality of Deep Listening. Guided by Aboriginal Elder Miriam Rose. |
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21 March 2021
 We live almost 2000 years later, in a very different culture, religion, and country than Mary and Joseph. Yet, Mary and Joseph’s life has something very deep to say to us about the loving way they had with God. But in the busyness of our world today, taking care of our own children, going to sport, housework, work, or even watching Netflix or Disney online we can lose a sense of the connections that Mary and Joseph modelled. |
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21 March 2021
 As the rain falls, through the difficulties of our lives. May we look towards you. As our inspiration and friend God. Like a bird nestling under our verandas, seeking protection. May we too seek God. |
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20 March 2021
 By Father Rob Galea. Before I spoke a word, You were singing over meYou have been so, so good to meBefore I took a breath, You breathed Your life in meYou have been so so kind to me. |
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19 March 2021
 The General Administration of the Marist Brothers, through the Extended Secretariat of the Laity, has chosen this 19th March to launch the process of the International Forum on the Lay Marist Vocation, coinciding with the feast of Saint Joseph, patron saint of Marists and also a beautiful model for laypeople, from whom we can learn so much. |
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19 March 2021
 The hiddenness of St. Josephs life can speak to those overwhelmed by the pandemic. Fr. James Martin, SJ, reflects on why St. Joseph is the saint we need as enter into a new year. |
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16 March 2021
 Yesterday it was raining very heavy in Sydney. I thought it would be a good chance for my family to go to church on Sunday morning. Since COVID 19 our regular Sunday mass attendance, as a family, had almost disappeared. Instead, when it is sunny my family goes and spends 2 or 3 hours skateboarding at the local park, whilst, I would take my mum to church. It was hard because the local church, up until recently would only accept 100 people total. Thus, having a family of 7 (with grandma) is much harder than just mum and me (2). |
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07 March 2021
 On Saturday. For Jewish people, Friday Sundown to Saturday sundown is the time of Sabbath. The Sabbath was a time to stop and reflect. It is not just simply because God commanded the Sabbath (Exodus 20:11), on the seventh day, to rest. But on the seventh day God rested. Thus, to rest is to follow God’s own example when God created the world. |
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03 March 2021
 By Caryll Houselander. It is a time of darkness, of faith. We shall not see Christ's radiance.in our lives yet, it is still hidden in our darkness; nevertheless, we must believe that God is growing in our lives; |
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03 March 2021
 To simplicity we link humility and modesty, making the “three violets” of our Marist tradition. In our teaching and organisational structures, we show a preference for simplicity of method. Our way of educating, like Marcellin’s, is personal, rooted in real life, and practical. Likewise simplicity of expression, avoiding any ostentation, guides our way of responding to the possibilities and the demands of our contemporary educational settings. |
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28 February 2021
 By Parker Palmer. We live in a world where to let our own identity and integrity reveal itself. We build this wall partly for interior reasons. As we grow older, we work our way through a series of institutions. Especially, schools and the workplace. Where we are actively taught to keep that wall high, wide and thick. |
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27 February 2021
 Lord, I offer my life to You. Everything I've been through. Use it for Your glory. Lord I offer my days to You. Lifting my praise to You. As a pleasing sacrifice. Lord I offer You my life. |
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27 February 2021
 Every moment and every event of every person’s life on earth plants something in her or his soul. For just as the wind carries thousands of winged seeds, so each moment brings with it germs of spiritual vitality that come to rest imperceptibly in the minds and wills of men and women. |
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26 February 2021
 This is my desire, to honour You. Lord with all my heart I worship You. All I have within me. I give You praise. All that I adore is in You. |
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20 February 2021
 By Parker Palmer. Whenever I speak to people about soul I always try and acknowledge the fact that this is one of those words has to be held very lightly because it points towards a mystery. It is a mystery which nobody has the true name or the real story. |
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18 February 2021
 Saint John of the Cross. There are three reasons why this journey of the soul towards union with God may be called night. |
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17 February 2021
 Jesus, I come into the warmth of your presence knowing that you are the very emptiness of God. I come before you holding the water jar of my life. Your eyes meet mine and I know what I'd rather not know. |
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17 February 2021
 From the ashes. From the ashes. You call my heart to life. Call my heart to lifeFrom the silence. From the sadness. You call my heart to life. Call my heart to life. |
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16 February 2021
 Listen to the audio of Pope Francis Lenten Message for 2021. |
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| Challenges | Father Ray Chapman, Sister Gail Reneker, Brother Tony Butler and Sister Marilyn Farley |
12 February 2021
 Foundations in Marist Spirituality. An audio course in the 'Foundations in Marist Spirituality'. Listen to the audio of Marists by clicking play to discuss the origins of the founders. Also available is a worksheet for this online course to be used in your family or community. |
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| Pivotal Moments | Father Ray Chapman, Sister Gail Reneker, Brother Tony Butler and Sister Marilyn Farley |
10 February 2021
 Foundations in Marist Spirituality. An audio course in the 'Foundations in Marist Spirituality'. Listen to the audio of Marists by clicking play to discuss the origins of the founders. Also available is a worksheet for this online course to be used in your family or community. |
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| An invitation | Father Ray Chapman, Sister Gail Reneker and Brother Tony Butler |
07 February 2021
 Foundations in Marist Spirituality. An audio course in the 'Foundations in Marist Spirituality'. Listen to the audio of Marists by clicking play to discuss the origins of the founders. Also available is a worksheet for this online course to be used in your family or community. |
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06 February 2021
 An audio course in the 'Foundations in Marist Spirituality'. Listen to the audio of Marists by clicking play to discuss the origins of the founders. Also available is a worksheet for this online course to be used in your family or community. |
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04 February 2021
 By John Thornhill sm The Magnificat is probably the most revealing text about Mary. It comes from Saint Luke. Saint Luke really loved Mary and was very interested in Mary. There is a rich number of text in Luke’s infancy Gospel and the other parts of the Gospel. |
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31 January 2021
 This is a summary from one of the books in the Marist Laity Australia library in the Colin Library. It's about the Marist Spirit. |
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31 January 2021
 Recently, my family visited some friends and relatives and their home. It was a very friendly household. We spent much of the time speaking about their home renovations. Painting the all the walls. Installing a new kitchen. A new bathroom. A large TV. Inside of me there was a temptation saying, “I want this too”. A perfect home with nothing out of place. |
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28 January 2021
 We do not break generations apart. That is what we learn in scripture. We carry the best of every generation with us. That is the difference between tradition and traditionalism. There was a liturgist at St John’s in Minnesota, Godfrey Dateman said one day “I don’t have a lot to teach you. But I will teach you the difference between tradition and traditionalism. Traditionalism is the stuff we pass on. Tradition is the passing on of the stuff”. |
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27 January 2021
 The second piece of wisdom that I have found sustaining comes from father Frank Wallace who in 1991 published a book on prayer entitled Encounter, Not Performance . |
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26 January 2021
 Senior Australian of the Year 2021 - Miriam Rose. |
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25 January 2021
 During the year we developed a sense of prayer. Each day a live Examen was conducted prior to lunch time. The examin prayer ended with the Awaken prayer. This prayer called the community to Awaken to the presence of God hidden in their lives. |
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21 January 2021
 The Vocation of a Marist involves a response to four calls The Call of Christ, The Call of the Church, The Call of the Founder and The Call of modern humanity. |
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17 January 2021
 A reflection on the life we choose. Here's the premise: We are all, right now, living the life we choose. This choice, of course, is not a single, monumental choice. No one decides, for example, ''I'm going marry a dreadful personAnd will live together in a loveless marriage, staying together only for the kids; who I don’t much like, either.' |
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16 January 2021
 A small oak seedling was growing in the forest. It looked around and saw that some seedlings turned into great oak trees while others became no more than little shrubs. The trees were strong and beautiful. The shrubs were weak and ugly. |
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15 January 2021
 Join Marist Father Michael Whelan sm over the next 12 days on an online reflection day “Creative Waiting”. This was recorded by Marist Laity Australia in a previous Reflection Day at St Patrick’s Church Hill. Father Michael is currently the parish priest of St Patricks’. Please join each day for about 5 to 10 minutes listening to the audio, and reflect on some key ideas and questions. |
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14 January 2021
 At times I find it hard to pray in my family. A few days ago, I posted the “Retreat in the life for couples” with every intention to pray and reflect each day with my wife and partner. But. This has not happened. |
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14 January 2021
 It is post-Revolution France. A handful of young seminarians share a dream -- to form a new religious family under the banner of Mary. They would be known as 'Marists'. On a weekend of priestly ordinations in 1816, like young apostles at Pentecost, twelve youthful priests and seminarians pledge to form the Society of Mary. |
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13 January 2021
 Rend Collective - Build Your Kingdom Here |
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12 January 2021
 Often couples do not set aside time for their own formation. Formation as a couple is important. Both spiritually and other areas of life such as sport and socially. Often work and the pressures of family take precedence and couples loose vital formation with each other. Here is a 7-day formation program for couples entitled “Retreat in your life for couples”. |
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10 January 2021
 By Marist Sister Marie Berise Nash sm on how we become 'Bearers of Hope'. In this present period of the beginning of the Third Millennium we wish to turn in a special way to her (Mary) the one who in the night of the Advent expectation began to shine like a true Morning Star, for just as this star, together with the dawn precedes the rising of the sun, so Mary from the time of her Immaculate Conception preceded the coming of the Saviour Her presence in the midst of Israel a presence so discreet as to pass almost unnoticed by the eyes of her contemporaries shone very clearly before the Eternal One who had associated the hidden daughter of Zion with the plan of salvation embracing the whole history of humanity. |
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07 January 2021
 Marists are people who claim to have such a vision, and who believe that what they do is supremely worthwhile. In fact, it's very important that we define ourselves as Marists, not by what we do but by our special vision of life. |
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06 January 2021
 It is a time of darkness, of faith.We shall not see Christ’s radiancein our lives yet,it is still hidden in our darkness;nevertheless, we must believethat He is growing in our lives;we must believe it so firmlythat we cannot help relating everything,literally everything,to this almost incredible reality.This attitude it iswhich makes every momentof every day and nighta prayer.Caryll Houselander |
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05 January 2021
 Father John Claude Colin sets before the Marists the pictureof Nazareth,because in it he sees a symbolic reminderof three realities.Nazareth is a symbol of the necessity of small beginnings.A symbol of poverty and obscurityOf every great achievement in God’s plan. |
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05 January 2021
 St Benedict told his monks, 'Always keep death before your eyes.' We don't talk much about death in the modern world. But what the whole Christian tradition tells us is that if we would become wise we must learn the lesson that we have here 'no abiding city.' [We must hear] what the wise of ages past and present say to us: to have life in focus we must have death in [focus. . .]. Talking about death is hard for the worldly to understand. Indeed the principal fantasy of much worldliness operates out of completely the opposite point of view: not the wisdom of our own mortality but the pure fantasy that we are immortal, beyond physical weakness. |
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04 January 2021
 A new song by Matt Maher 'Hope for Everyone'....Hear the angels singThere's hope for everyone. To announce our King. There's hope for everyone. What good news they bring. There's hope for everyone. Angels sing. There's hope for everyone. |
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04 January 2021
 The early Christians never regarded the Christian religion as an “ethic”,still less as a performance.To them it was an invasion of their own lives.by the spirit of God;their response in forgiveness and faith provided the means by which the divine could penetrate the merely human.They lived lives of super-human quality because they believed quite simply that Christ Himself was alive within them. |
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03 January 2021
 A reflection on Spirit of Mary |
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01 January 2021
 A modern version of the song 'Ave Maria'. |
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28 December 2020
 I would like to propose a reason for the rapid decline of church participation in Australia. From the 2011 to the 2016 Australian National Census Christianity declined to 52.1%. From the percentage 90% of whom do not regularly practice their faith. I propose that these two percentages are actually linked. They show the devolving nature of Christian participation. This is not just a decline in numbers, what individuals can be we’re engaged simply by attending, but reflected that the reason than simply being upset or displaced from the disillusionment of the church. Some reasons may include the lack of women in leadership positions, the royal commission into the sexual abuse of children, or the treatment of the LGBTi Community. These are important issues, but the devolving nature of the church goes to a deeper reality... |
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27 December 2020
 Research shows that greater friendships and love relationships lead to “Greater Health”, “Greater Wealth”, “Greater Resilience”, “Faster Recovery from illness”, “Greater Longevity” and “More successful children”. |
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23 December 2020
 There are many difficulties when people pray. Like when the children have gone to school or like just before we arrive at work. We try and find a point to pray. On the first day, we can pray easily. On the second day, we repeat the first day. The third day our abilities to pray tapers off. On the fourth day we find it very hard. We feel alone. |
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22 December 2020
 In our search for possible factors within the Catholic system that might have had some bearing on the incidence of sexual abuse and the poor way it was handling, we turn now to the question of belief and, more specifically, how we think of Jesus Christ. |
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20 December 2020
 Mary was a 13 or 14-year-old girl when the angel invited her to bear God’s son. From an outsider's perspective in the Jewish culture 2024 years ago, it would seem that Mary has committed a great sin. However, God works his most wonderful miracle through what would seem as a sin, in a poor and unmarried girl. |
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18 December 2020
 As we conclude 2020, this year will be forever marked as the Covid year. Where many parts of the world have struggled and continue to struggle to contain the Covid virus. As Marists, we feel called to go out into the community. To care for the poor, the outcast and to the edges of our society. There is a certain level of guilt not to have done some of the things we could do to work to care for others. The question, “Where would Christ and Mary be amongst this”? Who are the good angels? |
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