Dear Sisters and Brothers,
The Gospel of St Matthew 13: 1-9, 18-23, reminds us of the need to hear God’s Word and receive the Sacraments of the Church with pure hearts and open minds…and to be utterly focused on God’s will for all people and for the salvation of all who seek his presence in their lives.
Unless we are committed to giving our lives to God through Christ, we can easily fall into the trap of complacency about our faith. All Christians need to get our own lives ’in order’ before we can evangelise to the wider community and world.
World Youth Day (WYD) is a wonderful spiritual expression and living out of a true and pure Faith. Our young Pilgrims should be able to celebrate their faith and journey without the harassment of minority groups or individuals ’with a cause’?? venting their hatred for what they do not understand or want to appreciate. Pray for our pilgrims!
+ Fr Wayne
July 12, 2008
Dear Sisters and Brothers,
When we celebrate the Patronal Festival (Feast of Title) of our churches it is a time for recalling the Saint under whose patronage the church is placed and to look at how their life may reflect for us the way we can live our lives in service and prayer.
Saints Peter and Paul were different people in attitude and in relation to how they served the early church. St. Peter was a chosen disciple and the apostle that Jesus placed to lead the new Christians. St. Paul on the other hand was first a persecutor of the early Christians but through a divine revelation gave his all in the teaching of Christ and the encouragement of all people to follow The Christ. What do these two apostles say to us and our Christian living?
June 27, 2008
The Discernment Group will first meet on Tues 5th August…then there will be one Eucharist on Sunday 10th August (Visioning Day) for all parishioners of our 2 parishes, with Lunch and the afternoon in discussion…convened with Fr Battrick and Sue Williams. The Discernment Group will meet again in September and then each month until December. Sunday 28th Sept. all people in 2 parishes will be asked to choose our leadership people who will lead the various ministry teams
June 27, 2008
Dear Sisters and Brothers,
Jesus said to his disciples “The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few: therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest”.
In many countries, including our own, ordained priests are few, many parishes are priestless and students for ministry lay and ordained are few….is there a message here from God?
But even where fewer priests are being ordained, the church is thriving in some places where the Christian Community is reduced to basics!!
We should have the courage where the opportunity is, to be active in the community and to make it a growth-point of Christian living.
+ Fr Wayne
June 27, 2008
Dear Sisters and Brothers,
Sometimes I wish I had a crystal ball…. It would seem to be good to know what the future had in store…. OR would it?
How would we, or could we, change our path of life even if we could see into the future? Scripture tells us not to worry about tomorrow for there is enough to concern us today. We should therefore be people of the ‘present’, acknowledging the great gifts that we have to change our lives today…to improve our living and to encourage and influence others in relationships both personal, community and with God.
Whatever we ’do’ with today…will have meaning for tomorrow. Pray to Almighty God to guide our parish discernment this day… for tomorrow and tomorrow’s generation.
With love & prayers.
Father Wayne+
June 8, 2008
Dear Sisters and Brothers,
During a recent visit to a family the discussion turned to religion and church attendance and one family member said that they strongly believed in God and tried to live a good Christian life, but that going to church had become frustrating and irrelevant when what was preached and hopefully was being practised did not match with the reality of the church community in action.
Two points arise for me from this conversation. Firstly how do we as Christians rate our prayer and actions in relation to what we are asked to do through Christ’s example and teaching? Do we proclaim in voice our faith, hope and love only to do something less or opposite? Secondly as Christians we can, and should, have an individual relationship with God through Jesus; but the true, lasting fulfilment of our oneness with Christ is our relationship with one another and our mission outreach and loving care for all people.
As Christians of real faith, hope and love we will be seeking to heal past hurts, to live as a saved people encouraging others to share in this salvation and to bring hope for the present and future Kingdom.
As today’s Gospel (Matthew 6: 22-34) reminds us, our faith should be so strong and fertile as not to worry about tomorrow but to be alive in today’s mission.
Blessings and Peace.
Fr Wayne +
May 25, 2008
Dear Friends,
As we celebrate Trinity Sunday, hopefully we will not allow ourselves to become so absorbed in explaining the ‘meaning’ of The Trinity, that we lose the real ideal of what “Trinity” can mean to us in this modern world.
I suggest that we explore the trinity in terms of our relationships with… God– ourselves– others. You cannot have a complete, full Christian life without the combination of God– ourselves– others.
If only one or two of the three exist, then we are lacking in the fulfilment of our Christian life and the wonderful experiences that can be nurtured and shared.
To believe that we have God completely to ourselves as some personal adornment is a most selfish way of living, or to believe that we have Christian values among ourselves without a daily love and purpose with God is hypocritical. God our Creator gives all life and has given eternal salvation through his Son Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit flowing through us is the perfection of Christ’s love in us. To deny God– self– others in our life’s journey is to deny the full truth of the existence of God.
As the truth of our “Trinity” evolves we can be fully aware of the God of judgement and love, of respect and love for ourselves and of the needs of others, sincerely and with love offering our prayers and practical support.
Pray at this time for the people of China and of Burma, for their governments and leaders, for all who offer assistance, for the injured and homeless and for eternal peace for the dead.
+Fr Wayne
May 16, 2008
Dear Sisters and Brothers,
On Sunday 11th we celebrate the great Day of Pentecost…the Church’s Birthday, when the Holy Spirit descended upon the first Apostles and gave them strength and fortitude and grace to go out into the community and the wider world living and teaching Christ’s Gospel of love and hope. On the following Sunday we unfold the ‘mystery’ of The Trinity, God the Creator, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit… yet one in being.
You and I, as modern day Apostles are given the same strength, grace and fortitude to be a “living Gospel” in our communities, a ‘Trinity’ of serving God, living faith-filled lives, caring for people.
Look at what the first Apostles left for us and all humanity…. What can we leave for the present and future generation??
Blessings and Peace of The Risen Christ.
Fr Wayne+
May 10, 2008
Dear Sisters and Brothers,
CHRIST IS RISEN! HE IS RISEN INDEED! ALLELUIA!
My words come from a wonderful book called “Sacred Space” and I pray that it gives you as much thought and insight as it does for me.
Getting in Touch: If we are to encounter God truthfully in prayer, we must be real to ourselves. We need to be aware of what we are feeling. A mother will see her son or daughter come in from school, and know from their face and body language that he or she is depressed, or resentful, or anxious or whatever. The child may say they are fine, but mum will lead them gently to put into words the hurt or frustration that is being felt. It is only when we are in touch with what is going on inside us that we can come before the Lord. Then I can express the ‘real me’ connecting with the ‘real God’….and prayer becomes authentic.
(quote from pg 156 Sacred Space Jesuit Communications)
During these next weeks, you and I will need to pray intently and honestly before God, seeking guidance and grace as we make decisions for our parishes’ present and future ministry. Let our prayer be one with God’s will.
Blessings and Peace of The Risen Christ.
Fr. Wayne+
April 25, 2008
Dear Sisters and Brothers,
CHRIST IS RISEN! HE IS RISEN INDEED! ALLELUIA!
During these 50 days of Easter-time, we have fresh in our minds the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and might reflect on the “death and resurrection” experiences that are part of our lives.
These experiences are varied for each one of us and may indeed be a real-life nearly dying and being restored to health, or the failure of a business or a relationship where someone gives you support and a helping hand to resurrect and renew your life, or possibly a breakdown in your life with God and finding that he is ever present in prayer or a friend/s.
This weekends Scripture Readings, tell us of the support the disciples gave to each other especially in the days of the early Christian Communities after Jesus’death and resurrection, and of how they shared both their goods and resources and of themselves for the benefit and care of each other and of those who sought help. And Jesus owns words in the Gospel where he assures his followers that like the good shepherd, he is always caring for us in all things and at all times.
In the deaths and the resurrections of life and living, always place your faith in God through Christ and never make decisions without the support of God and friends.
Blessings and Peace of The Risen Christ.
Fr Wayne+
April 10, 2008
