Liturgies

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.

In our liturgy this week we will be invited to take the Christmas story and make it work for us…to get off the merry-go-round of the familiarity of the story and even with masked faces smile with our eyes and give out the hope of the shepherds and authentic wise people….We will be invited to allow the God within and in whom we dwell shepherd us to be people of hope.

This week as we celebrate the second week of Advent, our focus is on the character of Mary in the Christmas story. She is the one who ponders and stores all things in her heart. Deeply rooted in love, in conscious aware being, in God, she responds with courage and kindness, not knowing where her response of " let it be done unto me" will take her.

In this weekend's liturgies, we begin our Advent Season. Throughout the season we will be examining the key characters in the Christmas story. These significant people reveal to us, often in subtle, hidden ways, the messages of the Gospel. Today Terry explores the wondrous central Christmas symbol of the coming of the Light.

Franciscan priest Richard Rohr introduces us to the theme of Advent beautifully in a talk he gave about 5 years ago. In this brief talk, Richard speaks to us of the power of story. It is through stories, he explains, that great truths can be revealed to our small minds on small stages.

Today in our liturgy we are invited to listen to a homily by Fr Frank Brennan given at the opening eucharist for the Australian Catholic Churches recent Plenary Council.

Wayne Sanderson & Lucy Lopez invite us into the gospel values at the heart of our dealing with young offenders. The state government has made valuable reforms to the youth justice system but it is very challenged on this issue.

Terry will talk of the importance of experiencing the care of community for our mental health in these uncertain times. He will also the reflecting on 2021 from a SMX perspective.