Mercy
Forgiving Flow
17 September 2023
“The only way to let go is the way of mercy, the way of forgiveness, the way that doesn’t say that it didn’t matter, that thing is not significant. Yes, it happened and it was crucial and it was awful, but still from my side of the street, I have that obligation to let it…
Why did Jesus die?
8 April 2023
A reflection on the Passion of Jesus in the Gospel of John. Play MP3 When I was a kid, the only thing that I seemed to want to do was to be older and bigger, you know, big enough that I was able to go out the back with my older brothers, with Dad on…
Being Found
11 September 2022
Sunday 24, Year C 3 Parables of Joy. Finding what was lost. Jesus hosts the tax collectors & sinners as his special, honoured guests. The accusation thrown against Jesus regularly – behold a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners. A refrain. When we hear a set of parables like this,…
Rich in Divine Mercy
24 April 2022
Easter, Season of Growth, Seasons, Year C
Second Sunday in Easter, Year C. First Reading ‡ Acts 5:12-16The numbers of men and women who came to believe in the Lord increased steadily. Responsorial ‡ Psalm 117:2-4.22-27Give thanks to the Lord for he is good, his love is everlasting. Second Reading ‡ Revelation 1:9-13.17-19I was dead and now I am to live for…
Mercy beyond imagining
13 September 2020
Today we conclude the 18th chapter of Matthew. This fourth block of teaching centres around life in the community. It began with the question of who is the greatest in this new covenant community and culminates in this over-the-top story of abundant grace and mercy. Peter the impetuous again provides the fodder for the teaching…
Oily Mercy – revisiting the mercy movement
16 June 2019
When I read this Gospel, from Luke chapter 7, verses 36-50, of the anointing of Jesus by a sinful woman, two very vivid images come to mind, evoked by two songs. The first is the old song ‘Beautiful to Me’ by Don Francisco, which in his style is a powerful retelling of this story, told…
The Baptism of Jesus and ours
13 January 2019
Christmas, Season of Growth, Seasons, Year C
When you come to reflect on the baptism of Jesus, the first thing that you need to take account of is how odd an event it must have been. The primary significance of the baptism that John was offering was a washing from sin and a ritual of repentance. It was in direct competition to…
Days of Darkness
18 November 2018
The darkness of the readings today appropriately match the mood of despair and darkness after yet more senseless and violent attacks that we have seen again this year. The Gospel is taken from the longest discourse in the Gospel of Mark – the whole of the thirteenth chapter features a single discussion by Jesus and…
Lost & Found
11 September 2016
We read the whole of the fifteenth chapter of Luke’s gospel today – which begins with this description of the annoyance of the religious types that Jesus was mixing with the wrong kinds of people – the tax collectors and sinners. In response, Jesus offers these three beautiful parables – the last two of which…
Oily Mercy – revisiting the mercy movement
11 June 2016
When I read this Gospel, from Luke chapter 7, verses 36-50, of the anointing of Jesus by a sinful woman, two very vivid images come to mind, evoked by two songs. The first is the old song ‘Beautiful to Me’ by Don Francisco, which in his style is a powerful retelling of this story, told from…
Mercy and Mission
10 April 2016
Easter, Radio Program, Seasons, Teaching
The gospel that we have today is taken from the twenty-first chapter of the Gospel of John. It is another resurrection appearance, but this time, it is not in Jerusalem, but up in the Sea of Galilee. Seven of the disciples, led by the apostle Peter, decide to go fishing. While seven are described, only…
Moving Mercy – part 5 – rocks and release
13 March 2016
Lent, Seasons, Series, Teaching
We conclude this series today with the beautiful gospel of “the woman caught in the very act of committing adultery” from John 8. The Gospel is intriguing on so many levels not least because of the manuscript uncertainty concerning its placement in this location in John’s gospel – many early manuscripts do not include it…
Moving Mercy – part 4 – two books
6 March 2016
Lent, Seasons, Series, Teaching
“A man had two sons. So begins one of the most moving and beautiful stories that Jesus told – Luke 15. We have often called this parable “The Prodigal Son” but that removes some of the richness – because all three characters are essential to this story – the prodigal son, the waiting father and…
Moving Mercy – part 3 – presence
28 February 2016
Lent, Seasons, Series, Teaching
Dan Stevers – Presence The account of the encounter between God and Moses on the holy mountain can teach us so much about our journey towards healing – receiving and sharing mercy. It is worth reflecting on the divine name that God reveals to Moses – that he calls himself “I…
Moving Mercy – part 1 – rat poison
14 February 2016
Lent, Seasons, Series, Teaching
‡ Week one – Overview 1. What it isn’t Mercy is not: Condoning what they did. If they did something that was wrong, then that is not okay. Waiting for them to apologise or repent for what they did or make amends. This may never come, so stop holding onto a likely dream. Ignoring justice…
The Baptism of Jesus and ours
10 January 2016
Christmas, Season of Growth, Seasons, Year C
When you come to reflect on the baptism of Jesus, the first thing that you need to take account of is how odd an event it must have been. The primary significance of the baptism that John was offering was a washing from sin and a ritual of repentance. It was in direct competition to…
Christmas Day – the Compassion of God
25 December 2015
There is an extraordinary line in the second reading today – ‘When the kindness and love of God our Saviour appeared, he saved us, not because of any righteous thing that we had done, but because of his mercy.’ (Titus 3:4-5) We have often understood Judaism and its focus on the laws and commandments of…
Days of Darkness
15 November 2015
The darkness of the readings today appropriately match the mood of despair and darkness after yet more senseless and violent attacks over the past few days in Beirut and especially in the city of light – Paris. The Gospel is taken from the longest discourse in the Gospel of Mark – the whole of the…
Discovering the breadth and depth of God’s love for the saints
12 June 2015
The scriptures given to us today for the solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus take us to the very centre of our faith and our relationship with God revealed in and through Jesus. The gospel ends with the declaration in the Gospel of John that we will look on the one whom they have…
Believing not unbelieving
12 April 2015
Have you ever been asked to do something that was so totally beyond you that couldn’t even believe you would be capable of doing the task? That is exactly how we should feel after hearing the gospel today. When Jesus speaks to the disciples gathered in the upper room, it is only right to feel…
A God who is rich in mercy
15 March 2015
Beginnings and endings are always significant. How you start a story – and how you end a story create so much of the impact of the whole story. We know well how the Bible begins – “In the beginning, when God created the heavens and the earth…” (Gen 1:1) We might even know how the…
Identity in the Merciful Messiah
27 April 2014
In the program Grand Designs, host Kevin McCloud walks with people who are transforming often old buildings into new and beautiful designs. I had a little experience with this when I was in Nowra Parish and the old parish hall, which for many years was used by the school as classrooms, but had been laying…
Offer the left cheek
20 February 2011
A story told by Eugene Peterson (the author of The Message Bible – a translation in very contemporary English) of the day when the tables were turned on Garrison Johns – the school yard bully who had beaten up on Eugene every day after school for seven months – highlights the way that we have…
Blessing of Mercy and Peace
30 January 2011
We begin to sit at the feet of Jesus as he shares the sermon on the mountain with his disciples (including us) and begins by reminding us that at the heart of Christianity is the desire of God that we should know fullness of life (blessing) in him. When we examine the series of eight…