Liturgies

Terry reminded us last week that we need to deeply listen to the history of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander survival and the voices of their communities who refused to be silenced. During this NAIDOC Week “50 Years of Deadly” we look back at the stories, the marches, languages, art and leadership it took to get where we are because generations of people refused to be silenced. When history is forgotten, injustice is repeated. When wrongness is acknowledged, dignity is restored.

On this the eve of the 50th year of celebrating NAIDOC week, First Nations people invite us to celebrate their Blak excellence, cultural strength, community leadership and resilience. For this to truly happen for us as a nation, what is required is a deep listening that we have not been very good at doing for 256 years.

What is our SMX calling as a group of Christian disciples? What is our national responsibility as a wealthy multicultural society? Matthew 5: 3-12 calls, challenges and confronts us concerning refugees. Can we consider together the several lenses through which we see refugees?

The homily reflects on empathy, trauma, and the way we respond to others, especially when their behaviour is shaped by fear or past wounds. Empathy is presented as a deeply human capacity that allows us to enter another person’s experience without losing our own grounding, and as the foundation for kindness, generosity, and compassion.

As Australia marks Mabo Day on 3 June and the world celebrates World Environment Day on 5 June, we are invited to reflect on two powerful calls: justice for indigenous people and care for our common home, Planet Earth. Mark will share some insights to connect these two important occasions.

The Australian community has many conflicting voices about Sorry Day. Some, who are closer to First Peoples, inform themselves on the pressing issues, but many do not. Can we make a priority of searching, finding out about contentious issues and hot topics? Our community will be better for it.

Ingerid Meagher is the homilist this Pentecost Sunday. She will reflect on a remarkable sculpture encountered in Astorga, Spain while she was walking the Camino. Ingerid will explore the significance of both Pentecost and Mary.

This week we will begin our Community Celebration of Life at Club Yeronga with a Liturgy of the Word. For the homily, Terry and Liz will present an article called The Role of Community in Christian Theology. The article highlights the transformative power of community in fostering forgiveness, love and human spirituality.

This Sunday we celebrate Mother’s Day - a time to consider afresh the qualities of nurture, embrace and protection, all traditionally identified with the mother’s role. Heather will explore the Mother Heart of God in each of us, not only in mothers and women.

What is contemplative prayer and why is it needed? This week we will listen to Richard Rohr speak about the power of contemplation. In the past the prayer of silent contemplation was for the select few. But contemplation is for everyone. In contemplation we learn to commune with the divine, we learn to be in the moment, truly present to life, truly savouring life. This is life in all its fullness.