Liturgies

This week's homily features well known friend of Jesus, Martha of Bethany, who appears in some popular Gospel stories. Our homilist, Liz Little, paints a less well known and fascinating portrait of this often-misunderstood woman.

Brian will be doing an Exploration of Love. How did Jesus go about Loving us? What is our “state of being?” We can have a physical state of anxiety or anger. Can we have a physical state of Love?

As a global community facing its many pressing problems, we will need to become like the old pilgrim.

The latest report on the Australian Environment shows how Australia’s land and wildlife are being gradually destroyed. The list of threatened species grows as ecosystems show signs of collapse due to the climate crisis and habitat loss.

In its various guises, disinformation (sometimes colloquially known as fake news) has been with us for millennia. People have always engaged in rumour and untruths, although in today’s age of un-social media, it has taken on a massive new dimension. In this homily, we will explore some present trends with this disinformation issue, and clarify how we can each respond in more proactive ways.

Our homilist today is Megan Davis, professor of law at the University of New South Wales. She is a Cobble Cobble woman and a renowned constitutional lawyer and public law expert, focusing on advocacy for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Megan became one of the key figures behind the history-making Uluru Statement from the Heart.

First Nations peoples in Australia have suffered immensely over the past more than 2 centuries, enduring what amounts to a profound social, cultural and physical genocide. But despite great loss, they have survived –socially, culturally, physically... Homily by Anne Brown.

The focus of this homily is that loss which we all experience in many ways always contains possibilities for healing, compassion and wholeness. Narelle opens up the perspective of American Jewish Medical Practitioner Dr Rachel Naomi Remen who approaches the teaching of medical students with the strong message that medicine is not just about curing, but healing. She reminds us that right here right now we all have the potential to heal the world “one heart at a time.”

This weekend we will hear the story of one of the refugees supported by “Pushing Boundaries” and how the relationships developed through ‘Pushing Boundaries’ have become so influential in all of their lives.

Influenced by practical strategies to reduce waste in our society, Architect Mark Thomson, shares some developing thinking about a regenerative future. Homily by Mark Thomson.