Liturgies

There is a consistent theme at St Mary’s encouraging us to pay attention and to be present to the moment. In this Palm Sunday Homily, we are encouraged in the daily practice of saying “Hello” to our reality and actually befriending it. Facing reality, being in the midst of life as it presents itself however unwanted at times is at the heart of the spiritual life.

This weekend we celebrate the Fifth Sunday of Lent by exploring the metaphorical desert as a place to refresh, renew and refocus.

Last year the SMX board felt that it would be good for us as a community to re-connect with our early hopes, dreams and aspirations as a Community in Exile. They felt that what the Community had decided on as our Vision Statements 12 years ago , and now found in the opening words of our Constitution, were a perfect place to begin. The liturgy Group felt it would be an appropriate fit for our Lenten theme of RENEW; REFRESH and REFOCUS

Central to the message of Jesus is the invitation to embrace the presence of God in the here and now. This is also a central message from the recently deceased Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh. This weekend our liturgies invite us once again into this simple but easily overlooked reality.

Richard Rohr in today’s homily speaks of the big seeing that Jesus invites us into, a seeing that comes from dying to the small self. A seeing that knows we are all interrelated and part of the whole.

When Jesus went to a lonely place to pray He was being with his God - in a union of love.

Hope is central to the Gospel and is desperately needed in these challenging times. Margaret Clifford will provide some reflection on the theology of hope and will begin a conversation about how we can nurture hope in ourselves, our communities and in our world.

Throughout advent we have been exploring more fully the beautiful Christmas story. This wonderful myth of how Divine Consciousness conceals itself in mere form. And according to the story it is only those who see who are delighted and transformed by this loving presence disguised in a small baby.

This week, the Fourth Sunday of Advent, Liz Little considers the Christmas archetype of the Divine Child by exploring the notion of vulnerability and the divine.